This invention generally relates to an elevator system. More particularly, this invention relates to a hoistway inspection device for an elevator system.
There are various times and reasons for inspecting one or more conditions within an elevator hoistway. For example, inspection is necessary for restarting the elevator system after an earthquake. In most situations, a mechanic visually inspects the hoistway by moving to several floors of a building and opening the hall door at each floor to check the conditions inside the hoistway. Such inspection is time consuming and it is a matter of concern when it is necessary to inspect a hoistway of a high-rise building.
WO 2009/051587 discloses a hoistway inspecting device for inspecting a hoistway using an imaging device. An elongated suspension member selectively winded up or unwinded by a reel of a payout mechanism moves the imaging device to a desired position within the hoistway. This device may be effective in a low-rise building. However, in a high-rise building having a height of about two hundred meters, for example, winding or unwinding of a long suspension member would cause the suspension member to interfere with other components in the hoistway.
In view of the above and other considerations, there is a need for providing a hoistway inspection device which is suitable for high-rise buildings.
According to one embodiment of the invention, a hoistway inspection device is provided which comprises a guiding device which extends along the hoistway and a camera unit for obtaining image data of the inside of the hoistway. The camera unit is slidably attached to the guiding device. The hoistway inspection device further comprises a mounting unit which supports the camera unit near the ceiling of the hoistway and releases the camera unit in response to a release signal to allow the camera unit to freely fall along the guiding device.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a method for inspecting a hoistway is provided which comprises receiving a release signal from an outside device, switching on a camera unit and releasing the camera unit to allow the camera unit to freely fall along a guiding device in response to the release signal, obtaining image data of the inside of the hoistway by the camera unit and storing the image data in a memory of the camera unit as the camera unit falls down and transmitting the image data stored in the memory of the camera unit to the outside device.
The detailed description explains embodiments of the invention, together with advantages and features, by way of example with reference to the drawings.
A hoistway inspection device 14 of the present invention is located in the hoistway such that it does not interfere with the elevator car 2, counterweight 3, governor device 9 and other components positioned in the hoistway. The hoistway inspection device 14 includes an imaging device 15 having a camera unit 16 for obtaining image data of the inside of the hoistway 8, a guiding device 18 for guiding the camera unit 16, and a stopper 20. The guiding device 18 is a guide wire extending parallel to a hoistway wall 8a with an upper end connected to the ceiling 8b of the hoistway 8 and a lower end located near the pit P of the hoistway 8. However, the guiding device 18 may comprise a guide rail or any other means for guiding the camera unit 16. The stopper 20 is provided on the lower end of the guide wire 18 and comprises a cushioning material for shock absorption and for also providing the weight to stabilize the guide wire 18.
As shown in
As shown in
Further details of the camera unit 16 and the mounting unit 21 are shown in
The mounting unit 21 further includes a wireless module 40 for enabling wireless communication with a mobile device of a mechanic via a Wi-Fi or cellular network, for example, a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 41 and a battery 42. The battery 42 is connected to a power supply 43 such as an AC 100V power supply and provides power to the mounting unit 21 in the event of a power failure.
Referring again to
When the camera unit 16 is released, the omnidirectional camera 37 will start obtaining image data of the inside of the hoistway 8 and store the image data in its memory 35. Image data will be continuously obtained while the camera unit 16 slides down the guide wire 18 in direction D1, as shown on the right hand side of
While the camera unit 16 slides down the guide wire 18, the camera unit 16 will not substantially rotate around the guide wire 18 due to the weight of the camera unit 16. Even if the camera unit 16 rotates to some extent, the mechanic 45 will have no problem checking the hoistway 8 since a 360-degree image of the hoistway 8 is obtained by the omnidirectional camera 37.
A cover 50 slidably engages the upper and lower sides 56 and 57 of the frame 47 such as by a tongue and groove joint. The cover is 50 shown in phantom in the lower slider guide 25 of
Such braking force is necessary to slow down the falling speed of the camera unit 16 so that the camera unit 16 falls at a slower speed compared to a completely free fall in order to obtain a clear image of the hoistway 8. The braking force may be adjusted by adjusting the position of the bracket 54. Further, the base 61 of the hooked portion 52 may include a liner 62 having a rough surface so as to enhance the friction between the frame 47 and the guide wire 18.
The hoistway inspection device 14 of the present invention is a one-shot device. After the camera unit 16 reaches the bottom of the hoistway 8 and image data is transmitted to the mobile device 46 of the mechanic 45, the mechanic 45 may easily retrieve the camera unit 16 by opening the hall door of the bottom floor and detaching the camera unit 16 from the guide wire 18. The camera unit 16 is detached from the guide wire 18 by sliding the cover 50 of each slider guide 25 toward the first end 48 of the frame 47, such as shown in
The mechanic 45 may carry the camera unit 16 to the top floor of the building and reinstall the camera unit 16 in its initial position. The camera unit 16 is attached to the guide wire 18 by placing each slider guide 25 over the guide wire 18 so that the guide wire 18 is received in the hooked portion 52 and the vice 58 is biased against the guide wire 18, the camera frame 23 of the camera unit 16 is clipped between the arms 30 of the clipper 22 and the contact 27 of the camera unit 16 is positioned to come into contact with the contact 29 of the mounting unit 21 so that the imaging device 15 will be ready for the next inspection.
According to the present invention, only a guide wire 18 needs to be installed in the hoistway 8 and the camera unit 16 slides freely down the guide wire 18 under its own weight so that there is no need to drive the camera unit 16 through the hoistway 8 such as by a drive mechanism. This is particularly advantageous in high-rise buildings in which drive members of such drive mechanism would possibly interfere with other components in the hoistway. Further, by using an omnidirectional camera 37, a full view of the hoistway 8 may be obtained by a single camera without the need to move the camera.
A second embodiment of the hoistway inspection device 114 of the present invention is shown in
In the above examples, the mechanic 45 sends a signal to the imaging device 15, 115 to start inspection. However, inspection may be automatically started in response to detection of an earthquake, detection of building sway, signal input from a car controller or signal input from a remote monitoring center, for example. Further, image data may be transmitted to a remote monitoring center instead of or in addition to the mobile device 46 of the mechanic 45.
While the invention has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.