Elevator operation control device and method thereof

Abstract

The present application provides a kind of for the work of car or pit etc. at any position, more safe and realize the efficiency of elevator operation control device. A kind of controller controls the operation of elevator elevator operation control device, controller has the 1st mode of making elevator to carry out normal operation, and the 2nd mode of making elevator to carry out maintenance operation, in the 2nd mode, make the car of elevator move to specific position, then, car is kept in specific position, the movement history of car is sequentially stored in memory, refer to the history recorded in memory, read the information of specific position, when car is close to specific position within a specified distance, the movement speed of car operated in the 2nd mode is controlled to be below the movement speed operated in the 1st mode. Controller stores stop time and specific position in memory, and sets the read specific position as the candidate of stop position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an elevator operation control device and method. Background Art

[0002] As maintenance and inspection work for elevators, work on the car is known. When there are maintenance personnel working on the car, automatic operation is prohibited to prevent accidents. Taking this into consideration, the elevator has an operating unit that switches automatic operation to manual operation and can be operated arbitrarily for maintenance. The maintenance personnel's process is to switch it to manual operation, fine-tune the height of the car up and down at a slower speed than usual, and then complete the prescribed maintenance and inspection work in roughly the scheduled time while ensuring sufficient safety, and restore to automatic operation. As long as there are no unexpected failures, the time required for this series of maintenance work processes will not vary significantly.

[0003] In addition, as one of the initial setting operations when fixing the elevator, which is different from maintenance, there is an operation to make the car travel from the top to the bottom, measure and store the stop position of each floor. For this operation, two speeds, fast and slow, are used to carry out the operation efficiently. However, in this operation, there is a case where the initial setting is not completed, and the problem of having to make the car running at the high speed of the two speeds, fast or slow, stop quickly before the top or bottom floor, which is the terminal floor, occurs. Technology for avoiding such problems is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] Furthermore, unlike the initial setup operation described above, maintenance work to increase the speed of an elevator, not after a new installation but after an upgrade, also presents the problem of having to stop the elevator abruptly. To avoid this problem, there is a technique that ensures safety during maintenance after such an upgrade by operating switches located on terminal floors using a prescribed action. This technique achieves a two-stage buffered deceleration, first from high speed to medium speed and then to low speed. Manual operation at the same low speed as before the upgrade allows for safe braking and stopping control (e.g., Patent Document 2).

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-335473

[0008] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-44931 Summary of the Invention

[0009] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0010] The technology described in Patent Document 1 is a technology for improving the efficiency of setting the pulse value for positioning the stop position required for each floor when the elevator is fixedly installed in a high-rise building, etc., and is not the optimal technology for ensuring the safety of operations on the car as maintenance work.

[0011] Furthermore, while the technology described in Patent Document 2 aims to ensure the safety of operations on the car or in the pit, there is room for further improvement to achieve greater safety and improved efficiency. The present invention has been developed to address the aforementioned issues and aims to provide an elevator operation control device that achieves greater safety and improved efficiency for operations at any location, such as on the car or in the pit.

[0012] Methods for solving problems

[0013] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is an elevator operation control device in which a controller controls the operation of the elevator. The controller has a first mode for making the elevator perform normal operation, and a second mode for making the elevator perform maintenance operation. In the second mode, the elevator car is moved to a specific position, and then the car is maintained at the specific position. The movement history of the car is sequentially stored in a memory, and the information of the specific position is read with reference to the history recorded in the memory. When the car approaches within a specified distance relative to the specific position, the moving speed of the car operating in the second mode is controlled to be lower than the moving speed of the car operating in the first mode.

[0014] Effects of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an elevator operation control device that is safer and more efficient in operations at any location such as on a car or in a pit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 This is a side view illustrating the appearance of a main part of an elevator to which the elevator operation control device (hereinafter also referred to as “this device”) according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0017] Figure 2 Yes Figure 1 This is a functional block diagram of an overview of this device.

[0018] Description of Reference Numerals

[0019] 1…Car

[0020] 2…Counterweight

[0021] 3…Main sling

[0022] 4…Guide rails

[0023] 5…Winches

[0024] 6…Brakes

[0025] 7…Speed ​​governor sling

[0026] 8…Speed ​​Regulator

[0027] 9…Controller

[0028] 10…Inverter

[0029] 12…Motor encoder

[0030] 13…Speed ​​regulator encoder

[0031] 14…Maintenance and operation equipment

[0032] 15…Stopper insertion bracket (latch support portion)

[0033] 16…Stop, (latch)

[0034] 21…Operation mode determination unit

[0035] 22…Operation control unit

[0036] 23…Winch control unit

[0037] 24…Maintenance operation driving speed determination unit

[0038] 25…Car position detection unit

[0039] 26…Stop detection unit for a long time

[0040] 27…Specific location determination unit

[0041] 28…Specific location storage unit

[0042] 29…Device operation detection unit DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] To illustrate this device, the following example is given. During maintenance and inspection work on an elevator without a machine room, maintenance personnel perform maintenance and inspection of the hoist by working on the car. Before moving onto the car, the maintenance personnel secure the car simply and reliably using a car securing mechanism (stopper). However, when locking the car position with the stopper, the maintenance personnel must pay attention to the car's positioning, so this aspect is addressed in this device.

[0044] Furthermore, the computer constituting the main part of this device may be a single-chip microcomputer or the like, or may share parts with other computers. Furthermore, the various functional components of the controller are formed in the computer by the CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing programs stored in the memory. Therefore, unlike hardware devices, they are less visually identifiable, and their ownership, configuration, and designation are also flexible.

[0045] Figure 1 This is a side view showing the main parts of the elevator to which this device is applied. Figure 1 As shown, in the elevator, a bucket-type structure is formed in which a car 1 and a counterweight 2 connected to both ends of a main rope 3 are guided by a guide rail 4 and can be freely raised and lowered.

[0046] A hoist 5 disposed on the top of the bucket structure raises and lowers the car 1 via a main rope 3 mounted thereon. A brake 6 brakes the rotation of the hoist 5 to appropriately stop the car 1.

[0047] The speed governor rope 7 is configured to be able to freely move up and down via a pulley mounting portion, and a portion of the speed governor rope is connected to the car 1, so that the entire rope moves in accordance with the movement of the car 1. The speed governor 8 supports the speed governor rope 7 on one side of the top of the pulley mounting portion 7. When the speed of the car 1 being moved by the speed governor rope 7 exceeds a specified speed, the speed governor 8 activates an emergency brake device (not shown) solely through mechanical action, thereby preventing the car 1 from falling accidentally.

[0048] A controller (hereinafter referred to as "controller") 9 controls the output of the inverter 10 to drive the hoist 5 and appropriately actuate the brake 6. The tail cable 11 is formed by a control panel such as buttons provided in the car 1, a communication line for an emergency telephone, and power supply cables for lighting, air conditioning, etc.

[0049] The motor encoder 12 and the speed governor encoder 13 detect the rotation angle and rotation speed of the hoist 5 and the speed governor 8, respectively, and input them to the controller 9. The maintenance operation device 14X is provided on the car and is an operating unit that allows maintenance personnel to switch from automatic operation to manual operation when working on the car and can be operated arbitrarily for maintenance.

[0050] The vertical movement distance and absolute position of the car 1 are detected by the car position detection unit 25 ( Figure 2 ) is detected based on a history of stopping at a specific position. Although similar processing can be performed based on the rotation detection signal of the motor encoder 12, the speed governor encoder 13 is more suitable for position detection because it has less error than the main rope 3 that expands and contracts due to the load of the car 1.

[0051] The stopper insertion bracket (hereinafter also referred to as the "latch support portion") 15 accommodates a rod-shaped stopper (hereinafter also referred to as the "latch") 16 in a freely insertable and removable manner. The latch (stopper) 16 is arranged on one side of the car 1 and can freely move forward and backward in the horizontal longitudinal direction. It is strong enough to support the weight of the car 1 in the moving (vertical) direction of the car 1 when it is engaged with the latch support portion 15.

[0052] The latch support 15 is arranged at an appropriate height along the guide rail 4. When the latch (stopper) 16 is inserted into the hole, the car 1 is fixed and its up and down movement is locked. These mechanisms are called stoppers 15 and 16, and the state is called locked by the stopper 16 ( Figure 2 ).

[0053] The stops 15 and 16 are a car fixing mechanism that securely fixes the car 1 by inserting the latch 16 on one side of the car 1 into the latch support 15 on the side of the rail 4 in the event of a serious accident in which the brake 6 is released while the car is carrying maintenance personnel, causing the car 1 to hit the ceiling.

[0054] The stoppers 15 and 16 fix the car 1 at an optimum height position for car-mounted operations, that is, a specific position, and input a signal identifying the fixing state and the height position information to the controller 9 .

[0055] On the other hand, in pit operations (not shown), a maintenance worker may enter the pit and the brake 6 is released, causing the car 1 to collide with the pit bottom. This requires a reliable car securing mechanism that secures the car 1 at the optimal height for pit operations. Therefore, stoppers 15 and 16 having the same structure as those on the car are employed.

[0056] In addition to the stopper 16, an operation panel is provided on the car as a car device for switching automatic operation to manual operation and performing any operation for maintenance. The operation panel has an automatic / manual switching button, a manual movement button to any floor, and a low-speed up and down movement button.

[0057] At this time, a maintenance worker can manually operate the device on the car to move the car 1 to a specific position until it is fixed. However, for safety management, it is necessary to avoid carrying people on the car moving near the top floor before the car 1 is fixed.

[0058] Therefore, according to existing regulations, if there are multiple maintenance personnel, the height of the car 1 is finely adjusted up and down at a slower speed than usual using the maintenance operation device 14Y located inside the car 1 and locked and managed. The car 1 is then fixed to prevent it from moving up and down using the car fixing mechanism (stopper) 16. However, since the stopper 16 on the car cannot be directly observed from inside the car 1, positioning for this purpose is not easy.

[0059] Thus, the maintenance personnel operates at least one of the locked maintenance operation device 14Y located inside the car 1 and the maintenance operation device 14X as a device on the car. Furthermore, if a switch for reducing the moving speed of the car 1 is equipped at the elevator station on the uppermost or lowermost floor, which is the terminal floor, the switch can be used simultaneously.

[0060] Furthermore, a simple stopper 16 reliably secures the car 1 at a specific position for both car-mounted and pit-based operations. Specifically, the car 1 is secured during both car-mounted and pit-based operations by the car-securing mechanism 16, which can be simply and reliably locked. Therefore, even if the main brake 6 is released during operations such as replacing the brake 6, the car 1 remains secured, ensuring the safety of maintenance personnel.

[0061] In addition, such matters are also legal matters. By fixing the car 1 in a specific position in this way, completing the prescribed maintenance and inspection work in a roughly prescribed time while ensuring safety, and returning to automatic operation, the work on the car is completed.

[0062] Figure 2 Yes Figure 1 This is a functional block diagram of an overview of this device. Figure 2 In the device shown, if using Figure 1 As described, the system comprises a controller 9 that receives a command signal generated by a maintenance operator operating a maintenance operation device 14X and instructs the maintenance mode to be performed, an inverter 10 that receives the command signal and operates, a hoist 5 driven by the inverter, a motor encoder 12 that detects its rotation angle, etc., a speed regulator encoder 13 that inputs a car position detection signal with higher reliability to the controller 9, and stops 15 and 16 that ensure the safety of the maintenance operator.

[0063] Figure 2 In the embodiment, the stoppers 15 and 16 are combined and referred to as the stopper 16. Figure 1As described above, the stopper 16 inputs a signal to the controller 9 to identify whether the latch (stopper) 16 has been inserted into the latch support portion 15 and the car 1 has been securely fixed. Regardless of whether the stopper 16 is operated on the car or in the pit, a signal indicating that the car 1 is securely fixed at a level that can ensure safety is input to the controller 9.

[0064] The controller 9 includes an operation mode determination unit 21 , an operation control unit 22 , a hoist control unit 23 , a maintenance operation travel speed determination unit 24 , a car position detection unit 25 , a long-term stop detection unit 26 , a specific position determination unit 27 , a specific position storage unit 28 , and a device operation detection unit 29 .

[0065] The maintenance personnel operates the maintenance operation device 14Y (not shown) locked and managed inside the car 1, or the maintenance operation device 14X on the car, causing the operation mode determination unit 21 to determine that the operation mode is in maintenance mode, and then moves the car 1 to a specific position that is optimal for working on the car. If it is not necessary to distinguish between the inside of the car 1 and the car, both can be collectively referred to as the maintenance operation device 14.

[0066] At this point, the operation mode determination unit 21 transmits commands and drive currents to the operation control unit 22, hoist control unit 23, inverter 10, and hoist 5, thus implementing the maintenance personnel's intended operation. Specifically, after the car 1 reaches the top floor, it is fine-tuned at a lower speed to a specific position.

[0067] If it is an existing device, the maintenance personnel who enter the interior of the car 1 from the elevator station on any floor will, for the car 1 that has moved to the top floor, fine-tune it at a lower speed to a specific position under the guidance of a person who can see the stops 15 and 16, and then fix it with the stop 16.

[0068] Afterwards, at this specific position, another maintenance worker moves from the uppermost floor elevator station to the car and begins work on the car. The existing device requires improvement in that visual guidance is cumbersome when fine-tuning the car 1 to a specific position at a low speed after the car 1 has moved to the uppermost floor. To address this issue, the controller 9 of the present device stores the specific position history of the car 1 stopping at a specific position in response to the initial maintenance operation in the specific position storage unit 28, so that it can be used the next time and thereafter.

[0069] That is, the controller 9 stores the stop time of the car in the maintenance mode detected by the long-term stop detection unit 26 and the specific position represented by the position information in which the specific position judgment unit 27 judges that the car has stayed for a stop time longer than the specified value as usage history in the memory, and sets the specific position read in the maintenance mode as a candidate for the stop position.

[0070] The long-term stop detector 26 detects that the car position has not changed for a predetermined time or longer. The specific position determination unit 27 stores the car position detected by the long-term stop detector 26 and the car position detected by the device operation detector 29 in the specific position storage unit 28.

[0071] Furthermore, when the device operation detection unit 29 detects that the car 1 has been secured by the stopper 16, the controller 9 also stores the position information detected by the car position detection unit 25 in the specific position storage unit 28 as a candidate for the stop position. This specific position storage unit 28 may be formed in a portion of the computer's memory or may utilize the remaining portion of an existing non-volatile memory that can be freely written, updated, and read, and that retains the stored information even when the power is turned off. Furthermore, the device operation detection unit 29 detects that a specific device has been operated.

[0072] During the second and subsequent maintenance operations, this device generates information indicating a specific location based on history. If the car 1 approaches within a specified distance from the specific location, the car's moving speed is reduced compared to normal operation. In addition, a maintenance operation device 14 is present on or within the car 1.

[0073] The process involves switching the maintenance operation device 14 to manual operation, finely adjusting the height of the car 1 up and down at a slower speed than usual, securing the car 1 with the stopper 16 for safety, completing the required maintenance and inspection work in roughly the predetermined time, and then resuming automatic operation. In this case, unless there are unexpected faults, the required time will not vary significantly.

[0074] Therefore, if there is a history of stopping for a predetermined time or longer, the specific position determination unit 27 determines that the position information at that time is a specific position and registers it in the specific position storage unit 28, so that the controller 9 can refer to it during the next maintenance.

[0075] In this device, when the controller 9 determines that the car has approached a specific position, the maintenance operation travel speed determination unit 24 issues a low-speed operation instruction to the hoisting control unit 5. In addition, when the car position is close to the position stored in the specific position storage unit 28 (for example, within 10 mm), the maintenance operation travel speed determination unit 24 reduces the maintenance operation travel speed compared to the normal speed.

[0076] As a result, when performing operations at any position such as on the car or in the pit, the maintenance personnel can focus less on the positioning process until the car 1 is locked with the stopper 16, thereby increasing efficiency and improving safety in the original maintenance and inspection operations.

[0077] The structure, function, and effect of this device can be summarized as follows.

[0078] [1] This device is an elevator operation control device in which a controller 9 controls the operation of the elevator. The controller 9 has a first mode for causing the elevator to perform normal operation and a second mode for causing the elevator to perform maintenance operation. In the second mode (maintenance mode), the controller 9 executes the following process.

[0079] First, the controller 9 moves the car 1 of the elevator to a specific position. Then, the controller 9 keeps the car 1 at the specific position. Next, the controller 9 sequentially stores the movement history of the car 1 in a memory.

[0080] After this, the controller 9 refers to the history recorded in the memory, reads the information of the specific position, and moves the car to within a specified distance of the specific position. At this time, the controller 9 controls the moving speed of the car 1 operating in the second mode (maintenance mode) to be less than the moving speed in the first mode (normal mode). More specifically, the following is described.

[0081] The controller 9 forms various functional units by executing programs stored in memory via a computer. Each functional unit performs the following operations. The controller 9 stores in memory a history of the car 1 moving and stopping at specific positions in response to maintenance personnel's operation of the maintenance operation device 14. This history is information on the height of the car 1, which is convenient for maintenance work and serves as information on specific positions.

[0082] As an example, the height position of the car 1 when it is fixed by operating the stopper 16 is also used as specific position information. Since the car position locked by the stopper 16 is often known, it can be stored in the specific position storage unit 28 in advance without being associated with the history.

[0083] In the second mode (maintenance mode), information indicating that the car 1 is held at a specific position while stopped is generated based on history. If the car 1 approaches within a specified distance of the specific position, the maintenance operation travel speed determination unit 24 reduces the travel speed of the car 1 compared to normal operation.

[0084] In such a device, during the first maintenance after the elevator is constructed or after the controller 9 is updated, the maintenance personnel use the maintenance operation device 14 to switch the operation mode from automatic to manual, and then fine-tune the height of the car up and down to a position suitable for maintenance at a speed slower than usual.

[0085] However, during the second and subsequent maintenance operations, the maintenance personnel can easily guide the car 1 to the specific position in the second mode (maintenance mode) with the assistance of the controller 9 having stored the history, thereby achieving high efficiency. Furthermore, when the car approaches within a specified distance from the specific position, the moving speed of the car is reduced compared to normal operation, thereby easily achieving the car locking with the stopper 16, thereby facilitating the safety of the maintenance personnel.

[0086] Thus, this device enables safer and more efficient operations at any location, such as on the car or in the pit. It is also effective to store in memory the history of fine adjustments to the car height at locations other than specific locations, such as during door bolt tightening operations. Furthermore, the amount of information to be stored can be reduced with this device, making it easier to upgrade existing controllers equipped with non-volatile memory by making only minor modifications.

[0087] [2] In [1] above, the controller 9 may store the following information as history in the memory. The first of the stored historical information is the stop time of the car in the second mode (maintenance mode). The second is the specific location indicated by the position information at which the car stopped for a stop time exceeding a specified value.

[0088] In the second mode (maintenance mode), the controller 9 reads the specific position information from the specific position storage unit 28 and sets it as a candidate for the stop position. With this device, maintenance personnel can easily guide the car to the specific position in the second mode (maintenance mode) during the second and subsequent maintenance operations. Furthermore, by automatically registering the stop time of the car in the second mode (maintenance mode) as a specific position in the memory, positioning of the car 1 becomes easier, not just on the car or in the pit.

[0089] [3] In the above [1], the controller 9 may also store the position information of the car 1 fixed by the stopper (latch) 16 in the specific position storage unit 28 of the memory and set it as a candidate for the stop position. The stopper 16 is a car fixing mechanism that reliably fixes the car 1 by inserting the latch (stopper) 16 into the latch support portion (stopper insertion bracket) 15 during operation on the car or in the pit.

[0090] In this device, it is preferably set so that if the frequency of stopping for operating in the second mode (maintenance mode) is high and the time is long, it is set as a specific position and a latch support part 15 for ensuring safety is provided so that a latch (stopper) 16 can be embedded in the hole of the latch support part 15.

[0091] This device is particularly effective in elevators without a machine room, as the hoist 5 is inspected from the car. Specifically, this device allows maintenance personnel to reduce their attention when fine-tuning the car height using the stoppers 15 and 16 during work on the car or in the pit, assisted by the controller 9.

[0092] As a result, the car 1 can be easily fixed, thereby improving the safety of the maintenance personnel. In addition, when operating at a specific position on the car and outside the pit, the car 1 can be easily positioned.

[0093] [4] The elevator operation control method (this method) according to an embodiment of the present invention is a control method using the device of [1]. According to this method, operations at any location such as on the car or in the pit can be performed more safely and efficiently.

Claims

1. An elevator operation control device in which a controller controls the operation of an elevator, characterized in that: The controller has a first mode for causing the elevator to perform normal operation and a second mode for causing the elevator to perform maintenance operation. In the second mode, the controller The stop time of the car in the second mode and the specific position indicated by the position information at which the car has stayed for more than a predetermined value are sequentially stored in the memory as history. In the second mode of the subsequent maintenance operation, the specific position determined based on the history is read from the memory and used as a candidate for the stop position. When the car is instructed to move to the selected candidate stop position, the car is controlled to move thereto, and when the car approaches within a predetermined distance from the specific position, the moving speed of the car is controlled to be lower than the moving speed in the first mode operation.

2. The elevator operation control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller also stores information on the position where the car is fixed by the stopper in the memory and sets the information as a candidate for the stop position.

3. A method for controlling the operation of an elevator by a controller, characterized in that: The controller has a first mode for causing the elevator to perform normal operation and a second mode for causing the elevator to perform maintenance operation. The controller, in the second mode, sequentially stores in the memory as history the stop time at which the car is stopped in the second mode and the specific position indicated by the position information at which the car has stayed for more than the specified stop time. In the second mode of the subsequent maintenance operation, the specific position determined based on the history is read from the memory and used as a candidate for the stop position. When the car is instructed to move to the selected candidate stop position, the car is controlled to move thereto, and when the car approaches within a predetermined distance from the specific position, the moving speed of the car is controlled to be lower than the moving speed in the first mode operation.

4. The elevator operation control method according to claim 3, wherein: The controller also stores information on the position where the car is fixed by the stopper in the memory and sets the information as a candidate for the stop position.

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