Escalator Fall Detection Control Using Passenger Image Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Escalators and moving walkways continue to experience accidents, particularly entrapment and falls, which pose significant safety risks, especially for children, due to inadequate detection and response systems.
Innovation Solution
A method for controlling transport devices like escalators and moving walkways using a control unit with image recording devices to analyze the movement of individuals within the transport area, triggering safety modes such as deceleration or stopping of the drive means upon detecting falls or potential falls, and monitoring the person's status to resume normal operation if they stand up within a safe distance from the exit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If image recording devices and movement analysis are implemented to detect falls, then passenger safety is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical safety detection systems with optical image recording devices and computational image analysis. The control unit analyzes sequences of images to detect fall events by comparing person positions and movements, substituting mechanical sensors and switches with vision-based detection that achieves similar safety monitoring with fewer physical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses image recording devices to create visual copies of the transport area and persons within it. By analyzing sequences of these image copies, the control unit can detect falls without physical contact or complex mechanical detection systems. The images serve as informational copies that enable safety monitoring through computational analysis rather than physical sensing.
2Reliability
If the transport device is stopped immediately upon detecting a fall, then injury risk is reduced, but productivity and transport efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic response strategies where the control unit adjusts the transport device operation based on real-time fall detection and analysis. Rather than immediate stopping, the system can trigger alarm signals, activate safety modes, or stop only specific sections of the transport device. This dynamic approach allows the system to respond proportionally to the detected situation, maintaining productivity when possible while ensuring safety when necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The transport device is divided into multiple sections or zones that can be independently controlled. When a fall is detected in one section, the control unit can stop only that specific section while allowing other sections to continue operating. This segmentation enables localized safety responses that minimize disruption to overall transport efficiency while still protecting the fallen person in the affected zone.
3Reliability
If multiple safety devices are embedded in the transport device, then safety coverage is improved, but device complexity and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The image recording devices and control unit serve multiple functions: they monitor passenger presence, detect fall events, analyze movement patterns, and trigger appropriate safety responses. This multi-functional approach replaces multiple specialized safety devices with a single integrated vision-based system that performs all safety monitoring tasks, reducing the overall number of components while maintaining comprehensive safety coverage.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a Method for controlling a transport device (1), namely a moving walkway (1a) or an escalator (1b) by a control unit (8), the transport device (1) comprising: a transport area (6) for accommodating a person (2) to be transported; transport means (3), namely movable pallets (3a) or movable steps (3b), adapted for conveying the person (2) located in the transport area (6) in a standing manner; drive means (7) adapted for driving the transport means (3); at least one image recording device (9) for creating visual images (11, 12) of least a sector of the transport area (6), wherein based on the recorded images (11, 12) a movement of the person within the transport area (6) is analysed and based upon the result of the analysis the control unit (8) is transferred into a safety modus (S).