Elevator system

• US 7,743,891 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2009
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Inventors: Tyni, Tapio, Perala, Pekka
• Primary Examiner(s): SALATA, ANTHONY J
• Application Number:
  US12/464,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20090218177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 187/250, 187/277, 187/283, 187/286, 187/291, 187/292, 187/302, 187/303, 187391-393
• US Class Current: 187/393
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/3476 Load weighing or car passenger counting devices B66B5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 19/007 method for modernisation of elevators

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method, a device, a computer program and a system for detecting the arrival in the elevator car/departure from the elevator car of elevator passengers. In the method the vertical acceleration values of the elevator car are received from the acceleration sensor and the passengers arriving in the elevator car and/or leaving the elevator car are detected on the basis of the vertical acceleration measurements of the acceleration sensor.

Claims

1. A method for detecting the arrival in the elevator car and/or departure from the elevator car of elevator passengers, the method comprises the steps of:

receiving vertical acceleration values of the elevator car from an acceleration sensor; and

detecting the arrival in the elevator car and/or departure from the elevator car of an elevator passenger on the basis of the vertical acceleration values of the acceleration sensor.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detection phase further comprises the steps of:

calculating a calculated speed of the elevator car from the vertical acceleration values of the acceleration sensor;

preprocessing the calculated speed by rendering the speed of the elevator ear as zero elsewhere except in a passenger loading situation or a passenger unloading situation; and

detecting the arrival in the elevator car and/or departure from the elevator car of an elevator passenger from the preprocessed speed on the basis of position of the elevator ear.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of preprocessing further comprises using a movement indicator in the preprocessing, which detects a passenger loading situation or a passenger unloading situation from the fluctuation of movement of the car.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of detecting further comprises detecting the arrival in the elevator car and/or departure from the elevator car of an elevator passenger from the preprocessed speed on the basis of the calculated position of the elevator car with a correlation method.

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

detecting the arrival of the passenger last arriving in the elevator car or the departure of the passenger last leaving the elevator car; and

measuring the photoelectric cell delay of the elevator on the basis of the detection.

6. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium and configured to perform the method according to claim 1.

7. The computer program according to claim 6, wherein the computer program is stored on a data processing appliance on a readable storage medium.

19. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of detecting further comprises detecting the arrival in the elevator ear and/or departure from the elevator ear of an elevator passenger from the preprocessed speed on the basis of the calculated position of the elevator car with a correlation method.

20. The method according to claim 3, wherein the step of detecting further comprises detecting the arrival in the elevator car and/or departure from the elevator car of an elevator passenger from the preprocessed speed on the basis of the calculated position of the elevator car with a correlation method.

8. A device for detecting the arrival in the elevator car and/or departure from the elevator car of elevator passengers, wherein the device is arranged to receive vertical acceleration values of the elevator car from an acceleration sensor and to detect the arrival in the elevator car and/or departure from the elevator car of an elevator passenger on the basis of the vertical acceleration values of the acceleration sensor.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the device is arranged:

to calculate a calculated speed of the elevator car from the vertical acceleration values of the acceleration sensor;

to preprocess the calculated speed by rendering the speed of the elevator car as zero elsewhere except in a passenger loading situation or a passenger unloading situation; and

to detect the arrival in the elevator car and/or the departure from the elevator car of an elevator passenger from the preprocessed speed on the basis of the calculated position of the elevator car.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the device is arranged to use a movement indicator in the preprocessing, which detects a passenger loading situation or a passenger unloading situation on the basis of the movement of the elevator car.

11. The device according to claim 8, wherein the device is arranged to detect the arrival in the elevator car and/or the departure from the elevator car of an elevator passenger from the preprocessed speed on the basis of the calculated position of the elevator car with a correlation method.

12. The device according to claim 8, wherein the device is arranged to detect the last passenger arriving in the elevator car or the last passenger leaving the elevator car and to measure a photoelectric cell delay on the basis of the detection.

13. The device according to claim 8, wherein the device comprises at least one interface for connecting the device to one or more separate systems;

and the device is arranged to convey information about the passengers to at least one aforementioned separate system.

14. A system for detecting the arrival in the elevator car and/or departure from the elevator car of elevator passengers, which system comprises:

an elevator car; and

an acceleration sensor that measures the acceleration of the elevator car;

wherein the system comprises an analyzer that receives vertical acceleration values of the elevator car from the acceleration sensor and detects the arrival in the elevator car and/or the departure from the elevator car of an elevator passenger on the basis of the vertical acceleration values of the acceleration sensor.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the analyzer is further arranged:

to calculate a calculated speed of the elevator car from the vertical acceleration values of the acceleration sensor;

to preprocess the calculated speed by rendering the speed of the elevator car as zero elsewhere except in a passenger loading situation or a passenger unloading situation; and

to detect the arrival in the elevator car and/or departure from the elevator ear of an elevator passenger from the preprocessed speed on the basis of the calculated position of the elevator car.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the analyzer is further arranged to use in the preprocessing a movement indicator, which detects a passenger loading situation or a passenger unloading situation from the fluctuation of movement of the ear.

17. The system according to claim 14, wherein the analyzer is arranged to detect the arrival in the elevator car and/or the departure from the elevator car of an elevator passenger from the preprocessed speed on the basis of the calculated position of the elevator car with a correlation method.

18. The system according to claim 14, wherein the analyzer is arranged to detect the arrival of the last passenger arriving in the elevator ear or the departure of the last passenger leaving the elevator car, and the system further comprises a determination device that measures the photoelectric cell delay of the doors of the elevator on the basis of the arrival or the departure of the detected last passenger.