Elevator control system

Abstract

This technology provides the ability to quickly stop elevator cars in the event of an earthquake while keeping equipment installation costs down. [Solution] The microphone 99 is installed in at least one of the following locations: inside the elevator car 10, at the elevator car 10's landing, or on the monitoring panel 240. A portable terminal 400 carried by a user 89 or administrator 90 is configured to output a warning sound when it receives an earthquake early warning from a weather information server 500 that transmits earthquake early warnings when an earthquake of a specified magnitude or higher occurs. The group control device 220 controls the elevator car 10 to stop when the microphone 99 detects the warning sound.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an elevator control system.

Background Art

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-161378 (Patent Document 1) discloses a seismic information distribution device that receives an emergency earthquake early warning, and an elevator system capable of receiving the emergency earthquake early warning from the seismic information distribution device via a communication line.

[0003] When the elevator system receives an emergency earthquake early warning, it causes the elevator car to execute a stop operation to the evacuation floor. This reduces the confinement and equipment damage inside the car during an earthquake, aiming to reduce the damage during an earthquake.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Since the time lag from when an emergency earthquake early warning is transmitted until the earthquake arrives is about several seconds, it is necessary to control the time from when the elevator receives the emergency earthquake early warning until the car is stopped in the minimum time. However, in the above elevator system, since the transmitted emergency earthquake early warning needs to be received by the seismic information distribution device once, there is a large time loss.

[0006] In addition, since a communication device (which guarantees line speed and communication volume) that can receive an emergency earthquake early warning on the side of the seismic information distribution device and transmit the emergency earthquake early warning to the elevators in the corresponding area simultaneously is required, the equipment installation cost increases.

[0007] This disclosure was made to solve the aforementioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an elevator control system that can quickly stop an elevator car in the event of an earthquake while keeping equipment installation costs down. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The elevator control system described herein comprises a control device, an elevator car, an elevator monitoring panel, and a microphone. The control device controls the elevator. The elevator car is used by elevator users. The elevator monitoring panel is monitored by the elevator manager. The microphone is installed in at least one of the following locations: inside the car, at the car landing, or on the monitoring panel. A portable terminal carried by a user or manager is configured to emit a warning sound when it receives an earthquake early warning from a server that transmits earthquake early warnings when an earthquake of a specified magnitude or higher occurs. When the microphone detects the warning sound, the control device controls the car to stop. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to this disclosure, it is possible to quickly stop the elevator car in the event of an earthquake while keeping equipment installation costs down. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the overall configuration of a monitoring system. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of a monitoring system. [Figure 3] This is a flowchart of the processes performed by the elevator control system. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart of the processes performed by the elevator control system. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the detection of warning sounds inside the elevator car and the notification provided to the user. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions of them will not be repeated.

[0012] Figure 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of the monitoring system 100. Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the monitoring system 100.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, the monitoring system 100 comprises a monitoring device 300 and an elevator control system 1 including an elevator 20. There may be one elevator 20 or multiple elevators 20. In this embodiment, it is assumed that there are two elevators 20 installed in the building 2: elevator 20a (hereinafter also referred to as "Elevator A") and elevator 20b (hereinafter also referred to as "Elevator B").

[0014] The monitoring device 300 is located in the information center 3 of the maintenance company that performs maintenance on the elevators. The monitoring device 300 managed by this maintenance company manages multiple elevators 20 installed in multiple buildings (in this example, buildings 2, 2a, 2b, etc.). The monitoring device 300 is configured to communicate with these multiple elevators 20. The monitoring device 300 monitors the occurrence of earthquakes in each elevator 20 and manages earthquake recovery measures for each elevator 20.

[0015] If an earthquake occurs and an earthquake sensor (not shown) installed in the elevator 20 detects a certain level of shaking, and the elevator car 10 is in motion, the car 10 is controlled to travel to the nearest floor (execution of earthquake-resistant control). When the car 10 arrives at the nearest floor, the doors open, allowing passengers 89 to disembark. For example, if the shaking is detected while the car 10 is traveling between the 6th and 7th floors, the doors will open after the car 10 has traveled to the nearest floor, either the 6th or 7th floor. Subsequently, if predetermined conditions are met, the elevator 20 (car 10) becomes available for use again.

[0016] On the other hand, in the event of a major earthquake or if the elevator 20 experiences any malfunction or power outage as a result of the earthquake, the elevator car 10 may come to a stop between floors. In this case, a passenger 89 may become trapped inside the elevator car 10 and be unable to disembark. If the elevator cannot reach the nearest floor, elevator maintenance personnel will rush to the building and move the elevator car 10 to the nearest floor to rescue the passenger 89.

[0017] The following will explain in detail using Building 2 shown in Figure 1 as an example. Building 2 is a 10-story building, and elevators 20a (Unit A) and 20b (Unit B) can each stop on each floor.

[0018] In this embodiment, the elevator 20 is a traction-type elevator. A traction-type elevator is a form of rope-type elevator. The elevator 20 comprises a car unit 260 (Figure 2), a hoisting machine 50, a car 10, a counterweight 12, a rope 11, and a deflector wheel 13. The rope (main rope) 11 is attached to the hoisting machine 50 and the deflector wheel 13. The car 10 and the counterweight 12 are suspended from both ends of the rope 11.

[0019] The hoist 50 is a motor that drives to raise and lower the elevator car 10. The car device 260 is various equipment installed in the car 10 and includes a destination floor button (car call button) (not shown) for registering the destination floor. At each landing, a landing device 250 (Fig. 2) is installed. The landing device 250 is various equipment installed at each landing and includes a landing call button (not shown) for registering a landing call.

[0020] The car 10 is installed in the hoistway 8 provided in the building 2. The car 10 moves up and down in the hoistway 8 and moves between multiple floors. In this embodiment, the cars 10 of Machine A and Machine B can stop at each floor from the 1st floor (1F) to the 10th floor (10F).

[0021] Above the hoistway 8, a machine room 5 is provided. In the machine room 5, the hoist 50 and the like are installed. The elevator 20 can drive the hoist 50 to make the car 10 installed in the hoistway 8 travel upward (also referred to as the "UP direction") or downward (also referred to as the "DN direction"). In the pit 6 at the bottom of the hoistway 8, a buffer 14 is installed. The buffer 14 is a device that absorbs the impact during falling when the car 10 falls due to the occurrence of an abnormality.

[0022] When the landing call button in the UP direction or DN direction of any floor is pressed, one of the cars 10 of Machine A or Machine B is assigned. The assigned car 10 responds to the landing call and travels to the registered floor. When the car call button for each destination floor provided in the car 10 is pressed, the car 10 travels to the destination floor of the pressed car call button.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, in this embodiment, the elevator control system 1 is composed of including the above-mentioned elevators 20a (Machine A) and elevators 20b (Machine B). The elevator control system 1 includes a remote monitoring device 210 connected to each elevator 20, a group management control device 220, each unit control device 230, a car device 260, a landing device 250, a monitoring panel 240 of the elevator 20, and a microphone 99c connected to the monitoring panel 240.

[0024] The monitoring panel 240 includes an alarm unit 241 that provides notification by voice or display. The landing device 250 includes microphones 99b installed at each floor landing. Each elevator 20 includes a control device 230 and a car device 260. The car device 260 includes a weighing device 262 installed in the car 10 for measuring the weight of objects loaded in the car 10, and an alarm unit 261 and microphone 99a installed inside the car 10 that provide notification by voice or display.

[0025] The group management control device 220 comprises a processor 221, a memory 222, and a communication interface (not shown). These are connected to each other via a bus so that they can communicate with one another.

[0026] The processor 221 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory 222 may be configured to include ROM (Read Only Memory), 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 221 loads programs stored in ROM into RAM and executes them to implement various functions of the group control device 220. ROM stores programs that describe the processing procedures of the group control device 220. RAM serves as a workspace for the processor 221 when executing programs, and temporarily stores programs and data used for program execution.

[0028] The group control device 220 controls the elevator 20. The group control device 220 is configured to communicate with the individual control devices 230 of elevator unit A and elevator unit B, and can transmit control commands to the car unit 260 via the individual control devices 230, and can also acquire signals output by the car unit 260. The group control device 220 is configured to communicate with the landing unit 250, and can transmit control commands to the landing unit 250, and can also acquire signals output by the landing unit 250.

[0029] The group control device 220 is configured to communicate with the monitoring panel 240 and transmits signals output by the group control device 220, the individual control devices 230 for Unit A and Unit B, and the landing device 250 to the monitoring panel 240. The monitoring panel 240 displays the signals acquired from the group control device 220.

[0030] The monitoring device 300 monitors the elevator 20. Like the group control device 220, the monitoring device 300 also includes a processor (CPU), memory (ROM, RAM, storage unit), a communication interface, a display unit, and an input unit. The monitoring device 300 can be connected via the communication interface to remote monitoring devices 210 installed in each elevator in each building. The display unit displays various information. The display unit is, for example, a liquid crystal display or a display. The input unit receives input from the user to the monitoring device 300. The input unit is, for example, a keyboard or mouse.

[0031] The remote monitoring device 210 is a communication device that transmits (issues) various information about the elevators 20 acquired from the individual control devices 230 to the monitoring device 300. The remote monitoring device 210 also includes a processor (CPU), memory (ROM, RAM), and a communication interface (not shown). These are connected to each other via a bus so that they can communicate with one another.

[0032] Each of the control units 230 in Unit A and Unit B controls their respective cage devices 260 (including cage 10), etc. Each control unit 230 also includes a processor (CPU), memory (ROM, RAM), and a communication interface (not shown). These are connected to each other via a bus so that they can communicate with one another.

[0033] When a landing button is pressed and a landing call is registered, the group control device 220 assigns the landing call to either elevator car 10 of elevator car A or elevator car B. For example, suppose a landing call for the first floor UP direction is registered, and the group control device 220 assigns the landing call to elevator car B. In this case, the group control device 220 transmits a response command for the landing call to the individual control devices 230 of elevator car B. The individual control devices 230 of elevator car B, which has been assigned the landing call for the first floor UP direction, drives elevator car 10 to the first floor to respond to the landing call.

[0034] Earthquake sensors (not shown) are devices that detect earthquakes. Each control unit 230 acquires earthquake signals from the earthquake sensors (for example, signals that identify P-waves or S-waves and signals that identify the intensity of the earthquake (seismic intensity, weak, strong, etc.)). Each control unit 230 can cause the elevator car 10 to perform actions (earthquake-induced controlled operation) based on the earthquake signals detected by the earthquake sensors. Specifically, when each control unit 230 detects an earthquake signal, it causes the elevator car 10 to travel to the nearest floor. If the earthquake is large or if any abnormality is detected, each control unit 230 will stop the elevator car in place without traveling to the nearest floor. In this case, a trapped state may occur.

[0035] Furthermore, the monitoring device 300 can communicate with elevators 20 (individual control devices 230) installed in each building, such as buildings 2a and 2b, managed by the information center 3, via the remote monitoring devices 210 for each elevator unit. The individual control devices 230 can send various elevator signals, including earthquake signals detected by earthquake sensors, to the monitoring device 300. The monitoring device 300 acquires various elevator information, including earthquake signals from earthquake sensors installed in each building.

[0036] This allows the monitoring device 300 to acquire various information about the elevator and to determine if an earthquake has occurred in the building where the elevator is installed. 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 stopped due to an earthquake, signals that can identify a trapped state, etc.

[0037] The microphone 99 only needs to be installed in at least one of the following locations: inside the car 10, on the landing of the car 10, or on the monitoring panel 240. In this embodiment, the elevator control system 1 includes a plurality of microphones 99. The plurality of microphones 99 include a microphone 99a installed inside the car 10, a microphone 99b installed on the landing, and a microphone 99c installed on the monitoring panel 240. "Installing microphone 99c on the monitoring panel 240" means either having the microphone 99 built into the monitoring panel 240, or connecting the microphone 99 externally to the monitoring panel 240.

[0038] The weather information server 500 is an external server that simultaneously sends an earthquake early warning to mobile terminals 400 when an earthquake of a specified magnitude or higher occurs. An earthquake early warning is information that predicts the arrival time, magnitude, and long-period ground motion class of strong shaking in various locations immediately after an earthquake occurs, and is notified a few seconds to tens of seconds before the shaking actually occurs.

[0039] The mobile terminal 400 (for example, a smartphone) is configured to emit a warning sound (alarm) when it receives an earthquake early warning from the weather information server 500. The multiple microphones 99 mentioned above are capable of acquiring the warning sound emitted from the mobile terminal 400. The acquired warning sound is transmitted to the group control device 220.

[0040] Returning to Figure 1, the user 89 of elevator 20 waits at the landing for the arrival of the elevator car 10 before boarding the car 10. The user 89 is carrying a mobile terminal 400. For example, if the user 89's mobile terminal 400 receives an earthquake early warning from the weather information server 500 while waiting for the arrival of the elevator car 10 at the landing, the microphone 99b acquires the warning sound emitted by the mobile terminal 400 and transmits it to the group control device 220.

[0041] If a user's mobile terminal 400 receives an earthquake early warning from the weather information server 500 while riding in the elevator car 10, the microphone 99a acquires the warning sound emitted by the mobile terminal 400 and transmits it to the group control device 220 via the individual unit control device 230.

[0042] Meanwhile, building 2 has a monitoring room 88. The monitoring room 88 is equipped with a monitoring panel 240 to which a microphone 99c is connected. The elevator manager 90 monitors the elevator 20 in the monitoring room 88 using the monitoring panel 240. The manager 90 carries a mobile terminal 400.

[0043] When administrator 90 is in the monitoring room 88 and administrator 90's mobile terminal 400 receives an earthquake early warning from the weather information server 500, the warning sound emitted by the mobile terminal 400 is picked up by microphone 99c and transmitted to the group control device 220 via the monitoring panel 240.

[0044] In this way, the group control device 220 can acquire a warning sound when there is a user 89 inside the elevator car 10 or on the landing, or when the administrator 90 is in the monitoring room 88 where the monitoring panel 240 is installed. This allows the group control device 220 to know that an earthquake early warning has been issued from the weather information server 500. With this configuration, for example, the earthquake early warning can be acquired more quickly than if the elevator control system 1 were to acquire the earthquake early warning via a server that receives earthquake early warnings.

[0045] The group control device 220 controls the elevator car 10 so that it stops when the microphone 99 detects a warning sound. The following will be explained using a flowchart. Figures 3 and 4 are flowcharts of the processes performed by the elevator control system 1. This process includes processes performed by the group control device 220, processes performed by the individual unit control devices 230, processes performed by the monitoring panel 240, and processes performed by the landing device 250. These processes only need to be started periodically (for example, one floor every 100 msec). Hereinafter, "step" will also be simply referred to as "S".

[0046] As described above, when the earthquake sensor detects an actual earthquake, earthquake-resistant operation is performed, and the elevator car 10 travels to the nearest floor before stopping and opening its doors. On the other hand, in this embodiment, before the earthquake sensor actually detects an earthquake, the elevator car 10 is controlled to stop by using the Earthquake Early Warning system to catch prior earthquake information. Specifically, when the group control device 220 detects an Earthquake Early Warning, it issues a command to the elevator car 10 to travel to the nearest floor before stopping and opening its doors. The group control device 220 is not limited to controlling the elevator car to stop at the nearest floor; it may also issue a command to stop the elevator car 10 immediately.

[0047] If an attempt is made to stop the elevator car 10 through earthquake-induced control operation after the earthquake sensor has detected an earthquake, there is a possibility that it may not be able to travel to the nearest floor, trapping passengers inside the car or damaging the elevator equipment. As in this embodiment, by stopping the elevator car 10 early (immediately after receiving an earthquake early warning), it is possible to reduce the number of passengers trapped inside the car and reduce damage to the elevator equipment.

[0048] Another possible system configuration involves receiving the earthquake early warning issued by the weather information server 500 at a separately prepared receiving server, and then transmitting it to the remote monitoring device 210 via a distribution server. However, in this configuration, the earthquake early warning is transmitted via both the receiving server and the distribution server, resulting in significant time loss. Furthermore, the receiving and distribution servers would require communication equipment (guaranteeing line speed and communication volume) capable of simultaneously transmitting the earthquake early warning to all elevators in the affected area, thus increasing equipment installation costs. In contrast, the configuration as in this embodiment allows for the construction of a system at a lower cost compared to the above system. This enables the elevators to be stopped quickly in the event of an earthquake while keeping equipment installation costs down.

[0049] Microphone 99 is a dedicated microphone capable of detecting only sounds above a certain sound pressure level. When microphone 99 detects only sounds above a certain sound pressure level, it is determined that a warning sound has been emitted. Alternatively, the sound detected by microphone 99 may be transmitted to the group control device 220, which can then determine whether or not a warning sound has been emitted.

[0050] After this process begins, when each control unit 230 receives a warning sound from the microphone 99a (S101), it controls the stopping of the car 10 (S102) and transmits the warning sound from the microphone 99a to the group control device 220 (S103).

[0051] Due to the stop control of elevator car 10 (the same operation as during earthquake-induced controlled operation), elevator car 10 travels to the nearest floor and then opens its doors. This allows passengers 89 to disembark from elevator car 10. In this way, as soon as microphone 99a detects a warning sound, the stop control of elevator car 10 is immediately performed, making it possible for passengers 89 to evacuate from elevator car 10 before an earthquake occurs.

[0052] When the landing device 250 detects a warning sound with microphone 99b and receives a warning sound from microphone 99b, it transmits the warning sound from microphone 99b to the group control device 220. When the monitoring panel 240 receives a warning sound from microphone 99c (S301), it transmits the warning sound from microphone 99c to the group control device 220.

[0053] In S201, the group control device 220 analyzes the acquired warning sounds. In analyzing the warning sounds, the group control device 220 estimates the number of passengers in the elevator car 10 (the number of users 89 in the elevator car 10) based on the warning sound information acquired from microphone 99a. Furthermore, the group control device 220 estimates the number of passengers in the elevator car 10 (the number of users 89 in the elevator car 10) based on the warning sound information acquired from microphone 99b. For example, the location where the warning sound is generated may be identified and the number of passengers may be estimated from the number of sound sources, or if it is determined through sound analysis that multiple warning sounds are overlapping, the number of overlapping sounds may be estimated as the number of passengers, or any other method of analysis may be used.

[0054] If the group control device 220 has not received a warning sound from the microphone 99a (NO in S202), it proceeds to process S205. If the group control device 220 has received a warning sound from the microphone 99a (YES in S202), it proceeds to process S203.

[0055] The individual control unit 230 transmits the weight measured by the weighing device 262 to the group control unit 220 (S104). The group control unit 220 acquires the weight information measured by the weighing device 262. The group control unit 220 corrects the estimated number of people in the car using the weight of the weighing device 262 obtained from the individual control unit 230 (or the ratio of the load weight to the maximum load capacity of the car 10) (S203). The group control unit 220 notifies the monitoring panel 240 of the occurrence of a warning sound and the number of people in the car (S204).

[0056] For example, the estimated number of people in the basket according to the weighing device 262 is calculated as: weight measured by the weighing device 262 / 65 kg. Alternatively, the number of people in the basket may be corrected to the average of the estimated number of people in the basket by the microphone 99a and the estimated number of people in the basket by the weighing device 262.

[0057] Furthermore, since the weighing device 262 provides an actual measured weight, it is possible that the weighing device 262 may be more accurate than the microphone 99a in cases where there are users 89 who do not possess a mobile terminal 400. For this reason, if the difference between the two is large, the estimated number of people in the basket obtained by the weighing device 262 may be used.

[0058] On the other hand, if the car 10 is loaded with large items in addition to the 89 users, the microphone 99a may be more accurate. For this reason, for example, in a building with a large volume of cargo transport, if the difference between the two is large, the estimate of the number of people in the car by the microphone 99a may be used. It may also be possible to configure the system to allow users to choose which estimate to prioritize when correcting the value.

[0059] If the group control device 220 has not received a warning sound from microphone 99b (NO in S205), it proceeds to S207. If the group control device 220 has received a warning sound from microphone 99b (YES in S205), it proceeds to S206. The group control device 220 notifies the monitoring panel 240 of the occurrence of the warning sound and the number of people on the landing (S206).

[0060] When the group control device 220 detects a warning sound from the microphone 99c, it notifies the notification unit 261 that it is able to contact the administrator 90. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, if the group control device 220 has not received a warning sound from the microphone 99c (NO in S207), it proceeds to S208. If the group control device 220 has received a warning sound from the microphone 99c (YES in S207), it terminates the process.

[0061] The group control device 220 notifies the individual control devices 230 that it is able to contact the administrator 90 (S208) and terminates processing. When the individual control device 230 receives notification from the group control device 220 that it is able to contact the administrator 90, it causes the notification unit 261 to notify the notification unit 230 of this fact (S105) and terminates processing.

[0062] When the monitoring panel 240 receives notification from the group control device 220 that a warning sound has been emitted, it notifies the notification unit 241 of this fact, the number of people in the elevator car, and the number of people at the landing (S303), and then terminates processing.

[0063] The following is a specific example. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the detection of warning sounds inside the car 10 and the notification given to the users 89. In this example, there are three users 89 inside the car 10. User 89a is carrying a mobile terminal 400a. User 89b is carrying a mobile terminal 400b. User 89c is carrying a mobile terminal 400c.

[0064] At this point, suppose an earthquake of a specified magnitude or higher occurs in an area far from where Building 2 is located. As a result, the weather information server 500 simultaneously sends an earthquake early warning to the mobile terminals 400. Upon receiving the earthquake early warning, the three mobile terminals 400a to 400c simultaneously emit a warning sound (alarm).

[0065] A microphone 99a installed in the elevator car 10 acquires these warning sounds and transmits them to the group control device 220 via the individual unit control device 230. The group control device 220 analyzes the acquired warning sounds and estimates that there are 3 people in the elevator car based on the warning sounds from the microphone 99a.

[0066] This information is broadcast on the monitoring panel 240. The same process is performed at the landing, and the notification unit 261 on the monitoring panel 240 notifies that a warning sound has occurred at the landing and the number of people at the landing. The notification unit 261 may be a display. In this case, the display will show that a warning sound has occurred, the number of people in the car, and the number of people at the landing. The notification unit 261 may be a speaker, in which case the notification will be made by voice.

[0067] The administrator 90 can understand the situation during a disaster, including how many users 89 are inside the elevator car 10 and on the landing, through the above notification. This allows the administrator 90 to obtain useful information for taking appropriate measures against an earthquake. The number of people inside the elevator car 10 and on the landing can also be determined by installing cameras. However, this would incur camera installation costs. As in this embodiment, by installing microphones, installation costs can be reduced compared to installing cameras.

[0068] Although not shown in the diagram, an intercom is installed inside the elevator car 10, and by pressing the button on the intercom, it is possible to communicate with the administrator 90 in the monitoring room 88. The administrator 90 can also communicate with each elevator car 10 using the intercom.

[0069] For example, in the event of a large-scale earthquake, elevator car 10 may be unable to move to the nearest floor and may stop between floors, resulting in entrapment. In this case, the administrator 90 will carry out rescue operations while communicating with the passenger 89 inside elevator car 10 via intercom. Through rescue operations, elevator car 10 can be moved to the nearest floor, and the passenger 89 can be evacuated from elevator car 10.

[0070] Knowing the number of people in each basket will help in deciding which basket to start the rescue operation from. Rescue operations may be carried out in order of the number of people in each basket. Alternatively, baskets 10 may be contacted in order of the number of people in each basket to check the situation inside. If there are injured or ill people, those baskets 10 may be given priority for rescue.

[0071] Furthermore, if an administrator 90 is in the monitoring room 88, a warning sound is emitted from the portable terminal 400 carried by the administrator 90. This warning sound is picked up by the microphone 99c and transmitted to the group control device 220. When a warning sound is received from the microphone 99c, it is determined that an administrator 90 is in the monitoring room 88, and this fact is transmitted to the individual control devices 230. This fact is then announced by the notification unit 261 installed inside the elevator car 10.

[0072] For example, the notification unit 261 may be a speaker, in which case it could broadcast, for example, "There is an administrator in the monitoring room, so you can talk to the administrator." This allows the user 89 to know that they can contact the administrator 90 and gain a sense of security. Also, if they become trapped inside the elevator car 10, they can request rescue from the administrator 90. At that time, they can also communicate the situation inside the elevator car 10, such as whether there are any injured or sick people.

[0073] As described above, the elevator control system 1 comprises a group control device 220, an elevator car 10 of the elevator 20, a monitoring panel 240 for the elevator 20, and a microphone 99. The group control device 220 controls the elevator 20. The elevator car 10 of the elevator 20 is used by the elevator 20 users 89. The monitoring panel 240 for the elevator 20 is monitored by the elevator 20 administrator 90. The microphone 99 is installed in at least one of the following locations: inside the elevator car 10, on the elevator car 10 landing, or on the monitoring panel 240. A portable terminal 400 carried by the user 89 or administrator 90 is configured to output a warning sound when it receives an earthquake early warning from a weather information server 500 that transmits earthquake early warnings when an earthquake of a specified magnitude or higher occurs. When the group control device 220 detects a warning sound from the microphone 99, it controls the elevator car 10 to stop.

[0074] By doing so, the elevator car 10 can be stopped earlier compared to conventional earthquake-resistant operation, thereby reducing the risk of passengers being trapped inside the car and minimizing damage to elevator equipment. Furthermore, compared to a system that transmits earthquake early warnings to the remote monitoring device 210 via a server, this system reduces the time loss caused by the server and, since it utilizes the mobile terminals 400 of the administrator 90 or users 89, it reduces equipment installation costs such as the installation of new communication equipment. As a result, the elevator car 10 can be stopped quickly in the event of an earthquake while keeping equipment installation costs down.

[0075] The monitoring panel 240 includes a notification unit 241. The microphone 99 includes a microphone 99a installed inside the car 10. The group control device 220 estimates the number of passengers 89 in the car 10 as the number of passengers in the car based on the warning sound information obtained from the microphone 99a. The group control device 220 notifies the monitoring panel 240 of the number of passengers in the car. The notification unit 241 notifies the number of passengers in the car. In this way, the administrator 90 can understand the situation in the event of a disaster, including how many passengers 89 are inside the car 10. This allows the administrator 90 to obtain useful information to take appropriate measures in response to an earthquake. In addition, by installing a microphone, the installation cost can be reduced compared to installing a camera.

[0076] The cage 10 is equipped with a weighing device 262 that measures the weight of objects loaded into the cage 10. The group control device 220 acquires the weight information measured by the weighing device 262. The group control device 220 uses the acquired weight information to correct the number of people in the cage. In this way, the administrator 90 can more accurately determine how many users 89 are inside the cage 10.

[0077] Microphone 99 further includes microphone 99b installed at the landing. The group control device 220 further estimates the number of users 89 at the landing as the number of people at the landing based on the warning sound information obtained from microphone 99b. The group control device 220 further notifies the monitoring panel 240 of the number of people at the landing. The notification unit 241 further notifies the number of people at the landing. In this way, the manager 90 can understand the situation in the event of a disaster, including how many users 89 are at the landing. This allows the manager 90 to obtain useful information to take appropriate measures in response to an earthquake. In addition, by installing microphones, the installation cost can be reduced compared to installing cameras.

[0078] The elevator car 10 is further equipped with an alarm unit 261 installed inside. The microphone 99 further includes a microphone 99c installed on the monitoring panel 240. When the group control device 220 detects a warning sound from the microphone 99c, it notifies the alarm unit 261 that it is possible to contact the administrator 90. The alarm unit 261 broadcasts the alarm information. In this way, the user 89 can be assured that it is possible to contact the administrator 90 and gain a sense of security. Also, if the user becomes trapped inside the elevator car 10, they can request rescue from the administrator 90. At that time, they can also convey the situation inside the elevator car 10, such as whether there are any injured or sick people.

[0079] [Note] The embodiments described above are specific examples of the following appendix.

[0080] (Note 1) A control device for controlling the elevator, The elevator car used by the elevator users, The elevator's monitoring panel, which is monitored by the elevator's administrator, The system includes a microphone installed in at least one of the following locations: inside the car, on the car's landing, and on the monitoring panel. The mobile terminal carried by the user or administrator is configured to emit a warning sound when it receives an earthquake early warning from a server that transmits earthquake early warnings when an earthquake of a specified magnitude or higher occurs. The control device is an elevator control system that controls the elevator car to stop when the microphone detects the warning sound.

[0081] (Note 2) The aforementioned monitoring panel includes a first notification unit, The microphone includes a first microphone installed inside the cage. The control device is From the information of the warning sound obtained from the first microphone, the number of passengers riding in the basket is estimated as the number of people in the basket. The number of people in the car is notified to the aforementioned monitoring panel, The first notification unit is an elevator control system as described in Appendix 1, which notifies the number of people in the elevator car.

[0082] (Note 3) The basket is equipped with a weighing device for measuring the weight of the objects placed in the basket. The control device is The weighing device acquires the weight information measured by the weighing device, An elevator control system as described in Appendix 2, which corrects the number of passengers in the elevator car using the acquired weight information.

[0083] (Note 4) The microphone further includes a second microphone installed at the boarding area. The control device is From the information of the warning sound obtained from the second microphone, the number of users at the boarding area is further estimated as the number of people at the boarding area. The aforementioned monitoring panel is further notified of the number of people at the boarding area. The elevator control system described in Appendix 2 or Appendix 3 further provides notification of the number of people at the landing, wherein the first notification unit further provides notification of the number of people at the landing.

[0084] (Note 5) The vehicle further comprises a second notification unit installed inside the aforementioned car, The microphone further includes a third microphone installed on the monitoring panel. When the control device detects the warning sound with the third microphone, it notifies the second notification unit of notification information indicating that it is possible to contact the administrator. The second notification unit is an elevator control system according to any one of the appendices 1 to 4, which notifies the notification information.

[0085] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and not limited to those described herein. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0086] 1 Elevator control system, 2,2a,2b Building, 3 Information center, 5 Machine room, 6 Pit, 8 Hoistway, 10 Car, 11 Rope, 12 Counterweight, 13 Deflection vehicle, 14 Shock absorber, 20,20a,20b Elevator, 50 Hoisting machine, 88 Monitoring room, 89,89a~89c Users, 90 Administrator, 99,99a~99c Microphone, 100 Monitoring system, 210 Remote monitoring device, 220 Group control device, 221 Processor, 222 Memory, 230 Individual control device, 240 Monitoring panel, 241,261 Notification unit, 250 Landing device, 260 Car device, 262 Scale device, 300 Monitoring device, 400 Mobile terminal, 500 Weather information server.

Claims

1. A control device for controlling the elevator, The elevator car used by the elevator users, The elevator's monitoring panel, which is monitored by the elevator's administrator, The system includes a microphone installed in at least one of the following locations: inside the car, on the car's landing, and on the monitoring panel. The mobile terminal carried by the user or administrator is configured to emit a warning sound when it receives an earthquake early warning from a server that transmits earthquake early warnings when an earthquake of a specified magnitude or higher occurs. The control device is an elevator control system that controls the elevator car to stop when the microphone detects the warning sound.

2. The monitoring panel includes a first notification unit, The microphone includes a first microphone installed inside the cage. The control device is From the information of the warning sound obtained from the first microphone, the number of passengers riding in the basket is estimated as the number of people in the basket. The number of people in the car is notified to the aforementioned monitoring panel, The elevator control system according to claim 1, wherein the first notification unit notifies the number of people in the elevator car.

3. The basket is equipped with a weighing device for measuring the weight of the objects placed in the basket. The control device is The weighing device acquires the weight information measured by the weighing device, The elevator control system according to claim 2, wherein the number of passengers in the elevator car is corrected using the acquired weight information.

4. The microphone further includes a second microphone installed at the boarding area. The control device is From the information of the warning sound obtained from the second microphone, the number of users at the boarding area is further estimated as the number of people at the boarding area. The aforementioned monitoring panel is further notified of the number of people at the boarding area. The elevator control system according to claim 2, wherein the first notification unit further notifies the number of people at the landing.

5. The vehicle further comprises a second notification unit installed inside the aforementioned car, The microphone further includes a third microphone installed on the monitoring panel. When the control device detects the warning sound with the third microphone, it notifies the second notification unit of notification information indicating that it is possible to contact the administrator. The elevator control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second notification unit notifies the notification information.

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