Elevator monitoring system

Computer/Embedded Technology

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7 April 2004 Computer/Embedded Technology

Information from ProMicro

A company in China installed a centralised elevator monitoring system to report alarm functions through the telephone network to monitor the operational status of 25 000 elevators it has installed nationwide. This monitoring system will allow the company to provide customers with a timely maintenance service thus reducing customer costs.

The smart elevator alarm system has to automatically communicate alarm conditions at each elevator installation to a regional control centre. This allows the company to dispatch local service personnel to each problem location, reducing response times and aiding the company in manpower allocation. The centralised monitoring system requires a strong and flexible logic process capability. It is difficult to integrate different systems such as security, fire alarm, airconditioning, power, lighting, parking and access control using traditional PLC controls. The flexibility provided by PC-based programming languages made it easier to develop the complex control logic required to meet the different conditions of the various applications.

Remote programming of on-site units is a key component for reducing the number of local maintenance calls. Local systems can be modified remotely through the telephone lines from a regional centre dramatically decreasing the cost of servicing a huge number of remote sites.

Each remote site is composed of three parts. The central unit is an ADAM-5510 PC-based programmable controller with two ADAM-5052 eight-channel digital input modules and two ADAM-5068 eight-channel relay output modules. Communications through the telephone system is handled by a modem. The third item is a switching power supply. Each digital input channel of an ADAM-5052 module handles a different input task, such as 'man-inside-elevator' sensors, abnormal door open/close, safety check, elevator running speed/direction, power shutdown and maintenance notice. The outputs control speaker connections, modem resets, remote resets and sub-unit switching.

The elevator monitoring system has proven to be highly successful and the cost involved was significantly less than a traditional PLC-based operation. It has opened a potential market in community network systems.

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