Elevator system

Abstract

According to an aspect, there is provided an elevator system comprising a serial data communication system, an elevator controller communicatively connected to the serial data communication system, and at least one elevator system node communicatively connected to the serial data communication system. An elevator system node of the at least one elevator system node is configured to register events associated with the elevator car; determining event data associated with the event; determining timing data associated with the event; a message is sent to an elevator controller via a serial data communication system, the message including event data and timing data. The elevator controller is configured to receive the message via the serial data communication system; and determining an estimated value of the elevator car control parameter based on the event data and the timing data.

Description

Background Art

[0001] An elevator system may use various sensors to determine the position of an elevator car in an elevator shaft. This determination may be based on, for example, magnets. Magnets may be used to determine whether the elevator car is in the correct position in the elevator shaft, or whether it should still be moved in order to reach the correct position.

[0002] At the same time, the elevator system may use serial data transmission to transmit various messages associated with the elevator system and its elements.Depending on the implementation of the sensor used to determine the position of the elevator car in the elevator shaft, when the speed of the elevator car exceeds a predetermined threshold speed, it may happen that the sensor cannot correctly detect the position of the elevator car in the elevator shaft. Summary of the invention

[0003] According to a first aspect, an elevator system is provided, comprising: a serial data communication system, an elevator controller communicatively connected to the serial data communication system, and at least one elevator system node communicatively connected to the serial data communication system. An elevator system node in the at least one elevator system node is configured to register an event associated with an elevator car; determine event data associated with the event; determine timing data associated with the event; send a message to the elevator controller via the serial data communication system, the message including the event data and the timing data. The elevator controller is configured to receive the message via the serial data communication system; and determine an estimated value of an elevator car control parameter based on the event data and the timing data.

[0004] In an implementation form of the first aspect, the timing data comprises a time since registration of said event.

[0005] In an implementation form of the first aspect, the timing data comprises a timestamp when the event was registered.

[0006] In an implementation form of the first aspect, the event data comprises at least one of a position of the elevator car and a speed of the elevator car.

[0007] In an implementation form of the first aspect, the estimated value of the elevator control parameter comprises at least one of a current speed of the elevator car and a current position of the elevator car.

[0008] In an implementation form of the first aspect, the serial data communication bus comprises a secure bus applying a time-triggered communication protocol.

[0009] In an implementation form of the first aspect, the elevator system node is arranged in an elevator car.

[0010] According to a second aspect, there is provided an elevator system node communicatively connected to a serial data communication system. The elevator system node comprises means for registering an event associated with an elevator car, means for determining event data associated with the event, means for determining timing data associated with the event, and means for sending a message to an elevator controller via the serial data communication system, the message comprising the event data and the timing data.

[0011] In an implementation form of the second aspect, the timing data comprises a time since registration of the event.

[0012] In an implementation form of the second aspect, the timing data comprises a timestamp when the event was registered.

[0013] In an implementation form of the second aspect, the event data includes at least one of a position of the elevator car and a speed of the elevator car.

[0014] In an implementation form of the second aspect, the serial data communication bus comprises a secure bus applying a time-triggered communication protocol.

[0015] In an implementation form of the second aspect, the elevator system node is arranged in an elevator car.

[0016] According to a third aspect, there is provided an elevator controller communicatively connected to a serial data communication system. The elevator controller comprises means for receiving a message via the serial data communication system, the message comprising event data relating to an event associated with an elevator car and timing data associated with the event; and means for determining an estimate of an elevator car control parameter based on the event data and the timing data.

[0017] In an implementation form of the third aspect, the timing data comprises a time since registration of said event.

[0018] In an implementation form of the third aspect, the timing data comprises a timestamp when the event was registered.

[0019] In an implementation form of the third aspect, the event data comprises at least one of a position of the elevator car and a speed of the elevator car.

[0020] In an implementation form of the third aspect, the serial data communication bus comprises a secure bus applying a time-triggered communication protocol.

[0021] In an implementation form of the third aspect, the estimated value of the elevator control parameter comprises at least one of a current speed of the elevator car and a current position of the elevator car.

[0022] According to a fourth aspect, a method is provided, the method comprising registering an event associated with an elevator car, determining event data associated with the event, determining timing data associated with the event, and sending a message to an elevator controller via a serial data communication system, the message comprising the event data and the timing data.

[0023] According to a fifth aspect, a method is provided, the method comprising: receiving a message via a serial data communication system, the message comprising event data relating to an event associated with an elevator car and timing data associated with the event; and determining an estimate of an elevator car control parameter based on the event data and the timing data.

[0024] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following operations: registering an event associated with an elevator car; determining event data associated with the event; determining timing data associated with the event; and sending a message to an elevator controller via a serial data communications system, the message comprising the event data and the timing data.

[0025] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following operations: receiving a message via a serial data communications system, the message comprising event data relating to an event associated with an elevator car and timing data associated with the event; and determining an estimate of an elevator car control parameter based on the event data and the timing data. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description help to explain the principles of the invention.

[0027] In the figure:

[0028] Figure 1 A block diagram of an elevator system is shown according to an example embodiment.

[0029] Figure 2 A communication cycle used between at least one elevator system node and an elevator controller in an elevator communication system according to an example embodiment is shown.

[0030] Figure 3 An apparatus according to an example embodiment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The various examples and embodiments discussed herein disclose a solution in which the limitation of serial message transmission frequency can be overcome in an elevator positioning system.

[0032] Figure 1A block diagram of an elevator system according to an example embodiment is shown. The elevator system includes a serial data communication system 100, an elevator controller 102 communicatively connected to the serial data communication system 100, and at least one elevator system node 104A, 104B, 104C communicatively connected to the serial data communication system 100. The serial data communication bus includes, for example, a safety bus that applies a time-triggered communication protocol. In an example embodiment, the elevator system nodes 104A, 104B, 104C can be arranged in an elevator car. In an example embodiment, the elevator system node can be installed in a predetermined position in the elevator shaft near the elevator car trajectory.

[0033] The elevator system nodes 104A, 104B, 104C may be configured to register an event associated with an elevator car. The event may be, for example, an elevator car positioning event. The elevator system nodes 104A, 104B, 104C may be configured to determine event data associated with the event, determine timing data associated with the event, and send a message to the elevator controller 102 via the serial data communication system 100, the message including the event data and the timing data. In an example embodiment, the event data may include elevator car position and / or elevator car speed data when indicating that the elevator car has reached a predetermined position in the elevator shaft. The elevator car position data may be obtained, for example, from an elevator car position sensor that reads a magnet installed in a predetermined position in the elevator shaft (e.g., in a landing door area). The timing data may refer to, for example, a timestamp of the time since the event was registered or the time when the event was registered.

[0034] The elevator controller 102 is configured to receive messages sent by the elevator system nodes 104A, 104B, 104C and determine an estimate of an elevator car control parameter based on the event data and the timing data. In an example embodiment, the estimate of the elevator car control parameter may include at least one of a current speed of the elevator car and a current position of the elevator car.

[0035] Figure 2 A communication cycle used in an elevator communication system between at least one elevator system node and an elevator controller according to an example embodiment is shown. The illustrated example may use, for example, a time-triggered communication protocol. The elevator system node may be configured to repeatedly report the position of the elevator car in the communication cycle, for example, once every 16 ms.

[0036] One or more elevator car position sensor readers (e.g., elevator car position sensor reading magnets) can be installed in predetermined locations in the elevator shaft, for example, in the area of ​​the landing door. The elevator car position sensor reading magnets can be used to determine the position of the elevator car in the elevator shaft. Figure 2The communication protocol shown in uses serial data communication comprising successive communication cycles, and in this example embodiment, each communication cycle is 16 ms in length.

[0037] Figure 2 The example embodiment shown in discloses a solution in which the linear position of the elevator car can also be obtained when the time that the reader of the elevator car position sensor reads the magnet is on the magnet is shorter than the length of the communication cycle (i.e., 16ms in this example). In the example embodiment, event data can be transmitted to the elevator controller via a time-triggered communication protocol for a minimum of three consecutive communication cycles. The event data may include, for example, at least one of the magnet type, the linear position of the elevator car, and the calculated speed of the elevator car. In addition to this information, the elevator system node associated with the elevator car can be configured to determine timing data associated with the event and send the timing data to the elevator controller. The timing data may include, for example, the time since the event was registered or a timestamp when the event was registered.

[0038] exist Figure 2 , the first row indicates the time 200 at which the magnet was detected. The second row indicates the number of communication cycles. The third row indicates the magnet type. The fourth row indicates the elevator car position data update time, i.e., the time elapsed between the last internal update of the linear data and the current time. Reference numerals 202, 204 indicate the time elapsed after the magnet left the reader.

[0039] In an example embodiment, if a magnet has not been indicated for a minimum number of communication cycles and the reader no longer detects the magnet, the most recent value read before the magnet type was changed can be used and the linear data update time can be updated. In addition, in an exemplary embodiment, if the next magnet is read before the data associated with the previous magnet has been sent a minimum number of times, the data read associated with the next magnet can be sent instead and the timer counting the minimum number of times for that magnet can be restarted.

[0040] In an example embodiment, the elevator controller may be configured to receive data sent by the elevator system node and determine an estimate of an elevator car control parameter based on the event data and the timing data. The estimate of the elevator control parameter may include at least one of a current speed of the elevator car and a current position of the elevator car. For example, the timing data obtained from the elevator system node may be used to adjust the position of the elevator car.

[0041] The absolute position calculation of the elevator car can be performed, for example, in the following manner. When the elevator controller calculates the absolute position of the elevator car based on the linear position (X) from the absolute position sensor lin )、Current speed(V cur ) and relative position (X rel )Determine the absolute position of the elevator car (Xabs ), the elevator controller can use the timing data (T dzs In an exemplary embodiment, the compensated absolute position (X abs ) is X abs =X rel -X lin +V cur *T dzs .

[0042] Figure 2 The example shown in uses a positioning magnet to determine the position of the elevator car. In other example embodiments, other implementations may also be used, such as an induction-based solution, a barcode-based solution, a magnetic field-based solution, a camera-based solution, etc.

[0043] At least one of the examples and embodiments disclosed above can provide a solution to mitigate the limitations of positioning systems based on magnet reading and serial communication, and the positioning system will not be a limiting factor for high-speed elevators. In addition, at least one of the examples and embodiments disclosed above can provide a solution that makes it possible to adjust the absolute position with speed when the magnet passes through in one communication cycle. In addition, at least one of the examples and embodiments disclosed above can provide a solution that makes the implementation more robust to interference in the communication network. In addition, at least one of the examples and embodiments disclosed above can implement a solution in which, despite the presence of time delays, more accurate information of the current elevator car position or the current elevator car speed can be obtained.

[0044] Figure 3 An apparatus 300 is shown according to an example embodiment. The apparatus 300 may implement the functionality of an elevator system node 104A, 104B, 104C and / or an elevator controller 102.

[0045] The apparatus 300 includes one or more processors 302 and one or more memories 304 including computer program code. The apparatus 300 may also include a communication interface 308. The communication interface 308 may provide a wired or wireless connection to other entities, for example, via the Internet or some other communication network. Although the apparatus 300 is depicted as including only one processor 302, the apparatus 300 may include more than one processor. In an example embodiment, the memory 304 is capable of storing instructions, such as an operating system and / or various applications.

[0046] In addition, the processor 302 is capable of executing the stored instructions. In an example embodiment, the processor 302 may be embodied as a multi-core processor, a single-core processor, or a combination of one or more multi-core processors and one or more single-core processors. For example, the processor 302 may be embodied as one or more of various processing devices, such as a coprocessor, a microprocessor, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processing circuit with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other processing devices including integrated circuits, such as, for example, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a hardware accelerator, a dedicated computer chip, etc. In an example embodiment, the processor 302 may be configured to perform hard-coded functions. In an example embodiment, the processor 302 is implemented as an executor of software instructions, wherein the instructions may specifically configure the processor 302 to perform the algorithms and / or operations described herein when the instructions are executed.

[0047] The memory 304 may be embodied as one or more volatile memory devices, one or more non-volatile memory devices, and / or a combination of one or more volatile memory devices and non-volatile memory devices. For example, the memory 304 may be embodied as a semiconductor memory (such as a mask ROM, a PROM (programmable ROM), an EPROM (erasable PROM), a flash ROM, a RAM (random access memory), etc.).

[0048] In one embodiment, at least one memory 304 may store program instructions 306 that, when executed by at least one processor 302, cause the apparatus 300 to perform the functions of the various embodiments discussed herein. Furthermore, in an embodiment, at least one of the processor 302 and the memory 304 may constitute means for implementing the functions discussed.

[0049] The example embodiments may be implemented in software, hardware, application logic, or a combination of software, hardware, and application logic. The example embodiments may store information related to the various methods described herein. The information may be stored in one or more memories, such as a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a RAM, etc. One or more databases may store information for implementing the example embodiments. The database may be organized using a data structure (e.g., a record, a table, an array, a field, a graph, a tree, a list, etc.) included in one or more memories or storage devices listed herein. The method described with respect to the example embodiments may include an appropriate data structure for storing data collected and / or generated by the method of the device and subsystem of the example embodiments in one or more databases.

[0050] The components of the example embodiments may include a computer-readable medium or memory for storing instructions programmed according to the teachings and for storing data structures, tables, records and / or other data described herein. In an example embodiment, application logic, software or instruction sets are maintained on any of a variety of conventional computer-readable media. In the context of this document, a "computer-readable medium" may be any medium or component that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transmit instructions for use by an instruction execution system, device or equipment (such as a computer) or used in combination with an instruction execution system, device or equipment (such as a computer). A computer-readable medium may include a computer-readable storage medium, which may be any medium or device that can contain or store instructions for use by an instruction execution system, device or equipment (such as a computer) or used in combination with it. A computer-readable medium may include any suitable medium that participates in providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media, volatile media, transmission media, etc.

[0051] Although the basic novel features applied to the preferred embodiments thereof have been shown and described and pointed out, it should be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the described apparatus and methods may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and / or method steps that perform substantially the same function in substantially the same manner to achieve the same results are within the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, it should be recognized that the structures and / or elements and / or method steps shown and / or described in conjunction with any disclosed form or embodiment can be incorporated into any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. In addition, the device plus function clause is intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the functions described, and not only covers structural equivalents, but also covers equivalent structures.

[0052] Applicants hereby disclose in isolation each individual feature described herein and any combination of two or more such features, as long as such feature or combination can be performed based on the present specification as a whole according to the common knowledge of those skilled in the art, regardless of whether such feature or combination of features solves any problem disclosed herein, and without limiting the scope of the claims. Applicants point out that the disclosed aspects / embodiments may consist of any such individual feature or combination of features. In view of the foregoing description, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An elevator system, comprising: A serial data communication system (100); an elevator controller (102) communicatively connected to the serial data communication system (100); and at least one elevator system node (104A, 104B, 104C) communicatively connected to the serial data communication system (100); The elevator system node in the at least one elevator system node (104A, 104B, 104C) is configured as follows: registering events associated with the elevator car; determining event data associated with the event; determining timing data associated with the event; sending a message to the elevator controller (102) via the serial data communication system (100), the message including the event data and the timing data; wherein the elevator controller (102) is configured to receive the message via the serial data communication system (100); and An estimate of an elevator car control parameter is determined based on the event data and the timing data.

2. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein the timing data comprises a time since the event was registered.

3. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein the timing data includes a timestamp of a time when the event was registered.

4. The elevator system of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the event data comprises at least one of an elevator car position and a speed of the elevator car.

5. The elevator system according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the estimated value of the elevator control parameter comprises at least one of a current speed of the elevator car and a current position of the elevator car.

6. The elevator system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the serial data communication bus comprises a safety bus applying a time-triggered communication protocol.

7. The elevator system according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the elevator system node (104A, 104B, 104C) is arranged in the elevator car.

8. An elevator system node (104A, 104B, 104C) communicatively connected to a serial data communication system (100), the elevator system node (104A, 104B, 104C) comprising: means for registering events associated with an elevator car; means for determining event data associated with said event; means for determining timing data associated with said event; and Means for sending a message to an elevator controller via the serial data communications system, the message comprising the event data and the timing data.

9. An elevator controller (102) communicatively connected to a serial data communication system (100), the elevator controller (102) comprising: means for receiving a message via the serial data communications system (100), the message comprising event data relating to an event associated with an elevator car and timing data associated with the event; and Means for determining an estimate of an elevator car control parameter based on the event data and the timing data.

10. A method comprising: registering events associated with the elevator car; determining event data associated with the event; determining timing data associated with the event; and A message is sent to an elevator controller (102) via a serial data communication system (100), the message including the event data and the timing data.

11. A method comprising: receiving a message via a serial data communications system (100), the message comprising event data relating to an event associated with an elevator car and timing data associated with the event; and An estimate of an elevator car control parameter is determined based on the event data and the timing data.

12. A computer program comprising instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following operations: registering events associated with the elevator car; determining event data associated with the event; determining timing data associated with the event; and A message is sent to an elevator controller (102) via a serial data communication system (100), the message including the event data and the timing data.

13. A computer program comprising instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following operations: receiving a message via a serial data communications system (100), the message comprising event data relating to an event associated with an elevator car and timing data associated with the event; and An estimate of an elevator car control parameter is determined based on the event data and the timing data.

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