JP2017095252A - Remote monitoring system for elevator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently respond to emergency calls transmitted individually per car from an elevator including plural cars, at a monitoring center side, and thereby reduce load of an operator.SOLUTION: A remote monitoring system for an elevator according to one embodiment includes: a line control unit 43 which, in the case that emergency calls are transmitted individually from each car of an elevator, connects a telephone line of one car among the cars to an operator terminal at a monitoring center and sets the connected line to a telephone call possible mode, while holding telephone calls with passengers in the other cars until the telephone call from the passenger in the connected car has been terminated; and a notification control unit 44 which notifies the passengers in the cars in which telephone calls are put on hold by the line control unit 43, that a telephone conversation is taking place with a passenger in another car of the elevator.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to an elevator remote monitoring system that enables calls between passengers in a car and a monitoring center operator.

  Normally, an emergency call button is installed in the elevator car, and a call can be made to the outside by pressing the emergency call button in an emergency. The outside is a monitoring center that constantly monitors the operating state of the elevator. A plurality of operators are stationed in the monitoring center to respond to an emergency call from a passenger in the car.

  Here, in a high-rise building or the like, in order to improve the space efficiency of the building, an elevator capable of mass transportation in which a car room is configured in two upper and lower stages is used as a vertical transportation means in the building. Such an elevator is called a “double deck elevator”.

  In this double deck elevator, an emergency call button is often installed only in one of the upper and lower cars. For this reason, when there is some abnormality, the outside can be contacted only from one of the cars, and the safety of the other car is required. Therefore, in recent years, there has been considered a configuration in which emergency call buttons are installed on both the upper and lower cars so that the outside can be contacted from either the upper or lower cars.

JP 2013-159552 A Japanese Patent No. 4777239

  However, when emergency call buttons are installed on both the upper and lower cars, there is a possibility that the emergency call buttons are pushed on both cars in the event of an abnormality. In such a case, at the monitoring center, two operators will respond to emergency calls from both the upper and lower cars. Since the number of operators in the monitoring center is limited, it is inefficient to have two operators respond to an emergency call from the same elevator. In particular, when a wide-area disaster such as an earthquake occurs, emergency calls from the elevators of each property are concentrated, and it is required to respond as efficiently as possible.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an elevator remote monitoring system that efficiently responds to an emergency call transmitted from an elevator having a plurality of cars separately on the monitoring center side to reduce the burden on the operator. is there.

  An elevator remote monitoring system according to an embodiment includes an elevator having at least two passenger cars connected to each other up and down, and a monitoring center connected to the elevator via a communication line.

  The elevator remote monitoring system connects a telephone line of one car in each car to an operator terminal in the monitoring center when an emergency call is individually sent from each car. The line control means for placing a call with a passenger in another car on hold until the call of the passenger in the car is terminated, and the car that has been put on hold by this line control means Notification control means for notifying that the passenger is in a call with a passenger in another elevator car of the elevator.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an elevator remote monitoring system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the elevator in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the monitoring center in the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the elevator remote monitoring system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a hold notification message in the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the elevator remote monitoring system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the abnormality importance degree table in the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the elevator according to the third embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the elevator remote monitoring system according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a hold notification message in the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example of the maximum waiting time in the same embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a call blocking message in the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the monitoring center according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a display example of remaining time in the embodiment.

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

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an elevator remote monitoring system according to the first embodiment.

  The elevator 11 includes an elevator control device 12 and a remote monitoring device 13. The elevator control device 12 includes a computer, and controls the operation of an elevator (car) including control of a motor that drives the car and door opening / closing control.

  The remote monitoring device 13 is a terminal device having a communication function with the monitoring center 15. The communication network 14 includes a telephone line.

  The monitoring center 15 exists in a remote place and constantly monitors the state of the elevator 11 via the communication network 14. In the example of FIG. 1, only one elevator 11 is connected to the communication network 14, but actually, a large number of elevators 11 that are scattered in various places are connected to the communication network 14. The monitoring center 15 displays various signals (operation state information) sent from these elevators on the monitoring screen, and responds by, for example, dispatching maintenance personnel to the site when any abnormality is detected.

  Also, at the monitoring center 15, several operators are always on standby for telephones for inquiries from customers regarding elevator failures and accidents, and for calls from passengers by pressing an emergency call button in the elevator car described later. It corresponds.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the elevator 11.

  In the present embodiment, a double deck elevator is assumed as the elevator 11. The elevator 11 has two passenger cars 21 a and 21 b that are connected in the car frame 20 in the vertical direction. Hereinafter, the car 21a disposed above the car frame 20 is referred to as “upper car”, and the car 21b disposed below the car frame 20 is referred to as “lower car”.

  An emergency call button 22a, a call section 23a, an announcement section 24a, and a display section 25a are provided in the upper car 21a.

  The emergency call button 22a is an operation button for making a call with the outside in an emergency. Specifically, the outside is the monitoring center 15. That is, when the emergency call button 22 a is pressed, an emergency call is transmitted to the monitoring center 15 via the remote monitoring device 13. As a result, the telephone line between the upper car 21a and the monitoring center 15 is connected, and the passengers in the upper car 21a talk with the operator in the monitoring center 15 through the call unit 23a installed near the emergency call button 22a. be able to. The telephone call unit 23a includes a microphone (transmitter) and a speaker (receiver) (not shown).

  The announcement unit 24a outputs various guidance information by voice during elevator operation. In addition, the announcement unit 24a outputs a message regarding a call sent from the monitoring center 15 during an emergency call. The display unit 25a is composed of, for example, a small LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and displays the current state of the car 41 and the driving state such as the driving direction. In addition, the display unit 25a displays a message regarding a call sent from the monitoring center 15 during an emergency call.

  The lower car 21b has the same configuration as the upper car 21a. That is, an emergency call button 22b, a call unit 23b, an announcement unit 24b, and a display unit 25b are provided in the lower car 21b, and the upper car 21a can be individually talked to an operator in the monitoring center 15. ing.

  The elevator control device 12 includes a computer, and controls the operation of the elevator 11 including control of a motor that drives the car frame 20 (upper car 21a and lower car 21b), door opening / closing control, and the like.

  The remote monitoring device 13 is provided independently of the elevator control device 12. The remote monitoring device 13 includes a communication unit 31, an information acquisition unit 32, a call control unit 33, and an announcement / display control unit 34.

  The communication unit 31 is connected to the communication network 14 and performs communication processing with the monitoring center 15. The information acquisition unit 32 acquires operation state information of the elevator 11 from the elevator control device 12. This operation state information includes information indicating an abnormality (for example, lighting abnormality, door abnormality, landing abnormality, etc.) that occurs for each car.

  The call control unit 33 controls a call process between the upper car 21 a and the lower car 21 b in the car frame 20 and the monitoring center 15. The announcement / display control unit 34 controls voice announcement and display of a message related to a call to the upper car 21a and the lower car 21b in the car frame 20.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the monitoring center 15.

  The monitoring center 15 includes a communication unit 41, an abnormality detection unit 42, a line control unit 43, a notification control unit 44, operator terminals 45a, 45b, 45c,. The abnormality detection unit 42, the line control unit 43, and the notification control unit 44 are realized by a computer (control device) provided in the monitoring center 15.

  The communication unit 41 is connected to the communication network 14 and performs communication processing with the elevator 11.

  The abnormality detection unit 42 detects the presence or absence of an abnormality based on the operating state information sent from the remote monitoring device 13 of the elevator 11 and performs a predetermined process according to the content of the abnormality.

  When an emergency call is individually transmitted from the upper car 21a and the lower car 21b of the elevator 11, the line control unit 43 selects one of the operator terminals 45a, 45b, 45c. Until the passenger's call in the car is terminated, the other car is placed in a call hold state.

  The notification control unit 44 notifies the passenger in the car whose call is put on hold by the line control unit 43 that he / she is talking with a passenger in another car of the elevator 11.

  The operator terminals 45a, 45b, 45c,... Are terminal devices used by an operator in the monitoring center 15, and are composed of a general computer system including an input device and a display device. These operator terminals 45a, 45b, 45c... Are provided with a speaker and a microphone for voice communication (not shown).

  Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the elevator remote monitoring system according to the first embodiment. The left side shows processing on the elevator 11 side, and the right side shows processing on the monitoring center 15 side.

  The information acquisition unit 32 of the remote monitoring device 13 provided in the elevator 11 acquires the operation state information of the elevator 11 from the elevator control device 12 and transmits it to the monitoring center 15. Here, when any abnormality occurs in the elevator 11, operation state information including information related to the abnormality is reported to the monitoring center 15 (step A11).

  The abnormality detection unit 42 provided in the monitoring center 15 detects the presence / absence of an abnormality in the elevator 11 based on the operation state information, and performs a predetermined process according to the abnormality content (step B11). Specifically, the location where the abnormality has occurred (the property position) is specified, the location where the abnormality has occurred is displayed on the operator terminals 45a, 45b, 45c... And an e-mail is automatically transmitted to a maintenance terminal owned by a nearby maintenance staff. Processes such as sending them to the site.

  Here, it is assumed that a passenger in the upper car 21a of the elevator 11 presses the emergency call button 22a (Yes in Step A12). When the emergency call button 22a is pressed, the call control unit 33 of the remote monitoring device 13 displays the call information including the car number set in advance in the elevator 11 and the identification number of the upper car 21a together with the emergency call signal. 15 is connected to the telephone line of the upper car 21a and the monitoring center 15 (step A13). For example, if the elevator car number is “1000” and the identification number of the upper car 21 a is “A”, call information CA such as “1000A” is transmitted to the monitoring center 15.

  When the passenger in the lower car 21b presses the emergency call button 22b (Yes in Step A14), the call control unit 33 of the remote monitoring device 13 sets the car number and the lower car 21b set in the elevator 11 in advance. Is sent to the monitoring center 15 together with an emergency call signal to connect the lower car 21b and the telephone line of the monitoring center 15 (step A15). For example, if the elevator number of the elevator 11 is “1000” and the identification number of the lower car 21 b is “B”, call information CB “1000B” is transmitted to the monitoring center 15.

  The call information CA of the upper car 21 a or the call information CB of the lower car 21 b sent from the call control unit 33 to the monitoring center 15 is given to the line control unit 43 via the communication unit 41. When the line control unit 43 receives the call information CA or the call information CB, the line control unit 43 executes the following incoming call processing (step B12).

  That is, the line control unit 43 determines whether or not passengers in another car of the same elevator 11 are already talking to an operator in the monitoring center 15 based on the call information CA or the call information CB.

  Specifically, it is assumed that the emergency call button 22 a in the upper car 21 a of the elevator 11 is pressed and call information CA is sent from the call control unit 33 of the remote monitoring device 13 to the monitoring center 15.

  The line control unit 43 of the monitoring center 15 first sets the emergency call source to the upper car 21a of the elevator 11 based on the car number “1000” and the car identification number “A” included in the call information CA “1000A”. Recognize that there is. Therefore, the line control unit 43 determines whether or not the passenger in the lower car 21b of the same elevator 11 is talking with the operator (step B13).

  Note that the elevator 11 is a double deck elevator, and has an upper car 21a and a lower car 21b connected to each other in the upper and lower cars 21a and 21b. An unillustrated property database (data relating to the elevator configuration of each property is provided). This can be grasped by referring to the stored database.

  If the passenger in the lower car 21b is not talking to the operator (No in Step B13), the line control unit 43 vacates the telephone line of the upper car 21a in the operator terminals 45a, 45b, 45c. It connects with the terminal which is, and it is in the state which can talk (step B14).

  Here, while the passenger in the upper car 21a is talking to the operator, an emergency call is transmitted by pressing the emergency call button 22b in the other lower car 21b, and the call information CB is received from the call control unit 33 of the remote monitoring device 13. It is assumed that it has been sent to the monitoring center 15.

  As in the case of the upper car 21a, the line control unit 43 of the monitoring center 15 first sends an emergency call based on the car number “1000” and the car identification number “B” included in the call information CB “1000B”. Recognizing that the original car is the lower car 21b of the elevator 11, it is determined whether or not the passenger in the upper car 21a of the same elevator 11 is talking to the operator (step B13).

  When the passenger in the upper car 21a is talking to the operator (Yes in Step B13), the line control unit 43 puts the telephone line of the lower car 21b into the call holding state without connecting to the operator terminals 45a, 45b, 45c. (Step B15). At that time, the line control unit 43 transmits a hold notification message to the lower car 21b through the notification control unit 44 (step B16).

  When the remote monitoring device 13 of the elevator 11 receives the message for holding notification, the remote monitoring device 13 outputs the message to the announcement unit 24b and the display unit 25b of the lower car 21b through the announcement / display control unit 34 (step A17).

FIG. 5 shows an example of a hold notification message.
When the passenger in the upper car 21a is talking to the operator and the emergency call button 22b in the other lower car 21b is pressed, for example, "The car is in the upper elevator car. Wait for a while. Is displayed on the display unit 25b of the lower car 21b. In addition, a similar message is announced by voice from the announcement unit 24b of the lower car 21b. In addition, although it was set as the structure notified by a display and an audio | voice here, either one may be sufficient.

  When the call of the passenger in the upper car 21a is finished and the operator interrupts the telephone line of the upper car 21a by a predetermined operation (Yes in Step B17), the line control unit 43 calls the lower car 21b in the call holding state. The line is connected to the operator terminal that has been connected to the upper car 21a until just before in the operator terminals 45a, 45b, 45c... (Step B18).

  For example, if the telephone line of the upper car 21a is connected to the operator terminal 45a until just before, the telephone line of the lower car 21b is also connected to the same operator terminal 45a. This is because when the abnormality occurs, there is a high possibility that passengers in the upper car 21a and the lower car 21b contact the monitoring center 15 for the same reason.

The same applies when the passenger in the lower car 21b is talking to the operator first.
That is, when an emergency call is issued by pressing the emergency call button 22a in the upper car 21a during a call by a passenger in the lower car 21b, the upper car 21a is kept until the passenger's call in the lower car 21b is terminated. The passenger's call is put on hold. In this case, for example, a message such as “A call is being made under the elevator, please wait for a while” is displayed on the display unit 25a of the upper car 21a. In addition, a similar message is announced by voice from the announcement unit 24a of the upper car 21a.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, when an emergency call is individually transmitted from the upper car 21a and the lower car 21b of the elevator 11, the monitoring center 15 side includes the upper car 21a and the lower car 21b. Until the call of the passenger in one car is terminated, the other car is placed in a call holding state. As a result, one operator can handle two emergency calls sent from the same elevator 11. For example, when there is a small number of operators at night or when a wide-area disaster such as an earthquake occurs, Even when emergency calls are concentrated, the operator's burden can be reduced by responding efficiently.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described.

  In the said 1st Embodiment, the case where the emergency call of the upper car 21a and the lower car 21b of the elevator 11 was transmitted a little shifted in time was demonstrated. The second embodiment will be described assuming that an emergency call is transmitted almost simultaneously from the upper car 21a and the lower car 21b of the elevator 11.

  “When an emergency call is sent from the upper car 21a and the lower car 21b almost simultaneously” means that the emergency call button 22a in the upper car 21a and the emergency call button 22b in the lower car 21b are pressed almost simultaneously. It is. When a disaster such as an earthquake occurs, there is a high possibility that an emergency call will be transmitted at the same timing in the upper car 21a and the lower car 21b.

  Since the basic configurations of the elevator 11 and the monitoring center 15 are the same as those in the first embodiment, processing on the monitoring center 15 side will be described here with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the elevator remote monitoring system according to the second embodiment, and shows the processing on the monitoring center 15 side.

  As described above, when any abnormality occurs in the elevator 11, the operation state information including information related to the abnormality is reported to the monitoring center 15. The abnormality detection unit 42 provided in the monitoring center 15 detects the presence / absence of an abnormality in the elevator 11 based on the operation state information, and performs a predetermined process according to the abnormality content (step C11).

  Here, the emergency call button 22a in the upper car 21a of the elevator 11 and the emergency call button 22b in the lower car 21b are pressed almost simultaneously, and the call information CA and the call information CB together with both emergency call signals are sent to the monitoring center 15. Suppose that it has been sent. When the line control unit 43 provided in the monitoring center 15 receives both the call information CA and CB, it performs the following incoming process (step C12).

  That is, the line control unit 43 first compares the number of the machine number included in the call information CA with the number of the machine number included in the call information CB, and determines whether or not the call is an emergency call sent from the same elevator 11 ( Step C13). When an emergency call originates from the same elevator 11 (Yes in Step C13), the line control unit 43 determines the importance of abnormality for each car based on the abnormality signal received in Step C11 (Step C14). .

  Specifically, the line control unit 43 refers to the abnormality importance degree table 43a as shown in FIG. 7 and determines the importance degree of abnormality for each car. In the abnormality importance degree table 43a, importance is set in advance for each type of abnormality signal. The types of abnormal signals include, for example, “containment in a car”, “position shift”, “failure of lighting equipment”, “failure of operation buttons”, and the like. “Containment in car” indicates that the passenger is confined in the car without opening the door. “Position shift” indicates that the landing position of the car is shifted. This is caused by, for example, an abnormality in a double deck elevator floor adjustment mechanism (a mechanism for adjusting the distance between the upper car and the lower car to the floor length of each floor), rope slip, or the like. “Lighting device failure” indicates that some failure has occurred in the lighting device installed in the car. “Operation button failure” indicates that some failure has occurred in each button of the operation panel installed in the car.

  These abnormal signals are issued from the elevator control device 12 for each car, and importance is set for each of them. In the example of FIG. 7, the importance is set in five stages of L1 to L5, and L5 is set as the abnormality type that has the highest importance and should be dealt with with the highest priority (L5> L4> L3> L2). > L1).

  Here, for example, it is assumed that “containment in the car” occurs in the upper car 21a and “position shift” occurs in the lower car 21b. The degree of importance of abnormality is higher in the “inside-car confinement” of the upper car 21a than in the “position shift” of the lower car 21b. In this case, the line control unit 43 gives priority to the telephone line of the upper car 21a and connects it to one of the operator terminals 45a, 45b, 45c..., And puts the telephone line in the lower car 21b in a call holding state (step C15). .

  If the upper car 21a and the lower car 21b have the same importance, the telephone lines are connected in a preset order. If an abnormality occurs only in one car, the telephone line of the car is preferentially connected.

  The subsequent processing is the same as in the first embodiment, and a notification message for holding is transmitted from the notification control unit 44 to the car in the call holding state (step C16). For example, if the lower car 21b is in a call holding state, a notification message for holding is transmitted from the notification control unit 44 to the lower car 21b. When the remote monitoring device 13 of the elevator 11 receives the hold notification message, the elevator 11 outputs the message to the announcement unit 24b and the display unit 25b of the lower car 21b through the announcement / display control unit 34. As a result, a message for holding notification is announced by voice from the announcement unit 2b, and a message for holding notification is displayed on the display unit 25b.

  When the call of the passenger in the upper car 21a is finished and the operator shuts down the telephone line of the lower car 21b by a predetermined operation (Yes in Step C17), the line control unit 43 calls the telephone of the lower car 21b in the call holding state. The line is connected to the operator terminal connected to the upper car 21a until just before in the operator terminals 45a, 45b, 45c... (Step C18).

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, when an emergency call is transmitted almost simultaneously from the upper car 21a and the lower car 21b of the elevator 11, the monitoring center 15 selects a car having a high priority of abnormality. Then, the telephone line of the car is connected to the operator terminal, and the other car is placed in a call holding state until the passenger's call in the car is terminated. Thereby, it is possible to listen to the story of the passenger in the car having urgency first and respond quickly.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described.

  In the first embodiment, until the passenger's call in one of the upper car 21a and the lower car 21b of the elevator 11 is finished, the other car is placed in a call holding state. However, if the call in the passenger in one car is not terminated, there is a problem that the passenger in the other car cannot make a call, which causes anxiety to the passenger. Therefore, in the third embodiment, a call time limit (for example, 5 minutes) is provided, and when the call time limit elapses, the call of the passenger in the car is cut off, and the car in the call hold state. It is configured to switch to a phone call.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the elevator 11 according to the third embodiment. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part same as the structure of FIG. 2 in the said 1st Embodiment, and the detailed description shall be abbreviate | omitted.

  In the third embodiment, a call timer 33 a is provided in the call control unit 33 of the remote monitoring device 13. The call timer 33a is activated by an instruction from the monitoring center 15, and measures the call time of passengers in the upper car 21a or the lower car 21b connected to the operator terminal of the monitoring center 15.

  Next, the operation of the third embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the elevator remote monitoring system, showing the processing on the monitoring center 15 side.

  As described above, when any abnormality occurs in the elevator 11, the operation state information including information related to the abnormality is reported to the monitoring center 15. The abnormality detection unit 42 provided in the monitoring center 15 detects the presence / absence of abnormality of the elevator 11 based on the operation state information, and performs predetermined processing according to the abnormality content (step D11).

  When the emergency call button 22a in the upper car 21a of the elevator 11 or the emergency call button 22b in the lower car 21b is pressed, call information CA or call information CB is transmitted to the monitoring center 15 together with an emergency call signal. The When the line control unit 43 receives the call information CA or the call information CB, the line control unit 43 performs the following incoming process (step D12).

  That is, the line control unit 43 determines whether or not passengers in another car of the same elevator 11 are already talking to an operator in the monitoring center 15 based on the call information CA or the call information CB.

  Specifically, it is assumed that the emergency call button 22 a in the upper car 21 a of the elevator 11 is pressed and call information CA is sent from the call control unit 33 of the remote monitoring device 13 to the monitoring center 15.

  The line control unit 43 of the monitoring center 15 first sets the emergency call source to the upper car 21a of the elevator 11 based on the car number “1000” and the car identification number “A” included in the call information CA “1000A”. Recognize that there is. Therefore, the line control unit 43 determines whether or not passengers in the lower car 21b of the same elevator 11 are talking to the operator (step D13). When the passenger in the lower car 21b is not talking to the operator (No in Step D13), the line control unit 43 uses the telephone line of the upper car 21a as a vacant terminal in the operator terminals 45a, 45b, 45c. To enable communication (step D14).

  Here, in the third embodiment, when the upper car 21a becomes ready for a call, a timer start command is issued from the line control unit 43 of the monitoring center 15 to the remote monitoring device 13 of the elevator 11 ( Step D15). By receiving this timer start command, the remote monitoring device 13 starts the call timer 33a provided in the call control unit 33, and measures the call time of passengers in the upper car 21a. The line control unit 43 of the monitoring center 15 monitors the call time measured by the call timer 33 a via the communication network 14.

  As will be described later, when an emergency call is transmitted from the lower car 21b of the same elevator 11 when the upper car 21a is in a call state, the line control unit 43 causes the lower car to fall within a preset call time limit. The call is switched to 21b.

  If there is no emergency call from the lower car 21b, passengers in the upper car 21a can talk to the operator even after the call limit time has elapsed. Further, when an emergency call is received from the lower car 21b after the call time limit has elapsed, the call is switched to the lower car 21b immediately after notifying the passenger in the upper car 21a of the call switching.

  Here, while the passenger in the upper car 21a is talking to the operator, an emergency call is transmitted by pressing the emergency call button 22b in the other lower car 21b, and the call information CB is received from the call control unit 33 of the remote monitoring device 13. It is assumed that it has been sent to the monitoring center 15.

  As in the case of the upper car 21a, the line control unit 43 of the monitoring center 15 first sends an emergency call based on the car number “1000” and the car identification number “B” included in the call information CB “1000B”. It recognizes that the origin is the lower car 21b of the elevator 11, and judges whether the passenger in the lower car 21b of the same elevator 11 is talking with the operator (step D13).

  When the passenger in the upper car 21a is talking to the operator (Yes in Step D13), the line control unit 43 puts the telephone line of the lower car 21b into the call holding state without connecting to the operator terminals 45a, 45b, 45c. (Step D16). At that time, the line control unit 43 confirms the call time of the upper car 21a currently in a call state (the time measured by the call timer 33a), and whether or not a preset call time limit (for example, 5 minutes) has elapsed. Is determined (step D17).

  If the call limit time has not elapsed (Yes in step D17), the line control unit 43 transmits a hold notification message to the elevator 11 to the lower car 21b through the notification control unit 44 (step D18). Further, the line control unit 43 calculates the remaining time from the present time to the call limit time based on the call time and the call limit time of the upper car 21a. The notification control unit 44 transmits this remaining time to the elevator 11 as the maximum waiting time of the lower car 21b in the call holding state (step D19).

  When the remote monitoring device 13 of the elevator 11 receives the hold notification message and the maximum waiting time, the elevator 11 outputs the message to the announcement unit 24b and the display unit 25b of the lower car 21b through the announcement / display control unit 34.

FIG. 10 shows an example of a hold notification message.
When the passenger in the upper car 21a is talking to the operator and the emergency call button 22b in the other lower car 21b is pressed, for example, “The car is in the upper elevator car. Please wait for a while ”message is displayed on the display portion 25b of the lower car 21b. In addition, a similar message is announced by voice from the announcement unit 24b of the lower car 21b. In addition, although it was set as the structure notified by a display and an audio | voice here, either one may be sufficient.

FIG. 11 shows a display example of the maximum waiting time.
In addition to the hold notification message, the remaining time from the current time to the call limit time is displayed on the display unit 25b of the lower car 21b as the maximum waiting time. The maximum waiting time is updated and displayed periodically (for example, at intervals of 10 seconds) or continuously over time.

  Here, when the call limit time of the upper car 21a elapses (Yes in Step D20), the line control unit 43 transmits a call blocking message to the passengers in the upper car 21a through the notification control unit 44 and is currently in a call. (Step D21).

  When the remote monitoring device 13 of the elevator 11 receives this call blocking message, it outputs the message to the display unit 25a of the upper car 21a through the announcement / display control unit 34.

FIG. 12 shows an example of the call blocking message.
When the call limit time of the upper car 21a elapses while the call of the passenger in the lower car 21b is put on hold, for example, "The call limit time has been reached. Switch to the call of the car under this elevator." Is displayed on the display unit 25a of the upper car 21a. Although an announcement may be made by voice, since the passenger is in a call with the operator, it is preferable to notify the call cut-off only by display.

  The same notification can be given to the operator who is currently talking. For example, if the telephone line of the upper car 21a is connected to the operator terminal 45a, a message as shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the display screen of the operator terminal 45a. Although an announcement may be made by voice, since the operator is also in a call, it is preferable to notify the call cut-off only by display.

  In addition, it is necessary to inform passengers in advance that there is a call limit time. For example, it is preferable to write a notice to that effect near the emergency call buttons 22a and 22b.

  In Step D14, when the operator starts a call with a passenger, for example, “Please note that if there is an emergency call from another car in this elevator, the call will be switched in a maximum of 5 minutes.” You may tell that.

  After transmitting the call blocking message, the line control unit 43 blocks the call of the passenger in the upper car 21a currently in a call state (step D22) and switches to a call with the lower car 21b in the call holding state (step D22). D23). Specifically, the line control unit 43 connects the telephone line of the lower car 21b in the call holding state to the operator terminal connected to the upper car 21a just before the operator terminals 45a, 45b, 45c.

  Thereafter, the passenger and the operator in the lower car 21b make a call. At this time, the call timer 33a is activated in the same manner as described above, and the call is made within the call time limit. During this time, for example, if the passenger in the upper car 21a presses the emergency call button 22a again, a message for holding notification as shown in FIG. 10 and a waiting time are notified, and the call is switched after the call limit time elapses. become.

  Further, when the call of the passenger in the upper car 21a is finished before the call time limit, the above steps D21 and D22 are not performed, and the call is switched to the lower car 21b in the above step D23.

The same applies when the passenger in the lower car 21b is talking to the operator first.
That is, when the emergency call button 22a in the upper car 21a is pressed during the call of the passenger in the lower car 21b, the call of the passenger in the upper car 21a is put on hold. At that time, for example, the message "The car is under the elevator and the phone is in the maximum time. Please take the time displayed on the timer." And the maximum waiting time are notified to the passengers in the upper car 21a in the call hold state. When the preset call time limit elapses, the call is switched to the upper car 21a.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, the call restriction time is provided, and when the call restriction time elapses, the call of the passenger in one of the cars that is currently talking is cut off, and the call is put on hold. Switch the call to the other car that was there. As a result, when one operator handles two emergency calls from the same elevator 11, the inconvenience that the passenger in the other car cannot talk is canceled.

  In the example of FIG. 8, the call timer 33 a is provided in the call control unit 33 of the remote monitoring device 13. However, for example, a similar call timer is provided in the line control unit 43 of the monitoring center 15. A configuration may be adopted in which when the telephone line of one car is connected to an operator terminal, the call timer is activated to monitor the call time.

  Further, in the second embodiment, even when priority is given to a passenger's call in the upper car 21a or a passenger's call in the lower car 21b according to the importance of the abnormality, the call is made within a preset call time limit. By switching, the inconvenience that the passenger in the other car can not talk can be canceled.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described.

  In the fourth embodiment, in addition to the configuration of the third embodiment, the operator of the monitoring center 15 is made to grasp the call time limit set for the car during a call.

  FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the monitoring center 15 in the fourth embodiment. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same part as the structure of FIG. 3 in the said 1st Embodiment, and the detailed description shall be abbreviate | omitted.

  The configuration of the elevator 11 is the same as that in FIG. 8 in the third embodiment. That is, a call timer 33 a is provided in the call control unit 33 of the remote monitoring device 13. The call timer 33a is activated by an instruction from the monitoring center 15, and measures the call time of passengers in the upper car 21a or the lower car 21b connected to the operator terminal of the monitoring center 15.

  Here, in the fourth embodiment, the monitoring center 15 is provided with a display control unit 46. The display control unit 46 is realized by a computer (control device) provided in the monitoring center 15 together with the abnormality detection unit 42, the line control unit 43, and the notification control unit 44. The display control unit 46 displays the remaining time until the call limit time of the car in a call state on the operator terminal in the monitoring center 15.

  In such a configuration, the basic processing flow is the same as that of the third embodiment. That is, for example, when the emergency call button 22b in the lower car 21b is pressed while the passenger in the upper car 21a is talking to the operator first, the call of the passenger in the lower car 21b is put on hold. At that time, for example, a message such as “The elevator is on the upper cage. Please give the maximum time displayed on the timer.” And the maximum waiting time are notified to the passengers in the lower car 21b in the call holding state.

  Here, in the fourth embodiment, in addition to the notification to the lower car 21b in the call holding state, the remaining time is notified to the passenger in the upper car 21a and the operator who is talking. Specifically, the following remaining time display process is executed before or after steps D18 to D19 in FIG.

  That is, the line control unit 43 calculates the remaining time from the present time to the call limit time based on the call time and the call limit time of the upper car 21a currently in a call. The display control unit 46 displays the remaining time on the terminal of the operator who is talking with the passenger in the upper car 21a.

FIG. 14 shows a display example of the remaining time.
For example, if the telephone line of the upper car 21a is connected to the operator terminal 45a, the remaining time of the call is displayed on the display screen of the operator terminal 45a as shown in FIG. This remaining time is the same as the maximum waiting time notified to the passengers in the lower car 21b in the call holding state, and is updated and displayed periodically (for example, at intervals of 10 seconds) or continuously.

  Although an announcement may be made by voice, since the operator is also in a call, it is preferable to notify the remaining time only by display.

  The same applies to the case where the passenger in the lower car 21b is talking to the operator first. In addition to the notification to the passenger in the upper car 21a in the call holding state, the operator who is talking with the passenger in the upper car 21a. The remaining time is notified.

  As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, when the call of the passenger in one of the cars currently in a call is cut off when the call limit time has elapsed, by notifying the operator of the remaining time of the call, It is possible to make the operator call with awareness of the call time limit. That is, it is possible to make a call with one passenger in a limited manner within a limited time and smoothly switch to a call with the other passenger.

  According to at least one embodiment described above, there is provided an elevator remote monitoring system that reduces an operator's burden by efficiently responding to an emergency call transmitted from an elevator having a plurality of cars separately on the monitoring center side. be able to.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, an elevator having two passenger cars (double deck elevator) has been described as an example. However, for example, an elevator having three passenger cars is also applicable. In this case, the call of the other two cars b and c is put on hold while one car a is talking, and after the call of the car a is finished, the same method is used in the two cars b and c. Just switch the call.

  In short, several embodiments of the present invention have been described, but these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Elevator, 12 ... Elevator control device, 13 ... Remote monitoring device, 14 ... Communication network, 15 ... Monitoring center, 20 ... Car frame, 21a ... Upper car, 21b ... Lower car, 22a, 22b ... Emergency call button, 23a , 23b ... Calling unit, 24a, 24b ... Announcement unit, 25a, 25b ... Display unit, 31 ... Communication unit, 32 ... Information acquisition unit, 33 ... Call control unit, 33a ... Call timer, 34 ... Announcement / display control unit, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 41 ... Communication part, 42 ... Abnormality detection part, 43 ... Line control part, 43a ... Abnormality importance table, 44 ... Notification control part, 45a, 45b, 45c ... Operator terminal, 46 ... Display control part.

An elevator remote monitoring system according to an embodiment includes an elevator having at least two cars connected up and down, a communication terminal device commonly used for each of the cars, and a communication line connected to the terminal device. And a monitoring center connected to each other .

When the emergency call button is pressed in each passenger car, the terminal device sends call information including at least the elevator number to the monitoring center together with an emergency call signal to each monitoring car. Connect the telephone line to the monitoring center.
When an emergency call is individually sent from each car , the monitoring center sets a telephone line for one car in each car in the elevator based on the unit number included in the call information. Line control means for connecting to an operator terminal in the monitoring center to enable a call, and placing a call with a passenger in another car on hold until the call of the passenger in the car is terminated, Notification control means for notifying passengers in the car whose call is put on hold by the line control means that they are talking with passengers in another car of the elevator.

The announcement unit 24a outputs various guidance information by voice during elevator operation. In addition, the announcement unit 24a outputs a message regarding a call sent from the monitoring center 15 during an emergency call. The display unit 25a is composed of, for example, a small LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and displays an operation state such as a current position and an operation direction of the upper car 21a . In addition, the display unit 25a displays a message regarding a call sent from the monitoring center 15 during an emergency call.

The subsequent processing is the same as in the first embodiment, and a notification message for holding is transmitted from the notification control unit 44 to the car in the call holding state (step C16). For example, if the lower car 21b is in a call holding state, a notification message for holding is transmitted from the notification control unit 44 to the lower car 21b. When the remote monitoring device 13 of the elevator 11 receives the hold notification message, the elevator 11 outputs the message to the announcement unit 24b and the display unit 25b of the lower car 21b through the announcement / display control unit 34. As a result, a message for holding notification is announced by voice from the announcement unit 24b, and a message for holding notification is displayed on the display unit 25b.

When the call of the passenger in the upper car 21a is finished and the operator interrupts the telephone line of the upper car 21a by a predetermined operation (Yes in Step C17), the line control unit 43 calls the lower car 21b in the call holding state. The line is connected to the operator terminal connected to the upper car 21a until just before in the operator terminals 45a, 45b, 45c... (Step C18).

As in the case of the upper car 21a, the line control unit 43 of the monitoring center 15 first sends an emergency call based on the car number “1000” and the car identification number “B” included in the call information CB “1000B”. Recognizing that the original car is the lower car 21b of the elevator 11, it is determined whether or not the passenger in the upper car 21a of the same elevator 11 is talking to the operator (step D13).

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the call restriction time is provided, and when the call restriction time elapses, the call of the passenger in one of the cars that is currently talking is cut off, and the call is put on hold. Switch the call to the other car that was there. Accordingly, when one operator handles two emergency calls from the same elevator 11, the inconvenience that the passenger in the other car cannot make a call can be solved .

Further, in the second embodiment, even when priority is given to a passenger's call in the upper car 21a or a passenger's call in the lower car 21b according to the importance of the abnormality, the call is made within a preset call time limit. By switching, the inconvenience that the passenger in the other car can not talk is solved .

The same applies to the case where the passenger in the lower car 21b is talking to the operator first. In addition to the notification to the passenger in the upper car 21a in the call holding state, the operator in communication with the passenger in the lower car 21b . The remaining time is notified.

Claims (7)

In an elevator remote monitoring system comprising an elevator having at least two passenger cars connected to each other and a monitoring center connected to the elevator via a communication line,
When an emergency call is individually sent from each car, the telephone line of one car in each car is connected to the operator terminal in the monitoring center so that a call can be made. Line control means for placing a call with a passenger in another car on hold until the call of the other passenger is terminated,
An elevator control system comprising notification control means for notifying passengers in a car whose call has been put on hold by the line control means that a passenger is in a call with a passenger in another car of the elevator. Remote monitoring system. Comprising an abnormality detecting means for detecting an abnormality of the elevator,
The line control means is
When an emergency call is sent almost simultaneously from each of the cars, the importance of the abnormality detected by the abnormality detection means is determined for each car, and priority is given to the car of higher importance among the cars. 2. The elevator remote monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein a telephone line of the car is connected to an operator terminal in the monitoring center. The line control means is
The telephone line of the car in the call holding state is connected to the same operator terminal in the monitoring center when the call of the passenger in the car in the car is finished in each car. Item 3. The elevator remote monitoring system according to Item 1 or 2. The line control means is
In each of the above-mentioned cars, the call time of passengers in the car in the call state is monitored, and when the preset call time limit is exceeded, the call of the passengers in the car is cut off and the call is on hold. The elevator remote monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a telephone line of a car in (2) is connected to the same operator terminal in the monitoring center. The line control means is
Calculate the remaining time until the call limit time of the car in the call state in each of the above cars,
The notification control means includes
5. The elevator remote monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein the remaining time is notified as a maximum waiting time to passengers in the car in a call holding state in each of the cars. The notification control means includes
The passenger in the car in a call state in each of the cars is notified that the call is switched to a call in the car in a call hold state as the call time limit elapses. The elevator remote monitoring system according to claim 4.   5. The display control means according to claim 4, further comprising display control means for displaying a remaining time until the call limit time of a car in a call state in each of the cars for an operator terminal in the monitoring center. Elevator remote monitoring system.

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