Detection of state of engagement between step and comb plate of passenger conveyor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10071884-B2
Application number	US-201715663435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2017
Priority date	Jul 29, 2016
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of passenger conveyor technologies, and provides an engaging state detection system of a passenger conveyor and a detection method thereof. In the engaging state detection system and detection method of the present invention, a depth sensing sensor is used to sense at least an engaging portion between a step and a comb plate of the passenger conveyor to obtain depth maps, and the depth maps are analyzed by a processing apparatus to detect whether an engaging state between the step and the comb plate is a normal state. The detection of the engaging state includes detection on whether comb teeth of the comb plate are broken, whether engaging teeth of the step are broken, and/or whether a foreign matter exists on an engaging line.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An engaging state detection system of steps and comb plates of a passenger conveyor, comprising:
a depth sensing sensor configured to sense at least an engaging portion between a step and a comb plate of the passenger conveyor to obtain depth maps; and
a processing apparatus configured to analyze the depth maps to detect whether the engaging state between the step and the comb plate is a normal state, the processing apparatus being configured to comprise:
a background acquisition module configured to acquire a background model based on depth maps sensed when the passenger conveyor has no load and the engaging state is a normal state;
a foreground detection module configured to compare a depth map sensed in real time with the background acquisition model to obtain a foreground object; and
an engaging state judgment module configured to process data at least based on the foreground object to judge whether the engaging state is a normal state.

2. The engaging state detection system of claim 1 , wherein the processing apparatus further comprises:
a foreground feature extraction module configured to extract a corresponding foreground feature from the foreground object according to the engaging state;
wherein the engaging state judgment module judges whether the engaging state is a normal state based on the foreground feature.

3. The engaging state detection system of claim 2 , wherein sensing of the engaging portion between the step and the comb plate comprises sensing of comb teeth of the comb plate, and the engaging state judgment module is configured to judge the engaging state as an abnormal state when at least one of the comb teeth is broken.

4. The engaging state detection system of claim 3 , wherein the foreground feature extracted by the foreground feature extraction module comprises one or more of a shape feature, a texture feature, and a position feature of the foreground object, and the engaging state judgment module judges whether the comb teeth are broken based on one or more of the shape feature, the texture feature, and the position feature of the foreground object.

5. The engaging state detection system of claim 3 , wherein the engaging state judgment module is further configured to judge, based on the position feature of the foreground object, whether a foreground object corresponding to a passenger or an article carried by the passenger is located on the comb teeth, and if the judgment result is “yes”, give up the judgment on whether the comb teeth are broken based on the currently processed depth map or give up the judgment result of whether the engaging state corresponding to the currently processed depth map is a normal state.

6. The engaging state detection system of claim 2 , wherein sensing of the engaging portion between the step and the comb plate comprises sensing of engaging teeth of the step, and the engaging state judgment module judges the engaging state as an abnormal state when at least one of the engaging teeth is broken.

7. The engaging state detection system of claim 6 , wherein the foreground feature extracted by the foreground feature extraction module comprises one or more of a shape feature, a texture feature, and a position feature of the foreground object, and the engaging state judgment module judges whether the engaging teeth are broken based on one or more of the shape feature, the texture feature, and the position feature of the foreground object.

8. The engaging state detection system of claim 6 , wherein the engaging state judgment module is further configured to judge, based on the position feature of the foreground object, whether a foreground object corresponding to a passenger or an article carried by the passenger is located on the step, and if the judgment is result “yes”, give up the judgment on whether the engaging teeth are broken based on the currently processed depth map or give up the judgment result of whether the engaging state corresponding to the currently processed depth map is a normal state.

9. The engaging state detection system of claim 2 , wherein sensing of the engaging portion between the step and the comb plate comprises sensing of a foreign matter on an engaging line between the comb plate and the step, and the engaging state judgment module is configured to judge the engaging state as an abnormal state when there is a foreign matter on the engaging line.

10. The engaging state detection system of claim 9 , wherein the foreground feature extracted by the foreground feature extraction module comprises one or more of a shape feature, a texture feature, and a position feature of the foreground object, and the engaging state judgment module is further configured to judge, based on one or more of the shape feature, the texture feature, and the position feature of the foreground object, whether the foreground object is a foreground object corresponding to the broken engaging teeth or comb teeth, and if the judgment result is “no”, further judge, based on the position feature, whether the foreign matter is located on the engaging line.

11. The engaging state detection system of claim 9 , wherein the engaging state judgment module is further configured to determine that the engaging state is the abnormal state when the judgment result based on the depth maps sensed consecutively in a predetermined time period is that there is a foreign matter on the engaging line and the speed of the foreign matter is lower than the speed of the step or lower than the speed of another foreground object in an adjacent region of the foreign matter.

12. The engaging state detection system of claim 1 , wherein there are two depth sensing sensors, which are respectively disposed approximately above entry/exit regions at two ends of the passenger conveyor to separately sense the comb plates and the steps engaged with the comb plates in the entry/exit regions.

13. The engaging state detection system of claim 3 , wherein in the background acquisition module, the background model is acquired based on the depth maps sensed when the engaging state is the normal state; and the engaging state judgment module is further configured to directly determine that the engaging state is the normal state when there is basically no foreground object.

14. The engaging state detection system of claim 3 , wherein in the background acquisition module, the background module is established through learning by using one or more of a Gaussian Mixture Model, a Code Book Model, and Robust Principle Components Analysis (RPCA).

15. The engaging state detection system of claim 3 , wherein the foreground detection module is further configured to remove noise of the foreground object by using erosion and dilation image processing technologies.

16. The engaging state detection system of claim 1 , wherein a sensing apparatus of the depth sensing sensor is mounted on a handrail side plate facing the engaging line between the comb plate and the step.

17. An engaging state detection method of steps and comb plates of a passenger conveyor, comprising steps of:
sensing, by a depth sensing sensor, at least an engaging portion between a step and a comb plate of the passenger conveyor to obtain depth maps;
acquiring a background model based on depth maps sensed when the passenger conveyor has no load and the engaging state is a normal state;
comparing a depth map sensed in real time with the background model to obtain a foreground object; and
processing data at least based on the foreground object to judge whether the engaging state is a normal state.

Assignees

• Otis Elevator Co

Inventors

• Li Jianguo
• Morris Nigel
• Senger Alois
• Zhao Jianwei
• Hu Zhaoxia
• Li Qiang
• Fang Hui
• Jia Zhen
• Su Anna
• Finn Alan Matthew
• Wang Longwen
• Li Qian
• Gschwendtner Gero

Classifications

• B66B29/06 Primary

  Combplates · CPC title

• B66B25/006

  Monitoring for maintenance or repair (for security reasons B66B29/005) · CPC title

• B66B21/02

  Escalators · CPC title

• B66B25/003

  Methods or algorithms therefor · CPC title

• B66B25/00

  Control of escalators or moving walkways (walkways of variable speed type B66B21/12; handrails of variable speed type B66B23/26; of general application G05) · CPC title