JP2005255275A - Elevator control system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow easy work for updating a program in each of dispersed control devices without adding an extra device for updating the program. <P>SOLUTION: The control system comprises the plurality of control devices 21-23 dispersed at sites in an elevator. At least one control device of the control devices 21-23 has a function of reading an update program which is presented by a maintenance terminal 25. The update program read by the function is transmitted from the control device to the other control device as an update object by utilizing an existing control signal line 24. Thus, easy work for updating the program in each of the dispersed control devices is allowed without adding the extra device for updating the program. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an elevator control system in which a plurality of control devices are distributedly arranged, and more particularly to an elevator control system suitable for use when updating a program for operation control set in each control device.

  In recent years, elevators of machine roomless type where elevator control devices are installed in places other than machine rooms have become mainstream. For example, control devices can be arranged along guide rails in landings, cars, and hoistways. It is considered.

  However, the elevator control device has various control functions such as motor control of the hoisting machine, traveling control of the car, door opening / closing control of the car, and group management control. When implemented as a unit, there is a problem that the size of the apparatus increases and the installation space is limited.

Therefore, in order to solve such a problem of installation space, in a machine roomless type elevator, a plurality of control devices are distributed for each function, and each control device (unit) is downsized and controlled. Installation in the vicinity of a target device or the like is performed so that they can communicate with each other (for example, see Patent Document 1).
International Publication No. 01/028910 Pamphlet

  However, when the program is updated in order to change the operation specifications of the elevator after the elevator is shipped, if the control devices are distributed in a plurality as described above, the maintenance staff installs each control device in the distributed arrangement. There is a problem that the program update work must be done by going to the place, which is very troublesome, and the work becomes difficult depending on the installation place.

  Also, as a program update method, for example, a terminal device such as a personal computer is connected to the control device, and update program data stored in advance in the terminal device is sent to the control device, or a wide-area line such as the Internet is used. Then, there is a method of sending update program data from a remote server computer to a control device. In such a case, if the control devices are distributed to a plurality of devices, all the control devices require a connection means with the terminal device and a communication means with the server computer, and the cost is increased by adding an extra device. There is also a problem that does.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and is an elevator that can easily perform a program update operation for each control device arranged in a distributed manner without adding an extra device for program update. An object is to provide a control system.

  The elevator control system according to the present invention is distributed at each location of the elevator, and a plurality of control means for executing control related to the operation of the elevator according to a predetermined program, and these control means are connected to each other to operate the elevator. A control signal line for communicating data necessary for operation control among the control means, a program providing means for providing an update program, and at least one control means of the control means The program reading means for reading the update program provided by the program providing means, and the identification information of the control means to be updated is attached to the update program read by the program reading means, Comprising a program transmission means for transmitting to other control means via a control signal line It is.

  According to such a configuration, in a control system in which a plurality of control means are distributed in each place of the elevator, at least one of the control means includes the program reading means, and the program reading means By transmitting the update program read in (1) from the control device to the control means to be updated via the existing control signal line, it is possible to distribute without adding an extra device for program update. It is possible to easily update the program for each of the arranged control devices.

  In this case, it is preferable that the program reading unit is provided in a specific control unit installed in a place where maintenance personnel can easily update the program among the control units. Specifically, for example, a program reading unit is provided for a control unit installed in a landing or a car.

  The program providing means is, for example, a terminal device having an update program, a recording medium in which the update program is recorded, or a server computer that transmits the update program via a network at a remote location. is there.

  According to the present invention, in an elevator control system in which a plurality of control devices are distributed in each place of an elevator, an update program is read by any of the control devices, and the control device Thus, the program update operation for each control device can be easily performed without adding an extra device for program update. As a result, the work burden on the maintenance staff is reduced, and the work time can be significantly shortened.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an elevator control system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a configuration when a machine roomless type elevator is taken as an example.

  In the figure, reference numeral 11 denotes an elevator hoistway, in which a car 12, a hoisting machine 13, a main rope 14, a counterweight (balance weight) 15, and the like are installed. The car 12 moves up and down in the hoistway 11 in a slidable manner together with the counterweight 15 via the main rope 14 by driving the hoisting machine 13.

  Here, in this system, each function required for operation control of the elevator (car 12) is distributed to three control devices such as a sequence control device 21, a motor control device 22, and a door control device 23 as shown in FIG. ing. These control devices 21 to 23 are respectively arranged at predetermined locations, and are connected to each other through a control signal line 24 so that they can communicate with each other.

  The sequence control device 21 is a control device for performing traveling control of the car 12, and plays a role of a host device. The motor control device 22 is a control device for performing motor control of the hoisting machine 13 in accordance with a command from the sequence control device 21. The door control device 23 is a control device for performing opening / closing control of the door 12 a of the car 12 in accordance with a command from the sequence control device 21.

  Among these, the sequence control device 21 is installed in the operation panel of the landing 16 on a predetermined floor so that the connection with the maintenance terminal 25 can be easily performed. The motor control device 22 and the door control device 23 are installed near the respective controlled objects. That is, the motor control device 22 is installed in the vicinity of the hoisting machine 13, and the door control device 23 is installed on the car 12 or in an operation panel in the car 12.

  The control signal line 24 is laid in the tail cord and connects these control devices 21 to 23 to each other.

  The maintenance terminal 25 is a small terminal device used when maintenance personnel perform various maintenance operations including a program update operation. The maintenance terminal 25 includes, for example, a small personal computer or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants). Program data for update is stored in an internal memory.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of each of the control devices 21 to 23 constituting this system.

  As described above, in this system, each function necessary for elevator operation control is distributed among the plurality of control devices 21 to 23. Each of these control devices 21 to 23 is composed of one computer unit, and basically has the same configuration.

  That is, the sequence control device 21 includes a microcomputer 31, a transmission controller 32, a ROM 33, and a RAM 34.

  The microcomputer 31 reads a program stored in the ROM 33 or RAM 34 and performs sequence control according to the procedure described in the program. The ROM 33 stores sequence control program data set in advance at the time of elevator shipment. The RAM 34 stores various data necessary for the processing operation of the microcomputer 31, and is used here for storing and holding program data for updating. The transmission controller 32 performs data transmission control with the other control devices 22 and 23 via the control signal line 24.

  In the present embodiment, the sequence control device 21 is provided with a maintenance terminal communication device 35 for connection to the maintenance terminal 25. The maintenance terminal communication device 35 reads program data for update provided from the maintenance terminal 25 in a state where the maintenance terminal 25 is connected. For communication between the maintenance terminal 25 and the maintenance terminal communication device 35, for example, a serial communication method such as RS232C, USB (Universal Serial Bus), or Ethernet is used.

  The motor control device 22 includes a microcomputer 41, a transmission controller 42, a ROM 43, and a RAM 44.

  The microcomputer 41 reads a program stored in the ROM 43 or the RAM 44 and performs motor control according to the procedure described in the program. The ROM 43 stores motor control program data set in advance at the time of elevator shipment. The RAM 44 stores various data necessary for processing operations of the microcomputer 41, and is used here for storing and holding program data for update. The transmission controller 42 performs data transmission control with the other control devices 21 and 23 via the control signal line 24.

  The door control device 23 includes a microcomputer 51, a transmission controller 52, a ROM 53, and a RAM 54.

  The microcomputer 51 reads a program stored in the ROM 53 or RAM 54 and performs motor control according to the procedure described in the program. The ROM 53 stores door control program data set in advance when the elevator is shipped. The RAM 54 stores various data necessary for processing operations of the microcomputer 51, and is used here for storing and holding program data for update. The transmission controller 52 performs data transmission control with the other control devices 21 and 22 via the control signal line 24.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of data exchanged between the control devices 21 to 23 constituting this system.

  During the operation of the elevator, control data for operating the elevator is transmitted to and received from the control devices 21 to 23 via the control signal line 24. In this case, each of the control devices 21 to 23 has a unique ID (identification information) 1 to 3, and this ID is added to the control data and transmitted to the control signal line 24.

  That is, for example, when the hoisting machine 13 is driven to run the car 12 at a predetermined speed, the motor control data is sent from the sequence control device 21 to the motor control device 22. At this time, the sequence control device 21 adds ID2 which is identification information of the motor control device 22 to the motor control data and sends it to the control signal line 24. As a result, the motor control device 22 receives the motor control data having its own ID2 and drives the hoisting machine 13 according to the motor control data.

  Further, from the motor control device 22, the motor control data is received and data detected by a position detector (not shown) installed in the hoisting machine 13 is returned to the sequence control device 21. Also in this case, the motor control device 22 adds ID1 which is identification information of the sequence control device 21 and sends it to the control signal line 24.

  The same applies to the exchange of control data between the sequence control device 21 and the door control device 23, and the identification information of the other party is added to the control data and sent to the control signal line 24.

  Here, when performing various maintenance operations including a program update operation, the control signal line 24 for exchanging the control data described above is vacant in order to temporarily stop the operation of the elevator. Therefore, in this system, the program update operation is performed using the control signal line 24.

  That is, first, among the control devices 21 to 23 distributed in each place, a control device (here, the sequence control device 21) having a connection function with the color separation maintenance terminal 25 is connected to the maintenance terminal 25. Read program data for update. Then, the program data for update is sent from the control device to another control device to be updated using the control signal line 24.

  In this case, similarly to the control data transmission method described above, the transmission destination ID is added to the program data for transmission. As a result, the program data can be transmitted between the control devices 21 to 23 using the existing communication system provided for operation control as it is simply by replacing the control data with the program data.

  The operation of this system will be described in detail below with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of this system. Normally (at the time of elevator operation), the sequence controller 21, motor controller 22, and door controller 23 distributed in each place are provided via the control signal line 24 by transmission controllers 32, 42, 52 provided respectively. Elevator operation control is performed while communicating control data for elevator operation with each other (step S11).

  Here, when updating the program, the maintenance staff goes to a predetermined landing 16 where the sequence control device 21 is installed, and after connecting the maintenance terminal 25 to the sequence control device 21, the maintenance terminal 25 or the sequence An operation switch provided in the control device 21 is operated to switch the operation mode from the normal operation mode to the program update mode. At this time, it is designated which control device of the sequence control device 21, motor control device 22, and door control device 23 is to be updated (step S12).

  When switched to the program update mode (Yes in step S12), the sequence control device 21 stops communication of control data by the transmission controller 32 and instead indicates data indicating that the program update mode has been switched (hereinafter referred to as program update mode). Of the motor control device 22 and the door control device 23 with the respective IDs transmitted. In this case, the program update mode switching data D includes information indicating which control device program data is to be updated.

  When the motor control device 22 and the door control device 23 receive the program update mode switching data D transmitted from the sequence control device 21, communication of control data by the respective transmission controllers 42 and 52 is stopped. Thereby, the operation of the elevator is stopped (step S13).

  When the program is updated, the elevator (car 12) may be first traveled to the nearest floor and then switched to the program update mode to stop the elevator operation.

  Next, the maintenance terminal 25 is operated to send update program data (hereinafter referred to as update program data P) to the sequence control device 21. The sequence control device 21 receives the update program data P sent from the maintenance terminal 25 via the maintenance terminal communication device 35 under the control of the microcomputer 31, and stores it in the RAM 34 (step S14).

  Then, the sequence control device 21 determines which control device program to update, and if it is an update of the program of itself (sequence control device 21) (Yes in step S15), the update program data P stored in the RAM 34 Is written in the ROM 33, and the update of the program is completed (step S16).

  On the other hand, if the program of the motor control device 22 or the door control device 23 has been updated (No in step S15), the sequence control device 21 uses the transmission controller 32 to send the update program data P stored in the RAM 34 to the control signal line. 24 to the motor control device 22 or the door control device 23 (step S17).

  At that time, when the program of the motor control device 22 is updated, ID2 which is the identification information of the motor control device 22 is sent along with the update program data P, and the program of the door control device 23 is updated. In this case, ID3 which is identification information of the door control device 23 is attached to the update program data P and sent.

  Here, in the motor control device 22 or the door control device 23, the update program data P is received by the transmission controller 42 and the transmission controller 52 provided respectively. In the case of the motor control device 22, under the control of the microcomputer 41, the update program data P is temporarily stored in the RAM 44 and then written in the ROM 43, thereby completing the program update (step S18).

  The same applies to the door control device 23. Under the control of the microcomputer 51, the update program data P is temporarily stored in the RAM 54 and then written in the ROM 53, thereby completing the program update (step S18).

  In this way, by using the control signal line 24 that is normally used for elevator operation, the update control data P is sent from the sequence control device 21 to the other motor control device 22 and the door control device 23, so that the control device The program can be easily updated including these control devices 22 and 23 while staying at the landing 16 without having to go to the installation locations 22 and 23.

  Further, it is not necessary for all the control devices 21 to 23 to have a connection function (maintenance terminal communication device 35) with the maintenance terminal 25, and if at least one control device has a connection function to the maintenance terminal 25, Since the control device can access another control device and update the program, it is possible to reduce the cost by reducing the device parts required for the program update.

  In the above embodiment, the sequence control device 21 is provided with a connection function with the maintenance terminal 25. However, this is because the sequence control device 21 is behind the operation panel of the landing 16, and maintenance personnel are compared with other places. This is because it is easy to update the program.

  When the motor control device 22 is provided with a connection function with the maintenance terminal 25, the maintenance staff connects the maintenance terminal 25 to the motor control device 22 in the vicinity of the hoisting machine 13 in the hoistway 11 and updates the program. Will do. When the door control device 23 is provided with a function of connecting to the maintenance terminal 25, the maintenance staff gets on the car 12 and connects the maintenance terminal 25 to the motor control device 22 to perform the program update operation. Will do.

  Furthermore, if all of the control devices 21 to 23 are provided with a function for connecting to the maintenance terminal 25, the entire system will increase the number of device parts for updating the program. It is possible to update the program in a batch including other control devices at an arbitrary installation location among these control devices 21 to 23 that selects a location for the control.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the update program is provided using the maintenance terminal 25 such as a PDA or a personal computer has been described as an example. However, the program providing method is limited to such a maintenance terminal 25. Instead, for example, an update program may be provided using a recording medium such as a memory card. In this case, at least one control device among the control devices 21 to 23 is provided with a medium reading device for reading the program data recorded on the recording medium, instead of the maintenance terminal communication device 35. It can respond.

  As another method, as shown in FIG. 5, an update program may be provided from a server computer 61 installed in a remote elevator monitoring center via a network 62 such as the Internet. In such a case, a server communication device 63 for connecting to the server computer 61 is installed in at least one of the control devices 21 to 23 instead of the maintenance terminal communication device 35. We can cope by putting.

  Regardless of the method using the recording medium or the method using the server, the program data for updating is received by one control device, and the control signal line 24 is sent from the control device in the same manner as in the above embodiment. The program is updated by using it and sending it to another control device.

  In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the components without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

The figure which shows the whole structure of the control system of the machine roomless type elevator which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the circuit structure of each control apparatus which comprises the control system of the elevator in the embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the data exchanged between each control apparatus which comprises the control system of the elevator in the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the processing operation of the control system of the elevator in the embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the control system of the elevator in other embodiment of this invention, and is a figure which shows the structure in the case of providing the program data for an update from the remote server computer.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Hoistway, 12 ... Riding car, 13 ... Hoisting machine, 14 ... Main rope, 15 ... Counterweight, 16 ... Platform, 21 ... Sequence control device, 22 ... Motor control device, 23 ... Hand door control device, 24 ... control signal line, 25 ... maintenance terminal, 31, 41, 51 ... microcomputer, 32, 42, 52 ... transmission controller, 33, 43, 53 ... ROM, 34, 44, 54 ... RAM, 35 ... maintenance terminal communication device 61 ... Server computer, 62 ... Network, 63 ... Server communication device.

Claims (7)

A plurality of control means that are distributed in each place of the elevator and execute control related to the operation of the elevator according to a predetermined program,
These control means are connected, and a control signal line for communicating data necessary for operation control between the respective control means during operation of the elevator,
Program providing means for providing a program for updating;
Program reading means provided in at least one of the control means, and for reading an update program provided by the program providing means;
A program transmitting means for attaching identification information of the control means to be updated to the update program read by the program reading means and transmitting the information to other control means via the control signal line. Elevator control system.   2. The elevator control system according to claim 1, wherein the program reading means is provided in specific control means installed in a place where maintenance personnel can easily update the program among the control means.   3. The elevator control system according to claim 2, wherein the specific control means is installed at a landing.   3. The elevator control system according to claim 2, wherein the specific control means is installed in a car.   The elevator control system according to claim 1, wherein the program providing means is a terminal device having an update program.   2. The elevator control system according to claim 1, wherein the program providing means is a recording medium on which an update program is recorded.   2. The elevator control system according to claim 1, wherein the program providing means is a server computer that transmits an update program via a network at a remote location.

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