JP2013144596A - Elevator system and elevator control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To operate an elevator while properly coping with scheduled power interruption.SOLUTION: It is determined whether or not a scheduled power interruption coping time has come (S10). When the scheduled power interruption coping time has come, an operation mode is transited to a scheduled power interruption coping mode from a normal operation mode (S12). When a call is issued (S13), a necessary time for an elevator to arrive at a target floor is calculated (S14), and it is determined whether or not an arrival scheduled time to the target floor is before a pause start time (S15). When the arrival scheduled time is before the pause start time, the elevator is operated (S16). When the arrival scheduled time is not before the pause start time, the departure of the elevator is prohibited (S17). When the pause start time has come, the operation mode is transited to a pause mode, and the elevator is paused (S18, S19).

Description

  The present invention relates to an elevator system and an elevator control method.

  In electric power companies, when it is predicted that power supply and demand will be tight due to natural disasters or unexpected accidents, etc., planned power outages are carried out to adjust the power demand. When a planned power outage is implemented, it is notified on the power company's homepage or the like, for example, about two hours before the power outage start time.

  When a planned power outage is implemented, power will not be supplied to almost all buildings in the target area, and elevators will also stop. The presence or absence of a planned power outage can be confirmed on the homepage or the like before the start, but if you get into the elevator just before the planned power outage start time, there is a possibility of being trapped in the elevator. Therefore, a technique for automatically stopping an elevator before a predetermined time before the start of a power failure has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

JP 58-52158 A

  Since the prior art described in Patent Literature 1 automatically stops the elevator when a predetermined time before the power failure start time, there is a possibility that the elevator may stop while passengers are on. Furthermore, in the prior art, since the elevator is stopped before the actual power failure starts, the user must move using other means such as stairs even though power is supplied. It is inconvenient.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an elevator system and an elevator control method that can appropriately operate an elevator in response to a planned power failure. Another object of the present invention is to provide an elevator system and an elevator control method capable of improving passenger convenience during a planned power outage.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an elevator system according to the present invention is an elevator system that controls an elevator that operates between a plurality of floors, and is connected to a management center that acquires information about a planned power outage and a management center via a communication network. And an elevator control device for controlling the elevator, the management center notifies the scheduled start time of the planned power outage for each elevator control device existing in the target area of the planned power outage based on the information on the planned power outage, The apparatus controls the elevator according to a predetermined operation mode different from the normal operation mode in a period preceding the planned start time of the planned power outage by a predetermined planned power outage response time.

It is a whole block diagram of an elevator system. It is a flowchart which shows the control method of an elevator system. It is explanatory drawing which concerns on 2nd Example and shows the example applied when carrying out group management of the elevator. It is a flowchart which shows the process which concerns on 3rd Example and determines the time for respond | corresponding to a planned power failure.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, as will be described in detail below, the elevator control device follows a predetermined operation mode that is different from the normal operation mode in a period preceding the scheduled start time of the planned power failure by a predetermined planned power failure response time. Control the elevator. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an elevator system 1 according to a first embodiment. The elevator system 1 includes, for example, an elevator device 10, an elevator control device 20, and a control center 30. For convenience, one elevator device 10 and one elevator control device 20 are shown, but actually, a plurality of elevator control devices 20 are managed by the control center 30.

  The elevator apparatus 10 is provided in a building such as an office building, a hotel, a condominium, and a department store, for example, and at least one car (elevator car) 11 can move up and down on each floor from the first floor to the top floor. ing.

  The elevator apparatus 10 includes, for example, a car 11 for carrying a user, a driving apparatus 12 for moving the car 11 up and down via a rope 13, and a counterweight 14 for balancing the weight of the car 11. Prepare. The drive device 12 includes a motor, a pulley, and the like, and operates based on a signal from the elevator control device 20.

  An in-car operation unit 15 is provided inside the car 11. The in-car operation unit 15 can include a plurality of buttons for instructing a destination floor (destination floor) and opening / closing a door, a display showing the current floor, and the like.

  A weight sensor 16 is provided below the car 11. The weight sensor 16 detects the weight in the car 11 and transmits it to the elevator control device 20. Further, the car 11 is provided with an announcement device 17 including a speaker and the like. The announcement device 17 outputs a predetermined message by voice based on a signal from the elevator control device 20.

  A landing operating section 18 is provided at the landing on each floor where the car 11 stops. The landing operating unit 18 can include, for example, a direction button for selecting an upper floor or a lower floor, a display, and the like.

  Prior to the description of the elevator control device 20, the control center 30 will be described. The control center 30 corresponding to the “management center” is a center for managing the plurality of elevator apparatuses 10 and the elevator control apparatus 20. In the control center 30, the controller remotely monitors the operation status (traveling status) of each elevator apparatus 10, the status of the elevator parts, and the like on a 24-hour 365-day basis.

  The control center 30 can be configured as a computer system including a plurality of computers. The control sensor 30 includes, for example, a data communication unit 31, a planned power outage information unit 32, and a planned power outage list unit 33.

  The data communication unit 31 acquires planned power outage information from a server or the like under the management of an electric power company or the like via the communication network CN. Alternatively, the controller packed in the control center 30 acquires the planned power outage information transmitted by the electric power company via the homepage or the like by manual operation.

  The controller of the control center 30 inputs the planned power outage information to the planned power outage information unit 32 for storing the planned power outage information. The planned power outage information stored in the planned power outage information unit 32 is sent to the planned power outage list unit 33 to create a planned power outage list. The planned power outage list is obtained by associating a scheduled power outage scheduled start time with each elevator control device 20 existing in the target area of the planned power outage. The planned power outage information of each area registered in the planned power outage list is transmitted from the data communication unit 31 to each elevator control device 20 via the communication network CN.

  The manual operation by the controller is abolished, and all of the series of operations such as acquisition and storage of planned power outage information, collation with elevator installation information, and distribution of planned power outage information to each elevator control device 20 are automatically executed. May be.

  The configuration of the elevator control device 20 will be described. The elevator control device 20 is configured as a computer system including a microprocessor, a memory, a signal processing circuit, an input / output circuit, and the like.

  The elevator control device 20 includes, for example, a data communication unit 21, an elevator operation control unit 22, a planned power outage traveling command unit 23, and an operation suspension command unit 24.

  The data communication unit 21 performs bidirectional data communication with the data communication unit 31 of the control center 30 via the communication network CN. The elevator operation control unit 22 is a device that controls the operation of the elevator apparatus 10. The elevator operation control unit 22 includes, for example, a car load detection unit 220 and an operation time management unit 221. The car load detection unit 220 detects a load (weight) applied to the car 11 based on the detection signal from the weight sensor 16. The operation time management unit 221 manages the operation time of the elevator apparatus 10.

  The planned power outage running command unit 23 is for controlling the operation of the elevator apparatus 10 in response to the planned power outage. The planned power outage running command unit 23 includes a management table 230 that stores various types of information for use in operation control of the elevator apparatus 10.

  The operation suspension command unit 24 stops the operation of the elevator apparatus 10 at a predetermined time (pause start time) before the start of the planned power outage. When the planned power outage is completed and the power supply from the system is restored, the suspension of the elevator apparatus 10 is canceled and the normal state is restored.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a process for controlling the elevator in response to the planned power outage. This process is mainly executed by the planned power outage running command unit 23, but here, for convenience, the elevator control device 20 (abbreviated as the control device 20) will be described as an operating subject.

  The control device 20 refers to the current time and determines whether the preset planned power failure response time has come (S10). The planned power failure response time is a time for causing the operation control of the elevator apparatus 10 to correspond to the planned power failure, and is set a predetermined planned power failure response time before the planned power failure start time.

  The planned power outage response time is the time required for the operation control of the elevator apparatus 10 to respond to the planned power outage, and is the time required when the car 11 is operated while stopping from the first floor to the top floor for each floor. The planned power outage response time is the sum of the total time required for the movement of the car 11 between the floors and the total time required for the car 11 to stop at each floor. That is, the planned power failure response time is stored in the management table 230 as a reference time when the car 11 requires the most time in the normal operation mode. The planned power failure response time may be an actual value, may be used after correcting the actual value, or may be a value obtained by simulation or the like. The planned power failure response time varies depending on, for example, the number of floors, travel distance, travel speed, capacity, etc., but is set to, for example, a time of about several minutes to about ten minutes.

  The control device 20 continues normal operation until the planned power failure response time is reached (S10: NO) (S11). In the normal operation mode for performing normal operation, the car 11 is operated at a rated speed according to a car call and a landing call as usual.

  When the planned power failure response time is reached (S10: YES), the control device 20 switches the traveling control mode of the elevator apparatus 10 from the normal operation mode to the planned power failure response mode as the “predetermined operation mode” (S12). The operation in the planned power failure response mode will be described in steps S13 to S18.

  The control device 20 determines whether a call has occurred (S13). When the user gets on the car 11 from the landing and operates the destination floor button of the operation unit 15, a car call is generated. When the car call is generated (S13: YES), the control device 20 calculates the time required for the car 11 to reach the destination floor (S14). The control device 20 calculates the required time based on, for example, the rated speed of the car 11, the weight of the car 11, the number of landing calls and the generation floor.

  The control device 20 calculates a scheduled time when the car 11 arrives at the destination floor based on the required time calculated in step S14 and the current time, and determines whether the scheduled arrival time is before the suspension start time. (S15).

  The stop start time is a time at which the elevator apparatus 10 is shifted to a stop mode for stopping. The stop start time is defined as a time that is a predetermined stop time before the scheduled start time of the planned power outage. As the pause time, for example, a relatively short time such as several tens of seconds, one minute, or several minutes is selected. The downtime does not need to be a fixed value, and may be adjusted according to the planned power failure response time, or may be adjusted according to the date information or the date information.

  When it is determined that the destination floor can be reached by the car 11 before the suspension start time arrives (S15: YES), the control device 20 leaves the car 11 toward the destination floor and starts operation ( S16).

  If it is determined that the car 11 cannot arrive at the destination floor before the suspension start time arrives (S15: NO), the control device 20 notifies the user who is in the car 11 that the car cannot be operated, The car 11 is stopped at the nearest floor, and the door is closed (S17). The nearest floor here is the floor of the landing where the user boarded. The message to the user is transmitted to the user, for example, as a text message through a display provided in the in-car operation unit 15 or as a voice message through the announcement device 17. The message content is, for example, “Since the scheduled blackout time is approaching, we cannot operate to the requested floor. Please use the stairs, or use it after the planned blackout”. Whether or not the user gets out of the car 11 can be determined by a detection signal of the weight sensor 16.

  Until the suspension start time comes (S18: NO), the control device 20 returns to S13 and repeats the above steps. Even if a new car call has not occurred (S13: NO), if there is an existing unprocessed car call, can the control device 20 reach the destination floor before the suspension start time? Determine (S15). When it is determined that the vehicle cannot arrive, the control device 20 stops the car 11 on the nearest floor and lowers the user from the car 11 (S17). If it is determined that it is possible to arrive at the destination floor before the suspension start time at the beginning of the departure, but it takes an unexpected amount of time due to getting on and off during the operation, the prospect is wrong. In that case, stop at the nearest floor and drop the user.

  Thus, in this embodiment, when the mode is shifted to the planned power failure response mode, the elevator apparatus 10 is operated only when it is determined that the arrival is possible before shifting to the suspension mode. For example, when there is one minute remaining until the suspension start time, the elevator apparatus 10 operates only when the destination floor designated by the car call can be reached within one minute. Therefore, the elevator apparatus 10 can be operated until shortly before the planned power outage is started, and the user's request can be met.

  When the suspension start time arrives (S18: YES), the control device 20 shifts from the planned power failure response mode to the suspension mode (S19). In the stop mode, it is confirmed based on the detection signal of the weight sensor 16 that the user in the car 11 has been lowered, the car 11 is stopped on the nearest floor, and the vehicle is on standby until the planned power outage is completed. Using the in-car operation unit 15 or the announcement device 17, a message such as “Scheduled power outage time is coming soon. Please get off” is notified to the users in the car 11.

  During the pause mode, the landing operating unit 18 is disabled so that a user cannot get in the car 11 that is stopped. On the other hand, even in the sleep mode, the car operation unit 15 enables at least only the door open button. This is because even if a user with a light weight remains in the car 11, it is possible to exit to the nearest floor.

  According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the elevator apparatus 10 can be operated until the planned power outage is started (precisely, before the stop start time), so that convenience for the user is improved. Further, in this embodiment, a stop time as a safety confirmation time is set before the scheduled start time of the planned power failure, and it is confirmed that the user in the car 11 has been lowered on the nearest floor. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from being confined in the car 11 at the time of the planned power failure, and the reliability of the elevator apparatus 10 is further enhanced.

  A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, a case where a plurality of elevator apparatuses are managed as a group will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 3, for example, when a plurality of elevator apparatuses from No. 1 to No. 4 are provided, the operating state of each No. is set according to the planned power outage. For example, (a) In the normal operation mode, all elevator apparatuses are operated so that each floor can be stopped. (B) In the planned power failure response mode, the floor where each unit can stop is set differently. For example, Unit 1 makes a round trip between the upper floor and the lobby floor, Unit 2 makes a round trip between the middle floor and the lobby floor, Unit 3 makes a round trip between the lower floor and the lobby floor, and Unit 4 or the lobby floor and the top floor Stop between each floor. (C) In the stop mode, all elevator apparatuses are stopped.

  Configuring this embodiment like this also achieves the same effects as the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, when the elevator apparatus is group-managed, in the planned power failure response mode, the floor where each unit can be stopped is controlled, so that the user is transported more efficiently until the planned power failure starts. It is possible to improve user convenience.

  A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the period for executing the planned power failure response mode (planned power failure response time) is set according to the usage status of the elevator apparatus. FIG. 4 shows a process for calculating the planned power failure response time. This process may be executed by the control center 30 or the control device 20.

  Here, a case where the control device 20 executes will be described as an example. The control device 20 collates the scheduled date and time of the planned power outage with the demand history (S30). The demand history is history data of operation management of the elevator apparatus 10 and is information indicating how many users have used the elevator apparatus 10 in a certain time zone at a certain date and time.

  The control device 20 determines whether or not the predicted number of users at the scheduled date and time of the planned power failure is smaller than a predetermined first user threshold value Th1 (S31). When the predicted number of users is smaller than the first user threshold Th1 (S31: YES), the control device 20 sets the planned power failure response time longer than the reference value (S32). This is because when the predicted number of users is small, the elevator apparatus is stopped early to prepare for a planned power outage. Because the number of users is small, the convenience is not expected to decrease much.

  When the predicted number of users is equal to or greater than the first user threshold Th1 (S31: NO), the control device 20 has a predicted number of users at the planned power outage scheduled date and time that is less than a predetermined second user threshold Th2. (S33).

  When the predicted number of users is greater than or equal to the first user threshold Th1 and less than the second user threshold Th2, the control device 20 sets the planned power outage response time as a reference value (S34). When the predicted number of users is equal to or greater than the second user threshold Th2 (S33: NO), the control device 20 sets the planned power failure response time to be shorter than the reference value (S35). Since it is predicted that there will be many users at the time of the planned power outage, the elevator device will be operated as long as possible to increase the convenience for the users.

  Configuring this embodiment like this also achieves the same effects as the first embodiment. In this embodiment, it may be combined with the first embodiment or may be combined with the second embodiment.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the Example mentioned above. A person skilled in the art can make various additions and changes within the scope of the present invention.

  1: Elevator system, 10: Elevator device, 11: Car, 20: Elevator control device, 30: Control center

Claims (10)

In an elevator system that controls an elevator that operates between multiple floors,
A management center that obtains information about planned power outages;
An elevator controller connected to the management center via a communication network and controlling the elevator;
The management center, based on the information on the planned power outage, notifies the scheduled power outage scheduled start time for each of the elevator control devices present in the target area of the planned power outage,
The elevator control device controls the elevator according to a predetermined operation mode different from a normal operation mode in a period that is a predetermined planned power failure response time before the scheduled power failure start scheduled time,
Elevator system. The predetermined operation mode causes the elevator to operate toward the destination floor only when it is determined that the estimated arrival time when the elevator reaches the destination floor is before the scheduled start time of the planned power outage. Mode
The elevator system according to claim 1. In the predetermined operation mode, when the scheduled arrival time is not before the scheduled start time of the planned power outage, the elevator is prohibited from starting and the user is informed that the departure cannot be performed. Yes,
The elevator system according to claim 2. The elevator control device includes:
Determine whether the planned power outage response time set before the predetermined planned power outage response time has arrived before the planned power outage scheduled start time,
When it is determined that the planned power failure response time has arrived, the normal operation mode is shifted to the predetermined operation mode,
When a call occurs, the time required for the elevator to reach the destination floor is calculated based on the current position of the elevator and the destination floor indicated by the call.
The estimated arrival time, which is the scheduled time for the elevator to arrive at the destination floor, is calculated based on the required time, and the estimated arrival time is more than a predetermined downtime before the planned scheduled power outage start time Judgment,
If it is determined that the estimated arrival time is not less than the predetermined stop time before the scheduled start time of the planned power outage, the elevator departs toward the destination floor,
If it is determined that the scheduled arrival time is not more than the predetermined suspension time before the scheduled start time of the planned power outage, prohibiting the departure of the elevator and notifying the user that the departure is not possible,
It is determined whether or not a stop start time that is a predetermined stop time before the scheduled start time of the planned power outage has arrived,
If it is determined that the stop start time has arrived, the mode is shifted from the predetermined operation mode to the stop mode, and the elevator is stopped.
The elevator system according to claim 3. The elevator control device notifies the user that the scheduled start time of the planned power outage is near by a notification device provided in the elevator and at the elevator landing during the period of transition to the predetermined operation mode. To
The elevator system according to claim 4. The elevator control device, when transitioning to the stop mode, confirms that there are no passengers in the elevator, and then stops the elevator.
The elevator system according to claim 5. When the elevator control device shifts to the pause mode, the door opening button provided in the elevator is set to the valid state, and the button provided at the landing is set to the invalid state.
The elevator system according to claim 6. The elevator control device performs group management of a plurality of elevators. When the elevator control device shifts to the predetermined operation mode, at least some of the elevator floors that can be stopped are floors that can stop other elevators. Set differently from
The elevator system in any one of Claims 1-7. The elevator control device sets the predetermined planned power failure response time based on a demand history of elevator use by a user,
The elevator system in any one of Claims 1-8. In an elevator control method for controlling an elevator operating between multiple floors by an elevator control device,
Receive the scheduled start time of the planned power outage,
It is determined whether the planned power outage response time that is set only a predetermined planned power outage response time has arrived before the planned power outage scheduled start time,
When it is determined that the planned power failure response time has arrived, the normal operation mode is shifted to a predetermined operation mode different from the normal operation mode,
When a call occurs, the time required for the elevator to reach the destination floor is calculated based on the current position of the elevator and the destination floor indicated by the call.
The estimated arrival time, which is the scheduled time for the elevator to arrive at the destination floor, is calculated based on the required time, and the estimated arrival time is more than a predetermined downtime before the planned scheduled power outage start time Judgment,
If it is determined that the estimated arrival time is not less than the predetermined stop time before the scheduled start time of the planned power outage, the elevator departs toward the destination floor,
If it is determined that the scheduled arrival time is not more than the predetermined suspension time before the scheduled start time of the planned power outage, prohibiting the departure of the elevator and notifying the user that the departure is not possible,
It is determined whether or not a stop start time that is a predetermined stop time before the scheduled start time of the planned power outage has arrived,
If it is determined that the stop start time has arrived, the mode is shifted from the predetermined operation mode to the stop mode, and the elevator is stopped.
Elevator control method.

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