Car worker detection system

Abstract

To variably adjust a detection range corresponding to a part of a work area on a car in accordance with a position of the car to detect an operator in the work area.SOLUTION: An operator detection system on a car includes an operator detection unit for detecting an operator existing in a detection range while setting a part of a work area set on the car as the detection range, a detection range driving unit for driving the operator detection unit to variably adjust the detection range, a device arrangement information storage unit for storing device arrangement information, which includes an installation height position of each device placed in a hoistway and a detection direction corresponding to the installation height position of each device, a car position detection unit for detecting the position of the car and generating car position information, and a control unit for comparing the car position information with the device arrangement information and specifying a detection direction in the position of the car based on a comparison result to control the driving of the detection range driving unit while setting the specified detection direction as a target value of the detection range driving unit. The detection range driving unit drives the operator detection unit such that an optical axis directs the detection direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a car-mounted worker detection system. [Background technology]

[0002] An elevator is configured such that a main rope is hung from a hoist installed at the top or bottom end of the elevator shaft, a car is hung from one end of the main rope, and a counterweight is hung from the other end. The hoist is driven to wind up the main rope, so that the car and counterweight rise and fall in the elevator shaft in a bucket-like manner.

[0003] In an elevator configured in this manner, inspection work such as regular inspections and maintenance must be carried out by a worker standing on the top of the car and raising and lowering the car to access the equipment installed in the elevator shaft.

[0004] When inspecting each piece of equipment installed in the elevator, the measurement worker works while directly touching each piece of equipment with his hands and head sticking out from the handrail above the elevator car. If no measures are taken to stop the elevator, such as cutting off the elevator's main power supply or turning on the safety switch, other workers may carelessly operate the elevator car, which may cause danger to the worker as the car rises or falls unintentionally.

[0005] In addition, if a worker is carelessly placed on the car and his / her body hangs over the handrail above the car while ascending or descending the car, the worker may be in danger.

[0006] In response to this, a technology has been proposed for determining whether maintenance and inspection work in an elevator is being performed correctly and for grasping the position and posture of a worker working on the elevator car (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-141081 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the position and posture of the worker are compared with pre-stored regular work information to determine pass / fail.

[0009] However, with the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult for a single detection means to detect a worker on a car without any blind spots within the detection range of a camera or infrared sensor that is assumed to be used to detect the worker, and to accurately detect the position and posture of the worker.

[0010] For example, when inspecting the inside of an elevator hoistway, the equipment to be inspected is arranged on each of the four walls of the hoistway, and also differs depending on the height. In an elevator with such a configuration, it is possible to increase the detection accuracy of the worker by providing multiple detection devices, but this leads to problems such as a complex configuration and increased costs.

[0011] An object of the present invention is to variably adjust a detection range corresponding to a part of a working area on a car according to the position of the car, and to detect a worker in the working area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an on-car worker detection system for detecting a worker on an elevator car, the system comprising: a worker detection unit that detects a worker present within a detection range that is a part of a work area set on the car; a detection range drive unit that drives the worker detection unit to variably adjust the detection range; and an equipment layout information storage unit that stores equipment layout information including the installation height position of each of a plurality of devices arranged in the elevator hoistway and a detection direction that indicates the center of the detection range corresponding to the installation height position of each of the devices. the elevator comprises a car position detection unit that detects the position of the car in the elevator shaft and generates car position information; and a control unit that compares the car position information generated by the car position detection unit with the equipment layout information stored in the equipment layout information storage unit, identifies the detection direction at the position of the car based on the comparison result, and controls driving of the detection range drive unit using the identified detection direction as a target value of the detection range drive unit, wherein the detection range drive unit drives the worker detection unit in a direction such that its optical axis is in the detection direction. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, the detection range corresponding to a part of the working area on the car can be variably adjusted according to the position of the car, and a worker in the working area can be detected.

[0014] Problems, configurations and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a main part of an elevator in which an on-car worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. FIG. [Diagram 2] 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of an on-car worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 3]1 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of an equipment layout information table stored in an equipment layout information storage unit of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a top view of the top floor of an elevator in which an on-car worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a top view of the top of an elevator in which an on-car worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is disposed. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a top view of the top floor of an elevator in which an on-car worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a top view of an intermediate floor of an elevator in which an on-car worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a top view of an elevator at an intermediate floor in which an on-car worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. [Figure 9] 1 is an example of a flowchart for explaining processing in an elevator in which an on-car worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. [Figure 10] 1 is an example of a flowchart for explaining the process of detecting work non-performance by the car-mounted worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the main parts of an elevator in which a car-top worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. In FIG. 1, the elevator 1 is a general rope-type machine room-less elevator. In this elevator 1, a car 4 and a counterweight 5 connected via a main rope 3 move up and down by the driving force of a hoist 6 in a hoistway 2 installed in a building. The hoistway 2 is divided into a top 2a, a top floor 2b, an intermediate floor 2c, a middle floor 2d, an intermediate floor 2c, and a bottom 2e. In the hoistway 2, the car 4 and the counterweight 5 are arranged so as to be able to move up and down freely via the main rope 3. The hoist 6 is installed at the top 2a in the hoistway 2, and its drive is controlled by a control device 9 installed on the top floor 2b. When the drive of the hoist 6 stops, a braking force is applied to the hoist 6 by braking devices 13a and 13b. The main rope 3 has one of its two ends, main rope end 7a, fixed to the top beam 7a and the other main rope end 7b, fixed to the top beam 7b. The connection portion connecting the main rope end 7a and the main rope end 7b is wound around the hoist 6 via the counterweight 5 and then arranged in a path that passes under the car 4.

[0018] Within the elevator shaft 2, there are arranged a pair of counterweight guide rails (not shown) that guide the counterweight 5 along the ascending and descending direction (vertical direction) of the car 4, and a pair of car guide rails (not shown) that guide the car 4 along the ascending and descending direction (vertical direction) of the car 4.

[0019] In the following description, a coordinate system is used in which the depth direction of the car 4 is the x-axis, the width direction of the car 4 is the y-axis, and the ascending and descending direction of the car 4 is the z-axis.

[0020] A governor 10 is installed at the top 2a of the elevator 2, and a governor weight 11 is installed at the bottom 2e of the elevator 2. A ring-shaped governor rope 12 connected to the car 4 is wound around the governor 10 via the governor weight 11. One end of the governor rope 12 is connected to the car top (car top surface) 4a, and the other end is connected to the bottom of the car 4, forming a ring shape as a whole. The governor rope 12 moves with the elevator 4 moving up and down. The movement of the governor rope 12 causes the governor 10 to rotate in conjunction with the elevator 4 moving up and down. A car position detection device 10a installed in the governor 10 detects the position and speed of the car 4 in the z-axis direction by measuring the rotation of the governor 10.

[0021] In the elevator 2, various devices including a speed governor 10 and a car position detection device 10a are installed in four directions. Therefore, when inspecting each device, a worker stands on the car upper part 4a, which is the upper surface of the elevator 4, and uses the car upper part 4a as a work platform (work area) to access each device in the elevator 2. At this time, the worker operates the operation panel 17 in the elevator 4 to switch the operation mode from the normal mode to the work mode, then opens the landing door 15 provided at the landing 14 of each floor to form an opening, and gets on the car upper part 4a through the opening. A car upper handrail (not shown in FIG. 1) is provided on the car upper part 4a along the edge of the car upper part 4a. This car upper handrail is a frame that prevents the worker from falling into the elevator 2, and indicates the safe working area of ​​the worker. Furthermore, in order to access each piece of equipment installed at different positions in the z-axis direction (ascending and descending direction) in the elevator shaft 2, a worker on the car 4a moves the car 4 up and down by operating the car on-top control device 16 according to the position of each piece of equipment. A worker detection device 102 for detecting the position of the worker is disposed on the top of the car on-top control device 16 that controls the ascent and descent of the car 4.

[0022] In addition, since the bottom 2e of the elevator shaft 2 is below the lowest stopping position of the car 4, the top 4a of the car is not used as a work platform. Therefore, in this embodiment, the equipment at the top 2a of the elevator shaft 2, the top floor 2b, the intermediate floor 2c, and the intermediate floor 2d are the targets of inspection work.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of a car worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, the car worker detection system 101 includes a control device 1a of the elevator 1 and a worker detection device 102. The control device 1a includes a control device 9 that performs overall control of the elevator 1, a car position detection device 10a that detects the position and speed of the car 4 in the z-axis direction and transmits car position information including the position and speed of the car 4 in the z-axis direction to the control device 9, an operation panel 17 that generates operation mode information in response to an operation by an operator, and a car control device 16 that receives the car position information transmitted from the control device 9 and the operation mode information transmitted from the operation panel 17 and transmits the received car position information and operation mode information to the worker detection device 102. In this case, the car position detection device 10a functions as a car position detection unit that detects the position of the car 4 in the hoistway of the elevator 1 and generates car position information.

[0024] The worker detection device 102 includes a control unit 103, a worker detection unit 104, a detection range driving unit 105, an equipment layout information storage unit 106, a determination unit 107, a notification unit 108, and a display unit 109. The control unit 103 transmits and receives information to and from the car-mounted control device 16, and controls the entire worker detection device 102. The worker detection unit 104 is attached to a drive shaft (not shown) that is disposed on the car-mounted control device 16 and is disposed along at least the z direction among the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis. By rotating the drive shaft, for example, the optical axis of the worker detection unit 104 changes 180 degrees on the xy plane with the drive shaft as a reference, and the worker detection unit 104 detects a detection target, for example, a worker, present within the detection range, with a part of the working area of ​​the car-mounted 4a as the detection range, and outputs worker information.

[0025] The equipment layout information storage unit 106 stores equipment layout information regarding the layout of each piece of equipment arranged in the elevator shaft 2. For example, the equipment layout information storage unit 106 stores equipment layout information including the installation height position of each piece of equipment and a detection direction indicating the center of the detection range corresponding to the installation height position of each piece of equipment. The detection range driving unit 105 rotationally drives the drive shaft of the worker detection unit 104 based on a control signal from the control unit 103 to variably adjust the detection range of the worker detection unit 104. In other words, the detection range driving unit 105 rotationally drives the drive shaft of the worker detection unit 104 so as to point the optical axis of the worker detection unit 104 toward the equipment to be inspected.

[0026] At this time, the control unit 103 compares the car position information received from the car on-car control device 16 with the equipment layout information stored in the equipment layout information storage unit 106, generates a control signal according to the comparison result, and drives the detection range driving unit 105 based on the generated control signal to direct the worker detection unit 104 toward the equipment to be inspected. For example, the control unit 103 compares the car position information with the equipment layout information, specifies the detection direction at the car position based on the comparison result, and controls the driving of the detection range driving unit 105 with the specified detection direction as a target value for the detection range driving unit 105.

[0027] The determination unit 107 determines whether or not the worker's body is protruding from the upper handrail of the car based on the worker information detected by the worker detection unit 104, and transmits the determination result to the control unit 103. The notification unit 108 issues a warning to the worker when the determination unit 107 determines that the worker is protruding and no measures have been taken to stop the car 4. The display unit 109 displays information indicating the processing contents and processing results of the control unit 103 on a screen.

[0028] The worker detection unit 104 is a device that detects the human body of a worker. For example, it may be an imaging means such as a digital camera, an infrared sensor as a human sensor, or a combination of these.

[0029] The detection range driving unit 105 is a device that rotates the drive shaft of the worker detection unit 104 to orient the optical axis of the worker detection unit 104 in the direction in which the worker should be detected, such as a servo motor.

[0030] The equipment layout information storage unit 106 is a device that stores layout information of each piece of equipment in the elevator shaft 2. For example, it is a hard disk drive (HDD), a flash memory, or the like.

[0031] The control unit 103 and the determination unit 107 are devices that perform arithmetic processing, and are configured, for example, with a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an artificial intelligence (AI) chip, or the like.

[0032] The notification unit 108 is a device that issues a warning to the worker on condition that the determination unit 107 determines that the worker has engaged in an unsafe behavior or has not performed a task, and receives a notification command from the control unit 103. For example, it is a speaker or a buzzer.

[0033] The display unit 109 is a screen display device that receives the determination result of the determination unit 107 from the control unit 103 and displays the determination result of the determination unit 107. For example, it is configured with a liquid crystal monitor.

[0034] Furthermore, as complements to the car-worker detection system 101, a planned work DB 202 and a work history DB 203 are connected to the car-worker detection system 101 via the network 201. The planned work DB 202 records information (work plan information) indicating plans for inspection work by workers. The work history DB 203 records information indicating the work history of workers, such as unsafe behavior of the worker at the judgment unit 107, such as leaning out of the body, and results of work non-performance, which will be described later. The car-worker detection system 101 communicates with the planned work DB 202 and the work history DB 203 via the network 201.

[0035] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of an equipment layout information table stored in the equipment layout information storage unit of the elevator on-car worker detection system according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, the equipment layout information table 301 is a table for managing equipment layout information, and is stored in the equipment layout information storage unit 106 separately for each type of elevator 1. Each equipment layout information table 301 is composed of a management number 302 assigned to each equipment unit, equipment 303 describing each equipment arranged in the elevator shaft 2, equipment installation height position 304 which is the height position in the z-axis direction where the equipment is installed, equipment installation plan position 305 which indicates the plan position in the elevator shaft 2 where the equipment is installed as the wall surface position of the elevator shaft 2, target planned work 306 which describes the work item for which the equipment is the work target, and key sensing coordinates 307 which indicate the direction of the optical axis of the worker detection unit 104 (detection direction indicating the center of the detection range) in three-axis (X, Y, Z) coordinates according to the work item.

[0036] The management number 302 stores numerical information assigned to each device. The device 303 stores the name of each device arranged in the elevator 2, for example, information on the "hoist". The device installation height position 304 stores numerical information indicating the height position in the z-axis direction based on the floor of the reference floor (the lowest floor between the bottom 2e and the intermediate floor 2c). Note that the device installation height position 304 can also store information indicating the top 2a, the top floor 2b, the intermediate floor 2c, and the intermediate floor 2d as information indicating the height position in the z-axis direction. For example, when the hoist 6 is arranged at the top 2a, the device installation height position 304 corresponding to the hoist 6 can store information on the "top".

[0037] Equipment installation plan position 305 stores information on the plan position in elevator shaft 2 where the equipment is installed, for example, when the equipment is installed in the area on the left side as seen from the landing door, "left side" information. Target planned work 306 stores information on the work item for which the equipment is the target of work, for example, when all equipment is the target of work, "A" information. Key sensing coordinates 307 stores information on the coordinates of three axes (X, Y, Z) that indicate the rotational position of the drive shaft when the optical axis of worker detection unit 104 is directed toward the equipment to be inspected.

[0038] The control unit 103 compares the elevator position information received from the elevator on-car control device 16 with the equipment installation height position 304 stored in the equipment layout information storage unit 106, identifies the corresponding equipment as the equipment to be inspected, and directs the optical axis of the worker detection unit 104 to the priority sensing position by driving the detection range driving unit 105 based on the priority sensing coordinates 307 linked to the identified equipment to be inspected.

[0039] FIG. 4 is a top view of an elevator on the top floor in which an on-car worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged. In FIG. 4, on the car top 4a of the elevator 1, a car top handrail 20 is arranged along three edges of the car top 4a. The area of ​​the car top 4a surrounded by the car top handrail 20 is the working area of ​​the worker 21. In addition, on the car top 4a on the landing door 15 side, a car top control device 16 and a worker detection device 102 are arranged. In the worker detection unit 104 belonging to the worker detection device 102, a part of the working area of ​​the worker 21 is set as a detection range 22. For example, when the working area of ​​the worker 21 is divided into two working areas by a diagonal line shown by a dashed line, the left working area is set as the detection range 22.

[0040] When the car 4 is located on the top floor 2b, in the area (equipment arrangement area) between the wall surface of the elevator 2 and the car upper handrail 20, in the area on the left side as viewed from the worker 21 located at the landing 14 on the top floor 2b, parts of the counterweight guide rails 18a, 18b that guide the movement of the counterweight 5 in the z-axis direction and part of the car guide rail 19a that guides the movement of the car 4 in the z-axis direction are arranged, and in the area on the right side, the control device 9 and the main rope end portion 8b are arranged, as well as part of the car guide rail 19b. The worker 21 located at the landing 14 on the top floor 2b can open the landing door 15 and get on to the car upper part 4a.

[0041] Fig. 5 is a top view of the elevator at the top of the elevator where the car worker detection system according to the embodiment of the present invention is arranged. In Fig. 5, the car top control device 16 and the worker detection device 102 are arranged on the car top 4a. When the car 4 is located at the top 2a, in the area (equipment arrangement area) between the wall surface of the elevator shaft 2 and the car top handrail 20, a part of the counterweight guide rails 18a, 18b and a part of the car guide rail 19a are arranged on the left side as viewed from the car top control device 16 located at the top 2a, and further, the hoist 6, the main lobe end 8a, the governor 10, and the brake devices 13a, 13b are arranged, and a part of the car guide rail 19b is arranged on the right side.

[0042] When the car 4 is located at the top 2a, the hoist 6, the main lobe end 8a, the governor 10, and the brakes 13a and 13b are each inspected by the worker 21, and therefore information on the equipment installation height position 304 and the key sensing coordinates 307 of these inspection targets are recorded in the equipment layout information table 301. In the worker detection unit 104 belonging to the worker detection device 102, a part of the working area of ​​the worker 21 is set as the detection range 22. In this case, since the inspection targets are located in the area on the left side as viewed from the car on-board control device 16 located at the top 2a, the area on the left side as viewed from the worker detection unit 104 belonging to the worker detection device 102 located at the top 2a is set as the detection range 22.

[0043] Fig. 6 is a top view of the top floor of an elevator in which an on-car worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged. In Fig. 6, on-car control device 16 and worker detection device 102 are arranged on car 4a. When car 4 is located on the top floor 2b, in the area between the wall surface of the elevator shaft 2 and car handrail 20, parts of counterweight guide rails 18a, 18b and part of car guide rail 19a are arranged on the left side of car on-car control device 16 located on the top floor 2b, and on the right side, control device 9, main rope end 8b and part of car guide rail 19b are arranged.

[0044] When the car 4 is located on the top floor 2b, the control device 9 and the main rope end 8b are each subject to inspection by the worker 21, and therefore information relating to the equipment installation height position 304 and key sensing coordinates 307 of these inspection targets is recorded in the equipment layout information table 301. In the worker detection unit 104 belonging to the worker detection device 102, a part of the work area of ​​the worker 21 is set as the detection range 22. In this case, since the inspection targets are located in the area to the right as viewed from the car on-control device 16 located on the top floor 2b, the area to the right as viewed from the worker detection unit 104 belonging to the worker detection device 102 located on the top floor 2b is set as the detection range 22.

[0045] Fig. 7 is a top view of an elevator at an intermediate floor where an on-car worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged. In Fig. 7, on-car control device 16 and worker detection device 102 are arranged on car 4a. When car 4 is located on intermediate floor 2d, in the area between the wall surface of hoistway 2 and car upper handrail 20, the counterweight 5, part of main rope 3, part of counterweight guide rails 18a and 18b, part of car guide rail 19a, and part of governor rope 12 are arranged on the left side as viewed from car on-car control device 16 located on intermediate floor 2d, and part of main rope 3 and part of car guide rail 19b are arranged on the right side.

[0046] When the car 4 is located on the intermediate floor 2d, the counterweight 5, the main rope 3, the counterweight guide rails 18a, 18b, the car guide rail 19a, and the governor rope 12 are each inspected by the worker 21, and information on the equipment installation height position 304 and the key sensing coordinates 307 of these inspection targets are recorded in the equipment layout information table 301. In the worker detection unit 104 belonging to the worker detection device 102, a part of the work area of ​​the worker 21 is set as the detection range 22. In this case, since each inspection target is located in the area on the left side as viewed from the car on-board control device 16 located on the intermediate floor 2d, the area on the left side as viewed from the worker detection unit 104 belonging to the worker detection device 102 located on the intermediate floor 2d is set as the detection range 22.

[0047] Fig. 8 is a top view of an elevator at an intermediate floor where an on-car worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is arranged. In Fig. 8, an on-car control device 16 and a worker detection device 102 are arranged on the upper part of the car 4a. When the car 4 is located on an intermediate floor 2c, in the area between the wall surface of the elevator shaft 2 and the handrail 20 on the upper part of the car, a part of the main rope 3, a part of the counterweight guide rails 18a and 18b, a part of the car guide rail 19a, a part of the governor rope 12, and the landing door 15 are arranged on the left side of the area as viewed from the on-car control device 16 located on the intermediate floor 2c, and a part of the main rope 3 and a part of the car guide rail 19b are arranged on the right side.

[0048] When the car 4 is located on the intermediate floor 2c, the main rope 3, the governor rope 12, and the landing door 15 are each inspected by the worker 21, and therefore information on the equipment installation height position 304 and key sensing coordinates 307 of these inspection targets are recorded in the equipment layout information table 301. In the worker detection unit 104 belonging to the worker detection device 102, a part of the work area of ​​the worker 21 is set as the detection range 22. In this case, since the inspection targets are arranged in the area on the left side as viewed from the car on-board control device 16 located on the intermediate floor 2c, the area on the left side as viewed from the worker detection unit 104 belonging to the worker detection device 102 located on the intermediate floor 2c is set as the detection range 22.

[0049] Note that the equipment layout of the elevator 1 shown in this embodiment is just one example, and the equipment arranged in the y-axis direction may be mirrored, or the counterweight 5 may be installed on the back side inside the hoistway 2.

[0050] Fig. 9 is an example of a flowchart for explaining the processing in an elevator in which an on-car worker detection system according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. In Fig. 9, a worker 21 operates an operation panel 17 in the car 4 to switch the operation mode from a normal mode to a work mode in order to carry out a planned inspection work. Operation mode information generated by the operation panel 17 is transmitted to the control unit 103 via the on-car control device 16.

[0051] Upon receiving operation mode information, the control unit 103 judges the received operation mode information, and if it determines that the operation mode is a work mode, it activates the worker detection unit 104 (step S11).

[0052] When the worker 21 gets on to the elevator car 4a, the worker 21 must pass through the landing door 15. Therefore, the control unit 103 drives the detection range driving unit 105 to orient the optical axis of the worker detection unit 104 toward the landing door 15 as shown in FIG. 4, and sets the detection range 22 of the worker detection unit 104 in the direction of the landing door 15 (step S12).

[0053] Thereafter, the worker 21 opens the hall door 15 to form an opening, and enters the car upper portion 4a through the opening.

[0054] At this time, the worker detection unit 104 detects the position and posture of the worker 21, and transmits the detection result to the determination unit 107 as worker information (step S13).

[0055] A worker 21 who gets on the car upper part 4a operates the car upper control device 16 to raise and lower the car 4 according to the height at which the equipment to be inspected is installed.

[0056] When the car 4 reaches the top 2a shown in Fig. 5, the hoisting machine 6, braking devices 13a, 13b, main rope end portion 8a, and governor 10 are inspected at the top 2a, so in the equipment layout of the elevator 1 in this embodiment, the area on the left side of the car top 4a becomes the work area. At this time, the car position information detected by the car position detection device 10a is transmitted to the control unit 103 in the worker detection device 102 via the control device 9 and the car top control device 16 (step S14).

[0057] The control unit 103 compares the transmitted elevator position information with the equipment layout information recorded in the equipment layout information table 301 stored in the equipment layout information storage unit 106, and drives the detection range driving unit 105 according to the comparison result to direct the optical axis of the worker detection unit 104 toward the left side of the elevator top 4a, as shown in Figure 5 (step S15).

[0058] At the top 2a, the worker 21 performs the planned inspection work at the top 2a. After the inspection work at the top 2a is completed, the worker 21 drives the car 4 downward and stops it at the top floor 2b. From this point on, the processes from step S14 to step S15 are repeated until the planned work is completed, so the main points at the positions within the elevator shaft 2 will be described.

[0059] The inspection targets at the top floor 2b are the control device 9 and the main rope end 8b, and in the equipment layout of the elevator 1 in this embodiment, the area to the right of the car top 4a is the work area. Therefore, based on the information at the top floor 2b among the information recorded in the equipment layout information table 301, the control unit 103 drives the detection range driving unit 105 to direct the optical axis of the worker detection unit 104 toward the right of the car top 4a, as shown in Fig. 6 (step S15).

[0060] At the intermediate floor 2d, the height of the car 4 and the counterweight 5 are at the same position, so the inspection objects at the intermediate floor 2d are the counterweight 5, the main rope 3, and the governor rope 12. At the intermediate floor 2d, the worker 21 performs the inspection work of the counterweight 5, the main rope 3, and the governor rope 12. Therefore, in the equipment arrangement of the machine room elevator 1 in this embodiment, the area on the left side of the car top 4a becomes the work area. Therefore, based on the information at the intermediate floor 2d among the information recorded in the equipment arrangement information table 301, the control unit 103 drives the detection range driving unit 105 to direct the optical axis of the worker detection unit 104 toward the left side of the car top 4 as shown in FIG. 7 (step S15).

[0061] For the sake of explanation, the section from the top floor 2b to the intermediate floor 2d and the section to the lowest position reached by the car 4 are referred to as the intermediate floor 2c. The inspection objects at the intermediate floor 2c are the main rope 3 and the governor rope 12, as well as the landing doors 15 at each floor. Therefore, in the equipment layout of the elevator 1 shown in this embodiment, the area on the left front side above the car 4a is the work area, so the control unit 103 drives the detection range driving unit 105 based on the information at the intermediate floor 2c position among the information recorded in the equipment layout information table 301, and directs the optical axis of the worker detection unit 104 toward the left side above the car 4 as shown in FIG. 8 (step S15).

[0062] As described above, the worker 21 performs the planned inspection work, and when the inspection work is completed, the worker 21 opens the landing door 15 in order to move from the car top 4a to the landing 14, gets off the car top 4a, and moves to the landing 14. After this, the worker 21 operates the operation panel 17 in the car 4 to switch the operation mode from the work mode to the normal mode.

[0063] The operation mode information generated by the operation panel 17 is transmitted to the control unit 103 via the car-mounted control device 16. The control unit 103 determines the transmitted operation mode information, and when obtaining a determination result that the operation mode is the normal mode, ends the process of detecting the worker by activating the worker detection unit 104 (step S16), and then ends the process in this routine.

[0064] From the time when the worker 21 gets on the car upper part 4a until he / she gets off the car upper part 4a, the determination unit 107 determines whether or not the body of the worker 21 is sticking out from the car upper handrail 20 based on the worker information transmitted from the worker detection unit 104 (step S17). That is, the determination unit 107 determines whether or not the body of the worker 21 is sticking out from the car upper handrail 20, and outputs the determination result to the control unit 103.

[0065] When the determination unit 107 obtains a determination result in step S17 that there is no protrusion of the body, it determines that there is no unsafe behavior of the worker 21, and proceeds to the process of step S16.

[0066] On the other hand, when the determination unit 107 obtains a result of the determination that the body is protruding in step S17, it determines whether or not an elevator stop measure has been taken (step S18). That is, the determination unit 107 determines whether or not elevator stop measure information transmitted from the control device 9 to the control unit 103 via the car-mounted control device 16 has been received from the control unit 103.

[0067] This elevator stop action information is information indicating that the main power supply switch (not shown) installed in elevator 1 has been shut off by an operator, or information indicating that the safety stop device (not shown) has been turned on by an operator.

[0068] When the determination unit 107 has not received elevator stop action information from the control unit 103, i.e., when the elevator 1 has not been stopped, the determination unit 107 generates unsafe action information and transfers the generated unsafe action information to the control unit 103. The control unit 103 that has received the unsafe action information drives the notification unit 108, which then issues a warning to the worker (step S19).

[0069] The control unit 103 transmits the stop command to the control device 9 via the car-mounted control device 16. The control device 9 that has received the stop command stops the drive command for the hoisting machine 6 and operates the braking devices 13a and 13b to apply the braking force of the braking devices 13a and 13b to the hoisting machine 6 (step S20).

[0070] By the above processing, during the inspection work of each piece of equipment in the elevator shaft 2, the work area (position) on the car top 4a is identified based on the position of the car 4 in the z-axis direction, and the direction in which detection should be focused is identified. By operating the detection range 22 of the worker detection device 102 in that direction, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of the worker 21 on the car top 4a and further improve the safety of the worker 21.

[0071] Moreover, in the car-top worker detection system 101 according to this embodiment, the performance (history) of inspection work on the equipment to be inspected that is included in the work plan information acquired from the planned work DB 202 can be managed.

[0072] Fig. 10 is an example of a flowchart for explaining the process of work non-performance detection of the car-mounted worker detection system according to the embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 10, the control unit 103 of the worker detection device 102 receives the corresponding work plan information from the work plan DB 202 via the network 201 (step S101).

[0073] The control unit 103 identifies the device to be inspected based on the received work plan information (step S102).

[0074] The control unit 103 compares the equipment layout information in the equipment layout information table 301 recorded in the equipment layout information storage unit 106 with the car position information detected by the car position detection device 10a. At this time, the control unit 103 compares the equipment layout information of the inspection target equipment identified in step S102 among the equipment layout information in the equipment layout information table 301 with the car position information. For example, when the work plan information indicates that the target planned work 306 is "B", the inspection target equipment identified in step S102 is the "hoist", so the control unit 103 compares the equipment layout information of the "hoist" among the equipment layout information with the car position information, and calculates the key sensing coordinates 307 as the direction of the inspection target equipment corresponding to the position of the car 4 (the direction of the optical axis of the worker detection unit 104) (step S103).

[0075] The control unit 103 controls the driving of the detection range driving unit 105 using the direction of the inspection target equipment calculated in step S103 as a target value, and points the optical axis of the operator detection unit 104 in the direction of the inspection target equipment calculated in step S103 (step S104).

[0076] Next, the operator 21 operates the operation panel 17 to switch the operation mode from the work mode to the normal mode (step S105).

[0077] After that, until the work by the worker 21 is completed, the determination unit 107 mainly performs the following process.

[0078] First, the judgment unit 107 takes in the output of the worker detection unit 104, and judges whether or not the worker detection unit 104 has detected a worker 21 within the detection range 22 in the direction calculated in step S103 (the direction of the equipment to be inspected) at the equipment installation height position 304 of the equipment to be inspected matched in step S103 (step S106).

[0079] When the determination unit 107 determines in step S106 that the worker detection unit 104 has detected the worker 21, it determines that the work performance is completed and outputs the determination result to the control unit 103. The control unit 103, which has received the determination result that the work performance is completed, generates work performance completion information indicating the completion of the work performance, registers the generated work performance completion information in the work history DB 203 via the network 201 (step S107), and then ends the processing in this routine.

[0080] On the other hand, when the determination unit 107 determines in step S106 that the worker detection unit 104 has not detected the worker 21, it determines that the worker has not performed the work, and transfers this determination result to the control unit 103. The control unit 103, which has received the determination result that the worker has not performed the work, outputs an alarm command to the notification unit 108 to drive the notification unit 108. As a result, the notification unit 108 issues a warning to the worker (step S108).

[0081] Thereafter, the determination unit 107 determines whether the number of warnings by the notification unit 108 is one or less, or whether the current time is within the scheduled work end time registered in the work plan information by referring to a built-in clock (step S109), and if the number of warnings is one or less, or if the current time is within the scheduled work end time (Yes), outputs a positive determination result to the control unit 103. The control unit 103 executes a process to display a warning on the display unit 109 (step S110), and returns to the process of step S103. Thereafter, the processes of steps S103 to S106 are repeated.

[0082] On the other hand, if the notification unit 108 has issued a warning multiple times, or if the current time exceeds the scheduled work end time and the work performance is not completed (No), the determination unit 107 outputs a negative determination result to the control unit 103. The control unit 103 that has received the negative determination result registers work non-performance information indicating work non-performance in the work history DB 203 via the network 201 (step S111).

[0083] Furthermore, the control unit 103 transmits the work default information to an external notification unit (not shown) via the network 201. The external notification unit that receives the work default information notifies the manager (not shown) that a work default has occurred (step S111), and then ends the processing of this routine.

[0084] In this embodiment, when detecting a work non-performance, the control unit 103 compares the work plan information received from the work plan DB 202 via the network 201 with the planned work recorded in the target planned work 307, identifies the equipment to be inspected based on the comparison result, calculates the key sensing coordinates 307 linked to the identified equipment to be inspected as the direction (detection direction) of the equipment to be inspected, controls the driving of the detection range driving unit 105 with the calculated direction of the equipment to be inspected as a target value, and executes control to orient the optical axis of the worker detection unit 104 in the calculated direction of the equipment to be inspected. As a result, the drive shaft rotates to the position of the key sensing coordinates 307, and the optical axis of the worker detection unit 104 is positioned at the position where the rotation of the drive shaft stops.

[0085] The method of specifying the key sensing coordinates 307 may be as one-axis coordinates or two-axis coordinates depending on the configuration of the detection range driving unit 105, or may be as the angle of the driving axis instead of the coordinates.

[0086] According to this embodiment, the detection range corresponding to a part of the work area on the elevator car can be variably adjusted according to the position of the elevator car, and the worker in the work area can be detected. As a result, even a single worker detection unit can reliably detect the worker in the work area, and the configuration can be simplified. Also, according to this embodiment, a warning is issued when the worker's body protrudes from the work area, which contributes to improving the safety of the worker. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reliably perform the inspection work, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of human error such as omission of the inspection work, and to prevent the deterioration of maintenance quality due to non-performance of the work. Also, according to this embodiment, it is possible to manage the performance (history) of the inspection work for the inspection target equipment included in the work plan information.

[0087] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications and equivalent configurations within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations.

[0088] In addition, each of the configurations, functions, etc. described above may be realized in hardware, for example by designing some or all of them as an integrated circuit, or may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function.

[0089] Information such as programs, tables, files, etc. that realize each function can be stored in storage devices such as memory, hard disks, and SSDs (Solid State Drives), or recording media such as IC (Integrated Circuit) cards, SD (Secure Digital) cards, and DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs). [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 1 elevator, 2 hoistway, 2a top, 2b top floor, 2c intermediate floor, 2d intermediate floor, 2e bottom, 3 main rope, 4 car, 4a car top, 5 counterweight, 6 hoist, 9 control device, 10 governor, 10a car position detection device, 16 car top control device, 17 operation panel, 20 car top handrail, 21 worker, 22 detection range, 101 car top worker detection system, 102 worker detection device, 103 control unit, 104 worker detection unit, 105 detection range drive unit, 106 judgment unit, 107 notification unit, 201 network, 202 work plan DB, 203 work history DB, 301 equipment layout information table

Claims

1. In an elevator car worker detection system that detects a worker on the car, a worker detection unit that detects a worker present within a detection range that is a part of a work area set on the elevator car; a detection range driving unit that drives the worker detection unit to variably adjust the detection range; an equipment layout information storage unit that stores equipment layout information including an installation height position of each of a plurality of equipments arranged in the elevator shaft and a detection direction indicating the center of the detection range corresponding to the installation height position of each of the equipments; a car position detection unit that detects a position of the car in a hoistway of the elevator and generates car position information; a control unit that compares the car position information generated by the car position detection unit with the equipment layout information stored in the equipment layout information storage unit, identifies the detection direction at the car position based on the comparison result, and controls the drive of the detection range drive unit using the identified detection direction as a target value for the detection range drive unit, The detection range driving unit is A car-mounted worker detection system, characterized in that the worker detection unit is driven in a direction such that its optical axis is the detection direction.

2. In the elevator car worker detection system according to claim 1, a determination unit that determines whether or not the body of the worker protrudes from the working area based on a detection result of the worker detection unit, and outputs the determination result to the control unit; Further provided is an alarm unit that issues a warning to the worker on the elevator on condition that a warning command is received from the control unit, The control unit is A car worker detection system characterized by outputting the notification command to the alarm unit when it is determined that the worker's body is outside the work area, provided that elevator stop action information indicating a stop action for the elevator has not been input.

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