Maintenance method for an elevator installation and elevator installation

• US 6,330,935 B1
• Filed: 07/07/2000
• Issued: 12/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Inventors: Systermans, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): Salata, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US09/612,241
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 187/391, 187/393, 187/247, 187/414, 702/179, 702/180, 702/182, 702/183, 702/184, 702/185, 340/3.43, 340/3.44
• US Class Current: 187/391
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 5/0025 for maintenance or repair
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 5/0087 Devices facilitating maintenance, repair or inspection tasks devices incorporated in the buffer B66B5/288; railings on top of the car B66B11/0226

Abstract

The present invention relates to an elevator system for which maintenance is tailored for each of the individual hardware components of the elevator. A maintenance system groups together hardware components having approximately identical maintenance needs, and stores these groups along with the appropriate maintenance data for these groups in a storage area. The maintenance data stored in connection with each group includes maintenance time-points that indicate the times when the group of components should be maintained. The storage area of the maintenance system can be accessed and changed by remote devices. Components needing more maintenance are store in different groups from components needing less maintenance, thereby reducing unnecessary maintenance of elevator components.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining an elevator system with at least a data-storage exhibiting maintenance system, the method comprising:

combining the hardware components with similar maintenance needs or the spatially and/or technically connected hardware components of the elevator into groups;

assigning the different groups specific maintenance time-points so that a group specific maintenance plan is rendered in a data storage of the maintenance system for an elevator.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance time-point of the module can be changed through an input or a remote input device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance system receives sensor signals from hardware components of the elevator, wherein at least the time of the next maintenance time-point of a group corresponding to a hardware component is changed based on the sensor signal from the hardware component.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein two closely timed maintenance time-points of two modules are combined and stored by a new generated maintenance time-point.

5. The method according to claim 8, wherein in a storage area of the data storage of the maintenance system, the specific maintenance functions for the groups of hardware components are stored.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the hardware components included in a group can be designated or changed through an input device or a remote input device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance system receives data, which is input through an input device or transmitted from a remote input device, and

wherein at least the time of the next maintenance time-point of a group of hardware components is changed based on the received data.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

accessing the group specific maintenance plan in the data storage of the maintenance system from a remote location.

21. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

performing maintenance corresponding to a maintenance time-point assigned to a group of hardware components;

resetting or acknowledging said maintenance time-point in response to completing the step of performing maintenance.

22. The method according to claim 21,

wherein an alarm is generated from the maintenance system, when a maintenance time-point passes with resetting or acknowledging the maintenance time-point.

9. An Elevator system comprising:

an elevator including hardware components; and

a maintenance system for organizing the hardware components into a plurality of groups and providing a maintenance plan assigning each of the plurality of groups with at least one maintenance time-point, the maintenance scheduling system including

a first data storage for storing information regarding the hardware components associated with each of the plurality of groups, and

a second data storage for storing the at least one maintenance time-point corresponding to each of the plurality of groups.

10. An Elevator system according to claim 9, wherein the hardware components are organized into the plurality of groups such that hardware components are grouped together according to at least one of:

similar maintenance needs, similar spatial characteristics, and similar technical characteristics.

11. An Elevator system according to claim 9, wherein the maintenance system further includes an input device or remote input device for designating the hardware components to be included in each of the plurality of groups.

12. An Elevator system according to claim 9, wherein the maintenance system further includes a unit that organizes the hardware components into a plurality of groups based on a type of the elevator.

13. An Elevator system according to claim 9, wherein the first storage area further stores maintenance work to be done corresponding to each of the plurality of groups.

14. An Elevator system according to claim 9, wherein the maintenance system further includes a unit for receiving data, which is input through an input device or transmitted from a remote input device, and shifting one or more of the maintenance time-points according to the received data.

15. An Elevator system according to claim 9, wherein the hardware components of the elevator are furnished with at least one sensor whose signal pertains to the setting and/or wear of one of the hardware components, and

wherein the maintenance system includes a unit for shifting the at least one maintenance time-point assigned to a group corresponding to a particular hardware component, based on a sensor signal pertaining to the particular hardware component.

16. An Elevator system according to claim 9, wherein the maintenance system further includes an input device or remote input device for inputting information regarding the completion of maintenance for a group of hardware components, and

wherein the maintenance system includes a unit for acknowledging the completion of maintenance corresponding to a maintenance time-point for a group of hardware component based on the information input through the input device or remote input device.

17. An Elevator system according to claim 16, wherein the maintenance system includes a unit for shifting the at least one maintenance time-point assigned to a group of hardware components based on an acknowledgement by the acknowledging unit corresponding to the group.

18. An Elevator system according to claim 16, wherein the maintenance system includes a clock and a comparator, which generates an alarm signal when the actual time passes a maintenance time-point assigned to a group of hardware components, without the maintenance system acknowledging completion of maintenance corresponding to the maintenance time-point.

19. An Elevator system according to claim 9, further including a control unit which is furnished with a remote transmitting feature, with which data stored in the first and second data storage, including the maintenance time-points, is transmitted onto an external read or analysis unit.

20. An Elevator system according to claim 9, wherein the maintenance system replaces closely successive maintenance time-points corresponding to two or more groups of hardware components with identical maintenance time-points.

23. The method according to claim 16, wherein at least the time of a next maintenance time point of a group of hardware components is changed based on the resetting or acknowledging of a time-point assigned to the group.