Method of repositioning elevator car by using edge device
By saving and restoring the position data of the elevator car through the edge device, the problem of loss of position information after the elevator controller is reset is solved, and the rapid and economical repositioning of the elevator car is achieved, improving passenger experience and system reliability.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380069393.9
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-09-28
- Filing Date
- 2023-09-06
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-16
AI Technical Summary
When the elevator controller is reset or restarted, the position information of the elevator car is lost, resulting in long synchronous travel time and inconvenience to passengers.
The actual position data of the elevator car is saved through the edge device, and when the controller is reset or restarted, the lost position data is restored through the edge device to ensure that the elevator car can be repositioned quickly.
It simplifies the repositioning process of the elevator car, shortens the synchronous travel time, reduces the risk of errors, and improves the user experience of passengers.
Smart Images
Figure CN120019015A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to a method for repositioning an elevator car of an elevator installation by using an edge device. The invention also relates to an elevator installation connected to such an edge device which can reposition the elevator car of the elevator installation. The invention also relates to a computer program product and a computer-readable medium comprising such a computer program product. Background Art
[0002] Elevators are used to transport people or goods between different floors or height levels of a building or structure. Before the elevator is put into operation, it is usually necessary to set the corresponding stop position of the elevator car at each floor through the elevator controller so that the elevator car can reach each floor correctly.
[0003] In order to assign the correct floor numbers to the individual floors or to position the elevator car correctly on the floors, a technician usually travels with the elevator car from one floor to another, measures the position of the car in the shaft and manually enters the stop position / floor into the elevator controller. Sometimes, in the event of a malfunction, when the elevator equipment detects a malfunction, it is necessary to reset the elevator controller or even the entire elevator system, wherein such a reset is usually initiated spontaneously by the elevator equipment itself. The reset can be a power-on reset (POR) or a power-off reset (BOR). However, the controller is usually unable to automatically determine / detect the position of the elevator car after the reset. Therefore, the elevator car must first move to a predefined floor (usually the bottom floor) in order to configure the position of the elevator car on the bottom floor. This process is called a synchronization trip. Depending on the position of the car at the time of the reset and the height of the shaft, the synchronization trip of the car may take quite a long time. Although a spontaneous reset of the controller is very rare, it cannot be ruled out in principle due to software errors, CPU congestion or other problems. On the other hand, such a synchronization trip can be uncomfortable for the passenger if he / she happens to be in the elevator car at the time of the reset, as he / she may feel trapped.
[0004] In the past, such resets were mainly caused by power failures in the elevator equipment. Today, to avoid resets, elevator equipment often includes a UPS system (Uninterruptible Power Supply) that provides automatic evacuation in the event of a main power failure. The UPS system can always keep the controller powered on to prevent a reset when the power is restored. Alternatively, another classic solution is to store any updates about the position in a non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), static RAM (Random Access Memory), or flash memory. The state of such a memory is not affected by a reset, but the cost is very high, and frequent updates of flash memory may significantly shorten its service life. Sometimes, elevators provide a memory file system that allows a series of dynamic memories to retain their state after a reset. However, this solution is usually unreliable because it may not provide the necessary and sufficient support to ensure data integrity.
[0005] Therefore, a method may be needed to overcome the above disadvantages when resetting an elevator controller. The method should be performed in a simplified, fast, more economical manner, and / or with a reduced risk of error. In addition, an elevator device capable of operating by the method may also be needed, as well as a computer program product configured to perform the method and a computer readable medium provided with the product. Summary of the invention
[0006] This need may be met by the subject matter according to any independent claim. Advantageous embodiments are defined in the dependent claims and in the following description.
[0007] A first aspect of the invention relates to a method for relocating an elevator car of an elevator installation, wherein the elevator installation includes a controller connected to an edge device, the edge device being arranged between the elevator installation and a network. The controller may be a main controller or a sub-controller of the elevator installation. The controller may inform the edge device of the actual position of the elevator car. To this end, a message or a signal may be sent from the controller to the edge device to notify the actual position of the elevator car. For example, the notification may be submitted continuously or periodically at specified intervals. The edge device may save the actual position of the elevator car as position data in a memory of the edge device, and then send the position data to the controller when the controller inquires the edge device about the actual position of the elevator car.
[0008] As a network component, the edge device is usually responsible for connecting the elevator equipment to a local area network (LAN) or an external wide area network (WAN), which is connected to the elevator equipment by wire or wireless, so that the edge device can be used as a network access point for the elevator equipment. The edge device includes an integrated access device (IAD), such as a router, a switch, a wide area network (WAN), a firewall, a computer or a mobile phone, etc. The network can be a local network, an external network or a public network.
[0009] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the actual position is determined relative to one floor or two adjacent floors. Depending on the time when the reset is performed, the elevator car may be parked at any position in the shaft, but the absolute position of the elevator car does not have to be determined exactly. In order to start or continue an interrupted trip of the elevator car, it is only necessary to know which floor the elevator car is currently on, or which floor the elevator car will reach next.
[0010] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the actual position is detected by a plurality of boundary points (or markers) arranged longitudinally in the shaft of the elevator installation, wherein each boundary point is assigned to a floor along the shaft. The boundary point information can be encoded with a floor number, such as "first floor", "second floor", "third floor" ... and so on. This allows the control information to be automatically assigned to a specific floor. The boundary points can be defined by different types of sensors, such as RFID (radio frequency identification) or NFC (near field communication).
[0011] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, when the operation of a controller or an elevator device has been reset or restarted, or when the controller has lost the position of an elevator car, the controller will inquire the edge device about the actual position of the elevator car. Controllers typically require working memory (e.g., RAM) so that data can be remembered while performing tasks. However, when the controller is reset / restarted during the execution of a task, these data (e.g., the actual position of the elevator car) may be lost. In this case, when the controller inquires the edge device that holds the data before the reset / restart, the controller may have a chance to retrieve the lost data again. In addition, the controller can record the position of the elevator car based on receiving the position data from the edge device so that the controller can reposition the elevator car after the reset / restart.
[0012] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, after resetting or restarting, the elevator car travels to the next lower or higher floor by means of a threshold, and the controller assigns a floor number to the next floor based on the position data received from the edge device.
[0013] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention, the elevator cars perform a synchronous trip to assign floor numbers to other floors. Then, all floors will have their correct floor numbers.
[0014] Embodiments of the method may advantageously be performed using an elevator installation according to embodiments of the second aspect of the invention.
[0015] A second aspect of the present invention relates to an elevator device, which includes an elevator car and a controller. The elevator car can move vertically in a shaft of the elevator device, and the controller is connected to an edge device arranged between the elevator device and a network, so that the controller can inform the edge device of the actual position of the elevator car, wherein when the operation of the controller of the elevator device is reset or restarted, and / or when the controller loses the position of the elevator car, the controller can also inquire the edge device about the actual position of the elevator car. For example, the actual position can be determined with respect to or relative to one floor or two adjacent floors. And the network is, for example, a local network, an external network or a public network.
[0016] According to an embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the elevator installation comprises a plurality of demarcation points arranged in the shaft, and each demarcation point is assigned to a floor along the shaft.
[0017] According to another embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, after resetting or restarting, the elevator car can advance to the next lower or higher floor by means of a threshold, and the controller can assign a floor number to the next floor based on the position data received from the edge device. Thus, the elevator car can also be repositioned in this way.
[0018] According to a further embodiment of the second aspect of the invention, the elevator cars can perform a synchronous trip to assign floor numbers to other floors.
[0019] A third aspect of the invention relates to a computer program product having computer readable instructions which, when executed on a computer controlled device, instruct the device to perform a method according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the invention. In other words, such a computer program product can be regarded as an application program by which a computer controlled device is programmed so as to be able to perform its tasks according to the described method. The computer program product can be programmed in any computer language.
[0020] A fourth aspect of the present invention relates to a computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program product according to an embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention. For example, the computer program product may be stored on a portable computer readable medium, such as a flash memory, a CD, a DVD, etc. Alternatively, the computer program product may be stored on a permanently installed computer or server and may be downloaded from the computer or server, for example, via a network such as the Internet. In particular, the computer program product may be stored on a computer that is part of a cloud. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] Possible features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention may be considered to be based on the concepts and discoveries described below, but are not limited thereto, and do not limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that these features can be combined, adjusted or replaced as needed to achieve other embodiments of the present invention.
[0022] Figure 1 An elevator installation operated by a method according to one embodiment of the invention is shown.
[0023] Figure 2 A flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.
[0024] The drawings are merely schematic and are not drawn to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] Figure 1 An elevator installation 1 is shown, which comprises an elevator car 2, which can be moved in an elevator shaft 8 and can stop at different floors 9. An elevator controller 4 is provided, which can also serve as a so-called master controller of the elevator installation 1 and is responsible for coordinating various aspects of the elevator operation. The controller 4 is connected by wire or wirelessly to an edge device 3 arranged between the elevator installation 1 and a network 6. The network 6 is, for example, a local network, an external network or a public network.
[0026] A plurality of markers are arranged longitudinally in the shaft 8 as thresholds 7, wherein each threshold 7 is assigned to one of the floors 9 along the shaft 8. The thresholds 7 can be defined, for example, by RFID.
[0027] During operation of the elevator installation 1, the controller 4 informs the edge device 3 of the actual position of the elevator car 2. For example, a message or signal may be continuously or periodically sent from the controller 4 to the edge device 3 to inform the edge device 3 of the actual position of the elevator car 2. The actual position of the elevator car 2 may be detected by the boundary points 7 and determined relative to one floor or two adjacent floors 9. This means that when the elevator car 2 is between two adjacent floors, it is not necessary to know the exact position of the elevator car 2. The controller 4 may only inform the edge device 3 of the position between two adjacent floors.
[0028] The edge device 3 saves this actual position of the elevator car as position data in its memory 5. When the operation of the controller 4 or the elevator equipment is reset or restarted, or when the controller loses the position of the elevator car 2, the controller 4 will inquire the edge device 3 about the actual position of the elevator car 2. In this case, the edge device 3 sends the position data back to the controller 4 so as to inform the controller 4 of the actual position of the elevator car 2. Then, the controller 4 records the position of the elevator car based on receiving the position data from the edge device 3 so that the controller 4 can obtain the lost data again. Thereafter, when the elevator car 2 arrives at the next floor 9, the controller 4 can accurately know which floor it is.
[0029] Figure 2 A flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The method can be used to Figure 1 The described elevator system 1 and the edge device 3 are implemented.
[0030] According to the method, a typical sequence of events is represented by the following steps: The elevator car 2 travels from the first floor (floor I) to the fifth floor (floor V). The controller 4 of the elevator installation 1 does not need to know the exact position of the car 2, so only the position between two adjacent floors is communicated between the elevator installation 1 and the edge device 3.
[0031] S1: Car 2 leaves floor Ⅰ and moves upwards.
[0032] S2: The controller 4 sends information to the edge device 3: the car 2 is located between the floor 1 and the floor II. The edge device 3 stores the position of the car 2 in the storage unit 5 of the edge device 3.
[0033] S3: Car 2 leaves floor II and continues upward.
[0034] S4: The controller 4 notifies the edge device 3 that the car 2 is now located between the floors II and III. The edge device 3 stores the position of the car 2 in the storage unit 5 of the edge device 3.
[0035] S5: Car 2 leaves floor 3 and continues upwards.
[0036] S6: The controller 4 notifies the edge device 3 that the car 2 is now located between the floors III and IV. The edge device 3 stores the position of the car 2 in the storage unit 5 of the edge device 3.
[0037] S7: Controller 4 resets itself,
[0038] S8: The controller 4 starts to resume or continue the operation of the elevator device 1.
[0039] S9: The controller 4 asks the edge device 3 for the latest position of the car 2, because the controller 4 no longer knows where the car 2 is at this time.
[0040] S10: The edge device 3 notifies the controller 4 that the car 2 is between floors III and IV.
[0041] S11: The elevator car 2 moves to, for example, the next lower floor by means of the boundary point 7, so that the controller 4 knows that the floor is floor III and assigns the floor number "III" to the floor.
[0042] S12: The elevator car 2 performs a synchronous trip through other floors, and the controller 4 assigns the correct floor number to the floor accordingly.
[0043] Through the above process, when the elevator device 1 resumes operation again after resetting / restarting, the elevator device 1 or its controller 4 can identify which floor 9 or between which two floors 9 the elevator car 2 is currently located, and then the identification of all floors 9 can be completed after the elevator car 2 passes through all other floors 9.
[0044] Finally, it should be noted that terms such as "comprising", "having" etc. do not exclude other elements or steps, and terms such as "a" or "an" etc. do not exclude a plurality. Furthermore, it should be noted that features or steps described with reference to one of the above embodiments can also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above. Reference signs in the claims should not be considered limiting.
Claims
1. A method for repositioning an elevator car (2) of an elevator installation (1), wherein the elevator installation (1) comprises a controller (4) connected to an edge device (3), the edge device (3) being arranged between the elevator installation (1) and a network (6), wherein the controller (4) notifies the edge device (3) of the actual position of the elevator car (2), The edge device (3) stores the actual position of the elevator car (2) as position data in a memory (5) of the edge device (3), and when the controller (4) inquires the edge device (3) about the actual position of the elevator car (2), the edge device (3) sends the position data to the controller (4).
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The actual position is determined relative to a floor (9) or two adjacent floors (9).
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The actual position is detected by means of a plurality of boundary points (7) arranged in a shaft (8) of the elevator system (1), wherein each boundary point (7) is assigned to one of the floors (9) along the shaft (8).
4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein When the operation of the controller (4) or the elevator device (1) is reset or restarted, the controller (4) inquires the edge device (3) about the actual position of the elevator car (2).
5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein When the controller (4) loses the position of the elevator car (2), the controller (4) inquires the edge device (3) about the actual position of the elevator car (2).
6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein After resetting or restarting, the elevator car (2) travels to the next lower or higher floor (9) by means of the boundary point (7), and the controller (4) assigns a floor number to the next floor (3) based on the position data received from the edge device (3).
7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The elevator cars (2) perform a synchronous trip to assign floor numbers to other floors (9).
8. An elevator device (1), comprising an elevator car (2) capable of moving in a shaft (8) and a controller (4), wherein the controller (4) is connected to an edge device (3) arranged between the elevator device (1) and a network (6), so that the controller (4) can notify the edge device (3) of the actual position of the elevator car (2), and when the operation of the controller (4) or the elevator device (1) is reset or restarted and / or when the controller (4) loses the position of the elevator car (2), the controller (4) can also inquire the edge device (3) about the actual position of the elevator car (2).
9. Elevator installation (1) according to claim 8, wherein The actual position can be determined relative to one floor or to two adjacent floors.
10. Elevator installation (1) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein The elevator system (1) comprises a plurality of demarcation points (7) arranged in the shaft (8), and each demarcation point (7) is assigned to one of the floors (9) along the shaft (8).
11. The elevator installation (1) according to claim 10, wherein After resetting or restarting, the elevator car (2) can travel to the next lower or higher floor (9) by means of the boundary point (7), and the controller (4) can assign a floor number to the next floor (9) based on the position data received from the edge device (3).
12. Elevator installation (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 8 to 11, wherein The elevator car (2) is capable of performing a synchronous journey to assign floor numbers to other floors.
13. Elevator installation (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 8 to 12, wherein The network (6) is a local network, an external network or a public network.
14. A computer program product having computer readable instructions which, when executed on a computer controlled device, instruct the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
15. A computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program product according to claim 14.