Elevator system

Abstract

To provide an elevator system capable of accurately measuring shaking of a building due to an earthquake and easily performing maintenance work of an acceleration sensor.SOLUTION: An elevator system includes a car capable of ascending and descending inside a hoistway penetrating each floor of a building, a detector provided in the building and configured to detect a shake, a control panel configured to control an operation of the car, an information center device provided in a building different from the building, a remote monitoring device configured to acquire information from the control panel and transmit the information to the information center device, and a plurality of acceleration sensors provided inside the hoistway and configured to measure acceleration. When the detector detects a shake larger than a specified value due to an earthquake, the acceleration measured by each of the plurality of acceleration sensors is stored.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an elevator system capable of measuring building sway. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an evaluation system for evaluating the soundness of a building. According to this evaluation system, acceleration sensors are installed on several representative floors of a building. When the building shakes during an earthquake, the acceleration sensors measure the shaking of each story of the building. The evaluation system can evaluate the soundness of the building based on the shaking of each story. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-077104 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the evaluation system described in Patent Document 1, acceleration sensors are installed inside rooms on each floor. Each room may have a different structure relative to the building. Also, buildings that require shaking evaluation generally have a variety of tenants on each floor. For this reason, there is a risk that the acceleration sensors may not be able to properly measure shaking, and maintenance of the acceleration sensors is not easy.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. An object of the present disclosure is to provide an elevator system that can accurately measure shaking of a building caused by an earthquake and that allows easy maintenance work on the acceleration sensor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The elevator system according to the present disclosure comprises a car that can rise and fall inside a shaft that passes through each floor of a building, a detector that is installed in the building and detects shaking, a control panel that controls the operation of the car, an information center device that is installed in a building separate from the building, a remote monitoring device that acquires information from the control panel and transmits it to the information center device, and a plurality of acceleration sensors that are installed inside the shaft and can measure acceleration, the plurality of acceleration sensors being installed at positions corresponding to a plurality of target floors in the building, and when the detector detects shaking greater than a specified value due to an earthquake, the acceleration measured by each of the plurality of acceleration sensors is stored. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, a plurality of acceleration sensors are installed inside the elevator shaft, which allows for accurate measurement of building shaking caused by an earthquake and facilitates maintenance of the acceleration sensors. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a building to which the elevator system according to the first embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] 1 is a functional block diagram of an elevator system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a main part of a report created by the elevator system in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the elevator system in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a remote monitoring device for an elevator system according to a first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals. Duplicate descriptions of these parts will be appropriately simplified or omitted.

[0010] Embodiment 1 Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a building to which the elevator system according to the first embodiment is applied. Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram of the elevator system according to the first embodiment.

[0011] 1, the elevator system 1 is applied to a building 50. For example, the building 50 is a high-rise building such as a commercial building with multiple floors 51. Each floor of the building 50 houses tenants such as shops, offices, hotels, and residences.

[0012] The building 50 is divided vertically into multiple floors Ln, where n is an integer that distinguishes the floor. A certain floor Ln includes one or multiple floors 51. The floors Ln may be set in groups of a predetermined number, such as five floors. The floors Ln may be divided by floors that serve as structural divisions of the building 50. For example, multiple floors 51 spatially connected by a central atrium structure may constitute the same floor Ln. In the following, an example will be described in which a floor Ln in a 20-story building 50 includes approximately five floors. However, each floor Ln is set so that the top floor, the 20th floor, is included as a single floor L5. That is, floor L1 includes floors 1 to 4. floor L2 includes floors 5 to 9. floor L3 includes floors 10 to 14. floor L4 includes floors 15 to 19. floor L5 is the 20th floor.

[0013] The target floor On is a representative floor 51 on the nth floor Ln. For example, the target floor O1 is a representative floor 51 on floor L1 that exhibits the characteristics of floor L1. The target floor On may be set to any floor included in floor Ln. For example, the target floor On may be the middle floor 51 on floor Ln, the lowest floor on floor Ln, or the highest floor on floor Ln.

[0014] The elevator system 1 includes an elevator device. In the elevator device, a hoistway 2 passes through each of multiple floors 51 of a building 50. A guide rail 3 is provided inside the hoistway 2. The guide rail 3 is fixed to the hoistway 2 by multiple brackets 4. A hoisting machine 5 is provided inside the hoistway 2 or above the hoistway 2. A car 6 is suspended inside the hoistway 2 by a main rope 7. As the main rope 7 is moved by the hoisting machine 5, the car 6 rises and falls inside the hoistway 2. At this time, the car 6 is guided by the guide rail 3. A control panel 8 controls the operation of the hoisting machine 5, thereby controlling the operation of the car 6. An earthquake detector 9 is provided at the bottom of the hoistway 2. The earthquake detector 9 is capable of detecting shaking greater than a specified value using a sensor that measures acceleration.

[0015] The elevator system 1 further includes a remote monitoring device 10, an information center device 20, and a plurality of acceleration sensors 30. The remote monitoring device 10 is electrically connected to the control panel 8. The remote monitoring device 10 acquires and stores historical information related to the operation of the car 6 from the control panel 8.

[0016] The information center device 20 is installed in a building separate from the building 50. For example, the separate building may be an information center of a company that maintains and manages the elevator equipment in the building 50. The information center device 20 is capable of communicating with the remote monitoring device 10 via a network. A manager at the information center periodically dispatches a maintenance technician to perform maintenance management to the elevator equipment in the building 50 at specified times, such as when a problem such as an earthquake occurs. The information center device 20 creates a report on the elevator equipment periodically, when a maintenance technician is dispatched, or at specified times. The report is submitted to the owner of the building 50, etc.

[0017] The acceleration sensor 30 can measure acceleration. In particular, the acceleration sensor 30 measures horizontal acceleration. The acceleration sensor 30 can communicate with the remote monitoring device 10. The multiple acceleration sensors 30 are each provided inside the elevator shaft 2. For example, the acceleration sensors 30 are provided on the lowest floor 51, the highest floor 51, and intermediate floors 51. For example, the building 50 is provided with the same number of acceleration sensors 30 as the number of floors Ln. In this case, the multiple acceleration sensors 30 are provided at positions corresponding to multiple target floors On. The positions corresponding to the target floors On are height positions included in the height range occupied by the target floors On. In FIG. 1 and other figures, the acceleration sensors 30 are assigned the same integer as the corresponding floor Ln and are depicted as acceleration sensors 30-1, 30-2, 30-3, 30-4, and 30-5.

[0018] At least a portion of the acceleration sensor 30 is exposed inside the hoistway 2. For example, the multiple acceleration sensors 30 are lined up in the vertical direction. In particular, the multiple acceleration sensors 30 are arranged so that at least a portion of each sensor overlaps on a horizontal projection plane. The multiple acceleration sensors 30 are all fixed to their positions in the hoistway 2 using the same fixing method. For example, the multiple acceleration sensors 30 may all be fixed to the wall surface of the hoistway 2 with fixing jigs. For example, the multiple acceleration sensors 30 may all be fixed to brackets 4 at the height of the corresponding floors 51 with fixing jigs. The fixing jigs used in this case all have the same shape and configuration.

[0019] When an earthquake causes building 50 to shake more than a specified value, remote monitoring device 10 acquires measurements from multiple acceleration sensors 30 and creates shaking information including the acquired information. For example, when earthquake detector 9 detects shaking greater than a specified value, remote monitoring device 10 creates shaking information including the time the shaking was detected. Immediately after creating the shaking information, remote monitoring device 10 stores the shaking information without transmitting it.

[0020] Furthermore, if an earthquake occurs, the control panel 8 may stop the operation of the car 6. In this case, a diagnostic operation is performed to restore operation, and after the restoration conditions are met, the control panel 8 resumes operation of the car 6. The diagnostic operation may be performed automatically by the control panel 8, or may be performed manually by a maintenance worker visiting the building 50. The remote monitoring device 10 includes in the shaking information the time when the operation of the car 6 was stopped and the time when the restoration conditions were met.

[0021] The remote monitoring device 10 transmits historical information about the operation of the car 6 to the information center device 20 at a specified cycle, such as once a month. At this time, if the remote monitoring device 10 has stored the latest vibration information, it transmits the vibration information together with the historical information to the information center device 20. In this case, the information center device 20 creates a report based on the vibration information.

[0022] 2, the remote monitoring device 10 includes, as its functions, a storage unit 11, an acquisition unit 12, a creation unit 13, and a transmission unit 14. The storage unit 11 stores vibration information and the like.

[0023] When the condition is satisfied, the acquisition unit 12 acquires acceleration measurement values ​​from each of the multiple acceleration sensors 30. At this time, the acquisition unit 12 may acquire, as the acceleration measurement values, the time progression of the measured acceleration, or may acquire the maximum value among the absolute values ​​of the measured acceleration.

[0024] The creation unit 13 creates the vibration information to include the measurement values ​​acquired by the acquisition unit 12. For example, the vibration information includes, as accelerations measured by the acceleration sensors 30, the maximum value of the absolute values ​​of the accelerations measured, associated with the multiple acceleration sensors 30. The absolute value of the acceleration is also associated with the floor Ln corresponding to the multiple acceleration sensors 30. For example, when creating the vibration information, the creation unit 13 may calculate the maximum value of the absolute values ​​of the acceleration for each acceleration sensor 30 based on the time progression of the acceleration acquired by the acquisition unit 12. The creation unit 13 may include various times in the vibration information. In this way, the vibration information is information that combines the magnitude of vibration at each floor Ln when an earthquake occurs, the time the earthquake arrived, the time service stopped, and the time service resumed normal operation after the restoration condition was met.

[0025] The transmitter 14 transmits the latest vibration information to the information center device 20 at a set timing. For example, after a monthly remote diagnosis of the elevator device is performed, the transmitter 14 transmits the vibration information to the information center device 20 together with the results of the diagnosis and the operation history information of the car 6.

[0026] The information center device 20 includes, as its functions, a receiving unit 21 and a reporting unit 22. The receiving unit 21 receives the vibration information from the remote monitoring device 10.

[0027] The reporting unit 22 creates a report. Note that the reporting unit 22 may create a report that does not include a section for free commenting by the maintenance personnel. When the reporting unit 22 receives shaking information, it creates a report that includes the shaking information. For example, the reporting unit 22 may create a report that further includes the time when an earthquake larger than a specified shaking was detected, the time when the operation of the car 6 stopped, and the time when the recovery condition was satisfied.

[0028] Next, a part of the report will be explained using Figure 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a main part of a report created by the elevator system according to the first embodiment.

[0029] Figure 3 is a graph visually representing shaking information. The horizontal axis of the graph represents the magnitude of shaking in [gal]. The horizontal axis of the graph plots the maximum absolute value of the acceleration measurement values. The vertical axis represents the target floor On. In this example, the 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th floors are set as the target floors On.

[0030] The shaking information includes values ​​measured by the acceleration sensor 30 in association with the target floors On in the order of the target floors On. As shown in Fig. 3, the report includes a graph showing the values ​​measured by the acceleration sensor 30 for each target floor On.

[0031] Generally, in buildings over 60 meters tall, lower floors shake more than higher floors when an earthquake occurs. In buildings under 60 meters tall, higher floors shake more than lower floors when an earthquake occurs. However, the tendency of which floors shake can vary depending on the building's location, structural characteristics, etc. Measuring the actual shaking value is difficult because an earthquake strong enough to shake the building is required. For example, in the past, estimated values ​​were sometimes used to determine the magnitude of shaking for each floor Ln of building 50.

[0032] Based on the report, the owner of building 50 can know the magnitude of the shaking actually measured on each floor Ln. For example, the owner of building 50 can formulate a business continuity plan (BCP) for the event of a disaster, such as installing disaster boxes on higher floors where shaking is relatively strong. Furthermore, as a business model, the owner of building 50 can set higher rents for tenants inside building 50 on floor 51, which experiences less shaking during an earthquake. In this way, the elevator equipment maintenance company can provide the owner with information on actual measurements, such as shaking information.

[0033] Next, the operation of the elevator system 1 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the elevator system according to the first embodiment.

[0034] The flowchart in FIG. 4 starts at any timing, such as when the elevator device starts operating.

[0035] In step S1, the remote monitoring device 10 determines whether or not shaking greater than a specified value has occurred. The remote monitoring device 10 makes the determination in step S1 using the measurement value of either the earthquake detector 9 or the multiple acceleration sensors 30. If shaking greater than the specified value has not occurred in step S1, the operation of step S1 is repeated.

[0036] If it is determined in step S1 that shaking greater than a specified value has occurred, the operation of step S2 is carried out. In step S2, the acquisition unit 12 acquires measurement values ​​from the multiple acceleration sensors 30.

[0037] Thereafter, in step S3, the creation unit 13 creates vibration information based on the measurement values ​​acquired in step S2.

[0038] Thereafter, in step S4, the creating unit 13 stores the created vibration information in the storage unit 11.

[0039] Thereafter, in step S5, the transmitter 14 determines whether it is time to transmit other information to the information center device 20. If it is not time to transmit other information in step S5, the operation of step S5 is repeated.

[0040] If it is time to transmit other information in step S5, the transmitting unit 14 transmits the vibration information together with the other information to the information center device 20 in step S6.

[0041] After that, in step S7, the receiving unit 21 receives the vibration information transmitted in step S6. The reporting unit 22 creates a report including the vibration information.

[0042] Then, the operation of the flowchart ends.

[0043] According to the first embodiment described above, the elevator system 1 includes a car 6, an earthquake detector 9, a control panel 8, an information center device 20, a remote monitoring device 10, and multiple acceleration sensors 30. When an earthquake is detected, the acceleration measured by each of the multiple acceleration sensors 30 is stored. Conventionally, acceleration sensors measuring earthquake shaking on each floor have been installed at arbitrary locations on each floor. In this case, it was unclear whether the building's shaking was reflected in the characteristics, and it was also unclear whether the acceleration sensor measurements satisfied the prerequisites for comparison. Furthermore, since various tenants must be accommodated on each floor, it is desirable to install acceleration sensors so that conditions on each floor are consistent, but such installation has been difficult to achieve. Furthermore, installing acceleration sensors so that conditions are consistent on each floor often required wasted space. Alternatively, maintenance and management work on the acceleration sensors was often performed in locations with poor workability, requiring workers to obtain consent from each tenant. As described above, conventionally, due to the installation location, it has been difficult to perform highly accurate measurements, and installation and maintenance work has been difficult.

[0044] In this embodiment, all of the multiple acceleration sensors 30 are installed inside the elevator shaft 2. The elevator shaft 2 penetrates each floor 51, and its internal properties do not change significantly in the vertical direction. The elevator shaft 2 is always installed in buildings equipped with elevator systems. A worker installing the acceleration sensors 30 can easily install the acceleration sensors 30 when installing other equipment inside the elevator shaft 2. Furthermore, the worker can also perform maintenance and inspection of the acceleration sensors 30 when performing maintenance and management of the elevator system. In this way, in the elevator system 1, the acceleration sensors 30 can measure the shaking of the building 50 under roughly the same conditions regardless of the vertical height. Furthermore, the acceleration sensors 30 can be easily installed. As a result, in a system that accurately measures the shaking of each floor 51 of a building, earthquake-induced shaking of the building 50 can be measured with high accuracy, and maintenance work on the acceleration sensors 30 can be easily performed.

[0045] The vibration information is also stored in the remote monitoring device 10. Therefore, this elevator system can be retrofitted to existing elevator devices together with the acceleration sensor 30. Furthermore, the vibration information is transmitted from the remote monitoring device 10 to the information center device 20 together with information indicating the car's operation history. That is, for example, the vibration information is not transmitted to the information center device 20 immediately after it is created. In the event of an earthquake that requires vibration information to be created, the information center device 20 needs to communicate stop information and the like required in the event of an earthquake with multiple elevator devices. According to this embodiment, the communication of vibration information in such an emergency is avoided. As a result, communication congestion during a disaster can be suppressed.

[0046] The shaking information also includes the time when the earthquake was detected, the time when the car 6 stopped operating, and the time when the restoration condition was met. The information center device 20 creates a report including this information. As a result, when an earthquake occurs, the report can include information about the shaking of each target floor On.

[0047] Furthermore, the multiple acceleration sensors 30 are arranged in a vertical line. Depending on the structure of the building 50, the installation conditions of the acceleration sensors 30 may affect the acceleration measurement values. By installing the acceleration sensors 30 in a line, the installation conditions of the acceleration sensors 30 can be made uniform even if their vertical positions differ. As a result, the acceleration measurement accuracy can be improved.

[0048] Furthermore, all of the acceleration sensors 30 may be fixed to the wall surface of the elevator shaft 2. Alternatively, all of the acceleration sensors 30 may be fixed to the bracket 4. In this way, even if the vertical positions are different, the acceleration measurement accuracy can be improved by aligning the installation conditions of the acceleration sensors 30.

[0049] The earthquake detector 9 may also be provided in the remote monitoring device 10. Alternatively, the remote monitoring device 10 may be provided with a separate detector for detecting shaking.

[0050] Next, an example of hardware constituting the remote monitoring device 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram of the remote monitoring device for the elevator system according to the first embodiment.

[0051] Each function of the remote monitoring device 10 may be realized by a processing circuit. For example, the processing circuit may include at least one processor 100a and at least one memory 100b. For example, the processing circuit may include at least one dedicated hardware 200.

[0052] When the processing circuit includes at least one processor 100a and at least one memory 100b, each function of the remote monitoring device 10 is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. At least one of the software and firmware is written as a program. At least one of the software and firmware is stored in at least one memory 100b. The at least one processor 100a realizes each function of the remote monitoring device 10 by reading and executing the program stored in the at least one memory 100b.

[0053] When the processing circuit includes at least one dedicated hardware 200, the processing circuit may be realized, for example, as a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof. For example, each function of the remote monitoring device 10 may be realized by a processing circuit. For example, each function of the remote monitoring device 10 may be realized collectively by a processing circuit.

[0054] Some of the functions of the remote monitoring device 10 may be implemented by dedicated hardware 200, and the remaining functions may be implemented by software or firmware. For example, the function of the transmitter 14 may be implemented by a processing circuit as dedicated hardware 200, and functions other than the function of the transmitter 14 may be implemented by at least one processor 100a reading and executing a program stored in at least one memory 100b.

[0055] Thus, the processing circuitry implements the functions of the remote monitoring device 10 in hardware 200, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0056] Although not shown, each function of the information center device 20 is also realized by a processing circuit equivalent to the processing circuit that realizes each function of the remote monitoring device 10.

[0057] To summarize the above explanation, possible configurations of the technology according to the present disclosure include the configurations listed below as appendices. (Appendix 1) A car that can rise and fall inside a hoistway that runs through each floor of a building, a detector provided in the building to detect shaking; a control panel that controls the operation of the car; an information center device provided in a building separate from the building; a remote monitoring device that acquires information from the control panel and transmits it to the information center device; a plurality of acceleration sensors provided inside the elevator shaft and capable of measuring acceleration; Equipped with the plurality of acceleration sensors are provided at positions corresponding to a plurality of target floors in the building, When the detector detects shaking greater than a specified value due to an earthquake, the acceleration measured by each of the plurality of acceleration sensors is stored. Elevator system. (Appendix 2) When the detector detects shaking greater than the specified value, the acceleration measured by each of the plurality of acceleration sensors is stored in the remote monitoring device as shaking information associated with the plurality of target floors. 10. The elevator system of claim 1. (Appendix 3) the remote monitoring device transmits the sway information to the information center device together with the operation history information of the car to the information center device at a specified cycle; 1. The elevator system of claim 2. (Appendix 4) the information center device creates a report including a graph showing values ​​measured by the plurality of acceleration sensors in the building for each of the plurality of target floors based on the shaking information. 4. The elevator system of claim 1. (Appendix 5) the control panel stops the operation of the car when the detector detects a vibration greater than the specified value, and then resumes the operation of the car when a return condition is satisfied; the remote monitoring device stores the time when the detector detects a shaking greater than the specified value, the time when the car stops operating, and the time when the return condition is satisfied together with the shaking information, and transmits the stored information to the information center device; the information center device creates the report including the time when the detector detected shaking greater than the specified value, the time when the car stopped operating, and the time when the return condition was satisfied, all of which are received from the remote monitoring device. 10. The elevator system of claim 4. (Appendix 6) The plurality of acceleration sensors are arranged in a vertical direction in the elevator shaft. 6. The elevator system of any one of claims 1 to 5. (Appendix 7) The plurality of acceleration sensors are all fixed to a wall surface of the elevator shaft. 10. The elevator system of claim 6. (Appendix 8) A guide rail for guiding the car is provided in the elevator shaft, The plurality of acceleration sensors are all fixed to a bracket that fixes the guide rail. 10. The elevator system of claim 6. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1 elevator system, 2 hoistway, 3 guide rail, 4 bracket, 5 hoisting machine, 6 car, 7 main rope, 8 control panel, 9 earthquake detector, 10 remote monitoring device, 11 memory unit, 12 acquisition unit, 13 creation unit, 14 transmission unit, 20 information center device, 21 reception unit, 22 reporting unit, 30 acceleration sensor, 50 building, 51 floor, 100a processor, 100b memory, 200 hardware

Claims

1. A car that can rise and fall inside a hoistway that runs through each floor of a building, a detector provided in the building to detect shaking; a control panel that controls the operation of the car; an information center device provided in a building separate from the building; a remote monitoring device that acquires information from the control panel and transmits it to the information center device; a plurality of acceleration sensors provided inside the elevator shaft and capable of measuring acceleration; Equipped with the plurality of acceleration sensors are provided at positions corresponding to a plurality of target floors in the building, When the detector detects shaking greater than a specified value due to an earthquake, the acceleration measured by each of the plurality of acceleration sensors is stored. Elevator system.

2. When the detector detects shaking greater than the specified value, the acceleration measured by each of the plurality of acceleration sensors is stored in the remote monitoring device as shaking information associated with the plurality of target floors.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

3. the remote monitoring device transmits the sway information to the information center device together with the operation history information of the car to the information center device at a specified cycle; 3. The elevator system of claim 2.

4. the information center device creates a report including a graph showing values ​​measured by the plurality of acceleration sensors in the building for each of the plurality of target floors based on the shaking information.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

5. the control panel stops the operation of the car when the detector detects a vibration greater than the specified value, and then resumes the operation of the car when a return condition is satisfied; the remote monitoring device stores the time when the detector detects a shaking greater than the specified value, the time when the car stops operating, and the time when the return condition is satisfied together with the shaking information, and transmits the stored information to the information center device; the information center device creates the report including the time when the detector detected shaking greater than the specified value, the time when the car stopped operating, and the time when the return condition was satisfied, all of which are received from the remote monitoring device.

5. The elevator system of claim 4.

6. The plurality of acceleration sensors are arranged in a vertical direction in the elevator shaft. An elevator system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The plurality of acceleration sensors are all fixed to a wall surface of the elevator shaft.

7. The elevator system of claim 6.

8. A guide rail for guiding the car is provided in the elevator shaft, The plurality of acceleration sensors are all fixed to a bracket that fixes the guide rail.

7. The elevator system of claim 6.

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