elevator

Abstract

To provide an elevator capable of preventing malfunction of an emergency stop device. [Solution] The elevator of this embodiment includes a car 2 that moves up and down along guide rails in a hoistway, an emergency stop device 10A that is provided on the car 2 and configured to be able to bring the car to an emergency stop by electrical control if the speed of the car 2 exceeds a predetermined speed, a battery 32 that is configured to be able to supply power to a power line that supplies power to the emergency stop device 10A, and a determination unit 22 that controls the supply of power from the battery 32 to the power line during normal operation and in the event of a power outage.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention relates to an elevator. [Background technology]

[0002] In elevators, a safety device called an emergency stop device is installed in the car to automatically stop the car if it falls due to a break in the main rope, etc. If the speed of the car exceeds a threshold, the braking mechanism installed in the emergency stop device will grip the guide rail in the elevator shaft, bringing the car to an emergency stop.

[0003] There is a known emergency stop device (also called an electronic safety) that can grip the guide rail by electrical control. The electronic safety requires a power supply to release the braking mechanism, and also requires a battery to prevent it from operating in the event of a power outage, regardless of whether the car is exceeding its speed.

[0004] However, during a power outage, there is a period of time when the power supply is switched from the building power source to the battery power source, which can cause the electronic safety to malfunction.If the electronic safety malfunctions, maintenance personnel will have to work to reset the electronic safety. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-132366 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an elevator capable of preventing malfunction of an emergency stop device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The elevator according to the embodiment comprises a car that moves up and down along a guide rail in a hoistway, an emergency stop device that is provided on the car and configured to be able to bring the car to an emergency stop by electrical control when the speed of the car exceeds a predetermined speed, and a battery that is configured to be able to supply power to a power line that supplies power to the emergency stop device. a relay connected between the battery and the power supply line; The power supply system further includes a determination unit that controls the supply of power from the battery to the power line during normal operation and during a power outage. The determination unit keeps the relay on during normal operation and during a power outage. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an elevator according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an elevator. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic circuit diagram of an elevator. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the elevator. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of the elevator. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the operation pattern of the elevator. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples of devices and methods for embodying the technical concept of the present invention, and the shape, structure, arrangement, etc. of the components do not specify the technical concept of the present invention. Each functional block can be realized as either hardware or software, or a combination of both. In the following description, elements having the same function and configuration are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0010] [1] Elevator 1 configuration 1 is a schematic diagram of an elevator 1 according to an embodiment. The elevator 1 includes a car 2, a main rope 3, a hoisting machine 4, two guide rails 5A and 5B, and a control panel 6.

[0011] The car 2 and guide rails 5A, 5B are installed in the elevator shaft of the building. The guide rails 5A, 5B extend vertically and are fixed to the walls of the elevator shaft. The car 16 moves up and down in the elevator shaft along the guide rails 5A, 5B. The car 2 accommodates passengers. A main rope 3 is connected to the top of the car 2.

[0012] The hoisting machine 4 and the control panel 6 are provided, for example, in a machine room above the hoistway. In Fig. 1, only the floor 8 of the machine room is shown. The hoisting machine 4 and the control panel 6 may also be disposed inside the hoistway.

[0013] The hoisting machine 4 includes a motor (not shown), a brake (not shown), and a sheave 7. A main rope 3 is hung on the sheave 7. Although not shown, a counterweight is connected to the other end of the main rope 3, and the car 2 and the counterweight are suspended in a bucket-like manner by the main rope 3. The hoisting machine 4 is configured to raise and lower the car 2 by rotating the sheave 7.

[0014] Two electronic safeties 10A and 10B are provided at the bottom of the car 2. The electronic safeties 10A and 10B are also called emergency stop devices. The electronic safeties 10A and 10B are safety devices that forcibly stop the car 2 when the car 2 exceeds a specified speed, and are electrically operable emergency stop devices. The electronic safeties 10A and 10B have the same function as an electromagnetic brake. The electronic safeties 10A and 10B each include a braking mechanism (brake) that clamps the guide rails 5A and 5B from both sides.

[0015] Electronic safeties 10A and 10B are attracted during normal operation and released during an emergency stop. "Attracted" means that current is passed through the coil (electromagnetic coil) of the electronic safeties, and the attractive force of the coil is used so that the braking mechanism does not grip the guide rail (the braking mechanism is released). "Released" means that current is not passed through the coil of the electronic safeties, and the braking mechanism grips the guide rail. Illustration of the specific mechanism of the electronic safeties is omitted, but any known electronic safeties can be used.

[0016] An on-car control circuit 11 is provided on top of the car 2. The on-car control circuit 11 is connected to the control panel 6 by wiring 12. The on-car control circuit 11 is connected to the electronic safeties 10A and 10B by wiring 13A and 13B, respectively. The on-car control circuit 11 controls the operation of the electronic safeties 10A and 10B based on the control of the control panel 6.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the elevator 1. The hoisting machine 4 is provided with a speed detection unit 20. The speed detection unit 20 is attached to the rotating shaft of a motor included in the hoisting machine 4. The speed detection unit 20 is composed of a pulse generator, an absolute position sensor (APS), or the like. The speed detection unit 20 acquires rotation information of the motor. When the speed detection unit 20 is composed of a pulse generator, the pulse generator generates a pulse signal synchronized with the rotation of the rotating shaft of the motor. The output of the speed detection unit 20 is sent to the control panel 6.

[0018] The control panel 6 includes a driving control unit 21, a battery supply determination unit 22, an excess speed determination unit 23, and a safety activation detection unit 24. The control panel 6 also includes a processor and a storage unit. The processor executes a program stored in the storage unit, thereby enabling the functions of the driving control unit 21, the battery supply determination unit 22, the excess speed determination unit 23, and the safety activation detection unit 24 to be performed.

[0019] 3 is a schematic circuit diagram of the elevator 1. The control panel 6 includes a building power supply 30, a battery charging power supply 31, an electronic safety power supply battery 32, diodes 33 and 34, a battery check relay 35, an overspeed switch 36, and an emergency stop switch 37.

[0020] The building power supply 30 and the battery charging power supply 31 are DC power supplies. The building power supply 30 is a power supply supplied from the building. In the event of a power outage in the building, the supply of power from the building power supply 30 is stopped. The battery charging power supply 31 is generated, for example, in the control panel 6 using the building power supply 30. The positive electrode of the building power supply 30 is connected to the positive power supply line PL, and the negative electrode of the building power supply 30 is connected to the negative power supply line NL.

[0021] The anode of the diode 33 is connected to the positive power supply line PL, and the cathode of the diode 33 is connected to the node N1.

[0022] The relay 35 includes a coil (represented as BCH) 35A, a first contact 35B, and a second contact 35C. The relay 35 is also called a relay. When a current is supplied to the coil 35A, the relay 35 functions so that the first contact 35B and the second contact 35C are conductive. One end of the coil 35A is connected to the battery supply determination unit 22, and the other end of the coil 35A is connected to the negative electrode of the battery 32.

[0023] The positive electrode of the battery 32 is connected to the positive electrode of the battery charging power supply 31, and the negative electrode of the battery 32 is connected to the negative electrode of the battery charging power supply 31. The battery 32 is charged by the battery charging power supply 31. The positive electrode of the battery 32 is connected to one end of a first contact 35B of the relay 35. The other end of the first contact 35B is connected to the anode of the diode 34. The cathode of the diode 34 is connected to node N1. The negative electrode of the battery 32 is connected to one end of a second contact 35C of the relay 35. The other end of the second contact 35C is connected to the negative power supply line NL.

[0024] One end of the overspeed switch 36 is connected to node N1, and the other end of the overspeed switch 36 is connected to node N2.

[0025] The safety switch 38 detects when each of the electronic safeties 10A, 10B (specifically, the braking mechanism of each of the electronic safeties 10A, 10B) is mechanically actuated. The safety switch 38 is composed of a microswitch. The microswitch is configured to convert mechanical action into an electrical signal. The safety switch 38 is disposed near each of the electronic safeties 10A, 10B, specifically, near the braking mechanism of each of the electronic safeties 10A, 10B. One end of the safety switch 38 is connected to node N2, and the other end of the safety switch 38 is connected to node N3. The safety switch 38 functions to turn on when each of the electronic safeties 10A, 10B is attracted and locked by the mechanical mechanism of the electronic safeties, and to turn off when each of the electronic safeties 10A, 10B is released and the mechanism is unlocked.

[0026] Each of the electronic safeties 10A, 10B includes a safety driver 39. The safety driver 39 is composed of a coil. When a current flows through the safety driver 39, each of the electronic safeties 10A, 10B is attracted, causing the braking mechanism to move away from the guide rail. One end of the safety driver 39 is connected to node N3, and the other end of the safety driver 39 is connected to the negative power supply line NL.

[0027] The emergency stop switch 37 is connected between the node N2 and the node N3. That is, the emergency stop switch 37 is connected in parallel to the safety switch 38. The emergency stop switch 37 is configured as a manual switch. The emergency stop switch 37 is configured to be turned off during normal operation ("NOR" in FIG. 3) and turned on during inspection ("INS" in FIG. 3). When the electronic safety is released and the safety switch 38 is turned off, the emergency stop switch 37 is manually set to INS by a maintenance person, and functions to pass current to the safety drive unit 39. This allows the electronic safety to release its grip on the guide rail.

[0028] 3 shows the safety drive unit 39 and safety switch 38 for only one of the electronic safeties 10A and 10B. In an actual circuit configuration, two safety drive units 39 and two safety switches 38 are provided, one for each of the electronic safeties 10A and 10B, and the two safety drive units 39 and two safety switches 38 are connected in series.

[0029] The operation control unit 21 controls the operation of the hoisting machine 4 and performs normal operation. In normal operation, the operation control unit 21 raises and lowers the car 2 in response to passenger call registrations.

[0030] The battery supply determination unit 22 receives the potential of the positive power line PL as a power outage monitoring signal POS. When the power outage monitoring signal POS is at a high level, the battery supply determination unit 22 determines that a power outage has not occurred, and when the power outage monitoring signal POS is at a low level, the battery supply determination unit 22 determines whether the remaining capacity of the battery 32 (also referred to as remaining battery capacity) is equal to or less than a threshold. The battery supply determination unit 22 controls the operation of the relay 35 according to the determination result of the remaining battery capacity. The battery supply determination unit 22 is configured to be able to supply current to the coil 35A using the power supply of the battery 32. A method for determining the remaining battery capacity will be described later.

[0031] The speed overrun determination unit 23 receives a speed detection signal from the speed detection unit 20. The speed overrun determination unit 23 calculates the speed of the car 2 based on the speed detection signal. If the calculated speed exceeds a threshold, the speed overrun determination unit 23 determines that the car 2 is overspeeding. If the speed overrun determination unit 23 determines that the car 2 is overspeeding, it turns off the speed overrun switch 36.

[0032] The safety drive detection unit 24 determines the potential of the node N3. If the potential of the node N3 is at a high level, the safety drive detection unit 24 determines that the electronic safeties 10A and 10B have been mechanically driven (the electronic safeties 10A and 10B have been released). If the safety drive detection unit 24 determines that the electronic safeties 10A and 10B have been released, it transmits an operation stop command to the operation control unit 21 to instruct the car 2 to stop.

[0033] [2] Operation Next, the operation of the elevator 1 configured as described above will be described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the elevator 1. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram explaining the operation of the elevator 1. Fig. 6 is a diagram explaining the operation pattern of the elevator 1.

[0034] Power is supplied from the building to the elevator 1. The control panel 6 is in a state where it can supply power from the building power supply 30 and the battery charging power supply 31. The battery 32 is charged by the battery charging power supply 31.

[0035] The operation control unit 21 performs normal operation using the building power supply 30 and the power supply of the battery 32 (also referred to as the battery power supply) (step S100). In normal operation, the operation control unit 21 raises and lowers the car 2 in accordance with passenger call registrations. Figure 5(a) shows the state of normal operation. For example, the car 2 is in down (DN) operation. As shown by "1" in Figure 6, in normal operation, the building power supply and the battery power supply are used. The electronic safeties 10A and 10B are sucked in.

[0036] The battery supply determination unit 22 monitors the potential of the positive power line PL as a power failure monitoring signal POS. During normal operation, the power failure monitoring signal POS is at a high level. When the power failure monitoring signal POS is at a high level, the battery supply determination unit 22 turns on the relay 35. That is, the battery supply determination unit 22 passes a current through the coil 35A of the relay 35, thereby making the first contact 35B and the second contact 35C of the relay 35 conductive. The battery 32 repeatedly charges and discharges.

[0037] Next, the battery supply determination unit 22 monitors whether or not a power outage has occurred (step S101). Specifically, the battery supply determination unit 22 monitors the voltage level of the power outage monitoring signal POS.

[0038] When the power outage monitoring signal POS becomes low level, the battery supply determination unit 22 determines that a power outage has occurred (step S101=Yes). When a power outage occurs, the supply from the building power supply 30 and the battery charging power supply 31 is stopped. When a power outage occurs, the battery supply determination unit 22 keeps the relay 35 on. Current is supplied to the relay 35 using the battery power supply. As shown in FIG. 5(b), when a power outage occurs, the relay 35 is on, so that the power supply is immediately switched to the battery power supply. Battery power is supplied to the electronic safeties 10A and 10B, and the electronic safeties 10A and 10B are attracted.

[0039] Next, the battery supply determination unit 22 starts measuring the discharge time from the time when the power outage occurs (step S102).

[0040] Next, the battery supply determination unit 22 determines whether the remaining battery power is equal to or less than a threshold (step S103). The remaining battery power is estimated using the following equation (1).

[0041] Remaining battery capacity = Battery capacity - Discharge current x Discharge time (1) The battery capacity is a value determined by the specifications of the battery used. The discharge current is a value calculated according to the load connected to the battery. The threshold value is, for example, "battery capacity x 0.1."

[0042] If the remaining battery charge is greater than the threshold (step S103=No), the battery supply determination unit 22 determines whether the building power supply has been restored (step S104). If the power outage monitoring signal POS is at a high level, the battery supply determination unit 22 determines that the building power supply has been restored. If the building power supply has been restored (step S104=Yes), the process proceeds to step S109.

[0043] If the remaining battery charge is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S103 = Yes), the battery supply determination unit 22 transmits an operation stop command to the operation control unit 21 (step S105). When an operation stop command is received from the battery supply determination unit 22, the operation control unit 21 lands the car 2 at the nearest floor (step S106). As shown in Figure 5(c), during an emergency stop, the electronic safeties 10A and 10B are retracted. During a power outage, as shown by "2" in Figure 6, the battery 32 is in a discharged state and the relay 35 is on. A power source (battery) for driving the control panel 6 and the hoisting machine 4 during a power outage is provided separately.

[0044] Next, the discharge of the battery 32 stops, and the electronic safeties 10A and 10B are released (step S107). As shown in Figure 5(d), when the battery runs out, the electronic safeties 10A and 10B are released. As shown by "3" in Figure 6, when the battery runs out, the relay 35 is turned off.

[0045] Next, the battery supply determination unit 22 monitors whether the building power supply has been restored (step S108). If the building power supply has been restored (step S108 = Yes), the safety drive detection unit 24 determines whether the electronic safeties 10A and 10B are attracted (step S109). If the building power supply has been restored, power is supplied from the building power supply 30 to the positive power line PL. If the safety switch 38 is on, the electronic safeties 10A and 10B do not grip the guide rails 5A and 5B. If the safety switch 38 is on, the potential of the node N3 is high. The safety drive detection unit 24 monitors the potential of the node N3, and if the potential of the node N3 is high, it determines that the electronic safeties 10A and 10B are attracted.

[0046] When the electronic safeties 10A and 10B are attracted (step S109=Yes), that is, when they are not operating as emergency stop devices, the operation control unit 21 executes normal operation.

[0047] If the electronic safeties 10A and 10B are released (step S109=No), that is, if they are operating as emergency stop devices, the safety drive detection unit 24 sends an operation stop command to the operation control unit 21. When the operation control unit 21 receives the operation stop command from the safety drive detection unit 24, it determines that there is an abnormality in the electronic safeties 10A and 10B, and stops the operation of the car 2 (step S110). Thereafter, a maintenance person inspects the elevator 1.

[0048] If the building power supply has not been restored (step S108 = No), the maintenance personnel uses an external battery power supply to suck in the electronic safeties 10A and 10B. Then, the maintenance personnel resets the braking mechanisms of the electronic safeties 10A and 10B. After that, when the building power supply is restored, the operation of the elevator 1 is resumed.

[0049] When there is no power outage and the car 2 is in normal operation, if the car 2 exceeds the speed limit, the speed limit determination unit 23 turns off the speed limit switch 36. This releases the electronic safeties 10A and 10B, and the car 2 is brought to an emergency stop.

[0050] [3] Effects of the embodiment According to this embodiment, during normal operation, power is supplied to the electronic safeties 10A and 10B using both the building power supply and the battery power supply. In the event of a power outage, power supply can be maintained using the battery power supply. Therefore, in the event of a power outage, it is possible to switch continuously and immediately from the building power supply to the battery power supply, thereby preventing malfunction of the electronic safeties 10A and 10B.

[0051] Furthermore, when the remaining charge of the battery 32 falls below a threshold, the car 2 is caused to land at the nearest floor. That is, the car 2 can be brought to an emergency stop before the battery 32 runs out. After that, the battery stops discharging, and the electronic safeties 10A and 10B are released. This makes it possible to prevent the electronic safeties 10A and 10B from malfunctioning.

[0052] Furthermore, by preventing malfunction of the electronic safeties 10A and 10B, the work required for maintenance personnel to reset the braking mechanisms of the electronic safeties 10A and 10B can be reduced, thereby reducing the workload of the maintenance personnel.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the battery 32 may be used only to supply power to the electronic safeties 10A and 10B, or may be configured to supply power to the control panel 6 and the on-car control circuit 11 to perform other operations.

[0054] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1... elevator, 2... car, 3... main rope, 4... hoisting machine, 5A, 5B... guide rail, 6... control panel, 7... sheave, 8... floor, 10A, 10B... electronic safety, 11... on-car control circuit, 12... wiring, 13A, 13B... wiring, 20... speed detection unit, 21... operation control unit, 22... battery supply determination unit, 23... overspeed determination unit, 24... safety drive detection unit, 30... building power supply, 31... battery charging power supply, 32... battery, 33, 34... diode, 35... relay 36...Overspeed switch, 37...Emergency stop switch, 38...Safety switch, 39...Safety drive unit.

Claims

1. A car that moves up and down along guide rails in the elevator shaft. an emergency stop device provided in the car and configured to be able to bring the car to an emergency stop by electrical control when the speed of the car exceeds a predetermined speed; a battery configured to be able to supply power to a power line that supplies power to the emergency stop device; a relay connected between the battery and the power supply line; a determination unit that controls the supply of power from the battery to the power line during normal operation and during a power outage; Equipped with The determination unit continuously turns on the relay during normal operation and during a power outage. Elevator.

2. The determination unit estimates the remaining capacity of the battery based on the discharge time of the battery after the power outage occurs, and when the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or less than a predetermined remaining capacity, sends an operation stop command to an operation control unit; The elevator according to claim 1, wherein the operation control unit lands the car at a nearest floor in response to the operation stop command.

3. The determination unit determines whether a power outage has occurred based on the potential of the power line.

3. The elevator of claim 2.

4. The safety device further includes a safety switch connected in series to the power line and configured to turn off when the safety device grips the guide rail.

2. The elevator of claim 1.

5. a detection unit that detects that the safety device has been activated based on a potential of a node between the safety switch and the safety device; an operation control unit that stops operation of the elevator car when the building power supply is restored after a power outage and the emergency stop device is activated; 5. The elevator according to claim 4.

6. The operation control unit resumes normal operation when the emergency stop device is not activated after the building power supply is restored after a power outage.

6. The elevator according to claim 5.

7. Further included is a charging power source for charging the battery.

2. The elevator of claim 1.

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