GB2164173A - Procedure for arranging the signalling of a lift and call button station - Google Patents

Abstract

A system whereby the lift's control system and the lift user are informed about the state of the lift. With a view to avoiding massive and complex wiring, and in order to increase the degree of standardisation in the designing of the lift's main control panel and of the call button stations, lift calls are received and transmitted onward and the state of the lift is stated by using microprocessors (2a,2b) implementing bidirectional series traffic, provided on each floor. The serial bus may be extended to the lift cars which also have individual microprocessors. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Procedure for arranging the signalling of a lift, and call button station The present invention concerns a procedure for arranging the signalling in connection with operating a lift, and a call button station, where the lift's control system and the user of the lift are informed on the state of the lift.

A lift includes as an inseparable component the call buttons which the user needs and various signal lights which indicate e.g. the location of the lift and its arrival at the place where it was called. These functions must be provided on every floor, and they are most often assembled behind one single metal plate, whereby they form a unit, which shall henceforward be referred to as a call button station. The lift's control system, to which the calls are transmitted and which controis the lift motor, is usually located at the top end of the lift shaft, in the motor cubicle. A modern control system is completely electronic and consists of electronic elements assembled on circuit boards, usually combined in the instrument panel or main control panel of the lift system.

The wiring for the push button switches and signal lights contained in modern call button stations has to be carried all the way to the principal or main control panel. It is thus understood that from each floor runs a bundle of leads which as they reach the central panel constitute quite a tangle. The installation of such wire bundles implies careful planning and a lot of preparations, especially since in most cases the wiring must be designed individually, as the number of floors and the characteristics of the call button stations vary.

Therefore the central panel of the lift must also be individually designed for each order.

The object of the present invention is to avoid the detriments mentioned and to provide a lift signalling system with few wires and where all components controlling the operation can be manufactured as standard products, the customer-individual adaptation remaining nothing but programming that has to be done at the site of installation. In order to obtain such a system, the invention is characterized in that lift calls are received and further transmitted, and the state of the lift is stated, by using microprocessors carrying out bidirectional series traffic, provided on each floor. An essential consequence of a procedure like this is that thanks to the series traffic principle the wiring of the call button stations is altogether decisively reduced.A further advantage of processor operation is flexible installation, since different types of call button stations may operate with the same standard assembly if they are appropriately programmed for different conditions. When large production numbers are concerned, for instance the use of a mask-programmed "single chip" processor is far more advantageous than accomplishing the signalling in conventional way with the abundant wiring it involves.

An advantageous embodiment of the invention is characterized in that, when required, the lift calls are processed to be in the form which the lift's various functions require, in a microprocessor provided on each floor. This is a prerequisite for flexible signalling where the information is ready-processed, at each point, to be in the form required.

One advantageous embodiment of the procedure of the invention is also characterized in that the series communication between processors has been so implemented that the microprocessor in the control system, or one of the storey or level processors, has been nominated to be the main processor which by placing itself alternatingly in receiving and transmitting mode queries one level processor at a time regarding its state, this level processor on receiving a query addressed to it going from reception to transmission mode and transmitting the requested information to the main processor, whereafter it reverts to receiving mode. A simple line discipline of this type can be managed by any single circuit microprocessor at the same time as signalling with reference to the users is maintained.

A call button station applying the procedure of the invention is characterized in that the call button station comprises at least one level processor connected in series traffic with the other call button stations, the said push-buttons and signalling means being connected in its circuitry, and which by their mediation takes care of signalling the state of the lift both to the control system of the lift and to its user. When in a lift shaft several lifts are running side by side, the lifts may either share the level processor of one level or each of them may have its own level processor.

An advantageous embodiment of the call button station according to the invention is also characterized in that the number and kind of signalling means in the call button station and the requisite system-dedicated and levelindividual data can be programmed in the level processor at the site of installation. To provide this possibility requires nothing but, for instance, the installing of mechanical switches across certain terminals of the microprocessors, the level processor defining on the basis of their positions and with the aid of its mask program the value of each parameter.

An advantageous embodiment of the call button station of the invention is furthermore characterized in that the call button station in the lift car has a processor like the level processors of the call button stations on the different floors and which transmits the travelling commands received from the lift car to the series communication bus of the level processors. In that case only one lead is required for data transfer of the control taking place from the lift car, in addition to the power supply leads.

An advantageous embodiment of the call button station of the invention is moreover characterized in that the signalling means in the push-button station in the lift car transmit the requisite information from the series traffic bus to the persons in the lift car. Such bidirectional communication also between the lift car and the control system may be necessary, e.g. in conjunction with servicing, or if the lift is operated by a conductor.

The invention is decsribed in the following in greater detail with the aid of an example, referring to the attached drawing, wherein: Figure 1 presents the principle of the series traffic of call button stations according to the invention; Figure 2 shows the connecting of the level processor of Fig. 1 to the peripheral equipment in the call button station.

In Fig. 1 has been depicted the main processor 1 and two level processors, 2a and 2b, and the series traffic bus 3 interconnecting all the processors in the system. All level processors are identical, and the main processor may equally be one of the level processors, or it may be a separate microprocessor mounted on the main control panel of the lift.

It has here been shown as being separate, and it has a logic connection over relays and other control circuits with the power electronics driving the lift motor; this power electronics unit may be of any kind appropriate to the purpose and it has not been depicted in the figure. The series traffic bus 3 consists of three leads: a power supply pair (0 and +5V) and of the traffic bus proper ("Signal").

Fig. 2 illustrates an individual level processor 2, to which have been connected a fairly great number of the lift's signalling peripherals. The push-buttons 4 are lift call buttons, one for the upward and the other for the downward direction; the lamp 5 is a signal light which goes on when the lift has arrived on the level, and the lamp 6 indicates that the lift has been taken out of operation. The circuit 7 is a parallel type input/output circuit for controlling the floor level indicating circuit 8. The direction in which the lift is travelling is indicated by the signal lights 9. The loudspeaker 10 announces the arrival of the lift on the floor level, whereby for instance a visually handicapped person will know that the lift has arrived. Programming of the processor for delivering even other acoustic signals is possible.

The connecting box 11 is used to program into the level processor the data which are individual for each particular installation. These data are, in the first place, of the kind associated with the number and kind of apparatus in the level processors' operating environment, in other words, the processor is told the composition of the call button station. The number of floors, information on the position of the lift, and other data concerning the entire system are entered in the lift's main panel by programming them in the main processor 1.

The series traffic on the bus 3 proceeds as follows. When a lift call button 4 is pressed, a certain flag in an internal register in the microprocessor 2 operating as level processor is set to a certain state. It should be noted that the normal state of the level processors is, on the "Signal" line, input state, i.e., receiving mode. The processor of the control system continuously queries of each level processor its state by transmitting in turn to each of them an inquiry, or polling. When recognizing a query as being addressed to itself, the level processor switches its state from input to output, or transmitting mode. At the same time, the main processor switches to input mode. The level processor that is being polled gives in serial form the contents of its registers to the main processor, which sends acknowledgement, whereupon both processors change state again.The sequence is then repeated in like manner for the next level processor. When there has been a call, the main processor recognises the contents of the respective level processor register- as a call and sets its own output lines in the direction towards the lift's drive system to be such that the lift motor will be made to obey the new call. The querying function of the main processor is not substantially interrupted hereby; it rather goes on as routine.

It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that different embodiments of the invention are not confined merely to the example presented and that they may instead vary within the scope of the claims stated below. For instance, the number or kind of functions that can be connected to the call button station are in no way limited: the tasks of the level processors serving the persons and the control may be increased or reduced as required.

In addition to data transfer, the level processor may also process and refine information forward to be in such form as the functions of the lift require. Such functions include the motor, banked control, and other logics which a lift may require, and fault-finding situations.

Claims (9)

1. A procedure for arranging the signalling of a lift, wherein the lift's control system and the lift user are informed about the state of the lift, characterized in that lift calls are received and transmitted onward and the state of the lift is stated by using microprocessors (2a,2b) implementing bidirectional series traffic, provided on each floor.

2. Procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that when required, the lift calls are processed to be in the form required for the lift's different functions in the microprocessor (2a,2b) on each floor.

3. Procedure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the series traffic between processors has been accomplished so that a microprocessor in the control system, or one of the floor or level processors (2a,2b), has been nominated as main processor (1) which by placing itself alternatingly in transmitting and receiving mode queries the state of one level processor at a time, the respective level processor (2a,2b) correspondingly, on receiving a query addressed to it, going from receiving to transmitting mode and sending the required information to the main processor, whereafter it reverts to receiving mode.

4. A lift call button station for carrying out claim 1, 2 or 3, comprising lift call buttons (4) and the desired number of signalling means (5,6,8,9,10) known in themselves in the art indicating the state or position of the lift, characterized in that the call button station contains at least one level processor (2) connected in series traffic with other call button stations, to which said push-buttons and signalling means have been connected and which by their mediation takes care of signalling the state of the lift both to the lift's control system and to its user.

5. Lift call button station according to claim 4, characterized in that the number and kind of signalling means in the call button station and the requisite data relating to the system and those individual to the floor level can be programmed in the level processor (2) at the site of installation.

6. Lift call button station according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the pushbutton station in the lift car has a processor of the same kind as the level processor (2a,2b) of the call button stations on the different floors and which transmits the travelling commands received from the lift car to the series traffic bus (3) of the level processors.

7. Lift call button station according to claim 6, characterized in that the signalling means in the push-button station in the lift car mediate the requisite notices from the series traffic bus (3) to the persons in the lift car.

8. Procedure for arranging the signalling of a lift, as claimed in Claim 1, substantially as disclosed herein.

9. A lift call button station as claimed in Claim 4 and substantially as described with reference to Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.