Deterioration diagnosis system for on-board capacitor for elevator, deterioration diagnosis method, and elevator

Abstract

To provide a deterioration diagnosis system or the like of a capacitor mounted on a substrate for an elevator capable of accurately performing deterioration diagnosis of the capacitor mounted on the substrate for the elevator and suppressing malfunction of control based on deterioration of the capacitor.SOLUTION: A degradation diagnostic system includes a measuring circuit unit (41) including a switch unit (82) that selectively switches between charging and discharging of a capacitor mounted on a substrate, a storage unit (47) that records a voltage waveform of the capacitor in at least a part of discharging of the capacitor, a capacitance calculating unit (46c) that calculates a capacitance of the capacitor based on the voltage waveform, a degradation determining unit (46c) that determines presence or absence of degradation of the capacitor (7) based on a signal from the capacitance calculating unit (46d), and a communication unit (42) that outputs information capable of specifying the degradation of the capacitor when the degradation determining unit (46d) determines the degradation of the capacitor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a degradation diagnosis system and method for an elevator board-mounted capacitor, and an elevator. [Background technology]

[0002] As described in Patent Document 1, an elevator circuit board is equipped with multiple capacitors. For example, in the elevator described in Patent Document 1, a rectifier circuit is connected to a commercial three-phase AC power supply, and the rectifier circuit is composed of diodes and converts the three-phase AC power output from the commercial three-phase AC power supply into DC power. In addition, a capacitor is disposed between the DC output lines of the rectifier circuit. This capacitor is provided to smooth out ripples contained in the DC power converted by the rectifier circuit.

[0003] An inverter is provided after the rectifier circuit. The inverter includes a diode and a switching element, such as a transistor. The inverter converts DC power smoothed by a capacitor into variable-voltage, variable-frequency AC power using PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control and supplies it to the electric motor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-111611 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Not only smoothing capacitors, but capacitors mounted on elevator circuit boards may suffer loss of capacitance due to leakage or the like, which may cause control malfunctions. Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a deterioration diagnosis system and method for capacitors mounted on elevator circuit boards, and an elevator that can accurately diagnose deterioration of capacitors mounted on elevator circuit boards and suppress control malfunctions due to capacitor deterioration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the deterioration diagnosis system for a capacitor mounted on an elevator board according to the present disclosure comprises a capacitor charge / discharge circuit including a switch unit that selectively switches between charging and discharging a capacitor mounted on an elevator board; a recording unit that records the voltage waveform of the capacitor for at least a portion of the period during which the capacitor is discharging; a calculation unit that calculates the capacitance of the capacitor based on the voltage waveform; a determination unit that determines whether or not the capacitor has deteriorated based on a signal from the calculation unit; and an output unit that outputs information that can identify the deterioration of the capacitor when the determination unit determines that the capacitor has deteriorated.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the capacitance of the capacitor is calculated based on the voltage waveform when the capacitor is discharged in the capacitor charge / discharge circuit, the presence or absence of capacitor degradation is determined based on the calculated capacitance, and if the capacitor is degraded, an output is provided that identifies this. Therefore, since degraded capacitors can be reliably replaced, elevator malfunctions can be reduced.

[0008] The determination unit may determine whether the capacitor has deteriorated based on the capacitance calculated by the calculation unit and a threshold value.

[0009] According to this configuration, the deterioration of the capacitor can be easily and accurately determined.

[0010] The voltage waveform may also be recorded while the capacitor is discharging at a substantially constant current.

[0011] According to this configuration, the capacitance can be calculated easily and accurately simply by calculating the slope of the voltage waveform.

[0012] The system may also include a monitoring device capable of transmitting elevator information to an information processing device via a communication network, wherein the elevator control device performs predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator according to a predetermined schedule during periods when the elevator is not performing operations related to transporting people, the diagnostic control including control for diagnosing the acceleration performance of the elevator, control for diagnosing the braking performance, and control for calculating the capacity, and the elevator diagnostic information based on the diagnostic control may be transmitted from the monitoring device to the information processing device.

[0013] It is preferable that the elevator automatically checks the status of the equipment by performing a diagnostic operation. For example, it is preferable to automatically check the status of the equipment by performing a diagnostic operation (diagnostic control) during a predetermined schedule, such as a predetermined time period late at night on a specified day about once a month when people are unlikely to use the elevator.

[0014] According to this configuration, the capacitor deterioration determination is performed during diagnostic control. Therefore, compared to when the capacitor deterioration determination is performed independently of the equipment inspection, it is less of an inconvenience to passengers and has the remarkable advantage of being able to perform the capacitor deterioration determination periodically and automatically.

[0015] The elevator may also include a monitoring device capable of transmitting elevator information to an information processing device via a communication network, wherein the elevator control device performs predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator based on a signal from the information processing device, the diagnostic control including control for diagnosing the acceleration performance of the elevator, control for diagnosing the braking performance, and control for calculating the capacity, and the elevator diagnostic information based on the diagnostic control may be transmitted from the monitoring device to the information processing device.

[0016] A monitoring device connected to an elevator control board may receive diagnostic instructions from an information processing device (e.g., a management server), output instructions to execute a diagnosis to the board, and cause the elevator to execute diagnostic control. The monitoring device may then send the diagnostic results to the information processing device to diagnose the elevator.

[0017] According to this configuration, the elevator control device receives a diagnostic instruction from the information processing device and determines the deterioration of the capacitor during the elevator diagnostic control. Therefore, compared to when the capacitor deterioration determination is performed independently of the equipment inspection, it is less likely to cause inconvenience to passengers.

[0018] The monitoring device may also include the determination unit.

[0019] An information processing device may store data for multiple (many) elevators. Therefore, if the information processing device were to determine the deterioration of the capacitor, there is a risk that a heavy load would be placed on the information processing device. With this configuration, the deterioration of the capacitor is determined by the elevator monitoring device. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a heavy load from being placed on the information processing device that communicates with the elevator monitoring device.

[0020] In addition, the elevator control device may perform control to calculate the capacity based on a signal transmitted from outside when the elevator is in a maintenance mode in which it does not operate based on a car call button or a destination floor designation button.

[0021] According to this configuration, the deterioration of the capacitor can be determined while a maintenance worker (person) is performing maintenance, which reduces inconvenience to passengers.

[0022] Furthermore, a deterioration diagnosis method for a capacitor mounted on an elevator circuit board according to the present disclosure includes the steps of: selectively switching between charging and discharging a capacitor mounted on an elevator circuit board; recording a voltage waveform of the capacitor during at least a portion of a period during which the capacitor is discharging; calculating a capacitance of the capacitor based on the voltage waveform; and determining whether or not the capacitor has deteriorated based on the capacitance. Includes:

[0023] According to the present disclosure, the capacitance of the capacitor is calculated based on the voltage waveform when the capacitor is discharged, and the presence or absence of capacitor degradation is determined based on the calculated capacitance. Therefore, since the deteriorated capacitor can be reliably replaced, elevator malfunctions can be reduced.

[0024] Furthermore, the elevator control device may perform predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator during a period when the elevator is not performing an operation related to transporting people according to a predetermined schedule, and the diagnostic control may include control for diagnosing the acceleration performance of the elevator, control for diagnosing the braking performance, and control for calculating the capacity.

[0025] This configuration minimizes inconvenience to passengers and also enables capacitor deterioration to be determined periodically and automatically.

[0026] Furthermore, the elevator control device may perform predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator based on a signal received from an information processing device via a communication network, the diagnostic control including control for diagnosing the acceleration performance of the elevator, control for diagnosing the braking performance, and control for calculating the capacity, and diagnostic information of the elevator based on the diagnostic control may be transmitted from the monitoring device to the information processing device.

[0027] This configuration is less likely to cause inconvenience to passengers.

[0028] The elevator according to the present disclosure includes a substrate on which a capacitor is mounted, a capacitor charge / discharge circuit including a switch unit that selectively switches between charging and discharging the capacitor, a recording unit that records a voltage waveform of the capacitor during at least a portion of a period during which the capacitor is discharging, and a calculation unit that calculates the capacitance of the capacitor based on the voltage waveform. Equipped with.

[0029] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to accurately diagnose the deterioration of capacitors mounted on elevator circuit boards, and to suppress malfunctions of control due to capacitor deterioration. [Effects of the Invention]

[0030] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to realize a deterioration diagnosis system and method for capacitors mounted on elevator boards, and an elevator that can accurately diagnose the deterioration of capacitors mounted on elevator boards and suppress control malfunctions due to capacitor deterioration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a deterioration diagnosis system for an elevator capacitor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a part related to calculation of the capacitance of a capacitor in the monitoring device. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating the configuration of a measurement circuit unit and the electrical connection between the measurement circuit unit and a capacitor on a substrate. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation procedure for determining deterioration of a capacitor. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between voltage and time when a capacitor is discharged. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of timing for determining whether a capacitor has deteriorated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, when multiple embodiments or variations are included below, it is assumed from the outset that new embodiments can be constructed by appropriately combining their characteristic features. In the following examples, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0033] Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a deterioration diagnosis system 1 for a capacitor of an elevator 20 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 1, the deterioration diagnosis system 1 includes a control panel (control device) 30 that controls the operation of the elevator 20 having a car 22 disposed in a hoistway 11, a monitoring device 40 that is connected to the control panel 30, for example, by wire or wirelessly, and transmits and receives data to and from the control panel 30, a management server 60 that is connected to the monitoring device 40 via a communication network 35 and transmits and receives data to and from the monitoring device 40, and a management device 70 that is connected to the monitoring device 40 via the communication network 35 and transmits and receives data to and from the monitoring device 40, and that is disposed in a monitoring center (information center) 8.

[0034] The monitoring device 40 is included in the elevator 20. Furthermore, the management server 60 and the management device 70 are capable of communicating with each other, enabling them to send and receive information. The management server 60 and the management device 70 are examples of information processing devices. Note that, in FIG. 1, there is one elevator 20 that exchanges information with the management server 60 and the management device 70, but the information processing device may exchange information with multiple elevators 20.

[0035] Each of the control panel 30, the monitoring device 40, the management server 60, and the management device 70 is preferably configured by a computer, for example, a microcomputer, and includes a control unit 46 (see FIG. 2) and a memory unit 47 (see FIG. 2). The control unit 46, i.e., the processor, includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU). The memory unit 47 is configured by a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or the like, and may include a nonvolatile memory such as a read-only memory (ROM) or a volatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM). The memory unit 47 may be configured by only one storage medium or by multiple different storage media. The CPU reads and executes programs and the like stored in the storage unit 47. The nonvolatile memory stores control programs, predetermined thresholds, and the like in advance. The volatile memory temporarily stores the read programs and processing data.

[0036] The elevator 20 is configured to perform diagnostic control according to a preset schedule, for example, once a month, on a predetermined day during a predetermined period (for example, the first day of each month (the 1st) at 2:00 a.m.). Data on the date and time of the schedule is stored in advance in at least one of the storage units of the control panel 30, the storage unit 47 of the monitoring device 40, the storage unit of the management server 60, and the storage unit of the management device 70, and is particularly preferably stored in advance in the storage unit of the control panel 30 or the storage unit 47 of the monitoring device 40. A program related to diagnostic control is also stored in advance in at least one of the storage units of the control panel 30, the storage unit 47 of the monitoring device 40, the storage unit of the management server 60, and the storage unit of the management device 70, and is particularly preferably stored in advance in the storage unit of the control panel 30 or the storage unit 47 of the monitoring device 40.

[0037] The diagnostic control is performed, for example, as follows. Specifically, the control panel 30 moves the car 22 of the elevator 20 to a predetermined floor. During this control, various sensors attached to the elevator 20 are used to diagnose various items, such as operational performance (acceleration, presence or absence of abnormal sounds), braking performance, door opening / closing, emergency power battery, and whether or not the capacitor 7 (see FIG. 3) mounted on the circuit board (e.g., control circuit board) 6 (see FIG. 3) of the elevator 20 has deteriorated. The diagnostic data includes a diagnostic mode column and a diagnostic result column. The diagnostic mode column indicates whether the diagnosis was performed periodically according to a set schedule or in response to a diagnostic instruction command from the management server 60. The diagnostic result column contains the results of the diagnostics of operational performance (acceleration, presence or absence of abnormal sounds), braking performance, door opening / closing, emergency power battery, and whether or not the capacitor has deteriorated. If each diagnosis is completed successfully and no abnormalities or irregularities are found, OK may be stored. Also, if there is modulation, A1 may be input, and if an abnormality occurs, NG may be input.

[0038] More specifically, the control panel 30 moves the car 22 of the elevator 20 to a predetermined floor and uses various sensors attached to the elevator 20 to detect acceleration, the presence or absence of abnormal sounds, etc. If the acceleration is within a predetermined range and no abnormal sounds are detected, a diagnosis result of OK is entered for the operation performance. If the acceleration exceeds the predetermined range or abnormal sounds are detected, a diagnosis result of NG is entered for the operation performance.

[0039] Regarding brake performance, the control panel 30 creates a state equivalent to when the car 22 of the elevator 20 is full, releases one of the two brakes, and diagnoses whether the car 22 can be held stationary with that brake alone. If both brakes are capable of holding the car 22 stationary with only one brake even when the car 22 is full, the brake performance diagnosis result is entered as OK. On the other hand, if the car 22 cannot be held stationary with only one brake, the brake performance diagnosis result is entered as NG.

[0040] Furthermore, with regard to door opening and closing, the door 26 is opened and closed at each floor with a reduced opening and closing drive force compared to normal, and the time it takes to open and close the door is used to diagnose whether or not there is an abnormality such as a foreign object entering the threshold of the car 22. If it takes longer than normal to open or close, NG is entered as the diagnosis result for door opening and closing, indicating that a foreign object has entered, and if the opening and closing time is the same as normal, OK is entered as the diagnosis result for door opening and closing, indicating that no foreign object has entered.

[0041] Furthermore, the voltage of the emergency power battery is checked, and if there is no voltage drop, OK is entered as the diagnosis result for the emergency power battery, and if the voltage drops, NG is entered as the diagnosis result. The diagnosis of whether or not the capacitor 7 of the circuit board 6 has deteriorated will be explained in detail later using Figure 2 and subsequent figures. If there is a fluctuation from the normal value in each diagnosis item but the fluctuation does not reach the threshold for abnormality judgment, A1 is entered as the diagnosis result for each diagnosis item indicating that there is modulation. The diagnosis data is stored in the memory unit 47 of the monitoring device 40 (see Figure 2), and then transmitted to the management server 60 via the communication unit 42 of the monitoring device 40 (see Figure 2) and the communication network 35, and stored in the memory unit of the management server 60.

[0042] Next, the operation related to diagnosing whether or not the capacitor 7 of the substrate 6 has deteriorated will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the components related to calculating the capacitance of the capacitor 7 in the monitoring device 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the monitoring device 40 has a measurement circuit unit 41, a communication unit 42, a timer 43, and a control device 45. The measurement circuit unit 41 is a capacitor charge / discharge circuit for charging and discharging the capacitor 7 and measuring the capacitance of the capacitor 7, and includes a switch unit 82. The switch unit 82 is configured using, for example, a transistor. An example of the measurement circuit unit 41 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

[0043] The communication unit 42 is configured as an interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from external devices, such as the communication unit of the control panel 30, the communication unit of the management server 60, and the communication unit of the management device 70. The control device 45 also has a control unit 46 and a storage unit 47, and the control unit 46 includes a switch changeover unit 46a, a constant current maintaining unit 46b, a capacity calculation unit 46c, and a deterioration determination unit 46d. The operations of the switch changeover unit 46a, the constant current maintaining unit 46b, the capacity calculation unit 46c, and the deterioration determination unit 46d will be described in detail using Figures 3 and 4.

[0044] 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating the configuration of the measurement circuit section 41 and the electrical connection between the measurement circuit section 41 and the capacitor 7 on the substrate 6. As shown in FIG. 3, a first electrode plate 7a of the capacitor 7 on the substrate 6 is electrically connected to a first terminal 81a of the measurement circuit section 41, and the first terminal 81a is electrically connected to the ground (earth) 80. In addition, a second electrode plate 7b of the capacitor 7 is electrically connected to a second terminal 81b of the measurement circuit section 41, and the second terminal 81b is electrically connected to a first terminal 82a of the switch section 82.

[0045] The second terminal 81b is electrically connected to ground 80 via a voltmeter 83. The second terminal 82b of the switch unit 82 is electrically connected to the high potential side of a battery 87, and the second terminal 82b is electrically connected to ground 80 via the battery 87. The third terminal 82c of the switch unit 82 is electrically connected to a first terminal 84a of an ammeter 84, and the second terminal 84b of the ammeter 84 is electrically connected to ground 80 via a variable resistor 85.

[0046] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operational procedure for determining deterioration of the capacitor 7. As shown in Fig. 4, when determining deterioration of the capacitor 7, first, in step S1, the switch changeover unit 46a outputs a signal to the switch unit 82, thereby electrically connecting the first terminal 82a of the switch unit 82 to the second terminal 82b of the switch unit 82. In this way, when the capacitance of the capacitor 7 is C and the voltage of the battery 87 is V, the capacitor 7 is charged with an electric charge Q of C × V.

[0047] Next, in step S2, the switch changeover unit 46a outputs a signal to the switch unit 82, thereby electrically connecting the first terminal 82a of the switch unit 82 to the third terminal 82c of the switch unit 82. In addition, the switch changeover unit 46a controls the timer 43 the moment the first terminal 82a is electrically connected to the third terminal 82c, and the timer 43 starts counting from the moment the first terminal 82a is electrically connected to the third terminal 82c.

[0048] The charge stored in capacitor 7 begins to discharge from the moment first terminal 82a is electrically connected to third terminal 82c. At this time, constant current maintaining unit 46b, which receives information about the discharge current from ammeter 84, varies the resistance value of variable resistor 85 so that the discharge current becomes a constant current. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the relationship between voltage and time in step S2 is such that the slope of the voltage decrease across capacitor 7 is approximately constant. In step S2, the relationship between voltage and time across capacitor 7 (voltage waveform) based on the signal from voltmeter 83 and the signal from timer 43 is stored in memory unit 47.

[0049] In step S3, capacitance calculation unit 46c calculates the capacitance C of the capacitor based on the voltage waveform stored in storage unit 47. If the value of the constant current when capacitor 7 is discharging is I, the voltage difference when the voltage is decreasing is ΔV, and the time difference when the voltage difference ΔV occurs is Δt, then capacitance C can be calculated as C=I·Δt / ΔV. Note that in the graph of FIG. 5, Δt can be calculated as (t2-t1), and ΔV can be calculated as (V1-V2).

[0050] In step S4, the deterioration determination unit 46d determines whether the capacity C calculated in step S3 is equal to or lower than the threshold capacity C T Determine whether the capacity C is below the specified value. T This data is stored in advance in the storage unit 47. If a negative determination is made in step S4, the process proceeds to step S5, in which information indicating that the capacitor 7 has not deteriorated is transmitted from the monitoring device 40 to the management server 60, and, for example, OK is entered in the column for the presence or absence of deterioration of the capacitor 7 in the diagnostic data stored in the storage unit of the management server 60, and the deterioration determination of the capacitor 7 is ended.

[0051] On the other hand, if a negative judgment is made in step S4, the process proceeds to step S6, where information indicating that capacitor 7 has deteriorated is sent from monitoring device 40 to management server 60. For example, NG is entered in the column for whether capacitor 7 has deteriorated in the diagnostic data stored in the memory unit of management server 60, and information indicating that capacitor 7 has deteriorated is sent from monitoring device 40 to management device 70. Display unit 71 of management device 70 displays information indicating that capacitor 7 has deteriorated, and then the deterioration judgment of capacitor 7 ends.

[0052] The communication unit 42 of the monitoring device 40 outputs information capable of identifying the deterioration of the capacitor 7 to the memory unit of the management server 60, more specifically, to an area in the memory unit of the management server 60 that stores the diagnosis result information for the corresponding elevator 20. Furthermore, the display unit 71 of the management device 70 displays information indicating that the capacitor 7 has deteriorated. The communication unit 42 of the monitoring device 40 and the display unit 71 of the management device 70 are each included in an output unit that outputs information capable of identifying the deterioration of the capacitor 7 when the deterioration determination unit 46d determines that the capacitor 7 has deteriorated.

[0053] The display unit 71 of the management device 70 does not need to display information indicating that the capacitor 7 has deteriorated, and the output unit may be composed of only the communication unit 42. A maintenance worker (person) typically accesses the management server 60 to view diagnostic information for the elevator to be inspected before performing an on-site inspection. Therefore, even if the display unit 71 of the management device 70 does not display information indicating that the capacitor 7 has deteriorated, the maintenance worker can recognize that the capacitor 7 on the board 6 of the elevator 20 to be inspected has deteriorated before performing an on-site inspection, and can, for example, bring a new replacement board 6 to the site. Note that the output unit may include the display unit 71 but not the communication unit 42.

[0054] According to the present disclosure, a person checking the display unit 71 of the management device 70 can recognize the deterioration of the capacitor 7, and a maintenance worker can replace the capacitor 7. This can prevent malfunction of control due to the deterioration of the capacitor 7. The display unit 71 may be configured with a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL panel, or the like. Alternatively, the display unit 71 and the input unit of the management device 70 may be configured with a touch panel in which a touch sensor and a display are integrated.

[0055] The initial capacitance of capacitor 7 when first used is C F When C F >C D >C T C D The information may be stored in advance in the storage unit 47. Then, the deterioration determination unit 46d determines whether C calculated in step S3 is C D >C>C T If it is determined that the value satisfies the relationship, information indicating that the capacitance of capacitor 7 has been modulated (changed) to a level greater than the standard is transmitted from monitoring device 40 to management server 60, and, for example, A1 may be entered in a column indicating whether or not capacitor 7 has deteriorated in the diagnostic data stored in the storage unit of management server 60. In this way, anyone who views the information in that column on management server 60 can preferably recognize that the time to replace capacitor 7 is approaching.

[0056] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a case where deterioration determination is performed for one capacitor 7 mounted on the circuit board 6 of the elevator 20 has been described, but the above-described deterioration determination may also be performed for each of two or more capacitors mounted on the elevator circuit board. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a case where the management server 60 and the management device 70 are installed in different facilities has been described. However, the management server 60 and the management device 70 may be installed in the same facility, and for example, both the management server 60 and the management device 70 may be installed in the monitoring center 8. In this case, the management device 70 may include the configuration of the management server 60, and the management device 70 may perform the operations performed by the management server 60. In this case, the management server 60 may not exist.

[0057] Next, the timing for determining the deterioration of the capacitor 7 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the timing for determining the deterioration of the capacitor 7. Referring to FIG. 6, when the deterioration diagnosis system 1 is constructed and begins operation, the flow starts, and in step S11, the control panel 30 of the elevator 20 determines whether the start time of the start date for starting the automatic diagnosis has arrived. This determination may be made based on the monitoring device 40 sending information indicating that the start time has arrived to the control panel 30 based on the diagnosis schedule information stored in the memory unit 47, or the diagnosis schedule information may be stored in the memory unit of the control panel 30, and the control unit of the control panel 30 may make the determination by referring to that information.

[0058] If a negative determination is made in step S11, the control returns and step S11 and subsequent steps are repeated. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in step S11, the control panel 30 proceeds to step S12, where it determines whether or not both a car call button (not shown) installed at the landing and a destination floor designation button (not shown) installed in the car 22 have been operated (pressed). If a positive determination is made in step S12, the control panel 30 proceeds to step S13, where the above-mentioned diagnostic control is carried out.

[0059] On the other hand, if the determination in step S12 is negative, the process proceeds to step S14, where an operation related to the transportation of passengers associated with the operation of at least one of the car call button and the destination floor designation button is performed. After the operation is completed, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0060] In step S15 after step S13, the control panel 30 determines whether the car call button has been operated before all diagnostic controls have been completed. All diagnostic controls include controls related to the deterioration determination of the capacitor 7, which was described above using FIG. 4 and other figures. If a negative determination is made in step S15, the control returns, and step S11 and subsequent steps are repeated.

[0061] On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S15, the process proceeds to step S16, where diagnostic control is interrupted, and then in step S17, an operation related to the transportation of passengers is performed based on the operation of the car call button. After this operation is completed, the process proceeds to step S18, where diagnostic control is performed for items that have not been diagnosed, and then step S15 and subsequent steps are repeated. By performing control related to the deterioration determination of the capacitor 7 based on a predetermined schedule, it is possible to minimize inconvenience to passengers and to perform deterioration determination of the capacitor 7 periodically and automatically.

[0062] As described above, the deterioration diagnosis system 1 for a capacitor 7 mounted on a board 6 for an elevator 20 according to the present disclosure comprises a measurement circuit unit (capacitor charge / discharge circuit) 41 including a switch unit 82 that selectively switches between charging and discharging the capacitor 7 mounted on the board 6, a memory unit (recording unit) 47 that records the voltage waveform of the capacitor 7 during at least a portion of the period during which the capacitor 7 is discharging, a capacity calculation unit (computation unit) 46c that calculates the capacitance of the capacitor 7 based on the voltage waveform, a deterioration determination unit (determination unit) 46d that determines whether or not the capacitor 7 has deteriorated based on a signal from the capacity calculation unit 46c, and an output unit (communication unit 42 and display unit 71) that outputs information that can identify the deterioration of the capacitor 7 when the deterioration determination unit 46d determines that the capacitor 7 has deteriorated.

[0063] According to the present disclosure, the capacitance of capacitor 7 is calculated based on the voltage waveform when the capacitor is discharged in measurement circuit unit 41, the presence or absence of degradation of capacitor 7 is determined based on the calculated capacitance, and if capacitor 7 is degraded, an output that can identify this is provided. Therefore, since degraded capacitor 7 can be reliably replaced, malfunctions of elevator 20 can be suppressed.

[0064] The deterioration determination unit 46d also compares the capacitance C calculated by the capacitance calculation unit 46c with the threshold capacitance C T The presence or absence of deterioration of the capacitor 7 may be determined based on the above.

[0065] According to this configuration, the deterioration of the capacitor 7 can be determined easily and accurately.

[0066] The voltage waveform may also be recorded while the capacitor 7 is discharging at a substantially constant current.

[0067] According to this configuration, the capacitance can be calculated easily and accurately simply by calculating the slope of the voltage waveform.

[0068] The elevator 20 is also equipped with a monitoring device 40 capable of transmitting information about the elevator 20 to a management server (information processing device) 60 via a communication network 35, and the control panel 30 of the elevator 20 performs predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator 20 according to a preset schedule during periods when the elevator 20 is not performing operations related to transporting people, and this diagnostic control includes control to diagnose the acceleration performance of the elevator 20, control to diagnose the braking performance, and control to calculate the capacity of the capacitor 7, and diagnostic information about the elevator 20 based on this diagnostic control may be transmitted from the monitoring device 40 to the management server 60.

[0069] According to this configuration, the deterioration determination of the capacitor 7 is performed in accordance with a predetermined period when automatic diagnosis is performed on multiple devices of the elevator 20. Therefore, compared to when the deterioration determination of the capacitor is performed independently and without relation to the inspection of devices other than the capacitor, it is less of an inconvenience to passengers, and furthermore, it is possible to achieve the remarkable advantageous effect of being able to perform the deterioration determination of the capacitor 7 periodically and automatically.

[0070] Furthermore, the monitoring device 40 may include a deterioration determining unit 46d.

[0071] Generally, the management server 60 stores data on a plurality (large number) of elevators 20. Therefore, if the management server 60 were to determine the deterioration of the capacitor 7, there is a risk that a large load would be placed on the information processing of the management server 60. According to this configuration, the deterioration determination of the capacitor 7 is performed by the monitoring device 40 on the elevator 20 side. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a large load from being placed on the management server 60, which communicates with each of the monitoring devices 40 of the plurality of elevators 20. Note that the management server 60 may be configured to include a deterioration determination unit 46d.

[0072] In addition, the deterioration diagnosis method for a capacitor 7 mounted on a circuit board 6 for an elevator 20 according to the present disclosure includes the steps of selectively switching between charging and discharging the capacitor 7 mounted on the circuit board 6 of the elevator 20, recording the voltage waveform of the capacitor 7 during at least a portion of the period during which the capacitor 7 is discharging, calculating the capacitance of the capacitor 7 based on the voltage waveform, and determining whether or not the capacitor 7 has deteriorated based on the capacitance.

[0073] According to the present disclosure, the capacitance of capacitor 7 is calculated based on the voltage waveform when the capacitor is discharged, and the presence or absence of deterioration of capacitor 7 is determined based on the calculated capacitance. Therefore, since deteriorated capacitor 7 can be reliably replaced, malfunctions of the elevator can be reduced.

[0074] Furthermore, in the method for diagnosing deterioration of the capacitor 7, the control panel 30 of the elevator 20 performs predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator 20 according to a preset schedule during a period when the elevator 20 is not performing an operation related to transporting people, and the diagnostic control may include control for diagnosing the acceleration performance of the elevator 20, control for diagnosing the braking performance, and control for calculating the above-mentioned capacity.

[0075] According to this configuration, passengers are less likely to be inconvenienced, and the deterioration of the capacitor 7 can be determined periodically and automatically.

[0076] In addition, the elevator 20 according to the present disclosure includes a substrate 6 on which a capacitor 7 is mounted, a measurement circuit unit 41 including a switch unit 82 that selectively switches between charging and discharging the capacitor 7, a memory unit 47 that records the voltage waveform of the capacitor 7 during at least a portion of the period during which the capacitor 7 is discharging, and a capacitance calculation unit 46c that calculates the capacitance of the capacitor 7 based on the voltage waveform.

[0077] According to the present disclosure, deterioration diagnosis of the capacitor 7 mounted on the board 6 of the elevator 20 can be accurately performed, and malfunction of control due to deterioration of the capacitor 7 can be suppressed.

[0078] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment and its modifications, and various improvements and modifications are possible within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

[0079] For example, in the above embodiment, the diagnostic control of the elevator 20 is described as being performed based on a predetermined schedule and a program related to diagnostic control stored in the memory unit of the control panel 30 or the memory unit 47 of the monitoring device 40.

[0080] However, a system may also be constructed in which a monitoring device 40 connected to a control board 6 for the elevator 20 receives diagnostic instructions from an information processing device (e.g., a management server 60), the monitoring device 40 outputs an instruction to execute a diagnosis to the board 6 to cause the elevator 20 to execute diagnostic control, and the monitoring device 40 transmits the diagnostic results to the information processing device to diagnose the elevator.

[0081] That is, the elevator may be provided with a monitoring device 40 capable of transmitting information about the elevator 20 to an information processing device via a communication network 35, and a control panel (control device) 30 for the elevator 20 may perform predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator 20 based on a signal from the information processing device. The diagnostic control may include control for diagnosing the acceleration performance of the elevator 20, control for diagnosing the braking performance, and control for calculating the capacity of the capacitor 7, and diagnostic information about the elevator 20 based on the diagnostic control may be transmitted from the monitoring device 40 to the information processing device.

[0082] Furthermore, in the method for diagnosing deterioration of the capacitor 7, the control panel 30 of the elevator 20 performs predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator 20 based on a signal received from an information processing device (e.g., a management server 60) via a communication network 35, and the diagnostic control includes control for diagnosing the acceleration performance of the elevator 20, control for diagnosing the braking performance, and control for calculating the capacity of the capacitor 7, and diagnostic information of the elevator 20 based on the diagnostic control may be transmitted from the monitoring device 40 to the information processing device.

[0083] According to these configurations, the control panel 30 of the elevator 20, which receives a diagnostic instruction from the information processing device, determines the deterioration of the capacitor 7 in conjunction with the diagnostic control of the elevator 20. Therefore, compared to when the deterioration determination of the capacitor 7 is performed independently and without any relation to the inspection of equipment other than the capacitor 7, it is less likely to inconvenience passengers.

[0084] In addition, during on-site inspection work by a maintenance worker when passengers are unable to use the elevator 20, the maintenance worker may control the calculation of the capacitance of the capacitor 7 by operating an information terminal, such as a maintenance terminal (maintenance computer) 90 (see Figure 1) consisting of a laptop computer or the like.

[0085] In other words, the control panel (control device) 30 of the elevator 20 may perform control to calculate the capacitance of the capacitor 7 based on a signal sent from outside when the elevator 20 is in a maintenance mode in which it does not operate based on the car call button and the destination floor designation button.

[0086] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the maintenance terminal 90 may be connected to the control panel 30 via the monitoring device 40 using at least one of a wired and wireless connection, and control (operation) related to the deterioration determination of the capacitor 7 described above using FIG. 4, etc. may be performed based on information transmitted from the maintenance terminal 90 (a signal transmitted from the outside).

[0087] Alternatively, an information terminal (maintenance terminal 90) may be directly connected to the control panel 30 using at least one of a wired and wireless connection, and control (operation) related to the deterioration determination of the capacitor 7 described above using Figure 4, etc. may be performed based on information (signals) transmitted directly from the maintenance terminal 90 to the control panel 30.

[0088] According to these modified examples, deterioration of the capacitor 7 can be determined while a person (for example, a maintenance worker) is performing maintenance, which is therefore less likely to inconvenience passengers.

[0089] In addition to performing diagnostic control of the elevator 20 based on a predetermined schedule and a program related to diagnostic control stored in the memory unit of the control panel 30 or the memory unit 47 of the monitoring device 40, the control panel (control device) 30 of the elevator 20 may perform predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator 20 based on a signal from an information processing device.

[0090] Alternatively, instead of performing diagnostic control of the elevator 20 based on a predetermined schedule and a program related to diagnostic control stored in the memory unit of the control panel 30 or the memory unit 47 of the monitoring device 40, the control panel (control device) 30 of the elevator 20 may perform predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator 20 based on a signal from an information processing device.

[0091] Furthermore, in addition to at least one of performing diagnostic control of the elevator 20 based on a predetermined schedule and a program related to diagnostic control stored in the memory unit of the control panel 30 or the memory unit 47 of the monitoring device 40, and the control panel (control device) 30 of the elevator 20 performing predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator 20 based on a signal from an information processing device, the control panel (control device) 30 of the elevator 20 may also perform control to calculate the capacitance of the capacitor 7 based on a signal sent from outside when the elevator 20 is in a maintenance mode in which it does not operate based on the car call button and the destination floor designation button.

[0092] Alternatively, instead of performing diagnostic control of the elevator 20 based on a predetermined schedule and a program related to diagnostic control stored in the memory unit of the control panel 30 or the memory unit 47 of the monitoring device 40, and the control panel (control device) 30 of the elevator 20 performing predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator 20 based on a signal from an information processing device, the control panel (control device) 30 of the elevator 20 may perform control to calculate the capacitance of the capacitor 7 based on a signal sent from outside when the elevator 20 is in a maintenance mode in which it does not operate based on the car call button and the destination floor designation button.

[0093] Furthermore, the deterioration diagnosis system for an elevator board-mounted capacitor of the present disclosure may be configured as follows. Configuration 1: A degradation diagnosis system for a capacitor mounted on an elevator board, comprising: a capacitor charge / discharge circuit including a switch unit that selectively switches between charging and discharging a capacitor mounted on an elevator board; a recording unit that records the voltage waveform of the capacitor for at least a portion of the period during which the capacitor is discharging; a calculation unit that calculates the capacitance of the capacitor based on the voltage waveform; a determination unit that determines whether the capacitor has deteriorated based on a signal from the calculation unit; and an output unit that, when the determination unit determines that the capacitor has deteriorated, provides an output that can identify the deterioration of the capacitor. Configuration 2: A deterioration diagnosis system for an elevator board-mounted capacitor according to configuration 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not the capacitor has deteriorated based on the capacitance calculated by the calculation unit and a threshold value. Configuration 3: The deterioration diagnosis system for an elevator board-mounted capacitor according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein the voltage waveform is recorded when the capacitor is discharging at a substantially constant current. Configuration 4: A degradation diagnosis system for an elevator board-mounted capacitor according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, comprising a monitoring device capable of transmitting elevator information to an information processing device via a communication network, wherein the elevator control device performs predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator according to a predetermined schedule during a period when the elevator is not performing an operation related to transporting people, the diagnostic control including control for diagnosing the acceleration performance of the elevator, control for diagnosing the braking performance, and control for calculating the capacity, and the elevator diagnostic information based on the diagnostic control is transmitted from the monitoring device to the information processing device. Configuration 5: A deterioration diagnosis system for an elevator board-mounted capacitor according to any one of configurations 1 to 4, comprising a monitoring device capable of transmitting elevator information to an information processing device via a communication network, wherein the elevator control device performs predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator based on a signal from the information processing device, the diagnostic control including control for diagnosing the acceleration performance of the elevator, control for diagnosing the braking performance, and control for calculating the capacity, and the diagnostic information of the elevator based on the diagnostic control is transmitted from the monitoring device to the information processing device. Configuration 6: The deterioration diagnosis system for an elevator board-mounted capacitor according to Configuration 4 or 5, wherein the monitoring device includes the determination unit. Configuration 7: A deterioration diagnosis system for an elevator board-mounted capacitor according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, wherein the elevator control device performs control to calculate the capacitance based on a signal transmitted from outside when the elevator is in a maintenance mode in which the elevator does not operate based on a car call button and a destination floor designation button. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Deterioration diagnosis system, 6 Circuit board, 7 Capacitor, 7a First electrode plate, 7b Second electrode plate, 11 Hoistway, 20 Elevator, 22 Cage, 26 Door, 30 Control panel, 35 Communication network, 40 Monitoring device, 41 Measuring circuit section, 42 Communication section, 43 Timer, 45 Control device, 46 Control section, 46a Switch changeover section, 46b Constant current maintenance section, 46c Capacity calculation section, 46d Deterioration determination section, 47 Memory section, 60 Management server, 70 Management device, 71 Display section, 80 Ground, 81a First terminal of measuring circuit section, 81b Second terminal of measuring circuit section, 82 Switch section, 82a First terminal of switch section, 82b Second terminal of switch section, 82c Third terminal of switch section, 83 voltmeter, 84 ammeter, 84a first terminal of ammeter, 84b second terminal of ammeter, 85 variable resistor, 87 battery, 90 maintenance terminal.

Claims

1. a capacitor charge / discharge circuit including a switch unit that selectively switches between charging and discharging a capacitor mounted on the elevator board; a recording unit that records a voltage waveform of the capacitor during at least a portion of a period during which the capacitor is discharging; a calculation unit that calculates the capacitance of the capacitor based on the voltage waveform; a determination unit that determines whether or not the capacitor has deteriorated based on a signal from the calculation unit; an output unit that outputs information that can identify the deterioration of the capacitor when the determination unit determines that the capacitor has deteriorated; A deterioration diagnosis system for elevator board-mounted capacitors.

2. 2. The deterioration diagnosis system for an elevator board-mounted capacitor according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not the capacitor has deteriorated based on the capacitance calculated by the calculation unit and a threshold value.

3. 2. The deterioration diagnosis system for an elevator board-mounted capacitor according to claim 1, wherein the voltage waveform is recorded while the capacitor is discharging at a substantially constant current.

4. a monitoring device capable of transmitting elevator information to an information processing device via a communication network; the elevator control device performs predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator during a period when the elevator is not performing an operation related to transporting people according to a predetermined schedule; the diagnostic control includes control for diagnosing acceleration performance of the elevator, control for diagnosing braking performance, and control for calculating the capacity, 2. The deterioration diagnosis system for an elevator board-mounted capacitor according to claim 1, wherein diagnostic information for the elevator based on the diagnostic control is transmitted from the monitoring device to the information processing device.

5. a monitoring device capable of transmitting elevator information to an information processing device via a communication network; the elevator control device performs predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator based on the signal from the information processing device, the diagnostic control includes control for diagnosing acceleration performance of the elevator, control for diagnosing braking performance, and control for calculating the capacity, 2. The deterioration diagnosis system for an elevator board-mounted capacitor according to claim 1, wherein diagnostic information for the elevator based on the diagnostic control is transmitted from the monitoring device to the information processing device.

6. The deterioration diagnosis system for an elevator board-mounted capacitor according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the monitoring device includes the determination unit.

7. 7. The deterioration diagnosis system for an elevator board-mounted capacitor according to claim 1, wherein the elevator control device performs control to calculate the capacitance based on a signal transmitted from outside when the elevator is in a maintenance mode in which the elevator does not operate based on a car call button or a destination floor designation button.

8. selectively charging and discharging a capacitor mounted on the elevator board; recording a voltage waveform of the capacitor during at least a portion of the time the capacitor is discharging; calculating a capacitance of the capacitor based on the voltage waveform; determining whether or not the capacitor has deteriorated based on the capacitance; A method for diagnosing deterioration of an elevator board-mounted capacitor, comprising:

9. an elevator control device performs predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator during a period when the elevator is not performing an operation related to transporting people according to a predetermined schedule; 9. The method for diagnosing deterioration of an elevator board-mounted capacitor according to claim 8, wherein the diagnostic control includes control for diagnosing acceleration performance of the elevator, control for diagnosing braking performance, and control for calculating the capacitance.

10. the elevator control device performs predetermined diagnostic control of the elevator based on a signal received from an information processing device via a communication network, the diagnostic control includes control for diagnosing acceleration performance of the elevator, control for diagnosing braking performance, and control for calculating the capacity, 10. The method for diagnosing deterioration of an elevator board-mounted capacitor according to claim 8 or 9, wherein diagnostic information of the elevator based on the diagnostic control is transmitted from the monitoring device to the information processing device.

11. A substrate on which a capacitor is mounted; a capacitor charge / discharge circuit including a switch unit that selectively switches between charging and discharging the capacitor; a recording unit that records a voltage waveform of the capacitor during at least a portion of a period during which the capacitor is discharging; a calculation unit that calculates the capacitance of the capacitor based on the voltage waveform; Equipped with an elevator.

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