Elevator Levelling via Camera-Based Floor Distance Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing elevator positioning systems rely on mechanical sensors or light barriers, which can fail if mispositioned or broken, leading to poor levelling and potential injuries, especially affecting passengers with mobility issues, and lack robustness in maintaining accurate levelling.
Innovation Solution
A camera-based system that uses a single stereoscopic or 3D camera to measure the relative distance between the elevator car floor and the landing floor, with redundant mark detection to ensure accurate levelling, and a computer system to analyze images and adjust the elevator position in real-time, allowing for operational continuity even with faulty components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical sensors or light barriers are used for elevator positioning, then the system can regulate levelling of elevator cars, but the system reliability deteriorates when sensors are mispositioned, de-positioned or broken
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical sensors and light barriers with a camera-based optical measurement system. The camera captures images of the car floor and landing floor, and a computer system processes these images to determine the relative distance between floors, eliminating the reliability issues associated with mechanical sensor failure or mispositioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses optical imaging to create a visual copy of the floor surfaces and marks. By capturing images and processing them computationally, the system creates a digital representation of the physical space, allowing for precise measurement without physical contact sensors that can fail.
2Device complexity
If a single camera is used for measuring floor distances, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision may be insufficient without multiple imaging devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces marks with specific geometric patterns (such as coded symbols or dimensional features) that encode position information. By detecting the orientation, position, and shape of these marks in the camera image, the system can determine three-dimensional spatial relationships from a two-dimensional image, achieving precise measurement with a single camera.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameters of the measurement system by using marks with specific optical and geometric properties. These marks are designed to be detectable by a single camera and provide sufficient information through their visual characteristics (shape, size, orientation, position) to enable precise distance and level measurements.
3Reliability
If redundant mark detection is implemented, then the system can maintain operational continuity with faulty components, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the camera system multi-functional by using it for both levelling measurement and passenger detection. The same camera and image processing system that measures the relative distance between floors also detects and counts passengers, eliminating the need for separate sensor systems and reducing overall system complexity while improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the visual information captured by the camera to serve multiple functions automatically. The image processing algorithm simultaneously performs levelling measurement, mark detection for position reference, and passenger counting, allowing the system to maintain operation even if some functions are compromised.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system ensures precise levelling accuracy, prevents injuries by ensuring no-step conditions, detects passenger counts, and maintains elevator operation by automatically adjusting positions and alerting passengers to poor levelling, with the ability to trigger maintenance and re-levelling processes.
Implementation Method 1
a camera system for recording pictures
Implementation Method 2
a computer system for determining an absolute distance of at least one element of the recorded pictures or a relative distance between two elements of the recorded pictures
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a method and a system for enhancing elevator positioning, wherein the system comprises a camera system designed to record pictures and a computer system designed to determine an absolute distance or a distance between two elements of the recorded pictures, wherein the device is designed to determine the relative distance between the floor of an elevator car (2) and the floor of a landing.