CAR CONTROLLER FOR AN ELEVATOR CAR OF AN ELEVATOR SYSTEM, ELEVATOR SYSTEM, USE OF A CAR CONTROLLER, AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A CAR DOOR OF AN ELEVATOR CAR OF AN ELEVATOR SYSTEM

Abstract

A car controller for an elevator car of an elevator system can be arranged on the elevator car. The car controller obtains a primary door opening request from an elevator controller of the elevator system, obtains at least one control signal, the at least one control signal indicating whether the elevator car is in a state intended for opening a car door of the elevator car, and transmits or withholds a secondary door opening request on the basis of the primary door opening request and the at least one control signal.

Claims

1-13. (canceled)

14. A car controller for an elevator car of an elevator system, wherein the car controller is adapted to be arranged on the elevator car, the car controller comprising: a primary signal connection to an elevator controller of the elevator system to obtain a primary door opening request from the elevator controller; a secondary signal connection to a door opening mechanism of the elevator car to transmit a secondary door opening request to the door opening mechanism; a signal connection to obtain at least one control signal, the at least one control signal indicating whether the elevator car is in a state intended for opening a car door of the elevator car, or the at least one control signal being a door zone signal indicating whether the elevator car is in a door zone of the elevator system, or the at least one control signal being a door override signal indicating whether opening the car door is permitted during a movement of the elevator car; and wherein the car controller, based on the primary door opening request and the at least one control signal, transmits a secondary door opening request to the door opening mechanism by the secondary signal connection or withholds the secondary door opening request.

15. The car controller according to claim 14 wherein the at least one control signal is a standstill signal indicating a standstill or a movement of the elevator car.

16. The cabin controller according to claim 15 wherein the standstill signal is provided by a speed sensor of the elevator system.

17. The car controller according to claim 15 wherein at least one of the standstill signal, the door zone signal, and the door override signal is a Boolean signal.

18. The car controller according to claim 14 wherein the door zone signal is provided by a shaft information system of the elevator car.

19. The car controller according to claim 14 wherein opening of the car door during a movement of the elevator car is permitted if a speed of the moving elevator car is lower than a speed limit value.

20. The car controller according to claim 14 wherein the door override signal is provided by the elevator controller.

21. The car controller according to claim 14 wherein the car controller transmits the secondary door opening request: when the car controller obtains the primary door opening request and the standstill signal indicating a standstill of the elevator car; or when the cabin controller obtains the primary door opening request, the standstill signal indicating a movement of the elevator car, the door zone signal indicating that the elevator car is in a door zone, and the door override signal indicating that opening the car door is permitted.

22. An elevator system comprising: an elevator car; a car controller according to claim 14; a car door of the elevator controlled by the car controller; and an elevator controller controlling the elevator system.

23. The elevator system according to claim 22 wherein the elevator controller is stationary in the elevator system.

24. The elevator system according to claim 22 wherein the car controller is arranged on the elevator car.

25. A method for controlling a car door of an elevator car of an elevator system, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining a primary door opening request by a car controller of the elevator car; obtaining at least one control signal by the car controller, the at least one control signal indicating a state of the elevator car which is intended for opening a car door of the elevator car; and transmitting or withholding a secondary door opening request by the car controller based on the primary door opening request and the at least one control signal to control the car door.

26. The method according to claim 25 wherein, prior to obtaining the primary door opening request, transmitting the primary door opening request by an elevator controller of the elevator system.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Various aspects of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to embodiments in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

[0038] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a preferred embodiment of a car controller in an elevator system;

[0039] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a preferred method for controlling a car door;

[0040] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a further preferred embodiment of a car controller in an elevator system; and

[0041] FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a further preferred method for controlling a car door.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an elevator system 5 having an elevator car 3 and a car controller 1 of the elevator car 3. The elevator car 3 is arranged in an elevator shaft 19 of the elevator system 5. The elevator car 3 is connected to a counterweight (not shown) via a carrier means 15. In order to move the elevator car 3, the carrier means 15 is driven by an elevator drive 11 of the elevator system 5. The elevator car 3 comprises a car door 9 which can be opened and closed by a door opening mechanism 17. The elevator system 5 of FIG. 1 comprises boarding platforms 27 and shaft doors 25 on a plurality of floors.

[0043] The elevator system 5 comprises an elevator controller 7 for controlling the elevator system 5. The elevator controller 7 is arranged, for example, in a machine room 31 of the elevator system 5 and is in communication with the car controller 1 of the elevator car 3 via a primary signal connection 41, for example a communication line in FIG. 1. The elevator controller 7 controls, in particular, a movement of the elevator car 3, opening and closing of shaft doors 25, and/or opening and closing of the car door 9 via the car controller 1. The elevator controller 7 controls the elevator system 5, for example based on inputs from passengers in the elevator car 3 and/or on the boarding platforms 27, and based on data about the state of the elevator system 5, for example based on data about a position and speed of the elevator car 3.

[0044] If the elevator controller 7 correctly or erroneously determines that the car door 9 of the elevator car 3 should be opened, the elevator controller 7 transmits a primary door opening request to the car controller 1 via the primary signal connection 41. The car controller 1 of the elevator car 3 is arranged on a roof of the elevator car 3 in FIG. 1 by way of example. The car controller 1 is in communication with the door opening mechanism 17 of the elevator car 3 via a secondary signal connection 43. In addition, the car controller 1 is in communication with a control signal generator 33 via a control signal connection 35. In FIG. 1, the control signal generator 33 is arranged in the machine room 31 by way of example. In further embodiments, the at least one control signal generator 33 can be arranged in particular in or on the elevator car 3, in the elevator shaft 19, and/or in the machine room 31.

[0045] In particular, the car controller 1 is designed to execute the method 100 explained in connection with FIG. 2, which can be present, for example, as a program for execution on the car controller 1. However, the method 100 can also be implemented in a different way, in particular in a different embodiment of an elevator system that is described in FIG. 3. At 110, the car controller 1 obtains the primary door opening request transmitted by the elevator controller 7. At 120, the car controller 1 obtains at least one control signal, in particular from the control signal generator 33. The at least one control signal indicates whether the elevator car 3 is in a state intended for opening the car door 9.

[0046] If (123) the at least one control signal indicates that the elevator car 3 is not in a state in which the car door 9 is intended to be opened, a secondary door opening request is withheld at 140; it is in particular not transmitted to the door opening mechanism 17 of the elevator car 3. The car door 9 of the elevator car 3 remains closed at 140. If (125) the at least one control signal indicates that the elevator car 3 is in a state intended for opening the car door 9, a secondary door opening request is transmitted at 130, in particular to the door opening mechanism 17 of the elevator car 3. After 130, the door opening mechanism 17 opens the car door 9.

[0047] FIG. 3 shows another preferred embodiment of a car controller 1 in an elevator system 5. Features that are the same or similar to those in FIG. 1 are provided with the same reference signs and are not described again below for the sake of clarity. In FIG. 3, the car controller 1 is in communication with an elevator controller 7 via a primary signal connection 41. The elevator controller 7 is designed to transmit a primary door opening request to the car controller 1 if the elevator controller 7 determines that the car door 9 of the elevator car 3 should be opened. The elevator controller 7 of FIG. 3 is also designed to provide a door override signal to the car controller 1, in particular if the conditions for overriding a safety circuit of the car door are met. The conditions can be met, for example, if the elevator car is moving slower than a speed limit value, in particular during height compensation between a car floor 29 of the elevator car and a boarding platform 27 and/or during the arrival of the elevator car 3 in a door zone 21 of a shaft door 25.

[0048] The car controller 1 is in communication with a speed sensor 13 of an elevator drive 11 via a standstill signal connection 45. In FIG. 3, the speed sensor 13 is provided by a motion sensor, for example by an encoder of an elevator drive 11 indicating a movement or a standstill. The speed sensor 13 provides a standstill signal to the car controller 1, the standstill signal indicating a movement or a standstill of the elevator car 3.

[0049] The car controller 1 is in communication with a shaft information system 23 via a door zone signal connection 47. The shaft information system 23 is designed to provide a door zone signal to the car controller 1. The door zone signal indicates whether the elevator car 3 is in a door zone 21 of a shaft door 25. In FIG. 3, only one door zone 21 is shown as an example, each of the shaft doors 25 having a corresponding door zone 21. The door zones 21 of the shaft doors 25 are dimensioned such that a height difference between a boarding platform 27 assigned to the door zone 21 and a car floor 29 of an elevator car 3 located in the door zone 21 is not greater than a limit value, for example 15 cm. The shaft information system 23 comprises, for example, a light barrier which is arranged on the elevator car 3 and is designed to detect metal flags arranged in the elevator shaft 19. The metal flags are arranged in such a way that the light barrier detects a metal flag if the elevator car 3 is in a door zone 21 associated with the metal flag.

[0050] In FIG. 3, the car controller 1 is also in communication with a door opening mechanism 17 via a secondary signal connection 43. If the elevator controller 7 determines that the car door 9 should be opened, the elevator controller 7 transmits a primary door opening request to the car controller 1. The car controller 1 checks the primary door opening request for plausibility using at least one of the group of the standstill signal, the door zone signal, and the door override signal and determines to transmit or withhold the secondary door opening request.

[0051] In particular, the car controller 1 is designed to execute the method 200 explained in connection with FIG. 4. However, the method 200 can also be implemented in a different way, in particular in a different embodiment of an elevator system than that described in FIG. 3. At 210, the car controller 1 obtains the primary door opening request. The car controller 1 obtains at least one control signal, wherein obtaining the at least one control signal comprises obtaining a standstill signal, in particular at 220, obtaining a door zone signal, in particular at 230, and obtaining a door override signal, in particular at 240. At 220, the car controller 1 checks a standstill signal which is provided in particular by the speed sensor 13. If (223) the standstill signal indicates a standstill of the elevator car 3, the car controller transmits at 250 a secondary door opening request, in particular to the door opening mechanism 17 of the elevator car 3 to open the car door 9.

[0052] If (225) the standstill signal indicates a movement of the elevator car 3, the car controller 1 checks a door zone signal at 230, which door zone signal is provided in particular by a shaft information system 23. If (233) the door zone signal indicates that the elevator car 3 is not in a door zone 21, the car controller 1 withholds at 260 the secondary door opening request. The primary door opening request is discarded and the car door 9 remains closed.

[0053] If (235) the door zone signal indicates that the elevator car 3 is in a door zone 21, the car controller checks at 240 a door override signal provided by the elevator controller 7 in particular. If (243) the door override signal indicates that the opening of the car door is not allowed during the movement of the elevator car, the car controller 1 withholds at 260 the secondary door opening request. The primary door opening request is discarded and the car door 9 remains closed. If (245) the door override signal indicates that the opening of the car door 9 is permitted during the movement of the elevator car 3, for example if a speed of the elevator car 3 is lower than a speed limit value, the car controller 1 transmits at 250 the secondary door opening request, in particular to the door opening mechanism 17 of the elevator car 3 for opening the car door 9.

[0054] By way of example, the exemplary method 200 or other preferred embodiments reduce the probability of passengers being endangered by an erroneous primary door opening request. In particular, opening a car door while the elevator car is at a standstill can be relatively harmless. In the case of a moving elevator car, a hazard is particularly unlikely if the elevator car is in a door zone and door override is activated. Preferred embodiments can thus in particular increase the safety precautions to protect passengers.

[0055] 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.