Elevator control device, elevator system, and elevator control program

Abstract

To provide a control device of an elevator, an elevator system, and a control program of the elevator capable of using the elevator system using a server even in an existing elevator system incapable of using the server.SOLUTION: The control device of the elevator comprises an interface. The interface includes a device type identification unit for identifying a type of an existing device constituting the elevator when an operation signal is input from the existing device, a selection signal generation unit for generating a selection signal including information for identifying the elevator and information on the type of the existing device, and a communication unit for transmitting the operation signal and the selection signal to the server and receiving a control signal from the server.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an elevator control device, an elevator system, and an elevator control program. [Background technology]

[0002] Elevators are operated for long periods of time. For this reason, it is possible that the supply of parts such as control boards may end while the elevator is in operation. When renovating an elevator for which the supply of such parts has ended, the entire control board containing the parts that have been discontinued is replaced. For this reason, the replacement work tends to take a long time.

[0003] Recently, elevator system technology has become known in which the minimum programs required for operation services are stored in the elevator itself, and the main programs are stored in a server built on the cloud. It is desirable to make such server-based elevator systems available in existing elevator systems that do not have a server available. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Publication No. 2023-121163 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The embodiments provide an elevator control device, an elevator system, and an elevator control program that enable an elevator system using a server to be used in an existing elevator system that cannot use a server. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An elevator control device according to one embodiment includes an interface. The interface includes a device type identification unit that, when an operation signal is input from an existing device constituting the elevator, identifies the type of the existing device that input the operation signal, a selection signal generation unit that generates a selection signal including information for identifying the elevator and information about the type of the existing device, and a communication unit that transmits the operation signal and the selection signal to a server and receives a control signal from the server. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an elevator system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a control panel. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control panel. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an elevator system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] The elevator shaft S is provided with a control panel 10, a hoisting machine 11, a car 12, a counterweight 13, etc. Also, a floor landing detection switch 14 is provided at a position corresponding to each floor F in the shaft S. Note that FIG. 1 shows one floor landing detection switch 14 corresponding to one floor F.

[0010] The control panel 10 is a lower-level elevator control device for controlling the operation of the elevator. In this embodiment, the control panel 10 is connected to a server, for example, installed in the cloud, so that it can communicate with the server. The control panel 10 controls the hoist 11, the car 12, and the like based on control signals from the server. For example, the control panel 10 controls the operation of the hoist 11. The hoist 11 is driven based on the control signal from the control panel 10, and moves the rope suspending the car 12 and the counterweight 13, thereby raising and lowering the car 12. The floor landing detection switch 14 is connected to the control panel 10 via a transmission cable (not shown). The floor landing detection switch 14 outputs an operation signal to the control panel 10 indicating whether the car 12 has landed on the corresponding floor. The control panel 10 stops the raising and lowering of the car 12 based on a control signal from the server based on the operation signal from the floor landing detection switch 14.

[0011] An operation panel 15 is installed at each elevator landing on each floor F, allowing users to register calls for the car 12. A hall door 16 is also installed at each landing. Note that FIG. 1 shows one operation panel 15 and one hall door 16 corresponding to one floor F. The operation panel 15 is connected to the control panel 10 via a transmission cable (not shown). The operation panel 15 is equipped with a hall call button that allows users to specify the destination direction of the car 12 as either up or down. When a user operates the hall call button, the operation panel 15 outputs an operation signal indicating the destination direction of the car 12 to the control panel 10.

[0012] An operation panel 12a is installed inside the car 12. A car door 12b is also installed on the car 12. The operation panel 12a is connected to the control panel 10 via a transmission cable (not shown). The operation panel 12a has various buttons that allow the user to open and close the doors and register destination floors. When a button is operated by a user, the operation panel 12a outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operated button to the control panel 10.

[0013] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control panel 10. The control panel 10 includes a connection panel 100, a hall control board 110, and a car control board 120. The control panel 10 is connected to a hoisting machine 11, an operation panel 12a, a car door 12b, a floor landing detection switch 14, an operation panel 15, a hall door 16, and the like. The control panel 10 is also connected to a server 20 via a communication cable so as to be able to communicate freely.

[0014] The connection panel 100 is a circuit board for mediating communication between the elevator and the server 20, and is a circuit board that is replaced with the integrated control panel that was previously installed in the control panel 10. The integrated control panel does not have a communication function with the server 20, but instead stores a control program for controlling the elevator system shown in Fig. 1, generates control signals based on operation signals from the operation panel 15, etc., and controls the hoist 11, car 12, etc. based on the generated control signals. In contrast, the connection panel 100 does not store a control program for controlling the elevator system, but instead has a communication function with the server 20, transmits operation signals from the operation panel 15, etc. to the server 20, and controls the hoist 11, car 12, etc. based on the control signals received from the server 20.

[0015] The system has interfaces 101, 102, 103, and 104. The interface 101 is connected to the floor landing detection switch 14 and transmits an operation signal from the floor landing detection switch 14 to the server 20. The interface 102 is connected to the hall control board 110 and transmits an operation signal from the hall control board 110 to the server 20, and also transmits a control signal from the server 20 to the hall control board 110. The interface 103 is connected to the car control board 120 and transmits an operation signal from the car control board 120 to the server 20, and also transmits a control signal from the server 20 to the car control board 120. The interface 104 is connected to the hoisting machine 11 and transmits an operation signal from the hoisting machine 11 to the server 20, and also transmits a control signal from the server 20 to the hoisting machine 11.

[0016] The interfaces 101, 102, 103, and 104 may be configured as computers equipped with a processor, a memory, and a communication interface. The configuration of the interface 101 will be described below on the assumption that the interfaces 101, 102, 103, and 104 have the same configuration.

[0017] The interface 101 has a device type identification unit 101a, a selection signal generation unit 101b, and a communication unit 101c. That is, the interfaces 102 to 104 each have a device type identification unit, a selection signal generation unit, and a communication unit. The interface 101 can operate as the device type identification unit 101a and the selection signal generation unit 101b by executing processing in accordance with a program stored in memory.

[0018] The device type identification unit 101a identifies the type of the existing device that has received the operation signal. The device type here refers to a type among existing devices that perform the same process. For example, the device type identification unit 101a of the interface 101 identifies the type of the floor landing detection switch 14. The device type identification unit 101a identifies the type of the existing device, for example, from the format of the operation signal. The method for identifying the type of the existing device is not limited to a specific method. For example, the device type identification unit 101a may identify the type of the existing device, for example, from the header of the operation signal. Alternatively, if the communication unit 101c has connection terminals for transmission cables for each type of existing device, the device type identification unit 101a may identify the type of the existing device based on which connection terminal the operation signal is input from. Furthermore, the device type identification unit 101a may identify the type of the existing device based on information on the type of the existing device specified by a worker when replacing the integrated control panel with the connection panel 100.

[0019] The selection signal generating unit 101b generates a selection signal based on the type of the existing equipment identified by the equipment type identifying unit 101a. The selection signal is a signal in a format recognizable by the server 20, which includes identification information of the elevator that has input the operation signal and information on the type of the existing equipment of the elevator that has input the operation signal.

[0020] The communication unit 101c has a connection terminal for connecting a transmission cable of an existing device such as the landing detection switch 14, and includes a communication interface for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the existing device such as the landing detection switch 14. The communication unit 101c also has a connection terminal for connecting a communication cable such as a LAN cable, and includes a communication interface for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the server 20. Here, the communication unit 101c may have multiple types of connection terminals corresponding to the respective types of existing devices.

[0021] The hall control board 110 is an existing device that is connected to existing devices such as the operation panel 15 and hall door 16 via a transmission cable, and is also connected to the interface 102. The hall control board 110 transmits operation signals from the operation panel 15 to the interface 102. The hall control board 110 also controls button displays and the like on the operation panel 15 by transmitting control signals received from the server 20 via the interface 102 to the operation panel 15. The hall control board 110 also controls the opening and closing of the hall door 16 by transmitting control signals received from the server 20 via the interface 102 to the hall door 16. The hall control board 110 may store a minimum program for executing some of the processes, such as opening and closing the hall door 16.

[0022] The car control board 120 is an existing device that is connected to existing devices such as the operation panel 12a and the car door 12b via a transmission cable, and is also connected to the interface 103. The car control board 120 transmits an operation signal from the operation panel 12a to the interface 103. The car control board 120 also controls button displays and the like on the operation panel 12a by transmitting a control signal transmitted from the server 20 via the interface 103 to the operation panel 12a. The car control board 120 also controls the opening and closing of the car door 12b by transmitting a control signal received from the server 20 via the interface 103 to the car door 12b. The car control board 120 may store a minimum program for executing some of the processing, such as opening and closing the car door 12b.

[0023] The server 20 exists on a cloud built by an affiliate of the elevator system. The server 20 is a computer equipped with a processor, a memory, and a communication interface, and stores a control program 20a. The server 20 also has a control signal generating unit 20b and a communication unit 20c. The server 20 can operate as the control signal generating unit 20b by executing processing in accordance with the server control program stored in the memory.

[0024] The control program 20a is a group of control programs for various elevator systems corresponding to various existing devices. The control program 20a includes programs for performing actual control of the elevator system, such as hall call registration and car call registration, which are not stored on the elevator side.

[0025] The control signal generating unit 20b generates a control signal for controlling the elevator in accordance with the control program 20a and the operation signal. Here, the operation signal generated in the existing equipment is a signal in a format that is expected to be recognized by the integrated control panel. Therefore, the operation signal cannot necessarily be recognized by the server 20 as is. For this reason, the control signal generating unit 20b has correspondence information between the type of existing equipment and the format of the operation signal so that it can recognize the operation signals generated in each type of existing equipment, and recognizes the operation signal based on the type of existing equipment identified based on the received selection signal.

[0026] The communication unit 20c has a connection terminal for connecting a communication cable such as a LAN cable, and includes a communication interface for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the control panel 10 of the elevator.

[0027] Next, the operation of the elevator system will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG.

[0028] In step S1, the interfaces 101, 102, 103, and 104 determine whether or not an operation signal has been input from an existing device. If an operation signal is received by the communication unit 101c of any of the interfaces, it is determined that an operation signal has been input. In step S1, the process waits until it is determined that an operation signal has not been input. If it is determined in step S1 that an operation signal has been input, the process proceeds to step S2.

[0029] In step S2, the device type identification unit 101a of the interface to which the operation signal is input identifies the device type of the existing device that input the operation signal from the input operation signal. Then, the selection signal generation unit 101b generates a selection signal according to the device type.

[0030] In step S3, the communication unit 101c of the interface to which the operation signal is input transmits the input operation signal and selection signal to the server 20.

[0031] In step S4, the interfaces 101, 102, 103, and 104 determine whether or not a control signal has been received from the server 20. If a control signal is received at the communication unit 101c of any of the interfaces, it is determined that a control signal has been received. In step S4, the process waits until it is determined that a control signal has not been received. If it is determined that a control signal has been received in step S4, the process proceeds to step S5.

[0032] In step S5, the communication unit 101c of the interface that received the control signal transmits the received control signal to the existing device that is the control target of the control signal.

[0033] In step S6, the existing device that has received the control signal executes processing based on the control signal, after which the process returns to step S1.

[0034] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the server 20. The operation of the server 20 in FIG. 4 is started when an operation signal and a selection signal are received from the control panel 10.

[0035] In step S11, the control signal generating unit 20b identifies the type of elevator and existing equipment that transmitted the operation signal based on the received selection signal. Here, the control signal generating unit 20b may store information on the identified type of existing equipment in memory. As a result, from the next time onwards, the control signal generating unit 20b can generate a control signal using the information on the type of existing equipment stored in memory.

[0036] In step S12, the control signal generating unit 20b selects a control program suitable for the identified existing device from the control programs 20a.

[0037] In step S13, the control signal generating unit 20b generates a control signal based on the received operation signal in accordance with the selected control program.

[0038] In step S14, the communication unit 20c transmits the generated control signal to the elevator control panel 10 that transmitted the operation signal and selection signal, after which the processing in FIG. 4 ends.

[0039] As described above, according to the embodiment, the integrated control panel of an elevator system controlled by an integrated control panel that does not have the ability to communicate with the server 20 is replaced with the connection panel 100. When an operation signal is input from an existing device, the connection panel 100 identifies the type of the existing device that input the operation signal and transmits a selection signal including information on the identified type of the existing device to the server 20. In response, the server 20 selects an appropriate control program for the existing device and generates a control signal. Thus, in the embodiment, the relatively simple task of replacing the integrated control panel with the connection panel 100 can be used to renovate an elevator system that uses a server, allowing it to be used in an existing elevator system that does not use a server. Furthermore, during the renovation, existing devices other than the integrated control panel can be used as is.

[0040] Furthermore, multiple types of connection terminals corresponding to the respective types of existing equipment may be provided in the communication unit 101c of the connection board 100. This allows different types of elevators to be renovated using the connection board 100 with the same configuration.

[0041] (Variation) Modifications of the embodiment will be described below. In the embodiment, the number of interfaces provided on the connection board 100 is four. This number is determined mainly according to the elevator functions. However, the number of interfaces is not limited to four. The number of interfaces may be one or more. Furthermore, the connection relationship between the existing devices and the interfaces is not limited to that shown in FIG. 2. For example, interface 103, one of the interfaces 101 to 104, may also be connected to the floor landing detection switch 14 and configured to identify the type of existing devices, such as the floor landing detection switch 14 connected via a transmission cable and the operation panel 12a and car door 12b connected via the car control board 120.

[0042] 1 also shows an elevator system including one car 12. However, the technology of the embodiment may also be applied to an elevator system including two or more cars 12. In this case, the control program 20a of the server 20 may include a group management control program that performs group management control of the multiple cars 12.

[0043] 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 embodied 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 within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 10...control panel, 11...hoisting machine, 12a...operation panel, 12b...car door, 13...counterweight, 14...landing detection switch, 15...operation panel, 16...hall door, 20...server, 20a...control program, 20b...control signal generation unit, 20c...communication unit, 100...connection panel, 101, 102, 103, 104...interface, 101a...device type identification unit, 101b...selection signal generation unit, 110...hall control board, 120...car control board.

Claims

1. a device type identification unit that, when an operation signal is input from an existing device constituting an elevator, identifies a type of the existing device that has input the operation signal; a selection signal generating unit that generates a selection signal including information for identifying the elevator and information on the type of the existing device; a communication unit that transmits the operation signal and the selection signal to a server and receives a control signal from the server; A controller for an elevator system having an interface including:

2. The control panel can be replaced with the control panel of the elevator system already installed in the elevator. The control device for an elevator system according to claim 1 .

3. a device type identification unit that, when an operation signal is input from an existing device constituting an elevator, identifies a type of the existing device that has input the operation signal; a selection signal generating unit that generates a selection signal including information for identifying the elevator and information on the type of the existing device; a first communication unit that transmits the operation signal and the selection signal to a server and receives a control signal from the server; a controller for an elevator system having an interface including: a control signal generating unit that, when receiving the operation signal and the selection signal, identifies a type of the existing device based on the selection signal, selects a control program suitable for the identified existing device, and generates a control signal for the existing device in accordance with the selected control program; a second communication unit that receives the operation signal and the selection signal from a control device of the elevator system and transmits the control signal to the control device of the elevator system; a server comprising: An elevator system having:

4. When an operation signal is input from an existing device constituting an elevator, identifying a type of the existing device that inputs the operation signal; generating a selection signal including information for identifying the elevator and information on the type of the existing device; transmitting the operation signal and the selection signal to a server and receiving a control signal from the server; A control program for an elevator system for causing a processor to execute the above.

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