Elevator control device and elevator control system

Abstract

The present invention provides an elevator control device that can more effectively balance two functions when multiple elevator cars in a multi-deck elevator cannot land simultaneously: stopping the operation of multiple cars after passengers have disembarked at an evacuation floor, and stopping the operation of multiple cars at a position that allows workers to enter and exit the pit. [Solution] The system includes a first control unit 131 that, upon receiving first information, performs a first control operation by moving at least one of the multiple elevator cars to the evacuation floor and stopping the operation of the multiple elevator cars; a calculation unit 140 that, after performing the first control operation, calculates the distance between pits, which is the distance between the lower end of the lowest elevator car among the multiple elevator cars and the floor surface of the pit; a determination unit 150 that determines whether the distance between pits is equal to or greater than a set distance; and a second control unit 132 that, upon receiving second information and determining that the distance between pits is equal to or greater than a set distance, performs a second control operation by continuing to stop the operation of the multiple elevator cars.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an elevator control device and an elevator control system.

Background Art

[0002] In a conventional double-deck elevator, in the event of a fire, if the lower car and the upper car cannot land simultaneously due to differences in floor height, etc., one car is moved to the evacuation floor, the passengers in the other car are alighted, then the other car is moved to the evacuation floor, the passengers in the other car are alighted, and then both cars are stopped from operating. This control operation is known. In this control operation, the other car from which the passengers were alighted later stops operating while landing on the evacuation floor, and the one car from which the passengers were alighted earlier stops operating while positioned between the evacuation floor where the other car landed and a floor different from that evacuation floor.

[0003] Also, Patent Document 1 discloses an elevator control device that evacuates the car to the evacuation floor and stops the operation when the rainfall reaches a level where there is a possibility of the pit flooding. In this case, it is desirable that the evacuation floor be a floor above the lowest floor. This is to prevent workers from entering the pit to work when the pit floods.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Consider a scenario in a conventional multi-deck elevator, such as a double-deck elevator, where multiple cars are vertically connected, where a fire prevents multiple cars from landing simultaneously and the pit is flooded at the same time. In this case, the aforementioned fire control operation and the control of the conventional elevator control device for when the pit is flooded, as described in Patent Document 1, will be performed. If the lowest floor of the building and the floor directly above the lowest floor are designated as evacuation floors in the event of a fire, the fire control operation may cause the lowest car among the connected multiple cars to stop operating when it is positioned between the floor directly above the lowest floor and the lowest floor (i.e., the car one level above the lower car has landed on the floor directly above the lowest floor). If the lower car stops operating while positioned between the floor directly above the lowest floor and the lowest floor, even if that position does not prevent workers from entering the pit and performing work, the control of the elevator control device described in Patent Document 1 will move the lower car to the floor directly above it. If the pit is flooded, there is a concern that unintended short circuits may occur in the electrical circuits, causing equipment installed in the elevator shaft to malfunction. Therefore, the movement of the elevator car should be kept to a minimum, and such control measures may be undesirable.

[0006] Therefore, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide an elevator control device and elevator system that can more effectively balance control that stops the operation of multiple vertically connected elevator cars in a multi-deck elevator after passengers have disembarked at an evacuation floor, and control that stops the operation of multiple elevator cars at a position where workers can enter and exit the pit, when multiple cars connected vertically in a multi-deck elevator cannot land simultaneously. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The elevator control device according to this disclosure includes: a first receiving unit that receives first information indicating that it is necessary to stop the operation of a plurality of vertically connected cars provided in a multi-deck elevator at a predetermined evacuation floor; a second receiving unit that receives second information indicating that it is necessary for workers to check the pit in the hoistway where the multi-deck elevator is installed; a first control unit that, when the first receiving unit receives the first information, performs a first control operation by moving at least one of the plurality of cars to the evacuation floor and stopping the operation of the plurality of cars; a calculation unit that, after the first control unit has performed the first control operation, calculates the distance between pits, which is the distance between the lower end of the lowest car among the plurality of cars and the floor surface of the pit; a determination unit that determines whether the distance between pits calculated by the calculation unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined set distance; and a second control unit that, when the second receiving unit receives the second information and the determination unit determines that the distance between pits is equal to or greater than the set distance, performs a second control operation by continuing to stop the operation of the plurality of cars.

[0008] The elevator system relating to this disclosure is an elevator system comprising a plurality of vertically connected cars and an elevator control device installed in a multi-deck elevator, wherein the elevator control device includes a first receiving unit that receives first information indicating that the plurality of cars need to be stopped at a predetermined evacuation floor, a second receiving unit that receives second information indicating that the pit in the hoistway where the multi-deck elevator is installed needs to be checked by a worker, and when the first receiving unit receives the first information, as a first control operation, at least one of the plurality of cars The system includes a first control unit that moves at least one elevator car to the evacuation floor and stops the operation of multiple elevator cars, a calculation unit that calculates the distance between pits, which is the distance between the lower end of the lowest elevator car among the multiple elevator cars and the floor of the pit, after the first control unit has performed the first control operation, a determination unit that determines whether the distance between pits calculated by the calculation unit is equal to or greater than a preset distance, and a second control unit that, when the second receiving unit receives the second information and the determination unit determines that the distance between pits is equal to or greater than the preset distance, continues to stop the operation of multiple elevator cars as a second control operation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the elevator control device and elevator system disclosed herein, when multiple vertically connected elevator cars in a multi-deck elevator cannot land simultaneously, it is possible to more effectively achieve both control to stop the operation of multiple cars after passengers have disembarked at an evacuation floor and control to stop the operation of multiple cars at a position where workers can enter and exit the pit. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a functional configuration diagram of the elevator system according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This is a side view of a multi-deck elevator according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] This is a side view of a multi-deck elevator according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows an example of processing performed by the elevator control device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows an example of processing performed by the elevator control device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 6] This is a functional configuration diagram of the elevator system according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows an example of processing performed by the elevator control device according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 8] This is a hardware configuration diagram of the elevator control device according to Embodiment 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Embodiment 1. The elevator control device and elevator system according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. Note that the same reference numerals in each drawing represent the same or equivalent components.

[0012] Figure 1 is a functional configuration diagram of the elevator system 1 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in Figure 1, the elevator system 1 comprises a lower car 10a, an upper car 10b, and an elevator control device 100.

[0013] Figure 2 is a side view of the multi-deck elevator 1000. The multi-deck elevator 1000 comprises a lower car 10a and an upper car 10b (when referring to either car without specific designation, they will be referred to as car 10), a second detection unit 30, a hoisting machine 50, a main rope 60, a deflector 70, and a counterweight 75. The multi-deck elevator 1000 is an elevator having multiple cars 10 connected in the vertical direction, and the number of connected cars 10 may be two or more. In the following description, "multiple cars 10" refers to all cars 10 connected in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the multi-deck elevator 1000 will be described as a double-deck elevator having a lower car 10a and an upper car 10b connected in the vertical direction.

[0014] A building in which a multi-deck elevator 1000 is installed (hereinafter simply referred to as "the building") is provided with an elevator shaft 42 for the elevator car 10 to move up and down. The elevator shaft 42 is a space that extends vertically across multiple floors. Hereafter, the area vertically above will be referred to as "up," and the area vertically below will be referred to as "down."

[0015] Furthermore, a first detection unit 20 is installed in the building. The first detection unit 20 detects when a state is reached in the building where multiple elevator cars 10 need to be stopped at a predetermined evacuation floor (hereinafter referred to as the first state). The first state is, for example, a fire or earthquake occurring in the building. In this embodiment, the first state is assumed to be a fire occurring in the building, and the first detection unit 20 is assumed to be a fire detection device. Also, the first detection unit 20 is assumed to be installed on each of the multiple floors. When the first detection unit 20 detects the first state, it transmits first information indicating that multiple elevator cars 10 need to be stopped to the first receiving unit 110, which will be described later.

[0016] In addition, a landing 80 is provided on each of the multiple floors. The landing 80 is provided with a landing entrance and exit (not shown) for passengers to board the car 10 and a landing door (not shown) for opening and closing the landing entrance and exit. Among the landings 80, the landing 80 provided on the lowest floor is called the lowest floor landing 80a, and the landing 80 provided on the floor immediately above the lowest floor is called the immediately above floor landing 80b. In the following description, the floor immediately above the lowest floor is simply referred to as the immediately above floor. Also, it is assumed that the floor height from the lowest floor to the immediately above floor is higher than the other floor heights.

[0017] In the hoistway 42, the counterweight 75 for balancing the lower car 10a and the upper car 10b is suspended by the main rope 60.

[0018] The car 10 is provided with a car entrance and exit (not shown) for passengers to board the car 10 and a car door (not shown) for opening and closing the car entrance and exit. The upper end of the lower car 10a is connected to the lower end of the upper car 10b. Note that the lower car 10a may be connected to the upper car 10b via a floor adjustment device (not shown) for adjusting the distance between the upper car 10b and the lower car 10a, but in this embodiment, the description will be made assuming that the lower car 10a is directly connected to the upper car 10b without passing through the floor adjustment device.

[0019] One end of the main rope 60 is connected to the upper end of the upper car 10b and wound around a drive sheave (not shown) of the hoisting machine 50 and the deflecting pulley 70. A counterweight 75 is connected to the other end of the main rope 60.

[0020] A machine room 41 is provided vertically above the hoistway 42. The machine room 41 houses a hoisting machine 50 and a deflector wheel 70. An elevator control device 100 is also provided in the machine room 41. Alternatively, the hoisting machine 50, deflector wheel 70, and elevator control device 100 may be located within the hoistway 42, and the machine room 41 may not be provided. The elevator control device 100, which will be described later, controls the hoisting machine 50, which is connected to the upper car 10b via the main rope 60. The hoisting machine 50 raises and lowers the upper car 10b and lower car 10a and the counterweight 75, which are connected to the main rope 60, by rotating a drive sheave (not shown) with a motor (not shown).

[0021] The hoisting machine 50 is equipped with a position detection unit 55. The position detection unit 55 detects the vertical position of the multiple cars 10 based on the amount of rotation of the drive sheave (not shown) of the hoisting machine 50. The method of detecting the position of the cars 10 by the position detection unit 55 is not limited to the method of detection based on the amount of rotation of the drive sheave. For example, the position detection unit 55 may be provided on the car 10 and detect the absolute vertical position of the car 10 by reading the vertical position information within the hoistway 42 attached to a linear scale (not shown) provided in the hoistway 42. The position detection unit 55 transmits the information indicating the detected position of the car 10 to a calculation unit 140, which will be described later.

[0022] A pit 43 is provided vertically below the elevator shaft 42. The pit 43 is located below the floor surface of the lowest floor where the lower elevator car 10a lands. The floor surface of the pit 43 is called the pit floor surface 43a. A second detection unit 30 is provided on the pit floor surface 43a. The second detection unit 30 detects a condition in the pit 43 where it is necessary for a worker to inspect the pit 43 (hereinafter referred to as the second condition). The second condition is, for example, a condition in which the pit 43 is flooded, and the second detection unit 30 is, for example, a sensor that detects flooding inside the pit 43. When the second detection unit 30 detects the second condition, it transmits second information indicating that it is necessary for a worker to inspect the pit 43 to the second receiving unit 120, which will be described later.

[0023] The elevator control device 100 comprises a first receiving unit 110, a second receiving unit 120, a control unit 130, a calculation unit 140, and a determination unit 150. The elevator control device 100 also includes a storage unit (not shown) and processes information stored in the storage unit as appropriate.

[0024] The first receiving unit 110 receives first information from the first detection unit 20 indicating that it is necessary to stop the operation of multiple vertically connected cars 10 installed in the multi-deck elevator 1000 at a preset evacuation floor (i.e., it is in a first state). Upon receiving the first information, the first receiving unit 110 transmits a first reception signal indicating that it has received the first information to the first control unit 131, which will be described later.

[0025] The second receiving unit 120 receives second information from the second detection unit 30 indicating that the pit 43 of the hoistway 42 where the multi-deck elevator 1000 is installed requires inspection by a worker (i.e., it is in a second state). Upon receiving the second information, the second receiving unit 120 transmits a second reception signal to the first control unit 131 indicating that the second information has been received.

[0026] The control unit 130 controls the multi-deck elevator 1000, including the control of the hoisting machine 50. The control unit 130 comprises a first control unit 131 and a second control unit 132.

[0027] When the first receiving unit 110 receives first information, that is, when the first control unit 131 receives a first received signal from the first receiving unit 110, the first control unit 131 instructs the first control operation.

[0028] The first control unit 131, as the first controlled operation, moves at least one of the multiple elevator cars 10 to a predetermined evacuation floor, allows the passengers in that car to disembark at the evacuation floor, and then stops the operation of the multiple elevator cars 10. The evacuation floor is preferably a floor with an entrance to the building, and in this embodiment, the lowest floor and the floor directly above the lowest floor are set as the evacuation floors. The first control unit 131 may move all elevator cars 10, including those without passengers, to the evacuation floor in order, or it may move only the elevator cars 10 with passengers to the evacuation floor. After performing the first controlled operation, the first control unit 131 transmits a first execution signal to the calculation unit 140 indicating that the first controlled operation has been performed.

[0029] The calculation unit 140 calculates the pit distance D, which is the distance between the lower end of the lower car 10a, which is located at the bottom of the multiple cars 10, and the pit floor surface 43a, after the first control unit 131 has performed the first control operation, that is, after receiving the first execution signal from the first control unit 131. The method for calculating the pit distance D is not particularly limited, but for example, as shown in Figure 2, when the upper car 10b is docked on a floor of a certain landing 80, the pit distance D is obtained by subtracting the distance from the lower end of the upper car 10b to the lower end of the lower car 10a (i.e., the distance from the upper end to the lower end of the lower car 10a) from the distance between the floor surface of the landing 80 where the upper car 10b is docked and the pit floor surface 43a. The distance between the floor surface of each landing 80 and the pit floor surface 43a, and the distance from the lower end of the upper car 10b to the lower end of the lower car 10a may be stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown). Furthermore, the floor of the landing 80 on which the upper car 10b has landed may be determined using information indicating the position of the car 10 detected by the position detection unit 55. The calculation unit 140 transmits the calculated pit-to-pit distance D to the determination unit 150.

[0030] The determination unit 150 determines whether the pit-to-pit distance D calculated by the calculation unit 140 is greater than or equal to a preset distance Ds. The preset distance Ds is the distance between the lower end of the lower cage 10a and the pit floor surface 43a, which allows workers to enter and exit the pit 43, and is arbitrarily set by the manufacturer or maintenance company of the multi-deck elevator 1000. The preset distance Ds is stored, for example, in a memory unit (not shown). After the determination, the determination unit 150 transmits determination information indicating the determination result to the second control unit 132.

[0031] When the second receiving unit 120 receives second information, that is, when the second control unit 132 receives a second receiving signal from the second receiving unit 120 and obtains determination information from the determination unit 150, the second control unit 132 performs second control operation based on the determination result indicated by the determination information. When the determination unit 150 determines that the distance D between pits is greater than or equal to the set distance Ds, the second control unit 132 continues to stop the operation of multiple elevator cars 10 as second control operation.

[0032] If the determination unit 150 determines that the distance D between pits is less than the set distance Ds, the second control unit 132 moves the lower car 10a to the floor directly above and stops the operation of multiple cars 10 as a second controlled operation.

[0033] An example of processing in the elevator control device 100 and the operation of the multi-deck elevator 1000 controlled by the elevator control device 100 will be explained in detail. In the following explanation, the lowest floor of the building will be considered to be the 1st floor. Also, the floor height from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor will be higher than the floor height from the 2nd floor to the 3rd floor, and from the 3rd floor to the 4th floor, etc. In this explanation, it is assumed that passengers are on board the upper car 10b and the lower car 10a, with the upper car 10b located on the 3rd floor and the lower car 10a located on the 2nd floor.

[0034] When the first receiving unit 110 receives the first information, the first control unit 131 instructs the first control operation to have the passengers in the elevator car 10 disembark at the lowest floor or the floor directly above, and then to stop the operation of multiple elevator cars 10. The specific instructions of the first control unit 131 will be explained below.

[0035] Figure 3 is a side view of the multi-deck elevator 1000. The first control unit 131 first controls the evacuation of passengers in the lower car 10a. As shown in Figure 3, the first control unit 131 brings the lower car 10a to the lowest floor, the 1st floor. Then, it opens the car door (not shown) of the lower car 10a. When the lower car 10a reaches the lowest floor, the car door of the lower car 10a engages with the landing door (not shown) of the lowest floor landing 80a, so when the car door opens, the landing door also opens simultaneously. After the passengers in the lower car 10a have disembarked, the first control unit 131 closes the car door of the lower car 10a. When the car door of the lower car 10a is closed, the landing door of the lowest floor landing 80a also closes simultaneously in conjunction with the movement of the car door.

[0036] Next, the first control unit 131 controls the evacuation of passengers in the upper car 10b. As shown in Figure 2, the first control unit 131 causes the upper car 10b to land on the floor directly above, the 2nd floor. Then, it opens the car door (not shown) of the upper car 10b and the landing door (not shown) of the landing 80b on the floor directly above. After the passengers in the upper car 10b have disembarked, the first control unit 131 closes the car door of the lower car 10a and the landing door of the landing 80b on the floor directly above, stopping the operation of both the lower car 10a and the upper car 10b. In this case, the upper car 10b stops at the 2nd floor, and the lower car 10a stops at a position between the lowest floor, the 1st floor, and the floor directly above, the 2nd floor. The reason why the lower car 10a stops operating at a location between the lowest floor (1st floor) and the floor directly above it (2nd floor) is that the lower car 10a is directly connected to the upper car 10b without going through an inter-floor adjustment device, and the floor height from the lowest floor (1st floor) to the floor directly above it (2nd floor) is higher than the other floor heights. After stopping the lower car 10a and the upper car 10b, the first control unit 131 transmits a first execution signal to the calculation unit 140 indicating that the first controlled operation has been performed.

[0037] After the first control unit 131 has performed the first control operation, that is, after the calculation unit 140 has received the first execution signal from the first control unit 131, the calculation unit 140 calculates the pit distance D, which is the distance between the lower end of the lower cage 10a that has been stopped by the first control unit 131 and the pit floor surface 43a. The calculation unit 140 transmits the calculated pit distance D to the determination unit 150. The determination unit 150 determines whether the pit distance D calculated by the calculation unit 140 is greater than or equal to a preset set distance Ds that allows workers to enter and exit the pit 43, and transmits determination information indicating the determination result to the second control unit 132.

[0038] When the second receiving unit 120 receives the second information and the second control unit 132 obtains determination information from the determination unit 150, the second control unit 132 performs the second control operation based on the determination result indicated by the determination information. First, let's explain the case where the determination information indicates that the distance D between pits is greater than or equal to the set distance Ds. In this case, the second control unit 132 continues to stop the operation of the lower car 10a and the upper car 10b as the second control operation. That is, the lower car 10a continues to stop operation at a position between the lowest floor (1st floor) and the floor directly above (2nd floor), and the upper car 10b continues to stop operation at the 2nd floor.

[0039] Next, we will explain the case where the judgment information indicates that the distance D between pits is less than the set distance Ds. In this case, the second control unit 132 moves the lower car 10a to the second floor, which is the floor directly above it, as a second controlled operation. When the lower car 10a is moved to the second floor, the upper car 10b connected to the lower car 10a also moves at the same time, and the upper car 10b moves, for example, between the second and third floors. After moving the lower car 10a to the second floor, which is the floor directly above it, the second control unit 132 stops the lower car 10a at the second floor position and stops the upper car 10b at a position between the second and third floors.

[0040] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing performed by the elevator control device 100. The operation of the elevator control device 100 will be explained using Figure 4.

[0041] In step S110, the first control unit 131 determines whether the first receiving unit 110 has received the first information. Whether the first receiving unit 110 has received the first information is determined by whether the first control unit 131 has received the first receiving signal from the first receiving unit 110. If it is determined that the first receiving unit 110 has received the first information, the process proceeds to step S120. If it is determined that the first receiving unit 110 has not received the first information, the process proceeds back to step S110.

[0042] In step S120, the first control unit 131, as a first controlled operation, moves at least one of the multiple elevator cars 10 to a predetermined evacuation floor, evacuates the passengers in that elevator car 10 to the evacuation floor, and then stops the operation of the multiple elevator cars 10. After performing the first controlled operation, the first control unit 131 transmits a first execution signal to the calculation unit 140 indicating that the first controlled operation has been performed.

[0043] In step S130, the calculation unit 140 calculates the pit distance D, which is the distance between the lower end of the lower cage 10a (which has been stopped by the first control unit 131) and the pit floor surface 43a, after the calculation unit 140 has received the first execution signal from the first control unit 131. The calculation unit 140 transmits the calculated pit distance D to the determination unit 150.

[0044] In step S140, the determination unit 150 determines whether the pit-to-pit distance D calculated by the calculation unit 140 is greater than or equal to a preset distance Ds that allows workers to enter and exit the pit 43. If the determination unit 150 determines that the pit-to-pit distance D is greater than or equal to the preset distance Ds, it transmits determination information indicating that the pit-to-pit distance D is greater than or equal to the preset distance Ds to the second control unit 132 and proceeds to step S150. If the determination unit 150 determines that the pit-to-pit distance D is less than the preset distance Ds, it transmits determination information indicating that the pit-to-pit distance D is less than the preset distance Ds to the second control unit 132 and proceeds to step S170.

[0045] In step S150, the second control unit 132 determines whether the second receiving unit 120 has received the second information. Whether the second receiving unit 120 has received the second information is determined by whether the second control unit 132 has received a second reception signal from the second receiving unit 120. If it is determined that the second receiving unit 120 has received the second information, the process proceeds to step S160. If it is determined that the second receiving unit 120 has not received the second information, the process is terminated.

[0046] In step S160, the second control unit 132 continues to shut down the operation of the multiple elevator cars 10 as a second control operation and terminates the process.

[0047] In step S170, similar to the process in step S150, the second control unit 132 determines whether the second receiving unit 120 has received the second information. If it determines that the second receiving unit 120 has received the second information, the process proceeds to step S180. If it determines that the second receiving unit 120 has not received the second information, the process is terminated.

[0048] In step S180, the second control unit 132, as a second control operation, moves the lower car 10a to the floor directly above, then stops the operation of multiple cars 10, and ends the process.

[0049] In Figure 4, for convenience, the processing of steps S150 and S170 is shown to occur after the processing of step S140, but this embodiment is not limited to this example. The processing of steps S150 and S170 may be performed before the processing of step S140. Since steps S150 and S170 perform the same processing, if the processing of steps S150 and S170 is performed before the processing of step S140, only one of steps S150 or S170 needs to be performed. By performing the processing of step S150 or step S170 before the processing of step S130, if the second receiving unit 120 has not received the second information, the processing of steps S130 and S140 in the calculation unit 140 and the determination unit 150 can be omitted.

[0050] As described above, in Embodiment 1, when the first receiving unit 110 receives first information, the first control unit 131 of the elevator control device 100 performs a first control operation by moving at least one of the multiple elevator cars 10 to a predetermined evacuation floor and stopping the operation of the multiple elevator cars 10. After the first control unit 131 performs the first control operation, the calculation unit 140 calculates the pit distance D, which is the distance between the lower end of the lowest elevator car among the multiple elevator cars 10 and the pit floor surface 43a. The determination unit 150 determines whether the pit distance D calculated by the calculation unit 140 is greater than or equal to a predetermined set distance Ds that allows workers to enter and exit the pit 43. Then, when the second receiving unit 120 receives second information and the determination unit 150 determines that the pit distance D is greater than or equal to the set distance Ds, the second control unit 132 performs a second control operation by continuing to stop the operation of the multiple elevator cars 10 (i.e., continuing the first control operation). This makes it possible to prevent the lower car 10a from moving, even when the multiple vertically connected cars 10 in the multi-deck elevator 1000 cannot land simultaneously, and the lower car 10a is positioned so as not to obstruct workers entering and exiting the pit 43, thus contradicting the control that stops the operation of the multiple cars 10 after passengers have disembarked at the evacuation floor. In other words, it becomes possible to achieve a better balance between the control that stops the operation of the multiple cars 10 after passengers have disembarked at the evacuation floor and the control that stops the operation of the multiple cars 10 at a position that allows workers to enter and exit the pit 43.

[0051] Furthermore, if the determination unit 150 determines that the distance D between pits is less than the set distance Ds, the second control unit 132 moves the lower elevator car 10a to the floor directly above and stops the operation of multiple elevator cars 10. This ensures that if the position of the lower elevator car 10a after the first control operation is such that workers cannot enter or exit the pit 43, moving the lower elevator car 10a to the floor directly above will secure space for workers to enter and exit the pit 43.

[0052] In this embodiment, the case in which multiple vertically connected elevator cars 10 installed in the multi-deck elevator 1000 cannot land simultaneously is assumed to be when the floor height from the lowest floor of the building to the floor directly above is higher than the floor heights of other floors, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The case in which multiple connected elevator cars 10 are connected via an inter-floor adjustment device and the inter-floor adjustment device malfunctions can also be assumed to be a case in which multiple connected elevator cars 10 cannot land simultaneously.

[0053] In the above embodiment, the second control unit 132, when the determination unit 150 determines that the distance D between pits is less than the set distance Ds, moves the lower car 10a to the floor directly above and stops the operation of multiple cars 10 as a second control operation, but the embodiment is not limited to this. The second control unit 132 may also, when the determination unit 150 determines that the distance D between pits is less than the set distance Ds, move the lower car 10a to a position where the distance D between pits is greater than or equal to the set distance Ds as a second control operation.

[0054] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing performed by the elevator control device 100 in this case. Using Figure 5, we will explain the process of moving the lower car 10a to a position where the pit-to-pit distance D is greater than or equal to the set distance Ds, as part of the second control operation. Note that in the flowchart of Figure 5, it is assumed that the processes from steps S110 to S130 shown in Figure 4 have already been performed. Also, steps S140 to S160 shown in Figure 5 are the same as the processes from steps S140 to S160 shown in Figure 4, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0055] In step S170, the second control unit 132 determines whether the second receiving unit 120 has received the second information. If it determines that the second receiving unit 120 has received the second information, the process proceeds to step S191. If it determines that the second receiving unit 120 has not received the second information, the process is terminated.

[0056] In step S191, the second control unit 132 moves the lower basket 10a upward. The second control unit 132 moves the lower basket 10a upward by, for example, a predetermined distance. After moving the lower basket 10a, the second control unit 132 transmits a movement signal to the calculation unit 140 indicating that the lower basket 10a has been moved.

[0057] In step S192, the calculation unit 140 receives a movement signal from the second control unit 132 and calculates the pit distance D, which is the distance between the lower end of the lower basket 10a that has been moved upward by the second control unit 132 and the pit floor surface 43a. The calculation unit 140 transmits the calculated pit distance D to the determination unit 150.

[0058] In step S193, the determination unit 150 determines whether the pit-to-pit distance D calculated by the calculation unit 140 is greater than or equal to a preset distance Ds that allows workers to enter and exit the pit 43. If the determination unit 150 determines that the pit-to-pit distance D is greater than or equal to the preset distance Ds, the process proceeds to step S194. If the determination unit 150 determines that the pit-to-pit distance D is less than the preset distance Ds, the process proceeds to step S191.

[0059] In step S194, the second control unit 132 stops the operation of the multiple cages 10 and terminates the process.

[0060] Although Figure 5 shows the process of steps S192 and S193, if in step S191 the second control unit 132 moves the lower basket 10a upward by a distance such that the distance D between pits is equal to or greater than the set distance Ds, then the processes of steps S192 and S193 may be omitted.

[0061] As explained above, if the determination unit 150 determines that the distance D between pits is less than the set distance Ds, the second control unit 132 may, as a second control operation, move the lower cage 10a to a position where the distance D between pits is equal to or greater than the set distance Ds. This makes it possible to minimize the movement of the lower cage 10a while ensuring space for workers to enter and exit the pit 43 by moving the lower cage 10a to a position where the distance D between pits is equal to or greater than the set distance Ds, in cases where the position of the lower cage 10a after the first control operation is not a position from which workers can enter and exit the pit 43.

[0062] Embodiment 2. Figure 6 is a functional configuration diagram of the elevator system 1a according to Embodiment 2. As shown in Figure 6, the elevator control device 100a according to Embodiment 2 differs from Embodiment 1 in that it includes a control unit 130a and a third receiving unit 160. It also differs from Embodiment 1 in that the multi-deck elevator 1000 is provided with a third detection unit 90. As the other configurations are the same as those of Embodiment 1 described above, a detailed explanation will be omitted, and the differences will be mainly explained below.

[0063] The third detection unit 90 detects whether or not there are passengers in multiple elevator cars 10. In this embodiment, the third detection unit 90 is provided in the lower elevator car 10a and the upper elevator car 10b. The detection means of the third detection unit 90 is not particularly limited as long as it can detect passengers in the elevator car 10. The third detection unit 90 may be a weight sensor, a motion sensor, or a camera, or it may detect passengers when a destination floor button, elevator door open / close button, or emergency button provided inside the elevator car 10 is pressed. When the third detection unit 90 detects that there are passengers in the elevator car 10, it transmits passenger information indicating that there are passengers in the elevator car 10 and which elevator car 10 has passengers to the third receiving unit 160.

[0064] The third receiving unit 160 receives passenger information from the third detection unit 90 indicating that there are passengers in multiple elevator cars 10. When the third receiving unit 160 receives passenger information, it transmits the information indicated by the passenger information to the first control unit 131.

[0065] The control unit 130a includes a first control unit 131a and a second control unit 132a. The first control unit 131a and the second control unit 132a basically perform the same processing as the first control unit 131 and the second control unit 132 of Embodiment 1, but they also perform processing that differs from Embodiment 1.

[0066] After performing the second controlled operation, the second control unit 132a transmits a second execution signal to the first control unit 131 indicating that the second controlled operation has been performed. Furthermore, after performing the second controlled operation, the second control unit 132a stores the positions of the multiple elevator cars 10 in a memory unit (not shown). That is, the memory unit stores the positions where the multiple elevator cars 10 are stopped. The positions of the multiple elevator cars 10 are identified using information indicating the positions of the elevator cars 10 detected by the position detection unit 55.

[0067] When the third receiving unit receives passenger information after the second control unit 132a has performed the second control operation, that is, when the first control unit 131a receives the information indicated by the passenger information from the third receiving unit 160 after receiving the second execution signal from the second control unit 132a, the first control unit 131a moves the elevator car 10 containing passengers to the evacuation floor in order to evacuate the passengers inside the elevator car 10. The elevator car 10 containing passengers is identified from the passenger information received by the first control unit 131a. After moving the elevator car 10 containing passengers to the evacuation floor, the first control unit 131a opens the elevator car door (not shown) of the elevator car 10 containing passengers. After the second control operation, the first control unit 131a transmits a signal to the second control unit indicating that the elevator car 10 containing passengers has been moved to the evacuation floor.

[0068] When the second control unit 132a receives a signal from the first control unit 131a indicating that the elevator car 10 with passengers inside has been moved to the evacuation floor after the second controlled operation, it moves the multiple elevator cars 10 to the positions where they were stopped during the second controlled operation and stops their operation. The second control unit 132a moves the multiple elevator cars 10 to the positions where they were stopped during the second controlled operation, which are stored in the memory unit, and stops their operation.

[0069] This section provides a specific example of the processing performed by the elevator control device 100a and the operation of the multi-deck elevator 1000 controlled by the elevator control device 100a. This explanation assumes that during the first control operation, passengers in the upper car 10b remained inside the upper car 10b without evacuating, and that during the subsequent second control operation, the upper car 10b stopped operating on the 3rd floor and the lower car 10a stopped operating on the 2nd floor.

[0070] The second control unit 132a transmits a second execution signal to the first control unit 131a indicating that the second control operation has been performed. After performing the second control operation, the second control unit 132a stores the positions where the upper car 10b and lower car 10a are stopped in operation in a memory unit (not shown). The memory unit stores that the upper car 10b is stopped at the 3rd floor and the lower car 10a is stopped at the 2nd floor.

[0071] The third receiving unit 160 receives, for example, passenger information from the third detection unit 90 indicating that there is a passenger in the upper car 10b. When the third receiving unit 160 receives passenger information, it transmits the information indicated by the passenger information to the first control unit 131.

[0072] After receiving a second execution signal from the second control unit 132a, the first control unit 131a receives information from the third receiving unit 160 indicating that there are passengers inside the upper car 10b, and moves the upper car 10b to the evacuation floor in order to evacuate the passengers inside. In this specific example, the upper car 10b is moved to the second floor, which is the evacuation floor. After moving the upper car 10b with passengers inside to the evacuation floor, the first control unit 131a opens the car door (not shown) of the upper car 10b, lets the passengers off, and then closes the door. After the second control operation, the first control unit 131a transmits a signal to the second control unit indicating that the car 10 with passengers inside has been moved to the evacuation floor.

[0073] When the second control unit 132a receives a signal from the first control unit 131a indicating that the elevator car 10 with passengers inside has been moved to an evacuation floor after the second controlled operation, it moves the upper elevator car 10b and the lower elevator car 10b to the position where they were stopped during the second controlled operation and stops them. Based on the position where they were stopped during the second controlled operation stored in the memory unit, the second control unit 132a stops the upper elevator car 10b at the 3rd floor and stops the lower elevator car 10a at the 2nd floor.

[0074] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by the elevator control device 100a. Using Figure 7, the operation performed by the elevator control device 100a after the operation in step S160, step S180, or step S194 shown in the flowcharts of Figures 4 and 5 will be explained.

[0075] In step S210, the second control unit 132a stores the positions of the multiple cages 10 after the second controlled operation in a memory unit (not shown).

[0076] In step S220, the first control unit 131a determines whether the second control unit 132a has performed the second control operation, that is, whether it has received a second execution signal from the second control unit 132a. If the first control unit 131 receives a second execution signal from the second control unit 132a, it proceeds to step S230; if it does not receive a second execution signal from the second control unit 132a, it proceeds back to step S220 (i.e., it waits for the reception of a second execution signal indicating that the second control unit 132a has performed the second control operation).

[0077] In step S230, the first control unit 131a determines whether the third receiving unit 160 has received passenger information. If the first control unit 131a receives information from the third receiving unit 160 that indicates passenger information, it proceeds to step S240; if it does not receive information from the third receiving unit 160 that indicates passenger information, it terminates the process.

[0078] In step S240, the first control unit 131a moves the elevator car 10 containing passengers to the evacuation floor. The elevator car 10 containing passengers is identified from the information indicated by the passenger information received by the first control unit 131a. After moving the elevator car 10 containing passengers to the evacuation floor, the first control unit 131a opens the elevator car door (not shown) of the elevator car 10 containing passengers. After the second control operation, the first control unit 131a transmits a signal to the second control unit 132a indicating that the elevator car 10 containing passengers has been moved to the evacuation floor.

[0079] In step S250, the second control unit 132a receives a signal from the first control unit 131a indicating that the elevator car 10 containing passengers has been moved to the evacuation floor after the second control operation. The second control unit 132a then moves multiple elevator cars 10 to the positions where they were stopped during the second control operation and stops their operation. The second control unit then terminates the process.

[0080] As described above, in the first embodiment, if the second control unit 132a performs a second control operation and the third receiving unit 160 receives passenger information indicating that there are passengers in the elevator car 10, the first control unit 131a moves the elevator car 10 containing passengers to the evacuation floor and opens the car door (not shown) of the elevator car 10 containing passengers. The second control unit 132a then moves the multiple elevator cars 10 to the position where they were stopped during the second control operation and stops their operation. As a result, even if the second control operation is performed during the first control operation without the evacuation of passengers in the elevator car 10 being completed, the passengers in the elevator car 10 can be evacuated to the evacuation floor. Furthermore, after evacuating the passengers in the elevator car 10 to the evacuation floor, the elevator cars 10 can be moved to the position where they were stopped in the second control operation and stopped there. This eliminates the need to re-determine whether the distance D between the pits when the passengers in the elevator cars 10 are evacuated to the evacuation floor is greater than or equal to the set distance Ds.

[0081] Figure 8 is a hardware configuration diagram of the elevator control device 100. Note that the hardware configuration of elevator control device 100a is the same as that of elevator control device 100, so its explanation is omitted.

[0082] As shown in Figure 8, each function of the elevator control device 100 can be realized by a processing circuit. The processing circuit comprises at least one processor 501, at least one memory 502, and a signal input / output unit 503. The processing circuit may also include at least one dedicated hardware component together with the processor 501 and memory 502, or as a substitute for them. The signal input / output unit 503 is, for example, a module or other component that performs signal input and output processing with an external device or equipment of the processing circuit.

[0083] When the processing circuit includes a processor 501 and a memory 502, each function of the elevator control device 100 is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. At least one of the software and firmware is written as a program. This program is stored in the memory 502. The processor 501 realizes each function of the elevator control device 100 by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 502.

[0084] The processor 501 is also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit), processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP. The memory 502 is composed of non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, or EEPROM.

[0085] When a processing circuit has dedicated hardware, it can be implemented as, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof.

[0086] Each function of the elevator control device 100 can be implemented by a separate processing circuit. Alternatively, all functions of the elevator control device 100 can be implemented together by a single processing circuit. Some functions of the elevator control device 100 may be implemented by dedicated hardware, while others are implemented by software or firmware. Thus, the processing circuit implements each function of the elevator control device 100 using dedicated hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0087] The various aspects of this disclosure are summarized below as an appendix. (Note 1) A first receiving unit receives first information indicating that it is necessary to stop the operation of multiple vertically connected elevator cars installed in a multi-deck elevator at a predetermined evacuation floor, A second receiving unit receives second information indicating that a worker needs to inspect the pit in the hoistway where the multi-deck elevator is installed. When the first receiving unit receives the first information, the first control unit performs a first control operation, which involves moving at least one of the multiple elevator cars to the evacuation floor and stopping the operation of the multiple elevator cars. After the first control unit has performed the first control operation, a calculation unit calculates the pit distance, which is the distance between the lower end of the lowest cage among the plurality of cages and the floor surface of the pit. A determination unit determines whether the distance between pits calculated by the calculation unit is equal to or greater than a preset distance, An elevator control device comprising: a second control unit which, when the second receiving unit receives the second information and the determination unit determines that the distance between the pits is equal to or greater than the set distance, continues to stop the operation of the plurality of elevator cars as a second control operation. (Note 2) The aforementioned evacuation floors are the lowest floor of the building where the multi-deck elevator is installed and the floor directly above the lowest floor. The elevator control device according to Appendix 1, wherein, when the determination unit determines that the distance between the pits is less than the set distance, the second control unit moves the lower car to the floor directly above and stops the operation of the multiple cars as the second controlled operation. (Note 3) The elevator control device according to Appendix 1, wherein, when the determination unit determines that the distance between the pits is less than the set distance, the second control unit moves the lower car to a position where the distance between the pits is equal to or greater than the set distance, and stops the operation of the multiple cars. (Note 4) It includes a third receiving unit that receives passenger information indicating that there are passengers in the aforementioned multiple elevator cars, The elevator control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, after the second control unit has performed the second control operation, the third receiving unit receives the passenger information, the first control unit moves the elevator car containing the passenger from among the plurality of elevator cars to the evacuation floor and opens the elevator car door containing the passenger, and the second control unit moves the plurality of elevator cars to the position where they were stopped in the second control operation and stops their operation. (Note 5) An elevator system comprising a plurality of vertically connected cars and an elevator control device installed in a multi-deck elevator, The elevator control device is A first receiving unit that receives first information indicating that the aforementioned multiple elevator cars need to be stopped at a predetermined evacuation floor, A second receiving unit receives second information indicating that a worker needs to inspect the pit in the hoistway where the multi-deck elevator is installed. When the first receiving unit receives the first information, the first control unit performs a first control operation, which involves moving at least one of the multiple elevator cars to the evacuation floor and stopping the operation of the multiple elevator cars. After the first control unit has performed the first control operation, a calculation unit calculates the pit distance, which is the distance between the lower end of the lowest cage among the plurality of cages and the floor surface of the pit. A determination unit determines whether the distance between pits calculated by the calculation unit is equal to or greater than a preset distance, An elevator system comprising: a second control unit which, when the second receiving unit receives the second information and the determination unit determines that the distance between the pits is equal to or greater than the set distance, continues to stop the operation of the plurality of elevator cars as a second control operation. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0088] 1, 1a Elevator system, 10 Car, 10a Lower car, 10b Upper car, 20 First detection unit, 30 Second detection unit, 41 Machine room, 42 Hoistway, 43 Pit, 43a Pit floor, 50 Hoisting machine, 55 Position detection unit, 60 Main rope, 70 Deflection wheel, 75 Counterweight, 80 Landing, 80a Lowest floor landing, 80b Directly above floor landing, 90 Third detection unit, 100, 100a Elevator control device, 110 First receiver, 120 Second receiver, 130, 130a Control unit, 131, 131a First control unit, 132, 132a Second control unit, 140 Calculation unit, 150 Judgment unit, 160 Third receiver, 501 Processor, 502 Memory, 503 Signal input / output section, 1000 multi-deck elevator

Claims

1. A first receiving unit receives first information indicating that it is necessary to stop the operation of multiple vertically connected elevator cars installed in a multi-deck elevator at a predetermined evacuation floor, A second receiving unit receives second information indicating that a worker needs to inspect the pit in the hoistway where the multi-deck elevator is installed. When the first receiving unit receives the first information, the first control unit performs a first control operation, which involves moving at least one of the multiple elevator cars to the evacuation floor and stopping the operation of the multiple elevator cars. After the first control unit performs the first controlled operation, a calculation unit calculates the pit distance, which is the distance between the lower end of the lowest cage among the plurality of cages and the floor surface of the pit. A determination unit determines whether the distance between pits calculated by the calculation unit is equal to or greater than a preset distance, An elevator control device comprising: a second control unit which, when the second receiving unit receives the second information and the determination unit determines that the distance between the pits is equal to or greater than the set distance, continues to stop the operation of the plurality of elevator cars as a second controlled operation.

2. The aforementioned evacuation floors are the lowest floor of the building where the multi-deck elevator is installed and the floor directly above the lowest floor. The elevator control device according to claim 1, wherein, when the determination unit determines that the distance between the pits is less than the set distance, the second control unit moves the lower car to the floor directly above and stops the operation of the plurality of cars as the second controlled operation.

3. The elevator control device according to claim 1, wherein, when the determination unit determines that the distance between the pits is less than the set distance, the second control unit moves the lower car to a position where the distance between the pits is equal to or greater than the set distance, and stops the operation of the plurality of cars.

4. It includes a third receiving unit that receives passenger information indicating that there are passengers in the aforementioned multiple elevator cars, The elevator control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, after the second control unit has performed the second control operation, the third receiving unit receives the passenger information, the first control unit moves the elevator car containing the passenger from among the plurality of elevator cars to the evacuation floor and opens the elevator car door containing the passenger, and the second control unit moves the plurality of elevator cars to the position where they were stopped in the second control operation and stops their operation.

5. An elevator system comprising a plurality of vertically connected cars and an elevator control device installed in a multi-deck elevator, The elevator control device is A first receiving unit that receives first information indicating that the aforementioned multiple elevator cars need to be stopped at a predetermined evacuation floor, A second receiving unit receives second information indicating that a worker needs to inspect the pit in the hoistway where the multi-deck elevator is installed. When the first receiving unit receives the first information, the first control unit performs a first control operation, which involves moving at least one of the multiple elevator cars to the evacuation floor and stopping the operation of the multiple elevator cars. After the first control unit performs the first controlled operation, a calculation unit calculates the pit distance, which is the distance between the lower end of the lowest cage among the plurality of cages and the floor surface of the pit. A determination unit determines whether the distance between pits calculated by the calculation unit is equal to or greater than a preset distance, An elevator system comprising: a second control unit which, when the second receiving unit receives the second information and the determination unit determines that the distance between the pits is equal to or greater than the set distance, continues to stop the operation of the plurality of elevator cars as a second control operation.

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