SENSOR DEVICE FOR DOOR CONTROL AND CONTROL SYSTEM

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a sensor device for controlling the elevator door of an elevator depending on the detection of the passage to the elevator car and an anteroom in front of the elevator car and a control system.

[0002] Sensor devices of the type mentioned are known from the prior art, such as those described in US 5 001 557 A.

[0003] The object of the invention is to provide a sensor device and a control system with more convenient features.

[0004] To provide user features.

[0005] This problem is solved, starting from a sensor device of the type mentioned above, by a sensor device according to claim 1 and a control system according to claim 7. Advantageous embodiments are specified in the further dependent claims.

[0006] The sensor device according to the invention is a sensor device according to claim 1.

[0007] This sensor system offers the advantage that the elevator doors can be closed more quickly with the early closing signal. This reduces waiting times and allows the elevator to be operated more efficiently.

[0008] However, because the early closing signal only occurs under certain conditions—namely, when it is ensured that no person has been in the immediate vicinity of the elevator door, i.e., in the doorway and the vestibule, for a sufficient period of time beforehand—it is possible to prevent people from being startled by a sudden closing action. Consequently, user comfort can be increased.

[0009] An elevator door is generally a sliding door. An elevator door can be a single-leaf or a double-leaf sliding door. The sliding door can be solid or telescopic.

[0010] The door movement space is the space covered by the front edge of the elevator door(s) during the closing process.

[0011] Separate detection means that the detection of an object can be assigned to the door movement area or the vestibule area.

[0012] For the purposes of this invention, a memory means any means of accessing past information, whereby generally only temporary storage is sufficient to monitor a specific period of time. This can be implemented electronically in any form, e.g., via main memory (RAM), a register, but also, for example, a flip-flop circuit or any other circuit capable of temporarily storing information.

[0013] Preferably, the evaluation device is designed to output an opening signal for opening the elevator doors when an object is detected in the door movement area.

[0014] This can have the advantage that the elevator doors are not unnecessarily reopened during the closing process. This can reduce wear and tear.

[0015] Preferably, the evaluation unit is configured to output a conditional closing signal for the conditional closing of the elevator doors when no object is detected in the door's movement area. Conditional closing means that the elevator doors should close only after a specific time has elapsed since an opening signal was received. This can have the advantage of preventing the elevator doors from closing prematurely, thus reducing wear and tear. The delay can also prevent passengers from being startled by the doors closing immediately upon entry.

[0016] Preferably, the evaluation device has a timer and is designed to start the timer when an object is detected in the door movement area and to issue a closing signal to close the elevator doors when no object is detected in the door movement area and at the same time a certain time period of the timer has expired.

[0017] This can have the advantage that the elevator doors close reliably.

[0018] Preferably, the conditional closing signal and the opening signal are inverses of each other, and in particular, one of the two signals is given by the absence of the other signal, and in particular, the conditional closing signal is defined by the absence of the opening signal, or vice versa, and in particular, the opening signal is the high state and the conditional closing signal is the low state on the same signal line.

[0019] This can offer the advantage that only one signal line is required. This can reduce complexity and costs.

[0020] Preferably, the conditional closing signal and the early closing signal are different from each other and, in particular, are neither the same and / or inverse to each other and, in particular, are transmitted via different signal lines.

[0021] This can have the advantage of increasing security.

[0022] The control system according to the invention is a control system according to claim 7.

[0023] The system is designed to execute successive detection cycles. The control system includes a control unit configured to open the elevator doors when an object is detected in the doorway, to start a timer when the doors open, and to close the doors when no object is detected and a specific timer period has elapsed. The control unit also includes a memory module configured to temporarily store information on whether an object was detected during a detection cycle and to close the elevator doors when no object is detected. Furthermore, the system module is configured to store information indicating that an object was detected during a previous detection cycle, particularly the immediately preceding one.

[0024] The control system according to the invention can include the sensor device according to the invention.

[0025] This can realize the aforementioned advantages.

[0026] Preferably, the door movement space corresponds essentially to the plane between the cabin doors and the shaft doors, and in particular to the detection plane of a conventional light grid.

[0027] This can offer the advantage of eliminating the need for a light grid. This can reduce costs.

[0028] Preferably, the timer duration is 5 seconds.

[0029] This can have the advantage that both the waiting time and the comfort are perceived as optimal by avoiding startling the passenger.

[0030] Preferably, the object is a person.

[0031] Preferably, the detection device is arranged on the door frame of the passageway and / or surrounded by a housing, particularly together with the evaluation device. Preferably, the detection device comprises a 3D sensor, in particular a TOF 3D sensor, and especially has a sensor matrix, wherein one area of ​​the sensor matrix is ​​assigned to detection in the doorway movement area and another area of ​​the sensor matrix is ​​assigned to detection in the vestibule area.

[0032] This can offer the advantage that the aforementioned mode of action can be achieved cost-effectively and reliably.

[0033] Further features of the invention are shown in the drawings.

[0034] The advantages mentioned in each case can also materialize for combinations of features in which they are not explicitly mentioned. Overview of the drawings:

[0035] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and are explained in more detail below. Identical reference numerals in the individual figures denote corresponding elements. The figures show: Fig. 1 Control system according to the invention with sensor device Detailed description of the drawings:

[0036] Fig. 1 Figure 1 shows a control system 10 according to the invention, comprising a sensor device 10 and a door control 40 for an elevator.

[0037] The elevator has a cabin with one or two elevator doors. The elevator doors move within a doorway. The doorway is essentially the space between the open doorway from the floor and the interior of the elevator cabin, which is swept across by the door edges when closing. An anteroom area is located on the floor in front of the doorway. This anteroom area is essentially a space outside the cabin in front of the doorway, defined by the detection device, and extending, for example, 2 meters in front of the doorway. The sensor device 20 is located on the elevator cabin in the area of ​​the mullion. The mullion is the upper, horizontal section of the doorway. The door control unit 40 is located in the shaft or machine room and is connected to the sensor device from the elevator cabin via a suspension cable.

[0038] The sensor device 20 sends either an opening signal 31 or a conditional closing signal 32 to the door control unit 40. The conditional closing signal 32 is triggered by the absence of the opening signal 31. Additionally, the sensor device 20 can send an early closing signal 33 to the door control unit 40.

[0039] The sensor device 20 includes a detection device 21. This is a 3D TOF sensor and consists of a sensor matrix, optics, and IR illumination. The detection device is designed to monitor two areas. The first area is the doorway. The second area is the vestibule.

[0040] The sensor device 20 comprises an evaluation device with a first distinguisher 22, a memory 23, a second distinguisher 24 and a third distinguisher 25.

[0041] When the elevator car has reached a stopping position and the doors are at least partially open, the sensor device 20, like a film camera, periodically performs detection cycles in which it detects the two rooms and evaluates the detection each time. In each detection cycle, the detection device 21 takes an image of the doorway and the vestibule area. The first distinguisher 22 receives the data from the detection device 21 via the data connection 21a, evaluates it, and if an object is detected in the door gap, it outputs an opening signal 31 and writes the detection of an object to memory 23. If no object is detected in the door gap, the second distinguisher 24 evaluates the data from the detection device 21, and if an object is detected in the vestibule area, it outputs a conditional closing signal 32 and writes the detection of an object to memory 23.The conditional closing signal 32 is the absence of the opening signal. The memory stores whether an object was detected in the current detection run until the next detection run. If no object was detected in the anteroom area, the third distinguisher 25 evaluates the memory 23 and also sends the conditional closing signal 32 if the memory does not contain the information that an object was detected in the previous detection run, or sends an early closing signal if the memory contains the information that an object was detected in the previous detection run.

[0042] The door control 40 receives either the opening signal 31, the conditional closing signal 32 or the early closing signal 33 from the sensor device 20.

[0043] If the door control 40 receives the opening signal 31 via the connection 31a, then the door control initiates the opening of the elevator door and starts a timer 42.

[0044] If the door control unit 40 receives the conditional closing signal 32 via connection 32a, a distinguisher 43 evaluates whether a specific duration has elapsed since the start of the timer 42 and outputs a closing signal 44, closing the elevator doors if this specified duration has passed since the start of the timer 42. The specified duration is 5 seconds, but can also be longer or shorter. Connection 31a for the opening signal 31 and connection 32a for the conditional closing signal 32 share the same signal line. The conditional closing signal is the absence of the opening signal on the same signal line.

[0045] If the door control unit 40 receives the early closing signal 33 via connection 33a, then the door control unit 40 closes the elevator doors immediately. The early closing signal 33 is transmitted via a different signal line than the opening signal 31 and the conditional closing signal 32. Reference symbol list:

[0046] 10 Control system 20 Sensor device 21 Detection device 22 Evaluation of the door gap 23 Memory 24 Evaluation of the vestibule area 25 Evaluation of the memory 31 Opening signal 32 Conditional closing signal 33 Early closing signal 40 Door control 41 Door opening process 42 Timer start 43 Timer evaluation 44 Closing signal 45 Door closing process

Claims

1. Sensor device (20) - for a lift comprising a car with a lift door, which has a door movement space in the passage and disposed in front of which is a spatial region in front on the floor in front of the door movement space, - comprising a detection device (21) designed - for separately detecting objects in the door movement space and in the spatial region in front and - for carrying out successive detection passes, - to capture an image of the door movement space and the spatial region in front in each detection pass, and - comprising an evaluation device, wherein - the evaluation device - has a memory (23) and is designed - to store in the memory at least temporarily the information as to whether an object has been detected during one of the detection passes, and - to output an early closing signal (33) for closing the lift doors - if no object has been detected during one of the detection passes and - the information that an object has been detected has been stored in the memory for a preceding detection pass, in particular for a specific preceding detection pass, in particular for the directly preceding detection pass.

2. Sensor device according to Claim 1, characterized in that - the evaluation device is designed - to output an opening signal (31) for opening the lift doors if an object is detected in the door movement space.

3. Sensor device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the evaluation device is designed - to output a conditional closing signal (32) for the conditional closing of the lift doors if no object has been detected in the door movement space, - conditional closing meaning that the lift doors are intended to be closed if simultaneously a specific time duration has elapsed since an opening signal for opening the doors.

4. Sensor device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the evaluation device - has a time switch (42) and is designed - to start the time switch upon detection of an object in the door movement space and - to output a closing signal (44) for closing the lift doors - if no object has been detected in the door movement space and - simultaneously a specific time duration of the time switch has elapsed.

5. Sensor device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the conditional closing signal and the opening signal - are the inverse of one another, and - in particular one of the two signals is given by the absence of the other signal and - in particular the conditional closing signal is defined by the absence of the opening signal, or vice versa, and - in particular the opening signal is the high state and the conditional closing signal is the low state of the same signal line.

6. Sensor device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the conditional closing signal and the early closing signal - are different from one another and - in particular are given neither identically and / or inversely with respect to one another and - in particular are transmitted via different signal lines.

7. Control system (10) - for a lift comprising a car with a lift door, which has a door movement space in the passage and disposed in front of which is a spatial region in front on the floor in front of the door movement space, - comprising a detection device designed - for separately detecting objects in the door movement space and in the spatial region in front and - for carrying out successive detection passes, - to capture an image of the door movement space and the spatial region in front in each detection pass, and - comprising a system controller designed - to open the lift doors if an object is detected in the door movement space, and - to start a time switch upon the opening of the lift doors and - to close the lift doors - if no object has been detected in the door movement space and - simultaneously a specific time duration of the time switch has elapsed, wherein - the system controller - has a memory (23) and is designed - to store in the memory at least temporarily the information as to whether an object has been detected during one of the detection passes, and - to close the lift doors - if no object has been detected during one of the detection passes and - simultaneously the information that an object has been detected has been stored in the memory for a preceding detection pass, in particular for the directly preceding detection pass.

8. Sensor device or control system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the door movement space substantially corresponds to the plane between the car doors and the shaft doors and corresponds in particular to the detection plane of a conventional light grid.

9. Sensor device according to Claim 4 or control system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the time duration of the time switch is 5 seconds.

10. Sensor device or control system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the object is a person.

11. Sensor device or control system according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that - the detection device - is arranged on the transom of the passage, and / or - is surrounded by a housing, in particular together with the evaluation device is encompassed by a housing, and / or - comprises a 3D sensor, in particular a TOF 3D sensor, and / or - has a sensor matrix, one region of the sensor matrix being assigned to detection in the door movement space and another region of the sensor matrix being assigned to detection in the spatial region in front.