Elevator device and method of inspecting same

• US 8,807,285 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2009
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Kugiya, Takuo, Kigawa, Hiroshi, Shibata, Masunori, Kondo, Rikio
• Primary Examiner(s): Mansen, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, DIEM M
• Application Number:
  US13/142,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20110272216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,708 Days
• Field of Search: 187/391, 187/393, 187/317, 187/301, 187/302
• US Class Current: 187/301
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 13/22 Operation of door or gate contacts
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 5/0031 for safety reasons

Abstract

In an elevator apparatus, an operation control section controls an operation of a car. Further, a safety monitoring section detects an abnormal state of targets to be monitored during running of the car to stop the running of the car. A safety-monitoring-function inspection section inspects a function of the safety monitoring section. The safety-monitoring-function inspection section causes the safety monitoring section to detect a transition of a state of the targets to be monitored to the abnormal state regardless of an actual state of the targets to be monitored while the car is running under control of the operation control section.

Claims

1. An elevator apparatus, comprising:

a car;

an operation control section for controlling an operation of the car;

a safety monitoring section for detecting an abnormal state of targets to be monitored during running of the car to stop the running of the car; and

a safety-monitoring-function inspection section for inspecting a function of the safety monitoring section, wherein;

the safety monitoring section has a function of stopping the running of the car when at least one of a plurality of elevator doors corresponding to the targets to be monitored is open; and

the safety-monitoring-function inspection section causes the safety monitoring section to detect that at least one of the elevator doors is opened even though all the elevator doors are closed while the car is running under the control of the operation control section.

2. The elevator apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of door switches, each being opened when a corresponding one of the elevator doors is open and being closed when the corresponding one of the elevator doors is closed, wherein:

the safety monitoring section is connected to the door switches; and

the safety-monitoring-function inspection section includes an inspection switch for interrupting electric conduction between the door switches and the safety monitoring section.

3. The elevator apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

opening/closing detection means for detecting opening/closing of the elevator doors; and

car-position detection means for detecting whether or not the car is present within a door zone in which the elevator doors are allowed to be opened,

wherein the safety monitoring section is connected to the opening/closing detection means, the car-position detection means, and the safety-monitoring-function inspection section, and stops the running of the car in a case where at least one of the elevator doors is open when the car is present within an area out of the door zone.

4. The elevator apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the opening/closing detection means includes a plurality of door switches, each being opened when a corresponding one of the elevator doors is open and being closed when the corresponding one of the elevator doors is closed; and

the safety-monitoring-function inspection section includes an inspection switch for interrupting electric conduction between the door switches and the safety monitoring section.

5. An elevator apparatus comprising:

a car;

opening/closing detection means for detecting opening/closing of landing doors;

an unintended car movement protection device connected to the opening/closing detection means, for stopping running of the car when detecting the running of the car with at least any one of the landing doors open; and

door-open recognition means for inspection, for causing the unintended car movement protection device to detect that at least one of the landing doors is opened during the running of the car even though all the landing doors are closed.

6. A method of inspecting an elevator apparatus comprising:

a car;

an operation control section for controlling an operation of the car; and

an unintended car movement protection device, for stopping running of the car when at least any one of elevator doors is open,

the method comprising causing the unintended car movement protection device to detect with a safety-monitoring-function inspection section that at least one of the elevator doors is opened in a state in which all the elevator doors are closed while the car is running under control of the operation control section.