Maintenance terminal, elevator system and elevator control method

Abstract

According to the invention, the elevator operation can be well carried out while the safety of an operator is ensured when the operator carries out operation on the top of the elevator car. As a maintenance terminal held by an operator when a maintenance operation is performed on an elevator provided with a car, the maintenance terminal comprises: a position determination unit (501) that receives an operation signal or a sensor signal for determining a position and determines a current position; a movement signal generation unit (502) that generates a movement signal of the car on the basis of an instruction to raise or lower the car by the operation of an operator; a wireless communication unit that wirelessly transmits the movement signal generated by the movement signal generation unit (502) to a control device provided in the car; and a transmission availability determination unit (503) that determines, on the basis of the position determined by the position determination unit (501), whether or not the movement signal generated by the movement signal generation unit (502) can be wirelessly transmitted by the wireless communication unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a maintenance terminal, an elevator system, and an elevator control method. Background Art

[0002] During maintenance and inspection operations of an elevator, sometimes workers riding on the car top perform inspections and other operations on equipment installed in the hoistway. When working on the car top, after connecting a dedicated maintenance terminal to a control device (upper car control device) installed on the car, the worker operates the maintenance terminal to drive the car at a low speed and performs inspections and maintenance on various parts in the hoistway.

[0003] By operating the maintenance terminal to drive the car, the worker can appropriately drive the car to a desired position while confirming that the surroundings of the worker himself / herself are not dangerous.

[0004] However, since the maintenance terminal is connected to the upper car control device by a cable, sometimes the cable entanglement or the like may cause an obstacle to the maintenance work. In addition, since the maintenance terminal is directly connected to the car top, there is also a possibility of theft.

[0005] The following technique is described in Patent Document 1: When performing maintenance and inspection of an elevator, a radio wave transmitting device is installed in each part such as the hoistway, and the driving of the car is restricted according to the reception status of the radio wave from the radio wave transmitting device. Prior Art Documents Patent Documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-41155 Summary of the Invention Technical Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] When a worker is working on the car top, since the conventionally used maintenance terminal is obstructive due to the cable and may be stolen, it is desired that the worker can operate the elevator without using such a wired connection type maintenance terminal.

[0008] In this case, it is considered that the worker uses a terminal such as a smart phone held by himself / herself as a maintenance terminal for driving operation and performs the driving operation through wireless transmission from the smart phone. However, in the case where the operation can be performed through wireless transmission, when the safety of the worker in the hoistway cannot be confirmed, the worker holding the maintenance terminal may erroneously perform the driving operation. Therefore, it is not preferable in terms of ensuring the safety of the worker.

[0009] Here, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for partially restricting the movement of the car. However, when working on the car top, the car needs to move as the work progresses. Therefore, it is difficult to pre-determine the restricted range of the car movement as a single range in advance. Thus, the technique described in Patent Document 1 is actually difficult to be used to ensure the safety of the workers when working on the car top.

[0010] In view of these problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a maintenance terminal, an elevator system, and an elevator control method that can perform elevator operation well while ensuring the safety of the workers when the workers are working in the hoistway. Technical means for solving technical problems

[0011] To solve the above problems, a structure as described in the claims is adopted, for example. This application includes multiple means for solving the above problems. However, as an example, as a maintenance terminal, it is a maintenance terminal held by a worker during the maintenance work of an elevator equipped with a car, including: a position determination unit that receives an operation signal or a sensor signal for determining the position and determines the current position; an operation unit that receives an instruction to raise or lower the car according to the operation of the worker; a movement signal generation unit that generates a movement signal of the car according to the instruction received by the operation unit; a wireless communication unit that wirelessly transmits the movement signal generated by the movement signal generation unit to a control device provided on the car; and a transmission permission determination unit that determines whether the movement signal generated by the movement signal generation unit can be wirelessly transmitted by the wireless communication unit based on the position determined by the position determination unit. Advantages of the invention

[0012] According to the present invention, the car can be moved by wirelessly transmitting the movement signal of the car from the maintenance terminal. Here, the worker determines whether the movement signal can be wirelessly transmitted according to the current position determined by the maintenance terminal, and thus can give an instruction for the movement of the car within an appropriate range. Therefore, the worker can give an instruction for wireless transmission from the maintenance terminal while ensuring the safety of the worker. Technical problems, structures, and effects other than the above are further clarified by the description of the following embodiments. Brief description of the drawings

[0013] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a system according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 It is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware structure of a maintenance terminal according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3This is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a maintenance terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention from the perspective of its functions. Figure 4 This is a sequence diagram showing an example of signal transmission processing involved in an example of an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of the position of a worker when performing work according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention (A: car top, B: landing, C: pit). Figure 6 This is a diagram showing a display example in a maintenance terminal according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention (A: a display example when a position is selected, B: a display example when a car is operated). Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of worker position determination processing according to an example embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 This is a flowchart showing an example of a car movement signal generation process according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 This is a flowchart showing an example of a transfer permission determination process according to an example embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 This is a flowchart showing an example of a car movement signal transmission stop state release determination process according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 11 This is a diagram showing a display example when a location is selected by a maintenance terminal according to a modification of an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 12 This is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a maintenance terminal according to a modification of an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 13 This is a flowchart showing an example of worker position determination processing according to a modification of an example of an embodiment of the present invention. Specific implementation method

[0014] Hereinafter, a maintenance terminal, an elevator system, and an elevator control method according to an embodiment example of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “this embodiment”) will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0015] [Brief structure of the elevator system as a whole] First, refer to Figure 1 Describe the brief structure of the elevator system of this example. In the elevator system of this example, a car-side control device 20 is provided in the car 10, and a control panel 40 is provided in the machine room 30. The car-side control device 20 and the control panel 40 are connected via a traveling cable 11.​​ The car 10 travels (ascends and descends) by means of a main rope driven by a traction machine. Illustration of the traction machine or the main rope is omitted. Figure 1 The travel of the car 10 is executed under the control of the control panel 40. The control panel 40 is provided in the machine room 30 as an example, and the control panel 40 may also be provided in the hoistway or the like.

[0016] Figure 1 The state shown represents an example when performing maintenance inspection of the elevator. The operator 1 rides on the car top 12 of the car 10 and performs operations such as inspection in the hoistway. The operator 1 holds the maintenance terminal 50 and operates the travel of the car 10 through the maintenance terminal 50. The maintenance terminal 50 is configured by installing an application for the maintenance terminal on the smart phone held by the operator 1. However, the use of the smart phone by the operator is an example, and the operator may also use a dedicated maintenance terminal for elevator maintenance work.

[0017] The maintenance terminal 50 wirelessly transmits a car movement signal to the car side control device 20. Although not illustrated in Figure 1 , the car side control device 20 includes: a communication unit that receives and transmits wireless signals, and a control unit that transmits a control signal to the control panel 40 according to the received car movement signal. Then, when the car side control device 20 receives the car movement signal, it transmits the car movement signal to the control panel 40, and the control panel 40 makes the car 10 travel. The travel of the car 10 based on the car movement signal transmitted by the maintenance terminal 50 is a low-speed travel in the maintenance mode, which is different from the normal travel.

[0018] [Structure of the maintenance terminal] Figure 2 Shows an example of the hardware structure of the maintenance terminal 50. The maintenance terminal 50 constituted by an information processing terminal (computer) called a smart phone includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory 52, a storage 53, a camera 54, an acceleration sensor 55, a display unit 56, and a communication unit 57, which are respectively connected to a bus. The CPU 51 is an arithmetic processing unit that reads the program code of the software that realizes the functions executed by the maintenance terminal 50 from the memory 52 or the storage 53 and executes the program code. The CPU 51 reads the program code from the memory 52 or the storage 53, performs arithmetic processing in the working area of the memory 52, and thus constitutes various processing functional units in the memory 52. That is, the following Figure 3The operator position determination unit 501, car movement signal generation unit 502, transmission availability determination unit 503, etc. as shown.

[0020] For the storage 53, a large-capacity information storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or memory card is used. In the storage 53, software for implementing the functions of the maintenance terminal 50, data obtained by the execution of this program, and data required for display screen setting are stored.

[0021] The camera 54 takes still images or moving images through the operation of the operator holding the maintenance terminal 50. The image data obtained through the shooting is stored in the memory 52 or the storage 53. The acceleration sensor 55 detects the acceleration applied to the maintenance terminal 50. For example, the acceleration sensor 55 detects the acceleration generated by the actions of the operator holding the maintenance terminal 50 himself, the actions caused by the movement of the car in which the operator is riding, etc.

[0022] The display unit 56 displays various information generated by the execution of the program by the CPU 51. That is, the display unit 56 displays information based on the call function or message sending and receiving function of the smart phone, and also displays various information for elevator maintenance. For example, the display unit 56 displays the Figure 6 operation buttons as shown below. A touch panel is built into the display unit 56, and operation instructions are given through the touch of the display unit 56 by the operator. That is, the display unit 56 also serves as an operation unit that receives the operation processing performed by the operator through touch operation. The communication unit (wireless communication unit) 57 performs wireless communication processing and wirelessly communicates with the base station for wireless telephones. In addition, the communication unit 57 has a function of performing short-range wireless communication processing, and performs data transmission and reception with nearby objects through wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). For example, the maintenance terminal 50 wirelessly communicates with the car-side control device 20 ( Figure 1 ) through wireless LAN and performs data transmission and reception.

[0024] Figure 1 The car-side control device 20 or the control panel 40 as shown also Figure 2 is composed of a computer including a CPU and a memory, similar to the maintenance terminal 50 as shown.

[0025] Figure 3It is a functional block diagram of the maintenance terminal 50, showing the functional structure of the maintenance terminal 50 when an operator performs operations on the car top. As Figure 3 shown, the maintenance terminal 50 includes an operator position determination unit 501, a car movement signal generation unit 502, and a transmission feasibility determination unit 503. The operator position determination unit 501 determines the position of the operator based on a position determination signal. The position determination signal is, for example, an operator position selection operation signal. The position determined here is any one of the car top, the floor (landing), and the pit. When determining the position of the operator, the operator position determination unit 501 may also use signals other than the position selection operation signal (such as sensor signals).

[0026] The car movement signal generation unit 502 generates a movement signal based on the car operation signal of the operator. The movement signal is either a movement signal indicating the car to move upward or a movement signal indicating the car to move downward. In addition, the movement signal here is a signal for driving the car at a low speed in the maintenance mode.

[0027] When the car movement signal generation unit 502 generates a movement signal, the transmission feasibility determination unit 503 determines whether the movement signal can be wirelessly transmitted to the car side control device 20 or the like based on the operator position determined by the operator position determination unit 501. The received power information of the signal wirelessly transmitted from the car side control device 20 is provided to the transmission feasibility determination unit 503. When it is determined by the transmission feasibility determination unit 503 that wireless transmission is possible, the movement signal generated by the car movement signal generation unit 502 is provided to the communication unit 57 ( Figure 2 ), and is wirelessly transmitted to the car side control device 20.

[0028] [Example of Transmission Processing of Movement Signal] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing an example of the transmission processing of the car movement signal during a car movement operation in the maintenance terminal 50 of the elevator system in this example. First, in the car movement signal generation unit 502 of the maintenance terminal 50, if a car movement signal is generated through the operation of the operator (operation of pressing a button), the transmission feasibility determination unit 503 determines that transmission is possible (step S1), and the communication unit 57 of the maintenance terminal 50 wirelessly sends the car movement signal (step S2).

[0029] The sent car movement signal is received by the car side control device 20 and is transmitted from the car side control device 20 to the control panel 40 via the trailing cable 11 (refer to Figure 1 ). (step S3). When a car movement signal is received, the control panel 40 performs low-speed movement (travel) of the car 10 in the maintenance mode based on the received car movement signal (step S4). The movement direction at this time is indicated by the car movement signal.

[0030] In step S1, during the period when the operation of the operator pressing the button continues, the transmission of the car movement signal in steps S2 and S3 continues, and the travel of the car 10 in step S4 continues. Then, when the operation of the operator pressing the button ends, the control panel 40 stops the travel of the car 10. At this time, the transmission of the car movement signal in steps S2 and S3 is not performed.

[0031] [Operator position determination process] Figure 5 An example showing the position of the operator assumed when the operator is performing work on the top of the elevator car is shown. Figure 5 A shows the state where the operator 1 is sitting on the top 12 of the car 1 for maintenance work or inspection work. In this case, a car-side control device 20 is provided on the car top 12, and a signal (car movement signal) wirelessly transmitted from the maintenance terminal 50 is received by the communication unit built in the car-side control device 20. The wireless transmission at this time is performed in a state where the maintenance terminal 50 is close to the car-side control device 20. When an upward car movement signal is transmitted, the car 1 travels along the Figure 5 U direction shown in A. In addition, when a downward car movement signal is transmitted, the car 1 travels along the Figure 5 D direction shown in A.

[0032] Figure 5 B shows the state where the operator 1 is at any floor (landing) 60. At this time, the maintenance terminal 50 held by the operator 1 is located at a position far from the car-side control device 20 provided on the car 1, and a decrease in the reception power of the signal from the car-side control device 20 is detected. In the situation where the operator 1 is at the floor 60, even if the operator 1 wants to send a car movement signal through the maintenance terminal 50, it is not sent from the maintenance terminal 50 to the car-side control device 20. Therefore, in the situation where the operator 1 is at the floor 60, the car 1 does not travel in the U direction (upward) and the D direction (downward) through the operation of the maintenance terminal 50. When there is an operator on the floor, it is also possible to only allow the car 1 to run in the D direction, or to limit the travelable distance of the car 1. For example, it is also possible to limit the operation of the car 1 in the D direction to only about 2 to 3 m and allow it. Thus, for example, in order to allow a worker on a floor to enter the top of the car, the car can be operated while ensuring the safety of the worker on the top of the car. When there is a worker on the floor, an example is to limit the operation of the car 1 in the D direction to a distance of about 2 to 3 m and permit it. For example, when there is a worker on the floor, it is also possible to permit the operation of the car 1 only in the D direction without limiting the distance, or limit the travel distance in any direction to only about 2 to 3 m (or a shorter distance).

[0033] Figure 5 C represents a state where the worker 1 is in the bottom pit 13 at the lower part of the hoistway of the elevator. At this time, the maintenance terminal 50 held by the worker 1 is located at a position far from the car-side control device 20 provided on the car 1, and detects a decrease in the reception power of the signal from the car-side control device 20.

[0034] When the worker 1 is in the bottom pit 13, even if the worker 1 wants to send a car movement signal through the maintenance terminal 50, it basically does not send it to the car-side control device 20. Therefore, when the worker 1 is in the bottom pit 13, through the operation of the maintenance terminal 50, the car 1 does not travel in the U direction (upward) and the D direction (downward).

[0035] When the worker 1 is in the bottom pit 13, it is also possible to permit travel based on a part of the car movement signal for the car 10 to travel in the U direction (upward). That is, when the worker 1 is located in the bottom pit 13, the situation where the worker 1 is in a dangerous situation means that the car 10 descends and approaches the worker 1 in the bottom pit 13. Therefore, it is also possible to permit the car 10 to travel in the U direction (upward).

[0036] However, when the car 1 travels in the U direction (upward), as Figure 5 shown in C, according to the position of the car 1, the counterweight 15 suspended by the main rope 14 descends to the bottom pit 13 side. Since such a situation is not preferable, when the worker 1 is in the bottom pit 13, it is best to prohibit the counterweight 15 from approaching the bottom pit 13. For example, even when wireless communication can be performed between the maintenance terminal 50 and the car-side control device 20, it is possible to prohibit the car 10 from moving upward by a certain distance or more. Alternatively, the transmission permission determination unit 503 may also not send a car movement signal when the worker position determination unit 501 determines the worker position as a floor or a bottom pit and there is a possibility that the worker 1 may come into contact with the car 10 or the counterweight within the travel range of the car 10. As the determination of the possibility of contact between the worker 1 and the car 10 or the counterweight here, for example, when traveling within the corresponding range, assume the situation where the car 10 or the counterweight approaches the bottom pit, etc. In addition, when the transfer determination unit 503 determines that the operator's position is on a floor or in a pit, the transfer determination unit 503 may also not perform a transfer when receiving an upward operation signal of the car 1, or may not perform a transfer when the upward operation signal is a certain distance or more. Thus, it is also possible to prevent a situation where the operator on the car top becomes dangerous.

[0037] [Display example on maintenance terminal] Figure 6 This shows an example of operation buttons displayed on the display unit 56 of the maintenance terminal 50. Figure 6 A shows an example in which position selection buttons B11, B12, and B13 are displayed on the screen of the display unit 56 according to an instruction from the operator position determination unit 501. These position selection buttons B11, B12, and B13 are displayed when the start of work is registered by the maintenance terminal 50. The position selection button B11 is a button for selecting the car top as the current position. The position selection button B12 is a button for selecting a floor as the current position. The position selection button B13 is a button for selecting the pit as the current position.

[0038] For example, as Figure 5 shown in A, when the operator 1 is in the car top condition, the operator presses the position selection button B11 at the start of work, and it is registered as the car top in the operator position determination unit 501. In addition, as Figure 5 shown in B, when the operator 1 is in the floor (landing) condition, the operator 1 presses the position selection button B12 at the start of work, and it is registered as the floor in the operator position determination unit 501. Furthermore, as Figure 5 shown in C, when the operator 1 is in the pit condition, the position selection button B13 is pressed at the start of work, and it is registered as the pit in the operator position determination unit 501.

[0039] Figure 6 B shows an example in which car operation buttons B21 and B22 are displayed on the screen of the display unit 56 by the car movement signal generation unit 502. Figure 6 The car operation buttons B21 and B22 shown in B are displayed Figure 6 after the position registration shown in A. The car operation button B21 is a button for instructing upward travel, and the car operation button B22 is a button for instructing downward travel. During the period when the operator 1 presses the buttons (touch period), the car movement signal generation unit 502 generates a car movement signal in the corresponding direction for these operation buttons B21 and B22. Then, when the operator 1 stops pressing (touching) the button B21 or B22, the car movement signal generation unit 502 stops generating the car movement signal.

[0040] [Operator's position determination process] Figure 7 It is a flowchart showing an example of the position determination process of the operator 1 by the operator position determination unit 501 of the maintenance terminal 50. First, the operator position determination unit 501 displays through the display unit 56 Figure 6 the position selection buttons B11, B12, and B13 shown in A, and determines whether there is a position selection input based on the operation of any of the position selection buttons B11, B12, and B13 (step S11). When there is no operation of the position selection buttons B11, B12, and B13 in step S11 (step S11 is "no"), the operator position determination unit 501 stands by until there is an operation.

[0041] Then, when there is an operation of the position selection buttons B11, B12, and B13 in step S11 (step S11 is "yes"), the operator position determination unit 501 determines the input information based on the operation as the position of the operator 1 (step S12).

[0042] [Car movement signal generation process] Figure 8 It is a flowchart showing an example of the car movement signal generation process performed by the car movement signal generation unit 502 of the maintenance terminal 50. First, the car movement signal generation unit 502 displays through the display unit 56 Figure 6 the car operation buttons B21 and B22 shown in B, and determines whether there is an operation input based on any of the car operation buttons B21 and B22 (step S21). When there is no operation of the car operation buttons B21 and B22 in step S21 (step S21 is "no"), the car movement signal generation unit 502 stands by until there is an operation.

[0043] Then, when there is an operation of the car operation buttons B21 and B22 in step S21 (step S21 is "yes"), the car movement signal generation unit 502 generates a car movement signal (an upward car movement signal or a downward car movement signal) based on the operation input (step S22).

[0044] [Transmission availability determination process] Figure 9This figure shows an example of the transmission availability determination process of the car movement signal in the transmission availability determination unit 503. First, the transmission availability determination unit 503 determines whether the current state is the transmission stop state of the car moving signal (step S31). If the transmission is stopped in step S31 (step S31 is "yes"), the transmission availability determination unit 503 determines whether the transmission stop state of the car moving signal is released (step S32), and returns to the determination of step S31. Figure 10 The release determination process of the transmission stop state in step S32 will be described in .

[0045] Then, if the transmission is not stopped in step S31 (step S31 is "No"), the transmission availability determination unit 503 determines the worker position determined by the worker position determination unit 501 (step S33). When the operator's position is determined to be the top of the car in step S33, the transmission possibility determination unit 503 determines that the car movement signal can be transmitted, and the car movement signal generated by the car movement signal generation unit 502 is wirelessly transmitted from the communication unit 57 (step S34).

[0046] In addition, when the position of the operator determined in step S33 is a floor, the transmission feasibility determination unit 503 determines whether the reception power of the signal wirelessly transmitted from the car-side control device 20 is below a pre-set first threshold value (step S36). The first threshold value is a reception power set to identify that the wireless connection between the maintenance terminal 50 and the car-side control device 20 is cut off and there is a possibility that the operation may not be performed because the car is more than a certain distance away from the operator 1. That is, when the reception power is below the first threshold value, the transmission feasibility determination unit 503 determines that the operator is more likely to be on the floor, and when the reception power is stronger than the first threshold value, it determines that the operator is on the top of the car.

[0047] When it is determined in step S36 that the signal is below the first threshold value (step S36 is "yes"), the transmission possibility determination unit 503 shifts to the transmission stop state of the car moving signal (step S37). Then, the transmission possibility determination unit 503 performs the transmission stop processing of the car moving signal, and does not wirelessly transmit the car moving signal generated by the car moving signal generating unit 502 from the communication unit 57 (step S35). In addition, in step S36, when it is not less than the first threshold value (step S36 is "No"), the transmission possibility determination unit 503 determines that the operator is on the top of the car, and the car movement signal generated by the car movement signal generation unit 502 is wirelessly transmitted from the communication unit 57 (step S34).

[0048] ​​​​In addition, when it is determined in step S33 that the position of the operator is in the bottom pit, the transmission feasibility determination unit 503 determines whether the reception power of the signal wirelessly transmitted from the car-side control device 20 is below a preset second threshold (step S38). The second threshold is the reception power set to identify that the maintenance terminal 50 is in the bottom pit. That is, when the reception power is below the second threshold, the transmission feasibility determination unit 503 determines that the possibility of the operator being in the bottom pit is high, and when the reception power is stronger than the second threshold, it determines that the operator is on the car top. The second threshold is a power value larger than the first threshold, and the transmission feasibility determination unit 503 determines that the operator in the bottom pit and the car-side control device 20 are separated by a certain distance. However, the first threshold and the second threshold may also be the same value. For example, when the traveling distance of the elevator is long in a high-rise building, since the counterweight is out of the communication range before approaching the operator on the car top, the first threshold and the second threshold may also be set to the same value. In cases other than high-rise buildings, the first threshold and the second threshold may also be set to the same value. Conversely, even in a high-rise building, the first threshold and the second threshold may be set to different values respectively.

[0049] When it is determined in step S38 that it is below the second threshold (step S38 is "Yes"), the transmission feasibility determination unit 503 transfers to the process of step S37 and transfers to the transmission stop state of the car movement signal. Then, in step S35, the transmission feasibility determination unit 503 performs the transmission stop process of the car movement signal and does not wirelessly transmit the car movement signal generated by the car movement signal generation unit 502 from the communication unit 57.

[0050] In addition, in step S38, when it is not below the second threshold (step S38 is "No"), the transmission feasibility determination unit 503 further determines whether the reception power of the signal wirelessly transmitted from the car-side control device 20 is above a preset proximity determination threshold and whether the car movement signal is in a restricted direction (step S39). Here, the restricted direction is downward movement, but upward movement is also restricted according to conditions. As a condition for restricting upward movement, as Figure 5 described in C, sometimes the counterweight 15 approaches the bottom pit 13, that is, the car 10 approaches the uppermost floor.

[0051] In step S39, when it is above the proximity determination threshold and is a movement in the restricted direction (step S39 is "Yes"), the transmission feasibility determination unit 503 transfers to the process of step S35 and does not wirelessly transmit the car movement signal generated by the car movement signal generation unit 502 from the communication unit 57. In step S39, when it is not above the proximity determination threshold or, when it is above the threshold but not in the restricted direction (step S39 is "No"), the transmission permission determination unit 503 proceeds to the process of step S34 and wirelessly transmits the generated car movement signal from the communication unit 57.

[0052] In addition, when the operator position determined in step S33 is not determined to be any of the car top, floor, or pit, the transmission permission determination unit 503 proceeds to the process of step S35 and does not wirelessly transmit the car movement signal generated by the car movement signal generation unit 502 from the communication unit 57.

[0053] In step S36, when the signal power from the car-side control device 20 is below the first threshold and above the preset communication range determination threshold, the transmission permission determination unit 503 may also proceed to the process of step S34 and wirelessly transmit the generated car movement signal from the communication unit 57. Alternatively, when it is below the second threshold in step S38, the transmission permission determination unit 503 may also proceed to the process of step S39. By performing these processes, even when the holder of the maintenance terminal 50 is outside the car top, the car can be safely operated. For example, it is possible to prevent a situation where the operator 1 is outside the communication range when at the landing, or when the operator 1 is in the pit, it is possible to prevent the car 10 from rising too much and approaching the counterweight.

[0054] [Transmission Stop Release Determination Process] Figure 10 Indicates an example of the car movement signal transmission stop state release determination process performed in step S32 of the Figure 9 flowchart. First, the transmission permission determination unit 503 determines whether the position determined by the operator position determination unit 501 is the floor or the pit (step S41). When it is determined to be the floor or the pit in step S41 (step S41 is "Yes"), the transmission permission determination unit 503 determines whether the movement direction based on the car movement signal is opposite to the movement direction before transitioning to the car movement signal transmission stop state (step S42).

[0055] When the movement direction before the transition and the movement direction of the generated car movement signal are in opposite directions in step S42 (step S42 is "Yes"), the transmission permission determination unit 503 releases the car movement signal transmission stop state (step S43). In addition, even when it is not any of the floor and the pit in step S41 (step S41 is "No"), the transmission permission determination unit 503 also proceeds to the process of step S43 and releases the car movement signal transmission stop state. In addition, when the moving direction before transfer in step S42 and the moving direction of the generated car moving signal are not in opposite directions (step S42 is "No"), the transmission permission determination unit 503 does not release the transmission stop state of the car moving signal.

[0056] As described above, in the system according to this example, in the maintenance terminal 50 held by the operator, by generating a car moving signal through the operator's operation and restricting the wireless transmission of the car moving signal according to the position, the car can be operated only when the car operator is in an appropriate positional relationship. That is, when the position of the operator registered in the maintenance terminal 50 is on the car top, the car moving signal is not restricted, and the car 10 travels in the maintenance mode based on the operator's button operation. In addition, when the position of the operator is in the pit, the car moving signal is not transmitted when there is a possibility of contact between the maintenance personnel and the car or the counterweight, which can effectively prevent the car 10 from moving inadvertently. In addition, when the position of the operator is on the floor (landing), the car 1 moves upward.

[0057] Here, in the case of this example, since the transmission permission determination process is performed inside the maintenance terminal 50 held by the operator, it is possible to expect the effect of easily coping with the existing elevator device without the need to judge the position and operation status of the operator on the elevator control device side.

[0058] In addition, when the current position determined by the operator position determination unit 501 is the floor or the pit, the transmission permission determination unit 503 judges the power of the signal received by the communication unit 57 from the car side control device 20, and when the judged power exceeds the first threshold value, it does not perform the transmission stop process. Thus, even when the operator moves during the operation, the car can be appropriately controlled.

[0059] In addition, when the current position determined by the operator position determination unit 501 is the floor or the pit and an instruction in the direction opposite to the moving direction before the transfer to the transmission stop process is received, the transmission permission determination unit 503 releases the transmission stop process. Thus, it is possible to perform an operation in the direction opposite to the previous action direction and assumed to be safe on the floor or in the pit, improving the convenience of the operator.

[0060] [Modification Example] The example of the embodiment described here is a detailed description for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and is not limited to having all the structures described.

[0061] For example, in Figure 6In the example of the position selection buttons B11, B12, and B13 operated by the worker shown in A, three buttons, namely, the car top, floor, and pit, are provided, but other button configurations may also be provided. For example, as Figure 11 shown, the display unit 56 may also display the position selection button B31 indicating the car top or pit and the position selection button B32 indicating the floor. At this time, when the position selection button B31 is pressed, the worker position determination unit 501 determines that it is the car top when the reception power of the signal from the car side control device 20 exceeds the threshold value, and determines that it is the pit when the threshold value is not reached. When performing the Figure 11 button display shown, the maintenance terminal 50 has the Figure 12 structure shown. That is, as Figure 12 shown, the maintenance terminal 50 is configured to provide the power information of the received signal from the car side control device 20 to the worker position determination unit 501. The power information of the received signal is obtained by the communication unit 57 (see Figure 2 ), and is also provided to the transmission permission determination unit 503. In addition, acceleration data detected by the acceleration sensor 55 (see Figure 2 ) built in the maintenance terminal 50 is provided to the worker position determination unit 501. The other structure of the maintenance terminal 50 is the same as that of the Figure 3 maintenance terminal 50 shown.

[0063] Figure 13 The flowchart of

[0064] shows an example of the process of determining the position of the worker by the maintenance terminal 50 in this structure. Figure 6 First, the worker position determination unit 501 determines whether the position selected by the button operation shown in A or the like is the floor (step S51). When the worker position selected in step S51 is the floor (step S51 is "Yes"), the maintenance terminal 50 activates the camera 54 and prompts the worker to photograph an object that exists only on the floor in the display of the display unit 56 (step S52). Examples of objects that exist only on the floor include the car call button of the elevator.

[0065] The worker who has confirmed the display in step S52 photographs an object that exists only on the floor with the camera 54. Then, the maintenance terminal 50 performs image recognition processing on the photographed image and determines whether an object that exists only on the floor has been recognized (step S53). When an object that exists only on a floor is identified in step S53 (step S53 is "Yes"), the worker position determination unit 501 determines the worker position as the floor (step S54). On the other hand, when an object that exists only on a floor is not identified in step S53 (step S53 is "No"), the worker position determination unit 501 enters a state where the position is not determined (step S55).

[0066] In addition, when the worker position selected in step S51 is not the floor (step S51 is "No"), the maintenance terminal 50 temporarily sets the worker position as the car top (step S56). On this basis, the worker position determination unit 501 estimates the moving direction in the vertical direction based on the sensor information from the acceleration sensor 55 (step S57). Then, the worker position determination unit 501 determines whether the moving direction estimated in step S57 is consistent with the moving direction of the car 10 based on the car movement signal generated by the car movement signal generation unit 502 (step S58).

[0067] In step S58, when the moving direction detected based on the sensor output is consistent with the moving direction based on the car movement signal (step S58 is "Yes"), the worker position determination unit 501 determines the worker position as the car top (step S59). In addition, in step S58, when the moving direction detected based on the sensor output is not consistent with the moving direction based on the car movement signal (step S58 is "No"), the worker position determination unit 501 determines the worker position as the pit (step S60).

[0068] Thus, by discriminating the car top, the floor (landing), and the pit, the worker position determination unit 501 in the maintenance terminal 50 can more reliably determine the position of the worker. In addition, in the case of this example, as Figure 11 shown, the number of displayed position selection buttons can be reduced, improving the operability.

[0069] Using the acceleration sensor to determine the position of the worker is an example, and other data such as the detected value of the air pressure of the pressure sensor can also be used. In addition, in order to determine whether the moving direction of the car 10 is consistent with the output of the sensor, for example, a car movement signal that temporarily moves the car slightly by about a few centimeters can also be generated for determination.

[0070] In addition, Figure 2 、 Figure 3 、 Figure 12The structural diagram shown shows the control lines and information lines necessary for explanation, but it does not limit to showing all the control lines and information lines necessary for the product. In fact, it can also be considered that almost all structures are interconnected. In addition, Figures 7 - 10 , Figure 13 The processing flow shown in the flowchart is also an example. If the processing results are the same, part of the processing sequence can be changed or multiple processes can be executed simultaneously. In addition, in the case where the maintenance terminal 50 described in the example of this embodiment is constituted by an information processing device such as a computer, regarding the program for realizing each processing function, in addition to being prepared in the non-volatile storage or memory in the maintenance terminal 50, it can also be placed in an external memory, IC card, SD card, optical disc and other recording media for transmission. Reference Numeral Explanation 1... Operator, 10... Car, 11... Hoistway Cable, 12... Car Top, 13... Pit, 14... Main Rope, 15... Counterweight, 20... Car Side Control Device, 30... Machine Room, 40... Control Panel, 50... Maintenance Terminal, 51... CPU, 52... Memory, 53... Storage, 54... Camera, 55... Acceleration Sensor, 56... Display Unit, 57... Communication Unit (Wireless Communication Unit), 60... Floor, 501... Operator Position Determination Unit, 502... Movement Signal Generation Unit, 503... Transmission Feasibility Determination Unit, B11~B13... Position Selection Buttons, B21~B22... Operation Buttons, B31~B32... Position Selection Buttons.

Claims

1. A maintenance terminal for raising and lowering an elevator car when performing maintenance work on the elevator car, the maintenance terminal comprising: An operating unit that receives an instruction for the car to rise or fall; a position determination unit, the position determination unit receiving a position determination signal for determining a position to determine a current position of the maintenance terminal; a movement signal generating unit, the movement signal generating unit generating a movement signal of the car according to an instruction received by the operation unit; a wireless communication unit that wirelessly transmits the mobile signal generated by the mobile signal generating unit to a control device disposed on the car; as well as A transmission possibility determination unit determines whether the mobile signal generated by the mobile signal generation unit can be wirelessly transmitted by the wireless communication unit based on the position determined by the position determination unit.

2. The maintenance terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: The invention comprises a power judgment unit for measuring the power of the signal received from the control device, the power judgment unit compares the power of the signal received from the control device with a first threshold value, and the transmission possibility judgment unit stops the transmission of the mobile signal when the power judged by the power judgment unit is below the first threshold value and the current position judged by the position judgment unit is the floor station or pit of the elevator.

3. The maintenance terminal according to claim 2, characterized in that: The position determination unit determines that the current position is the elevator landing or pit, and when the operating unit receives an instruction in a direction opposite to the moving direction before the transfer to the transmission stop processing, the transmission possibility determination unit cancels the transmission stop processing.

4. The maintenance terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the position determination unit determines that the current position is outside the elevator's landing, if the moving direction estimated based on the sensor signal is consistent with the moving direction of the car based on the current moving signal, the current position is determined as the top of the car; if they are inconsistent, the current position is determined as the pit.

5. The maintenance terminal according to claim 2, characterized in that: The power determination unit compares the power of the signal received from the control device with a threshold value for proximity determination. The transmission possibility determination unit does not perform the transmission stop processing when the power determined by the power determination unit is equal to or greater than the approach determination threshold value and the current position determined by the position determination unit is the pit of the elevator.

6. The maintenance terminal according to claim 4, characterized in that: Also includes a camera, When the position determination unit determines that the current position is the elevator's landing, and when a determination object existing in the landing is recognized from the image captured by the camera, the current position is determined as the landing. When the determination object is not recognized, the current position is set to an undetermined state.

7. An elevator system, comprising: A maintenance terminal held by an operator when performing maintenance work on an elevator with a car; as well as A control device that wirelessly communicates with the maintenance terminal and controls the car according to a mobile signal wirelessly transmitted from the maintenance terminal. The elevator system is characterized in that the maintenance terminal includes: A position determination unit that receives a position determination signal or a sensor signal for determining a position to determine a current position; an operating unit that receives an instruction to raise or lower the car according to an operation by the operator; a movement signal generating unit, the movement signal generating unit generating a movement signal of the car according to an instruction received by the operation unit; a wireless communication unit that wirelessly transmits the mobile signal generated by the mobile signal generating unit to a control device provided on the car; and a transmission possibility determination unit for determining whether the mobile signal generated by the mobile signal generation unit can be wirelessly transmitted by the wireless communication unit based on the position determined by the position determination unit, The control device comprises a control unit, The control unit, when receiving a movement signal wirelessly transmitted from the wireless communication unit of the maintenance terminal, causes the car to travel in a maintenance mode in a direction indicated by the received movement signal.

8. An elevator control method, When performing maintenance work on an elevator having a car, a control device controls the car according to a mobile signal wirelessly transmitted from a maintenance terminal held by an operator, and the elevator control method is characterized by performing the following processing: Position determination processing, receiving an operation signal or a sensor signal for determining the position of the maintenance terminal to determine the current position; Operation processing, receiving an instruction for raising or lowering the car according to an operation performed by the operator in the maintenance terminal; a movement signal generation process for generating a movement signal of the car according to an instruction received by the operation process performed in the maintenance device; wireless communication processing, wirelessly transmitting the mobile signal generated by the mobile signal generation processing from the maintenance terminal; a transmission availability determination process for determining whether the mobile signal generated by the mobile signal generation process can be wirelessly transmitted by the wireless communication unit based on the position determined by the position determination process; as well as The control process is to cause the car to travel in a maintenance mode in a direction indicated by the received movement signal when the movement signal wirelessly transmitted by the wireless communication process is received by the control device.

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