GB2128369A

GB2128369A - Lift control system

Info

Publication number: GB2128369A
Application number: GB08323242A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Takeshi Ohhira; Tsutomu Sano; Kazuhiro Sakata; Kazuhiro Yamamoto
Original assignee: Hitachi Ltd
Current assignee: Hitachi Ltd
Priority date: 1982-08-30
Filing date: 1983-08-30
Publication date: 1984-04-26
Also published as: GB2128369B; KR840005808A; JPS5939664A; GB8323242D0

Abstract

In controlling a lift 10 with a digital computer 60, specification data 206 on a door time, a number of service floors, etc. are stored in a ROM 20 of the computer, and are transmitted to rewritable storage means 30, the lift being controlled by means of the transmitted specification data in RAM 30 and an operational control program 20a in ROM 20. Thus, alterations in specifications are coped with by rewriting the specification data of the rewritable storage means 30. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Elevator control system The present invention relates to an elevator control system, and more particularly to improvements in a system which employs a digital computer in an elevator control portion.

In recent years, an elevator control system employing a small-sized digital computer (hereinbelow, termed "microcomputer") in a control portion has been put into practical use.

As is well known, the microcomputer consists principally of a central processing unit, a storage unit and an input/output unit. The storage unit is composed of a read-only memory unit and a rewritable memory unit. Since the read-only memory unit has a high reliability against power failure, noise etc., it stores therein a program for controlling the operation of an elevator, the specification data of the elevator, etc. The specification data are previously determined by the functions of the elevator and the conditions of a building to which the elevator is delivered. They include, for example, a door opening time, the number of floors of the building, floors to be served by the elevator, a reference floor, and one or more floors at which the elevator does not stop.

Thus, the elevator is operated and controlled on the basis of the operation control program and the specification data.

Such elevator control system employing the microcomputer poses new problems which are not involved in a conventional relay circuit. For example, British Laid-open Patent Application No.

2,025,663 (laid-open January 23, 1 980) proposes a test method for the elevator control system. Since processing for detecting a car position becomes impossible at power failure, British Laid-open Patent Application No.

2,063,522 (laid-open June 3, 1981) proposes a method of detecting a car position at the power failure. British Laid-open Patent Application No.

2,063,521 (laid-open June 3, 1981) describes enhancing a car position detecting precision by the use of a microcomputer.

Owing to such improvements, the elevator control systems employing the microcomputers have been more enhanced in reliability and performance. They have already been delivered to a large number of buildings, and they are wellreputed.

After the delivery of the elevator, however, a case can occur where the specifications of the elevator are to be altered due to any change in the functions of the elevator or the conditions of the building, for example, increase in the number of floors with the enlargement of the building. In order to cope with this situation, it is considered to fabricate anew a read-only memory unit, which stores specification data after the change, and to exchange the already-installed memory unit for the new unit.

This measure necessitates, at each time of the alterations of the specifications, the acknowledgement of the previous specifications, the check with the corresponding elevator such as the check of program management No., the fabrication of the memory unit, the jobs of the exchange and inspection on the spot, etc.

Accordingly, the exchange requires a long job time and enormous expenses, and it has been difficult to promptly cope with the alterations of the specifications.

Summary of the invention The principal objection of the present invention is to provide an elevator control system which can readily alter specifications without spoiling the reliability of an elevator control.

In controlling an elevator with a digital computer, the principal feature of the present invention consists in that specification data which are determined by the functions of the elevator and the conditions of a building are kept stored in the read-only storage means of the computer, while all or some of the specification data in this storage means are transmitted to the rewritable storage means of the computer, and that the computer performs the elevator control by using, at least the specification data stored in the rewritable storage means.

As is well known, the data in the rewritable storage means can be simply rewritten. The present invention can accordingly cope with the alterations of specifications easily by rewriting the specification data transmitted to the rewritable storage means. This is not restricted to the specification alterations after the delivery of the elevator as described before, but it is also permitted to promptly cope with a case where specification data at fabrication and those at delivery have become different. Further, the user is allowed to alter specifications at will.

Besides the object and feature mentioned above, more contrivances are included in nonlimitative embodiments. They will be described in detail in conjunction with the embodiments.

Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 is a general arrangement diagram of an embodiment of an elevator control system according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the memory map of read-only storage means according to the present invention; Figure 3 shows an embodiment of specification data according to the present invention; Figure 4 shows an embodiment of a specification data writing unit according to the present invention; Figure 5 is a flow chart for explaining an embodiment of a processing program for the elevator control system according to the present invention; Figure 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the processing of altering specification data according to the present invention; and Figure 7 is a flow chart for explaining an embodiment of a processing program at any abnormality of rewritable storage means according to the present invention.

Description of the preferred embodiments Now, the present invention will be described in conjunction with illustrated non-limitative embodiments.

Figure 1 is a generai arrangement diagram of an elevator control system embodying to the present invention.

Referring to the figure, an elevator equipment 1 is constructed in such a well-known manner that a car 10 and a balance weight 11 are suspended from a pulley 13 through a rope 12 and that a motor device 14 for driving the car 10 is coupled to the pulley 13. On the other hand, hall call units 1 6 are respectively installed at floors 1 5-1 5 in a building, while a car call unit 17 is installed in the car 10.

A microcomputer 2 for controlling the elevator is constructed of a read-only memory 20 (hereinbelow, termed "ROM"), a rewritable random access memory 30 (hereinbelow, termed "RAM") backed up with battery means, an ordinary RAM 40, an input/output unit 50, a microprocessor unit (MPU) 60 for executing logic operations, and a clock generator 70 for generating a clock signal for the MPU 60.

In the above arrangement, the microcomputer 2 controls the motor device 14 etc. by receiving signals from the hall call units 16 and car call unit 1 7 in the elevator equipment 1 and various signals on the position of the car 10, etc. Since such elevator control based on the microcomputer 2 has been well known and is described iii detail in the specifications of the three British laid-open patent applications mentioned before, etc., it shall not be explained here.

Parts embodying the features of the present invention will be described below.

The ROM 20 stores therein an operation control program 20a for the elevator and specification data 20b determined by the functions of the elevator and the conditions of the building. A transmission command switch 3 issues a command for transmitting the specification data 20b to the battery-backed-up RAM 30. Upon deciding that the transmission command switch 3 has been actuated, the MPU 60 executes the processing of transmitting the specification data 20b to the RAM 30 and storing them therein.

The specification data 20b thus stored in the RAM 30 can be rewritten at will by the use of a writing unit 4. That is, when specifications are to be altered, the specification data 20b stored in the RAM 30 are rewritten into desired specifications by means of the writing unit 4, whereby the specification alterations can be coped with promptly and readily.

Thenceforth, the digital computer 2 controls the elevator equipment 1 on the basis of the operation control program 20a of the ROM 20 and the specification data 20b of the RAM 30.

When the rewriting of the specification data is left to the user by exploiting such advantage of the present invention more positively, it is also permitted to operate the elevator equipment 1 as the user desires. Even in this case, the specification data 20b at the delivery of the elevator are kept stored in the ROM 20 of high reliability. Therefore, should the specification data in the RAM 30 be destroyed by the user's erroneous manipulation by way of example, the operation of the elevator based on the original specification data 20b can be secured.

In the next place, the details of the respective parts in Figure 1 will be described.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the memory map of the ROM 20. As shown in figure, the ROM 20 has a large number of memory areas, and it stores the subroutines 20c of the program 20a, a specification data transmitting program 20d, a system program 20e, etc. besides the elevator operation control program 20a and the specification data 20b.

The detailed memory map of the specification data 20b is shown in Figure 3. The specification data 20b are broadly classified into various timer values 20bt for control, data 20b2 for assorting the types of elevators, data 20b3 for deciding the presence or absence of various additional specifications, and data 20b4 indicative of the conditions of the building. Such data are stored in the area 20b.

Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the writing unit 4 for writing the specification data. In the figure, symbol AS denotes switches for setting addresses, symbol DS switches for expressing data values, symbol AL indicating lamps adapted to light up when the corresponding switches AS are "on", symbol DL indicating lamps adapted to light up when the corresponding switches DS are "on", and symbol SS a switch for determining whether or not data are written.

The switches AS and DS are respectively disposed in numbers of 1 6. They provide binary numbers of 16 bits through the combinations of their "on" and "off" states, whereby any desired address and any desired data value each of which can be expressed by 1 6 bits can be derived.

The switch SS is turned "on" at need after the address of specification data and data to be written therein have been set by manipulating the switches AS and DS. Then, the specification data of the address which is expressed by the combination of the "on" and "off" states of the switches AS at that time is rewritten into the data value which is expressed by the combination of the "on" and "off" states of the switches DS.

Figure 5 is a flow chart for explaining an embodiment of the processing program of the microcomputer 2.

Referring to the figure, when this program has been started, the microcomputer is initialized (step 50). Next, signals from the elevator equipment 1, transmission command switch 3, writing unit 4, etc. are inputted (step 51).

A step 52 decides the presence or absence of the command 3S from the transmission command switch 3. In the presence of the transmission command 3S, the control flow proceeds to processing (step 53) for transmitting the specification data 20b of the ROM 20 to the RAM 30. A step 54 decides the presence or absence of the specification data alteration request command SS' from the writing unit 4. In the presence of the alteration request command SS', the next step 55 is executed. At this step 55, the specification data of an address AS' set by the address setting switches AS of the writing unit 4 is rewritten into data DS' set by the data setting switches DS. Thus, the specification data in the RAM 30 can be freely altered by the writing unit 4.

A step 56 executes elevator operation control processing on the basis of the specification data in the RAM 30 and also the operation control program 20a in the ROM 20. This elevator operation control processing is as is well known from the British Laid-open Patent Applications mentioned before.

Lastly, output processing at a step 57 is executed. Thereafter, the above processing steps are repeatedly carried out.

Figure 6 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a concrete example of the specification alteration processing stated above.

(A) to (D) in the figure illustrate examples in which, when the specification data 20b of the ROM 20 are a reference floor of the first floor, a building floor number of 5 floors, a door time of 3 seconds and a parking floor of the first floor, they are transmitted to the RAM 30 by the transmission command switch 3, whereupon they are altered to a reference floor of the second floor, a building floor number of 6 floors, a door time of 10 seconds and no parking floor, respectively. In this manner, it becomes possible to readily perform the alteration of the reference floor, the alteration or cancellation of the parking floor, and the alterations of the time limits of the door time, which are based on changes in the service conditions of the building, and the alteration of the number of floors, which is accompanied by the enlargement of the building.

As thus far described, the embodiment of the elevator control system of the present invention is easy of the alterations of the various specification data, such as the alterations and cancellations of the reference floor and parking floor attributed to the changes of the service conditions of the building and the alteration of the number of floors and the alteration of the door time attributed to the enlargement of the building. The specification alterations after the delivery of the elevator can be coped with readily and in a short time on the spot, so that the serviceability to the user can be enhanced.

While, in the foregoing embodiment, all the specification data are transmitted to the RAM 30, it is needless to say that only some of the specification data may well be transmitted to the RAM 30 so as to render them alterable. For example, regarding the type data 20b2 which are seldom altered, the data of the ROM 20 may be used directly without being transmitted.

It is also considered to write specification data into the RAM 30 on the spot without writing the specification data into the ROM 20 from the beginning. In this case, however, the number of data to be written on the spot is large, and an abnormal operation ascribable to erroneous writing might occur. Further, although the RAM 30 is backed up by the battery means, the specification data might disappear or be destroyed due to power failure over a long period of time, noise or the like. In this case, there is such a drawback that the elevator becomes uncontrollable.

In this regard, the present invention is free from the above drawbacks because the specification data at the delivery of the elevator are kept stored in the ROM 20. Even when the RAM 30 has become abnormal, the control at the delivery can be maintained by the use of the specification data of the ROM 20.

Figure 7 shows a flow chart of an embodiment for performing backup processing at the abnormality of specification data by exploiting such merit of the present invention. The processing of Figure 7 may be inserted into the processing loop of Figure 5 or executed at predetermined cycles.

Referring to the figure, a step 70 checks the abnormality of the RAM 30. When a step 71 has decided the absence of any abnormality, the next step 73 is executed. In the presence of any abnormality, the elevator control based on the specification data of the RAM 30 is thereafter impossible, and hence, a step 72 changes-over the operation to one based on the specification data 20b of the ROM 20. Even when the hardware of the RAM 30 includes no abnormality, there is the possibility that the specification data stored therein be abnormal. At the next step 73, therefore, the abnormality of the specification data of the RAM 30 is checked by the well-known summation check method or the like.When a step 74 has decided the presence of any abnormality in the specification data, the next step 75 is executed to supply the RAM 30 with the specification data 20b in the ROM 20, whereby the specification data in the RAM 30 is rewritten into the normal data. Thus, according to the present embodiment, even when the specification data has become abnormal due to the erroneous manipuiation of the writing unit 4, the power failure over a long period of time, or the like, the normal specification data at the delivery of the elevator can be immediately set again. Furthermore, when any abnormality has arisen in the hardware of the RAM 30, for example, when the RAM 30 itself has ruined or the normal state is not restored by repeating the transmission by the step 75 several times, the operation based on the specification data at the delivery can be secured. Of course, the specification data may well be transmitted through, e.g., manual operations by an operator without automatically performing the processing steps.

Claims

1. An elevator control system wherein a control portion for an elevator which serves a plurality of floors of a building is constructed of a digital computer, and wherein the computer controls the elevator on the basis of an operation control program for the elevator and specification data determined by functions of the elevator and conditions of the building; characterized in that said digital computer comprises at least read-only storage means for storing the operation control program and the specification data, and means for transmitting all or some of the specification data to rewritable storage means in response to a transmission command, and that it controls the elevator by using at least the specification data stored in said rewritable storage means.

2. An elevator control system according to Claim 1, wherein said rewritable storage means holds the storage with battery means during power failure.

3. An elevator control system according to Claim 1, further comprising a data writing unit which is connected to said digital computer, said computer responding to a command from said writing unit to rewrite the specification data stored in said rewritable storage means.

4. An elevator control system according to Claim 3, wherein said data writing unit comprises at least means for appointing an address in which the specification data is stored, means for setting data to be written into the address, and means for generating a write request command.

5. An elevator control system according to Claim 4, wherein said digital computer rewrites the specification data of the appointed address into the set data, subject to the generation of the write request command.

6. An elevator control system according to Claim 3, wherein said digital computer and said data writing unit are connected through detachable connection means.

7. An elevator control system according to Claim 1, wherein said digital computer comprises means for checking any abnormality of the specification data stored in said rewritable storage means, and at the abnormality of the specification data, it controls the elevator by using the specification data of said read-only storage means.

8. An elevator control system according to Claim 7, wherein the transmission command is generated at the abnormality of the specification data.

9. An elevator control system according to Claim 1, wherein said digital computer comprises means for checking any abnormality of said rewritable storage means, and at the abnormality of said rewritable storage means, it controls the elevator by using the specification date of said read-only storage means.

1 0. An elevator control system substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.