Elevator control system and control method

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of appealing to customers the usefulness of an elevator's rescue function in the event of an earthquake. [Solution] When an earthquake sensor 40 detects an earthquake, if a stop condition that prohibits the car 10 of an elevator 1 from traveling is met, a processor 21 performs stop control to stop the car 10. After the stop control, if a restart condition that allows the car 10 to travel is met, the processor 21 starts restart control to run the car 10 to the nearest floor and then open the door of the car 10. If the door of the car 10 opens at the nearest floor as a result of execution of the restart control, a communication IF 22 reports information that the restart control was successful.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an elevator control system and a control method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] When an earthquake occurs and the earthquake detector detects shaking greater than a predetermined level (for example, high gal), the car will come to an emergency stop. If the elevator subsequently determines that there are no abnormalities or safety devices operating, it has the function of restarting operation (high gal restart), which will allow it to travel to the nearest floor. When the elevator arrives at the nearest floor, the elevator car doors open, allowing passengers to evacuate from the car.

[0003] If the car cannot reach the nearest floor, passengers may become trapped inside the car. In this case, elevator maintenance personnel will rush to the building to move the car to the nearest floor and rescue the passengers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2021 / 176705 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When a maintenance worker rescues a passenger, the fact is recorded by the maintenance worker. On the other hand, when a restart operation is performed, the elevator usually does not keep a history of the operation (or does not notify other devices of the operation), so in this case, there is no way to confirm later whether a restart operation has been performed or not.

[0006] Due to these circumstances, the company was unable to effectively promote to customers (the owners of the buildings in which the elevators were installed) the usefulness of the rescue function, which had allowed passengers to be rescued by restarting the elevator.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide technology that can appeal to customers the usefulness of elevator rescue functions in the event of an earthquake. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The elevator control system according to the present disclosure includes a control unit that controls the elevator and a notification unit that notifies control information for the elevator. The elevator is equipped with an earthquake sensor that detects earthquakes. When the earthquake sensor detects an earthquake, the control unit performs stop control to stop the elevator car if a first condition that prohibits the elevator car from traveling is met. After the stop control, if a second condition that allows the car to travel is met, the control unit starts restart control to run the car to the nearest floor and then open the car door. When the car door opens at the nearest floor as a result of execution of the restart control, the notification unit notifies information that the restart control was successful.

[0009] The control method according to the present disclosure is a control method for an elevator control system. The elevator control system includes a control unit that controls an elevator and a notification unit that notifies control information for the elevator. The elevator is equipped with an earthquake sensor that detects earthquakes. The control method includes the steps of: performing stop control to stop the elevator car when a first condition that prohibits the elevator car from traveling is satisfied when the earthquake sensor detects an earthquake; starting restart control to run the car to the nearest floor and then open the car door when a second condition that allows the car to travel is satisfied after the stop control; and notifying information that the restart control was successful when the car door opens at the nearest floor as a result of executing the restart control. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to appeal to customers the usefulness of elevator rescue functions in the event of an earthquake. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an elevator control system. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an elevator control system. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a successful example of restart operation. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a failed restart operation. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a display of information related to restart operation. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart of a process executed by the elevator control system. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart of a process executed by the elevator control system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The names and functions of these components are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated.

[0013] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an elevator control system 100. The elevator control system 100 includes a monitoring device 300, a communication device 50, and a control device (also referred to as an “elevator control device”) 20.

[0014] The monitoring device 300 is installed in an information center 3 of a maintenance company that maintains elevators. The monitoring device 300 managed by this maintenance company manages elevators 1 installed in multiple buildings (in this example, buildings 2, 2a, and 2b). The monitoring device 300 is configured to be able to communicate with these multiple elevators 1. The monitoring device 300 monitors the occurrence of earthquakes in each elevator 1 and manages earthquake recovery responses for each elevator 1.

[0015] When the earthquake sensor 40 installed in the elevator detects an earthquake (for example, a P wave, which is a preliminary tremor) while the elevator car 10 is traveling, the control device 20 executes earthquake control operation, which causes the car 10 to travel to the nearest floor and then opens the doors of the car 10. By opening the doors at the nearest floor, passengers can disembark. For example, if the above-mentioned shaking is detected while the car 10 is traveling between the first and second floors, the doors will open after the car 10 has traveled to the nearest floor, the first or second floor.

[0016] On the other hand, if an earthquake of a certain magnitude or greater occurs, or if an elevator malfunction or power outage occurs as a result of the earthquake, car 10 may stop between floors. In this case, passengers may become trapped inside car 10 and be unable to disembark. If the elevator cannot land at the nearest floor, elevator maintenance personnel will rush to the building on site and move car 10 to the nearest floor to rescue passengers.

[0017] The elevator 1 includes a control device 20 that controls the elevator 1, an elevator device 30 (FIG. 2), and an earthquake sensor 40 that detects earthquakes. If multiple elevators 1 are installed in a building 2, each elevator 1 is provided with its own earthquake sensor 40, control device 20, and communication device 50.

[0018] The following will be described in detail using the building 2 shown in Fig. 1 as an example. The control device 20 is a control board that controls the elevator device 30. The elevator device 30 is configured to include a hoisting machine 250, hall devices (not shown) installed at the halls of each floor from the first to third floors, a car device (not shown) installed in the car 10, and various sensors and switches used in the elevator 1.

[0019] The hoist 250 is a motor that drives the car 10 of the elevator 1 to raise and lower it. The car device is various devices installed in the car 10, including a destination floor button (car call button) (not shown) for registering a destination floor. The hall device is various devices installed at the halls on each floor, including a hall call button (not shown) for registering a hall call.

[0020] The car 10 is installed in an elevator shaft 8 provided in the building 2. The car 10 moves up and down in the elevator shaft 8 to move between a plurality of floors. In this embodiment, the car 10 can stop at each of the first to third floors. A machine room 5 is provided directly above the elevator shaft 8. The machine room 5 contains a hoisting machine 250, a control device 20, an earthquake sensor 40, and a communication device 50.

[0021] In this embodiment, the elevator 1 is a traction elevator. A traction elevator is one type of rope elevator. This elevator further comprises, as an elevator device 30, a car 10, a counterweight (balance weight) 12, a rope 11, and a deflector sheave 13. A rope (main rope) 11 is hung on the hoist 250 and the deflector sheave 13. The car 10 and the counterweight 12 are suspended from both ends of the rope 11.

[0022] The elevator 1 can drive the hoisting machine 250 to cause the car 10 installed in the hoistway 8 to travel in an upward direction (also referred to as the "UP direction") or a downward direction (also referred to as the "DN direction"). A shock absorber (buffer) 14 is installed in the pit 6, which is the bottom of the hoistway 8. The shock absorber 14 is a device that absorbs the impact of the car 10 falling if an abnormality occurs.

[0023] The customer terminal 600 is a terminal used by the owner or manager of the building 2 in which the elevator 1 is installed. The customer terminal 600 is configured to be connectable to the monitoring device 300 via a network such as the Internet.

[0024] The terminal 500 is a terminal (second terminal) used by an employee (maintenance worker, etc.) of the maintenance company. The terminal 500 is configured to be connectable to the monitoring device 300 via a network such as a local area network or an intranet. The terminal 500 may be installed in the information center 3 or in each branch office of the maintenance company.

[0025] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the elevator control system 100. The control device 20 includes a processor 21 as a control unit, a communication IF 22 as a notification unit, and a memory 23 as a storage unit, which are connected to each other via a bus so that they can communicate with each other.

[0026] The processor 21 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory 23 may be configured to include a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a storage unit. The storage unit is a non-volatile storage device. The storage unit may be, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0027] The processor 21 loads programs stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes them to realize various functions of the control device 20. The ROM stores programs that describe the processing procedures of the control device 20. The RAM serves as a working area when the processor 21 executes the programs, and temporarily stores the programs, data used to execute the programs, and the like.

[0028] The processor 21 executes processing for controlling the elevator 1. The communication IF 22 has a function of notifying (transmitting) control information of the elevator 1.

[0029] The memory 23 has storage areas including a management area 24 and a maintenance area 25. The management area 24 includes an area for storing a management software program that controls the elevator 1 and a storage area for data used in the management software program. The maintenance area 25 includes an area for storing a maintenance rationalization software program that is used in maintaining the elevator 1 and a storage area for data used in the maintenance rationalization software program.

[0030] For example, the communication process with the monitoring device 300 used during elevator maintenance is executed by the maintenance rationalization software. In addition, information on whether or not the restart operation described below was successful is stored in the maintenance area 25.

[0031] The control device 20 can be connected to a maintenance computer (also referred to as a "maintenance computer") 400 as a first terminal carried by a maintenance technician. For example, the control device 20 has a connector to which a serial cable can be connected, and by connecting the serial cable connected to the maintenance computer 400 to the control device 20, the control device 20 and the maintenance computer 400 can communicate with each other.

[0032] Like the control device 20, the monitoring device 300 also includes a processor (CPU), memory (ROM, RAM), and a communication IF (not shown). These are connected to each other via a bus so that they can communicate with each other. The monitoring device 300 has a function of acquiring and storing control information notified (transmitted) by the communication IF 22 of the control device 20 via the communication device 50. The monitoring device 300 acquires information from the control device 20 of each elevator 1 installed in each building and monitors the elevators 1 in each building.

[0033] The communication device 50 transmits (issues an alert) various elevator information acquired from the control device 20 to the monitoring device 300. The communication device 50 also includes a processor (CPU), memory (ROM, RAM), and a communication IF (not shown), which are connected to each other via a bus so that they can communicate with each other.

[0034] Furthermore, the maintenance control company 400, the terminal 500, and the customer terminal 600 may be a tablet terminal, a notebook computer, a desktop computer, etc., and each includes a processor (CPU), memory (ROM, RAM), and a communication IF (not shown). The maintenance control company 400, the terminal 500, and the customer terminal 600 further include a display unit and an input unit. The display unit displays various information. The display unit is, for example, a liquid crystal display or a display. The input unit accepts input from the user. The input unit is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc. The terminal 500 is installed in the information center 3 or the branch office 4.

[0035] The earthquake sensor 40 is a device that detects earthquakes. The control device 20 acquires earthquake signals from the earthquake sensor 40 (for example, a signal that identifies P waves or S waves and a signal that identifies the strength of the earthquake (seismic intensity, weak, strong, etc.)).

[0036] The control device 20 can cause the car 10 to perform an operation (earthquake controlled operation) based on an earthquake signal detected by the earthquake sensor 40. Specifically, when the control device 20 detects an earthquake signal, it causes the car 10 to travel to the nearest floor. When the earthquake is large or when the control device 20 detects some kind of abnormality, it stops the car 10 on the spot without traveling to the nearest floor. In this case, a trapped state may occur.

[0037] The monitoring device 300 communicates with the elevators 1 (control devices 20) installed in each building, such as buildings 2a and 2b, managed by the information center 3, via the communication devices 50 of each elevator 1. The communication devices 50 issue (transmit) various elevator signals, including earthquake signals detected by the earthquake sensors 40, to the monitoring device 300. The monitoring device 300 acquires this various information.

[0038] This allows the monitoring device 300 to acquire various types of elevator information and to know that an earthquake has occurred in the building the elevator is installed in. The signals acquired by the monitoring device 300 are not limited to earthquake signals (P waves, S waves, earthquake magnitude, etc.), but may also include signals indicating that the elevator is out of service due to the occurrence of an earthquake, signals that can identify the state of entrapment, etc.

[0039] The monitoring device 300 stores specifications for each building, such as buildings 2a and 2b, managed by the information center 3 (maintenance company), and the elevators 1 installed in each building, as well as map information including the location information of each building. The monitoring device 300 also stores information issued by each earthquake sensor 40 (for example, earthquake signals such as P waves and S waves), abnormality information acquired from the elevators 1, and the history of controlled operation during earthquakes.

[0040] The elevator device 30 of the elevator 1 is provided with a weighing device 29 (measuring device) that measures information about passengers riding in the car 10. The weighing device 29 is provided in the car 10 and measures the weight of the car 10 including the passengers. The control device 20 calculates the load inside the car (hereinafter also referred to as "car load") based on the measurement information of the weighing device 29. The car load is calculated as 0% when there are no passengers in the car 10 and as 100% when the weight of the passengers riding in the car 10 is the maximum load weight of the car 10.

[0041] The monitoring device 300 acquires the car load from the control device 20 via the communication device 50. The monitoring device 300 calculates the number of passengers in the car based on the acquired car load. For example, if the maximum load weight is 390 kg (= capacity of 6 people × 65 kg) and the car load is 100%, the number of passengers is calculated to be 6 people (= 390 kg / 65 kg); if the car load is 0%, the number of passengers is calculated to be 0; and if the car load is 50%, the number of passengers is calculated to be 3 people (6 people × 50%).

[0042] The method is not limited to the above, and other methods may be used to calculate the number of passengers. For example, a camera may be installed inside the car 10, and the number of passengers may be calculated from image information from the camera using a known method. For example, the image information from the camera may be transmitted to the monitoring device 300. The monitoring device 300 may extract images of people from the image information from the camera, and count the number of people as the number of passengers.

[0043] 3 is a diagram for explaining a successful example of restart operation. When the earthquake detector 40 detects an earthquake, if a first condition (hereinafter also referred to as a "stop condition") for prohibiting the car 10 of the elevator 1 from traveling is met, the control device 20 (processor 21) performs stop control to stop the car 10.

[0044] The first condition (stop condition) is, for example, when the earthquake sensor 40 detects an earthquake of a strength equal to or greater than a specified value (for example, detects a "high gal"). In this case, stop control is performed and the car 10 comes to an abrupt halt. In the left diagram of FIG. 3, the earthquake sensor 40 detects a high gal while the car 10 is traveling from the third floor to the second floor, causing the car 10 to stop between the second and third floors. At this time, there are three passengers in the car 10. Based on the measurement information of the weighing device 29, the control device 20 calculates that the car load is 50% (three passengers).

[0045] After the stop control, if a second condition (hereinafter also referred to as the "restart condition") that allows the car 10 to run is met, the control device 20 starts restart control (restart operation) that causes the car 10 to run to the nearest floor and then opens the door of the car 10.

[0046] The second condition (restart condition) is met, for example, when a certain time has passed after the car 10 has stopped due to stop control and the control device 20 has not detected any abnormality in the elevator 1 or the operation of a safety device. If the second condition is met, the car 10 is permitted to travel and restart control is executed.

[0047] By executing restart control (restart operation), the car 10, which had been stopped between floors (between the second and third floors), starts traveling toward the nearest floor, the second floor. When the car 10 arrives at the second floor, the door of the car 10 opens (opens). This allows the three passengers to exit the car 10. At this time, the control device 20 calculates that the car load is 0% (0 passengers) based on the measurement information of the weighing device 29.

[0048] The memory 23 of the control device 20 stores history information of the restart control. When the door of the car 10 opens at the nearest floor as a result of the execution of the restart control, the processor 21 stores information that the restart control was successful in the memory 23 (maintenance area 25) as history information.

[0049] Furthermore, when the door of the car 10 opens at the nearest floor as a result of execution of the restart control, the control device 20 (communication IF 22) reports information that the restart control has been successful. In this example, "reporting information that the restart control has been successful" means that the communication IF 22 transmits information that the restart control has been successful to the monitoring device 300 via the communication device 50. However, without being limited to this, the control device 20 may also display the information that the restart control has been successful on a display device, or output it as sound from a speaker.

[0050] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a failed restart operation. As in the example of Fig. 3, when the earthquake sensor 40 detects an earthquake, if a first condition (stop condition) that prohibits the car 10 of the elevator 1 from traveling is met, the control device 20 performs stop control to stop the car 10.

[0051] In the example of Figure 4, the restart condition is not met because an abnormality in the elevator 1 or the operation of a safety device is detected. In this case, the car 10 remains stopped between floors and does not start moving. As a result, the car 10 continues to stop, which causes a trapped state.

[0052] If the car 10 does not open the door at the nearest floor after the stop control, the control device 20 stores information that the restart control has failed as historical information in the memory 23 (maintenance area 25). For example, if the car 10 does not open the door at the nearest floor even after a specified time has elapsed since the car 10 stopped due to the establishment of the stop conditions, the control device 20 stores information that the restart control has failed as historical information in the memory 23. At this time, the control device 20 calculates the car load to be 50% (3 passengers) based on the measurement information of the weighing device 29.

[0053] The example described above using Figures 3 and 4 describes a situation in which the first condition (stop condition) is met while earthquake control operation is being performed. For example, suppose that the earthquake sensor 40 detects the initial tremors (P waves) of an earthquake while the car 10 is traveling between the second and third floors. This causes the control device 20 to perform earthquake control operation. Specifically, the car travels to the nearest floor (the second floor in this example) and then opens the doors at the nearest floor.

[0054] Then, if a first condition (stop condition) is met while earthquake control operation is being performed, stop control is executed to interrupt earthquake control operation. For example, if earthquake sensor 40 detects strong shaking (high gal) while earthquake control operation is being performed, car 10 will come to an abrupt halt between the second and third floors, as shown in the left diagram of Figure 3. Next, if a second condition (restart condition) is met, control device 20 resumes earthquake control operation by executing restart control (restart operation). As a result, car 10 starts traveling to the second floor. Control device 20 determines that restart control has been successful when the car 10 opens the door at the nearest floor upon completion of earthquake control operation.

[0055] The situation is not limited to the situation where the first condition (stop condition) is satisfied during earthquake control operation as described above, but may also be a situation where the stop condition is satisfied simply while the car 10 is traveling. The first condition may be satisfied when the earthquake sensor 40 detects a low gal, or when some abnormality is detected in the elevator 1.

[0056] 5 is a diagram for explaining the display of information related to restart operation. The information related to restart operation is displayed on the maintenance control center 400 used by the maintenance personnel on-site, the customer terminal 600 used by the customer, and the terminal 500 used at the information center 3 or the branch office 4.

[0057] As described above, the control device 20 stores the history information of the earthquake control operation (restart operation) and the car load in the memory 23 and transmits them to the monitoring device 300 via the communication device 50.

[0058] A maintenance technician can connect the maintenance control unit 400 to the control device 20 and check the history information. The control device 20 (communication IF 22) transmits the history information and measurement information of the weighing device 29 to the maintenance control unit 400. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the display screen 401 of the maintenance control unit 400 displays the history of restart operations of elevator 1 (No. 1) installed in Building A.

[0059] In this example, the first condition (stop condition) is met at time T1, and the car load at that time is shown to be (50% = 3 passengers). Also, the second condition (restart condition) is met at time T2, car 10 starts at time T3, and the car 10 opens its doors on the second floor at time T4. This indicates that the restart operation is successful, and the car load is 0% (number of people rescued = 3).

[0060] The control device 20 (communication IF 22) transmits the history information and the measurement information of the weighing device 29 to the monitoring device 300. Based on the measurement information, the monitoring device 300 calculates the number of passengers who got off the car 10 when the door of the car 10 opened at the nearest floor due to the execution of restart control.

[0061] In the above example, the car load at time T1 is 50%. The monitoring device 300 calculates the number of passengers at time T1 to be 3 (=capacity of 6 passengers × 50%). Furthermore, the monitoring device 300 calculates the number of passengers at time T4 (when the doors open at the nearest floor) to be 0 (capacity of 6 passengers × 0%), and calculates the number of passengers disembarking to be 3 (=3 - 0).

[0062] Furthermore, customers can connect to the monitoring device 300 from the customer terminal 600 and check the remote inspection report. The monitoring device 300 generates report data for the regular inspection of the elevator 1 based on the control information of the elevator 1. The report data includes information that the restart control was successful. The report data also includes a statement that reports the number of people who disembarked from the car 10 as the number of people rescued when the restart control was successful.

[0063] In this example, a remote inspection report for Building A dated X month of X year is displayed on the display screen 601 of the customer terminal 600. The display screen 601 displays the inspection results for the remote inspection item "item X."

[0064] This report also includes the results of the restart operation. Display screen 601 displays the result of the restart operation, indicating that the restart operation of car No. 1 was successful. It also shows that as a result of this restart operation, three people were rescued from car 10 at time T4 (number of people rescued (number of people who disembarked) = 3). This report is printed and presented to customers once a month.

[0065] An employee (maintenance worker) of the maintenance company can connect to the monitoring device 300 from a terminal 500 used in the information center 3 or branch office 4 and check earthquake information. The monitoring device 300 transmits earthquake information, including history information on earthquake control operation (restart operation), to the terminal 500.

[0066] The monitoring device 300 provides an EER system that can be accessed from the terminal 500. The EER system provides various earthquake information related to buildings managed by the information center 3. In addition, the terminal 500 can launch IntraMaintenanceCon, an elevator maintenance tool. The monitoring device 300 operates as a web server that can be accessed from the terminal 500. Employees (maintenance personnel) of the maintenance company can check the various earthquake information described above on the terminal 500 by launching IntraMaintenanceCon or accessing the EER system.

[0067] In this example, various types of earthquake information, including history information on restart operations, are displayed on a map on the display screen 501 of the terminal 500. The buildings managed by the monitoring device 300 include buildings A to C. The display screen 501 displays a map of the area including buildings A to C, and various types of earthquake information for buildings A to C is shown on the map. It is assumed in this example that buildings A to C each have one elevator installed.

[0068] In Building A, the message indicates that the restart operation was successful. In Building B, the message indicates that the restart operation failed. In Building C, the message indicates that the elevator recovery work has already been completed.

[0069] It is anticipated that a person may become trapped in Building B due to a failed restart operation, so maintenance personnel must head to Building B. Since recovery work has been completed in Building C, there is no need for maintenance personnel to head there to carry out the recovery work. If recovery work has not yet been completed, a message to that effect will be displayed. If a building has multiple elevators, information can be displayed for each elevator.

[0070] Although not shown, various information other than restart operation, such as seismic intensity information, information on whether trapped people have occurred, abnormality information, etc., can be displayed on the map. This allows maintenance personnel to understand the disaster situation on site and can be useful in considering the order of work (priority) for elevator recovery work and trapped person rescue work.

[0071] The following explanation will be given using flowcharts. Figures 6 and 7 are flowcharts of the processing executed by the elevator control system 100. Elevator-side processing is processing executed by the control device 20 of the elevator 1. Monitoring-device-side processing is processing executed by the monitoring device 300. Maintenance-controller-side processing is processing executed by the maintenance control company 400. Intra-terminal-side processing is processing executed by the terminal 500. Customer-side terminal-side processing is processing executed by the customer terminal 600. Hereinafter, "step" will also be simply referred to as "S".

[0072] 6, in the elevator-side processing, when the earthquake sensor 40 detects an earthquake (P wave) (S101), the control device 20 starts earthquake control operation (S102). At that time, the car load of the car 10 is recorded in the memory 23 (S103).

[0073] If the stop condition (first condition) is not met during earthquake control operation (NO in S104), the control device 20 proceeds to S111. On the other hand, if the stop condition (first condition) is met during earthquake control operation (YES in S104), the control device 20 executes stop control of the car 10 (S105). As a result, the car 10 comes to an abrupt stop as shown in FIG. 3.

[0074] If the restart condition (second condition) is met (YES in S106), the control device 20 executes restart control of the car 10 (S107). As a result, the car 10 starts traveling toward the nearest floor, as shown in Fig. 3. If the door opens at the nearest floor (YES in S108), the control device 20 sets that the restart control has been successful (S109).

[0075] On the other hand, if the restart condition (second condition) is not met (NO in S106) or if the door does not open at the nearest floor (NO in S108), the control device 20 sets a message indicating that the restart control has failed (S110). In the example of Fig. 4, the restart control has failed.

[0076] The control device 20 records historical information on the car load and earthquake control operation (restart control) in the memory 23 (S111). The control device 20 transmits the historical information on the car load and earthquake control operation (restart control) to the monitoring device 300 via the communication device 50 (S112), and ends the elevator-side processing.

[0077] In the maintenance control processing, the maintenance control 400 acquires car load and earthquake control operation (restart control) history information from the control device 20 (S201). This information is the information that the control device 20 stored in the memory 23 in S111. The maintenance control 400 displays the restart operation success / failure information and history information (S202), and ends the maintenance control processing. An example of the display is as shown on the display screen 401 in Figure 5.

[0078] 7, in the monitoring device side processing, the monitoring device 300 receives history information on the car load and earthquake control operation (restart control) (S301). This information is information transmitted by the control device 20 via the communication device 50 in S112.

[0079] The monitoring device 300 calculates the number of passengers from the car load (S302). In the example shown in Figures 3 and 4, at time T1 when the stop condition is met, the number of passengers is calculated to be 3 based on the car load = 50%. Also, at time T4 when the door opens on the second floor, the number of passengers is calculated to be 0 based on the car load = 0%.

[0080] The monitoring device 300 calculates the number of people getting off when the doors of the car 10 open at the nearest floor due to the execution of restart control (S303). In the above example, since the number of passengers changed from 3 to 0 at time T4, the number of people getting off is calculated as 3.

[0081] The monitoring device 300 generates remote inspection report data including information that the restart control was successful and the number of people rescued (number of people who got off the vehicle) (S304). The monitoring device 300 generates display information by including the history information of the restart control in the earthquake information (S305), and ends the processing on the monitoring device side.

[0082] In the customer terminal-side processing, the customer terminal 600 acquires report data from the monitoring device 300 (S401). This information is the data generated by the monitoring device 300 in S304. The customer terminal 600 displays the report data (S402), and the customer terminal-side processing ends. An example of the display is as shown in the display screen 601 in Figure 5.

[0083] In the intra-terminal side processing, the terminal 500 acquires display information from the monitoring device 300 (S501). This information is data generated by the monitoring device 300 in S305. The terminal 500 displays the display information (S502) and ends the intra-terminal side processing. An example of the display is as shown on the display screen 501 in FIG. 5.

[0084] As described above, when the earthquake sensor 40 detects an earthquake, if the first condition (stop condition) that prohibits the car 10 of the elevator 1 from traveling is met, the processor 21 performs stop control to stop the car 10. After the stop control, if the second condition (restart condition) that allows the car 10 to travel is met, the processor 21 starts restart control to run the car 10 to the nearest floor and then open the door of the car 10. When the door of the car 10 opens at the nearest floor as a result of the execution of the restart control, the communication IF 22 reports information that the restart control was successful.

[0085] If a trapped state occurs, maintenance personnel will perform rescue operations for passengers, and customers will be able to learn of this fact through reports from the maintenance personnel, etc. On the other hand, even if the trapped state is avoided and passengers are rescued by executing restart control, if customers have no way of knowing this fact, it will be impossible to appeal to customers about the usefulness of this rescue function. With the above configuration, when the car 10 opens the doors at the nearest floor due to restart control, information is announced that the restart control was successful (rescues were successful), and by checking the content of this announcement, it is possible to appeal to customers about the usefulness of the elevator's rescue function in the event of an earthquake.

[0086] When the earthquake sensor 40 detects an earthquake while the car 10 is traveling, the processor 21 executes control to perform earthquake control operation, which causes the car 10 to travel to the nearest floor and then open the doors of the car 10. If a first condition (stop condition) is met while the earthquake control operation is being performed, the processor 21 executes stop control to interrupt the earthquake control operation. The processor 21 resumes the earthquake control operation by executing restart control. When the earthquake control operation is completed and the doors of the car 10 open at the nearest floor, the processor 21 determines that the restart control is successful. This makes it possible to appeal to customers the usefulness of the elevator's rescue function in the event of an earthquake.

[0087] The elevator control system 100 further includes a monitoring device 300 that acquires and stores the control information reported (transmitted) by the communication IF 22. The monitoring device 300 generates report data for the periodic inspection of the elevator 1 based on the control information. The report data includes information that the restart control was successful. This makes it possible to appeal to customers through the report that the elevator's rescue function is operating effectively.

[0088] The elevator 1 is provided with a weighing device 29 as a measuring device that measures information about passengers riding in the car 10. The communication IF 22 transmits the measurement information of the weighing device 29 to the monitoring device 300. Based on the measurement information, the monitoring device 300 calculates the number of people who disembarked from the car 10 when the doors of the car 10 opened at the nearest floor due to the execution of restart control. The report data further includes a description that reports the number of people who disembarked from the car 10 as the number of people rescued when the restart control was successful. This not only makes it possible to highlight in the report that the elevator's rescue function is operating effectively due to the restart control, but also makes it possible to more specifically highlight the effectiveness of the rescue function by indicating the specific number of people rescued.

[0089] The memory 23 stores history information of the restart control. If the car 10 opens the door at the nearest floor as a result of executing the restart control, the processor 21 stores information indicating that the restart control was successful in the memory 23 as history information. If the car 10 does not open the door at the nearest floor after the stop control, the processor 21 stores information indicating that the restart control failed in the memory 23 as history information. The communication IF 22 transmits the history information to the maintenance control center 400, which serves as a first terminal carried by a maintenance worker. The monitoring device 300 transmits the history information to the terminal 500, which serves as a second terminal that can communicate with the monitoring device 300. This allows maintenance workers to check the history information of the restart control on-site or remotely. In addition, checking the history information remotely can be useful in considering the order of work (priority) for elevator recovery work and trapped-person rescue work.

[0090] [Note] The above-described embodiment is a specific example of the following additional notes.

[0091] (Appendix 1) a control unit that controls the elevator; a notification unit that notifies the elevator control information, The elevator is provided with an earthquake sensor that detects earthquakes, The control unit When the earthquake sensor detects an earthquake, if a first condition for prohibiting the elevator car from traveling is established, a stop control is performed to stop the elevator car; after the stop control, when a second condition for permitting the car to travel is established, restart control is started to open the door of the car after the car has traveled to the nearest floor; The notification unit notifies information that the restart control was successful when the door of the car opens at the nearest floor as a result of execution of the restart control.

[0092] (Appendix 2) the control unit executes control to perform earthquake control operation in which, when the earthquake sensor detects an earthquake while the car is traveling, the car is caused to travel to the nearest floor and then the door of the car is opened, The control unit When the first condition is satisfied during the execution of the earthquake control operation, the earthquake control operation is suspended by executing the stop control; The earthquake control operation is resumed by executing the restart control, An elevator control system as described in Appendix 1, wherein the restart control is determined to be successful when the car opens its doors at the nearest floor upon completion of the earthquake control operation.

[0093] (Appendix 3) a monitoring device that acquires and stores the control information notified by the notifying unit, the monitoring device generates report data for the periodic inspection of the elevator based on the control information; An elevator control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the report data includes information indicating that the restart control was successful.

[0094] (Appendix 4) The elevator is provided with a measuring device that measures information about passengers riding in the car, the notification unit transmits measurement information of the measurement device to the monitoring device; the monitoring device calculates, based on the measurement information, the number of passengers who got off the car when the door of the car opened at the nearest floor due to execution of the restart control; 4. The elevator control system of claim 3, wherein the report data further includes a description of reporting the number of people who disembarked from the car as the number of people rescued when the restart control is successful.

[0095] (Appendix 5) further comprising a storage unit that stores history information of the restart control, The control unit When the door of the car opens at the nearest floor as a result of execution of the restart control, information indicating that the restart control has been successful is stored in the storage unit as the history information, If the car does not open the door at the nearest floor after the stop control, information that the restart control has failed is stored in the storage unit as the history information, 5. The elevator control system according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 4, wherein the notification unit transmits the history information to a first terminal carried by a maintenance worker.

[0096] (Appendix 6) a monitoring device that acquires and stores the information notified by the notification unit; An elevator control system as described in Appendix 5, wherein the monitoring device transmits the history information to a second terminal that can be communicatively connected to the monitoring device.

[0097] (Appendix 7) A control method for an elevator control system including a control unit that controls an elevator and a notification unit that notifies control information of the elevator, The elevator is provided with an earthquake sensor that detects earthquakes, a step of performing stop control to stop the elevator car when a first condition for prohibiting the elevator car from traveling is established when the earthquake sensor detects an earthquake; a step of starting restart control to open a door of the car after the car has traveled to the nearest floor when a second condition for permitting the car to travel is satisfied after the stop control; and when the door of the car opens at the nearest floor as a result of execution of the restart control, notifying information that the restart control has been successful.

[0098] The embodiments disclosed herein are merely examples and are not limited to the above. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 1 elevator, 2, 2a, 2b buildings, 3 information center, 4 branch office, 5 machine room, 6 pit, 8 elevator shaft, 10 car, 11 rope, 12 counterweight, 13 deflector car, 14 buffer, 20 control device, 21 processor, 22 communication IF (interface), 23 memory, 24 management area, 25 maintenance area, 29 weighing device, 30 elevator device, 40 earthquake detector, 50 communication device, 401, 501, 601 display screen, 100 elevator control system, 300 monitoring device, 400 maintenance control, 500 terminal, 600 customer terminal.

Claims

1. a control unit that controls the elevator; a notification unit that notifies the elevator control information, The elevator is provided with an earthquake sensor that detects earthquakes, The control unit When the earthquake sensor detects an earthquake, if a first condition for prohibiting the elevator car from traveling is established, a stop control is performed to stop the elevator car; after the stop control, when a second condition for permitting the car to travel is established, restart control is started to open the door of the car after the car has traveled to the nearest floor; The notification unit, when the restart control is executed and the door of the car opens at the nearest floor, notifies information that the restart control has been successful.

2. the control unit executes control to perform earthquake control operation in which, when the earthquake sensor detects an earthquake while the car is traveling, the car is caused to travel to the nearest floor and then the door of the car is opened, The control unit When the first condition is satisfied during the execution of the earthquake control operation, the earthquake control operation is suspended by executing the stop control; The earthquake control operation is resumed by executing the restart control, 2. The elevator control system according to claim 1, wherein the restart control is determined to have been successful when the doors of the car open at the nearest floor upon completion of the earthquake control operation.

3. a monitoring device that acquires and stores the control information notified by the notifying unit, the monitoring device generates report data for the periodic inspection of the elevator based on the control information; 3. The elevator control system according to claim 1, wherein the report data includes information indicating that the restart control has been successful.

4. The elevator is provided with a measuring device that measures information about passengers riding in the car, the notification unit transmits measurement information of the measurement device to the monitoring device; the monitoring device calculates, based on the measurement information, the number of passengers who got off the car when the door of the car opened at the nearest floor due to execution of the restart control; 4. The elevator control system according to claim 3, wherein the report data further includes a description for reporting the number of people who have disembarked from the car as the number of people rescued when the restart control is successful.

5. further comprising a storage unit that stores history information of the restart control, The control unit When the door of the car opens at the nearest floor as a result of execution of the restart control, information indicating that the restart control has been successful is stored in the storage unit as the history information, If the car does not open the door at the nearest floor after the stop control, information that the restart control has failed is stored in the storage unit as the history information, 3. The elevator control system according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit transmits the history information to a first terminal carried by a maintenance worker.

6. a monitoring device that acquires and stores the information notified by the notification unit; The elevator control system according to claim 5 , wherein the monitoring device transmits the history information to a second terminal that is communicatively connectable with the monitoring device.

7. A control method for an elevator control system including a control unit that controls an elevator and a notification unit that notifies control information of the elevator, The elevator is provided with an earthquake sensor that detects earthquakes, a step of performing stop control to stop the elevator car when a first condition for prohibiting the elevator car from traveling is established when the earthquake sensor detects an earthquake; a step of starting restart control to open a door of the car after the car has traveled to the nearest floor when a second condition for permitting the car to travel is satisfied after the stop control; and when the door of the car opens at the nearest floor as a result of execution of the restart control, notifying information that the restart control has been successful.

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