REMOTELY OBSERVABLE ANALYSIS FOR AN ELEVATOR SYSTEM

• US 20110240414A1
• Filed: 04/08/2008
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otis Elevator Company (Otis Worldwide Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Otis Elevator Company (Otis Worldwide Corp.)
• Inventors: Carreno, Luis C. Encinas, Copeland, George S., Lence, Juan A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,418,815 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 187/390
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 5/0006 Monitoring devices or performance analysers B66B5/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 5/0025 for maintenance or repair

Abstract

An exemplary system for monitoring an elevator arrangement includes a detector arranged to detect conditions or events in, on or near an associated elevator car. A monitoring device monitors a status of the associated elevator car. The monitoring device communicates with the detector for receiving data indicative of any event or condition detected by the detector. The monitoring device provides an output that associates the status of the elevator car at a time of any detected event or condition with an indication of the detected event or condition including a reproduction of the detected event or condition.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A system for monitoring an elevator arrangement, comprising:

a detector arranged at least partially in a hoistway to detect an event or a condition in, on or near an associated elevator car; and

a monitoring device at the hoistway site that is configured to

monitor a status of the elevator arrangement,

communicate with the detector for receiving data indicative of any event or condition detected by the detector, and

provide an output that associates the monitored status of the elevator arrangement at a time of any detected event or condition with an indication of the detected event or condition including a reproduction of the detected event or condition that can be communicated to a location remote from the hoistway site of the monitoring device, the reproduction including a visual output indicative of a sound associated with the detected event and a corresponding audible output of the same sound.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the monitoring device is configured to communicate the output to another device remotely located from a site of the monitoring device.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the monitoring device

determines a baseline reference of at least one acceptable event or condition;

determines whether any detected event or condition has an expected relationship with a corresponding acceptable event or condition; and

provides the output to the other device responsive to the detected event or condition not having the expected relationship with the corresponding acceptable event or condition.

27. The system of claim 24, comprising

a processor located remotely from the site of the monitoring device, the processor receiving the output from the monitoring device and generating a corresponding output that provides the reproduction of the detected event or condition.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the processor generates an audible output representing a detected sound and a visible output representing the detected sound in association with the status of the elevator arrangement at the time of the detected sound.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein one of the monitoring device or the processor digitizes the indication of the detected sound such that the corresponding sound file is digitized.

30. The system of claim 29, comprising

a storage that maintains a plurality of digitized sound files and wherein the processor is configured to provide an indication of a comparison of at least one feature of selected ones of the sound files with corresponding elevator status information.

31. The system of claim 29, comprising

a user interface that provides an audible output corresponding to the sound file that can be heard by a user remote from the site of the monitoring device.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein

the monitoring device performs on-going, real-time monitoring;

and

one of the monitoring device or the processor determines whether any detected sound has an expected relationship with a corresponding acceptable sound and provides an output indicating an event corresponding to the detected sound not having the expected relationship with the corresponding acceptable sound.

33. The system of claim 24, wherein the monitoring device provides the output on an ongoing basis while the corresponding elevator car is in service for carrying passengers.

34. The system of claim 24, wherein the detector comprises a sound detector and the reproduction of the output allows an individual remote from the monitoring device to audibly hear a sound detected by the sound detector.

35. The system of claim 24, wherein the monitoring device allows another remotely located device or individual to specify particular elevator functions and the monitoring device responsively directs control of the elevator to perform the specified function.

36. The system of claim 24, wherein the monitoring device output allows for simultaneously, manually observing an audible indication of a sound detected by the detector, a visible indication of the detected sound and an indication of the associated monitored status of the elevator arrangement.

37. A method of monitoring an elevator arrangement, comprising the steps of:

detecting an event or condition in, on or near an elevator car;

determining a status of the elevator arrangement at the site of the elevator car; and

generating an output from the site of the elevator car, the output associating an indication of the detected event or condition with the status of the elevator arrangement at the time of the detected event or condition including a reproduction of the detected event or condition that can be communicated to a location remote from the hoistway site of the monitoring device, the reproduction including a visual output indicative of a sound associated with the detected event and a corresponding audible output of the same sound.

38. The method of claim 37, comprising

communicating the output to another device remotely located from the site of the elevator car.

39. The method of claim 38, comprising

determining a baseline reference of an acceptable event or condition;

determining whether any detected event or condition has an expected relationship with a corresponding acceptable event or condition; and

providing the output to the other device responsive to the detected event or condition not having the expected relationship with the corresponding acceptable event or condition.

40. The method of claim 37, comprising

generating a corresponding output file that comprises the reproduction of the detected event or condition at a location remote from the elevator arrangement.

41. The method of claim 37, comprising

generating an audible output reproducing a detected sound;

generating a visible output representing the detected sound; and

providing an indication of an associated status of the elevator arrangement at the time of the detected sound.

42. The method of claim 41, comprising

simultaneously performing the generating and providing steps.

43. The method of claim 41, comprising

digitizing the indication of the detected sound such that a sound file of the output is digitized.

44. The method of claim 43, comprising

maintaining a plurality of digitized sound files;

and

selectively providing an indication of a comparison of at least one feature of selected ones of the sound files with corresponding elevator status information.

45. The method of claim 37, comprising

providing the output corresponding to any detected event or condition such that the reproduction of the detected event or condition can be observed by a user at a location remote from the elevator car.

46. The method of claim 37, comprising

providing the output on an ongoing basis while the corresponding elevator car is in service for carrying passengers.