Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor or accessory therefor specialized to convey people – With means to control the operation of the section
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-18
2002-01-01
Valenza, Joseph E. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor or accessory therefor specialized to convey people
With means to control the operation of the section
Reexamination Certificate
active
06334522
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a passenger conveyor such as an escalator or a moving walk. More particularly, the invention relates to a control apparatus for a passenger conveyor in which a plurality of operating modes including a conveying mode for operating at a speed at which passengers are conveyed and a standby mode for standing by while reducing power consumption are automatically switched, and a passenger detecting device which is applicable to such a control apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in a stopping automatic operating system passenger conveyor, sensors are provided on poles provided at an entrance gate. The conveyor is in standby with the operation thereof stopped when no passengers are detected and the conveyor is operated at a rated speed when a passenger is detected by the sensors.
The JEAS-410A of the Japanese Elevator Society standards define such a stopping automatic operating system as follows:
1. A detection point should be provided that has a sufficient distance for the escalator so that the escalator may be started and reach a rated velocity before the user rides on the escalator. This distance is 1.0 m or more (corresponding to about 1.7 m from a comb portion) from the ends of the returning portions of the moving handrails at both the entrance and exit gates. (The walking speed of the passenger is 1.5 m/sec and the passenger conveyor reaches the rated velocity in 0.5 to 0.8 sec after the start.)
2. operation should continue for a longer period of time than it takes the user who last rides on the conveyor to arrive at the exit gate.
3. The operating direction should be one way.
4. An alarm should be sounded for a person who rides from the reverse direction, and at the same time the conveyor should be moved in the opposite direction (i.e., the regular operating direction) for a set period of time.
5. Railings should be provided between the passenger detection position and the entrance/exit gates for guiding the users.
6. A display showing “automatic operation” and acceptance or rejection of a passenger should be provided (i.e., showing the operating direction) at both entrance/exit gates.
Also, European Regulations EN115 stipulate as follows:
1. The conveyor should start to move before the pedestrian rides on a step. (A photoelectric device should be installed 1.3 m away from the comb.)
2. A display showing the operating direction and acceptance/rejection is required.
3. The conveyor should move in the opposite direction before pedestrian who is going to ride in the wrong direction rides on the step.
4. The period of time for this operation should be 10 sec or more.
Accordingly, in the stopping automatic operating system passenger conveyor, it is necessary to provide additional equipment such as poles, an automatic operation display lamp, an operating direction display lamp and guide railings. Among such additional equipment, the poles are located at a distance of 1.0 m or more from the handrail returning portions with the sensors being built therein. Also, the automatic operation display lamp indicates the movement of the conveyor if the user is close thereto while the passenger is stopped. The operating direction display lamp indicates the regular set operating direction while the passenger conveyor is stopped and displays whether the riding direction is a regular direction or an opposite direction. In some cases, these display lamps are built into the poles.
Also, the guide railings are used to prevent the user from riding on the passenger conveyor without passing through the detecting device, and, at the same time, prevent the user from moving aside without riding on the passenger conveyor after being detected by the detecting device.
A so-called low speed automatic operating system can also be provided in contrast to the above-described stopping automatic operation system.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 62-275990 shows a control method in which a passenger conveyor stands by at a low speed operation, is accelerated in accordance with a detection signal of a passenger detection device, and is again decelerated after a predetermined period of time.
Also, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 5-5572 discloses a method in which after a passenger conveyor has been accelerated from a low speed operation by a VVVF inverter, the drive source is switched over to a commercial power source to thereby perform a rated speed operation.
In such low speed automatic operating systems, since low speed operation is continued even during standby conditions, it is possible to omit or simplify the automatic operation display lamps or operating direction display lamps. Also, in the case where the passenger conveyor is gradually accelerated by the inverter, even if a passenger were to ride on the conveyor during the acceleration operation, it is very unlikely that the passenger would fall down. Accordingly, it is possible to place the passenger detection positions just before the passenger entrance and exit gates. It is therefore possible to dispense with the guide railings and easily incorporate the passenger detection device into the passenger conveyor.
However, the energy saving effect in the low speed automatic operating system is degraded compared with the stopping system because low speed operation is performed even during the standby condition.
In contrast, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 57-72581 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 61-162485 disclose a control method in which if no passengers are detected for a predetermined period of time while the passenger conveyor is standing by at low speed operation, operation is stopped and the conveyor stands by. However, in this case, since the conveyor is stopped for the standby mode when it is not busy, as in the stopping automatic operating system, it is necessary to provide the automatic operation display lamps and the operating direction display lamps.
In addition, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 55-161770, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 64-14784 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-58582 disclose a control method in which the operating speed is changed in accordance with the absence/presence of passengers.
Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 62-269882 discloses a control method in which, in accordance with an output from a device for detecting the number of the passengers per unit time, the low speed operation is performed when there is no-load and the rated speed operation is performed when the passengers are detected.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 1-281288 discloses a method in which sensors are arranged at an end portion of the handrail and the ceiling, respectively, and when a passenger is detected by either one of the sensors, operation is started.
Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 3-243591 discloses a control method in which a first detecting device is provided at the entrance and exit gates and a second detecting device is provided in the vicinity of the comb portion so that the passenger conveyor is started by the first detecting device and a counting operation according to a timer is started with the second detecting device, the operation of the passenger conveyor being stopped after a predetermined period of time.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-87592 discloses a control method in which photo sensors, each composed of a light emitting element and a light detecting element are provided on right and left handrail end portions, beams from the right and left light emitting elements are made to intersect one another at the entrance/exit gate, and when passenger is detected by both the right and left photo sensors, the passenger conveyor is started. Also, in this example, a plurality of pairs of photo sensors having different beam intersection positions are provided, and it is thus possible to detect the presence/absence of passengers within a wi
Haruta Yasumasa
Iwata Akio
Nakamura Haruhiko
Sugiyama Yoshiki
Leydig , Voit & Mayer, Ltd.
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Valenza Joseph E.
LandOfFree
Control apparatus for passenger conveyor and passenger... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Control apparatus for passenger conveyor and passenger..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Control apparatus for passenger conveyor and passenger... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2844601