JP2005534591A - Elevators using radio frequency identification devices (RFIDs) - Google Patents

Abstract

The elevator safety chain includes a plurality of passive radio frequency identification devices (RFIDs) (15-18, 22, 34-36 and 63), each of which includes a hoistway door lock, an upper hoistway limit, Related to lower hoistway limit, overspeed detection, car door lock, emergency stop switch, and inspection switch. The RFID may be associated with a car call button (34) or a hall call button (14, 19). The RFID may include a switch (43, 44) in the frequency determination circuit (40, 41) that invalidates the response capability of the RFID or a switch (48) that changes the response frequency. The RFID may sense a safe or unsafe state, or a call request, depending on the presence or absence of an adjacent magnetic reluctance (51, 62, 71).

Description

  The present invention relates to an elevator safety chain in which the status or status of monitored safety-related parameters of an elevator is communicated by wireless communication from an queried passive RFID.

  As is known, the safety chain in virtually all elevators consists of a series of switches, all of which are configured (closed) so that the entire safety chain is a closed conductive circuit Otherwise, the elevator will not work. Traditionally, elevator safety chains consist of multiple independent switches, each independent switch connecting a pair of circuits when the parameter is in a safe state, and at least one in the safety chain when the parameter is no longer in the safe state A movable contact for cutting the circuit. Examples of switches in the safety chain include hoistway door lock switch, elevator door switch, emergency stop switch, inspection switch on the car ceiling, upper and lower hoistway limit switches, and overspeed switch. . The various switches are interconnected by wiring, which must comply with local regulations regarding the size and placement of wires and conduits. In addition, once wiring is made to a building in order to construct a safety chain, it is difficult to change the structure of the building or the design of the hall due to the embedded wiring. Since the elevator door lock switch and the hoistway door lock switch are respectively attached to the elevator door and the hoistway door, the elevator door lock switch and the hoistway door lock switch are connected to either the cab or the building by flexible wiring in some cases.

  In order to overcome the above and other disadvantages in the safety chain of independent switches connected by wiring, a wireless safety chain for an elevator system is disclosed in US patent application Ser. No. 09/899, filed on Jul. 5, 2001. No. 400 is disclosed. In this safety chain, each parameter relating to the safety of the elevator has a sensor for wireless communication means such as a transceiver, and when the monitored parameter becomes unsafe, the transceiver is turned off depending on the state of the sensor. The master transceiver associated with the elevator controller sends a token signal to the first transceiver, the first transceiver sends it to the next transceiver, and so on. If any parameter is an unsafe condition, the token signal is not necessarily sent to all the wireless communication means in the safety chain, but is returned to the master transceiver. This tells the controller that it is in an unsafe state. The power for the transceiver may be supplied by building power supply wiring, a passive battery, or a battery system charged by inductive coupling such as a rechargeable circuit provided in an elevator car. Since the wiring supplied for the power supply is a hindrance similar to the wiring that interconnects the safety chain switches, the use of a power supply connected by wiring eliminates the advantages of the wireless system. Battery operation requires significant maintenance and cost, and has environmental impacts. Inductively coupled rechargeable systems are complex and depend on reliability.

  The above analysis applies to both the car call button and the hall call button.

  An object of the present invention is a safety chain having passive components that do not rely on either a power supply or a battery connected by wiring, and sensing of unsafe conditions may be integral with the associated transceiver. It is to provide a safety chain that can be easily upgraded at a low cost, allowing for increased flexibility, low cost, and low maintenance costs. Another object is to provide improved communication of elevator service calls, integrated wireless communication of elevator service calls, and simple passive communication of elevator service calls.

  In accordance with the present invention, the transceivers associated with various conditions monitored by the elevator safety chain and associated with the call button are passive, for example, radio frequency identification devices (RFIDs). Consists of. Further in accordance with the present invention, a switch that opens due to the presence of an unsafe state of the elevator may be connected directly to the associated passive transceiver or may be incorporated into the transceiver. Further in accordance with the present invention, non-safety sensing may be an integral part of the passive transceiver. As an example, adjacent elevator structures (eg, door components) are used to tune or detune the frequency determination circuitry of the passive transceiver to communicate the safe or unsafe state of the corresponding elevator parameter.

  As is well known, RFID is powered by received electromagnetic energy and may respond only to signals of a specific frequency or a common frequency signal having a unique address for each RFID. You may respond to. The RFID responds by sending a signal that includes its address, in this case, the state of the relevant parameters of the safety chain or call button. If the address is not appropriate, the RFID frequency identifies the source of the response.

  Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments and the accompanying drawings illustrating the embodiments.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a hoistway 11 of an elevator system includes a plurality of hoistway doors 12 and 13. These are one set 12, 13 for each landing. Each set has a passive transmitter 15 such as an RFID associated with a corresponding hoistway door lock. The door lock is part of the safety chain, and if any hoistway door is not locked, the elevator safety chain will not function. Further, each hall has either or both an up call button with an associated transceiver 14 and a down call button with an associated transceiver 19. In the hoistway, a plurality of transceivers 16 related to the upper limit switch and a plurality of transceivers 17 and 18 related to the lower limit switch are arranged inside. In this embodiment, there is a passive transmitter 22 in the machine room 20 of the elevator system that is compatible with elevator overspeed detection. The transceiver 23 is connected to the elevator car controller 24 by wiring and communicates with other transceivers and passive transmitters in the elevator system. For example, the transceiver 26 interrogates the state of the three lowest floor hoistway doors by sending out a signal at a specific frequency or with a specific address code and is reflected by one of the corresponding passive transmitters 15. Inquires about the status of each related door lock continuously. Similarly, the transceiver 26 queries the passive transmitters 17, 18 associated with the lower limit switch. The transceiver 27 queries the passive transmitter 15 associated with the upper three floor hoistway door locks and queries the passive transmitter 16 to provide an indication of the upper limit status. Transceiver 23 receives communications from transceivers 26 and 27 indicating the response of various passive transmitters in the hoistway. The transceiver 23 also queries the passive transmitter 22 to determine the state of the associated overspeed sensor. Depending on the number of floors in the building, additional transceivers such as transceivers 26, 27 may be provided to be within the scope of all transceivers 15 in the hoistway.

  In FIG. 2, the elevator car 30 has a pair of doors 30 and 32 and an RFID 33 associated with the car door lock switch. The elevator car 30 also has a plurality of car call buttons with associated RFID 34 and an emergency stop switch with associated RFID 35. As is known, there is an inspection switch on the ceiling of the cab and an RFID 36 associated with it in this embodiment. The RFIDs 33 to 36 are inquired by any of the transceivers 23, 26, and 27. Although not shown for purposes of explanation, there are other conditions within the elevator that are monitored in the safety chain.

  The RFID may be configured in various ways to indicate the status of elevator safety related parameters. The simplest is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, where the frequency decision RF loop including capacitor 40 and inductor 41 is opened by switch 43 (FIG. 3) or shorted by switch 44 (FIG. 4). . In any of these configurations, the RFID will not respond at all. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the RFID may be configured to generate two different responses, one indicating a safe state and the other indicating an unsafe state. Here, the auxiliary capacitor 47 is connected in series with the switch 48, and they are connected in parallel with the capacitor 40 and the inductor 41. If the condition is safe, the capacitor 47 is in the circuit and causes the RFID to respond at the first frequency. However, when the condition becomes unsafe, the switch 48 opens and the capacitor 47 is removed from the circuit. And it comes to respond with another frequency which shows an unsafe state. By utilizing both of these responses, the controller can identify the unique RFID that senses the unsafe state, which does not give an indication that the switch is open, and thus the failure content. In contrast to the traditional series switch safety chain, which does not give any indication. In the embodiment of FIGS. 3-5, the switch must be positioned to respond to the condition being monitored and the RFID must be positioned immediately next to it. Switches and wiring are housed in a frequency decision loop.

  Another form of response is illustrated in FIG. Here, the capacitor 40 and the inductor 41 show a certain state when the RFID is adjacent to the structure 51 having magnetic reluctance as shown in FIG. 6, and as shown in FIG. When the reluctance is not adjacent, another frequency may be used. This can be used to detect the presence of the magnetic reluctance 51 in a safe state or to detect the presence of the magnetic reluctance 51 in a non-safe state. The former is exemplified as a hoistway door switch, and a part of this hoistway door switch is shown in FIG. Here, the lock edge 53 (locking lip) is fixed to the header 54 at the entrance / exit. The locking member 55 is provided on the hoistway door 56. As shown in FIG. 8, the lip 59 engages with the edge 53 to make a connection between the two terminals on the contact 62 (usually on the hoistway door lock switch and to confirm that the door lock is engaged. 6) tunes the frequency decision loop adjacent to the associated RFID 63, as shown in FIG. 6, and provides a safety response. However, if the portion 62 is not in close proximity to the RFID 63, the situation will be as shown in FIG. 7 and there will be no response or an unsafe condition.

  The reverse situation may be obtained as illustrated in FIG. Here, the lower limit switches 17 and 18 are shown as being disposed on a frame 66 attached to a rail 67 by a bracket 68. A well-known cam 71 is provided on the style 74 by a bracket 72, the style 74 comprising a main frame extending in the longitudinal direction of the elevator platform, as is known. As can be seen from the drawing, when the elevator approaches the bottom of the hoistway, as shown in FIG. 6, the cam 71 is adjacent to the switch 17 so that the frequency judgment circuit is detuned, or the RFID 17 Or a response indicating an unsafe state is generated depending on the protocol used. Of course, when the elevator goes down in the hoistway, the cam 71 is adjacent to any of the auxiliary RFIDs 18 and thus continuously provides an unsafe indication by the position of the elevator car in the hoistway. Thereby, the change of the frequency judgment circuit by the magnetic reluctance is used so that the presence of the reluctance indicates a safe state (FIG. 8) or an unsafe state (FIG. 9).

  Each call button has a button operated by a passenger incorporated in an RFID frequency determination circuit (FIGS. 3-5) or a member operated by a passenger having reluctance (FIGS. 6 and 7). In a system with button lights indicating that a call has been registered, the lights are usually wired to the building power supply, and the RFID switches to a solid state switch (solid state switch) in response to a call confirmation signal sent to the RFID. To the above power source. The inquiry has a repetition frequency such as 5HZ or 10HZ, which is in good agreement with a short button operation such as 200msec to 500msec.

It is the front view which simplified the hoistway and machine room of the elevator to which this invention is applied. It is the front view which simplified the elevator car to which this invention is applied. FIG. 3 is a simplified circuit diagram of a passive transceiver tuning circuit in which the present invention is implemented. FIG. 3 is a simplified circuit diagram of a passive transceiver tuning circuit in which the present invention is implemented. FIG. 3 is a simplified circuit diagram of a passive transceiver tuning circuit in which the present invention is implemented. FIG. 3 is a simplified circuit diagram of a passive transceiver tuning circuit in which the present invention is implemented. FIG. 3 is a simplified circuit diagram of a passive transceiver tuning circuit in which the present invention is implemented. FIG. 8 is a partial side view of a hoistway door lock illustrating how the passive transmitter of the present invention is tuned when adjacent to a safety-related structural element. FIG. 9 is a simplified partial side view of an elevator limit illustrating how the passive transceiver of the present invention is detuned when adjacent to a safety-related structural element.

Claims (16)

An elevator safety chain for monitoring the status of a plurality of safety related parameters of an elevator, the parameters being hoistway door lock, car door lock, upper limit, lower limit, emergency stop switch, inspection switch, and overspeed Including at least one of the sensors, the elevator safety chain comprises:
At least one transceiver (23, 26, 27) for transmitting an inquiry signal and receiving a response to the inquiry signal;
At least one passive radio frequency identification device (22, 33, 35, 36) (RFID) associated with a corresponding one of the parameters,
The RFID frequency judgment circuit (40, 41, 43, 44, 47, 48) is related to the corresponding parameter, and when the state of the corresponding parameter is safe, it is safe with respect to the inquiry signal from the transceiver. A safety chain having a function of giving a transmission response indicating that the indication of the safe state is not given when the state of the corresponding parameter is not safe.   The RFID includes a switch (44, 48) that opens and closes in response to a state of the corresponding parameter, and the switch is associated with the RFID frequency determination circuit (40, 41), and 2. The safety chain according to claim 1, wherein when the switch is in a position indicating that a corresponding parameter state is safe, a result of frequency determination is a transmission response indicating a safe state.   3. The safety chain according to claim 2, wherein the switch (43, 48) is connected in series with a frequency decision element (40, 41, 47) of the frequency decision circuit.   The safety chain according to claim 2, characterized in that the switch (44) is connected in parallel with a frequency determining element (40, 41) of the frequency determining circuit. An auxiliary frequency determination element (47), and
3. A safety chain according to claim 2, characterized in that the switch (48) connects the auxiliary frequency determining element to the frequency determining circuit. The frequency determination circuit (40, 41) is responsive to a structure having magnetic reluctance adjacent to the RFID,
It further comprises a structure (51, 71) having a magnetic reluctance indicating the state of the corresponding parameter according to its position, and the frequency of the frequency judgment circuit is determined depending on whether the structure immediately adjacent to the RFID exists The elevator safety chain according to claim 1, wherein a safety or non-safety state of the parameter is determined by changing.   The safety chain of claim 6, wherein the presence of the structure (71) adjacent to the RFID (17) indicates a safe state.   The safety chain according to claim 6, characterized in that the presence of the structure (71) with magnetic reluctance adjacent to the RFID (18) indicates an unsafe state. An elevator call system that monitors at least one of a car call button and a hall call button,
At least one transceiver (23, 26, 27) for transmitting an inquiry signal and receiving a response to the inquiry signal;
At least one passive radio frequency identification device (RFID) (14, 19, 34) associated with a corresponding call button of the call buttons;
The RFID frequency determination circuit (40, 41, 43, 44, 47, 48) is associated with the corresponding call button, and when the corresponding button is activated, the button is in response to an inquiry signal from the transceiver. An elevator call system having a function of giving a transmission response indicating that the button is operating, and not giving the display indicating that the button is operating when the corresponding button is not operating.   The RFID includes a switch (44, 48) operated by the corresponding button, and the switch is associated with the frequency determination circuit (40, 41, 47) of the RFID, and the switch has the corresponding button 10. The safety chain according to claim 9, wherein, when in a position indicating operation, the frequency determination result is a transmission response indicating a call request.   11. The safety chain according to claim 10, wherein the switch (43, 48) is connected in series with a frequency decision element (40, 41, 47) of the frequency decision circuit.   11. A safety chain according to claim 10, characterized in that the switch (44) is connected in parallel with a frequency decision element (40, 41) of the frequency decision circuit. An auxiliary frequency determining element (47), and
11. The safety chain according to claim 10, wherein the switch (48) connects the auxiliary frequency determining element to the frequency determining circuit (40, 41). The frequency determination circuit is responsive to a structure having magnetic reluctance adjacent to the RFID,
A structure having a magnetic reluctance whose position is determined by the corresponding button, and changing the frequency of the frequency determination circuit according to whether the structure is immediately adjacent to the RFID. 10. The elevator safety chain according to claim 9, wherein the elevator safety chain indicates an activated or deactivated state.   The safety chain of claim 6, wherein the presence of the structure adjacent to the RFID indicates a call request. An elevator system including a safety chain for monitoring the status of a plurality of safety related parameters of the elevator, wherein the parameters include hoistway door lock, car door lock, upper limit, lower limit, emergency stop switch, inspection switch, And at least one of overspeed sensors, the elevator system also monitors at least one of the car call button and the hall call button,
At least one transceiver (23, 26, 27) for transmitting an inquiry signal and receiving a response to the inquiry signal;
At least one passive radio frequency identification device (safety RFID) (22, 33, 35, 36) associated with the corresponding parameter among the parameters,
The safety RFID frequency judgment circuit (40, 41, 43, 44, 47, 48) is associated with the corresponding parameter, and is safe against the inquiry signal from the transceiver when the state of the corresponding parameter is safe. A function of giving a transmission response indicating a state, not giving the indication of the safe state when the state of the corresponding parameter is not safe, and
At least one passive radio frequency identification device (call RFID) (14, 19, 34) associated with a corresponding call button of the call buttons;
The frequency determination circuit of the call RFID is associated with the corresponding call button, and when the corresponding button is activated, provides a transmission response indicating that the button is activated in response to an inquiry signal from the transceiver. An elevator system having a function of not giving the display indicating that a button is activated when the corresponding button is not activated.

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