Monitoring device, mobile object, monitoring system, and monitoring method

Abstract

To provide a monitoring device, a mobile body, a monitoring system, and a monitoring method for stopping elevators and passenger conveyors in a building according to the same standard to check safety when a disaster occurs. According to an embodiment, a monitoring device monitors a building in which an elevator and a passenger conveyor are installed, and is communicatively connected to the elevator and to the passenger conveyor via a mobile object. The monitoring device includes a control unit that, when it detects that operation of either the elevator or the passenger conveyor has stopped due to a disaster, also stops operation of the other.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments of the present invention relate to a monitoring device, a mobile object, a monitoring system, and a monitoring method. [Background technology]

[0002] Large buildings may be equipped with both elevators and escalators, which are passenger conveyors. As a safety feature, elevators are equipped with a function that automatically stops operation if it detects the occurrence of a disaster that could cause a malfunction in the elevator, such as an earthquake or fire.

[0003] This function ensures the safety of passengers in the event of a disaster by stopping elevator car operation until maintenance personnel have inspected the elevator for any malfunctions and confirmed its safety. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-286584 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, escalators often do not have a function to stop operation in the event of an external factor such as a disaster. Therefore, when a disaster occurs, the escalator may continue to operate even though the elevator has stopped. In such cases, building managers and users may feel a contradiction between the different standards for determining whether or not safety checks are required for elevators and escalators.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a monitoring device, a mobile body, a monitoring system, and a monitoring method for stopping elevators and passenger conveyors in a building according to the same criteria and confirming their safety in the event of a disaster. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to an embodiment for achieving the above object, a monitoring device monitors a building in which an elevator and a passenger conveyor are installed, and is communicatively connected to the elevator and to the passenger conveyor via a mobile object. The monitoring device includes a control unit that, when detecting that operation of either the elevator or the passenger conveyor has stopped due to a disaster, also stops operation of the other. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall view showing the configuration of a monitoring system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the processing executed by the elevator control device, the monitoring device, and the moving body when an earthquake occurs during operation of the monitoring system according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A monitoring system using a monitoring device and a mobile object according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0010] Configuration of a monitoring system according to an embodiment 1 is an overall diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring system 1 according to one embodiment. The monitoring system 1 includes an elevator 10 and an escalator 20 installed in a building X, an autonomous mobile object 30, and a monitoring device 40 installed in a monitoring center located remotely from the building X.

[0011] The elevator 10, the mobile body 30, and the monitoring device 40 are communicatively connected via a wide area communication network NW. The escalator 20 and the mobile body 30 are communicatively connected via short-range wireless communication. The monitoring device 40 may be provided in a monitoring cloud (not shown) for elevators and escalators constructed on the wide area communication network NW. Furthermore, communication between the monitoring device 40 and the mobile body 30 may be performed via a mobile cloud (not shown) constructed on the wide area communication network NW.

[0012] The elevator 10 has an elevator control device 11 that controls the equipment inside the elevator 10. The elevator control device 11 has a function of stopping the elevator 10 when it detects the occurrence of a disaster, which is an external factor that requires the elevator 10 to be stopped, and transmitting stop information to the monitoring device 40 to notify that the elevator 10 has stopped due to the disaster.

[0013] The escalator 20 has an escalator control device 21 that controls the devices inside the escalator 20. The escalator control device 21 has a function of performing short-range wireless communication.

[0014] The mobile object 30 includes a moving mechanism 31 , a vibration sensor 32 , a camera device 33 , a sound collection device 34 , a short-range wireless communication unit 35 , a mobile object communication unit 36 ​​, and a mobile object CPU 37 .

[0015] The moving mechanism 31 is a mechanism for moving the moving body 30. The vibration sensor 32 detects vibrations acting on the moving body 30. The camera device 33 captures images of the surroundings of the moving body 30. The sound collection device 34 collects sounds around the moving body 30. The short-range wireless communication unit 35 performs short-range wireless communication with the escalator control device 21. The mobile communication unit 36 ​​communicates with the monitoring device 40 via a wide-area communication network NW.

[0016] The mobile object CPU 37 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) provided in a general-purpose microcomputer, and by installing and executing a predetermined mobile object control program, configures one or more of the following information processing sections.

[0017] The mobile object CPU 37 has a movement control unit 371, an inspection processing unit 372, and an escalator instruction unit 373. The movement control unit 371 controls the movement mechanism 31. The inspection processing unit 372 executes an inspection process for the escalator 20 using the vibration sensor 32, the camera device 33, and the sound collection device 34 based on instructions from the escalator instruction unit 373, and transmits the inspection process results to the monitoring device 40. The escalator instruction unit 373 issues operation instructions related to the escalator via the short-range wireless communication unit 35.

[0018] The monitoring device 40 monitors the building X and includes a monitoring device communication unit 41 and a monitoring device CPU 42 as a control unit. The monitoring device communication unit 41 communicates with the elevator control device 11 and the mobile object 30 via the wide area communication network NW.

[0019] The monitoring device CPU 42 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) provided in a general-purpose microcomputer, and by installing and executing a predetermined monitoring program, configures one or more information processing units described below.

[0020] The monitoring device CPU 42 has an elevator monitoring unit 421, an escalator monitoring unit 422, and a mobile object information processing unit 423. When the monitoring device CPU 42 detects that the operation of either the elevator 10 or the escalator 20 has stopped due to a disaster, it also stops the operation of the other.

[0021] The elevator monitoring unit 421 monitors the operation status of the elevator 10. The escalator monitoring unit 422 monitors the operation status of the escalator 20, and determines whether or not the operation of the escalator 20 can be resumed based on the inspection information transmitted from the moving body 30 when the escalator 20 is stopped.

[0022] When the elevator monitoring unit 421 acquires stop information from the elevator control device 11 indicating that the elevator 10 has stopped due to a disaster, the mobile object information processing unit 423 stops the escalator 20 and then transmits an instruction to the mobile object 30 to execute an inspection process (hereinafter referred to as an "inspection instruction"). Furthermore, after transmitting the inspection instruction to the mobile object 30, if the escalator monitoring unit 422 determines that the escalator 20 can be operated, the mobile object information processing unit 423 transmits to the mobile object 30 an instruction to resume operation of the escalator 20 that was stopped for the inspection process.

[0023] Operation of the monitoring system according to one embodiment Fig. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the processing executed by the elevator control device 11, the monitoring device 40, and the mobile object 30 when an earthquake occurs while the monitoring system 1 is in operation. The operation of the monitoring system will be described with reference to Fig. 2. In the initial state, the mobile object 30 is installed at a predetermined position in the building.

[0024] When an earthquake occurs in the area where building X is located, elevator control device 11 detects the occurrence of the earthquake (S1) and automatically stops the operation of elevator 10. After stopping the operation of elevator 10, elevator control device 11 generates and transmits earthquake-related stop information to monitoring device 40 (S2).

[0025] In the monitoring device 40, the elevator monitoring unit 421 acquires the earthquake-related stop information transmitted from the elevator control device 11 via the monitoring device communication unit 41. When the elevator monitoring unit 421 acquires the earthquake-related stop information, the mobile object information processing unit 423 transmits an inspection instruction to the mobile object 30 (S3).

[0026] In the mobile object 30, the mobile control unit 371 receives the inspection instruction transmitted from the monitoring device 40 via the mobile object communication unit 36. When the mobile control unit 371 receives the inspection instruction, it controls the moving mechanism 31 to move the mobile object 30 along a predetermined route to the entrance of the escalator 20 (S4), and stops the mobile object 30 so as to block the opening of the entrance. By having the mobile object 30 block the opening of the entrance of the escalator 20 in this way, no new users can get on the escalator 20, and users already on the escalator 20 sequentially get off the escalator 20 at the exit, so that there are no users on the steps (not shown) of the escalator 20.

[0027] When the inspection processing unit 372 confirms that there are no users on the steps of the escalator 20 based on the image information captured by the camera device 33 (S5), it further confirms whether or not the escalator 20 is stopped (S6). The inspection processing unit 372 communicates with the escalator control device 21 to confirm the operating status, or determines whether or not the escalator 20 is stopped based on the image information captured by the camera device 33.

[0028] Here, if the escalator 20 has automatically stopped due to a malfunction occurring within the escalator 20 caused by earthquake shaking or the like ("YES" in S6), the inspection processing unit 372 determines whether or not the escalator 20 can be restored to operation through inspection by the mobile body 30, based on the cause of the automatic stop or the like (S7). If the inspection processing unit 372 determines that the escalator 20 can be restored to operation through inspection by the mobile body 30 ("YES" in S7), it executes inspection processing for the escalator 20 (S8).

[0029] Furthermore, if the inspection processing unit 372 determines in step S6 that the escalator 20 is operating ("NO" in S6), the escalator instruction unit 373 transmits a stop instruction to the escalator control device 21 via the short-range wireless communication unit 35 (S9). Upon receiving the stop instruction, the escalator control device 21 stops the operation of the escalator 20. Once the operation of the escalator 20 has stopped, the inspection processing unit 372 executes an inspection process for the escalator 20 (S8).

[0030] In the inspection process for escalator 20, for example, when mobile object 30 steps onto a step and escalator 20 is run in response to instructions from escalator instruction unit 373, it is determined whether abnormal vibrations are detected by vibration sensor 32 or abnormal sounds are picked up by sound collection device 34 due to a foreign object being caught in the gap between the skirt guard and the step, and whether parts (tip skirt portion, glass panel, boarding / alighting board, comb, balustrade lighting, etc.) are damaged or whether steps are missing, based on image information captured by camera device 33. When the inspection process is completed, inspection processing unit 372 stops escalator 20 in response to instructions from escalator instruction unit 373.

[0031] Inspection processing unit 372 transmits the inspection results from the inspection process to monitoring device 40 (S10). In monitoring device 40, escalator monitoring unit 422 acquires the inspection results transmitted from mobile object 30, and determines whether escalator 20 can be operated based on the acquired inspection results (S11).

[0032] When the escalator monitoring unit 422 determines that the escalator 20 is operable (YES in S11), the mobile object information processing unit 423 transmits an instruction to resume operation of the escalator 20 to the mobile object 30 (S12).

[0033] In the moving body 30, the escalator instruction unit 373 acquires the operation return instruction transmitted from the monitoring device 40. Upon acquiring the operation return instruction, the escalator instruction unit 373 transmits an operation instruction to the escalator control device 21 (S13). The escalator control device 21 restores the operation of the escalator 20 based on the operation instruction transmitted from the moving body 30. When the moving body 30 confirms that the operation of the escalator 20 has been restored, the movement control unit 371 controls the movement mechanism 31 to move to a predetermined waiting location (S14).

[0034] In step S11, if the escalator monitoring unit 422 determines that the escalator 20 cannot be operated ("NO" in S11), the monitoring device 40 outputs information to notify the maintenance worker that maintenance work is required (S15).

[0035] Furthermore, in step S7, if the inspection processing unit 372 determines, based on the image information captured by the camera device 33, that there is significant damage inside the escalator 20 and that an action by a maintenance worker is required ("NO" in S7), it notifies the monitoring device 40. The monitoring device 40 outputs information to notify the maintenance worker that maintenance work is required (S15).

[0036] Also, when maintenance work is performed on the elevator 10 and it is determined that the elevator 10 is operable ("YES" in S16), the elevator control device 11 restores operation of the elevator 10 (S17).

[0037] In the above-described embodiment, the processing to be executed when an earthquake occurs and the elevator 10 automatically stops has been described, but this is not limited to this. In the case where the elevator 10 automatically stops due to an external factor other than an earthquake that affects the entire building, such as a fire, the escalator 20 may be stopped in the same way, and then an inspection processing may be executed, and operation may be resumed once safety has been confirmed.

[0038] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the mobile body 30 is equipped with a vibration sensor 32, a camera device 33, and a sound collection device 34 as equipment used for inspection processing has been described, but the mobile body 30 may be equipped with at least any one of these.

[0039] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, when the monitoring device 40 detects that the elevator 10 has automatically stopped, the operation of the escalator 20 is stopped via the moving body 30. However, the operation of the elevator 10 may also be stopped when it is detected that the escalator 20 has automatically stopped.

[0040] Furthermore, if a plurality of escalators 20 are installed in a building, when a disaster occurs and the operation of the elevator 10 stops, the monitoring device 40 may send an instruction to the mobile body 30 to stop all of the plurality of escalators 20. In this case, if there is only one mobile body 30 installed in the building, the mobile body 30 first stops the operation of the plurality of escalators 20 while patrolling, and then inspects each escalator one by one, and resumes operation.

[0041] Furthermore, if there are multiple mobile bodies 30 installed in a building, the monitoring device 40 may assign an escalator 20 to be inspected to each mobile body 30, and have each mobile body 30 move toward the assigned escalator 20, send an instruction to stop operation, and perform the inspection process.

[0042] In the above-described embodiment, the passenger conveyor is an escalator, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be, for example, a moving walkway.

[0043] [Effects of the embodiment] According to the above-described embodiment, the monitoring device monitors a building in which an elevator and a passenger conveyor are installed, and is communicatively connected to the elevator and to the passenger conveyor via a mobile object. The monitoring device includes a control unit that, when detecting that operation of either the elevator or the passenger conveyor has stopped due to a disaster, also stops operation of the other.

[0044] This allows the elevators and passenger conveyors to be stopped and safety checked based on the same criteria when a disaster occurs that could cause malfunctions in both the elevators and passenger conveyors in the building, allowing building managers and users to recognize that the need for safety checks is being determined for both elevators and escalators based on the same criteria.

[0045] In addition, since the monitoring device can send instructions to the passenger conveyor via the mobile body, the monitoring device can stop the operation of the passenger conveyor even if the passenger conveyor is not communicatively connected to the monitoring device.

[0046] Furthermore, when the control unit detects that the elevator has stopped operating due to a disaster, the control unit may send an instruction to the moving body to stop the operation of the passenger conveyor and then execute an inspection process. In this way, when the elevator stops due to a disaster or the like due to a safety function generally provided in the elevator, the passenger conveyor can also be stopped and an inspection process can be executed according to the same criteria as the elevator.

[0047] In the event of a disaster and elevator operation being stopped, passengers in the building may use passenger conveyors to evacuate. Passenger conveyors are normally designed to have passengers stand on the steps, but during evacuation, passengers may walk or run on the passenger conveyor steps. Therefore, to prevent passengers from losing their balance and becoming unstable, it is preferable to stop the passenger conveyors in the event of a disaster.

[0048] In addition, passenger conveyors are equipped with a function that automatically stops operation when an internal abnormality that interferes with operation is detected, but they will continue to operate if a factor that could lead to a malfunction, such as a crack in a part due to a disaster, occurs and the level of the malfunction is not such that an automatic shutdown would be required. Therefore, by stopping the passenger conveyor and performing an inspection process when elevator operation is stopped during a disaster, such an event can be discovered and measures such as part replacement can be taken to prevent malfunctions from occurring.

[0049] Furthermore, after transmitting the inspection instruction, the control unit may determine whether or not the passenger conveyor can be operated based on the inspection information transmitted from the mobile body, and if it determines that the passenger conveyor can be operated, may transmit an instruction to resume operation of the passenger conveyor to the mobile body. This allows the operation of the passenger conveyor to be safely resumed without a maintenance worker having to go to the passenger conveyor.

[0050] Furthermore, a plurality of passenger conveyors and a plurality of moving bodies may be installed in a building, and when the control unit detects that an elevator has stopped operating due to a disaster, the control unit may assign a passenger conveyor to be inspected to each moving body, stop the operation of the assigned passenger conveyor, and then perform the inspection process. This allows the inspection process of the passenger conveyors by the moving bodies to be performed efficiently even when a plurality of passenger conveyors and a plurality of moving bodies are installed in a large building.

[0051] The mobile body is communicatively connected to a monitoring device that monitors elevators installed in the building, and is communicatively connected to a passenger conveyor installed in the building. When the monitoring device detects that the elevator has stopped operating due to a disaster and outputs an instruction to stop operation of the passenger conveyor and perform an inspection process, the mobile body is equipped with an inspection processing unit that acquires this instruction, sends a stop instruction to the passenger conveyor, and performs inspection processing of the passenger conveyor.

[0052] This allows passenger conveyors that are not communicatively connected to the monitoring device to be stopped according to the same criteria as elevators in the event of a disaster or other disaster, and inspection procedures can be performed on the moving body.

[0053] The moving body may further include a short-range wireless communication unit that communicates with the passenger conveyor via short-range wireless communication, thereby enabling communication between the moving body and the passenger conveyor with a simple configuration.

[0054] The mobile object may also include at least one of a vibration sensor, a camera device, and a sound collection device, and the inspection processing unit may use these devices to perform the inspection process, thereby enabling the mobile object to perform the inspection process with high accuracy.

[0055] The mobile body may be communicably connected to a plurality of passenger conveyors installed in a building, and upon receiving an instruction, the inspection processing unit may transmit stop instructions to the plurality of passenger conveyors in sequence, and then execute the inspection process for each passenger conveyor. This allows the mobile body to efficiently execute the inspection process for the plurality of passenger conveyors.

[0056] The monitoring system also includes a monitoring device communicatively connected to an elevator installed in a building, and a mobile body communicatively connected to a passenger conveyor installed in the building, and the monitoring device has a control unit that, when it detects that the elevator has stopped operating due to a disaster, sends to the mobile body an instruction to stop the operation of the passenger conveyor and then execute an inspection process, and the mobile body has an inspection processing unit that, when it receives an instruction from the monitoring device, sends a stop instruction to the passenger conveyor and executes an inspection process for the passenger conveyor.

[0057] In addition, the monitoring method monitors a building in which an elevator and a passenger conveyor are installed, and when a monitoring device that is communicatively connected to the elevator and communicatively connected to the passenger conveyor via a mobile body detects that operation of either the elevator or the passenger conveyor has stopped due to a disaster, the operation of the other is also stopped.

[0058] This allows the elevators and passenger conveyors to be stopped according to the same criteria and safety confirmation to be carried out in the event of a disaster that could cause malfunctions in both the elevators and passenger conveyors in the building.

[0059] 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]

[0060] 1... monitoring system, 10... elevator, 11... elevator control device, 20... escalator, 21... escalator control device, 30... moving body, 31... moving mechanism, 32... vibration sensor, 33... camera device, 34... sound collection device, 35... short-range wireless communication unit, 36... mobile body communication unit, 40... monitoring device, 41... monitoring device communication unit, 371... movement control unit, 372... inspection processing unit, 373... escalator instruction unit, 421... elevator monitoring unit, 422... escalator monitoring unit, 423... mobile body information processing unit

Claims

1. A monitoring device that monitors a building in which an elevator and a passenger conveyor are installed, and is communicatively connected to the elevator and communicatively connected to the passenger conveyor via a mobile object, a control unit that, when detecting that the operation of either the elevator or the passenger conveyor has stopped due to a disaster, also stops the operation of the other; When the control unit detects that the elevator has stopped operating due to a disaster, the control unit sends an instruction to the moving body to stop operation of the passenger conveyor and then perform an inspection process.

2. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein after transmitting the instruction, the control unit determines whether or not the passenger conveyor can be operated based on inspection information transmitted from the mobile body, and if it determines that the passenger conveyor can be operated, transmits an instruction to the mobile body to resume operation of the passenger conveyor.

3. a plurality of the passenger conveyors and a plurality of the moving bodies are installed in the building; 2. The monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein, when the control unit detects that the elevator has stopped operating due to a disaster, the control unit assigns a passenger conveyor to be inspected to each moving body, stops operation of the assigned passenger conveyor, and then executes an inspection process.

4. A mobile body communicatively connected to a monitoring device that monitors an elevator installed in a building, and communicatively connected to a passenger conveyor installed in the building, When the monitoring device detects that the elevator has stopped operating due to a disaster and outputs an instruction to stop the operation of the passenger conveyor and perform an inspection process, the mobile body is equipped with an inspection processing unit that acquires this instruction, sends a stop instruction to the passenger conveyor, and performs the inspection process of the passenger conveyor.

5. The moving body according to claim 4 , further comprising a short-range wireless communication unit that communicates with the passenger conveyor via short-range wireless communication.

6. The device includes at least one of a vibration sensor, a camera device, and a sound collection device, The mobile body according to claim 4 , wherein the inspection processing unit executes the inspection process using the device.

7. a communication system connected to a plurality of passenger conveyors installed in the building; The moving body according to claim 4 , wherein the inspection processing unit, upon receiving the instruction, transmits stop instructions to the plurality of passenger conveyors in sequence, and then executes the inspection process for each passenger conveyor.

8. A monitoring device is communicatively connected to an elevator installed in a building, and a mobile object is communicatively connected to a passenger conveyor installed in the building, The monitoring device a control unit that, when detecting that the elevator has stopped operating due to a disaster, transmits to the moving body an instruction to stop operation of the passenger conveyor and then execute an inspection process; The moving body is A monitoring system having an inspection processing unit that, upon receiving the instruction from the monitoring device, sends a stop instruction to the passenger conveyor and executes an inspection process for the passenger conveyor.

9. a monitoring device that monitors a building in which an elevator and a passenger conveyor are installed, the monitoring device being communicatively connected to the elevator and communicatively connected to the passenger conveyor via a mobile object; When it is detected that the operation of either the elevator or the passenger conveyor has stopped due to a disaster, the operation of the other is also stopped.

Images