Monitoring of elevator pit tie and compensator

Abstract

The subject matter of the invention is monitoring of elevator pit tie-down and compensator. A method of monitoring a tie-down compensator of an elevator system includes positioning one or more sensor assemblies in a hoistway of the elevator system. The sensor assembly is configured to monitor a position of the tie-down compensator in the hoistway. The tie-down compensator causes compensation members of the elevator system to be routed therethrough. The distance between the fixed position in the hoistway and the tie-in compensator is measured by means of a sensor assembly, and the measured distance is compared to a threshold distance. One or more actions are taken based on a result of the comparison.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Embodiments herein relate to elevator systems, and more particularly, to elevator systems including one or more sensor assemblies for detecting a person in a pit of the elevator system.

[0002] People such as maintenance personnel may need to enter the pit of the elevator shaft for inspection, maintenance, etc. Many safety measures exist to prevent injury to people in the pit. Although not required, additional safety measures may be beneficial. Summary of the invention

[0003] According to an embodiment, an elevator system includes a hoistway, an elevator car configured to travel in the hoistway, and a counterweight located in the hoistway. A tension member connects the elevator car to the counterweight and is configured to move the elevator car along the hoistway. A pit is located at a bottom of the hoistway, and a compensating member extends from the elevator car toward the pit and from the pit toward the counterweight. A tie-down compensator is located in the pit, and the compensating member is wired therethrough. One or more sensor assemblies are configured to monitor the position of the tie-down compensator in the hoistway.

[0004] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, in further embodiments, the sensor assembly further includes a sensor that measures a distance between a fixed location in the hoistway and the tie compensator.

[0005] In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, in further embodiments, the sensor also includes at least one of a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor, a millimeter wave (radio assisted detection and ranging) RADAR sensor, and a red, blue, green depth (RGBD) camera.

[0006] In addition to or alternatively to one or more of the features described herein, in further embodiments a running average of the measured distances is indicative of movement of the tie compensator in the hoistway.

[0007] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, in further embodiments, run-to-run differences in the measured distances are indicative of damping performance of the tie compensator.

[0008] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, in further embodiments, a sensor is secured in the hoistway and measures the position of the tie compensator.

[0009] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, in further embodiments, a sensor is secured to the tie compensator and measures a distance to a fixed location in the hoistway.

[0010] According to another embodiment, a method of monitoring a tie down compensator of an elevator system includes positioning one or more sensor assemblies in a hoistway of the elevator system. The sensor assembly is configured to monitor the position of the tie down compensator in the hoistway. The tie down compensator has a compensating member of the elevator system routed therethrough. A distance between a fixed position in the hoistway and the tie down compensator is measured by means of the sensor assembly, and the measured distance is compared to a threshold distance. One or more actions are taken based on the result of the comparison.

[0011] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments include calculating a running average of the measured distances, comparing the calculated running average to a threshold distance and shortening the effective length of the compensating member as a result of the comparison.

[0012] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments include comparing measured distances on a run-to-run basis and taking one or more actions based on the compared measured distances.

[0013] In addition to or in the alternative to one or more of the features described herein, further embodiments include determining one or more of a velocity or acceleration of a tie-down compensator, comparing the velocity or acceleration to a threshold and taking one or more actions based on the compared velocity or threshold.

[0014] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, in further embodiments, the one or more actions also include replacing or replenishing fluid in a hydraulic damper of a tie compensator.

[0015] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, in further embodiments the sensor assembly further comprises at least one of a LIDAR sensor, a millimeter wave RADAR sensor, and an RGBD camera.

[0016] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, in further embodiments, a sensor assembly is secured in the hoistway and measures a position of the tie compensator.

[0017] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, in further embodiments, a sensor assembly is secured to the tie compensator and measures a distance to a fixed location in the hoistway.

[0018] According to yet another embodiment, an elevator system includes a hoistway, an elevator car configured to travel in the hoistway, and a counterweight located in the hoistway. A tension member extends between the elevator car and the counterweight and connects the elevator car to the counterweight. A pit is located at the bottom of the hoistway, and a compensating member extends from the elevator car toward the pit and from the pit toward the counterweight. A tie bracket is connected to the compensating member, and the tie bracket is configured to deflect downward toward the bottom of the hoistway to tension the compensating member. One or more LIDAR sensors are configured to monitor the position of the tie bracket in the hoistway.

[0019] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, in further embodiments, one or more LIDAR sensors measure the distance between a fixed location in the hoistway and the tie-down bracket.

[0020] In addition to or alternatively to one or more of the features described herein, in further embodiments, a running average of the measured distances is indicative of movement of the tie-down bracket in the hoistway.

[0021] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, in further embodiments, one or more LIDAR sensors are secured in the hoistway and measure the position of the tie-down brackets.

[0022] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more of the features described herein, in further embodiments, one or more LIDAR sensors are secured to the tie-down brackets and measure distances to fixed locations in the hoistway.

[0023] Unless otherwise expressly stated, the aforementioned features and elements may be combined in various combinations without exclusivity. These features and elements and the operation thereof will become more apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that the following description and drawings are intended to be illustrative and explanatory and non-restrictive in nature. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of examples and is not limited by the accompanying figures, in which like references indicate similar elements.

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an elevator system in which various embodiments of the present disclosure may be employed;

[0026] Figure 2 depicts compensation and tie-down and compensation arrangements in exemplary embodiments;

[0027] Figure 3depicts a sensor assembly disposed in an elevator pit in an example embodiment;

[0028] Figure 4 depicts a sensor assembly in an example embodiment; and

[0029] Figure 5 A method of monitoring tie-down and compensation arrangements in an example embodiment is described. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Figure 1 1 is a perspective view of an elevator system 101 including an elevator car 103, a counterweight 105, a tension member 107, a guide rail 109, a machine 111, a position reference system 113, and a controller 115. The elevator car 103 and the counterweight 105 are connected to each other by the tension member 107. The tension member 107 may include or be configured as, for example, a rope, a steel cable, and / or a coated steel belt. The counterweight 105 is configured to balance the load of the elevator car 103 and to facilitate movement of the elevator car 103 within an elevator shaft or hoistway 117 and along the guide rail 109 relative to the counterweight 105 simultaneously and in opposite directions.

[0031] The tension member 107 engages a machine 111, which is part of the overhead structure of the elevator system 101. The machine 111 is configured to control the movement between the elevator car 103 and the counterweight 105. The position reference system 113 can be mounted on a fixed portion at the top of the elevator shaft 117 (such as on a support or guide rail) and can be configured to provide a position signal related to the position of the elevator car 103 within the elevator shaft 117. In other embodiments, the position reference system 113 can be mounted directly to the moving parts of the machine 111 or can be located in other positions and / or configurations as known in the art. As known in the art, the position reference system 113 can be any device or mechanism for monitoring the position of the elevator car and / or counterweight. For example, without limitation, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the position reference system 113 can be an encoder, a sensor or other system and can include speed sensing, absolute position sensing, etc.

[0032] As shown, the controller 115 can be located in a controller room 121 of the elevator shaft 117 and is configured to control the operation of the elevator system 101 and in particular the elevator car 103. It is to be appreciated that the controller 115 need not be in the controller room 121, but can be in the hoistway or other location in the elevator system. For example, the controller 115 can provide a drive signal to the machine 111 to control the acceleration, deceleration, leveling, stopping, etc. of the elevator car 103. The controller 115 can also be configured to receive a position signal from the position reference system 113 or any other desired position reference device. When moving up or down along the guide rail 109 in the elevator shaft 117, the elevator car 103 can stop at one or more landings 125 as controlled by the controller 115. Although shown in the controller room 121, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the controller 115 can be located and / or configured in other places or locations within the elevator system 101. In one embodiment, the controller 115 can be located remotely or in a distributed computing network (e.g., a cloud computing architecture). The controller 115 may be implemented using a processor-based machine such as a personal computer, a server, a distributed computing network, or the like.

[0033] The machine 111 may include a motor or similar drive mechanism. According to the disclosed embodiments, the machine 111 is configured to include an electrically driven motor. The power supply to the motor may be any power source, including an electrical grid, which is supplied to the motor in combination with other components. The machine 111 may include a traction sheave that imparts force to the tension member 107 to move the elevator car 103 within the elevator shaft 117.

[0034] The elevator system 101 also includes one or more elevator doors 104. The elevator doors 104 may be attached to the elevator car 103 or the elevator doors 104 may be located on a landing 125 of the elevator system 101, or both. The embodiments disclosed herein may be applicable to both or both of the elevator doors 104 attached to the elevator car 103 or the elevator doors 104 located on a landing 125 of the elevator system 101. The elevator doors 104 open to allow passengers to enter and exit the elevator car 103.

[0035] Reference now Figure 2, the elevator system 101 includes a compensating member 200 extending from the elevator car 103 toward the hoistway pit 202, around a tie compensator 206, and to the counterweight 105. The tie compensator 206 is disposed in the hoistway pit 202 and includes a tie bracket 208 that deflects downward toward the pit floor 210 to tension the compensating member 200, thereby stabilizing the movement of the elevator car 103 along the hoistway 117. Over time, during operation of the elevator system 101, the compensating member 200 stretches or lengthens, and thus the tie bracket 208 travels downward toward the pit floor 210 to maintain a selected tension on the compensating member 200. However, the downward travel of the tie bracket 208 is limited, and the effective length of the compensating member 200 is periodically shortened to maintain the selected tension while still accounting for the travel of the tie bracket 208. According to one aspect, a position sensor assembly 220 is provided to monitor the position of the tie bracket 208.

[0036] Figure 3 The position sensor assembly 220 is described in detail. The position sensor assembly 220 is fixed in the hoistway 117 and is configured to measure the distance from the sensor assembly 220 to the tie bracket 208. When the position of the tie bracket 208 is outside of a selected threshold, the effective length of the compensating member 200 is shortened. In some embodiments, the threshold is one or more of a predetermined threshold or may be a threshold specific to the installation site. Although in Figure 3 In the embodiments, sensor assembly 220 is fixed in hoistway 117 and measures the distance to movable tie-down bracket 208, but those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that in other embodiments, sensor assembly 220 may be disposed at tie-down bracket 208 and configured to measure the distance to a fixed location in hoistway 117 (such as a location at pit floor 210).

[0037] Position sensor assembly 220 is used to monitor the position of tie down bracket 208 over time, which is indicative of elongation of compensating member 200, which in some embodiments is assessed using a sliding average of measurements of the distance between sensor assembly 220 and tie down bracket 208. Additionally, position sensor assembly 220 is used to monitor run-to-run variations in the position of the distance, which is indicative of damping performance of tie down compensator 206 utilizing damper 300, such as a hydraulic fluid damper. Run-to-run variations outside of a predetermined threshold are indicative of reduced damping performance and a potential need for maintenance of damper 300. In some embodiments, processor 224 may derive a rate of change of position of tie down compensator 206 and / or an acceleration of tie down compensator 206 to assess damping performance. While in Figure 3One sensor assembly 220 and one damper 300 are illustrated, but in other embodiments, multiple sensor assemblies 220 may be utilized to monitor the damping performance of multiple dampers 330, which may be detected by observing swaying or uneven movement of the tie bracket 208.

[0038] Figure 4 A sensor assembly 220 in an example embodiment is depicted. The sensor assembly 220 includes a sensor 222. The sensor 222 may be a distance sensor that generates distance measurements in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional field of view. The sensor 222 may be implemented using a LIDAR sensor, a millimeter wave RADAR sensor, an RGBD camera, or other distance measurement sensor. The sensor assembly 220 includes a processor 224 that controls the operation of the sensor assembly 220. The processor 224 may be implemented using a general-purpose microprocessor that executes a computer program stored on a storage medium to perform the operations described herein, and in some embodiments, the processor 224 may be used to perform image processing of data and / or sensor data to extract useful diagnostic signals, such as tie-down speed or acceleration. Alternatively, the processor 224 may be implemented in hardware (e.g., ASIC, FPGA) or in a combination of hardware / software. The processor 224 allows the sensor assembly 220 to perform calculations locally, also referred to as edge computing. The processor 224 may send commands to other components of the elevator system 101 based on the results of the local calculations.

[0039] The sensor assembly 220 includes a memory 226 that can store computer programs, reference data, sensor data, etc. that can be executed by the processor 224. The memory 226 can be implemented using known devices of such random access memory. The sensor assembly 220 includes a communication unit 228 that allows the sensor assembly 220 to communicate with other components of the elevator system 101 (such as other sensor assemblies and / or the elevator controller 115). The communication unit 228 can be implemented using a wired connection (e.g., LAN, Ethernet, twisted pair, etc.) or a wireless connection (e.g., WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth, etc.).

[0040] Reference now Figure 5, a method of monitoring the position of a tie bracket 208 includes periodically measuring the vertical position of the tie bracket 208 in the hoistway 107 with the aid of the sensor assembly 220 at step 400. The measured position is compared to a creep threshold using, for example, a sliding average of the position measurement at step 402. If the measurement exceeds the creep threshold, a signal is generated at step 404 to perform a maintenance action. The maintenance action may include inspecting the tie compensator 206 and / or shortening the effective length of the compensating member 200. At step 406, the run-to-run variation of the position measurement is compared to the run-to-run threshold, and additionally or alternatively, the rate of change of the position of the tie compensator 206 and / or the acceleration of the tie compensator 206 may be derived to evaluate damping performance. At step 408, when the measured run-to-run variation exceeds the run-to-run threshold, a damping maintenance signal is sent to perform a maintenance action. In the case of a run-to-run variation, the maintenance action may be one or more of inspecting the damper 300 and / or replacing or replenishing the hydraulic fluid in the damper 300.

[0041] Utilizing sensor assembly 220 to measure the position of tie down bracket 208 allows for monitoring the condition of compensating member 200 and tie down compensator 206 from outside of hoistway 107, thereby reducing the need for a technician to enter pit 202, thereby improving safety for the technician.

[0042] The term "approximately" is intended to include the degree of error associated with measurement of the particular quantity based on manufacturing tolerances of the equipment available at the time the application was filed.

[0043] The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not specified to be limitations of the present disclosure. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, as used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "said" are intended to also include plural forms. It will be further understood that the terms "include" and / or "comprise" when used in this specification specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, element parts and / or groups thereof.

[0044] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various example embodiments are shown and described herein, each of which has certain features in a particular embodiment, but the present disclosure is not limited thereby. On the contrary, the present disclosure may be modified to incorporate any number of changes, alterations, substitutions, combinations, sub-combinations, or equivalent arrangements not previously described but comparable to the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, although various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the present disclosure may include only some of the described embodiments. Therefore, the present disclosure is not to be considered as being limited by the foregoing description, but rather the present disclosure is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An elevator system, comprising: Well; an elevator car configured to travel in the hoistway; a counterweight disposed in the hoistway; a tension member connecting the elevator car to the counterweight and configured to move the elevator car along the hoistway; A pit located at the bottom of the shaft; a compensating member extending from the elevator car toward the pit and from the pit toward the counterweight; a tie-down compensator positioned in the pit and through which the compensating member is routed; as well as One or more sensor assemblies configured to monitor a position of the tie compensator in the hoistway.

2. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein: The sensor assembly includes a sensor that measures a distance between a fixed location in the hoistway and the tie compensator.

3. The elevator system according to claim 2, wherein: The sensor includes at least one of a LIDAR sensor, a millimeter wave RADAR sensor, and an RGBD camera.

4. The elevator system according to claim 2, wherein: A running average of the measured distances is indicative of movement of the tie down compensator in the hoistway.

5. The elevator system according to claim 2, wherein: The run-to-run difference in the measured distance is indicative of the damping performance of the tie-down compensator.

6. The elevator system according to claim 2, wherein: The sensor is secured in the hoistway and measures a position of the tie compensator.

7. The elevator system according to claim 2, wherein: The sensor is secured to the tie compensator and measures the distance to the fixed location in the hoistway.

8. A method for monitoring a tie-down compensator of an elevator system, comprising: positioning one or more sensor assemblies in a hoistway of the elevator system, the sensor assemblies configured to monitor a position of the tie compensator in the hoistway through which a compensating member of the elevator system is routed; measuring a distance between a fixed location in the hoistway and the tie compensator with the one or more sensor assemblies; comparing the measured distance to a threshold distance; as well as One or more actions are taken based on the results of the comparison.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: calculating a sliding average of the measured distances; comparing the calculated sliding average with the threshold distance; as well as As a result of the comparison, the effective length of the compensating member is shortened.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: Compare measured distances on a run-to-run basis; as well as One or more actions are taken based on the compared measured distances.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising: determining one or more of a velocity or an acceleration of the tie compensator; comparing the velocity or acceleration to a threshold value; as well as One or more actions are taken based on the speed or threshold of the comparison.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein: The one or more actions include replacing or replenishing fluid in a hydraulic damper of the tie compensator.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein: The sensor assembly includes at least one of a LIDAR sensor, a millimeter wave RADAR sensor, and an RGBD camera.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein: The sensor assembly is secured in the hoistway and measures a position of the tie compensator.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein: The sensor assembly is secured to the tie compensator and measures a distance to the fixed location in the hoistway.

16. An elevator system, comprising: Well; an elevator car configured to travel in the hoistway; a counterweight disposed in the hoistway; a tension member extending between the elevator car and the counterweight and connecting the elevator car to the counterweight; A pit located at the bottom of the shaft; a compensating member extending from the elevator car toward the pit and from the pit toward the counterweight; a tie down bracket connected to the compensating member, wherein the tie down bracket is configured to deflect downwardly toward the bottom of the hoistway to tension the compensating member; as well as One or more LIDAR sensors configured to monitor a position of the tie down bracket in the hoistway.

17. The elevator system of claim 16, wherein: The one or more LIDAR sensors measure a distance between a fixed location in the hoistway and the tie down bracket.

18. The elevator system of claim 16, wherein: A running average of the measured distances is indicative of movement of the tie-down bracket in the hoistway.

19. The elevator system of claim 16, wherein: The one or more LIDAR sensors are secured in the hoistway and measure the position of the tie-down brackets.

20. The elevator system of claim 16, wherein: The one or more LIDAR sensors are secured to the tie down brackets and measure the distance to the fixed location in the hoistway.

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