Functional monitoring of a safety element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9695016-B2
Application number	US-201213569273-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2012
Priority date	Aug 11, 2011
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

A method of checking the functional capability of at least one safety element of a safety circuit of an elevator installation utilizes a first processing unit and a second processing unit for the at least one safety element. The at least one safety element is connected with a control unit by a communications network. At least one signal is provided by the first processing unit on the basis of at least one communication from the control unit. The at least one provided signal is detected by the second processing unit connected with the first processing unit and is communicated to the control unit by way of the communications network. The at least one communicated signal is checked for the validity thereof by the control unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of checking a functional capability of a safety element of a safety circuit in an elevator installation, wherein the safety element is connected with a control unit by a communications network for monitoring a component of the elevator installation, comprising:
providing the safety element with a first processing unit and a second processing unit each connected to the communications network, the first and second processing units also being directly connected by a connection, wherein the second processing unit sends to the control unit a state signal representing a state of the component being monitored by the safety element;
generating a provided signal from the first processing unit in response to a communication received from the control unit;
transmitting the provided signal from the first processing unit directly to the second processing unit through the connection;
detecting the provided signal received through the connection with the second processing unit;
communicating the provided signal as a communicated signal from the second processing unit to the control unit by the communications network; and
checking a validity of the communicated signal by the control unit, wherein the communicated signal is compared by the control unit with the communication, wherein the communicated signal is invalid and a functional incapability of the safety element is present if the communicated signal and the communication do not correspond with one another, and wherein the control unit controls the elevator installation in response to a result of the validity checking by bringing an elevator car of the elevator installation to a stop in response to the communicated signal being invalid and the functional incapability of the safety element being present.

2. The method according to claim 1 including performing the checking step in dependence on at least one rule.

3. The method according to claim 2 including using at least one of a frequency, a time instant and a clock time as the at least one rule.

4. The method according to claim 1 including generating the provided signal as a digital signal or an analog signal.

5. The method according to claim 1 including generating the provided signal with at least one of a bit sequence, a message, a frequency, a tone sequence and a pattern.

6. The method according to claim 1 including utilizing different command sets for operating the first processing unit and the second processing unit.

7. The method according to claim 1 including assigning different priorities for communication with the control unit to the first processing unit and the second processing unit.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the provided signal either is present in the communication from the control unit or is generated by the first processing unit.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the communications network is one of a hardwired communications network and a non-hardwired communications network.

10. A device for checking a functional capability of a safety element of a safety circuit in an elevator installation, wherein the safety element monitors a component of the elevator installation, comprising:
a control unit for controlling the elevator installation;
a first processing unit included in the safety element;
a second processing unit included in the safety element and being directly connected with the first processing unit by a connection;
a detection or interrogation unit included in the safety element and being connected to the second processing unit, the detection or interrogation unit generating a detection signal to the second processing unit in response to a state of the monitored component of the elevator installation; and
a communications network connecting the safety element with the control unit, wherein the second processing unit responds to the detection signal by passing a state signal to the control unit representing a state of the monitored component, wherein the first processing unit generates a provided signal in response to a communication from the control unit over the communications network, the second processing unit detects the provided signal and communicates the detected provided signal to the control unit over the communications network as a communicated signal, wherein the provided signal is directly transmitted from the first processing unit to the second processing unit through the connection, and the control unit checks the communicated signal with respect to a validity thereof by comparison with the communication, and wherein the communicated signal is invalid and a functional incapability is present if the communicated signal and the communication do not correspond with one another, the control unit controlling the elevator installation in response to a result of the validity check by bringing an elevator car of the elevator installation to a stop in response to the communicated signal being invalid and the functional incapability of the safety element being present.

11. The device according to claim 10 wherein the detection or interrogation unit is a radio-frequency transmitting/receiving unit.

12. The device according to claim 10 wherein the monitored component is an elevator door and the detection or interrogation unit responds to open and closed states of the elevator door.

13. A device for checking a functional capability of a safety element of a safety circuit in an elevator installation, wherein the safety element monitors a component of the elevator installation, comprising:
a control unit for controlling the elevator installation;
a first processing unit included in the safety element;
a second processing unit included in the safety element and being directly connected with the first processing unit by a connection; and
a communications network connecting the safety element with the control unit, wherein the first processing unit generates a provided signal in response to a communication from the control unit over the communications network, the second processing unit detects the provided signal and communicates the detected provided signal to the control unit over the communications network as a communicated signal, wherein the provided signal is directly transmitted from the first processing unit to the second processing unit through the connection, and the control unit checks the communicated signal, with respect to a validity thereof by comparison with the communication, and wherein the communicated signal is invalid and a functional incapability of the safety element is present if the communicated signal and the communication do not correspond with one another, the control unit controlling the elevator installation in response to a result of the validity check by bringing an elevator car of the elevator installation to a stop in response to the communicated signal being invalid and the functional incapability of the safety element being present.

14. The device according to claim 13 wherein the connection between the first processing unit and the second processing unit is one of hardwired and non-hardwired.

Assignees

• Sonnenmoser Astrid
• Hess Martin
• Michel David
• Inventio Ag

Inventors

• Sonnenmoser Astrid
• Hess Martin
• Michel David

Classifications

• B66B13/22 Primary

  Operation of door or gate contacts · CPC title

• B66B5/0037

  Performance analysers · CPC title