Elevator Rotating Part Safety Device

Abstract

To provide a rotary part safety device of an elevator capable of performing a direct visual checking of operating conditions on an elevator rotary part in low-risk situations of contact between an operator and the rotary part, and capable of preventing the contact between the operator and the rotary part in high-risk situations of contact between the operator and the rotary part.SOLUTION: A rotary part safety device of an elevator has a sensor to detect position information of an operator, a movable cover to cover at least a part of an elevator rotary part, a cover driving unit to switch the movable cover from a developed state to an undeveloped state, and a control device to control the cover driving unit based on the position information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a safety device for a rotating part of an elevator, which enhances safety during maintenance and inspection work of the elevator.

Background Art

[0002] As a prior art for enhancing safety during maintenance and inspection work of an elevator, Patent Document 1 is known. In the abstract of this document, as a problem, it is described that "to provide an elevator cover that does not involve difficulty or danger during maintenance and inspection work." As a solution, it is described that "it includes a work window 17 provided on the wall surface of a motor cover 16 that covers a motor installed in a machine room 9 of an elevator device, and opening and closing means 18A to 18D provided on the work window 17. During maintenance and inspection work, the opening and closing means 18A to 18D are opened to perform maintenance and inspection work." Also, in paragraph 0044 of this document, it is described that "in FIG. 6, for example, a limit switch 41 is attached to a work window frame portion 40 of a work door 39. When the work door 39 is opened during maintenance work such as maintenance and inspection, a motor control circuit (not shown) connected to the limit switch 41 is opened, and the operation of the elevator is stopped."

[0003] Thus, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of covering a rotating part such as a motor with a cover and a door, and when the door is opened for maintenance and inspection work, stopping the elevator to ensure the safety of the operator.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] If the motor cover of Patent Document 1 is used, an operator can perform maintenance and inspection work safely. However, in the method of Patent Document 1, the motor in the operating state cannot be directly visually inspected, and sufficient inspection may not be possible.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a safety device for a lifting machine rotating part that can directly visually inspect the operating state of the rotating part of the lifting machine in a situation where the risk of contact between the operator and the rotating part is low, and can prevent contact between the operator and the rotating part in a situation where the risk of contact between the operator and the rotating part is high.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the safety device for the rotating part of a lifting machine according to the present invention includes a sensor for detecting the position information of an operator, a movable cover covering at least a part of the rotating part of the lifting machine, a cover driving part for switching the movable cover from a non-expanded state to an expanded state, and a control device for controlling the cover driving part based on the position information, and is a safety device for the rotating part of a lifting machine.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the safety device for the rotating part of a lifting machine of the present invention, in a situation where the risk of contact between the operator and the rotating part is low, the operating state of the rotating part of the lifting machine can be directly visually inspected, and in a situation where the risk of contact between the operator and the rotating part is high, the safety of the operator can be ensured.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5A

Figure 5B

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, an elevator rotating part safety device according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "rotating part safety device 10") will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an elevator in which the rotating part safety device 10 of this embodiment is installed. In this elevator, a control panel (not shown) and a hoisting machine (not shown) are installed in a machine room above the hoistway. A main rope 30 is wound around a sheave of the hoisting machine (hereinafter referred to as "rotating part 20"), and a car and a counterweight are connected to both ends of the main rope 30. This is a rope-type elevator. Therefore, in the elevator of this embodiment, the control panel appropriately controls the rotation of the hoisting machine to wind up the main rope 30 by a desired amount, so that the car in the hoistway can be moved up and down to a desired floor. In this embodiment, the directions of other figures are shown using the orthogonal coordinate system composed of x, y, and z shown in FIG. 1.

[0012] An operator may enter the machine room during maintenance and inspection work of the elevator. Therefore, a rotating part safety device 10 is installed on the rotating part 20 that rotates as the car moves up and down, as a safety device to prevent contact between the operator and the rotating part 20.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a front view of the rotating part safety device 10 of this embodiment in a standby state. The rotating part safety device 10 shown by the solid line is composed of a control device 1, a movable cover 2, a cover drive unit 3, and a sensor 4, and is fixed to a fixed part (not shown) at a position covering the upper part of the rotating part 20 shown by the broken line. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 denotes a rotating shaft of the rotating part 20 that is rotationally driven by a motor of the hoisting machine.

[0014] The movable cover 2 is formed by nesting substantially rectangular tubular covers 2a to 2c made of a translucent material (e.g., acrylic) having a predetermined strength, and is configured to be expandable and contractible in the vertical direction as a whole. Therefore, the middle cover 2b can be inserted inside the uppermost cover 2a, and the lowermost cover 2c can be inserted inside the middle cover 2b. The width and depth of the uppermost cover 2a are formed to be the widest, and the width and depth of the lowermost cover 2c are formed to be the narrowest.

[0015] In the movable cover 2 of this embodiment, since the width of the internal space of the lowermost cover 2c is wider than the diameter of the rotating part 20 and the depth of the internal space is wider than the depth of the rotating part 20, the rotating part 20 can freely rotate inside the movable cover 2 regardless of the expansion and contraction state of the movable cover 2.

[0016] The cover driving part 3 is a part that drives when switching the movable cover 2 from the contracted state (non-expanded state) to the extended state (expanded state), and is provided in a pair on the left and right at the boundary part between the upper and lower covers. When the operator is at a position away from the rotating part 20, the movable cover 2 is kept in the contracted state by this cover driving part 3, so that the operator can directly visually inspect the rotation of the rotating part 20. On the other hand, when the operator approaches the rotating part 20, the cover driving part 3 operates according to a command from the control device 1, and the movable cover 2 is switched to the extended state, enabling visual inspection through the translucent movable cover 2 while preventing contact between the operator and the rotating part 20.

[0017] Note that a locking mechanism for fixing the lower cover to the upper cover can be used for this cover driving part 3. In this case, if the lock of the cover driving part 3 is released, the lower cover (the cover 2b with respect to the cover 2a, the cover 2c with respect to the cover 2b) moves downward by its own weight, so that the power source for expanding the movable cover 2 can be omitted. In that case, the power for contracting the movable cover 2 may be applied by the operator.

[0018] The sensor 4 is installed at the lower end of the movable cover 2 and is a sensor that detects the position of an operator when the operator approaches. For this sensor 4, a camera, an infrared sensor, a motion sensor, etc. can be used. Hereinafter, it will be described assuming that the sensor 4 is a camera. Note that the sensor 4 may be installed at a location other than the lower end of the movable cover 2, for example, at the upper part of the movable cover 2 or on the wall surface of the machine room. However, in order to improve the detection accuracy of the approach of the operator to the rotating part 20, a configuration in which the sensor 4 is installed at the lower end of the movable cover 2 is most desirable. Also, in order to improve the detection accuracy, a plurality of sensors 4 may be used in combination.

[0019] Figure 3 is a front view of the rotating part safety device 10 in its operating state. When the cover driving part 3 operates and the movable cover 2 is deployed (each cover moves downward), as shown in Figure 3, the entire rotating part 20 will be covered by the movable cover 2. As described above, since the internal space of the movable cover 2 is wider than the rotating part 20, even when the movable cover 2 is deployed, the rotating part 20 can rotate freely, and its rotation can be visually inspected through the translucent movable cover 2.

[0020] Note that, in order to avoid interference between the rotating shaft 21 of the rotating part 20 and the main rope 30 when the movable cover 2 is deployed, notches (not shown) in a shape that avoids the rotating shaft 21 and the main rope 30 are provided on the back and side surfaces of the covers 2b and 2c.

[0021] <Control device 1> The control device 1 is a computer that controls the expansion and contraction state of the movable cover 2 according to the position of the operator, etc., and has at least the following functions. (1) Acquire the output data of the sensor 4 and detect the position of the operator. (2) Control the operation of the cover driving part 3 according to the position of the operator. (3) Detect the power state of the elevator. (4) Decelerate or stop the elevator according to the position of the operator.

[0022] Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of the control device 1 of this embodiment. As shown here, the control device 1 is composed of an acquisition unit 1a, a determination unit 1b, a control unit 1c, and a communication unit 1d. Note that these are functional units realized by, for example, a computing device (such as a CPU) of a computer executing a predetermined program read into a storage device (such as a semiconductor memory). However, hereinafter, each functional unit will be described while omitting well-known techniques in such a computer field.

[0023] The acquisition unit 1a is a functional unit that acquires the output data of the sensor 4.

[0024] The determination unit 1b is a functional unit that detects the position of the operator's body based on the sensor data acquired by the acquisition unit 1a and determines whether the rotation unit safety device 10 needs to operate.

[0025] The control unit 1c is a functional unit that receives the determination result of the determination unit 1b and controls the operation of the cover drive unit 3 and the like.

[0026] The communication unit 1d is a functional unit that communicates with the safety circuit 40 in the elevator control panel to receive the power state of the elevator and outputs the received power state to the control unit 1c. Further, when the determination unit 1b determines deceleration or forced stop of the elevator, this communication unit 1d transmits a deceleration or forced stop command to the safety circuit 40 of the elevator to decelerate or force the elevator to stop.

[0027] Note that the safety circuit 40 of the elevator is connected to the power circuit of the elevator, can output the power state as a signal to the communication unit 1d, and also receives a cutoff signal or the like input to the safety circuit 40 to cause the elevator to make an emergency stop or the like.

[0028] <Specific examples of the behavior of the rotation unit safety device 10> Next, with reference to the side views of FIGS. 5A and 5B and the flowchart of FIG. 6, the behavior of the rotation unit safety device 10 according to the position of the operator and the like will be described in detail.

[0029] FIG. 5A shows the rotating part safety device 10 when the movable cover 2 is in the retracted state, and the ranges R1 to R3 are the areas detectable by the sensor 4. Further, FIG. 5B shows the rotating part safety device 10 when the movable cover 2 is in the extended state.

[0030] The sensor 4 of the present embodiment can identify which area among the ranges R1 to R3 the operator is in when approaching. Therefore, based on the information on whether the power supply of the elevator is cut off and the information on which area the operator is in, the control device 1 controls the expansion and contraction state of the movable cover 2 as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6.

[0031] First, in step S1, the control device 1 determines whether the power supply of the elevator is cut off based on the information received from the safety circuit 40. If the power supply of the elevator is cut off, the process of FIG. 6 ends. If not, it proceeds to step S2.

[0032] Note that the process ends when the power is cut off because if the power supply of the elevator is cut off, the car does not move up and down and the rotating part 20 does not rotate, so there is no need to deploy the movable cover 2 to ensure the safety of the operator. Therefore, when the power supply of the elevator is cut off, the operator can perform maintenance and inspection work (such as cleaning) on the rotating part 20 without being hindered by the movable cover 2.

[0033] Next, in step S2, the control device 1 determines whether the operator has entered the range R1 based on the output signal of the sensor 4. If the operator has entered the range R1, it proceeds to step S3. Otherwise, it repeats step S2.

[0034] In step S3, the control device 1 shifts to the warning state. Specifically, the control device 1 starts monitoring the moving direction and speed of the operator in the range R1 based on the output signal of the sensor 4.

[0035] In step S4, the control device 1 determines whether the operator has entered the range R2 based on the output signal of the sensor 4. If the operator has entered the range R2, the process proceeds to step S5; otherwise, step S4 is repeated.

[0036] In step S5, the control device 1 executes the processes necessary to prevent a contact accident between the operator and the rotating part 20, as well as the associated processes. Specifically, the control unit 1c of the control device 1 outputs a command to the cover drive unit 3 to switch the movable cover 2 from the retracted state to the extended state. As a result, the movable cover 2 transitions from the state shown in Fig. 5A to the state shown in Fig. 5B. In addition, the control unit 1c of the control device 1 outputs a command to decelerate the rotation speed of the rotating part 20 and a command to issue an alarm to the safety circuit 40 of the elevator. Thereby, the ascending and descending speed of the cage is suppressed, and the operators in the machine room and the cage are informed via a speaker or the like that the control for ensuring safety (deployment of the movable cover 2, ascending and descending of the cage, and deceleration of the rotation of the rotating part 20) has been started. The alarm may be an alarm sound or an announcement informing the start of the safety control.

[0037] In step S6, the control device 1 determines whether the operator has entered the range R3 at a high speed exceeding a predetermined speed v based on the output signal of the sensor 4. If the operator has entered the range R3 at a high speed, the process proceeds to step S7; otherwise, step S6 is repeated.

[0038] Note that in step S6, the reason for monitoring the operator's entry speed is that an operator who enters the range R3 at a low speed is likely to have entered the range R3 voluntarily due to the need for maintenance and inspection work, while an operator who enters the range R3 at a high speed may have entered the range R3 against their will for reasons such as losing balance. Therefore, the need for ensuring safety is higher.

[0039] In step S7, the control device 1 executes a more powerful process necessary to prevent contact accidents between the operator and the rotating part 20. Specifically, the control unit 1c of the control device 1 outputs a command to stop the rotation of the rotating part 20 and a command to issue an alarm to the safety circuit 40 of the elevator. As a result, the elevation of the car stops, and the operators in the machine room or the car are informed that the elevator has stopped for safety reasons by the control of the rotating part safety device 10. The alarm may be an alarm sound or an announcement informing of the emergency stop of the elevator.

[0040] According to the elevator rotating part safety device of the present embodiment described above, in a situation where the risk of contact between the operator and the rotating part is low, the operating state of the rotating part of the elevator can be directly visually inspected, and in a situation where the risk of contact between the operator and the rotating part is high, contact between the operator and the rotating part can be prevented.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0041] 10 Elevator rotating part safety device, 1 Control device, 1a Acquisition unit, 1b Judgment unit, 1c Control unit, 1d Communication unit, 2 Movable cover, 2a~2c Covers, 3 Cover drive unit, 4 Sensor, 20 Rotating part (sheave), 21 Rotating shaft, 30 Main rope, 40 Elevator safety circuit

Claims

1. A sensor for detecting the position information of an operator, A movable cover that covers at least a part of the rotating part of the elevator, A cover drive unit that switches the movable cover from a non-expanded state to an expanded state, A control device that controls the cover drive unit based on the position information, Characterized by having, When the position information indicates the approach of the operator, the control device outputs a command to switch the movable cover from a non-expanded state to an expanded state to the cover drive unit. An elevator rotating part safety device.

2. In the elevator rotating part safety device according to Claim 1, The movable cover is characterized in that a translucent cylindrical cover is nested and combined, and is configured to be telescopically expandable and contractible in the vertical direction as a whole. An elevator rotating part safety device.

3. In the elevator rotating part safety device according to Claim 2, The sensor is installed at the lower part of the movable cover. An elevator rotating part safety device.

4. In the elevator rotating part safety device according to Claim 1, When the control device obtains information indicating that the power supply of the elevator is cut off from the elevator safety circuit, regardless of the position information, the control device does not output a command to switch the movable cover from a non-expanded state to an expanded state to the cover drive unit. An elevator rotating part safety device.

5. In the elevator rotating part safety device according to Claim 1, When the position information indicates the approach of the operator, the control device outputs a command to decelerate the elevator's ascent and descent to the elevator safety circuit. An elevator rotating part safety device.

6. In the elevator rotating part safety device according to Claim 5, When the position information indicates a further approach of the operator at a high speed exceeding a predetermined speed, the control device outputs a command to stop the elevator's ascent and descent to the elevator safety circuit. An elevator rotating part safety device.

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