EP1004536B1 - Elevator control method in case of fire or similar hazards - Google Patents

Abstract

Procedure in which, when a fire or danger report is received by an elevator pertaining to a specific escape floor, then the elevator independently tests the escape floors neighboring the target floor for danger reports until a danger free escape floor is found and then guides the elevator cabin (4) towards it, before allowing any passengers to disembark. An Independent claim is made for equipment for use with control of the elevator cabin in conjunction with the above procedure.

Description

The invention is based on a method or a Device for controlling lifts when fire occurs or similar dangers according to the preamble of claims 1 or 7. The European elevator standard EN81 writes in Annex G. suggest that when certain temperatures are exceeded, the lifts Returning to the ground floor are to get off users allow. US 4,128,143 describes a monitoring control, in case of fire, the control of the lifts takes over to ensure the safety of passengers.

To a stop in the predetermined escape floor to prevent it when a fire has just broken out in this drives according to JP 4-358680 on the elevator car and checks on her ride in each floor the temperature. This However, the method has the disadvantage that the cab below Ever deeper into a fire zone, without to find a secure hold. This can be valuable time for the rescue will be lost.

DE-A-19649552 discloses a method and an apparatus for the Control of lifts when fire or similar occurs Dangers that occur in the presence of a fire alarm for the Access area of an elevator used by passengers Elevator car controls in a danger-free escape floor. The escape floor is based on one with priorities provided predetermined list of stops and can be found below the lower floors. This However, the method has the disadvantage that the cab below In some circumstances, an escape floor lying near the fire zone starts up. This can be valuable and unnecessary time during the Cabin ride get lost. Also, the cabin must be under Circumstances reverse their journey for it.

The present invention is based on the object, the Safety of the passengers of an elevator car in case of fire too increase and allow a quick evacuation. In particular, even in fires in the predetermined Escape floor, e.g. the ground floor, the passengers optimal Safety be offered.

This is effected according to claim 1, characterized in that when present a fire or danger message in the destination floor, or in a predetermined escape floor, first automatically the target stick and / or the Cabin location adjacent floors on danger reports be checked up to a safe from the elevator car the fastest accessible escape floor is found and the affected elevator car then in this Escape floor is controlled. The fire or danger message Usually done by fire alarms, but can also manually, e.g. by a continuous pressing of the Door closing button to be triggered. The device after Claim 7 realizes the invention by means of a Microprocessor.

The prior check of all candidates Escape floors allow a targeted ride without avoidable reversal. Due to the situational test of the building, the control process is very flexible and not dependent on rigid presets. An elaborate Fire protection adaptation to building-specific Special features is not required, what the Control method universal for a wide variety of structures is usable. The discovery of hazard-free Escape floors are automatic, fast and reliable. In addition, the process is simple in existing Integrate or connect elevator controls.

By the measures listed in the dependent claims are advantageous developments and improvements in the Claim 1 specified method possible. So can during the Evacuation be checked continuously, whether the Escape floor actually is still safe because itself obstructive and harmful smoke Circumstances can spread very quickly in a building. In order to should be ensured that the evacuated passengers find smoke-free escape routes.

For fast spreading fires or dangerous situations like Explosions, where possibly all floors of a Building can be affected, the elevator is automatically in steered the floor, where still the best escape possibilities consist. This is achieved by being the last one received fire or danger message is ignored. On the floor from which the last message is received Probably the best chance of the building unscathed to leave.

In the case of defective or nonexistent Fire detectors will increase passenger safety increases that e.g. with continued actuation of the Door closing button in the car control panel the light barrier monitoring is deactivated and the elevator automatically alternative escape floor starts. This prevents at Pausing and door opening of an elevator car in a burning or smoke-filled floor, the onward journey into a safe Floor because of blocking the light barrier monitoring of automatic doors is prevented. Instead of the Door-closing button can also do the evacuation by others panic-related command inputs, e.g. by pressing the Alarm button, repeated or over-long press a floor call button or simultaneously pressing several Keys are triggered. With the detection of such Panic input by a novel Paniksensorschaltung leave Existing plants without modification or additional Equip installations with a fire control system.

The inventive fire control has the other Advantage that subsequent alterations to a building that is affect the escape routes by simply changing theirs Configuration, e.g. Change of the predetermined Escape floor, can be considered.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Gesamtansicht einer Aufzugsanlage,

Fig. 2

die Ansicht einer erfindungsgemässen Brandfallsteuerung

Fig. 3

ein Flussdiagramm der Brandfallsteuerung

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawing and explained in more detail in the following description. Show it:

Fig. 1

a schematic overall view of an elevator system,

Fig. 2

the view of an inventive fire control

Fig. 3

a flow chart of the fire control

Fig. 1 shows an example of an elevator system with two elevators 1, 2, each serve seven floors 3.1 to 3.7. Without Further, the elevators can also be different or one operate different number of floors. With 3.2 is here the ground floor called. The elevators each have one Cabin 4 on, on two sides with automatic doors 5, 6 are provided and each one in a machine room located motor drive 7.1 and 7.2 in the shaft. 8 to be moved. Of course, the cabins in one easier version also only on one side with be provided with a door. Inside the cabins 4 is located a usual tableau, not shown, with keys for call input, and, depending on the version, additionally with buttons for opening the door and closing, to enter an alarm, etc. The elevators are by an operation control 9, which calls from Accepts users and as drive and door control commands to the Lifts 1, 2 passes, controlled. On every floor are in the rooms in front of the shaft doors on or several fire alarms 10.11 to 10.75, the temperature and Monitor smoke development. The fire alarms also capture the Escape routes from the lifts to the outdoors or a safe Abode, as is the ground floor with the fire alarms 10.26 and 10.27 is indicated. For smaller buildings will be off Cost reasons occasionally only one fire detector per floor Installed. In the vicinity of the operation control 9, for example even in the same cabinet is the inventive controller 11, which in the following as Fire control is called. The also as a fire alarm designated danger messages of the fire alarms are in one not shown fire panel or directly to the Fire control 11 reported. To avoid false alarms danger notifications are considered valid only when Optionally address at least two fire detectors per floor and / or the notifications for a minimum period of for example, wait ten seconds continuously.

Fig. 2 shows the fire control 11, the inputs 12.1 to 12.8 for fire alarms, a microprocessor 13 and with the Operation control 9 has connected outputs 14. Conveniently, the outputs of the Operation control 9 led over the fire control 11 to in a simple way a priority intervention in the control of drives 7.1, 7.2 and doors 5, 6 make. in the Normal operation, the commands of the operation control. 9 forwarded unchanged. Next has the fire control 11 a socket 16 to which a monitor 17 are connected may indicate the state of the fire control 11. In addition, the fire controller 11 may include a memory 18 in which the incoming fire alarms as well as issued Fahrfe be stored chronologically to later the Fire situation and the elevator behavior to understand. The memory 18 may further serve others for the Operation relevant signals to the operation control 9 too to save. About the socket 16 can also be an external computer be connected, which takes over the stored data. Via this external computer, e.g. a laptop, that can Fire control 11 also at any time by simple change their configuration or their parameters new circumstances in the Buildings are immediately and optimally adapted.

The fire alarms arriving at the inputs 12.1 to 12.7 represent alarm messages on floors 1 to 7. In addition, there is a public building brandle arm located at the Entrance 12.8 Fire alarms from further floors, e.g. also the engine room of the elevator or by others Hazard detector can be activated. The fire operation is also in the isolated arrival of the building brandle arm on Input 12.8 activated.

In Fig. 3, the inventive method is based on a Flowchart illustrates. It is assumed that the affected elevator car not already in the predetermined Escape floor stands; in this uncritical case, the Elevator simply put out of operation with the doors open, see steps 104 and 109. However, if the lift is on elsewhere in the building, the microprocessor checks in Arrival of a valid fire alarm of the fire control 11 in step 101, in step 102, whether the alarm as the Escape floor predetermined main stop concerns. in the illustrated embodiment, the ground floor is 3.2 as Main stop predetermined. Is this floor of one Fire is not affected, so it is at step 103 as current Escape floor set.

In the event that the main stop, so here's the Ground floor 3.2, itself affected by a fire, is looking for the inventive control immediately automatically after a alternative escort floor by taking the one from the current one Cabin location on the fastest accessible floors checked successively in step 112 for fire alarms. Once a non-dangerous floor is found, this will set as a new escape floor. Should be in one unlikely case for all possible escape floors fire messages arrive simultaneously (steps 111 and 113), so the floor is set as an escape floor, currently fastest is achievable.

Thereafter, at step 105, it is checked if the car is open Doors in a stop stands. If so, the doors will be in Step 106 forcibly closed by means of a clamping circuit. Afterwards, the cabin will be moved to the set escape route Movement set and goes there without a stop. Meets but during this evacuation drive a fire alarm for the set escape route (step 108), so will immediately again the fastest achievable at this moment secure Floor searched and set as a new escape floor (Steps 114, 113, 107). At fast spreading Fires or rapidly spreading smoke in the building or the affected escape routes, this process (loop with steps 108, 14, 113 and 107) several times. Finally, all floors should be affected one after the other be so, the last time arrives fire alarm no longer taken into account, which has the consequence that the elevator into the floor drives, from the expected still the best There are escape routes. So it will be in the present Example at seven floors, arriving one after the other Fire alarms accepted for a maximum of six floors.

Upon arrival of the car 4 in the set flight floor become in a conventional manner, the doors 5, 6 open and the Elevator is put out of service, that is, the cabin 4 stops, the doors 5,6 remain open and they will not Calls accepted more (step 109).

After deletion of all fire messages and, if necessary, rectification of fire damage to the elevator system leaves the Fire control 11 the elevator installation at step 110 automatically resumes normal operation. An intervention in the Fire control 11 from the outside by service personnel unnecessary.

As additional security for the passengers, e.g. in case of failure of fire detectors is the most already existing Door lock button in the car control panel with a second function busy. Should the elevator be in a smoke filled floor stop it over more than three, for example Seconds lasting pressing the door lock button the Penetration of the door with override a possibly existing photocell sets a fire alarm for the current floor and starts at step 101 a Evacuation travel. As already described, this can Panic input with no door lock key also through other chaotic command inputs are triggered. The Fire control always responds when the panic input at standstill of a cabin in a floor and unlocked or opened doors. All further steps go as described above.

Single floors of a building can be used as escape floors be unfit because no or unreasonably long or unclear escape routes are available. This often happens for basements too. Therefore, the proposed offers Fire control in case of need the possibility of individual Floors to be excluded as alternative escape floors. In case of fire you will not be hit at all.

In the described embodiment, the elevators to two Side doors 5, 6 on, in different fire sections can lead. For a rescue in terms of escape routes To achieve optimal fire section, therefore, the Floors are blocked in sections. So only for the right in Fig. 1 part of the ground floor 3.2 a fire alarm For example, the fire detector 10.21 or 10.22, so drives the elevator nevertheless the ground floor 3.2, but opens only the door 6 to the left. Are on a floor, e.g. the basement 3.1 only on one side escape routes present because e.g. only there a leading out into the open Staircase is located nearby, so open in case of fire only the doors leading to the escape routes, e.g. the doors 6 to the left.

For the safety of the passengers it is important that in the Fire the just used elevators in a hazard-free Escape floor are controlled. This is preferably done even with just unused elevators. Alternatively you can such "empty" lifts but also in place except Operation are set.

The above-described fire control is used for evacuation already in a cabin and persons prevented Further use of elevators by passengers in case of fire. However, this control can be supplemented by a known fire department control to rescue in burning Buildings and possibly one Emergency power supply.

Claims (10)

1. Method of controlling lifts in the event of occurrence of fire or similar risks, which in the case of presence of a fire report or risk report prevents the acceptance of travel commands for the access region of a lift (1, 2) and controls at least the lift cages (4) in use by passengers to a predetermined escape storey, characterised in that in the case of presence of a fire report or risk report in the predetermined escape storey or destination storey initially the storeys (3.1 to 3.7) adjacent to the destination storey and/or the cage location are automatically checked for risk reports until a risk-free escape storey most quickly reachable by the lift cage is found and the lift cage (4) concerned is then controlled to this risk-free escape storey.
2. Method of controlling lifts according to claim 1, characterised in that in the event of arrival of further risk reports during evacuation travel a new escape storey is continuously determined.
3. Method of controlling lifts according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that in the case of serving n storeys of a building, when there is successive arrival of risk reports then risk reports are accepted each time for at most (n-1) storeys.
4. Method of controlling lifts according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that storeys without an escape possibility can be excluded as alternative escape storeys.
5. Method of controlling lifts according to claim 1, characterised in that the fire report or risk report is triggered by a manual panic input, for example by continuing actuation of the door closing button, and the lift cage concerned is controlled to a risk-free escape storey.
6. Method of controlling lifts according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the control (11) is automatically decoupled again on cancellation of all risk reports and enables normal operation of the operating control (9) of the lift without additional external intervention.
7. Device for controlling lifts in the event of occurrence of fire or similar risks, which in the case of presence of a fire report or risk report prevents acceptance of travel commands for the access region of a lift (1, 2) and imposes on at least the lift cages (4) in use by passengers a travel command to a predetermined escape storey, characterised in that the device is constructed as a fire control (11) and comprises a microprocessor (13) which accepts fire reports or risk reports and in the case of occurrence of one such at the predetermined destination storey initially automatically checks the storeys adjacent to the predetermined escape storey and/or the cage location for risk reports until a risk-free escape storey reachable most quickly by the lift cage is found and then the lift control (9) issues a travel command to this risk-free escape storey.
8. Device for controlling lifts according to claim 7, characterised in that it executes one of the method steps according to claims 2 to 6.
9. Device for controlling lifts according to claim 7 or 8, characterised in that it has inputs (12.1 to 12.8) for the feed of risk reports as well as an output (16) which produces display of input risk reports on a monitor (18).
10. Device for controlling lifts according to claim 7, characterised in that the microprocessor (13) comprises a memory (18) in which the input of risk reports and preferably the travel commands issued by the control (11) are stored.

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