Disaster management system for elevator equipment

Abstract

This disaster management system for elevator equipment comprises: a storage unit that stores, as a listed item to be implemented when an anomaly occurs in elevator equipment in a building, agreed implementation item information that is agreed with a client and for each building; a reception unit that receives an anomaly signal that indicates that an anomaly has occurred in the elevator equipment; a disaster scale determination unit that determines whether a large-scale disaster of a defined level or greater has occurred; a list generation unit that generates a list including the listed item of the agreed implementation item information if the reception unit has received an anomaly signal; and a listing restriction unit that sets some or all of the listed items included in the list so as not to be displayed if the disaster scale determination unit has determined that a large-scale disaster has occurred.

Description

Elevator equipment disaster management system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a disaster management system for elevator equipment.

[0002] Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology related to a system for recording responses to breakdowns that occur in building equipment. When a breakdown occurs in the equipment, the system displays the details of the response that an operator should take when the breakdown occurs on the equipment on a breakdown response screen.

[0003] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-182476

[0004] In the system of Patent Document 1, when a failure occurs in equipment, all details of the response that should be taken when the equipment fails are displayed. Here, in the event of a large-scale disaster such as an earthquake, an operator or engineer of a maintenance company (hereinafter simply referred to as "operator") is required to prioritize disaster recovery work for the elevator equipment. If responses with different priorities are displayed in a mixed manner, disaster recovery work may not proceed smoothly.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a disaster management system technology that will be advantageous in responding to large-scale disasters, with respect to the promised implementation items agreed upon with customers as a list of items to be implemented in the event of an abnormality in elevator equipment.

[0006] The disaster management system for elevator equipment disclosed herein includes a memory unit that stores information on promised implementation items agreed upon with a customer for each building as list items to be implemented in the event of an abnormality in the elevator equipment of the building, a reception unit that receives an abnormality signal indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the elevator equipment, a disaster scale determination unit that determines the occurrence of a large-scale disaster of a specified rank or higher, a list generation unit that generates a list including list items of promised implementation information when the reception unit receives an abnormality signal, and a list restriction unit that sets some or all of the list items included in the list to hidden when the disaster scale determination unit determines that a large-scale disaster has occurred.

[0007] According to the disaster management system disclosed herein, when a large-scale disaster of a scale equal to or greater than a predetermined rank occurs, some or all of the list items of the promise implementation information are set to be hidden. This makes it easier for operators to prioritize and respond to promise implementation items when a large-scale disaster occurs.

[0008] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a disaster management system according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of building information; FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of promise implementation information; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an abnormal signal type master; FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a generated to-do list; FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a seismic intensity information master; FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an abnormal signal number master; FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating building attribute information; FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a priority master; FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a processing routine executed in a list management device; FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of hardware resources of a disaster management system; FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating another example of hardware resources of a disaster management system.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that elements common to the various drawings are given the same reference numerals and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0010] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a disaster management system according to this embodiment. The elevator facility to which the disaster management system 100 according to this embodiment is applied is an elevator 2. The elevator facility may also include, for example, an escalator, a moving walkway, or facilities associated therewith.

[0011] The elevator system 1 is a system including multiple elevators 2. Each elevator 2 is applied to, for example, a building having multiple floors. Multiple elevators 2 may be provided in a single building. A hoistway 3 for the elevators 2 is provided in the building. The hoistway 3 is a vertically long space spanning multiple floors. In this example, each elevator 2 is a traction elevator. Note that the elevator system 1 may also include, for example, a drum elevator and a hydraulic elevator. The traction elevator includes a hoist 4, a main rope 5, a car 6, a counterweight 7, and a control panel 9.

[0012] The hoisting machine 4 includes a motor that generates a driving force and a sheave that rotates by the driving force generated by the motor. The hoisting machine 4 is disposed, for example, at the upper or lower part of the hoistway 3. Alternatively, if a machine room is provided in the elevator 2, for example, above the hoistway 3, the hoisting machine 4 may be disposed in the machine room.

[0013] The main ropes 5 are ropes that support the loads of the car 6 and counterweight 7 in the hoistway 3. The main ropes 5 are wound around the sheaves of the hoisting machine 4. The main ropes 5 support the load of the car 6 on one side of the sheave of the hoisting machine 4. The main ropes 5 support the load of the counterweight 7 on the other side of the sheave of the hoisting machine 4. The main ropes 5 move so as to pull up one side of the sheave of the hoisting machine 4 by the driving force generated by the motor of the hoisting machine 4.

[0014] The car 6 is a device that transports passengers and the like of the elevator 2 between multiple floors by traveling up and down the hoistway 3. The counterweight 7 is a device that balances the load of the car 6 that is applied to one side of the sheave of the hoisting machine 4 on the other side of the sheave of the hoisting machine 4. The car 6 and counterweight 7 travel up and down in opposite directions in the hoistway 3 as the main rope 5 is moved by the motor of the hoisting machine 4.

[0015] The earthquake sensor 8 is a device that detects seismic waves in the location where the elevator 2 is installed. The earthquake sensor 8 is disposed, for example, in the elevator shaft 3. Alternatively, if a machine room is provided, the earthquake sensor 8 may be disposed in the machine room.

[0016] The control panel 9 is a device that controls the operation of the elevator 2. The operation of the elevator 2 includes, for example, the running of the car 6. The control panel 9 is located, for example, at the top or bottom of the hoistway 3. Alternatively, if a machine room is provided, the control panel 9 may be located in the machine room. The control panel 9 is connected to the devices of the elevator 2 so as to be able to acquire information on the state of the elevator 2 that is used to control the operation of the elevator 2. The control panel 9 acquires information on the state of the elevator 2 from sensors or switches installed, for example, in the car 6, hoisting machine 4, or hoistway 3 of the elevator 2. The control panel 9 acquires information on the detection of seismic waves from the earthquake sensors 8.

[0017] The control panel 9 responds to the earthquake based on the information on the detection of seismic waves obtained from the earthquake sensor 8. Responses to the earthquake include, for example, controlled operation or operation shutdown. Controlled operation is automatic operation that responds to an earthquake that has occurred. Controlled operation includes diagnostic operation that diagnoses the impact of the earthquake on the elevator 2. Operation shutdown is a response in which the car 6 stops running and waits.

[0018] Each elevator 2 is equipped with a remote monitoring device 11. The remote monitoring device 11 is a device that monitors the status of the elevator 2. The remote monitoring device 11 acquires information on the status of the elevator 2, for example, from the control panel 9. For example, when an abnormality occurs in the elevator 2, the remote monitoring device 11 acquires an abnormality signal from the control panel 9. Examples of such abnormalities include being trapped inside the elevator, abnormal door opening and closing, etc.

[0019] A disaster management system 100 is applied to the elevator system 1. The disaster management system 100 maintains and manages the elevators 2 of customers who have entered into a maintenance contract in the event of a disaster. The maintenance contract stipulates the agreed-upon implementation items that should be carried out in the event of an abnormality occurring in the elevator 2. The disaster management system 100 is a system that manages the display of a list of agreed-upon implementation items that an operator can refer to in the event of an abnormality occurring in the elevator 2 in the event of a disaster. The disaster management system 100 includes a central management device 13 and a list management device 15.

[0020] The central management device 13 is a device that remotely monitors each elevator 2. The central management device 13 is located, for example, in an information center 16. The information center 16 is a base that collects information on multiple elevators 2. The central management device 13 is, for example, one or more server devices. The central management device 13 is connected from each remote monitoring device 11 via a telephone line such as LTE so that the central management device 13 can communicate the status of each elevator 2 during normal operation.

[0021] The list management device 15 is a device that manages the display of list items of promised performance items when some abnormality occurs in the elevator 2. The list management device 15 is located, for example, in an information center 16. The list management device 15 is, for example, one or more server devices. The central management device 13 is connected to each remote monitoring device 11 via a telephone line such as LTE so as to be able to communicate abnormal signals of each elevator 2. The list management device 15 is connected to the central management device 13 via, for example, a maintenance company's intranet. The list management device 15 is connected to a communication network such as the Internet or a telephone line network so as to be able to receive disaster information from an external service 19. The external service 19 is an external service that distributes disaster information such as earthquake information. The external service 19 is provided by a public institution such as the Japan Meteorological Agency in Japan or a similar institution in another country, or a private institution.

[0022] The operator is a person who responds while checking the list of promised implementation items. The operator has a terminal device 18. The terminal device 18 has an input function for inputting information and a display function for displaying information. The terminal device 18 is connected to the list management device 15 via, for example, the maintenance company's intranet.

[0023] As described above, the maintenance contract with the customer stipulates the implementation schedule for each building. If an abnormality occurs in the customer's elevator 2, the operator is required to comply with these implementation schedules. Therefore, the list management device 15 generates a list of implementation schedules corresponding to the building where the abnormality occurred and displays it on the operator's terminal device 18. This list will be referred to as the "to-do list" hereinafter.

[0024] The list management device 15 includes, as functional blocks related to the generation and management of to-do lists, an abnormality signal receiving unit 21, a memory unit 22, a list generation unit 23, a disaster scale determination unit 24, a list restriction unit 25, and a display unit 26. Below, various functions of the list management device 15 will be explained using specific examples.

[0025] 2. Functions of the list management device 15 2-1. To-do list display function The list management device 15 generates a to-do list by extracting list items of promised implementation matters for the building in which the elevator 2 in which the abnormality occurred is installed. This process will be referred to as the "list generation process" hereinafter.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of building information. The building information is information for identifying the target elevator equipment, and is composed of, for example, an identification number and a unit number assigned to each building. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of promise implementation information. As shown in this figure, the promise implementation information associates the identification number and unit number of the target building with the classification and response content of the promise implementation item. The abnormal signal type is a symbol that classifies the abnormal signal, and is defined as abnormal signal type information by the abnormal signal type master. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the abnormal signal type master. As shown in this figure, the abnormal signal type is associated with the abnormal content, such as being trapped in the elevator 2. The memory unit 22 stores building information, promise implementation information, and abnormal signal type master.

[0027] The abnormality signal receiving unit 21 receives an abnormality signal for the elevator 2 from each remote monitoring device 11. The abnormality signal includes details of the abnormality in the elevator 2 and building information that identifies the elevator 2. In the list generation process, the list generation unit 23 refers to the building information and identifies the building from the abnormality signal received by the abnormality signal receiving unit 21. The list generation unit 23 then generates a to-do list by extracting list items of appointment implementation information associated with the identified building. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a generated to-do list. The example shown in this figure is a display example of a list generated when an abnormality signal is received from a building with identification number AA-XXX. The display unit 26 displays the to-do list on the operator's terminal device 18.

[0028] 2-2. Disaster Scale Determination Function The list management device 15 determines the scale of a disaster that has occurred in the area where the elevator 2 is installed. This process is hereinafter referred to as the "disaster scale determination process." In the disaster scale determination process, the disaster scale information receiving unit 27 receives disaster scale information from the external service 19. The disaster scale determination unit 24 determines the scale of the disaster and its area based on the received disaster scale information. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of a seismic intensity information master. The seismic intensity information master is a disaster scale determination condition in which the magnitude of the seismic intensity is associated with a rank value of the earthquake scale. The rank value used here is an index value that becomes larger as the scale of the disaster increases. The memory unit 22 stores the seismic intensity information master shown in Figure 6. The disaster scale determination unit 24 identifies the seismic intensity information included in the received disaster scale information and the disaster scale rank corresponding to the area.

[0029] Alternatively, in the disaster scale determination process, the list management device 15 determines the scale of the disaster based on the number of abnormal signals received per unit time. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an abnormal signal count master. The abnormal signal count master is a disaster scale determination condition in which a rank value of the disaster scale is associated with the number of abnormal signals received per unit time, which is an index of the scale of the earthquake. The memory unit 22 stores the abnormal signal count master shown in FIG. 7. The disaster scale determination unit 24 calculates the number of abnormal signals received per unit time by the abnormal signal receiving unit 21, and identifies the disaster scale rank corresponding to the calculated number of signals.

[0030] 2-3. To-do List Display Function in the Event of a Disaster When a large-scale disaster occurs, priority must be given to restoring the elevator 2, making it difficult for the operator to respond to the to-do list in the same way as under normal circumstances. Therefore, when a disaster of a predetermined scale or greater occurs, the list restriction unit 25 restricts the list items of the to-do list generated in the list generation process. This process is hereinafter referred to as the "list restriction process." In a first example of the list restriction process, the list restriction unit 25 displays list items for buildings with high priority among buildings in which an elevator 2 experiencing an abnormality is installed, and hides list items for buildings with low priority. The priority here is, for example, a priority determined from the attributes of the building.

[0031] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing building attribute information. The building attribute information is registered information in which attributes are associated with the identification number of a building. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a priority master. The priority master is registered priority information in which priorities are associated with building attributes. The priority here is the priority of the urgency of the appointment fulfillment items determined by the building attributes. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the priority of "hospital" is set to the highest value. The building attribute information and the priority master are stored in the memory unit 22.

[0032] In the list limiting process, the list limiting unit 25 displays list items of buildings whose priority is equal to or greater than a threshold, and hides list items of buildings whose priority is less than the threshold. The priority threshold here is, for example, "5."

[0033] Alternatively, in the list limiting process, the list limiting unit 25 sets, for example, list items corresponding to abnormal signal types requiring urgency to be displayed, and sets other list items to be hidden. An example of an abnormal signal type requiring urgency is abnormal signal type A corresponding to "confined."

[0034] According to such list restriction processing, in a situation where recovery from a large-scale disaster is given priority, the operator can give priority to dealing with list items with high urgency.

[0035] 3. Specific Processing Executed in List Management Device 15 Figure 10 is a flowchart showing a processing routine executed in list management device 15. In step S100 of the routine shown in Figure 10, it is determined whether or not the abnormality signal receiving unit 21 has received an abnormality signal. If the determination is not affirmative, this routine is terminated, and if the determination is affirmative, the processing proceeds to step S102.

[0036] In step S102, a to-do list including a list item of the identification number of the target building is generated based on the building information included in the abnormality signal. When the process of step S102 is completed, the process proceeds to step S104.

[0037] In step S104, it is determined whether a disaster of a predetermined rank or higher has occurred. Here, the disaster scale determination unit 24 refers to the seismic intensity information master shown in FIG. 6 to identify the rank of the disaster scale corresponding to the seismic intensity received from the external service 19. Then, the disaster scale determination unit 24 determines whether the identified rank value of the disaster scale is equal to or higher than a predetermined specified rank. Here, the specified rank is a threshold value for determining whether the disaster scale is a large-scale disaster for which recovery should be given the highest priority. The specified rank is set to, for example, "5."

[0038] If the result of the determination in step S104 is that the determination is successful, the process proceeds to step S106; if the result is not successful, the process proceeds to step S108. In step S106, of the list items in the to-do list generated in step S104, items with low priority are hidden. As an example, the list limiting unit 25 refers to the building attribute information and the priority master to identify the priority corresponding to the building information included in the abnormal signal. Then, the list limiting unit 25 displays list items corresponding to buildings whose identified priority is equal to or greater than a priority threshold, and hides list items corresponding to buildings whose priority is less than the priority threshold.

[0039] Alternatively, as another example, the list restriction unit 25 refers to the abnormal signal count master and sets list items corresponding to abnormal signal types that require urgency, such as ``trapped,'' to be displayed, and sets other list items to be hidden.

[0040] Alternatively, as another example, the list restriction unit 25 sets all list items associated with the building corresponding to the received abnormal signal to be hidden.

[0041] When the process of step S106 is completed, the process proceeds to step S108. In step S108, the display unit 26 displays the to-do list on the terminal device 18 of the operator.

[0042] According to the above process, it is possible to limit the display of items on the TDDO list when a large-scale disaster occurs, allowing the operator to prioritize disaster recovery work. Furthermore, according to the above process, it is possible to display high-priority list items on the to-do list, which makes it possible to improve customer satisfaction while also enabling rapid disaster recovery work.

[0043] 4. Modifications The disaster management system 100 of this embodiment may be modified as follows.

[0044] 4-1. Hardware resources of the disaster management system 100

[0045] 11 is a diagram showing an example of hardware resources of the disaster management system 100. The list management device 15 of the disaster management system 100 includes, as hardware resources, a processing circuit 34 including a processor 30 and a memory 32. The processing circuit 34 may include multiple processors 30. The processing circuit 34 may include multiple memories 32.

[0046] In this embodiment, the units denoted by reference numerals 21 to 26 represent functions possessed by the list management device 15. The functions of the storage unit 22 are realized by a memory 32. The functions of the units denoted by reference numerals 21 to 27 can be realized by software written as a program, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The program is stored in the memory 32. The list management device 15 realizes the functions of the units denoted by reference numerals 21 to 27 by executing the program stored in the memory 32 by a processor 30 (computer).

[0047] The processor 30 is also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit), central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP. The memory 32 may be a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a minidisk, or a DVD. Usable semiconductor memories include RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, and EEPROM.

[0048] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing another example of hardware resources of the disaster management system 100. In the example shown in Fig. 12, the list management device 15 includes a processor 30, a memory 32, and a processing circuit 34 including dedicated hardware 36. Fig. 12 shows an example in which some of the functions of the list management device 15 are realized by the dedicated hardware 36. All of the functions of the list management device 15 may also be realized by the dedicated hardware 36. The dedicated hardware 36 may be a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof.

[0049] Even when list items are limited in the list limiting process, it is conceivable that there may still be a large number of list items. Therefore, if the number of displayed list items exceeds a predetermined upper limit, the list limiting unit 25 may be configured to further hide list items selected by the operator. For example, the list limiting unit 25 may hide list items manually selected by the operator from among the list items displayed on the terminal device 18. This configuration makes it possible to prioritize disaster recovery even further in the event of a large-scale disaster.

[0050] The system may also include a function that allows the operator to check list items that were previously restricted from display when disaster recovery work has concluded. For example, after step S108 of the routine shown in FIG. 10 , the list management device 15 determines whether disaster recovery work has concluded. For example, the list management device 15 determines that disaster recovery work has concluded when the elevator recovery rate in the target area reaches a predetermined recovery rate. If the determination is affirmative, the list restriction unit 25 sets the list items that were previously set to hidden to displayed. The display unit 26 displays the to-do list items that were set to displayed on the operator's terminal device 18. This additional function allows the operator to thoroughly check all to-do items that were set to hidden.

[0051] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 elevator system, 2 elevator, 3 hoistway, 4 hoisting machine, 5 main rope, 7 counterweight, 9 control panel, 11 remote monitoring device, 13 central management device, 15 list management device, 16 information center, 18 terminal device, 21 abnormal signal reception unit, 22 memory unit, 23 list generation unit, 24 disaster scale determination unit, 25 list restriction unit, 26 display unit, 27 disaster scale information reception unit, 30 processor, 32 memory, 34 processing circuit, 36 dedicated hardware, 100 disaster management system

Claims

1. a storage unit that stores information on promised implementation items agreed upon with a customer for each building as a list of items to be implemented when an abnormality occurs in the elevator equipment of the building; A reception unit that receives an abnormality signal indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the elevator equipment; a disaster scale determination unit for determining the occurrence of a large-scale disaster of a specified rank or higher; a list generating unit that generates a list including the list items of the promise implementation information when the receiving unit receives the abnormality signal; a list limiting unit that sets some or all of the list items included in the list to not be displayed when the disaster scale determining unit determines that the large-scale disaster has occurred; A disaster management system for elevator equipment.

2. The storage unit includes priority information in which a priority of display of the promise implementation item information is registered for each of the buildings, The list restriction unit sets, among the list items, a list item of a building whose priority is lower than a priority threshold value to be hidden. The elevator facility disaster management system according to claim 1 , which is configured as follows:

3. The priority information is determined based on building attributes determined for each building. A disaster management system for elevator facilities according to claim 2.

4. the storage unit includes abnormal signal type information in which an abnormal signal type of the abnormal signal is registered, The list restriction unit sets list items other than list items corresponding to abnormal signal types requiring urgency to be hidden based on the abnormal signal type information. The elevator facility disaster management system according to claim 1 , which is configured as follows:

5. The storage unit stores disaster scale determination conditions that classify disaster scales by rank, The disaster scale determination unit is configured to determine whether or not the scale of a disaster that has occurred is equal to or greater than the specified rank, based on the disaster scale determination condition. A disaster management system for an elevator facility according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A disaster scale information receiving unit that receives disaster scale information indicating the size of the disaster scale, The disaster scale determination unit determines whether the disaster scale is equal to or greater than the specified rank based on the disaster scale information and the disaster scale determination condition. The elevator facility disaster management system according to claim 5, which is configured as follows:

7. The disaster scale information includes seismic intensity information obtained from an external service. The elevator facility disaster management system according to claim 6, which is configured as follows:

8. The disaster scale information includes information on the number of abnormal signals received per unit time. The elevator facility disaster management system according to claim 6, which is configured as follows:

9. The list limiting unit sets a list item manually selected from the displayed list items to be hidden when the number of displayed list items exceeds an upper limit.

5. The elevator facility disaster management system according to claim 1, wherein the elevator facility disaster management system is configured as follows: