LOAD-BEARING COMPONENT, ELEVATOR AND METHOD

Abstract

A load-bearing component, an elevator and a method of monitoring operation of an elevator are disclosed. The load bearing component includes at least one printed strain gauge. Sensing data is gathered from the printed strain gauge and based on the data, loadings directed to the elevator can be monitored.

Claims

1. A load-bearing component of an elevator, comprising: at least one strain gauge for sensing strain on the component, wherein the at least one strain gauge is a printed strain gauge.

2. The component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one strain gauge is printed on at least one substrate and the at least one substrate is attached on an outer surface of the component by a gluing agent.

3. The component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one strain gauge is formed directly on an outer surface of the component being monitored by additive manufacturing technology.

4. The component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one strain gauge is provided with a connecting wiring for communicating with at least one control unit.

5. The component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one strain gauge is connected to at least one wireless data communication device for communicating with at least one control unit.

6. The component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one strain gauge is provided with a RFD tag for providing the at least one strain gauge with a passive radio frequency identification (RFID), whereby the at least one strain gauge attached on the surface of the component is remotely communicated and powered by an external transmitter,

7. The component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the load-bearing component is a rope fixing assembly for fixing at least one suspension rope of the elevator.

8. The component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the load-bearing component is a topmost suspension beam of an elevator car.

9. The component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one strain gauge is manufactured by ink-jet printing technology.

10. An elevator comprising: an elevator car; at least one first guide assembly provided with first vertical guide rails mountable to an elevator shaft and first guide shoes mountable to a car assembly, and wherein the guide shoes are supportable against the first guide rails; hoisting machinery for moving the elevator car vertically inside the elevator shaft; and at least one strain gauge configured to monitor at least one load-bearing component of the elevator; wherein the at least one strain gauge is configured to sense strain on the component, and wherein the at least one strain gauge is a printed strain gauge.

11. The elevator as claimed in claim 10, wherein the elevator is a traction elevator and further comprises: a counterweight assembly provided with a counterweight frame and at least one filler element; a second guide assembly provided with second vertical guide rails and second guide shoes for the counterweight frame and wherein the first and second guide shoes are supportable against the first and second vertical guide rails, respectively; the hoisting machinery comprising an electric motor and a traction sheave driven by means of the electric motor; and at least one suspension rope connecting the elevator car and the counterweight assembly and arranged to pass over the traction sheave, and wherein the at least one printed strain gauge is mounted to the at least one load-bearing component being subjected to stresses caused by cargo inside the elevator car.

12. The elevator as claimed in claim 11, wherein the the at least one load-bearing component is a rope fixing assembly for fixing the at least one suspension rope.

13. The elevator as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one printed strain gauge is mounted to the at least one load-bearing component being part of a movable structure of the elevator, wherein, in connection with the at least one printed strain gauge, is a remote readable tag, and wherein a fixed structural part of the elevator is provided with at least one antenna for remotely activating the at least one printed strain gauge and the remote readable tag for providing and transmitting sensing data in response to a situation when the remote readable tag is inside a range of the at least one antenna.

14. A method of monitoring operation of an elevator, the method comprising the steps of: providing at least one load-bearing component of the elevator with at least one strain gauge; and producing sensing data by the at least one strain gauge and transmitting the sensing data to at least one control unit for further processing, the step of providing the at least one load-bearing component with at least one strain gauge further comprises the step of providing the at least one load-bearing component with at least one printed strain gauge.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising the steps of: implementing the at least one printed strain gauge as a load weighting device of the elevator; and examining a weight of cargo inside an elevator car in at least one control unit in response to sensing data gathered from the at least one printed strain gauge.

16. The component as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one strain gauge is provided with a connecting wiring for communicating with at least one control unit.

17. The component as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one strain gauge is provided with a connecting wiring for communicating with at least one control unit.

18. The component as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one strain gauge is connected to at least one wireless data communication device for communicating with at least one control unit.

19. The component as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one strain gauge is connected to at least one wireless data communication device for communicating with at least one control unit.

20. The component as claimed in claim 2, the at least one strain gauge is provided with a RFID tag for providing the at least one strain gauge with a passive radio frequency identification (RFID), whereby the at least one strain gauge attached on the surface of the component is remotely communicated and powered by an external transmitter.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0052] Some embodiments are described in more detail in the accompanying drawings, in which

[0053] FIG. 1 is a schematic and highly simplified side view of a traction elevator,

[0054] FIG. 2 is a schematic and highly simplified partial side view of another traction elevator,

[0055] FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a rope fixing assembly or anchoring provided with a load weighting arrangement,

[0056] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a system for remote reading data on a printed strain gauge,

[0057] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of some possible load-bearing components which may be equipped with printed strain gauges,

[0058] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a strain gauge assembly and its possible printed components,

[0059] FIG. 7 is a schematic top view of a printed strain gauge and its components, and

[0060] FIG. 8 is a schematic top view of a strain gauge provided with wireless connectivity.

[0061] For the sake of clarity, the figures show some embodiments of the disclosed solution in simplified manner. In the figures, like reference numerals identify like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

[0062] FIG. 1 discloses a traction elevator 1 mounted to an elevator shaft 2 of a building. The elevator 1 comprises an elevator car 3 for receiving load to be transported. The car 3 and a counterweight assembly 4 are suspended form a suspension rope 5 passing via a hoisting machinery 6. The hoisting machinery 6 comprises a traction. sheave 7 driven by means of an electric motor U. Between the suspension rope and the traction sheave 7 occurs friction which is utilized for transmitting lifting power to the elevator system. The hoisting machinery 6 may comprise one or more additional pulleys 8 for guiding and controlling the suspension rope 5. Further, different rope schemas and ratios may also be implemented. The roping ratio may be 1:1, 1:2 or 1:4, for example. The hoisting machinery 6 may be located at an upper machine room 9, or alternatively the system may be a so called machine room less elevator. The car 3 can be driven to desired. levels 10 or floors under control of one or more control units CU. Further, at a bottom of a pit 10 of the shaft 2 are buffers 11a, 11b. The buffer 11 is a device configured to stop the descending car 3 and the counter-weight 4 beyond its normal limit. The buffer 11 is arranged to soften the forces with which the elevator 1 runs into the pit 12 during special situations. Further, the bottom of the car 3 and a bottom of the counterweight assembly 4 are connected by means of a compensation element 13, such as a chain, rope or belt. The compensation element 13 may pass via a compensator pulley 14 located at the pit.

[0063] The disclosed solution utilizing printed strain gauges can be implemented in a versatile manner at different load-bearing structures and components of the elevator.

[0064] A frame structure of the elevator car 3 may comprise a topmost suspension beam 15 configured to support the frame vertically. Thus, the suspension beam 15 serves as a load-bearing component 16, which may be provided with the disclosed printed strain gauges. Alternatively, the frame structure may comprise one or more other type of support elements with any other shapes than the beam. Further, there may be a rope fixing assembly 17 for fixing the suspension ropes 5 to the car 3. Then, the rope fixing assembly 17 serves as the load-bearing component 16 and may be monitored by means of one or more printed strain gauges. There may be another rope fixing assembly 18 at the counterweight assembly 4 and it can also be equipped with the printed strain gauges.

[0065] Further, it is possible to provide the compensation element 13 with one or more printable strain gauges for producing data for preventive maintenance solutions, for example.

[0066] In an embodiment of the solution disclosed in FIG. 1, the sheave 7 may be a freely rotating sheave and the compensator sheave 14 of FIG. 1 may be substituted with a traction sheave and traction motor assembly. Then the compensation rope 13 is substituted with. a traction rope. The traction rope and its mounting assemblies may be provided with one or more disclosed printed strain gauges.

[0067] In FIG. 2 one or more suspension ropes 5 are anchored to the fixed structure of a traction elevator 1 by beans of an anchoring element 19, which. is another type of a rope fixing assembly and it serves as a load-bearing component 16. The anchoring element 19 may be provided with the disclosed pintable strain gauges. Alternatively, or in addition to, a car side rope fixing assembly 17 may be provided with the pintable strain gauges. The rope fixing assembly 17 may support a pulley. Further, there may be another anchoring element 19a or rope terminal for fixing the one or more ropes 5. The element 19a may be provided with one or more strain gauges which. are in accordance with the features disclosed in this document. Thus, there may be one, two or three disclosed load-bearing components 16 in this solution.

[0068] For clarity reasons the printed strain gauges are not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0069] FIG. 3 discloses an anchoring element 19 for fastening suspension ropes 5 to a vertical structure 20 of an elevator. The anchoring element 19 may serve not only as a load-bearing component 16 but also as a load weighting device or unit. Weight W of cargo inside an elevator car 3 pulls a weighting frame 21 downwards via the ropes 5 and causes bending on a top part 22 of the weighting frame 21. There are one or more printed strain gauges 23 or strain gauge assemblies arranged on a top surface of the top part 22 which can sense the bending and extension on the top surface. Generated sensing data is transmitted to one or more control unit and the weight of the cargo can be calculated.

[0070] Further, the structure 21 may alternatively be mounted to a top part of an elevator shaft.

[0071] FIG. 4 discloses an arrangement wherein a rope fixing assembly 17 on top of an elevator car 3 is provided with a printed strain gauge 23 and a printed RFID tag 24. When the elevator car 3 moves up and down, it passes an antenna 25 mounted immovably to frame structures of the elevator or to an elevator shaft. The antenna 25 has a reading range 26 and when the RFID tag 24 is at reach of the reading range 26, then communication is formed between the tag and the antenna, and data transmission is possible. The antenna 25 may also provide the strain gauge 23 with the required electric energy so that the printed chip or circuit can be without any own electric energy storage. This way, the strain gauge assembly can be energized and read each time the elevator car 3 passes the antenna 25 and weight W of the elevator car 3 and its cargo can be calculated by means of a control unit CU. Thus, the system consists of passive RFID for data communication and a power supply.

[0072] FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate features that have already been disclosed above in this document.

[0073] FIG. 7 discloses a printed strain gauge 23 comprising a substrate 27 on which strain gauge elements 28a, 28b are printed together with possible wirings 29 and collector parts 30 or data. communication units.

[0074] In FIG. 8 there is also shown a printed RFID tag 24 on the substrate 27. Further, it is also possible that the components of the strain. gauge 23 are 3D printed directly on a surface of a load-bearing component of an elevator. The strain gauge 23 is mounted or directly printed in areas that exhibit strain in compression or tension.

[0075] The drawings and the related description are only intended to us rate the idea of the invention. In its details, the invention may vary within the scope of the claims.