CN114132819A - Mobile radio control system and mobile radio control method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile radio control system and a mobile radio control method capable of performing safe mobile control even when the quality of a radio signal deteriorates. A mobile body wireless control system (elevator system 1) controls a mobile body (car 10) having an openable and closable door from a control device (control device 20) by using a plurality of wireless communications at least a part of which uses wireless, wherein the mobile body wireless control system switches a wireless communication interface connected to the mobile body or the control device based on the communication quality of the wireless communications being used in the mobile body or the control device, and changes control related to stop of the mobile body or opening and closing of the door based on switching of the wireless communication interface.

Description

Mobile radio control system and mobile radio control method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a mobile body wireless control system and a mobile body wireless control method, and is applied to a mobile body wireless control system and a mobile body wireless control method for controlling a mobile body (for example, a car of an elevator) by wireless communication.

Background

In a conventional elevator system, a control panel for controlling the operation of the entire system is disposed in a machine room provided at the uppermost part of an elevator shaft. Then, communication between the control panel and the car is performed via a cable connecting the control panel and the car that ascends and descends in the hoistway.

In recent years, however, as the population has concentrated in cities, the demand for high-rise elevators has increased along with the increase in the demand for high-rise buildings. However, in the case of a high-rise elevator, the cable becomes long, and therefore the following problems occur: the drive mechanism is large-sized to deal with the increase of the mass of the cable; an increase in the risk of failure due to an increase in the magnitude of physical sway of the cable; and an increase in the preparation period for manufacturing a cable over a long distance.

The above problem can be solved by making the communication between the control panel and the car wireless. However, if the communication between the control panel and the car is made wireless, the communication quality may be deteriorated due to the influence of radio wave interference from users in the building or the like. In particular, when large interference occurs, communication itself becomes impossible, and therefore the following is conceivable: the elevator cannot be moved and passengers are also trapped in the car.

Here, for example, patent document 1 discloses the following technique: a plurality of wireless devices are installed on, for example, the wall side of an elevator shaft, and the wireless devices that are wirelessly connected are switched by a pseudo beacon transmitted from a wireless base station mounted on a mobile body (car), thereby maintaining the communication quality of wireless communication with the mobile body.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2019-021962

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

However, even in the wireless communication system of patent document 1, when a large interference occurs with wireless communication, wireless communication becomes difficult regardless of the number of installed wireless devices. As a countermeasure against such a situation, it is conceivable to prepare an alternative wireless communication in advance, but the alternative wireless communication has a problem that the communication quality (quality of a wireless signal) is insufficient compared with the original wireless communication, and therefore, when the mobile body (for example, a car) is in a dangerous state, control cannot be performed promptly.

In particular, in an elevator system, when "door-open travel" occurs in which a car travels with doors open, it is required to detect the state of the door-open travel and immediately stop the car by actuating a brake. However, since the communication quality is insufficient in the alternative wireless communication path, it is difficult to achieve a delay time necessary for safely performing the control of the braking operation and the like, and it is difficult to safely get passengers in the car up and down.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a mobile radio control system and a mobile radio control method capable of performing safe mobile control even when the quality of a radio signal is deteriorated by switching to alternative radio communication or the like.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a mobile body wireless control system for controlling a mobile body having an openable and closable door from a control device by using a plurality of wireless communications at least a part of which uses wireless, wherein a wireless communication interface connected to the mobile body or the control device is switched based on communication quality of the wireless communications used by the mobile body or the control device, and control related to stop of the mobile body or opening and closing of the door is changed in accordance with switching of the wireless communication interface.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile radio control method executed by a mobile radio control system for controlling a mobile body having an openable and closable door from a control device by using a plurality of radio communications at least partially using radio, the mobile radio control method changing a radio communication interface connected to the mobile body or the control device based on a communication quality of the radio communications used by the mobile body or the control device, and changing control related to stop of the mobile body or opening and closing of the door based on the change of the radio communication interface.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, even when the quality of a wireless signal deteriorates, safe control of a mobile body can be performed.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an elevator system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration example of the elevator system 1.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the elevator system 1A.

Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining a first communication path switching method in the control device 20.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing steps of a process of switching a communication path by the first communication-path switching method.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining a first communication path switching method in the car 10.

Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining a second communication path switching method in the control device 20.

Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining a second communication path switching method in the car 10.

Fig. 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a procedure for switching the communication path between the car 10 and the control device 20.

Fig. 10 shows an example of the rated speed determination table 130.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing steps of the special control processing.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, an elevator system in which a car (corresponding to a moving body) is controlled from a control device is described as an example of a wireless control system for a moving body according to the present invention, but a system to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to an elevator system as long as the control device controls a moving body having an openable and closable door by wireless.

(1) Structure of the product

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an elevator system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a description will be given mainly of a structure corresponding to a characteristic structure of the present invention, and descriptions and explanations of other structures (e.g., ropes, pulleys, etc.) common to general elevator systems will be omitted. In the present embodiment, the car of the elevator system is simply referred to as a "car".

As shown in fig. 1, an elevator system 1 includes a car 10 and a control device 20. In the elevator system 1, the transmission of the signal is performed by the first wireless communication via the communication path 110 between the car 10 and the control device 20 in a normal (normal) state. Specifically, for example, the control device 20 receives sensor information such as position information of the car 10 and door opening/closing information from the car 10 by first wireless communication via the communication path 110, and controls the operation of the car 10 (movement of the car 10, opening/closing of doors, etc.) based on the received information. The control device 20 periodically transmits a signal to the car 10 to recognize the state of the car 10 and safely control the movement of the car 10.

Here, since the control device 20 controls the car 10 by wireless communication, when a user or the like in a building in which the elevator system 1 is installed performs wireless communication in the same frequency band as the first wireless communication, interference may occur, and the communication quality of the first wireless communication may deteriorate. When the interference continues to occur with a strong intensity, the first wireless communication connecting the car 10 and the control device 20 is continuously blocked, and the signal transmission is not performed normally.

When the quality of the wireless signal of the first wireless communication deteriorates as described above, the information transmitted from the car 10 to the control device 20 may be delayed or lost. If such a state occurs at a certain time or frequency or more, the control device 20 cannot accurately grasp the state of the car 10 in real time, and therefore service is stopped. If the service is stopped for a long time, the car 10 cannot move and is in a stopped state, and passengers in the car 10 may be trapped.

Therefore, in the elevator system 1 according to the present embodiment, when the communication quality of the first wireless communication used in the normal state (normal state) (communication quality in the communication path 110) does not satisfy the predetermined reference (abnormal state), the communication between the car 10 and the control device 20 is switched to the second wireless communication using a frequency band different from that of the first wireless communication. The second wireless communication is performed via the alternative communication path 120. The communication path 120 for replacement is, for example, a communication path via the internet 30, and is wirelessly connected at least between the car 10 and the internet 30. In other words, as in the communication path 120 shown in fig. 1, a wired connection (wired communication) may be provided between the internet 30 and the control device 20.

As a specific example, in the present embodiment, it is provided that the same frequency band as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is used for the first wireless communication used in the normal state, and the frequency band used for the mobile phone such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) is used for the second wireless communication used in the abnormal state in which the first wireless communication is blocked for a Long time.

In the second wireless communication, as shown in the communication path 120, since the communication between the car 10 and the control device 20 is performed via the internet 30, characteristics of delay time and packet loss are deteriorated compared to the first wireless communication using the communication path 110. The delay time until the signal is transmitted from the car 10 to the control device 20 is determined by the time required until the control device 20 can safely control the operation of the car 10 in response to an instruction such as the operation of the brake after grasping the state of the car 10.

Here, as a requirement for a general elevator system, in the elevator system 1, it is necessary to prevent "door-open travel" in which the car 10 moves in a state where the doors are open. Therefore, although it is necessary to satisfy a request value of the delay time of the signal for preventing the door-open travel (hereinafter, also referred to as a request delay time), in the elevator system 1 at the time of the above-described abnormal state, it is assumed that the communication quality is relatively deteriorated and it is difficult to satisfy the request value, if the communication path 120 different from the normal state is used by simply switching the communication path. In view of the above problem, the elevator system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a configuration in which a special control process for preventing door-open travel is executed in an alternative elevator control described in detail later, and thereby, even when communication with relatively deteriorated communication quality such as the second wireless communication is used, door-open travel is prevented, the car 10 is moved safely, and passengers in the car 10 get on and off the elevator.

In the above-described specific example, the first wireless communication used in the normal state is Wi-Fi, and the second wireless communication used in the abnormal state is LTE. In this embodiment, the first wireless communication may be a communication method or a communication standard that satisfies the request delay time of the elevator system, and the second wireless communication may be a communication method or a communication standard that (possibly) does not satisfy the request delay time. Specifically, for example, the first wireless communication may be local 5G (5th Generation: fifth Generation mobile communication technology), and the second wireless communication may be PHS (Personal handyphone System: Personal handyphone System), or the like.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration example of the elevator system 1. The car 10 is a moving body in which passengers can get on and off an elevator with an openable and closable door as a doorway, and includes a communication method determination unit 11, wireless signal transmission units 12 and 13, a sensor 14, and a display 15. The control device 20 is a device capable of controlling the operation of the car 10, and includes an elevator control unit 21, a communication method determination unit 22, a wireless signal transmission unit 23, and a wired signal transmission unit 24. Although not illustrated in fig. 2, the car 10 may include a control unit that controls various devices (e.g., the sensor 14, the display 15, and the like) in the car 10, and in this case, the control unit is connected between the sensor 14, the display 15, and the communication method determination unit 11.

As described above, various signals are transmitted between the car 10 and the control device 20 by the first wireless communication or the second wireless communication. Specifically, for example, an input signal including output information from the sensor 14 or the like is transmitted from the car 10 to the control device 20 (eventually, the elevator control unit 21) through the communication method determination unit 11 by the first wireless communication or the second wireless communication. On the other hand, an input signal for controlling the car 10 from the elevator control unit 21 is transmitted from the control device 20 to the car 10 (eventually, the display 15 or the like) by the first wireless communication or the second wireless communication via the communication method determination unit 22. As will be described in detail later, which of the first wireless communication and the second wireless communication is used is determined by the communication method determination unit 11 or the communication method determination unit 22.

The respective structures shown in fig. 2 will be described in detail below.

The communication method determination unit 11 has a function of determining a communication method (communication path) used for communication from the car 10 to the control device 20, and switching the communication method (communication path) according to the determination result. In the initial state and the normal state (normal time), the communication method determining section 11 transmits a signal input to the control device 20 to the wireless signal transmitting section 12 to transmit the signal by the first wireless communication via the communication path 110 at the normal time.

The communication method determining unit 11 measures the communication quality of the signal received by the wireless signal transmitting unit 12, determines whether or not the communication path 110 can perform normal communication (normal state/abnormal state), and monitors the communication quality of the communication path 110 (communication quality of the first wireless communication).

When the measured communication quality of the communication path 110 satisfies a predetermined criterion (for example, not less than the threshold P1), the communication method determination unit 11 determines that the communication path is in a normal state and determines the communication path to be used as the communication path 110. On the other hand, when the measured communication quality of the communication path 110 does not satisfy the predetermined criterion (for example, is less than the threshold value P1), the communication method determination unit 11 determines that the communication path is in an abnormal state, and switches the communication path to be used to the alternative communication path 120. As a result, in the abnormal state (abnormal state), the communication method determination unit 11 transmits the signal input to the control device 20 to the wireless signal transmission unit 13 to transmit the signal by the second wireless communication via the alternative communication path 120.

The wireless signal transmission unit 12 is a device (wireless communication Interface (IF)) having a wireless communication function by the first wireless communication, and performs the first wireless communication with the wireless signal transmission unit 23 of the control device 20 via the communication path 110. For example, the wireless signal transmission unit 12 wirelessly transmits the signal transmitted from the communication method determination unit 11 through the communication path 110 to the wireless signal transmission unit 23. The wireless signal transmission unit 12 receives a signal wirelessly transmitted from the wireless signal transmission unit 23 via the communication path 110. The signal received by the wireless signal transmission unit 12 is transmitted to the display 15 or the like via the communication method determination unit 11.

The wireless signal transmission unit 13 is a device (wireless communication Interface (IF)) having a wireless communication function by the second wireless communication, and performs the second wireless communication with the wired signal transmission unit 24 of the control device 20 via the internet 30 via the communication path 120. However, as also described in fig. 1, in the communication path 120, wireless communication is performed between the wireless signal transmitter 13 and the internet 30, and signals are transmitted between the internet 30 and the wired signal transmitter 24 by wired communication. For example, the wireless signal transmission unit 13 wirelessly transmits the signal transmitted from the communication method determination unit 11 to the internet 30 through the communication path 120, and transmits the signal to the wired signal transmission unit 24 via wired communication between the internet 30 and the wired signal transmission unit 24. In addition, the wireless signal transmission section 13 wirelessly receives the signal transmitted from the wired signal transmission section 24 to the internet 30 through the communication path 120 by wire. The signal received by the wireless signal transmission unit 13 is transmitted to the display 15 or the like via the communication method determination unit 11.

The sensor 14 is a sensor that detects the position of the car 10, the open/close state of the doors, or the like, and transmits an input signal including position information of the car 10, open/close information of the doors, or the like to the communication method determination unit 11 based on the detection result. As described above, the input signal output from the sensor 14 or the like is transmitted to the control device 20 (elevator control unit 21).

The display 15 is a display device for notifying passengers of the current position (floor) or moving direction of the car 10. The display 15 can perform, for example, an alarm display or the like for requesting a passenger to leave the car 10 in an emergency or an abnormal situation, in addition to the above-described applications. The display 15 performs these displays based on, for example, a display control signal output from the elevator control unit 21. In the car 10, as display devices other than the display device 15, floor buttons for allowing passengers to perform an operation for specifying a destination floor, opening/closing buttons for allowing passengers to perform an operation for instructing opening/closing of doors, and the like are provided (both not shown).

The elevator control unit 21 has a function of controlling the entire elevator system 1 including the car 10. As the control of the car 10, the elevator control section 21 performs speed control such as acceleration and deceleration of the car 10, door opening/closing control, and the like, based on a signal received from the car 10, for example. The control executable by the elevator control unit 21 is not limited to the control based on the received signal from the car 10, and the automatic control by the elevator control unit 21 may be executed. For example, the elevator control unit 21 can transmit a control signal for display on the display 15 of the car 10, a control signal for instructing lighting of a floor button of the car 10, and the like to the car 10. In this case, each signal is transmitted to the communication method determination unit 22, and is transmitted to the car 10 through a communication path (communication method) determined by the communication method determination unit 22.

The elevator control unit 21 switches the control method of the elevator to a normal elevator control or an alternative elevator control based on the notification from the communication method determination unit 22 and operates the elevator. Specifically, when receiving a notification of using the communication path 110 from the communication method determination unit 22, the elevator control unit 21 performs a normal elevator control. On the other hand, when the communication between the car 10 and the control device 20 is performed by the second wireless communication using the communication path 120 for replacement, as described above, there is a possibility that the request delay time for preventing the door-open travel cannot be satisfied. Therefore, when receiving a notification from the communication method determination unit 22 to use the alternative communication path 120, the elevator control unit 21 changes the elevator control method to perform the alternative elevator control, and executes a special control process for preventing door-open travel as a part of the control (see fig. 11).

The communication method determination unit 22 has a function of determining a communication method (communication path) used for communication from the control device 20 to the car 10 and switching the communication method (communication path) according to the determination result. In the initial state and the normal state (normal time), the communication method determination section 22 transmits the signal input to the car 10 to the wireless signal transmission section 23 to transmit the signal by the first wireless communication via the communication path 110 at the normal time.

The communication method determining unit 22 measures the communication quality of the radio signal received by the radio signal transmitting unit 23, determines whether or not the communication path 110 can perform normal communication (normal state/abnormal state), and monitors the communication quality of the communication path 110 (communication quality of the first radio communication).

When the measured communication quality of the communication path 110 satisfies a predetermined criterion (for example, not less than the threshold P1), the communication method determination unit 22 determines that the communication path is in a normal state and determines the communication path to be used as the communication path 110. Further, the communication method determination unit 22 notifies the elevator control unit 21 to use the communication path 110. On the other hand, when the measured communication quality of the communication path 110 does not satisfy the predetermined criterion (for example, is less than the threshold value P1), the communication method determination unit 22 determines that the communication path is in an abnormal state, and switches the communication path to be used to the alternative communication path 120. As a result, in an abnormal state (at the time of abnormality), the communication method determining unit 22 transmits the signal input to the car 10 to the wired signal transmitting unit 24, and transmits the signal by the second wireless communication via the alternative communication path 120. The communication method determination unit 22 notifies the elevator control unit 21 to use the alternative communication path 120.

The wireless signal transmission unit 23 is a device (wireless communication Interface (IF)) having a wireless communication function by the first wireless communication, and performs the first wireless communication with the wireless signal transmission unit 12 of the car 10 via the communication path 110. For example, the wireless signal transmission unit 23 transmits a signal transmitted from the elevator control unit 21 via the communication method determination unit 22 to the wireless signal transmission unit 12 by wirelessly transmitting the signal through the communication path 110. In addition, the wireless signal transmission unit 23 receives a signal wirelessly transmitted from the wireless signal transmission unit 12 via the communication path 110. The signal received by the wireless signal transmission unit 23 is transmitted to the elevator control unit 21 via the communication method determination unit 22.

The wired signal transmission unit 24 is a device (wired communication Interface (IF)) having a wired communication function, and performs transmission and reception of wired signals via a communication path 120 wired to the internet 30. As described above, the wired communication path between the wired signal transmission unit 24 and the internet 30 is a part of the communication path 120 by the second wireless communication, and the wired signal transmission unit 24 performs transmission and reception of signals by the second wireless communication with the wireless signal transmission unit 13 via the internet 30. For example, the wired signal transmission unit 24 transmits a signal transmitted from the elevator control unit 21 via the communication method determination unit 22 to the internet 30 via the communication path 120 by wire, and transmits the signal to the wireless signal transmission unit 13 via wireless communication between the internet 30 and the wireless signal transmission unit 13. In addition, the wired signal transmission section 24 receives a signal wirelessly transmitted from the wireless signal transmission section 13 to the internet 30 in a wired manner through the communication path 120. The signal received by the wired signal transmission unit 24 is transmitted to the elevator control unit 21 via the communication method determination unit 22.

In the above description, the communication method determining unit 11 of the car 10 and the communication method determining unit 22 of the control device 20 switch the communication path based on the result of monitoring the communication quality of each of the wireless signal transmitting unit 12 and the wireless signal transmitting unit 23 (the first communication path switching method described later), but the elevator system 1 according to the present embodiment may switch the communication path as follows. That is, it is assumed that the wireless signal transmission unit 13 and the wired signal transmission unit 24 using the communication path 120 can always receive a signal having a path from the internet 30 between the car 10 and the control device 20, and when the communication path used in one of the car 10 and the control device 20 is switched to the communication path 120 and the signal having passed through the communication path 120 is received in the other wireless signal transmission unit 13 or the wired signal transmission unit 24, the communication method determination units 11 and 22 on the receiving side may switch the communication path used in the own device (the car 10 and the control device 20) to the communication path 120 (a second communication path switching method described later).

In the present embodiment, the communication method determining unit 11 of the car 10 and the communication method determining unit 22 of the control device 20 may switch the communication path to be used from the communication path 110 to the communication path 120, and then may transmit the same signal as the communication path 120 to the communication path 110 so that the signal from the communication path 110 can be received. In such a case, when the communication quality of the communication path 110 improves thereafter, the communication method determination unit 11 or the communication method determination unit 22 can determine that the normal elevator control is possible based on the fact that the communication quality of the communication path 110 measured by itself satisfies the "predetermined criterion", and therefore, the communication path used can be returned to the communication path 110, and the elevator control unit 21 can be notified of this fact, thereby returning to the normal elevator control. The "predetermined reference" for making the determination to return from the communication path 120 to the communication path 110 may be "equal to or greater than the threshold P1" by using a threshold (for example, P1) used for making the determination to switch from the communication path 110 to the communication path 120, but from the viewpoint of suppressing frequent switching of the communication path, it is preferable to use another threshold (for example, Q1) indicating higher quality than P1. That is, setting "not less than the threshold Q1" as the "predetermined reference" can be expected to realize more stable communication control.

As a derivative example of the elevator system 1 according to the present embodiment, an elevator system 1A may be considered in which all of the communication paths 120 of the second wireless communication are configured as communication paths based on wireless communication. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the elevator system 1A. The structure of the elevator system 1A shown in fig. 3 is different from that of the elevator system 1 shown in fig. 2 only in that the wired signal transmission unit 24 is replaced with the wireless signal transmission unit 25, and the control device 20 is changed to the control device 20A. That is, the elevator system 1A is configured to perform communication between the internet 30 and the control device 20A by a wireless communication method, and all the second wireless communications using the communication path 120 are realized by the wireless communication method. The other structures are the same as those of the elevator system 1, and therefore, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

(2) Switching of communication paths

As described above, in the elevator system 1 according to the present embodiment, the communication path used for the communication between the car 10 and the control device 20 can be switched between the communication path 110 and the communication path 120. The method of switching the communication path may include: a first communication path switching method of switching based on a communication quality of a currently selected communication path; and a second communication path switching method of switching based on signal reception from a communication path switched by another apparatus. These first and second communication path switching methods will be described in detail below.

(2-1) first communication path switching method

Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining a first communication path switching method in the control device 20. Fig. 4 shows an internal configuration of the communication method determination unit 22 of the control device 20, and the communication method determination unit 22 includes a path switching unit 221 and a signal transmission unit 222.

In fig. 4, the path switching unit 221 measures the signal quality of the communication path 110 based on the communication quality information acquired from the wireless signal transmission unit 23, determines the communication path used by the control device 20 for communication with the car 10 as either the communication path 110 or the communication path 120 based on the measurement result of the signal quality, and notifies the signal transmission unit 222 of the determination result. The route switching unit 221 also notifies the elevator control unit 21 of the determination result (route information) of the communication route. Then, the signal transmission unit 222 performs data transmission between the communication paths with the elevator control unit 21 based on the communication paths notified from the path switching unit 221.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing steps of a process of switching a communication path by the first communication-path switching method. The processing shown in fig. 5 is executed by the path switching unit 111 in fig. 6, which will be described later, in addition to the path switching unit 221 in fig. 4. Hereinafter, each process of fig. 5 will be described in detail as a process performed by the path switching unit 221 of fig. 4.

According to fig. 5, first, the path switching unit 221 measures the communication quality of the communication path 110, which is the communication quality of the first wireless communication (step S11). The communication quality (communication quality information) measured in step S11 is not limited to a specific item, and may be related to the communication quality in the target communication path, such as the received power, PER (Packet Error Rate), throughput, and delay time.

Next, the path switching unit 221 determines whether or not the communication quality measured in step S11 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold P1 (step S12). When it is determined in step S12 that the communication quality is equal to or higher than the threshold P1 (yes in step S12), the path switching unit 221 selects the communication path 110 (step S13). On the other hand, when determining in step S12 that the communication quality is less than the threshold P1 (no in step S12), the path switching unit 221 selects the communication path 120 (step S14).

After the processing of step S13 or step S14, the path switching unit 221 notifies the signal transmission unit 222 and the elevator control unit 21 of the communication path selected in step S13 or step S14. Then, the signal transmission unit 222 performs data transmission between the communication paths with the elevator control unit 21 based on the notified communication path. Further, when the selection of the communication path 120 is notified to the signal transmission section 222, the signal transmission section 222 transmits the communication quality of the communication path 120 to the elevator control section 21 so that the elevator control section 21 performs appropriate elevator control (instead of the special control processing in the elevator control used).

In the above-described processing, the threshold used for the determination of the communication quality in step S12 is only one "P1", but in this case, when the communication quality varies slightly in the vicinity of the threshold, the communication path may be frequently switched and the communication may become unstable. To eliminate such a fear, as a modification of the above-described processing, two thresholds (P1 and P2 having higher quality than P1) may be used for the determination of the communication quality. As a specific processing method, for example, when the currently selected communication path is the communication path 110, the path switching unit 221 maintains the selection of the communication path 110 when the communication quality of the communication path 110 is equal to or higher than the threshold P1, and selects to switch to the communication path 120 if the communication quality of the communication path 110 is lower than the threshold P1. On the other hand, in the case where the currently selected communication path is the communication path 120, the path switching section 221 maintains the selection of the communication path 120 when the communication quality of the communication path 110 is less than the threshold P2, and selects to switch to the communication path 110 if the communication quality of the communication path 110 is the threshold P2 or more. In this way, by making the criterion for switching the communication path different according to the currently selected communication path, even when the communication quality slightly varies, frequent switching of the communication path can be further suppressed, and stable communication control can be realized.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining a first communication path switching method in the car 10. Fig. 6 shows an internal configuration of the communication method determination unit 11 of the car 10, and the communication method determination unit 11 includes a path switching unit 111 and a signal transmission unit 112.

In fig. 6, the path switching unit 111 measures the signal quality of the communication path 110 based on the communication quality information acquired from the wireless signal transmission unit 12, determines the communication path used for the communication with the control device 20 as one of the communication path 110 and the communication path 120 based on the measurement result of the signal quality, and notifies the determination result to the signal transmission unit 112. Then, the signal transmission unit 112 transmits the signal of the car 10 via the communication path notified from the path switching unit 111. The processing procedure of the communication path switching process performed by the path switching unit 111 in fig. 6 is the same as that shown in fig. 5, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

(2-2) second communication path switching method

Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining a second communication path switching method in the control device 20. Fig. 7 shows the internal configuration of the communication method determination unit 22 of the control device 20 as in fig. 4, but the transmission paths of the communication quality information and the transmission signal are different from those in fig. 4.

In fig. 7, the path switching unit 221 has a function of monitoring the communication quality of the communication path 110, and also monitors whether or not a signal from the car 10 is received via the communication path 120. Specifically, the path switching unit 221 measures the signal quality of the communication path 110 based on the communication quality information acquired from the wireless signal transmission unit 23, and confirms the reception of the signal via the communication path 120 based on the communication quality information acquired from the wired signal transmission unit 24. When the communication path 110 is selected by the control device 20, the path switching unit 221 determines to switch the communication path used by the control device 20 for communication with the car 10 to the communication path 120 when receiving a signal from the car 10 via the communication path 120, and notifies the signal transmission unit 222 of the determination result.

In the case of the first communication path switching method, since the car 10 and the control device 20 independently determine the communication paths used by the respective communication method determination units 11 and 22 (strictly speaking, the path switching units 111 and 221), it is assumed that, for example, when the communication quality of the communication path 110 deteriorates when the communication path 110 is selected between the car 10 and the control device 20, only one (for example, only the car 10 side) temporarily selects the communication path 120. At this time, as described above, by the second communication path switching method in the control device 20, the path switching unit 221 switches the communication path of the signal transmitted from the control device 20 to the car 10 to the communication path 120 based on the reception of the signal from the communication path 120, and thus the communication paths used in the car 10 and the control device 20 can be quickly unified into the communication path 120. As a result, an effect of preventing the loss of information transmission due to the use of different communication paths can be expected.

Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining a second communication path switching method in the car 10. Fig. 8 shows the internal configuration of the communication method determination unit 11 of the car 10 in the same manner as fig. 6, but the transmission paths of the communication quality information and the transmission signal are different from those in fig. 6.

In fig. 8, the path switching unit 111 monitors whether or not a signal from the control device 20 is received via the communication path 120, in addition to the function of monitoring the communication quality of the communication path 110.

Specifically, the path switching unit 111 measures the signal quality of the communication path 110 based on the communication quality information acquired from the wireless signal transmission unit 12, and confirms the reception of the signal via the communication path 120 based on the communication quality information acquired from the wireless signal transmission unit 13. When the communication path 110 is selected by the car 10 and a signal from the control device 20 is received via the communication path 120, the path switching unit 111 determines to switch the communication path used by the car 10 for communication with the control device 20 to the communication path 120 and notifies the signal transmission unit 112 of the determination result.

As described above, according to the second communication path switching method in the car 10, the communication path of the signal transmitted from the car 10 to the control device 20 is switched to the communication path 120 based on the reception of the signal from the communication path 120, and therefore, in the same manner as the second communication path switching method on the control device 20 side described with reference to fig. 7, when the communication quality of the communication path 110 deteriorates, the communication paths used in the car 10 and the control device 20 can be quickly concentrated on the communication path 120, and an effect of preventing the loss of information transmission can be obtained.

As described above with reference to fig. 4 to 8, in the elevator system 1, according to the first or second communication path switching method, signals (elevator signals) can be transmitted between the car 10 and the control device 20 while switching the communication paths used by the car 10 and the control device 20 in the respective devices. The second communication path switching method is a method for making the communication paths used by both the car 10 and the control device 20 coincide with each other earlier or more reliably, and is not essential in the present embodiment. That is, in the present embodiment, by performing at least the first communication path switching method, the communication paths can be switched between the car 10 and the control device 20 based on the communication quality, and the communication paths used by both can be finally matched.

Fig. 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a procedure for switching the communication path between the car 10 and the control device 20. In the case of fig. 9, since the transmission of the elevator signal is performed in the first wireless communication using the communication path 110 between the car 10 and the control device 20, a specific switching procedure is shown until the communication path used on the control device 20 side, and further the car 10 side, is switched to the communication path 120, when the communication quality of the communication path 110 deteriorates. The details are as follows.

According to fig. 9, initially, the car 10 and the control device 20 transmit elevator signals via the communication path 110 (steps S21, S22).

Then, when the communication quality of the communication path 110 on the control device 20 side deteriorates (step S23), the path switching unit 221 of the communication method determination unit 22 determines to switch to the communication path 120 based on the first communication path switching method (step S24). As a result, the signal transmission unit 222 of the control device 20 transmits the elevator signal to the car 10 via the communication path 120 (step S25).

Next, when the car 10 receives the elevator signal transmitted via the communication path 120 in step S25, the path switching unit 111 of the communication method determination unit 11 determines to switch to the communication path 120 based on the second communication path switching method (step S26). As a result, the signal transmission unit 112 of the control device 20 transmits the elevator signal to the control device 20 via the communication path 120 (step S27).

As described above, by performing the processing of steps S21 to S27, the communication between the car 10 and the control device 20 is promptly switched from the first wireless communication using the communication path 110 to the second wireless communication using the communication path 120.

(3) Alternative elevator control

In the elevator system 1, when the communication path 120 of the second wireless communication is selected from the communication paths between the car 10 and the control device 20, the communication quality is deteriorated compared to the communication path 110 of the first wireless communication (more specifically, the request delay time for preventing door-open travel may not be satisfied), and therefore, the elevator control section 21 needs to perform alternative elevator control to safely move the car 10 and to get passengers on and off.

When the selection of the communication path 120 is notified, the elevator control unit 21 changes the rated speed of the elevator in the alternative elevator control based on the communication quality information of the transmission signal in the signal transmission unit 222 of the communication method determination unit 22. Specifically, for example, the elevator control unit 21 can determine the rated speed of the elevator using the rated speed determination table 130 shown in fig. 10. In the present description, the rated speed of the elevator means the maximum speed permitted when the car of the elevator is raised or lowered.

Fig. 10 shows an example of the rated speed determination table 130. A combination of the communication quality 131 and the rated speed 132 of the elevator is set in the rated speed determination table 130. The communication quality 131 is a predetermined index of the communication quality included in the communication quality information notified from the Signal transmission unit 222, and in the case of fig. 10, the communication quality 131 is represented by a Received Signal Strength (RSSI), which means that the quality is lower as the numerical value is smaller. In the case of using the communication path 120, the communication quality is deteriorated and the delay time is longer than in the case of using the communication path 110, and therefore, the time required for the control device 20 to perform control from the time of grasping the state of the car 10 becomes longer. Further, as the speed of the car 10 is higher, the time required to control the operation of the car 10 needs to be shorter. In view of the above, when the communication path 120 is used, the elevator control unit 21 changes the rated speed of the elevator to a low speed when the communication quality of the communication path 120 deteriorates, using the rated speed determination table 130 shown in fig. 10.

Although the rated speed determination table 130 in fig. 10 is a table for changing only the rated speed of the elevator based on the communication quality of the communication path 120, in the alternative elevator control performed by the elevator control section 21, other values related to the braking of the elevator, for example, a deceleration start position when stopping the car 10, a set value in the braking control for stopping the car 10 at a stepwise stop position, and the like may be changed based on the communication quality of the communication path 120. For example, when the deceleration start position is changed, the deceleration acceleration position may be set earlier when the rated speed is increased.

The description continues with the alternative elevator control. In the alternative elevator control, since the rated speed of the elevator is decreased as described above, the elevator control unit 21 moves the car 10 to the ground level of the nearest floor in a state where the speed is decreased. After that, the elevator control section 21 needs to open the door in order to get passengers in the car 10 on and off, but at this time, in order to perform door-open travel without the door being opened, special control processing described below is executed.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing steps of the special control processing. As described above, the special control processing is control processing executed by the elevator control section 21 to prevent door-open travel in the elevator control for replacement.

According to fig. 11, first, the elevator control unit 21 moves the car 10 to the floor level (floor level) of the nearest floor in a state where the speed is reduced (step S31). Here, the ground level refers to a state (or a position thereof) in which the floor in the car 10 is at the same height as the floor position of the building floor and the door can be safely opened. The elevator control section 21 continues moving the car 10 until the car 10 reaches the ground level (step S32).

Next, when the car 10 reaches the ground level, the elevator control unit 21 operates the locking brake that is operated when the door-open travel occurs (step S33). In the present special control process, although the door-open travel is not actually generated in the state of step S33, in the elevator control for replacement, the door-open travel is considered to be generated when the car 10 reaches the ground level, and the same brake control as that in the case of the door-open travel is executed by detecting the door-open travel (pseudo detection of the door-open travel) on the internal control. However, since the door-open travel does not actually occur, the alarm or the like output when the door-open travel is detected may not be output.

If the brake for locking is operated in step S33, the car 10 is fixed so as not to move, and therefore, door-open travel does not occur even if the door is opened. Therefore, the elevator control unit 21 opens the door (step S34). At this time, a notification or the like urging the passenger to leave the elevator may be given to the passenger.

After the door is opened, the elevator control unit 21 stands by until the boarding and disembarking of the passenger are completed and the preparation for closing the door is completed (step S35). The preparation for closing the door corresponds to, for example, a case where a door closing button is operated, a case where a predetermined time has elapsed without operation after the door is opened, or the like. When the preparation for closing the door is completed, the elevator control unit 21 closes the door (step S36).

After the door is closed, the elevator control unit 21 releases the lock brake by releasing the door-open travel that was falsely detected in step S33 (step S37). If the brake for locking is released in step S37, the car 10 becomes movable again (step S38), and the special control processing ends. As a result, the car 10 can move to another floor (floor).

As described above, according to the special control processing of fig. 11, the lock brake that is not executed in the normal car stop control is operated to move the car 10 so that the car is not moved by performing the door open travel by the false detection before the door is opened, thereby preventing the door open travel from occurring in the state where the door is opened.

Note that the processing content of the special control processing in the present embodiment is not limited to the example of fig. 11, and it is sufficient to perform the same brake operation as that in the door open travel detection before the door is opened, and to release the brake operation after the door is closed. Specifically, for example, in the case of an elevator in which the brake is operated by cutting off the brake power supply to the car 10 when the open door travel is detected, the brake power supply may be cut off in step S33 of fig. 11 and the brake power supply may be turned on in step S37.

In addition, regarding the various controls described above, the elevator system 1 according to the present embodiment may output predetermined information to an arbitrary output device or recording device at predetermined timing. Specifically, for example, the communication path being used, the operating state (on/off) of the brake for locking, the moving state (operating/stopping) of the car 10, and the like may be displayed on a display device such as a machine room, a control panel, or a management center, or may be stored in a recording device.

The alternative elevator control (particularly, the special control processing) in the present embodiment is applicable not only to switching to the communication path 120 but also to other cases, specifically, to starting the elevator by using a communication path having a relatively long delay time and poor communication quality. That is, even in the other cases described above, the elevator control section 21 performs the same brake operation as that in the case of detecting the door-open travel before the door is opened, and releases the brake operation after the door is closed, thereby making it possible to safely get the passengers in the car 10 up and down while preventing the door-open travel of the car 10.

As described above, in the elevator system 1 according to the present embodiment, even when the quality of the radio signal is deteriorated by switching from the normal radio communication (the first radio communication using the communication path 110) to the alternative radio communication (the second radio communication using the communication path 120) or the like, the door-open travel can be prevented by executing the special control processing in addition to the reduction of the rated speed of the car 10 in the elevator control for the alternative. According to the elevator system 1, since safe boarding and disembarking of passengers can be realized, safe moving body control can be executed, and the serviceability of the elevator system can be improved.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are also included. For example, the above-described embodiments are detailed for the convenience of understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to include all the configurations described. Further, a part of the structure of one embodiment may be replaced with the structure of another embodiment, and the structure of another embodiment may be added to the structure of one embodiment. In addition, other configurations may be added, deleted, or substituted for a part of the configurations of the embodiments.

Further, each of the above-described structures, functions, processing units, and the like may be implemented in hardware by designing a part or all of them with, for example, an integrated circuit. The above-described structures, functions, and the like may be interpreted as programs that are respectively implemented by the processor to realize the functions, and the programs may be implemented in the form of software by executing the programs. Information such as programs, tables, and files for realizing the respective functions can be stored in a memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

The drawings show control lines and information lines necessary for the explanation, but the drawings do not necessarily show all control lines and information lines necessary for a product. Virtually all structures can be considered interconnected.

Description of the reference symbols

1. 1A elevator system

10 cage

11 communication method determining section

12. 13 Wireless signal transmission part

14 sensor

15 display

20. 20A control device

21 elevator control part

22 communication method determining section

23 Wireless signal transmission part

24 wired signal transmission part

30 Internet

110. 120 communication path

111. 221 Path switching part

112. 222 signal transmission part

130 rated speed decision table

Claims (10)

1. A mobile wireless control system for controlling a mobile body having an openable and closable door from a control device by a plurality of wireless communications at least partially using wireless,

switching a wireless communication interface to be connected to the mobile body or the control device based on communication quality of the wireless communication being used in the mobile body or the control device,

and changing control related to stop of the mobile body or opening and closing of the door according to switching of the wireless communication interface.

2. The mobile body wireless control system according to claim 1,

the control device changes the maximum speed permitted for movement of the mobile body based on the communication quality of the wireless communication being used by the control device.

3. The mobile body wireless control system according to claim 1,

the plurality of wireless communications include first wireless communications and second wireless communications in different frequency bands,

the moving body includes:

a first mobile body transmission unit that transmits a signal by the first wireless communication;

a second mobile body transmission unit that transmits a signal by the second wireless communication; and

a mobile communication method determination unit that switches a connection destination for signal transmission with the control device to the first mobile terminal or the second mobile terminal,

the control device has:

a first control device transmission section that transmits a signal by the first wireless communication;

a second control device transmission section that transmits a signal by the second wireless communication;

a control device communication method determining unit that switches a connection destination for signal transmission with the mobile object to the first control device transmitting unit or the second control device transmitting unit; and

a moving body control unit that controls the moving body,

the mobile communication method determining unit switches a connection destination for signal transmission with the control device to the second mobile transmission unit when the communication quality of the first wireless communication in the first mobile transmission unit is lower than a predetermined reference,

the control device communication method determining unit switches a connection destination for signal transmission with the mobile object to the second control device transmitting unit and notifies the mobile object control unit of switching of the connection destination when the communication quality of the first wireless communication in the first control device transmitting unit is lower than a predetermined reference,

when the control device communication method determination unit is notified of the switching of the connection destination, the mobile body control unit executes an alternative control different from a normal control on the mobile body, and changes a control related to the stopping of the mobile body or the opening and closing of the door.

4. The mobile body wireless control system according to claim 3,

in the alternative control, the moving body control unit may suppress a maximum speed permitted for movement of the moving body to a speed lower than that in the case where the normal control is performed.

5. The mobile body wireless control system according to claim 3,

in the substitute control, the moving body control unit may stop the moving body reaching a predetermined position so as not to move, open the door while maintaining the immovable state, and move the moving body after the opened door is closed.

6. The mobile body wireless control system according to claim 5,

in the substitute control, the moving body control unit activates a brake when the moving body is stopped without being moved, and releases the operation of the brake when the moving body is moved.

7. The mobile body wireless control system according to claim 3,

the moving body control section may execute a predetermined door open travel prevention control that restricts movement of the moving body when door open travel is detected, the door open travel being travel of the moving body with the door kept open,

in the alternative control, the moving body control unit may execute the door-open travel prevention control on the moving body that has reached a predetermined position even when the door-open travel is not detected.

8. The mobile body wireless control system according to claim 3,

the mobile body communication method determination unit switches the connection destination to the second mobile body transfer unit when the second mobile body transfer unit receives a signal based on the second wireless communication from the control device, when the first mobile body transfer unit is set as a connection destination for signal transmission with the control device,

when the first control device transfer unit is set as a connection destination for signal transmission with the mobile object, the control device communication method determination unit switches the connection destination to the second control device transfer unit when the second control device transfer unit receives a signal based on the second wireless communication from the mobile object.

9. The mobile body wireless control system according to claim 3,

the mobile communication method determination unit switches the connection destination to the first mobile transmission unit when the communication quality of the first wireless communication in the first mobile transmission unit satisfies a predetermined criterion when the second mobile transmission unit is a connection destination for signal transmission with the control device,

when a connection destination for signal transmission with the mobile object is set as the second control device transmission unit, the control device communication method determination unit switches the connection destination to the first control device transmission unit when the communication quality of the first wireless communication in the first control device transmission unit satisfies a predetermined criterion.

10. A mobile wireless control method executed by a mobile wireless control system for controlling a mobile having an openable/closable door from a control device by a plurality of wireless communications at least partially using wireless, the mobile wireless control method characterized in that,

switching a wireless communication interface to be connected to the mobile body or the control device based on communication quality of the wireless communication being used in the mobile body or the control device,

and changing control related to stop of the mobile body or opening and closing of the door according to switching of the wireless communication interface.

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