Elevator shaft pressure fluctuation reduction system

Abstract

To provide an elevator shaft pressure fluctuation reduction system that is easy to install while reducing air flow between an elevator shaft and a room pressure management area.SOLUTION: An elevator shaft pressure fluctuation reduction system comprises an air blower 21 provided on an elevator car 5 and capable of rotating in normal and reverse directions, a guide duct 22 provided on the elevator car 5 and capable of guiding the flow of air between an upper side Y1 of the elevator car 5 and a lower side Y2 of the elevator car 5 in an elevator shaft 4, and a control unit 23 that controls the air blower 21, and the control unit 23 controls the air blower 21 so as to rotate the air blower 21 in one direction to deliver the air at the upper side Y1 of the elevator car 5 to the lower side Y2 of the elevator car 5 through the guide duct 22 when the elevator car 5 ascends and so as to rotate the air blower 21 in the reverse direction to deliver the air at the lower side Y2 of the elevator car 5 to the upper side Y1 of the elevator car 5 through the guide duct 22 when the elevator car 5 descends.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a pressure fluctuation suppression system for an elevator shaft that suppresses pressure fluctuations within an elevator shaft that is installed adjacent to or in the vicinity of a room pressure controlled area. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 shows a pressure fluctuation suppression system for an elevator shaft that is provided in an elevator system in which an elevator shaft (hoistway 1) through which an elevator car (cage 3) rises and falls is installed adjacent to a room pressure controlled area (clean room 8) to prevent pressure increases within the elevator shaft. The pressure fluctuation suppression system for an elevator shaft in Patent Document 1 comprises a ceiling exhaust fan (4) installed at the upper end of the elevator shaft to exhaust air inside the elevator shaft to the outside, and a bottom exhaust fan (5) installed at the lower end of the elevator shaft to exhaust air inside the elevator shaft to the outside; when the elevator car rises, the air above the elevator car in the elevator shaft is exhausted to the outside by the ceiling exhaust fan, and when the elevator car descends, the air below the elevator car in the elevator shaft is exhausted to the outside by the bottom exhaust fan. By exhausting the air in the elevator shaft to the outside using the ceiling and bottom exhaust fans in this way, the increase in pressure inside the elevator shaft when the elevator car rises and falls is suppressed, and unpurified air in the elevator shaft is prevented from flowing into the adjacent room pressure controlled area. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 2511318 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, it is necessary to install a ceiling exhaust fan and a bottom exhaust fan in the elevator shaft, and it is also necessary to form exhaust ports for discharging air at the locations in the elevator shaft where the ceiling exhaust fan and the bottom exhaust fan are installed, making the installation of the pressure fluctuation suppression system large-scale, making it difficult to install. In addition, when the elevator car rises or falls, pressure drops below the elevator car in the elevator shaft, and when the elevator car descends, pressure drops above the elevator car in the elevator shaft. This could cause problems such as air flowing from the room pressure controlled area into the elevator shaft, causing a drop in pressure in the room pressure controlled area.

[0005] In view of this situation, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a pressure fluctuation suppression system for an elevator shaft that is easy to install while suppressing air flow between the elevator shaft and a room pressure controlled area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first characteristic configuration of the present invention is a pressure fluctuation suppression system for an elevator shaft that suppresses pressure fluctuations in an elevator shaft installed adjacent to or near a room pressure controlled area, the elevator shaft includes a blower capable of rotating in both forward and reverse directions and attached to an elevator car that moves up and down in the elevator shaft; a guide duct attached to the elevator car and capable of guiding air to flow between an upper side of the elevator car and a lower side of the elevator car in the elevator shaft; and a control unit that controls the blower; The control unit controls the blower to rotate in one direction to send air above the elevator car to the lower side of the elevator car through the guide duct when the elevator car is ascending, and to rotate in the other direction to send air below the elevator car to the upper side of the elevator car through the guide duct when the elevator car is descending.

[0007] According to this configuration, air is exhausted through the guide duct by the blowing action of the blower in the elevator shaft above the elevator car when the elevator car ascends, and in the elevator shaft below the elevator car when the elevator car descends, so pressure does not easily increase. This suppresses air from flowing from the elevator shaft to the pressure-controlled area, and prevents the pressure-controlled area from being contaminated by air in the elevator shaft. Furthermore, when the elevator car rises, the air passes through the guide duct and is supplied by the blowing action of the blower to the area below the elevator car in the elevator shaft, and when the elevator car descends, the pressure does not drop easily. This prevents air from flowing from the pressure-controlled area to the elevator shaft, and prevents problems such as a drop in pressure in the pressure-controlled area. Furthermore, the blower and guide ducts for controlling the pressure inside the elevator shaft as the elevator car rises and falls are installed in the elevator car, and there is no need to form vents in the elevator shaft to install these blowers and guide ducts, making it easier to install a pressure fluctuation suppression system for the elevator shaft. In this way, it is possible to provide a pressure fluctuation suppression system for an elevator shaft that is easy to install while suppressing air flow between the elevator shaft and the room pressure controlled area.

[0008] A second characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the blower is installed on an upper surface of the elevator car, and the guide duct is installed on a side surface of the elevator car.

[0009] According to this configuration, it is relatively easier to secure installation space on the top surface of the elevator car than on the side surface of the elevator car, making it easier to install a blower. Also, by installing the guide duct on the side surface of the elevator car, air can be guided between the upper side and the lower side of the elevator car without passing through the inside of the elevator car, making it easier to secure space inside the elevator car to accommodate passengers and cargo.

[0010] A third characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the control unit controls the blower so as to change a rotation speed of the blower in accordance with an ascending / descending speed of the elevator car.

[0011] According to this configuration, the pressure fluctuation range above and below the elevator car changes depending on the ascent and descent speed of the elevator car. However, with this configuration, by changing the rotation speed of the blower depending on the ascent and descent speed of the elevator car, it is possible to exhaust and supply an amount of air according to the ascent and descent speed of the elevator car, thereby appropriately preventing pressure rises and falls in the elevator shaft. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] Overview of a pressure fluctuation suppression system for an elevator shaft [Diagram 2] A diagram showing the air flow when the elevator car is rising. [Diagram 3] A diagram showing the air flow when the elevator car is descending. [Figure 4] A flowchart showing the flow of the rotation control of the blower by the control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a pressure fluctuation suppression system for an elevator shaft according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a pressure fluctuation suppression system 1 for an elevator shaft is configured to suppress pressure fluctuations in an elevator shaft 4 installed adjacent to a room pressure controlled area 2. In this embodiment, the pressure controlled area 2 is a clean room in which the pressure inside is controlled to be maintained at a positive pressure relative to the surrounding space by supplying purified air. The pressure inside the elevator shaft 4 is set to the same as atmospheric pressure, and is negative relative to the pressure inside the pressure controlled area 2.

[0014] The elevator shaft 4 is installed across multiple floors F in a building 8. In this embodiment, the elevator shaft 4 is installed across multiple floors F, including a first floor F1 which is the lowest floor, a third floor F3 which is the top floor, and a second floor F2 which is located between the first floor F1 and the third floor F3. In addition, the elevator 3 equipped with the elevator shaft 4 may be a passenger elevator intended to carry people in the elevator car 5, or a baggage elevator intended to carry baggage in the elevator car 5.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the elevator 3 includes an elevator shaft 4, an elevator car 5 that rises and falls within the elevator shaft 4, a lifting means 6 such as a rope-type hoist that raises and lowers the elevator car 5, and an elevator control system 7 that controls the lifting means 6 so as to raise and lower the elevator car 5 to a destination floor F.

[0016] At locations in the elevator shaft 4 corresponding to each floor F, a floor opening 9 for passengers to get on and off the elevator car 5 is formed, and a floor door 10 that can be opened and closed is provided to close the floor opening 9. The elevator car 5 also has a car opening 11 for passengers to get on and off, and is provided with a car door 12 that can be opened and closed to close the car opening 11.

[0017] The elevator control system 7 includes a floor operation unit 14 provided on each floor F, a car operation unit 15 provided on the elevator car 5, and an elevator control unit 16 that moves the elevator car 5 up and down based on the operation of the floor operation unit 14 and the car operation unit 15.

[0018] The elevator control system 7 is configured to control the lifting means 6 to raise the elevator car 5 from the first floor F1, which is the origin, to the third floor F3, which is the destination, as shown in Figure 2, when, for example, the elevator car 5 is stopped at the first floor F1 and an operation to call the elevator car 5 is performed using the floor operating unit 14 on the third floor F3, or an operation to set the third floor F3 as the destination is performed using the car operating unit 15. In addition, the elevator control system 7 is configured to control the lifting means 6 to descend the elevator car 5 from the origin, the third floor F3, to the destination, the first floor F1, as shown in Figure 3, when, for example, the elevator car 5 is stopped at the third floor F3 and an operation to call the elevator car 5 is performed by the floor operating unit 14 on the first floor F1, or an operation to set the first floor F1 as the destination is performed by the car operating unit 15.

[0019] 2 and 3, when moving the elevator car 5 up and down from the origin floor F to the destination floor F, the elevator control system 7 controls the lifting means 6 to move the elevator car 5 up and down while accelerating from a stopped state at the origin floor F, and after the lifting speed of the elevator car 5 reaches the rated speed of the elevator 3 (e.g., 60 m / min), to move the elevator car 5 up and down while maintaining the speed at the rated speed, and then to decelerate toward the destination floor F and move the elevator car 5 up and down so as to stop at the destination floor F. In this way, the elevator control system 7 controls the lifting means 6 to move the elevator car 5 up and down according to a speed pattern based on the rated speed.

[0020] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the pressure fluctuation suppression system 1 for an elevator shaft 4 comprises a blower 21 capable of rotating in both forward and reverse directions and mounted on an elevator car 5 moving up and down in the elevator shaft 4, a guide duct 22 mounted on the elevator car 5 and capable of guiding the flow of air between an upper side Y1 of the elevator car 5 and a lower side Y2 of the elevator car 5 within the elevator shaft 4, and a control unit 23 that controls the blower 21, and is configured to suppress pressure fluctuations within the elevator shaft 4 when the elevator car 5 moves up and down.

[0021] The blower 21 is installed on the top surface 5A of the elevator car 5. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the blower 21 is installed on the back side X1 of the center in the depth direction X on the top surface 5A of the elevator car 5. The blower 21 is installed with the rotation axis of the blades aligned horizontally so that, by rotating in one direction (e.g., the forward rotation direction), air is sucked in from the front side X2 in the depth direction X and discharged to the back side X1 in the depth direction X, and, by rotating in the other direction (e.g., the reverse rotation direction), air is sucked in from the back side X1 in the depth direction X and discharged to the front side X2 in the depth direction X.

[0022] The guide duct 22 is installed on a side surface 5B of the elevator car 5. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the guide duct 22 is installed on the side surface 5B facing the rear side X1 of the elevator car 5 in a position along the vertical direction Y. An upper portion of the guide duct 22 is bent toward the front side X2 and extends to the upper surface 5A of the elevator car 5, forming an inverted L-shape. The upper end of the guide duct 22 opens toward the front side X2 while facing the blower 21. The lower end of the guide duct 22 is located between the center and the lower end of the elevator car 5 in the vertical direction Y, and opens toward the downward side Y2. Therefore, when the blower 21 is rotating in one direction, the air sent by the blowing action of the blower 21 is guided by the guide duct 22 from the upper side Y1 of the elevator car 5 to the lower side Y2 of the elevator car 5, as shown by the solid arrow in Fig. 2. On the other hand, when the blower 21 is rotating in the other direction, the air sent by the suction action of the blower 21 is guided by the guide duct 22 from the lower side Y2 of the elevator car 5 to the upper side Y1 of the elevator car 5, as shown by the solid arrow in Fig. 3.

[0023] As shown in Figure 2, when the elevator car 5 is ascending, the control unit 23 controls the blower 21 to rotate in one direction to send air on the upper side Y1 of the elevator car 5 to the lower side Y2 of the elevator car 5 through the guide duct 22, and as shown in Figure 3, when the elevator car 5 is descending, the control unit 23 controls the blower 21 to rotate in the other direction (see Figure 3) to send air on the lower side Y2 of the elevator car 5 to the upper side Y1 of the elevator car 5 through the guide duct 22.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 1, control unit 23 is configured to receive ascent / descent movement information related to the ascent / descent movement of elevator car 5 from elevator control unit 16. Then, as shown in the flowchart of Fig. 4, when ascent / descent movement information is received (step S1), control unit 23 is configured to execute an ascent rotation control for controlling blower 21 to rotate in one direction when elevator car 5 is ascending (if Yes in step S2, step S3), and execute a descent rotation control for controlling blower 21 to rotate in the other direction when elevator car 5 is descending (if No in step S2, step S4).

[0025] The control unit 23 controls the blower 21 so as to change the rotation speed of the blower 21 in accordance with the ascending and descending speed of the elevator car 5 . To explain further, a plurality of lifting and lowering speeds are set for the rated speed of the elevator car 5, and the rotation speed of the blower 21 is set corresponding to each of the plurality of lifting and lowering speeds. Specifically, as the lifting and lowering speed of the elevator car 5, a low speed (e.g., less than 20 m / min), a medium speed faster than the low speed (e.g., 20 m / min or more and less than 40 m / min), and a high speed faster than the medium speed (e.g., 40 m / min or more) are set. In addition, as the rotation speed of the blower 21, three rotation speed stages are set: a low rotation speed corresponding to the low speed of the elevator car 5, a medium rotation speed corresponding to the medium speed of the elevator car 5 and faster than the low rotation speed, and a high rotation speed corresponding to the high speed of the elevator car 5 and faster than the medium rotation speed.

[0026] The control unit 23 is configured to control the blower 21 so as to rotate at a low rotational speed when the elevator car 5 rises or falls at a low speed, to rotate at a medium rotational speed when the elevator car 5 rises or falls at a medium speed, and to rotate at a high rotational speed when the elevator car 5 rises or falls at a high speed. Specifically, the control unit 23 is configured to control the blower 21 so as to increase the rotational speed of the blower 21 to a low rotational speed, a medium rotational speed, and a high rotational speed as the ascending and descending speed of the elevator car 5 accelerates to a low speed, a medium speed, and a high speed, to maintain the rotational speed of the blower 21 at a high rotational speed while the elevator car 5 ascends and descends at the rated speed, and to decrease the rotational speed of the blower 21 to a high rotational speed, a medium rotational speed, and a low rotational speed as the elevator car 5 decelerates to a high speed, a medium speed, and a low speed.

[0027] As described above, as shown in Fig. 2, when the elevator car 5 is ascending, the blower 21 rotates in one direction to send air on the upper side Y1 of the elevator car 5 to the lower side Y2 of the elevator car 5 through the guide duct 22, and as shown in Fig. 3, when the elevator car 5 is descending, the blower 21 rotates in the other direction to send air on the lower side Y2 of the elevator car 5 to the upper side Y1 of the elevator car 5 through the guide duct 22. This prevents air from flowing from the elevator shaft 4 to the room pressure controlled area 2, making it possible to prevent the room pressure controlled area 2 from being polluted by the air in the elevator shaft 4, and also prevents air from flowing from the room pressure controlled area 2 to the elevator shaft 4, making it possible to prevent adverse effects such as a pressure drop in the room pressure controlled area 2.

[0028] In addition, since the blower 21 and guide duct 22 for controlling the pressure inside the elevator shaft 4 as the elevator car 5 rises and falls are provided on the elevator car 5, there is no need to form an air vent in the elevator shaft 4 to install the blower 21 and guide duct 22, making it easier to install the pressure fluctuation suppression system 1 for the elevator shaft 4.

[0029] [Another embodiment] Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Note that the configurations of the embodiments described below are not limited to being applied alone, but may also be applied in combination with the configurations of other embodiments.

[0030] (1) In the above embodiment, the room pressure controlled area 2 is described as a clean room in which pressure is controlled to be maintained at a positive pressure relative to the surrounding space. However, the room pressure controlled area 2 may be any area in which the pressure inside the room is controlled, and may be, for example, a hospital room in which the pressure inside the room is controlled to be maintained at a positive or negative pressure, or a corridor in which negative or positive pressure is maintained relative to such a hospital room.

[0031] (2) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which there is no other space between the elevator shaft 4 and the room pressure controlled area 2, and the elevator shaft 4 is installed adjacent to the room pressure controlled area 2. However, the elevator shaft 4 may be installed close to the room pressure controlled area 2, for example, by interposing a space between the elevator shaft 4 and the room pressure controlled area 2 that may affect the room pressure controlled area 2 due to pressure fluctuations inside the elevator shaft 4, such as in the antechamber of the elevator car 5.

[0032] (3) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the pressure inside the elevator shaft 4 was made equivalent to atmospheric pressure. However, the elevator shaft 4 may also be configured to have an exhaust section that exhausts air from inside the elevator shaft 4 to the outside, making the pressure inside the elevator shaft 4 a negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure.

[0033] (4) In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the blower 21 is installed on the top surface 5A of the elevator car 5 with the rotation axis aligned along the depth direction X has been described as an example. However, the position and orientation in which the blower 21 is installed may be changed as appropriate. For example, the blower 21 may be installed on the bottom surface or side surface 5B of the elevator car 5, or may be installed with the rotation axis aligned along the up-down direction Y.

[0034] (5) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the rotation speed of the blower 21 was changed depending on the ascending and descending speed of the elevator car 5. However, the blower 21 may also be configured to rotate at a constant rotation speed regardless of the ascending and descending speed of the elevator car 5.

[0035] (6) In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the ascending and descending movement information is input from elevator control unit 16 to control unit 23. However, the configuration in which the ascending and descending movement information is input to control unit 23 may be changed as appropriate, and for example, a configuration may be adopted in which a sensor is provided that detects the rotation direction and rotation speed of a rope-type hoist (an example of lifting means 6), and information detected by the sensor is input to control unit 23 as ascending and descending movement information. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1. Pressure fluctuation suppression system 2. Pressure Control Area 4. Elevator Shaft 5 Elevator Cage 21 Blower 22 Guide duct 23 Control Unit Y1 Upper side Y2 Lower side

Claims

1. A pressure fluctuation suppression system for an elevator shaft that suppresses pressure fluctuations in an elevator shaft that is installed adjacent to or near a room pressure controlled area, the elevator shaft includes a blower capable of rotating in both forward and reverse directions and attached to an elevator car that moves up and down in the elevator shaft; a guide duct attached to the elevator car and capable of guiding air to flow between an upper side of the elevator car and a lower side of the elevator car in the elevator shaft; and a control unit that controls the blower; A pressure fluctuation suppression system for an elevator shaft, wherein the control unit controls the blower to rotate in one direction to send air above the elevator car to the lower side of the elevator car through the guide duct when the elevator car is ascending, and to rotate in the other direction to send air below the elevator car to the upper side of the elevator car through the guide duct when the elevator car is descending.

2. 2. The pressure fluctuation suppression system for an elevator shaft according to claim 1, wherein the blower is installed on the upper surface of the elevator car, and the guide duct is installed on the side surface of the elevator car.

3. 3. The pressure fluctuation suppression system for an elevator shaft according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the blower to change a rotation speed of the blower in accordance with a rising and descending speed of the elevator car.

Images