Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor or accessory therefor specialized to convey people – With means to control the operation of the section
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-05
2001-05-15
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
C198S810030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230871
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a device for monitoring functional units at escalators and moving pavements consisting of several processors being independent from each other and controlling presetable parameters of the respective functional unit.
It is generally known to monitor functional units at escalators and moving pavements, as for instance the driving motor of the stairs respectively the pallets or the hand-rail drive by means of safety devices. Often contactors are used which stop the escalator or the moving pavement in case of failure by means of electronics on the base of a firmly wired logic. Herein it has to be considered as a disadvantage that these electric components require a lot of space as well as an increased wiring.
According to the valid domestic and international safety regulations escalators and moving pavements have to be equipped in such a way that they are self-stopped before the speed exceeds for instance 1.2 times the nominal speed. Although this requirement is met by the known three monitoring devices on the base of contactors or their precontactors, the construction work is however considered as too extensive.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,256 a control device for passenger conveyors has been known. A first as well as a second microcomputer are provided, the first microcomputer being in active relation via switches with safety elements which are responsible for starting the passenger conveyor. The results are used for initiating the passenger conveyor. The second microcomputer monitors the behaviour of the safety devices on the base of input signals of the same. In case of breakdown of one of the microcomputers the passenger conveyor is not stopped, but the second microcomputer takes the functions of the first one over, whereby important risks can rise during the continued operation of the passenger conveyor, since the failure has not been repaired, but only dislocated.
It is the aim of the subject of invention to provide a monitoring device for escalators and moving pavements, which corresponds to the actual technical possibilities and which, in comparison to the state of the art known in this field, offers on the one hand an essentially better price and on the other hand a better performance while being smaller in size. Furthermore the monitoring device shall be flexibly adaptable to different domestic and international safety standards. A stopping of the passenger conveyor shall be assured in any case when problems arise.
This aim is achieved according to the invention by the fact that the processors are independently from each other provided for simultaneously monitoring the driving motor of the stairs respectively the pallets and/or the driving motor of the hand-rail drive respectively drives and in particular for monitoring the speed(s) of the driving motor respectively motors, the processors being connected to safety contacts for immediately stopping the passenger conveyor, and that the processors are in active relation with at least one other processor, which is provided for the control and/or diagnosis of functional units not being relevant for safety.
Advantageous developments of the subject of invention are disclosed in the subclaims.
According to the domestic and international safety regulations, the principle of the monitoring device according to the invention is thus based on a mutual monitoring of the processors in case of need. This type of monitoring safety relevant functional units on the one hand and not safety relevant functional units on the other hand, which has not been realised for escalators and moving pavements as yet, corresponds to the actual state of the art and also meets the respective domestic and international safety standards, problems arising in the field of the functional units and/or the processors leading in any case to stopping the passenger conveyor.
Compared to the state of the art the constructional effort is substantially less. The monitoring device is flexibly adaptable to domestic and international safety regulations, the structural design regarding storage substantially remaining the same and, if necessary, individual possible functions—adapted to the respective standard—not being active.
According to the invention the processors serving for monitoring the safety relevant functional units are in active relation with at least one other processor, which may for instance be provided for control and/or failure diagnosis and may, in case of need, be located on the same board.
At least two microprocessors for monitoring the safety relevant functional units are used, which in particular control the speed of the respective functional unit (driving motor stairs/pallets/hand-rail drive). With two microprocessors a redundant monitoring of two speeds is carried out, while in case of need four microprocessors can be used for the speed monitoring of 2×2 speeds.
It can also be thought of a simultaneous monitoring of several mutually independent functional units of an escalator or a moving pavement, e.g. of the stairs or pallet band and the hand-rail drive by providing several microprocessors on the one and the same board.
A software intended for safety is used, by means of which the following parameters can inter alia be covered:
Monitoring of transmission errors
Detection of data overruns or data falsification
Program pass monitoring
Redundancy by means of cross comparison between the processors
Parallel balance
For a highest possible safety against intended software manipulations such a technology is used, by means of which modifications of the program or parts of the same are neither permissible nor feasible in the operating state of the functional unit.
Furthermore also a hardware intended for safety (fail-safe, i.e. always directed towards the safe state) is provided consisting of at least 2 processors corresponding to two channels (redundancy), in connection to a comparator channel via the software and control of the comparator.
A failure monitoring of the downstream safety relays and the data transfer between the processors can also be realised in a simple way.
The following parameters have to be monitored at functional units of escalators respectively moving pavements:
speed
temperature
sensor monitoring
underspeed
overspeed
reverse of running direction
monitoring of parting of a cable
The selection of the respective parameter(s) is up to the man skilled in the art.
At response of the monitoring device and stopping of the escalator respectively the moving pavement it shall furthermore be avoided that the escalator respectively the moving pavement can start again before a detailed inspection of the malfunction has been carried out by skilled personnel. Thus the software must provide for a turn-on locking during arising malfunctions, which can only be unlocked by the skilled personnel after the failure has been repaired.
For extension purposes also a so-called local peripheral bus may be provided.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4326606 (1982-04-01), Kuzunuki et al.
patent: 5083653 (1992-01-01), Sakata et al.
patent: 5526256 (1996-06-01), Sakata et al.
patent: 01281287 (1989-11-01), None
Balzer-Apke Ludwig
Lange Dirk
Tautz Andreas
Kinberg Robert
Kone Corporation
Valenza Joseph E.
Venable
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