Elevator Gateway Data Stitching for Precise Car Position Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Establishing precise elevator car position in a hoistway is difficult due to accelerometer drift, especially in longer runs, making it challenging to accurately determine the position based on single sensors.
Innovation Solution
An elevator management system that combines car controller data and car operational data, using a gateway to stitch together positional and operational information from a beacon mounted to the elevator car, enabling accurate identification of alert conditions and positions through timestamped data transmission to an elevator management center or cloud service.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If single sensors such as accelerometer are used to determine car position, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to accelerometer drift especially in longer runs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensing systems (accelerometer, door sensors, beacon) into an integrated positioning system. The car controller integrates data from the accelerometer with door sensor events and beacon signals to calculate and verify position, thereby maintaining measurement precision while managing system complexity through coordinated operation of multiple sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The beacon acts as an intermediary reference system that provides known position signals throughout the hoistway. The car controller uses the beacon's position data as a reference to calibrate and verify accelerometer-based position calculations, effectively mediating between the moving car and the fixed hoistway structure to maintain positioning accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors and data sources are integrated to improve position accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sensing system into distinct functional modules: the accelerometer for motion detection, the door sensors for event detection, and the beacon for position reference. Each sensor type handles specific aspects of positioning, and the car controller integrates these segmented data sources through coordinated processing, managing overall system complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The car controller serves as a universal data integration hub that processes information from multiple sensor types (accelerometer, door sensors, beacon) and coordinates their functions to achieve accurate positioning. This multi-functional approach consolidates complexity into a single control unit rather than requiring separate processing systems for each sensor.
3Reliability
If timestamped data from multiple sources is stitched together to identify alert conditions, then reliability of maintenance data is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously collecting and timestamping data from all sensors in advance of actual alert detection. The car controller maintains a running log of positioned events and door sensor data, so when an alert condition occurs, the relevant timestamped data is already prepared and can be immediately stitched together without delay, reducing processing time while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the beacon's position signals and door sensor data to continuously verify and correct accelerometer-based position calculations in real-time. This feedback loop ensures data reliability by cross-validating measurements while the ongoing data collection process minimizes processing delays when alerts are detected.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an elevator system, including a gateway configured to: receive, from an elevator car controller of an elevator car, car controller data for the elevator car that includes a car positional log of the elevator car; receive, from a beacon mounted to the elevator car, car operational data for the elevator car that includes car and door data representing car and door events; and transmit, to one of an elevator management center and a cloud service, a combination of the car controller data and the car operational data to identify an alert condition and a position of the elevator car during the alert condition, wherein the gateway or the one of the elevator management center and the cloud service is configured to stitch together the car controller data and the car operational data to identify the alert condition and position of the elevator car during the alert condition.