Elevator Door Optical Sensor for Wear-Free Lock Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional elevator safety apparatuses rely on electrical or electromechanical contacts and switches, which are prone to maintenance issues due to wear and tear, and can experience defects from contact erosion, leading to potential loss of function.
Innovation Solution
A contactless optical sensor system with a transmitter and receiver, utilizing reflective surfaces or fiberoptic conductors, that determines the door closing state without mechanical contacts, reducing maintenance needs and preventing defects from contact erosion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrical or electromechanical contacts and switches are used to determine door closing state, then the door locking function can be detected, but the susceptibility to maintenance increases due to wear and contact erosion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces electromechanical contacts and switches with an optical sensor system comprising a transmitter and receiver. This substitution eliminates mechanical wear and contact erosion by using optical fields instead of electrical contacts to detect door closing state, thereby improving reliability while reducing maintenance susceptibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an optical intermediary (light signal) between the door position and the detection system. The optical sensor uses light transmission or reflection as an intermediary to detect door closing state without direct mechanical or electrical contact, resolving the contradiction between reliable detection and maintenance-free operation.
2Extent of automation
If electromechanical switches are used, then circuit interruption can be achieved, but contact erosion from flashover during opening or closing results in loss of function
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the electromechanical switching mechanism with an optical detection system. The optical sensor continuously monitors door state without mechanical contact, eliminating flashover and contact erosion while maintaining automatic monitoring functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical sensor provides continuous monitoring of door closing state without the intermittent operation characteristic of mechanical switches. The optical field remains active and ready to detect door position at any moment, eliminating the wear caused by repeated opening and closing cycles of electrical contacts.
3Ease of operation
If conventional switches are used to monitor door state, then the circuit can be interrupted, but the need for circuit interruption increases maintenance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes the mechanical circuit interruption mechanism with an optical detection system. The optical sensor provides door state monitoring through light signal detection rather than circuit breaking, eliminating the wear and maintenance associated with mechanical contacts while preserving the monitoring function.
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 optical sensor system improves maintenance susceptibility and safety by providing a reliable, wear-free solution for detecting door states, enabling secure and efficient elevator operation without the risk of electrical contact failures.
Implementation Method 1
a transmitter for transmitting an optical signal and a receiver for receiving the optical signal
Implementation Method 2
utilizing reflective surfaces or fiberoptic conductors
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor for safety apparatuses for elevator apparatuses which can move a cab by means of a drive, the sensor including a contact bridge and a contact receptacle for receiving the contact bridge, said contact bridge being arranged in such a way that the closing state of the elevator door can be determined by connection of the contact receptacle and the contact bridge. In order to be able to improve in particular the susceptibility to maintenance, the sensor is in the form of an optical sensor which comprises a transmitter for transmitting an optical signal and a receiver for receiving the optical signal, the transmitter and the receiver being arranged on the contact receptacle and the contact bridge comprising at least one transmission element for transmitting the optical signal.