Mobile Device Guard Unit for Elevator Safety Compliance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current elevator maintenance processes lack traceability and automation in ensuring that safety procedures are followed, which can lead to accidents and complicate post-event analysis, as technicians may ignore or be unsure of the necessary safety steps due to complexity and variability.

Innovation Solution

A mobile device with a questioning unit and a guard unit that communicate with each other to ensure safety procedures are followed before starting or ending elevator operations, using a smartphone app to prompt technicians with safety checks and confirm their completion, thereby enhancing personal safety and reducing reliance on manual processes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If safety procedures are made comprehensive and detailed to ensure thorough safety checks, then safety reliability is improved, but the complexity of the procedures increases making them difficult to follow and execute

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesafety reliabilityVSAvoidprocedure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service by automatically guiding technicians through safety procedures via mobile device prompts and checklists, eliminating the need for complex manual procedure documentation that technicians must interpret and follow independently

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where technicians report safety check results through the mobile application, and the system provides real-time feedback on completion status, automatically updates records, and alerts supervisors, creating a closed-loop safety verification process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If manual monitoring and training of technicians are intensified to ensure safety compliance, then safety oversight is improved, but personnel costs and training costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesafety complianceVSAvoidpersonnel costs

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual mechanical monitoring and training processes with an automated electronic system that uses mobile devices, databases, and automated communication to track safety compliance, eliminating the need for extensive manual oversight personnel

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile application serves as an intermediary between technicians and safety management systems, automatically capturing safety data, updating records, and generating reports, thereby eliminating the need for intermediate manual data collection and processing roles

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Adaptability or versatility

If safety procedures are customized for each specific elevator to account for variability, then adaptability to specific conditions is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring compliance increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocedure adaptabilityVSAvoidcompliance verification difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adapts safety procedures based on elevator-specific parameters by automatically retrieving relevant safety requirements from the database based on the particular elevator model, configuration, and operational context, then presenting customized checklists to technicians through mobile devices

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal safety management system that handles diverse elevator types through a single platform, where the database contains standardized safety parameters that can be queried and applied across different elevator configurations, enabling one system to serve multiple specific purposes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Measurement precision

If automated systems are implemented to track safety procedure completion, then traceability and measurement capability are improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompliance traceabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system achieves precise compliance tracking by changing the state of safety data from unrecorded to recorded, from incomplete to complete, and from manual to automated through parameter updates in the database triggered by technician inputs on mobile devices, enabling precise measurement of compliance status

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS20240025701A1Mobile device, guard unit, and method for ensuring the performance of a safety activity for an elevator

Publication Date: 2024.01.25 INVENTIO AG

AI summary

A mobile device and a guard unit are utilized to ensure the performance of a safety activity needed to be executed before starting and/or ending an operation of an elevator. Furthermore, according to a method to be performed by such a mobile device and a guard unit, the mobile device or the guard unit provides a request to perform the safety activity for a user of the mobile device via a human-machine interface, and the mobile device sends a permission message to the elevator to permit the starting or ending of the operation of the elevator in response to an answer provided by the user to the request via the human-machine interface.