SAFETY DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING SAFETY-RELEVANT UCM AND UDM FUNCTIONS IN AN ELEVATOR SYSTEM

Abstract

A safety device for controlling safety-relevant functions in an elevator system is configured, on the basis of input signals from at least one first component of the elevator system which provides information regarding current conditions within the elevator system, for example a current position and speed of a car, not only to control at least one second component, such as a brake, of the elevator system such that an unintended travel movement of the car is prevented. The safety device also controls at least one third component, such as a door drive, of the elevator system such that an unintended movement of a car door is prevented. In the safety device, both a UCM (unintended car movement) function and a UDM (unintended door movement) function are thus implemented.

Claims

1-9. (canceled)

10. A safety device for controlling safety-relevant functions in an elevator system, the safety device comprising: an input for receiving input signals from a first component of the elevator system, wherein the input signals provide information regarding current conditions within the elevator system; a signal processing unit receiving and processing the input signals to generate a first control signal and a second control signal both based on the input signals; a first output connected to the signal processing unit for transmitting the first control signal to a second component of the elevator system to control the second component such that an unintended travel movement of a car of the elevator system is prevented; and a second output connected to the signal processing unit for transmitting the second control signal to a third component of the elevator system to control the third component such that an unintended movement of a car door of the car is prevented.

11. The safety device according to claim 10 wherein the safety device further comprises: a signal input interface at the input for receiving the input signals from the first component of the elevator system; and a control unit connected to the signal processing unit, the first output and the second output for transmitting the first control signal and the second control signal.

12. The safety device according to claim 10 wherein the input signals indicate a current position and a current speed of the car of the elevator system.

13. The safety device according to claim 12 wherein the input signals indicate the current position and the current speed of the car for each possible position of the car along a travel path of the car and for each point in time during operation of the elevator system.

14. The safety device according to claim 10 wherein the second component comprises a brake configured to brake or prevent a travel movement of the car.

15. The safety device according to claim 10 wherein the third component comprises a door drive configured to move a door leaf of the car door between an open configuration and a closed configuration.

16. The safety device according to claim 15 wherein a door control signal transmitted by an elevator controller of the elevator system, depending on the input signals, is transmitted to the door drive as the second control signal or is filtered out.

17. The safety device according to claim 10 wherein all components forming the safety device are integrated in a common housing so as to form a unit.

18. An elevator system comprising: a first component supplying input signals that provide information regarding current conditions within the elevator system; a second component that in response to receiving a first control signal prevents an unintended travel movement of a car of the elevator system; a third component that in response to receiving a second control signal prevents an unintended movement of a car door of the car; and the safety device according to claim 10 controlling the second component and the third component by generating the first control signal and the second control signal based on the input signals from the first component.

19. A safety device for controlling safety-relevant functions in an elevator system, the safety device comprising: an input for receiving input signals from a first component of the elevator system, wherein the input signals provide information regarding current conditions within the elevator system; a signal input interface at the input for receiving the input signals from the first component of the elevator system; a signal processing unit connected to the signal input interface receiving and processing the input signals to generate a first control signal and a second control signal both based on the input signals; a control unit connected to the signal processing unit for transmitting the first control signal and the second control signal; a first signal output interface connected to the control unit for transmitting the first control signal to a second component of the elevator system to control the second component such that an unintended travel movement of a car of the elevator system is prevented; and a second signal output interface connected to the control unit for transmitting the second control signal to a third component of the elevator system to control the third component such that an unintended movement of a car door of the car is prevented.

20. The safety device according to claim 19 wherein the input signals indicate a current position and a current speed of the car for each possible position of the car along a travel path of the car and for each point in time during operation of the elevator system.

21. The safety device according to claim 19 wherein the second component comprises a brake configured to brake or prevent a travel movement of the car.

22. The safety device according to claim 19 wherein the third component comprises a door drive configured to move a door leaf of the car door between an open configuration and a closed configuration.

23. The safety device according to claim 22 wherein a door control signal transmitted by an elevator controller of the elevator system, depending on the input signals, is transmitted to the door drive as the second control signal or is filtered out.

24. The safety device according to claim 19 wherein all components forming the safety device are integrated in a common housing so as to form a unit.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] FIG. 1 shows an elevator system comprising a safety device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] The drawing is merely schematic and not to scale. The same reference signs indicate the same or equivalent features.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] FIG. 1 shows an elevator system 1 comprising a safety device 13 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] The elevator system 1 comprises a car 3, which can be moved within an elevator shaft 5 along a vertical travel path 7. In this case, the car 3 is moved by a car drive 9, the operation of which is controlled by an elevator controller 11.

[0050] Travel movements of the car 3 can be braked or prevented by means of a brake 23 mounted on the car 3. For this purpose, the brake 23 can have, for example, brake shoes which are fixed to the car 3 and thus move along therewith. The brake shoes can interact with a braking surface which is mounted stationarily in the elevator shaft 5, such as a surface of a guide rail, and thus brake the car 3 in a controlled and efficient manner by means of friction.

[0051] The car 3 has a car door 43 in order to be able to selectively release or block access into the interior of the car 3. In the example shown, the car door 43 has two door leaves 45 which can be opened and closed by means of a door drive 27. For this purpose, the door drive 27 has an actuator 29, such as an electric motor, the operation of which can be controlled via an actuator controller 31.

[0052] In order to ensure safe operation of the elevator system 1, not only a UCM function for preventing unintended travel movements of the car 3 but also a UDM function for preventing unintended movements of the car door 43 are implemented therein. The UCM function and the UDM function are here both implemented together in the safety device 13, i.e., the safety device 13 is designed as a unit in which all components used for implementing the UCM function and the UDM function are accommodated in a common housing 47. Preferably, the safety device 13 is designed in such a way that it meets legal or normative safety regulations for implementing the UCM function. In particular, the safety device 13 is preferably designed such that it corresponds to high safety levels such as an SIL3 safety level.

[0053] For this purpose, the safety device 13 can correspond to at least one first component 15, from which it can receive input signals. The input signals can provide information regarding current conditions within the elevator system 1.

[0054] In the example shown, one of the first components 15 is implemented by means of a magnetic strip 17 and a magnetic strip reader 19. The magnetic strip 17 extends vertically along the entire travel path 7 through the elevator shaft 5. Information is stored on the magnetic strip 17 which encodes the position of the magnetic strip 17 within the elevator shaft 5 for each of a plurality of sections of the strip. The magnetic strip reader 19 can read off this information. Since the magnetic strip reader 19 is attached to the car 3, the current position of the car 3 can be determined in this way. In addition, a current speed of the car 3 can be deduced by analysis of time-dependent changes in these positions. The information regarding the current position and the current speed of the car 3 can thus be transmitted as input signals to the safety device 13. In this case, the input signals can be received by a signal input interface 33 of the safety device 13. For this purpose, the first component 15, i.e., the magnetic strip reader 19 in the example shown, can be wired to the signal input interface 33 of the safety device 13 or can wirelessly transmit its signals to the signal input interface 33.

[0055] Another of the first components 15 can be implemented, for example, in the form of a door sensor 49. The door sensor 49 can detect whether the car door 43 is completely closed and locked. Information regarding a closed state of the car door 43 can then also be transmitted to the signal input interface 33 of the safety device 13.

[0056] In addition or as an alternative to the first components 15 described by way of example, other sensors or the like can be used as first components 15 in order to obtain information regarding current conditions in the elevator system 1, in particular information relating to a position, a speed, a travel direction, an occupation, etc. of the car 3, and information relating to a current situation of the car door 43, for example its closed state, directions of movement of the door leaves 45, etc.

[0057] The received input signals can then be processed by a signal processing unit 35 in the safety device 13. The signal processing unit 35 can generate both first control signals and second control signals on the basis of these input signals.

[0058] The first and second control signals generated in this way can then be used by a control unit 37 of the safety device 13 to control a second component 21 and a third component 25 in the elevator system 1. For this purpose, the control unit 37 can transmit the first control signal to the second component 21 via a first signal output interface 39, for example, in order to thus implement the UCM function, i.e., to prevent unintended travel movements of the car 3. In addition, the control unit 37 can transmit the second control signal to the third component 25 via a second signal output interface 41, for example, in order to thus implement the UDM function, i.e., to prevent unintended movements of the car door 43.

[0059] In the example shown, the second component 21 for this purpose comprises the brake 23 on the car 3. If the safety device 13 detects, for example, on the basis of the input signals received from the door sensor 49 that the car door 43 is not completely closed and detects on the basis of the input signals received from the magnetic strip reader 19 that the car 3 is moving along the travel path 7, the safety device 13 can activate the brake 23 and in this way stop the unintended travel movement of the car 3.

[0060] In the example shown, the third component 25 comprises the door drive 27 on the car door 43. If, for example, a door control signal is to be sent from the elevator controller 11 to the car door 43, on the basis of which the car door 43 is to be opened or closed, this door control signal will not be transmitted directly to the door drive 27. Instead, the safety device 13 is connected as a filter instance between the elevator controller 11 and the door drive 27. The door control signal is first checked in the safety device 13 for plausibility. For this purpose, the safety device 13 can detect, for example, on the basis of the input signals received at the signal input interface 33, where the car 3 is currently located and whether and at which speed it is moving. Only if it can be seen on the basis of this position information and speed information that the car 3 is located, for example, either directly at a floor position or within a door zone close to the floor position and its speed is currently slowing down in a suitable manner, so that it will stop at the floor position, a door control signal, for example, that indicates an opening of the car door 43, will be considered plausible. Only in the case of such a detected plausibility will the door control signal then not be filtered by the safety device 13, but rather forwarded to the door drive 27. The actuator controller 31 of the door drive 27 can then suitably energize the actuator 29 in order to open the door leaves 45 of the car door 43.

[0061] Finally, it should be noted that terms such as “comprising,” “having,” etc. do not preclude other elements or steps and terms such as “a” or “an” do not preclude a plurality. Furthermore, it should be noted that features or steps which have been described with reference to one of the above embodiments may also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above.

[0062] In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.