JP7626327B2 - Elevator display unit - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to elevator display devices.

The elevator display device disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 has a means for automatically correcting the deterioration of the brightness of each dot LED over time based on the lighting time of each dot LED in a dot-type LED display that displays the car position and driving direction and is installed at each elevator hall or inside the car.

JP 2000-132118 A

The elevator display device disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not take into account the effects of ambient temperature, so there is a problem in that it is not possible to determine the appropriate time to replace the display device.

This disclosure has been made to solve the problems described above. The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an elevator display device that can determine the appropriate time to replace the display device, taking into account the ambient temperature and the usage time of each dot.

The elevator display device according to the present disclosure is an elevator display device that is provided in a landing or car and uses a dot matrix LED indicator to display information including destination floors, and includes an LED lighting control function that controls the lighting of the dot matrix LED indicator, a temperature measurement function that measures the ambient temperature of the dot matrix LED indicator, an average temperature calculation function that calculates an average value of the ambient temperature measured by the temperature measurement function, a luminance degradation database that stores characteristic data on the lighting time and luminance degradation of the dot matrix LED indicator at a reference temperature, an LED lighting time data storage unit that stores the lighting time of each dot whose lighting is controlled by the lighting control function, a luminance calculation function that calculates the current relative luminance for each dot corresponding to the average ambient temperature from the average ambient temperature, the characteristic data on luminance degradation, and the lighting time data for each dot, and a lifespan determination function that determines that it is time to replace the indicator when the ratio of the maximum value to the minimum value of the relative luminance calculated for each dot by the luminance calculation function becomes equal to or exceeds a set value .

This disclosure makes it possible to provide an elevator display device that can determine the appropriate time to replace the display device, taking into account the ambient temperature and the usage time of each dot.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an elevator display device for displaying the elevator car position, etc. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing details of a dot matrix LED indicator. FIG. 1 is a typical circuit diagram of a dot matrix LED indicator. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an elevator display device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between lighting time and relative luminous intensity deterioration. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example of a dot matrix LED indicator.

The following describes the embodiments with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, common or corresponding elements are given the same reference numerals, and the description is simplified or omitted. The configurations shown in the embodiments below are examples of the technical ideas related to this disclosure, and may be combined with other known technologies, or multiple technical ideas described in this disclosure may be combined. In addition, it is also possible to omit or modify part of the configuration without departing from the gist of this disclosure.

Embodiment 1.
FIG 1 is a block diagram of an elevator display device for displaying the elevator car position and the like. An operation panel 1 is installed at the elevator hall or car. The operation panel 1 is used by passengers to specify destination floors and the like. An indicator board 2 is placed within the operation panel 1 at the hall or car. A dot matrix LED indicator 3 is mounted on the indicator board 2. A microcomputer 4 is mounted on the indicator board 2. The microcomputer 4 communicates with an elevator control panel 7 via a communication circuit 5 and a communication function 6 within the microcomputer 4, and based on elevator car position information obtained through the communication, the LED lighting control function 8 within the microcomputer 4 displays the car position on the dot matrix LED indicator 3.

Next, we will explain Figure 2. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the details of the dot matrix LED indicator 3. The dot matrix LED indicator 3 comprises LEDs 9 arranged in a matrix, a common driver circuit 10 using transistors or the like, a segment driver circuit 12 using transistors or the like, and a microcomputer 14 for controlling these. The common driver circuit 10 outputs common select signals 11a to 11g. The segment driver circuit 12 outputs segment signals 13a to 13e.

The dot matrix LED indicator 3 displays numbers or letters by turning on common select signals 11a to 11g, one line at a time, at regular intervals and turning on the segment signals corresponding to those common select signals. For example, to display "1", when common select signals 11a, 11c to 11g are ON, only segment signal 13c is ON, and when common select signal 11b is ON, segment signals 13b and 13c are ON, lighting up the LEDs. Figure 3 is a typical circuit diagram of a dot matrix LED indicator 3.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an elevator display device according to the first embodiment. In addition to the same configuration as in Figure 1, the elevator display device of this embodiment includes a temperature sensor 15 arranged near the dot matrix LED indicator 3. The microcomputer 4 also includes a temperature measurement function 17, a temperature average value calculation function 18, a lighting time count function 21, a luminous intensity calculation function 23, and a lifespan determination function 24. The elevator display device of this embodiment measures the ambient temperature of the dot matrix LED indicator 3 using the temperature measurement circuit 16 connected to the temperature sensor 15 and the temperature measurement function 17. Furthermore, the temperature average value calculation function 18 connected to the temperature measurement function 17 calculates the average value of the measured temperatures since the hall or car operation panel 1 starts operating, and stores the value in the memory 19 as ambient temperature data 20.

The lighting time count function 21 counts the lighting time from the start of operation for each dot, and stores the value in the LED lighting time data storage section 22 in the memory 19. Figure 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between lighting time and relative luminous intensity degradation. A luminous intensity degradation database 26 showing the relationship between lighting time and relative luminous intensity degradation as shown in Figure 5 is stored in advance in the memory 19. This database stores two patterns: a standard temperature (e.g. 25°C) and a high temperature (e.g. 85°C).

The luminous intensity calculation function 23 calculates the current luminous intensity corresponding to the ambient temperature based on the average value of the ambient temperature data 20, the data stored in the LED illumination time data storage unit 22, and the luminous intensity degradation database 26. The lifespan is then determined by the lifespan determination function 24 based on the luminous intensity data calculated for each dot, and if the lifespan has been reached, the information is transmitted to the elevator control panel 7 by the communication function 6, and a notification of the end of life may be sent to the management center. This allows the maintenance person to notice the decrease in luminous intensity, making it possible to carry out maintenance replacement at the appropriate time. In this case, the communication function 6 and the elevator control panel 7 correspond to a communication unit that communicates the result to the outside when the relative luminous intensity calculated by the luminous intensity calculation function 23 falls below the determination value.

The following provides a detailed explanation of what happens from when the elevator hall or car control panel 1 starts operating until the dot matrix LED indicator 3 reaches the end of its life.

First, the temperature of the dot matrix LED indicator 3 is measured using the temperature sensor 15, temperature measurement circuit 16, and temperature measurement function 17, and the measured temperature Ta1 and the number of measurements N are stored in the memory 19. Then, after a certain period of time, the temperature Ta2 is measured again and added to Ta1, and the resulting value is regarded as Ta. By dividing this Ta by the number of measurements N, the average ambient temperature of the dot matrix LED indicator 3 from the start of operation of the hall or car operation panel 1 is calculated.

Next, a method for calculating the luminous intensity by the luminous intensity calculation function 23 from the average value of the ambient temperature data 20, the data stored in the LED illumination time data storage unit 22, and the luminous intensity degradation database 26 will be described under the following assumptions. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the display of the dot matrix LED indicator 3.
<Conditions>
The dot matrix LED indicator 3 has three display contents: "1", "2", and "3" (Figure 6).
- Assume that the operating time since the start of operation is 5,000 hours.
- During operating hours, the time displayed will be "1" 75% of the time, "2" and "3" will be displayed 15% and 10%, respectively.
Under the above conditions, the LED 25 which is the dot in the center of FIG. 6 lights up when displaying "1" and "3", so the lighting time is 5000 hours x 85% = 4250 hours.
- The calculated average ambient temperature is 30°C.
In practice, the luminous intensity is calculated from the value counted by the lighting time count function 21.

Under the above conditions, the relative luminance of the LED 25 in FIG. 6 is calculated as follows. First, the relative luminance at 4250 hours is read from the luminance degradation database 26. From FIG. 5, it is approximately 86% when the ambient temperature is 25°C, and approximately 73% when it is 85°C. Next, if the relative luminance value that decreases when the ambient temperature rises by 1°C is calculated as (relative luminance (25°C) 86% - relative luminance (85°C) 73%)/(85°C-25°C), it can be predicted that the relative luminance will decrease by approximately 0.22% per 1°C. When the ambient temperature is 30°C, it can be predicted that there will be a decrease of 0.22% x (30°C-25°C) = 1.1%, so the relative luminance at an ambient temperature of 30°C after 5000 hours of operation can be predicted to be 84.9%.

The luminous intensity calculation function 23 calculates the relative luminous intensity for each dot in the same manner as described above. The lifespan determination function 24 determines that it is time to replace the indicator when the calculated relative luminous intensity falls below a determination value (e.g., 80%). This allows the lifespan to be determined taking into account the ambient temperature of the dot matrix LED indicator 3 and the lighting time for each dot, making it possible to optimize the replacement timing based on lifespan.

Conventionally, the lifespan was set at 100% illumination regardless of the dot, and the ambient temperature was set at the upper limit of the product specifications (e.g. 60°C), so if calculated in the same way under the above conditions, LED 25 in Figure 6 would be predicted to be 78.4% if it was operated for 5,000 hours. If the lifespan is determined to be reached when the relative luminance drops to 80%, then if the calculation takes into account the ambient temperature and the illumination time of each dot LED, the lifespan would be approximately 10,000 hours, but if not, it would be approximately 4,000 hours. In this way, with this embodiment, it is possible to significantly extend the replacement period due to lifespan.

The end of life can be determined by setting a fixed value, or by comparing the relative luminance of each dot LED and determining when the difference exceeds a fixed value. For example, it can be determined that it is time to replace the LED when the ratio of the maximum and minimum relative luminance values calculated for each dot exceeds a set value (e.g., twice). This makes it possible to recommend replacement before the variation in luminance between dots becomes noticeable.

The above configuration and method allow the indicator board 2 to determine the lifespan of the dot matrix LED indicator 3, taking into account the ambient temperature and the lighting time of each dot, making it possible to optimize the replacement timing due to lifespan.

1 Operation panel, 2 Indicator board, 3 Dot matrix LED indicator, 4 Microcomputer, 5 Communication circuit, 6 Communication function, 7 Elevator control panel, 8 Lighting control function, 10 Common driver circuit, 11a-11g Common select signal, 12 Segment driver circuit, 13a-13e Segment signal, 14 Microcomputer, 15 Temperature sensor, 16 Temperature measurement circuit, 17 Temperature measurement function, 18 Temperature average value calculation function, 19 Memory, 20 Ambient temperature data, 21 Lighting time count function, 22 Lighting time data storage unit, 23 Luminous intensity calculation function, 24 Lifespan determination function, 25 LED, 26 Luminous intensity degradation database

Claims (2)

In an elevator display device that is installed in a landing or a car and displays information including the destination floor using a dot matrix LED indicator,
An LED lighting control function for controlling lighting of the dot matrix LED indicator;
A temperature measurement function for measuring the ambient temperature of the dot matrix LED indicator;
a temperature average calculation function that calculates an average value of the ambient temperature measured by the temperature measurement function;
a luminance degradation database storing characteristic data of the illumination time and luminance degradation of the dot matrix LED indicator at a reference temperature;
an LED lighting time data storage unit that stores lighting times for each dot controlled by the lighting control function;
a luminous intensity calculation function that calculates a current relative luminous intensity corresponding to the average value of the ambient temperature for each dot from the average value of the ambient temperature, the characteristic data of the luminous intensity deterioration, and the data of the lighting time for each dot;
a lifespan determination function that determines that it is time to replace the dot when a ratio of a maximum value to a minimum value of the relative luminous intensity calculated for each dot by the luminous intensity calculation function becomes equal to or greater than a set value ;
An elevator display device equipped with the above. The elevator display device according to claim 1, further comprising a communication unit that communicates the result to an external device when it is determined that the replacement time has come .

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