Patent Application
20230278827
This application claims priority to European Patent Application No. 22159813.9, filed Mar. 2, 2022, and all the benefits accruing therefrom under 35 U.S.C. ยง 119, the contents of which in its entirety are herein incorporated by reference.
This disclosure relates to an elevator position measurement system, which determines the position of an elevator car within an elevator hoistway and a method of measuring a position of an elevator car within a hoistway of an elevator system.
It is known to provide an elevator hoistway with a length of tape, arranged to extend vertically in the hoistway, and fixedly fastened to the hoistway wall. The elevator car includes a sensor e.g. a camera, able to sense certain features e.g. incremental markings, along the length of the tape, and the sensed features are used to determine the position of the elevator car within the hoistway. This prior art arrangement is described in greater detail below with reference to
Certain drawbacks with such known position measurement tape arrangements have been appreciated and the elevator position measurement system according to the present disclosure seeks to address these shortcomings.
According to a first aspect of this disclosure there is provided an elevator system comprising an elevator car, an elongate tension member operably connected to the elevator car and configured to move the elevator car within a hoistway, and an elevator car position measurement system comprising: a pulse generator configured to transmit a pulse along the elongate tension member; a detector unit configured to receive the pulse from the pulse generator after the pulse has been transmitted along a length of the elongate tension member and to record a time at which the pulse is received; wherein one of the pulse generator and the detector unit is arranged to move within the hoistway dependent on a position of the elevator car within the hoistway, such that a length of the elongate tension member along which the pulse is transmitted changes dependent on a position of the elevator car within the hoistway, and wherein the elevator car position measurement system is configured to determine the length of the elongate tension member along which the pulse is transmitted based on the recorded time, and determine the position of the elevator car within the hoistway based on the determined length.
Optionally, the detector unit is positioned at a first end of the elongate tension member.
Optionally, the pulse generator is configured to transmit the pulse along the elongate tension member in a direction towards the detector unit.
Optionally, the pulse generator is mounted on the elevator car and the detector unit is mounted at a fixed position relative to the elongate tension member.
Optionally, the pulse generator is mounted in a fixed position in the hoistway and the detector unit is mounted on the elevator car.
Optionally, the elevator car position measurement system further comprises an initial pulse generator configured to send an initial pulse along the elongate tension member towards the pulse generator to thereby induce a current in the pulse generator.
Optionally, the pulse generator is configured to transmit the pulse along the elongate tension member in a direction towards the detector unit in response to the induced current.
Optionally, the elevator car position measurement system further comprises a terminating connector coupled to the elongate tension member and configured to prevent reflection of the initial pulse back towards the initial pulse generator.
Optionally, the detector unit is configured to record a pulse start time, wherein the pulse start time is a time at which the pulse generator transmits the pulse along the elongate tension member or a time at which the initial pulse generator sends the initial pulse towards the pulse generator.
Optionally, the detector unit further comprises a measurement system control unit configured to determine a time interval between the pulse start time and the time at which the pulse is received by the detector unit.
Optionally, the measurement system control unit is configured to calculate, from the determined time interval, position information indicating the position of the elevator car within the hoistway.
Optionally, the elevator system further comprises an elevator control unit, wherein the measurement system control unit is configured to transmit the position information to the elevator control unit.
Optionally, the elongate tension member comprises a plurality of tension cords surrounded by a sheath, and the pulse generator is configured to send the pulse along one of the plurality of tension cords.
According to a second aspect of this disclosure there is provided an elevator car position measurement system for an elevator system comprising an elongate tension member operably connected to an elevator car and configured to move the elevator car within the hoistway, the elevator car position measurement system comprising: a pulse generator configured for transmitting a pulse along the elongate tension member; a detector unit configured to receive the pulse from the pulse generator after the pulse has been transmitted along a length of the elongate tension member and to record a time at which the pulse is received; wherein one of the pulse generator and the detector unit is configured to be arranged to move within the hoistway dependent on a position of the elevator car within the hoistway such that, in use, a length of the elongate tension member along which the pulse is transmitted changes dependent on a position of the elevator car within the hoistway, and wherein the elevator car position measurement system is configured to calculate the length of the elongate tension member along which the pulse is transmitted based on the recorded time, and determine the position of the elevator car within the hoistway based on the determined length.
According to a third aspect of this disclosure there is provided a method of measuring a position of an elevator car within a hoistway of an elevator system comprising an elongate tension member operably connected to the elevator car and configured to move the elevator car within the hoistway, the method comprising: transmitting a pulse from a first location on an elongate tension member towards a second location on the elongate tension member, wherein a length of the elongate tension member between the first location and the second location changes dependent on a position of the elevator car within the hoistway; recording a time at which the pulse is received at the second location; calculating, based on the recorded time, the length of the elongate tension member along which the pulse is transmitted; and determining, based on the calculated length, a position of the elevator car within the hoistway of the elevator system.
It will be appreciated that any of the optional features described above in relation to the first aspect of the disclosure may equally be combined with the second or third aspects of the disclosure.
In various examples, the elongate tension member comprises a plurality of cords surrounded by a sheath. At least one of the cords, or a pair of the cords, is electrically conductive and configured to transmit the pulse from the pulse generator along the elongate tension member. This electrically conductive cord, or pair of cords, may comprise a metallic material (such as steel) and/or carbon. One or more of the cords are load-bearing cords. In some examples, the plurality of cords comprises load-bearing cords that are electrically conductive. This means that any of the load-bearing cords can be used to transmit an electrical pulse along the elongate tension member. In some other examples, the plurality of cords comprises load-bearing cords that are not electrically conductive (such as polymeric cords) and at least one electrically conductive component that is configured to transmit an electrical pulse along the elongate tension member in parallel with the load-bearing cords. This means there is an electrically conductive component that is dedicated to pulse transmission, which can be independent of the tension member's load-bearing capability.
In some examples, the elongate tension member comprises a plurality of steels cords surrounded by a polymeric sheath, e.g. a coated steel belt.
The examples described herein advantageously provide an elevator car position measurement system that does not require installation of position measurement tape along the complete height of the hoistway, and that utilises the elongate tension member already present in the system. This can reduce material cost and installation time as well as providing space gain in the hoistway due to missing position measurement tape.
Furthermore, measurement of the position of the elevator car using the examples described herein is independent from temperature or expansion or contraction in the building structure, so can offer improved reliability compared to known systems.
Some examples of this disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The elevator car 120 moves vertically within the hoistway 140, along the guide rails 160, driven by any suitable drive system as is known in the art, and controlled by an elevator system controller (not shown). A sensor 190 is mounted to the elevator car 120, in a position which is aligned with the position measurement tape 180.
The sensor 190 senses position markings e.g. increments, on the position measurement tape 180 e.g. using a camera. The sensor 190 can either process the collected data itself or pass the data to another component of the elevator system e.g. the elevator system controller, for further processing. This data is processed to determine a position i.e. height, within the hoistway 140. For example, each position marking could be unique and could be looked up in a lookup table (created in an initial calibration process) which includes the corresponding height for each position marking. In this way the position measurement tape 180 is usable by the elevator system 100 to determine the vertical position of the elevator car 120 for any given position within the hoistway 140.
However, such a position reference system requires the position measurement tape 180 to extend along the complete height of the hoistway 140 in order to determine the vertical position of the elevator car 120 at any given height. This can bring additional cost for the tape material, additional installation costs, and requires space in the hoistway.
An elevator system according to the present disclosure, as described herein below with reference to
In this example, the elevator car 220 is suspended by the elongate tension member 226 in a 2:1 roping configuration as is known in the art. In this configuration, the elongate tension member 226 is configured to move through a traction sheave 204 powered by an elevator drive unit 206 such that the elevator car 220 moves up and down within the hoistway 240. A counterweight 250 is suspended from the elongate tension member 226 on an opposite side of the traction sheave 204 to the elevator car 220. Both the elevator car 220 and the counterweight 250 are suspended by the elongate tension member 226 via at least one pulley. The elongate tension member 226 is fixed at each end with respect to the hoistway with an end terminal 208 at the elevator car 220 side of the elongate tension member 226 and a further end terminal 212 at the counterweight 250 side of the elongate tension member 226.
The elongate tension member 226 may be any belt, cable or rope suitable for passing through the traction sheave 204 and for supporting the weight of the elevator car 220 and the counterweight 250. In this example, the elongate tension member 226 is a coated steel belt.
Referring also to
Aptly, the pulse generator 202 is configured to transmit an electrical pulse 334 along the elongate tension member 226, and in particular along an electrically conductive component of the elongate tension member 226. For example, the pulse generator 334 is configured to induce an electrical pulse 334 along the elongate tension member 226 by electromagnetic induction.
The position measurement system 300 further includes a detector unit 218. The detector unit 218 is configured to receive the pulse 334 from the pulse generator 202 and record a time at which the pulse 334 is received. The detector unit 218 includes a monitoring connection 214 configured to electrically couple the detector unit 218 to the elongate tension member 226.
The pulse generator 202 and the detector unit 218 are arranged such that a length of the elongate tension member 226 along which the pulse 334 is transmitted changes dependent on a position of the elevator car 220 in the hoistway 240.
In this example, the pulse generator 202 is mounted on the elevator car 220 and the detector unit 218 is mounted at a fixed position relative to the elongate tension member 226. In this example the detector unit 218 is mounted at the end terminal 208 of the elongate tension member 226 closest to the elevator car 220. As such, as the elevator car 220 moves vertically up and down within the hoistway 240, the length of the portion of elongate tension member 226 between the pulse generator 202 and the detector unit 218 changes according to the position of the elevator car 220. The length of the elongate tension member 226 through which the pulse 334 travels from the pulse generator 202 to the detector unit 218 therefore changes according to the position of the elevator car 220 within the hoistway 240.
The position measurement system 300 is configured to determine the length of the elongate tension member 226 along which the pulse 334 is transmitted based on the time the detector unit 218 receives the pulse 334. The position of the elevator car 220 can then be determined according to the determined length of elongate tension member 226 along which the pulse 334 is transmitted between the pulse generator 202 and the detector unit 218.
The initial pulse generator 328 is configured to send an initial pulse 332 along the elongate tension member 226 towards the pulse generator 202, which in this example is positioned on the elevator car 220. The initial pulse 332 induces a current in the pulse generator 202. In response to the induced current, the pulse generator 202 is configured to transmit a pulse 334 back towards the detector unit 218 as shown in
The detector unit 218 may include a pulse detector 346 configured to detect the pulse 334 and a measurement system control unit 336 configured to record the time at which the pulse 334 is received.
In addition to recording the time at which the pulse 334 is received by the detector unit 218, the detector unit 218 is further configured to record a pulse start time. A time interval between the pulse start time and the time at which the pulse 334 is received by the detector unit 218 may then be used to calculate the length of elongate tension member 226 along which the pulse 334 has travelled, i.e. the length of elongate tension member 226 between the pulse generator 202 and the detector unit 218.
In this example the pulse start time is the time at which the initial pulse generator 328 sends the initial pulse 332 towards the pulse generator 202. In other examples, the pulse start time may be the time at which the pulse generator 202 transmits the pulse 334 along the elongate tension member towards the detector unit 218.
The measurement system control unit 336 is further configured to determine a time interval between the pulse start time and the time at which the pulse 334 is received by the detector unit 218.
In this example the detector unit 218 includes the measurement system control unit 336. In some examples, the measurement system control unit 336 may include a time-to-digital converter 336a configured to record the pulse start time and the time at which the pulse 334 is received by the pulse detector 346. The time-to-digital converter 336a is discussed in more detail below with reference to
The measurement system control unit 336 is further configured to calculate, from the determined time interval, position information indicating the position of the elevator car 220 within the hoistway 240. To calculate the position information, the measurement system control unit 336 may first determine the length of the elongate tension member 226 along which the pulse 334 is transmitted based on the determined time interval. The determined length of the elongate tension member 226 along which the pulse 334 is transmitted may then be used to determine the position of the elevator car 220, for example using a predetermined algorithm or a look up table. The predetermined algorithm or look-up table may be determined using a calibration process as described in more detail below with reference to
As described above, in this example the elongate tension member 226 is a coated steel belt. The coated steel belt includes at least one pair of tension cords 338a, 338b. The elongate tension member 226 may further include a plurality of tension cords configured for load-bearing. The tension cords 338a, 338b are aptly electrically conductive such that they can transmit an electrical pulse. For example, the tension cords 338a, 338b may be steel cables. The tension cords 338a, 338b are surrounded by a sheath 342.
As shown in
To help prevent reflection of the initial pulse 332 back towards the initial pulse generator 328, the terminating connector 344 is coupled to the second tension cord 338b and is configured to have an impedance substantially equal to the characteristic impedance of the elongate tension member 226.
The initial pulse generator 328 and the pulse generator 202 may be configured to generate any pulse that is suitable for travelling along the tension cords 338a, 338b. In this example, the initial pulse generator 328 and the pulse generator 202 are configured to generate a voltage pulse with a square waveform, but it will be appreciated that other waveforms would also be suitable, for example a sinusoidal, triangular or saw tooth waveform may also be suitable.
Referring back to
The sensor 228 can either process the collected data itself or pass the data to another component of the elevator system e.g. an elevator system control unit, for further processing.
The secondary elevator car position reference system can be utilized in combination with the position measurement system 300 to provide high resolution position measurements of the elevator car 220 at each door zone 222a-c within the hoistway. The position measurement system 300 of the present disclosure enables position measurement of the elevator car through the full height of the hoistway 240 without the need for the higher resolution position measurement tape 224a-c to be positioned along the full height of the hoistway 240. Thus, shorter lengths of position measurement tape 224a-c may be utilised, thereby reducing material and installation costs. Furthermore, the space required in the hoistway 240 is reduced since the position measurement tape 224a-c is only provided at the door zones 222a-c.
In this example, the elevator car 220 is suspended from a first end of the elongate tension member 226 in a 1:1 roping configuration as is known in the art. In this configuration, the elongate tension member 226 is configured to move through a traction sheave 204 powered by an elevator drive unit 206 such that the elevator car 220 moves up and down within the hoistway 240. A counterweight 250 is suspended from a second end of the elongate tension member 226 and on an opposite side of the traction sheave 204 to the elevator car 220.
The elevator system 400 includes many of the same components as the elevator system 200 described above in relation to
However, in this example the pulse generator 202 is mounted at a fixed position in the hoistway 240 rather than at the elevator car 220. In this example, the pulse generator 202 is mounted at the traction sheave 204. The detector unit 218 is mounted on the elevator car 220 such that it is in a fixed position relative to the end terminal 208 of the elongate tension member 226. In this example, the detector unit 218 is positioned at the first end of the elongate tension member 226, which in this case is at the elevator car 220. In this way, as the elevator car 220 moves vertically up and down within the hoistway 240, the length of the portion of elongate tension member 226 between the pulse generator 202 and the detector unit 218 changes according to the position of the elevator car 220. The length of the elongate tension member 226 through which the pulse travels from the pulse generator 202 to the detector unit 218 therefore changes according to the position of the elevator car 220 within the hoistway 240.
The elevator system further includes a wear detection device 602. The wear detection device 602 may be configured to monitor the physical condition of the elongate tension member 226. For example, the wear detection device 602 may be configured to monitor the condition of the elongate tension member 226 by monitoring the electrical resistance of one or more tension cords 338a, 338b of the elongate tension member 226.
The elevator system further includes an elevator control unit 604. The elevator control unit 604 is configured to communicate with the detector unit 218 and the wear detection device 602. For example, the elevator control unit 604 may be configured to transmit position measurement and/or a calibration command and parameters to the detector unit 218. The elevator control unit 604 may also be configured to read position information from the detector unit 218. The elevator control unit 604 may be further configured to communicate with the wear detection device 602 and read wear status of the elongate tension member 226 from the wear detection device 602.
The pulse generator 202 may be an inductive pulse transceiver and operates as described above in relation to
In this example, the measurement system control unit 336 includes the time-to-digital converter 336a and the microcontroller 336b. The time-to-digital converter 336a is configured to send the pulse 332 pulse to the pulse generator 202. For example, the time-to-digital converter 336a may include an initial pulse generator configured to send the pulse 332 to the pulse generator 202. The time-to-digital converter 336a is also configured to receive the pulse 334 from the pulse generator 202. For example, the time-to-digital converter 336a may include a pulse detector to detect the pulse 334 from the pulse generator 202. The time-to-digital converter 336a may further be configured to record a first timestamp relating to the time at which the time-to-digital converter 336a sends the initial pulse 332 to the pulse generator 202 and a second timestamp relating to the time at which the time-to-digital converter 336a receives the pulse 334 from the pulse generator 202. The first and second timestamps may be stored in a memory in the time-to-digital converter 336a.
The microcontroller 336b may be configured to manage the time-to-digital converter 336a. This may include reading the first and second timestamps from the time-to-digital converter 336a and converting the timestamps into position information relating to the position of the elevator car 220 in the hoistway 240. The microcontroller 336b may be configured to transmit the position information to the elevator control unit 604. The microcontroller may be further configured to store calibration reference information, as will be described further below with reference to
In this example the wear detection device 602 is provided separately to the detector unit 218. However, it will be appreciated that in some examples the wear detection device 602 may be provided integrally together with the detector unit 218. In this configuration both the wear detection device 602 and the position measurement system may advantageously couple to the pair of tension cords 338a, 338b of the elongate tension member 226 at the same location. As such, it is possible that the position measurement system of the present disclosure may be retrofitted to an existing elevator system, which includes a wear detection device 602.
For example, when retrofitting to an existing installation, the detector unit 218 may be provided separately to the wear detection device 602. In this case, the detector unit 218 and the wear detection device 602 may each couple to the elongate tension member 226 via the same monitoring connection 214.
The wear detection device 602 typically includes a microprocessor communicating with the elevator control unit 604. As such, the position measurement system may optionally share the same microprocessor and communication components with the wear detection device 602. In other words, the detector unit 218 may be integrated with the wear detection device 602 and both the detector unit 218 and the wear detection device may couple to the elongate tension member 226 via the same monitoring connection 214. This configuration may be advantageous for new installations to help reduce component parts, and reduce installation time and cost.
At a first step 710 the method includes transmitting a pulse 334 from a first location on an elongate tension member 226 towards a detector at a second location on the elongate tension member 226. The first location and the second location may be any suitable location in the hoistway 240, so long as they are positioned such that a length of the elongate tension member 226 between the first location and the second location changes dependent on a position of the elevator car 220 in the hoistway 240.
For example, as described above in an elevator system configured with a 2:1 roping configuration, the first location may be on the elevator car 220, and the second location may be at an end terminal 208 of the elongate tension member 226 closest to the elevator car 220. In an elevator system configured with a 1:1 roping configuration, the first location may be at a fixed position in the hoistway 240, for example at the traction sheave 204, and the second location may be on the elevator car 220.
A first method step 710 may include recording a pulse start time. As described above, the pulse start time may be the time at which an initial pulse generator 328 sends the initial pulse 332 towards the pulse generator 202 at the first location. In other examples, the pulse start time may be the time at which the pulse generator 202 at the first location transmits the pulse 334 along the elongate tension member 226 towards the detector unit 218 at the second location.
A second method step 720 includes recording a time at which the pulse is received at the second location. This may include recording the time at which the pulse 334 is received by the detector unit 218 at the second location.
At step 730 the method 700 includes calculating, based on the recorded time, the length of the elongate tension member 226 along which the pulse is transmitted. The length of the elongate tension member 226 along which the pulse is transmitted may correspond to the length of elongate tension member between the first and second location. To calculate the length of tension member between the first and second location the method may include calculating a time interval between a pulse start time and the time at which the pulse 334 is received by the detector unit 218 at the second location. It will be appreciated that the time interval increases as the length of the elongate tension member 226 along which the pulse is transmitted increases. In practice, a time delay is present between the time at which the initial pulse 332 arrives at the pulse generator 202 and the time at which the pulse generator 202 sends the pulse 334 back to the detector 346. As such, a time value equal to the time interval minus the time delay is proportional to the length of the elongate tension member 226 along which the pulse is transmitted.
At step 740 the method 700 includes determining, based on the calculated length, a position of the elevator car 220 in the hoistway 240 of the elevator system. This step may include referring to calibration information to determine the absolute position of the elevator car 220 in the hoistway 240. For example, the calibration information may include an algorithm or look-up table to convert the calculated length to position information indicating the position of the elevator car 220 in the hoistway 240. As described above, the position information may be communicated to an elevator control unit 604.
At step 810 the status of the elongate tension member 226 is checked. The status may be checked using a wear detection device 602. The wear status of the elongate tension member 226 may be communicated to and read by the elevator control unit 604.
At step 820 the elevator control unit 604 may determine whether calibration of the position measurement system is necessary. For example, if the elevator control unit 604 determines that the wear status of the elongate tension member has changed by at least a predetermined amount since the last calibration, the elevator control unit 604 will determine that calibration is necessary.
At step 830 the calibration process 800 includes positioning the elevator car 220 in a specific position in the hoistway 240. For example, the elevator car 220 may be positioned in the region of a door zone 222a-c, with the absolute position being measured by a secondary position reference system including position measurement tape 224a-c as described above with reference to
At step 840 the elevator control unit 604 may transmit a calibration command to the position measurement system control unit 336.
At step 850 the position measurement control unit 336 may communicate with the pulse generator 202 to send a pulse to the detector unit 218. The position measurement control unit may record the pulse start time and the time at which the pulse 334 is received by the detector unit 218.
At step 860 the position measurement control unit 336 may store the time interval between the pulse start time and the time at which the pulse is received by the detector unit as reference for the subsequent position measurements.
Steps 830 to 860 may be repeated as necessary to store multiple reference points. The position measurement control unit 336 may determine an algorithm or generate a lookup table based on the reference points to convert time interval information to elevator car position information.
At step 870 the position measurement control unit 336 may transmit information indicating completion of calibration process to the elevator controller 604.
It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the examples described herein. For example, although the position measurement system is described above in the context of an elevator system with a 2:1 roping or 1:1 roping configuration, it will be appreciated that the position measurement system may also be employed in an elevator system with a different roping configuration by appropriately positioning the pulse generator and the detector unit such that the length of the elongate tension member in between changes according to the position of the elevator car in the hoistway.
It will also be appreciated that in some examples the initial pulse generator described in the examples above may be omitted and the pulse generator may transmit the pulse directly to the detector unit without the need for the initial pulse. For example, a voltage may be applied directly to the pulse generator to generate and transmit a pulse along the elongate tension member towards the detector unit. In this instance, the pulse start time would be recorded as the time at which the pulse generator sends the pulse towards the detector unit.
Although the pulse generator and the detector unit are shown in specific positions in the examples described above, in other examples the pulse generator and the detector unit may be provided at different positions. These different positions may be any position in which one of the pulse generator and the detector moves dependent on the position of the elevator car within the hoistway such that the length of the elongate tension member along which the pulse is transmitted from the pulse generator to the detector unit changes dependent on the position of the elevator car within the hoistway.
For example, one of the pulse generator and detector unit may be located on either the elevator car or the counterweight, or at a location on the elongate tension member near the elevator car or the counterweight such that they move dependent on movement of the elevator car. The other of the pulse generator and the detector unit may be located at a fixed position within the hoistway such that the length of elongate tension member between the pulse generator and the detector unit changes dependent on the position of the elevator car within the hoistway.
The elongate tension member 226 described herein may aptly be an elongate suspension member configured for suspending the elevator car within the hoistway. The suspension member is configured for supporting the weight of the elevator car and counterweight within the hoistway. For example, the elongate tension member may be any suitable suspension member including a suspension belt, rope, or cable.
The elongate tension member 226 in any of the examples described herein may include at least one electrically conductive component. The pulse generator 202 may be configured to transmit the pulse, which may be an electrical pulse, along the electrically conductive component. Similarly, the initial pulse generator 328 may be configured to transmit the initial pulse, which may be an electrical pulse, along the electrically conductive component.
The electrically conductive component may aptly be the tension cords 338a, 338b in the examples described above. That is the tension cords 338a, 338b are aptly electrically conductive.
In other examples the elongate tension member 226 may include an electrically conductive component provided specifically for transmitting the pulse along the elongate tension member 226. For example, an electrically conductive wire may be embedded within a belt or rope forming the elongate tension member 226.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the disclosure has been illustrated by describing one or more examples thereof, but is not limited to these examples; many variations and modifications are possible, within the scope of the accompanying claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22159813.9 | Mar 2022 | EP | regional |
