Method and arrangement for determining elevator data based on the position of an elevator car

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10556774-B2
Application number	US-201515506764-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2015
Priority date	Aug 29, 2014
Publication date	Feb 11, 2020
Grant date	Feb 11, 2020

Abstract

A method and an arrangement for determining elevator data based on the position of an elevator car of an elevator system includes the elevator car having a flag reading sensor, the elevator car being movably arranged in a hoistway and can be moved by a drive with a suspension rope over a traction sheave, and the elevator car can be stopped at a plurality of stopping positions of the hoistway. Each stopping position has a flag marker with a flag height. Movement of the elevator car is determined by a control unit connected to an encoder at the traction sheave. When leaving a stopping position, the travelled distance of the elevator car between the stopping position and a flag edge is measured and a stopping inaccuracy is determined by the control unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for determining elevator data based on a position of an elevator car of an elevator system, wherein the elevator car has a door zone sensor and is movably arranged in a hoistway, wherein the elevator car is moved by a drive with a traction sheave via a suspension means connected to the elevator car and can be stopped at a plurality of stopping positions of the hoistway, each stopping position having a door zone marker with a given height, and wherein movement of the elevator car is determined by a control unit connected to the drive and to an encoder at the traction sheave, comprising the steps of:
when the elevator car is leaving one of the stopping positions, a travelled distance of the elevator car between the one stopping position and an edge of the door zone marker at the one stopping position is measured by the control unit using the door zone sensor and the encoder;
an actual position parameter based on the travelled distance and the given height of the door zone marker at the one stopping position is determined by the control unit; and
the control unit controls the movement of the elevator car in response to the actual position parameter.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the actual position parameter is a stopping inaccuracy that is determined by the control unit as an absolute value of a difference between half of the given height and the travelled distance.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the stopping inaccuracy is taken into account by the control unit when controlling a next stop of the elevator car.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein for the one stopping position at least one of a plurality of the travelled distance and a plurality of the stopping inaccuracy over time are stored in a storage connected to the control unit and are used by the control unit to determine a drift or slippage of the elevator car.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein at least one of the travelled distance and the stopping inaccuracy of the elevator car is determined and stored for each of the plurality of the stopping positions.

6. The method according to claim 4 wherein at least one of the travelled distance and the stopping inaccuracy of the elevator car is determined and stored for each direction of travel of the elevator car.

7. The method according to claim 2 wherein at least one of the travelled distance and the stopping inaccuracy of the elevator car is only determined if a load of the elevator car determined by a load sensor is within a given range.

8. The method according to claim 2 wherein for determining a drifting of the elevator car at least one of the travelled distance and the stopping inaccuracy of the elevator car is only determined if a trip of the elevator car takes place within a given time interval.

9. The method according to claim 2 wherein for determining a slippage of the elevator car at least one of the travelled distance and the stopping inaccuracy of the elevator car is only determined if a trip of the elevator car takes place after a given time interval.

10. An elevator system for performing the method according to claim 1 comprising:
the elevator car;
the hoistway;
the drive with the traction sheave and the suspension means connected to the elevator car for moving the elevator car to the plurality of stopping positions of the hoistway, each of the stopping positions having the door zone marker with the given height; and
the control unit connected to the drive and to an encoder at the traction sheave for controlling the moving of the elevator car in the hoistway.

11. An arrangement for determining elevator data based on a position of an elevator car being movable in a hoistway by a drive, comprising:
a door zone sensor on the elevator car;
a door zone marker with a given height at a stopping position of the elevator car within the hoistway;
means for measuring movements of the elevator car in the hoistway; and
a control unit connected to the drive for controlling the movement of the elevator car, the control unit being connected to the means for measuring movements and the door zone sensor for determining a travelled distance of the elevator car between the stopping position and an edge of the door zone marker when the elevator car is leaving the stopping position and for determining a stopping inaccuracy based on the travelled distance and the given height of the door zone marker.

12. The arrangement according to claim 11 wherein the control unit determines the stopping inaccuracy as an absolute value of a difference between half of the given height and the travelled distance.

13. The arrangement according to claim 11 including a storage connected to the control unit for storing the determined stopping inaccuracy.

14. The arrangement according to claim 11 including a load sensor connected to the control unit for measuring a load of the elevator car and wherein the control unit only determines the travelled distance or the stopping inaccuracy if the load measured by the load sensor is within a given range.

15. The arrangement according to claim 11 wherein the means for measuring movements of the elevator car is a rotary encoder coupled to a traction sheave of the drive.

16. An elevator system including the elevator car, the hoistway, the drive and the arrangement according to claim 11 further comprising:
at least another stopping position within the hoistway;
another door zone marker with the given height at the another stopping position; and
wherein the control unit determines another travelled distance between the another stopping position and an edge of the another door zone marker when the elevator car is leaving the another stopping position and determines another stopping inaccuracy based upon the another travelled distance and the given height of the another door zone marker.

Assignees

• Inventio Ag

Inventors

• Villa Valerio

Classifications

• B66B1/44 Primary

  and for taking account of disturbance factors, e.g. variation of load weight · CPC title

• B66B5/0018

  Devices monitoring the operating condition of the elevator system · CPC title

• B66B9/00

  Kinds or types of lifts in, or associated with, buildings or other structures (characterised by control systems B66B1/00; apparatus for raising or lowering persons on stages of theatres A63J5/12) · CPC title

• B66B1/28

  electrical (detecting excessive speed B66B5/04 {; control of electrical motor H02P}) · CPC title

• B66B1/3492

  Position or motion detectors or driving means for the detector (B66B1/40, B66B1/50 take precedence; length measuring G01B; speed measuring G01P) · CPC title