Elevator ride comfort evaluation system and method

Abstract

To provide an elevator riding comfort evaluation system capable of evaluating the riding comfort of an elevator by approximating the same to a user's bodily sensation.SOLUTION: There is provided an elevator riding comfort evaluation system comprising a sensor for detecting movement of a car and a controller having a memory. The memory is capable of storing a plurality of patterns of information in the form of graphs representing temporal changes in the moving speed of the car. The graph defines a trapezoidal pattern showing acceleration, constant speed and deceleration based on the specifications of the elevator to be evaluated. The trapezoidal pattern has a number of conditions stored in a memory that vary according to the distance traveled and the elevation. The controller reads out the trapezoidal pattern corresponding to the movement of the car from the memory, updates and stores the difference of the moving speed of the car calculated based on the output of the sensor deviating from the trapezoidal pattern, calculates the speed deviation score that is weighted differently according to the moving speed to approach human sensibility from the difference so as to evaluate the riding comfort.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an elevator ride comfort evaluation system and method. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a system for evaluating elevator ride comfort is an elevator vibration monitoring device described in Patent Document 1. This vibration monitoring device is installed in an elevator car to monitor car vibrations in order to prevent deterioration of the car's ride comfort before it occurs, and is equipped with a vibration detector that detects the vibration acceleration of the car, and an analyzer that analyzes the vibration acceleration from the vibration detector to determine the elevator's ride comfort, and the analyzer determines that the ride comfort has deteriorated if the increase in vibration acceleration is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-112862 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Although the conventional technology described in Patent Document 1 can determine deterioration in the riding comfort of an elevator, the determination result does not match the riding comfort actually felt by elevator users, which is a problem.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an elevator ride comfort evaluation system that can evaluate the ride comfort of an elevator in a manner that is closer to the bodily sensation of a user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, is an elevator ride comfort evaluation system that includes a sensor that detects car movement and a controller with memory, wherein the memory is capable of storing multiple patterns of information in the form of graphs that represent changes in the moving speed of the car over time, and the graph defines trapezoidal patterns that indicate acceleration, constant speed, and deceleration based on the specifications of the elevator being evaluated, and multiple trapezoidal patterns with different conditions depending on the moving distance and whether it is going up or down are stored in the memory, and the controller reads out the trapezoidal pattern corresponding to the movement of the car from the memory, calculates the moving speed of the car based on the output of the sensor, updates and stores the difference between the currently obtained moving speed and the trapezoidal pattern, and calculates a speed deviation score from the difference, which is weighted differently to approximate human sensibilities for each moving speed, thereby evaluating the ride comfort. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an elevator ride comfort evaluation system that can evaluate the elevator ride comfort in a manner that is closer to the bodily sensation of a user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of an elevator showing the external appearance of a main part of an elevator to which an elevator ride comfort evaluation system according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as "this system") is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of the system. [Figure 3] 3 is a graph (hereinafter also referred to as a "speed graph") showing the change over time in car speed measured by the system of FIGS. 1 and 2, with the vertical axis representing speed and the horizontal axis representing time. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the present system (hereinafter also referred to as "the present method") described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. [Figure 5] 5 is a flowchart showing another operation procedure of the present system and method described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a side view of an elevator showing the exterior of a main part of an elevator to which an elevator ride comfort evaluation system (hereinafter also referred to as "this system") according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. A car 1 and a counterweight 2 are connected to the ends of respective main ropes 3, and the car 1 and the counterweight 2 move up and down in opposite directions as a result of the rotational drive of a hoisting machine 4, acting like a bucket.

[0010] A brake 5 for normal operation is provided on the hoisting machine 4. And, although not shown, an emergency stop brake is installed on the guide rail so as to be able to fix the car 1. When the governor 7 detects an abnormality in the operating speed of the governor rope 6 linked to the lifting and lowering operation of the car 1, it activates the emergency stop brake. For example, if the car 1 begins to suddenly descend at a speed exceeding 1.4 times the specified maximum speed, the emergency stop brake is activated to prevent the car 1 from falling.

[0011] The controller 8 adjusts the output power of the inverter 9 in response to the operation of the elevator user, and controls the drive of the hoisting machine 4. The tail cord 10 has electric wires etc. that connect the building and the car 1, and supplies lighting power to the car 1 and also enables emergency calls from the car 1 to the management center. The motor encoder 11 detects the rotation speed and phase of the hoisting machine 4, and outputs a rotation angular velocity signal and a phase signal to the controller 8.

[0012] The governor encoder 12 outputs a rotational angular velocity signal and a phase signal (rotation signal, etc.) for the governor 7 to the controller 8. The group controller 13 is also connected to the controllers of other elevators, and performs group control of a plurality of elevators.

[0013] The hall button 14 is used to call the car 1. The controller 8 receives a signal generated when an elevator user presses the hall button 14, and controls the driving of the hoist 4 so that the car 1 reaches the floor for which the hall button 14 is pressed. The control center 15 can constantly access the emergency telephone in the car 1, etc., mainly to quickly rescue users who are trapped in the car in the event of a power outage or other malfunction.

[0014] The car position detection unit 21, which will be described later, utilizes a mechanical structure model to precisely and accurately detect the position of the car 1. The mechanical structure model is a mathematical model (hereinafter simply referred to as "model") that enables calculation of the operation of the car 1 based on various measurement values and parameters based on the elevator structure.

[0015] For example, this model is constructed in advance by incorporating the characteristics of the elongation and deformation of the rope when a tensile force due to the load of the car 1 acts on it. The current speed and position of the car 1 are calculated by inputting rotation signals and the like output from the motor encoder 11 and the governor encoder 12 into the model.

[0016] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of this system. By executing a program recorded in memory, controller 8 realizes car position detection unit 21, operation control unit 22, hoisting machine control unit 23, car speed detection unit 24, ideal car speed calculation unit 25, and speed deviation calculation unit 26. Note that the speed at which car 1 operates during normal operation when an undeteriorated elevator is operating perfectly according to specifications is referred to here as the "ideal car speed." Details of this "ideal car speed" will be described later using Figure 3.

[0017] The motor encoder 11 outputs a rotation signal etc. in accordance with the rotation of the hoisting machine 4. Using this rotation signal etc., the controller 8 not only controls the rotation of the hoisting machine 4, but also inputs the rotation signal etc. to the car position detection unit 21 to detect the car position. The car position detection unit 21 detects the car position, and based on the detection result, the operation control unit 22 controls the rotation of the hoisting machine 4.

[0018] The operation control unit 22 compares the destination specified in the car call signal generated when a user presses the hall button at the platform or the destination button inside the car 1 with the current car position, and controls the output power of the inverter 9 so as to reduce the difference between the two.

[0019] The governor encoder 12 outputs a rotation signal and the like in accordance with the rotation of the governor 7. Using this rotation signal and the like, the controller 8 controls the operation of the emergency stop brake, and also inputs the rotation signal and the like to a car speed detection unit 24 to detect the car speed. The car speed detection unit 24 inputs the detected car speed to a speed deviation calculation unit 26.

[0020] In addition, the load applied to the main ropes 3 by the car 1 increases or decreases significantly depending on the number of passengers, so the length of the main ropes 3 also expands or contracts to a certain extent in accordance with the change in the number of passengers. As the main ropes 3 expand due to deterioration over time, it becomes necessary to increase the rotation angle of the motor encoder 11 in order to move the car 1 a predetermined distance.

[0021] The car speed calculated based on the detection output of the motor encoder 11 is less accurate because it may have an error compared to the actual speed. In contrast, there are fewer such inaccuracies in the governor rope 6. This system requires higher accuracy in the detection output of the speed detector 24, which is used to make subtle judgments about whether elevator users are uncomfortable, so it uses the output signal of the governor encoder 12.

[0022] The speed deviation calculation unit 26 compares the actual car speed output by the car speed detection unit 24 with the ideal car speed output by the ideal car speed calculation unit 25, and regards the difference therebetween as a deviation value. The deviation value is obtained in a short time each time the car 1 operates. However, it may be difficult to make a rational and accurate judgment of the ride comfort only from the result of threshold-determining the deviation value obtained in a short time. Therefore, if the cumulative value of the deviation value over an arbitrary period of time exceeds a predetermined value, the present system notifies the control center 15 that management action such as maintenance is required.

[0023] As will be described later, the content of the maintenance is to eliminate the cause of the deterioration of the elevator ride comfort. The specific causes will not be explained here. This speed deviation calculation unit 26 is connected to the group controller 13 and the controllers of the other elevators, and is involved in group management control. As will be described later, in group management, good elevators with little deterioration can be operated more frequently, while deteriorated elevators with advanced deterioration can be operated less frequently.

[0024] The group controller 13 includes a hall button detection unit 27, a waiting time prediction unit 28, and an assigned car determination unit 29. The hall button detection unit 27 receives a signal from the hall button 14 and transmits a car call signal to the assigned car determination unit 29. The car call signal is a signal for calling a car 1 to a floor where a boarding area is located.

[0025] The waiting time prediction unit 28 receives a cooperative control signal from the controller 8 and the controllers of the other machines, and the assigned machine determination unit 29 generates a signal for group management control.

[0026] Figure 3 is a graph showing the time change of the car speed measured by the system of Figures 1 and 2, with the vertical axis showing the speed and the horizontal axis showing the time. Figure 3 shows a speed graph in which the car 1 changes from a constant acceleration state to a constant speed state and then changes to a constant deceleration state as time passes, that is, the speed changes in a trapezoidal shape (hereinafter abbreviated as "trapezoidal pattern").

[0027] In this way, when the car 1 accelerates from a stopped state to a predetermined speed, it continues to operate at a constant speed for a predetermined distance, then decelerates to the destination floor, arrives at the destination floor, and stops at that stopping position. In most elevators, the "ideal car speed" is set according to the operating conditions of the car 1.

[0028] The trapezoidal pattern formed by this "ideal car speed" is called an "ideal pattern." This "ideal pattern" is a control target for the ideal car speed calculation unit 25 to realize fast operation according to the moving distance of the car 1 while maintaining good riding comfort for elevator users.

[0029] That is, one trapezoidal pattern is determined for each of the maximum speed, the number of floors (distance) traveled, and either up or down, as specified in the elevator specifications. The controller 8 stores the trapezoidal patterns thus formed for each floor and direction in memory, and can read and use them as needed without any special calculations.

[0030] Furthermore, the trapezoidal pattern obtained by actual measurement may be formed by substituting various parameters into the calculation formula of the model. The various parameters are typically the weight measured by a load meter (not shown) disposed on the floor of the car 1, the distance traveled by the car 1, and whether it is moving up or down. The trapezoidal pattern obtained by actual measurement includes undulations shown as d1 to d5 in Fig. 3, and therefore deviates to a certain extent from the "ideal pattern."

[0031] For example, swell d1 is a phenomenon that occurs when the load meter erroneously measures a weight that is less than the actual weight of the car 1. At this time, the inverter 9 starts the hoisting machine 4 with insufficient driving force, so it gives in to the weight and momentarily reverses direction. Swell d1 shows how the car 1 descends slightly and then rises due to this reversal. Furthermore, swell d3 may contain a slight overshoot that is considered unavoidable to some extent from a control perspective.

[0032] The larger the area of swells d1 to d5, the more they deviate from the ideal trapezoidal pattern, which worsens the ride comfort. Elevator managers and others check during regular inspections to make sure these areas are not too large, and if they exceed a specified limit, they will carry out maintenance.

[0033] In addition, this system monitors constantly, not just during periodic inspections, and when the deterioration exceeds the criteria for determining whether or not maintenance is required, it notifies the control center 15 that maintenance is required.

[0034] In this system, the criteria for constant monitoring are not only to notify of deterioration to the extent that maintenance is required, but also to increase the operating frequency of good units with little deterioration in group management.

[0035] Conversely, it is better to reduce the operating frequency of deteriorated units and maintain uniform quality until regular inspections. In other words, performing concentrated maintenance on multiple units managed in groups in the same building at one time is less of a burden than performing maintenance on units scattered over a longer period of time.

[0036] In this system, the evaluation criteria for the degree of deterioration of elevators are closer to those based on sensory testing. In other words, in sensory testing, the discomfort index does not necessarily increase in proportion to the numerical values of acceleration or speed. Therefore, this system achieves the effect of approaching human sensibility by appropriately weighting each area distinguished by the slope of the trapezoidal pattern.

[0037] A sensory test is a statistical test that evaluates the sensation of an object to be evaluated based on the quantitative degree of smoothness or intensity to determine whether many users find it comfortable or tolerable. This sensory test is conducted based on experimental design in order to form evaluation criteria. There is also a technique for appropriately weighting the relationship between the acceleration accompanying the operation of the elevator car 1 and the evaluation of ride comfort, depending on the acceleration. This technique is used to establish the relationship between the acceleration and the evaluation of ride comfort, incorporating numerical values based on the results of the sensory test.

[0038] As a result, the speed deviation calculation unit 26 of the present system can calculate the speed deviations of the start, acceleration, constant speed, and Slowing down and arriving For each area, the speed deviation score P is calculated using the following formula (1) with weighting factors M1 to M5.

[0039] Speed deviation point number P = M1d1 + M2d2 + M3d3 + M4d4 + M5d5 ...Equation (1) (M1 to M5: weighting coefficients)

[0040] The controller 8 calculates the speed deviation score P each time the car 1 moves and stores it in memory, and also updates and stores an evaluation value Pe (not shown) converted based on the accumulated value up to the present over an arbitrary period. The system issues a command signal for appropriate management response based on the result of threshold judgment of at least one of the speed deviation score P and the evaluation value Pe. Note that the accumulated and converted evaluation value Pe is more likely to prevent erroneous judgment than the speed deviation score P each time the car 1 moves.

[0041] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation procedure of the present system (hereinafter also referred to as "the present method") described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. As shown in Figure 4, the present method has steps 401 to 404. In step 401, it is determined whether or not the hole button has been pressed. If step 401 is NO, the process ends.

[0042] On the other hand, if the answer is YES in step 401, the process proceeds to step 402. In step 402, it is determined whether there are multiple cars with the smallest predicted waiting time value. If the answer is YES in step 402, the process proceeds to step 403.

[0043] In step 403, if the process of assigning the car with the smallest speed deviation score P among the cars with the smallest predicted waiting time value has been executed, the process ends. If the answer is NO in step 402, proceed to step 404. In step 404, if the process of assigning the car with the smallest predicted waiting time value has been executed, the process ends.

[0044] 3 and 4, the larger the evaluation value Pe, the greater the degree of inferiority. However, the relationship between the magnitude of the evaluation value Pe and the superiority or inferiority of the quality is not limited to this. If the magnitude relationship of the evaluation value Pe is converted using a reverse calculation formula and applied to Figure 5, for example, if 20 points is defined as an unusable level and 100 points is a perfect passing level that meets the specifications, it will be easier to understand and less likely to cause misunderstanding.

[0045] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating another operation procedure for the present system and method described in Figures 1 to 4. As another operation procedure, if the evaluation value Pe calculated for each of a plurality of elevators is counted from 0 in ascending order, for example, if there are elevators with a score of 50 to 80, the elevator with a score of 50 may be regarded as a deteriorated elevator and its next maintenance may be scheduled earlier.

[0046] Furthermore, if a deteriorated machine has deteriorated to the extent that its evaluation value Pe falls below a predetermined value, for example, 20 points, it is preferable to stop operation and issue a notice to the relevant facility that maintenance should be requested. As shown in Fig. 5, this method has steps 501 to 503. In step 501, the most deteriorated machine is searched for by ranking the evaluation value Pe in ascending order, starting from 0 points.

[0047] If NO in step 501, the process ends with no disparity between the multiple machines, and if YES, proceed to step 502. In step 502, it is determined whether the evaluation value Pe of the most deteriorated machine in question has deteriorated by exceeding (falling below) the threshold of 20 points. If NO in step 502, the process ends with all the multiple machines being undegraded, and if YES, proceed to step 503.

[0048] In step 503, the most deteriorated machine is shut down and removed from the group management, and a notification to the control room in the building and the remote control center 15 is sent to request maintenance, and the process ends.

[0049] [supplement] The computer constituting the main part of this system (an elevator ride comfort evaluation system according to an embodiment of the present invention) may be a one-chip microcomputer or the like, or may share a portion of another computer. Furthermore, since each functional component is often formed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program stored in memory in a computer, they cannot be visually identified like hardware devices, and their affiliation, location, and name can be freely determined.

[0050] The first objective of this system is to improve the practicality of the quantitatively detected index values of ride comfort by bringing them closer to human experience. "Practicality" here means that the obtained index values and evaluations are close to human experience, making it easier to achieve quality control that pursues elevator comfort. The second objective of this system is to improve availability when there are multiple elevators.

[0051] In this context, availability refers to increasing the operating rate of multiple elevators. To increase the operating rate of multiple elevators, maintenance is applied to elevators with the worst ride comfort, and conversely, elevators with the best ride comfort are given priority in operating more frequently.

[0052] As mentioned above, this system evaluates ride comfort subjectively. The main causes of a poor evaluation are, first, a deteriorated and inaccurate load sensor (not shown), second, uneven wear on the sheave (hoisting mechanism wheel), and third, drive control errors due to model inaccuracies.

[0053] That is, based on values calculated using inaccurate load sensor output and a model that does not reflect reality, the operation control unit 22 and the hoisting machine control unit 23 inappropriately drive and control the hoisting machine 4, and the sheave, whose rotating shaft has become misaligned due to uneven wear, vibrates the car 1, making the ride comfortable. The above-mentioned "applying maintenance in the order of poor ride comfort" means eliminating the causes of the deterioration of ride comfort in the elevator.

[0054] However, since the first to third causes of ride comfort deterioration are well known, we will not investigate them further here. Instead, this system enables early detection of ride comfort deterioration that bothers people through sensory evaluation. To achieve this, this system makes the evaluation results of the degree of deterioration (speed deviation score P in Figure 3) closer to the user's physical sensation. As a result, this system improves the practicality of the evaluation and the availability and reliability of group-controlled elevators.

[0055] This system can be summarized as follows: [1] As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, this system is an elevator ride comfort evaluation system equipped with encoders (hereinafter also referred to as "sensors") 11, 12, which are sensors that detect the movement of the elevator car 1, and controllers 8, 13, which are composed of computers with memory.

[0056] The memory can store information on multiple patterns of the relationship between the moving speed of the car 1 and time, which is shown in the graph (speed graph, trapezoidal pattern) shown in Figure 3. The speed graph defines a trapezoidal pattern (ideal pattern) that indicates acceleration, constant speed, and deceleration based on the specifications of the elevator to be evaluated.

[0057] This trapezoidal pattern defines the ideal pattern that provides the best ride comfort within the specifications of the target elevator. Multiple ideal patterns (see Figure 3) with different conditions depending on the travel distance and whether the elevator is moving up or down are stored in memory. The multiple different ideal patterns are determined by the maximum speed, number of floors (distance) traveled, and the direction of travel (up or down) specified in the elevator specifications.

[0058] The controller 8 reads out the trapezoidal pattern corresponding to the movement from the memory every time the car 1 operates. Next, the car speed detection unit 24 calculates the moving speed of the car 1 based on the output of the sensor 12, and updates and stores in the memory the difference between the currently acquired moving speed and the ideal pattern.

[0059] The controller 8 evaluates the ride comfort by calculating a speed deviation score P, which is weighted differently to approximate human sensitivity by moving speed or acceleration, from the updated and stored differences. The appropriate weighting for each acceleration is determined based on a sensory test. The degree of deterioration in ride comfort can be detected by the degree of deviation from the ideal pattern, including the fact that the change in speed is not linear (smooth).

[0060] Furthermore, in sensory testing, the discomfort index does not necessarily increase in proportion to an increase in the sensor output value of acceleration or speed. For example, it is known that the sensitivity of human hearing is not proportional to an increase in the measurement value, but is exponential. In particular, when it comes to a moving object (car 1) that people ride in, the effect of approaching the sensory test results can be achieved by appropriately weighting the sensor output by acceleration as shown in Figure 3.

[0061] In this system, the speed deviation calculation unit 26 calculates a speed deviation score P weighted differently for each travel speed to evaluate the ride comfort based on the difference and provides it for evaluation in a manner similar to the results of a sensory test. For this purpose, a calculation formula is used in which weighting coefficients M1 to M5 shown in the above formula (1) are assigned to the areas of departure, acceleration, constant speed, deceleration, and arrival, which are distinguished by the slope of the trapezoidal pattern in Figure 3.

[0062] This system allows the evaluation of elevator ride comfort in a way that closely resembles the user's experience, making it possible to determine that deterioration to the extent that it causes discomfort to elevator users is poor.

[0063] [2] In the system described in [1] above, the speed deviation calculation unit 26 converts the evaluation value Pe based on the cumulative value of the speed deviation score P. The cumulative value that becomes the evaluation value Pe is updated and stored in memory. This evaluation value Pe represents the aging deterioration of the elevator, so if the display method is one that gradually increases in units of years and months, the updated value at that time is the largest ever, and serves as an index of the current aging deterioration.

[0064] In this case, the larger the evaluation value Pe, the greater the degree of inferiority. However, the relationship between the magnitude of the evaluation value Pe and the quality is not limited to this. For example, if the magnitude relationship of the evaluation value Pe is converted using a reverse calculation formula, and 20 points is defined as an unusable level and 100 points is a perfect passing level that meets the specifications, this will be easier to understand and less likely to cause misunderstanding.

[0065] In the past, obtaining an index value for deterioration over time required a considerable amount of work, such as carrying a measuring instrument into the elevator car 1 during regular or occasional inspections, but this system makes it easy to remotely monitor the evaluation value Pe, which is updated and stored in memory, continuously at all times.

[0066] Therefore, the present system can utilize the currently updated and stored evaluation value Pe for at least one of operation control and maintenance, thereby improving operation efficiency, equipment efficiency, or maintenance efficiency.

[0067] [3] The system described in [2] above may apply the evaluation value Pe to the operation control of a group-controlled elevator, and operate high-quality elevators at a high frequency in order of their quality judged to be good based on the evaluation value Pe calculated for each of the elevators. As another example, the system may be applied to the operation control of a group-controlled elevator so that high-quality elevators are operated at a high frequency by the process of assigning the elevator with the smallest speed deviation score P (or the largest by back-calculation) in step 403 of Fig. 4, i.e., the high-quality elevator.

[0068] The deterioration rate of multiple elevators in a group management system is not necessarily uniform. However, most maintenance cycles based on regulations are fixed, and it is preferable to complete periodic inspections of multiple elevators in a group management system simultaneously in a short period of time. This system is easily adapted to such maintenance needs.

[0069] [4] Here, as an example of assigning meaning to the evaluation value Pe, we will define 20 points as the level at which the elevator should be taken out of service, and 100 points as the perfect level of passing the specifications. The system described in [2] above applies the evaluation value Pe to the operation control of group-controlled elevators, and it is advisable to advance the next maintenance schedule for deteriorated elevators in order of the evaluation value Pe calculated for each of the elevators that is closest to 0 and lowest.

[0070] If the evaluation value Pe of a deteriorated machine falls below a predetermined value of 20 points, it is preferable to stop operation and issue a notice to request maintenance to at least one of the control room in the building and the remote control center 15. It is also preferable that the system is provided with a function or step to eliminate the possibility of false alarms. In this regard, it is advantageous for the system to use the evaluation value Pe, which is the cumulative value of the speed deviation score P, for judgment, rather than the speed deviation score P itself.

[0071] In conventional maintenance systems, even if there was a slight deterioration in the comfort of the elevator, no one would report it and it would be left unattended until the scheduled inspection. However, with this system, a constant monitoring device instantly notifies the security guard in the building's control room, who can then post a warning notice. In addition, with this system, even from a remote control center 15, it is possible to automatically or semi-automatically issue or request the dispatch of the most suitable nearby maintenance personnel. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1...car 1, 2...counterweight, 3...main rope, 4...hoisting machine, 5...brake, 6...governor rope, 7...governor, 8...controller, 9...inverter, 10...tail cord, 11...motor encoder, 12...governor encoder, 13...group controller, 14...hall button, 15...control center, 21...car position detection unit, 22...operation control unit, 23...hoisting machine control unit, 24...car speed detection unit, 25...ideal car speed calculation unit, 26...speed deviation calculation unit, 27...hall button detection unit, 28...waiting time prediction unit, 29...allocated car number determination unit

Claims

1. An elevator ride comfort evaluation system comprising a sensor for detecting movement of a car and a controller having a memory, The memory is capable of storing a plurality of patterns of information in the form of a graph representing a change in the moving speed of the elevator car over time, The graph defines a trapezoidal pattern indicating acceleration, constant speed, and deceleration based on the specifications of the elevator to be evaluated; A plurality of trapezoidal patterns are stored in the memory under different conditions depending on the moving distance and whether the movement is up or down, The controller reading the trapezoid pattern corresponding to the movement of the car from the memory; Calculating a moving speed of the elevator car based on an output of the sensor; updating and storing a difference between the currently acquired moving speed and the trapezoidal pattern; Based on a sensory test of the ride comfort, a speed deviation score is calculated from the difference using a calculation formula that assigns weights to the regions distinguished by the gradient of the trapezoidal pattern, thereby evaluating the ride comfort. Elevator ride comfort evaluation system.

2. The controller updating and storing in the memory an evaluation value based on the cumulative value of the speed deviation score; utilizing the updated and stored evaluation value for at least one of operation control and maintenance; The elevator ride comfort evaluation system according to claim 1 .

3. The controller applying the evaluation value to operation control of the group control elevator; operating high-quality elevators at a high frequency in order of their quality judged based on the evaluation values calculated for each of the plurality of elevators; The elevator ride comfort evaluation system according to claim 2.

4. The controller applying the evaluation value to operation control of the group control elevator; advancing the next maintenance time for deteriorated elevators in order of their quality being determined to be poor based on the evaluation values calculated for each of the plurality of elevators; If the evaluation value of the deteriorated machine has deteriorated beyond a predetermined value, the machine is stopped from operating and a maintenance request is issued. The elevator ride comfort evaluation system according to claim 2.

5. An elevator ride comfort evaluation method using a sensor that detects the movement of an elevator car and a controller having a memory, comprising: The memory is capable of storing a plurality of patterns of information in the form of a graph showing a change in the moving speed of the elevator car over time, The graph defines a trapezoidal pattern showing acceleration, constant speed, and deceleration based on the specifications of the elevator to be evaluated; A plurality of trapezoidal patterns are stored in the memory under different conditions depending on the moving distance and whether the movement is up or down, The controller reading the trapezoid pattern corresponding to the movement of the car from the memory; Calculating a moving speed of the elevator car based on an output of the sensor; updating and storing a difference between the currently acquired moving speed and the trapezoidal pattern; Based on a sensory test of the ride comfort, a speed deviation score is calculated from the difference using a calculation formula that assigns weights to the regions distinguished by the gradient of the trapezoidal pattern, thereby evaluating the ride comfort. Elevator ride comfort evaluation method.

6. The controller updating and storing in the memory an evaluation value based on the cumulative value of the speed deviation score; utilizing the updated and stored evaluation value for at least one of operation control and maintenance; The method for evaluating elevator ride comfort according to claim 5.

7. The controller applying the evaluation value to operation control of the group control elevator; operating high-quality elevators at a high frequency in order of their quality judged based on the evaluation values calculated for each of the plurality of elevators; The method for evaluating elevator ride comfort according to claim 6.

8. The controller applying the evaluation value to operation control of the group control elevator; advancing the next maintenance time for deteriorated elevators in order of their quality being determined to be poor based on the evaluation values calculated for each of the plurality of elevators; If the evaluation value of the deteriorated machine has deteriorated beyond a predetermined value, the machine is stopped from operating and a maintenance request is issued. The method for evaluating elevator ride comfort according to claim 6.

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