Elevator monitoring system and elevator monitoring method

Abstract

The present invention provides an elevator monitoring system capable of allowing an elevator to perform a flooding evacuation operation when a tsunami occurs due to an increased atmospheric pressure. This elevator monitoring system includes: an atmospheric pressure determination processing unit that determines whether or not the amount of increase in atmospheric pressure per unit time has exceeded a predetermined threshold; and an operation control command unit that outputs a flooding evacuation operation command to an elevator on the basis of a result of determination by the atmospheric pressure determination processing unit.

Description

Elevator monitoring system and elevator monitoring method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an elevator monitoring system and an elevator monitoring method.

[0002] Conventionally, an elevator monitoring system is known that, when the atmospheric pressure falls below a preset threshold, determines that there is a high possibility of heavy rain and causes the elevator to perform flood evacuation operation (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] JP 2009-161288 A

[0004] In the event of a large-scale eruption, air pressure temporarily rises due to shock waves generated by the eruption, resulting in the generation of a tsunami. However, the configuration described in Patent Document 1 cannot predict the occurrence of a tsunami due to an increase in air pressure. Therefore, the configuration described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that the elevator cannot perform flood evacuation operation when a tsunami caused by an increase in air pressure occurs.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an elevator monitoring system and an elevator monitoring method that enable elevators to perform flood evacuation operations in the event of a tsunami caused by an increase in air pressure.

[0006] The elevator monitoring system according to the present disclosure includes an air pressure determination processing unit that determines whether an increase in air pressure per unit time exceeds a preset threshold, and an operation control command unit that outputs a flood evacuation operation command to the elevator based on the determination result of the air pressure determination processing unit.The elevator monitoring method according to the present disclosure includes an air pressure determination processing step that determines whether an increase in air pressure per unit time exceeds a preset threshold, and an operation control command step that, after the air pressure determination processing step, outputs a flood evacuation operation command to the elevator based on the determination result of the air pressure determination processing step.

[0007] According to the elevator monitoring system and elevator monitoring method of the present disclosure, when a tsunami occurs due to an increase in air pressure, the elevator can perform flood evacuation operation.

[0008] It is a block diagram showing an elevator monitoring system according to embodiment 1. It is a configuration diagram showing the elevator monitoring system of Fig. 1. It is a graph showing how air pressure temporarily rises due to shock waves in the air generated by an eruption when a large-scale eruption occurs. It is a flowchart showing the processing of the elevator monitoring system according to embodiment 1.

[0009] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an elevator monitoring system according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the elevator monitoring system of Fig. 1. The elevator monitoring system according to embodiment 1 includes an elevator 1, a barometric pressure information acquisition device 2, a monitoring device 3, and an information center 4.

[0010] The elevator 1 includes an elevator control panel 101, an elevator hoist 102, an elevator car 103, an in-car speaker 104, and an in-car display 105.

[0011] An elevator control panel 101 controls the operation of an elevator hoist 102. Drive of the elevator hoist 102 causes an elevator car 103 to ascend and descend in a hoistway (not shown). An in-car speaker 104 and an in-car display 105 are provided in the elevator car 103.

[0012] A flood evacuation operation command, which will be described later, is input to the elevator control panel 101 from the monitoring device 3. When a flood evacuation operation command is input to the elevator control panel 101, the elevator control panel 101 controls the elevator hoist 102 so that the elevator 1 performs flood evacuation operation.

[0013] In the flood evacuation operation of the elevator 1, the elevator control panel 101 first determines whether or not there is a passenger in the elevator car 103.

[0014] When the elevator control panel 101 determines that there is a passenger in the elevator car 103, the elevator control panel 101 moves the elevator car 103 to a predetermined evacuation floor and then opens the entrance / exit of the elevator car 103. This allows the passenger in the elevator car 103 to disembark at the evacuation floor. After the passenger in the elevator car 103 disembarks at the evacuation floor, the elevator control panel 101 moves the elevator car 103 to the top floor and puts the elevator 103 into a halt state. Examples of evacuation floors include the ground floor, the nearest floor, and the top floor.

[0015] On the other hand, if the elevator control panel 101 determines that there is no passenger in the elevator car 103, the elevator control panel 101 moves the elevator car 103 to the top floor and then puts the elevator 1 into a rest state.

[0016] When elevator control panel 101 moves elevator car 103 to an evacuation floor, in-car speaker 104 emits a sound indicating evacuation guidance, and in-car display 105 displays an image indicating evacuation guidance. In-car speaker 104 and in-car display 105 are controlled by an operation control command unit 303 (described later) in monitoring device 3. Note that in-car speaker 104 and in-car display 105 may also be controlled by elevator control panel 101.

[0017] The atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 is installed in the building in which the elevator 1 is installed. The atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 is equipped with a barometer (not shown). The barometer of the atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 periodically measures the atmospheric pressure in the area in which the building in which the elevator 1 is installed is located. The barometer of the atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 measures the atmospheric pressure, and the atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 periodically acquires atmospheric pressure information. The atmospheric pressure information acquired by the atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 is output from the atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 and input to the monitoring device 3.

[0018] The monitoring device 3 is provided in a building in which the elevator 1 is installed. The monitoring device 3 includes an air pressure determination processing unit 301, a region determination processing unit 302, and an operation control command unit 303.

[0019] When a large-scale eruption occurs, the shock waves generated by the eruption cause a temporary rise in air pressure, which then generates a tsunami. Figure 3 is a graph showing how the shock waves generated by the eruption cause a temporary rise in air pressure. In Figure 3, the vertical axis shows air pressure, and the horizontal axis shows time. When a large-scale eruption occurs that can cause a tsunami, as shown in Figure 3, the air pressure rises by approximately 0.8 to 1.5 hPa per hour.

[0020] The atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301 pre-stores a threshold value T used to determine whether or not the elevator 1 should perform flood evacuation operation. The threshold value T stored in the atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301 corresponds to an increase A in atmospheric pressure per unit time that would cause a tsunami.

[0021] The atmospheric pressure information output from the atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 is input to the atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301. Using a threshold value T pre-stored in the atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301 and the atmospheric pressure information input to the atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301, the atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301 determines whether the increase A in atmospheric pressure per unit time exceeds a preset threshold value T.

[0022] An area that is predicted to be flooded by the arrival of a tsunami is defined as a flood-predicted area. A flood-predicted area is determined based on the area's elevation above sea level and its distance from coasts and rivers. The area determination processing unit 302 pre-stores location information for the building in which the elevator 1 is installed and location information for the flood-predicted area.

[0023] The area determination processing unit 302 uses the location information of the building in which the elevator 1 is installed and the location information of the area predicted to be flooded to determine whether the area in which the elevator 1 is installed is included in the area predicted to be flooded.

[0024] The determination results of the atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301 and the area determination processing unit 302 are input to the operation control command unit 303. When the atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301 determines that the increase amount A of atmospheric pressure per unit time exceeds the threshold value T and the area determination processing unit 302 determines that the area in which the elevator 1 is installed is included in the area predicted to be flooded, the operation control command unit 303 outputs a flood evacuation operation command.

[0025] The submergence evacuation operation command output from the operation control command unit 303 is input to the elevator control panel 101. When the submergence evacuation operation command is input to the elevator control panel 101, the elevator control panel 101 controls the elevator hoist 102 so that the elevator 1 performs submergence evacuation operation.

[0026] Furthermore, the flood evacuation operation command output from the operation control command unit 303 is input to the information center 4 together with information identifying the elevator 1. The information center 4 records that the elevator 1 will perform flood evacuation operation.

[0027] Next, an elevator monitoring method in the elevator monitoring system according to the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing of the elevator monitoring system according to the first embodiment. First, in step S101, an atmospheric pressure determination process is performed. In the atmospheric pressure determination process, the atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301 determines whether or not the increase A in atmospheric pressure per unit time exceeds a threshold value T. The atmospheric pressure determination process is performed every time atmospheric pressure information is input to the atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301.

[0028] In step S101, if the atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301 determines that the increase A in atmospheric pressure per unit time does not exceed the threshold value T, the processing of the elevator monitoring system according to embodiment 1 repeats step S101.

[0029] On the other hand, in step S101, if the atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301 determines that the increase A in atmospheric pressure per unit time exceeds the threshold value T, the processing of the elevator monitoring system according to embodiment 1 proceeds to step S102.

[0030] In step S102, a region determination process is performed. In the region determination process, the region determination processing unit 302 determines whether the region in which the elevator 1 is installed is included in the flood-predicted region.

[0031] In step S102, if the area determination processing unit 302 determines that the area in which the elevator 1 is installed is not included in the predicted flooding area, the processing of the elevator monitoring system according to embodiment 1 ends.

[0032] On the other hand, if in step S102 the area determination processing unit 302 determines that the area in which elevator 1 is installed is included in the area predicted to be flooded, the processing of the elevator monitoring system according to embodiment 1 proceeds to step S103.

[0033] In step S103, an operation control command step is performed. In the operation control command step, a submergence evacuation operation command is output from the operation control command unit 303, and the output submergence evacuation operation command is input to the elevator control panel 101. Thereafter, the processing of the elevator monitoring system according to the first embodiment proceeds to step S104.

[0034] In step S104, a flood evacuation operation process is performed. In the flood evacuation operation process, first, the elevator control panel 101 determines whether or not there is a passenger in the elevator car 103.

[0035] In step S104, if elevator control panel 101 determines that there is a passenger in elevator car 103, elevator control panel 101 moves elevator car 103 to a predetermined evacuation floor and then opens the entrance / exit of elevator car 103. This allows the passengers in elevator car 103 to disembark at the evacuation floor. At this time, operation control command unit 303 controls in-car speaker 104 and in-car display 105, so that in-car speaker 104 emits a sound indicating evacuation guidance and in-car display 105 displays an image indicating evacuation guidance.

[0036] After the passengers in the elevator car 103 have disembarked at the evacuation floor, the elevator control panel 101 moves the elevator car 103 to the top floor and puts the elevator 1 into a halt state.

[0037] On the other hand, if the elevator control panel 101 determines in step S104 that there is no passenger in the elevator car 103, the elevator control panel 101 moves the elevator car 103 to the top floor and then puts the elevator 1 into a standby state. This completes the processing of the elevator monitoring system according to the first embodiment.

[0038] As described above, the elevator monitoring system according to the first embodiment includes the air pressure determination processing unit 301 and the operation control command unit 303. The air pressure determination processing unit 301 determines whether the increase A in air pressure per unit time exceeds the threshold value T. The operation control command unit 303 outputs a submergence evacuation operation command to the elevator 1 based on the determination result of the air pressure determination processing unit 301. With this configuration, when a tsunami occurs due to an increase in air pressure, the elevator 1 can perform submergence evacuation operation.

[0039] The elevator monitoring system according to the first embodiment further includes a region determination processing unit 302. The region determination processing unit 302 determines whether the region in which the elevator 1 is installed is included in the region predicted to be flooded. The operation control command unit 303 outputs a flood evacuation operation command to the elevator 1 based on the determination results of the air pressure determination processing unit 301 and the region determination processing unit 302. With this configuration, when a tsunami caused by an increase in air pressure occurs, the elevator 1 can perform flood evacuation operation depending on whether the region in which the elevator 1 is installed is included in the region predicted to be flooded. As a result, the elevator 1 can perform flood evacuation operation at a more appropriate time.

[0040] Moreover, the elevator monitoring method according to the first embodiment includes an air pressure determination process step and an operation control command process. In the air pressure determination process step, it is determined whether or not the increase A in air pressure per unit time exceeds a threshold value T. The operation control command process is performed after the air pressure determination process step. In the operation control command process, a submergence evacuation operation command is output to the elevator 1 based on the determination result of the air pressure determination process step. According to this configuration, when a tsunami occurs due to an increase in air pressure, the elevator 1 can perform submergence evacuation operation.

[0041] Moreover, the elevator monitoring method according to the first embodiment further includes a region determination processing step. In the region determination processing step, it is determined whether or not the region in which the elevator 1 is installed is included in the region predicted to be flooded. After the air pressure determination processing step and the region determination processing step, in the operation control command step, a submergence evacuation operation command is output to the elevator 1 based on the determination results of the air pressure determination processing step and the determination results of the region determination processing step. With this configuration, when a tsunami caused by an increase in air pressure occurs, the elevator 1 can perform submergence evacuation operation depending on whether or not the region in which the elevator 1 is installed is included in the region predicted to be flooded. As a result, the elevator 1 can perform submergence evacuation operation at a more appropriate time.

[0042] In the elevator monitoring system according to the first embodiment, the atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 is provided in the building in which the elevator 1 is installed. However, the elevator monitoring system may be configured such that the atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 is provided outside the building in which the elevator 1 is installed. In this case, for example, the atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 may be provided in the information center 4.

[0043] In the elevator monitoring system according to the first embodiment, the atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 is equipped with a barometer, and the barometer measures atmospheric pressure so that the atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 acquires atmospheric pressure information. However, the elevator monitoring system may be configured such that atmospheric pressure information is input from the information center 4 to the atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2.

[0044] Furthermore, the elevator monitoring system according to the first embodiment has been described as having a single elevator 1. However, an elevator monitoring system having a plurality of elevators 1 may also be used. In this case, the elevator monitoring system may be configured such that an atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 having a barometer is provided only in a building where one of the plurality of elevators 1 is installed. The atmospheric pressure information acquired by the atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 having a barometer is output from the atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 having a barometer and input to the information center 4. The atmospheric pressure information input to the information center 4 is output from the information center 4 and input to an atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 without a barometer. As a result, even in a configuration in which an atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 having a barometer is provided only in a building where one of the plurality of elevators 1 is installed, the atmospheric pressure information acquisition devices 2 of the plurality of elevators 1 can acquire atmospheric pressure information.

[0045] Furthermore, in the elevator monitoring system according to the first embodiment, the configuration has been described in which the monitoring device 3 is provided in the building in which the elevator 1 is installed. However, the elevator monitoring system may be configured such that the monitoring device 3 is provided outside the building in which the elevator 1 is installed. In this case, for example, the elevator monitoring system may be configured such that the monitoring device 3 is provided in the information center 4.

[0046] Furthermore, in the elevator monitoring system according to the first embodiment, a configuration has been described in which a single threshold value T corresponding to an increase in atmospheric pressure per unit time A at which a tsunami occurs is stored in the atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301. However, the elevator monitoring system may also be configured such that a plurality of threshold values ​​T are pre-stored in the atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301, and each of the plurality of threshold values ​​T pre-stored in the atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301 corresponds to an expected tsunami height. In this case, the region determination processing unit 302 may store a plurality of predicted inundation regions corresponding to the predicted tsunami height. In other words, the predicted inundation regions may change depending on the predicted tsunami height.

[0047] Information on the largest threshold value T exceeded by the amount of increase A in atmospheric pressure per unit time among the multiple threshold values ​​T is output from the atmospheric pressure determination processor 301 and input to the region determination processor 302. The region determination processor 302 determines whether or not the region in which elevator 1 is installed is included in the flood-predicted region using the location information of the flood-predicted region among the multiple flood-predicted regions that corresponds to the threshold value T input to the region determination processor 302. This allows the region determination processor 302 to determine whether or not the region in which elevator 1 is installed is included in the flood-predicted region, depending on the expected height of the tsunami.

[0048] Note that the configuration of the elevator monitoring system is not limited to one in which information on threshold value T is output from atmospheric pressure determination processing unit 301 and input to region determination processing unit 302. For example, the elevator monitoring system may be configured such that atmospheric pressure information output from atmospheric pressure information acquisition device 2 is input to region determination processing unit 302. In this case, region determination processing unit 302 uses the location information of a flood-predicted region among multiple flood-predicted regions that corresponds to the amount of increase in atmospheric pressure per unit time A to determine whether the region in which elevator 1 is installed is included in the flood-predicted region.

[0049] Furthermore, in the elevator monitoring system according to embodiment 1, the configuration of the elevator monitoring system has been described in which location information of the building in which elevator 1 is installed and location information of the flood-predicted area are pre-stored in the area determination processing unit 302. However, the elevator monitoring system may also be configured in such a way that location information of the building in which elevator 1 is installed and location information of the flood-predicted area are pre-stored in the information center 4. In this case, the area determination processing unit 302 transmits information identifying elevator 1 to the information center 4. In response to the information identifying elevator 1 transmitted to the information center 4, the information center 4 transmits the location information of the building in which elevator 1 is installed and location information of the flood-predicted area to the area determination processing unit 302.

[0050] Although the elevator monitoring system according to the preferred embodiment 1 has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the elevator monitoring system according to the above-described embodiment 1. Various modifications and conversions can be made to the elevator monitoring system according to the above-described embodiment 1 without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0051] 1 Elevator, 2 Barometric pressure information acquisition device, 3 Monitoring device, 4 Information center, 101 Elevator control panel, 102 Elevator hoist, 103 Elevator car, 104 In-car speaker, 105 In-car display, 301 Barometric pressure determination processing unit, 302 Area determination processing unit, 303 Operation control command unit.

Claims

1. an atmospheric pressure determination processing unit that determines whether an increase in atmospheric pressure per unit time has exceeded a preset threshold; an operation control command unit that outputs a submergence evacuation operation command to an elevator based on a determination result of the air pressure determination processing unit; Equipped with An elevator monitoring system in which the preset threshold corresponds to the increase in air pressure per unit time at which a tsunami occurs.

2. A region determination processing unit is further provided for determining whether or not the region in which the elevator is installed is included in a flood predicted region, which is a region predicted to be flooded by the arrival of a tsunami, The elevator monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the operation control command unit outputs the submergence evacuation operation command to the elevator based on a determination result of the air pressure determination processing unit and a determination result of the area determination processing unit.

3. an air pressure determination process step of determining whether or not an increase in air pressure per unit time has exceeded a preset threshold value; an operation control command step of outputting a flood evacuation operation command to an elevator based on a determination result of the air pressure determination processing step after the air pressure determination processing step; Equipped with An elevator monitoring method, wherein the predetermined threshold corresponds to the increase in air pressure per unit time at which a tsunami occurs.

4. The method further includes a region determination process for determining whether or not the region in which the elevator is installed is included in a flood-prone region that is a region that is predicted to be flooded by the arrival of a tsunami, 4. The elevator monitoring method according to claim 3, wherein after the air pressure determination processing step and the area determination processing step, in the operation control command step, the submergence evacuation operation command is output to the elevator based on a determination result of the air pressure determination processing step and a determination result of the area determination processing step.