阅读说明：本技术 乘客传送设备及乘客传送设备的控制方法 (Passenger conveying equipment and control method thereof ) 是由 桑村秀树 山中直辉 于 2019-05-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供乘客传送设备及乘客传送设备的控制方法,通过对危险状况的注意提醒来防止事故的发生。乘客传送设备(100)具备：解析部(图像解析装置(15)),其根据由对搭乘于乘客传送设备(100)的对象进行检测的传感器部(监视相机(14))检测的检测数据来识别乘客及附带物,检测所识别的乘客与附带物的位置及有无接触；判定部(附带物位置判定部(21)),其基于由解析部检测到的附带物相对于乘客的位置关系,来判定附带物是否处于危险状况；以及通知部(广播装置(17)、照明装置(18)等),其在由判定部判定为附带物处于危险状况的情况下,通知与判定结果相应的注意提醒。(The invention provides a passenger conveying device and a control method of the passenger conveying device, which can prevent accidents by paying attention to dangerous conditions. A passenger conveyor (100) is provided with: an analysis unit (image analysis device (15)) that identifies a passenger and an accessory based on detection data detected by a sensor unit (monitoring camera (14)) that detects an object that is mounted on the passenger conveyor (100), and detects the position and presence/absence of contact between the identified passenger and the accessory; a determination unit (incidental position determination unit (21)) that determines whether or not an incidental is in a dangerous situation based on the positional relationship of the incidental detected by the analysis unit with respect to the passenger; and a notification unit (a broadcast device (17), an illumination device (18), etc.) that notifies a reminder of attention corresponding to the determination result when the determination unit determines that the incidental object is in a dangerous situation.)

1. A passenger conveyor has a sensor for detecting an object riding on the passenger conveyor,

the passenger conveyor is characterized in that,

the passenger conveyor is provided with:

an analysis unit that recognizes a passenger and an accessory based on detection data of the object detected by the sensor, and detects a position and presence/absence of contact between the passenger and the accessory as detection of a positional relationship of the accessory with respect to the passenger;

a determination unit that determines whether or not the incidental object is in a dangerous situation based on a result of detection of the positional relationship by the analysis unit; and

and a notification unit configured to notify a reminder of attention corresponding to a result of the determination when the determination unit determines that the incidental object is in a dangerous situation.

2. The passenger conveyor of claim 1,

the accessory is luggage.

3. The passenger conveyor of claim 2,

the determination unit determines that the incidental is in a dangerous situation when the incidental does not contact the passenger or the incidental contacts the passenger but the incidental is in a step below the passenger.

4. The passenger conveyor of claim 1,

the passenger is an adult passenger and the accessory is a child passenger.

5. The passenger conveyor of claim 4,

the determination unit determines that the incidental is in a dangerous situation when the incidental does not contact the passenger or the incidental contacts the passenger but the incidental is in a step different from the passenger.

6. The passenger conveyor of claim 1,

when the determination unit determines that each of the plurality of incidental objects is in the dangerous situation, the notification unit preferentially notifies the attention reminder to the subject determined to be in the dangerous situation first.

7. The passenger conveyor of claim 1,

speakers are provided at a plurality of locations from an entrance to an exit of the passenger conveyor,

when the determination unit determines that the incidental object is in a dangerous situation, the notification unit makes a predetermined attention calling broadcast from a speaker provided in the vicinity of the current position of the passenger corresponding to the incidental object among the speakers provided at the plurality of points.

8. A method of controlling a passenger conveyor having a sensor for detecting an object riding on the passenger conveyor,

the control method of the passenger conveyor is characterized in that,

the control method of the passenger conveyor includes the steps of:

an analysis step of identifying a passenger and an accessory based on detection data of the object detected by the sensor, and detecting a position and presence/absence of contact between the passenger and the accessory as detection of a positional relationship of the accessory with respect to the passenger;

a determination step of determining whether or not the incidental object is in a dangerous situation based on a detection result of the positional relationship detected in the analysis step; and

and a notification step of notifying, when it is determined in the determination step that the incidental object is in a dangerous situation, an attention prompt corresponding to a determination result.

9. The passenger conveyor control method according to claim 8,

the accessory is luggage.

10. The passenger conveyor control method according to claim 9,

in the determining step, it is determined that the incidental is in a dangerous situation when the incidental is not in contact with the passenger or the incidental is in a lower step than the passenger although the incidental is in contact with the passenger.

11. The passenger conveyor control method according to claim 8,

the passenger is an adult passenger and the accessory is a child passenger.

12. The passenger conveyor control method according to claim 11,

in the determining step, it is determined that the incidental is in a dangerous situation when the incidental is not in contact with the passenger or the incidental is in a step different from the passenger even though the incidental is in contact with the passenger.

13. The passenger conveyor control method according to claim 8,

in the case where it is determined in the determining step that each of the plurality of incidental objects is in the dangerous condition, the notifying step preferentially notifies the attention calling to the subject determined to be in the dangerous condition in advance.

14. The passenger conveyor control method according to claim 8,

speakers are provided at a plurality of locations from an entrance to an exit of the passenger conveyor,

when it is determined in the determining step that the incidental object is in a dangerous situation, in the notifying step, a predetermined attention calling broadcast is made from a speaker provided in the vicinity of the current position of the passenger corresponding to the incidental object among the speakers provided at the plurality of points.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a passenger conveyor such as an escalator or a moving walkway, and a method for controlling the passenger conveyor, and is particularly preferably applied to a passenger conveyor and a method for controlling the passenger conveyor provided with a control device that discriminates the baggage arrangement manner of a passenger and gives a notice.

Background

A passenger conveyor represented by an escalator, a moving walkway, or the like includes steps connected in a loop shape that move between entrances and exits, balustrades provided on both sides of the steps, and moving handrails (also referred to as handrails) that move on the balustrades in synchronization with the steps, and transports passengers through a moving portion between the entrances and the exits.

In such a passenger conveyor, a passenger may carry a baggage or the passenger may be a child, and therefore, conventionally, a technique of giving attention to the passenger conveyor in order to prevent accidents such as dropping of the baggage, falling of the child, and rolling has been proposed.

For example, patent document 1 discloses a passenger conveyor including an automatic monitoring device for monitoring baggage of a passenger who is about to ride on the passenger conveyor, and performing a voice output or a display output for prompting the passenger to pay attention when the size of the baggage exceeds an upper limit value. Patent document 2 discloses a passenger conveyor that determines whether a passenger is an adult or a child based on image data of a camera and outputs a message or the like for the adult or the child based on the determination result.

Prior art documents

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2014-080268

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open No. 2008-201509

However, in the passenger conveyor disclosed in the above-mentioned patent documents 1 and 2, when a passenger gets on the passenger conveyor in a specific situation, it is difficult to take sufficient preventive measures such as caution and the like against accidents such as falling of luggage, falling of children, and rolling.

Specifically, for example, according to the passenger conveyor disclosed in patent document 1, although it is possible to alert the passenger of the size of the baggage that the passenger wants to bring in, if the size of the baggage is within the normal range, even if there is an abnormality in the manner in which the passenger carries the baggage and the baggage may fall from the step, the passenger is not alerted of the size.

Further, for example, according to the passenger conveyor disclosed in patent document 2, although it is possible to generate messages for adults and children, it is not possible to give attention to children even if the children are in danger of falling or rolling down when the adults with children do not sufficiently protect the children.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a passenger conveyor and a control method for a passenger conveyor capable of preventing an accident from occurring by noticing a dangerous situation.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a passenger conveyor having a sensor for detecting an object to be carried on the passenger conveyor, the passenger conveyor including: an analysis unit that recognizes a passenger and an accessory based on detection data of the object detected by the sensor, and detects a position and presence/absence of contact between the passenger and the accessory as detection of a positional relationship of the accessory with respect to the passenger; a determination unit that determines whether or not the incidental object is in a dangerous situation based on a result of detection of the positional relationship by the analysis unit; and a notification unit configured to notify an attention prompt corresponding to a determination result when the determination unit determines that the incidental object is in a dangerous situation.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a method for controlling a passenger conveyor including a sensor for detecting an object to be carried on the passenger conveyor, the method comprising: an analysis step of identifying a passenger and an accessory based on detection data of the object detected by the sensor, and detecting a position and presence/absence of contact between the passenger and the accessory as detection of a positional relationship of the accessory with respect to the passenger; a determination step of determining whether or not the incidental object is in a dangerous situation based on a detection result of the positional relationship detected in the analysis step; and a notification step of notifying, when it is determined in the determination step that the incidental object is in a dangerous situation, an attention prompt corresponding to a determination result.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an accident by drawing attention to a dangerous situation.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view showing a schematic structure of a passenger conveyor according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional structure of the passenger conveyor related to the accident prevention function.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing steps of the baggage position abnormality monitoring process.

Fig. 4 (a) and (B) are diagrams for explaining the baggage carrying mode determination in detail.

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the determination of the position of the subject passenger in detail.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the child position abnormality monitoring processing in the second embodiment.

Fig. 7 (a) and (B) are diagrams for explaining the mode determination of the child carrier.

Description of reference numerals:

1, a step;

2 moving the handrail;

3, a railing;

4 upper entrance and exit floors;

5 lower entrance and exit floors;

6, a chain;

7. 8 chain wheel;

9a motor;

10, a speed reducer;

11 a drive device;

12 driving the chain;

13 skirt portion;

14 a surveillance camera;

15 an image analysis device;

16 a control device;

17 a broadcasting device;

18 a lighting device;

19(19A to 19D) speakers;

20(20A to 20D) lamps;

21 an incidental position determination unit;

22 a passenger position determination unit;

23 a broadcast control unit;

24 an illumination control section;

31 passengers (adult passengers);

32(32A to 32D) pieces of luggage;

33 children (child passengers);

100 passenger conveyor.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following description shows embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea disclosed in the present specification. In all the drawings for describing the embodiments, the same reference numerals are given to the parts having the same functions, and the repetitive description thereof may be omitted.

(1) First embodiment

(1-1) basic Structure of passenger conveyor

Fig. 1 is a side view showing a schematic structure of a passenger conveyor according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In fig. 1, an escalator having a level difference between gates (between an upper gate and a lower gate) is shown as the passenger conveyor 100, but the passenger conveyor of the present invention may be a moving walkway or the like.

First, referring to fig. 1, a description will be given of a configuration common to a general passenger conveyor in the passenger conveyor 100 according to the present embodiment. The passenger conveyor 100 is provided with steps 1 connected in a loop shape that move between entrances and exits. Balustrades 3 for supporting moving handrails 2 that move in synchronization with the steps 1 are provided upright on both the left and right sides of the steps 1. A skirt portion 13 is provided at a lower portion of the balustrade 3.

In the passenger conveyor 100, the steps 1 and the chains 6 are driven by the driving force obtained from the driving device 11, and the steps 1 and the moving handrail 2 are moved in synchronization with each other, whereby passengers are conveyed from the upper doorway floor 4 toward the lower doorway floor 5 during the lowering operation. On the other hand, during the ascending operation, passengers are transported from the lower doorway floor 5 toward the upper doorway floor 4.

Further, a chain 6 that links the steps 1 in an endless manner is wound around a sprocket 7 and a sprocket 8. A drive device 11 including a motor 9 and a speed reducer 10 is provided below the upper entrance floor 4. The drive device 11 drives the sprocket 8 via the drive chain 12 to drive the chain 6 and the steps 1.

The passenger conveyor 100 shown in fig. 1 includes a monitoring camera 14, which takes a space between the upper doorway floor 4 and the lower doorway floor 5 as an imaging range, at the upper side. Further, a control device 16 is provided below the upper doorway floor 4. Further, the balustrade 3 or the skirt portion 13 is provided with a plurality of speakers 19 (individually, speakers 19A to 19D) and lamps 20 (individually, lamps 20A to 20D) at intervals in the operation direction of the passenger conveyor 100. These structures are explained in the next section.

(1-2) Structure relating to Accident prevention function

The passenger conveyor 100 of the present embodiment has an accident prevention function of notifying attention to a subject in a dangerous situation. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional structure of the passenger conveyor related to the accident prevention function.

As a configuration for the accident prevention function, as shown in fig. 2, the passenger conveyor 100 includes a monitoring camera 14, an image analysis device 15, a control device 16, a broadcasting device 17, an illumination device 18, a plurality of speakers 19 (individually, speakers 19A to 19D), and a plurality of lamps 20 (individually, lamps 20A to 20D).

The monitoring camera 14 is a camera capable of continuously shooting images with the space between the upper doorway floor 4 and the lower doorway floor 5 as a shooting range, and a normal monitoring camera can be used. The monitoring camera 14 may capture images only when the passenger approaches the vicinity of the passenger conveyor 100 (e.g., the vicinity of the entrance). The monitoring camera 14 acquires image data of a passenger carrying the luggage and transmits the acquired image data to the image analysis device 15.

The image analysis device 15 is a processing device capable of performing image analysis for recognizing an object reflected in two-dimensional (or may be three-dimensional) image data. The image analysis device 15 performs image analysis on the image data received from the monitoring camera 14, and transmits a signal (an incidental object-related signal or a passenger position signal) indicating the analysis result to the control device 16 (the incidental object position determination unit 21 or the passenger position determination unit 22).

The control device 16 is a processing device that performs predetermined determination processing and control processing, and includes an incidental position determination unit 21, a passenger position determination unit 22, a broadcast control unit 23, and an illumination control unit 24 as internal functional configurations.

The incidental position determination unit 21 determines normality/abnormality (baggage carrying mode determination) with respect to the position of the incidental (baggage corresponding to the passenger in the first embodiment) of the passenger, and when it determines abnormality, instructs the broadcast control unit 23 and the illumination control unit 24 to perform predetermined processing (abnormality output command) according to the abnormality.

When the passenger position determination unit 22 determines that there is an abnormality in the determination by the additional object position determination unit 21, it determines the area of the current position of the target passenger (target passenger position determination), and transmits an instruction (position designation command) to designate the speaker 19 and the lamp 20 (the speaker 19 and the lamp 20 closest to the current position of the target passenger) provided in the area of the determination result as the output destination.

The broadcast control unit 23 has a function of instructing the broadcasting device 17 to turn on/off the broadcast and broadcast the content. For example, when the presence of an abnormality is determined in the determination by the presence determining unit 21, the broadcast control unit 23 instructs the broadcasting device 17 to broadcast a notice word from the speaker 19 specified by the passenger position determining unit 22 (a broadcast control command).

The illumination control unit 24 has a function of instructing the illumination device 18 to turn on/off (light-on/blink) or the like of illumination. For example, when the presence of an abnormality is determined in the determination by the presence determining unit 21, the illumination control unit 24 instructs the illumination device 18 to turn on the lamp 20 specified by the passenger position determining unit 22 (illumination control command).

The broadcasting device 17 outputs a predetermined sound source (sound source output) from the speakers 19 (speakers 19A to 19D) in accordance with an instruction from the broadcast control unit 23.

The illumination device 18 turns on or off the lamps 20 (lamps 20A to 20D) (illumination output) in accordance with an instruction from the illumination control unit 24.

In the first embodiment, the passenger conveyor 100 having the above-described configuration can alert the passenger of the danger of dropping the baggage carried by the passenger by performing the baggage position abnormality monitoring process described below, thereby preventing the occurrence of an accident (accident prevention function).

(1-3) baggage position abnormality monitoring processing

Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing steps of the baggage position abnormality monitoring process. With reference to fig. 3, a description will be given of a baggage position abnormality monitoring process executed by the functional configuration of the passenger conveyor 100 shown in fig. 2.

First, the monitoring camera 14 acquires image data of a passenger riding on the passenger conveyor 100, and transmits the acquired image data to the image analysis device 15. Then, the image analysis device 15 performs image analysis on the image data received from the monitoring camera 14 to detect a passenger carrying luggage (step S101). If the passenger carrying the baggage is not detected from the image data (no in step S101), the process returns to step S101.

When a passenger carrying a baggage is detected from the image data in step S101 (yes in step S101), the image analysis device 15 detects the position of the baggage with respect to the passenger and whether the passenger is in contact with the baggage, and transmits a signal (incidental information signal) indicating the detection results to the incidental position determination unit 21. Then, in step S102, the attached object position determination unit 21 determines whether the position of the baggage with respect to the passenger is normal or abnormal based on the attached object-related signal received from the image analysis device 15 (baggage carrying mode determination). The details of the baggage carrying mode determination will be described later with reference to fig. 4.

In step S103, the determination result of the baggage carrying mode determination is checked. If it is determined to be "normal" in the baggage carrying mode determination (no in step S103), it means that there is no danger (or low danger) that the baggage carried by the passenger may fall, and therefore, it is not necessary to perform an attention calling broadcast from the speaker 19 or turn on the lamp 20, which will be described later, and the process proceeds to step S108.

On the other hand, when it is determined as "abnormal" in the baggage carrying mode determination (yes in step S103), the incidental object position determination unit 21 transmits a signal (abnormal output command) for instructing output of an abnormality regarding the baggage position to the broadcast control unit 23 and the illumination control unit 24. In this case, the image analysis device 15 detects the current position of the target passenger determined as "abnormal" by analyzing the image data, and transmits a signal (passenger position signal) indicating the detection result to the passenger position determination unit 22. Then, the passenger position determination unit 22 determines the area of the current position of the target passenger based on the received passenger position signal (target passenger position determination), and transmits a signal (position designation command) designating the speaker 19 and the lamp 20 (the speaker 19 and the lamp 20 closest to the current position of the target passenger) provided in the area of the determination result as the output destination to the broadcast control unit 23 and the illumination control unit 24 (step S104). The details of the determination of the position of the subject passenger will be described later with reference to fig. 5.

Next, in step S105, the broadcast control unit 23 transmits a broadcast control command to the broadcasting device 17 so that a predetermined attention notifying sentence that prompts the effect of "carry luggage by the recommended method" is broadcast from the speaker 19 designated in step S104, based on the abnormality output command from the incidental position determination unit 21 and the position designation command from the passenger position determination unit 22, and the broadcasting device 17 outputs a sound source in accordance with the command, thereby performing the attention notifying broadcast from the speaker 19. Specifically, for example, a broadcast such as "please place the luggage laterally or on the upper side of the stairs, and do not loosen the hands" is made. A plurality of types of attention-calling phrases may be prepared according to the situation when an abnormality is determined.

Then, in step S106, the illumination control unit 24 transmits an illumination control command to the illumination device 18 so that the illumination lamp 20 designated in step S104 is turned on, based on the abnormal output command from the incidental position determination unit 21 and the position designation command from the passenger position determination unit 22, and the illumination device 18 outputs illumination in accordance with the command, thereby turning on the illumination lamp 20.

The processing in step S105 and step S106 may be performed in parallel, or the order of the processing may be reversed.

Next, in step S107, it is determined whether or not the subject passenger has reached the exit. Specifically, for example, the passenger position determination unit 22 may check the current position of the target passenger based on the latest image data. In this case, the area determination for the determination of the position of the subject passenger described in step S104 may be used.

If the subject passenger does not arrive at the exit in step S107, that is, gets on the passenger conveyor 100 (no in step S107), the process returns to step S102, and the processes after the baggage carryover mode determination are repeated.

Here, for example, in the case where the baggage carrying mode is determined to be "abnormal" again in the case of returning to the baggage carrying mode determination at step S102 (yes at step S103), the position of the target passenger at that time is determined (step S104), an attention calling broadcast is made from the speaker 19 of the area where the target passenger is present (step S105), and the lamp 20 of the area is turned on (step S106). That is, when the movement of the subject passenger is detected by the passenger position determination unit 22, the speaker 19 and the lamp 20 for outputting the attention calling can be switched to broadcast and turned on according to the current position of the subject passenger.

Further, for example, in the case where the baggage carrying mode is determined to be "normal" in the case of returning to the baggage carrying mode determination at step S102 (no at step S103), the attention reminding at step S105 and step S106 does not need to be continued, and therefore, the routine proceeds to step S108.

When it is determined in step S107 that the subject passenger has reached the exit, that is, when the passenger has left the passenger conveyor 100 (yes in step S107), the situation is such that it is not necessary to continue the attention calling, and therefore, the process proceeds to step S108.

Then, in step S108, the broadcast control unit 23 transmits a broadcast control command to stop the attention calling broadcast from the speaker 19 to the broadcasting device 17, and the broadcasting device 17 stops the sound source output in accordance with the command, thereby stopping the attention calling broadcast from the speaker 19. The illumination control unit 24 transmits an illumination control command to the illumination device 18 so as to stop the illumination (turning off) of the illumination lamp 20, and the illumination device 18 stops the illumination output in accordance with the command, thereby turning off the illumination lamp 20. After the process of step S108 is completed, the process returns to step S101, and the detection of the passenger carrying the baggage is continued based on the image data.

The above is the flow of the baggage position abnormality monitoring process shown in fig. 3, but the processing procedure of the baggage position abnormality monitoring process in the present embodiment is not limited to the example shown in fig. 3, and the following derivative procedure may be adopted.

For example, when the passenger position determination unit 22 determines the current position of the target passenger in steps S104 and S107, the current position of the target passenger may be estimated and detected based on the operation speed of the passenger conveyor 100 from the elapsed time from the detection of the abnormality in the luggage carrying mode determination in step S102 without using the image analysis device 15.

More specifically, the timing at which the abnormality is determined in the baggage carriage mode determination in step S102 may be set as a starting point, the time required for the subject passenger to move to the exit of the passenger conveyor 100 may be calculated based on the detected position and the operating speed of the passenger conveyor 100, and when the time elapses, the additional object position determination unit 21 may transmit a signal indicating that the baggage carriage mode determination is completed to the broadcast control unit 23 and the illumination control unit 24. At this time, the broadcast control unit 23 and the illumination control unit 24 stop the attention calling broadcast from the speaker 19 and turn off the lamp 20 in the same manner as in step S108 based on the signal.

By performing such processing, it is no longer necessary for the image analysis device 15 to repeatedly perform image analysis processing when determining the current position of the target passenger, and therefore the overall processing load on the passenger conveyor 100 can be reduced.

For example, when an abnormality in the determination of a plurality of baggage claim modes is detected, the attention calling broadcast and the illumination of the illumination lamp may be given priority to the passenger who has detected the abnormality first, and then, when the passenger is determined to be normal in the determination of baggage claim modes or the passenger passes through the exit of the passenger conveyor 100, the attention calling broadcast and the illumination of the illumination lamp may be given to the passenger who has detected the abnormality next.

By performing such processing, even when dangerous situations are detected at a plurality of locations, the passenger conveyor 100 can clearly remind the subject passenger of the dangerous situations in the order in which the dangerous situations in which the baggage may fall are detected.

(1-3-1) baggage carrying mode judgment

The baggage carrying mode determination shown in step S102 of fig. 3 will be described in detail.

Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining the baggage carrying mode determination in detail. Fig. 4 (a) shows an example of the relationship between the passenger 31 and the baggage 32 (baggage 32A to 32D as examples of different positional relationships with the passenger 31) in the passenger conveyor, and fig. 4 (B) shows an example of a criterion for determining the baggage carrying mode. The passenger conveyor 100 shown in fig. 4 (a) performs an ascending operation of conveying the passenger 31 from the lower doorway to the upper doorway.

As described above, in the baggage carrying mode determination, the image analysis device 15 performs image analysis on the image data captured by the monitoring camera 14, and the attached object position determination unit 21 determines whether the position of the baggage 32 with respect to the passenger 31 is normal or abnormal, based on the result (attached object related signal) of detecting the position of the baggage 32 with respect to the passenger 31 and the presence or absence of contact between the passenger 31 and the baggage 32.

Here, in the analysis of the image data by the image analysis device 15, the passenger 31 and the baggage 32 are recognized by detecting the contour line of the object from the image data. Whether the passenger 31 and the baggage 32 are in contact or not is recognized based on a criterion such as whether the contour line of the passenger 31 and the contour line of the baggage 32 overlap in the image data.

Then, the attached object position determination unit 21 determines "normality" or "abnormality" of the luggage position of the luggage 32 with respect to the passenger 31 of the passenger 31 carrying the luggage 32 (any of the luggage 32A to 32D of fig. 4 a) according to the determination criterion shown in fig. 4B.

Specifically, when the passenger 31 comes into contact with the baggage 32, it is determined that the passenger 31 is gripping the baggage 32, and at this time, when the baggage 32 is at the step 1 above the passenger 31 or at the step 1 co-located with the passenger 31 (that is, when the baggage 32C or the baggage 32B is present), the baggage position is determined as "normal". This is because the baggage 32B held in the collocated step 1 is estimated to be in a stable state, and therefore, the risk of rolling is small, and in the case of the baggage 32C held in the upper step 1, even if the passenger 31 releases his or her hand, the passenger 31 can prevent rolling by himself or herself.

On the other hand, even when the passenger 31 comes into contact with the baggage 32 (the passenger 31 holds the baggage 32), the baggage position is determined as "abnormal" when the baggage 32 is at the step 1 below the passenger 31 (that is, in the case of the baggage 32A). This is because, in some cases, it is difficult for the passenger 31 to stably hold the baggage 32A held by the lower step 1, and if the passenger 31 releases his or her hand, the baggage may roll off, which is dangerous.

When the passenger 31 does not touch the baggage 32 (corresponding to the baggage 32D), it is determined that the passenger 31 does not hold the baggage 32, and the baggage position is determined as "abnormal" regardless of the position of the baggage 32 with respect to the passenger 31. This is because it is not strange whenever the baggage 32D not held by the passenger 31 rolls off, and it is dangerous.

Although the description has been given so far in the ascending operation, the passenger conveyor 100 according to the present embodiment can similarly determine the baggage carrying mode even in the descending operation, and the determination criterion can be the one shown in fig. 4 (B). That is, when the passenger 31 does not hold the baggage 32, or when the passenger 31 holds the baggage 32 but the baggage 32 is placed on the step 1 below the passenger 31, the position of the baggage with respect to the passenger 31 is determined as "abnormal".

(1-3-2) subject passenger position determination

The determination of the position of the subject passenger in step S104 in fig. 3 will be described in detail.

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the determination of the position of the subject passenger in detail. The passenger conveyor 100 shown in fig. 5 performs an ascending operation of conveying passengers from the lower doorway toward the upper doorway.

As described above, when it is determined that the abnormality is present in the baggage carrying mode determination (step S102 in fig. 3) in the determination of the position of the target passenger, the passenger position determination unit 22 designates the speaker 19 and the lamp 20 closest to the current position of the target passenger as the output destination of the attention calling broadcast and the lighting.

To describe in detail, first, the passenger position determining unit 22 sets a boundary line in the middle of each of the speakers 19 (and the lamps 20) provided in the image data, and divides the region from the lower doorway to the upper doorway of the passenger conveyor 100 into a plurality of regions in the horizontal direction by the boundary line.

In the case of fig. 5, the lower doorway is divided into: an "area a" including the speaker 19A and the illumination lamp 20A; an "area B" including the speaker 19B and the illumination lamp 20B; an "area C" including the speaker 19C and the illumination lamp 20C; and an "area D" including the speaker 19D and the lamp 20D.

Then, the passenger position determination unit 22 determines which of the above-described regions a to D the current position of the target passenger is located based on the result (passenger position signal) obtained by detecting the current position of the target passenger with respect to the image data captured by the monitoring camera 14 by the image analysis device 15. The passenger position determination unit 22 can specify the speaker 19 and the lamp 20 closest to the current position of the target passenger by selecting the speaker 19 and the lamp 20 provided in the area of the determination result.

Specifically, in the case of fig. 5, the current position of the passenger 31 holding the baggage 32 is "region B". When the position of the subject passenger is determined in this state, the passenger position determination unit 22 selects the speaker 19B and the lamp 20B provided in the "area B", and transmits a position designation command for designating the speaker 19B and the lamp 20B as the output destination of the attention calling broadcast and the lighting to the broadcast control unit 23 and the lighting control unit 24.

(1-4) summary of

As described above, according to the passenger conveyer 100 of the first embodiment, when a passenger permitted to use alone gets on the passenger conveyer 100 along with an incidental (luggage) for which exclusive use is not recommended, whether or not the incidental is in a dangerous situation is determined based on the positional relationship between the passenger and the incidental, and when it is determined that the incidental is in a dangerous situation, a warning corresponding to the determination result is notified, thereby preventing an accident from occurring.

In particular, by using the positional relationship between whether or not the passenger is in contact with the baggage (whether or not the passenger holds the baggage), and whether or not the baggage is on the step 1 higher than the passenger, or the step 1 located in the same position as the passenger, as the criterion for determining whether or not the dangerous situation is present, it is possible to reliably detect the dangerous situation in which the baggage may fall from the step 1 regardless of the size of the baggage.

In addition, according to the passenger conveyor 100 of the first embodiment, in consideration of the problem that it is difficult to transmit the attention calling object to the passenger conveyor 100 as a whole when the attention calling is performed, when it is determined that the dangerous situation is present, the passenger conveyor notifies the attention calling object from the speaker 19 and the lamp 20 provided in the vicinity of the current position of the passenger, thereby making it possible to clarify the dangerous situation object. As a result, the effect of reliably notifying the subject can be expected, and when the subject passenger moves, the notification portion is changed in accordance with the movement, so that the attention of the subject passenger can be continued until the dangerous situation is eliminated, and the effect of preventing the occurrence of an accident can be further improved.

In addition, according to the passenger conveyor 100 of the first embodiment, when the dangerous situation described above is detected at a plurality of locations, the attention notice is preferentially notified to the object detected earlier, and therefore, the omission of the notification can be prevented, and the effect of preventing the occurrence of an accident can be enhanced.

(2) Second embodiment

In the first embodiment described above, the passenger conveyor 100 has been described in which the passenger carrying the baggage is alerted when the baggage is in a dangerous situation. This is in the context of passenger conveyor devices where it is recommended that passengers hold luggage safely without recommending that luggage be placed individually. Also, in the passenger conveyor, it is not recommended that a child ride alone, but that an adult safely take his/her hand.

In contrast, in the second embodiment, the passenger conveyor 100 in which the attention of the passenger wearing a child can be reminded when the child is in a dangerous situation will be described by replacing the "incidental object" corresponding to the "luggage" in the first embodiment with the "child".

The passenger conveyor 100 according to the second embodiment is common to the first embodiment in the schematic configuration (fig. 1). Note that the functional configuration related to the accident prevention function (fig. 2) is common to the first embodiment, except that a portion corresponding to the "passenger's accessories" is replaced. The "baggage position abnormality monitoring process" described in the first embodiment is replaced with the "child position abnormality monitoring process" in the second embodiment, but most of the processes are common. Therefore, in the following description of the second embodiment, the portions common to those of the first embodiment will be omitted, and the description will be mainly focused on the points different from those of the first embodiment.

First, in the first embodiment, as a whole, "baggage" of a passenger riding on the passenger conveyor 100 is handled as an incidental of the passenger, whereas in the second embodiment, "child" carried by the passenger (adult) riding on the passenger conveyor 100 is handled as an incidental of the passenger.

As a result, in the functional configuration (fig. 2) related to the accident prevention function, the incidental position determination unit 21 of the control device 16 determines normality/abnormality (carrying child mode determination) with respect to the position of the child (incidental of the passenger) with respect to the adult passenger carrying the child, and when it determines abnormality, instructs the broadcast control unit 23 and the illumination control unit 24 to perform predetermined processing (abnormality output command) according to the abnormality. The details of the child-carrying mode determination will be described later with reference to fig. 7.

The passenger conveyor 100 according to the second embodiment can also prevent an accident from occurring by performing the child position abnormality monitoring process described below to alert a person of a danger such as a fall or a roll of a child carried by the passenger (accident prevention function).

(2-1) child position abnormality monitoring processing

Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the child position abnormality monitoring processing in the second embodiment. The child position abnormality monitoring process executed by the functional configuration of the passenger conveyor 100 shown in fig. 2 will be described with reference to fig. 6.

First, the monitoring camera 14 acquires image data of a passenger riding on the passenger conveyor 100, and transmits the acquired image data to the image analysis device 15. Then, the image analysis device 15 performs image analysis on the image data received from the monitoring camera 14 to detect an adult passenger with a child (hereinafter, basically, the "adult passenger" is described as only "passenger" and the "child passenger" is described as "child") (step S201). If a passenger with a child is not detected from the image data (no in step S201), the process returns to step S201.

When a passenger with a child is detected based on the image data in step S201 (yes in step S201), the image analysis device 15 detects the position of the child with respect to the passenger and the presence or absence of contact between the passenger and the child, and transmits a signal (incidental-object related signal) indicating the detection result to the incidental-object position determination unit 21. Then, in step S202, the incidental object position determination unit 21 determines whether the position of the child relative to the passenger is normal or abnormal based on the incidental object related signal received from the image analysis device 15 (child carrying mode determination). The details of the child-carrying mode determination will be described later with reference to fig. 7.

In step S203, the determination result of the child carrier mode determination is confirmed. If it is determined to be "normal" in the child transport mode determination (no in step S203), it means that there is no danger (or low danger) that a child carried by a passenger falls or rolls over, and therefore, it is not necessary to perform an attention calling broadcast from the speaker 19 or turn on the illumination lamp 20, which will be described later, and the process proceeds to step S208.

On the other hand, when the child carrying mode determination is determined to be "abnormal" (yes in step S203), the incidental object position determination unit 21 transmits a signal (abnormal output command) for instructing an output of an abnormality regarding the position of the child to the broadcast control unit 23 and the illumination control unit 24. In this case, the image analysis device 15 detects the current position of the target passenger (adult passenger) determined to be "abnormal" by analyzing the image data, and transmits a signal (passenger position signal) indicating the detection result to the passenger position determination unit 22. Then, the passenger position determination unit 22 determines the area of the current position of the target passenger based on the received passenger position signal (target passenger position determination), and transmits a signal (position designation command) designating the speaker 19 and the lamp 20 (the speaker 19 and the lamp 20 closest to the current position of the target passenger) provided in the area of the determination result as the output destination to the broadcast control unit 23 and the illumination control unit 24 (step S204). The details of the determination of the position of the subject passenger are the same as those described with reference to fig. 5 in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

Next, in step S205, the broadcast control unit 23 transmits a broadcast control command to the broadcasting device 17 so that a predetermined attention notifying sentence that prompts the effect of "carrying a child by a recommended method" is broadcast from the speaker 19 designated in step S204, based on the abnormal output command from the incidental position determination unit 21 and the position designation command from the passenger position determination unit 22, and the broadcasting device 17 outputs a sound source in accordance with the command, thereby performing the attention notifying broadcast from the speaker 19. Specifically, for example, a broadcast such as "please hold the child side by side and pull the child's hand" is performed. A plurality of types of attention-calling phrases may be prepared according to the situation when an abnormality is determined.

Then, in step S206, the illumination control unit 24 transmits an illumination control command to the illumination device 18 so that the illumination lamp 20 designated in step S204 is turned on, based on the abnormal output command from the incidental position determination unit 21 and the position designation command from the passenger position determination unit 22, and the illumination device 18 outputs illumination in accordance with the command, thereby turning on the illumination lamp 20.

The processing in step S205 and step S206 may be performed in reverse order or in parallel.

Next, in step S207, it is determined whether or not the subject passenger (adult passenger) has reached the exit. Specifically, for example, the passenger position determination unit 22 may check the current position of the target passenger based on the latest image data. In this case, the area determination for the determination of the position of the subject passenger described in step S204 may be used.

If the subject passenger does not arrive at the exit in step S207, that is, rides on the passenger conveyor 100 (no in step S207), the process returns to step S202, and the processes after the child carrying mode determination are repeated.

Here, for example, in the child transport mode determination when returning to step S202, when the child transport mode is determined to be "abnormal" again (yes in step S203), the position of the target passenger (adult passenger) at that time is determined (step S204), an attention calling broadcast is made from the speaker 19 in the area where the target passenger is present (step S205), and the lamp 20 in that area is turned on (step S206). That is, when the movement of the subject passenger is detected by the passenger position determination unit 22, the speaker 19 and the lamp 20 for outputting the attention calling can be switched to broadcast and turned on according to the current position of the subject passenger.

Further, for example, in the case where the child 'S carrying style is determined to be "normal" in the child' S carrying style determination when returning to step S202 (no in step S203), the process proceeds to step S208 because it is no longer necessary to continue the attention calling in step S205 and step S206.

If it is determined in step S207 that the subject passenger has reached the exit, that is, if the passenger has left the passenger conveyor 100 (yes in step S207), the situation is such that the attention calling is not required to be continued, and therefore, the process proceeds to step S208.

Then, in step S208, the broadcast control unit 23 transmits a broadcast control command to stop the attention calling broadcast from the speaker 19 to the broadcasting device 17, and the broadcasting device 17 stops the sound source output in accordance with the command, thereby stopping the attention calling broadcast from the speaker 19. The illumination control unit 24 transmits an illumination control command to the illumination device 18 so as to stop the illumination (turning off) of the illumination lamp 20, and the illumination device 18 stops the illumination output in accordance with the command, thereby turning off the illumination lamp 20. After the process of step S208 is completed, the process returns to step S201, and detection of the passenger with the child based on the image data is continued.

The above is the flow of the baggage position abnormality monitoring process shown in fig. 6, but the processing procedure of the child transport abnormality monitoring process in the present embodiment is not limited to the example shown in fig. 6, and the following derivative procedure may be adopted.

For example, in the case where the passenger position determination unit 22 determines the current position of the target passenger in steps S204 and S207, the current position of the target passenger may be estimated and detected based on the operation speed of the passenger conveyor 100 from the elapsed time from the detection of the abnormality in the child transport system determination in step S202 without using the image analysis device 15.

More specifically, the timing at which the child transport mode determination in step S202 is determined to be abnormal may be set as a starting point, the time required for the subject passenger to move to the exit of the passenger conveyor 100 may be calculated based on the detected position and the operating speed of the passenger conveyor 100, and when the time elapses, the additional object position determination unit 21 may send a signal indicating that the child transport mode determination is completed to the broadcast control unit 23 and the illumination control unit 24. At this time, the broadcast control unit 23 and the illumination control unit 24 stop the attention calling broadcast from the speaker 19 and turn off the lamp 20 in the same manner as step S208 based on the signal.

By performing such processing, it is no longer necessary for the image analysis device 15 to repeatedly perform image analysis processing when determining the current position of the target passenger, and therefore the overall processing load on the passenger conveyor 100 can be reduced.

For example, when an abnormality in the determination of the child transport mode is detected, the attention calling broadcast and the illumination of the illumination lamp may be given priority to the passenger who has detected the abnormality first, and then, when the passenger is determined to be normal in the determination of the child transport mode or the passenger passes through the exit of the passenger conveyor 100, the attention calling broadcast and the illumination of the illumination lamp may be given to the passenger who has detected the abnormality next.

By performing such processing, even when dangerous situations are detected at a plurality of locations, the passenger conveyor 100 can clearly remind the subject passenger of the dangerous situations in the order in which the dangerous situations in which the child may fall or roll are detected.

(2-1-1) judgment of mode of carrying child

Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining the mode determination of carrying a child in detail. Fig. 7 (a) shows an example of the relationship between the adult passenger 31 and the child 33 (children 33A to 33D as examples of different positional relationships with the passenger 31) in the passenger conveyor, and fig. 7 (B) shows an example of a criterion for determining the mode of carrying the child. The passenger conveyor 100 shown in fig. 7 (a) performs an ascending operation of conveying a passenger from the lower doorway to the upper doorway.

As described above, in the child transport mode determination, the image analysis device 15 performs image analysis on the image data captured by the monitoring camera 14, and the incidental object position determination unit 21 determines whether the position of the child 33 with respect to the passenger 31 is normal or abnormal, based on the result (incidental object related signal) of detecting the position of the child 33 with respect to the passenger 31 and the presence or absence of contact between the passenger 31 and the child 33.

Here, in the analysis of the image data by the image analysis device 15, the passenger 31 and the child 33 are identified by detecting the contour line of the object or the like from the image data. Whether the passenger 31 and the child 33 are in contact or not is recognized based on a criterion such as whether the contour line of the passenger 31 and the contour line of the child 33 overlap in the image data.

Then, the incidental position determination unit 21 determines "normal" or "abnormal" of the child position of the child 33 with respect to the passenger 31 (any of the children 33A to 33D of fig. 7 a) based on the determination criterion shown in fig. 7B for the passenger 31 with the child 33.

Specifically, when the passenger 31 touches the child 33, it is determined that the passenger 31 holds the child 33 (pulls up), and when the child 33 is in the step 1 in the same position as the passenger 31 (that is, when the child 33B is present), the child position is determined as "normal". This is because the child 33 held by the co-located steps 1 is estimated to be in a stable state, and therefore, the risk of falling, rolling, or the like is small.

On the other hand, even when the passenger 31 touches the child 33 (the passenger 31 holds the child 33), the child position is determined as "abnormal" when the child 33 is at a step 1 having a different height from the passenger 31 (that is, when the child 33A or the child 33C is present). This is because the child 33A held by the lower step 1 or the child 33C held by the upper step 1 cannot be stably held by the passenger 31 and is liable to be in an unstable state, and may fall or roll over, which is dangerous. In contrast to the criterion for determining the baggage carrying mode illustrated in fig. 4B, the criterion for determining the carrying mode of a child illustrated in fig. 7B determines that the child position is "abnormal" when the child 33 pulled by the passenger 31 is at the upper step 1 (i.e., when the child 33C is present). The reason for this is because, even if the child 33C is pulled with the passenger 31 and is in a different height of the steps 1, the child is likely to be in an unstable state and may be injured when falling over, and because the passenger 31 located below when falling over is not necessarily able to support the child 33C, and in the worst case, the child may fall with the passenger 31.

When the passenger 31 and the child 33 are not in contact with each other (corresponding to the child 33D), it is determined that the passenger 31 does not hold the child 33 (does not pull his hand), and the child position is determined as "abnormal" regardless of the position of the child 33 relative to the passenger 31. This is because it is not strange that the child 33D not held by the passenger 31 falls or rolls off at any time, and is dangerous.

Although the description has been given so far in the ascending operation, the passenger conveyor 100 according to the present embodiment can similarly determine the mode of carrying a child even in the descending operation, and the criterion can be the one shown in fig. 7 (B). That is, when the passenger 31 does not hold the child 33, or when the passenger 31 holds the child 33 but the child 33 is at the step 1 having a different height from the passenger 31, the position of the child with respect to the passenger 31 is determined as "abnormal".

(2-2) summary of

As described above, according to the passenger conveyor 100 of the second embodiment, when a passenger (adult passenger) permitted to use alone rides on the passenger conveyor 100 along with an incidental (child passenger) for which exclusive use is not recommended, it is determined whether the incidental is in a dangerous situation based on the positional relationship between the passenger and the incidental, and when it is determined that the incidental is in a dangerous situation, a warning corresponding to the determination result is notified, whereby occurrence of an accident can be prevented.

In particular, by using the positional relationship between whether or not the passenger and the child are in contact (whether or not the passenger and the child are pulling hands) and whether or not the child is in the step 1 in the same position as the passenger as the judgment reference of whether or not the above-described dangerous situation is present, it is possible to reliably detect a dangerous situation in which the child may fall or roll down in a case where the adult passenger with the child on the passenger conveyor 100 fails to sufficiently protect the child.

Further, according to the passenger conveyor 100 of the second embodiment, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, in consideration of the problem that it is difficult to transmit the attention calling to the object of the attention calling in the case of performing the attention calling in the entire passenger conveyor 100, when it is determined that the above-described dangerous situation is present, the object of the dangerous situation can be made clear by notifying the attention calling from the speaker 19 and the lamp 20 provided in the vicinity of the current position of the passenger. As a result, the effect of reliably notifying the attention calling to the target guardian (adult passenger) can be expected, and when the guardian moves, the notification portion is changed in accordance with the movement, so that the attention calling to the target guardian can be continued until the dangerous situation is resolved, and the effect of preventing the occurrence of the accident can be further enhanced.

In addition, according to the passenger conveyor 100 of the second embodiment, when the above-described dangerous situation is detected at a plurality of locations, the attention notice is preferentially notified to the object detected earlier, and therefore, the omission of the notification can be prevented, and the effect of preventing the occurrence of an accident can be enhanced.

(3) Supplement

In the present invention, the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above may be applied simultaneously. In this case, when the abnormality in the carrying mode of the luggage and the abnormality in the carrying mode of the child are detected at the same time, it is preferable that the attention calling operation is performed on the abnormality in the carrying mode of the child. In this way, a notice can be promptly notified of the fall or the fall of a child who is more dangerous than the fall of luggage at the time of an accident, and an effect of preventing the occurrence of a serious accident can be expected.

In addition, although the passenger conveyor 100 having a height difference between the entrance and the exit has been described in the above embodiments, the present invention can be applied to all passenger conveyors that transport passengers and baggage from the entrance to the exit by using the steps connected in a loop shape that move between the entrances and the exits, and more specifically, can be applied not only to escalators but also to moving walkways and the like.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are also included. For example, the above-described embodiments are described in detail to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not limited to having all of the described configurations. In addition, as for a part of the configurations of the embodiments, addition, deletion, and replacement of other configurations are possible.

The structures, functions, processing units, and the like shown in the drawings may be implemented in hardware by designing a part or all of them in, for example, an integrated circuit or the like. The above-described structures, functions, and the like may be realized by software by interpreting and executing a program for realizing each function by a processor. Information such as programs, tables, and files for realizing the respective functions can be stored in a memory, a hard disk, a recording device such as an ssd (solid State drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD. The control lines and information lines shown in the drawings are those required for the description, and not all of the control lines and information lines are necessarily shown in the product. Virtually all structures can be considered interconnected.