The invention relates to a method for operating an elevator installed in connection with a building, particularly a high rise elevator, in which method the expected rope sway is monitored using building acceleration data obtained by means of a sensor to calculate a building sway, and whereby based on the building sway and the position of an elevator car a rope sway is estimated, which rope sway is compared with a threshold value to determine the amount of rope sway and to deduct operation measures for the elevator based on the amount of the rope sway, characterized by the succession of following steps determining elevator car position determining change of rope sway based on the car position and the building acceleration data if it is concluded that rope sway is not increasing, then calculating the number of rope sway cycles n(zca,) within a building sway period .sub.Tbuilding and calculating a new (decreasing) rope sway amplitude x based on said number of rope sway cycles n(zca,) and a damping factor I.

An emergency operation controller for an elevator is connected to other emergency operation controllers of their respective elevators through network, and each controller constitutes a node in the network. The controller generates and transmits an emergency condition detection message to other controllers in the network which constitute adjacent nodes to the controller when the controller detects an emergency condition, and receives an emergency condition detection message from other controllers which constitute adjacent nodes to the controller in the network when other controllers detect an emergency condition. The emergency condition detection message includes a propagation count. The propagation count is configured to be decremented by one, each time one controller transmits the emergency condition detection message to other controllers which constitute next adjacent nodes. The emergency condition detection message is continuously transmitted until the propagation count reaches to zero.

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.

An illustrative example method of controlling an elevator situated in a hoistway of a building includes detecting sway of the building, determining characteristics of the detected sway including a plurality of frequencies and associated periods of the sway, determining an expected sway of an elongated member of the elevator system based on the determined characteristics, and controlling at least one of position and movement of an elevator car in the hoistway based on the expected sway.

According to one embodiment, a method for monitoring hoisting ropes in an elevator system comprises measuring tension of each hoisting rope, calculating a mean value of the tension in the hoisting ropes, determining if the tension in any rope is significantly higher than the mean value and providing a signal that rope snag has been detected if the tension in any rope is significantly higher than the mean value.

An illustrative example elevator control system includes a plurality of sway sensors situated within a hoistway of the building. The sway sensors respectively include a contact surface situated to be contacted by a vertically extending elongated member of an elevator when the elongated member moves laterally in the hoistway. The sway sensors respectively provide an indication of contact between the contact surface and the elongated member. A controller receives an indication of building movement and the indications from the sway sensors. The controller determines whether at least one condition exists in the hoistway based on the indications and implements an adjustment to elevator movement control when the at least one condition exists.

A monitoring image transmission apparatus for elevators that can reduce network load is provided. A monitoring image transmission apparatus for elevators according to the present invention includes: an event input section (17) configured to receive input of a signal indicating an event occurring in connection with an elevator; an image management section (18) configured to select an image at a specific time point or during a specific time period with respect to a timing at which the signal is received by the event input section (17), in an image shot by a camera installed in at least one of a car or a hall of the elevator, in accordance with an image selection rule; and an image transmission section (20) configured to transmit the image selected by the image management section (18) to an image analysis server (16) over a network (15).

An elevator system includes a first car, a diagnosis operation control unit (12), a learning operation control unit (13), a setting unit (14), a second car, and an operation control unit (10). The diagnosis operation control unit (12) moves, after an occurrence of an earthquake, the first car to perform a diagnosis operation. The learning operation control unit (13) moves the first car to perform a learning operation. The setting unit (14) sets a reference range for detecting an abnormality in the diagnosis operation on the basis of learning data acquired in the learning operation. The operation control unit (10) controls a position of the second car so as not to be positioned at the same height as the first car when the learning operation is performed by the learning operation control unit (13).

Disclosed is an elevator system including a system controller, wherein the system controller is configured to: render a plurality of determinations for effecting elevator service during a lockdown condition, including a first determination that an elevator car is transporting a first passenger to a first floor, a second determination that a lockdown event is occurring at a second floor, a third determination for the elevator car to transport the first passenger to a third floor to avoid travel proximate the second floor, and execute one or more communications including: a first communication to an elevator car controller for the elevator car to effect the third determination.

A method of monitoring vibratory signatures of an elevator car is provided. The method comprising: detecting at least one vibratory signature of an elevator car, the vibratory signature comprising: a first vibratory signature in a first direction; and determining a probable cause of the at least one vibratory signature by comparing the at least one vibratory signature to a known vibratory signature.