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

• US 10,071,884 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2017
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otis Elevator Company (Otis Worldwide Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Otis Elevator Company (Otis Worldwide Corp.)
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene O
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rushin, III, Lester
• Application Number:
  US15/663,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20180029841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 21/02 Escalators
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 25/003 Methods or algorithms therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 25/006 Monitoring for maintenance or repair for security reasons B66B29/005
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 29/06 Combplates

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.

Claims

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.

27. A passenger conveying system, comprising a passenger conveyor and the engaging state detection system according to claim 1.

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.

18. The engaging state detection method of claim 17, further comprising a step of:

extracting a corresponding foreground feature from the foreground object according to the engaging state;

wherein in the step of judging the engaging state, whether the engaging state is a normal state is judged based on the foreground feature.

19. The engaging state detection method of claim 18, wherein sensing of the engaging portion between the step and the comb plate comprises sensing of comb teeth of the comb plate, and in the step of judging the engaging state, the engaging state is judged as an abnormal state when at least one of the comb teeth is broken.

20. The engaging state detection method of claim 18, wherein sensing of the engaging portion between the step and the comb plate comprises sensing of engaging teeth of the step, and in the step of judging the engaging state, the engaging state is judged as an abnormal state when at least one of the engaging teeth is broken.

21. The engaging state detection method of claim 18, 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 in the step of judging the engaging state, the engaging state is judged as an abnormal state at least when there is a foreign matter on the engaging line.

22. The engaging state detection method of claim 21, wherein in the step of extracting the foreground feature, the extracted foreground feature comprises one or more of a shape feature, a texture feature, and a position feature of the foreground object;

and in the step of judging the engaging state, whether the foreground object is a foreground object corresponding to the broken engaging teeth or comb teeth is judged based on one or more of the shape feature, the texture feature, and the position feature of the foreground object, and if the judgment result is “

no”

, it is further judged, based on the position feature, whether the foreign matter is located on the engaging line.

23. The engaging state detection method of claim 21, wherein in the step of judging the engaging state, it is determined that the engaging state is the abnormal state when a 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.

24. The engaging state detection method of claim 19, wherein in the model acquisition step, the background model is acquired based on the depth maps sensed when the engaging state is the normal state;

and in the step of judging the engaging state, it is directly determined that the engaging state is the normal state when there is basically no foreground object.

25. The engaging state detection method of claim 17, further comprising a step of:

triggering an alarm when it is determined that the engaging state is the abnormal state.

26. The engaging state detection method of claim 17, wherein outputting of a signal is triggered to the passenger conveyor and/or a monitoring center when it is determined that the engaging state is the abnormal state.