Elevator Roping Drift Detection Using LIDAR Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Elevator roping systems in high-rise buildings experience sway or drift due to building movements, which can lead to an undesirable ride quality and potential damage to system components, and existing solutions have limitations in effectively mitigating these issues.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes a detector, such as a LIDAR sensor or RGB-D camera, to measure the horizontal position of elevator roping within a hoistway, and a processor that determines building drift characteristics using tension, density, and length information, along with a catenary equation, to calculate horizontal offsets and detect drift.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If elevator roping systems are used in high-rise buildings, then the elevator system can operate in tall structures, but the roping experiences sway and drift due to building movements
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses detectors to continuously monitor the horizontal position of elevator roping and feeds this information back to a processor. The processor calculates drift characteristics and uses this feedback to determine corrective actions, creating a closed-loop control system that actively compensates for building-induced roping displacement
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces passive mechanical roping systems with an active detection and control system. Instead of relying solely on mechanical dampers or rigid structural support, the system uses optical detectors (LIDAR or RGB-D cameras) and computational processing to detect and compensate for roping drift, substituting mechanical stability solutions with sensor-based measurement and control
2Reliability
If detectors and processing systems are added to measure and compensate for drift, then ride quality and system reliability improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detector system serves multiple functions: it detects the horizontal position of roping, provides data for drift calculation, and enables real-time monitoring of elevator system status. The same hardware infrastructure supports both safety monitoring and ride quality optimization, reducing the need for separate dedicated systems
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the existing elevator roping infrastructure and building structure as part of the detection system. The roping itself serves as the measurement target, and the hoistway structure provides the mounting locations for detectors, allowing the system to leverage existing components rather than requiring entirely new infrastructure
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
Effectively measures and mitigates building drift, improving ride quality and reducing the risk of damage by accurately determining and compensating for the horizontal offset of elevator roping, enhancing the stability and reliability of elevator systems in high-rise buildings.
Implementation Method 1
the detector comprises at least one of a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensor and a red-green-blue-depth (RGB-D) camera
Implementation Method 2
a detector that detects at least one horizontal position of elevator roping
Implementation Method 3
the processor uses a predetermined catenary equation when determining the at least one characteristic of the drift of the building
Data Source
AI summary
An illustrative example embodiment of a system for detecting drift of a building includes a detector that detects at least one horizontal position of elevator roping within a hoistway in or on the building at a selected vertical location. A processor determines at least one characteristic of drift of the building based on information from the detector regarding the detected at least one horizontal position, information regarding tension on the elevator roping, information regarding a density of the elevator roping, and a relationship between the selected vertical location and a length of the elevator roping.