Elevator

Abstract

An elevator (10) comprises an imaging device (43) attached to a car (11) and capable of capturing an image of at least one of an upper region positioned above the car (11) and a lower region positioned below the car (11), a lighting device (40) attached to the car (11) and configured to irradiate at least a portion of the upper region and the lower region with light, and an earthquake detector (47) capable of detecting an earthquake. When the earthquake detector (47) detects an earthquake, the car (11) stops and, thereafter, the imaging device (43) captures an image of at least a portion of at least one long object. Connection of the long object is then determined on the basis of the image captured by the imaging device (43).

Description

elevator

[0001] The present disclosure relates to elevators.

[0002] Conventionally, a known technique for dealing with earthquakes in elevators is described in Patent Document 1. In this technique, an automatic diagnosis and recovery operation after an earthquake occurs involves operating the car at a slower speed than normal, and detecting whether a long object has become stuck based on changes in the torque of the hoisting machine.

[0003] JP 2018-184241 A

[0004] The above technology can detect whether a long object has been caught after an earthquake, facilitating safe automatic recovery of the elevator. However, this technology indirectly (pseudo) detects whether a long object has been caught, rather than directly, and it would be preferable to be able to more directly and accurately determine whether a long object has been caught.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an elevator that can directly and accurately determine whether or not a long object has become caught after an earthquake.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the elevator of the present disclosure comprises a car, a lifting mechanism for raising and lowering the car, a camera attached to the car and capable of photographing at least one of an upper area located above the car and a lower area located below the car, a lighting device attached to the car and irradiating light onto at least a portion of the upper area and the lower area, and an earthquake sensor capable of detecting earthquakes, wherein when the earthquake sensor detects an earthquake, the car stops and, after the car has stopped, the camera captures an image of at least a portion of at least one long object, and determines whether the at least one long object has become stuck based on the image of at least a portion captured by the camera.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the detection of whether a long object is caught is determined based on an image of at least a portion of at least one long object captured by a camera after the car has stopped due to earthquake detection. Therefore, the detection of whether a long object is caught can be determined directly and accurately.

[0008] Furthermore, a two-dimensional waveform defined by the amount of deflection in one direction of a reference point of the at least one long object against time may be generated based on the image, and whether the at least one long object is caught may be determined based on the two-dimensional waveform. Note that when no earthquake has occurred, the amount of deflection at the reference point of the long object is 0 (zero).

[0009] The two-dimensional waveform exhibits a large difference before and after the time when the long object is caught, for example, a sudden decrease in the amplitude of the two-dimensional waveform. According to this configuration, the occurrence of the long object being caught can be determined based on the two-dimensional waveform, and therefore the occurrence of the long object being caught can be accurately determined.

[0010] In addition, the jamming of the at least one long object is determined based on multiple damping peaks that can be confirmed in the two-dimensional waveform, and the damping peak may be a maximum point of vibration in the two-dimensional waveform, and may be a maximum point where there is no maximum point of vibration amount greater than the damping peak at a time later than the time when the damping peak occurs.

[0011] This configuration makes it easy to objectively evaluate localized and sudden attenuation in a two-dimensional waveform, making it easy to accurately determine whether a long object has become stuck.

[0012] The reference point may also include a point closest to the center of the image.

[0013] According to this configuration, image analysis can be performed automatically and easily.

[0014] The reference location may include a location of the elongated object that has the greatest shaking in the image.

[0015] This configuration makes it easy to determine a sudden decrease in damping, and therefore makes it possible to accurately determine whether a long object has become stuck.

[0016] The reference point may be a marked point on the elongated object.

[0017] The mark may be, for example, a light-reflecting member fixed to a reference position on the elongated object, or may be paint such as fluorescent paint applied to a reference position on the elongated object.

[0018] According to this configuration, it is possible to measure the displacement of the reference point and perform image processing with much greater ease.

[0019] In addition, a memory unit may be provided that pre-stores multiple reference two-dimensional waveforms, and for at least one long object, whether the long object has become stuck may be determined based on one of the multiple reference two-dimensional waveforms and the two-dimensional waveform.

[0020] A plurality of different reference two-dimensional waveforms (reference two-dimensional waveforms when no long object is caught) for a plurality of typical types of earthquakes, such as vertical shaking, horizontal shaking, long-period ground motion, earthquakes of different magnitudes, etc., may be created in advance for each landing on each floor and stored in the elevator's memory. Then, one reference two-dimensional waveform may be selected from the plurality of reference two-dimensional waveforms based on the landing where the car stopped when an actual earthquake occurred and the type of earthquake identified based on information detected by the earthquake detector, and the selected reference two-dimensional waveform may be compared with the two-dimensional waveform based on the photograph to determine whether a long object is caught. This makes it easier to accurately determine whether a long object is caught.

[0021] In addition, the photographing device may photograph multiple different long objects, generate the two-dimensional waveform for each long object, and determine whether one or more of the multiple long objects are caught based on the multiple different two-dimensional waveforms generated for the multiple long objects.

[0022] When multiple long objects are not caught, they may exhibit similar swing behaviors in response to the same earthquake. Therefore, it may be possible to determine whether a long object is caught, whose behavior is significantly different from other long objects and whose swing behavior is heterogeneous. According to this configuration, multiple two-dimensional waveforms that are different from each other are generated for multiple long objects. Therefore, it may be possible to determine whether a long object is caught, whose swing behavior is heterogeneous.

[0023] In addition, it may be determined that the long object is not caught when the local attenuation rate, which can be a measure of attenuation in a portion of the two-dimensional waveform that is 10% or less, is less than a first threshold value, while it may be determined that the long object is caught when the local attenuation rate is greater than the first threshold value.

[0024] The "10% or less portion of the two-dimensional waveform" refers to a time portion of the entire two-dimensional waveform, which is a function of the amount of vibration over time, that is, a time portion that is 10% or less of the entire waveform. The entire waveform is the waveform from the start of imaging until the earthquake subsides. This configuration makes it easy to objectively determine whether a long object has become stuck.

[0025] Furthermore, when a local attenuation rate, which can be used as a measure of attenuation in a portion of the two-dimensional waveform that is 10% or less, is defined as a first case, when the local attenuation rate is equal to or greater than a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value, is defined as a second case, and when the local attenuation rate is greater than the first threshold value and less than the second threshold value, is defined as a third case, in the first movement of the cage after the earthquake has ended, the maximum speed of the cage in the first case may be made greater than the maximum speed of the cage in the second case, and further, the maximum speed of the cage in the second case may be made greater than the maximum speed of the cage in the third case.

[0026] The initial cage movement is defined as the cage movement from the time the cage first starts moving after the cage stops due to the occurrence of an earthquake until the cage stops.

[0027] If a long object gets caught, the possibility of the elevator being damaged during automatic diagnostic operation, which automatically diagnoses whether there is a malfunction in the elevator after an earthquake, is reduced by moving the car at a slow speed.

[0028] According to this configuration, the maximum speed of the initial car movement is controlled to one of three levels depending on the degree (large or small) of the possibility of the long object getting caught. This effectively reduces the possibility of damage due to the long object getting caught during automatic diagnostic operation to automatically diagnose whether there is an elevator malfunction after an earthquake.

[0029] Furthermore, a plurality of damping peaks that can be confirmed in the two-dimensional waveform are identified, and each damping peak is a maximum point of deflection in the two-dimensional waveform, and at a time later than the time at which the damping peak occurs, there is no maximum point of deflection amount equal to or greater than the damping peak, and the local damping rate may be a value based on the smallest value of [(the deflection amount of the damping peak that is later in time of the two adjacent damping peaks) / (the deflection amount of the damping peak that is earlier in time of the two adjacent damping peaks)].

[0030] According to this configuration, local attenuation of a two-dimensional waveform can be evaluated objectively and accurately.

[0031] Furthermore, the local damping rate may be a value based on the maximum value among [the value obtained by subtracting the deflection amount of the smallest damping peak from the deflection amount of the largest damping peak during a predetermined time period], and each damping peak may be a maximum point of deflection in the two-dimensional waveform, and may be a maximum point where there is no maximum point of deflection amount equal to or greater than the damping peak at a time later than the time at which the damping peak occurs.

[0032] This configuration also makes it possible to objectively and accurately evaluate local attenuation of a two-dimensional waveform.

[0033] In addition, the photographing device may include an upper photographing device that photographs the upper area and a lower photographing device that photographs the lower area, and after the basket stops, photographing may be performed using only the photographing device that can photograph the area with the largest vertical length out of the upper and lower photographing devices.

[0034] According to this configuration, it is easy to photograph the portion of the long object where the vibration is large, and it is easy to accurately determine whether the long object has become stuck.

[0035] In addition, the photographing device may photograph at least a portion of the at least one long object after it has stopped moving, and determine whether the at least one long object has become caught based on an image of at least a portion of the long object that has stopped moving.

[0036] An image of at least a portion of at least one long object taken by the camera while the car is stopped at each landing floor and is not caught may be stored in advance in the elevator storage unit. In this case, after the earthquake, the car is stopped at any landing, and then the camera captures an image of at least a portion of the at least one long object after it has stopped moving after the earthquake, and the captured image is compared with an image of the corresponding landing that is not caught, thereby making it possible to accurately determine whether or not the at least one long object is caught.

[0037] According to the elevator of the present disclosure, it is possible to directly and accurately determine whether or not a long object is caught after an earthquake.

[0038] Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an elevator according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 2 is a block diagram of relevant parts related to control for determining whether a long object is stuck; Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for control for determining whether a long object is stuck, performed by a control device; Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for control for determining whether a long object is stuck, performed by a control device; Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a two-dimensional waveform for a wire rope that is not stuck; Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a two-dimensional waveform for a wire rope that is stuck.

[0039] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is anticipated that, when multiple embodiments or variations are included below, new embodiments can be constructed by appropriately combining their characteristic features. In the following examples, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and redundant description will be omitted. In the following description, the wire rope 14, control cable, and compensating rope are long objects. As will be described in detail below, the reference point of a long object when no earthquake is occurring has a deflection of 0 (zero). In the following description, a portion of a two-dimensional waveform that is less than 10% refers to a time portion of the entire two-dimensional waveform, which is a function of deflection over time, that is less than 10%. The entire waveform refers to the waveform from the start of imaging until the earthquake subsides. Among the components described below, components not recited in the independent claims representing the highest concept are optional and not required.

[0040] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an elevator 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1 , the elevator 10 includes a car 11, a hoist 12, a counterweight 13, a wire rope 14, a car call button 15, a destination floor button 16, a floor landing detection sensor 17, an encoder 25, a car lifting mechanism 28, and a control device 18. The control device 18 is, for example, a control panel. In this embodiment, the control device 18 and the hoist 12 are installed in a machine room 30 above a hoistway 19. If the elevator does not have a machine room, the control panel and the hoist 12 may be installed in a pit below the hoistway. The wire rope 14 is wound around the hoist 12, with one end of the wire rope 14 fixed to, for example, the top of the car 11 and the other end fixed to the counterweight 13 via a deflector sheave (not shown). The car call button 15 is provided at the landing 22 for calling the car 11 and specifying the direction of movement of the car 11. In addition, the destination floor designation button 16 is provided inside the car 11 for designating the destination floor of the car 11.

[0041] The landing detection sensor 17 is provided in the elevator shaft 19 and detects when the car 11 has landed at the landing 22. The landing detection sensor 17 is composed of, for example, a vane 17a made of an iron plate or the like provided at an elevator shaft position corresponding to the landing position on each floor, and a magnetic detector 17b that detects the vane 17a. When the control device 18 receives a signal from the landing detection sensor 17 indicating that the car 11 has landed at the landing 22 on any floor, it controls the car door opening / closing motor 39, causing the car door 32 to open and the landing door 31 to open in conjunction with the car door 32, allowing people to get on and off the car 11.

[0042] The encoder 25 is configured, for example, as an absolute type encoder, and detects the position of the car 11 and the direction of movement of the car 11 by detecting the rotation distance and direction of rotation from the origin of the hoist motor 12a of the hoist 12. The encoder 25 may be configured as any of a mechanical (contact type), optical type, magnetic type, and electromagnetic induction type.

[0043] The elevator 10 further includes a lighting device 40, a camera 43, and an earthquake sensor 47. The lighting device 40 includes an upper lighting device 41 and a lower lighting device 42, and the camera 43 includes an upper camera 45 and a lower camera 46. The upper lighting device 41 is installed, for example, on the ceiling of the car 11 to illuminate the hoistway 19 above the car 11, and the lower lighting device 42 is installed on the hoistway 19 side of the bottom of the car 11 to illuminate the hoistway 19 below the car 11. Inside the hoistway 19, the car 11, counterweight 13, wire rope 14, rails (not shown) that guide the car 11 and counterweight 13, control cables that connect the car 11 to the control device 18, a floor-landing detection sensor 17 that detects the position of the car 11, and the like are installed. The upper lighting device 41 and the lower lighting device 42 are used to illuminate the inside of the elevator shaft 19 during maintenance of the equipment, and are also used when photographing long objects, which will be described later. Each of the upper lighting device 41 and the lower lighting device 42 is configured using lighting fixtures with an illuminance suitable for illuminating the area around the car 11, such as fluorescent lamps, incandescent lamps, LEDs, etc.

[0044] The upper camera 45 is installed, for example, on the top of the car 11 so that the camera protrudes vertically upward from the top end of the car 11. The upper camera 45 can be suitably configured, for example, with a spherical camera (a camera capable of taking 360° panoramic photographs in all directions, up, down, left, and right, and 360° video). The upper camera 45 may be configured with any camera capable of capturing at least a portion of at least one elongated object located in an area above the car 11. The upper camera is capable of capturing at least a portion of the wire rope 14 and at least a portion of the control cable, regardless of the position of the car 11.

[0045] The lower camera 46 is installed, for example, below the cage 11 so that the camera protrudes vertically downward from the lower end of the cage 11. The lower camera 46 can be preferably configured, for example, as a spherical camera (a camera capable of taking 360° panoramic photographs in all directions, up, down, left, and right, and 360° video). The lower camera 46 may be configured as any camera capable of capturing at least a portion of at least one elongated object located below the cage 11. The lower camera 46 is capable of capturing at least a portion of the control cable regardless of the position of the cage 11. In addition, if a compensating rope connecting the cage 11 and the counterweight 13 is present, the lower camera 46 is capable of capturing at least a portion of the compensating rope regardless of the position of the cage 11. Furthermore, the lower camera 46 is capable of capturing at least a portion of the wire rope 14 when the counterweight 13 is located below the cage 11 by a predetermined length or more. Here, the predetermined length is a length greater than zero (0).

[0046] The earthquake sensor 47 is installed, for example, in the machine room 30 or the pit below the elevator shaft 19. When the earthquake sensor 47 detects the occurrence of an earthquake, it outputs a signal indicating the detection of the earthquake to the control device 18. The earthquake sensor 47 may be a mechanical earthquake sensor that detects earthquakes using magnetic force and does not require a power source, or an electronic earthquake sensor that uses a capacitance sensor to detect pre-tremors (P waves), main waves (S waves), and long-period seismic motion. The earthquake sensor 47 is configured to automatically activate and turn on an electrical circuit when it detects seismic motion (P waves or S waves) equal to or greater than a set acceleration (gal). The control device 18 then receives a signal from the earthquake sensor 47 and controls the stopping of the car 11 and the determination of whether a long object has become stuck, as described in detail below.

[0047] A control device 18 receives signals from the car call button 15, the destination floor button 16, the floor landing detection sensor 17, the encoder 25, and the earthquake detector 47, and controls the rotation speed and direction of the hoist motor 12a, causing the car 11 to rise and fall in the hoistway 19. The wire rope 14, the hoist 12, the deflector wheel, and the counterweight 13 constitute a car lifting mechanism 28.

[0048] 2 is a block diagram of components related to the control of determining whether a long object has become stuck, which will be described below. As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 18 receives signals (information) from the floor landing detection sensor 17, the encoder 25, the earthquake detector 47, the upper camera 45, and the lower camera 46. Based on the received signals, the control device 18 also controls the hoist motor 12a, the car door opening / closing motor 39, the upper lighting device 41, the lower lighting device 42, the upper camera 45, and the lower camera 46.

[0049] The control device 18 is preferably configured as a computer, for example, a microcomputer, and includes a control unit 60 and a storage unit 61. The control unit 60, i.e., the processor, includes, for example, a central processing unit (CPU). The storage unit 61 is configured as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or the like, and may include a nonvolatile memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), or a volatile memory, such as a random access memory (RAM). The storage unit 61 may be configured as a single storage medium or multiple different storage media. The CPU reads and executes programs and the like pre-stored in the storage unit 61. The non-volatile memory pre-stores control programs, predetermined thresholds, and the like. The volatile memory temporarily stores the read programs and processing data. A stopwatch app is stored in the storage unit 61. The stopwatch app is activated and starts timing based on a time-lapse start signal from the control unit 60, and stops timing based on a time-lapse end signal from the control unit 60. The control unit 60 is capable of acquiring information that can identify the time measured from the stopwatch application.

[0050] The control unit 60 includes an earthquake determination unit 60a, a car stop floor identification unit 60b, a hoist motor control unit 60c, a car door opening / closing motor control unit 60d, an imaging device control unit 60e, a reference position identification unit 60f, a two-dimensional waveform generation unit 60g, a damping peak calculation unit 60h, a local damping rate calculation unit 60i, and a threshold comparison unit 60j. The operation of the control unit 60 will be described in detail using Figures 3A to 5.

[0051] 3A and 3B are flowcharts showing an example of the procedure for the control of determining whether a long object is caught, performed by the control device 18. While FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an example in which the long object is a wire rope 14, the long object may be a control cable or a compensating rope. When normal operation in which the car 11 transports passengers begins, such as when a new elevator 10 is first driven or when the elevator 10 transitions from maintenance mode to normal operation mode, in step S1, the earthquake determination unit 60a determines whether an earthquake has occurred based on information from the earthquake sensor 47. If a negative determination is made in step S1, step S1 is repeated.

[0052] On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in step S1, the process proceeds to step S2, where the car stop floor identification unit 60b recognizes the position and movement direction of the car 11 based on information from the encoder 25, and identifies the stop floor of the car 11 if the car 11 is not stopped at the hall 22. The specific floor identified by the car stop floor identification unit 60b may be, for example, the nearest floor that is located at the end of the movement direction of the car 11 and is closest in height from the car 11. Alternatively, the specific floor identified by the car stop floor identification unit 60b may be a floor at which the wire rope 14 does not resonate.

[0053] More specifically, earthquake sensor 47 can detect the direction of acceleration, and therefore can estimate the period of an earthquake, i.e., the period of vibration of the building in which elevator 10 is installed. Furthermore, information from encoder 25 can be used to identify the positions of wire rope 14, car 11, and counterweight 13 for each landing when car 11 lands on that floor. Therefore, information from earthquake sensor 47 can be used to estimate the period of vibration of the building, and information from encoder 25 can be used to identify the resonant frequency of wire rope 14, making it possible to estimate floors on which wire rope 14 does not resonate.

[0054] In step S3 after step S2, the hoist motor control unit 60c controls the hoist motor 12a based on information from the encoder 25 and the floor landing detection sensor 17 to stop the car 11 at the specific floor, and then the car door opening / closing motor control unit 60d controls the car door opening / closing motor 39 to open the car door 32 and the landing door 31. In this way, if a person is present in the car 11, the person is quickly evacuated to outside the car 11.

[0055] In step S4 after step S3, the photographing device control unit 60e determines whether or not to photograph using the upper photographing device 45. More specifically, the photographing device control unit 60e determines, for example, whether or not the position where the basket 11 is stopped is located in a lower area below the center of the range of movement of the basket 11 in the height direction. If the basket 11 is located in the lower area, the photographing device control unit 60e determines to photograph using the upper photographing device 45, and if the position where the basket 11 is stopped is located in the center of the range of movement of the basket 11 in the height direction or above the center, the photographing device control unit 60e determines to photograph using the lower photographing device 46.

[0056] If a positive determination is made in step S4, the process proceeds to step S5, where the photographing device control unit 60e drives the upper lighting device 41 and the upper photographing device 45 to start photographing, and simultaneously drives the stopwatch app to start timing using the stopwatch app. Note that the elevator 10 may have any known clock mechanism other than the stopwatch app, and the control device 18 may obtain the time from the start to the end of photographing by obtaining information from a clock mechanism other than the stopwatch app.

[0057] In step S5, the upper camera 45 captures an image of at least a portion of the wire rope 14 located above the car 11 in the elevator shaft 19, and then in step S6, the earthquake determination unit 60a determines whether the earthquake has ended. If a negative determination is made in step S6, the process proceeds to step S7, where image capture of at least a portion of the wire rope 14 located above the car 11 continues, and then step S6 and subsequent steps are repeated. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in step S6, the process proceeds to step S8.

[0058] On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S4, the process proceeds to step S9, where the photographing device control unit 60e drives the lower lighting device 42 and the lower photographing device 46 to start photographing, and simultaneously drives the stopwatch app to start timing using the stopwatch app. In step S9, the lower photographing device 46 photographs at least a portion of the wire rope 14 located below the car 11 in the elevator shaft 19, and then, in step S10, the earthquake determination unit 60a determines whether the earthquake has ended. If a negative determination is made in step S10, photographing of at least a portion of the wire rope 14 located below the car 11 continues in step S11, and then step S10 and subsequent steps are repeated. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in step S10, the process proceeds to step S8.

[0059] In step S8, the photographing device control unit 60e ends photographing by the photographing device 43 and simultaneously ends timing by the stopwatch app. Subsequently, in step S12, the reference position identifying unit 60f identifies the reference position of the wire rope 14. For example, the reference position identifying unit 60f identifies the point of the wire rope 14 closest to the center of the image photographed by the photographing device 43 at the start of photographing as the reference position of the wire rope 14. Note that the lighting device 40 is installed so as to illuminate the reference position. Subsequently, in step S13, the two-dimensional waveform generating unit 60g generates a two-dimensional waveform based on the video photographed by the photographing device 43.

[0060] More specifically, for example, the two-dimensional waveform generator 60g generates a two-dimensional waveform based on the unidirectional displacement of the reference position of the wire rope 14 and time-dependent information from a stopwatch app. Elevator shaft equipment in which long objects are likely to get caught (e.g., the counterweight 13, the vane (guide plate) 17a, the guide rail, and components fixed to the guide rail (e.g., brackets supporting the guide rail)) are located on the front or back side in the depth direction of the car 11. Therefore, selecting the depth direction of the car 11 as one direction is preferable because it makes it easier to accurately determine whether a long object has gotten caught.

[0061] In the next step S14, the attenuation peak calculation unit 60h identifies multiple attenuation peaks 81a, 81b (see FIGS. 4 and 5). FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a two-dimensional waveform for the wire rope 14 when it is not caught, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a two-dimensional waveform for the wire rope 14 when it is caught. As shown in FIG. 4, the two-dimensional waveform for the wire rope 14 when it is not caught generally has a sinusoidal shape and gradually attenuates. In contrast, as shown in FIG. 5, the two-dimensional waveform for the wire rope 14 when it is caught has a sharp attenuation in amplitude near the point where the snag occurs, resulting in a localized portion with large attenuation.

[0062] The attenuation peak calculation unit 60h identifies a plurality of attenuation peaks 81a, 81b based on the two-dimensional waveform generated in step S13. Here, the attenuation peaks 81a, 81b are maximum points of the swing in the two-dimensional waveforms 80a, 80b, and are maximum points at which there are no maximum points of swing amounts equal to or greater than the attenuation peaks 81a, 81b at any time after the time at which the attenuation peaks 81a, 81b occurred.

[0063] In step S15, the local attenuation rate calculation unit 60i calculates the attenuation rate for each pair of adjacent attenuation peaks 81a, 81b based on the identified attenuation peaks 81a, 81b, thereby identifying the local attenuation rate. Here, the local attenuation rate is defined as the minimum value of [(the deflection of the later attenuation peak 81a, 81b among the adjacent attenuation peaks 81a, 81b) / (the deflection of the earlier attenuation peak 81a, 81b among the adjacent attenuation peaks 81a, 81b)]. By identifying the local attenuation rate, it is possible to accurately and objectively evaluate whether or not a localized portion of the two-dimensional waveform exhibits significant attenuation, thereby accurately and objectively determining whether or not the wire rope 14 is stuck. Because the local attenuation rate can be calculated based on only a very short, localized portion of the two-dimensional waveform, it can serve as a measure of attenuation within 10% or less of the two-dimensional waveform.

[0064] In the next step S16, the threshold comparator 60j determines whether the local attenuation rate is equal to or less than the first threshold. If the determination in step S16 is affirmative, it is determined that the wire rope 14 is not caught, and the process proceeds to step S17, where the elevator 10 is put into normal operation, in which the car 11 ascends or descends based on the passenger's operation of the car call button 15 and the destination floor designation button 16. Thereafter, step S1 and subsequent steps are repeated.

[0065] On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S16, the process proceeds to step S18, where the threshold value comparison unit 60j determines whether the local attenuation rate is equal to or greater than a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value. If a negative determination is made in step S18, the process proceeds to step S19, where the hoist motor control unit 60c limits the maximum speed of the car 11 during the first movement of the car 11 after the earthquake has ended to a speed slower than the maximum speed of the car 11 during normal operation, and then performs an automatic diagnostic operation of the car 11 to determine whether there is a malfunction in the elevator 10. Then, the process proceeds to step S20.

[0066] On the other hand, if the determination in step S18 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S21, where the maximum speed of the car 11 during the initial movement of the car 11 after the earthquake has ended is limited to a speed slower than the maximum speed of the car 11 during the automatic diagnostic operation of the car 11 in step S19, and an automatic diagnostic operation of the car 11 is performed to determine whether or not there is a malfunction in the elevator 10. Then, the process proceeds to step S20. The initial movement of the car 11 in steps S19 and S21 refers to the movement of the car 11 from the time the car 11 first starts moving after the earthquake has subsided until it stops. In step S20, the control device 18 determines whether or not there is a malfunction in the elevator 10 based on the automatic diagnostic operation. If the determination in step S20 is negative, the process proceeds to step S17. On the other hand, if the determination in step S20 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S22, where the car 11 is stopped, and then the control ends.

[0067] As described above, the elevator 10 includes the car 11, the car lifting mechanism 28 for raising and lowering the car 11, the camera 43 attached to the car 11 and capable of photographing at least one of an upper area located above the car 11 and a lower area located below the car 11, the lighting device 40 attached to the car 11 and irradiating at least a portion of the upper area and the lower area with light, and the earthquake sensor 47 capable of detecting earthquakes. Furthermore, when the earthquake sensor 47 detects an earthquake, the car 11 stops, and after the car 11 stops, the camera 43 photographs at least a portion of at least one long object (e.g., the wire rope 14, the control cable, the compensating rope, etc.), and determines whether the long object is caught based on the image of at least a portion of the at least one long object (in the above embodiment, the wire rope 14) photographed by the camera 43.

[0068] According to the present disclosure, after the car 11 stops due to earthquake detection, it is determined whether a long object is caught based on an image of at least a part of at least one long object captured by the image capturing device 43. Therefore, it is possible to directly and accurately determine whether a long object is caught.

[0069] In addition, for at least one long object, two-dimensional waveforms 80a, 80b defined by time and the amount of deflection in one direction at a reference point of the long object may be generated based on the image, and for at least one long object, whether the long object has become stuck may be determined based on the two-dimensional waveforms 80a, 80b.

[0070] When a long object gets caught, a large difference occurs in the two-dimensional waveform 80b before and after the time when the long object gets caught. As shown in Figure 5, a localized, sudden decrease occurs in the amplitude of the two-dimensional waveform 80b. With this configuration, it is possible to determine whether a long object has gotten caught based on the two-dimensional waveforms 80a and 80b, and therefore to accurately determine whether a long object has gotten caught.

[0071] In addition, whether a long object has become stuck is determined based on multiple damping peaks 81a, 81b that can be confirmed in the two-dimensional waveforms 80a, 80b, and the damping peaks 81a, 81b may be maximum points of vibration in the two-dimensional waveforms 80a, 80b, and may also be maximum points where there are no maximum points with a vibration amount greater than or equal to the damping peaks 81a, 81b at a time later than the time at which the damping peaks 81a, 81b occurred.

[0072] This configuration allows for easy and objective evaluation of localized, rapid attenuation in a two-dimensional waveform, thereby enabling accurate determination of whether a long object has become stuck.

[0073] The reference point may also include a point on at least one elongated object that is closest to the center of the image. This configuration allows image analysis to be performed automatically and easily. The reference point may also include a point on the elongated object that has the largest vibration in the image. In this case, it is easier to determine sudden attenuation and accurately determine whether the elongated object is caught.

[0074] Alternatively, the reference point may be a marked location on the long object. If the floor at which the car will stop after an earthquake is not yet determined, multiple marks may be attached at intervals to the long object. The mark may be, for example, a light-reflecting member fixed to the reference point on the long object, or a paint such as fluorescent paint applied to the reference point on the long object. This configuration significantly facilitates measurement of the displacement of the reference point and image processing.

[0075] Furthermore, when the local attenuation rate, which can be used as a measure of attenuation in the 10% or less portion of the two-dimensional waveforms 80a, 80b, is equal to or less than a first threshold value, the first case is defined as a case where the local attenuation rate is equal to or greater than a second threshold value that is greater than the first threshold value, and the third case is defined as a case where the local attenuation rate is greater than the first threshold value and less than the second threshold value, in the initial movement of the car 11 after the earthquake has ended, the maximum speed of the car 11 in the first case may be greater than the maximum speed of the car 11 in the second case, and further, the maximum speed of the car 11 in the second case may be greater than the maximum speed of the car 11 in the third case. Note that the initial movement of the car 11 refers to the movement of the car 11 from when the car 11 first starts moving after it has stopped due to the occurrence of an earthquake until it stops.

[0076] If a long object is caught, the possibility of the elevator 10 being damaged during automatic diagnostic operation is reduced by moving the car 11 at a slow speed during automatic diagnostic operation to automatically diagnose whether there is a malfunction in the elevator 10 after an earthquake.

[0077] According to this configuration, the maximum speed of the first movement of the car 11 is controlled to three levels depending on the degree (large or small) of the possibility of a long object getting caught. This effectively reduces the possibility of damage due to a long object getting caught during automatic diagnostic operation to automatically diagnose whether there is a malfunction in the elevator 10 after an earthquake.

[0078] Alternatively, the local damping rate may be a value based on the minimum value of [(the swing amount of the damping peak 81 a, 81 b which is later in time than the two adjacent damping peaks 81 a, 81 b) / (the swing amount of the damping peak 81 a, 81 b which is earlier in time than the two adjacent damping peaks 81 a, 81 b)]. Here, the value based on the minimum value includes, for example, the minimum value itself, a value that is a constant multiple of the minimum value, etc.

[0079] This configuration allows for objective and accurate evaluation of the local attenuation of the two-dimensional waveforms 80a and 80b. The local attenuation rate may be a value based on the maximum value among the values ​​obtained by subtracting the minimum attenuation peak from the maximum attenuation peak over a predetermined time period. This also allows for objective and accurate evaluation of the local attenuation of the two-dimensional waveforms 80a and 80b. Examples of values ​​based on the maximum value include the maximum value itself and a constant multiple of the maximum value. The predetermined time period is 10% or less of the total time period of the two-dimensional waveforms.

[0080] In addition, the photographing device 43 may include an upper photographing device 45 that photographs the upper area and a lower photographing device 46 that photographs the lower area, and after the cage 11 has stopped, photographing may be performed using only the photographing device that can photograph the area with the larger vertical length out of the upper photographing device 45 and the lower photographing device 46.

[0081] This configuration makes it easy to capture images of the large swinging portions of the long object, making it easier to accurately determine whether the long object is stuck. The camera device only needs to be able to capture images of at least one of the upper and lower regions, and the camera device may be composed of only the upper camera device 45 or only the lower camera device 46. If the lower camera device 46 is installed below the car 11 to ensure the safety of maintenance workers working in the pit, capturing images using only the lower camera device 46 can be used to determine whether the long object is stuck, eliminating the need for new capital investment. However, in this case, it is preferable to stop the car 11 on a floor above the center of the car 11's vertical movement range.

[0082] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment and its modifications, and various improvements and modifications are possible within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

[0083] For example, in the above embodiment, the possibility of a long object getting caught is evaluated in three stages using the local attenuation rate, but the possibility of a long object getting caught may also be evaluated in two stages using the local attenuation rate. For example, when the local attenuation rate, which can be a measure of attenuation in the 10% or less portion of the two-dimensional waveforms 80 a, 80 b, is equal to or less than a first threshold, it may be determined that the long object is not caught, whereas when the local attenuation rate is greater than the first threshold, it may be determined that the long object is caught.

[0084] In addition, the local attenuation rate is defined as a rate that can be used as a measure of attenuation in a portion of the two-dimensional waveforms 80 a, 80 b that is 10% or less. However, if the local attenuation rate is defined as a rate that can be used as a measure of attenuation in a portion of the two-dimensional waveforms 80 a, 80 b that is 5% or less, it becomes easier to more accurately determine whether a long object has become stuck.

[0085] Furthermore, although the local damping rate is used to determine whether a long object is stuck, the determination may be made without using the local damping rate. For example, the elevator may include a storage unit that stores multiple reference two-dimensional waveforms in advance. Then, for at least one long object, whether the long object is stuck may be determined based on one of the multiple reference two-dimensional waveforms and a corresponding two-dimensional waveform.

[0086] Specifically, multiple reference 2D waveforms (reference 2D waveforms for when a long object is not caught) for multiple typical types of earthquakes, such as vertical shaking, horizontal shaking, long-period ground motion, and earthquakes of different magnitudes, may be created in advance for each landing on each floor and stored in the elevator's memory. Then, based on the landing where the car stopped when an earthquake actually occurred and the type of earthquake identified based on information detected by the earthquake detector, one reference 2D waveform may be selected from the multiple reference 2D waveforms, and the selected reference 2D waveform may be compared with the 2D waveform based on the photograph to determine whether a long object is caught. Here, the comparison may be performed, for example, by comparing the time it takes for the attenuation rate of the 2D waveform to reach a predetermined value (e.g., 10%) or the average amplitude of the 2D waveform. This approach also facilitates accurate determination of whether a long object is caught.

[0087] Alternatively, the photographing device may photograph multiple different long objects, generate two-dimensional waveforms for each long object, and determine whether one or more of the multiple long objects are caught based on the multiple different two-dimensional waveforms generated for the multiple long objects.

[0088] When multiple long objects are not caught, multiple long objects may exhibit similar swing behavior in relation to the same earthquake. Therefore, it may be possible to determine whether a long object is caught, whose behavior is significantly different from that of other long objects and whose swing behavior is heterogeneous. For example, if the time period in which the amplitude decreases to its maximum for only one long object is different from that of the other long objects, it may be determined that the long object is caught in elevator shaft equipment. According to this configuration, multiple two-dimensional waveforms that are different from each other are generated for multiple long objects. Therefore, it may be possible to determine whether a long object is caught, whose swing behavior is heterogeneous.

[0089] Furthermore, when a curve smoothly connecting the attenuation peaks is defined as a convergence curve 90 (see FIG. 4), whether a long object has become stuck may be determined based on the convergence curve 90. For example, whether a long object has become stuck may be determined when there is a point where the slope of the convergence curve 90 per unit time is greater than a threshold value.

[0090] In addition, the photographing device may photograph at least a portion of at least one long object after it has stopped moving, and determine whether the long object has become stuck based on an image of at least a portion of the long object that has stopped moving, for at least one long object.

[0091] Images of at least a portion of at least one long object taken by the camera while the car is stopped at each landing floor and not stuck may be stored in the elevator's memory in advance. In this case, after the earthquake, the car is stopped at one of the landings, and then the camera captures an image of at least a portion of the at least one long object after it has stopped moving after the earthquake. By comparing the captured image with an image of the corresponding landing not stuck, it is possible to accurately and significantly easily determine whether at least one long object is stuck. Note that even in this case, the comparison of the two images may be performed at a marked location on the long object, in which case it is possible to instantly and accurately determine whether the long object is stuck.

[0092] 10 elevator, 11 car, 12 hoist, 12a hoist motor, 13 counterweight, 14 wire rope, 15 car call button, 16 destination floor designation button, 17 floor landing detection sensor, 17a vane, 17b detector, 18 control device, 19 elevator shaft, 22 landing, 25 encoder, 28 car lifting mechanism, 30 machine room, 31 landing door, 32 car door, 39 car door opening / closing motor, 40 lighting device, 41 upper lighting device, 42 lower lighting device, 43 photography device, 45 upper photography device, 46 lower photography device, 47 earthquake sensor, 60 control unit, 60a earthquake determination unit, 60b car stop floor identification unit, 60c Hoisting machine motor control unit, 60d Cage door opening / closing motor control unit, 60e Photography device control unit, 60f Reference position identification unit, 60g Two-dimensional waveform generation unit, 60h Attenuation peak calculation unit, 60i Local attenuation rate calculation unit, 60j Threshold comparison unit, 61 Memory unit, 80a, 80b Two-dimensional waveform, 81a, 81b Attenuation peak, 90 Convergence curve.

Claims

1. A basket, A lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the car; A photographing device attached to the cage and capable of photographing at least one of an upper area located above the cage and a lower area located below the cage; A lighting device attached to the cage and configured to irradiate light onto at least a portion of the upper area and the lower area; An earthquake detector capable of detecting an earthquake; a control unit that controls the lifting mechanism, the photographing device, and the lighting device; When the earthquake detector detects an earthquake, the cage stops, and after the cage stops, the photographing device photographs at least a part of at least one long object; The control unit is determining whether the at least one elongated object is caught based on at least a portion of the image captured by the photographing device; generating a two-dimensional waveform for the at least one elongated object based on the image, the waveform being defined by a time and a deflection amount in one direction of a reference point of the elongated object; determining whether the at least one elongated object is caught based on the two-dimensional waveform; determining whether the at least one elongated object is caught based on a plurality of attenuation peaks that can be confirmed in the two-dimensional waveform; The damping peak is a maximum point of the vibration in the two-dimensional waveform, and is a maximum point where there is no maximum point of the vibration amount equal to or greater than the damping peak at a time later than the time at which the damping peak occurs.

2. The elevator of claim 1 , wherein the reference location comprises a location on the at least one elongated object closest to a center of the image.

3. The elevator of claim 1 , wherein the reference location includes a location of the elongated object that has the greatest vibration in the image.

4. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein the reference point is a marked point on the elongated object.

5. A basket, A lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the car; A photographing device attached to the cage and capable of photographing at least one of an upper area located above the cage and a lower area located below the cage; A lighting device attached to the cage and configured to irradiate light onto at least a portion of the upper area and the lower area; An earthquake detector capable of detecting an earthquake; a control unit that controls the lifting mechanism, the photographing device, and the lighting device; When the earthquake detector detects an earthquake, the cage stops, and after the cage stops, the photographing device photographs at least a part of at least one long object; The control unit is determining whether the at least one elongated object is caught based on at least a portion of the image captured by the photographing device; generating a two-dimensional waveform for the at least one elongated object based on the image, the waveform being defined by a time and a deflection amount in one direction of a reference point of the elongated object; determining whether the at least one elongated object is caught based on the two-dimensional waveform; Further comprising a storage unit that stores a plurality of reference two-dimensional waveforms in advance, The control unit determines, for at least one long object, whether the long object is caught based on one of the multiple reference two-dimensional waveforms and the two-dimensional waveform, in an elevator.

6. A basket, A lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the car; A photographing device attached to the cage and capable of photographing at least one of an upper area located above the cage and a lower area located below the cage; A lighting device attached to the cage and configured to irradiate light onto at least a portion of the upper area and the lower area; An earthquake detector capable of detecting an earthquake; a control unit that controls the lifting mechanism, the photographing device, and the lighting device; When the earthquake detector detects an earthquake, the cage stops, and after the cage stops, the photographing device photographs at least a part of at least one long object; The control unit is determining whether the at least one elongated object is caught based on at least a portion of the image captured by the photographing device; generating a two-dimensional waveform for the at least one elongated object based on the image, the waveform being defined by a time and a deflection amount in one direction of a reference point of the elongated object; determining whether the at least one elongated object is caught based on the two-dimensional waveform; The photographing device photographs a plurality of the long objects which are different from one another, the control unit generates the two-dimensional waveform for each of the long objects, and determines whether one or more of the plurality of long objects are caught based on the plurality of two-dimensional waveforms which are different from one another generated for the plurality of long objects, The control unit determines whether one or more of the long objects are caught based on a difference in behavior of one or more of the two-dimensional waveforms relative to the other two-dimensional waveforms, derived by comparing the multiple two-dimensional waveforms.

7. A basket, A lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the car; A photographing device attached to the cage and capable of photographing at least one of an upper area located above the cage and a lower area located below the cage; A lighting device attached to the cage and configured to irradiate light onto at least a portion of the upper area and the lower area; An earthquake detector capable of detecting an earthquake; a control unit that controls the lifting mechanism, the photographing device, and the lighting device; When the earthquake detector detects an earthquake, the cage stops, and after the cage stops, the photographing device photographs at least a part of at least one long object; The control unit is determining whether the at least one elongated object is caught based on at least a portion of the image captured by the photographing device; generating a two-dimensional waveform for the at least one elongated object based on the image, the waveform being defined by a time and a deflection amount in one direction of a reference point of the elongated object; determining whether the at least one elongated object is caught based on the two-dimensional waveform; An elevator that determines that the long object is not caught when a local attenuation rate, which can be a measure of attenuation in a portion of the two-dimensional waveform that is 10% or less, is less than a first threshold value, and determines that the long object is caught when the local attenuation rate is greater than the first threshold value.

8. A basket, A lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the car; A photographing device attached to the cage and capable of photographing at least one of an upper area located above the cage and a lower area located below the cage; A lighting device attached to the cage and configured to irradiate light onto at least a portion of the upper area and the lower area; An earthquake detector capable of detecting an earthquake; a control unit that controls the lifting mechanism, the photographing device, and the lighting device; When the earthquake detector detects an earthquake, the cage stops, and after the cage stops, the photographing device photographs at least a part of at least one long object; The control unit is determining whether the at least one elongated object is caught based on at least a portion of the image captured by the photographing device; generating a two-dimensional waveform for the at least one elongated object based on the image, the waveform being defined by a time and a deflection amount in one direction of a reference point of the elongated object; determining whether the at least one elongated object is caught based on the two-dimensional waveform; an elevator in which a first case is a case where a local attenuation rate, which can be a measure of attenuation in a portion of 10% or less of the two-dimensional waveform, is equal to or less than a first threshold, a second case is a case where the local attenuation rate is less than a second threshold which is greater than the first threshold and greater than the first threshold, and a third case is a case where the local attenuation rate is equal to or greater than the second threshold, and in which, in the first movement of the car after the earthquake ends, the maximum speed of the car in the first case is made greater than the maximum speed of the car in the second case, and further, the maximum speed of the car in the second case is made greater than the maximum speed of the car in the third case.

9. A basket, A lifting mechanism for lifting and lowering the car; A photographing device attached to the cage and capable of photographing at least one of an upper area located above the cage and a lower area located below the cage; A lighting device attached to the cage and configured to irradiate light onto at least a portion of the upper area and the lower area; An earthquake detector capable of detecting an earthquake; a control unit that controls the lifting mechanism, the photographing device, and the lighting device; When the earthquake detector detects an earthquake, the cage stops, and after the cage stops, the photographing device photographs at least a part of at least one long object; The control unit determines whether the at least one elongated object is caught based on at least a portion of the images captured by the photographing device, The photographing device photographs at least a portion of the at least one elongated object after the movement has stopped; The control unit determines whether the at least one elongated object is caught based on an image of at least a part of the elongated object whose movement has stopped, Further, a storage unit is provided in which an image of at least a part of at least one long object taken by the photographing device is stored in a state in which the car is stopped at a landing floor and is not caught, The control unit determines whether or not at least one of the at least one long object is caught by comparing an image captured by the photographing device of at least one of the at least one long object that has stopped moving after the car is stopped at the landing floor with the stored image.