Escalator controls data to internet of things

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11034551-B2
Application number	US-201916684615-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2019
Priority date	Nov 15, 2019
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

A monitoring system for an escalator including: a local gateway device; an analytic engine in communication with the local gateway device through a cloud computing network; a sensing apparatus in wireless communication with the local gateway device through a short-range wireless protocol, the sensing apparatus including: an inertial measurement unit sensor configured to detect acceleration data of the escalator, wherein at least one of the sensing apparatus and the local gateway device is configured to determine a condition based monitoring (CBM) health score of the escalator in response to at least the acceleration data, and wherein the local gateway is configured wirelessly transmit the CBM health score of the escalator to the cloud computing network in a data package via a long-range wireless communication protocols.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A monitoring system for an escalator, the monitoring system comprising:
a local gateway device;
an analytic engine in communication with the local gateway device through a cloud computing network;
a sensing apparatus in wireless communication with the local gateway device through a short-range wireless protocol, the sensing apparatus comprising:
an inertial measurement unit sensor configured to detect acceleration data of the escalator,
wherein at least one of the sensing apparatus and the local gateway device is configured to determine a condition based monitoring (CBM) health score of the escalator in response to at least the acceleration data, and
wherein the local gateway is configured wirelessly transmit the CBM health score of the escalator to the cloud computing network in a data package via a long-range wireless communication protocols.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a microphone configured to detect sound data of the escalator,
wherein the CBM health score is determined in response to at least one of the acceleration data and the sound data.

3. The monitoring system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an application for a computing device in wireless communication with the network, the application being configured to display the CBM health score of the escalator on a display device of the computing device.

4. The monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the application is configured to display a user input interface for adjusting the CBM health score through a user input.

5. The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the data packages are transmitted using MQTT data compression.

6. The monitoring system of claim 2 , wherein the sensing apparatus is configured to determine the CBM health score of the escalator in response to at least one of the acceleration data and the sound data.

7. The monitoring system of claim 2 , wherein the sensing apparatus is configured to transmit the acceleration data and the sound data to the local gateway device and the local gateway device is configured to determine the CBM health score of the escalator in response to at least one of the acceleration data and the sound data.

8. The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the sensing apparatus is located within a handrail of the escalator and moves with the handrail.

9. The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the sensing apparatus is attached to a step chain of the escalator and moves with the step chain.

10. The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the sensing apparatus is stationary and located proximate to a step chain of the escalator or a drive machine of the escalator.

11. The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the sensing apparatus is attached to a moving component of a drive machine of the escalator.

12. The monitoring system of claim 11 , wherein the moving component of the drive machine is an output sheave that drives a step chain of the escalator.

13. The monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the sensing apparatus uses the inertial measurement unit sensor to detect low frequency vibrations less than 10 Hz.

14. The monitoring system of claim 2 , wherein the sensing apparatus uses the microphone to detect high frequency vibrations greater than 10 Hz.

15. A method of monitoring an escalator, the method comprising:
detecting acceleration data of the escalator using an inertial measurement unit sensor located in a sensing apparatus;
determining a condition based monitoring (CBM) health score of the escalator in response to at least the acceleration data; and
wirelessly transmitting the CBM health score of the escalator to a cloud computing network in a data package via a long-range wireless communication protocol.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
detecting sound data of the escalator using a microphone located in the sensing apparatus, wherein the CBM health score is determined in response to at least one of the acceleration data and the sound data.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
displaying the CBM health score of the escalator on a display device of a computing device, the computing device being in wireless communication with the network.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
displaying a user input interface for adjusting the CBM health score through a user input using the application for the computing device.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
receiving a user input to adjust adjusting the CBM health score; and
adjusting the CBM health score in response to the user input.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
compressing the data package using MQTT data compression.

Assignees

• Otis Elevator Co

Inventors

• Pahlke Derk Oscar

Classifications

• B66B27/00 Primary

  Indicating operating conditions of escalators or moving walkways (of general application G08) · CPC title

• Y02B50/00

  Energy efficient technologies in elevators, escalators and moving walkways, e.g. energy saving or recuperation technologies · CPC title

• B66B21/04

  linear type · CPC title

• B66B29/00 Primary

  Safety devices of escalators or moving walkways (walkways of variable speed type B66B21/12; handrails of variable speed type B66B23/26) · CPC title

• B66B25/006 Primary

  Monitoring for maintenance or repair (for security reasons B66B29/005) · CPC title