Method and an arrangement in condition monitoring of an elevator rope

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9927384-B2
Application number	US-201514729751-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2015
Priority date	Jun 17, 2014
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a method in rope condition monitoring of an elevator, in which method at least the following steps are performed: elevator suspension and/or transmission ropes are reeled and packed on a rope storage unit, and thereafter electrical resistance between a first point and a second point of elevator suspension and/or transmission ropes is measured first time, and thereafter a threshold value is determined based on the measurement, and thereafter rope is delivered into an installation site, and thereafter electrical resistance between the first point and the second point of said suspension and/or transmission ropes is measured second time, and thereafter results of said second time measurement are compared with said threshold value, and if said second time measurement meets said threshold value, predetermined actions are carried out. The invention also relates to an arrangement in rope condition monitoring of an elevator.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method to monitor a condition of an elevator rope the elevator rope being an elevator suspension rope and/or an elevator transmission rope, the elevator rope including one or more load bearing parts, the method comprising:
reeling or packing the elevator rope in a rope storage unit, the rope storage unit including a support body and a rope reel, the support body including one or more support members, the one or more support members delimiting an inner space, the rope reel inside the inner space and supported by the support body such that the one or more support members radially surround the rope reel, the reeling or packing including winding the elevator rope in a spiral form around the rope reel in the inner space such that the one or more support members block the elevator rope from straightening;
performing a first measurement of electrical resistance between a first point of the elevator rope and a second point of the elevator rope at a rope condition monitoring device to determine a first electrical resistance value concurrently with the elevator rope remaining wound in the inner space of the rope storage unit, the rope condition monitoring device connected to the rope storage unit, the rope condition monitoring device further connected to the first point of the elevator rope and the second point of the elevator rope concurrently with the elevator rope remaining wound in the inner space of the rope storage unit;
determining a threshold value based on the first electrical resistance value;
delivering the rope storage unit in which the elevator rope remains wound into an installation site subsequently to determining the threshold value;
performing a second measurement of electrical resistance between the first point of the elevator rope and the second point of the elevator rope at the rope condition monitoring device to determine a second electrical resistance value subsequently to the delivering and concurrently with the elevator rope remaining wound in the inner space of the rope storage unit; and
selectively performing an action based on determining that the second electrical resistance value at least meets the threshold value.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first measurement of electrical resistance is performed in a rope production site.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least the first electrical resistance value is marked on a deliver note, on the rope storage unit, on the elevator rope, or in a memory.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein at least the first electrical resistance value is marked in a memory and/or in a database of a computer connected to the rope condition monitoring device.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein performing the second measurement of electrical resistance includes measuring electrical resistance between the first point of the elevator rope and the second point of the elevator rope based on a determination that rope installation is ready, before mounting the elevator rope into rope terminals.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first point of the elevator rope and the second point of the elevator rope are
points of a non-metallic load bearing part of the elevator rope, or
points of several electrically connected non-metallic load bearing parts of the elevator rope.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first point of the elevator rope and the second point of the elevator rope are points of load bearing parts of the elevator rope, the load bearing parts including fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composite material.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composite material includes a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composite.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the action that is selectively performed based on determining that the second electrical resistance value at least meets the threshold value includes generating an error signal.

10. The method according to claim 9 , generating the error signal includes displaying a rope identification code and an error level indication associated with the elevator rope on an LED or LCD display of the rope condition monitoring device.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein,
the error signal includes an indication that the elevator rope is damaged, and
the method further includes preventing the elevator rope from being installed into an elevator based on the indication.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the rope condition monitoring device is connected to the rope storage unit, the rope condition monitoring device further connected to the first point of the elevator rope and the second point of the elevator rope concurrently with the elevator rope remaining wound in the inner space of the rope storage unit, the rope condition monitoring device including an independently operating data logger-type condition monitoring device.

13. An apparatus configured to enable condition monitoring of an elevator rope, the elevator rope being an elevator suspension rope and/or an elevator transmission rope, the elevator rope including one or more load bearing parts, the apparatus comprising:
a rope storage unit including a support body and a rope reel, the support body including one or more support members, the one or more support members delimiting an inner space, the rope reel inside the inner space and supported by the support body such that the one or more support members radially surround the rope reel, the rope storage unit configured to receive the elevator rope into the inner space such that the elevator rope is wound in a spiral form by the rope reel in the inner space and the one or more support members block the elevator rope from straightening,
a rope condition monitoring device connected to the rope storage unit, the rope condition monitoring device further connected to a first point of the elevator rope and a second point of the elevator rope concurrently with the elevator rope remaining wound in the inner space of the rope storage unit, the rope condition monitoring device configured to
perform a first measurement of electrical resistance between the first point of the elevator rope and the second point of the elevator rope to determine a first electrical resistance value concurrently with the elevator rope remaining wound in the inner space of the rope storage unit,
determine a threshold value based on the first electrical resistance value;
perform a second measurement of electrical resistance between the first point and the second point of the elevator rope to determine a second electrical resistance value subsequently to determining the threshold value and concurrently with the elevator rope remaining wound in the inner space of the rope storage unit; and
generate a signal based on a determination that the second electrical resistance value at least meets the threshold value.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein each measurement of the first measurement of electrical resistance and the second measurement of electrical resistance includes concurrently with the rope storage unit being located in a rope production site.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein at least the first electrical resistance value is marked on a deliver note, on the rope storage unit, on the elevator rope, or in a memory.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein at least the first electrical resistance value is marked in a memory and/or in a database of a computer connected to the rope condition monitoring device.

Assignees

• Lehtinen Hannu
• Puranen Mikko
• Kone Corp

Inventors

• Lehtinen Hannu
• Puranen Mikko

Classifications

• B66B19/02

  Installing or exchanging ropes or cables · CPC title

• B66B7/1223 Primary

  by analysing electric variables · CPC title

• B66B5/00

  Applications of checking, fault-correcting, or safety devices in elevators · CPC title

• G01N27/20 Primary

  Investigating the presence of flaws · CPC title

• B66B7/062

  Belts · CPC title