Elevator with light curtain for monitoring door

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10040670-B2
Application number	US-201514811431-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2015
Priority date	Mar 18, 2013
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

In an elevator, the status information of the receivers, and possibly also of the transmitters, of a light curtain of the elevator is transmitted from the control unit of the light curtain as a response to a query or as messages. The control system of the elevator car is configured to receive the responses or status information and to analyze i) the status information contained therein of at least one receiver the status information contained therein of at least one receiver and of at least one transmitter relating to it, for changing or adjusting the operating mode of the elevator or for giving a control command to the operating system of the elevator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An elevator, comprising:
a light curtain configured to monitor the opening of a moving door of a floor level and/or a moving door of the elevator car, said light curtain comprising a plurality of transmitters and a plurality of receivers as well as a control unit, said control unit comprising at least one register for the status information of the transmitters and of the receivers; and
a control system of the elevator car, said control system being connected via a data transfer connection to the control unit, said control system comprising at least one unit performing digital processing,
wherein the control unit is configured to detect, on the basis of a time series of status information of the receivers, when an elevator passenger moves his/her hands away from each other or moves his/her hands towards each other in a direction parallel to the receivers, and
wherein:
A)
the control system is configured to send a query over the data transfer connection to the control unit;
the control unit is configured to send, in response to the query, over the data transfer connection a response that contains the content of the aforementioned at least one register or information describing the content; and
the control system is configured to receive the response and to analyze i) the status information contained therein of at least one receiver or ii) the status information contained therein of at least one receiver and of at least one transmitter relating to the at least one receiver, for changing or adjusting the operating mode of the elevator or for giving a control command to the operating system of the elevator,
and/or
B)
the control unit is configured to send over the data transfer connection status information that contains the content of the at least one register or information describing the content; and
the control system is configured to receive the status information and to analyze i) the status information contained therein of at least one receiver or ii) the status information contained therein of at least one receiver and of at least one transmitter relating to the at least one receiver, for changing or adjusting the operating mode of the elevator or for giving a control command to the operating system of the elevator.

2. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to monitor the opening of a moving door of a floor level and/or the opening of a moving door of the elevator car i) by using the status information of the plurality of receivers, or ii) by using the status information of the plurality of receivers and the plurality of transmitters relating to the plurality of receivers, and to deduce whether a passenger is entering the elevator car or whether a passenger is leaving the elevator car.

3. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to monitor the interruption of light rays between the plurality of transmitters of the light curtain and the plurality of receivers relating to the plurality of transmitters by comparing in consecutive responses i) the status information contained therein of the receivers or ii) the status information contained therein of the receivers and of transmitters relating to the receivers and to deduce from this whether a passenger is entering the elevator car or whether a passenger is leaving the elevator car.

4. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein:
a photoelectric cell delay is defined for the light curtain or for the control system, which delay determines the time that must elapse after the freeing of the opening before the elevator gives a command for closing the moving door of the floor level and/or the moving door of the elevator car; and
wherein the control system or the control unit is configured to shorten the photoelectric cell delay or to remove the photoelectric cell delay:
when the status information of at least one defined receiver indicates that the receiver in question is covered; and/or
when the status information of at least one defined receiver indicates that the transmitter relating to the receiver in question is covered.

5. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein: the control system is configured to give i) on the basis of the status information of at least one receiver or ii) on the basis of the status information of at least one receiver and of at least one transmitter relating to the at least one receiver, a door-open command or a door-close command.

6. The elevator according to claim 5 , wherein the light curtain is configured to extend to inside the moving door of the elevator car into the elevator car and/or to outside the moving door of the floor level onto the landing floor.

7. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein:
a photoelectric cell delay is defined for the light curtain or for the control system, which delay determines the time that must elapse after the freeing of the opening before the elevator gives a command for closing the moving door of the floor level and/or the moving door of the elevator car; and
wherein the control system or the control unit is configured to lengthen the photoelectric cell delay:
when the status information of at least one defined receiver indicates that the receiver in question is covered; and/or
when the status information of at least one defined receiver indicates that the transmitter relating to the receiver in question is covered.

8. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein: the control system is configured to give on the basis of the status information of at least one receiver or ii) on the basis of the status information of at least one receiver and of at least one transmitter relating to the at least one receiver, a door-open-for-longer command.

9. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein an area for a departure direction arrow, or areas for both the up and down departure direction arrow, are defined in the light curtain of a moving door of said elevator, and wherein the control system and/or the control unit is configured to give to the elevator an up-command or down-command in response to an observation made in the area in the light curtain.

10. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein at least one means for producing an attention signal to indicate closing of the moving door is integrated into the front edge of a moving door of an elevator car of which elevator, or into the light curtain in said edge, and wherein the control system and/or the control unit is configured to activate the at least one means for producing an attention signal when closing the moving door, or when the control system has detected a need to close the moving door.

11. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein at least one means for producing a warning signal to indicate closing of the moving door is integrated into the front edge of a moving door of an elevator car of which elevator, or into the light curtain in said edge, and wherein the control system and/or the control unit is configured to activate the at least one means for producing a warning signal when the elevator closes the moving door despite an obstacle in the opening.

12. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein the response or the status information contains the digital status information of at least one receiver.

13. The elevator according to claim 12 , wherein the digital status information contains multiple bits.

14. The elevator according to claim 12 , wherein a response contains the digital status information of a number of receivers and/or transmitters.

15. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein the data transfer connection is a se

Assignees

• Kone Corp

Inventors

• Kattainen Ari
• Tyni Tapio
• Kinnari Jouko

Classifications

• G01V8/20

  using multiple transmitters or receivers · CPC title

• B66B13/26 Primary

  between closing doors · CPC title

• B66B1/468 Primary

  Call registering systems · CPC title

• B66B13/146

  method or algorithm for controlling doors · CPC title