Maintenance work support system, maintenance work support method, and elevator control device

Abstract

To provide a maintenance work support system capable of storing information on a working status of maintenance work performed by maintenance terminals used in an off-line environment.SOLUTION: An elevator control device 20 comprises: an elevator control unit 21a that controls an operation of an elevator 50; a maintenance terminal communication unit 23b that receives information on a working status of maintenance work from a maintenance terminal 10_1 when the maintenance terminal 10_1 that performs the maintenance work on the elevator 50 is connected; a working status memory unit 22a that stores the information on the working status received from the maintenance terminal 10_1 by the maintenance terminal communication unit 23b; and a maintenance function control unit 21b that instructs the elevator control unit 21a to operate the elevator 50 using a maintenance function of the elevator 50 based on the information on the working status.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a maintenance work support system, a maintenance work support method, and an elevator control device.

Background Art

[0002] In the maintenance terminal of an elevator, work plans and the like for maintenance work on the elevator are stored, and maintenance workers perform maintenance work while checking the work plans. Multiple maintenance terminals may be used for maintenance work. Therefore, if the progress information of the maintenance work is not shared among the respective maintenance terminals, the same maintenance work may be carried out, resulting in waste of time and effort. For this reason, a work support system for sharing the progress information of maintenance work among multiple maintenance terminals has been constructed. This work support system is assumed to be used in an online environment such as a public line, a private network, or short-range wireless communication.

[0003] At a site in an offline environment (for example, underground or in the mountains), the progress information of work cannot be shared using the above work support system. In this case, the maintenance worker may compare multiple maintenance terminals and visually record the progress information recorded on one maintenance terminal again on other maintenance terminals.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes that "when the system receives performance data, for the work item to which the performance data corresponds, the work state is set according to the result of comparison between all received performance data and the completion condition. The system transmits information representing the progress of maintenance work including the work state of each work item to each maintenance terminal."

[0005] Patent Document 2 describes that "the wireless communication access point device receives the inspection status data transmitted from the first inspection status data transmission means of the management server and transmits the received inspection status data to one mobile terminal and another mobile terminal in the wireless communication area."

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] When there are multiple maintenance personnel at the on-site in an offline environment, if the multiple maintenance personnel are not in the same time and the same place, they cannot compare the maintenance terminals they each have to share the progress information. For this reason, the maintenance work does not progress, and the work efficiency of the maintenance work has been reduced.

[0008] The technologies described in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2 both perform information sharing regarding the work progress status, but it is assumed that they are used in an online environment, and the system does not store information on the work status of the maintenance terminals. For this reason, the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 cannot be used in an offline environment, and each maintenance terminal cannot share the progress information in an offline environment.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to enable an elevator control device to store information on the work status of maintenance work by a maintenance terminal.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The maintenance work support system according to the present invention includes an elevator control device that controls an elevator, and a plurality of maintenance terminals that perform maintenance work on the elevator. The elevator control device includes an elevator control unit that controls the operation of the elevator, a communication unit for maintenance terminals that receives information on the working state of maintenance work from one maintenance terminal when the one maintenance terminal is connected, a working state storage unit that stores the information on the working state received by the communication unit for maintenance terminals from the one maintenance terminal, and a maintenance function control unit that instructs the elevator control unit to operate the elevator by the elevator maintenance function based on the information on the working state.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, the elevator control device can store information on the working state of maintenance work by the maintenance terminal. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the description of the following embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same function or configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0014] [Embodiment 1] First, a configuration example and an operation example of an elevator 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of an elevator 50 according to an embodiment. In FIG. 1, an example in which the elevator 50 is an elevator is shown, but the elevator 50 may be an escalator.

[0015] The elevator 50 includes a car 1, a hoist 5 for raising and lowering the car 1, a counterweight 6 for reducing the load when the car 1 moves up and down, a pulley 7 for avoiding contact between the car 1 and the counterweight 6, and a main rope 8 connecting the car 1 and the counterweight.

[0016] The car 1 is attached with a car door 2, a door opening / closing device 3, and a three-axis acceleration sensor 4. The car door 2 is attached to the car 1 and performs an opening / closing operation when the car 1 stops at the destination floor. The door opening / closing device 3 controls the opening and closing of the car door 2. The three-axis acceleration sensor 4 measures the acceleration in the three axes (frontage direction, depth direction, and vertical direction) of the elevator car 1, and outputs acceleration data including the measured acceleration to the elevator control device 20.

[0017] Also, the elevator 50 includes a landing door 9 and an elevator control device 20. The landing door 9 opens and closes in synchronization with the opening and closing of the car door 2. The elevator control device 20 is installed in the machine room above the hoistway and controls the operation of the elevator 50. The elevator control device 20 acquires door opening / closing information by the door opening / closing device 3 and acceleration data measured by the three-axis acceleration sensor 4, and grasps the operation of the elevator car 1.

[0018] The elevator car 1 can be moved to an arbitrary floor under the control of the elevator control device 20. In FIG. 1, the elevator car 1 stopped at the nth floor is shown. At the nth floor, there is a maintenance worker 30_1 who performs maintenance and inspection of the elevator 50 with a maintenance terminal 10_1. At the mth floor, there is a maintenance worker 30_1 who performs maintenance and inspection of the elevator 50 with a maintenance terminal 10_2. As the maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2, for example, tablet-type PCs (Personal Computers), smartphones, etc. are used.

[0019] The elevator 50 is installed in an offline environment. In the offline environment, a plurality of maintenance terminals 10 cannot communicate with each other using wireless communication such as the Internet and cannot transmit and receive maintenance data. Therefore, the content of the maintenance work performed on the maintenance terminal 10_1 used by the maintenance worker 30_1 is once transmitted to the elevator control device 20. Then, when the maintenance worker 30_2 starts the maintenance work, when the maintenance terminal 10_2 used by the maintenance worker 30_2 is connected to the elevator control device 20, the maintenance terminal 10_2 acquires the content of the maintenance work performed by the maintenance worker 30_1. In the following description, when the maintenance workers 30_1 and 30_2 are not distinguished, they are collectively referred to as the maintenance worker 30.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration example of the elevator maintenance work support system 100. The elevator maintenance work support system 100 includes a plurality of maintenance terminals 10_1 to 10_n that perform maintenance work on the elevator 50, and an elevator control device 20 that controls the elevator 50.

[0021] The maintenance terminal 10_1 includes a communication unit 11, a control unit 12, a storage unit 13, a display unit 14, and an operation unit 15. Note that the maintenance terminals 10_2 to 10_n have the same internal configuration as the maintenance terminal 10_1. In the following description, when the plurality of maintenance terminals 10_1 to 10_n are not distinguished, they are collectively referred to as the maintenance terminal 10.

[0022] The communication unit 11 transmits and receives various data to and from the elevator control device 20. The communication unit 11 is composed of communication interfaces such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal and Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0023] The control unit 12 controls the operations of each part of the maintenance terminal 10_1. During maintenance work, the control unit 12 reads the work plan information stored in the storage unit 13 and displays the work plan information on the display unit 14. Further, when the control unit 12 receives the work progress information, various values, etc. input from the operation unit 15, it stores this information in the storage unit 13.

[0024] The storage unit 13 stores work plan information as information necessary for maintenance work. The storage unit 13 also stores work progress information that is the content of the implementation of maintenance work. The work plan information includes the implementation procedures of work A shown in FIG. 4 described later, and information on the work names shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The work progress information includes the content of each step included in work A shown in FIG. 4 described later, the implementation procedures of each step, and the progress status shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0025] The display unit 14 displays information necessary for maintenance work. The operation unit 15 receives operations such as instruction input for maintenance work by the maintenance staff 30. The display unit 14 and the operation unit 15 are configured as an integrated touch panel display device.

[0026] The elevator control device 20 includes a processing unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 23. The functions of the elevator control device 20 are realized, for example, using an elevator MPU (Micro Processing Unit) 41 shown in FIG. 3.

[0027] The processing unit 21 controls the processing in each part of the elevator control device 20. The processing unit 21 includes an elevator control unit 21a and a maintenance function control unit 21b.

[0028] The elevator control unit 21a controls the operation of the elevator 50. For example, it performs the up and down operation of the car 1, the opening and closing operations of the car door 2 and the landing door 9, the boarding determination of the car 1, etc. The operation of the elevator 50 is written into and stored in the storage unit 22 in time series.

[0029] The maintenance function control unit 21b instructs the elevator control unit 21a to operate the elevator 50 through the maintenance function of the elevator 50. Further, when the maintenance terminal 10_2 is connected to the maintenance terminal communication unit 23b, the maintenance function control unit 21b instructs the maintenance terminal communication unit 23b to transmit the information on the working state of the maintenance terminal 10_1 read from the working state storage unit 22a to the maintenance terminal 10_2. The information on the working state includes the information on the work plan of the maintenance work and the information on the work progress with respect to the work plan.

[0030] The maintenance function control unit 21b stores the latest working state information among the respective working state information received from the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the maintenance terminal 10_2 connected to the maintenance terminal communication unit 23b in the working state storage unit 22a. For this reason, the maintenance function control unit 21b can share the latest working state information with each maintenance terminal 10 even when different maintenance terminals 10 are connected.

[0031] In addition, the maintenance function control unit 21b controls a maintenance function for performing self-diagnosis of the elevator 50 based on the information on the working state stored in the working state storage unit 22a. The maintenance function is a function of a special operation possessed by the elevator control device 20 side. The maintenance function control unit 21b, for example, performs a maintenance operation instructed by the maintenance terminal 10, or writes maintenance data generated during a maintenance inspection into the storage unit 22. Note that when a certain period has elapsed since the information on the working state stored in the working state storage unit 22a was last updated, the maintenance function control unit 21b deletes the information on the working state for which the certain period has elapsed from the working state storage unit 22a. For this reason, the information on the old working state is not transmitted from the elevator control device 20 to the maintenance terminal 10.

[0032] The storage unit 22 stores various types of data and information. This storage unit 22 includes a working state storage unit 22a. The working state storage unit 22a stores the information on the working state received by the maintenance terminal communication unit 23b from the maintenance terminal 10_1. For this reason, the working state storage unit 22a stores the working state of the maintenance work for each maintenance terminal 10. The working state storage unit 22a stores the working state of the maintenance work (information on the work plan and information on the work progress). The working state includes, for example, information on the work progress with respect to the work plan, information on the maintenance terminal 10 connected to the elevator control device 20, and the like. The working state is shared among a plurality of maintenance terminals 10 connected to the elevator control device 20.

[0033] The communication unit 23 controls communication with the maintenance terminal 10. This communication unit 23 includes an input / output unit 23a and a maintenance terminal communication unit 23b.

[0034] The input / output unit 23a manages the input / output of various types of data in the elevator control device 20. The input / output unit 23a acquires, in addition to the data output from the door opening / closing device 3 and the three-axis acceleration sensor 4 shown in FIG. 1, data on a landing call from a call device installed near the landing door 9, and outputs this data to the processing unit 21. Further, the data output from the door opening / closing device 3, the three-axis acceleration sensor 4, and the data on the landing call are written into the storage unit 22 as operation information of the elevator 50.

[0035] When the maintenance terminal communication unit 23b is connected to the maintenance terminal 10_1 used in the maintenance work for the elevator 50, it receives information on the work status of the maintenance work from the maintenance terminal 10_1. Also, when the maintenance terminal 10_2 is connected, the maintenance terminal communication unit 23b transmits the work status information received from the maintenance terminal 10_1 to the maintenance terminal 10_2. For example, the maintenance terminal communication unit 23b receives data representing the work status sent from the maintenance terminal 10_1 and transmits the data representing the work status to the newly connected maintenance terminal 10_2. One maintenance terminal 10 can be connected to the maintenance terminal communication unit 23b via a wired cable at a time. However, since the maintenance terminal communication unit 23b has the function of a wireless router, a plurality of maintenance terminals 10 on the same floor may be connected to the maintenance terminal communication unit 23b simultaneously.

[0036] <Example of the hardware configuration of a computer> Next, the hardware configuration of the computer 40 that constitutes the elevator control device 20 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the computer 40. The computer 40 is an example of the hardware used as a computer that can operate as the elevator control device 20 according to the present embodiment. The elevator control device 20 according to the present embodiment realizes the maintenance inspection method in which each functional block shown in FIG. 2 cooperates by the computer 40 (computer) executing a program.

[0037] The computer 40 includes an elevator MPU 41, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 42, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 43, which are respectively connected to a bus 44. Further, the computer 40 includes a non-volatile storage 45 and a network interface 46.

[0038] The elevator MPU 41 reads the program code of the software that realizes each function according to the present embodiment from the ROM 42, loads it into the RAM 43, and executes it. In the RAM 43, variables, parameters, etc. generated during the arithmetic processing of the elevator MPU 41 are temporarily written, and these variables, parameters, etc. are appropriately read by the elevator MPU 41. In the following description, the elevator control device 20 is also referred to as the "elevator MPU".

[0039] As the non-volatile storage 45, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a non-volatile memory, etc. are used. In this non-volatile storage 45, in addition to the OS (Operating System) and various parameters, a program for operating the computer 40 is recorded. The ROM 42 and the non-volatile storage 45 record programs, data, etc. necessary for the elevator MPU 41 to operate, and are used as an example of a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium that stores a program executed by the computer 40. The function of the storage unit 22 in FIG. 2 is realized by the non-volatile storage 45.

[0040] For the network interface 46, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card), etc. are used, and various data can be transmitted and received between devices via a LAN (Local Area Network), a dedicated line, etc. connected to the terminals of the NIC.

[0041] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the implementation procedure of maintenance work. Work A is an example of maintenance work performed on the elevator 50. Work A is performed, for example, according to the implementation procedure of steps A1 to A4. Maintenance work includes work performed by the maintenance staff 30 using the maintenance terminal 10 and work automatically performed by the elevator MPU. Maintenance work by the maintenance staff 30 includes, for example, work such as disassembling and replacing components (such as brakes) of the elevator 50.

[0042] The A1 step is an operation of connecting the maintenance terminal 10 to the elevator MPU and setting the start of work. With this setting, during the maintenance work, no failure reports will be sent from the elevator 50 to a remote monitoring center (not shown).

[0043] The A2 step is an operation performed only by the maintenance terminal 10. For example, operations such as a maintenance worker 30 replacing parts, a maintenance worker 30 visually inspecting, and a maintenance worker 30 cleaning parts are assumed. In this case, check items are displayed on the maintenance terminal 10, and checks are input for the operations performed by the maintenance worker 30. Such input of checks becomes information representing the progress status.

[0044] The A3 step is an operation of connecting the maintenance terminal 10 to the elevator MPU and the maintenance worker 30 operating the elevator 50 from the maintenance terminal 10. The maintenance terminal 10 can also send commands to the elevator 50 to cause the elevator 50 to perform a self-diagnostic operation.

[0045] The A4 step is an operation of connecting the maintenance terminal 10 to the elevator MPU and setting the end of work. By the maintenance worker 30 setting the end of work, Work A ends and the elevator 50 returns to the normal monitoring state.

[0046] Next, an example of the information stored in each storage unit of the maintenance terminal 10 and the elevator control device 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0047] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the storage of work execution information stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_1. The work execution information has items of a work number (denoted as No.), work name, update date and time, and progress status, which represent the execution order of the maintenance work performed by the maintenance terminal 10_1.

[0048] The work number increases each time maintenance work is performed by the maintenance terminal 10_1. In the item of the work name, the work name of the maintenance work performed by the maintenance terminal 10_1 is stored. In the item of update date and time, the maintenance work performed on the maintenance terminal 10_1 is carried out, and the update date and time (YYYY / MM / DD hh:mm:ss) when the storage unit 13 is updated is stored.

[0049] In the item of progress status, progress information indicating the progress status of the maintenance work is stored. For example, if up to step A2 of work A is completed, "A2 step completed" is stored in the record with work number "1". The work C shown in FIG. 5 is a different work from work A, and work C1, C2, C3, etc. (not shown) are included in work C. Depending on the order and length of the maintenance work, work C may be completed before work A is completed.

[0050] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of storage of work execution information stored in the work status storage unit 22a of the elevator MPU.

[0051] The work execution information shown in FIG. 6 has items of work number (denoted as No.), work name, update date and time, and progress status, which represent the execution order of the maintenance work performed on each maintenance terminal 10. Since the content of each item is the same as that of each item shown in FIG. 5, detailed description is omitted. Note that the work status storage unit 22a does not store information for identifying the maintenance terminals 10_1, 10_2, etc. used in the maintenance work.

[0052] <Acquisition Process of Information Related to Maintenance Work> Next, an example of the control process of the elevator MPU will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the elevator MPU. In FIG. 7, the elevator MPU is abbreviated as MPU.

[0053] If the power of the elevator MPU is on, this process starts. First, the communication unit 23b for the maintenance terminal of the elevator MPU (see FIG. 2) determines whether a maintenance terminal 10 is connected to its own device (S11). When a maintenance terminal 10 is connected to its own device (YES in S11), the communication unit 23b for the maintenance terminal receives work plan information and work progress information (described as "work plan + progress information" in the figure) from the connected maintenance terminal 10 (S12).

[0054] Next, the maintenance function control unit 21b of the elevator MPU (see FIG. 2) determines whether work plan information and work progress information exist in the elevator MPU, that is, in the work status storage unit 22a (S13). If there is no work plan information and work progress information in the work status storage unit 22a (NO in S13), the process proceeds to step S17. If there is work plan information and work progress information in the work status storage unit 22a (YES in S13), the maintenance function control unit 21b determines whether the maintenance function is being executed (S14). In step S14, since the maintenance terminal 10 is connected to the elevator MPU, the maintenance function being executed includes any operation executed by the operation of the maintenance terminal 10 or an operation by the self-diagnosis of the elevator 50.

[0055] If the maintenance function is being executed (YES in S14), the maintenance function control unit 21b updates the work progress information in the elevator MPU (S15). By this update, the work status in the work status storage unit 22a is updated. If the maintenance function is not being executed (NO in S14), the process proceeds to step S16. That the maintenance function is not being executed despite the maintenance terminal 10 being connected to the elevator MPU is assumed to be a situation such as immediately after the work start is set in step A1 of work A in FIG. 4, or after the execution of the maintenance function but before step A4 is not implemented.

[0056] After NO in step S14 or after S15, the maintenance function control unit 21b determines whether the work progress information received by the maintenance terminal communication unit 23b in step S12 is newer than the work progress information in the elevator MPU, that is, the information stored in the work status storage unit 22a (S16). If the received work progress information is not newer than the work progress information in the elevator MPU (NO in S16), the process proceeds to step S18.

[0057] In the case of NO in step S13, or if the received work progress information is newer than the work progress information in the elevator MPU (YES in S16), the maintenance function control unit 21b updates the work progress information in the elevator MPU, that is, the work status storage unit 22a, with the latest work progress information received by the maintenance terminal communication unit 23b (S17).

[0058] In the case of NO in step S16 or after step S17, the communication unit 23b for the maintenance terminal transmits the work progress information in the MPU read from the work state storage unit 22a to the maintenance terminal 10 (S18). In order to notify that the elevator MPU has correctly received the work progress information in the MPU from the maintenance terminal 10, the work progress information in the MPU is transmitted from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminal 10. Then, the process returns to step S11 again and this process is repeated.

[0059] If it is determined in step S11 that the maintenance terminal 10 is not connected to the own device (NO in S11), the maintenance function control unit 21b determines whether there is work plan information and work progress information in the elevator MPU, that is, in the work state storage unit 22a (S19). If there is no work plan information and work progress information in the work state storage unit 22a (NO in S19), the process returns to step S11 and this process is repeated.

[0060] If there is work plan information and work progress information in the work state storage unit 22a (YES in S19), the maintenance function control unit 21b determines whether a maintenance function (for example, self-diagnosis) by the elevator 50 is being executed in a state where the connection to the maintenance terminal 10 is released (S20). If the maintenance function is being executed in the elevator 50 (YES in S20), the maintenance function control unit 21b updates the work progress information in the elevator MPU (S21). By this update, the work state of the work state storage unit 22a is updated. If the maintenance function is not being executed (NO in S20), the process proceeds to step S22.

[0061] In the case of NO in step S20 or after step S21, the maintenance function control unit 21b determines whether a certain period has elapsed since the last update date and time of the work progress information in the elevator MPU (S22). Here, the elevator MPU deletes information such as work results for which the certain period has exceeded. For example, when the maintenance terminal 10 is connected to the elevator MPU at the time of the next maintenance work (for example, three months later), the elevator MPU does not transmit unnecessary data such as the work progress at the time of the previous maintenance work to the maintenance terminal 10.

[0062] If a certain period of time has not elapsed since the last update date and time of the work progress information in the elevator MPU (NO in S22), the process returns to step S11 and this process is repeated.

[0063] If a certain period of time has elapsed since the last update date and time of the work progress information in the elevator MPU (YES in S22), the maintenance function control unit 21b deletes the work plan information and the work progress information stored in the elevator MPU, that is, the work status storage unit 22a (S23). After that, the process returns to step S11 again and this process is repeated.

[0064] Next, the communication state between the maintenance terminal 10 and the elevator MPU and the state of work progress will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 13.

[0065] <Operation example of one maintenance terminal 10_1 and elevator MPU> FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing the communication state between one maintenance terminal 10_1 and the elevator MPU and the state of work progress. In the following sequence diagrams, the description of "step" in steps A1 to A4 is omitted. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the work progress table 60. In the work progress table 60, items for confirming the progress of the maintenance terminal 10_1 during work A, the work progress information managed by the maintenance terminal 10_1 in each work step, and the work progress information managed by the elevator MPU are recorded.

[0066] First, the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the elevator MPU are not connected. Since the elevator MPU is not connected to the maintenance terminal 10_1, it has not received the work plan information from the maintenance terminal 10_1. The work plan information is determined before the maintenance work for each manufacturing number or serial number of the elevator 50 and is stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_1 as work plan information. The work progress information is information indicating to what extent the maintenance work has progressed according to the work plan.

[0067] At the time of step S1-1, "Work not started" is stored in the item of the maintenance terminal 10_1 in the work progress table 60 shown in FIG. 9, and "-" is stored in the item of the elevator MPU. "-" indicates that there is no work plan information.

[0068] When the maintenance terminal 10_1 is connected to the elevator MPU, work plan information and work progress information are transmitted from the maintenance terminal 10_1 to the elevator MPU. The content of the work progress information transmitted from the maintenance terminal 10_1 is "work not started". Thereafter, work progress information is transmitted from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminal 10_1. Also in this case, the content of the work progress information transmitted from the elevator MPU is "work not started". By this process, the maintenance terminal 10_1 confirms that the elevator MPU has received the work plan information and the work progress information. Also in the following processes, in order for the maintenance terminal 10_1 to confirm the reception status of the elevator MPU, the work plan information and the work progress information received by the elevator MPU are sent back to the maintenance terminal 10_1 which is the transmission source.

[0069] When a work start setting operation (A1 step) is performed on the maintenance terminal 10_1, a work start setting command is transmitted from the maintenance terminal 10_1 to the elevator MPU. When the elevator MPU receives the work start setting command, it performs a work start setting (A1 step). Thereafter, a work start setting result is transmitted from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminal 10_1.

[0070] At the time of step S1-2, "A1 completed" is stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_1, and "A1 completed" is also stored in the work state storage unit 22a of the elevator MPU.

[0071] After step S1-2, the connection between the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the elevator MPU is released. Thereafter, an operation for executing a maintenance function (A2 step) is performed on the maintenance terminal 10_1. As a situation where the connection is released after step S1-2, for example, it is assumed that the maintenance staff 30_1 goes to a place away from the elevator control device 20 to perform work. For example, there is work that the maintenance staff 30_1 performs while riding in the car 1. On the other hand, if it is work in which the maintenance staff 30_1 operates the elevator 50 while connecting the maintenance terminal 10_1 to the elevator MPU, the maintenance terminal 10_1 may remain connected.

[0072] At the time of step S1-3, "A2 completed" is stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_1. On the other hand, since the connection between the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the elevator MPU has been released, "A1 completed" remains stored in the work status storage unit 22a of the elevator MPU.

[0073] After step S1-3, when the maintenance terminal 10_1 is connected to the elevator MPU, work plan information and work progress information are transmitted from the maintenance terminal 10_1 to the elevator MPU. Here, the control unit 12 of the maintenance terminal 10_1 refers to the work plan information stored in the storage unit 13 and transmits the work progress information for the day when the maintenance work is to be carried out to the elevator MPU. When the elevator MPU receives the work plan information and the work progress information, it transmits the work progress information to the maintenance terminal 10_1.

[0074] At the time of step S1-4, "A2 completed" is stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_1, and "A2 completed" is also stored in the work status storage unit 22a of the elevator MPU.

[0075] After step S1-4, an execution operation of the maintenance function (A3 step) is performed on the maintenance terminal 10_1. Next, a maintenance function execution command is transmitted from the maintenance terminal 10_1 to the elevator MPU. The maintenance function control unit 21b of the elevator MPU executes the maintenance function of the elevator 50. If it is in the state of executing the maintenance function by the maintenance function control unit 21b (A3 step), work progress information is transmitted from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminal 10_1 at regular intervals. When the execution of the maintenance function by the maintenance function control unit 21b is completed, the execution result of the maintenance function is transmitted from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminal 10_1.

[0076] At the time of step S1-5, "A3 completed" is stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_1, and "A3 completed" is also stored in the work status storage unit 22a of the elevator MPU.

[0077] After step S1-5, when the operation completion setting operation (A4 step) is performed on the maintenance terminal 10_1, a work completion setting command is sent from the maintenance terminal 10_1 to the elevator MPU. When the elevator MPU receives the work completion setting command, it performs the work completion setting (A4 step). Then, the work completion setting result is sent from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminal 10_1.

[0078] At the time of step S1-6, "A4 completed" is stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_1, and "A4 completed" is also stored in the work status storage unit 22a of the elevator MPU.

[0079] After step S1-6, the connection between the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the elevator MPU is released.

[0080] <First operation example when two maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2 are alternately connected> In the first operation example, the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the maintenance terminal 10_2 are alternately connected to the elevator MPU at different timings.

[0081] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the communication states between two maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2 and the elevator MPU, and the progress of the work. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the work progress table 61. The work progress table 61 has a configuration in which items for the maintenance terminal 10_2 are added to the work progress table 60 shown in FIG. 9.

[0082] First, neither the maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2 nor the elevator MPU are connected. Since the elevator MPU is not connected to the maintenance terminal 10_1, it has not received the work plan information from the maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2.

[0083] At the time of step S2-1, "work not started" is stored in the items of the maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2 in the work progress table 61 shown in FIG. 11, and "-" is stored in the item of the elevator MPU. "-" indicates that there is no work plan information.

[0084] After step S2-1 and up to step S2-4, the processes are carried out between the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the elevator MPU, which are the same as the processes from step S1-1 to S1-4 shown in FIG. 8, so detailed descriptions are omitted. Also, the work progress table 61 is the same as the work progress table 60 shown in FIG. 9. Note that "work not started" is stored in the item of the maintenance terminal 10_2.

[0085] After step S2-4, an execution operation of the maintenance function (A3 step) is performed on the maintenance terminal 10_1. Next, a maintenance function execution command is sent from the maintenance terminal 10_1 to the elevator MPU. The maintenance function control unit 21b of the elevator MPU executes the maintenance function of the elevator 50. If the maintenance function control unit 21b is executing the maintenance function (A3 step), work progress information is sent from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminal 10_1 at regular intervals.

[0086] In FIG. 10, during the execution of the maintenance function (A3 step), the connection between the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the elevator MPU is released. For example, when the battery of the maintenance terminal 10_1 runs out and it stops operating, or when the maintenance terminal 10_1 is powered on and the maintenance staff 30_1 makes a call, etc., the connection between the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the elevator MPU is released. When the connection is released, even if the maintenance function of the elevator MPU is completed afterwards, the maintenance function execution result indicating that the maintenance function of the elevator MPU is completed is not sent to the maintenance terminal 10_1.

[0087] Before step S2-5, the maintenance function (A3 step) of the elevator MPU is completed. Therefore, at the time of step S2-5, "during A3 work" is stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_1, and "A3 completed" is stored in the work status storage unit 22a of the elevator MPU.

[0088] After step S2-5, when the maintenance terminal 10_2 is connected to the elevator MPU, work plan information and work progress information are sent from the maintenance terminal 10_2 to the elevator MPU. Then, work progress information is sent from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminal 10_2. Furthermore, the maintenance function execution result is sent from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminal 10_2.

[0089] In this way, after the elevator MPU receives the work progress information from the maintenance terminal 10_1, if the maintenance terminal 10_2 is connected to the elevator MPU within a certain period (the same day), the work progress information indicating the execution result and interruption status of the maintenance function executed within a certain period (the same day) is transmitted to the maintenance terminal 10_2. Based on the work progress information including the execution result of the maintenance function received from the elevator MPU, the control unit 12 of the maintenance terminal 10_2 updates the work progress information by comparing it with the work plan stored in the storage unit 13.

[0090] At the time of step S2-6, "A3 completed" is stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_2, and "A3 completed" is also stored in the work status storage unit 22a of the elevator MPU. Since the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the elevator MPU are not connected, "A3 in progress" remains stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_1.

[0091] After step S2-6, when a work end setting operation (A4 step) is performed on the maintenance terminal 10_2, a work end setting command is transmitted from the maintenance terminal 10_2 to the elevator MPU. When the elevator MPU receives the work end setting command, it performs a work end setting (A4 step). After that, the work end setting result is transmitted from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminal 10_2.

[0092] At the time of step S2-7, "A4 completed" is stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_2, and "A4 completed" is also stored in the work status storage unit 22a of the elevator MPU. Since the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the elevator MPU are not connected, "A3 in progress" remains stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_1.

[0093] After step S2-7, the connection between the maintenance terminal 10_2 and the elevator MPU is released. Before releasing the connection with the elevator MPU, the maintenance terminal 10_2 transmits data such as work progress to the elevator MPU. For this reason, the work progress information including the work performance stored in the elevator MPU is updated to the latest state.

[0094] Next, the maintenance terminal 10_1 is connected to the elevator MPU, and the work plan information and work progress information are transmitted from the maintenance terminal 10_1 to the elevator MPU. Then, the work progress information is transmitted from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminal 10_1.

[0095] At the time of step S2-8, "A4 completed" is stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_1. "A4 completed" is stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_2, and "A4 completed" is also stored in the work status storage unit 22a of the elevator MPU.

[0096] After step S2-8, the connection between the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the elevator MPU is released.

[0097] <Second operation example when two maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2 are connected simultaneously> In the second operation example, there is a timing when two maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2 are simultaneously connected to the elevator MPU.

[0098] FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing the communication states between two maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2 and the elevator MPU, and the state of work progress. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the work progress table 62. The work progress table 62 has the same configuration as the work progress table 61 shown in FIG. 11.

[0099] First, neither the maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2 nor the elevator MPU are connected. Since the elevator MPU is not connected to the maintenance terminal 10_1, it has not received the work plan information from the maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2.

[0100] At the time of step S3-1, "Work not started" is stored in the items of the maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2 in the work progress table 61, and "-" is stored in the item of the elevator MPU. "-" indicates that there is no work plan information.

[0101] After step S3-1 and until step S3-2, the processes are carried out between the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the elevator MPU, which are the same as the processes from step S1-1 to S1-2 shown in FIG. 8, so detailed descriptions are omitted. Also, the work progress table 62 is the same as the work progress table 61 shown in FIG. 11. Note that "work not started" is stored in the item of the maintenance terminal 10_2.

[0102] After step S3-2, the connection between the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the elevator MPU is released. At that time, the maintenance function execution operation (A2 step) is performed by the maintenance terminal 10_1. On the other hand, after the connection between the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the elevator MPU is released and the maintenance terminal 10_2 is connected to the elevator MPU, the work plan information and work progress information are transmitted from the maintenance terminal 10_2 to the elevator MPU. Then, the work progress information is transmitted from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminal 10_2. Further, the maintenance function execution result is transmitted from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminal 10_2.

[0103] At the time of step S3-3, "A2 completed" is stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_1. On the other hand, since the maintenance terminal 10_2 and the elevator MPU are connected, "A1 completed" is stored in the storage unit 13 of the maintenance terminal 10_2, and "A1 completed" is also stored in the work status storage unit 22a of the elevator MPU.

[0104] After step S3-3, when the maintenance terminal 10_1 is connected to the elevator MPU, the work plan information and work progress information are transmitted from the maintenance terminal 10_1 to the elevator MPU. Then, the work progress information is transmitted from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2. In this way, when the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the maintenance terminal 10_2 are simultaneously connected to the pair maintenance terminal communication unit 23b, the maintenance function control unit 21b shares the work status of the maintenance work performed by the maintenance terminal 10_1 with the maintenance terminal 10_2. Also, the maintenance function control unit 21b shares the work status of the maintenance work performed by the maintenance terminal 10_2 with the maintenance terminal 10_1.

[0105] At the time of step S3-4, "A2 completed" is stored in the storage units 13 of the maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2, and "A2 completed" is also stored in the work status storage unit 22a of the elevator MPU.

[0106] After step S3-4, when the execution operation of the maintenance function (A3 step) is performed on the maintenance terminal 10_2, a maintenance function execution command is sent from the maintenance terminal 10_2 to the elevator MPU. The maintenance function control unit 21b of the elevator MPU executes the maintenance function of the elevator 50. If the maintenance function control unit 21b is executing the maintenance function (A3 step), work progress information is sent from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2 at regular intervals. When the execution of the maintenance function by the maintenance function control unit 21b is completed, the execution result of the maintenance function is sent from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2.

[0107] At the time of step S3-5, "A3 completed" is stored in the storage units 13 of the maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2, and "A3 completed" is also stored in the work status storage unit 22a of the elevator MPU.

[0108] After step S3-5, when the work end setting operation (A4 step) is performed on the maintenance terminal 10_1, a work end setting command is sent from the maintenance terminal 10_1 to the elevator MPU. When the elevator MPU receives the work end setting command, it performs the work end setting (A4 step). Thereafter, the work end setting result is sent from the elevator MPU to the maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2.

[0109] At the time of step S3-6, "A4 completed" is stored in the storage units 13 of the maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2, and "A4 completed" is also stored in the work status storage unit 22a of the elevator MPU.

[0110] After step S3-6, the connections between the maintenance terminals 10_1 and 10_2 and the elevator MPU are disconnected.

[0111] In the elevator maintenance work support system 100 according to the above-described embodiment, even if a plurality of maintenance terminals 10 cannot communicate with each other in an offline environment, the work progress information of the plurality of maintenance terminals 10 and the elevator control device 20 can be shared via the elevator control device 20. For example, after maintenance work is performed on the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the connection between the maintenance terminal 10_1 and the elevator control device 20 is released, the maintenance terminal 10_2 and the elevator control device 20 are connected. In this case, the progress information of the maintenance work performed on the maintenance terminal 10_1 is shared between the elevator control device 20 and the maintenance terminal 10_2. Therefore, it becomes clear that the maintenance work using the maintenance terminal 10_2 may proceed after the maintenance work performed on the maintenance terminal 10_1. In this way, when maintenance work is performed using different maintenance terminals 10, there is no duplication of maintenance work, and the continuity of work results can be ensured.

[0112] In addition, since each maintenance terminal 10 automatically shares the work progress information only by connecting to the elevator control device 20, the work required for updating the work progress information becomes simple.

[0113] In addition, even if the maintenance staff 30 replaces the maintenance terminal 10 due to battery depletion or the like during the maintenance work, the maintenance work can be continued promptly by the maintenance terminal 10 after replacement. Therefore, the maintenance staff 30 does not need to be aware of which maintenance work was performed using which maintenance terminal 10. In addition, there is no need to limit the number of maintenance terminals 10 used for maintenance work to one, and various devices such as tablet terminals and smartphones can also be used as the maintenance terminal 10.

[0114] The elevator control device 20 stores the latest progress information of the performed maintenance work. When two or more maintenance terminals 10 are connected to the elevator control device 20, the latest progress information is shared with each maintenance terminal 10. Therefore, even in a situation where maintenance work is performed on the uppermost and lowermost floors of an elevator with many floors or an escalator with a long moving distance, the maintenance terminals 10 used by the maintenance staff 30 on each floor can obtain the latest progress information from the elevator control device 20.

[0115] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various other application examples and modification examples can be taken without departing from the gist of the present invention described in the claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have described the configuration of the system in detail and specifically in order to explain the present invention clearly, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Also, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of this embodiment with other configurations. In addition, the control lines and information lines show those considered necessary for explanation, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown on the product. In fact, it may be considered that almost all the components are interconnected.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0116] 1... car, 10... maintenance terminal, 12... control unit, 13... storage unit, 14... display unit, 15... operation unit, 20... elevator control device, 21... processing unit, 21a... elevator control unit, 21b... maintenance function control unit, 22... storage unit, 22a... working state storage unit, 23... communication unit, 23a... input / output unit, 23b... communication unit for maintenance terminal, 30... maintenance staff, 50... elevator, 100... elevator maintenance work support system

Claims

1. A maintenance work support system comprising an elevator control device for controlling an elevator and a plurality of maintenance terminals for performing maintenance work on the elevator, wherein the elevator control device comprises an elevator control unit for controlling the operation of the elevator, a communication unit for maintenance terminals that, when one of the maintenance terminals is connected, receives information on the work status of the maintenance work from the one maintenance terminal, a work status storage unit that stores the information on the work status received by the communication unit for maintenance terminals from one of the maintenance terminals, and a maintenance function control unit that, based on the information on the work status, instructs the elevator control unit to operate the elevator by means of the maintenance function of the elevator. Maintenance work support system.

2. When another of the maintenance terminals is connected to the communication unit for maintenance terminals, the maintenance function control unit instructs the communication unit for maintenance terminals to transmit the information on the work status of one of the maintenance terminals, read from the work status storage unit, to the other maintenance terminals. When another of the maintenance terminals is connected, the communication unit for maintenance terminals transmits the information on the work status received from one of the maintenance terminals to the other maintenance terminals. The maintenance work support system according to Claim 1.

3. When one of the maintenance terminals and another of the maintenance terminals are simultaneously connected to the communication unit for maintenance terminals, the maintenance function control unit causes the work status of the maintenance work performed at one of the maintenance terminals to be shared with the other maintenance terminals, or causes the work status of the maintenance work performed at the other maintenance terminals to be shared with one of the maintenance terminals. The maintenance work support system according to Claim 2.

4. Of the information on the work status received respectively from one of the maintenance terminals and another of the maintenance terminals connected to the communication unit for maintenance terminals, the maintenance function control unit causes the work status storage unit to store the latest information on the work status. The maintenance work support system according to Claim 3.

5. When connected to the communication unit for maintenance terminals, one of the maintenance terminals transmits, as the work status, information on the work plan of the maintenance work and information on the progress of the work with respect to the work plan. The work status storage unit stores the information on the work plan and the information on the progress of the work. The maintenance work support system according to Claim 4.

6. When a certain period of time has elapsed since the information on the working state stored in the working state storage unit was last updated, the maintenance function control unit deletes the information on the working state for which the certain period of time has elapsed from the working state storage unit. The maintenance work support system according to claim 4.

7. A maintenance work support method performed in a maintenance work support system including an elevator control device that controls an elevator and a plurality of maintenance terminals that perform maintenance work on the elevator, comprising: When one of the maintenance terminals is connected, receiving information on the working state of the maintenance work from the one maintenance terminal; Storing the information on the working state received from the one maintenance terminal in a working state storage unit; Based on the information on the working state, instructing the elevator control unit that controls the operation of the elevator to operate the elevator by the maintenance function of the elevator. Maintenance work support method.

8. An elevator control device that controls an elevator, comprising: An elevator control unit that controls the operation of the elevator; A communication unit for a maintenance terminal that receives information on the working state of the maintenance work from one maintenance terminal when one maintenance terminal that performs maintenance work on the elevator is connected; A working state storage unit that stores the information on the working state received by the communication unit for a maintenance terminal from one maintenance terminal; A maintenance function control unit that instructs the elevator control unit to operate the elevator by the maintenance function of the elevator based on the information on the working state. Elevator control device.

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