Elevator Safety Bus Setup for Landing Door Node Mapping

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Modern elevator systems face inefficiencies due to the use of multiple different communication stacks and physical layers, and the inability to easily and reliably configure elements and system nodes, particularly in identifying the location of opened safety contacts within the elevator safety chain.

Innovation Solution

Implementing an elevator safety system with a data bus, safety controller, and safety sensors at each landing floor, where the system nodes communicate status changes via the bus to link addresses with floor positions automatically, using ethernet bus segments for communication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple different internal data transmission solutions are used in an elevator system, then the system can support various communication needs, but the system becomes complicated and inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication capabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple communication stacks and physical layers into a single unified data bus system. The data bus integrates serial communication capabilities with standardized protocols, allowing the elevator system to maintain support for various communication needs while eliminating the complexity of managing multiple separate transmission solutions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The data bus is designed as a universal communication interface that can handle multiple types of data transmission requirements. It provides a single standardized protocol that works across different elevator system components, making the system versatile without requiring separate communication infrastructure for each function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Device complexity

If traditional safety contact configuration is used, then the system is simple, but it is impossible to identify which specific safety contact has opened or its physical location

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconfiguration simplicityVSAvoidsafety contact location information
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by having each safety contact equipped with a unique identifier that continuously reports its status and location to the control system. When a safety contact opens, the system receives feedback identifying exactly which contact opened and where it is physically located, enabling precise fault diagnosis while maintaining a relatively simple overall configuration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

Each safety contact node is configured with self-identifying information and can autonomously communicate its status and location to the central controller. This self-service capability allows the system to automatically track and identify opened safety contacts without requiring complex external configuration or manual tracking.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If manual configuration of safety sensors and system nodes is performed, then the setup process is thorough, but it is time-consuming and prone to human error

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconfiguration accuracyVSAvoidsetup time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables automatic configuration where safety sensors and system nodes self-identify and register themselves with the control system upon installation. Each node contains unique identifiers and location information that are automatically communicated to the controller, eliminating the need for manual configuration while ensuring accurate and reliable setup without human error.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Safety contacts and system nodes are pre-configured with unique identifiers and location information before installation. This preliminary action ensures that when the system is installed, the configuration data is already prepared and can be automatically uploaded to the control system, significantly reducing setup time while maintaining high reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3904256B1Elevator system
Publication Date: 2025.12.03 KONE OYJ
  • EP3904256B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP3904256B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

According to an aspect, there is provided a method for setting up an elevator safety system. The method comprises for each elevator landing: a) operating an elevator car in a setup mode; b) stopping the elevator car at an elevator landing; c) opening, by a door operator, a landing door of the elevator landing at least partially to generate a change in the status of a safety sensor disposed at the landing floor; d) detecting, with an elevator system node associated with the safety sensor, the change in the status of the safety sensor; e) communicating with the elevator system node associated with the safety sensor the changed status to a safety controller via a data bus; and f) linking, in a memory of the safety controller, an address associated with the elevator system node with a floor position determined by the means for determining the floor position of the elevator car.