Method and monitoring device for testing an elevator system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9902592-B2
Application number	US-201214237390-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2012
Priority date	Aug 11, 2011
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

A test method is applied to an elevator system having a control unit and at least one bus node. The bus node has a first microprocessor and a second microprocessor and the control unit and the bus node communicate by a bus. Furthermore, the first microprocessor and the second microprocessor are connected without interruption by a signal line. The test method includes the steps: a specification signal is transmitted by the control unit to the first microprocessor, the first microprocessor transmits the signal to the second microprocessor, and the second microprocessor provides the signal for the control unit. Finally, the control unit verifies whether the provided signal corresponds to a signal expected by the control unit. The elevator system includes a monitoring device for carrying out the test method.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A test method for an elevator installation comprising: a control unit and at least one bus node, each bus node having a first microprocessor and a second microprocessor, the control unit and the bus node communicating via a bus, and the first microprocessor and the second microprocessor being connected with an uninterrupted signal line, the control unit transmitting a specification signal to the first microprocessor, the first microprocessor transmitting a first signal corresponding to the specification signal to the second microprocessor via the signal line; the second microprocessor providing a response signal for the control unit in response to the first signal; and the control unit verifying whether the response signal provided corresponds to a second signal expected by the control unit.

2. The test method according to claim 1 wherein the response signal provided by the second microprocessor is queried by the control unit at predetermined intervals of time.

3. The test method according to claim 2 wherein the intervals of time are between 1 second and 100 seconds.

4. The test method according to claim 1 wherein the control unit responds to a negative verification of the second signal by changing an operating mode of the elevator installation.

5. The test method according to claim 4 wherein changing the operating mode of the elevator installation includes a member selected from the group consisting of: maintaining a remaining availability of an elevator car in a travel range of the elevator car, evacuating trapped passengers, executing an emergency stop of the elevator installation, alerting maintenance and service personnel to free trapped passengers, and alerting maintenance and service personnel to eliminate an error which cannot be eliminated by the control unit.

6. The test method according to claim 1 wherein the specification signal is one of a voltage value, a current value, a frequency value, a switched-on duration value and a code value.

7. The test method according to claim 1 wherein the first signal transmitted from the first microprocessor to the second microprocessor is transmitted via a direct signal line inside the bus node.

8. The test method according to claim 1 wherein:
the control unit transmits a plurality of specification signals to the first microprocessor;
the first microprocessor transmits a plurality of first signals corresponding to the plurality of specification signals to the second microprocessor via the signal line;
the second microprocessor provides a plurality of response signals for the control unit in response to the plurality of first signals; and
the control unit verifies whether the plurality of response signals provided corresponds to a plurality of second signals expected by the control unit.

9. The test method according to claim 1 including transmitting the specification signal having an error value from the control unit to the first microprocessor, the first microprocessor transmitting the first signal corresponding to the specification signal having the error value to the second microprocessor via the signal line, the second microprocessor spontaneously providing the response signal for the control unit in response to the first signal, and the control unit verifying whether the second microprocessor spontaneously transmits the response signal to the control unit.

10. A monitoring device for carrying out a test method for an elevator system comprising: a control unit for generating a specification signal; at least one bus node, each bus node including a first microprocessor and a second microprocessor; a bus connecting the control unit and the bus node, the control unit communicating the specification signal to the first microprocessor in the bus node via the bus; and the first microprocessor and the second microprocessor being connected with an uninterrupted signal line, the first microprocessor responding to the specification signal by generating a first signal to the second microprocessor, and the second microprocessor generating a response signal to the control unit via the bus.

11. The monitoring device according to claim 10 wherein the signal line directly connects the first microprocessor and the second microprocessor.

12. The monitoring device according to claim 10 wherein the signal line is arranged inside the bus node.

Assignees

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

Inventors

• Sonnenmoser Astrid
• Michel David
• Hess Martin

Classifications

• B66B5/0006 Primary

  Monitoring devices or performance analysers (B66B5/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B66B5/0031

  for safety reasons · CPC title

• B66B13/22 Primary

  Operation of door or gate contacts · CPC title