Abstract:
A detection device, a conveyor and an associated method are provided. The detection device includes: an attaching member for fixating the detection device to the conveyor; an axle coupled to the attaching member; a roller rotatably disposed around the axle and abutting against a pedal of the conveyor and being actuated by the pedal in response to a movement of the pedal along a first direction; and a sensor for detecting an operating state of the conveyor by detecting the operating state of the roller.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a conveyor, and more specifically, to a detection device for detecting an operating state of a conveyor, a conveyor, and an associated method. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    In the field of conveyors, the detection of the operating state of conveyors, such as automatic escalator or pedestrian walk has become one of the key techniques. The detection of the operating state of conveyors includes, for example, the detection of running speed and direction of the conveyor. For instance, when the conveyor malfunctions, for example, the conveyor may suddenly run over-speed or reverse its direction. If so, the safety of the people or goods standing on the pedal of the conveyor would possibly be threaten. Therefore, it is important to timely and accurately determine the operating state of the conveyor. 
         [0003]    Based on different structures and purposes of the conveyor, the state of the conveyor can be detected, for example, by detecting the motion speed and direction of the fly wheel and chain wheel of the main motor and the gear on the main drive axle. However, the above detection methods all belong to the so-called “indirect” detection methods, rather than the “direct” detection of the pedal or step on which people stand. Therefore, the traditional methods for monitoring the state of the conveyor have defects of lacking detection accuracy and rapidity. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    In general, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a detection device for detecting an operating state of a conveyor, a conveyor, and an associated method. 
         [0005]    In a first aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a detection device for detecting an operating state of a conveyor. The detection device includes an attaching member for fixating the detection device to a conveyor; an axle coupled to the attaching, member; a roller rotatably disposed around the axle, the roller abutting against a pedal of the conveyor and being actuated by the pedal in response to a movement of the pedal along a first direction; and a sensor for detecting an operating state of the conveyor by detecting the operating state of the roller. 
         [0006]    In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a conveyor. The conveyor includes a detection device of the first aspect, and the detection device is configured to detect the operating state of the conveyor by detecting the operating state of the pedal of the conveyor. The conveyor can be a horizontal conveyor without steps (hereafter also referred to step-less conveyor) or a conveyor with steps (hereafter also referred to stepped conveyor). 
         [0007]    In a third aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide the use of the detection device for detecting the operating state of the conveyor, according to the first aspect of the present disclosure. 
         [0008]    The detection device according to embodiments of the present disclosure is a direct detection device. Compared to the traditional indirect detection solutions, the direct detection method is quite advantageous in many circumstances. As an example, when the coupling connecting the motor to the gearbox breaks down (that is, coupling failure), the rotational speed of the motor remains the same, while the operating speed of the step or pedal actually has been reduced or reversed due to the coupling failure. As another example, when some steps or pedals are already missing, the rotational speed of the motor also remains the same. Those situations discussed as above, however, may possibly threaten the safety of the people standing thereon. In this case, if the detection device still determines the operating state of the conveyor by detecting the operating state of the fly wheel associated with the motor like traditional solutions, the operating state of the conveyor cannot be accurately determined. Embodiments of the present disclosure can effectively solve this situation to accurately detect the state. 
         [0009]    It should be understood that the summary does not aim to identify key or vital features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, or limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure can be easily understood through the following, description. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    Through the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent. In the drawings: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1 a    illustrates a front view of a detection device for detecting an operating state of a conveyor according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0012]      FIG. 1 b    illustrates a side view of the detection device for detecting an operating state of a conveyor according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0013]      FIG. 1 c    shows a rear view of the detection device for detecting an operating state of a conveyor according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0014]      FIG. 1 d    illustrates a front view of the detection device for detecting an operating state of a conveyor according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  illustrates a detection device mounted below a plane of continuous horizontal pedals at a returning side of a step-less horizontal conveyor, according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of one end of a stepped conveyor equipped with a detection device according to embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of the other end of a stepped conveyor according to embodiments of the present disclosure; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  shows a detection device mounted at the stepped conveyor as shown in  FIG. 4  where the detection device is arranged at the higher floor end, and on a lateral side of a step of the transport side of the stepped conveyor. 
       
    
    
       [0019]    In all drawings, same or similar reference numbers indicate same or similar elements. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0020]    Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to various example embodiments illustrated in the drawings. It should be appreciated that description of those embodiments is merely to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and further implement example embodiments disclosed herein and is not intended for limiting the scope disclosed herein in any manner. The content of the present disclosure described herein can be implemented by various methods besides the following depicted ones. 
         [0021]    As used herein, the term “includes” and its variants are to be read as open-ended terms that mean “includes, but is not limited to.” The term “based on” is to be read as “based at least in part on.” The term “one embodiment” is to be read as “at least one example embodiment.” The term “a further embodiment” is to be read as “at least one further embodiment.” 
         [0022]      FIGS. 1 a -1 d    illustrate a detection device  100  for detecting the operating state of the conveyor according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Particularly,  FIG. 1 a    illustrates a front perspective view of the detection device  100 .  FIG. 1 b    illustrates a side view of the detection device  100 .  FIG. 1 c    illustrates a rear perspective view of the detection device  100 .  FIG. 1 d    illustrates a front view of the detection device  100 . 
         [0023]    According to embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in  FIG. 1 b   , the detection  100  includes an attaching member  101 . The attaching member  101  fixes the detection device  100  to the conveyor. For example, the attaching member  101  can fix the detection device  100  to a guide rail of the conveyor or to any solid plane. In particular, the detection device  100  can be mounted surrounding the pedal or steps to directly detect the operating state of the pedal or steps. 
         [0024]    The attaching member  101  is coupled with an axle  102 , around which a roller  103  is rotatably arranged. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the roller  103  is abutted against the pedal of the conveyor (not shown in  FIGS. 1 a -1 d   ) and is actuated by the pedal in response to the movement of the pedal along a first direction X (see  FIG. 1 d   ). To be more specific, when the pedal passes the roller  103  along the first direction X, the roller  103  makes rolling contact with the pedal. In this way, the movement of the pedal can be converted into the rolling of the roller  103 . It is to be noted that when some pedals or steps are missing, the steps or pedals, which should pass the roller  103 , will be replaced by one or more segments of open space, and as such, the roller  103  cannot be actuated and thus the expected detection signal cannot be generated. In this way, the detection device  100  can also effectively detect whether the pedals or steps are missing. 
         [0025]    In some embodiments, the surface of the roller  103  may be made of nylon, rubber or metal. Of course, the above-mentioned materials are only exemplary and any other suitable materials are also possible. In some embodiments, the surface of the roller  103  can also have surface pattern, such as teeth or stripes. As such, when the roller  103  contacts the surface of the pedal or step, the engagement or friction therebetween can be enhanced, so as to prevent slipping during the contact between the roller and the surface of the pedal or step. 
         [0026]    This facilitates the accurate transfer of the motion speed and direction of the movement of the pedal or step to the roller  103 , and thereby improving the accuracy and stability of state detection. 
         [0027]    According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a sensor  104  is disposed near the roller  103  and is configured to detect a signal indicating an operating state of the roller  103 , so as to determine the operating state of the conveyor. In some embodiments, the sensor  104  can be implemented by a non-contact sensor. For example, in some embodiments, the non-contact sensor  104  can include, but not limited to, a proximity sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a photoelectric sensor, a magneto-electric sensor, a laser sensor and so on. In the embodiments as shown in  FIGS. 1 a -1 d   , the sensor  104  is a non-contact sensor. Alternatively, or in addition, in some embodiments, the sensor  104  can be implemented by a contact sensor. 
         [0028]    Furthermore, as indicated in  FIG. 1 c   , in some embodiments, at the side adjacent to the sensor  104 , a plurality of metal points  111  may be attached on the end face  110  of the roller  103 . The metal points  111  can be equally spaced on the end face  110 . It is to be understood that non-uniform distribution of the metal points is also feasible. When the roller  103  rotates, the metal points  111  pass the sensor  104 , and both of the metal points  111  and the sensor  104  coordinate with each other to generate a signal indicative of operating speed and direction of the pedal or step. For example, in some embodiments, the generated signal can have a particular pattern or shape, such as periodic or aperiodic pulse sequence. In case that a pedal is missing, due to the fact that the roller  103  will not rotate, no metal point  111  will pass the sensor  104 . Therefore, no signal indicative of operating speed and direction of the pedal or step can be generated. 
         [0029]    In such embodiments, the period of the pulse sequence can be adjusted by changing the space between neighboring metal points  111 . Specifically, the amount of pulses corresponding to the number of metal points  111  that rotatably pass the sensor  104  can be measured within a given time period, and thereby it can be determined whether the speed is normal or not. For instance, the amount of pulses measured per unit time will reduce along with the decrease of running speed of the conveyor. Alternatively, or in addition, whether the speed is normal or whether the motion of the conveyor is reversed can be determined by using two sensors with additional logic operations. 
         [0030]    It is to be noted that the present disclosure is not intended for limiting the form and amount of the sensor. Rather, a variety of forms and numbers of the sensor that can convert the speed and direction of the conveyor into corresponding physical signals, such as electric, optic, or magnetic signals, all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0031]    According to embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in  FIGS. 1 a -1 d   , the detection device  100  further includes a coupling member  105 . The coupling member  105  is compressibly coupled between the axle  102  and the attaching member  101  in the second direction Y that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction X. In response to the contact between the roller  103  and the pedal, the coupling member  105  applies pressure to the pedal of the conveyor via the roller  103  in the second direction Y. The pressure applied onto the pedal is also beneficial to increase the friction between the roller  103  and the surface of the step or pedal, to ensure that the speed and direction of the movement of the pedal or step can be accurately transferred to the roller  103 . Thereby, further increasing the accuracy and stability of state detection. 
         [0032]    The coupling member  105  may have a variety of suitable implementations. In the embodiments as shown in  FIGS. 1 a -1 d   , the coupling member  105  includes a fixing member  106  and an elastic member  107 . The fixing member  106  may have a face extending along X and Y directions and a face extending along X and Z directions. The two faces are perpendicular to each other and form an “L” shaped member. Besides, the two faces can either be integrally formed, or separately formed and connected (e.g., soldering) together. The axle  102  and the sensor  104  are fixed to a plane extending along X and Y directions (that is, the XY plane), so as to maintain the relative positioning of the roller  103  and the sensor  104 . In this way, even if a pressure is applied to the pedal via the roller  103 , the pressure applied on the roller  103  from the pedal or step will not impact the physical signal generated by rotation of the roller  103  because the fixing member  106  maintains the relative position of the roller  103  and the sensor  104 . 
         [0033]    The elastic member  107  is compressibly coupled between the fixing member  106  and the attaching member  101  in the second direction Y, so as to apply pressure onto the pedal in the second direction Y. The elastic member  107  as shown in  FIGS. 1 a -1 d    is a compression spring. Of course, other types of elastic members, such as clip, are also feasible. The number of the elastic members  107  can also be determined according to requirements. In the embodiments of  FIGS. 1 a -1 d   , the elastic member  107  includes two compression springs, which are distributed along the direction X and symmetrically distributed relative to the roller  103 . 
         [0034]    One end of each compression spring  107  is fixed to the plane of the fixing member  106  along the X and Z directions (that is, the XZ plane) and the other end is fixed to the attaching member  101 . It should be appreciated that the embodiments of the present disclosure do not aim to limit the type, number and distribution of the elastic members  107 . Those skilled in the art can select any suitable type, number and distribution of the elastic member  107  based on the requirements to apply pressure onto the pedal in the second direction Y. 
         [0035]    As shown in  FIG. 1 b   , in some embodiments, the attaching member  101  may also have an “L” shape matching with the L-shaped fixing member  106 , that is, a face extending along X and Y directions and a face extending along X and Z directions. As shown in  FIG. 1 c   , in some embodiments, the attaching member  101  may also have one or more holes  108 . 
         [0036]    Correspondingly, the fixing member  106  may include one or more rods  109 , which is can be extended through the holes  108  to fit with the holes  108  to limit the movement of the fixing member  106  in the second direction X and in the third direction Z. The third direction Z is perpendicular both to the first direction X and the second direction Y. 
         [0037]    In some embodiments, the holes  108  located at the plane extending along the X and Y directions can be slot holes, that is, the dimension (that is, length) of the holes  108  in the second direction Y is larger than that (that is, width) in the first direction X. The slot holes define the motion amplitude of the rods  109  in the second direction Y in response to the contact between the roller  103  and the pedal. It is to be understood that the motion amplitude is substantially defined by the length of the slot holes  108 . Besides, as shown in  FIG. 1 b    or  1   c , the fixing member  106  has a corresponding rod  109  as described above. In some embodiments, a pair of stoppers  112  may be disposed on the rod  109  extending along the third direction Z and through the hole  108 . In some embodiments the stoppers  112  may be implemented by gasket or nut. The stoppers  112  are respectively positioned at two sides of the plane extending along directions X and Y of the attaching member  101 , so as to limit the movement of the fixing member  106  as well as the roller  103  and the sensor  104  fixed onto the fixing member  106  in the third direction Z. This would help to maintain the pressure applied onto the pedal or step only in the second direction Y, with no pressure components in the other two directions, thereby improving accuracy and stability of state detection. 
         [0038]    The detection device  100  described above can be used in connection with various types of conveyors. For example,  FIG. 2  shows a view of an end face of a step-less horizontal conveyor  102  according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the step-less horizontal conveyor  102  can be a pedestrian walk or a transport facility at public place, such as airport or bus station. 
         [0039]    In the embodiments as shown in  FIG. 2 , the pedal  210  is step-less and the detection device  100  is arranged at a returning side of the conveyor  200 , such that the roller  103  is abutted against the plane  210   b  in which the pedal  210  lies. In this way, the detection device  100  can detect the operating state of the step-less horizontal conveyor  200  by directly detecting the operating state of the pedal  210 . The term “returning side” used herein refers to a side opposing to a transport side for carrying people or goods. In most cases, the returning side indicates that a cyclic running step or pedal is located at the bottom space of the conveyor, where conveyor assemblies, such as motor and transmission mechanism are installed. For safety concerns, such returning side is usually enclosed with an outer cover plate and can only be accessed by professionals or maintenance personnel. As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the detection device  100  is fixed to a guide rail  220  of the conveyor  200 , such that the roller  103  is abutted against the plane  210   b  in which the continuous horizontal pedals  210  at the returning side of the conveyor  200  lie. In this way, state detection can be executed. The detection device  100  can be mounted at any positions below the plane  210   b  of the continuous horizontal pedals  210  at the returning side of the step-less conveyor  200 , as required. Besides, any number of detection devices  100  can be mounted on the conveyor  200  to detect the operating state of a relatively long step-less horizontal conveyor  200  segment by segment. Alternatively, or in addition, the detection device  100  can also be arranged such that the roller  103  is abutted against a lateral side  210   a  of the pedal  210 . 
         [0040]    For the step-less horizontal conveyor  200  as shown in  FIG. 2 , because the cyclically running pedals (e.g., conveyor plates or conveyor belt) are continuous horizontal pedals, the continuous horizontal pedals can form a continuous running surface no matter at the lateral side  210   a  or any positions of the horizontal plane  210   b . Therefore, the mounting position of the detection surface  100  has a higher flexibility. 
         [0041]    The situation of the stepped conveyor will be discussed below.  FIG. 3  shows a side view of an end  300   a  of a stepped conveyor  300  mounted with a detection device. The stepped conveyor  300  can be a rolling escalator across two floors in a shopping mall for instance. The end of the conveyor  300  as shown in  FIG. 3  is the end  300   a  of the conveyor located at a lower floor. At end  300   a , steps  310  move horizontally to facilitate the personnel to board or leave. The end  300   a  can be a step entrance (corresponding to leaving end of the people) or a step exit (corresponding to entering end of the people). In this context, the step entrance indicates the end where the steps are entering the returning side, and the step exit indicates the end where the steps just return to the transport side of people or goods from the returning side. For example, when the step  310  of the conveyor  300  shown in  FIG. 3  is operating from the lower floor to the higher floor along a tilted direction, the end  300   a  of the conveyor  300  is a step exit (corresponding to entering end of the people). 
         [0042]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , in order to facilitate the passenger to board the escalator, the steps  310  move horizontally at the entering end of the personnel  310   a  and does not form a step, and then gradually forms the steps. The formed steps gradually disappears when they are approaching the exit end of the people (shown in  FIG. 4 ), and the steps will move horizontally again. It is to be noted that different from the step-less horizontal conveyor  200  in FIG. 2 , in the case of the stepped conveyor  300 , the detection device  100  cannot be mounted below the steps running along a tilted plane to detect the operating state. This is because, as shown in the right part of  FIG. 3 , several steps running along the tilted plane do not form a continuous flat surface any more, rather, they maintain a form of segmented and non-continuous steps, which is also the case at the returning side. 
         [0043]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the detection device  100  is mounted at the returning side of an end  300   a  of a lower floor, such that the roller  103  is abutted against a plane  310   b  in which the step  310  lies, to detect the operating state of stepped conveyor  300  by directly detecting the operating state of the step  310 . It is beneficial to mount the detection device  100  in an area defined by two vertical lines indicated in  FIG. 3 , because several steps  310  at the returning side form a continuous flat surface in this area. In this case, the detection device  100  mounted in this area will not impede the motion of the step  310  in any manner. On the contrary, if the detection device  100  is mounted below steps  310  running along the tilted plane, the steps  310  will cause unexpected obstacles to the movement of the step due to the discontinuity of the steps  310 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of the other end  310   b  of the stepped conveyor  300 . For example, when the step  310  of the conveyor  300  shown in  FIG. 3 or 4  is running from a lower floor to a higher floor along a tilted direction, the end  310   b  of the conveyor  300  is a step entrance (corresponding to exiting end of the people) at the higher floor. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the other end  300   b  at the higher floor is different from the end  300   a  at the lower floor. 
         [0045]    Although several steps at the transport side form a continuous flat surface, the steps at the returning side still fail to form a continuous flat surface due to the limitation of the running track. Therefore, it is inappropriate to mount the detection device  100  to the returning side of the end  300   b  below the steps  310 . 
         [0046]    Alternatively, in some embodiments, the detection device  100  can be mounted to the step entrance or the step exit of the stepped conveyor  300 , such that the roller  103  is abutted against the lateral side of the step.  FIG. 5  shows a detection device  100  mounted at a lateral side of a higher floor in the stepped conveyor  300  according to  FIG. 4 , such that the roller  103  is abutted against a lateral side  310   a  of a step  310  at a transport side. It is to be noted that because the end  300   b  of the higher floor as shown in  FIG. 4  can only form a continuous flat side face at a transport side, the detection device  100  can only be mounted in the area of the transport side, such that the roller  103  is abutted against the lateral side  310  of the step  310 . Alternatively, at the lower end  300   a  of the step entrance or step exit as indicated in  FIG. 3 , the detection device  100  can be mounted to the area of both the transport side and the returning side because both cases form continuous flat side face, such that the roller  103  is abutted against the lateral side  310   a  of the step  310 . 
         [0047]    The above description is just optional embodiments of the present disclosure and do not limit the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, the present disclosure can have various modifications and alterations. Any amendments, equivalent substitutions and improvements should all be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure as long as they are within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure.