JP7414898B1 - elevator system - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to ensure reliability of wireless communication between terminals and quickly perform failure diagnosis of equipment to be monitored. In an elevator system according to one embodiment, a first communication terminal installed as a base unit includes a retry communication means, a time change means, and a frequency band change means. The retry communication means performs retry communication after waiting for a certain period of time when device data cannot be received from the second communication terminal installed as a child device at a predetermined start time of regular communication. The time changing means changes the start time of the periodic communication when the retry communication continues a certain number of times. The frequency band changing means changes the channel of the radio frequency band if the retry communication continues a certain number of times after changing the start time of the periodic communication. [Selection diagram] Figure 5

Description

Embodiments of the invention relate to elevator systems.

For example, a first communication terminal (base unit) is installed near the control panel, a second communication terminal (slave unit) is installed near the device to be monitored, and wireless communication between the two allows the device to be monitored. A system for diagnosing faults is being considered. Systems using such wireless communications do not require cables for data transmission, and have the advantage of allowing communication terminals to be installed anywhere to diagnose the status of each device. However, since it uses radio waves, failure diagnosis cannot be performed if the wireless communication between terminals is unstable.

Patent Application No. 2020-5266746 Patent No. 5976871 Patent No. 6783902

When an abnormality occurs in a device to be monitored, it is necessary to diagnose the device as soon as possible and take action. In such a case, if the wireless communication between the terminals is unstable, failure diagnosis cannot be performed immediately, resulting in a delay in response.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an elevator system that can ensure reliability of wireless communication between terminals and quickly perform failure diagnosis of equipment to be monitored.

An elevator system according to one embodiment includes a first communication terminal that is installed as a base unit and connects to a cloud server using radio waves in a first radio frequency band, and a slave unit that is installed near a device to be monitored. a second communication terminal that is installed and transmits data indicating the state of the device to the first communication terminal using radio waves in a second radio frequency band; The data received from the second communication terminal is sent to the cloud server to diagnose the failure of the device.

In the elevator system, the first communication terminal includes a retry communication means, a time change means, and a frequency band change means. The retry communication means performs retry communication after waiting for a certain period of time when the data cannot be received from the second communication terminal at a predetermined start time of regular communication. The time changing means changes the start time of the periodic communication when the retry communication continues a certain number of times. The frequency band changing means changes the channel of the second radio frequency band when the retry communication continues a certain number of times after changing the start time of the periodic communication.
In the above configuration, the frequency band changing means is characterized in that the frequency band changing means changes to a predetermined high priority channel from among a plurality of channels that can be selected as the second radio frequency band.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an elevator system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a communication terminal used as a slave device in the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the first transmission rate and the second transmission rate in the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the first detection period and the second detection period in the same embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a communication terminal used as a master device in the same embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the master unit and slave unit of the elevator system in the same embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing on the child unit side of the elevator system in the same embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing on the base machine side of the elevator system in the same embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system in which a plurality of elevators are arranged in parallel as a modified example.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.
Note that the disclosure is merely an example, and the invention is not limited to the content described in the embodiments below. Modifications that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art are naturally included within the scope of the disclosure. In order to make the explanation more clear, in the drawings, the size, shape, etc. of each part may be changed from the actual embodiment and shown schematically. In some drawings, corresponding elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof may be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an elevator system according to an embodiment. In the example of FIG. 1, an elevator control device 10 and a hoist 17 that control the entire elevator are provided in the upper machine room 1. Note that in a machine room type elevator that does not have a machine room, the elevator control device 10 and the hoist 17 are arranged at the upper part of the hoistway 2.

The elevator control device 10 includes a control panel 11 for controlling the entire elevator, and a communication terminal CM used as a wireless communication master. The communication terminal CM has a function of being able to connect to the cloud server 32 via the communication network 31, which is a general line, using radio waves in a first radio frequency band (5 GHz band). The cloud server 32 monitors the operating states of a plurality of elevators via the communication network 31.

As shown in FIG. 1, a car 12 and a counterweight 13 are provided in the hoistway 2, and each is supported by guide rails 14a to 14d so as to be movable up and down. Guide rails 14a and 14b are guide rails for the car 12, and guide rails 14c and 14d are guide rails for the counterweight 13. The car 12 is slidably attached to guide rails 14a, 14b via guide shoes 15a, 15b. The counterweight 13 is slidably provided on the guide rails 14c, 14d via guide shoes 15c, 15d.

Further, in order to detect (measure) shaking when an earthquake occurs, an S-wave sensor SS is provided in the upper machine room 1, and a P-wave sensor PS is provided in the pit 3. The S-wave sensor SS and the P-wave sensor PS are connected to the elevator control device 10 by wire.

A car 12 is connected to one end of the main rope 16, and a counterweight 13 is connected to the other end of the main rope 16. The main rope 16 is wound around a main sheave 18a attached to the rotating shaft of the hoist 17. 18b is a deflection sheave.

The hoist 17 includes a motor 19 for rotating the main sheave 18a. When the motor 19 of the hoist 17 is driven by a drive instruction from the elevator control device 10, the main sheave 18a rotates in a predetermined direction, and the car 12 is lifted and lowered together with the counterweight 13 via the main rope 16. Operate. A position detector (pulse generator) 20 is installed in the main sheave 18a. The position detector 20 detects the amount of movement of the car 12 due to the vertical movement by detecting how much and in which direction the main sheave 18a has rotated.

The car 12 is provided with a car control device 21 and a door control device 22. The car control device 21 and the door control device 22 are connected to the elevator control device 10 (control panel 11).

The car control device 21 performs drive control of lighting equipment in the car 12 and air conditioning control in accordance with instructions from the elevator control device 10 . Further, the car control device 21 transmits information regarding the operation panel 4 provided in the car, specifically, information regarding the destination floor button, door opening/closing button, etc. pressed by the passenger to the elevator control device 10 and the door control device 22. Output to.

The door control device 22 controls opening and closing of the doors of the car 12 according to instructions from the elevator control device 10 and the car control device 21. The door control device 22 is connected to a motor 23 for opening and closing the door of the car 12, and controls the opening and closing of the door by driving the motor 23.

A hall call button 6 and a hall control device 30 are provided at the hall 5 of each floor where the car 12 lands. The hall call button 6 is a button for registering the position (floor) of the hall where the passenger boards the car 12 and the destination direction (upward/downward). The hall control device 30 is connected to the elevator control device 10 (control panel 11), and outputs information registered by the hall call button 6 to the elevator control device 10.

Here, in this embodiment, a communication terminal CS1 used as a slave device for wireless communication is installed near the hoisting machine 17 in the upper machine room 1. The communication terminal CS1 has a function of acquiring data of a device to be monitored from the sensor S1 and transmitting the data to the communication terminal CM serving as a base device. Note that "device data" specifically refers to data indicating the operating state of the device, and includes, for example, voltage data and vibration data. For example, when the motor of the hoisting machine 17 is the device to be monitored, a voltage sensor for detecting the voltage state of the motor is used as the sensor S1.

Communication terminals CS2 and CS3 used as slave devices for wireless communication are also installed in the car 12 and the counterweight 13. The communication terminal CS2 has a function of acquiring data of a device to be monitored from the sensor S2 and transmitting the data to the communication terminal CM serving as a base device. For example, when the door motor of the car 12 is the device to be monitored, a voltage sensor for detecting the voltage state of the door motor is used as the sensor S2. Further, when the roller guide of the car 12 is the device to be monitored, a vibration sensor for detecting the vibration of the roller guide is used as the sensor S2.

The communication terminal CS3 has a function of acquiring data of a device to be monitored from the sensor S3 and transmitting the data to the communication terminal CM serving as a base unit. For example, when the roller guide of the counterweight 13 is the device to be monitored, a vibration sensor for detecting the vibration of the roller guide is used as the sensor S3.

The sensor S1 includes a wireless board and is wirelessly connected to the communication terminal CS1. Similarly, sensors S2 and S3 are also provided with wireless boards, and are wirelessly connected to slave communication terminals CS2 and CS3, respectively. The slave communication terminals CS1, CS2, and CS3 construct a local network together with the master communication terminal CM, and each uses radio waves in the second radio frequency band (920 MHz band) to transmit data from the monitored devices. It is sent periodically to the communication terminal CM of the base unit.

Note that the number of sensors and slave devices installed is not limited to the example shown in FIG. Further, the sensor and the slave communication terminal may be built into the same housing and configured as a sensor terminal having a wireless function.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the communication terminal CS2 used as a slave device.
Communication terminals CS1, CS2, and CS3 have similar functions. Here, the communication terminal CS2 installed in the car 12 will be explained as an example. At least one sensor S2 is connected to the communication terminal CS2. The communication terminal CS2 uses radio waves in the second radio frequency band (920 MHz band) to transmit data of the device detected by the sensor S2 to the communication terminal CM, which is the master device.

As shown in FIG. 2, the communication terminal CS2 includes a battery 100, a power supply control section 101, an input section 103, a storage section 104, a detection cycle control section 105, a communication control section 106, and the like. Battery 100 is rechargeable or replaceable, and is used as a power source for communication terminal CS2 and sensor S2. The power supply control unit 101 supplies the power of the battery 100 to each functional unit including the communication control unit 106 in the communication terminal CS2, and also to the sensor S2.

The input unit 103 takes in data of the device detected by the sensor CS2 at a predetermined detection cycle T. The storage unit 104 stores the data input by the input unit 103 in chronological order. From the viewpoint of power saving, during normal operation, the detection period T is set to a long period T1 for normal measurement. On the other hand, in the event of an abnormality (when some kind of abnormality is detected in the equipment being monitored or when an earthquake occurs), the detection interval is T is switched to a short cycle T2 whose time interval is set shorter than the long cycle T1 (see FIG. 4).

The communication control unit 106 controls communication between the slave communication terminal CS2 and the master communication terminal CM. The communication control section 106 includes a monitoring section 106a and a transmission rate control section 106b.

The monitoring unit 106a performs life-or-death monitoring to check the operating states of the communication terminal CS2 and the sensor S2. Specifically, the monitoring unit 106a transmits a trigger signal for requesting an alive/dead monitoring signal at a preset monitoring cycle W to the communication terminal CM of the base unit, and in response to the trigger signal, the monitor unit 106a transmits a trigger signal to the communication terminal CM of the base unit. Receive the life-or-death monitoring signal sent to you. The monitoring period W is set to, for example, 10 minutes. When the life-or-death monitoring signal can be received, the monitoring unit 106a returns an ACK (acknowledge) signal to the communication terminal CM of the base unit.

The transmission rate control unit 106b controls the transmission rate when transmitting the device data stored in the storage unit 104 to the communication terminal CM of the base device. The transmission rate control unit 106b has a first transmission rate R1 that is a standard transmission rate, and a second transmission rate R2 that has a larger amount of data per unit time than the first transmission rate R1. During normal operation, the first transmission rate R1 is set, and when an abnormality occurs, the transmission rate is switched to the second transmission rate R2 (see FIG. 3).

FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the first transmission rate R1 and the second transmission rate R2.
In this embodiment, wireless communication is performed between the base unit and the slave unit using radio waves in the sub-gigahertz radio frequency band (920 MHz band). The first transmission rate R1 has a transmission speed of 50 kbps, for example, and has a small amount of data per unit time, but has a long communication distance and low current consumption. On the other hand, the second transmission rate R2 has a transmission speed of, for example, 200 kbps, and has a large amount of data per unit time, but has a short communication distance and large current consumption. Using radio waves in the sub-gigahertz frequency band, it is theoretically possible to wirelessly communicate over several kilometers, but there are many obstacles in the hoistway and the radio environment is poor. Therefore, if the parent device and the child device are separated by a certain distance or more, packet errors are likely to occur.

Here, during normal operation, only a small amount of data is exchanged between the master device and the slave device. Therefore, by lowering the transmission rate, a communication distance can be ensured, and even if the hoistway is long, data can be transmitted without using a repeater. Further, by lowering the transmission rate, the current consumption of the handset can be suppressed, which lengthens the replacement cycle of the battery that is the power source of the handset, improving maintainability. On the other hand, when equipment malfunctions or an earthquake occurs, it is necessary to quickly analyze the equipment data at that time and take action. Therefore, during abnormal times, it is preferable to increase the transmission rate compared to normal times. This allows a large amount of data to be sent to the base device in a short time.

FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the first detection period T1 and the second detection period T2.
The "detection period" is the time interval at which data is sampled per unit time. In other words, a "long detection period" indicates a state where the sampling frequency is low. If the sampling frequency is low, the amount of data captured will be small, but the power consumption of the battery 100 can be suppressed. In other words, the "detection period" being "short" indicates a state where the sampling frequency is high. When the sampling frequency is high, the amount of data captured increases, but the power consumption of the battery 100 increases.

During normal operation, it is preferable to prioritize the power consumption of the battery 100 and set it to the first detection cycle T1 (sampling frequency = low). On the other hand, when equipment malfunctions or an earthquake occurs, it is necessary to quickly analyze the equipment data at that time and take action. Therefore, in the event of an abnormality, it is preferable to switch to the second detection cycle T2 (sampling frequency = high), capture a large amount of data in a short time, and send it to the base unit.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a communication terminal CM used as a master device.
The base communication terminal CM is wirelessly connected to the cloud server 32 using radio waves in a first radio frequency band (5 GHz band). Further, this communication terminal CM is wirelessly connected to communication terminals CS1, CS2, and CS3 installed near each device of the elevator using radio waves in a second radio frequency band (920 MHz band).

The communication terminal CM includes a communication control section 201, a storage section 202, an output section 203, and the like. Note that since the communication terminal CM receives power supply from the control panel 11, a battery is not required. The communication control unit 201 receives data of each device to be monitored from the slave communication terminals CS1, CS2, and CS3 during regular communication. The storage unit 202 stores data of each device received by the communication control unit 201. The output unit 203 sends the data of each device stored in the storage unit 202 to the cloud server 32 via the communication network 31 shown in FIG. 1 at a predetermined timing.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the master device and the slave device of this system.
For wireless communication between the base communication terminal CM and the cloud server 32, radio waves in the 5 GHz band, which is the frequency band of general lines, are used as the first radio frequency band. On the other hand, radio waves in the 920 MHz band, which is a sub-gigahertz frequency band, are used for wireless communication between the master communication terminal CM and the slave communication terminals CS1, CS2, and CS3. In the example of FIG. 6, sensors S1-1 and S1-2 are installed in the communication terminal CS1 of the slave unit, sensors S2-1 and S2-2 are installed in the communication terminal CS2 of the slave unit, and sensor S3- is installed in the communication terminal CS3 of the slave unit. 1 is shown connected wirelessly. These sensors are, for example, voltage sensors, vibration sensors, etc., each of which is equipped with a wireless board, and is wirelessly connected to a paired handset using radio waves in the 920 MHz band.

Here, periodic communication when the master device acquires device data from the slave device is performed at intervals of, for example, 6 hours. However, since 920 MHz band radio waves are often used by other wireless devices, regular data communication from the slave unit to the base unit may be disrupted. In particular, in an environment where multiple elevators are installed in parallel (see Figure 9), each elevator uses 920MHz radio waves for regular communication, so radio wave interference is likely to occur. There is a possibility that the data of the device to be monitored cannot be stably sent to the base unit.

As shown in FIG. 5, the communication control unit 201 of the base communication terminal CM has a retry communication unit 201a, a time change unit 201b, and a frequency band change unit as functions for resolving such wireless communication problems. 201c is provided. The retry communication unit 201a performs retry communication after waiting for a certain period of time when device data cannot be received from the handset at a predetermined start time of regular communication. The time change unit 201b changes the start time of regular communication when retry communication continues a certain number of times. The frequency band changing unit 201c changes the channel of the second radio frequency band if retry communication continues a certain number of times after changing the start time of regular communication.

Next, the operation of this system will be explained separately into (a) processing on the slave device side and (b) processing on the base device side.

(a) Processing on the handset side FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing on the handset side of this system. Here, in order to simplify the explanation, the communication terminal CS2 will be described as an example of a slave device, but the same applies to other slave devices (communication terminals CS1 and CS3).

During normal operation, the first transmission rate R1 and the first detection cycle T1 are set according to instructions from the communication terminal CM of the master device (steps ST11 to ST13). As explained with reference to FIG. 3, the first transmission rate R1 has characteristics such that the amount of data per unit time is small, but the communication distance is long. During normal operation, device data is simply sent periodically (for example, every 6 hours) between the parent and slave devices. Therefore, even if the car 12 is located near the bottom floor and the child device is far from the parent device, small amounts of data can be reliably sent at the first transmission rate R1. Further, as described in FIG. 4, when the first detection period T1 is set (when the sampling frequency is lowered), the amount of data to be acquired is reduced, but the power consumption of the battery 100 can be suppressed.

In the slave communication terminal CS2, the device data taken in from the sensor S2 at the first detection cycle T1 is stored in the storage unit 104 shown in FIG. It is transmitted to the terminal CM at the first transmission rate R1 (step ST14). The above-mentioned "regular communication start time" is updated, for example, at 6 hour intervals.

The master communication terminal CM sends the device data received from the slave communication terminal CS2 to the cloud server 32 at a predetermined timing to perform failure diagnosis. Specifically, assume that the door motor of the car 12 is the device to be monitored, and a voltage sensor is used as the sensor S2. In this case, voltage data of the door motor detected by the voltage sensor is sent from the child device to the cloud server 32 via the parent device. The cloud server 32 diagnoses the condition of the door motor in three stages: "normal", "needs attention", and "immediate replacement" by comparing this voltage data with preset criteria.

If the device data is within the range criteria, it is diagnosed as "normal". If the device data slightly deviates from the criteria, it is diagnosed as requiring caution. If the device data significantly deviates from the criteria, it is diagnosed as requiring immediate replacement. This diagnosis result is notified to the communication terminal CM of the master device. If the diagnosis result is "immediate replacement" or higher, a notification is sent from the communication terminal CM of the base unit to a maintenance center (not shown), and a maintenance person is dispatched. If the diagnosis result is "Caution Required", it is necessary to analyze the status of the device in detail. Switching of rate and detection period is instructed.

When receiving the instruction to switch the transmission rate and detection cycle (Yes in step ST15), the slave communication terminal CS2 switches the transmission rate to the second transmission rate R2 and the detection cycle to the second detection cycle T2 (step ST16). , ST17). As described above, by switching to the second detection cycle T2, a large amount of data can be acquired from the sensor S2 in a short time. Furthermore, by switching to the second transmission rate R2, a large amount of data can be sent to the base unit in a short time. The device data captured from the sensor S2 at the second detection cycle T2 is stored in the storage unit 104 shown in FIG. 2, and then transmitted to the communication terminal CM of the base unit at the second transmission rate R2 Step ST18).

In addition, here, the data of the equipment to be monitored is sent from the communication terminal CM of the base unit to the cloud server 32, and the failure diagnosis of the equipment is performed on the cloud server 32 side. ) may be configured. In this case, depending on the diagnosis result, the elevator control device 10 instructs the child device via the parent device to switch the transmission rate and detection period.

Further, data on equipment detected at the time of an earthquake is important for checking the condition of the elevator due to the earthquake, and needs to be sent to the elevator control device 10 as soon as possible. Therefore, when an earthquake of high magnitude is detected by an earthquake sensor (S-wave sensor SS or P-wave sensor PS), the second transmission rate R2, It is also possible to instruct switching to the second detection cycle T2.

(b) Processing on the parent device side FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing on the parent device side of this system.
In the following, a process performed when a master device acquires data of a device to be monitored from a slave device will be described. As a prerequisite, it is assumed that life-or-death monitoring is performed between the parent unit and the slave unit at intervals of a monitoring cycle W (for example, 10 minutes). Furthermore, when a situation arises in which regular communication with at least one handset becomes impossible, the start time and frequency CH (channel) of regular communication are changed for all the handsets.

The communication terminal CM of the base unit performs regular communication to acquire data of each device from the communication terminals CS1, CS2, and CS3 of the slave units when the preset regular communication start time arrives (step ST21). At this time, if the wireless communication between the parent unit and the slave unit is in a stable state, an ACK (acknowledge) signal is sent from each slave unit at the monitoring cycle W of the life-or-death monitoring. Thereby, the master communication terminal CM acquires data of each device to be monitored from the slave communication terminals CS1, CS2, and CS3, and sends the data to the cloud server 32 at a predetermined timing to perform failure diagnosis.

On the other hand, if the wireless communication between the parent unit and the slave unit is unstable, an ACK signal is not sent from each slave unit at the monitoring cycle W during regular communication. In such a case, the base communication terminal CM performs retry communication after waiting for a certain period of time using the CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) method (step ST22). If this retry communication is successful (that is, if an ACK signal is sent from each slave unit), the base unit communication terminal CM will be monitored by the slave unit communication terminals CS1, CS2, and CS3. Data on each device is acquired and sent to the cloud server 32 at a predetermined timing for failure diagnosis. Thereafter, regular communication is continuously performed at 6 hour intervals starting from the time when this retry communication is successful.

Here, if the retry communication continues N times, that is, even if the retry communication is repeated N times, it is still not possible to communicate wirelessly with each child device (Yes in step ST22 → ST23), the parent device The communication terminal CM determines that there is a possibility of radio wave interference with other wireless devices, and as a first countermeasure, changes the start time of regular communication using the following method (step ST24). Regular communication is performed at the changed start time (step ST25).

・How to change the regular communication start time (1) If an ACK signal is not sent from at least one of the slave units, the base unit requests all the slave units to change the regular communication. I do.
(2) The base unit shifts the start time of regular communication for all slave units by a certain period of time (for example, one hour). For example, if "12 o'clock" is the start time of the regular communication, the next time the regular communication will be carried out at "13 o'clock".
(3) After changing the start time of regular communication, if ACK signals for life-or-death monitoring are sent from all slave units within the timeout period (for example, 30 minutes), the periodic communication will be scheduled according to the changed start time of regular communication. communicate. After changing the start time of regular communication, if ACK signals for life-and-death monitoring are not sent from all child units within the timeout period, an error is reported to the elevator control device 10.

Even if the start time of regular communication is changed, retry communication is required (Yes in step ST26), and if this retry communication continues N times (Yes in step ST27), the communication terminal CM of the base unit As a countermeasure for No. 2, the frequency CH is changed in the following manner (step ST24).

- Frequency CH changing method (1) The base unit issues a frequency CH change request to all slave units, for example, one hour after the retry communication fails. For example, assume that there are five channels A, B, C, D, and E as selectable channels in the 920 MHz radio frequency band. The bandwidth of these channels is, for example, 600 KHz. The base unit changes to a frequency CH with a predetermined higher priority. That is, assuming that the order is determined as A→B→C→D→E, if the frequency CH currently in use is channel A, it is changed to channel B. Note that it is also possible to randomly change the frequency CH to a frequency CH other than channel A.
(2) After changing the frequency CH, if ACK signals for life-and-death monitoring are sent from all child units within the timeout period (for example, 30 minutes), regular communication is performed on the changed frequency CH. If ACK signals for life-and-death monitoring are not sent from all child units within the time-out period, an error is reported to the elevator control device 10.

In this way, even if you change the start time of regular communication, if you are affected by radio wave interference with other wireless devices that use the same radio frequency band, you can change the frequency CH to a different frequency to ensure that each slave device It is possible to reliably acquire data on each device to be monitored and perform failure diagnosis. As a result, if any abnormality occurs in the equipment, it can be discovered and dealt with early through fault diagnosis.

(Modified example)
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system in which a plurality of elevators are installed in parallel. In the example of FIG. 9, three elevators 33a to 33c, designated as A, B, and C, are arranged in parallel. In the figure, 11a to 11c are control panels (CNT), 12a to 12c are cages, 13a to 13c are count weights (C/W), 16a to 16c are ropes, and 20a to 20c are hoisting machines. Further, CMa to CMc indicate communication terminals of the master device, and CS1a to CS3a, CS1b to CS3b, and CS1c to CS3c indicate communication terminals of the slave device.

In the elevator 33a of car A, slave communication terminals CS1a to CS3a are connected to a sensor (not shown) installed near the equipment to be monitored. The slave communication terminals CSa1 to CSc1 periodically transmit the data of each device detected by these sensors to the master communication terminal CMa using radio waves in the second radio frequency band (920MHz band). do. The master communication terminal CMa connects to the communication network 31 using radio waves in the first radio frequency band (5 GHz band), sends data of each device to the cloud server 32, and performs failure diagnosis. The same applies to the elevator 33b of the B car and the elevator 33c of the C car, and the data of the equipment to be monitored is periodically sent from the child device to the parent device through wireless communication between the parent device and the child device.

In such a configuration, it is assumed that the elevator 33a of car A uses the A channel as the second radio frequency band for wireless communication between the parent and child devices. When the device data cannot be sent from the slave unit to the base unit while using the A channel, if you change the frequency CH in priority order or randomly as in the above embodiment, the frequency being used by another unit will be changed. There is a possibility that it overlaps with CH.

Since the parent device of Unit A (communication terminal CMa) is not connected to the parent unit of other units, it cannot recognize the frequency CH being used by other units. A function is provided to manage the frequency channels being used in the machine. With this, for example, when changing the frequency CH on the A machine, if information about the frequency CH being used on the B and C machines is obtained from the cloud server 32, the change can be made to a frequency CH that does not overlap with the B and C machines. be able to. In other words, for example, if Unit B is using Channel B and Unit B is using Channel C, changing to Channel D as the wireless channel of Unit A will allow the monitoring target to be unaffected by the radio waves of other neighboring units. It will be possible to stably send data to and from devices.

In this way, with the configuration in which the frequency CH in use of each unit is managed on the cloud server 32 side, the data of the equipment to be monitored can be reliably acquired by changing the frequency CH to a frequency CH that is different from that of other adjacent units. can be used to perform fault diagnosis. As a result, if any abnormality occurs in the device, it can be detected early and dealt with through fault diagnosis.

According to at least one embodiment described above, it is possible to provide an elevator system that can ensure reliability of wireless communication between terminals and quickly perform failure diagnosis of equipment to be monitored.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, 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, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and gist of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

1... Upper machine room, 2... Hoistway, 3... Pit, 4... Operation panel, 5... Landing, 6... Hall call button, 10... Elevator control device, 11... Control panel, 12... Car, 13... Counterweight , 14a to 14d...Guide rail, 15a to 15d...Guide shoe, 16...Main rope, 17...Hoisting machine, 18a...Main sheave, 18b...Deflection sheave, 19...Motor, 20...Position detector, 21...Cage control Device, 22... Door control device, 23... Motor, 30... Hall control device, 31... Communication network, 32... Cloud server, 100... Battery, 101... Power supply control section, 103... Input section, 104... Storage section, 105 ...Detection cycle control unit, 106...Communication control unit, 106a...Monitoring unit, 106b...Transmission rate control unit, 201...Communication control unit, 201a...Retry communication unit, 201b...Time change unit, 201c...Frequency band change unit, 202 ...Storage unit, 203...Output unit, CM, CS1, CS2, CS3...Communication terminal, PS...P wave sensor, SS...S wave sensor, S1, S2, S3...sensor.

Claims (8)

a first communication terminal that is installed as a base unit and connects to the cloud server using radio waves in a first radio frequency band;
a second communication terminal that is installed as a slave device near the device to be monitored and transmits data indicating the status of the device to the first communication terminal using radio waves in a second radio frequency band; Prepare,
In an elevator system in which the first communication terminal sends the data received from the second communication terminal to the cloud server to diagnose a failure of the equipment,
The first communication terminal is
retry communication means that performs retry communication after waiting for a certain period of time when the data cannot be received from the second communication terminal at a predetermined start time of regular communication;
Time changing means for changing the start time of the periodic communication when the retry communication continues a certain number of times;
frequency band changing means for changing the channel of the second radio frequency band when the retry communication continues a certain number of times after changing the start time of the periodic communication ;
The above frequency band changing means is
An elevator system characterized in that the second radio frequency band is changed to a predetermined higher priority channel from among a plurality of selectable channels . a first communication terminal that is installed as a base unit and connects to the cloud server using radio waves in a first radio frequency band;
a second communication terminal that is installed as a slave device near the device to be monitored and transmits data indicating the status of the device to the first communication terminal using radio waves in a second radio frequency band; Prepare,
In an elevator system in which the first communication terminal sends the data received from the second communication terminal to the cloud server to diagnose a failure of the equipment,
The first communication terminal is
retry communication means that performs retry communication after waiting for a certain period of time when the data cannot be received from the second communication terminal at a predetermined start time of regular communication;
Time changing means for changing the start time of the periodic communication when the retry communication continues a certain number of times;
frequency band changing means for changing the channel of the second radio frequency band when the retry communication continues a certain number of times after changing the start time of the periodic communication;
The above frequency band changing means is
An elevator system characterized in that the second radio frequency band is changed to a randomly selected channel from among a plurality of selectable channels. a first communication terminal that is installed as a base unit and connects to the cloud server using radio waves in a first radio frequency band;
a second communication terminal that is installed as a slave device near the device to be monitored and transmits data indicating the status of the device to the first communication terminal using radio waves in a second radio frequency band; Prepare,
In an elevator system in which the first communication terminal sends the data received from the second communication terminal to the cloud server to diagnose a failure of the equipment,
The first communication terminal is
retry communication means that performs retry communication after waiting for a certain period of time when the data cannot be received from the second communication terminal at a predetermined start time of regular communication;
Time changing means for changing the start time of the periodic communication when the retry communication continues a certain number of times;
frequency band changing means for changing the channel of the second radio frequency band when the retry communication continues a certain number of times after changing the start time of the periodic communication;
The above frequency band changing means is
Obtaining information regarding the radio frequency band in use by the adjacent elevator from the cloud server, and changing to a channel different from that of the adjacent elevator among the plurality of channels that can be selected as the second radio frequency band. Features an elevator system. The above time changing means is
According to any one of claims 1 to 3 , an error is reported if there is no response from the second communication terminal within a certain period of time after changing the start time of the periodic communication. elevator system. The above frequency band changing means is
Any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein an error is reported if there is no response from the second communication terminal within a certain time after changing the channel of the second radio frequency band. The elevator system described in section . The second communication terminal is
The data is transmitted to the first communication terminal at a first transmission rate during normal times, and the data is transmitted to the first communication terminal at a second transmission rate higher than the first transmission rate during abnormal times. 4. The elevator system according to claim 1, further comprising transmission rate control means. The second communication terminal is
Claims 1 to 3 are characterized by comprising detection cycle control means that captures the data at a first detection cycle during normal times and captures the data at a second detection cycle shorter than the first detection cycle during abnormal times. 3. The elevator system according to any one of 3 . 4. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein a 5 GHz band is used as the first radio frequency band, and a 920 MHz band is used as the second radio frequency band.

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