JP7679288B2 - Elevator device, its control method and troubleshooting method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an elevator device, its control method, and a method for resolving problems.

Patent Document 1 describes an elevator system that includes a support member fixed to the wall of the elevator shaft and an elevator control device supported in the elevator shaft by the support member so as not to interfere with the car ascending and descending in the elevator shaft, and the elevator control device is arranged to match the landing floor of a specific floor (see paragraph 0009). Patent Document 1 takes into consideration that the car is stopped so that its top surface is aligned with the landing floor of a specific floor, and that a worker rides on the top of the car to perform maintenance and inspection (see paragraph 0010). In the elevator system of Patent Document 1, the elevator control device is arranged to match the landing floor of a specific floor located in the middle or upper part of the elevator shaft, so there is no need to take measures against flooding (see paragraph 0011).

In Patent Document 1, when the specific floor is set to the top floor, in an inspection mode in which the elevator control device is inspected, the car is first raised and lowered, and then stopped at a position where its top surface coincides with the floor level of the top floor. This positioning of the car is performed using various position sensors, etc. (see paragraph 0023). Next, the hall door is opened, and a worker enters the top surface of the car through the hall door. From on top of the car, the worker opens the front cover of the elevator control device, which is installed with its bottom end aligned with the hall floor of the specific floor, and performs work such as inspection of the elevator control device (see paragraph 0024).

JP 2001-80834 A

In Patent Document 1, in the inspection mode, the top of the car is positioned to coincide with the floor level of the specific floor where the elevator control device is located, and consideration is given to allowing workers to enter the top of the car from the hall door, but no consideration is given to how to enter the top of the car if a malfunction occurs in the elevator control device.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device or method that is convenient for entering the top surface of the elevator car when a failure occurs in the elevator control device.

In order to achieve the above object, the elevator device of the present invention comprises:
An elevator system including a car, a counterweight connected to the car by a main rope, and a control device for controlling the lifting and lowering operation of the car, the control device being disposed at a raised position,
The control device includes:
When a problem occurs due to a breakdown of the control device , the elevator car is stopped at the nearest floor where it can be stopped, thereby enabling passengers to evacuate;
After the evacuation of passengers, an evacuation operation is performed to move the elevator car to a floor lower than the specific floor on which the control device is installed,
The elevator car is controlled to wait at a waiting floor lower than the specific floor.

In order to achieve the above object, a control method for an elevator apparatus according to the present invention comprises the steps of:
A control method for an elevator system comprising: a car; a counterweight connected to the car by a main rope; and a control device for controlling an elevation operation of the car, the control device being disposed at a raised position, the method comprising the steps of:
When a problem occurs due to a breakdown of the control device , the elevator car is stopped at the nearest floor where it can be stopped, thereby enabling passengers to evacuate;
After the evacuation of passengers, an evacuation operation is performed to move the elevator car to a floor lower than the specific floor on which the control device is installed,
The elevator car is made to wait at a waiting floor lower than the specific floor.

In order to achieve the above object, the elevator trouble solving method of the present invention comprises the steps of:
A method for solving problems in an elevator system comprising: a car; a counterweight connected to the car by a main rope; and a control device for controlling an up-down operation of the car, the control device being disposed at a raised position, the method comprising the steps of:
The control device includes:
When a problem occurs due to a breakdown of the control device , the elevator car is stopped at the nearest floor where it can be stopped, thereby enabling passengers to evacuate;
After the evacuation of passengers, an evacuation operation is performed to move the elevator car to a floor lower than the specific floor on which the control device is installed,
Execute control to make the elevator wait at a waiting floor lower than the specific floor,
A worker releases the brake of the car, moves the car so that the top of the car coincides with the floor level of the specific floor, and performs work on the car to resolve the trouble.

The present invention provides a device or method that is convenient for entering the top surface of the elevator car when a failure occurs in the elevator control device.

Problems, configurations, and advantages other than those described above will become clear from the description of the embodiments below.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of an elevator device according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the side; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an elevator device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a car is stopped at a position during maintenance work on a control device. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a flowchart of an evacuation operation of a car according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Below, an embodiment of the elevator device 100 of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In each figure, the same components are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations will be omitted. In the following description, the up-down direction corresponds to the ascending and descending direction of the car 104.

The configuration of the elevator device 100 will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of the elevator device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the side.

The elevator device 100 includes a car 104 and a counterweight 105 that move up and down in the elevator shaft 101, a hoist 103 around which a main rope (not shown) is wound, car guide rails 106, 107 that are vertically erected in the elevator shaft 101 and guide the lifting and lowering of the car 104, counterweight guide rails 108, 109 that are vertically erected in the elevator shaft 101 and guide the lifting and lowering of the counterweight 105, and a control device (elevator control device) 102 that controls the lifting and lowering operation of the elevator device 100, including the lifting and lowering of the car 104.

The car 104 and the counterweight 105 are installed inside a hoistway 101 installed in a building, and are suspended in a bucket-like manner by a main rope wound around a hoist 103. In other words, the car 104 and the counterweight 105 are connected by the main rope.

The automatic adjustment of the car position during maintenance work on the elevator device 100 will be described using Figures 1 and 2. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the elevator device 102 according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which the car 104 is stopped in its position during maintenance work on the control device 102.

In an elevator system 100 that takes flooding into consideration, the hoist 103 and the control device 102 are installed at a higher level. In other words, the hoist 103 and the control device 102 are placed on a specific floor that is elevated to a position a height He higher than the floor level 1FL of the first floor.

The specific floor is a floor that is higher than the height position at which flooding may occur (hereinafter referred to as the flood height) and is closest to the flood height. The flood height is the flood height position specified in the hazard map. In other words, the specific floor (installation floor) on which the hoist 103 and control device 102 are installed is a floor that is higher than the flood height specified in the hazard map and is closest to the flood height.

In this embodiment, the first floor is the floor that is at approximately the same height as ground level, i.e., the floor that is closest to ground level. The flood height is the height above ground level that the water level reaches when flooded, with ground level being the base level.

In this case, the raised height He is set based on the first floor level 1FL.

Since the hoist 103 and the control device 102 are installed on a specific floor, the specific floor may be referred to as the installation floor of the hoist 103 and the control device 102, or simply as the installation floor.

In this embodiment, the flood height is assumed to be higher than the floor level 1FL of the first floor and lower than the floor level 2FL of the second floor. In this case, the specific floor (installation floor) is the second floor, and the hoist 103 and the control device 102 are installed on the second floor.

Note that Figures 1 and 2 only show that the specific floor is the second floor for the placement of the hoist 103 and the control device 102, and the placement of the hoist 103 and the control device 102 on the specific floor is not limited to the placement shown in Figure 1. The hoist 103 and the control device 102 may also be placed on different floors. However, when performing maintenance on the elevator device 100, it is more convenient for both the hoist 103 and the control device 102 to be placed on the same floor. Below, we will explain the case where the hoist 103 and the control device 102 are placed on a specific floor.

When inspecting or repairing the hoist 103 and the control device 102, the car top (top surface) 104a of the car 104 is positioned at floor level 2FL of the second floor, which is a specific floor, and workers get on the car top 104a of the car 104 to perform the work. That is, in this embodiment, the car top 104a of the car 104 serves as a foothold for the workers.

When work is being performed above the car 104a, a handrail 104b is installed above the car 104a. The handrail 104b is stored in a folded state above the car 104a, and is unfolded above the car 104a during work.

When a worker boards from the landing floor to the car top 104a, the car top 104a of the car 104 is positioned so that it coincides with the floor level 1FL of the boarding floor (e.g., the first floor). In this case, the car top 104a does not need to coincide with the floor level 1FL of the boarding floor, and it only needs to be positioned inside the range where the worker can board (the boarding range in Figure 2).

The following describes how to respond to problems such as failure of a component implemented by the control device 102. If a problem occurs in a component implemented by the control device 102, the movement of the car 104 is restricted. However, when a problem occurs, it is not always the case that the movement of the car 104 becomes completely impossible, and there are some troubles in which the car 104 can move several times before it becomes impossible to move.

In this embodiment, evacuation operation of the car 104 will be described, targeting a problem in which the car 104 can move several times before it becomes impossible to move. As a specific example, a case will be described in which a problem occurs during high-speed operation, and evacuation operation to another floor is possible after passenger evacuation is complete.

In this case, it may become impossible for the elevator car 104 to move during evacuation operation, so it is preferable that the travel distance during evacuation operation is short.

In addition, in the elevator device, the weight of the counterweight 105 is set to a weight that balances the weight of the car 104 including passengers when 50% of the car's capacity is filled. Therefore, when there are no passengers, the weight of the car 104 is lighter than the weight of the counterweight 105, and the car 104 can be moved upward by releasing the brake.

Therefore, during evacuation operation, it is preferable to have the car 104 wait at a floor lower than the specific floor. In this case, the car 104 waiting at a floor lower than the specific floor can move toward the specific floor by having an operator release the brake.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control device 102 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In the evacuation operation, it is necessary to move the elevator car 104 to a floor lower than the specific floor and to wait there in the vicinity of the specific floor where the control device 102 is installed. Hereinafter, the floor where the elevator car 104 waits is referred to as a waiting floor.

In this case, for example, to set the waiting floor to one floor below a specific floor, the flood height specified in the hazard map differs for each elevator device or for each building in which the elevator device is installed, so the floor (specific floor) on which the control device 102 is installed will also differ, and the waiting floor for evacuation operations will also differ. For this reason, logic is required to identify the floor on which the control device 102 is installed.

In this embodiment, the floor that is higher than the flood height specified in the hazard map and closest to the flood height is identified as the installation floor (specific floor). That is, the control device 102 estimates the installation floor (specific floor) based on the flood height specified in the hazard map. The flood height specified in the hazard map will be referred to as "flood height information 411."

To identify (calculate) a specific floor, the heights (floor height data) Hfl, Hf2, Hf3, ... (see Figure 2) of each floor 1FL, 2FL, 3FL, ... are required, and this floor height data is called "floor height information 412". In other words, the floor height information 412 is compared with the flood height information 411, and the floor that is higher than the flood height and closest to the flood height is identified as the installation floor. As described above, in this embodiment, the flood height is set based on the height (floor height) of the first floor, which is equal to the ground level, so a specific floor can be identified if there is floor height data Hf2, Hf3, ... for the second floor and above.

The flood height information 411 is information determined by the flood height specified in the hazard map as described above, and is stored in the memory unit 402 of the control device 102. The floor height information 412 and the car height information 413 are information determined by customer specifications, and are stored in the memory unit 402.

In this embodiment, the car stops at the nearest floor at the time the failure occurs and evacuates passengers. The completion of this evacuation, i.e., when passengers have disembarked from the car 104, is detected by the car load sensor 403. The fact that the load detected by the car load sensor 403 has reached the weight of the car 104 is input to the control device 102 as car load information 431.

The control device 102 is equipped with a microcomputer 401 that inputs flood height information 411, floor height information 412, car height information 413, and car load information 431 and executes various processes described in FIG. 4. Based on the processing results of the microcomputer 401, the control device 102 automatically executes a movement operation to a waiting floor. In this case, it is necessary that the detection value of the car load sensor 403 is the weight of the car 104.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of an evacuation operation of the car 104 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is also a diagram showing a flowchart of a method for solving a problem in the elevator system 100 using the present invention.
In step S1, a problem such as a breakdown occurs.

In step S2, when a malfunction or other trouble occurs, the car 104 is stopped at the nearest floor where it can be stopped, and passengers are evacuated (rescued). Completion of passenger evacuation can be detected when the detection value of the car load sensor 403 becomes the weight of the car 104, and after it is detected that passenger evacuation is complete, evacuation operations from step 103 onwards are executed.

In step S3, it is determined whether or not the trouble requires evacuation to another floor. The microcomputer 401 of the control device 102 determines whether or not evacuation is possible based on an error code corresponding to the trouble. If the determination result in step S3 is YES, the process proceeds to step S4. If the determination result in step S3 is NO, the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S4, it is determined whether the stopping floor of the elevator car 104 (car stopping floor) is equal to or lower than the floor (specific floor) where the control device 102 is installed. If the determination result in step S4 is YES, the process proceeds to step S7. If the determination result in step S4 is NO, the process proceeds to step S9.

In step S7, as an evacuation operation, the elevator car 104 is moved (evacuated) to the floor one floor below (N-1 floor) the specific floor N (N=2 in this embodiment).

After the evacuation operation in step S7, in step S8, the car 104 is placed on standby at floor N-1 (standby floor). Until the standby operation in step S8, automatic operation is performed by the control device 102.

When a worker arrives during waiting at floor N-1 in step S8, in step S10, the worker releases the brake and raises the car 104. As described above, the weight difference between the car 104 and the counterweight 105 allows the car 104 to move in the upward direction.

In step S11, the worker aligns the car top 104a with the floor level of a specific floor N and gets on to the car top 104a.

In step S12, a worker performs work such as part replacement on the car top 104a, and when the work is completed (step S13), normal operation can be restored (step S14).

If the result of the determination in step S3 is NO, the waiting continues on the nearest floor in step S5.

If the determination result in step S4 is NO, the car 104 needs to be lowered, but due to the weight difference between the car 104 and the counterweight 105, the car 104 cannot be lowered. Therefore, the process proceeds to step S9, where a weight Wt is loaded into the car 104 to make the weight of the car 104 heavier than the weight of the counterweight 105. This allows the worker to release the brake, thereby lowering the car 104 (step 10), and the process proceeds to step 11.

In step S6, it is determined whether the stopping floor of the car 104 (car stopping floor) is equal to or lower than the installation floor (specific floor) of the control device 102. This determination can be made by an employee, but the control device 102 may make the determination and display the determination result. In this state, the car 104 can only be lowered. If the determination result is NO, the process proceeds to step S9, where a weight Wt is loaded into the car 104, thereby enabling the steps from step S10 onwards to be executed. On the other hand, if the determination result is YES, the process proceeds to step S10, where an employee must release the brake to raise the car 104 from the nearest floor where it was stopped to allow passengers to evacuate.

As an evacuation operation, the elevator car 104 is moved to the N-1 floor and waits there, thereby shortening the travel distance (travel time) required for the elevator car top (top surface) 104a to move to the floor level of a specific floor N so that workers can board the elevator car top 104a.

In addition, in this embodiment, the weight difference between the car 104 and the counterweight 105 is used to move the car 104 in the upward direction as much as possible. This avoids the need to load the weight Wt into the car 104, and improves work efficiency in the event of a problem.

The above-described embodiment has the following features in the elevator device 100, the control method for the elevator device 100, and the method for resolving problems (method for repairing a malfunction) in the elevator device 100.

(1) An elevator device 100 including a car 104, a counterweight 105 connected to the car 104 by a main rope, and a control device 102 that controls the lifting and lowering operation of the car 104, the control device 102 being disposed at a raised position.
The control device 102 is
When a problem occurs, the elevator car 104 is stopped at the nearest floor where it can be stopped, enabling passengers to evacuate.
After the evacuation of the passengers, an evacuation operation is performed to move the elevator car 104 to a floor lower than the specific floor N on which the control device 102 is installed.
The elevator car 104 is controlled to wait at a waiting floor lower than the specific floor N.

(2) The waiting floor in this elevator device 100 is floor N-1, which is one floor below the specific floor N.

(3) The elevator car 104 is configured so that the elevator car's 104 top portion 104a can be moved to match the floor level of a particular floor N by an operator releasing the brake.

(4) The control device 102 identifies (estimates) a specific floor N based on the flood height information specified in the hazard map.

(5) A control method for an elevator device 100 including a car 104, a counterweight 105 connected to the car 104 by a main rope, and a control device 102 for controlling the lifting and lowering operation of the car 104, the control device 102 being disposed elevated,
When a problem occurs, the elevator car 104 is stopped at the nearest floor where it can be stopped, enabling passengers to evacuate (S2).
After the evacuation of the passengers, an evacuation operation is performed to move the elevator car 104 to a floor lower than the specific floor N where the control device 102 is installed (S7).
The elevator car 104 is made to wait at a waiting floor lower than the specific floor N (S8).

(6) The waiting floor in this control method for the elevator device 100 is floor N-1, which is one floor below the specific floor N.

(7) A method for resolving problems in an elevator system 100 including a car 104, a counterweight 105 connected to the car 104 by a main rope, and a control device 102 for controlling the lifting and lowering operation of the car 104, the control device 102 being disposed at a raised position,
The control device 102 is
When a problem occurs, the elevator car 104 is stopped at the nearest floor where it can be stopped, enabling passengers to evacuate (S2).
After the evacuation of the passengers, an evacuation operation is performed to move the elevator car 104 to a floor lower than the specific floor N where the control device 102 is installed (S7).
Execute control to make the elevator car 104 wait at a waiting floor lower than the specific floor N (S8);
The worker releases the brake of the car 104, thereby moving the car 104 so that the car top 104a of the car 104 coincides with the floor level of a specific floor N (S10, S11), and performs work on the car top 104a of the car 104 to resolve the trouble (S12).

(8) The waiting floor in this elevator device 100 trouble resolution method is floor N-1, which is one floor below the specific floor N.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to having all of the configurations. It is also possible to replace part of the configuration of the embodiment with another configuration. It is also possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of the embodiment with another configuration.

100... elevator device, 102... control device, 104... car, 104a... above the car 104, 105... counterweight.

Claims (8)

An elevator system including a car, a counterweight connected to the car by a main rope, and a control device for controlling the lifting and lowering operation of the car, the control device being disposed at a raised position,
The control device includes:
When a problem occurs due to a breakdown of the control device , the elevator car is stopped at the nearest floor where it can be stopped, thereby enabling passengers to evacuate;
After the evacuation of passengers, an evacuation operation is performed to move the elevator car to a floor lower than the specific floor on which the control device is installed,
An elevator apparatus characterized in that the elevator car is controlled to wait at a waiting floor lower than the specific floor. In claim 1,
The elevator apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the waiting floor is one floor below the specific floor. In claim 2,
The elevator apparatus is characterized in that the elevator car is configured so that an operator can release a brake to move the elevator car so that the elevator car's top surface coincides with the floor level of the specific floor. In claim 3,
The elevator device, wherein the control device identifies the specific floor based on flood height information specified in a hazard map. A control method for an elevator system comprising: a car; a counterweight connected to the car by a main rope; and a control device for controlling an elevation operation of the car, the control device being disposed at a raised position, the method comprising the steps of:
When a problem occurs due to a breakdown of the control device , the elevator car is stopped at the nearest floor where it can be stopped, thereby enabling passengers to evacuate;
After the evacuation of passengers, an evacuation operation is performed to move the elevator car to a floor lower than the specific floor on which the control device is installed,
A control method for an elevator apparatus, comprising: making the elevator car wait at a waiting floor which is lower than the specific floor. In claim 5,
2. The control method for an elevator apparatus, wherein the waiting floor is one floor below the specific floor. A method for solving problems in an elevator system comprising: a car; a counterweight connected to the car by a main rope; and a control device for controlling an up-down operation of the car, the control device being disposed at a raised position, the method comprising the steps of:
The control device includes:
When a problem occurs due to a breakdown of the control device , the elevator car is stopped at the nearest floor where it can be stopped, thereby enabling passengers to evacuate;
After the evacuation of passengers, an evacuation operation is performed to move the elevator car to a floor lower than the specific floor on which the control device is installed,
Execute control to make the elevator wait at a waiting floor lower than the specific floor,
The method for resolving elevator equipment problems is characterized in that an operator releases the brake of the car, moves the car so that the top of the car is aligned with the floor level of the specific floor, and performs work on the car to resolve the problem . In claim 7,
2. The method for solving troubles in an elevator apparatus, wherein the waiting floor is one floor below the specific floor.

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