Elevator Shaft Drone Navigation Using Off-Limits Volume Segments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for inspecting elevator shafts using drones face challenges in preventing collisions with moving components like the elevator car and counterweight, requiring complex sensor systems and controllers to ensure safe navigation.
Innovation Solution
The drone receives elevator shaft segment information from the elevator system, which indicates off-limits volume segments to avoid collisions, allowing it to determine a collision-free flight path using simpler sensor systems and controllers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a drone is used to inspect the elevator shaft, then inspection efficiency and safety are improved, but the risk of collision with moving components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elevator controller proactively determines and communicates off-limits volume segments to the drone before the drone enters those zones. This preliminary action allows the drone to plan its flight path in advance to avoid collisions with moving components like the elevator car and counterweight, rather than reacting to their positions in real-time.
Solution Approach 2:
The elevator controller acts as an intermediary between the moving elevator components and the drone. It receives position data from sensors tracking the elevator car and counterweight, processes this information to determine safe volume segments, and communicates these restrictions to the drone controller, enabling coordinated operation without direct real-time interaction between the drone and moving components.
2Reliability
If complex sensor systems and controllers are used on the drone to prevent collisions, then collision prevention capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The collision prevention functionality is extracted from the drone system and transferred to the elevator controller system. Instead of equipping the drone with complex sensors and algorithms to detect and avoid moving components, the elevator controller uses its existing sensors to track component positions and communicates safe zones to the drone, significantly reducing the drone's required complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The elevator system serves itself by using its own control infrastructure and sensors to provide collision prevention services to the drone. The elevator controller leverages existing position detection capabilities already present in the elevator system to generate off-limits volume segment information, eliminating the need for separate detection systems on the drone.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for controlling a flight-capable drone in an elevator shaft of an elevator system uses an elevator system inspection arrangement configured for carrying out the method. The method comprises the following steps: receiving elevator shaft segment information provided by the elevator system that indicates which volume segment of the elevator shaft is currently designated to be off-limits for the drone; and controlling the drone along a flight path automatically determined by the drone, wherein the drone determines the flight path such that the drone travels exclusively outside of the volume segment designated as off-limits for the drone, wherein the drone determines the flight path taking into account the received elevator shaft segment information. By exchanging the elevator shaft segment information with the elevator system, the drone is able to initiate evasive maneuvers in good time in order to prevent collisions with fast-moving components of the elevator system.