The invention relates to a method for monitoring condition of a rope of a hoisting device, which rope comprises one or more load bearing members oriented to extend parallel with longitudinal direction of the rope throughout the length thereof. The method comprises measuring strains of one or more portions of a load bearing member of the rope; and comparing the measured strains of one or more portions of a load bearing member of the rope with at least one reference. The invention also relates to a hoisting device implementing the method.

An object of the invention is to provide a vibration damping system that can avoid the occurrence of resonance of an elevator rope regardless of the vibration frequency of a vibration source. A vibration damping system (200) includes a displacement amplifier (7), a calculation unit (66), and a displacement amplification control unit (67). The displacement amplifier (7) is arranged along a given position in the longitudinal direction of the elevator rope. The displacement amplifier (7) amplifies a displacement due to vibration of the elevator rope based on a variable amplification factor. The calculation unit (66) calculates the natural frequency of the elevator rope. The displacement amplification control unit (67) controls the displacement amplification of the displacement amplifier (7) based on the natural frequency calculated by the calculation unit (66) and a preset vibration frequency.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vibration damping device including an instability preventing means, for efficiently suppressing amplification of vibration of a long structure, which is mechanically flexible, due to a resonance phenomenon. A vibration damping device (100) for reducing vibration of a long structure (1) includes a displacement amplifier (7) and limiting members (8). The displacement amplifier (7) is arranged along a given position in the longitudinal direction of the structure (1). The displacement amplifier (7) amplifies a displacement of the structure (1). The limiting members (8) control displacement amplification performed by the displacement amplifier (7) such that the displacement of the structure (1) amplified by the displacement amplifier (7) does not become greater than a first displacement, the first displacement being a displacement of the structure (1) by which the structure (1) is not allowed to return to the equilibrium position of the vibration.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sway amount estimation system that can suppress a reduction in user convenience that would occur if the operation method is switched more than necessary. A sway amount estimation system (300) includes a sensing unit (78), a judgment unit (80), and an estimation unit (79). The estimation unit (79) calculates an estimated value of the amount of sway of an elevator rope due to vibration caused by building sway based on the sway sensed by the sensing unit (78) and an estimation model incorporating the effect of the displacement amplification of the displacement amplifier (7). The judgment unit (80) judges if the estimated value calculated by the estimation unit (79) is greater than a threshold for switching the operation method for the elevator apparatus (11).

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 excessive rope sway and to deduct operation measures for the elevator in order to counteract a determined excessive rope sway. According to the invention a succession of following steps is performed: determining a movement profile for the elevator car by means of an elevator controller predicting the elevator car position based on the movement profile calculating the estimated rope sway based on the predicted car position and the building acceleration data.

This leads to an early detection of a possible excessive rope sway happening in the future in course of servicing elevator calls by the allocated elevator car.

A method for monitoring a condition of a belt-shaped rope of an elevator, which rope is connected with one or more elevator units of an elevator, includes monitoring lateral positions of successive rope locations, which rope locations pass during use of the elevator via a monitoring zone located in proximity of a crowned rope wheel around which the belt-shaped rope is arranged to turn; gathering lateral position data of the belt-shaped rope, which lateral position data indicates lateral positions of several successive rope locations of the rope at the monitoring zone; analyzing the lateral position data; detecting characteristics in the lateral position data indicating damaged rope; and triggering one or more predefined actions if characteristics indicating damaged rope are detected. An arrangement and an elevator, which implement the method, are also disclosed.

A method for inspecting a condition of an elongated load bearing member of a rope of a hoisting apparatus, such as an elevator includes ultrasound scanning one or more regions of the load bearing member with an ultrasonic scanner. A method for inspecting a condition of a rope of a hoisting apparatus, such as an elevator, which rope includes at least one load bearing member includes inspecting at least one load bearing member of the rope with an ultrasound scanner.

In a rope damage diagnostic testing apparatus, an ultrasound applicator generates ultrasonic waves in a wire rope by making the wire rope vibrate due to magnetostriction effect. A detecting element detects changes in a state of propagation of the ultrasonic waves in the wire rope. An excitation coil and the detecting element are disposed in a parallelogram that has as a first opposite side length a length of a portion of the wire rope in which one of the outer layer strands makes one revolution around the wire rope, and that has as a second opposite side length a product of a diameter and number of the outer layer wires that are included in one of the outer layer strands.

A belt for suspending and/or driving an elevator car extending longitudinally along a length of the belt. An inner belt layer formed from a first material is bonded to the plurality of tension elements at a first side of the belt. The inner belt layer forms an inner belt surface interactive with a traction sheave of an elevator system. An outer belt layer formed from a second material is bonded to the plurality of tension elements at a second side of the belt. The plurality of tension elements are located between the first side and the second side.

An elevator system includes a travelling cable connected to an elevator car and to a hoistway wall. The travelling cable includes an electric conductor and/or a data carrier operatively connected at a first end to a feed source and at a second end to service appliances of the elevator car. A protective layer includes an outer diameter and surrounds the electric conductor and/or data carrier. A duct is connected at a first open end to a fluid source and at a second openable end to the elevator car. A sensor system is configured for detecting swaying amplitude of the travelling cable. A microprocessor is associated to the sensor system and to the fluid source. The microprocessor is configured for receiving swaying amplitude data from the sensor system and for operating the fluid source when the swaying amplitude exceeds a predetermined threshold.