Elevator system

Abstract

To provide an elevator system capable of suppressing deterioration of the quality of remote monitoring.SOLUTION: An elevator system according to an embodiment is communicatively connected to a monitoring center via a public line network. The elevator system includes a first wireless antenna installed in a hoistway, a second wireless antenna installed in the hoistway at a position away from the first wireless antenna, diagnostic means for detecting a state of radio waves captured by the first wireless antenna and a state of radio waves captured by the second wireless antenna, and antenna selection means for selecting either the first wireless antenna or the second wireless antenna as a wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center based on the detected states of radio waves from the first wireless antenna and the second wireless antenna.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE An embodiment of the present invention relates to an elevator system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, elevator systems have been devised that, from the viewpoint of installation space, install an antenna for wireless communication (wireless antenna) in the elevator shaft and communicate with an external monitoring center via the wireless antenna. For example, data on the operating status of various devices included in the elevator system is exchanged between the elevator system and the monitoring center. This allows a monitor at the monitoring center to monitor the operating status of the elevator system from a remote location.

[0003] Incidentally, an elevator shaft is a closed space surrounded by concrete and steel, and in the elevator shaft, there are many elements, such as a car and a counterweight, that can block radio waves captured by a wireless antenna. In addition, the state of radio waves captured by a wireless antenna is also affected by the surrounding environment of the building in which the elevator is installed. If the radio waves captured by the wireless antenna are affected by the above-mentioned blocks and surrounding environment, a communication error may occur when exchanging the above-mentioned data between the elevator system and the monitoring center, and normal communication may not be possible. As a result, data required for remote monitoring may not be exchanged normally between the elevator system and the monitoring center, and the quality of remote monitoring may be reduced. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-2318 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2016-37388 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an elevator system capable of suppressing deterioration in the quality of remote monitoring. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An elevator system according to one embodiment is communicatively connected to a monitoring center via a public line network. The elevator system includes a first wireless antenna installed in a hoistway, a second wireless antenna installed in the hoistway at a position away from the first wireless antenna, a diagnostic means for detecting a state of radio waves captured by the first wireless antenna and a state of radio waves captured by the second wireless antenna, and an antenna selection means for selecting one of the first wireless antenna and the second wireless antenna as a wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center based on the detected states of radio waves of the first wireless antenna and the second wireless antenna. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an elevator system according to each embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an elevator control device and a remote monitoring device in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method for detecting the radio wave state of a wireless antenna in the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of an antenna selection process in the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an elevator control device and a remote monitoring device in the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of an antenna selection process in the embodiment. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the antenna selection process in the third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of an antenna selection process in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the disclosure is merely an example, and the invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiments. Modifications that a person skilled in the art can easily conceive are naturally included in the scope of the disclosure. In order to make the explanation clearer, the size, shape, etc. of each part may be changed from the actual embodiment and shown diagrammatically. In multiple drawings, corresponding elements may be given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations may be omitted.

[0009] (Configuration common to each embodiment) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an elevator system 1 according to each embodiment. Note that, although Fig. 1 shows an example in which the elevator system 1 is a machine room-less type elevator system, the elevator system 1 is not limited thereto, and may be, for example, an elevator system of a type having a machine room at the top of a building.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, an elevator system 1 is communicably connected to a monitoring center 40, which will be described later, via a public line network N such as the Internet.

[0011] In the elevator system 1 shown in Fig. 1, an elevator control device 20 is installed on a wall surface within a hoistway 10. The elevator control device 20 controls various devices within the elevator system 1, including drive control of a hoisting machine 11 installed at the upper part of the hoistway 10.

[0012] A traction sheave 12 is attached to the drive shaft of the hoist 11, and a main rope 13 is wound around the outer periphery of the traction sheave 12. One end of the main rope 13 is connected to the upper part of the car 14, and the other end is connected to the upper part of a counterweight (C / W) 15. Note that, for the sake of convenience, only one main rope 13 is shown in Fig. 1, but in reality, the main rope 13 is made up of multiple wire ropes.

[0013] The car 14 and the counterweight 15 are supported so as to be able to rise and fall by guide rails 16, 17, respectively, which are erected in the hoistway 10. When the hoisting machine 11 is driven under the control of the elevator control device 20, the traction sheave 12 around which the main rope 13 is wound rotates, and the car 14 and the counterweight 15, which are connected to the main rope 13, rise and fall in a bucket-like manner along the guide rails 16, 17, respectively.

[0014] The elevator control device 20 is connected to the remote monitoring device 30 by wire or wirelessly.

[0015] The remote monitoring device 30 collects data on the operating status of various devices in the elevator system 1 and transmits the collected data to a monitoring center 40 via a public line network N. The remote monitoring device 30 is connected to at least two wireless antennas in order to communicate with the monitoring center 40. FIG. 1 illustrates a case in which the remote monitoring device 30 is connected to a first wireless antenna 18 installed in an upper portion of the hoistway 10 and a second wireless antenna 19 installed in a lower portion of the hoistway 10. The first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19 are installed at positions separated from each other, such as the upper and lower portions of the hoistway 10, as described above.

[0016] The monitoring center 40 constantly monitors the presence or absence of abnormalities in the elevator system 1 based on various data transmitted from the remote monitoring device 30 via the public line network N. The monitoring center 40 also periodically transmits a diagnostic command to the remote monitoring device 30 to remotely diagnose the operating status of various devices in the elevator system 1. The monitoring center 40 receives diagnostic result information (i.e., data related to the operating status of various devices in the elevator system 1) indicating the results of the diagnostic processing executed in the elevator system 1 according to the above-mentioned diagnostic command, and displays the received diagnostic result information, for example, on a monitor (not shown). This allows a monitor at the monitoring center 40 to monitor the operating status of various devices in the elevator system 1 from a remote location.

[0017] Incidentally, the elevator system 1 communicates with the monitoring center 40 via the public line network N using a wireless antenna installed in the hoistway 10, but since there are many elements in the hoistway 10 that can block radio waves captured by the wireless antenna, such as the car 14 and the counterweight 15, these elements can block radio waves and adversely affect the state of the radio waves captured by the wireless antenna. In addition, the state of the radio waves captured by the wireless antenna is also affected by the surrounding environment of the building in which the elevator system 1 is installed. If the radio waves captured by the wireless antenna are affected by the above-mentioned blocks or the surrounding environment, the elevator system 1 may not be able to communicate normally with the monitoring center 40.

[0018] For this reason, in the first to third embodiments described below, an elevator system 1 is described in which at least two wireless antennas 18, 19 are installed at positions separated from each other, such as at the top and bottom of the elevator shaft 10, and a wireless antenna that is likely to be able to communicate normally is selected to communicate with the monitoring center 40 via the public line network N.

[0019] (First embodiment) FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the elevator control device 20 and the remote monitoring device 30 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the elevator control device 20 includes an operation control unit 21. The operation control unit 21 controls the operation of the car 14, including the drive control of the hoisting machine 11 shown in Fig. 1.

[0020] The remote monitoring device 30 is connected to the first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19. Moreover, as shown in Fig. 2, the remote monitoring device 30 includes a diagnosis unit 31, a communication unit 32, and an antenna selection unit 33. Note that in Fig. 2, for the sake of convenience, the first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19 are illustrated in positions close to each other, but in reality, as shown in Fig. 1, the first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19 are installed in positions distant from each other, such as at the upper and lower parts of the elevator shaft 10.

[0021] The diagnostic unit 31 measures the strength of the radio wave captured by the first wireless antenna 18 (hereinafter, referred to as "radio wave strength of the first wireless antenna 18"). The diagnostic unit 31 also measures the reception quality of the radio wave captured by the first wireless antenna 18 (hereinafter, referred to as "reception quality of the first wireless antenna 18"). The diagnostic unit 31 detects the state of the radio wave captured by the first wireless antenna 18 (hereinafter, referred to as "radio wave state of the first wireless antenna 18") based on the measured radio wave strength of the first wireless antenna 18 and the reception quality of the first wireless antenna 18. The above-mentioned radio wave strength is, for example, RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power), and the above-mentioned reception quality is, for example, RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality). The method of detecting the radio wave state based on the above-mentioned radio wave strength and reception quality will be described later in detail.

[0022] Similarly, the diagnostic unit 31 measures the strength of the radio waves captured by the second wireless antenna 19 (hereinafter referred to as the "radio wave strength of the second wireless antenna 19"). The diagnostic unit 31 also measures the reception quality of the radio waves captured by the second wireless antenna 19 (hereinafter referred to as the "reception quality of the second wireless antenna 19"). Based on the measured radio wave strength and reception quality of the second wireless antenna 19, the diagnostic unit 31 detects the state of the radio waves captured by the second wireless antenna 19 (hereinafter referred to as the "radio wave state of the second wireless antenna 19").

[0023] The antenna selection unit 33 selects a wireless antenna that is likely to be able to communicate normally with the monitoring center 40, based on the radio wave state of the first wireless antenna 18 and the radio wave state of the second wireless antenna 19 detected by the diagnosis unit 31. More specifically, the antenna selection unit 33 compares the radio wave state of the first wireless antenna 18 with the radio wave state of the second wireless antenna 19, and selects the wireless antenna with the better radio wave state as the wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40.

[0024] The communication unit 32 communicates with the monitoring center 40 via the public line network N using the wireless antenna selected by the antenna selection unit 33 .

[0025] Although detailed description is omitted here, the remote monitoring device 30 (diagnosis unit 31) communicates with the monitoring center 40 using the wireless antenna selected by the antenna selection unit 33, and upon receiving the above-mentioned diagnosis command from the monitoring center 40, executes the above-mentioned diagnosis process according to the diagnosis command. Diagnostic result information indicating the result of the diagnostic process is transmitted to the monitoring center 40 using the wireless antenna selected by the antenna selection unit 33. In this way, the remote monitoring device 30 can receive the diagnostic command and transmit the diagnostic result information (i.e., exchange of data necessary for remote monitoring) using a wireless antenna that is likely to be able to communicate normally, so that it is possible to prevent a communication error from preventing normal exchange of data necessary for remote monitoring, which would result in a decrease in the quality of remote monitoring.

[0026] Here, a method in which the diagnostic unit 31 detects the radio wave condition of the wireless antenna will be described with reference to FIG. The diagnosis unit 31 detects the radio wave state of the wireless antenna based on the measured radio wave strength and reception quality of the wireless antenna and the table shown in Fig. 3. Note that in the table shown in Fig. 3, the radio wave state is set in advance based on the radio wave strength and radio wave reception quality, and is stored in a memory (not shown) of the remote monitoring device 30, for example.

[0027] The diagnosis unit 31 detects the radio wave state of the wireless antenna based on which of the first to ninth regions r1 to r9 in the table shown in Fig. 3 the intersection of the measured radio wave strength and reception quality of the wireless antenna is located in. Basically, as shown in Fig. 3, the higher the radio wave strength and reception quality of the wireless antenna, the better the radio wave state of the wireless antenna. In Fig. 3, it is assumed that the radio wave state of the wireless antenna is divided into the following nine states based on the radio wave strength and reception quality of the wireless antenna.

[0028] - Radio wave condition of the wireless antenna where the intersection of radio wave strength and reception quality is located within the third region r3: "Very good" -Radio wave condition of the wireless antenna where the intersection of radio wave strength and reception quality is in the second region r2 or the sixth region r6: "Good" -Radio wave condition of the wireless antenna where the intersection of radio wave strength and reception quality is in the fifth region r5: "Generally good" Radio wave condition of a wireless antenna whose intersection of radio wave strength and reception quality is in the first region r1 or the ninth region r9: "slightly poor" - Radio condition of the wireless antenna where the intersection of radio wave strength and reception quality is in the 4th region r4 or the 8th region r8: "Poor" -Radio wave condition of the wireless antenna where the intersection of radio wave strength and reception quality is in the seventh region r7: "Very poor"

[0029] As described above, the radio wave state of a wireless antenna whose intersection of radio wave strength and reception quality is located in the second region r2 and the radio wave state of a wireless antenna whose intersection of radio wave strength and reception quality is located in the sixth region r6 both correspond to "good." However, even if the radio wave strength is high, if the reception quality is low, normal communication may not be possible. Therefore, when comparing the radio wave states of these two wireless antennas, the radio wave state of the wireless antenna corresponding to the sixth region r6 shows a better state than the radio wave state of the wireless antenna corresponding to the second region r2.

[0030] Similarly, the radio wave condition of the wireless antenna corresponding to the first region r1 and the radio wave condition of the wireless antenna corresponding to the ninth region r9 are both equivalent to "slightly poor," but when comparing the radio wave conditions of these two wireless antennas, the radio wave condition of the wireless antenna corresponding to the ninth region r9 indicates a better condition than the radio wave condition of the wireless antenna corresponding to the first region r1.

[0031] Furthermore, the radio wave condition of the wireless antenna corresponding to the fourth region r4 and the radio wave condition of the wireless antenna corresponding to the eighth region r8 are both equivalent to "poor", but when comparing the radio wave conditions of these two wireless antennas, the radio wave condition of the wireless antenna corresponding to the eighth region r8 shows a better condition than the radio wave condition of the wireless antenna corresponding to the fourth region r4.

[0032] In addition, when the intersections of the radio wave strengths and reception qualities of two wireless antennas are located in the same area, for the reasons described above, the radio wave condition of one wireless antenna that shows higher reception quality indicates a better condition than the radio wave condition of the other wireless antenna. Note that the number of sections and radio wave conditions in the table shown in Figure 3 are examples and are not limited to those shown in Figure 3.

[0033] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the antenna selection process executed in the elevator system 1 according to the first embodiment. The antenna selection process shown in Fig. 4 may be executed at any timing. For example, the antenna selection process may be executed before communication between the elevator system 1 and the monitoring center 40, or may be executed periodically.

[0034] First, the diagnostic unit 31 of the remote monitoring device 30 measures the radio wave strength and reception quality of the first wireless antenna 18. Then, the diagnostic unit 31 detects the radio wave state of the first wireless antenna 18 based on the measured radio wave strength and reception quality of the first wireless antenna 18 and the table shown in Fig. 3 (step S1).

[0035] Next, the diagnosis unit 31 measures the radio wave strength and reception quality of the second wireless antenna 19. The diagnosis unit 31 detects the radio wave state of the second wireless antenna 19 based on the measured radio wave strength and reception quality of the second wireless antenna 19 and the table shown in Fig. 3 (step S2).

[0036] Thereafter, the antenna selection unit 33 compares the radio wave conditions of the first radio antenna 18 and the second radio antenna 19 detected by the diagnosis unit 31, and selects the radio antenna showing the better radio wave conditions as the radio antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40 (step S3), thereby terminating this series of processes.

[0037] As described above, the elevator system 1 according to the first embodiment includes the first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19 installed at positions separated from each other in the hoistway 10. Moreover, the elevator system 1 according to the first embodiment detects the radio wave state of the first wireless antenna 18 and the radio wave state of the second wireless antenna 19, and selects the wireless antenna showing the better radio wave state as the wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40.

[0038] In this way, the elevator system 1 of the first embodiment selects, of the two wireless antennas 18, 19, the wireless antenna showing the better radio wave conditions as the wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40, thereby preventing a communication error from preventing the data required for remote monitoring from being exchanged normally, which would result in a deterioration in the quality of remote monitoring.

[0039] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. The elevator system 1 according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the elevator control device 20 includes a car position detection unit 22 (see FIG. 5). The elevator system 1 according to the second embodiment also differs from the first embodiment in that the diagnosis unit 31 of the remote monitoring device 30 does not have a function for detecting the radio wave state of the wireless antenna. Note that, hereinafter, mainly the points that differ from the first embodiment will be described, and the points that are the same as those in the first embodiment will not be described.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an elevator control device 20 and a remote monitoring device 30 according to the second embodiment. The car position detection unit 22 of the elevator control device 20 detects the position of the car 14, for example, based on a pulse signal output from a pulse generator (not shown) in synchronization with the rotation of the hoist 11. Position information indicating the detected position of the car 14 is sent to the remote monitoring device 30.

[0041] The antenna selection unit 33 of the remote monitoring device 30 selects a wireless antenna that is likely to be able to communicate normally with the monitoring center 40, based on the position information sent from the elevator control device 20. More specifically, the antenna selection unit 33 selects a wireless antenna that is located farther away (farther away) from the current position of the car 14 indicated by the position information, as a wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40.

[0042] Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the antenna selection process executed in the elevator system 1 according to the second embodiment. The antenna selection process shown in Fig. 6 may be executed at any timing, similar to the antenna selection process shown in Fig. 4. For example, the antenna selection process may be executed before communication between the elevator system 1 and the monitoring center 40, or may be executed periodically.

[0043] First, the car position detection unit 22 of the elevator control device 20 detects the current position of the car 14 based on a pulse signal from a pulse generator (not shown) (step S11). Position information indicating the detected current position of the car 14 is sent to the remote monitoring device 30.

[0044] The antenna selection unit 33 of the remote monitoring device 30 selects a radio antenna located farther away from the current position of the car 14, indicated by the position information sent from the elevator control device 20 (car position detection unit 22), as a radio antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40 (step S12), and then terminates this series of processes.

[0045] As described above, the elevator system 1 according to the second embodiment includes the first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19 installed at positions separated from each other in the elevator shaft 10, as in the first embodiment. In addition, the elevator system 1 according to the second embodiment detects the current position of the car 14, and selects the wireless antenna located farther away from the current position of the car 14 as the wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40. In this way, the elevator system 1 of the second embodiment selects, of the two wireless antennas 18, 19, the wireless antenna located farther away from the car 14, which may be a radio wave shield, as the wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40, thereby preventing a communication error from preventing the data required for remote monitoring from being exchanged normally, which would result in a decrease in the quality of remote monitoring.

[0046] Third embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described. The elevator system 1 according to the third embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments in that it has both the functions of the elevator system 1 according to the first embodiment and the functions of the elevator system 1 according to the second embodiment. That is, the elevator system 1 according to the third embodiment differs from the second embodiment in that the diagnostic unit 31 shown in FIG. 5 has a function of detecting the radio wave state of the wireless antenna. Below, the differences from the first and second embodiments will be mainly described, and the same points as the first and second embodiments will not be described.

[0047] The antenna selection unit 33 of the remote monitoring device 30 selects a wireless antenna that is likely to be able to communicate normally with the monitoring center 40, based on the radio wave conditions of the first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19 detected by the diagnosis unit 31 and the location information sent from the elevator control device 20. More specifically, the antenna selection unit 33 determines whether the radio wave conditions of both the first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19 are "very good", "good", or "generally good" (i.e., the radio wave conditions corresponding to the dotted areas in Fig. 7).

[0048] When the radio wave conditions of both the first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19 are either “very good”, “good”, or “generally good” (i.e., when the radio wave conditions of both wireless antennas 18, 19 are in a state in which there is a high possibility of normal communication), the antenna selection unit 33 selects a wireless antenna located farther away from the current position of the car 14 indicated by the position information from the elevator control device 20 as the wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40.

[0049] On the other hand, when the radio wave conditions of at least one of the first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19 are not “very good”, “good”, or “generally good” (i.e., when the radio wave conditions of at least one of the wireless antennas 18, 19 are in a state in which normal communication is unlikely to be possible), the antenna selection unit 33 selects the wireless antenna showing a better radio wave condition as the wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40.

[0050] Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the antenna selection process executed in the elevator system 1 according to the third embodiment. The antenna selection process shown in Fig. 8 may be executed at any timing, similar to the antenna selection processes shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 6. For example, the antenna selection process may be executed before communication between the elevator system 1 and the monitoring center 40, or may be executed periodically.

[0051] First, the car position detection unit 22 of the elevator control device 20 detects the current position of the car 14 based on a pulse signal from a pulse generator (not shown) (step S21). Position information indicating the detected current position of the car 14 is sent to the remote monitoring device 30.

[0052] Next, the diagnostic unit 31 of the remote monitoring device 30 measures the radio wave strength and reception quality of the first wireless antenna 18. Then, the diagnostic unit 31 detects the radio wave state of the first wireless antenna 18 based on the measured radio wave strength and reception quality of the first wireless antenna 18 and the table shown in Fig. 3 (step S22).

[0053] Furthermore, the diagnosis unit 31 measures the radio wave strength and reception quality of the second wireless antenna 19. The diagnosis unit 31 detects the radio wave state of the second wireless antenna 19 based on the measured radio wave strength and reception quality of the second wireless antenna 19 and the table shown in Fig. 3 (step S23).

[0054] The order of the process of step S21 and the processes of steps S22 and S23 may be reversed, that is, the process of step S21 may be executed after the processes of steps S22 and S23 are executed.

[0055] The antenna selection unit 33 determines whether the radio wave conditions of the first radio antenna 18 and the second radio antenna 19 detected by the diagnosis unit 31 are both “very good,” “good,” or “generally good” (step S24).

[0056] If, as a result of the processing in step S24, it is determined that the radio wave conditions of at least one of the first radio antenna 18 and the second radio antenna 19 are not “very good,” “good,” or “generally good” (No in step S24), the antenna selection unit 33 compares the radio wave conditions of the first radio antenna 18 and the second radio antenna 19, and selects the radio antenna showing the better radio wave condition as the radio antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40 (step S25), thereby terminating this series of processing.

[0057] On the other hand, if the result of the processing in step S24 indicates that the radio wave conditions of both the first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19 are either “very good”, “good”, or “generally good” (Yes in step S24), the antenna selection unit 33 selects a wireless antenna located farther away from the current position of the car 14 indicated by the position information sent from the elevator control device 20 (car position detection unit 22) as the wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40 (step S26), and terminates this series of processes.

[0058] As described above, the elevator system 1 according to the third embodiment includes the first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19 installed at positions apart from each other in the elevator shaft 10, as in the first and second embodiments. The elevator system 1 according to the third embodiment detects the radio wave state of the first wireless antenna 18 and the radio wave state of the second wireless antenna 19, and detects the current position of the car 14. If the detected radio wave states of the wireless antennas 18 and 19 are both in a state where normal communication is highly likely to be performed, the elevator system 1 according to the third embodiment selects the wireless antenna located farther away from the current position of the car 14 as the wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40. If at least one of the detected radio wave states of the wireless antennas 18 and 19 is in a state where normal communication is low, the elevator system 1 according to the third embodiment selects the wireless antenna showing a better radio wave state as the wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40.

[0059] In this way, the elevator system 1 of the third embodiment selects a wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40 after taking into consideration both the radio wave conditions of the two wireless antennas 18, 19 and the current position of the car 14, which may be a radio wave obstruction, thereby preventing a communication error from preventing the data required for remote monitoring from being exchanged normally, and thereby preventing a deterioration in the quality of remote monitoring.

[0060] The following describes modified examples. (First Modification) The first modified example is, for example, a modified example that can be applied to the first embodiment or the third embodiment.

[0061] In the first modification, it is assumed that the communication unit 32 of the remote monitoring device 30 is a communication module compatible with a plurality of communication carriers, such as an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC).

[0062] In this case, the diagnosis unit 31 detects the radio wave conditions of the first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19 for each communication carrier.

[0063] The communication unit 32 refers to the radio wave conditions of the first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19 for each communication carrier detected by the diagnosis unit 31, and selects from among the multiple communication carriers the communication carrier corresponding to the radio waves captured by the wireless antenna showing the best radio wave conditions.

[0064] Moreover, the antenna selection unit 33 selects the above-mentioned wireless antenna having the best radio wave condition as the wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40 .

[0065] According to the first variant described above, the elevator system 1 can select (change) not only the wireless antenna but also the communication carrier. Therefore, even if a large-scale communication failure occurs in a specific communication carrier, for example, it is possible to change the communication carrier of the radio waves captured by the wireless antenna to another communication carrier, and then select a wireless antenna with good radio wave conditions as the wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40.

[0066] (Second Modification) The second modified example is, for example, a modified example that can be applied to the first or third embodiment.

[0067] In the second variant, it is assumed that the first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19 are not installed at positions spaced apart from each other within the elevator shaft 10, but are instead affixed as film antennas to, for example, platform display devices or jambs on floors spaced apart from each other (i.e., different floors).

[0068] Even in this case, the diagnostic unit 31 of the remote monitoring device 30 can detect the radio wave conditions of the first wireless antenna 18 and the second wireless antenna 19 and select the wireless antenna with the better radio wave conditions as the wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center 40, thereby obtaining the same effects as in the first and third embodiments.

[0069] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, it is possible to provide an elevator system 1 capable of suppressing deterioration in the quality of remote monitoring.

[0070] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1... elevator system, 10... hoistway, 11... hoisting machine, 12... traction sheave, 13... main rope, 14... car, 15... counterweight, 16, 17... guide rails, 18... first radio antenna, 19... second radio antenna, 20... elevator control device, 30... remote monitoring device, 40... monitoring center.

Claims

1. An elevator system communicatively connected to a monitoring center via a public line network, a first wireless antenna installed in the elevator; a second wireless antenna installed in the elevator shaft at a position away from the first wireless antenna; a diagnostic means for detecting a state of radio waves captured by the first radio antenna and a state of radio waves captured by the second radio antenna; an antenna selection means for selecting one of the first wireless antenna and the second wireless antenna as a wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center based on the detected states of radio waves from the first wireless antenna and the second wireless antenna; An elevator system comprising:

2. The antenna selection means comprises: comparing radio wave conditions of the detected first and second radio antennas, and selecting a radio antenna having a better radio wave condition as a radio antenna for communicating with the monitoring center.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

3. The diagnostic means comprises: measuring a strength and a reception quality of radio waves captured by the first wireless antenna, and detecting a state of radio waves of the first wireless antenna based on the strength and the reception quality of radio waves of the first wireless antenna; a signal strength and a reception quality of radio waves captured by the second radio antenna are measured, and a state of radio waves of the second radio antenna is detected based on the signal strength and the reception quality of radio waves of the second radio antenna that are measured.

3. An elevator system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The diagnostic means comprises: detecting which of a plurality of predetermined states the state of radio waves from the first radio antenna and the second radio antenna corresponds to based on the strength of the radio waves and the reception quality of the radio waves; The antenna selection means comprises: When the detected radio wave states of the first and second radio antennas indicate the same state, the radio antenna having a higher reception quality of the measured radio wave is selected from the first and second radio antennas as the radio antenna for communicating with the monitoring center.

4. The elevator system of claim 3.

5. An elevator system communicatively connected to a monitoring center via a public line network, a first wireless antenna installed in the elevator; a second wireless antenna installed in the elevator shaft at a position away from the first wireless antenna; a car position detection means for detecting a current position of a car moving in the elevator; an antenna selection means for selecting one of the first wireless antenna and the second wireless antenna as a wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center based on the detected current position of the elevator; An elevator system comprising:

6. The antenna selection means comprises: Among the first wireless antenna and the second wireless antenna, a wireless antenna located farther from the detected current position of the elevator is selected as a wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center.

6. The elevator system of claim 5.

7. An elevator system communicatively connected to a monitoring center via a public line network, a first wireless antenna installed in the elevator; a second wireless antenna installed in the elevator shaft at a position away from the first wireless antenna; a diagnostic means for detecting a state of radio waves captured by the first radio antenna and a state of radio waves captured by the second radio antenna; a car position detection means for detecting a current position of a car moving in the elevator; an antenna selection means for selecting one of the first wireless antenna and the second wireless antenna as a wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center based on the detected states of radio waves of the first wireless antenna and the second wireless antenna and the detected current position of the elevator; An elevator system comprising:

8. The antenna selection means comprises: when the detected radio wave states of both the first wireless antenna and the second wireless antenna indicate a high possibility of normal communication with the monitoring center, select, from among the first wireless antenna and the second wireless antenna, a wireless antenna located farther away from the detected current position of the elevator as a wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center; when at least one of the detected radio wave conditions of the first wireless antenna and the second wireless antenna is in a state in which it is unlikely that normal communication with the monitoring center can be performed, the wireless antenna having a better radio wave condition is selected from the first wireless antenna and the second wireless antenna as the wireless antenna for communicating with the monitoring center.

8. The elevator system of claim 7.

9. The diagnostic means comprises: measuring a strength and a reception quality of radio waves captured by the first wireless antenna, and detecting a state of radio waves of the first wireless antenna based on the strength and the reception quality of radio waves of the first wireless antenna; a signal strength and a reception quality of radio waves captured by the second radio antenna are measured, and a state of radio waves of the second radio antenna is detected based on the signal strength and the reception quality of radio waves of the second radio antenna that are measured. An elevator system according to claim 7 or claim 8.

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