Power supply control system and power supply control method

Abstract

This technology provides the ability to accurately supply power from a backup power source to multiple building facilities, including elevators, during a power outage. [Solution] The power supply control system is a system that controls the supply of power from a backup power source to multiple building facilities, including elevators, in the event of a power outage of the main power grid. The system is connected to a control device that controls multiple building facilities, including elevators, and a battery control system that controls a battery, which is a backup power source. When it receives a command to stop the power supply from the battery to the elevator, it stops accepting new call registrations for the elevator, and then prompts the battery control system to supply power from the battery to other building facilities related to lifelines. If there are existing call registrations for the elevator, after the operation related to the call registration is completed, it stops the power supply to the elevator and prompts the battery to supply power to other building facilities.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply control technology for accurately supplying power from an emergency power source to a plurality of building facilities including an elevator during a power outage.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, in medium- and high-rise buildings (hereinafter collectively referred to as "buildings"), elevators are often installed as means for ascending and descending to other floors. For those who have difficulty moving up and down within the building on their own, such as wheelchair users and the elderly (hereinafter also referred to as "persons with difficulty in independent movement"), this elevator is an indispensable existence from the perspective of so-called barrier-free. Thus, the elevator has become an especially important means among the main means available for ascending and descending within the building today.

[0003] However, for example, when a power outage occurs in a building due to the occurrence of a large-scale natural disaster or the like, the ascending and descending movement within the building using the elevator is usually greatly restricted. Among such situations, there is a known technology that supplies power to the elevator from an emergency power source during such a power outage and operates the elevator to enable, for example, the evacuation and rescue of persons with difficulty in independent movement left in the building (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the event of a large-scale natural disaster or similar event, providing essential services such as drinking water and operating flush toilets to people trapped inside a building is extremely important from the standpoint of securing lifelines. Therefore, in the event of such a power outage, it is preferable to supply power from a backup power source to the pumps installed in the building that distribute and / or supply drinking water and various types of water for daily life, and to operate those pumps.

[0006] In this regard, the technology described in Patent Document 1 had the problem that it only considered power supply to elevators. Therefore, based on the above viewpoint, if it were to supply power to elevators from a backup power source during a power outage, and then also supply power to other building equipment related to lifelines such as pumps from the backup power source, it would be difficult with existing technologies, and the development of new technologies was awaited.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technology that enables accurate power supply from a backup power source to multiple building facilities, including elevators, during a power outage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The power supply control system according to the present invention is a system that controls the supply of power from a backup power source to multiple building facilities, including elevators, in the event of a power outage of the grid power source which is the main power source, and includes a computer which is connected to a control device and a memory device and is capable of data communication with the control device which controls the multiple building facilities, including the elevators, and a battery control system which controls the battery which is the backup power source. When the elevator is being powered by a battery, and a command is received to stop the power supply from the battery to the elevator, the system stops accepting new call registrations for the elevator and prompts the battery control system to supply power from the battery to other building facilities related to lifelines. If there is an existing call registration for the elevator, after the operation related to the call registration is completed, the system stops the power supply to the elevator and prompts the battery control system to supply power from the battery to the other building facilities. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, in the event of a power outage, power can be accurately supplied from a backup power source to multiple building facilities, including elevators.

[0010] Further issues disclosed in this application, and methods for solving them, will be made clear in the section on embodiments for carrying out the invention and in the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of the power supply control system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of a functional block of the power supply control system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] This diagram shows an example of the configuration of building equipment subject to power supply control by a power supply control system when there is only one elevator. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of the configuration of building equipment subject to power supply control by a power supply control system when there are multiple elevators. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows an example of the power supply control process performed by the power supply control system according to the embodiment, in the case of a single elevator. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of the power supply control process performed by the power supply control system according to the embodiment when there are multiple elevators. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and modifications described below. Examples of modifications to the specific configuration are also included, as long as they do not depart from the spirit or purpose of the present invention. For example, each of the embodiments below is a detailed explanation of the present invention and is not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described.

[0013] In the configuration of the invention described below, the same reference numerals are used in common across different drawings for identical parts and / or elements, or parts and / or elements having similar functions, and redundant descriptions may be omitted.

[0014] Furthermore, when there are multiple identical parts and / or elements, or parts and / or elements with similar functions, different subscripts may be assigned to the same symbol in order to distinguish between them. On the other hand, when there is no need to distinguish between such multiple parts and / or elements, the subscripts may be omitted in the explanation.

[0015] In this specification, the designations "1st," "2nd," "3rd," etc., are used to identify constituent elements and do not necessarily limit their number, order, or content. Furthermore, the letters and numbers used to identify constituent elements are used on a context-by-context basis, and the letters and numbers used in one context do not necessarily indicate the same configuration in another context. Moreover, this does not prevent a constituent element identified by one letter or number from also performing the function of a constituent element identified by another letter or number.

[0016] In this specification and / or the drawings, the positions, sizes, shapes, ranges, etc. of each component shown may not represent the actual positions, sizes, shapes, ranges, etc. in order to facilitate understanding of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the positions, sizes, shapes, ranges, etc. disclosed in this specification and / or the drawings.

[0017] Components represented in the singular form in this specification shall include the plural form unless otherwise clearly indicated in the context.

[0018] Also, in the following description, the "interface device" may be one or more interface devices. The one or more interface devices may be at least one of the following. · One or more input / output interface devices. The input / output interface device is an interface device for at least one of an I / O (Input / Output) device and a remote display computer. The input / output interface device for the display computer may be a communication interface device. At least one I / O device may be either an input interface device such as a user interface device, for example, a keyboard and a pointing device, or an output interface device such as a display device. · One or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more of the same type of communication interface devices (for example, one or more Network Interface Cards (NICs)) or two or more different types of communication interface devices (for example, a NIC and a Host Bus Adapter (HBA)). The network accessed by the communication interface device during communication may be assumed to be the Internet, a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), or a mobile phone network, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0019] Also, in the following description, the "memory device" includes at least one or more memory devices (hereinafter also referred to as "memory") as the main memory device. This memory may be a volatile memory device (hereinafter also referred to as "volatile memory") or a non-volatile memory device (hereinafter also referred to as "non-volatile memory"). In addition to one or more memories, the memory device may also include one or more PDEV (Physical storage DEVice) as an auxiliary storage device. This PDEV is typically a non-volatile storage device (such as a persistent storage device), specifically, for example, various storage devices such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), NVME (Non-Volatile Memory Express) drive, or SCM (Storage Class Memory) (hereinafter also referred to as "storage").

[0020] That is, in the following description, the "memory device" may be at least a memory including the memory as the main memory device and the storage as the auxiliary storage device.

[0021] Furthermore, in the following description, the control device, "processor," refers to one or more processor devices. At least one processor device is typically a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may include other types of processor devices such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or DSP (Digital Signal Processor). At least one processor device may be single-core or multi-core. At least one processor device may be a processor core. At least one processor device may be a broad-sense processor device such as a hardware circuit that performs some or all of the processing (e.g., an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)), or may include such broad-sense processor devices.

[0022] Furthermore, in the following explanation, functions may be described using the expression "xxx section," but a function may be realized by the execution of one or more computer programs (hereinafter also simply referred to as "programs") by a processor, by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., FPGAs or ASICs), or by a combination thereof. When a function is realized by the execution of a program by a processor, the defined processing is carried out using memory devices and / or interface devices as appropriate, so the function may be at least a part of the processor. Processing described with a function as the subject may also be processing performed by the processor (or a device such as a controller having that processor). Programs may be installed from program source. Program source may be, for example, a program distribution computer or a computer-readable recording medium (e.g., a non-temporary recording medium). The description of each function is an example, and multiple functions may be combined into one function, or one function may be divided into multiple functions.

[0023] Furthermore, in the following explanation, the subject of the process may be "program," but since a program is executed by a processor and performs defined processes using memory and / or interface devices as appropriate, the subject of the process may also be the processor (or a device such as a controller having that processor). A program may be installed from a program source into a device such as a computer. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution server or a computer-readable (e.g., non-temporary) recording medium. Also, in the following explanation, two or more programs may be implemented as a single program, or one program may be implemented as two or more programs.

[0024] Furthermore, in the following explanation, we may use expressions such as "yyy database" and "yyy table" to describe information from which an output is obtained for a given input. This information may be represented by data of any structure (for example, it may be structured data or unstructured data), or by a learning model such as a neural network, genetic algorithm, or random forest that produces an output according to the input. Therefore, "yyy database" and "yyy table" can be replaced with "yyy information." Also, in the following explanation, the configuration of each database and table is just an example, and one database or table may be divided into two or more databases or tables, or all or part of two or more databases or tables may be a single database or table.

[0025] Furthermore, in the following description, the "power supply control system" may be a device or system composed of one or more physical computers (e.g., an on-premise device or system), or a system implemented on a group of physical computing resources (e.g., a cloud infrastructure) (e.g., a cloud computing system). The power supply control system "displaying" display information may mean displaying the information on a display device owned by the computer (power supply control system), or the computer (power supply control system) may transmit the display information to a display computer (in the latter case, the display information is displayed by the display computer).

[0026] <Example System Configuration> First, an example of the configuration of the power supply control system 100 according to this embodiment will be explained using Figures 1 to 4. Of these, Figure 1 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the power supply control system 100, and Figure 2 shows an example of the functional blocks of the power supply control system 100. Figures 3 to 4 are schematic diagrams showing an example of the configuration of various building facilities that the power supply control system 100 controls. Of these, Figure 3 shows an example of the overall building configuration when there is one elevator, and Figure 4 shows an example when there are multiple elevators.

[0027] (Example of the overall system configuration) The power supply control system 100 of this embodiment is a computer system that performs power supply control to accurately supply power from a backup battery 22 to multiple building facilities, including elevators (specifically, elevators, pumps, and various other building facilities 41 provided by the building), in the event of a power outage of the main power grid 21, and is implemented by a computer, server, or control board (hereinafter also referred to as a "power supply control device") having the configurations described below.

[0028] The power supply control device, which constitutes this power supply control system 100, is connected to the elevator control device 31 (details described later), which controls the operation of elevators installed in the building, via an appropriate communication network such as the Internet, a dedicated line, or a LAN (Local Area Network) (hereinafter also simply referred to as "the network"), enabling data communication between them. The power supply control device and the elevator control device 31 are connected to the network by wire via well-known communication equipment (not shown), but they may also be connected wirelessly.

[0029] Similarly, the power supply control device constituting this power supply control system 100 is mutually connected via a network to control devices and control systems of various building equipment (hereinafter collectively referred to as "building equipment" when referred to collectively or without distinction) 41, which are the main power loads of the building, such as pumps installed in the building to distribute and / or supply drinking water and various types of domestic water, and air conditioning and lighting equipment installed on each floor of the building, as well as control systems of the power supply system for the building, such as a control system (not shown) that controls the grid power supply 21, which is the main power source of the building, and a battery control system 23 that controls the battery 22, which is the backup power source of the building, enabling data communication between them. These various control devices and control systems and the network are each connected by wire via well-known communication equipment (not shown), but they may also be connected wirelessly.

[0030] Furthermore, various user terminals (not shown), such as laptop PCs, tablets, and smartphones owned by the building management staff who are users of the power supply control system 100, may be connected to the power supply control device constituting the power supply control system 100 via a network, enabling data communication between them. In this case, the user terminals and the network may be connected wirelessly or via a wired connection.

[0031] Furthermore, other devices, equipment, terminals, etc. (hereinafter also simply referred to as "other devices") may be connected to the power supply control system 100 via a network in a data communication manner. In this case, the other devices and the network may be connected by wire via well-known communication equipment (not shown) or by wireless connection.

[0032] In this embodiment, the power supply control system 100 was described as consisting of a single device (power supply control device), as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. However, for example, the power supply control system 100 may consist of multiple devices.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the power supply control device that constitutes the power supply control system 100 and other devices, equipment, terminals, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as "external devices") such as the elevator control device 31, control devices for various building facilities 41, user terminals, and other devices have been described as being composed of separate devices. However, the power supply control system 100 and these external devices may be composed of the same device. In this case, the power supply control system may be configured as a system that includes these external devices, for example. Alternatively, the power supply control system may be configured to include some or all of the functions performed by these external devices.

[0034] (Example of hardware configuration for power supply control system 100) Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the power supply control system 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to a diagram.

[0035] The power supply control system 100 according to this embodiment is implemented by a computer having at least a storage device including a memory 102 which is a main memory and a storage device 103 which is an auxiliary storage device, an interface device including at least a communication device 104, and a processor 101 which is a control device connected thereto. In this power supply control system 100, the interface device may also include an input device 105 and / or an output device 106.

[0036] The following description assumes that the power supply control system 100 is implemented by a single general-purpose computer equipped with one or more processors 101, one or more memories 102, one or more storage devices 103, one or more communication devices 104, one or more input devices 105, one or more output devices 106, and a wired or wireless bus connecting them.

[0037] The auxiliary storage device, storage 103, is an auxiliary storage device consisting of a non-volatile memory element such as flash memory. Specific examples of this storage 103 include various storage devices such as SSDs (Solid State Drives) and HDDs (Hard Disk Drives). Storage 103 stores at least the power supply control program 130. This power supply control program 130 is a computer program that implements the functions necessary for the power supply control system 100.

[0038] In other words, the power supply control program 130 is executed by the processor 101, thereby realizing the functions performed by each functional unit of the power supply control system 100, including the power supply control unit 131, which will be described later. To put it another way, the power supply control program 130 is executed by the processor 101, which performs various processes, including power supply control processing (hereinafter also referred to as "power supply control processing") for various building facilities 41, such as elevators and escalators, as well as water pumps, lighting equipment, and air conditioning equipment. Details of this power supply control processing will be described later in relation to Figures 5 and 6.

[0039] The power supply control program 130 is provided to the power supply control system 100 via the network and stored in the storage 103, which is a non-temporary storage medium.

[0040] Furthermore, the power supply control program 130 may be installed from a program source. The program source may be, for example, a program distribution computer or a computer-readable recording medium. The power supply control program 130 may also consist of a device driver, an operating system, various application programs located at a higher layer, and a library that provides common functions to these programs. Moreover, two or more programs may be implemented as a single power supply control program 130, or one power supply control program 130 may be implemented as two or more programs.

[0041] The main memory, memory 102, is a main memory device consisting mainly of volatile memory elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory). Memory 102 also includes ROM (Read Only Memory), which consists of non-volatile memory elements. ROM stores immutable programs (e.g., BIOS). Memory 102 temporarily holds data representing various information read from storage 103, as well as various data acquired via communication device 104 and / or input device 105.

[0042] The control device, processor 101, is a processor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and various coprocessors. This processor 101 performs overall control of the power supply control system 100 itself by calling and executing various computer programs, including the power supply control program 130, from memory 102, and also controls the control unit 111 which performs various processing such as calculations, judgments, and control.

[0043] The interface device includes a communication device 104 that controls the communication unit 114 described later, an input device 105 that controls the input unit 115 described later, and an output device 106 that controls the output unit 116 described later.

[0044] The communication device 104 is a network interface device for controlling communication with other equipment, devices, terminals, etc., such as the elevator control device 31, according to a predetermined protocol.

[0045] The input device 105 is a variety of input interface devices for receiving input operations from users or operators of the power supply control system 100, such as a touch panel, keyboard, mouse, or controller.

[0046] The output device 106 is a variety of output interface devices for outputting the processing results of the power supply control program 130 in a recognizable format to users and operators of the power supply control system 100, such as display devices including liquid crystal displays and touch screens.

[0047] The power supply control system 100 may be implemented by an independent device or by an embedded device.

[0048] (Example of a functional block of the power supply control system 100) Next, an example of the various function blocks provided by the power supply control system 100 according to this embodiment will be explained using Figures 1 and 2. Note that the blocks described below represent function units, not hardware units.

[0049] The power supply control system 100 is composed of various functional blocks, including a control unit 111 mainly implemented by the aforementioned processor 101, a main memory unit 112 implemented by the aforementioned memory 102, an auxiliary memory unit 113 implemented by the aforementioned storage 103, a communication unit 114 implemented by the aforementioned communication device 104, and a user interface unit including an input unit 115 implemented by the aforementioned input device 105 and an output unit 116 implemented by the aforementioned output device 106. In the following description, the main memory unit 112 and the auxiliary memory unit 113 may be collectively referred to as the memory unit (112, 113).

[0050] The control unit 111 performs various data processing based on the programs and data stored in the memory units (112, 113) and the data acquired by the communication unit 114. The control unit 111 also functions as an interface to the memory units (112, 113) and the communication unit 114.

[0051] The control unit 111 has a power supply control unit 131 as a functional block, as the processor 101 executes the aforementioned power supply control program 130.

[0052] The power supply control unit 131 executes power supply control processing. Details of the power supply control processing will be described later in relation to Figures 5 and 6.

[0053] The control unit 111 is configured using the control device processor 101, and the above-mentioned functional blocks can be realized by executing the power supply control program 130. Alternatively, the control unit 111 may be configured using logic circuits such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) instead of the processor 101. Furthermore, the control unit 111 may be configured using a combination of the processor 101 and logic circuits.

[0054] As described above, the storage unit (112, 113) is configured to include a main storage unit 112, which is realized by the main memory 102, and an auxiliary storage unit 113, which is realized by the auxiliary storage 103. It stores programs that supply various processing instructions to the control unit 111, and data representing various information used in the processing executed by the control unit 111.

[0055] The control unit 111 can execute various processes, including the aforementioned power supply control process (details will be described later in relation to Figures 5-6), by reading and writing data representing this information to the storage units (112, 113).

[0056] The communication unit 114 is responsible for processing communication with other equipment, devices, terminals, etc., including the elevator control device 31, via the network. The communication unit 114 is configured using, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) or an HBA (Host Bus Adapter).

[0057] The user interface section (not shown) is composed of the functional blocks of the input section 115 and the output section 116.

[0058] The input unit 115 is responsible for processing related to the user interface, such as receiving input operations from the user. The input unit 115 is configured using various input devices 105, such as a touch panel, keyboard, mouse, or controller, and detects various operations from the user.

[0059] The output unit 116 is responsible for output-related processing, such as displaying various screens on the output device 106 and outputting audio, as part of the user interface processing. The output unit 116 is configured using various output devices 106, including, for example, display devices such as touchscreens and liquid crystal displays.

[0060] Furthermore, the inclusion of the input unit 115 and / or output unit 116 is not mandatory when, for example, a remote login to the power supply control system 100 is performed from another external device such as a tablet, smartphone, or laptop PC, or when receiving input information from an external device or providing output information to an external device via the communication device 104. In this case, the power supply control system 100 may accept access from an external device using a predetermined protocol by having a web server function.

[0061] In other words, each component of the power supply control system 100 is realized by hardware including a processor 101 which is a control device, storage devices such as memory 102 which is a main memory and storage 103 which is an auxiliary storage device, and wired or wireless buses and interface devices that connect them, and software that is stored in the storage devices (102, 103) and supplies processing instructions to the arithmetic unit (processor 101).

[0062] The above description of the functions of the power supply control system 100 is based on the assumption that each function of the power supply control system 100 is implemented integrally by a single computer. However, each of these functions may be implemented by multiple interconnected computers and / or servers. Furthermore, the power supply control system 100 may include a general-purpose computer such as a laptop PC and a web browser installed thereon, or it may include a web server and various portable devices.

[0063] The power supply control system 100 is a computer system that operates on a single physical computer or on multiple logically or physically configured computers, and may operate on a virtual computer built on multiple physical computer resources. For example, each functional unit, such as the power supply control unit 131, may operate on a separate physical or logical computer, or multiple units may be combined and operate on a single physical or logical computer.

[0064] Furthermore, the above descriptions of each function are merely examples, and multiple functions may be combined into one function, or one function may be divided into multiple functions.

[0065] Furthermore, the power supply control system 100 may have additional functions in addition to the functions described above. For example, the power supply control system 100 may be configured to include some of the functions provided by other devices.

[0066] (Example of the configuration of the elevator control device 31) The elevator control device 31 of this embodiment is a computer system for controlling the operation of an elevator comprising one or more units, and is realized by a plurality of computers and / or control boards, each having one of the configurations described below.

[0067] This elevator control device 31 is configured to include, for example, an overall management unit, a unit control unit, and individual hall terminal control units, as well as a network that connects these units to each other via various dedicated control lines or the internet.

[0068] The overall control unit is an information processing terminal installed, for example, in the management room of a building where the elevator controlled by the elevator control device 31 is located, and manages the entire elevator system. In other words, the overall control unit manages all units that make up the elevator system.

[0069] The overall management unit is composed of functional blocks including the display unit and the communication unit.

[0070] The display unit is responsible for output-related processing, including the display of various screens on the display device, as part of the user interface processing. The display unit is configured using, for example, a liquid crystal display or a touchscreen.

[0071] The communications unit is responsible for handling communication with other equipment, such as the unit control unit installed for each elevator unit, via communication lines (examples of networks) such as LANs (Local Area Networks) or dedicated lines. The communications unit is configured using components such as NICs (Network Interface Cards) and HBAs (Host Bus Adapters).

[0072] The unit control unit performs various processes related to the control of the unit being controlled.

[0073] The unit control unit is composed of the following functional blocks: a communication interface unit, a motor control unit, a cage control unit, and a hall terminal overall control unit.

[0074] The communication interface unit is responsible for communication processing with other devices, such as the overall management unit and hall terminals (not shown) installed at the landings of the corresponding machines on each hall floor, via communication lines (examples of networks) such as LAN (Local Area Network) or dedicated lines. These terminals are provided in conjunction with the individual hall terminal control units (not shown) that control the corresponding hall terminals. The communication interface unit is configured using, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) or an HBA (Host Bus Adapter).

[0075] The motor control unit performs control processing for various elevator drive devices, including the motor (not shown), which is the power source for the elevator in question. The motor winds a rope (not shown) attached to the elevator car 33 and counterweight 34, causing the elevator car 33 to rise and fall. The motor control unit controls the operation of the motor so that the elevator car 33 stops at the landing floor where a hall call is registered or at the destination floor where a destination call is registered. The operation of the motor control unit is controlled by the elevator car control unit. The motor operates according to a program read from a program storage unit (not shown).

[0076] The car control unit performs various processes related to the control of the elevator car 33 of the elevator unit in question. The elevator car 33 moves up and down in an elevator shaft (not shown) installed in the building. The car control unit controls various car operations of the elevator car 33, including this up and down movement. Other car operations include, for example, lighting a lantern to signal the arrival of the elevator car 33 on the hall floor, setting destination calls according to the registration of destination floor buttons inside the elevator car 33, and controlling the opening and closing of the elevator car doors.

[0077] The hall terminal overall control unit performs various processes related to the control of the hall terminals installed at the landing of the relevant elevator on each hall floor, in cooperation with the individual hall terminal control units that correspond to each hall terminal. The hall terminals are installed at the landing of the relevant elevator on each hall floor of the building and are used by users to register hall calls. The hall terminal overall control unit acquires the hall call information registered in the hall terminals and outputs the hall call information to the elevator car control unit. The hall terminal overall control unit may also output information to the elevator car control unit indicating that the hall button 37 has been pressed.

[0078] Each hall terminal individual control unit is installed in conjunction with the hall terminal located at the landing of the corresponding elevator on each hall floor. The hall terminal individual control unit performs various processes for controlling the corresponding hall terminal.

[0079] The input / output control unit controls components of the hall terminal, such as the hall button 37 for registering hall calls and an indicator that displays the number of floors of the moving elevator car 33, as well as hall lanterns connected to the hall terminal that light up to notify users when the elevator car 33 arrives at a hall floor.

[0080] The power supply monitoring unit monitors the power supply that provides power to the individual control units of the hall terminals and / or to the hall terminals.

[0081] The above descriptions of each function are merely examples; multiple functions may be combined into one, or one function may be divided into multiple functions.

[0082] For example, in this embodiment, the overall control unit and the machine control unit are described as separate devices that are interconnected via a network, but the overall control unit and the machine control unit may be composed of the same device.

[0083] Furthermore, the elevator control device 31 may have additional functions in addition to the various functions described above. For example, the elevator control device 31 may be configured to include some of the functions of the power supply control system 100, which will be described later.

[0084] <Example of system operation> Next, as an example of the operation of the power supply control system 100 according to this embodiment, the flow of the power supply control processing performed in the power supply control system 100 will be explained using Figures 5 and 6.

[0085] (Power supply control processing) Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the power supply control process performed by the power supply control system 100 when there is one elevator. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the power supply control process performed by the power supply control system 100 when there are multiple elevators.

[0086] Furthermore, regarding the steps of the power supply control process performed by the power supply control system 100 when there is one elevator as illustrated in Figure 5, and the steps of the power supply control process performed by the power supply control system 100 when there are multiple elevators as illustrated in Figure 6, steps where the same processing is performed will be explained in common.

[0087] In step S101, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 performs a process to detect a power outage that has occurred in the building, using the power supply control unit 131. This detects the power outage that has occurred in the building. Once the process in step S101 is completed, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 proceeds to step S102.

[0088] In step S102, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100, via the power supply control unit 131, switches the power supply system to the building, which was connected to the main power source, the grid power supply 21, to the backup power source, the battery 22, as illustrated in Figures 3-4. As a result, the power supply system to the building is connected to the backup power source, the battery 22. Once the processing in step S102 is complete, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 proceeds to step S103.

[0089] In step S103, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 performs a process to determine whether or not it is in battery power supply mode, using the power supply control unit 131. If it is determined that it is in battery power supply mode (step S103: YES), the process proceeds to step S104 in order to continue the power supply control process shown in the flowcharts of Figures 5-6. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is not in battery power supply mode (step S103: NO), the power supply control process shown in the flowcharts of Figures 5-6 is terminated.

[0090] In step S104, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 performs a process to determine whether or not to supply power to the elevator, using the power supply control unit 131. If it is determined that power should be supplied to the elevator (step S104: YES), the process proceeds to step S105 in order to supply power to the elevator from the battery 22, which is a backup power source. On the other hand, if it is determined that power should not be supplied to the elevator (step S104: NO), the process proceeds to step S112 in order to supply power from the battery 22 to important building equipment 41, such as pumps, which are vital lifelines.

[0091] In step S105, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100, via the power supply control unit 131, executes the process of supplying power to the elevator from the backup power source, the battery 22. As a result, power is supplied to the elevator from the backup power source, the battery 22. Once the process in step S105 is completed, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 proceeds to step S106.

[0092] In step S106, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 performs a process to determine whether or not there is a power supply request from building equipment 41, which is important as a lifeline, such as a pump, via the power supply control unit 131. If it is determined that there is a power supply request from the building equipment 41 (step S106: YES), the system proceeds to step S107 to stop accepting new call registrations for the elevator. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no power supply request from the building equipment 41 (step S106: NO), the system returns to step S103.

[0093] In step S107, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 executes a process to stop accepting new call registrations for the elevator, which is performed by the power supply control unit 131. As a result, the acceptance of new call registrations for the elevator is stopped. Once the process in step S107 is completed, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 proceeds to step S108.

[0094] In step S108, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 performs a process to determine whether there is an existing call registration for the elevator, as performed by the power supply control unit 131. If it is determined that there is an existing call registration for the elevator (step S108: YES), the process proceeds to step S109 to service the call. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no existing call registration for the elevator (step S108: NO), the process proceeds to step S110 to stop the operation of the elevator.

[0095] In step S109, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 performs the process of servicing the call by the power supply control unit 131. As a result, the call is served. Once the process in step S109 is completed, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 proceeds to step S110 in the flowchart of Figure 5 or step S210 in the flowchart of Figure 6, depending on the number of elevators.

[0096] If there is only one elevator, in step S110 of the flowchart in Figure 5, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 executes a process to stop the elevator's operation via the power supply control unit 131. This stops the elevator. Once the process in step S110 is complete, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 proceeds to step S111.

[0097] On the other hand, if there are multiple elevators, in step S210 of the flowchart in Figure 6, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 executes a process to stop one elevator via the power supply control unit 131. As a result, one elevator is stopped. Once the process in step S110 is completed, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 proceeds to step S111.

[0098] In step S111, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 executes the process of transmitting permission to supply power to the building equipment 41 via the power supply control unit 131. This transmits permission to supply power to the building equipment 41. Once the process in step S111 is completed, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 proceeds to step S112.

[0099] In step S112, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100, via the power supply control unit 131, executes the process of supplying power from the backup power source, battery 22, to the building equipment 41, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. As a result, power is supplied to the building equipment 41 from the backup power source, battery 22. Once the process in step S112 is completed, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 proceeds to step S113 in the flowchart of Figure 5 or step S213 in the flowchart of Figure 6, depending on the number of elevators.

[0100] If there is only one elevator, in step S113 of the flowchart in Figure 5, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 performs a process to determine whether there is a special call to the elevator, using the power supply control unit 131. If it is determined that there is a special call to the elevator (step S113: YES), the process proceeds to step S114 to send a power supply request to the elevator. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no special call to the elevator (step S13: NO), the process returns to step S103.

[0101] On the other hand, if there are multiple elevators, in step S213 of the flowchart in Figure 6, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 performs a process to determine whether there is a special call for a stopped elevator, using the power supply control unit 131. If it is determined that there is a special call for a stopped elevator (step S213: YES), the process proceeds to step S114 to send a power supply request to the stopped elevator. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no special call for a stopped elevator (step S13: NO), the process returns to step S103.

[0102] In step S114, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 executes the process of sending a power supply request to the elevator via the power supply control unit 131. As a result, the power supply request to the elevator is sent. Once the process in step S114 is completed, the control unit 111 of the power supply control system 100 returns to step S105 and continues the power supply control process shown in the flowcharts of Figures 5-6.

[0103] The embodiments of the present invention described above can be summarized as follows.

[0104] (1) The power supply control system 100 is a system that controls the supply of power from a backup power source to multiple building facilities, including elevators, in the event of a power outage of the grid power source 21, which is the main power source, and includes a control device (processor 101) and a storage device (memory 102 and / or storage 103), and is configured to include a computer that is mutually data-communicable with a control device (elevator control device 31, etc.) that controls multiple building facilities, including the elevator, and a battery control system 23 that controls the battery 22, which is the backup power source. When the elevator is being powered by the battery 22, and the system receives a command to stop the power supply from the battery 22 to the elevator, it stops accepting new call registrations for the elevator, and then prompts the battery control system 23 to supply power from the battery 22 to other building facilities 41 related to lifelines. If there is an existing call registration for the elevator, after the operation related to the call registration is completed, it stops the power supply to the elevator and prompts the battery control system 23 to supply power from the battery 22 to the other building facilities 41. In this way, the power supply control system 100 can accurately supply power from the backup power source (battery 22) to multiple building facilities, including elevators, in the event of a power outage of the main power source, the grid power supply 21. As a result, the power supply control system 100 can also supply power from the backup power source (battery 22) to building facilities 41 that are important as lifelines, such as pumps, in the event of a power outage of the main power source, the grid power supply 21.

[0105] (2) If the other device is being powered by the battery 22, the acceptance of new call registrations for the elevator will be stopped. If a call registration is made for the elevator by a specific user (such as a wheelchair user), the elevator's control device (elevator control device 31) will be prompted to supply power to the elevator from the battery 22.

[0106] (3) The elevator in question is one of several elevators installed in the building.

[0107] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be implemented using any components without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0108] The embodiments and modifications described above are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these, as long as the features of the invention are not impaired. Furthermore, although various embodiments and modifications have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these. Other embodiments conceivable within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0109] In the diagrams above, the control lines and information lines shown are those deemed necessary for explanation and do not necessarily represent all control lines and information lines that would be present in a real-world implementation. For example, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected in practice.

[0110] Furthermore, the arrangement of each functional component of the power supply control system 100 described above is merely an example. The arrangement of each functional component can be changed to the optimal arrangement from the perspective of the performance, processing efficiency, and communication efficiency of the hardware and software provided by the power supply control system 100. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0111] 100: Power supply control system

Claims

1. A power supply control system that controls the supply of power from a backup power source to multiple building facilities, including elevators, in the event of a power outage of the main power grid, It comprises a control device and a memory device, and includes a computer that is connected to a control device that controls multiple building facilities including the elevator, and a battery control system that controls a battery which is a backup power source, in a manner that enables data communication between them. When the elevator is powered by the aforementioned battery, When a command is received to stop the power supply from the battery to the elevator in question, the system will stop accepting new call registrations for the elevator in question, and then prompt the battery control system to supply power from the battery to other building equipment related to lifelines. If there is an existing call registration for the elevator, after the completion of the operation related to that call registration, the power supply to the elevator is stopped, and the battery control system is prompted to supply power from the battery to the other building equipment. Power supply control system.

2. If the other device is being powered by the battery, the acceptance of new call registrations for the elevator will be stopped. When a call registration is made for the elevator by a specific user, the elevator's control unit is prompted to supply power from the battery to the elevator. The power supply control system according to claim 1.

3. The power supply control system according to claim 1, wherein the elevator in question is one of several elevators installed in the building.

4. A power supply control method that controls the supply of power from a backup power source to multiple building facilities, including elevators, in the event of a power outage of the main power grid, A computer equipped with a control device and a memory device, which is connected to a control device that controls multiple building facilities including the elevator and a battery control system that controls a battery that serves as a backup power source, and which is connected to each other in a manner that enables data communication, When the elevator is powered by the aforementioned battery, When a command is received to stop the power supply from the battery to the elevator in question, the system will stop accepting new call registrations for the elevator in question, and then prompt the battery control system to supply power from the battery to other building equipment related to lifelines. If there is an existing call registration for the elevator, after the completion of the operation related to that call registration, the power supply to the elevator is stopped, and the battery control system is prompted to supply power from the battery to the other building equipment. Power supply control method.

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