elevator system

Abstract

To prevent elevator trapping caused by the shortage of a residual quantity of a battery when power is supplied from a vehicle such as an electric automobile in an elevator system.SOLUTION: The elevator system comprises: a power supply input unit 301 to which power charged from a battery-mounted vehicle is supplied from a charging / discharging device 2; a transmission / reception unit 302 that communicates with the charging / discharging device 2; and an elevator control unit 303 that causes a car to start traveling in response to an operation command signal received from the charging / discharging device by the transmission / reception unit 302 when a charging residual quantity of the battery mounted on the battery-mounted vehicle is enough to drive the elevator system for a certain period of time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an elevator system. Mu Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, battery-powered electric vehicles have become increasingly popular, and the installation of charging facilities for electric vehicles in large facilities such as shopping centers, apartment buildings, and office buildings has also become increasingly popular. These charging facilities are usually used to charge electric vehicles, but hybrid electric vehicle charging facilities have also been developed that can switch from charging to discharging in the event of a building power outage, using the electric vehicle's battery to supply power to the facilities within the building.

[0003] On the other hand, many of the buildings mentioned above are equipped with elevators as lifting facilities, and in the event of a power outage, the elevators are often equipped with a battery that will allow them to run to the nearest floor, preventing passengers from being trapped inside. However, the batteries installed in elevators are basically designed to prevent people from becoming trapped and have a small capacity, so once the elevator has reached the nearest floor, it will stop operating until the power is restored.

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses an interlocking control technology that uses a hybrid electric vehicle charging facility to supply power from an electric vehicle to an elevator, allowing the elevator to run even during a power outage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6129061 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As described in Patent Document 1, in the control of power supply to elevators using hybrid electric vehicle charging equipment, it is determined whether power can be supplied to the elevator based on the voltage value supplied from the electric vehicle, and if it is possible, power is supplied to operate the elevator appropriately. However, the voltage alone cannot determine whether the remaining battery power is sufficient to operate the elevator. Therefore, even if the voltage is fine, there may be cases where the capacity is insufficient to operate the elevator for a certain period of time.

[0007] In recent years, elevators have generally been equipped with emergency batteries to operate to the nearest floor in the event of a power outage, but if power outages occur frequently, the emergency battery may run out of power. In this case, if the emergency battery runs out or the elevator is not equipped with an emergency battery, the elevator may stop between floors during a power outage, or the doors may stop at the nearest floor with the doors open or half-open. Therefore, in the event of a power outage, there is a risk of passengers being trapped inside if the power is restarted in an unstable state.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide an elevator system that does not cause elevator entrapment when power is supplied from a vehicle such as an electric vehicle. M The purpose is to provide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, for example, the configurations described in the claims are adopted. The present application includes a plurality of means for solving the above-mentioned problems. One example of such means is a charging / discharging device that is connected to a battery-equipped vehicle and is capable of charging and discharging from the battery-equipped vehicle, and the charging / discharging device operates independently when power can be supplied from the battery-equipped vehicle. power supply This elevator system outputs an establishment signal and an independent operation command signal, and the power stored in the battery-equipped vehicle is is fullThe power input section supplied by the discharge device communicates with the charge / discharge device, and the device operates independently. power supply A transmitter / receiver receives signals including an establishment signal and an independent operation command signal, and when the commercial power supply is interrupted, When the transmitting / receiving unit receives an independent power source establishment signal transmitted from the charging / discharging device, power is supplied from the battery-equipped vehicle, and when the transmitting / receiving unit receives an independent operation command signal transmitted from the charging / discharging device because the remaining charge of the battery mounted in the battery-equipped vehicle is sufficient to operate the elevator system for a certain period of time, an elevator control unit that starts the car running, The elevator control unit prevents the car from starting to travel when the transmitting / receiving unit receives an equipment failure signal indicating that the charging / discharging device has failed or detected an error. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent a shortage of battery capacity in a vehicle connected to a charging / discharging device and to prevent a person from being trapped in an elevator due to a sudden operation. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an elevator system and a charge / discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a control device of an elevator system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing signals transmitted and received between the charging / discharging device and an elevator-side transmitting / receiving unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for supplying battery power to an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a display on a display panel of a charging / discharging device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an elevator system according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an elevator system according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "this embodiment") will be described. M , will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] [Configuration of elevator system and charging / discharging device] First, with reference to FIG. 1, the configuration of an elevator system 3 of this example and a charge / discharge device 2 connected to the elevator system will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the elevator system 3 of this example is configured to receive commercial power via a charge / discharge device 2, and is configured so that the commercial power operates as an input power source under normal circumstances. In addition, an electric vehicle 1 is connected to the charging / discharging device 2, and in the event of a commercial power outage, power from the battery installed in the electric vehicle 1 is supplied from the charging / discharging device 2 to the elevator system 3, causing the elevator system 3 to operate.

[0014] First, the configuration of the charging / discharging device 2 will be described. The charging / discharging device 2 is a hybrid electric vehicle charging facility connected as a backup power source to the building in which the elevator system 3 of this example is installed. The charging / discharging device 2 includes an AC / DC conversion unit 201, a charging unit 202, a charging / discharging switching unit 203, a discharging unit 204, a charging / discharging control unit 205, a battery remaining capacity detection unit 206, a transmitting / receiving unit 207, a power switching unit 208, a charging / discharging connector 210, and a user operation unit 220.

[0015] In the charging / discharging device 2, during normal operation when commercial power is supplied, the AC / DC conversion unit 201 converts the commercial power (an alternating current power supply such as 200 V) into DC power (direct current power supply), and supplies the converted DC power to the charging unit 202. The charging unit 202 supplies the obtained DC power to the electric vehicle 1 connected by the connector 210 via the charging / discharging switching unit 203, and charges the battery mounted on the electric vehicle 1.

[0016] Here, the battery remaining capacity detection unit 206 detects the remaining battery capacity by communicating with the electric vehicle 1 or by monitoring the charging current and charging voltage to the electric vehicle 1, and supplies the detected remaining battery capacity to the charge / discharge control unit 205. The charge / discharge control unit 205 determines whether the remaining battery capacity detected by the battery remaining capacity detection unit 206 is sufficient to drive the elevator system 3 for at least a certain period of time. Normally, the remaining battery capacity and charging / discharging of the electric vehicle 1 are managed by a battery control unit (not shown) mounted on the electric vehicle 1, but the battery remaining capacity detection unit 206 of the charging / discharging device 2 communicates with the battery control unit mounted on the electric vehicle 1 to detect the remaining battery capacity when charging or discharging the battery of the electric vehicle 1. However, the battery remaining capacity detection unit 206 of the charging / discharging device 2 may be configured to detect (estimate) the remaining battery capacity independently from the charging current and charging voltage to the electric vehicle 1.

[0017] Furthermore, the charge / discharge control unit 205 controls switching between charge and discharge, and the start and end of charging and discharging in the charge / discharge switching unit 203. The control of the start and end of charging by the charge / discharge control unit 205 is performed based on the remaining battery capacity detected by the remaining battery capacity detection unit 206 and the operation to start and stop charging by the user operation unit 220. The user operation unit 220 is configured with, for example, a touch panel with a display function, and the user operation unit 220 also displays whether the connector 210 can be disconnected from the electric vehicle 1 or not.

[0018] Furthermore, the power switching unit 208 of the charge / discharge device 2 switches the power supplied to the elevator system 3 in response to a command from the charge / discharge control unit 205. That is, under normal circumstances when commercial power is available, the power switching unit 208 supplies commercial power to the power input unit 301 of the elevator system 3. In addition, in the event of a power outage in the commercial power supply, the power switching unit 208 supplies power supplied from the electric vehicle 1 to the power input unit 301 of the elevator system 3 in response to a command from the charge / discharge control unit 205.

[0019] When power is being supplied from the electric vehicle 1, the charge / discharge control unit 205 switches the charge / discharge switching unit 203 to discharging, and supplies the power from the electric vehicle 1 obtained by the charge / discharge switching unit 203 to the AC / DC conversion unit 201 via the discharge unit 204. The AC / DC conversion unit 201 converts the DC power from the electric vehicle 1 into AC power, and supplies it to the power input unit 301 of the elevator system 3 via the power switching unit 208.

[0020] When power is supplied from the electric vehicle 1, the charge / discharge control unit 205 transmits and receives data to and from the elevator control unit 303 via the transceiver unit 207 of the charge / discharge device 2 and the transceiver unit 302 of the elevator system 3, and then supplies power from the electric vehicle 1. Details of the power supply process performed by transmitting and receiving data between the charge / discharge control unit 205 and the elevator control unit 303 will be described later.

[0021] Next, the configuration of the elevator system 3 will be described. The elevator system 3 includes a power supply input unit 301, a transmitter / receiver unit 302, an elevator control unit 303, a car 304, a hoisting machine 305, a car state detection unit 306, and an emergency battery 307.

[0022] The power input unit 301 receives power from a commercial power source or the electric vehicle 1 from the power switching unit 208 of the charging / discharging device 2. That is, the power input unit 301 performs power input processing and operates the entire elevator system 3 using the power supplied from the power switching unit 208. The transmitting / receiving unit 302 performs transmission and reception processing with the transmitting / receiving unit 207 on the charging / discharging device 2 side. The elevator control unit 303 operates using power supplied to the power input unit 301, and controls elevator operations such as running and stopping the car 304 using the hoisting machine 305, and opening and closing the doors of the car 304.

[0023] Furthermore, elevator control unit 303 transmits and receives data to and from charge / discharge device 2 as needed through communication between transmitting / receiving unit 302 on the elevator system 3 side and transmitting / receiving unit 207 on the charge / discharge device 2 side. Details of data transmission and reception by elevator control unit 303 will be described later.

[0024] Although not shown in the figure, the elevator car 304 is equipped with guide lights, a liquid crystal indicator, and an automatic announcement function to provide guidance and display status to elevator users. The car state detection unit 306 performs processing to determine the operating status of the car 304 of the elevator system 3. That is, the car state detection unit 306 detects, from the state of the hoisting machine 305 and the detection values ​​of sensors installed in the elevator shaft and the car 304, whether the car 304 is traveling between floors, whether it is stopped at each floor, or whether the car door or landing door is open or closed at the floor where it is stopped.

[0025] When a power outage causes a power outage and the power supply to the elevator system 3 is cut off, the emergency battery 307 runs the car 304 to the nearest floor, opens and closes the door, and then stops the car 304. However, the capacity of the emergency battery 307 is only sufficient to run the car 304 to the nearest floor, open and close the door, and then stop the car 304 at least once. Therefore, when the emergency battery 307 runs out of charge, it takes a certain amount of time after the commercial power supply is restored for the emergency battery 307 to be fully charged. Depending on the configuration of the elevator system 3, this emergency battery 307 may not be provided.

[0026] [Elevator control unit hardware configuration example] FIG. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the elevator control unit 303. The elevator control unit 303 can be configured by, for example, a computer which is an information processing device. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the elevator control unit 303 is configured by a computer. The computer serving as the elevator control unit 303 includes a processor, ie, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 303a, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 303b, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 303c, and a non-volatile storage 303d. The nonvolatile storage 303d may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a semiconductor memory. The computer also includes a network interface 303e for transmitting and receiving data to and from other devices, and an input / output unit 303f for exchanging signals with devices in the elevator system 3.

[0027] The CPU 303a executes a program stored in the ROM 303b or the nonvolatile storage 303d in the RAM 303c, thereby configuring a processing unit that executes each process shown in the flowchart of FIG. The nonvolatile storage 303d stores a program that performs processing as the elevator control unit 303, and also stores information necessary for controlling the elevator.

[0028] The network interface 303e has a communication function as the transmitting / receiving unit 302. The input / output unit 303f outputs commands to the hoisting machine 305, inputs signals detected by the car state detection unit 306, and performs transmission and reception processing with each unit in the elevator system 3.

[0029] Although not shown in the drawings, the charge / discharge control unit 205 of the charge / discharge device 2 is also configured with a similar computer. However, the charge / discharge control unit 205 of the charge / discharge device 2 differs from the elevator control unit 303 in that an input unit and a display unit corresponding to the user operation unit 220 are connected to the CPU.

[0030] [Signal transmission and reception relationship between elevator system and charging / discharging device] Fig. 3 shows an example of signals transmitted and received between the transmitting and receiving unit 302 of the elevator system 3 of this example and the transmitting and receiving unit 207 of the charging and discharging device 2. The signals shown in Fig. 3 are an example of a case where the commercial power supply fails and power is supplied to the elevator system 3 from the battery of the electric vehicle 1. Transmission and reception at the transmitting and receiving unit 302 of the elevator system 3 is performed under the control of the elevator control unit 303, and transmission and reception at the transmitting and receiving unit 207 of the charging and discharging device 2 is performed under the control of the charging and discharging control unit 205.

[0031] First, when the charge / discharge device 2 starts supplying power from the electric vehicle 1 to the elevator system 3 , the transmitter / receiver 207 transmits an independent power supply establishment signal 401 in response to an instruction from the charge / discharge control unit 205 . Here, the independent power source establishment signal 401 is assumed to be a signal transmitted from the charging / discharging device 2 at the instruction of the charging / discharging control unit 205, but it may also be a signal received by the power switching unit 208 of the charging / discharging device 2, or a signal received by user operation of the user operation unit 220.

[0032] After the power supply from electric vehicle 1 is established, transceiver unit 207 of charging / discharging device 2 transmits an independent operation command signal 402 to elevator system 3. This independent operation command signal 402 is a signal that indicates to elevator system 3 that it will operate using the power supply from electric vehicle 1. Upon receiving independent operation command signal 402, elevator control unit 303 of elevator system 3 performs constant speed operation, which is a speed slower than the normal steady speed. This makes it possible to reduce deterioration of the battery of electric vehicle 1 due to large current discharge caused by the load current that occurs when elevator system 3 operates at the normal steady speed.

[0033] Furthermore, when power is being supplied from the electric vehicle 1, if the charge / discharge control unit 205 diagnoses the charge / discharge device 2 itself and finds no failure or abnormality, the transmitter / receiver 207 transmits a power receiving equipment normal signal 403. When the transmitter / receiver unit 302 of the elevator system 3 receives the independent power supply establishment signal 401, the independent operation command signal 402, and the power-receiving equipment normal signal 403 explained above, the elevator control unit 303 of the elevator system 3 operates the elevator system 3 in accordance with the power supply from the electric vehicle 1. At this time, the elevator control unit 303 also checks the state of the car 304 detected by the car state detection unit 306.

[0034] Here, when the elevator car 304 is not located between floors or when it has stopped at a floor with the door open, the elevator control unit 303 operates the elevator to the floor position and closes the door while issuing an automatic announcement in the elevator car to alert the user. Then, the elevator-side transmitting / receiving unit 302 transmits an elevator nearest floor operation signal 404 to the charge / discharge device 2. This is done so that the charge / discharge device 2 can start at the floor position with the door closed so that elevator users can board the elevator safely.

[0035] When the charging / discharging device 2 receives the nearest elevator floor operation signal 404, it is possible that the battery of the electric vehicle 1 has been consumed once by driving the elevator to the nearest floor, so it checks again whether the remaining battery capacity is sufficient to operate the elevator system 3, and if so, the transmitting / receiving unit 207 transmits an independent operation re-command signal 405 to the elevator system 3. When elevator control unit 303 determines that car 304 is at the floor position and the doors are closed, and that it can run on power supplied from electric vehicle 1, elevator control unit 303 starts running car 304. In response to this, transmission / reception unit 302 on the elevator side transmits elevator start signal 406 to charging / discharging device 2.

[0036] If the elevator control unit 303 detects a failure or malfunction in the elevator system 3, it transmits an elevator start-up disabled signal 407 to the charging / discharging device 2 through the transmitting / receiving unit 302. Upon receiving this elevator start-up disabled signal 407, the charging / discharging device 2 notifies users such as the building manager and the electric vehicle owner that the elevator is in a start-up disabled state via the user operation unit 220 (step S34). Then, the charging / discharging control unit 205 of the charging / discharging device 2 stops the supply of battery power from the electric vehicle 1 from the power switching unit 208 (step S32).

[0037] [Processing flow when supplied from a vehicle] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing when an elevator is operated by receiving power from the electric vehicle 1 during a power outage using the elevator system 3 and the charge / discharge device 2 of this example. In the flowchart of FIG. 4, the processing in the left half (processing of steps S11, S12, S18-S24, S33) is processing performed by the elevator system 3, and the processing in the right half (processing of steps S13-S17, S25-S32) is processing performed by the charge / discharge device 2.

[0038] First, when a power outage causes a power cut in the building (step S11), the elevator control unit 303 switches to emergency operation using the emergency battery 307, drives the elevator car 304 to the nearest floor, opens and closes the doors to guide passengers out of the elevator, and then stops the elevator (step S12). Next, the charge / discharge control unit 205 of the charge / discharge device 2 determines whether or not power is being supplied from the electric vehicle 1 (step S13). That is, the charge / discharge control unit 205 of the charge / discharge device 2 determines whether or not the electric vehicle 1 is connected in a state in which the electric vehicle 1 is able to discharge to the charge / discharge device 2. If power is not being supplied in step S13 (NO in step S13), the charge / discharge control unit 205 waits and repeats the determination in step S13.

[0039] If power is being supplied from the electric vehicle 1 in step S13 (YES in step S13), the battery remaining capacity detection unit 206 detects the remaining battery capacity of the electric vehicle 1 (step S14). Then, the charge / discharge control unit 205 determines whether the remaining battery capacity is equal to or greater than a preset certain capacity (step S15). In step S15, if the remaining battery capacity is equal to or greater than a certain amount (YES in step S15), the charge / discharge control unit 205 further diagnoses the charge / discharge device 2 to determine whether or not a malfunction or error has occurred in the circuit or processing unit within the charge / discharge device 2 (step S16).

[0040] If it is determined in step S16 that no failure or error has occurred (YES in step S16), the charge / discharge control unit 205 causes the power switching unit 208 to output power from the electric vehicle 1, and starts supplying power from the electric vehicle 1 to the elevator system 3 (step S17). At this time, in response to an instruction from the charge / discharge control unit 205, the transceiver unit 207 transmits the independent power supply establishment signal 401 and the independent operation command signal 402 described in FIG. 3 to the elevator system 3.

[0041] In the elevator system 3, when power is supplied to the power input unit 301 and the transmitter / receiver unit 302 receives the independent power supply establishment signal 401 and the independent operation command signal 402, the elevator control unit 303 detects the stopping position of the elevator car 304 from the detection value of the car state detection unit 306 (step S18). Then, the elevator control unit 303 determines whether the car 304 has stopped at the stopping position (floor position) on each floor and the car door and landing door are closed (step S19). When it is determined in step S19 that the car 304 has stopped at the floor position and the car door and landing door are closed (YES in step S19), the elevator control unit 303 operates to run the car 304 using the supplied power of the electric vehicle 1 (step S22). It is preferable that the car 304 run at a slower speed than normal in order to reduce the burden on the battery.

[0042] Next, elevator control unit 303 monitors the elevator operation in step S22 and determines whether or not there is a part in elevator system 3 where a failure or error has been detected (step S23). If there is no part in elevator system 3 where a failure or error has been detected in step S23 (NO in step S23), elevator control unit 303 transmits elevator start signal 406 (see FIG. 3) from transmitting / receiving unit 302 to charge / discharge device 2 (step S24). Furthermore, if a failure or error is detected in any location in step S23 (YES in step S23), elevator control unit 303 transmits elevator start-unavailable signal 407 (see FIG. 3) from transmitting / receiving unit 302 to charge / discharge device 2 (step S33). User operation unit 220 notifies users such as the building manager or the electric vehicle owner that the elevator cannot be started (step S34). Then, charge / discharge control unit 205 of charge / discharge device 2 stops the supply of battery power from power switching unit 208 of electric vehicle 1 (step S32).

[0043] In step S24, when elevator system 3 transmits elevator start signal 406 to charge / discharge device 2, charge / discharge control unit 205 of charge / discharge device 2 determines whether or not elevator start signal 406 has been received by transmitter / receiver 302 (step S25). In step S25, when elevator start signal 406 has been received (YES in step S25), charge / discharge control unit 205 completes the process of starting power supply.

[0044] On the other hand, when it is determined in step S19 that the car 304 is not stopped at a floor position, or that the car is stopped at a floor position but the door is open (NO in step S19), the elevator control unit 303 runs the car 304 to the nearest floor, and opens the door and then closes it once (step S20). At this time, when the door is opening or closing, an announcement or status display in the car 304 warns elevator users not to use the car 304. Then, when the doors of the elevator car 304 are closed at the nearest floor, the elevator control unit 303 transmits the nearest floor elevator operation signal 404 from the transmitting / receiving unit 302 to the charge / discharge device 2 (step S21).

[0045] After the processes of steps S20 and S21 are performed, the charge / discharge control unit 205 of the charge / discharge device 2 determines in step S25 that it has not received the elevator start signal 406 (NO in step S25). Then, the charge / discharge control unit 205 determines whether it has received the nearest elevator floor operation signal 404 (step S26). If it has not received the nearest elevator floor operation signal 404 in step S26 (NO in step S26), the charge / discharge control unit 205 returns to the determination in step S25.

[0046] Then, when the nearest elevator floor operation signal 404 is received in step S26 (YES in step S26), the remaining battery capacity detection unit 206 detects the remaining battery capacity of the electric vehicle 1 (step S27). Then, the charge / discharge control unit 205 determines whether the remaining battery capacity is equal to or greater than a predetermined capacity (step S28). In step S28, if the remaining battery capacity is equal to or greater than a certain amount (YES in step S28), the charge / discharge control unit 205 further diagnoses the charge / discharge device 2 to determine whether or not a malfunction or error has occurred in the circuit or processing unit within the charge / discharge device 2 (step S29).

[0047] If it is determined in step S29 that no malfunction or error has occurred (YES in step S29), the transceiver unit 207 receives an instruction from the charge / discharge control unit 205 and transmits an independent operation re-command signal 405 (see Figure 3) to the elevator system 3 (step S30). Then, the elevator control unit 303 of the elevator system 3 that has received the independent operation re-command signal 405 executes the processes from step S18 to step S33 already described.

[0048] Furthermore, if the remaining battery capacity is not appropriate in steps S15 and S28 (NO in steps S15 and S28), or if a malfunction or error is detected in steps S16 and S29 (NO in steps S16 and S29), the user operation unit 220 notifies users such as the building manager or the electric vehicle owner that power supply is unavailable (step S31). Then, the charge / discharge control unit 205 of the charge / discharge device 2 stops the supply of battery power from the power switching unit 208 of the electric vehicle 1 (step S32). When the power supply from the electric vehicle 1 is stopped in step S32, the elevator system 3 is in a state where the car 304 is stopped at the floor position with the doors closed, so elevator users cannot enter or exit the car 304, and no one will be trapped inside the elevator car.

[0049] [Example of user operation panel display] FIG. 5 shows an example of a display on the display panel 221 of the user operation unit 220. As shown in FIG. 5A shows an example of a state in which power is being supplied from electric vehicle 1 to an elevator. At this time, display panel 221 displays a message that the building is experiencing a power outage and a message 222 that power is being supplied from the electric vehicle to the elevator.

[0050] 5B shows an example in which the remaining battery charge of electric vehicle 1 drops below a certain level. At this time, display panel 221 displays a message that the building is experiencing a power outage and a message 223 that the elevator has stopped due to low battery charge in the electric vehicle.

[0051] [Effects of this embodiment] By performing the processing described above, in the elevator system 3 of this example, the elevator car 304 of the elevator system 3 can be run only when the remaining battery capacity of the electric vehicle 1 is sufficient.

[0052] When the transmitter / receiver 302 on the elevator system 3 side receives an equipment failure signal indicating a failure or error detection from the charge / discharge device 2, the elevator control unit 303 does not generate the elevator start signal 406. As a result, when there is a malfunction in the charge / discharge device 2, no power is supplied from the charge / discharge device 2 side, thereby preventing unstable elevator operation.

[0053] Furthermore, when power supply from electric vehicle 1 starts to power input unit 301, if the state of the elevator car detected by car state detection unit 306 is not at any floor, elevator control unit 303 uses the supplied power to land the car at the nearest floor and open the door. Since elevator control unit 303 prioritizes rescuing passengers using the supplied power, it is possible to reliably rescue elevator passengers and prevent elevator entrapment.

[0054] Furthermore, when power is being supplied from the electric vehicle 1, the elevator control unit 303 limits the travel speed of the car 304 to prevent deterioration of the battery installed in the electric vehicle 1. This allows the elevator system 3 to save the power required for travel and enables battery operation for a long period of time.

[0055] [Variations] The embodiment examples described so far have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described.

[0056] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the charging / discharging device 2 is configured to have a built-in power switching unit 208 that switches power to the elevator system 3, but the power switching unit 208 that switches power to the elevator system 3 may also be provided outside the charging / discharging device 2. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, a power switching unit 208′ may be provided separately from the charge / discharge device 2′, and the power switching unit 208′ may switch between the commercial power supply to the elevator system 3 and the power supply from the electric vehicle 1 in response to an instruction from the charge / discharge control unit 205 of the charge / discharge device 2′.

[0057] 6, user operation unit 220′ may be separate from charging / discharging device 2′. In this case, user operation unit 220′ may be a terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a computer terminal carried by the user. Charging / discharging device 2′ does not include power switching unit 208 and user operation unit 220, and other configurations are the same as those of charging / discharging device 2 shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the processes performed by power switching unit 208′ and user operation unit 220′ are the same as the processes performed by power switching unit 208 and user operation unit 220 shown in Fig. 1.

[0058] In addition, in the configurations of FIGS. 1 and 6, the elevator system 3 is provided with the emergency battery 307, but the present invention may be applied to an elevator system that does not include the emergency battery 307.

[0059] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the charge / discharge control unit 205 of the charge / discharge device 2 determines whether the remaining battery capacity detected by the battery remaining capacity detection unit 206 is sufficient to drive the elevator system 3 for at least a certain period of time, but the remaining battery capacity determined here may be adjustable by the elevator system 3 to which it is connected.

[0060] For example, the remaining charge required for operation for a certain period of time may be set based on the number of floors the elevator can move to. Specifically, in the case of an elevator system that ascends and descends to high floors, the charge / discharge control unit 205 determines the remaining charge amount as a relatively large amount, and determines whether or not the elevator can continue to ascend and descend to high floors for a certain period of time. On the other hand, in the case of an elevator system that only moves up and down between the lower floors, the charge / discharge control unit 205 determines the remaining charge amount as a relatively small amount, and determines whether or not the elevator can be operated between the lower floors for a certain period of time. In this way, by adjusting the remaining charge determined by the charge / discharge control unit 205, it becomes possible to appropriately supply power to elevators installed in various buildings.

[0061] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the vehicle connected to the charging / discharging device 2 is an electric vehicle, but the electric vehicle here includes various vehicles equipped with a battery, such as a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine and a motor and in which the battery stores electricity.

[0062] In addition, in the configuration shown in FIG. 1 and the flowchart shown in FIG. 4, the elevator control unit 303 provided in the elevator system 3 performs processing in the event of a power outage, but a program implemented in the control unit of an existing elevator system may be modified to perform similar processing. In this case, the program may be stored in a non-volatile storage or memory within the computer that constitutes the elevator control unit 303 shown in Figure 2, or it may be stored on a recording medium such as an external memory, IC card, SD card, or optical disk and transferred. Furthermore, some or all of the functions performed by the elevator control unit 303 may be realized by dedicated hardware such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0063] In addition, the configuration diagrams shown in Figures 1 and 6 only show control lines and information lines that are considered necessary for explanation, and do not necessarily show all control lines and information lines in the product. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. Also, with regard to the flowchart shown in Figure 4, the processing order may be changed or multiple processes may be executed simultaneously as long as the processing results are the same. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1...electric vehicle, 2, 2'...charging / discharging device, 3...elevator system, 201...AC / DC conversion unit, 202...charging unit, 203...charging / discharging switching unit, 204...discharging unit, 205...charging / discharging control unit, 206...battery remaining capacity detection unit, 207...transmitting / receiving unit, 208, 208'...power switching unit, 210...charging / discharging connector, 220, 220'...user operation unit, 221...display panel, 223...electric vehicle disconnection button, 301...power input unit, 302...transmitting / receiving unit, 303...elevator control unit, 303a...CPU, 303b...ROM, 303c...RAM, 303d...non-volatile storage, 303e...network interface, 303f...input / output unit, 305...hoisting machine, 306...car state detection unit, 307...emergency battery, 401...independent power supply establishment signal, 402...independent operation command signal, 403...power receiving equipment normal signal, 404...elevator nearest floor operation signal, 405...independent operation re-command signal, 406...elevator start signal, 407...elevator start impossible signal

Claims

1. an elevator system connected to a charging / discharging device capable of charging a battery-equipped vehicle and discharging from the battery-equipped vehicle, the charging / discharging device outputting an independent power supply establishment signal and an independent operation command signal when power supply from the battery-equipped vehicle is possible; a power supply input unit to which the electric power charged in the battery-equipped vehicle is supplied from the charging / discharging device; a transceiver unit that communicates with the charging / discharging device and receives signals including the independent power source establishment signal and the independent operation command signal; an elevator control unit that supplies power from the battery-equipped vehicle when the transmitting / receiving unit receives the independent power source establishment signal transmitted from the charging / discharging device during a commercial power outage, and starts running the elevator car when the transmitting / receiving unit receives the independent operation command signal transmitted from the charging / discharging device because the remaining charge of the battery mounted in the battery-equipped vehicle is sufficient to drive the elevator system for a certain period of time, The elevator control unit prevents the elevator car from starting to travel when the transmitting / receiving unit receives an equipment failure signal indicating that the charging / discharging device has failed or detected an error. Elevator system.

2. A car state detection unit is provided for detecting the state of the car, When the power supply input unit starts to receive power from the battery-equipped vehicle, and when the car state detection unit detects that the car has not landed at any floor, the elevator control unit lands the car at the nearest floor using the power supplied from the battery-equipped vehicle and opens the door.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

3. The elevator control unit sets the running speed of the elevator car to a speed lower than a normal operating speed when power is supplied from the battery-equipped vehicle.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

Images