Abstract:
The invention relates to a method for setting up a number of operating units in a lift system having a number of floors. The operating units are connected in series. A first operating unit is connected to a central controller, and at least one operating unit is provided on each floor. Configuration data with an address data packet is sent from the controller to the operating units. The address data packet has a number of addresses, which permits the fixing of an address for each operating unit. The invention further relates to a lift system for carrying out the method.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This is a U.S. national phase application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2008/054369, filed Apr. 10, 2008, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, and which claims benefit of European Patent Application No. 07105883.8, filed Apr. 10, 2007. The International Application was published in German on Oct. 16, 2008 as WO 2008/122669 A2 under PCT Article 21(2). 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to an elevator system and more particularly to an elevator system having a large number of floors and a large number of operating units wherein at least one operating unit is allocated to each floor. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In the context of assembling and installing an elevator system in a building, the elevator car is moved during a so-called learning trip to all stopping positions, that is to say to all floors, in order to set up the stopping positions at the height levels of the respective floors. Furthermore, the operating units distributed among the individual floors and the communication of said operating units with the central control unit have to be set up or configured. In this case, it is necessary to define or to order the operating units with regard to their position in a specific floor and with regard to their function, such that, during subsequent operation of the elevator system, the central control unit recognizes from which floor and from which operating unit a specific signal is communicated by the actuation of the operating unit by the user. 
         [0004]    This setting up is conventionally performed by a fitter having to input data, for example by means of the elevator car panel, and having to manually set up each operating unit on each floor after moving to each floor. Configurations carried out in this way require a high expenditure in respect of time and personnel. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    An object of the present invention is developing a method for setting up a large number of operating units of an elevator system in such a way that the configuration of the operating units is possible in a simple manner and in a shorter time. 
         [0006]    In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,a method is provided for setting up a large number of operating units of an elevator system having a large number of floors, wherein the operating units are connected in series and a first operating unit is connected to a central control unit, and wherein in each case at least one operating unit is allocated to a floor. The method comprises transmitting configuration data with an address data packet from the control unit to the operating units. The address data packet comprises a large number of addresses for respectively defining an address for each operating unit. The address is then stored in a storage unit of the operating units. 
         [0007]    The present invention enables comparatively simple, preferably fully automatic, and rapidly performable setting up or configuration of the large number of operating units distributed along the floors. A complicated set-up method comprising moving to all the individual floors and manually setting up the operating units can thus be dispensed with. The method according to the invention merely has to be started and can then proceed fully automatically. In addition, possible error sources on account of manual settings can be reduced in this way. 
         [0008]    For the purposes of the present invention, an “operating unit” is understood to mean the panel provided in the access area on each floor to the elevator system for destination call inputting and/or optical and/or acoustic indicator units for the use of the elevator system. Such an operating unit usually comprises at least one printed circuit board. However, two different printed circuit boards can be present on each floor, wherein one printed circuit board forms a destination call panel and the other printed circuit board forms an indicator unit. 
         [0009]    A further aspect of the present invention provides for the addresses to be accommodated in the address data packet in a specific order and to be transmitted and/or stored in this order step by step in the storage units. 
         [0010]    Each storage unit comprises a shift register, wherein the shift registers are connected in series and the respective address is stored in the respective shift register. In the case of shift registers of this type, the content of such a shift register can be shifted by one or a plurality of positions. Such a shift register can be composed of a plurality of circuits (flip-flops). A flip-flop of this type is bistable between the two states 0 and 1 and can be used for storing an item of information having a length of 1 bit. 
         [0011]    The step-by-step storage can be effected in a manner dependent on a predetermined clock signal. 
         [0012]    A further aspect of the present invention provides for each operating unit to transmit a check signal to the control unit. Said check signal can convey to the central control unit the fact that the respective operating unit is functional. In this way, after the conclusion of the set-up method, by means of the central control unit, it is possible to ascertain whether all the operating units are functional. If an operating unit is not functional and has not returned a check signal, the control unit outputs a corresponding signal giving notification that the setting up has failed. The non-functional operating unit can thereupon be exchanged and the configuration method can be started anew. 
         [0013]    In a further aspect of the invention each operating unit transmits an identification signal for the designation of the operating unit or the properties thereof to the control unit. Said identification signal can comprise for example a type category or group category of the operating unit and identify for example a destination call panel or an indicator unit. This identification can be stored in the central control unit. 
         [0014]    Each operating unit communicates a position data signal for the designation of a floor to the control unit. In this way, the central control unit recognizes which operating unit is present on which floor. 
         [0015]    In a further aspect of the present invention at least two groups of operating units are provided, wherein a first group comprises a plurality of destination call panels and/or destination call terminals and a second group comprises a plurality of indicator units. With regard to the series connection of the operating units, in each case the operating units of one group or the operating units of a plurality of groups, preferably of all the groups, can be connected in series. 
         [0016]    The present invention also relates to an elevator system for carrying out the methods and features described above. 
         [0017]    These and other advantageous features and aspects of the invention are described below with respect to the Figures, Detailed Description, and the claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings, in which: 
           [0019]      FIG. 1  shows an excerpt from a building with an elevator system with a large number of floors and operating units distributed among the floors, and 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  shows a schematic overview of the steps carried out in the method for setting up the operating units of the elevator system in accordance with  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]      FIG. 1  schematically shows an excerpt from a building  10  with an elevator system  20 . The elevator system  20  comprises a vertically movable elevator car  30  having an operating panel  32  having a plurality of destination call switches and a car door  34 . The operating panel  32  performs data interchange with a central control unit  40 , which serves for controlling the elevator system  20 . The building  10  has three floors  12 ,  14 ,  16 . Situated on each of said floors  12 ,  14 ,  16  there is a respective access to the elevator system  20 , which can be closed in each case by means of an access door. 
         [0022]    In the area of each access, there are in each case two operating units on each floor  12 ,  14 ,  16 . In detail, on the first floor  12  there are two operating units  50 ,  51 , on the second floor  14  there are two operating units  52 ,  53 , and on the third floor  16  there are two operating units  54 ,  55 . 
         [0023]    In this case, the operating units  51 ,  53  and  55  constitute destination call panels via which the user of the elevator system  20  can request the elevator car  30  and/or can issue a destination call. Each operating unit  51 ,  53 ,  55  comprises a respective storage unit  61 ,  63 ,  65  in the form of a respective shift register  71 ,  73 ,  75  and a plurality of destination call buttons. 
         [0024]    Furthermore, in the area of each access, there is a second operating unit on each floor. These operating units, designated by the reference symbols  50 ,  52 ,  54  in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , constitute indicator units and comprise a respective storage unit  60 ,  62 ,  64  likewise in the form of a respective shift register  70 ,  72 ,  74 . 
         [0025]    Each shift register  70  to  75  has 8 series-connected flip-flops having a stored content of 1 bit in each case. Consequently, each shift register  70  to  75  provides a stored content of 8 bits. The shift registers  70  to  75  can be written to and read from in parallel. 
         [0026]    All the abovementioned operating units  50  to  55  are connected in series one after another via a data line  42 , wherein the first operating unit  50  is connected to the central control unit  40 . Furthermore, the shift registers  70  to  75  are also connected in series. The interconnection of the individual operating units  50  to  55  and the allocation of the individual operating units  50  to  55  to the floors  12 ,  14 ,  16  can also be gathered from the schematic diagram in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0027]    On the basis of this system, a method for setting up the operating units  50  to  55  is explained below. 
         [0028]    In a first step, configuration data with an address data packet are transmitted from the control unit  40  to the shift registers ( 70 - 75 ) of the operating units ( 50 - 55 ). The address data packet comprises a large number of addresses for respectively defining an address for each operating unit  50  to  55 . By way of example, the values 255 to 1 (255&gt;254&gt;253&gt; . . . &gt;3&gt;2&gt;1) represent the addresses (designated by “ADDRESS” or “DATA” in  FIG. 2 ). A number of values, that is to say addresses, corresponding to the number of operating units  50  to  55  or shift registers  70  to  75  is preferably provided for the address data packet. 
         [0029]    The addresses are stored in the shift registers  70  to  75  of the storage units  60  to  65  step by step in a manner dependent on a predetermined clock signal, such that, with each clock cycle, the stored content within a shift register  70  to  75  is advanced by one flip-flop (see “CLK” in  FIG. 2 ). In this way, the addresses accommodated in a specific order in the address data packet can be processed, including and transmitted and/or stored, in storage units  60  to  65  in accordance with said order at temporally fixedly predefined time intervals. 
         [0030]    Thus, from the address data packet, firstly the first address “255” is stored in the shift register  70  of the first operating unit  50 . Afterward, the address “254” is transmitted to the first operating unit  50  and the address “255”, which is now at the first position in the address data packet there, is shifted into the shift register  71  of the second operating unit  51 . Afterward, the address “253” is transmitted to the first operating unit  50  and the address “254” is shifted there from the shift register  70  into the shift register  71 . The address 255 present there is correspondingly shifted into the shift register  72  of the third operating unit  52 . These steps are repeated in the same way for all addresses from 255 to 1. The addresses are sent to the first operating unit step by step in the order (255, 254 . . . 2, 1), while the addresses stored in the other shift registers are shifted step by step to the subsequent shift register. 
         [0031]    At the end of the method, therefore, the operating unit  50  situated the closest to the control unit  40  has the address “1”, the operating unit  51  has the address “2”, etc., until finally the operating unit  55  has the address “6”. The addresses 7-255 no longer correspond to a register in the present example and are lost. 
         [0032]    After an address has been sent to each shift register  70  to  75 , the control unit  40  transmits a signal to each operating unit  50  to  55  in order to read out the content of the respective shift registers  70  to  75 , store it and thus allocate the predetermined address. 
         [0033]    The control unit  40  can thereby recognize the type of operating unit and how many floors the building has. 
         [0034]    After an individual address has been allocated to each operating unit  50  to  55 , the control unit  40  can ascertain whether all the operating units  50  to  55  are functional. This is because if one of the operating units  50  to  55  is not functional, the configuration method cannot be fully carried out. However it is readily possible to immediately ascertain which of the operating units  50  to  55  is not functioning, such that it can be promptly exchanged. Such a check preferably becomes possible by virtue of the fact that each operating unit  50  to  55  transmits a check signal to the control unit  40  in order to convey its functionality. 
         [0035]    Furthermore, it may be provided that each operating unit  50  to  55  transmits an identification signal for the designation of the operating unit  50  to  55  to the control unit  40 . Said identification signal can comprise a hardware identifier. It may furthermore be provided that each operating unit  50  to  55  communicates a position data signal for the designation of the floor on which the operating unit is situated to the control unit  40 . The control unit  40  thus recognizes which operating unit  50  to  55  is situated at which position or on which floor. 
         [0036]    The above-described method for setting up the operating units  50  to  55  is distinguished, in particular, by the fact that separately setting up each operating unit  50  to  55  by means of assembly personnel and by means of moving to all the individual floors  12  to  16  is not necessary for setting up the operating units  50  to  55 . With the method according to the invention, this setting up can be effected automatically by a procedure in which the address data packet, on account of the series connection of the operating units  50  to  55 , is transmitted successively to the shift registers  70  to  75  of the individual operating units  50  to  55  and the addresses accommodated in the address data packet in a specific order are respectively stored in the individual storage units  60  to  65 . At the same time, in the case of possible failure of the configuration method, it is easily possible to ascertain which of the operating units  50  to  55  is possibly defective.