Passenger conveyance system

Abstract

A passenger conveyance system (2, 102, 202) is provided which includes a first component (12, 112, 212) arranged to rotate about a first rotation axis A.sub.1 and a second component (16, 116, 216) arranged to rotate about a second rotation axis A.sub.2; at least one magnet (20,120, 220); and at least one sensor (24, 124, 224). Either the at least one sensor (24, 124, 224) or the at least one magnet (20, 120, 220) is fixed to the first component (12, 112, 212). The sensor (24, 124, 224) is arranged to measure a displacement to the at least one magnet (12, 112, 212), and the system (2, 102, 202) is arranged to use the measured displacement to determine information indicative of the alignment of the first and second components (12, 112, 212; 16, 116, 216).

Claims

1. A passenger conveyance system (2) comprising: a first component (12) arranged to rotate about a first rotation axis (A.sub.1) and a second component (16) arranged to rotate about a second rotation axis (A.sub.2); at least one magnet (20); and at least one sensor (24); wherein either the at least one sensor (24) or the at least one magnet (20) is fixed to the first component (12), wherein the sensor (24) is arranged to measure a displacement to the at least one magnet (20), and the system (2) is arranged to use the measured displacement to determine information indicative of the alignment of the first and second components (12, 16).

2. The passenger conveyance system (2) of claim 1, comprising a plurality of sensors (24) each arranged to measure a displacement to the at least one magnet (20).

3. The passenger conveyance system (2) of claim 2, comprising at least three sensors (24) each arranged to determine a displacement to the magnet (20).

4. The passenger conveyance system (2) of claim 1, comprising a plurality of first component magnets (20) fixed to the first component (12), wherein the sensor (24) is arranged to measure a displacement to each of the plurality of first component magnets (20), and the passenger conveyance system (2) is arranged to use the measured displacement to each of the plurality of first component magnets (20) to determine the information indicative of the alignment of the first and second components (12, 16).

5. The passenger conveyance system (2) of claim 1, wherein the at least one magnet is a first component magnet (20) fixed to the first component and the passenger conveyance system (2) further comprises at least one second component magnet (22) fixed to the second component (16), wherein the system (2) is arranged to measure a displacement to the second component magnet (22) and to use the measured displacements to both the first and second component magnets (20, 22) to determine the information indicative of the alignment of the first and second components (12, 16).

6. The passenger conveyance system (2) of claim 5, comprising a plurality of second component magnets (22) fixed to the second component (16), wherein the passenger conveyance system (2) is arranged to measure a displacement to each of the plurality of second component magnets (22) and to use the measured displacements to each of the second component magnets (22) to determine the information indicative of the alignment of the first and second components (12, 16).

7. The passenger conveyance system (2) of claim 5, wherein the sensor (24) is arranged to measure a first displacement to the first component magnet (20) and a second displacement to the second component magnet (22).

8. The passenger conveyance system (2) of claim 5, wherein the at least one sensor (24) comprises a first component sensor (24) arranged to measure a displacement to the at least one first component magnet (20) and a second component sensor (26) arranged to measure a displacement to the at least one second component magnet (22).

9. The passenger conveyance system (2) of claim 8, comprising a plurality of second component sensors (26) each arranged to measure a displacement to the second component magnet (22).

10. The passenger conveyance system (2) of claim 1, wherein the first and second axes of rotation (A.sub.1, A.sub.2) are parallel.

11. The passenger conveyance system (2) of claim 1, wherein the first and second components (12, 16) are coaxial.

12. The passenger conveyance system (2) of claim 1, wherein the sensor (24) comprises a magneto-inductive sensor.

13. The passenger conveyance system (2) of claim 1, further comprising a processing device (32) arranged to use the measured displacement(s) to determine the information indicative of the alignment between the first and second components (12, 16).

14. The passenger conveyance system (2) of claim 1, comprising a monitoring device (34) arranged to output the information indicative of the alignment between the first and second components (12, 16).

15. A method of monitoring a passenger conveyance system (2), the passenger conveyance system (2) comprising: a first component (12) arranged to rotate about a first rotation axis (A.sub.1) and a second component (16) arranged to rotate about a second rotation axis (A.sub.2); at least one magnet (20); and at least one sensor (24), wherein either the at least one sensor (24) or the at least one magnet (2) is fixed to the first component (12); the method comprising: measuring a displacement to the at least one magnet (20) using the at least one sensor (24); and using the measured displacement to determine information indicative of the alignment of the first and second components (12, 16).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Certain examples of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a people conveyor system according to an example of the present disclosure;

(3) FIG. 2 is a close up partial view of the system of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic view of two aligned coplanar components;

(5) FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are various schematic views of two misaligned coplanar components;

(6) FIG. 7 is a plot of displacements detected by sensors for an aligned component;

(7) FIG. 8 is a plot of displacements detected by sensors for a misaligned component;

(8) FIGS. 9 and 10 are partial views of escalator systems according to examples of the present disclosure;

(9) FIG. 11 is a schematic view of two aligned coaxial components;

(10) FIGS. 12, 13 and 14 are various schematic views of two misaligned coaxial components; and

(11) FIG. 15 is a schematic view of a passenger conveyance system according to an example of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(12) FIG. 1 shows an example of a people conveyor system in the form of an escalator system 2 comprising a truss 4, a drive motor 6, a step chain 8 and a plurality of steps 10 arranged to carry passengers between upper and lower landing regions of the escalator system 2. The steps 10 are coupled to step chain 8, which runs between the upper and lower landing regions and is driven by the drive motor 6 to drive the steps 10 between the landing regions. Whilst in this example the people conveyor system is an escalator system 2, the present disclosure may of course be applied to other people conveyor systems such as moving walkways or elevators.

(13) The drive motor 6 drives the step chain 8 via a series of sprockets. The drive motor 6 is connected directly to a machine output sprocket 12, which is coupled via a drive chain 14 to a main drive sprocket 16. The main drive sprocket 16 is connected to a step chain sprocket 18 that drives the step chain 8.

(14) On installation, the machine output sprocket 12 and the main drive sprocket 16 are aligned to be precisely coplanar (i.e. such that their planes of rotation lie in the same plane), to ensure safe and efficient transfer of drive force from the drive motor 6 to the step chain sprocket 18 (and thus to the step chain 8). It is important that this precise alignment is maintained throughout the lifetime of the escalator system 2. FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the coplanar machine output sprocket 12 and the main drive sprocket 16 when properly aligned.

(15) A partial close-up view of the escalator system 2, focused on the machine output sprocket 12 and the main drive sprocket 16, is shown in FIG. 2.

(16) As shown in FIG. 2, the machine output sprocket 12 is arranged to rotate about a first axis of rotation A.sub.1, driven by the drive motor 6. The main drive sprocket 16 is arranged to rotate about a second axis of rotation A.sub.2. The system 2 further comprises a machine output sprocket magnet 20, fixed to one side of the machine output sprocket 12. The escalator system 2 also comprises a main drive sprocket magnet 22, fixed to one side of the main drive sprocket 16.

(17) The escalator system 2 further comprises three first sensors 24 (e.g. magneto-inductive sensors) that are fixed to the truss 4 (not shown in FIG. 2) and positioned to detect a displacement to the machine output sprocket magnet 20 as the machine output sprocket 12 rotates.

(18) The escalator system 2 further comprises three second sensors 26, which are fixed to the truss 4 and are positioned to detect a displacement of the main drive sprocket magnet 22 as the main drive sprocket 16 rotates.

(19) When the machine output sprocket 12 and the main drive sprocket 16 are properly aligned (i.e. when they are coplanar), the displacements measured by the first and second sensors 24, 26 remain within a tolerance of certain preset (e.g. installed) values. Additionally or alternatively, the displacements measured by the first and second sensors 24, 26 can be expected to remain within a tolerance of each other when the components are properly aligned.

(20) FIG. 7 shows an exemplary plot illustrating the displacements for each of the first sensors 24 over time when the machine output sprocket 12 and the main drive sprocket 16 are properly aligned (a similar plot would be generated from the second sensors 26). The outputs of the three sensors 24 are illustrated by a solid line, a dashed line and a dash-dot line. It will be appreciated that these plots are provided for illustrative purposes to explain the principle of use rather than accurately representing actual measurements. As the machine output sprocket 12 rotates, the displacement from the machine output sprocket magnet 20 to each first sensor 24 oscillates (as it approaches the sensor, passes adjacent the sensor and then rotates away from the sensor) but remains within predetermined tolerances (e.g. the minimum displacement does not fall below d.sub.min).

(21) In use, the machine output sprocket 12 and the main drive sprocket 16 may become misaligned. For example, machine output sprocket 12 or the main drive sprocket 16 may become angularly misaligned, wherein the first axis of rotation A1 and the second axis of rotation A2 are no longer parallel. Such a misalignment is shown in FIG. 4.

(22) The machine output sprocket 12 or the main drive sprocket 16 may also (or instead) become axially misaligned as shown in FIG. 5, wherein their respective planes of rotation are no longer coincident. The machine output sprocket 12 or the main drive sprocket 16 may also become radially misaligned, where the separation of the first and second axis of rotation changes from a nominal separation, as shown in FIG. 6.

(23) If the sprockets 12, 16 become misaligned (e.g. angularly misaligned), one or more of the displacements measured by the first and second sensors 24, 26 may change.

(24) FIG. 8 shows an exemplary plot illustrating the changing displacements for each of the first sensors 24 over time when the machine output sprocket 12 has been tilted such that the machine output sprocket 12 and the main drive sprocket 16 are angularly misaligned. It can be seen that the measured displacement for two of the three sensors 24 drops below d.sub.min as the machine output sprocket 12 rotates, indicating a misalignment. It can also readily be seen that the three sensor outputs differ from each other, indicating a tilt rather than a purely axial or radial displacement. By contrast, a radial or axial displacement would be expected to produce the same effect on all sensors (e.g. a uniform increase or reduction in d.sub.min).

(25) The measured displacements can thus be used to determine information indicative of the alignment (or misalignment) of the machine output sprocket 12 and the main drive sprocket 16 without needing to stop operation of the escalator system 2.

(26) As shown in FIG. 15, the first and second sensors 24, 26 (only one of each is shown in FIG. 15) are connected via transmitters 28, 30 to a remote cloud-based processing device 32. The transmitters 28, 30 transmit the measured displacements to the processing device 32 over a wireless network (although a wired network is equally feasible). The processing device 32 uses the measured displacements to determine information indicative of alignment/mis-alignment (e.g. an alignment health score). This information is then transmitted to a monitoring device 34 which may be arranged to alert a technician if the information indicates a misalignment of the machine output sprocket 12 and/or the main drive sprocket 16.

(27) FIG. 9 shows a dual drive system 102 of another exemplary escalator system. The dual drive system 102 comprises a first drive motor 104 and a second drive motor 106, which together provide drive force to an output sprocket 108.

(28) The first drive motor 104 and the second drive motor 106 are coupled together. A first flanged coupler 112 is connected to the first drive motor 104, and a second flanged coupler 116 is connected to the second drive motor 106. The first and second flanged couplers 112, 116 are connected together with a plurality of bolts 117.

(29) In order to safely and efficiently couple the first and second drive motors 104, 106 together, the first and second flanged couplers 112, 116 must be aligned to be precisely coaxial with a common axis of rotation A.sub.3.

(30) In order to facilitate continuous monitoring (i.e. condition based monitoring) of the alignment of the first and second flanged couplers 112, 116, the system 102 further comprises a first flanged coupler magnet 120 fixed to the first flanged coupler 112 and a first sensor 124 fixed to the first drive motor 104. The system 102 also comprises a second flanged coupler magnet 122 fixed to the second flanged coupler 116 and a second sensor 126 fixed to the second drive motor 106. The first and second sensors 124, 126 are arranged to measure displacements to the first flanged coupler magnet 120 and the second flanged coupler magnet 122 respectively, as the couplers 112, 116 rotate about axis A.sub.3. The measured displacements may be used to determine information indicative of the alignment of the first and second flanged couplers 112, 116.

(31) FIG. 10 shows a drive system 202 of another exemplary escalator system. The drive system 202 comprises a drive motor 204 coupled to a gearbox 206. A first flanged coupler 212 is connected to the drive motor 204, and a second flanged coupler 216 is connected to the gearbox 206. The first and second flanged couplers 212, 216 are connected together with a plurality of bolts 217. As with the dual drive system 102 of FIG. 9, it is important that the first and second flanged couplers 212, 216 are aligned to be precisely coaxial with a common axis of rotation A.sub.4.

(32) Thus, as with the drive system 102 of FIG. 9, the drive system 202 further comprises a first flanged coupler magnet 220 fixed to the first flanged coupler 212 and a first sensor 224 fixed to the drive motor 204. The system 202 also comprises a second flanged coupler magnet 222 fixed to the second flanged coupler 216 and a second sensor 226 fixed to the gearbox 206. The first and second sensors 224, 226 are arranged to measure displacements to the first flanged coupler magnet 220 and the second flanged coupler magnet 222 respectively, as the couplers 212, 216 rotate about axis A.sub.4. The measured displacements may be used to determine information indicative of the alignment of the first and second flanged couplers 212, 216.

(33) FIG. 11 shows a schematic view of first and second coaxial components 304, 306 (such as the first and second flanged couplers 112, 116 of FIG. 9 or the first and second flanged couplers 212, 216 of FIG. 10) when properly aligned.

(34) FIG. 12 shows an example of the first and second coaxial components 304, 306 when angularly misaligned. The first component 304 is tilted such that its axis of rotation is no longer coincident with the axis of rotation of the second component 306.

(35) FIG. 13 shows an example of the first and second coaxial components 304, 306 when radially misaligned (meaning that the misalignment is radial with respect to the axis of rotation). The second component 306 is radially offset such that its axis of rotation is no longer coincident with the axis of rotation of the first component 304.

(36) FIG. 14 shows an example of the first and second coaxial components 304, 306 when axially misaligned (meaning that the misalignment is in the direction of the axis of rotation). The second component 306 is axially offset such that the distance between the planes of rotation of the first and second components 304, 306 is no longer the correct distance for optimal operation (the correct position of the second component 306 is shown with a dot-dashed line).

(37) While the disclosure has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of examples, it should be readily understood that the disclosure is not limited to such disclosed examples. Rather, the disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, while various examples of the disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the disclosure may include only some of the described examples. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.