Elevator electronic safety device and control unit switching method

Abstract

When the time for periodic control unit replacement arrives, the replacement control unit installed in advance takes over the settings of the control unit before replacement, and the purpose is to automatically switch over without the work of a maintenance technician. [Solution] An electronic safety device for an elevator, characterized by comprising a first control unit that monitors the operating status and presence or absence of abnormalities of the elevator car; a second control unit that has the same functions as the first control unit and is activated when the power supply and connection signal are switched from the first control unit by a switching command; a power-on time measurement unit that measures the power-on time of the first control unit; a memory unit that reads out and stores the setting information of the first control unit after the power-on time measurement unit measures the reference time of the first control unit; and after being stored in the memory unit, writes the setting information stored in the memory unit to the second control unit after switching to the second control unit by a switching command output from the switching control unit.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to electronic safety devices for elevators. [Background technology]

[0002] Elevators are equipped with an elevator control device and an electronic safety device. The elevator control device controls the operation of the car. The electronic safety device monitors the car's operating status and whether there are any abnormalities. The elevator control device and electronic safety device each have independent computing devices. This allows the electronic safety device to monitor the car's operating status independently from the elevator control device. Furthermore, unlike general control devices, the electronic safety device requires periodic replacement of the control unit, which is replaced by maintenance personnel each time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-010200 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Control units used in elevator electronic safety devices need to be replaced periodically. For example, electronic safety devices deployed overseas, such as terminal floor forced deceleration devices when shortened buffers are used, require a specified replacement cycle for the control unit as a safety certification requirement, and the control unit must be replaced according to that schedule. However, currently, control unit replacement is performed manually by maintenance personnel who visit the installation site for each elevator, placing a burden on the maintenance personnel.

[0005] To reduce the burden on maintenance personnel, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for a signal switching method for elevators in which equipment with signal transmission and reception functions is equipped with an existing component and a replacement component, the same signal line from the signal transmission and reception unit is branched into multiple parts, each connected to the existing component and the replacement component via relay contacts, and a signal that detects an abnormality in the existing component operates a relay coil to open and close the relay contacts, thereby automatically switching to the replacement component.

[0006] However, because control units used in elevator electronic safety devices are replaced periodically, it is necessary to check the total power-on time of the control unit. Furthermore, when replacing the control unit, the settings of the control unit, which are performed at the installation site for each elevator, must be carried over from the control unit before replacement. For these reasons, the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 cannot handle the replacement of control units used in elevator electronic safety devices.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made to address the above-mentioned problem, and aims to automatically switch over the settings of the control unit before replacement to a pre-installed replacement control unit when the time for regular control unit replacement arrives, without the need for maintenance personnel to perform any work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The electronic safety device for an elevator disclosed herein comprises a first control unit that monitors the operating status and presence or absence of abnormalities of the elevator car; a second control unit that has the same functions as the first control unit and is activated when the power supply and connection signal are switched from the first control unit by a switching command; a power-on time measurement unit that measures the power-on time of the first control unit; a memory unit that reads and stores the setting information of the first control unit when the elevator is in standby mode after the reference time of the first control unit has been measured by the power-on time measurement unit; and a switching control unit that outputs a switching command after the setting information has been stored in the memory unit, and after switching to the second control unit by the switching command output from the switching control unit, writes the setting information stored in the memory unit to the second control unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] When it is time to replace the control unit, the settings of the control unit before replacement can be taken over by the pre-installed control unit, allowing automatic switching. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an elevator in the first and second embodiments. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an electronic safety device according to first and second embodiments. [Figure 3] 5 is a flowchart showing a switching operation of a control unit in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a first half flowchart showing the switching operation of the control unit in the second embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the second half of the switching operation of the control unit in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The following detailed description will be given with reference to the drawings. Duplicate descriptions will be simplified or omitted as appropriate. In each drawing, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

[0012] Embodiment 1 First, we will explain the structure of an elevator and the general function of an electronic safety device. Figure 1 is a diagram of an elevator. In Figure 1, a car 1 and a counterweight 2 are suspended in a hoistway by a suspension means 3, and are raised and lowered in the hoistway by the driving force of a hoisting machine 4. The suspension means 3 uses multiple ropes or multiple belts.

[0013] The hoist 4 has a drive sheave 5 around which the suspension means 3 is wound, a hoist motor 6 as a drive device for rotating the drive sheave 5, and a brake device 7 for braking the rotation of the drive sheave 5. The brake device 7 has a brake drum 8 coaxially coupled to the drive sheave 5, a brake shoe 9 that moves toward and away from the brake drum 8, a brake spring (not shown) that presses the brake shoe 9 against the brake drum 8 to apply a braking force, and an electromagnetic magnet (not shown) that moves the brake shoe 9 away from the brake drum 8 against the brake spring to release the braking force.

[0014] An upper pulley 10 is provided at the top of the hoistway. A lower pulley 11 is provided at the bottom of the hoistway. A governor rope 12 is wound around the upper pulley 10 and the lower pulley 11. Both ends of the governor rope 12 are connected to the car 1. The governor rope 12 is circulated as the car 1 rises and falls. This causes the upper pulley 10 to rotate at a speed that corresponds to the running speed of the car 1. A governor encoder 13 is provided on the upper pulley 10, which generates a signal that corresponds to the rotational speed of the upper pulley 10.

[0015] Furthermore, at the top and bottom ends of the elevator shaft, there are provided upper terminal floor forced deceleration devices 14 and lower terminal floor forced deceleration devices 15. These devices monitor the position and speed of the car 1, and decelerate the car if it exceeds a predetermined speed.

[0016] The hoist motor 6 and the brake device 7 are controlled by an elevator control device 16. That is, the operation of the car 1 is controlled by the elevator control device 16. The elevator control device 16 controls the hoist motor 6 to raise and lower the car 1, and also uses the brake device 7 to keep the car 1 stationary at the destination floor. The elevator control device 16 also has a microcomputer in which a program for operating the car 1 is stored.

[0017] Signals from the governor encoder 13, the upper terminal floor forced deceleration device 14, and the lower terminal floor forced deceleration device 15 are input to an electronic safety device 17. The electronic safety device 17 monitors the presence or absence of an abnormality in the elevator independently of the elevator control device 16. The electronic safety device 17 has a microcomputer. The microcomputer of the electronic safety device 17 stores a program for suppressing the power supply to the hoisting machine motor 6 and the brake device 7 depending on the type of abnormality detected. The electronic safety device 17 can also be configured with a logic circuit. The electronic safety device 17 may also detect an abnormality by monitoring the current to the hoisting machine motor 6.

[0018] Next, the configuration and functions of the electronic safety device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. In Fig. 2, a first control unit 18 and a second control unit 19 control commands to the hoist motor 6 and the brake device 7 in the electronic safety device 17 in Fig. 1, and have the same functions. For example, a board unit or the like forming the same electronic circuit is assumed.

[0019] The switching unit 20 switches between the first control unit 18 and the second control unit 19 to be used, and has the function of switching the connection between the power supply and communication 21 and the control unit.

[0020] When switching between the first control unit 18 and the second control unit 19, the setting takeover unit 22 has the function of reading setting information from the control unit before switching, storing it in the storage unit 23, and writing it to the control unit after switching. The setting information includes, for example, parameters that are changed for each installation site, failure data, property data, and learning data.

[0021] The switching control unit 24 receives the elevator operating status from the elevator control device 16 and also has the function of issuing a control unit switching command to the switching unit 20 .

[0022] The power-on time measurement unit 25 has the function of inputting the power-on state from the first control unit 18 and the elevator operating state from the elevator control device 16, and adding, accumulating, and storing the power-on time of the first control unit 18. When the accumulated time by the power-on time measurement unit 25 reaches a reference time, it is confirmed that the elevator is in a stopped state, and the switching control unit 24 issues a control unit switching command to the switching unit 20.

[0023] The control center 26 controls the operation status of the elevators.

[0024] Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the switching operation of the control unit. Based on Fig. 3 and with reference to Fig. 2, the switching operation of the control unit will be described. First, in step S001, the power-on time measurement unit 25 measures the power-on time of the first control unit 18. Furthermore, since the power-on time measurement unit 25 continuously measures the power-on time, it is provided with a power-on time storage unit that stores the most recent power-on time even if the power supply is interrupted.

[0025] In step S002, if there is no abnormality in the first control unit 18, the elevator continues normal operation in step S003 until the reference time for energization is reached in the energization time measurement unit 25. In step S002, if there is an abnormality in the first control unit 18, the elevator enters a stopped state in step S004. Here, the reference time is, for example, the energization time determined as a control unit replacement cycle as a requirement for safety certification.

[0026] When the power-on time measurement unit 25 determines that the reference power-on time has been reached, in step S005, the current operating status of the elevator control device 16 is confirmed, and if the elevator is in a paused state, a pause maintenance command is issued from the switching control unit 24 to the elevator control device 16. However, if the elevator is not in a pause mode that puts it in a paused state, normal operation continues in step S003. If the reference power-on time is normally set to, for example, 100,000 hours, the control unit may be switched before 100,000 hours, taking into account the installation and operating environment, or from the standpoint of ensuring a margin of error.

[0027] If the halt state is confirmed in step S005, or if the elevator is in the halt state in step S004, the switching control unit 24 issues a halt maintenance command to the elevator control device 16 and then issues a control unit switching command to the switching unit 20 in step S006.

[0028] In step S007, the setting takeover unit 22 reads the setting information from the first control unit 18 and stores it in the memory unit 23. In addition to the setting information, the memory unit 23 may also store software necessary for the operation of the first control unit 18. After storing the setting information in the memory unit 23, the stored data may be compared with the data of the first control unit 18 to confirm that there are no differences.

[0029] In step S008, the switching unit 20 switches the circuits related to the power supply and communication 21 from the first control unit 18 to the second control unit 19. The circuits are assumed to be used to control signal inputs from the governor encoder 13, the upper terminal floor forced deceleration device 14, and the lower terminal floor forced deceleration device 15 shown in Figure 1, as well as the power supply to the hoisting machine motor 6 and the brake device 7. As a result, the first control unit 18 is disconnected from the elevator system. Note that a contact relay or a semiconductor relay is used to switch the circuits related to the power supply and communication 21 from the first control unit 18 to the second control unit 19.

[0030] In step S009, the setting information of the first control unit 18 stored in the memory unit 23 of the setting takeover unit 22 is written to the second control unit 19. As a result, the second control unit 19 has the same settings as the first control unit 18 before the switchover. Furthermore, after writing to the second control unit 19, it may be compared with the data in the memory unit of the setting takeover unit 22 to confirm that there are no discrepancies. After this, the system may further transition to trial operation mode, and when the car 1 is raised or lowered by the hoisting machine 4, it may be confirmed that there are no problems with the signal input from the governor encoder 13, the upper terminal floor forced deceleration device 14, and the lower terminal floor forced deceleration device 15, and with the control of the power supply to the hoisting machine motor 6 and the brake device 7.

[0031] In step S010, the command to maintain the halt state from the switching control unit 24 to the elevator control device 16 is released, and normal operation of the elevator system begins.

[0032] Furthermore, the control unit switching history information of the switching control unit 24 may be transmitted to the management center 26. This allows the management center 26 to remotely check the control unit switching status and further to grasp whether or not a used control unit needs to be replaced with a new one.

[0033] In this way, when the time for periodic control unit replacement arrives or if a control unit malfunctions, the settings of the control unit before replacement can be taken over by a replacement control unit that has been installed in advance, enabling automatic switching without the need for maintenance personnel. The above shows an example of the configuration of the first control unit 18 and the second control unit 19, but it is also easy to combine third and subsequent control units.

[0034] Embodiment 2 The configuration is the same as that of embodiment 1, as shown in Figure 2. In embodiment 2, after switching from the first control unit 18 to the second control unit 19, switching is again performed from the second control unit 19 to the first control unit 18 in a manner similar to that of embodiment 1.

[0035] In this case, the switch from the first control unit 18 to the second control unit 19 is premised on the assumption that it is performed within a reference energization time, which is set as the control unit replacement cycle, as a requirement for safety certification, for example. If the reference energization time is 100,000 hours, and the switch from the first control unit 18 to the second control unit 19 is performed when it reaches half of that time, or 50,000 hours, then when the switch is performed again to the first control unit, the remaining 50,000 hours of energization will be possible. Furthermore, the energization time of the first control unit 18 is stored in the energization time measurement unit 24 even after the switch to the second control unit 19.

[0036] 4 and 5 are flowcharts showing the control unit switching operation in the second embodiment. The control unit switching operation will be described based on FIGS. 4 and 5 and with reference to FIG. 2. First, in step S101, the power-on time measurement unit 25 measures the power-on time of the first control unit 18. In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, if the power-on time is less than a reference time, for example, reaches 50% of the reference time, a switching flow from the first control unit 18 to the second control unit 19 is initiated. As shown in FIG. 4, steps S003 and S005 to S010 are the same flow as FIG. 3 in the first embodiment. In step S007, the first setting information is read from the first control unit 18, and in step S009, the first setting information of the first control unit 18 is written to the second control unit 19.

[0037] Next, the switching flow from the second control unit 19 to the first control unit 18 shown in Fig. 5 will be described. First, in step S201, the power-on time measurement unit 25 measures the power-on time of the second control unit 19. If there is no abnormality in the second control unit 19 in step S202, the elevator continues normal operation in step S003 until the power-on reference time is reached by the power-on time measurement unit 25. If there is an abnormality in the second control unit 19 in step S202, the elevator enters a paused state in step S004.

[0038] When the power-on time measurement unit 25 determines that the reference power-on time has been reached, in step S005, the current operating status of the elevator control device 16 is confirmed, and if the elevator is in a stopped state, a stop maintenance command is issued from the switching control unit 24 to the elevator control device 16. However, if the elevator is not in a stopped state, normal operation continues in step S003.

[0039] If the halt state is confirmed in step S005, or if the elevator is in the halt state in step S004, the switching control unit 24 issues a halt maintenance command to the elevator control device 16 and then issues a control unit switching command to the switching unit 20 in step S006.

[0040] In step S107, the setting takeover unit 22 reads the second setting information from the second control unit 19 and stores it in the storage unit .

[0041] In step S108, the switching unit 20 switches the circuits related to power supply and communication 21 from the second control unit 19 to the first control unit 18. This disconnects the second control unit 19 from the elevator system.

[0042] In step S109, the second setting information of the second control unit 19 stored in the memory unit 23 of the setting takeover unit 22 is written to the first control unit 18. As a result, the first control unit 18 has the same settings as the second control unit 19 before the switch.

[0043] In step S110, the command to maintain the halt state from the switching control unit 24 to the elevator control device 16 is released, and normal operation of the elevator system begins.

[0044] In this way, even if some abnormality occurs before the second control unit 19 reaches the reference time, it is possible to automatically switch to the first control unit 18 without the need for maintenance personnel, thereby shortening the recovery time. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 car, 2 counterweight, 3 suspension means, 4 hoist, 5 drive sheave, 6 hoist motor, 7 brake device, 8 brake drum, 9 brake shoe, 10 upper pulley, 11 lower pulley, 12 governor rope, 13 governor encoder, 14 upper terminal floor forced deceleration device, 15 lower terminal floor forced deceleration device, 16 elevator control device, 17 electronic safety device, 18 first control unit, 19 second control unit, 20 switching unit, 21 power supply and communication, 22 setting takeover unit, 23 memory unit, 24 switching control unit, 25 power-on time measurement unit, 26 management center

Claims

1. a first control unit that monitors the operating status and abnormality of the elevator car; a second control unit having the same function as the first control unit and operated by switching the power supply and connection signals from the first control unit in response to a switching command; a current-carrying time measurement unit that measures a current-carrying time of the first control unit; a storage unit that reads and stores setting information of the first control unit when the elevator is in a pause mode after the reference time of the first control unit is measured by the power-on time measurement unit; a switching control unit that outputs the switching command after the command is stored in the storage unit; Equipped with An electronic safety device for an elevator, characterized in that after switching to the second control unit is performed in response to the switching command output from the switching control unit, the setting information stored in the memory unit is written to the second control unit.

2. a first control unit that monitors the operating status and abnormality of the elevator car; a second control unit having the same function as the first control unit and operated by switching the power supply and connection signals from the first control unit in response to a switching command; a current-carrying time measurement unit that measures current-carrying times of the first control unit and the second control unit; a second reference time obtained by multiplying the reference time of the first control unit by a coefficient less than 1; a storage unit that reads and stores first setting information of the first control unit when the elevator is in a pause mode after the second reference time is measured by the power-on time measurement unit; a switching control unit that outputs the switching command after the command is stored in the storage unit; Equipped with After switching to the second control unit in response to the switching command output from the switching control unit, the first setting information stored in the memory unit is written to the second control unit, and then the pause mode of the elevator is released; In the sleep mode after the power-on time measurement unit measures the reference time of the second control unit or after an abnormality is detected in the second control unit, second setting information of the second control unit is read and stored in the storage unit, and after switching to the first control unit is performed in response to the switching command output from the switching control unit, the second setting information stored in the storage unit is written to the first control unit.

1. An electronic safety device for an elevator, comprising:

3. 3. The electronic safety device for an elevator according to claim 1, wherein the control unit switching history information of the switching control section is transmitted to a management center.

4. A first control unit that monitors the operating status and abnormality of the elevator car, A method for switching to a second control unit having the same function as the first control unit, comprising: a current-carrying time measuring step of measuring a current-carrying time of the first control unit; a storage step of reading out setting information of the first control unit and storing the setting information in a storage unit after the reference time is measured by the current-flow time measurement step; a switching step of switching a power supply and a connection signal from the first control unit to the second control unit after the storing step; a writing step of writing the setting information stored in the storage unit to the second control unit after the switching step; A control unit switching method comprising:

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