HK1150045B - Measuring apparatus for an elevator system and an elevator system having such a measuring apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a measuring device for a lift system with at least one lifting cabin in accordance with the general concept of the independent claim.

Typically, the elevator cabin is defined by a shaft and a passenger by a shaft. Instead, the ride can also be equipped with a cable car or a trunk structure or the upper part. The elevator's electronic control system is often designed so that no collisions of individual elevator cabins should occur to locate obstacles connected to a roadway, such as a driver or to an adjacent elevator cabin.

The European patent EP 769 469 B1 now contains a lift system which includes a means of opening the safety circuit of an elevator cabin in case of an unwanted approach with another elevator cabin. According to the patent, each elevator cabin has safety modules which evaluate the positions and speeds of the cabin in order to be able to trigger braking operations in other elevator cabins if necessary. Each safety module must always know and evaluate the positions and speeds of the other elevator cabins involved in order to be able to react correctly in an emergency.

A similarly complex solution is known from the international patent application WO 2004/043841 A1. According to this patent application, infrared, laser or ultrasonic sensors can be installed on each lift cabin to measure the distances to the adjacent lift cabins above and below the lift cabin. It is also proposed to additionally use a road or shaft information system to allow, for example, measuring lines placed in the road area by sensors on the lift cabins in the form of light barriers. This electro-optical approach also allows the distance to the upper cabin and, where necessary, the distance to a driver, a driver or a shaft, to control and, if necessary, to prevent a collision.

In particular, the solution described in international patent application WO 2004/043841 A1 is complex because it requires communication between different optoelectronic components of the lift cabs to provide information on the momentary distance and momentary speeds of the lift cabs.

A further solution is described in US-A-6079521 and the solutions described are also difficult to initialize at the time of commissioning because all systems need to be coordinated with each other.

In view of the known arrangements, the present invention is intended to simplify the operation of a lifting system.

The problems are solved by the characteristics of the independent claims, and the advantages of the invention are further developed by the dependent claims.

The present invention is equally suitable for preventing a collision between two elevator cabs which are relatively close together and for preventing a collision between an elevator cab and a driver.

In a first variant, the measuring device of the invention for a lift system with at least one lift cabin which is movable along a road of the lift system has at least one transmitter and at least one receiver, one receiver located at a lift cabin and one transmitter located on the road and/or one transmitter located at a lift cabin and one receiver located on the road. The transmitter emits a beam at a first angle relative to the direction of travel. The first angle is such that when a lift cabin approaches a fixed obstacle relative to the road, the beam hits the receiver.

The measuring device is therefore also redundantly configurable according to the first variant. For this purpose, a transmitter is located on the road and a receiver on a first lift cabin. A second pair of transmitters and receivers is reversed, that is, the transmitter is located on the lift cabin and the receiver is located on the road. In addition, a redundant design of the measuring device can also be achieved by having two transmitters on the road and two receivers on the lift cabin.

In a second variant, the measuring device according to the invention for a lift system with at least one lift cabin which is movable along a road of the lift system has at least one transmitter and at least one receiver. A receiver and a transmitter are located on a lift cabin and/or a receiver and transmitter are located on a road. The transmitter emits a beam at a first angle relative to the direction of travel. The first angle is set so that when the lift cabin approaches an adjacent lift cabin or an obstacle fixed in relation to the lift path, the beam hits the receiver.

The measuring device according to the second variant preferably has at least one reflector, which reflects a beam emitted by the transmitter to the receiver. If the transmitter and receiver are located on the road, the reflector is located on the lift cab. Conversely, the reflector is located on the road, if the transmitter and receiver are located on the lift cab. Also in this second variant, the measuring device is redundantly adjustable. In addition, a pair of transmitters and receivers are located on the lift cab and on the road. In addition, a redundant design of the measuring device is also achieved by having two transmitters and two receivers located on the lift cab or on the lift.

In a third variant, the measuring device according to the invention for a lift system with at least one lift cabin which is movable along a road of the lift system has at least one transmitter and at least one receiver, one receiver located at a first lift cabin and one receiver located at a second lift cabin. The transmitter emits a beam at a first angle relative to the direction of travel. The first angle is set so that when the lift cabins are approached, the beam hits the receiver.

The measuring device of the third variant is also redundantly extendable, with an additional transmitter and receiver located in the lift cabins, so that either two transmitters are located in a first lift cabin and two transmitters in a second lift cabin or one transmitter and receiver are located in a first and a second lift cabin.

If the above variants are known, the expert may also combine all the variants in a lifting system, and the measuring device according to the three variants may be equipped with one or more reflectors, located on a lifting cabin and/or on the road, which reflect a beam from the transmitter to a receiver.

In all three cases, the sensor emits a beam detectable by an associated receiver. This pair of transmitters and receivers and, where appropriate, one or more associated reflectors are arranged in the area of the roadway and the lift cabins in such a way that, when one or more lift cabins are used, the transmitter beam generates a travelling measuring point on the receiver and/or, where appropriate, on a reflector. The receiver and/or reflector define a temporal or local response range in which an appropriate response can be triggered. This response range can be used, for example, to compensate for system response times or building tolerances.

The receiver has a sensor area with one or more sensitive sensor areas for detection of the beam. If the sensor area is divided into several sections, these are preferably separately evaluated.

The advantage is that this sensor area is positioned vertically on the elevator cab or on the roadway, which minimises the deposition of dust particles on the sensor area. To protect the sensor area even better against the deposition of dust particles, it is overhanging in a vertical direction, i.e. the sensitive sensor side is tilted downwards at an angle of 0 to 90°. This variant is preferably used in conjunction with a reflector.

The radiation generated by the transmitter can be based on different physical principles. The radiation includes electromagnetic, electrical, or magnetic waves, sound or light waves. The sensor area of the receiver is tuned to receive the beam depending on the chosen embodiment.

The angle between the beam and the direction of travel is adjustable in time, depending on one or more parameters, such as the position, speed or acceleration of the lift cab, distance, relative speed and/or acceleration and/or operating condition of the lift system.

An additional application of the measuring device according to the invention is possible, in particular, in the case of a receiver with a sensor area divided into several sections. Since each section can be evaluated separately, the sensor can be evaluated in relation to the position of a lifting cabin as long as it is in the range of the traveling measuring point.

One advantage of the invention is the simple arrangement of commercially available components to create a measuring device that realizes a distance control or a combined distance and speed control and/or determines the position of a lifting cabin relative to the road surface. Another advantage is the automatic determination of the distance by the receiver and the triggering of an autonomous response when an elevator cabin approaches a road surface or a neighbouring elevator without assistance. Furthermore, the receiver, in conjunction with a local computing unit, is capable of a collision-prevention response based on information from a small computing power. The additional speed of the remote setting provides additional safety and an autonomous response to a collision and provides a rapid response to the desired speed.

The following is a description of the invention using examples of execution and with reference to the drawings. Figure 1A a side view of a first elevator system of the invention at an initial time;Figure 1B a side view of the elevator system of Figure 1A at a later time;Figure 2 a side view of a part of a second elevator system of the invention;Figure 3 a side view of a part of a third elevator system of the invention.

A lift system typically has at least one lift cabin suspended by a traction device. To balance the weight of the cabin, a counterweight of the lift system is preferably provided, which is also connected to the traction device. To drive the lift cabin, the lift system is equipped with a drive comprising a drive, a motor and optionally a brake.

The space traversed by the elevator cabin is defined by a roadway. The roadway includes the space directly required by the elevator cabin, as well as the adjacent space. Most often the space specified by the roadway is bounded by an elevator shaft. In this respect, the terms roadway and elevator shaft can be understood synonymously. The elevator shaft is defined laterally by four shaft walls as well as by a shaft roof and shaft floor.

The measuring device has at least one transmitter and an associated receiver. The transmitter sends a beam that can be received by the receiver. The receiver can trigger a reaction due to a received beam directly or in interaction with a connected control unit. Optionally, reflectors are also part of the measuring device. The reflectors reflect the beam sent by a transmitter directly or through one or more reflectors to a receiver.

A first embodiment of the invention is described in connection with the two snapshots in Figures 1A and 1B. A simple elevator system 10 with an upper lifting cab A1 and a lower lifting cab A2 is shown, both essentially moving vertically independently on a common roadway 11, e.g. a lift shaft 11, the elevator system 10 along a running direction. For this purpose, the elevator cabs A1, A2 may be equipped with a drive and a brake per lifting cab A1, A2 or, for example, may be individually coupled to a central drive system to allow individual movement along the running track 11.

A measuring device is provided, for example, comprising a first electro-optical measuring device 20 with a first transmitter, e.g. a light source 21 located in a lower area of the upper lifting cab A1 as shown schematically in Figures 1A and 1B. Light sources are particularly suitable for LEDs emitting a bundled light.

The measuring device 20 shall also include a first receiver 22 which includes a first light-sensitive sensor area 22 in an upper area of the lower lifting cab A2.

The first light source 21 shall be so designed and arranged as to emit a grouped first ray in the form of a light beam L1 at a first angle W1 with respect to the direction of travel z. In the example shown, the light beam L1 is downward.

In Fig. 1A, a snapshot is shown (distance between the cabs is S1), where the upper lifting cab A1 moves downwards at a speed of v1 and the lower lifting cab A2 is stationary (v2 = 0).

If the relative distance between the two lifting cabs A1 and A2 is reduced to a minimum distance S2, as shown in Figure 1B, the light beam L1 first hits the sensor area 22 of the receiver.

According to the invention, the first angle W1 is set or adjusted so that, when approaching the upper and lower lift cabins A1, A2, the first beam of light L1 hits the first sensor area 22 as soon as the minimum distance S2 is reached.

The present invention now allows for various forms of realization or stages of development of the measuring device.

In the simplest case, a reaction can be initiated immediately on the first contact of the beam L1 with the sensor area 22; in this case, it is sufficient that the sensor area 22 has a size, in terms of area, which allows to ensure that, despite the fluctuations in the lifting system 10, the L1 beam can be reliably detected by the receiver 22, 24.

A further embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 2 which shows a snapshot taken shortly after the first exposure of the L1 beam by a light-sensitive section 22.1 of the sensor area 22.

The sections are preferably separately evaluated, i.e. each has separate electrical connections, and preferably a corresponding evaluation system 24 (or 24 and 28 in the case of Figure 3) is provided for the different embodiments to trigger an adapted response (R1, R2, R3, R4) depending on which of the sections 22.1 to 22.n the first beam L1 hits.

If we now assume the same distances as in Figures 1A and 1B, at the moment shown the distance would be less than S2.

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Fig. 2 shows another embodiment of the invention. As indicated by an arrow below the sensor range 22, the light point travels to the left at a speed of v1* as the relative distance between the lift cabins A1, A2 decreases at a speed of v1. This speed v1* allows a computational determination of the speed of v1 using simple trigonometric methods. If, for example, the angle W1 is 45 degrees, then v1 = v1*, since it is 45 = 1, then if the angle W1 is greater than 45 degrees, then v1* is also greater than v1.

Figure 3 shows another variant, which is currently preferred as it offers the highest safety. Two electro-optical measuring devices are used, as shown. The first is designed in a similar way to the system shown in the previous figures. The second measuring device can be of the same design but is located in a mirrored position in the upper area of the lower lift compartment A2.

In the example shown, both angles are the same, i.e. W1 = W2, but the angles can be specified or set differently.

The figures show that the receivers are capable of transmitting signals or information via wires or other connections 23 or 27. These signals or information are then either processed before the reactions are triggered or they trigger the reactions directly, for example by opening a switch that is part of a safety circuit.

There are many ways to trigger the reactions, depending on the details of the elevator system 10 in question. For example, if the elevator system 10 has its own safety circuit for each lift compartment A1, A2, the receiver (s) of the safety circuit may interrupt the upper and/or lower lift compartments A1, A2.

A lift system 10 preferably has its own safety circuit for each lift compartment A1, A2 where several safety elements, such as safety contacts and switches, are arranged in a serial circuit. The corresponding lift compartment A1 or A2 can only be moved if the safety circuit and therefore all safety contacts integrated in it are closed. The safety circuit is connected to the drive or brake unit of the lift compartment 10 to interrupt the operation of the corresponding lift compartment A1 or A2 if such a reaction is desired.

The invention can also be used in elevator systems equipped with a safety bus system instead of the safety circuit mentioned.

Alternatively or in addition to opening the safety circuits, the brakes of the respective lift cabs A1, A2 may also be applied.

Alternatively or additionally, any catching brakes of the respective lift cabs A1, A2 may also be activated.

Thus, depending on the embodiment, one or more of the following reactions can be induced by the recipients 22, 24 and 26, 28 respectively: Opening a safety circuit from at least one lift cabin A1, A2,Signal to a lift control,Triggering a braking device from at least one lift cabin A1, A2,Triggering a trapping brake from at least one lift cabin A1, A2,Transferring from at least one lift cabin A1, A2 to a warning state,Adjusting the vertical speed v1, v2 from at least one lift cabin A1, A2.

The invention can therefore be used to achieve a remote control or a combined distance and speed control.

The angles W1, W2 can be adjusted in a range from 0 to 90° with respect to the vertical direction z.

Preferably, the angle W1, W2 is set in time variable depending on one or more parameters such as the position, speed or acceleration of a lifting cab A1, A2, the distance, relative speed or acceleration of the lifting cab A1, A2 to a reference point or the operating condition of the lifting system 10.

The angle W1, W2 can be adjusted to a smaller angle, for example, at a higher speed of the cabin A1, A2, so that the light beam L1, L2 falls on the receiver at an earlier time, 22, 24, and thus the receiver can trigger a reaction R1, R2, R3, R4 at an earlier time. At a lower speed, the need for an early reaction R1, R2, R3, R4 is reduced accordingly, and thus a larger angle W1, W2 can be adjusted.

The operating condition of a lift system 10, such as inspection or maintenance condition, often prescribes a reduced maximum speed, so that in the case of an inspection of lift cab A1, A2, the angles W1, W2 of the beam L1, L2 can be increased after the lift cab A1, A2 has been brought into an inspection condition, since lift cab A1, A2 can only be operated at a reduced speed.

The position of the lifting cabs A1, A2 is used, for example, to determine the time of a variable adjustment of the angle W1, W2. Accordingly, a critical distance is defined between the lifting cabs A1, A2 or between a lifting cab A1, A2 and the shaft. If this value is below, the variable adjustment of the angle W1, W2 begins.

If several lifting cabs are operating in the same shaft 11, a suitable measuring device may also be provided between these lifting cabs.

A second embodiment of the invention relates to a lift system with a lift cabin which is mobile along a roadway or lift shaft in the direction of travel. For this purpose, the lift cabin A1 is equipped, for example, with a drive and a brake according to the first embodiment. A measuring device is provided, for example, including a first electro-optical measuring device with a first transmitter, for example a light source located in a lower area of the upper lift cabin.

The measuring device shall also include a first receiver which includes a light-sensitive first sensor area at the lower edge of the track. The first light source shall be so designed and arranged as to emit a bundled first light beam at a first angle relative to the direction of travel. In the example described, the light beam is directed downwards.

In one variant, the positions of the light source and the receiver can also be interchanged so that the receiver is positioned in the lower part of the lift cab and the light source in the lower part of the shaft.

A third embodiment of the invention relates to a lift system with a lift cabin which is mobile along a road or lift shaft in the direction of travel. For this purpose, the lift cabin is equipped, for example, with a drive and a brake according to the first embodiment. A measuring device is provided, for example, including a first electro-optical measuring device with a first transmitter, for example a light source located in the area of the upper shaft.

The measuring device shall also include a first receiver which includes a light-sensitive first sensor area also in the area of the upper shaft at a distance from the light source.

The measuring device also has a reflector located in the upper part of the lifting cab. The position of the reflector is such that, when the lifting cab approaches the upper end of the shaft, the beam of light hits the reflector and is reflected from it to the receiver of the measuring device. Preferably, the extension of the reflector and the light-sensitive sensor area of the receiver are coordinated so that, when the lifting cab approaches the upper end of the shaft, the light beam passes through the entire sensor area. In the example described, the light beam between the light source and the reflector is directed downwards and upwards towards the receiver after reflection.

In one variant, the light source and the light receiver are located in the upper part of the lifting cab and the reflector in the upper part of the shaft.

The principle of operation of the measuring device in the second and third embodiments is the same as in the other embodiments, so that the variants described above can be combined almost arbitrarily.

Claims (13)

1. Measurement apparatus (20) for an elevator system (10) having at least one elevator cab (A1, A2), which can be moved along a travel path (11) of the elevator system (10), the measurement apparatus (20) comprising at least one transmitter (21) and at least one receiver (22, 24), characterized in that

   - a receiver (22, 24) is arranged on an elevator cab (A1) and a transmitter (21) is arranged on the travel path, and/or in that

   - a transmitter (21) is arranged on an elevator cab (A1) and a receiver (22, 24) is arranged on the travel path,

   - the transmitter emitting a beam (L1) at a first angle (W1) relative to the direction of travel (z) and the first angle (W1) being specified such that when an elevator cab (A1, A2) approaches an obstacle that is stationary relative to the travel path (11), the beam (L1) impinges on the receiver (22).
2. Measurement apparatus (20) for an elevator system (10) having at least one elevator cab (A1, A2), which can be moved along a travel path (11) of the elevator system (10), the measurement apparatus (20) comprising at least one transmitter (21) and at least one receiver (22, 24), characterized in that

   - a receiver (22, 24) and a transmitter (21) are arranged on an elevator cab (A1, A2) and the measurement apparatus (20) comprises at least one reflector, which is arranged on the travel path (11), and the reflector reflects an incident beam (L1, L2) coming from the transmitter (21) to a receiver (22, 24), and/or in that

   - a receiver (22, 24) and a transmitter (21) are arranged on a travel path (11) and the measurement apparatus (20) comprises at least one reflector, which is arranged on the elevator cab (A1, A2), and the reflector reflects an incident beam (L1, L2) coming from the transmitter (21) to a receiver (22, 24),

   - the transmitter (21) emitting a beam (L1) at a first angle (W1) relative to the direction of travel (z) and the first angle (W1) being specified such that when the elevator cab (A1, A2) approaches an obstacle that is stationary relative to the travel path (11), the beam (L1) impinges on the receiver (22).
3. Measurement apparatus (20) for an elevator system (10) having at least two elevator cabs (A1, A2), which can be moved along a travel path (11) of the elevator system (10), the measurement apparatus (20) comprising at least one transmitter (21) and at least one receiver (22, 24), characterized in that

   - a receiver (22, 24) is arranged on a first elevator cab (A1, A2) and in that

   - a transmitter (21) is arranged on a second elevator cab (A1, A2) and emits a beam (L1) at a first angle (W1) relative to the direction of travel (z) and the first angle (W1) is specified such that when the elevator cabs (A1, A2) approach one another, the beam (L1) impinges on the receiver (22, 24).
4. Measurement apparatus (20) according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the angle (W1, W2) between the beam (L1, L2) and the direction of travel (z) can be temporarily variably adjusted on the basis of individual parameters or a plurality of parameters.
5. Measurement apparatus (20) according to claim 4, characterized in that a position, speed or acceleration of an elevator cab (A1, A2), a distance, a relative speed, and/or a relative acceleration of an elevator cab (A1, A2) at a reference point, and/or an operating state of the elevator system (10) are selected as parameters.
6. Measurement apparatus (20) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the receiver (22, 24) has a sensor region (22) that is arranged perpendicularly on the elevator cab and/or the travel path (11).
7. Measurement apparatus (20) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the beam (L1, L2) of the transmitter (21) produces a moving measurement point on the receiver (22, 24) or reflector.
8. Measurement apparatus (20) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the receiver (22, 24) defines a temporal or spatial response region for triggering a response (R1, R2, R3, R4).
9. Measurement apparatus (20) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the receiver (22) has a sensor region (22) having a plurality of sensitive portions (22.1 - 22.n) that can be separately evaluated.
10. Measurement apparatus (20) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the receiver (22, 24) comprises an evaluation system (24) in order to be able to trigger an adapted response (R1, R2, R3, R4) depending on which of the portions (22.1 - 22.n) the beam (L1) impinges on.
11. Measurement apparatus (20) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that one or more of the following responses is/are triggered by the receiver (22, 24):

    - breaking a safety circuit of at least one elevator cab (A1, A2),

    - signal to an elevator control unit,

    - triggering a braking device of at least one elevator cab (A1, A2),

    - triggering a safety brake of at least one elevator cab (A1, A2),

    - putting at least one elevator cab (A1, A2) into an advance-warning state,

    - adapting the vertical speed (v1, v2) of at least one elevator cab (A1, A2).
12. Measurement apparatus (20) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a distance check or a combined distance and speed check are carried out and/or a position of an elevator cab (A1, A2) relative to the travel path (11) can be determined by the measurement apparatus (20).
13. Elevator system (10) comprising a measurement apparatus (20) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the elevator system (10) comprises at least one elevator cab (A1, A2) having one drive and one holding brake per elevator cab (A1, A2) and wherein a collision of the elevator cabs (A1, A2) is preventable by means of a response (R1, R2, R3, R4).