MOBILE DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MONITORING AN ELEVATOR SYSTEM

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a mobile device or a method for monitoring an elevator system in a multi-story building and to an elevator system that can be monitored by such a mobile device or method.

[0002] Elevators are used to transport people through an elevator car within an elevator shaft from a building to and from different floors. To ensure the safety of passengers and service personnel, the elevator system must be inspected and maintained regularly or periodically. To perform inspection and maintenance work, an elevator system must be placed into an inspection or maintenance mode, in which the elevator car is only allowed to travel manually at walking speed, possibly only between certain positions.In order to put the elevator system into inspection mode or to manually control the elevator car during maintenance work, a service technician usually has to first enter the elevator shaft via a shaft door or maintenance hatch, because an inspection control device is usually located in the shaft, on the roof of the elevator car or in the shaft pit of the elevator system.

[0003] Typically, a door contact switch is provided at each shaft door and the car door of an elevator system. This switch is closed as long as the car door and / or the shaft door are closed and remains open as long as one or both doors are open. Such door contact switches are connected in series with other safety elements of the elevator system, ensuring that the safety chain of the elevator system as a whole is only closed when all door contact switches are closed. The safety chain is interrupted when a so-called "contact release shaft door switch" (KNET switch) is unlocked outside an elevator shaft. The KNET switch is typically operated with a triangular key.The KNET switch is used for maintenance / inspection work on an elevator system in order to be able to manually open a shaft door of the elevator system on a floor regardless of the current position of the elevator car.

[0004] If the KNET switch is activated, the elevator car is displaced beyond a permissible travel distance, for example, toward the elevator shaft ceiling or toward the elevator shaft floor. Unlike the aforementioned door contact switch, a shaft door can be manually opened by unlocking the KNET switch, regardless of the elevator car's location. If the shaft door is opened, the elevator car is immediately stopped due to the interrupted safety chain.

[0005] Since the shaft doors remain closed during elevator operation, the current position of the elevator car cannot be seen from the outside. In order to keep the elevator car in a desired position or at a desired floor, so that access to the roof of the elevator car or into the elevator car is easier, a technician on that floor must laboriously open and close the shaft door several times using the KNET switch so that the elevator car can land step by step in the desired position or the defined stop position. It is also known that the elevator car of some elevator systems can automatically travel to a predefined floor - usually the top floor - and stop there when the KNET switch is activated. In this case, the technician can only enter the elevator shaft on that floor. If the maintenance work is to be carried out on another floor, e.g.on the ground floor, the technician must first switch the elevator system on in an inspection mode and slowly return the elevator car to that floor at walking pace. Another disadvantage of using a KNET switch is that there is often no elevator car waiting behind an open shaft door. Such a dangerous situation must be avoided at all costs. Even if a technician is already in the elevator shaft, it is still difficult for him to see exactly where or on which floor the elevator car stopped. However, the current position of the elevator car should be continuously monitored during maintenance work on the elevator system. WO2021 / 083884 A1 discloses a mobile operating device and method for remotely controlling an elevator system during an inspection operation.

[0006] There may be a need, among other things, to avoid the dangerous situation mentioned above, and on the other hand to be able to easily monitor the current position of an elevator car of an elevator system at any time, particularly during installation and maintenance work, both inside and outside an elevator shaft of the elevator system.

[0007] Such a need may be met by the subject matter of one of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are defined in the dependent claims and the following description.

[0008] According to the invention, a mobile control device with a screen is provided for monitoring an elevator system, wherein the elevator system is located in a multi-story building, wherein an elevator car can be moved in an elevator shaft of the elevator system between the floors of the building under the control of an elevator control system of the elevator system. The mobile device can continuously communicate with the elevator system, in particular with an elevator control system or the elevator car, via the position data of the elevator car, such that the current position of the elevator car in the elevator shaft relative to the position of at least one floor of the building can be continuously displayed on the screen of the mobile device. The mobile device can be, for example, a mobile phone or a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet computer, or any portable communication device.Therefore, a technician can get a better overview of which floor the current position of the elevator car is closer to, allowing him to quickly decide from which floor he can easily enter the elevator shaft or board the elevator car to perform a specific task, without having to either laboriously operate a KNET switch on a floor or only being allowed to enter or board on a predefined specific floor.

[0009] The term "current position" refers above and below to the precise position of the elevator car displayed on the mobile device, meaning that it appears constant to the viewer rather than discrete, and is adjusted to the actual position of the car at short intervals, e.g., at intervals of less than one millisecond. In other words, the displayed position corresponds to the actual position of the car at all times.

[0010] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the mobile device is designed such that the current position of the elevator car in the elevator shaft can be displayed on the screen of the mobile device relative to the respective positions of all floors of the building. Advantageously, the elevator car and the respective floors are displayed on the screen of the mobile device proportional to their size.

[0011] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a highest and / or lowest stopping position in the elevator shaft that the elevator car can reach can be displayed on the screen. The highest or lowest stopping position of the elevator car does not mean the landing position on the highest or lowest floor. Normally, the highest stopping position is higher than the highest landing position, and the lowest stopping position is lower than the lowest landing position. In addition, a starting position and / or a destination position of a booked ride of the elevator car can also be displayed on the screen.

[0012] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, a maintenance stop position of the elevator car can be displayed on the screen, wherein the maintenance stop position is already predefined for a specific maintenance task, and wherein the maintenance task can be determined either by the mobile device or by a remote control center for the elevator system.

[0013] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the mobile device can be connected to a local and / or public network. This allows communication to be established between the mobile device and a remote control center or a server or cloud server. It is then possible to use the mobile device on-site at the elevator system to download the necessary documents for completing a maintenance / inspection task, for example, from a server or upload them to a server.

[0014] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the mobile device can communicate with the elevator control system, whereby the mobile device can switch the elevator system between its normal operation and its inspection mode, wherein in inspection mode the elevator car can be manually controlled by the mobile device for movement, namely up and down. The mobile device can thus comprise a switching means such as an electromechanical means and / or a software function (e.g. application software: app) for switching the elevator system. In contrast to automatic control of the elevator car, which is carried out by the elevator control system during normal operation of the elevator system, manual control means that the elevator system only responds to current handling by a person using a switch (e.g.a button, a knob, or an app on the mobile device) which directly causes the elevator car to move. After the operation, the reaction of the elevator system and the movement of the elevator car also ends. Typically, an elevator car under automatic control travels at a higher travel speed or with greater acceleration, while under manual control it only travels at a lower travel speed or with less acceleration. Thus, a technician can move the elevator car conveniently and precisely by operating the mobile device during inspection of the elevator system, in order to be able to hold the elevator car as desired and flexibly.

[0015] Furthermore, the invention provides a method for monitoring an elevator system in a multi-story building, wherein an elevator car is moved in an elevator shaft of the elevator system between the floors of the building under the control of an elevator control system of the elevator system. A mobile device as described above continuously communicates with the elevator system, in particular with the elevator control system or the elevator car, via the position data of the elevator car, such that the current position of the elevator car in the elevator shaft is continuously displayed on the screen of the mobile device relative to the position of at least one floor of the building.

[0016] Furthermore, the invention provides an elevator system in a multi-story building, wherein an elevator car is movable in an elevator shaft of the elevator system between the floors of the building under the control of an elevator control system of the elevator system, wherein the elevator system can be monitored by means of a mobile device mentioned and described above or is monitored by a method described above. In particular, the current position of the elevator car in the elevator shaft relative to the respective positions of all floors of the building can be continuously displayed on the screen of the mobile device. The current position of the elevator car can be a stationary holding position or a current position that continuously moves during a travel of the elevator car. Thus, a technician can at least obtain an overview of how the elevator car moves relative to the floors of the building and on which floor it is stopped.

[0017] It should be noted that some of the possible features and advantages of the invention are described herein with reference to various embodiments. One skilled in the art will recognize that the features may be appropriately combined, adapted, or interchanged to achieve further embodiments of the invention.

[0018] Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein neither the drawings nor the description are to be construed as limiting the invention. Fig. 1: Illustration of an elevator system with a mobile device according to the invention; and Fig. 2: Top view of a mobile device according to the invention.

[0019] Fig. 1 shows a representation of an elevator system 1 that is installed in a building 3 with multiple floors or levels 7. The elevator system 1 comprises an elevator car 5 and an elevator control 10. During normal operation of the elevator system 1, the elevator car 5 can move automatically between floors 7 in an elevator shaft 6 of the elevator system 1 under the control of an elevator control 10. A shaft door 9 is provided on each floor 7, and a car door (not shown) is provided on the elevator car 5. The shaft door 9 can be opened or closed alone or together with the car door. When one of the shaft doors 9 or the car door is opened, the elevator car 5 is immediately blocked from moving.

[0020] According to the invention, a mobile device 2 is provided for monitoring the elevator system 1. The mobile device 2 is, for example, a smartphone or any other portable communications device. Wireless communication can be established with the elevator control system 10 or the elevator car 5 using the mobile device 2, so that the mobile device 2 can monitor and control the movement or position of the elevator car 5. After successful communication has been established, the mobile device 2 can control the elevator system 1 accordingly. This means that a technician, i.e. the user (not shown) of the mobile device 2, can switch the elevator system 1 to inspection mode or normal operation using the mobile device 2, both outside and inside the elevator shaft 6. It is then no longer necessary to arrange an inspection control panel 12 in the elevator shaft 6, specifically in the shaft pit and on the roof of the elevator car 5.The functions of the inspection control panel 12 can be at least partially taken over by the mobile device 2. Thus, it is no longer necessary for the technician to first enter the elevator shaft 6 to switch the elevator system 1 to inspection mode before performing maintenance work.

[0021] After the elevator system 1 has been put into inspection mode, the technician can use the mobile device 2 to manually control the elevator car 5 to move at a low speed and to move it to or stop it in any position in the elevator shaft 6. The mobile device 2 can also be connected to a local and / or public network 8, allowing the mobile device 2 to download information from or upload it to the network 8, such as retrieving auxiliary information for maintenance work or sending a report. Furthermore, the mobile device 2 can be connected to a remote control center 13 via the network 8, enabling remote maintenance or diagnostics for the elevator system 1. When the elevator system 1 is switched back to normal operation, the mobile device 2 is disconnected from the elevator system 1. The elevator system 1 is then automatically controlled again by the elevator control system 10.

[0022] Fig.2 shows a mobile device 2 according to the invention with a screen 4. For monitoring an elevator system 1, which is for example in Fig.1As shown, the mobile device 2 can communicate with the elevator system 1, whereby the current position of the elevator car 5 in the elevator shaft 6 relative to the position of a floor 7 or the respective positions of several or all floors 7 of the building 3 can be continuously graphically displayed on the screen 4. Advantageously, the elevator car 5 and the respective floors are displayed proportionally to their size. Likewise, a highest 14a and / or lowest stopping position 14b in the elevator shaft 6 that the elevator car 5 can reach can be displayed on the screen 4. If a destination floor is specified for a trip of the elevator car 5, a start position and a destination position of the booked trip of the elevator car 5 can be displayed on the screen 4, for example, the start position or the destination position is each displayed by a diagonally hatched area on the left or right.The display on the screen 4 can be zoomed in or out to provide the user of the mobile device 2 with a different or better perspective of the position of the elevator car 5 relative to the respective floors 7.

[0023] Furthermore, the mobile device 2 has at least one switch 11, which is provided for switching the elevator system 1 between normal operation and inspection mode or for controlling the elevator car 5 during inspection mode. The switch 11 can be configured either as an electromechanical switch (e.g., a button or a knob) or as an app or a graphical menu entry on a user interface for the mobile device 2.

[0024] In summary, embodiments of the mobile device 2 presented herein allow a method for monitoring or controlling an elevator installation 1 in an inspection mode, whereby greater mobility and better safety for a technology inside or outside the elevator shaft 6 of the elevator installation 1 are created.

[0025] It should be noted that possible features and advantages of embodiments of the invention are described herein partly with reference to a method according to the invention and partly with reference to a device according to the invention. A person skilled in the art will recognize that the individual features can be combined, modified, or exchanged as appropriate, and that features described in particular for the method can be applied analogously to the device, and vice versa, to achieve further embodiments of the invention.

Claims

1. A mobile device (2) having a screen (4) for monitoring an elevator system (1) in a multi-level building (3), wherein an elevator car (5) is movable, under the control of an elevator controller (10) of the elevator system (1), between the floors of the building (3) in an elevator shaft (6) of the elevator system (1), characterized in that the mobile device (2) is able to communicate continuously with the elevator system (1), in particular with the elevator controller (10) or the elevator car (5), via the position data of the elevator car (5) such that the current position of the elevator car (5) in the elevator shaft (6) with respect to the position of the at least one floor (7) of the building (3) can be displayed continuously on the screen (4) of the mobile device (2).

2. The mobile device (2) according to claim 1, wherein the mobile device (2) is configured such that the current position of the elevator car (5) in the elevator shaft (6) with respect to the respective positions of all floors (7) of the building (3) can be displayed on the screen (4) of the mobile device (2).

3. The mobile device (2) according to either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a highest (14a) and / or lowest stop position (14b) in the elevator shaft (6) reachable by the elevator car (5) can be displayed on the screen (4).

4. The mobile device (2) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a start position and / or a target position of a booked travel of the elevator car (5) can be displayed on the screen (4).

5. The mobile device (2) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a maintenance stop position of the elevator car (5) can be displayed on the screen (4), wherein the maintenance stop position for a specific maintenance task is predefined, and wherein the maintenance task can be determined either by the mobile device (2) or by a remote center (8) for the elevator system (1).

6. The mobile device (2) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the control device (2) can be connected to a local and / or public network (8).

7. The mobile device (2) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the mobile device (2) can communicate with the elevator controller (10) such as to switch the elevator system (1) between its normal mode and its inspection mode, and wherein in the inspection mode of the elevator system (1) the elevator car (5) can be controlled manually by the mobile device (2) for moving.

8. A method for monitoring an elevator system (1) in a multi-level building (3), wherein an elevator car (5) is moved, under the control of an elevator controller (10) of the elevator system (1), between the floors (7) of the building (3) in an elevator shaft (6) of the elevator system (1), wherein a mobile device (2) communicates continuously with the elevator system (1), in particular with the elevator controller (10) or the elevator car (5), via the position data of the elevator car (5) such that the current position of the elevator car (5) in the elevator shaft (6) with respect to the position of at least one floor (7) of the building (3) is displayed continuously on the screen (4) of the mobile device (2).

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the current position of the elevator car (5) in the elevator shaft (6) with respect to the respective positions of all floors (7) of the building (3) is displayed on the screen (4) of the mobile device (2).

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein a highest (14a) and / or lowest stop position (14b) in the elevator shaft (6) reachable by the elevator car (5) can be displayed on the screen (4).

11. The method according to any of claims 8 to 10, wherein a start position and / or a target position of a booked travel of the elevator car (5) is or are displayed on the screen (4).

12. The method according to any of claims 8 to 11, wherein a maintenance stop position of the elevator car (5) is displayed on the screen (4), wherein the maintenance stop position for a specific maintenance task is predefined, and wherein the maintenance task is determined either by the mobile device (2) or by a remote center (8) for the elevator system (1).

13. The method according to any of claims 8 to 12, wherein the control device (2) is connected to a local and / or public network (8).

14. The method according to any of claims 8 to 13, wherein the mobile device (2) communicates with the elevator controller (10) such as to switch the elevator system (1) between its normal mode and its inspection mode, wherein, in the inspection mode of the elevator system (1), the elevator car (5) is controlled manually by the mobile device (2) for moving.

15. An elevator system (1) in a multi-level building (3), wherein an elevator car (5) is movable, under the control of an elevator controller (10) of the elevator system (1), between the floors of the building (3) in an elevator shaft (6) of the elevator system (1), and wherein the elevator system (1) can be monitored by means of a mobile device (2) according to any of claims 1 to 7 or is monitored by a method according to any of claims 8 to 14.