An oil level monitoring solution
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-05-24
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-08
AI Technical Summary
Traditional methods for monitoring oil levels in elevator components, such as oil containers in elevator cars and counterweights, require onsite visits by maintenance personnel, which are time-consuming and costly.
A monitoring system comprising a sensor arrangement with oil level sensors and a monitoring unit that can obtain and process data to monitor oil levels in multiple oil containers, including optical, conductive, ultrasonic, and imaging sensors, and an oil spill imaging device to detect spills, allowing for remote monitoring and generation of maintenance tasks.
This system reduces the need for frequent onsite visits by enabling remote monitoring of oil levels and detecting oil spills, thereby improving efficiency and reducing maintenance costs while maintaining accurate tracking of oil levels.
Smart Images
Figure FI2023050289_28112024_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] An oil level monitoring solution
[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] The invention concerns in general the technical field of elevators. Especially the invention concerns monitoring oil level in oil containers of elevator entities.
[0004] BACKGROUND
[0005] Typically, several components of an elevator system, i.e. elevator components, residing inside an elevator shaft of the elevator system require monitoring and inspection. For example, oil level in oil containers of elevator components, e.g. elevator cars and / or counterweights, require monitoring and inspection. Traditionally, the monitoring and inspection of the elevator components residing inside the elevator shaft have been carried out during onsite visits by maintenance personnel. The onsite monitoring and inspection of the elevator components residing inside the elevator shaft require that the maintenance personnel, e.g. a technician, visits the site. The onsite visits by the maintenance personnel are time consuming and may cause unnecessary costs. Therefore, there is a need to develop further solutions for monitoring and inspection of elevator components, such as oil containers.
[0006] SUMMARY
[0007] The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide basic understanding of some aspects of various invention embodiments. The summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention nor to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description of exemplifying embodiments of the invention.
[0008] An objective of the invention is to present a monitoring system, an elevator system, a method for monitoring oil level in at least one oil container of an elevator entity. Another objective of the invention is that the monitoring system, the elevator system, the method for monitoring oil level in at least one oil container of an elevator entity improve monitoring of the at least one oil container of the elevator entity, such as an elevator car or a counterweight. The objectives of the invention are reached by a monitoring system, an elevator system, and a method as defined by the respective independent claims.
[0009] According to a first aspect, a monitoring system for monitoring oil level in at least one oil container of an elevator entity is provided, wherein the monitoring system comprises: a monitoring unit and a sensor arrangement comprising at least one oil level sensor device, the at least one oil level sensor device of the sensor arrangement comprises a first oil level sensor device arranged to the elevator entity in association with a first oil container of the elevator entity, wherein the first oil level sensor device is configured to: obtain oil level data of the first oil container of the elevator entity, and provide the obtained oil level data to the monitoring unit for monitoring the oil level in the first oil container.
[0010] The elevator entity may be an elevator car or a counterweight.
[0011] The monitoring unit may further be configured to monitor oil level of a second oil container of the elevator entity based on the oil level data of the first oil container obtained by the first oil level sensor device.
[0012] Alternatively, the at least one oil sensor device of the sensor arrangement may comprise a second oil level sensor device arranged to the elevator entity in association with a second oil container of the elevator entity, wherein the second oil level sensor device may be configured to: obtain oil level data of the second oil container of the elevator entity, and provide the obtained oil level data of the second oil container to the monitoring unit for monitoring the oil level in the second oil container.
[0013] The at least one oil sensor device may be an optical sensor device, a conductive sensor device, an ultrasonic sensor device, or an imaging sensor device.
[0014] Alternatively, the first oil level sensor device may be an optical imaging sensor device, and the first oil level sensor device may further be configured to: obtain oil level data of a second oil container of the elevator entity, and provide the obtained oil level data of the second oil container to the monitoring unit for monitoring the oil level in the second oil container.
[0015] Alternatively, the first oil level sensor device may be an optical imaging sensor device and the elevator entity may be a first elevator entity, wherein the first oil level sensor device may further be configured to: obtain oil level data of a sec- ond oil container of the first elevator entity and / or oil level data of at least one oil container of a second elevator entity, and provide the obtained oil level data of the second oil container of the first elevator entity and / or the obtained oil level data of the at least one oil container of the second elevator entity to the monitoring unit for monitoring the oil level in the second oil container of the first elevator entity and / or the oil level in the at least one oil container of the second elevator entity.
[0016] The first elevator entity may be an elevator car and the second elevator entity may be a counterweight.
[0017] Alternatively or in addition, the monitoring unit may be configured to generate at least one maintenance task based on the obtained oil level data.
[0018] Alternatively or in addition, the sensor arrangement may further comprise an oil spill imaging device arranged at a bottom of the elevator entity, wherein the oil spill imaging device may be configured to: obtain optical image data of a pit of an elevator shaft below the elevator entity, and provide the obtained optical image data to the monitoring unit for monitoring oil spills in the pit.
[0019] The monitoring unit may further be configured to: process the obtained optical image data to detect oil spills in the pit based on the obtained optical image data, and generate at least one maintenance task in response to detecting the oil spills in the pit.
[0020] According to a second aspect, an elevator system is provided, wherein the elevator system comprises: at least one elevator entity comprising at least one oil container, and a monitoring system as described above.
[0021] According to a third aspect, a method for monitoring oil level in at least one oil container of an elevator entity is provided, wherein the method comprises: obtaining, by a first oil level sensor device, oil level data of a first oil container of the elevator entity; and providing, by the first oil level sensor device, the obtained oil level data to a monitoring unit for monitoring the oil level in the first oil container.
[0022] The elevator entity may be an elevator car or a counterweight. The method may further comprise monitoring, by the monitoring unit, oil level of a second oil container of the elevator entity based on the oil level data of the first oil container obtained by the first oil level sensor device.
[0023] Alternatively, the method may further comprise: obtaining, by a second oil level sensor device, oil level data of a second oil container of the elevator entity; and providing, by the second oil level sensor device, the obtained oil level data of the second oil container to the monitoring unit for monitoring the oil level in the second oil container.
[0024] Alternatively, the method may further comprise: obtaining, by the first oil level sensor device being an optical imaging sensor device, oil level data of a second oil container of the elevator entity; and providing, by the first oil level sensor device, the obtained oil level data of the second oil container to the monitoring unit for monitoring the oil level in the second oil container.
[0025] Alternatively, the method may further comprise: obtaining, by the first oil level sensor device being an optical imaging sensor device, oil level data of a second oil container of the elevator entity being a first elevator entity and / or oil level data of at least one oil container of a second elevator entity; and providing, by the first oil level sensor device, the obtained oil level data of the second oil container of the first elevator entity and / or the obtained oil level data of the at least one oil container of the second elevator entity to the monitoring unit for monitoring the oil level in the second oil container of the first elevator entity and / or the oil level in the at least one oil container of the second elevator entity.
[0026] The first elevator entity may be an elevator car and the second elevator entity may be a counterweight.
[0027] Alternatively or in addition, the method may further comprise generating, by the monitoring unit, at least one maintenance task based on the obtained oil level data.
[0028] Alternatively or in addition, the method may further comprise: obtaining, by an oil spill imaging device arranged at a bottom of the elevator entity, optical image data of a pit of an elevator shaft below the elevator entity; and providing, by the oil spill imaging device, the obtained optical image data to the monitoring unit for monitoring oil spills in the pit. The method may further comprise: processing, by the monitoring unit, the obtained optical image data to detect oil spills in the pit based on the obtained optical image data; and generating, by the monitoring unit, at least one maintenance task in response to detecting the oil spills in the pit.
[0029] Various exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments of the invention both as to constructions and to methods of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
[0030] The verbs “to comprise” and “to include” are used in this document as open limitations that neither exclude nor require the existence of unrecited features. The features recited in dependent claims are mutually freely combinable unless otherwise explicitly stated. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the use of “a” or “an”, i.e. a singular form, throughout this document does not exclude a plurality.
[0031] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0032] The embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings.
[0033] Figure 1 illustrates schematically an example of an elevator system, in which a monitoring system may be implemented.
[0034] Figures 2A and 2B illustrate schematically an example of oil containers of an elevator car.
[0035] Figures 2C and 2D illustrate schematically an example of oil containers of a counterweight.
[0036] Figure 3A illustrates schematically an example of a monitoring system for monitoring oil level in at least one oil container of an elevator entity.
[0037] Figure 3B illustrates schematically another example of the monitoring system for monitoring oil level in at least one oil container of an elevator entity.
[0038] Figure 4 illustrates schematically an example of a method for monitoring oil level in at least one oil container of an elevator entity. Figure 5A illustrates schematically another example of the method.
[0039] Figure 5B illustrates schematically yet another example of the method.
[0040] Figure 6 illustrates schematically yet another example of the method.
[0041] Figure 7 illustrates schematically an example of components of a monitoring unit.
[0042] DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLIFYING EMBODIMENTS
[0043] Figure 1 illustrates schematically an example of an elevator system 100, in which a monitoring system 300 for monitoring oil level in at least one oil container 202a-202d of an elevator entity 102, 106 may be implemented. The elevator system 100 comprises at least one elevator car 102 configured to travel along a respective elevator shaft 104 between a plurality of floors (i.e. landings), a counterweight 106, and an elevator control system 108. The elevator system 100 may also form an elevator group, i.e. group of two or more elevator cars 102 each travelling along a separate elevator shaft 104 configured to operate as a unit serving the same landings. The elevator system 100 further comprises a hoisting machinery system configured to drive the at least one elevator car 102 along the respective elevator shaft 104 between the floors. The elevator hoisting machinery may comprise for example a motor and a traction sheave 110 for lifting the elevator car 102. For illustrative purposes, only the traction sheave 110 is shown in Figure 1. The elevator car 102, the hoisting machinery and the counterweight 106 are interconnected via hoisting roping arrangement 112 routed via a plurality of pulleys 114a, 114b, 114c, and the traction sheave 110. When the traction sheave 110 rotates, the elevator car 102 and the counterweight 106 are moving. The hoisting roping arrangement 112 comprises at least one hoisting rope. The elevator control system 108 is configured to at least control the operations of the elevator system 100. The elevator control system 108 may locate inside a machine room 116 (as illustrated in the example of Figure 1 ) or at one of the floors. The elevator control system 108 is communicatively coupled to the other entities of the elevator system 100. The communication between the elevator control system 108 and the other entities of the elevator system 100 may be based on one or more known communication technologies, either wired or wireless. The implementation of the elevator control system 108 may be done as a stand-alone control entity or as a distributed control environment between a plurality of stand-alone control entities, such as a plurality of servers, providing distributed control resource. The elevator system 100 may further comprise one or more known elevator related entities, e.g. user interface devices, elevator doors, safety circuit and devices, and / or elevator brakes, etc., which are not shown in Figure 1 for sake of clarity.
[0044] Guide rails 204a, 204b are installed vertically in the elevator shaft 104 to guide and direct the course of travel of the elevator car 102 along the elevator shaft 104. Similarly, guide rails 204c, 204d are installed vertically in the elevator shaft 104 to guide and direct the course of travel of the counterweight along the elevator shaft 104. For sake of clarity the guide rails 204a-204d are not shown in Figure 1. Guide shoes (for sake of clarity not shown in Figures) may be interposed between the elevator car 102 and the guide rails 204a, 204b respective to the elevator car 102 and between the counterweight 106 and the guide rails 204c, 204d respective to the counterweight 106 to ensure that the lateral motion of the elevator car 102 and the counterweight 106 is kept at a minimum as they travel along the respective guide rails 204a-204d. The elevator car 102 comprises two oil containers, i.e. oil cups, 202a, 202b comprising lubricating oil to lubricate the guide rails 204a, 204b respective to the elevator car 102. Each oil container 202a, 202b of the elevator car 102 may comprise a lid. Each oil container 202a, 202b of the elevator car 102 is arranged to the elevator car 102 so that the lubricating oil may be provided to the respective guide rail 204a, 204b from the oil container 202a, 202b, when the elevator car 102 travels along the guide rail 204a, 204b. Preferably, the oil containers 202a, 202b of the elevator car 102 are similar in size and capacity. Similarly, the counterweight 106 comprises two oil containers 202c, 202d comprising lubricating oil to lubricate the guide rails 204c, 204d respective to the counterweight 106. Each oil container 202c, 202d of the counterweight 106 may comprise a lid. Each oil container 202a, 202b of the counterweight 106 is arranged to the counterweight 106 so that the lubricating oil may be provided to the respective guide rail 204c, 204d from the oil container 202c, 202d, when the counterweight 106 travels along the guide rail 204c, 204d. Preferably, the oil containers 202c, 202d of the counterweight 106 are similar in size and capacity.
[0045] Figures 2A and 2B illustrate schematically an example of the oil containers 202a, 202b of the elevator car 102. Figure 2A illustrates a top view of the elevator car 102. Figure 2B illustrates a front view of the elevator car 102 viewed from a car door 205 side of the elevator car 102. In the example of Figures 2A and 2B the oil containers 202a, 202b of the elevator car 102 are arranged to the elevator car 102 so that the top surfaces of the oil containers 202a, 202b are substantially at the same level with the top surface, i.e. the rooftop, of the elevator car 102. However, the oil containers 202a, 202b may also arranged to the elevator car 102 at some other level in the vertical direction, for example so that the top surfaces of the oil containers 202a, 202b are above the top surface of the elevator car 102 (e.g. similarly as illustrated in the counterweight 106 example illustrated in Figure 2D) or below the elevator car 102. For example, the oil containers 202a, 202b may be arranged on bases, such as brackets or pedestals, 206 to arrange the oil containers 202a, 202b above the top surface of the elevator car 102. Figures 2C and 2D illustrate schematically an example of the oil containers 202c, 202d of the counterweight 106. Figure 2C illustrates a top view of the of the counterweight 106. Figure 2D illustrates a front view of the of the counterweight 106. In the example of Figures 2C and 2D the oil containers 202a, 202b are arranged to the of the counterweight 106 so that the top surfaces of the oil containers 202a, 202b are above the top surface of the counterweight 106. For example, the oil containers 202c, 202d may be arranged on the bases 206 to arrange the oil containers 202a, 202b above the top surface of the elevator car 102 as illustrated in Figure 2D. However, the oil containers 202c, 202d may also arranged to the counterweight 106 at some other level in the vertical direction, for example so that the top surfaces of the oil containers 202c, 202d are substantially at the same level with the top surface of the counterweight 106 (e.g. similarly as illustrated in the elevator car example illustrated in Figure 2B). Figures 2A-2D illustrate only non-limiting examples of the oil containers 202a-202d. For example, the shape of the oil containers 202a-202d may differ from the shape of the oil containers 202a-202d illustrated in the examples of Figures 2A-2D.
[0046] Figure 3A illustrates schematically an example of the monitoring system 300 for monitoring oil level in at least one oil container 202a-202d of an elevator entity 102, 106. The elevator entity 102, 106 may be the elevator car 102 or the counterweight 106. The monitoring system 300 comprises a sensor arrangement 302 and a monitoring unit 306. The monitoring unit 306 may be a local monitoring unit and / or a remote monitoring unit. The local monitoring unit, i.e. an on-site monitoring unit, is located at the elevator system 100. The remote monitoring unit, i.e. as an off-site monitoring unit, is located remote from the elevator system 100. The monitoring unit 306 may for example be a cloud server, a service center, a maintenance center, or a data center. The sensor arrangement 302 comprises at least one oil level sensor device 304a, 304b. The sensor arrangement 302 may further comprise an oil spill imaging device 305. Each sensor device 304a, 304b, 305 of the sensor arrangement 302 is communicatively coupled to the monitoring unit 306. The communication between each sensor device 304a, 304b, 305 of the sensor arrangement 302 may be based on one or more known communication technologies, either wired or wireless. Each sensor device 304a, 304b, 305 of the sensor arrangement 302 may comprise a communication interface for communicating with the monitoring unit 306. Figure 3B illustrates schematically another example of the monitoring system 300 monitoring oil level in the at least one oil container 202a-202d of the elevator entity 102, 106. The monitoring system 300 of Figure 3B is otherwise similar to the monitoring system 300 of Figure 3A, but the sensor devices 304a, 304b, 305 of the sensor arrangement 302 are communicatively coupled to the monitoring unit 306 indirectly via an edge device, i.e. a connectivity module, 308, e.g. a gateway device. The edge device 308 may be arranged, e.g. placed, for example to the elevator car 102, e.g. on top of the elevator car 102, or in the machine room 116.
[0047] The at least one oil level sensor device 304a, 304b of the sensor arrangement 302 comprises at least a first oil level sensor device 304a. The first oil level sensor device 304a may be arranged to the elevator entity 102, 106 in association with a first oil container 202a, 202c of the elevator entity 102, 106. The at least one oil level sensor device 304a, 304b of the sensor arrangement 302 may further comprise a second oil level sensor device 304b. The second oil level sensor device 304b may be arranged to the elevator entity 102, 106 in association with a second oil container 202b, 202d of the elevator entity 102, 106. The way the oil level sensor device 304a, 304b is arranged in association with the respective oil container 202a-202d of the elevator entity 102, 106 depends on the type of said oil sensor device 304a, 304b. For example, depending on the type of the oil level sensor device 304a, 304b, the oil level sensor device 304a, 304b may be arranged at least partly inside or completely inside the respective oil container 202a-202d in contact with the oil or without a contact with the oil to obtain oil level data of said oil container 202a-202d or the oil level sensor device 304a, 304b may be arranged outside the respective oil container 202a-202d so that the oil level sensor device 304a, 304b is capable to obtain oil level data of said oil container 202a-202d. The at least one oil level sensor device 304a, 304b of the sensor arrangement 302 may for example be an optical sensor device, a conductive sensor device, an ultrasonic sensor device, or an imaging sensor device.
[0048] The optical sensor device, e.g. an optical liquid level sensor, uses light to determine the oil level in the oil container 202a-202d. The optical sensor device emits a beam of infrared or visible light into the oil and measures the reflection or transmission of the light to determine the oil level. The optical sensor device may be a reflection type sensor or a transmission type sensor. The reflection type sensor measures the reflection of the light emitted at an angle towards the oil surface, while the transmission type sensor measures the amount of light transmitted through the oil. The optical sensor device is not affected by the properties of the oil, such as density or viscosity of the oil. The optical sensor device may be used to obtain the oil level data of the oil container 202a- 202d, without coming into contact with the oil. The optical sensor device is non-invasive, accurate, reliable, and requires very little maintenance. For example, the oil level sensor device 304a, 304b being an optical sensor device that may be arranged at least partly inside the respective oil container 202a- 202d without a contact with the oil. For example, one or more holes may be provided to the oil container 202a-202d to provide the optical sensor device partly inside the oil container 202a-202d.
[0049] The conductive sensor device, e.g. a conductive liquid level sensor, uses electrical conductivity to detect the oil level in the oil container 202a-202d. The conductive sensor device may comprise at least two probes made of conductive materials, such as stainless steel or platinum. The at least two probes are positioned at different heights in the oil container 202a-202d. When oil level in the container 202a-202d rises and touches the probes, an electrical connection is established, and a current flows between the probes. In other words, the oil level sensor device 304a, 304b being a conductive sensor device may be arranged inside the respective oil container 202a-202d in contact with the oil.
[0050] The ultrasonic sensor device, e.g. an ultrasonic liquid level sensor, uses high- frequency sound waves to measure the oil level in the oil container 202a-202d. The ultrasonic sensor device emits sound waves toward the surface of the oil and measures the time it takes for the sound waves to bounce back off the surface and return to the ultrasonic sensor device. By knowing the height of the oil container 202a-202d, the oil level in the oil container 202a-202d may be defined, e.g. calculated. The ultrasonic sensor device comprises a transducer that emits the sound waves and a receiver that detects the returning sound waves. The transducer may emit the sound waves at a specific frequency, for example between 25 and 200 kHz. The returning sound waves are then received by the receiver and the time delay between the transmitted and received signals, i.e. the sound waves, is defined. For example, the oil level sensor device 304a, 304b being an ultrasonic sensor device may be arranged inside or outside the respective oil container 202a-202d without a contact with the oil. Preferably the ultrasonic sensor device is arranged outside the oil container 202a-202d. However, the ultrasonic sensor device may also be arranged at least partly inside the oil container 202a-202d without a contact with the oil, e.g. the ultrasonic sensor device may be arranged to the lid of the oil container 202a-202d, e.g. to the inner surface of the lid, facing towards the oil in the oil container 202a-202d, but without being in contact with the oil.
[0051] The imaging sensor device may for example be an optical imaging device, such as a camera, e.g. a Red-Green-Blue (RGB) camera or a black-and-white camera. The oil level sensor device 304a, 304b being an imaging sensor device may be arranged outside the respective oil container 202a-202d so that the oil level sensor device 304a, 304b is capable to obtain oil level data of said oil container 202a-202d. A field of view (FOV) of the imaging sensor device may be directed to the oil container 202a-202d of the elevator entity 102, 106 to be monitored by the monitoring system 300. For example, if the sensor arrangement 302 comprises the first oil level sensor device 304a being an optical sensor device, the FOV of the first oil level sensor device 304a may be directed to the first oil container 202a, 202c of the elevator entity 102, 106. Alternatively or in addition, if the sensor arrangement 302 comprises the second oil level sensor device 304b being an optical sensor device, the FOV of the second oil level sensor device 304b may be directed to the second oil container 202b, 202d of the elevator entity 102, 106. According to an example, movement of the FOV of the imaging sensor device may be controlled. Alternatively or in addition, focusing of the FOV of the imaging sensor device may be controlled. The controlling of the movement of the FOV of the imaging sensor device enables that both oil containers 202a-202d of the elevator entity 102, 106 may be monitored by using only one imaging sensor device, e.g. the first oil level sensor device 304a being an imaging sensor device. For example, the FOV of the first oil level sensor device 304a being an optical sensor device may be directed to the first oil container 202a, 202c and to the second oil container 202b, 202d, non-simultaneously, in order to monitor both oil containers 202a-202d of the elevator entity 102, 106.
[0052] The oil spill imaging device 305 of the sensor arrangement 302 may be arranged at a bottom of the elevator entity 102, 104. The oil spill imaging device 305 may for example be an optical imaging device, such as a camera, e.g. a RGB camera or a black-and-white camera. Preferably, the oil spill imaging device 305 may be capable of providing optical image data with a high resolution and / or a wide FOV to cover the maximum area of the pit by the optical image data. Alternatively, the FOV of the oil spill imaging device 305 may be movable to cover the maximum area of the pit by the optical image data.
[0053] The sensor arrangement 302 may further comprise one or more further sensor devices, e.g. one or more further oil level sensors, one or more further oils spill imaging devices, and / or one or more other sensor devices.
[0054] As described above, the monitoring system 300 is used for monitoring the oil level in the at least one oil container 202a-202d of an elevator entity 102, 106. Next an example of a method for monitoring the oil level in the at least one oil container 202a-202d of the elevator entity 102, 106 by the monitoring system 300 is described by referring to Figure 4. Figure 4 schematically illustrates the method as a flow chart. As described above, the elevator entity 102, 106 may be the elevator car 102 or the counterweight 106. If the elevator entity 102, 106 is the elevator car 102, the at least one oil container 202a, 202b, which oil level is monitored by the monitoring system 300, may comprise the oil container 202a of the elevator car 102 and / or the oil container 202b of the elevator car 102. If the elevator entity 102, 106 is the counterweight 106, the at least one oil container 202c, 202d, which oil level is monitored by the monitoring system 300, may comprise the oil container 202c of the counterweight 106 and / or the oil container 202d of the counterweight 106. Next the method, i.e. one or more operations of the monitoring system 300, is mainly explained by using the elevator car 102 as the elevator entity 102, 106 and the oil container(s) 202a, 202b of the elevator car 102, e.g. the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102 and / or the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102, as the at least one oil container 202a-202d of the elevator entity 102, 106. However, the elevator entity 102, 106 may also be the counterweight 106 and the at least one oil container 202a-202d of the elevator entity 102, 106 may comprise the oil container(s) 202c, 202d of the counterweight 106. In other words, the oil level in at least one oil container 202c, 202d of the counterweight 106 may be monitored by the monitoring system 300 similarly as will be described for at least one oil container 202a, 202b of the elevator car 102.
[0055] At a step 410, the first oil level sensor device 304a of the sensor arrangement 302 obtains oil level data of the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102. The obtained oil level data of the first oil container 202b represents the oil level in the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102. The obtained oil level data may depend on the type of the first oil level sensor device 304a, but in any case, the obtained oil level data represents the oil level in the first oil container 202a.
[0056] At a step 420, the first oil level sensor device 304a of the sensor arrangement 302 provides the obtained oil level data to the monitoring unit 306 for monitoring the oil level in the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102. In other words, the monitoring unit 306 receives the obtained oil level data of the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102 from the first oil level sensor device 304a.
[0057] At a step 430, the monitoring unit 306 may monitor the oil level in the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102 based on the oil level data obtained by the first oil level sensor device 304a. Alternatively or in addition, at the step 430, the monitoring unit 306 may monitor oil level in the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 based on the oil level data of the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102 obtained by the first oil level sensor device 304a at the step 410 and provided to the monitoring unit 306 at the step 420. In other words, the oil level in the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 may be monitored indirectly by monitoring the oil level in the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102, i.e. the oil level in the first oil container 202a may be used to depict the oil level in the second oil container 202b. This is enabled by a substantially equal usage of the oil from both oil containers 202a, 202b. The usage of the oil from both oil containers 202a, 202b is substantially equal, since the first oil container 202a and the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 are similar in size and capacity, both oil containers 202a, 202b are installed at the same location in the vertical direction on the similar guide rails 204a, 204b, and the distance travelled by the elevator car 102 is the same for both oil containers 202a, 202b. In other words, as the distance travelled by the elevator car 102 is relative to the amount of oil used from both oil containers 202a, 202b, the same amount of oil is used from the first oil container 202a and from the second oil container 202b.
[0058] Alternatively or in addition to the monitoring the oil level in the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 based on the oil level data obtained from the first oil level sensor device 304a, oil level data of the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 may be obtained. Next another example of the method is described by referring to Figure 5A, wherein further the oil level data of the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 is obtained.
[0059] At the step 510, the second oil level sensor device 304b obtains the oil level data of the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102. Alternatively or in addition, if the first oil level sensor device 304a is the imaging sensor device, e.g. the optical imaging sensor device, the first oil level sensor device 304a may obtain at the step 510 the oil level data of the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102, in addition to the oil level data of the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102 obtained at the step 410. By controlling of the movement of the FOV of first oil level sensor device 304a, both oil containers 202a, 202b of the elevator car 102 may be monitored by using only one oil level sensor device 304a, 304b being an optical imaging sensor device as discussed above. For example, the FOV of the first oil level sensor device 304a may be directed to the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102 to obtain the oil level data of the first oil container 202a and non-simultaneously the FOV of the first oil level sensor device 304a may be directed to the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 to obtain the oil level data of the second oil container 202b. The obtained oil level data of the second oil container 202b represents the oil level in the second oil container 202a of the elevator car 102. The obtained oil level data of the second oil container 202b may depend on the type of the first oil level sensor device 304a or the second oil level sensor device 304b depending on which sensor device is used to obtain the oil level data of the second oil container 202b, but in any case, the obtained oil level data of the second oil container 202b represents the oil level in the second oil container 202a.
[0060] At the step 520, the second oil level sensor device 304b or the first oil level sensor device 304a depending on which sensor device is used to obtain the oil level data of the second oil container 202b at the step 510 provides the obtained oil level data of the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 to the monitoring unit 306 for monitoring the oil level in the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102. In other words, the monitoring unit 306 receives the obtained oil level data of the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 from the first oil level sensor device 304a or the second oil level sensor device 304b depending on which sensor device is used to obtain the oil level data of the second oil container 202b at the step 510.
[0061] In the example of Figure 5A, at the step 430, the monitoring unit 306 may monitor the oil level in the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102 based on the oil level data of the first oil container 202a obtained by the first oil level sensor device 304a at the step 410 and / or the oil level in the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 based on the oil level data of the second oil container 202b obtained by the second oil level sensor device 304b or by the first oil level sensor device 304a depending on which sensor device is used to obtain the oil level data of the second oil container 202b at the step 510. In case the oil level in the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 is monitored based on the oil level data of the second oil container 202b obtained by the second oil level sensor device 304b, the monitored oil levels in the first oil container 202a and in the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 may be compared with each other to detect possible measurement errors and / or defects in at least one of the oil level sensor devices 304a, 304b. For example, if the oil level in the first oil container 202a measured by the first oil level sensor device 304a is e.g. 80 % and the oil level in the second oil container 202b measured by the second oil level sensor device 304b is e.g. 20% or vice versa, it may indicate that there may be some measurement error and / or fault in at least one of the oil level sensor devices 304a, 304b.
[0062] According to an example, the first oil level sensor device 304a being an imaging sensor device, e.g. an optical imaging sensor device, and arranged to the elevator car 102, e.g. on the rooftop of the elevator car 102, may also be used for obtaining oil level data of at least one oil container 202c, 202b of the counterweight 106. Next another example of the method is described by referring to Figure 5B, wherein further the oil level data of the at least oil container 202c, 202d of the counterweight 106 may be obtained by the first oil level sensor device 304a. At a step 530, the first oil level sensor device 304a being the optical imaging sensor device, may obtain, in addition to the oil level data of the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102 obtained at the step 410, the oil level data of the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 and / or the oil level data of the at least one oil container 202c, 202d of the counterweight 106, i.e. the oil level data of the first oil container 202c of the counterweight 106 and / or the oil level data of the second oil container 202d of the counterweight 106. By controlling of the movement of the FOV of first oil level sensor device 304a, both oil containers 202a, 202b of the elevator car 102 and the at least one oil container 202c, 202d of the counterweight 106 may be monitored by using only one oil level sensor device 304a being an optical imaging sensor device as discussed above. For example, the FOV of the first oil level sensor device 304a may be directed to the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102 to obtain the oil level data of the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102, and non-simultaneously the FOV of the first oil level sensor device 304a may be directed to the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 to obtain the oil level data of the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102, to the first oil container 202c of the counterweight 106 to obtain the oil level data of the first oil container 202c of the counterweight 106, and / or to the second container 202d of the counterweight 106 to obtain the oil level data of the second oil container 202d of the counterweight 106.
[0063] At a step 540, the first oil level sensor device 304a may further provide the obtained oil level data of the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 and / or the obtained oil level data of the at least one oil container 202c, 202d of the counterweight 106 to the monitoring unit 306 for monitoring the oil level in the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 and / or the oil level in the at least one oil container 202c, 202d of the counterweight 106. In the example of Figure 5B, at the step 430, the monitoring unit 306 may monitor, in addition to the oil level in the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102, the oil level in the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 and / or the oil level in the at least one oil container 202c, 202d of the counterweight 106. In other words, the use the optical imaging sensor device as the first oil level sensor device 304a enables monitoring the oil level in the oil containers 202a, 202b of the elevator car 102 and in the oil containers 202c, 202d of the counterweight 106 by using only one oil level sensor device 304a. At a step 440, the monitoring unit 306 may generate at least one maintenance task, e.g. at least one service need, based on the obtained oil level data. The at least one maintenance task may for example be generated to maintenance personnel, e.g. a technician. According to an example, the monitoring unit 306 may generate the at least one maintenance task, if the obtained oil level data indicates that the oil level in the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102 is below a predefined oil level limit. According to another example, the monitoring unit 306 may generate the at least one maintenance task, if the obtained oil level data indicates that the oil level in the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 is below a predefined oil level limit. The oil level data indicating that the oil level in the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 being below the predefined oil level limit may be the oil level data obtained by the first oil level sensor device 304a as described above referring to the example of Figure 4. Alternatively, the oil level data indicating that the oil level in the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 being below the predefined oil level limit may be the oil level data obtained by the second oil level sensor device 304b or by the first oil level sensor device 304a as described above referring to the example of Figure 5A. Preferably, the predefined oil level limit for the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102 and the predefined oil level limit for the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102 may be the same oil level limit. Alternatively, the predefined oil level limit for the first oil container 202a of the elevator car 102 may differ from the predefined oil level limit for the second oil container 202b of the elevator car 102. The generated at least one maintenance task may for example comprise an instruction to fill the oil container 202a, 202b of the elevator car 102, which oil level is indicated to be below the predefined oil level limit.
[0064] As discussed above, the sensor arrangement 302 may further comprise the oil spill imaging device 305. Next yet another example of the method is described by referring to Figure 6, wherein the sensor arrangement 302 further comprises the oil spill imaging device 305.
[0065] At a step 610, the oil spill imaging device 305 obtains optical image data of a pit of the elevator shaft 104 below the elevator car 102. The obtained optical image data may comprise at least one image frame (i.e. at least one still image) and / or video image data comprising multiple consecutive image frames. At a step 620, the oil spill imaging device 305 provides the obtained optical image data to the monitoring unit 306 for monitoring the oil spills in the pit. In other words, the monitoring unit 306 receives the obtained optical image data from the oil spill imaging device 305.
[0066] At a step 630, the monitoring unit 306 may process the obtained optical image data to detect the oil spills in the pit based on the obtained optical image data. The processing may for example comprise object detection or computer vision -based detection to detect the oil spills in the pit based on the obtained image data. The processing may further comprise one or more known other processing techniques, e.g. image processing techniques.
[0067] At a step 640, the monitoring unit 306 may generate at least one maintenance task, e.g. at least one service need, in response to detecting the oil spills in the pit at the step 630. The at least one maintenance task may for example be generated to the maintenance personnel, e.g. the technician. Typically, the oil spills in the pit cause additional time for the technician at the site, because special supplies, e.g. liquids, may be required for cleaning and removing the oil spills. However, by detecting the oil spills based on the obtained optical image data, the technician may be informed, e.g. in the generated at least one maintenance task, to bring those special supplies with them to the elevator site for the next planned visit.
[0068] Figure 7 illustrates schematically an example of components of the monitoring unit 306. The monitoring unit 306 may comprise a processing unit 710 comprising one or more processors, a memory unit 720 comprising one or more memories, a communication unit 730 comprising one or more communication devices, and possibly a user interface (III) unit 740. The mentioned elements may be communicatively coupled to each other with e.g. a communication bus. The memory unit 720 may store and maintain portions of a computer program (code) 725, and data, e.g. the obtained oil level data, the obtained optical image data, or any other data. The computer program 725 may comprise instructions which, when the computer program 725 is executed by the processing unit 710 of the monitoring unit 306 may cause the processing unit 710, and thus the monitoring unit 306 to carry out desired tasks, e.g. one or more of the method steps described above described above. The processing unit 710 may thus be arranged to access the memory unit 720 and retrieve and store any information therefrom and thereto. For sake of clarity, the processor herein re- fers to any unit suitable for processing information and control the operation of the monitoring unit 306, among other tasks. The operations may also be implemented with a microcontroller solution with embedded software. Similarly, the memory unit 720 is not limited to a certain type of memory only, but any memory type suitable for storing the described pieces of information may be applied in the context of the present invention. The communication unit 730 provides one or more communication interfaces for communication with any other unit, e.g. the sensor devices 304a, 304b, 305 of the sensor arrangement 302, the edge device 308, one or more databases, and / or with any other unit. The user interface unit 740 may comprise one or more input / output (I / O) devices, such as buttons, keyboard, touch screen, microphone, loudspeaker, display and so on, for receiving user input and outputting information. The computer program 725 may be a computer program product that may be comprised in a tangible nonvolatile (non-transitory) computer-readable medium bearing the computer program code 725 embodied therein for use with a computer, i.e. the monitoring unit 306.
[0069] The monitoring system 300 and the method described above improves the monitoring of the at least one oil container 202a-202d of the elevator entity 102, 106. For example, onsite visits by maintenance personnel, e.g. a technician, may be reduced because the oil level in the at least one oil container 202a-202d of the elevator entity 102, 106 may be monitored by the monitoring system 300. At least some aspects of the monitoring system 300 and the method enable that the maintenance task(s) may be generated based on the oil level data obtained by the at least one oil level sensor device 304a, 304b of the monitoring system 300. At least some aspects of the monitoring system 300 and the method enable monitoring of the pit of the elevator shaft 104 to detect oil spills in the pit, which in turn improves the cleanness of the pit.
[0070] The illustrated dimensions in the drawings are not to scale and not comparable to each other; they have been selected only for graphical clarity in the drawings.
[0071] The specific examples provided in the description given above should not be construed as limiting the applicability and / or the interpretation of the appended claims. Lists and groups of examples provided in the description given above are not exhaustive unless otherwise explicitly stated.
Claims
CLAIMS1. A monitoring system (300) for monitoring oil level in at least one oil container (202a-202d) of an elevator entity (102, 106), the monitoring system (300) comprising: a monitoring unit (306), and a sensor arrangement (302) comprising at least one oil level sensor device (304a, 304b), the at least one oil level sensor device (304a, 304b) of the sensor arrangement (302) comprises a first oil level sensor device (304a) arranged to the elevator entity (102, 106) in association with a first oil container (202a, 202c) of the elevator entity (102, 106), wherein the first oil level sensor device (304a) is configured to: obtain oil level data of the first oil container (202a, 202c) of the elevator entity (102, 106), and provide the obtained oil level data to the monitoring unit (306) for monitoring the oil level in the first oil container (202a, 202c).
2. The monitoring system (300) according to claim 1 , wherein the elevator entity (102, 106) is an elevator car (102) or a counterweight (106).
3. The monitoring system (300) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the monitoring unit (306) is configured to monitor oil level of a second oil container (202b, 202d) of the elevator entity (102, 106) based on the oil level data of the first oil container (202a, 202c) obtained by the first oil level sensor device (304a).
4. The monitoring system (300) according to any of claims 1 or 2, wherein the at least one oil sensor device (304a, 304b) of the sensor arrangement (302) comprises a second oil level sensor device (304b) arranged to the elevator entity (102, 106) in association with a second oil container (202b, 202d) of the elevator entity (102, 106), wherein the second oil level sensor device (304b) is configured to: obtain oil level data of the second oil container (202b, 202d) of the elevator entity (102, 106), andprovide the obtained oil level data of the second oil container (202b, 202d) to the monitoring unit (306) for monitoring the oil level in the second oil container (202b, 202d).
5. The monitoring system (300) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one oil sensor device (304a, 304b) is an optical sensor device, a conductive sensor device, an ultrasonic sensor device, or an imaging sensor device.
6. The monitoring system (300) according to any of claims 1 or 2, wherein the first oil level sensor device (304a) is an optical imaging sensor device, and wherein the first oil level sensor device (304a) is further configured to: obtain oil level data of a second oil container (202b, 202d) of the elevator entity (102, 106), and provide the obtained oil level data of the second oil container (202b, 202d) to the monitoring unit (306) for monitoring the oil level in the second oil container (202b, 202d).
7. The monitoring system (300) according to claim 1 , wherein the first oil level sensor device (304a) is an optical imaging sensor device and the elevator entity (102, 106) is a first elevator entity (102), and wherein the first oil level sensor device (304a) is further configured to: obtain oil level data of a second oil container (202b, 202d) of the first elevator entity (102) and / or oil level data of at least one oil container (202a-202d) of a second elevator entity (106), and provide the obtained oil level data of the second oil container (202b, 202d) of the first elevator entity (102) and / or the obtained oil level data of the at least one oil container (202a-202d) of the second elevator entity (106) to the monitoring unit (306) for monitoring the oil level in the second oil container (202b, 202d) of the first elevator entity (102) and / or the oil level in the at least one oil container (202a-202d) of the second elevator entity (106).
8. The monitoring system (300) according to claim 7, wherein the first elevator entity is an elevator car (102) and the second elevator entity is a counterweight (106).
9. The monitoring system (300) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the monitoring unit (306) is configured to generate at least one maintenance task based on the obtained oil level data.
10. The monitoring system (300) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the sensor arrangement (302) further comprises an oil spill imaging device (305) arranged at a bottom of the elevator entity (102, 106), the oil spill imaging device (305) is configured to: obtain optical image data of a pit of an elevator shaft (104) below the elevator entity (102, 106), and provide the obtained optical image data to the monitoring unit (306) for monitoring oil spills in the pit.11 . The monitoring system (300) according to claim 10, wherein the monitoring unit (306) is configured to: process the obtained optical image data to detect oil spills in the pit based on the obtained optical image data, and generate at least one maintenance task in response to detecting the oil spills in the pit.
12. An elevator system (100) comprising: at least one elevator entity (102, 106) comprising at least one oil container (202a-202d), and a monitoring system (300) according to any of the preceding claims.
13. A method for monitoring oil level in at least one oil container (202a-202d) of an elevator entity (102, 106), the method comprises: obtaining (410), by a first oil level sensor device (304a), oil level data of a first oil container (202a, 202c) of the elevator entity (102, 106); and providing (420), by the first oil level sensor device (304a), the obtained oil level data to a monitoring unit (306) for monitoring the oil level in the first oil container (202a, 202c).
14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the elevator entity (102, 106) is an elevator car (102) or a counterweight (106).
15. The method according to any of claims 13 or 14, further comprising monitoring (430), by the monitoring unit (306), oil level of a second oil container (202b, 202d) of the elevator entity (102, 106) based on the oil level data of the first oil container (202a, 202c) obtained by the first oil level sensor device (304a).
16. The method according to any of claims 13 or 14, further comprising: obtaining (510), by a second oil level sensor device (304b), oil level data of a second oil container (202b, 202d) of the elevator entity (102, 106); and providing (520), by the second oil level sensor device (304b), the obtained oil level data of the second oil container (202b, 202d) to the monitoring unit (306) for monitoring the oil level in the second oil container (202b, 202d).
17. The method according to any of claims 13 or 14, further comprising: obtaining (510), by the first oil level sensor device (304a) being an optical imaging sensor device, oil level data of a second oil container (202b, 202d) of the elevator entity (102, 106); and providing (520), by the first oil level sensor device (304a), the obtained oil level data of the second oil container (202b, 202d) to the monitoring unit (306) for monitoring the oil level in the second oil container (202b, 202d).
18. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: obtaining (530), by the first oil level sensor device (304a) being an optical imaging sensor device, oil level data of a second oil container (202b, 202d) of the elevator entity (102, 106) being a first elevator entity (102) and / or oil level data of at least one oil container (202a-202d) of a second elevator entity (102, 106); and providing (540), by the first oil level sensor device (304a), the obtained oil level data of the second oil container (202b, 202d) of the first elevator entity (102) and / or the obtained oil level data of the at least one oil container (202a- 202d) of the second elevator entity (106) to the monitoring unit (306) for moni-toring the oil level in the second oil container (202b, 202d) of the first elevator entity (102) and / or the oil level in the at least one oil container (202a-202d) of the second elevator entity (102).
19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the first elevator entity is an elevator car (102) and the second elevator entity is a counterweight (106).
20. The method according to any of claims 13 to 19, further comprising generating (440), by the monitoring unit (306), at least one maintenance task based on the obtained oil level data.21 . The method according to any of claims 13 to 20, further comprising: obtaining (610), by an oil spill imaging device (305) arranged at a bottom of the elevator entity (102, 106), optical image data of a pit of an elevator shaft (104) below the elevator entity (102, 106); and providing (620), by the oil spill imaging device (305), the obtained optical image data to the monitoring unit (306) for monitoring oil spills in the pit.
22. The method according to claim 21 , further comprising: processing (630), by the monitoring unit (306), the obtained optical image data to detect oil spills in the pit based on the obtained optical image data; and generating (640), by the monitoring unit (306), at least one maintenance task in response to detecting the oil spills in the pit.