Elevator Fault Classification Using Safety Chain and Drive Signals
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing elevator systems face challenges in accurately and quickly classifying faults due to the independent operation of safety chains, which can lead to misclassification of drive hardware issues as safety chain breaks, delaying diagnosis and repair.
Innovation Solution
An elevator system that utilizes a control device to receive and analyze both drive hardware and safety chain information to classify faults, considering the order and timing of information receipt, and includes a safety chain that can be controlled by the control device to issue break commands, allowing for precise fault differentiation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the safety chain operates independently to control drive hardware, then safety functionality is ensured, but fault classification accuracy deteriorates due to misinterpretation of safety chain breaks as drive hardware faults
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the safety chain information processing with drive hardware monitoring by integrating a control device that receives and correlates both safety chain status and drive hardware information simultaneously. This unified approach allows the system to distinguish between safety chain breaks and actual drive hardware faults, resolving the misclassification issue while maintaining independent safety functionality.
2Ease of operation
If drive control software monitors drive hardware independently, then drive system control is maintained, but fault diagnosis time increases due to confusion between safety chain breaks and drive faults
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the control device receives real-time information from both the safety chain and drive hardware, correlates this information, and provides accurate fault classification feedback. This eliminates the confusion and delay in fault diagnosis by providing immediate, accurate fault identification based on integrated monitoring of both safety chain status and drive hardware performance.
3Speed
If the safety chain interrupts power supply immediately upon break, then safety response speed is improved, but fault information accuracy deteriorates due to loss of drive hardware operational data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the control device receive and process drive hardware information immediately upon detecting a safety chain break, before the power supply interruption occurs. This allows the system to capture and analyze drive hardware operational data at the moment of the safety chain break, preserving valuable diagnostic information while maintaining rapid safety response.
Data Source
AI summary
An elevator system (2, 102) includes a drive system (10) including one or more drive components (11, 13) and drive hardware (15) for controlling the supply of power to the one or more drive components (11,13), a safety chain (16) arranged to break and thus interrupt a supply of power to the one or more drive components (11, 13) unless all of one or more safety condition(s) is satisfied; and a control device (12). The control device (12) is arranged to receive drive information from the drive hardware (15) indicative of a drive system fault; to receive safety chain information from the safety chain (16) indicative of a safety chain break; and to detect and classify a fault in the elevator system (2, 102) using the drive information and the safety chain information.