1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an elevator information communication system for notifying an elevator entrance or the cage of an elevator of information.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, in an elevator information communication system, two types of data are communicated. One of them is information-system data communication, i.e., notification data, such as a message, and the other is control-system data for communicating a notification command for selecting notification data depending on the state of an elevator, to supply the notification data at a good timing. Since the information-system data includes a message or the like, the information-system data is large in amount, and the time required to change the information-system data may be relatively long. The control-system data consists of predetermined code data or the like. The control-system data is small in amount, and the control-system data is allowed to be delayed slightly.
For this reason, in a conventional elevator information communication system, two types of cables, i.e., a control-system data communication cable and an information-system data communication cable extending to an elevator entrance or the cage of an elevator are arranged according to data which are different in quality, and the different data are communicated through these cables.
A conventional elevator information communication system will be described below with reference to FIG. 33 and FIGS. 34A and 34B. FIG. 33 is a block diagram showing the entire configuration of the elevator information communication system, and FIGS. 34A and 34B are time charts of communication path data of a control-system cable 6 and an information-system cable 5 of the conventional elevator information communication system. Here, an information input device 1 is constituted by a notebook computer or the like. Data can be input with a keyboard or the like (e.g., a CE connects the personal computer to the information-system cable 5 to perform updating or the like of notification data).
In FIG. 33, notification data 200 input by the information input device 1 is input to notification devices 3-1 to 3n through the information-system cable 5 and stored by storage means 31-1 to 31-n. In FIG. 41, the notification data 200 consists of a selector 210 for selecting the notification devices 3-1 to 3-n, a command 220 for message updating, time correction, and the like, and data 230. The data 230 in message updating consists of a message number 231, a text length 232, and text data 233. A serial communication scheme using a start-stop transmission scheme is used as a communication scheme to add BCC data or the like for checking the rationality of communication data.
With respect to a notification command, for example, it is assumed that a message number 3 is defined as a crowded condition notification (corresponding to the message number 231 and the concrete example thereof), an elevator control device 2 detects a crowded condition to output a notification command 100 in which the selector 101, the command 102, and the data 103, are defined as the notification device 3-1 of the cage, a message display, and the message number 3, respectively. This notification command 100 is input to the notification devices 3-1 to 3-n through the control-system cable 6. Since the notification device 3-1 of the cage is defined as the selector 101, the message of the message number 3 is displayed by a display means 32-1. On the other hand, the notification command 100 is also input to the notification devices 3-2 to 3-n of the elevator entrance. However, since each of the notification devices 3-2 to 3-n do not correspond to the selector 101, the notification devices 3-2 to 3-n neglect the notification command 100 and do no t perform any operation.
Here, when the information input device 1 and each of the notification devices 3-1 to 3-n are connected to each other at a ratio of 1 : 1, the selector 210 is not necessary, and each of the notification devices 3-1 to 3-n returns a reply representing whether reception is normally performed. Data is generally re-output from the information input device 1 to the notification devices 3-1 to 3-n in which reception is not normally performed. However, in the configuration in FIG. 40, when replies are given by the notification devices 3-1 to 3n, a plurality of replies conflict with each other. For this reason, the replies cannot be identified by the information input device 1.
In the conflict of replies, a method of changing the response timings of the notification devices 3-1 to 3-n from each other or a method of selecting one of the notification devices 3-1 to 3-n from the information input device 1 to check them may be used. However, a cumbersome setting must be performed, and a long communication time is disadvantageously required. For this reason, the replies from the notification devices 3-1 to 3-n are eliminated, and data is repeatedly output from the information input device 1 twice, so that the reliability is assured.
An example of the system in which a serial transmission cable in an elevator way is eliminated will be introduced. As described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 6-87580, a packet transmission control device is installed, notification data from an information input device is stored in the packet transmission control device, and the notification data is transmitted from the packet transmission control device to a notification device when the operation of the elevator is idle. As described in Japanese Patent No. 2700404, fixed information is transmitted as the first series of data, and a block of arbitrary information divided into a plurality of fixed-length blocks is transmitted as the second series of data.
In the conventional elevator information communication system, an information-system cable for transmitting a large amount of notification data such as image data, character data, and audio data and a control-system cable for transmitting a notification command having a small amount of data must be installed in the elevator way. For this reason, the system is very expensive, disadvantageously. In order to output notification data from the information input device to each notification device, the notification data must be repeatedly output twice in vain although transmission error rate is very low.
The scheme described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-87580 is expensive because a packet transmission control device must be additionally installed, and disadvantageously requires a long time to input notification data output from an information input device to notification devices. In a scheme in Japanese Patent No. 2700404, a notification command and notification data are transmitted in a fixed length. For this reason, even if the notification command is not required to be output, the notification data cannot be efficiently transmitted.
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to obtain an elevator information communication system in which the number of communication cables can be reduced with a simple configuration without arranging a dedicated device such as a packet transmission control device to efficiently perform communication at a low cost.
In consideration of the object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elevator information communication system including a notification device arranged in the elevator system, an information input device for forming notification data to the notification device to input the notification data, and an elevator control device connected to the notification device to output a notification command and having relay means connected to the information input device to relay the notification data input from the information input device to the notification device.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elevator information communication system according to the first aspect wherein the elevator control device includes switching means for adding non-transmission time and identification data to data and outputting the data in order to identify a notification command from the elevator control device and the notification data from the information input device by the information device.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elevator information communication system according to the first or second aspect wherein the elevator device includes command means for, when a notification command is generated during outputting of notification data from the information input means, interrupting the outputting of the notification data.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elevator information communication system according to one of the first to third aspects wherein the elevator control device changes notification data into a packet to output the packet, and the notification device includes restoration means for restoring interrupted notification data into original notification data.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elevator information communication system according to one of the first to fourth aspects wherein the notification device includes reply means for generating a resending request when input notification data is abnormal, and the information input device includes resending means for resending the notification data according to the resending request.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elevator information communication system according to one of the first to fifth aspects wherein the information input device includes scanning means for checking a notification device which is powered off and broken, and the notification device includes response means for making a check response to the check.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elevator information communication system according to the sixth aspect wherein the information input device detects the notification device added by the scanning means, and includes re-output means for further outputting un-output notification data to set necessary notification data in the added notification device.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elevator information communication system including a notification device arranged in the elevator system, an elevator control device connected to the notification device to output a notification command, and an information input device connected to the notification device to form notification data for the notification device and to input the notification, wherein the notification device includes relay means for generating a resending request when the input notification data is abnormal, and the information input device includes resending means for resending the notification data according to the resending request.
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elevator information communication system according to the eighth aspect wherein the information input device includes scanning means for checking a notification device which is powered off and broken, and the notification device includes response means for making a check response to the check.
According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elevator information communication system wherein the information input device detects the notification device added by the scanning means, and includes re-output means for further outputting un-output notification data to set necessary notification data in the added notification device.