Elevator remote point inspection system and elevator remote point inspection method

Abstract

The control section (152) determines whether the open / close state is the normal state based on the time TG2 from a second timing (time t3) after the first timing (time t2) to a third timing (time t4). The first timing (time t2) is a timing at which the LB signal changes from the ON state to the OFF state after the DZ signal changes from the OFF state to the ON state. The second timing (time t3) is a timing at which the GS signal changes from the ON state to the OFF state and the DS signal changes from the ON state to the OFF state. The third timing (time t4) is a timing at which the GS signal changes from the OFF state to the ON state and the DS signal changes from the OFF state to the ON state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an elevator remote inspection system and a method for performing remote elevator inspections. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, the demand for elevator remote inspection systems that utilize communication lines for remote elevator inspection has increased in elevator maintenance operations. As a device for performing such remote inspections, for example, the remote monitoring support device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-019900 (Patent Document 1) is cited. This remote monitoring support device determines whether the elevator's operating state is a normal operating state based on the output state of signals obtained from the elevator's control board.

[0003] By implementing remote inspections, on-site inspection work is reduced, thus significantly improving the efficiency of maintenance operations. Furthermore, there are legal provisions that allow for extended statutory periodic inspection cycles when remote inspections are implemented (e.g., the General Specifications for Building Maintenance Operations issued by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism), which further enhances the efficiency of maintenance operations.

[0004] Especially in a global market with elevators from various manufacturers, maintenance companies need to provide maintenance services independent of the elevator manufacturer and model (making maintenance multi-branded). On the other hand, there is a high demand from building owners who have signed maintenance contracts to freely choose maintenance companies independent of the elevator manufacturer and to sign maintenance contracts that allow for remote inspections.

[0005] As a result, the demand for remote elevator inspection systems that can perform remote inspections based on signals obtained from the elevator system, regardless of the elevator manufacturer and model, has increased.

[0006] Existing technical documents

[0007] Patent documents

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-019900 Summary of the Invention

[0009] The problem the invention aims to solve

[0010] However, in the elevator industry, communication and signal specifications are not standardized for each manufacturer and model. Furthermore, these specifications are often not publicly available. Therefore, it is typically impossible to utilize a common remote elevator inspection system between different manufacturers.

[0011] When developing a remote elevator inspection system compatible with various elevators that have different communication and signal specifications, it is necessary to obtain signals exchanged via parallel transmission, such as switch contact signals. Furthermore, because signal specifications are not standardized among manufacturers, the types of signals that can be used are significantly limited.

[0012] Furthermore, even if signals can be shared, hardware constraints such as installation cost or difficulty when installing a remote elevator inspection system in a building may prevent the use of certain signals. Therefore, to realize such a remote elevator inspection system, it is necessary to thoroughly study which signals and methods to use to determine the remote inspection items.

[0013] This disclosure was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an elevator remote inspection system and elevator remote inspection method that can perform remote inspection as simply as possible for various elevators with different communication and signal specifications.

[0014] means for solving problems

[0015] The elevator remote inspection system disclosed herein is a system for remotely inspecting elevators. The elevator remote inspection system includes an acquisition unit, a control unit, and an output unit. The acquisition unit acquires signals that are input / output via parallel transmission between the elevator's equipment group and the control panel controlling the equipment group, and uses these signals as judgment signals. The control unit determines the inspection items for remote inspection based on the acquired judgment signals. The output unit outputs the judgment results for the inspection items. The judgment signals include a first signal, a second signal, a third signal, and a fourth signal. The first signal represents any state between a first state and a non-first state, where the elevator car is located within the door zone, and the door zone indicates the range of car positions where the car doors can be opened and closed. The second signal represents any state between a second state and a non-second state, where the elevator brake is released. The third signal represents any state between a third state and a non-third state, where the car doors are closed. The fourth signal represents any state between the fourth state and a non-fourth state, where the fourth state is the closed state of the landing door, which opens and closes in conjunction with the car door. Inspection items include the opening and closing states of the car door and the landing door. The control unit determines whether the opening and closing state is normal based on the first time from the second timer after the first timer to the third timer. The first timer is the time when the second signal changes from the second state to the non-second state after the first signal changes from the non-first state to the first state. The second timer is the time when the third signal changes from the third state to the non-third state and the fourth signal changes from the fourth state to the non-fourth state. The third timer is the time when the third signal changes from the non-third state to the third state and the fourth signal changes from the non-fourth state to the fourth state.

[0016] The elevator remote inspection method disclosed herein is a method for performing remote elevator inspection. The elevator remote inspection method comprises the following steps: acquiring signals that are input / output via parallel transmission between the elevator's equipment group and the control panel controlling the elevator's equipment group, as judgment signals; determining the inspection items for remote inspection based on the acquired judgment signals; and outputting the judgment results for the inspection items. The output unit outputs the judgment results for the inspection items. The judgment signals include a first signal, a second signal, a third signal, and a fourth signal. The first signal represents any state between a first state and a non-first state, where the elevator car is located within the door zone, and the door zone indicates the range of car positions where the car doors can be opened and closed. The second signal represents any state between a second state and a non-second state, where the elevator brake is released. The third signal represents any state between a third state and a non-third state, where the car doors are closed. The fourth signal represents any state between the fourth state and a non-fourth state, where the fourth state is the closed state of the landing door, which opens and closes in conjunction with the car door. Inspection items include the opening and closing states of the car door and the landing door. The determination process includes the following steps: Based on the first time from the second timer following the first timer to the first timer following the third timer, determine whether the opening and closing state is normal. The first timer is the time when the second signal changes from the second state to a non-second state after the first signal changes from a non-first state to the first state. The second timer is the time when the third signal changes from the third state to a non-third state and the fourth signal changes from the fourth state to a non-fourth state. The third timer is the time when the third signal changes from a non-third state to the third state and the fourth signal changes from a non-fourth state to the fourth state.

[0017] The effects of the invention

[0018] According to this disclosure, the opening and closing status of the car doors and landing doors is determined based on a first, second, third, and fourth signal suitable for remote inspection. This allows for simplified remote inspection of various elevators with different communication and signal specifications. In other words, it enables multi-brand maintenance during remote inspection. Consequently, maintenance companies can reduce the frequency of on-site maintenance inspections and increase the number of elevators they can maintain. Building owners can freely choose maintenance companies and sign maintenance contracts that allow for remote inspection. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall structure of an elevator system and a remote inspection system.

[0020] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates an example of a conventional type of remote inspection system connected to an elevator system.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware structure of an elevator system.

[0022] Figure 4 It is a diagram that roughly shows the structure of an elevator.

[0023] Figure 5A This is a diagram showing an example of elevator floors.

[0024] Figure 5B This is a diagram showing an example of what's inside an elevator car.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware structure of a modified elevator system.

[0026] Figure 7 It is a diagram used to illustrate the hardware structure of a remote inspection system and the signals used in the remote inspection system.

[0027] Figure 8 This is a diagram used to illustrate the relationship between the movement of a diagnostic car and signals during operation.

[0028] Figure 9 This is an example of a functional block diagram of a remote inspection system.

[0029] Figure 10 This is an example of a display screen of a remote inspection system.

[0030] Figure 11 This is a flowchart of remote inspection processing and terminal setting processing.

[0031] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a reference time DB.

[0032] Figure 13 This is a flowchart of the base time update process.

[0033] Figure 14 This is a flowchart of the process for obtaining the reference time.

[0034] Figure 15 It is a timing diagram used to illustrate the determination of the open and closed state of a door.

[0035] Figure 16 This is a flowchart of the decision-making process.

[0036] Figure 17 This is a diagram illustrating the decision conditions in the decision processing.

[0037] Figure 18 This is a flowchart of the determination and processing of variant examples. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same components. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions will not be repeated.

[0039] [Structure of Elevator System 200 and Elevator Remote Inspection System 1]

[0040] The structure of elevator system 200 and elevator remote inspection system (hereinafter also referred to as "remote inspection system") 1 will be described below. Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an example of the overall structure of the elevator system 200 and the remote inspection system 1.

[0041] In buildings equipped with elevators, the building owners need to sign a maintenance contract with the elevator maintenance company. The maintenance company's technicians will conduct routine maintenance checks and periodic inspections of the elevator based on the contract. Building owners can include remote inspection or remote monitoring as an option when signing the maintenance contract.

[0042] Remote monitoring refers to the continuous monitoring of elevator malfunctions and abnormalities by the maintenance company's monitoring center (information center) using communication lines. Remote inspection refers to the maintenance company's monitoring center, in addition to remote monitoring, using communication lines to inspect the elevator's operating status and the proper functioning of each piece of equipment, focusing on the parts necessary for normal elevator operation.

[0043] Remote inspection includes three types of checks: elevator performance checks, equipment checks, and usage status checks. Performance checks include inspecting the car's starting status, acceleration status, constant speed travel status, deceleration status, and stop status. Equipment checks include checking the temperature of the machine room or control panel, the status of control equipment, the status of the destination floor buttons inside the car, the status of the intercom, the door opening and closing status, the status of the floor buttons, the status of the door switches, and whether there are any abnormalities in the electromagnetic brake. Usage status checks include checking the car's travel distance, travel time or number of starts, and the number of door openings and closings.

[0044] By implementing such remote inspections, on-site inspection work is reduced, thus significantly improving maintenance efficiency. Furthermore, there are legal provisions allowing for extended legally mandated periodic inspection cycles when remote inspections are implemented, further enhancing maintenance efficiency. For example, in Japan, implementing the aforementioned remote inspections can reduce the legally required periodic inspection cycle from once a month to once every three months (as stipulated in the General Regulations for Building Maintenance Operations of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism).

[0045] Furthermore, as will be described later, there is a growing demand from maintenance companies seeking to promote multi-brand maintenance in the global market, and from building owners who want the freedom to choose maintenance companies and sign maintenance contracts that enable remote inspections. The remote inspection system 1 of this embodiment is a system for remotely inspecting elevators, constructed to meet these demands. It will be described in detail below.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown, the remote inspection system 1 includes a remote inspection device 100, a management server 300, and a terminal 400. The elevator system 200 and the remote inspection device 100 are located within the building 2. The remote inspection device 100 is connected to the elevator system 200 to perform remote inspections of the elevator. The remote inspection device 100 may be configured, for example, to include a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller).

[0047] The management server 300 is located, for example, in the maintenance company's information center (monitoring center). The terminal 400 can be located in the maintenance company's information center or anywhere else. The terminal 400 and the remote inspection device 100 can be connected to the management server 300 via a communication line.

[0048] The management server 300 manages various data, including customer information, building information, elevator information, and remote inspection results, for each building that has signed elevator maintenance contracts. The management server 300 also manages the remote inspection device 100, sending execution commands for remote inspections to the device and obtaining the inspection results from the remote inspections performed by the device.

[0049] Terminal 400 is, for example, a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, or a tablet computer. Terminal 400 includes a display unit 410 for displaying various information and an input unit 420 for inputting operations from the user using terminal 400. In this embodiment, terminal 400 is used by a maintenance worker of a maintenance company. That is, the "user" using terminal 400 refers to a maintenance worker of the maintenance company, but is not limited to this; anyone who might use terminal 400 can be included as a user. For example, the user could be an employee other than a maintenance worker of the maintenance company, or it could be someone managing building 2. Through the operations of the maintenance worker from the input unit 420, terminal 400 can cause the remote inspection device 100 to perform remote inspections via management server 300. Furthermore, terminal 400 can display the inspection results of the remote inspection performed by the remote inspection device 100 on the display unit 410.

[0050] The elevator system 200 includes a control panel 210 and an elevator equipment group 220. The elevator equipment group 220 consists of various devices including elevators and elevator landing devices. The control panel 210 controls the various devices of the elevator equipment group 220.

[0051] The control panel 210 inputs and outputs signals to the elevator equipment group 220 via multiple signal lines. The signals transmitted and received between the elevator equipment group 220 and the control panel 210 include signals transmitted and received via parallel transmission (parallel communication) and signals transmitted and received via serial transmission (serial communication).

[0052] The former (parallel transmission) is, for example, a signal directly obtained from various switches or sensors in the elevator equipment group 220. In this embodiment, the contact signal of the switch is assumed (e.g., a specified voltage is detected when the switch is ON), but it could also be a signal such as a pulse signal obtained from a rotary encoder.

[0053] The latter (serial transmission) refers to the signals transmitted and received between the control board and control panel 210 of the device installed on the landing side or car side of the elevator via serial communication. For example, suppose the following scenario is assumed: the elevator management software (program) started in the control panel 210 establishes communication with the software (program) started in the control board on the car side, and transmits and receives data (internal signals) such as the car's position and direction of travel via serial communication.

[0054] In this embodiment, a branch of the signal line that transmits and receives signals via parallel transmission in the signal line connecting the control panel 210 and the elevator equipment group 220 is connected to a terminal provided by the remote inspection device 100. Therefore, a portion of the signals transmitted and received via parallel transmission between the control panel 210 and the elevator equipment group 220 can be input and output on the remote inspection device 100 side.

[0055] On the other hand, the control panel 210 of the elevator system 200 is configured to connect to various maintenance devices of the elevator. A connector 261 is provided on the control board of the control panel 210. By connecting the connector 262 of the cable connected to the maintenance device to the connector 261 of the control panel 210, a communication connection based on serial communication (serial transmission) can be established between the maintenance device and the control panel 210.

[0056] Various maintenance devices for the elevator include, for example, maintenance computers, remote monitoring devices, and remote inspection devices used as dedicated devices for the elevator system 200. These maintenance devices are developed and used by the manufacturer of the elevator system 200 or its affiliated maintenance company for each elevator model. Therefore, these maintenance devices cannot be connected to elevators from different manufacturers. Here, the manufacturer's affiliated maintenance company refers to, for example, a subsidiary or affiliate of the manufacturer, hereinafter referred to as a "manufacturer-affiliated maintenance company".

[0057] On the other hand, the remote inspection device 100 of this embodiment is configured to be able to connect to the elevator system 200 regardless of the manufacturer of the elevator system 200. However, as will be described later, the types of signals suitable for use in the remote inspection device 100 are quite limited (DZ signal, LB signal, GS signal, DS signal, floor call signal, etc., as will be described later).

[0058] The aforementioned maintenance device establishes communication with the elevator management software started in the control panel 210 through the software started in the maintenance device, and is able to obtain the internal signals maintained by the elevator management software.

[0059] These internal signals include parallel transmission-based signals (switch contact signals, etc.), serial transmission-based signals (various instructions, etc.), and signals generated based on these signals, which are input and output between the control panel 210 and the elevator equipment group 220.

[0060] For example, the control panel 210 calculates the car's position, speed, direction of travel, and status (acceleration, constant speed, deceleration) based on signals obtained from a rotary encoder that measures the rotational position of the traction machine (motor) driving the elevator. Thus, the control panel 210 can maintain this information as internal signals in the software.

[0061] Based on this, the maintenance device, connected to the control panel 210 via serial communication, can acquire not only contact signals input / output via parallel transmission, but also internal software signals input / output via serial transmission. Furthermore, through communication with the control panel 210, the maintenance device can send various commands, such as stop commands for the elevator and waiting commands for specific floors, set various action options, and change various parameter settings.

[0062] The maintenance computer in the maintenance device, which can be connected via serial communication, is a computer (terminal device) that can be used in on-site elevator maintenance and inspection. It can start various maintenance software that operates on the maintenance computer, and perform tasks such as confirming various internal signals of the elevator, issuing various commands to the elevator, changing settings, and rewriting software.

[0063] The maintenance computer can be used on-site, while the remote monitoring and remote inspection devices can be used remotely via a network. The remote monitoring device in the maintenance system, which can be connected via serial communication, is a device capable of remotely acquiring and displaying the aforementioned internal signals via a network. The remote inspection device in the maintenance system, which can be connected via serial communication, is a device capable of remotely acquiring and displaying the aforementioned internal signals via a network and issuing operation commands for remote inspection of the elevator.

[0064] (Comparison with previous types of remote inspection systems)

[0065] The following description will explain the differences between the remote inspection device (a conventional type of remote inspection device) that can be connected via serial communication and the remote inspection device 100 in this embodiment. Figure 2 This diagram shows an example of a conventional type of remote inspection system connected to elevator systems 200 and 200a.

[0066] exist Figure 2 In the example, elevator system 200 is located in building A, and elevator system 200a is located in building B. Elevator system 200 is an elevator system manufactured by company X, and the elevator model is model M. In elevators from different companies, multiple models exist depending on their purpose, age, etc. Elevator system 200a is an elevator system manufactured by company Y, and the elevator model is model N.

[0067] Only the remote inspection device 500 (conventional type) manufactured by Company X can be connected to the elevator system 200 manufactured by Company X via connector 261. The remote inspection device 500 can connect to the management server managed by Company X via a network. In this example, Company X is both the elevator manufacturer and the elevator maintenance company (the manufacturer is the maintenance company).

[0068] For example, Company X's server is located in Company X's information center. By establishing a communication connection between the terminal and Company X's management server, remote inspection of the elevator system 200 can be performed through the terminal's operation.

[0069] Only the remote inspection device 500a (conventional type) manufactured by Company Y can be connected to the elevator system 200a manufactured by Company Y via connector 261. The remote inspection device 500a can connect to the management server managed by Company Y via a network. In this example, Company Y is both the elevator manufacturer and the elevator maintenance company (the manufacturer is also the maintenance company).

[0070] For example, Company Y's server is located in Company Y's information center. By establishing a communication connection between the terminal and Company Y's management server, remote inspection of the elevator system 200a can be performed through the terminal's operation.

[0071] In this configuration, as described above, Company X's remote inspection device 500, through communication with the control panel 210, can acquire various internal signals generated by the management software of the control panel 210, and can send various commands for the elevator to the control panel 210. For example, by operating the terminal, a command can be sent to make the car travel between two floors, and as a result, information such as the travel time and speed between the two floors can be obtained. The same applies to Company Y's remote inspection device 500a.

[0072] However, in this configuration, for elevator system 200 manufactured by Company X, a remote inspection device 500 manufactured by Company X corresponding to model M is required; for elevator system 200a manufactured by Company Y, a remote inspection device 500a manufactured by Company Y corresponding to model N is required. Thus, when installing a remote inspection device based on serial communication, it is necessary to prepare remote inspection devices according to each elevator manufacturer. Furthermore, even if the manufacturers are the same, a remote inspection device corresponding to the specific model is required.

[0073] Such remote inspection devices are sometimes provided by the elevator manufacturer, but usually can only be used by the elevator manufacturer or its maintenance company. Furthermore, in older models, there may not be a corresponding remote inspection device.

[0074] At once Figure 2 For example, manufacturer-affiliated maintenance company (manufacturer) X can use remote inspection device 500 manufactured by X company, but cannot use remote inspection device 500a manufactured by Y company. On the other hand, manufacturer-affiliated maintenance company (manufacturer) Y can use remote inspection device 500a manufactured by Y company, but cannot use remote inspection device 500 manufactured by X company.

[0075] This is because communication and signal specifications are not standardized between manufacturers and different models, and these specifications are not publicly available. If such communication, signal, or address mappings were publicly available, then by establishing communication with the control panel 210, it would be possible to obtain virtually any internal signal, internal flag, or setting parameter from an external device.

[0076] In addition to manufacturer-affiliated maintenance companies, there are also maintenance companies that are not affiliated with any manufacturer (referred to as "independent maintenance companies"). Independent maintenance companies cannot use either the remote inspection device 500 manufactured by Company X or the remote inspection device 500a manufactured by Company Y.

[0077] exist Figure 2In the example, if the owner of building A has signed a maintenance contract with the manufacturer-affiliated maintenance company X, they can perform remote inspections through the remote inspection device 500. However, if they have signed a maintenance contract with the manufacturer-affiliated maintenance company Y or an independent maintenance company, they cannot perform remote inspections through the remote inspection device 500.

[0078] On the other hand, if the owner of Building B has a maintenance contract with manufacturer-affiliated maintenance company Y, they can perform remote inspections using remote inspection device 500a. However, if they have a maintenance contract with manufacturer-affiliated maintenance company X or an independent maintenance company, they cannot perform remote inspections using remote inspection device 500a. Assuming that both elevators manufactured by company X and company Y are installed in the same building, remote inspection of all elevators requires maintenance contracts with both manufacturer-affiliated maintenance companies X and Y.

[0079] Thus, for building owners who want to include remote inspection in their maintenance contracts, the range of contracts available has narrowed with the introduction of conventional remote inspection devices. Consequently, in recent years, the demand for remote inspection devices that can be used independently of manufacturers and elevator models has increased in Japan. This is especially true in the global market, where elevators from various manufacturers are installed, where maintenance companies need to provide maintenance services independent of elevator manufacturers and models (multi-brand maintenance).

[0080] Therefore, the remote inspection device 100 in this embodiment is configured to be a remote inspection device capable of operating independently of the manufacturer and the model. As described above, since communication specifications and signal specifications are not standardized among manufacturers and models, it is difficult to construct a remote inspection device 100 that performs communication based on serial transmission.

[0081] Therefore, if used Figure 1 As explained, the remote inspection device 100 is connected to the elevator system 200 via parallel transmission (such as the acquisition of switch contact signals). Furthermore, because signal specifications are not standardized among manufacturers, the types of signals that can be used are limited. Moreover, even among signals that can be used, some are unsuitable due to hardware limitations (ease of installation, installation cost). Therefore, to implement the remote inspection device 100, it is necessary to thoroughly investigate which signals to use and which methods to determine the remote inspection items. Then... Figure 7 The following diagrams will illustrate the method for determining the signals and inspection items used in this embodiment.

[0082] Return to Figure 2As explained, the remote inspection device 100 in this embodiment can be connected to both the elevator system 200 manufactured by Company X located in building A and the elevator system 200a manufactured by Company Y located in building B. Both the remote inspection device 100 in building A and the remote inspection device 100 in building B are connected to the management server 300 via a network. If the terminal 400 is used, remote inspection of both the elevator system 200 in building A and the elevator system 200a in building B can be achieved.

[0083] In addition, if an elevator system 200 manufactured by Company X and an elevator system 200a manufactured by Company Y are installed in the same building, the configuration can be such that the elevator systems 200 and 200a are connected by a remote inspection device 100.

[0084] In the above-described configuration, regardless of the type of elevator installed, the building owner can freely choose a maintenance company and sign a maintenance contract for remote inspections, regardless of whether it is a manufacturer-affiliated maintenance company or an independent maintenance company.

[0085] Furthermore, the management server 300 is not limited to a single server device; it can also consist of multiple server devices. For example, server devices can be set up for each region to respond to access requests from each region. In this case, the server devices in each region can communicate with each other and share information (customer information, elevator information, etc.). Alternatively, a master server device can be provided to manage the servers in each region, and the master server device manages the information in each region.

[0086] The aforementioned regions are not limited to regions within a single country and may include regions from multiple countries. For example, it may be configured such that a server device is set up within Japan and shares information with server devices located outside Japan. Furthermore, a master server device may be set up in any country, and information stored on the master server device may be referenced from server devices located in each country.

[0087] Servers set up in different countries can also be configured with language codes according to each country or region they manage. For example, a server managing buildings in Japan might be set to "Japanese" as the language code. A server managing buildings in China might be set to "Chinese" as the language code. A server managing buildings in English-speaking countries might be set to "English" as the language code.

[0088] The server device has language data corresponding to each language code. For example, when there is access from terminals within Japan, information is displayed in Japanese on these terminals. When there is access from terminals within China, information is displayed in Chinese on these terminals. Furthermore, information can be managed according to each language. The management server 300 can also be composed of a group of servers such as a communication server (web server), a data server, and an application server connected to the remote inspection device 100 and the terminal 400.

[0089] With this configuration, remote inspection systems can be utilized in countries around the world. For example, in... Figure 2 In the example, building A in country 1 (e.g., the United States) is equipped with elevator system 200 (control panel 210 and elevator equipment group 220) and remote inspection device 100, while building B in country 2 (e.g., Japan) is equipped with elevator system 200a (control panel 210a and elevator equipment group 220a) and remote inspection device 100.

[0090] The management server 300 is located in an information center in the second country. The management server 300 in the second country can connect via a network to the remote inspection device 100 located in the first country and the remote inspection device 100 located in the second country. The management server 300 can send remote inspection execution commands to the remote inspection device 100 located in the first or second country, and can receive the judgment results of each inspection item from the remote inspection device 100 that receives the execution command.

[0091] Terminal 400 can be located in either country 1 or country 2. For example, a terminal 400 located in country 2 can access a management server 300 located in country 2, and perform remote inspections using the remote inspection device 100 located in either country 1 or country 2. Similarly, a terminal 400 located in country 1 can access a management server 300 located in country 2, and perform remote inspections using the remote inspection device 100 located in either country 1 or country 2.

[0092] The remote inspection device 100 installed in the first country connects to the network using the communication network (LTE network, etc.) of the first country. The remote inspection device 100 installed in the second country connects to the network using the communication network of the second country. The management server 300 installed in the second country connects to the remote inspection device 100 installed in the first or second country via the communication line of the second country.

[0093] With the configuration described above, the remote inspection device 100, which performs remote inspections of the elevator system 200 operating in the first country, can be managed by the management server 300 in the second country. Therefore, regardless of which country the elevator system 200 and the remote inspection device 100 are located in, the remote inspection device 100 can be managed across countries via the management server 300.

[0094] Furthermore, the determination of each inspection item for remote inspection is not limited to the remote inspection device 100; it can also be performed by the management server 300. In this case, the remote inspection device 100 sends the signal data for determination obtained from the elevator system 200 to the management server 300. The management server 300 then determines each inspection item based on this signal data. Alternatively, the management server 300 can be configured to manage the remote inspection device 100 for each country.

[0095] (Detailed structure of elevator system 200)

[0096] Figure 3 This diagram illustrates an example of the hardware structure of the elevator system 200. In this embodiment, the building 2, where the elevator system 200 is installed, is a 5-story building. Furthermore, one elevator (referred to as "Elevator No. 1") is installed in the building 2.

[0097] The control panel 210 includes various car control units 212. Each control unit 212 is a control board that controls the elevator equipment group 220. The elevator equipment group 220 includes landing devices 230 installed on each floor from the 1st floor (1F) to the 5th floor (5F), various sensors and various types of switches used in the elevator system 200 (e.g., slow-speed up switch, slow-speed down switch, etc., described later), as well as the traction machine 250 of the No. 1 machine and the car unit 240.

[0098] The traction machine 250 is a motor that drives the elevator car to move up and down. The car unit 240 includes various devices installed in the car, including destination floor buttons for registering the destination floor. The landing unit 230 includes various devices installed at each floor, including landing buttons for registering floor calls. Figure 4 The following diagrams will provide detailed explanations of them.

[0099] Each control unit 212 is connected to the landing station device 230, various sensors, and various switches on each floor via a control cable 21, which is a bundle of multiple signal lines. In addition, each control unit 212 is connected to the traction machine 250 and car device 240 of Unit 1 via a control cable 22, which is a bundle of multiple signal lines.

[0100] Each control unit 212 is equipped with a processor, memory, and a communication interface. The processor is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory is, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory). They are interconnected via a bus in a communicative manner.

[0101] The ROM stores the management software program used to control the elevator equipment group 220. The CPU reads the program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes it to control the elevator equipment group 220. The RAM becomes the working area for the CPU to execute the program, temporarily storing the program, data, etc.

[0102] Each control unit 212 is configured to communicate with the elevator equipment group 220, including the landing device 230, traction machine 250, and car device 240, via a communication interface through serial or parallel communication. Figure 1 , Figure 2 The various maintenance devices shown communicate with each other.

[0103] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the elevator. The elevator car 10 is installed in the hoistway 8 located within the building 2. The car 10 moves up and down within the hoistway 8 to travel between multiple floors. In this embodiment, the car 10 can stop at each floor from the 1st floor (1F) to the 5th floor (5F).

[0104] A machine room 5 is located directly above the hoistway 8. The machine room 5 houses a traction machine 250, a control panel 210, and a remote inspection device 100. A car assembly 240 is located in the car 10.

[0105] In this embodiment, the elevator is a traction elevator. A traction elevator is a type of rope elevator. This elevator includes a car 10, a counterweight 12, a rope 11, a traction machine 250, and a guide sheave 13. The rope (main rope) 11 is suspended from the traction machine 250 and the guide sheave 13. At both ends of the rope 11, the car 10 and the counterweight 12 are suspended.

[0106] The elevator is able to travel in the upward direction (also known as the "UP direction") or the downward direction (also known as the "DN direction") by driving the traction machine 250.

[0107] The car 10 has any of the following travel directions: UP direction, DN direction, and no direction. In response to a travel command to an upward floor, when the car 10 travels or stops in the UP direction (or stops in a state where it is intended to travel in the UP direction), the travel direction of the car 10 becomes the UP direction. In response to a travel command to a downward floor, when the car 10 travels or stops in the DN direction (or stops in a state where it is intended to travel in the DN direction), the travel direction of the car 10 becomes the DN direction. When the travel direction of the car 10 is neither UP nor DN, the car direction of the car 10 is defined as "no direction". Alternatively, when the car 10 is stopped at the lowest floor, the car direction becomes the UP direction, and when the car 10 is stopped at the highest floor, the car direction becomes the DN direction.

[0108] The car 10 can travel when the electromagnetic brake (not shown, also simply referred to as the "brake") of the traction machine 250 is released. The car 10 is in a braking state (stationary state) when the brake of the traction machine 250 is activated. The brake of the traction machine 250 is configured to apply braking by pressing the brake shoe against the brake drum using the force of a spring. By supplying power to the brake coil, the brake shoe is disengaged from the brake drum, thereby releasing the brake. If the power supply to the brake coil is cut off, the electromagnetic brake becomes braking, and the car 10 can no longer travel.

[0109] The elevator is designed such that, when the car 10 is loaded to 50% of its maximum load capacity, the weight of the counterweight 12 is balanced with the weight of the car 10 including passengers. For example, when there are no passengers, the counterweight 12 is heavier than the car 10. Therefore, if the brake is simply released, the car 10 will travel in the UP direction. On the other hand, if the car 10 is fully occupied, the car 10 is heavier than the counterweight 12. Therefore, if the brake is simply released, the car 10 will travel in the DN direction.

[0110] A buffer (shock absorber) 14 is installed in the pit 6, which serves as the bottom of the hoistway 8. The buffer 14 is a device that absorbs the impact of the car 10 falling in the event of an abnormality.

[0111] Each control unit 212 is connected via control cable 22 ( Figure 3 It is connected to the car unit 240. Multiple signal lines for communication between each control unit 212 and the car unit 240 are bundled in the control cable 22.

[0112] Each control unit 212 is connected via control cables 21 laid along the wall of the shaft 8. Figure 3The control cable 21 is connected to the landing station devices 230, various sensors, and various switches installed on each floor. The control cable 21 consists of multiple signal lines used to enable communication between each control unit 212 and the landing station devices 230 or various switches. Alternatively, in the absence of a machine room 5, the traction machine 250 and control panel 210 are installed within the shaft 8 (in the wall or pit 6, etc.).

[0113] Furthermore, the elevator is not limited to the traction elevator described above that balances the car 10 with the counterweight 12. For example, it could also be a drum elevator, where the car 10 is raised and lowered by winding the rope 11 around a drum without using the counterweight 12. The drum elevator is one type of rope elevator. Alternatively, it could be a hydraulic elevator, where an electric pump supplies oil to hydraulic jacks, and the car 10 is raised and lowered by the action of the hydraulic jacks.

[0114] In the case of a hydraulic elevator, the position of the car 10 is controlled by controlling the amount of oil supplied to the hydraulic jacks. In hydraulic elevators, the travel characteristics of the car 10 can easily vary depending on the season or temperature, as the properties of the oil change. For example, the oil becomes thicker in winter compared to summer when temperatures are higher, thus increasing starting time. Furthermore, in hydraulic elevators where the oil volume (hydraulic pressure) is controlled, the travel time between floors is more prone to deviation compared to rope elevators that control the rotation of the motor. Additionally, when the car 10 is stopped at a floor, it may sink slightly over time, and the floor of the car 10 may gradually descend relative to the floor level (when leaving the door zone during a stop).

[0115] Figure 5A This is a diagram showing an example of elevator floors. Figure 5A The image shows the elevator floor as viewed from the front.

[0116] In this embodiment, the UP direction (upward direction) floor call is also referred to as "UP call" or "UP floor call", the DN direction (downward direction) floor call is also referred to as "DN call" or "DN floor call", and the destination floor call inside the car 10 is also referred to as "car call". The button used to register these calls is referred to as "call button".

[0117] The elevator call buttons include car call buttons (also known as "destination floor buttons") located inside the car 10 and floor call buttons (also known as "floor buttons") located at each floor. The floor call buttons (floor buttons) include upward-facing floor call buttons (also known as "UP call buttons" or "UP floor call buttons") and downward-facing floor call buttons (also known as "DN call buttons" or "DN floor call buttons").

[0118] As described above, each floor is equipped with a landing station device 230. The landing station device 230 includes a landing station operation panel 70. Here, the landing station on the 1st floor will be described as an example. The landing station on the 1st floor is equipped with a door 61 and a landing station operation panel 70.

[0119] The floor control panel 70 includes a UP floor call button 81 and a DN floor call button 82. For example, when the UP floor call button 81 is pressed, a call to the UP floor on the 1st floor is registered.

[0120] The landing control panel 70 includes an indicator 71. The indicator 71 displays the direction of travel of the car 10 and the floor (car position) where the car 10 is located. In the example shown in the figure, the car 10 is shown traveling or stopping on the 2nd floor in the UP direction.

[0121] Next, the interior of car 10 will be described. Figure 5B This is a diagram showing an example of the interior of an elevator car. Figure 5B The diagram shows the view of the exit direction inside the car 10. The car unit 240 includes a car control panel 50. The car 10 is provided with a door 60 and a car control panel 50. The car control panel 50 is provided with an open door button 52 for opening the door, a close door button 53 for closing the door, and a car call button for registering the destination floors (car call) from the 1st to the 5th floor.

[0122] The car call buttons include a 1st floor call button 31 for calling the car to the 1st floor, a 2nd floor call button 32 for calling the car to the 2nd floor, a 3rd floor call button 33 for calling the car to the 3rd floor, a 4th floor call button 34 for calling the car to the 4th floor, and a 5th floor call button 35 for calling the car to the 5th floor. Furthermore, the car control panel 50 includes an indicator 51 that displays the car 10's travel direction and car position.

[0123] When a landing call button is pressed, a call signal corresponding to the pressed landing call is sent to the control panel 210 (each control unit 212). The control panel 210 registers the landing call. Then, the control panel 210 assigns a car 10 to the registered landing call, and the control panel 210 causes the car 10 to respond to the registered landing call.

[0124] For example, when the UP call button 81 for the 1st floor is pressed, a signal corresponding to the UP call for the 1st floor is sent, and the control panel 210 registers the UP call for the 1st floor. The control panel 210 determines the allocation of the car 10 for the UP call for the 1st floor. In response to the UP call for the 1st floor, the car 10 stops and opens its doors after traveling to the 1st floor.

[0125] When a car call button is pressed, a call signal corresponding to the pressed car call is sent to the control panel 210. The control panel 210 registers the car call. The control panel 210 causes the car 10 to respond to the registered car call.

[0126] For example, when the elevator call button 32 for the second floor is pressed, a call signal corresponding to the elevator to the second floor is sent to the control panel 210. The control panel 210 registers the elevator call to the second floor. In response to the elevator call to the second floor, the car 10 stops and opens its doors after traveling to the second floor.

[0127] Here, "door open" means that the door 60 on the car 10 side and the door 61 on the landing side open in unison, which will also be referred to as "door open" below. Similarly, "door close" means that the door 60 on the car 10 side and the door 61 on the landing side close in unison, which will also be referred to as "door close" below.

[0128] (Input / output signals for control panel 210)

[0129] Here, the signal acquired by the remote inspection device 100 among the signals input and output between the control panel 210 and the elevator equipment group 220 via parallel transmission is called a "determination signal". The remote inspection device 100 uses the determination signal to determine each item of the remote inspection. The determination signal includes signals 1 to 4. Each determination signal has any state between ON (active) and OFF (inactive). In this embodiment, the DZ signal is exemplified as a type of the first signal, the LB signal as a type of the second signal, the GS signal as a type of the third signal, and the DS signal as a type of the fourth signal.

[0130] The landing device 230 installed on each floor includes landing door switches (also called "interlock switches") not shown. The landing door switch is ON when the landing door 61 is closed and OFF when the landing door 61 is open. When the landing door switch is OFF (door not closed), for safety reasons, the car 10 is prevented from moving by the control panel 210.

[0131] In this embodiment, when the landing door 61 is closed and the landing door switch is in the ON state (the contact becomes ON after the landing door switch is pressed), the DS signal becomes ON. When the landing door 61 is not closed and the landing door switch is in the OFF state, the DS signal becomes OFF and is sent to the control panel 210.

[0132] In addition, the car unit 240 includes a car door switch (also referred to as a "door switch") not shown. The car door switch is in the ON state when the door 60 on the car 10 side is in the closed state, and in the OFF state when the door 60 on the car 10 side is in the open state. When the car door switch is in the OFF state (the door is not closed), for safety reasons, the car 10 is controlled by the control panel 210 to be unable to move.

[0133] In this embodiment, when the door 60 of the car 10 is closed and the car door switch is in the ON state (the contact becomes ON after the car door switch is pressed), the GS signal becomes ON; when the door 60 of the car 10 is not closed and the car door switch is in the OFF state, the GS signal becomes OFF and is sent to the control panel 210. The door 60 of the car 10 opens and closes in conjunction with the door 61 of the landing.

[0134] In addition, the car assembly 240 includes a door zone detection device (also referred to as a "stop device") not shown. Here, door zone refers to the range of positions of the elevator car 10 within which the doors 60 of the elevator car 10 can be opened or closed. The door zone detection device is installed in the car 10, and on each floor, when the car 10 is within the door zone, the door zone detection device detects the DZ signal as ON, and when the car 10 is not within the door zone, it detects the DZ signal as OFF and sends it to the control panel 210.

[0135] For example, the door zone detection device installed in the car 10 includes a magnetic proximity sensor. On the other hand, door zone detection plates are installed at the stopping positions of each floor within the hoistway 8. For example, when the magnetic proximity sensor of the door zone detection device detects the door zone detection plate, the DZ signal is set to ON. For example, when the floor position of the car 10 is within 150mm vertically relative to the floor position of each landing, the DZ signal is set to ON.

[0136] When the car 10 is outside the door zone (DZ signal is OFF), for safety reasons, the control panel 210 controls the door to be unable to open. Alternatively, the door zone detection device can be installed on the hoistway 8 side, and the door zone detection plate can be installed on the car 10 side.

[0137] Furthermore, when the elevator brake is released by supplying power to the brake coil of the traction machine 250, the LB signal becomes ON. When the elevator brake is activated (brake not released) by stopping the supply of power to the brake coil of the traction machine 250, the LB signal becomes OFF.

[0138] In addition, a slow-speed upward switch (not shown) and a slow-speed downward switch (not shown) are provided on the wall of the hoistway 8. The slow-speed upward switch is configured to prevent the car 10 from colliding with the top of the hoistway 8. The slow-speed upward switch is configured to become ON when the car 10, traveling UP, is in a predetermined position between the 5th floor (top floor) and the 4th floor by contacting a predetermined component installed on the car 10.

[0139] When the slow-speed upward switch is in the ON state, the SUL signal becomes ON; when the slow-speed upward switch is in the OFF state, the SUL signal becomes OFF. When the car 10 approaches the top floor and the slow-speed upward switch is in the ON state, if the car 10 is traveling at a speed exceeding the specified speed, for safety reasons, the control panel 210 controls the car 10 to slow down.

[0140] The slow-down switch is configured to prevent the car 10 from colliding with the bottom of the hoistway 8 (or entering the pit 6). The slow-down switch is configured to become ON when the car 10 traveling in the DN reaches a predetermined position between the 1st floor (lowest floor) and the 2nd floor, by contacting a predetermined component installed on the car 10.

[0141] When the slow-down switch is ON, the SDL signal is ON; when the slow-down switch is OFF, the SDL signal is OFF. When the car 10 approaches the lowest floor and the slow-down switch is ON, if the car 10 is traveling at a speed exceeding the specified speed, for safety reasons, the control panel 210 controls the car 10 to slow down.

[0142] Alternatively, the slow-speed upward switch and slow-speed downward switch can be configured to be located on the side of the car 10, and these switches become ON by contact with a specified component located on the side of the hoistway 8.

[0143] In this embodiment, only one elevator is installed in building 2. Figure 3 (Car 10 of elevator No. 1). Therefore, if a call to the elevator is registered at a floor, elevator No. 1 must be assigned, and elevator No. 1 will respond to the call at that floor.

[0144] For example, if a call for elevator DN is registered at a landing station on floor 2, elevator 1 is assigned to that call. Elevator 1, traveling in the DN direction, responds to the call by the elevator at floor 2 and opens its doors after stopping at floor 2.

[0145] The above structure is for controlling only one elevator in Building 2 (single-car structure), but the following will also describe the structure for setting up and controlling multiple elevators in Building 2 (multi-car structure). Figure 6This is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware structure of a modified elevator system 200b.

[0146] In this modified example, elevator system 200b has two elevators, "Elevator No. 1" and "Elevator No. 2". Elevator equipment group 220b includes landing devices 230 installed at each landing on each floor from the 1st to the 5th floor, traction machine 250 and car device 240 for elevator No. 1, various sensors and switches for elevator No. 1, traction machine 250 and car device 240 for elevator No. 2, and various sensors and switches for elevator No. 2.

[0147] The control panel 210b includes a group control unit 211 and two car control units 212. The group control unit 211 is a control board that manages multiple elevators. Each car control unit 212 is a control board that controls the operation of its corresponding elevator. The group control unit 211 and the two car control units 212 communicate with each other and exchange various data related to the elevators.

[0148] The group management control unit 211 centrally controls the landing station devices 230 on each floor. The group management control unit 211 is connected to the landing station devices 230 installed on each floor from the 1st to the 5th floor via control cable 21. Each control unit 212 is connected to the traction machine 250 and the car device 240, as well as various sensors and switches of each machine, via control cables 22 and 23.

[0149] exist Figure 6 In the modified example shown, each floor's landing device 230 includes a landing operation panel 70 equipped with landing call buttons. However, in this modified example, the landing operation panel 70 does not include an indicator 71. In this modified example, one landing operation panel 70 is provided on each floor, and two indicators 71 corresponding to the number of elevators are provided.

[0150] The group management control unit 211 is connected to the landing devices 230 (landing call buttons) located on each floor via control cables 21 laid along the walls of the hoistway 8. Each control unit 212 is connected to the traction machine 250 and car unit 240 of its corresponding unit via control cables 22. The car unit 240 includes a car operation panel 50 with destination floor buttons, a car door switch, and a door zone detection device.

[0151] Each control unit 212 is connected to various sensors and switches of the corresponding machine via control cables 23 laid along the wall of the shaft 8. The various sensors and switches include slow-speed up switches, slow-speed down switches, landing door switches for each floor, and indicators 71 for each floor, all provided for each machine.

[0152] In this example, when a landing call button is pressed, the group management control unit 211 registers the landing call corresponding to the button. Then, the group management control unit 211 assigns any one of the multiple cars 10 (machine 1, machine 2) to the registered landing call. Each control unit 212 corresponding to the assigned car 10 (assigned car) causes the assigned car to respond to the registered landing call.

[0153] For example, when the UP call button 81 for the 1st floor is pressed, the 1st floor UP call signal becomes ON. The group management control unit 211 receives the 1st floor UP call signal as ON and registers the 1st floor UP call. The group management control unit 211 assigns any car 10 from machine number 1 and machine number 2 to the 1st floor UP call.

[0154] For example, the group management control unit 211 assigns car 10 of machine number 1. In this case, the group management control unit 211 sends instructions to each control unit 212 of machine number 1, causing them to respond to the call from the UP stop on the 1st floor. Each control unit 212 of machine number 1 causes car 10 of machine number 1 to move in response to the call from the UP stop on the 1st floor. After moving to the 1st floor, car 10 stops at the 1st floor and opens its doors.

[0155] Alternatively, control panel 210b may not have a group management control unit 211, but only two individual control units 212. In this case, the functions of the group management control unit 211 can be performed by the individual control units 212 of unit 1. The individual control units 212 of unit 1 control the landing station device 230 via control cable 21, and are directly connected to the individual control units 212 of unit 2 for communication.

[0156] (Forced stop and waiting actions)

[0157] Furthermore, elevator systems 200 (200a, 200b) can be configured with mandatory stopping floors and waiting floors. When a mandatory stopping floor is configured, the car 10 must stop and open its doors at the mandatory stopping floor when passing through it. For example, suppose a hotel lobby is on the second floor, and the second floor is configured as a mandatory stopping floor. When the car 10 travels from the first floor to the fifth floor, it must stop and open its doors at the second floor.

[0158] When a waiting floor is set, after the car 10 has finished responding to all floor calls and car calls (this state is referred to as "available"), it travels to the set waiting floor. For example, the 1st floor (main floor) is set as the waiting floor. After the car 10 finishes responding to the final call to the 5th floor and becomes available, it travels from the 5th floor towards the 1st floor and waits on the 1st floor (waiting floor).

[0159] When setting up a waiting area, you can also specify whether there is a door opening wait and the number of waiting tables. For example, ... Figure 6 As in the example where there are two elevators managed by control panel 210b, one or both cars 10 can be made to wait at a waiting floor. In this case, they can be set to either an open or closed door state while waiting at the waiting floor. In the open door waiting state, after the car 10 arrives at the waiting floor and opens its door, it closes the door after a predetermined time (e.g., 1 minute or 3 minutes). The waiting floor for which the open door waiting setting is configured is also called the "open door waiting floor".

[0160] Furthermore, the elevator system 200b can also perform distributed waiting actions. For example, when there are two elevators managed by the control panel 210b, the two cars 10 are made to wait separately, so that the two usable cars 10 do not stop at the same floor or adjacent floors. For example, if both usable cars 10 are stopped at the 1st floor (the main floor), one car is made to travel to an upper floor (e.g., the 3rd floor) and then its doors are closed while it waits.

[0161] In this way, even if there is no floor call or car call, the car 10 can sometimes be moved or the door opened by setting a forced stop floor, setting a waiting floor, or dispersing the waiting action.

[0162] (Detailed structure and signals used by remote inspection system 1)

[0163] The following will Figure 3 The elevator system 200 shown (with 1 car) is described as a premise. Figure 7 This is a diagram used to illustrate the hardware structure of the remote inspection system 1 and the signals used by the remote inspection system 1.

[0164] As described above, the elevator system 200 includes a control panel 210 and an elevator equipment assembly 220. The elevator equipment assembly 220 includes landing devices 230 for floors 1 to 5. The control panel 210 and the elevator equipment assembly 220 are connected via multiple signal lines, thereby enabling the transmission and reception of multiple signals.

[0165] These signals include the aforementioned DZ, LB, GS, DS, SUL, SDL, UP, DN signals, the UP call signal for floor 1, and the DN call signal for floor 5. All signals illustrated here are transmitted and received via parallel transmission.

[0166] The DZ signal is detected by the door zone detection device as described above. When the car 10 is within the door zone on each floor, the DZ signal is ON; when it is outside the door zone, the DZ signal is OFF.

[0167] The LB signal is, as described above, an ON signal when the brake is released by supplying power to the brake coil of the traction machine 250. When the brake is activated by stopping the supply of power to the brake coil of the traction machine 250, the LB signal becomes OFF.

[0168] The GS signal is detected by the car door opening and closing, as described above. When the car-side door 60 is closed, the GS signal is ON; when the car-side door 60 is open, the GS signal is OFF.

[0169] The DS signal is detected by the landing door switch as described above. When the landing door 61 is closed, the DS signal is ON; when the landing door 61 is open, the DS signal is OFF.

[0170] The SUL signal is detected by the slow up switch as described above. When the slow up switch is in the ON state, the SUL signal is ON; when the slow up switch is in the OFF state, the SUL signal is OFF.

[0171] The SDL signal is detected by the slow down switch as described above. When the slow down switch is in the ON state, the SDL signal is ON; when the slow down switch is in the OFF state, the SDL signal is OFF.

[0172] When the car 10 is traveling in the UP direction, the UP signal is ON; when the car 10 is traveling in a direction other than UP, the UP signal is OFF. When the car 10 is traveling in the DN direction, the DN signal is ON; when the car 10 is traveling in a direction other than DN, the DN signal is OFF.

[0173] The UP call signal for the 1st floor is an ON signal that is pressed when the UP call button 81 of the 1st floor landing device 230 is pressed. When the UP call button 81 is pressed, the contact is ON; when the UP call button 81 is released from the pressed state, the contact is OFF.

[0174] The DN call signal for the 5th floor is an ON signal that is activated when the DN call button 82 of the 5th floor landing device 230 is pressed. When the DN call button 82 is pressed, the contact is ON; when the DN call button 82 is released from its pressed state, the contact is OFF.

[0175] In addition, although not shown in the diagram, the landing call signals output from other landing call buttons and the car call signals output from the car call buttons are also input to the control panel 210.

[0176] The remote inspection device 100 includes a control device 110, an input IF (interface) 130, an output IF (interface) 140, and a communication IF (interface) 120.

[0177] Input IF130 is a board used as a decision signal input for a portion of the signals input and output between control panel 210 and elevator equipment group 220 via parallel transmission. The signal lines of the DZ, LB, GS, DS, SUL, SDL, UP, and DN signals input to control panel 210 are branched, and each branched signal line is connected to a terminal provided with input IF130. The signals input to input IF130 are also sent to control device 110.

[0178] Output IF140 is a board used to output signals to elevator equipment group 220. Control device 110 is capable of outputting a UP (Up) floor call signal for floor 1 and a DN (Depth) floor call signal for floor 5 to output IF140. When output IF140 receives a UP floor call signal for floor 1 from control device 110, it outputs the received UP floor call signal for floor 1 to elevator equipment group 220; when it receives a DN floor call signal for floor 5 from control device 110, it outputs the received DN floor call signal for floor 5 to elevator equipment group 220.

[0179] The landing station device 230 on the first floor includes a UP call button 81 for the first floor. A signal line for sending the UP call signal for the first floor is provided between the landing station device 230 on the first floor and the control panel 210. The landing station device 230 on the fifth floor includes a DN call button 82 for the fifth floor. A signal line for sending the DN call signal for the fifth floor is provided between the landing station device 230 on the fifth floor and the control panel 210. In addition, in this embodiment, since the landing call signal is sent from the landing station device 230 to the control panel 210 via serial transmission, it is not possible to branch the parallel transmission line from the control panel 210 side to input and output the landing call signal to the remote inspection device 100.

[0180] When the UP call button 81 for the 1st floor is pressed, the contacts are shorted, and an ON signal is input to the 1st floor landing device 230. Consequently, the 1st floor landing device 230 sends an ON UP call signal for the 1st floor to the control panel 210 (serial transmission). A signal line for sending the UP call signal for the 1st floor is connected to the terminal of the output IF 140, and this signal line is connected to the landing device 230. Furthermore, it has been modified so that when an ON UP call signal for the 1st floor is output from the output IF 140, the contacts of the UP call button 81 for the 1st floor are shorted. Therefore, the 1st floor landing device 230 sends an ON UP call signal for the 1st floor to the control panel 210. In other words, by sending an ON UP call signal for the 1st floor from the output IF 140, the state of pressing the UP call button 81 for the 1st floor can be simulated.

[0181] When the DN call button 82 for the 5th floor is pressed, the contacts are short-circuited, and an ON signal is input to the 5th floor call station device 230. Consequently, the 5th floor call station device 230 sends an ON DN call signal for the 5th floor to the control panel 210 (serial transmission). A signal line for sending the DN call signal for the 5th floor is connected to the terminal of the output IF140, and this signal line is connected to the call station device 230. Furthermore, it has been modified so that when an ON DN call signal for the 5th floor is output from the output IF140, the contacts of the DN call button 82 for the 5th floor are short-circuited. Therefore, the DN call signal for the 5th floor is sent from the 5th floor call station device 230 to the control panel 210. In other words, by sending an ON DN call signal for the 5th floor from the output IF140, the state of pressing the DN call button 82 for the 5th floor can be simulated.

[0182] In this embodiment, the situation where the car 10 is moved by the remote inspection device 100 generating simulated floor calls for remote inspection is called "diagnostic operation". In this example, the remote inspection device 100 generates simulated 1st floor (UP) floor calls and 5th floor (DN) floor calls as described above. By combining these two floor calls, a diagnostic operation can be performed to move the car 10 between the lowest floor (1st floor) and the highest floor (5th floor).

[0183] Elevator equipment group 220 transmits and receives signals in parallel with input IF130 and output IF140. Input IF130 and output IF140 also transmit and receive signals in parallel with control device 110. The signals input from the signal lines connecting elevator equipment group 220 to input IF130 vary in voltage and other aspects depending on the manufacturer (e.g., 24V, 48V, 100V). Therefore, the signals are commonalized by input IF130 before being input to control device 110.

[0184] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a temperature sensor 15 is installed in the machine room 5. The control device 110 is configured to acquire the detection result of the temperature sensor 15. Therefore, the control device 110 can detect the temperature of the machine room 5. The temperature sensor 15 is not limited to the machine room; it can also be installed at any location within the elevator shaft 8, around the shaft 8, or around the elevator. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control device 110 is configured to acquire the voltage of the intercom 16 installed in the car 10. This information can be used to determine whether the temperature of the machine room 5, etc., or the status of the intercom, is normal.

[0185] The control device 110 is a PLC that includes at least a processor (CPU) 111 and a memory 112. The memory may be, for example, ROM or RAM. They are interconnected via a bus in a communicative manner. The ROM stores the program used to control the control device 110. The CPU reads the program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes it to control the control device 110. The RAM serves as the operating area for the CPU when executing the program, temporarily storing the program, data during program execution, etc. The control device 110 is configured to communicate with input IF 130, output IF 140, and communication IF 120. The communication IF 120 is a baseboard used for communication with the management server 300 via a network.

[0186] As described above, the terminal 400 includes a display unit 410 and an input unit 420. The display unit 410 is, for example, a monitor. The input unit 420 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel display integrated with the display unit 410.

[0187] The management server 300 sends remote inspection commands to the control device 110 via communication IF120 and obtains the results of the remote inspection from the control device 110. The terminal 400 and the management server 300 also have a processor (CPU) and memory (ROM, RAM) like the control device 110.

[0188] Control device 110 sends a 1st floor UP call signal to the 1st floor landing device 230 via output IF 140, thereby simulating a 1st floor UP call. Control device 110 sends a 5th floor DN call signal to the 5th floor landing device 230 via output IF 140, thereby simulating a 5th floor DN call. This allows the car 10 to travel between the 1st and 5th floors, performing the aforementioned diagnostic operation.

[0189] The control device 110 acquires the DZ, LB, GS, DS, SUL, SDL, UP, and DN signals input / output to the control panel 210 via input IF 130. Additionally, the control device 110 acquires the detection results from the temperature sensor 15 and the voltage from the intercom 16 as signals. Based on these signals, the control device 110 determines the items to be remotely inspected and sends the determination results to the management server 300 via communication IF 120. The determination results can be confirmed on the terminal 400.

[0190] Here, the specifications of the signals input from the elevator system 200 sometimes vary depending on the elevator manufacturer or model. For example, when signals equivalent to DZ, LB, GS, and DS signals are obtained, the ON and OFF states are sometimes input in opposite states. For example, regarding the LB signal, consider two cases: the signal is ON when braking is applied (the brake is not released), and the signal is ON when the brake is released.

[0191] In this embodiment, the memory 112 of the control device 110 stores conversion maps corresponding to each manufacturer or model. These conversion maps are used to convert various signals (e.g., to invert the ON / OFF states of the DZ, LB, GS, and DS signals), thus standardizing the signal specifications. Furthermore, the SUL, SDL, UP, and DN signals are not essential signals, and their unavailability does not hinder operation (described in detail later).

[0192] For example, the signal from the rotary encoder of the traction machine 250 can be taken in to generate UP and DN signals, or the UP and DN signals can be generated based on the DZ signal (described in detail later). In this case, the rotary encoder signal or the DZ signal can be converted into UP and DN signals using the above conversion mapping.

[0193] Additionally, if using Figure 2 As explained, the control panel 210 and the maintenance device manufactured by Company X are configured to establish a serial communication connection via a connector 261 provided on the control panel 210.

[0194] (Diagnostic procedures)

[0195] Figure 8 This diagram illustrates the relationship between the travel of the car 10 and the signals during diagnostic operation. As described above, in this embodiment, simulated call signals for the 1st floor (UP) and the 5th floor (DN) can be generated, and diagnostic operation is performed to move the car 10 between the lowest floor (1st floor) and the highest floor (5th floor). Thus, for example, the travel time from the 1st floor to the 5th floor can be measured.

[0196] Diagnostic operation is performed when car 10 is not excluded from the assigned car list, i.e., when car 10 can respond to floor calls from passengers using the elevator. Therefore, even if the diagnostic operation aims to call car 10 to the 1st floor and then move it to the 5th floor, it may still move to a different floor than the 1st floor due to passenger floor calls. During diagnostic operation, it may also sometimes stop at a floor between the 1st and 5th floors due to passenger car calls. Therefore, diagnostic operation is performed, for example, once a month during late-night hours when there are no elevator users.

[0197] The determination of inspection items for remote inspection includes determinations based on "operational diagnosis" and determinations based on "normal diagnosis". The case of performing diagnostic operation and diagnosing remote inspection items based on the diagnostic operation is called "operational diagnosis". In operation diagnosis, the determination is made using the determination signal obtained when the car 10 moves in response to the landing call signal sent by the indicator 155 (described later) of the remote inspection device 100.

[0198] On the other hand, not limited to diagnostic operation, the diagnosis of remote inspection items performed each time the elevator car 10 is moved by the operation of passengers is called "normal diagnosis". In normal diagnosis, a determination signal obtained regardless of whether a floor call signal is sent by the indicator 155 of the remote inspection device 100 is used to make a determination.

[0199] In this example, at time t0, car 10 stops at the 1st floor. Since car 10 is at the lowest floor (1st floor), the SUL signal is OFF and the SDL signal is ON. Because the brake of the traction machine 250 is activated, the LB signal is OFF. Since car 10 is located within the door zone on the 1st floor, the DZ signal is ON. Since door 60 on the car 10 side is closed, the GS signal is ON. Since door 61 on the landing side is closed, the DS signal is ON.

[0200] Here, the remote inspection device 100, in order to perform diagnostic operations, sets the DN call signal of the 5th floor to the ON state and outputs it to the 5th floor landing device 230. This simulates the pressed state of the DN call button 82 of the 5th floor landing device 230.

[0201] Therefore, call 92 at floor DN (5th floor) is registered, and at time t1, car 10 begins to move towards floor 5. At this time, the brake of traction machine 250 is released, and the LB signal changes from OFF to ON. As car 10 moves away from the door zone of floor 1, the DZ signal changes from ON to OFF. Furthermore, as the deceleration down switch changes from ON to OFF, the SDL signal changes from ON to OFF. Car 10 then enters an acceleration mode and moves towards floor UP.

[0202] Subsequently, car 10 enters a constant speed driving state (the speed of car 10 reaches the rated speed and maintains the rated speed while driving). At time t2, car 10 is positioned at the 2nd floor. At this time, car 10 enters the door zone of the 2nd floor, and the DZ signal changes from OFF to ON. Furthermore, when car 10 leaves the door zone of the 2nd floor, the DZ signal changes from ON to OFF.

[0203] At time t3, car 10 is positioned on the 4th floor and enters the door zone of the 4th floor. The DZ signal changes from OFF to ON. When car 10 leaves the door zone of the 4th floor, the DZ signal changes from ON to OFF. Then, at time t4, car 10 decelerates to stop at the 5th floor.

[0204] At time t5, car 10 stops at the 5th floor (top floor). The slow-speed upward switch changes from OFF to ON, and the SUL signal changes from OFF to ON. Car 10 enters the door zone of the 5th floor, and the DZ signal changes from OFF to ON. The brake of traction machine 250 is activated (released), and the LB signal changes from ON to OFF.

[0205] At time t6, if car 10 is in the open state (door 60 on the car 10 side and door 61 on the landing side are in the open state), then the GS signal and DS signal change from ON to OFF. After a specified time has elapsed, car 10 is in the closed state. Therefore, the GS signal and DS signal change from OFF to ON.

[0206] In this way, when the car 10 is stopped at the 1st floor and the remote inspection device 100 outputs the DN call signal for the 5th floor to the elevator system 200 with the call signal set to ON, the car 10 can travel from the 1st floor to the 5th floor. At this time, various changing elevator signals can be obtained from the remote inspection device 100, and remote inspection can be performed based on these signals.

[0207] To bring the elevator car 10 to the first floor, the remote inspection device 100 sends the UP call signal for the first floor to the ON state to the elevator system 200. As a result, the elevator car 10 moves towards the first floor.

[0208] Furthermore, when the car 10 is stopped at the 5th floor and the remote inspection device 100 outputs the UP floor call signal for the 1st floor to the elevator system 200 with the call signal set to ON, the car 10 can travel from the 5th floor to the 1st floor. At this time, various changing elevator signals can be obtained in the remote inspection device 100, and remote inspection can be performed based on these signals.

[0209] Furthermore, diagnostic operations are not limited to generating and implementing UP floor calls for the lowest floor and DN floor calls for the highest floor; they can also be implemented using floor calls from any two floors. For example, a service cutoff setting can be configured to prevent elevator service to the highest floor (5th floor) (it cannot stop at the highest floor). In this case, diagnostic operations can also be implemented by generating UP floor calls for the 1st floor and DN floor calls for the 4th floor. However, in this case, Figure 7 In the example shown, it needs to be modified so that the 4th floor DN call signal is output to the 4th floor landing station 230 instead of the 5th floor landing station 230.

[0210] (Regarding signals suitable for remote inspection)

[0211] In this embodiment, the signals (DZ signal, LB signal, DS signal, GS signal) used to determine the conditions for operating the elevator's safety circuit are used as the determination signals for remote inspection. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of ease of installation (construction feasibility), the landing call signal is used instead of the car call signal as the output signal for remote inspection operation diagnosis (diagnostic operation). The reasons for this will be explained below.

[0212] The elevator is equipped with a safety circuit that stops the elevator's operation when a specified abnormality is detected by hardware or software. For example, the circuit is configured such that when any one of the multiple contacts in the safety circuit is released, the power supply to the traction machine 250 and the brake coil of the electromagnetic brake of the traction machine 250 is cut off. As a result, the driving force of the traction machine 250 disappears, and the electromagnetic brake is engaged, bringing the car 10 to a stop.

[0213] In the elevator system 200, safety devices include a speed controller (not shown), an emergency stop device (not shown), and a buffer 14. The speed controller is a device installed in the car 10 that physically detects the speed of the car 10. The emergency stop device is a device installed in the car 10 that physically applies brakes to the car 10 when the speed controller detects an abnormal speed. The buffer 14 is installed in the pit 6 and absorbs the impact when the car 10 falls.

[0214] For example, if abnormal speed travel of the car 10 is detected by hardware (speed controller) or software (internal signal), a stop command for the car 10 is issued via software, and the safety circuit is activated via hardware or software. Activation of the safety circuit stops the power supply to the elevator, halting the movement of the car 10. Alternatively, the car 10 can be physically stopped via an emergency stop device or buffer 14.

[0215] When the safety circuit is in operation, the power supply to the brake coil of the electromagnetic brake for the traction machine 250 is cut off (LB signal is OFF), thereby putting the electromagnetic brake into braking state and stopping the car 10.

[0216] Alternatively, by setting a limit switch (final limit switch) located below the slow-down switch or above the slow-up switch to the ON state, the safety circuit is activated, and the car 10 stops to prevent collision with the top or bottom of the hoistway.

[0217] Furthermore, when the car 10 is traveling with the doors open, there is a risk of passengers falling into the hoistway 8 from the landing side or being trapped between the landing side entrance / exit and the car 10. Therefore, the elevator is controlled so that the car 10 does not travel when the landing side door 61 is open (landing door switch (DS signal) is OFF) or the car side door 60 is open (car door switch (GS signal) is OFF).

[0218] Furthermore, when the car 10 is outside the door zone (DZ signal is OFF), the elevator will be controlled to keep the doors closed. For example, if the car 10 is outside the door zone (DZ signal is OFF) and the doors are open (DS or GS signal is OFF), the safety circuit will activate, and the car 10 will stop.

[0219] The elevator safety devices and circuits described above operate in accordance with building codes and other legal regulations. Therefore, elevators from various manufacturers typically output DS (land door ON / OFF), GS (car door ON / OFF), LB (electromagnetic brake release / braking), DZ (door zone detection / non-detection), or similar signals as contact signals. These signals are used to determine the conditions for the elevator's safety circuits to operate.

[0220] Therefore, in this embodiment, the DS signal, GS signal, LB signal, DZ signal, or similar signals commonly used in various companies are used to determine the inspection items for remote inspection. Depending on the manufacturer or elevator model, other signals may sometimes be available for parallel transmission and sometimes not. When using such signals, depending on the elevator, there will be cases where remote inspection items can be determined and cases where they cannot.

[0221] The DZ signal can be used to calculate the travel time between floors or the car's position. For example, currently, car 10 is stopped at the lowest floor (floor 1). When car 10 starts moving, the DZ signal changes from ON to OFF. When the car reaches floor 2, the DZ signal changes from OFF to ON.

[0222] Therefore, when the car 10 is stopped at the 1st floor, the time from when the DZ signal changes from ON to OFF and then back to ON can be calculated as the travel time of the car 10 from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor. Furthermore, the car's position can be changed from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor at the precise time when the DZ signal changes from OFF to ON. In this way, the travel time between floors and the floor position can be calculated based on the timing of the DZ signal change.

[0223] At this point, with the SDL signal ON, the car position is set to floor 1 (lowest floor), and with the SUL signal ON, the car position is set to floor 5 (top floor). Furthermore, when the DZ signal changes from OFF to ON, if the UP signal is ON, the car position increases by one floor; if the DN signal is ON, the car position decreases by one floor.

[0224] However, in remote inspection, SDL, SUL, UP, and DN signals are not necessarily required. For example, in the absence of elevator users late at night, a 1st floor UP call can be generated through diagnostic operation. The car 10, responding to the 1st floor UP call, can also set the stopping floor to "1st floor". Alternatively, a 5th floor DN call can be generated. The car 10, responding to the 5th floor DN call, can also set the stopping floor to "5th floor".

[0225] Furthermore, during late-night diagnostic operations, when a call is received for the 1st floor (UP), the 5th floor (DN), and the 1st floor (UP), in response to the initial 1st floor (UP) call, the car position is set to 1st floor and the car direction to UP. Then, while traveling through the 5th floor (DN) call, the car position is incremented by 1 each time the DZ signal turns ON. In response to the 5th floor (DN) call, the car position is set to 5th floor and the car direction to DN. Then, while traveling through the 1st floor (UP) call, the car position is decremented by 1 each time the DZ signal turns ON. In response to the 1st floor (UP) call, the car position is set to 1st floor and the car direction to UP. With this configuration, the car position and direction of travel can be determined even without inputting the SDL, SUL, UP, and DN signals.

[0226] Furthermore, even when UP and DN signals are unavailable, the detection results from the door zone detection device can still be used. For example, the door zone detection device has multiple sensors, and multiple detection plates are provided corresponding to each sensor. The detection timing of the multiple sensors varies depending on the position of the car 10. When the car direction is UP or DN, the car direction can be determined by utilizing the timing of the sensor state changes, since the timing of each sensor changing to the ON state (or the timing of changing to the OFF state) differs.

[0227] Furthermore, even when UP and DN signals are unavailable, pulse information from the rotary encoder of the traction machine 250 can be used. In this case, the signal line branch output from the rotary encoder to the control panel 210 can be used to input signals to the remote inspection device 100. In this case, the car direction is determined based on which pulse of phase A or phase B is output first. For example, the car direction can be set to UP if the pulse of phase B is output with a 1 / 4 cycle delay relative to the pulse of phase A, and to DN if the pulse of phase A is output with a 1 / 4 cycle delay relative to the pulse of phase B.

[0228] Furthermore, by using the output information from the rotary encoder, the car position and car speed of the car 10 can also be calculated. The distance moved by the car 10 (car position) can also be calculated based on the number of pulses detected from the rotary encoder. Additionally, the car speed can be calculated based on the number of pulses detected per unit time. In this way, it is possible to determine whether the car 10 is in a stopped state, an accelerating state, a constant speed state, or a decelerating state, and it is also easy to determine whether the car position and car speed are appropriate.

[0229] However, the relationship between the number of pulses output from the rotary encoder and the car position varies depending on the elevator's rated speed, model, manufacturer, and type of rotary encoder. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the relationship between the number of pulses and the car position on-site at each location, complicating the design and installation of the remote inspection system 1. Therefore, considering ease of installation and cost, it is desirable to use the DZ signal to obtain elevator position information, as described above.

[0230] Furthermore, in this embodiment, during diagnostic operation to move the car 10, the remote inspection device 100 is configured to simulately output calls to the top floor (DN) and the bottom floor (UP). This allows the car 10 to move between the bottom and top floors.

[0231] In cases where it is desired to move the car 10 between the lowest and highest floors, the remote inspection device 100 can also be configured to simulate outputting car calls to the highest and lowest floors instead of landing calls. However, in this embodiment, from the viewpoint of ease of installation (construction), the remote inspection device 100 outputs landing calls instead of car calls.

[0232] As described above, in order to simulate the generation of landing call signals, the system is modified to short-circuit the contacts of the landing call buttons on the landing device 230 located at each landing station via signal input. The signal line (signal cable) for sending the landing call signal is connected from the remote inspection device 100 located in the machine room 5 along the wall of the shaft 8 to the landing call buttons of the uppermost and lowermost landing devices 230 embedded in the wall of the shaft 8. Since there are no obstacles along the wall of the shaft 8 when the signal line is installed in this way, the installation is relatively easy.

[0233] On the other hand, in order to simulate the generation of car call signals, the method is modified to short-circuit the contacts of the car call button on the car device 240 installed in the car 10 via signal input. For this purpose, the signal line used to send the car call signal needs to be connected from the remote inspection device 100 installed in the machine room 5 to the car call button on the car device 240 installed inside the car 10.

[0234] In this situation, it is necessary to allow the signal line to enter the interior of the car 10. Therefore, it is necessary to utilize the unused wire in the signal line of the control cable 22 that connects the machine room 5 and the car 10. However, it is necessary to confirm which wire is unused, and there is a possibility that there is no unused wire. In addition, it is necessary to confirm whether the signal lines of the control cable 22 are consistent on the machine room 5 side and the car 10 side, which is not easy to set up. Based on this situation, in this embodiment, during diagnostic operation, a landing call is generated simulatingly, but a car call is not generated simulatingly.

[0235] As explained above, in this embodiment, in determining the inspection items for remote inspection, signals based on parallel transmission are used instead of signals based on serial transmission, which vary according to communication specifications for each manufacturer and model. In particular, in this embodiment, signals that are commonly used regardless of the manufacturer and model are used for determining the inspection items for remote inspection. These signals are suitable for use from the viewpoint of ease of installation (constructability) and installation cost.

[0236] Specifically, the elevator call signal at the landing, as well as the DS, GS, LB, DZ signals, or similar signals used to determine the conditions for activating the elevator's safety circuit, are used to determine the inspection items for remote inspection. Thus, how to implement remote inspection when the signals suitable for use in the remote inspection device 100 are significantly limited becomes a major problem in this embodiment.

[0237] For example, in the case of using signals based on serial transmission (e.g., Figure 2 The remote inspection device 500 manufactured by Company X, which communicates serially with the control panel 210, can easily perform remote inspections as shown below.

[0238] Each elevator has its own inherent speed mode according to its model and rated speed. The speed mode is a pattern that shows the relationship between elapsed time and car speed when traveling from the starting floor to the destination floor. The car 10 enters an accelerating state when it begins traveling from the starting floor, then enters a constant speed state, and finally enters a decelerating state before reaching the destination floor. The control panel 210 can calculate and maintain the measured value of the speed mode from the starting floor to the destination floor based on the pulse signal obtained from the rotary encoder of the traction machine 250. Therefore, by comparing the measured value of the speed mode with the elevator's inherent speed mode (pre-set value), it is possible to determine whether the elevator's starting state, accelerating state, constant speed state, and decelerating state are normal. Figure 2 As shown, if the remote inspection device 500 is connected to the control panel 210 via serial communication, it can access the internal signals held by the control panel 210. Therefore, remote inspection can be easily achieved in this way.

[0239] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the remote inspection device 100 uses the "DZ signal" (a signal to determine whether it is within the door zone) as the position signal, based on the constraints of signals suitable for use in remote inspection. The DZ signal cannot determine whether the car 10 is accelerating, traveling at a constant speed, or decelerating. Therefore, in order to perform remote inspection using a limited number of signals, the determination method needs to be carefully considered. In other words, when remote inspection is implemented using a remote inspection device 500 capable of serial communication, there is neither an incentive nor an inclination to combine signals such as DS, GS, LB, and DZ signals to determine the inspection items for remote inspection.

[0240] In this embodiment, the control panel 210 controls one elevator (car 10) (see reference). Figure 3 As a premise, such as Figure 1 , Figure 7 As shown, the configuration connects a remote inspection device 100 to the elevator system 200. In contrast, as... Figure 6 As shown, in the case where the control panel 210b controls multiple elevators (cars 10) (multi-car structure), it can be configured such that remote inspection devices 100 are installed for each of the multiple elevators (cars 10). Alternatively, it can be configured such that one remote inspection device 100 is installed for multiple elevators.

[0241] When multiple elevators (cars 10) are equipped with remote inspection devices 100, the configuration can be as follows. For example, in Figure 6 In the structure shown, a branch of the signal line included in the control cable 22, 23 that connects each control unit 212 of the No. 1 elevator to the elevator equipment group 220b (car device 240, etc.) of the No. 1 elevator can input the DZ signal and other judgment signals of the No. 1 elevator to the remote inspection device 100 (input IF130) connected to the No. 1 elevator.

[0242] Similarly, a branch of the signal line included in the control cables 22 and 23, which connect each control unit 212 of the No. 2 elevator to the elevator equipment group 220b (car unit 240, etc.) of the No. 2 elevator, can be configured to input the judgment signal, such as the DZ signal of the No. 2 elevator, to the remote inspection device 100 (input IF130) connected to the No. 2 elevator. In this case, each remote inspection device 100 obtains the judgment signal of the elevator car 10 (the object car that the control unit 152 judges) connected to it, and performs remote inspection item judgment on the object car.

[0243] Multiple remote inspection devices 100 connected to multiple elevators can be configured to connect to one management server 300 and one terminal 400. Furthermore, in the case of multiple elevator cars, no landing call signal is sent to the landing device 230. Assuming there are multiple elevator cars and landing call signals are sent to the landing device 230, each remote inspection device 100 (output IF140) is connected to the landing device 230 via signal lines. Moreover, the landing device 230 is configured such that the contacts of the landing call button can be short-circuited regardless of which remote inspection device 100's signal output is received.

[0244] When installing one remote inspection device 100 for multiple elevators (cars 10), the configuration can be as follows. Figure 6 The structure shown is configured such that a portion of the signal lines from the control cables 22 and 23 connecting each control unit 212 of machine number 1 to the elevator equipment group 220b of machine number 1, and a portion of the signal lines from the control cables 22 and 23 connecting each control unit 212 of machine number 2 to the elevator equipment group 220b of machine number 2, are input to a single remote inspection device 100. In this case, the remote inspection device 100 determines the remote inspection items for each machine and sends the determination results for each machine to the management server 300.

[0245] (Processing performed by remote inspection system 1)

[0246] The following is a detailed explanation of the processing performed by the remote inspection system 1. Figure 9 This is a diagram showing an example of a functional block diagram of a remote inspection system 1. The remote inspection system 1 includes an acquisition unit 151, a control unit 152, an output unit 153, a receiving unit 154, and an instruction unit 155, and stores data sets 156.

[0247] The receiving unit 154 receives operations from the input unit 420 of the terminal 400 from the maintenance personnel (users operating the terminal 400). For example, the maintenance personnel can set the date and time for performing operation diagnostics, execute manual operation diagnostics, etc., by operating the input unit 420 on the display screen of the display unit 410 of the terminal 400 (see below). Figure 10 ).

[0248] The control unit 152 can access the data group 156. The data group 156 includes setting data 422, a reference time database (also called "DB") 423, running history 424, and judgment result 425. The control unit 152 reads or updates the setting data 422, the reference time DB 423, the running history 424, and the judgment result 425.

[0249] Setting data 422 stores various information related to remote inspection. For example, setting data 422 records information about building 2 and elevators related to remote inspection. When the date and time for implementing diagnostic operation are set through the operation of input unit 420, control unit 152 records the date and time in setting data 422.

[0250] The reference time DB423 is a database that records the reference time (e.g., the reference time KA for the start time, described later) used by the control unit 152 in determining various inspection items during remote inspections. More specifically, it will be used later... Figure 12 , Figure 13 The following is a description. Operation history 424 is historical data of signals from elevator system 200 obtained by remote inspection system 1. Judgment result 425 is data storing the judgment results of each inspection item from the remote inspection.

[0251] The control unit 152 generates a landing call signal for the elevator based on the implementation date and time of the operation diagnosis recorded in the setting data 422 or the execution command of the operation diagnosis based on the operator's operation (manual).

[0252] The instruction unit 155 sends a landing call signal generated by the control unit 152 to the elevator equipment group 220 of the elevator system 200. By responding to the landing call, the elevator system 200 performs diagnostic operations.

[0253] The acquisition unit 151 acquires judgment signals (DZ signal, LB signal, GS signal, DS signal, etc.) from the elevator equipment group 220 of the elevator system 200. The acquisition unit 151 acquires not only the judgment signals used during operation diagnosis, but also signals from the elevator equipment group 220 at all times.

[0254] Based on the judgment signals acquired by the acquisition unit 151, the control unit 152 determines the remote inspection items (performs judgment processing) and generates a judgment result. The remote inspection items include the car 10's start status, acceleration status, constant speed status, deceleration status, stop status, destination floor button status, landing button status, door open / close status, and brake status (whether the electromagnetic brake is malfunctioning). The control unit 152 records the acquired judgment signals in the operation history 424 and records the judgment results of the remote inspection items in the judgment result 425.

[0255] The output unit 153 outputs information such as the judgment results of the remote inspection items, which is then displayed on the display unit 410 of the terminal 400. Thus, the maintenance personnel can confirm the judgment results of the remote inspection through the display unit 410 of the terminal 400.

[0256] In this embodiment, the remote inspection system 1 comprises a remote inspection device 100, a management server 300, and a terminal 400. However, it is not limited to this; the remote inspection system 1 may also be configured without the management server 300 and the terminal 400, or it may be configured as a device that integrates them. For example, the remote inspection system 1 may consist only of the remote inspection device 100, or it may consist of the remote inspection device 100 and the management server 300. Furthermore, the remote inspection device 100 is configured to consist of a control device 110, an input IF 130, an output IF 140, and a communication IF 120. However, it is not limited to this; it may also be configured to integrate the functions of the input IF 130, the output IF 140, and the communication IF 120, and implement all functions in the control device 110.

[0257] The processing performed by each of the acquisition unit 151, control unit 152, output unit 153, receiving unit 154, and instruction unit 155 can be performed by the processor 111 of the control device 110, or by any processor in the substrate of the remote inspection device 100. For example, the acquisition unit 151 can also be the processing performed by the processor of the input IF 130. The instruction unit 155 can also be the processing performed by the processor of the output IF 140. The output unit 153 and the receiving unit 154 can also be the processing performed by any processor among the communication IF 120, the management server 300, and the terminal 400. The remote inspection device 100 can also be configured to include the acquisition unit 151, control unit 152, output unit 153, receiving unit 154, and instruction unit 155. It can also be configured to include the acquisition unit 151 and the instruction unit 155, and the management server 300 can include the control unit 152, the output unit 153, and the receiving unit 154. Data group 156 can also be stored in memory 112 of control device 110, and a portion thereof can also be stored in memory of management server 300.

[0258] Figure 10 This diagram shows an example of a display screen 421 of the remote inspection system 1. The display screen 421 is displayed on the display unit 410 of the terminal 400. The display screen 421 displays remote inspection setting information, judgment results of each item of remote inspection, setting buttons, etc.

[0259] At the top of display screen 421, the property name of building 2 is shown as "ABC Building". Below it, the judgment status related to operation diagnostics is displayed. In this example, the results are shown according to different travel directions. Figure 8 The results were obtained by running the diagnostic process between layers 1 and 5 as shown.

[0260] The "UP Direction" column shows the results when traveling from floor 1 to floor 5 in the UP direction. "Travel Time" is the time required to travel from floor 1 to floor 5. "Start Time" is the time required to start the car 10 (from leaving the door area) when starting from floor 1. Furthermore, when traveling from floor 1 to floor 5, the times required to travel from floor 1 to floor 2 (including acceleration), from floor 2 to floor 3 (constant speed), from floor 3 to floor 4 (constant speed), and from floor 4 to floor 5 (including deceleration) are shown separately. The same applies to the "DN Direction" column.

[0261] Here, "measured time" refers to the actual time measured during diagnostic operation. "Reference time" is the time used as a benchmark to determine whether the measured time is normal. "Judgment criteria" are conditions determined based on the reference time. If the measured time falls within the value range of the judgment criteria, it is judged as a "normal state." On the other hand, if the measured time falls outside the value range of the judgment criteria, it is judged as an "out-of-balance state."

[0262] In this embodiment, "disconnected state" refers to a state that deviates from the normal state. A disconnected state does not necessarily mean an abnormal state has been reached, but it includes states that indicate signs of malfunction or abnormality in certain equipment of the elevator system 200. By determining whether a "disconnected state" exists, signs of malfunction (states preceding a malfunction) can be detected. In the "Determination" column, a circle is displayed when the determination result is "normal state," and a triangle is displayed when the determination result is "disconnected state."

[0263] For example, in the "Start-up Time" display on screen 421, the reference time is shown as KA, the measured time as TA, the judgment condition is KAL~KAH, and the judgment result is normal state. This means that because the condition KAL≤TA≤KAH is met, the normal state is obtained as the judgment result of the start-up time.

[0264] In addition, the results of operational diagnostics are shown at the bottom. In this example, the start-up state, travel state, car call button state, and floor call button state are determined to be "normal state," while the door open / closed state is determined to be "malfunction state." The results of general diagnostics are also shown at the bottom. In this example, the brake state and stop state are determined to be "normal state."

[0265] At the bottom of the display screen 421, various buttons that can be clicked via the input unit 420 are provided. In the "Operation Diagnosis Setting," the date and time for performing operation diagnostics can be set. In this example, the date and time of the 23rd at 23:59 are entered via the input unit 420 in the "Operation Diagnosis Setting." When the "Set" button is clicked, operation diagnostics will be performed at 23:59 on the 23rd of each month. This setting information is recorded in the setting data 422.

[0266] In addition, unlike the automatic execution of monthly operation diagnostics, operation diagnostics can be performed immediately by clicking the "Manual Operation Diagnostics" button. When an operation diagnostic is performed, the "Measurement Time" display is updated based on the execution results, and the result is displayed as "Normal Status" or "Disorder Status".

[0267] In the "Base Time" field, in principle, when the remote inspection system 1 is set up in building 2 to perform operation diagnostics, the measurement time at that time is set as the base time. However, when the "Save Base Time" button is clicked, the base time is updated to the measurement time in the most recently executed operation diagnostic, and the judgment criteria are updated based on the updated base time.

[0268] For example, in Figure 10 In the example, the start-up time measured in the most recent operation diagnosis is "TA", and the reference time is "KU". When the "Save Reference Time" button is clicked in this state, the reference time is updated to "TA", and the judgment conditions KAL and KAH are updated based on the updated reference time.

[0269] The following is a description of the processes performed by the remote inspection system 1, based on the flowchart. Figure 11 This is a flowchart of remote inspection processing and terminal setting processing. Remote inspection system 1 performs remote inspection processing. Remote inspection processing is the process of determining inspection items based on judgment signals. Remote inspection processing only needs to be started periodically (e.g., every 100 ms). Hereinafter, "step" will be abbreviated as "S".

[0270] On the other hand, when an operation button is clicked on the display screen 421 of the terminal 400, terminal setting processing is executed. After the terminal setting processing begins, the terminal 400 determines in S151 whether the "Manual Operation Diagnosis" button has been clicked. If the "Manual Operation Diagnosis" button has been clicked (Yes in S151), the terminal 400 performs a manual operation diagnosis request setting (S152), causing the process to proceed to S153. In this case, a manual operation diagnosis request is sent to the remote inspection device 100. If the "Manual Operation Diagnosis" button has not been clicked (No in S151), the terminal 400 directly causes the process to proceed to S153.

[0271] In terminal 400, step S153 determines whether the "Save Reference Time" button has been clicked. If the "Save Reference Time" button has been clicked (Yes in S153), terminal 400 sets a reference time save request (S154), causing the process to proceed to S155. In this case, a reference time save request is sent to remote inspection device 100. If the "Save Reference Time" button has not been clicked (No in S153), terminal 400 directly proceeds to S155.

[0272] In step S155, terminal 400 determines whether the "Set" button has been clicked. If the "Set" button has been clicked (Yes in S155), terminal 400 sends a request to set the operation diagnostic setting time (S156) and ends the terminal setting process. In this case, the operation diagnostic setting time is sent to the remote inspection device 100. If the "Set" button has not been clicked (No in S155), terminal 400 directly ends the terminal setting process.

[0273] On the other hand, after the remote inspection process begins, the control unit 152 of the remote inspection system 1 performs a reference time acquisition process in S100 (see below). Figure 14 In the reference time acquisition process, the reference time used for determining the inspection items in remote inspection is set from the reference time DB423.

[0274] In step S101, control unit 152 determines whether a "manual operation diagnosis" request exists or whether the current time has become the operation diagnosis setting time. If the "manual operation diagnosis" button is clicked, the "manual operation diagnosis" request is set (S152). The operation diagnosis setting time is set based on the operation diagnosis setting time setting request (S156).

[0275] If any of the above conditions are met (Yes in S101), the control unit 152 causes the process to proceed to S102. On the other hand, if the control unit 152 determines that none of the above conditions are met (No in S101), the process proceeds to S104.

[0276] Control unit 152 generates floor call information in S102. In this embodiment, if using Figure 8 As explained, call buttons for the 1st floor (UP) and the 5th floor (DN) are generated to enable the car 10 to travel from the 1st floor to the 5th floor and from the 5th floor to the 1st floor.

[0277] In S103, the instruction unit 155 outputs a floor call generated by the control unit 152 to the elevator system 200. As a result, the car 10 moves in response to the floor call.

[0278] In S104, the acquisition unit 151 acquires the determination signal (DZ signal, LB signal, GS signal, DS signal, etc.) from the elevator system 200. The acquisition unit 151 continuously acquires the determination signal from the elevator system 200 until the termination condition is met (Yes in S105).

[0279] For example, during operational diagnostics, the termination condition may be set at regular intervals when the car 10 reciprocates between the 1st and 5th floors. During routine diagnostics, the termination condition may be set each time the car 10 completes a predetermined action (e.g., door opening / closing, brake release / braking, floor stop), or the termination condition may be set periodically (e.g., every few minutes).

[0280] If the control unit 152 determines that the termination condition is met (Yes in S105), it executes the determination process (S106). In the determination process, the remote inspection items are determined. These inspection items include one or more of the following: start status, acceleration status, constant speed status, deceleration status, stop status, destination floor button status, floor button status, door open / close status, and brake status.

[0281] In S107, the control unit 152 records the obtained decision signal in the operation history 424 and records the decision result obtained in the decision processing in the decision result 425.

[0282] In S108, output unit 153 outputs the determination result obtained in the determination process. For example, output unit 153 outputs (sends) the determination result to management server 300 via the network. Terminal 400 can obtain the determination result by accessing management server 300 via the network. Thus, as Figure 10 As shown, the determination result can be confirmed on the display unit 410 of the terminal 400.

[0283] Control unit 152 performs a reference time update process in S109, ending the remote inspection process. More specifically, the process described later... Figure 13 This is explained, but this process updates the base time of Mode B in the base time DB423.

[0284] (Switching of reference time)

[0285] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a reference time DB423. Figure 10 The “base time” shown is the value read from the base time recorded in base time DB423.

[0286] In the reference time DB423, with Figure 10Similarly, values ​​such as "travel time" and "start time" are set. As the mode for reading the reference time DB423, any of modes A to D can be preset. Although not illustrated, it can be configured so that it can be changed to any of modes A to D through operation of the terminal 400 by a maintenance personnel.

[0287] exist Figure 10 In the example, mode A is set. Therefore, time KU is read as the "travel time" in the UP direction in the reference time DB423, and time KA is read as the "start time" and displayed. Figure 10 The display screen is 421.

[0288] Here, when a fixed value is desired as the reference time each time, mode A is set. When mode A is set, the reference time set in the mode A item of reference time DB423 is used each time. In principle, these reference times are set to the time measured when the remote inspection device 100 is installed in building 2. However, when the "Reference Time Save" button is clicked on display screen 421, the reference time is replaced with the measurement time during the most recent operation diagnosis (diagnostic operation).

[0289] If you want to use the previous value as the base time, set Mode B. When Mode B is set, the base time set in the Mode B section of Base Time DB423 is used. The base time set in the Mode B section is updated each time a diagnostic run (diagnostic run) is performed.

[0290] exist Figure 10 In this example, a diagnostic run is performed once a month at 23:59 on the 23rd. For instance, in the diagnostic run at 23:59 on January 23, if the reference time for the start-up time in the UP direction is time KA1 and the measured time is time TX, the reference time for Mode B of reference time DB423 is updated from time KA1 to time TX. Therefore, in the next diagnostic run at 23:59 on February 23 (the following month), time TX is used as the reference time for the start-up time in the UP direction.

[0291] To change the base time based on the temperature of computer room 5, set mode C. The temperature of computer room 5 is measured by temperature sensor 15. The base time set in mode C is the measured value categorized into cases where the temperature of computer room 5 is less than K1℃ (~K1℃), greater than K1℃ but less than K2℃ (K1℃~), greater than K2℃ but less than K3℃ (K2℃~), and greater than K3℃ (K3℃~). For example, the base time can be changed every 5℃ or every 10℃.

[0292] The reference time can be set based on the results of the diagnostic run. For example, if the temperature of the machine room 5 is above K1℃ and below K2℃ during the diagnostic run to determine the reference time, the reference time is recorded in the item of reference time DB423 where K1℃ is above and below K2℃ (K1℃~). Alternatively, multiple diagnostic runs can be performed, and the average value can be set as the reference time.

[0293] When mode C is set, the reference time set in the mode C item of reference time DB423 is used according to the current temperature of the computer room 5. For example, if the temperature of the computer room 5 during diagnostic operation is less than K1℃ (~K1℃), the reference time set in the item less than K1℃ is used (for example, "KA2" in the start time of the UP direction).

[0294] Furthermore, the temperature measured by temperature sensor 15 is not limited to the temperature of machine room 5. Temperature sensor 15 can also be installed at any location within elevator shaft 8, around shaft 8, or around elevator.

[0295] If you want to change the base time according to the season, set up Mode D. The base time set in Mode D is the value measured by classifying the seasons as spring, summer, autumn, and winter. For example, if the diagnostic operation for determining the base time was performed in summer, the base time is recorded in the summer section.

[0296] When Mode D is set, the reference time set in the Mode D item of reference time DB423 is used according to the season. For example, if the season for diagnostic operation is spring, the reference time set in the spring item is used (e.g., "KU126" in the start time of the UP direction).

[0297] Modes B through D are preparation modes for hydraulic elevators. In the case of hydraulic elevators, the properties of the oil change depending on the season and temperature, which can easily cause variations in the travel characteristics of the car 10. This is because, for example, the oil becomes thicker in winter compared to summer when temperatures are higher, resulting in longer start-up times and potential deviations in travel time. Therefore, the reference time is switched according to the season or temperature at which the oil properties change. Furthermore, using the value from the last diagnostic (last month's value) in Mode B is to use a reference time that is close to the temperature or equipment environment at the time of the most recent diagnostic.

[0298] Furthermore, the reference time recorded in reference time DB423 includes "time outside the door zone (also referred to as "DZ"). This is the time measured from when the car 10 stops at a certain floor (LB signal changes from ON to OFF) until it leaves the door zone while stopped (DZ signal changes from ON to OFF). For example, in the Mode A item of reference time DB423, time KX is set as "time outside the DZ".

[0299] In a hydraulic elevator, when the car 10 is stopped at a floor, it will slightly descend over time (the floor of the car gradually decreases relative to the floor of the landing), and thus, sometimes it will move away from the door zone. Moreover, due to the properties of oil, this time will vary depending on the season or temperature, therefore, the system is configured to allow for changes in the base time in each hydraulic elevator.

[0300] Furthermore, the reference time recorded in reference time DB423 includes the door opening times for floors 1 through 5. The door opening time in reference time DB423 is obtained by measuring the time from when the car 10 stops at a certain floor and the GS and DS signals change from ON to OFF until they change back to ON. For example, in the Mode A section of reference time DB423, time KY1 is set as the door opening time for floor 1. In the Mode A section of reference time DB423, time KY5 is set as the door opening time for floor 5.

[0301] Figure 13 This is a flowchart of the base time update process. The base time update process is... Figure 11 The process performed in S109 of the remote inspection process shown (after the decision process). In addition, a reference time update process is also performed in the case of a reference time saving request (S154).

[0302] After the reference time update process begins, if the control unit 152 determines that a "reference time save" request exists (Yes in S251), it updates the reference time DB423 (S252) and causes the process to proceed to S253. If the control unit 152 determines that a "reference time save" request does not exist (No in S251), it directly causes the process to proceed to S253.

[0303] In S252 (when the "Save Reference Time" button has been clicked), the reference times (travel time, start time, elapsed time between floors, time to become outside DZ, and door opening time) for modes A to D are updated. For example, in the UP direction travel time, if the season is summer and the machine room temperature is above K3℃, and the measured time is "TUX" during the operation diagnostic performed before clicking the "Save Reference Time" button, the values ​​"KU" for mode A, "KU1" for mode B, "KU5" for mode C ("K3℃~"), and "KU7" for mode D ("Summer") are changed to "TUX" respectively. Thus, when an operation diagnostic is performed, the reference time can be updated to the measured time in that operation diagnostic.

[0304] If the control unit 152 invokes the reference time update process in S109 after the decision processing in the remote inspection process (Yes in S253), it updates the reference times (travel time, start time, elapsed time between floors, time to become outside DZ, door opening time) of mode B of the reference time DB423 (S254) and ends the reference time update process. If the control unit 152 does not invoke the reference time update process in S109 (No in S253), it directly ends the reference time update process.

[0305] In S254, for example, if the measured time during operation diagnosis is "TUY" in the UP direction travel time, "KU1" in mode B is changed to "TUY". Therefore, the measured time is changed to the reference time of mode B each time operation diagnosis is performed. Thus, when mode B is set, the measured time from the last (last month) operation diagnosis is used as the reference time.

[0306] Figure 14 This is a flowchart of the reference time acquisition process. The reference time acquisition process is... Figure 11 The process executed in S100 of the remote inspection process shown. When mode A is set (yes in S201), the control unit 152 obtains the reference time of mode A (S202) and causes the process to proceed to S209. For example, during the travel time in the UP direction, the "KU" of mode A is obtained.

[0307] If mode A is not set (No in S201) and mode B is set (Yes in S203), control unit 152 obtains the reference time of mode B (S204) and causes processing to proceed to S209. For example, during the travel time in the UP direction, "KU1" of mode B is obtained.

[0308] If mode B is not set (No in S203) but mode C is set (Yes in S205), control unit 152 obtains the reference time of mode C suitable for the current computer room temperature (S206) and proceeds to S209. For example, if the current computer room temperature is above K3°C, during the travel time in the UP direction, "KU5" of mode C "K3°C~" is obtained.

[0309] If mode C is not set (No in S205) and mode D is set (Yes in S207), control unit 152 obtains the reference time of mode D that is consistent with the current season (S208) and proceeds to S209. For example, if the current season is summer, during the travel time in the UP direction, "KU7" of "summer" in mode D is obtained.

[0310] If mode D is not set (No in S207), control unit 152 causes the process to proceed to S209. In S209, control unit 152 sets the acquired reference time as the reference time to be used and ends the reference time setting process.

[0311] Regarding the switching of the reference time, the structure and effects of this implementation are summarized below.

[0312] (A) The control unit 152 can update the reference time (travel time, start time, elapsed time between floors, time outside DZ, door opening time) of the reference time DB423 to the measured time calculated (measured) during operation diagnosis. For example, the control unit 152 can update the reference time KA (in the case of UP direction) of the start time of the reference time DB423 to the start time TA measured during operation diagnosis. In this way, the inspection items for remote inspection can be determined using values ​​that conform to the elevator's operating state on site.

[0313] (B) The reference times recorded in reference time DB423 (travel time, start time, elapsed time between floors, time outside DZ, door opening time) include multiple values ​​measured according to each season (values ​​for spring, summer, autumn, and winter). Control unit 152 selects any value from these multiple values ​​to determine the inspection item based on the current season. For example, the reference time for start time recorded in reference time DB423 includes multiple values ​​measured according to each season (KA6 to KA9 in mode D (in the UP direction)). Control unit 152 selects KA7 to determine the start time if the current season is summer. In this way, not only rope elevators but also hydraulic elevators whose oil properties change with the seasons can obtain highly accurate judgment results.

[0314] (C) The reference time recorded in reference time DB423 (travel time, start time, elapsed time between floors, time outside DZ, door opening time) includes multiple values ​​(~K1℃, K2℃~, K3℃~, K4℃~) for each temperature range measured by temperature sensor 15. Control unit 152 selects any value from these multiple values ​​based on the current temperature measured by temperature sensor 15 to determine the inspection item. For example, the reference time (reference time KA) for the start time recorded in reference time DB423 includes multiple values ​​(KA2~KA5 in mode C (up direction)) for each temperature range measured by temperature sensor 15. Control unit 152 selects KA5 to determine the start time if the current temperature measured by temperature sensor 15 is above K4℃. In this way, not only rope elevators but also hydraulic elevators whose oil properties change with temperature can obtain highly accurate determination results.

[0315] (D) The instruction unit 155 periodically sends floor call signals. Specifically, as shown in S101 to S103, a floor call is generated and output whenever the monthly operation diagnosis setting time is reached. After performing the operation diagnosis, the control unit 152 changes the reference time (travel time, start time, elapsed time between floors, time outside DZ, door opening time) of the reference time DB423 to the measured time calculated during the operation diagnosis (S109). For example, after performing the operation diagnosis, the control unit 152 changes the reference time KA of the start time of the reference time DB423 to the measured time TA of the start time calculated during the operation diagnosis. In this way, the latest elevator operation status value that conforms to the site can be used to obtain a highly accurate judgment result. For example, even if the condition of the equipment changes due to the deterioration of the equipment over the years or the adjustment of valves in the hydraulic elevator, this situation can be handled.

[0316] (E) The receiving unit 154 receives operations from the maintenance personnel (users) (clicking the "Manual Operation Diagnosis" button, clicking the "Reference Time Save" button, etc.). When the "Manual Operation Diagnosis" button is clicked (S151, S101), the control unit 152 generates a floor call signal. The instruction unit 155 sends the generated floor call signal. When the "Reference Time Save" button is clicked (S153), the control unit 152 changes the reference time (travel time, start time, elapsed time between floors, time outside DZ, door opening time) of the reference time DB423 to the measured time calculated during operation diagnosis (S252). For example, when the control unit 152 clicks the "Reference Time Save" button, it changes the reference time KA of the start time of the reference time DB423 to the measured time TA of the start time calculated during operation diagnosis (in the case of the UP direction). In this way, by manually changing it to the value that conforms to the latest elevator operation status on site, a highly accurate judgment result can be obtained. For example, it can handle situations where the condition of the equipment changes due to years of equipment deterioration or valve adjustments in hydraulic elevators.

[0317] [Determination of Inspection Items for Remote Inspection]

[0318] Next, the determination of inspection items for remote inspection performed in this embodiment will be explained. The determination of inspection items for remote inspection is as follows: Figure 11 The remote inspection process is performed in the decision processing (S106) shown. The remote inspection items include the starting status, acceleration status, constant speed status, deceleration status, stop status, destination floor button status, landing button status, door opening / closing status, and brake status of the car 10.

[0319] In the judgment process, judgments are made on one or more of the aforementioned inspection items. In this embodiment, the determination of the opening and closing status (also referred to as "door opening and closing status" or "door opening and closing state") of the car 10 door 60 and the landing door 61 in the judgment process is described as an inspection item for remote inspection. Hereinafter, using... Figures 15-18 The method for determining the open and closed state of a door is explained.

[0320] (Determining the open / closed state of a door)

[0321] Figure 15 It is a timing diagram used to illustrate the determination of the open and closed state of a door. Figure 15 The situation and Figure 8 The situation after time t4 is the same. For example... Figure 15 As shown, at time t0, car 10 is traveling from the 4th floor to the 5th floor in response to a call from the DN floor station on the 5th floor, and is about to stop at the 5th floor (stop floor).

[0322] At time t0, the car position of car 10 is outside the door zone (DZ signal is OFF). The brake of traction machine 250 is released (LB signal is ON). Door 60 on the side of car 10 is closed (GS signal is ON). Door 61 on the landing side is closed (DS signal is ON).

[0323] Subsequently, at time t1, the car of car 10 enters the door zone on the 5th floor, and the DZ signal changes from OFF to ON. Then, car 10 stops at the 5th floor, and at time t2, the brake of traction machine 250 is engaged, and the LB signal changes from ON to OFF.

[0324] At time t3, car 10 begins to open its doors (door 60 of car 10 and door 61 of the landing open), thereby changing the GS and DS signals from ON to OFF. At time t4, car 10 closes its doors, thereby changing the GS and DS signals from OFF to ON.

[0325] At time t5, the car of car 10 is in the door zone (DZ signal is ON). The brake of traction machine 250 is in the braking state (LB signal is OFF). Door 60 on the side of car 10 is closed (GS signal is ON). Door 61 on the landing side is closed (DS signal is ON).

[0326] Here, the timing of the DZ signal changing from OFF to ON and then the LB signal changing from ON to OFF is called the first timing (time t2). The timing of the GS signal changing from ON to OFF and the DS signal changing from ON to OFF after the first timing is called the second timing (time t3). The timing of the GS signal changing from OFF to ON and the DS signal changing from OFF to ON after the second timing is called the third timing (time t4).

[0327] Here, time TG1 is the time from the first timing (time t2) to the second timing (time t3). If the door is not opened due to faulty conditions or other reasons (and no second timing is generated), time TG1 continues to count until the end of the measurement. Time TG2 is the time from the second timing (time t3) to the third timing (time t4).

[0328] In this embodiment, the DZ signal, LB signal, GS signal, and DS signal are used to determine whether the door opening and closing state is normal. The control unit 152 uses the time TG1 from the first time when the brake is in the braking state to the second time when the door is in the open state, and the time TG2 from the second time when the door is open to the third time when the door is closed, to determine whether the door opening and closing state is normal.

[0329] The following explanation uses a flowchart. Figure 16 This is a flowchart of the decision-making process. Figure 17 This diagram illustrates the decision conditions in the decision processing. In this embodiment, the open / closed state of the door is determined during the decision processing.

[0330] As described above, the determination of remotely monitored inspection items includes determinations based on operational diagnostics and routine diagnostics. Operational diagnostics use a determination signal obtained when the car 10 travels in response to a landing call signal sent by the indicator unit 155. Routine diagnostics use a determination signal obtained regardless of whether a landing call signal has been sent by the indicator unit 155.

[0331] Here, the control panel 210 controls the car 10 to wait at the waiting floor with the doors open when the car 10 becomes available, provided that the door opening waiting setting has been configured. The waiting floor with the door opening waiting setting is referred to as the "door opening waiting floor".

[0332] When the decision-making process begins, such as Figure 16 As shown, in S301, the control unit 152 determines whether the position of the car 10 is not a door-opening waiting floor at the first timing (time t2).

[0333] If the control unit 152 determines in S301 that the position of the first timed car 10 is not a door-opening waiting floor (Yes in S301), the process proceeds to S302. On the other hand, if the control unit 152 determines that the position of the first timed car 10 is a door-opening waiting floor (No in S301), the process proceeds to S306.

[0334] In S302, if the operation is being diagnosed (Yes in S302), the control unit 152 causes the process to proceed to S303. On the other hand, if the operation is not being diagnosed (No in S302), the control unit 152 causes the process to proceed to S306.

[0335] In S303, if the second condition is determined to be met (Yes in S303), the control unit 152 determines that the door's opening / closing state is normal (S304) and ends the determination process. On the other hand, if the second condition is determined not to be met (No in S303), the control unit 152 determines that the door's opening / closing state is out of balance (S305) and ends the determination process.

[0336] like Figure 17 As shown, the second condition is met when time TG1 is below the reference time KG11 and time TG2 is below the reference time KG12. Reference time KG11 is 5 seconds. Reference time KG12 is 1 minute.

[0337] Return to Figure 16 If the control unit 152 is performing a normal diagnosis in S306 (Yes in S306), the process proceeds to S307. On the other hand, if the control unit 152 is not performing a normal diagnosis (No in S306), the determination process ends.

[0338] If the control unit 152 determines that the first condition is met (Yes in S307), it determines that the door's opening / closing state is normal (S308) and ends the determination process. If the control unit 152 determines that the first condition is not met (No in S307), it determines that the door's opening / closing state is out of balance (S309) and ends the determination process.

[0339] When time TG2 is below the base time KG22, the first condition holds. Figure 17 The reference time KG12 is shorter than the reference time KG22. The reference time KG22 is 15 minutes.

[0340] As explained above, during operational diagnostics, the control unit 152 determines that the door's opening and closing status is normal when the condition (second condition) of TG1≤KG11 (5 seconds) and TG2≤KG12 (1 minute) is met. On the other hand, during normal diagnostics, the control unit 152 determines that the door's opening and closing status is normal when the condition (first condition) of TG2≤KG22 (15 minutes) is met.

[0341] Operational diagnostics are performed during periods when elevators are not in use (e.g., late at night). Figure 10 In this embodiment, during operation diagnostics, a call to the lowest floor (1st floor) UP and a call to the highest floor (5th floor) DN are simulated. The car 10 responds to these calls, thereby opening and closing the car 10 door 60 and the floor door 61 at the 1st or 5th floor.

[0342] When the car 10 stops at the 1st or 5th floor and the brake is engaged (first timing), the door opens immediately (second timing). If the car 10 stops in response to a floor call but does not open the door (time TG1 long), the control panel 210 determines that the passenger is in a "trapped state" inside the car 10.

[0343] For example, control panel 210 can determine that the device is trapped if time TG1 is 10 seconds or more, or if time TG1 is 1 minute or more. Similarly, if a door that should open immediately after docking does not open, control unit 152 determines that the door's opening / closing state is out of sync. In this embodiment, during operation diagnosis, control unit 152 determines that the door's opening / closing state is out of sync if time TG1 exceeds 5 seconds.

[0344] Furthermore, if the car 10 opens its doors on the 1st or 5th floor (second timing), it will automatically close its doors shortly thereafter (third timing). The time (time TG2) during which the car 10 remains open without the user pressing the door open button 52 varies depending on the elevator, but is, for example, about 10 seconds.

[0345] Even though the user did not press the door open button 52, the extended time TG2 cannot be considered normal. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the time TG2 exceeds 1 minute, the door's opening and closing status is determined to be out of balance.

[0346] For example, if an elevator malfunctions and becomes trapped, TG1 ≥ KG11 (5 seconds). Furthermore, if something obstructs the elevator, preventing the door 60 on the car side 10 from opening, or if something obstructs the door 61 on the landing side from opening, TG1 ≥ KG11 (5 seconds). Additionally, if something obstructs the elevator, preventing the door 60 on the car side 10 from closing, or if something obstructs the door 61 on the landing side from closing, TG2 ≥ KG12 (1 minute).

[0347] On the other hand, in this embodiment, during operation diagnosis, the control unit 152 does not determine the door's open / closed state when the car 10 is located at a door-waiting floor. For example, if the first floor is set as a door-waiting floor, when the car 10 arrives at the first floor, the car 10 will remain in the open state for a predetermined time (several minutes) and wait at the first floor. Due to this door-waiting action, the time TG2 may exceed KG12 (1 minute). Therefore, during operation diagnosis, the door's open / closed state is not determined at the door-waiting floor.

[0348] Alternatively, the control unit 152 may determine the door's opening or closing status during operation diagnosis even if the car 10 is at a door-waiting floor (i.e., the determination in S301 may not be performed). For example, if the reference time KG12 is set to be longer than the door-waiting time of the door-waiting floor, or if no door-waiting floor is set, the determination in S301 is unnecessary.

[0349] On the other hand, during routine diagnostics, the judgment conditions differ from those during operational diagnostics. During routine diagnostics, the door opening / closing status is determined based on the premise that a passenger is using the elevator. In this case, for example, the passenger might intentionally prolong the door opening time by continuously pressing the open button 52, etc.

[0350] Therefore, time TG2 is made longer than the reference time KG12. During normal diagnosis, if time TG2 is within 15 minutes (reference time KG22) (condition 1), the door opening / closing status is judged to be normal. Furthermore, during normal diagnosis, time TG1 (the time from stopping to door opening) is not included in the judgment condition. This is because the movement of the car 10 caused by the aforementioned waiting action is taken into account.

[0351] For example, floor 2 is designated as a waiting floor and is set to wait with the doors closed. In this case, car 10, which stops at a floor other than floor 2, waits with the doors closed after arriving at floor 2, which is the waiting floor. In this case, even if the car reaches floor 2, the doors will not open (no second timer is generated after the first timer), therefore, no time-based decision is made based on TG1.

[0352] Similarly, this situation can occur even when there are multiple cars and the waiting action is effective. For example, if both available cars 10 are stopped on the 1st floor, one car 10 may travel to an upper floor (e.g., the 3rd floor) and then close its door (not opening the door even after reaching the 3rd floor).

[0353] On the other hand, during operation diagnostics, car 10 must move via landing call. In this case, car 10 must open its doors. Therefore, during operation diagnostics, a decision based on time TG1 is made.

[0354] Additionally, in this embodiment, the door-opening waiting layer is excluded from the judgment objects during operation diagnosis, but it is not limited to this; the following methods can also be used. For example, in Figure 16 In the flowchart, S301 is not performed; S302 is performed regardless of whether the car 10 is at a door-opening waiting floor.

[0355] Furthermore, the reference time KG12 does not have to be a fixed value (1 minute), but can be set based on a predetermined reference time. For example, it can also be from... Figure 12 Select the reference time for the door opening time of each floor from the reference time DB423, and set the reference time KG12 based on this reference time.

[0356] For example, if the set mode is Mode A and the car stops at the 1st floor, the door opening time at the 1st floor of Mode A is selected from the reference time DB423, which is time KY1. Time KY1 is the measured value of the time (door opening time) from when the car 10 stops at the 1st floor and from when the GS signal and DS signal change from ON to OFF until they change from OFF to ON.

[0357] The base time KG12 is determined based on time KY1. For example, as... Figure 17 As shown in the variation, the reference time KG12 can also be KG12 = time KY1 + 1 minute. Assume that floor 1 is set as a door-opening waiting floor with a waiting time of 3 minutes. In this case, the measured time KY1 is set to approximately 3 minutes. Furthermore, the reference time KG12 = 4 minutes (3 minutes + 1 minute). In this case, even if the door is opened for 3 minutes due to the door-opening waiting setting, it will not be mistakenly judged as an out-of-balance state (because TG2 (3 minutes) ≤ KG12 (4 minutes)).

[0358] When the set mode is Mode B and the door stops at the 5th floor, the opening time of the 5th floor in Mode B, i.e., time KY51, is selected from the reference time DB423. The reference time KG12 is determined based on time KY51. For example, suppose the 5th floor is set as the door opening waiting floor and the door opening waiting time is 2 minutes. In this case, the time KY51, which is the measured value, is set to approximately 2 minutes. Moreover, the reference time KG12 = 3 minutes (2 minutes + 1 minute). In this case, even if the door is opened for 2 minutes due to the door opening waiting setting, it will not be mistakenly judged as an out-of-balance state (because TG2 (2 minutes) ≤ KG12 (3 minutes)).

[0359] Furthermore, in Mode B, the value measured during the last operation diagnostic (diagnostic operation) is set to time KY51. Therefore, this will work even if the door opening waiting level setting is changed.

[0360] If using the above Figures 12-14As explained, the measured door opening time is recorded in the reference time DB423 for each mode. Furthermore, the appropriateness of time TG2 can be determined based on the measured door opening time. Therefore, even if the door opening time is longer due to the door opening wait setting, an appropriate determination can be made taking this situation into account. Thus, it can be configured as shown in structures (A) to (E) above, and achieve the effects shown in structures (A) to (E).

[0361] (A variation of determining the open / closed state of a door)

[0362] In this embodiment, such as Figure 16 As shown, during operational diagnosis, the opening and closing status of the door is determined based on whether the second condition is met. During normal diagnosis, the opening and closing status of the door is determined based on whether the first condition is met.

[0363] However, it is not limited to this. The opening and closing status of the door can also be determined according to the number of cars 10 controlled by the control panel 210, as follows. Figure 18 This is a flowchart of the decision-making process for the modified example. Additionally, the timing diagram in the modified example is... Figure 15 The examples are the same.

[0364] In this modified example, a remote inspection device 100 is installed for each of the multiple elevators (cars 10) (a remote inspection device 100 is installed for each elevator number). Determination processing is performed according to each remote inspection device 100 corresponding to each elevator. In the case of multiple cars, the landings and cars 10 of the elevators connected to the remote inspection devices 100 are considered as objects for determination processing. In S501, the control unit 152 determines the time at the first timing ( Figure 15 At time t2), is the position of car 10 not a door-waiting floor? If, in S501, control unit 152 determines that the position of car 10 at the first time is not a door-waiting floor (yes in S501), processing proceeds to S502. If, in S501, control unit 152 determines that the position of car 10 at the first time is a door-waiting floor (no in S501), processing proceeds to S506.

[0365] In step S502, if the system is operating with a single car (one car 10 controlled by the control panel 210) and is in operation diagnostic mode (Yes in S502), the control unit 152 proceeds to step S503. Conversely, if the system is not operating with a single car and is not in operation diagnostic mode (No in S502), the control unit 152 proceeds to step S506. When operating with a single car and in operation diagnostic mode, the control unit 152 does not determine the door's open / closed state if the car 10 is located at a door-waiting floor.

[0366] Control unit 152 determines the second condition ( Figure 17 If condition 1 is met (Yes in S503), the door is determined to be in a normal opening / closing state (S504), and the determination process ends. If condition 2 is not met (No in S503), the control unit 152 determines that the door is in an unbalanced opening / closing state (S505), and the determination process ends.

[0367] In step S506, if the elevator is a multi-car elevator (two or more cars 10 controlled by the control panel 210) or a single-car elevator undergoing normal diagnostics (Yes in S506), the control unit 152 initiates the process in step S507. Conversely, if the conditions in S506 are not met (No in S506), the control unit 152 terminates the decision-making process. In the case of a multi-car elevator, decision-making is performed on the elevator being considered (i.e., the elevator connected to the remote inspection device 100).

[0368] In S507, control unit 152 determines the first condition ( Figure 17 If the condition is met (Yes in S507), the door is determined to be in a normal opening / closing state (S508), and the determination process ends. If the control unit 152 determines that the first condition is not met (No in S507), the door is determined to be in an unbalanced opening / closing state (S509), and the determination process ends.

[0369] Thus, in the case of a single car, the control unit 152 determines the door's opening and closing status based on the second condition during operation diagnosis, and based on the first condition during normal diagnosis. On the other hand, in the case of multiple cars, the control unit 152 always determines the door's opening and closing status based on the first condition. In the case of multiple cars, even if a landing call is simulated during operation diagnosis, it is impossible to determine which of the multiple cars 10 will be assigned to it. Therefore, in the case of multiple cars, only the first condition is determined during normal diagnosis.

[0370] Regarding the determination of the door's open / closed state, the following summarizes the structure and effects of this embodiment.

[0371] (1) The inspection items include the opening and closing status of the doors 60 of the car 10 and the doors 61 of the landing. The control unit 152 determines whether the door opening and closing status is normal based on the time TG2 from the second time (time t3) after the first time (time t2) to the third time (time t4). The first time (time t2) is the time when the DZ signal changes from the OFF state to the ON state and the LB signal changes from the ON state to the OFF state. The second time (time t3) is the time when the GS signal changes from the ON state to the OFF state and the DS signal changes from the ON state to the OFF state. The third time (time t4) is the time when the GS signal changes from the OFF state to the ON state and the DS signal changes from the OFF state to the ON state.

[0372] In this embodiment, the signals (DZ signal, LB signal, DS signal, GS signal) used to determine the conditions for operating the elevator's safety circuit are used as the determination signals for remote inspection. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of ease of installation (construction), the landing call signal is used instead of the car call signal as the output signal for operational diagnosis (diagnostic operation) during remote inspection. By utilizing a limited number of signals (DZ signal, LB signal, GS signal, DS signal) suitable for remote inspection, remote inspection can be performed as simply as possible, accommodating various elevators with different communication and signal specifications. That is, multi-brand maintenance can be achieved in remote inspection. As a result, maintenance companies can reduce the frequency of on-site maintenance inspections and increase the number of elevators that can be maintained. Building owners can freely choose maintenance companies to sign maintenance contracts that allow for remote inspection.

[0373] (2) During normal diagnosis, the control unit 152 determines that the door's opening and closing state is normal when the first condition (time TG2 is below the reference time KG22) is met. On the other hand, it determines that the door's opening and closing state is out of sync when the first condition is not met. In this way, by performing a determination based on time TG2, it is possible to determine whether the door's opening and closing time is appropriate. Furthermore, by not performing a determination based on time TG1, it is possible to avoid misjudgments caused by waiting actions (door closing waiting).

[0374] (3) During operation diagnosis, the control unit 152 determines that the door's opening and closing state is normal when the second condition is met: time TG1 from the first timing (time t2) to the second timing (time t3) is less than or equal to the reference time KG11 and time TG2 is less than or equal to the reference time KG12. On the other hand, if the second condition is not met, the door's opening and closing state is determined to be out of sync. The reference time KG12 is shorter than the reference time KG22. Thus, by performing a determination based on time TG2, it is possible to determine whether the door's opening and closing time is appropriate. Furthermore, by performing a determination based on time TG1, it is possible to determine whether the time from when the brake operates to when the door opens is appropriate. In addition, by making the reference time KG12 shorter than the reference time KG22, it is possible to perform an appropriate determination that matches the user's usage status (whether or not the user performs a door-opening action, etc.).

[0375] (4) The reference time KG22 is 15 minutes. This allows for appropriate judgment considering the door-opening action performed by a user. The reference time KG11 is 5 seconds. This allows for appropriate judgment considering the possibility of being trapped due to a faulty door opening. The reference time KG12 is 1 minute. This allows for appropriate judgment even when there is no user activity.

[0376] (5) When there are two or more cars 10 controlled by the control panel 210 (multi-car), or when there is only one car 10 controlled by the control panel 210 (single-car), during normal diagnostics, the control unit 152 determines that the door opening and closing state is normal when the first condition is met, and determines that the door opening and closing state is out of balance when the first condition is not met. When there is only one car 10 controlled by the control panel 210 (single-car), during operation diagnostics, the control unit 152 determines that the door opening and closing state is normal when the second condition is met, and determines that the door opening and closing state is out of balance when the second condition is not met. In this way, appropriate determinations corresponding to the number of cars 10 controlled by the control panel 210 can be performed.

[0377] (6) During operation diagnosis, the control unit 152 does not determine the opening or closing status when the car 10 is in a door waiting position. In this way, erroneous determinations caused by door waiting can be avoided.

[0378] (7) The management server 300 can send remote inspection execution instructions to the remote inspection device 100 and can receive judgment results from the remote inspection device 100. The elevator system 200 (elevator equipment group 220 and control panel 210) and the remote inspection device 100 are located in a first country (e.g., the United States), and the management server 300 is located in a second country (e.g., Japan) different from the first country. In this way, the remote inspection device 100 for performing remote inspections of the elevator system 200 operating in the first country can be managed by the management server 300 in the second country. Thus, the remote inspection device 100 can be managed across countries via the management server 300, regardless of which country the elevator system 200 and the remote inspection device 100 are located in.

[0379] (8) If using the above Figures 12-14 As explained, the measured door opening time is recorded in the reference time DB423 for each mode. Furthermore, the appropriateness of time TG2 can be determined based on the measured door opening time. Therefore, even if the door opening time is lengthened by setting a door opening wait time, an appropriate determination can be made taking this situation into account. Thus, it can be configured as shown in structures (A) to (E) above, and achieve the effects shown in structures (A) to (E).

[0380] [Postscript]

[0381] The above-described implementation methods are specific examples of the following notes.

[0382] (Postscript 1)

[0383] An elevator remote inspection system is provided for remotely inspecting elevators.

[0384] The elevator remote inspection system has the following features:

[0385] The acquisition unit acquires signals that are input / output between the equipment group of the elevator and the control panel that controls the equipment group of the elevator through parallel transmission, and uses them as determination signals.

[0386] The control unit determines the inspection items for the remote inspection based on the acquired determination signal; and

[0387] The output unit outputs the judgment results of the inspection items.

[0388] The determination signal includes:

[0389] The first signal indicates any state between the first state and a non-first state, wherein the first state is the state in which the elevator car is located within the door zone, and the door zone indicates the range of positions of the car in which the car door can be opened and closed.

[0390] The second signal represents any state between the second state and a non-second state that is not the second state, wherein the second state is the state in which the elevator's brake is released;

[0391] The third signal indicates any state between the third state and a non-third state, wherein the third state is the closed state of the car doors; and

[0392] The fourth signal indicates any state between the fourth state and a non-fourth state, where the fourth state is the closed state of the landing door, which is linked to the opening and closing of the car door.

[0393] The inspection items include the opening and closing status of the car doors and the landing doors.

[0394] The control unit determines whether the opening / closing state is normal based on the time interval from the second time interval after the first time interval to the first time interval of the third time interval.

[0395] The first timing is the timing at which the second signal changes from the second state to the non-second state after the first signal changes from the non-first state to the first state.

[0396] The second timing is the timing when the third signal changes from the third state to the non-third state and the fourth signal changes from the fourth state to the non-fourth state.

[0397] The third timing is the timing at which the third signal changes from the non-third state to the third state and the fourth signal changes from the non-fourth state to the fourth state.

[0398] (Postscript 2)

[0399] According to the elevator remote inspection system described in Appendix 1, among which,

[0400] The elevator remote inspection system also includes an instruction unit that sends a landing call signal to the elevator's equipment group, generating the elevator's landing call function.

[0401] The determination of the inspection items includes: operational diagnosis, in which the determination is performed using the determination signal obtained when the car moves in response to the landing call signal sent by the indicator; and normal diagnosis, in which the determination is performed using the determination signal obtained regardless of whether the landing call signal was sent by the indicator.

[0402] During the normal diagnosis, when the first condition, which is below the first reference time, is met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is the normal state; when the first condition is not met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is an imbalanced state.

[0403] (Note 3)

[0404] According to the elevator remote inspection system described in Appendix 1 or 2, among which,

[0405] During the operation diagnosis, if the second condition is met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is the normal state; if the second condition is not met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is the imbalance state. The second condition is that the second time from the first timing to the second timing is below the second reference time and the first time is below the third reference time.

[0406] The third reference time is shorter than the first reference time.

[0407] (Postscript 4)

[0408] According to any one of the appendices 1 to 3, the elevator remote inspection system, in which,

[0409] The first reference time is 15 minutes.

[0410] The second reference time is 5 seconds.

[0411] The third reference time is 1 minute.

[0412] (Note 5)

[0413] According to any one of the appendices 1 to 4, the elevator remote inspection system, in which,

[0414] The elevator remote inspection system also includes an instruction unit that sends a landing call signal to the elevator's equipment group, generating the elevator's landing call function.

[0415] The determination of the inspection items includes: operational diagnosis, in which the determination is performed using the determination signal obtained when the car moves in response to the landing call signal sent by the indicator; and normal diagnosis, in which the determination is performed using the determination signal obtained regardless of whether the landing call signal was sent by the indicator.

[0416] When there are two or more cars controlled by the control panel, or when there is only one car controlled by the control panel during the normal diagnostic process, for the elevator being judged, if the first condition (the first time being less than or equal to the first reference time) is met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is the normal state; if the first condition is not met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is an malfunctioning state.

[0417] When there is only one car controlled by the control panel, and during the operation diagnosis, if the second condition is met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is the normal state; if the second condition is not met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is the imbalance state. The second condition is that the second time from the first timing to the second timing is below the second reference time and the first time is below the third reference time.

[0418] The third reference time is shorter than the first reference time.

[0419] (Note 6)

[0420] According to any one of the appendices 1 to 5, the elevator remote inspection system, in which,

[0421] The elevator car can stop at multiple floors.

[0422] The control panel controls the car to wait at the waiting floor with the doors open, provided that a door-opening waiting setting has been configured. When the car is available, after the car has traveled to the waiting floor, it will wait there with the doors open.

[0423] When the car is located at the waiting floor, the control unit does not determine the opening / closing status during the operation diagnosis.

[0424] (Note 7)

[0425] According to any one of the appendices 1 to 6, the elevator remote inspection system, in which,

[0426] The elevator remote inspection system also has the following features:

[0427] The remote inspection device includes the acquisition unit, the control unit, and the output unit; and

[0428] A management server, which can connect to the remote inspection device via a network and manage the remote inspection device,

[0429] The management server can send execution instructions for remote inspection to the remote inspection device and receive the judgment results from the remote inspection device.

[0430] The elevator's equipment assembly, control panel, and remote inspection device are located in the first country.

[0431] The management server is located in a second country, which is different from the first country.

[0432] (Note 8)

[0433] A method for remote elevator inspection, wherein,

[0434] The elevator remote inspection method comprises the following steps:

[0435] The signal that is input and output between the equipment group of the elevator and the control panel that controls the equipment group of the elevator through parallel transmission is used as a decision signal;

[0436] The remote inspection items are determined based on the obtained determination signal; and

[0437] Output the judgment result of the inspection items.

[0438] The determination signal includes:

[0439] The first signal indicates any state between the first state and a non-first state, wherein the first state is the state in which the elevator car is located within the door zone, and the door zone indicates the range of positions of the car in which the car door can be opened and closed.

[0440] The second signal represents any state between the second state and a non-second state that is not the second state, wherein the second state is the state in which the elevator's brake is released;

[0441] The third signal indicates any state between the third state and a non-third state, wherein the third state is the closed state of the car doors; and

[0442] The fourth signal indicates any state between the fourth state and a non-fourth state, where the fourth state is the closed state of the landing door, which is linked to the opening and closing of the car door.

[0443] The inspection items include the opening and closing status of the car doors and the landing doors.

[0444] The determination process includes the following steps: based on the time interval from the second time interval after the first time interval to the first time interval of the third time interval, determine whether the opening / closing state is a normal state.

[0445] The first timing is the timing at which the second signal changes from the second state to the non-second state after the first signal changes from the non-first state to the first state.

[0446] The second timing is the timing when the third signal changes from the third state to the non-third state and the fourth signal changes from the fourth state to the non-fourth state.

[0447] The third timing is the timing at which the third signal changes from the non-third state to the third state and the fourth signal changes from the non-fourth state to the fourth state.

[0448] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and are not limited to the above description. The scope of the invention is defined by the claims and is intended to include all modifications within the equivalent meaning and scope of the claims.

[0449] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0450] 1. Remote inspection system; 2. Building; 5. Machine room; 6. Pit; 8. Hoistway; 10. Car; 11. Rope; 12. Counterweight; 13. Deflector wheel; 14. Buffer; 15. Temperature sensor; 16. Intercom; 21-23. Control cables; 31. 1st floor car call button; 32. 2nd floor car call button; 33. 3rd floor car call button; 34. 4th floor car call button; 35. 5. Floor 5 car call button; 50. Car control panel; 51. Indicator; 52. Door open button; 53. Door close button; 60, 61. Doors; 70. Floor 7 control panel; 71. Indicator; 81. UP floor call button; 82. DN floor call button; 92. DN floor call button; 100. Remote inspection device; 110. Control device; 111. Processor; 112. Memory; 120. Communication IF; 130. Input IF; 140. Output IF; 151. Acquisition unit; 152. Control unit; 153. Output unit; 154. Reception unit; 155. Indicator unit; 156. Data group; 200. Elevator systems 200a and 200b; control panels 210, 210a, and 210b; management control unit 211; control unit for each elevator 212; elevator equipment groups 220, 220a, and 210b; floor station device 230; car device 240; traction machine 250; connectors 261 and 262; management server 300; terminal 400; display unit 410; input unit 420; display screen 421; setting data 422; reference time (DB) 423; running history 424; judgment result 425; remote inspection device manufactured by X company 500; remote inspection device manufactured by Y company 500a.

Claims

1. An elevator remote inspection system, which performs remote inspection of elevators, wherein... The elevator remote inspection system has the following features: The acquisition unit acquires signals that are input / output between the equipment group of the elevator and the control panel that controls the equipment group of the elevator through parallel transmission, and uses them as determination signals. The control unit determines the inspection items of the remote inspection based on the acquired determination signal. as well as The output unit outputs the judgment results of the inspection items. The determination signal includes: The first signal indicates any state between the first state and a non-first state, wherein the first state is the state in which the elevator car is located within the door zone, and the door zone indicates the range of positions of the car in which the car door can be opened and closed. The second signal represents any state between the second state and a non-second state that is not the second state, wherein the second state is the state in which the elevator's brake is released; The third signal indicates any state between the third state and a non-third state, wherein the third state is the closed state of the car doors; and The fourth signal indicates any state between the fourth state and a non-fourth state, where the fourth state is the closed state of the landing door, which is linked to the opening and closing of the car door. The inspection items include the opening and closing status of the car doors and the landing doors. The control unit determines whether the opening / closing state is normal based on the time interval from the second time interval after the first time interval to the first time interval of the third time interval. The first timing is the timing at which the second signal changes from the second state to the non-second state after the first signal changes from the non-first state to the first state. The second timing is the timing when the third signal changes from the third state to the non-third state and the fourth signal changes from the fourth state to the non-fourth state. The third timing is the timing at which the third signal changes from the non-third state to the third state and the fourth signal changes from the non-fourth state to the fourth state.

2. The elevator remote inspection system according to claim 1, wherein, The elevator remote inspection system also includes an instruction unit that sends a landing call signal to the elevator's equipment group, generating the elevator's landing call function. The determination of the inspection items includes: operational diagnosis, in which the determination is performed using the determination signal obtained when the car moves in response to the landing call signal sent by the indicator; and normal diagnosis, in which the determination is performed using the determination signal obtained regardless of whether the landing call signal was sent by the indicator. During the normal diagnosis, when the first condition, which is below the first reference time, is met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is the normal state; when the first condition is not met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is an imbalanced state.

3. The elevator remote inspection system according to claim 2, wherein, During the operational diagnosis, if the second condition is met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is the normal state; if the second condition is not met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is the imbalance state. The second condition is that the second time from the first timing to the second timing is below the second reference time and the first time is below the third reference time. The third reference time is shorter than the first reference time.

4. The elevator remote inspection system according to claim 3, wherein, The first reference time is 15 minutes. The second reference time is 5 seconds. The third reference time is 1 minute.

5. The elevator remote inspection system according to claim 1, wherein, The elevator remote inspection system also includes an instruction unit that sends a landing call signal to the elevator's equipment group, generating the elevator's landing call function. The determination of the inspection items includes: operational diagnosis, in which the determination is performed using the determination signal obtained when the car moves in response to the landing call signal sent by the indicator; and normal diagnosis, in which the determination is performed using the determination signal obtained regardless of whether the landing call signal was sent by the indicator. When there are two or more cars controlled by the control panel, or when there is only one car controlled by the control panel during the normal diagnostic process, for the elevator being judged, if the first condition (the first time being less than or equal to the first reference time) is met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is the normal state; if the first condition is not met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is an malfunctioning state. When there is only one car controlled by the control panel, and during the operation diagnosis, if the second condition is met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is the normal state; if the second condition is not met, the control unit determines that the opening / closing state is the imbalance state. The second condition is that the second time from the first timing to the second timing is below the second reference time and the first time is below the third reference time. The third reference time is shorter than the first reference time.

6. The elevator remote inspection system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein, The elevator car can stop at multiple floors. The control panel controls the car to wait at the waiting floor with the doors open, provided that a door-opening waiting setting has been configured. When the car is available, after the car has traveled to the waiting floor, it will wait there with the doors open. When the car is located at the waiting floor, the control unit does not determine the opening / closing status during the operation diagnosis.

7. The elevator remote inspection system according to claim 1, wherein, The elevator remote inspection system also has the following features: The remote inspection device includes the acquisition unit, the control unit, and the output unit; and A management server, which can connect to the remote inspection device via a network and manage the remote inspection device, The management server can send execution instructions for remote inspection to the remote inspection device and receive the judgment results from the remote inspection device. The elevator's equipment assembly, control panel, and remote inspection device are located in the first country. The management server is located in a second country, which is different from the first country.

8. A method for remote elevator inspection, wherein, The elevator remote inspection method comprises the following steps: The signal that is input and output between the equipment group of the elevator and the control panel that controls the equipment group of the elevator through parallel transmission is used as a decision signal; The remote inspection items are determined based on the obtained determination signal. as well as Output the judgment result of the inspection items. The determination signal includes: The first signal indicates any state between the first state and a non-first state, wherein the first state is the state in which the elevator car is located within the door zone, and the door zone indicates the range of positions of the car in which the car door can be opened and closed. The second signal represents any state between the second state and a non-second state that is not the second state, wherein the second state is the state in which the elevator's brake is released; The third signal indicates any state between the third state and a non-third state, wherein the third state is the closed state of the car doors; and The fourth signal indicates any state between the fourth state and a non-fourth state, where the fourth state is the closed state of the landing door, which is linked to the opening and closing of the car door. The inspection items include the opening and closing status of the car doors and the landing doors. The determination process includes the following steps: based on the time interval from the second time interval after the first time interval to the first time interval of the third time interval, determine whether the opening / closing state is a normal state. The first timing is the timing at which the second signal changes from the second state to the non-second state after the first signal changes from the non-first state to the first state. The second timing is the timing when the third signal changes from the third state to the non-third state and the fourth signal changes from the fourth state to the non-fourth state. The third timing is the timing at which the third signal changes from the non-third state to the third state and the fourth signal changes from the non-fourth state to the fourth state.

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