Method of resetting a safety system of an elevator installation

• US 9,944,492 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2013
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Inventors: Lustenberger, Ivo
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US14/430,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20150251875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• Field of Search: 187247
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/3461 between the elevator control system and remote or mobile stations
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 5/0031 for safety reasons
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/02 electric

Abstract

A method for resetting a safety system of an elevator installation from an actual state, in which a normal operation of the elevator installation is not released, to a desired state, in which a normal operation of the elevator installation is released by the safety system includes the steps of: receiving a reset request, which is transmitted from the elevator control system, for resetting from the actual state to the desired state, in the safety system; carrying out verification of the reset request by the safety system; evaluating the verification by the safety system; and resetting the safety system from the actual state to the desired state if the verification by the safety system is evaluated as valid.

Claims

1. A method of resetting a safety system of an elevator installation from an actual state, in which a normal operation of the elevator installation is not released, to a desired state, in which a normal operation of the elevator installation is released by the safety system, wherein the safety system is connected by a communications interface for data exchange with a control system associated with the elevator installation, but which control system is not included in the safety system, comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a reset request, which is transmitted from the control system, for resetting from the actual state to the desired state, in the safety system;

b) performing a verification of the reset request by the safety system, wherein performing the verification of the reset request by the safety system includes transmitting a verification request as an enquiry code from the safety system to the control system in response to the received reset request and receiving in the safety system a verification response as a response code transmitted from the control system;

c) evaluating the verification by the safety system, wherein the evaluating the verification by the safety system includes comparing the verification response with a target verification response, whereby if the verification response is a response code, the target verification response is a target response code, and evaluating the verification as valid if the verification response agrees with the target verification response; and

d) resetting the safety system from the actual state to the desired state if the verification by the safety system is evaluated as valid.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein only one target verification response is assigned to the verification request.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the target verification response is generated by the safety system in accordance with a coding rule from the verification request, and wherein the target verification response is generated from the verification request only after receipt of the verification response.

4. A method of resetting a safety system of an elevator installation from an actual state, in which a normal operation of the elevator installation is not released, to a desired state, in which a normal operation of the elevator installation is released by the safety system, wherein the safety system is connected by a communications interface for data exchange with a control system associated with the elevator installation, but which control system is not included in the safety system, comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a reset request, which is transmitted from the control system, for resetting from the actual state to the desired state, in the safety system;

b) performing a verification of the reset request by the safety system, wherein performing the verification of the reset request by the safety system includes transmitting a verification request as an enquiry code from the safety system to the control system in response to the received reset request, receiving in the safety system a verification response as a response code transmitted from the control system, and regenerating the verification request by the safety system for each reset request;

c) evaluating the verification by the safety system; and

d) resetting the safety system from the actual state to the desired state if the verification by the safety system is evaluated as valid.

5. The method according to claim 4 including regenerating the verification request randomly wherein the verification response is unique to each reset request.

6. A method of resetting a safety system of an elevator installation from an actual state, in which a normal operation of the elevator installation is not released, to a desired state, in which a normal operation of the elevator installation is released by the safety system, wherein the safety system is connected by a communications interface for data exchange with a control system associated with the elevator installation, but which control system is not included in the safety system, wherein the control system includes at least one of the following control units:

a locally fixed control unit arranged in an elevator car, a control unit of an elevator control; and

a mobile control unit connected with the safety system by the control system, wherein the control system includes a connection with an internal wire-free network or external wire-free network by which the mobile control unit is connected, wherein the method comprises the steps of;

a) receiving a reset request, which is transmitted from the control system, for resetting from the actual state to the desired state, in the safety system;

b) performing a verification of the reset request by the safety system, wherein performing the verification of the reset request by the safety system includes transmitting a verification request as an enquiry code from the safety system to the control system in response to the received reset request, receiving in the safety system a verification response as a response code transmitted from the control system, the verification request transmitted from the safety system to the at least one control unit and the verification response transmitted from the at least one control unit or from a further control unit of the control system to the safety system, and reading out the verification request from the at least one control unit using a display or a portable device, and the at least one control unit, from which the verification response is transmitted to the safety system, includes an input of the verification response;

c) evaluating the verification by the safety system; and

d) resetting the safety system from the actual state to the desired state if the verification by the safety system is evaluated as valid.

7. A method of resetting a safety system of an elevator installation from an actual state, in which a normal operation of the elevator installation is not released, to a desired state, in which a normal operation of the elevator installation is released by the safety system, wherein the safety system is connected by a communications interface for data exchange with a control system associated with the elevator installation, but which control system is not included in the safety system, wherein the control system includes at least one of the following control units:

a locally fixed control unit arranged in an elevator car;

a control unit of an elevator control; and

a mobile control unit connected with the safety system by the control system, wherein the control system includes a connection with an internal wire-free network or external wire-free network by which the mobile control unit is connected, wherein the method comprises the steps of;

a) receiving a reset request, which is transmitted from the control system, for resetting from the actual state to the desired state, in the safety system;

b) performing a verification of the reset request by the safety system, wherein performing the verification of the reset request by the safety system includes transmitting a verification request as an enquiry code from the safety system to the control system in response to the received reset request, receiving in the safety system a verification response as a response code transmitted from the control system, the verification request transmitted from the safety system to the at least one control unit and the verification response transmitted from the at least one control unit or from a further control unit of the control system to the safety system, and the at least one control unit generating a verification response from the verification request, the verification response being automatically generated by the at least one control unit on receipt of the verification request and transmitted to the safety system;

c) evaluating the verification by the safety system; and

d) resetting the safety system from the actual state to the desired state if the verification by the safety system is evaluated as valid.

8. A method of resetting a safety system of an elevator installation from an actual state, in which a normal operation of the elevator installation is not released, to a desired state, in which a normal operation of the elevator installation is released by the safety system, wherein the safety system is connected by a communications interface for data exchange with a control system associated with the elevator installation, but which control system is not included in the safety system, comprising the steps of:

a) receiving a reset request, which is transmitted from the control system, for resetting from the actual state to the desired state, in the safety system;

b) performing a verification of the reset request by the safety system;

c) evaluating the verification by the safety system, wherein performance of the verification must take place within a predetermined time period in order to be evaluated as valid; and

d) resetting the safety system from the actual state to the desired state if the verification by the safety system is evaluated as valid.

9. An elevator installation comprising:

a safety system which is resettable from an actual state, in which a normal operation of the elevator installation is not released, to a desired state, in which a normal operation of the elevator installation is released by the safety system; and

a communications interface connected to the safety system for data exchange with a control system which is associated with the elevator installation, but which is not included in the safety system, wherein the safety system includes a central control unit that;

a) receives a reset request, transmitted from the control system through the communications interface, for resetting from the actual state to the desired state,

b) performs a verification of the reset request,

c) evaluates validity of the verification, and

d) responds to the verification evaluated as valid by resetting from the actual state to the desired state;

wherein the central control unit of the safety system generates randomly a verification request as an enquiry code, generates a target verification response associated with the verification request as a target response code associated with the enquiry code, and for evaluation of validity of the verification compares a verification response received from the control system with the target verification response.

10. The elevator installation according to claim 9, wherein the central control unit transmits a verification request to the control system and receives a verification response from the control system.

11. The elevator installation according to claim 9, wherein the control system associated with the elevator installation includes at least one control unit being one of:

a locally fixed control unit arranged in an elevator car,

a control unit of an elevator control, and

a mobile control unit connected with the safety system by the control system, wherein the control system includes an internal wire-free network or an interface for connection with an external wire-free network by which the mobile control unit is connected.

12. The elevator installation according to claim 11, wherein the at least one control unit includes:

a) an interface for reading out the verification request through a connection with at least one of a further control unit, a mobile control unit for reading out the verification response, and a display for visual representation of the verification request;

b) an input device for input of the verification response, the input device being at least one of an interface for connection of a further control unit, a mobile release device for input of the verification response, and a keypad for manual input of the verification response; and

c) a circuit or a programmable computer unit for generating the verification response.