System and method for monitoring elevator belt for wear

Abstract

A system for monitoring wear of a tension member has: a hoistway; a car; an elevator motor having a first pulley; a processor configured to: access historical data including at least one of previous usage data of the tension member and a historical transportation mode of the car; tracking real-time data indicative of bending of the segments of the tension member; determining health conditions of the segments of the tension component according to the historical data and the real-time data; issuing a service alert when bending in the one or more segments of the tension member exceeds a threshold; and controlling the car to transport the inspector to one or more locations along the hoistway, the one or more locations providing visual inspection of at least one of the one or more segments, the at least one segment having a greater amount of curvature relative to another of the one or more segments.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to elevator systems and, more particularly, to systems and methods for monitoring the wear of elevator belts. Background Art

[0002] Elevator belt inspection is desirable to maintain proper operation of an elevator system. Resistance-based inspection (RBI) may not be a viable method for monitoring the remaining strength of an elevator belt. Physical devices for monitoring the strength of the belt may also have limited use. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Disclosed is a system for monitoring the wear of a tension member, the system comprising: a hoistway configured to serve a plurality of floors; a car within the hoistway, the car operatively coupled to the tension member; an elevator motor having a first pulley, the first pulley operatively coupled to the tension member to move the car; a processor operatively coupled to the motor, wherein the processor is configured to: access historical data, the historical data including at least one of prior usage data of the tension member and a historical transportation pattern of the car; track real-time data indicative of the bending of a segment of the tension member; determine the health of the segment of the tension member based on the historical data and the real-time data; issue a maintenance alert when the bending in one or more segments of the tension member exceeds a threshold; and control the car to transport an inspector to one or more locations along the hoistway, the one or more locations providing a visual inspection of at least one of the one or more segments, the at least one segment having a greater amount of bending relative to another segment of the one or more segments.

[0004] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the system, the processor is further configured to: track for each car run between floors: the car start floor; the motor start direction to identify the direction of movement of the car within the hoistway; and the motor stop to identify the car end floor; make a first determination based on the tracking as to which of the floors is associated with a greater amount of car travel relative to the other floors in the building; and make a second determination based on the historical data and the first determination as to which segments of the tension member are associated with a greater amount of bending relative to the other segments of the segments.

[0005] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the system, car travel includes travel to or from one of the floors.

[0006] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the system, the tension member has a first end and a second end, the first end and the second end being opposite each other and connected to the top of the hoistway; the tension member carries the car between the first pulley and the first end of the tension member; and the tension member carries the counterweight via a second pulley located between the first pulley and the second end of the tension member.

[0007] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the system, the processor identifies segments of the tension member that bend around the first and second pulleys when the car travels between adjacent floors in the hoistway.

[0008] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the system, the tension member is a coated steel strip having a core and a sheath.

[0009] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the system, the processor is configured to track the bending of segments of the tension member from the first and second pulleys to determine wear on the core of the tension member at each location in the segments of the tension member, and is configured to track the bending of the segments of the tension member from the first pulley to determine wear on the sheath of the tension member at each location in the segments of the tension member.

[0010] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the system, the processor is configured to: generate a heat map (or heatmap) that identifies the travel of the car between each floor in the hoistway, thereby graphically identifying relative wear on segments of the tension member; and display the heat map on a display by the processor.

[0011] A method of monitoring wear of a tension member of an elevator system is further disclosed, the method comprising: accessing, by a processor, historical data from a non-transitory memory, the historical data including at least one of prior usage data of the tension member and a historical transport pattern of an elevator car, which indicates bending of segments of the tension member, tracking real-time data indicative of bending of segments of the tension member; determining a health condition of segments of the tension member based on the historical data and the real-time data; issuing a maintenance alert when bending in one or more segments of the tension member exceeds a threshold; and controlling a car in the hoistway to transport an inspector to one or more locations along the hoistway, the one or more locations providing a visual inspection of at least one segment of the one or more segments that has a greater amount of bending relative to another segment of the one or more segments.

[0012] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, the method includes tracking, by a processor, for each run of the car between floors: the floor at which the car starts; the motor start direction to identify the direction of movement of the car within the hoistway; the motor stop to identify the floor at which the car ends; a first determination by the processor based on the tracking of which floors in the building are associated with a greater amount of car travel relative to other floors in the building; and a second determination based on historical data and the first determination of which segments of the tension member are associated with a greater amount of bending relative to other segments of the tension member.

[0013] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, car travel includes traveling to or from one of the floors in the building.

[0014] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, an elevator motor having a first sheave is operatively coupled to a tension member to move the car; the tension member has a first end and a second end that are opposite each other and are connected to the top of the hoistway; the tension member carries the car between the first sheave and the first end of the tension member; and the tension member carries a counterweight via a second sheave located between the first sheave and the second end of the tension member.

[0015] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, the historical data includes a map that identifies segments of the tension member that bend around the first and second sheaves when the car travels between adjacent floors in the building.

[0016] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, the tension member is a coated steel belt having a core and a sheath.

[0017] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, the method includes tracking, by a processor, the bending of segments of the tension member from the first and second sheaves to determine wear on the core of the tension member at each of the segments of the tension member.

[0018] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, the method includes: generating, by a processor, a thermal map that identifies travel between each of the floors in the building to thereby graphically identify relative wear on segments of the tension member; and displaying, by the processor, the thermal map on a display.

[0019] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, the method includes controlling a car by a processor to transport an elevator inspector or a field person to one or more positions along a hoistway, the one or more positions providing a visual inspection of at least one segment of a tension member, the at least one segment having a greater amount of bending relative to other segments of the segments of the tension member.

[0020] A system for monitoring wear of a tension member is further disclosed, the system including: a hoistway configured to serve a plurality of floors; a car within the hoistway, the car operatively coupled to the tension member; an elevator motor having a first pulley, the first pulley operatively coupled to the tension member to move the car; and a processor operatively coupled to the motor, wherein the processor is configured to: access historical data including at least one of prior usage data of the tension member and a historical transportation pattern of the car to determine the health of the tension member.

[0021] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the system, the historical data includes prior usage data, the prior usage data including a plurality of bends of segments of the tension member.

[0022] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the system, the processor is further configured to: present a determination of the health of the tension member based on the prior usage data; and issue a maintenance alert when the health condition indicates that the bend in one or more segments of the tension member exceeds a threshold. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and is not limited in the drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate like elements.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an elevator system in which various embodiments of the present disclosure may be employed;

[0025] Figure 2A shows an elevator car at a first floor and illustrates a belt segment in a first position relative to the elevator car, a motor pulley, and a counterweight pulley;

[0026] Figure 2B shows an elevator car at a second floor and illustrates a belt segment in a second position relative to the elevator car, a motor pulley, and a counterweight pulley;

[0027] Figure 2C shows an image of a belt, segments are mapped along the belt based on a common segment size, and specific segments that undergo bending when the elevator car moves between the first floor and the second floor are marked;

[0028] Figure 3AGraphically illustrate the mapping of motor starts and stops due to elevator car movement between floors;

[0029] Figure 3B Is a table of car travel arrangements for traveling between adjacent floors in a floor;

[0030] Figure 4 A shows a thermal map of cumulative car travel between adjacent floors;

[0031] Figure 4 B shows a person on the car who has traveled to inspect the belt segment that has experienced the most wear due to the travel captured by the thermal map;

[0032] Figure 4 C shows a person on the car who has traveled to another position in the hoistway to inspect the belt segment from a different perspective, which has experienced the most wear due to the travel captured by the thermal map; and

[0033] Figure 5 Is a flowchart showing a method for monitoring elevator belts for wear. Detailed Description

[0034] Figure 1 Is a perspective view of an elevator system 101 that includes an elevator car 103, a counterweight 105, a tension member 104, a guide rail (or rail system) 109, a machine (or machine system) 111, a position reference system 113, and an electronic elevator controller (controller) 115. The elevator car 103 and the counterweight 105 are connected to each other by the tension member 104. The tension member 104 can include or be configured as, for example, ropes, steel cables, and / or coated steel belts. The counterweight 105 is configured to balance the load of the elevator car 103 and is configured to facilitate the simultaneous and opposite movement of the elevator car 103 within an elevator shaft (or hoistway) 117 and along the guide rail 109 relative to the counterweight 105.

[0035] The tension member 104 engages a machine 111, which is part of the superstructure of the elevator system 101. The machine 111 is configured to control the movement between the elevator car 103 and the counterweight 105. A position reference system 113 may be mounted on a stationary member at the top of the elevator hoistway 117, such as on a support or guide rail, and may be configured to provide a position signal related to the position of the elevator car 103 within the elevator hoistway 117. In other embodiments, the position reference system 113 may be mounted directly to a moving member of the machine 111, or may be in other positions and / or configurations known in the art. The position reference system 113 may be any device or mechanism for monitoring the position of the elevator car and / or counterweight, as known in the art. For example but not limited to, the position reference system 113 may be an encoder, a sensor, or other system, and may include speed sensing, absolute position sensing, etc., as will be recognized by those skilled in the art.

[0036] The controller 115 may be in the controller room 121 of the elevator hoistway 117. It will be recognized that the controller 115 need not be in the controller room 121, but may be in the hoistway or other locations within the elevator system. According to one aspect, the controller 115 is configured to control the operation of the elevator system 101, and in particular the operation of the elevator car 103. For example, the controller 115 may provide drive signals to the machine 111 to control the acceleration, deceleration, leveling, stopping, etc. of the elevator car 103. The controller 115 may also be configured to receive position signals from the position reference system 113 or any other desired position reference device. As it moves up or down within the elevator hoistway 117 along the guide rails 109, the elevator car 103 may 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 recognize that the controller 115 may be located and / or configured elsewhere or in other positions within the elevator system 101. In one embodiment, the controller may be remotely located or in the cloud.

[0037] The machine 111 may include a motor or similar drive mechanism. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the machine 111 is configured to include an electric drive motor. The power supply for the motor may be any power source, including the power grid, which is supplied to the motor in combination with other components. The machine 111 may include a traction sheave that applies a force to the tension member 104 to move the elevator car 103 within the elevator hoistway 117. The tension member 104 may include or be configured as, for example, a rope, a steel cable, and / or a coated steel strip.

[0038] Although shown and described as having a rope system that includes a tension member 104, elevator systems that employ other methods and mechanisms for moving an elevator car within an elevator shaft may employ embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, embodiments may be employed in systems that utilize traveling cables and in rope-less elevator systems that use linear motors to apply motion to an elevator car. Embodiments may also be employed in rope-less elevator systems that use hydraulic elevators to apply motion to an elevator car. Embodiments may also be employed in rope-less elevator systems that use self-propelled elevator cars (e.g., elevator cars equipped with friction wheels, pinch wheels, or traction wheels). Figure 1 Merely non-limiting examples presented for illustrative and explanatory purposes.

[0039] Turning to Figures 2A - 2B , system 101 includes a hoistway 117 and a car (or elevator car) 103 within the hoistway 117. The car 103 is configured to stop at any one of a plurality of floors (such as five floors 125A - 125E (also referred to as floors 1 - 5)) within the hoistway 117. Of course, the number of floors may be more than five. A machine 110 drives a tension member 104. Such a tension member may include a coated steel belt 107 having an internal steel core portion 107i and an external sheath 107o ( Figure 2C ) or sheath. In this document, the reference to the belt 107 is not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments, which may equally apply to other forms of tension members 104. The belt 107 extends from a first end 107A connected to the top of the hoistway 117 to a second end 107B. The belt 107 supports the car 103 between the machine 110 and the first end 107A of the belt 107. The belt 107 supports a counterweight 105 between the machine 110 and the second end 107B. In operation, when the machine 110 and the counterweight 105 are engaged, the belt 107 rolls on a first pulley 110A connected to the machine 110 and on a pulley 105A connected to the counterweight 105.

[0040] System 101 includes a processor 150 operatively coupled to a motor 110, which may be a controller 115. The processor 150 may have a non-transitory memory 155 that stores historical data 158, which is in the form of an equation or formula and includes at least one of prior usage data of the tension member and the historical transportation pattern of the car 103. The processor 150 will also include real-time data that, once captured, identifies which segment has the most wear. In one embodiment, the processor 150 may store a map 160 of the elevator belt 107 ( Figure 2C)As historical data 158. The historical data 158 can identify, relative to the elevator movement, belt segments (or belt sections) 107C that experience bending and wear as the elevator car 103 moves in the hoistway, including first through nth segments 107C1...107Cn (where n is 34 in the disclosed embodiment). Each of the belt segments 107C has the same unit length, such that in the case where n is thirty-four (34), the belt 107 has thirty-four (34) segments 107C of the same length (e.g., one meter).

[0041] Since the belt ends 107A, 107B and the machine 110 are fixed, and the position of the gravity-controlled counterweight 105 is controlled, the same segment 107C will bend whenever the car 103 travels between adjacent floors. Refer to Figure 2A and Figure 2C , which provides an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure when the car 103 is configured to stop at five floors 125A - 125E. When the car 103 is at the first floor 125A, a segment (or group of segments) 107Cx1 representing the 13th to 15th meters of the belt 107 is on one side of the car 103. A segment 107Cx2 representing the 30th meter of the belt 107 is on one side of the first pulley 110A. Segments 107Cx3 corresponding to the 31st and 32nd meters of the belt 107 are on the other side of the first pulley 110A, between the first pulley 110A and the second pulley 105A. Refer to Figure 2C , when the car 103 is at the second floor 125B, the segment 107Cx1 is on the other side of the car 103. The segment 107Cx2 is on the other side of the first pulley 110A. The segment 107Cx3 is on the other side of the second pulley 105A, between the second pulley 105A and the second end 107B of the belt 107. That is, when the car 103 moves between the first floor 125A and the second floor 125B, the belt segments 107Cx1, 107Cx2 and 107Cx3 each experience bending.

[0042] According to an embodiment, the historical data is configured to associate the segments 107C with bending based on the movement of the car 103 between adjacent floors (or adjacent pairs) in the floors 125. For example, when the car 103 moves between the first floor 125B and the second floor 125C, the processor 150 accessing the historical data will be configured to determine that the segments 107Cx1, 107Cx2 and 107Cx3 each experienced bending. As indicated below, this enables the processor 150 to track the repeated bending of the belt 107 and thus track the wear of the belt 107.

[0043] Turning to Figures 3A - 3B , additional aspects related to the processor 150 for tracking the wear of the belt 107 are disclosed. The processor accesses the historical data 158 from the non-transitory memory 155, and asFigure 3A As shown in, track the real-time usage of the elevator belt 107. Specifically, the processor 150 tracks the car start floor 125, the motor start direction for identifying the moving direction of the car 103 within the hoistway 117, and the motor stop for identifying the car end floor 125 for each car run between the floors 125.

[0044] The processor 150 is configured to present a first determination of which of the floors 125 is associated with a greater percentage (or amount) of car travel (e.g., traveling to or from one of the floors 125) relative to the other floors 125 based on the tracking. The processor 150 is configured to present a second determination of which of the belt segments within the belt segment 107C is associated with a greater percentage of bending relative to the other belt segments within the belt segment 107C based on the access to the historical data 158 and the first determination. The processor 150 is further configured to issue a maintenance alert when the bending in one or more of the belt segments 107C exceeds a threshold, the maintenance alert indicating wear that may require maintenance.

[0045] For example, as Figure 3A shown in, the motor 110 may have 600 starts, as shown in block 3A1. As shown in block 3A2, 182 of the starts may be from floor 1, for example, where the car 103 is traveling from the first floor 125A to another floor 125. Additionally, 129 of the starts may be from floor 2, for example, where the car 103 is traveling from the second floor 125B to another floor 125. As statistically indicated and shown in the chart 310, 0.303 or 30.3% of the 600 motor starts are from floor 1. Additionally, 0.215 or 21.5% of the motor starts are from floor 2. Additionally, 0.207 or 20.7% of the motor starts are from floor 3. Additionally, 0.140 or 14.7% of the motor starts are from floor 4. Additionally, 0.135 or 13.5% of the motor starts are from floor 5.

[0046] Continue to refer to Figure 3A, as shown in block 3A3, and concentrated on motor starts from floor 2 (e.g., from the second floor 125B), 74 ends (or positions where the elevator stops for any period of time for any reason, including but not limited to dropping off or picking up passengers) are at floor 1. Additionally, 28 ends are at floor 3. Additionally, 13 ends are at floor 4. Additionally, 14 ends are at floor 5. As statistically shown in chart 320, 0.574 or 57.4% of the ends are at floor 1. Additionally, 0.212 or 21.2% of the ends are at floor 3. Additionally, 0.103 or 10.3% of the ends are at floor 4. Additionally, 0.111 or 11.1% of the ends are at floor 5. As shown in block 3A4, these trips are labeled X21, X23, X24, and X25, where X represents a trip, the first digit (2) adjacent to X represents the starting floor, and the second digit (1, 3, 4, or 5) represents the ending floor.

[0047] Figure 3B Table 330 is shown having four units 340A - 340B (collectively 340), each of the four units 340A - 340B being the sum of the trips between adjacent floors in floor 125 based on the travel combinations that can occur between all floors 125. It will be appreciated that there are four units 340 because there are five floors 125. That is, the car 103 traveling between consecutive adjacent floors in a five - floor hoistway will have only four options, namely, between floor 1 and floor 2 (unit 340A), between floor 2 and floor 3 (unit 340B), between floor 3 and floor 4 (unit 340C), and between floor 4 and floor 5 (unit 340D).

[0048] As shown in the first unit 340A, when the elevator car 103 travels between floor 1 and floor 2 (X12), between floor 1 and floor 3 (X13), between floor 1 and floor 4 (X14), and between floor 1 and floor 5 (X15), the elevator car 103 can travel between the first floor 125A and the second floor 125B. For each of these runs, the elevator car 103 can travel between the first floor 125A and the second floor 125B in the opposite direction (e.g., X21, X31, X41, X51). Thus, the first unit 340A lists eight travel options or permutations that result in travel between floor 1 and floor 2 in the hoistway.

[0049] As shown in the second unit 340B, when the elevator car 103 travels between floor 1 and floor 3 (X13), between floor 1 and floor 4 (X14), between floor 1 and floor 5 (X15), between floor 2 and floor 3 (X23), between floor 2 and floor 4 (X24), and between floor 2 and floor 5 (X25), the elevator car 103 can travel between the second floor 125B and the third floor 125C. For each of these runs, the elevator car 103 can travel between the second floor 125B and the third floor 125C in the opposite direction (e.g., X31, X41, X51, X32, X42, X52). Therefore, the second unit 340B lists twelve travel options or arrangements in the hoistway that result in travel between floor 2 and floor 3.

[0050] As shown in the third unit 340C, when the elevator car 103 travels between floor 1 and floor 4 (X14), between floor 1 and floor 5 (X15), between floor 2 and floor 4 (X24), between floor 2 and floor 5 (X25), between floor 3 and floor 4 (X34), and between floor 3 and floor 5 (X35), the elevator car 103 can travel between the third floor 125C and the fourth floor 125D. For each of these runs, the elevator car 103 can travel between the third floor 125C and the fourth floor 125D in the opposite direction (e.g., X41, X51, X42, X52, X43, X53). Therefore, the third unit 340C lists twelve travel options or arrangements in the hoistway that result in travel between floor 3 and floor 4.

[0051] As shown in the fourth unit 340D, when the elevator car 103 travels between floor 1 and floor 5 (X15), between floor 2 and floor 5 (X25), between floor 3 and floor 5 (X35), and between floor 4 and floor 5 (X45), the elevator car 103 can travel between the fourth floor 125C and the fifth floor 125D. For each of these runs, the elevator car 103 can travel between the fourth floor 125C and the fifth floor 125D in the opposite direction (e.g., X51, X52, X53, X54). Therefore, the fourth unit 340D lists eight travel options or arrangements in the hoistway that result in travel between floor 4 and floor 5.

[0052] In one embodiment, the processor 150 is configured to track the bending of the belt segments 107C from both the first pulley 110A and the second pulley 105A to determine the wear on the core 107i and the sheath 107o of the belt 107 at each location in the belt segment 107C. In one embodiment, the processor 150 is configured to track the bending of only the belt segment 107C from the first pulley 110A to determine the wear on the sheath 107o of the belt 107 at each location in the belt segment 107C.

[0053] The above embodiments utilize cycle counting to map the bending along the belt for health monitoring of the coated steel belt (CSB). According to an embodiment, each travel count has one motor start. The embodiments relate to calculating the total bending at each belt segment using historical transport patterns and real-time motor starts, where each segment has the same length. The historical transport patterns (motor starts per floor and motor ends or stops per floor) based on speed, height, and building type are summarized by statistically using periodically tested and updated historical transport data. Combined with the real-time collected motor starts, the number of times the elevator passes between the i-th floor and the next floor j = i + 1 (X(i,j), where i = 1, 2,..., n - 1, and j = i + 1, and n is the total number of floors) is calculated as the sum of all upward and downward trips (or runs) passing between every two specific consecutive floors (X(i,j)), as Figures 2A - 2C 、 Figure 3A and Figure 3B shown in. The value of X(i,j) is used as a health metric with corresponding scrapping criteria. The embodiments provide a method for real-time monitoring of the health of the CSB. The embodiments allow mapping the fatigue of the CSB using methods applicable to various elevator components (including ropes, traveling cables, machines, etc.) for health monitoring.

[0054] Turning to Figure 4 A, the processor 150 is configured to generate a heat map 170 of the car travel between the illustrated floors 125 based on the counting techniques discussed above. A legend 180 for the heat map 170 may also be provided. The processor 150 may display the heat map on a display 190 of a device 200 (such as a smart phone communicating with the processor 150 via a wireless network 210). As Figure 4As shown in A, the hoistway 117 can serve 10 floors, such that the thermal map has 9 stacked layers 125A - 125i for the reasons indicated above. As indicated, the processor 150 counted 445 trips between floor 1 and floor 2. Additionally, the processor counted 1057 trips between floor 2 and floor 3. Additionally, the processor counted 963 trips between floor 3 and floor 4. Additionally, the processor counted 911 trips between floor 4 and floor 5. Additionally, the processor counted 766 trips between floor 5 and floor 6. Additionally, the processor counted 640 trips between floor 6 and floor 7. Additionally, the processor counted 470 trips between floor 7 and floor 8. Additionally, the processor counted 396 trips between floor 8 and floor 9. Additionally, the processor counted 126 trips between floor 9 and floor 10. As indicated by the legend and the statistics, based on the travel of the car through the hoistway between various floor combinations, the travel between the second and third floors is greater than the travel between other floors.

[0055] As can be appreciated, to accommodate Figure 4 the 10 - floor configuration involved in A, the tape map 160 ( Figure 3B ) will be sized to fit the hoistway and identify segments that are bent due to the interaction between the pulleys through the travel between each of the floors including the second and third floors. Thus, using Figure 4 the thermal map in A and the tape map, it can be determined that certain tape segments may require maintenance due to wear caused by bends such as between floor 2 and floor 3.

[0056] As Figure 4 shown in B, when a person (i.e., an elevator inspector or field personnel) 175 is riding in the car 103, the processor 150 can control the car 103 to take the elevator inspector 175 to one or more positions along the hoistway 117, the one or more positions providing a visual inspection of at least one of the tape segments 107D that have a greater percentage of cumulative (or a greater amount of) bend relative to other tape segments in the tape segments. These segments 107D can correspond to the segments that bend when the car 103 moves between the second floor 125 and the third floor 125. To inspect all sides of the tape segment 107D, the car 103 can move up and down to position the segment 107D on either side of the first pulley 110A, such as Figure 4 shown in C, thereby providing access to Figure 4Different views of the belt 107 in B. Alternatively, a sensor 220 mounted to the car 103 can be connected to the processor 150 via a wireless or wired connection. The processor can direct the car 103 to the belt segment 107D for transmitting sensor data that visually captures the condition of the segment 107D, which can be used to determine the wear condition of the belt 107.

[0057] Accordingly, embodiments provide using cycle counts as a discard criterion for high-strength coated steel belts (CSBs). Embodiments utilize real-time or historical data of the floors traveled for each trip (run), from which the usage rate of each belt segment can be derived. Using such information, a focused inspection of the suspension members (including CSB and ropes) becomes possible. Specifically, embodiments provide a method of using an elevator controller to bring a mechanic to a floor where the mechanic can view the CSB segments that have respectively experienced the most rope bending (from both the machine and pulleys such as idler pulleys) and / or sheath wear (i.e., the segments that have passed by the machine pulley the most). Embodiments provide dividing the belt into segments of certain lengths. Embodiments further provide generating a heat map using a real-time map of the car's travel to identify segments with the most bending and sheath wear. The method further provides the controller calculating and recording the corresponding car position or floor in the hoistway, which provides the required view for inspecting the corresponding belt segment based on the layout of the hoistway. Embodiments further provide the controller bringing the inspection mechanic to the corresponding floor to view the belt segments that have experienced excessive wear. The mechanic can request a controller-guided inspection via a maintenance tool.

[0058] Benefits of the embodiments include allowing inspection of elevator suspension members and enabling inspection by focusing on high-usage segments. The embodiments also save inspection time compared to other forms of inspection. The methods identified by the embodiments can be applied to other elevator components for focused inspection, such as traveling cables.

[0059] Now turning to Figure 5, The flowchart illustrates a method for tracking a worn elevator belt. As shown in block 510, the method includes accessing, by a processor 150, historical data 158 from a non-transitory memory 155 that includes at least one of prior usage data of a tension member 104 and a historical transportation pattern of an elevator car 103, which indicates bending of a segment of the tension member 140. As shown in block 512, the method includes tracking real-time data indicating bending of a segment of the tension member 104. As shown in block 514, the method includes determining a health condition of a segment of the tension member 104 based on the historical data and the real-time data. As shown in block 516, the method includes issuing a maintenance alert when bending in one or more segments of the tension member exceeds a threshold. As shown in block 518, the method includes controlling the car to transport an inspector to one or more locations along a hoistway 117, the one or more locations providing a visual inspection of at least one segment of one or more segments having a greater amount of bending relative to another segment of the one or more segments.

[0060] As shown in block 520, the method includes tracking, by a processor 150, for each run of the car: a car start floor 125; a motor start direction to identify a direction of movement of the car 103 within the hoistway 117; and a motor stop to identify a car end floor 125. As shown in block 530, the method includes tracking, by a processor 150, bending of belt segments from a first pulley 110A and a second pulley 105A to determine wear on a core 107i of a belt 107 at each location in the belt segment 107C.

[0061] As shown in block 540, the method includes tracking, by a processor 150, bending of a belt segment 107C from a first pulley 110A to determine wear on a sheath 107o of the belt 107 at each location in the belt segment 107C. As shown in block 550, the method includes a first determination by a processor 150 based on the tracking of which floors in a present floor 125 are associated with a greater amount of car travel relative to other floors 125.

[0062] As shown in block 560, the method includes a second determination by a processor 150 of which belt segments in a belt segment 107C are associated with a greater amount of bending relative to other belt segments in the belt segment 107C based on the access to the historical data and the first determination.

[0063] As shown in block 580, the method includes generating, by processor 150, a thermal map 170 that identifies car travel between each of the landings 125 to thereby graphically identify relative wear on the belt segment 107C. As shown in block 590, the method includes displaying, by processor 150, the thermal map 170 on the display 190. As shown in block 600, the method includes controlling, by the processor, the car 103 to transport an elevator inspector to one or more locations along the hoistway 117, the one or more locations providing a visual inspection of at least one belt segment of the belt segment 107C that has a greater amount of curvature relative to other belt segments in the belt segment 107C.

[0064] The above embodiments use historical data to assist visual inspection or to retire belts. Real-time and historical data are used to evaluate belt health and assist mechanics in inspection work, which results in increased efficiency. The system enables guiding mechanics to high-risk areas of potential failure. Although the embodiments relate to tension members, as indicated, the tension members can include or be configured as, for example, ropes, steel cables, and / or coated steel belts.

[0065] The sensor data identified herein can be obtained and processed and stitched together, or combinations thereof, individually or simultaneously, and can be processed in raw or compiled form. The sensor data can be processed on the sensor (e.g., via edge computing), by the controller(s) identified or referred to herein, on cloud services, or by a combination of one or more of these computing systems. The sensors can communicate data via wired or wireless transmission lines, applying one or more protocols as indicated below.

[0066] Wireless connection applicable protocols include local area network (LAN or WLAN for wireless LAN) protocols. LAN protocols include WiFi technology based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. Other applicable protocols include low-power WAN (LPWAN), which is a wireless wide area network (WAN) designed to allow long-range communication at low bit rates so that terminal devices can operate using battery power for an extended period (several years). Long Range WAN (LoRaWAN) is a type of LPWAN maintained by the LoRa Alliance and is a media access control (MAC) layer protocol for transmitting management messages and application messages between a network server and an application server, respectively. LAN and WAN protocols can generally be considered TCP / IP protocols (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol), which are used to manage the connection of computer systems to the Internet. Wireless connection applicable protocols also include protocols for personal area network (PAN). PAN protocols include, for example, Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE), which is a wireless technology standard designed and marketed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) for exchanging data over short distances using short-wavelength radio waves. PAN protocols also include Zigbee, which is a technology based on the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol representing a suite of advanced communication protocols for creating personal area networks using small, low-power digital radio devices for low-power, low-bandwidth requirements. Such protocols also include Z-Wave, which is a wireless communication protocol supported by the Z-Wave Alliance that uses a mesh network to communicate between devices such as appliances using low-power radio waves, allowing wireless control of the devices.

[0067] The wireless connection may also include RFID technology for communicating with, for example, an integrated circuit (IC) on a radio frequency identification (RFID) smart card. Additionally, Sub-1Ghz RF devices operate in the ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical) band below Sub1Ghz (typically in the frequency ranges of 769 - 935MHz, 315Mhz, and 468Mhz). This band below 1Ghz is particularly useful for RF IoT (Internet of Things) applications. The Internet of Things (IoT) describes a network of physical objects ("things") that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the Internet. Other LPWAN-IoT technologies include NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and Category M1 Internet of Things (Cat M1-IoT). The wireless communication for the disclosed system may include cellular, such as 2G / 3G / 4G (etc.). Other wireless platforms based on RFID technology include Near Field Communication (NFC), which is a group of communication protocols for low-speed communication, for example, to exchange data between electronic devices over a short distance. The NFC standard is defined by ISO / IEC (defined below), the NFC Forum, and the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications) group. The foregoing is not intended to limit the scope of applicable wireless technologies.

[0068] The wired connection may include a connection (cable / interface) according to RS (Recommended Standard)-422 (also known as TIA / EIA-422), which is a technical standard supported by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and created by the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) that specifies the electrical characteristics of digital signaling circuits. The wired connection may also include a (cable / interface) according to the RS-232 standard for serial communication transmission of data, which formally defines the signals for connections between a DTE (Data Terminal Equipment) (such as a computer terminal) and a DCE (Data Circuit-Terminating Equipment or Data Communication Equipment) (such as a modem). The wired connection may also include a connection (cable / interface) according to the Modbus serial communication protocol administered by the Modbus organization. Modbus is a master / slave protocol designed for use with its Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and is a commonly available means of connecting industrial electronic devices. The wireless connection may also include a connector (cable / interface) according to the PROFibus (Process Fieldbus) standard administered by PROFIBUS & PROFINET International (PI). PROFibus, as a standard for fieldbus communication in automation technology, is publicly published as part of IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 61158. The wired communication may also be carried out via a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus. CAN is a vehicle bus standard that allows microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other in applications without a host computer. CAN is a message-based protocol published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The foregoing is not intended to limit the scope of applicable wired technologies.

[0069] When data is transmitted over a network between the terminal processors identified herein, the data may be transmitted in its raw form or may be wholly or partially processed at either the terminal processor or an intermediate processor (e.g., at a cloud service (e.g., where at least part of the transmission path is wireless) or other processor). The data may be parsed, partially or fully processed or compiled at any of the processors, and then may be spliced together or maintained as separate information packets. Each processor or controller identified herein may be, but is not limited to, a single-processor or multi-processor system of any of a wide array of possible architectures including, homogeneously or heterogeneously arranged, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA), Central Processing Units (CPU), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC), Digital Signal Processors (DSP), or Graphics Processing Units (GPU) hardware. The memory identified herein may be, but is not limited to, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), or other electronic, optical, magnetic, or any other computer-readable medium.

[0070] In addition to the processor and the non-volatile memory, the controller may further include one or more input and / or output (I / O) device interfaces communicatively coupled via an on-board (local) interface to communicate between other devices. The on-board interface may include, for example but not limited to, an on-board system bus including a control bus (for device-to-device communication), an address bus (for physical addressing), and a data bus (for transferring data). That is, the system bus enables electronic communication between the processor, the memory, and the I / O connections. The I / O connections may also include wired connections and / or wireless connections as identified herein. The on-board interface may have additional elements (these additional elements are omitted for simplicity), such as controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters, and receivers to enable electronic communication. The memory may execute programs, access data, or look up tables or a combination of each to facilitate its processing, all of which may be pre-stored or received during the execution of its process by other computing devices, for example, via cloud services or other network connections with other processors as identified herein.

[0071] Embodiments may take the form of processor-implemented processes and apparatuses for practicing those processes, such as a processor. Embodiments may also take the form of modules based on computer code, such as computer program code (e.g., a computer program product), the computer program code containing instructions embodied in a tangible medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium) such as a floppy disk, a CD ROM, a hard disk drive, on a processor register as firmware, or any other non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the embodiments. Embodiments may also take the form of computer program code (e.g., whether stored in a storage medium, loaded into and / or executed by a computer, or transmitted via some transmission medium such as via electrical wiring or cabling, via fiber optics, or via electromagnetic radiation), wherein when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the exemplary embodiments. When implemented on a general-purpose microprocessor, the computer program code segments configure the microprocessor to create specific logic circuits.

[0072] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments only and is not intended to limit the disclosure. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising", when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0073] Those skilled in the art will recognize that various exemplary embodiments are shown and described herein, each having certain features in the embodiment, but the present disclosure is not limited thereby. On the contrary, the present disclosure may be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions, combinations, sub-combinations, or equivalent arrangements that have not heretofore been described but are commensurate with the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, while various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it will be understood that aspects of the present disclosure may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the present disclosure will not be considered limited by the foregoing description, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring wear of a tension member, comprising: a hoistway configured to provide service to a plurality of floors; a car within the hoistway, the car operatively coupled to the tension member; an elevator motor having a first pulley operatively coupled to the tension member to move the car; a processor operatively coupled to the motor, wherein the processor is configured to: accessing historical data, the historical data comprising at least one of previous usage data of the tension member and historical transportation patterns of the car; tracking real-time data indicative of bending of a segment of the tension member; determining a health condition of the segment of the tension member based on historical data and real-time data; issuing a maintenance alarm when a bend in one or more segments of the tension member exceeds a threshold value; as well as The car is controlled to transport an inspector to one or more locations along the hoistway that provide a visual inspection of at least one of the one or more segments that has a greater amount of curvature relative to another segment of the one or more segments.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The processor is further configured to: Tracking each car run between floors: Car start floor; a motor start direction to identify the direction of movement of the car in the hoistway; as well as The motor stops to identify the car's end floor; presenting a first determination based on the tracking which of the floors is associated with a greater number of car travels relative to other of the floors; as well as A second determination is presented based on the historical data and the first determination which of the segments of the tension member are associated with the greater amount of bending relative to other segments of the segments.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein: The car travel includes the car traveling to or from one of the floors.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein: The tension member has a first end and a second end, the first end and the second end are opposite to each other and connected to the top of the hoistway; the tension member carrying the car between the first pulley and the first end of the tension member; as well as The tension member carries a counterweight via a second pulley located between the first pulley and the second end of the tension member.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein: The processor identifies a segment of the segments of the tension member that bends around the first and second pulleys when the car travels between adjacent ones of the floors.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein: The tension member is a coated steel strip having a core and a sheath.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein: The processor is configured to track bending of the segments of the tension member from the first pulley and the second pulley to determine wear on the core of the tension member at each of the segments of the tension member, and is configured to track bending of the segments of the tension member from the first pulley to determine wear on the sheath of the tension member at each of the segments of the tension member.

8. The system according to claim 2, wherein: The processor is configured to: generating a thermodynamic map that identifies travel of the car between each of the floors to thereby graphically identify relative wear on the segments of the tension members; as well as The thermodynamic map is displayed on a display by the processor.

9. A method for monitoring wear of a tension component of an elevator system, comprising: accessing, by a processor, from a non-transitory memory, historical data including at least one of previous usage data of the tension member and a historical transportation pattern of elevator cars indicating bending of a segment of the tension member, tracking real-time data indicative of bending of the segment of the tension member; determining a health condition of the segment of the tension member based on the historical data and the real-time data; issuing a maintenance alarm when a bend in one or more segments of the tension member exceeds a threshold value; as well as A car within the hoistway is controlled to transport an inspector to one or more locations along the hoistway that provide a visual inspection of at least one of the one or more segments that has a greater amount of curvature relative to another segment of the one or more segments.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: Tracked by the processor for each run of the car between floors: Car start floor; a motor start direction to identify the direction of movement of the car in the hoistway; The motor stops to identify the car's end floor; presenting, by the processor, a first determination based on the tracking which of the floors are associated with a greater number of car travels relative to other of the floors; as well as A second determination of which of the segments of the tension member are associated with the greater amount of bending relative to other segments of the segments of the tension member is presented based on the historical data and the first determination.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The car travel includes the car traveling to or from one of the floors.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein: an elevator motor having a first pulley operatively coupled to the tension member to move the car; The tension member has a first end and a second end, the first end and the second end are opposite to each other and connected to the top of the hoistway; the tension member carrying the car between the first pulley and the first end of the tension member; as well as The tension member carries a counterweight via a second pulley located between the first pulley and the second end of the tension member.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The historical data includes a map that identifies segments of the tension member that bend around the first and second pulleys when the car travels between adjacent ones of the floors.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The tension member is a coated steel strip having a core and a sheath.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising tracking, by the processor, bending of the segments of the tension member from the first and second pulleys to determine wear on the core of the tension member at each of the segments of the tension member.

16. The method according to claim 10, comprising: generating, by the processor, a thermodynamic map identifying travel of the car between each of the floors to thereby graphically identify relative wear on the segments of the tension members; as well as The thermodynamic map is displayed on a display by the processor.

17. The method according to claim 16, comprising: The car is controlled by the processor to transport an elevator inspector or field personnel to the one or more locations along the hoistway, the one or more locations providing a visual inspection of at least one of the segments of the tension member having a greater amount of curvature relative to other segments of the segments of the tension member.

18. A system for monitoring wear of a tension member, comprising: a hoistway configured to provide service to a plurality of floors; a car within the hoistway, the car operatively coupled to the tension member; an elevator motor having a first pulley operatively coupled to the tension member to move the car; as well as a processor operatively coupled to the motor, wherein the processor is configured to: Historical data including at least one of previous usage data of the tension member and historical traffic patterns of the car is accessed to determine a health condition of the tension member.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein: The historical data includes previous usage data including a plurality of bends of the segment of the tension member.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein: The processor is further configured to: presenting a determination of the health of the tension member based on the prior usage data; and When the health condition indicates that bending in one or more segments of the tension member exceeds a threshold, a maintenance alert is issued.

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