Elevator remote monitoring apparatus

• US 6,998,995 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2002
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Elevator Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Elevator Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Nakajima, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Pope, Daryl C
• Application Number:
  US10/489,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20040240627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 340/693.1, 340/693.2, 340/693.3, 340/693.4, 340/3.1, 340/286.01, 340/506, 340/533, 340/686.1, 379/37, 379/39, 379/40
• US Class Current: 340/686.1
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 5/0006 Monitoring devices or performance analysers B66B5/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 5/0037 Performance analysers

Abstract

A remote monitoring system for elevator has a plurality of remote monitors for individually monitoring the running states of a plurality of elevators installed in a building, transmits running state data from the remote monitoring system via a communal public telephone line to a communal monitoring center, and allows communication between interphones, provided in the carriages of the elevators, and the monitoring center via the public telephone line. Each of the plurality of remote monitors comprises a memory unit which stores incoming time data of different incoming times, the remote monitor performing incoming controls after independently determining call signals from the monitoring center, based on the incoming time data stored in the memory unit. Furthermore, a first switching unit cuts off the auxiliary power when there has been no irregularity in the monitoring information of the elevator after the operating power has been supplied for a fixed period of time from an auxiliary power instead of the main power when the main power fails; and a second switching unit is driven by power from an interphone battery, and re-injects the auxiliary power when an emergency call button has been pressed.

Claims

1. A remote monitor for elevator comprising:

an auxiliary power which supplies operating power instead of a main power when the main power fails;

an interphone battery for an interphone, provided in an elevator carriage;

a transmitting unit which monitors the running state of the elevator and transmits the running state to a monitoring center of an elevator maintenance agency via a public telephone line network;

a communication unit which allows communication between said interphone and said monitoring center by switching ON an emergency call button, provided in said elevator carriage;

a first switching unit which cuts off said auxiliary power when there has been no irregularity in the monitoring information of the elevator after the operating power has been supplied for a fixed period of time from said auxiliary power instead of said main power when said main power fails; and

a second switching unit which is driven by power from said interphone battery, and re-injects said auxiliary power when said emergency call button has been pressed.

2. The remote monitor for elevator as described in claim 1, further comprising a delay circuit which, when said emergency call button has been pressed, continues to drive said second switching unit after the emergency call button has been turned OFF for a period of time corresponding to the period of time during which it was ON.

3. The remote monitor for elevator as described in claim 1, further comprising a voltage monitoring unit which monitors the voltage of said interphone battery, and, when a drop in the voltage of said interphone battery below a predetermined value has been detected, terminates the cut-off of said auxiliary power even in the case where a fixed period of time has elapsed since power failure with no irregularity in the monitored information of the elevator.

4. The remote monitor for elevator as described in claim 3, further comprising a notifying unit which, when said voltage monitoring unit has detected that the voltage of said interphone battery has dropped below a predetermined value, notifies said monitoring center of the voltage insufficiency of said interphone battery from said interphone side by using a push-button signal, after the communication between said interphone and said monitoring center has ended.

5. The remote monitor for elevator as described in claim 3, wherein, when said voltage monitoring unit has detected that the voltage of said interphone battery has dropped below a predetermined value, said monitoring center is notified of the voltage drop by a push-button signal from said interphone, transmitted via a telephone line processor.

6. The remote monitor for elevator as described in claim 2, further comprising a voltage monitoring unit which monitors the voltage of said interphone battery, and, when a drop in the voltage of said interphone battery below a predetermined value has been detected, terminates the cut-off of said auxiliary power even in the case where a fixed period of time has elapsed since power failure with no irregularity in the monitored information of the elevator.

7. The remote monitor for elevator as described in claim 6, further comprising a notifying unit which, when said voltage monitoring unit has detected that the voltage of said interphone battery has dropped below a predetermined value, notifies said monitoring center of the voltage insufficiency of said interphone battery from said interphone side by using a push-button signal, after the communication between said interphone and said monitoring center has ended.

8. The remote monitor for elevator as described in claim 6, wherein, when said voltage monitoring unit has detected that the voltage of said interphone battery has dropped below a predetermined value, said monitoring center is notified of the voltage drop by a push-button signal from said interphone, transmitted via a telephone line processor.

9. A remote monitor for elevator comprising:

an auxiliary power which supplies operating power instead of a main power when the main power fails;

an interphone battery for an interphone, provided in an elevator carriage;

a transmitting unit which monitors the running state of the elevator and transmits the running state to a monitoring center of an elevator maintenance agency via a public telephone line network;

a communication unit which allows communication between said interphone and said monitoring center by switching ON an emergency call button, provided in said elevator carriage;

a first switching unit which cuts off said auxiliary power when there has been no irregularity in the monitoring information of the elevator after the operating power has been supplied for a fixed period of time from said auxiliary battery instead of said main power when said main power fails; and

a second switching unit which switches the operating power of said interphone from said interphone battery to said auxiliary power when a voltage drop of said interphone battery has been detected.

10. The remote monitor for elevator as described in claim 9, wherein, when a voltage drop of said interphone battery has been detected, said second switching unit switches the operating power of said interphone from said interphone battery to said auxiliary power, and charges said interphone batter by using said auxiliary power.

11. The remote monitor for elevator as described in claim 10, wherein, when the voltage value of said interphone battery being charged by said auxiliary power has exceeded a predetermined value, said second switching unit switches the operating power of said interphone from said auxiliary power back to said interphone battery.

12. A remote monitoring system for elevator having a plurality of remote monitors for individually monitoring the running states of a plurality of elevators installed in a building, the remote monitoring system transmitting running state data from said remote monitoring system via a communal public telephone line to a communal monitoring center, and allowing communication between interphones, provided in the carriages of the elevators, and said monitoring center via said public telephone line, wherein

each of said plurality of remote monitors comprises a memory unit which stores incoming time data of different incoming times, the remote monitor performing incoming controls after independently determining call signals from said monitoring center, based on the incoming time data stored in said memory unit.

13. The remote monitoring system as described in claim 12, wherein time data of a specific elevator controller which controls a specific elevator is set as reference time data, and the remote monitors receive transmission of said reference time data, and use it as their own time data.

14. The remote monitoring system as described in claim 12, further comprising an elevator group managing device which group-manages a plurality of elevators, the remote monitors receiving transmission of time data from said elevator group managing device and using it as their own time data.

15. The remote monitoring system as described in claim 12, wherein, when there have been no incoming responses from any of the remote monitors after a fixed period of time has elapsed since a call signal was transmitted from said monitoring center, a specific remote monitor has priority in receiving incoming transmission.

16. The remote monitoring system as described in claim 12, wherein a remote monitor which has received a call signal from said monitoring center transmits its own model number to said monitoring center by using a push-button signal.

17. The remote monitoring system as described in claim 12, wherein said remote monitors correct the content of their own time management data by using a push-button signal from said monitoring center.

18. A remote monitoring system for elevator having a plurality of remote monitors for individually monitoring the running states of a plurality of elevators installed in a building, the remote monitoring system transmitting running state data from said remote monitoring system via a communal public telephone line to a communal monitoring center, and allowing communication between interphones, provided in the carriages of the elevators, and said monitoring center via said public telephone line, wherein

each of said remote monitors comprises a caller number display unit which detects and displays a caller telephone number from said monitoring center, a different telephone number being set for each of a plurality of monitors provided in said monitoring center, and a monitor which can call a specific remote monitor being allocated beforehand, thereby enabling the remote monitors to perform incoming control after determining the caller telephone number displayed in said caller number display unit.

19. The remote monitoring system as described in claim 18, wherein, when there have been no incoming responses from any of the remote monitors after a fixed period of time has elapsed since a call signal was transmitted from said monitoring center, a specific remote monitor has priority in receiving incoming transmission.

20. The remote monitoring system as described in claim 18, wherein a remote monitor which has received a call signal from said monitoring center transmits its own model number to said monitoring center by using a push-button signal.

21. The remote monitoring system as described in claim 18, wherein said remote monitors correct the content of their own time management data by using a push-button signal from said monitoring center.