EP2325126B1

EP2325126B1 - Method for detecting the position of a moving apparatus such as lifts and the like and device therefor

Info

Publication number: EP2325126B1
Application number: EP20100187221
Authority: EP
Inventors: Mauro Dellafiore; Nicola Bagnalasta
Original assignee: Stem SRL
Current assignee: Stem SRL
Priority date: 2009-11-23
Filing date: 2010-10-12
Publication date: 2013-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 2030-10-12
Also published as: ES2403309T3; IT1397103B1; EP2325126A1; ITPN20090072A1

Description

The present invention refers to a method for detecting the position of a moving apparatus, in particular lifts, hoists and the like and to the relative arrangement for carrying out said method.
It is a well known fact that the position of a moving object, such as for example a lift, and its alignment with a fixed reference position, such as the floor of a building, may be determined essentially in an incremental or absolute manner.
Figure 1 illustrates schematically a device of known type that detects the position of a cabin of a lift installation according to a detecting mode of incremental type. The detection of the position is achieved by means of three sensors S installed in a suitable position on the cabin C of the lift, which interact with actuators A fastened to the wall of the shaft in which the cabin C moves or on the lift guides. Two of the sensors S are dedicated to the positioning and alignment of the cabin C with the floor of a building, while the third sensor is used for the power factor corrections, or for zero-setting the floor counting device. In practice, when the lift is brought to a reference floor PR, the power factor correction sensor activates and the floor counter is zeroized. After having made the power factor correction, each time the lift goes past a floor other than the one of the power factor correction the positioning sensors S are activated by the actuators A and the floor counting is modified correspondingly in an incremental manner.
The drawback in this position detecting method consists in the fact that in the case in which the controller loses the count made up to that moment, for example due to a power failure or to a resetting of the control circuits, the lift loses the position and it is necessary to carry out a new power factor correction, to enable the floor counting device to find again a known position and so that that position is set to zero.
Figure 2 illustrates a cabin position detecting device on a lifting installation of known type that operates according to an absolute detection mode. The device includes essentially an encoder E mounted in a suitable position on the lift cabin C and that interacts with a strip provided with a position code fastened along the wall of the shaft in which the lift moves. The encoder E may be of optical, magnetic or ultrasound type. In place of using an encoder and a code strip, it is possible to use a laser range finder TL whose laser beam is schematized in Figure 2 with a broken line.
The absolute position detection mode calls for detecting the position of the cabin C with respect to a reference floor at every instant of operation of the lifting installation. In case of temporary malfunction of the control system, when the condition of correct operation of the controller is restored, the latter is immediately capable of providing the exact position of the cabin.
A malfunction of the devices of the type shown in Figure 2 lies in the fact that the strips N considerably complicate the installation of the whole lifting system and require frequent maintenance. On the other hand, the use of a laser range finder TL could in some cases require eye protection for maintenance operators and sometimes presents problems of alignment, In addition, the absolute systems generally involve a high cost.
Patent Application US 2006/0077033 describes a remote detection device of a condition of an electrical circuit; in particular the device can be used in managing the call of the lift to a floor. The device includes a set of peripheral elements, each of them arranged in a floor of a building and all of them connected to a central controller through a communication network. Each peripheral element includes an encoder and a transceiver; in addition, each peripheral element may have an identification code of its own, such as an electronic tag in radiofrequency signal communication (RFID) with the central controller through said communication network. The device is preset to transfer to the central controller the alteration of a condition that occurs in one of the peripheral elements, as in the case in which a user presses a push button to call a lift to the floor of a building, thereby in effect activating a switch. In the device disclosed in US 2006/0077033 , the central controller, the communication network and also the peripheral elements are stably mounted in a fixed position on wall portions of a building. The radiofrequency communication is used because, in a system of calling a lift to the floor, the peripheral elements (lift call button panel) are always separate from the communication network by a masonry wall, which is normally the one that delimits the lift cabin shaft. Since in US 2006/0077033 the communication elements are fixed, the problem of how to ensure the radio frequency transmission in the case in which one of the elements in communication is in motion is not dealt with.
US Patent 7,298,263 describes a generic control device comprising at least a pair of interactive elements, consisting of an electronic tag and an electronic tag reader in radio frequency signal communication (RFID) through antennas. The interactive elements are associated with bodies in reciprocal motion, whose positioning is detected by means of a pair of Hall effect sensors. The electronic tag includes a memory which stores a specific identification code that is selectively transmitted to the reader only when the Hall effect sensors have detected the correct reciprocal positioning of the tag and the reader. A shortcoming of the device disclosed in US 7,298,263 lies in the fact that the reader cannot read the electronic tag if the Hall sensors detect a misalignment between the reader and the tag. In this situation, the information contained in the tag memory remains unknown and the only information available is an error message.
The main objective of the invention is to provide a method for detecting the position of moving equipment, particularly lifts, hoists and the like, that is capable of ensuring the transmission of the information relating to the positioning of the equipment, even in case of high speeds in the movement of the same and/or transmission noise.
Another objective of the invention is to provide a method of detecting the position of a moving apparatus that makes it possible to quickly regain that position even after a power failure or other event involving the loss of position of the apparatus.
A further objective of the invention consists in providing a device for detecting the position of moving equipment that can be installed in a lifting installation, possibly also a pre-existing one, said device being suitable to perform in an integrated manner both the function of correct alignment of the moving cabin with the floor and of providing the exact position of the cabin.
Still another objective of the invention consists in providing a device for detecting the position of equipment in motion, usable in a civil and industrial context, in particular applicable for lifts, hoists and the like, that simplifies the process of acquiring the position of the cabin following an event leading to the loss of the data relative to the position of the same cabin.
Another not less important objective consists in providing a device for detecting the position of an apparatus in motion that is easy to manage and to install and remove during a maintenance operation.
These and other objectives of the invention will become evident from the description which follows, given by way of non-limiting example and, with reference to the enclosed drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 schematically illustrates a device of known type for detecting the position of the cabin in a lifting installation that operates according to an incremental detection mode;
Figure 2 schematically illustrates a lifting installation cabin position detection device of known type that operates according to an absolute detection mode;
Figure 3 schematically illustrates a lifting installation cabin position detecting device that operates according to the detection method of the present invention;
Figures 4A, 4B, 4C schematically illustrate respectively a front view, a rear view and a cross-sectional view seen along the line IV-IV of
Figure 4B of a first embodiment of an actuator of the device of Figure 3;
Figures 5A, 5B illustrate respectively a perspective view and a front view of a first embodiment of an electronic tag reader of the device of Fig. 3;
Figure 6 schematically illustrates the electronic tag reader of Figures 5A, 5B superimposed on the electronic tag of Figures 4A, 4B, 4C during the communication step according to the method of detecting the position of the cabin of a lifting installation,
Figure 7 shown a front perspective view of a second embodiment of an electronic tag reader of the device of Figure 3;
Figure 8 shows a rear perspective view of a second embodiment of an actuator of the device of Figure 3;
Figure 9 shows a perspective view of a variant embodiment of the actuator of Figure 8.

Figure 3 schematically illustrates a position detection device according to the invention and applied to a lifting installation 1 to detect the position of a cabin 2 vertically mobile between a plurality of floors 3 of a building 4. The detection device 1, 201, 301 comprises a plurality of actuators 5, 205, 305 arranged one for each floor 3 of the building 4.
According to a first embodiment of the present invention, with reference to Figures 4A, 4B and 4C, each actuator 5 includes a plate 6 having a first rear surface 7 on which is provided a fastening means 8 suitable to fasten the actuator 5 on any portion of tie building 4 or on any structure integral to it. Advantageously, the fastening means 8 comprises a magnetic element 10, consisting for example of ferrite, which, as will be better described later, in addition to the function of fastening the actuator 5 to the building 4, also performs the function of activating sensory components provided on the apparatus in motion. An antenna 12 is provided on the bottom 23 of a recess 22 formed on the rear surface 7 of the plate 6. The bottom 23 of the recess 22 lies near a second surface 9 in front of and opposite the first surface 7 of the plate 6, so that the antenna 12 is arranged near the second surface 9. An electronic tag 11 of known type, provided with an univocal identification code permanently stored in a data storage memory (not shown in the figures), is operatively associated with the antenna 12 and is positioned inside the recess 22, near the second front surface 9 of the plate 6. To avoid the possibility of the magnetic element 10 influencing the operation of the antenna 12, the latter is separated from the magnetic element 10 by a spacing element 13 consisting, for example, of a thin plate of polymeric material,
The electronic tag 11 is preferably of passive type, that is, fed electrically inductively through the antenna 12. Naturally, although there may be a higher cost for the structure of the actuator, it is also possible to use an electronic tag 11 of active type, that is, provided with an independent power supply through a battery or a dedicated supply line.
The detection device 1, 201, 301 further includes an electronic tag reader 14, 214 that is integral with the cabin 2 of the lifting installation as shown in Figure 3. The position of the reader 14, 214 is chosen in such a way that, when the cabin 2 travels vertically between the floors 3 of the building 4, the reader 14, 214 comes to be in a position facing each actuator 5, 205, 305.
Figures 5A and 5B illustrate the reader 14 according to a first embodiment.
The reader includes a support 15 provided with a third surface 16 equipped with second fastening means 17 suitable to fasten the reader 14 on a movable apparatus, such as for example the cabin 2 of the lifting installation shown in Figure 3. The support 15 includes a fourth surface 18, located opposite the third surface 16, on which are arranged a second antenna 19 and a plurality of Hall effect sensors 20A and 20B, and the power to the reader 14 is supplied through a power feeding cable 21.
Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a reader 214 and an actuator 205 in a configuration corresponding to a second embodiment. Similarly to what has already been described with reference to Figures 4A, 4B and 4C, the actuator 205 includes a plate 206 having a first rear surface 207 on which there is a fastening means 208 suitable to fasten the actuator to any portion of the building 4 or to any structure integral with it, Advantageously, the fastening means 208 includes a magnetic element 210, consisting for example of a ferrite bar. Unlike the first embodiment of the actuator 5, the magnetic element 210 of the second embodiment acts only as a fastening means and does not activate the sensing components provided on the moving apparatus. An antenna 212 is provided on the bottom 223 of a recess 222 formed on the back surface 207 of the plate 206. The bottom 223 of the recess 222 is located near a second surface 209 in front of and opposite the first surface 207 of the plate 206, so that the antenna 212 lies near the second surface 209. A thin plate 213, shown with phantom lines in Figure 8, closes the recess 222 and is preferably made of polymeric material,
An electronic tag 211, of known type, that is provided with an univocal identification code permanency stored in a data storage memory (not shown in the figures), is operatively associated with the antenna 212, and it too is housed in the recess 222. The electronic tag 211 can be of passive type, that is, with power supplied inductively through the antenna 212, or of active type, that is, provided with an independent power supply through a battery or a dedicated supply line, though there may be a certain cost of the structure of the actuator 214.
The second embodiment of the reader 214 shown in Figure 7 comprises a support 215, for example consisting of a box-like element, provided with a third rear surface 216 equipped with second fastening means 217 suitable to fasten the reader 214 to a movable device, such as for example the cabin 2 of the lifting installation shown in Figure 3. The support 215 includes a fourth front surface 218, that is located opposite the second rear surface 216 and forms with the latter a recess inside of which is arranged a second antenna 219. A plurality of optical sensors 220A and 220B open out of the fourth front surface 218 and are at least partially contained inside the recess formed by the third and fourth surface 216, 218. The power to the reader 214 is supplied through a power supply cable 221.
The optical sensors 220A and 220B substitute the Hall effect sensors 20A and 208 of the first embodiment of the reader 14 and operate on the basis of the retroreflection principle or of the "background suppression" principle. The optical sensors 220A and 220B, of known type, comprise respectively an infrared or laser emitting diode 228A, 228B and at least one receiver diode 229A, 229B of such radiation. To increment the measurement accuracy, instead of the receiver diode 229A, 229B it is possible to use a device of PSD type (Positioning Sensing Device), that is, a photodiode in which the sensitive area is divided into a plurality of zones. With such solution, the activation of the optical sensors 220A, 220B is achieved by the passage of the reader 214 in front of an actuator 205 through the reflection of the infrared or laser radiation emitted by the emitters 228A, 228B toward one or more receivers 229A, 229B.
According to the invention, the method for detecting the position of a moving apparatus, such as for example the cabin 2 of the lifting installation shown in Figure 3, is carried out in the manner described hereinbelow. For the sake of simplicity of description, the method will be explained below with reference to the first embodiment of the reader 14 and of the actuator 5, using the reference numbers pertaining to their first embodiment. Naturally, the same method will also be carried out in the second embodiment of the reader 214 and of the actuator 205, as well as in the variant embodiment 305 of the actuator 205 that will be described hereinbelow.
The reader 14, integral with the moving apparatus, is brought to a position facing at least one of the actuators 5 through the movement of said apparatus. When the reader 14 starts to overlap an actuator 5, the magnetic element 10 of the actuator 5 activates one of the two Hall effect sensors 20A, 20B even before the antenna 19 of the reader 14 starts to partly cover the antenna 12 of the actuator 5. The activation of one of the Hall sensors 20A, 20B opens a signal communication between the same Hall sensors 20A, 20B and a counter, not shown in the figures, provided in the reader 14 to count algebraically the passages of the reader 14 in front of each of the actuators 5 arranged one for each floor 3 of a building 4 (Figure 3). The algebraic sign of each passage of the reader 14 by each actuator 5 is determined on the basis of the sequence of activation of the two Hall sensors 20A, 20B, In particular, if the sensor 20A is activated first and the sensor 20B is activated after it, the algebraic sign is considered by the counter as positive (+); if, on the other hand, the activation sequence is opposite, that is if the sensor 20B is activated first and the sensor 20A after it, then the algebraic sign is considered by the counter as negative (-). The signal indicating the passage of the reader 14 above each actuator 5 is made available to the counter as soon as the second Hall sensor 20A or 20B is activated.
The Hall effect sensors 20A, 20B and the counter make up substantially a position detection system of incremental type. Naturally, with each passage of the reader 14 past an actuator 5, the counter updates a counting data item, and stores it on a suitable electronic medium, taking into account the algebraic sign of the data item sensed at each passage.
After one of the Hall sensors 20A or 20B has been activated, and as the movement of the reader 14 proceeds relative to the actuator 5, the antennas 12 and 19 of the actuator 5 and the reader 14, respectively, are superimposed on each other first partially and then completely, as shown in Figure 6. This figure shows the instant in which an actuator 5 and the reader 14 are perfectly superimposed one on the other respectively. For simplicity of illustration, the actuator 5 placed in the foreground is shown with broken lines. When the superimposition of the two antennas 12, 19 starts, the antenna 19 of the reader 14, which is fed electrically through the cable 21 (Figure 5A), entails the activation of the antenna 12 of the actuator 5 by electromagnetic induction. When the antenna 12 of the actuator 5 is activated, it is theoretically possible that a radiofrequency signal communication is established between the antennas 12 and 19. Since the possibility of effective communication between the antennas 12 and 19 depends on various factors, such as the presence of possible electromagnetic noise in the area surrounding the antennas 12, 19 and the speed with which the reader 14 moves with respect to the actuator 5, or the stay time of the antenna 12 of the actuator 5 in the electromagnetic field generated by the antenna 19 of the reader 14, a check of the effective connection between the antennas 12 and 19 is provided. This check, aimed substantially at verifying if a radiofrequency signal can be effectively transferred from one antenna to the other, can simply consist in checking if the attempt to send the signal from one of the two antennas 12, 19 ends successfully with the reception of the signal by the other antenna 19, 12. In general, if the relative speed of the reader 14 with respect to the actuator 5 is greater than 2 m/s, the transmission of the signal is not guaranteed.
In the method of detecting the position of a moving apparatus according to the invention, it is foreseen that if the check on the effective connection of the antennas 12 and 19 has a positive result, that is, that the transmission of a radiofrequency signal from one antenna to the other can effectively take place with success, the permanent univocal identification code stored in a data storage memory provided on the electronic tag 11 of the actuator 5 is picked up by the reader 14. In other words, once the real possibility of transferring a radiofrequency signal from one antenna 12, 19 to the other antenna 19, 12 is verified, the identification code is communicated through said signal from the electronic tag 11 to the reader 14.
Should said check of connection between the antennas 12 and 19 have a negative result, that is, if it is impossible to transfer a radiofrequency signal from one antenna to the other, the method of detecting the position of a moving apparatus according to the invention foresees the acquisition of the count data item stored by the counting device and acquired in the manner described above.
Substantially, at the end of the passage of the reader 14 over the actuator 5, the reader 14 will still have acquired the count data item of the counting device and/or the radiofrequency signal containing the univocal identification code of the tag 11 associated with the actuator 5. Thus, the passage of the reader 14 by each actuator 5 makes it possible in every case to have available a data item relative to the positioning of the moving apparatus. It is important to note that, as the identification code associated with each actuator 5 is univocal, the actuator, together with the reader 14, makes up an absolute position determining system.
Naturally, the different process steps described above will be repeated identically at each passage of the reader 14 over each of the actuators 5 arranged one for each floor 3 of a building 4 (Figure 3). The count data of the counting device and the identification code of the tag 11 are made available to a controller (not shown in the figures) that is installed on board the moving apparatus and is preferably controlled by a software to acquire and use the position data obtained with the position detection method according to the invention. Normally, the controller has available a suitable storage memory to record the position data acquired and updated each time new ones are acquired.
In case there is a malfunction on the controller such as to cause the loss or the unusability of the data held in the storage memory of the controller, thus in effect making the position of the moving apparatus unknown, the apparatus position detection method according to the invention makes it possible to carry out a power factor correction procedure. This procedure is activated and managed by the controller itself and consists substantially of having the reader 14 acquire a new data item relative to the position of the moving apparatus, using the actuator 5 that is nearest the apparatus the moment when the position data is lost. According to the power factor correction procedure, a checking procedure is first carried out on the contents of said storage memory provided on the controller. The check may consist, for example, of verifying the presence of the position data item or the congruence of the counting data of the counter device with the identification code of the tag 11. If the result of this checking procedure is negative, that is, if the position of the moving apparatus is in fact unknown to the controller, then it will be necessary to move the reader 14 at low speed to align it with an actuator 5 so that the magnetic element 10 of the latter activates the Hall sensors 20A, 20B of the reader 14, thus making it possible to record a new count data item in the counter device and if necessary, in such a was as to also establish a radiofrequency signal communication between the antennas 12 and 19 to acquire the identification code of the actuator 5 by the reader 14, if such acquisition is possible. To guarantee the effective connection between the antennas 12 and 19, the reader 14 may be brought to a position facing one of the actuators 5 at a speed lower than 0,2 m/s, stopping the moment when the Hall sensors 20A and 20B become active. However, even in case the acquisition of the identification code of the actuator 5 is not possible even when the reader 14 is moved at a speed lower than 0,2 m/s, the position data item may still be obtained through the counter device. At the end of the power factor correction procedure, the position detection device will have available a new position data item of the moving apparatus and may make it available again to the controller installed on the apparatus.
It should be noted that the presence of a position detection system of absolute type makes it possible to advantageously carry out the power factor correction procedure using any one of the actuators 5 available, without necessarily being limited to a specific actuator 5 whose position is predefined and noted beforehand. In case of application of a position detection device according to the invention to a lifting installation, the above advantage translates into the possibility of correcting the power factor simply by bringing the reader 14, that is, the cabin 2 integral with it, to the floor 3 of the building 4 located nearest to the position where the loss of the position data occurred.
Given that a position detection system of absolute type requires an absolute reference system, in the device and in the procedure for detecting the position of a moving apparatus according to the present invention it will be necessary to carry out an adjustment procedure that contemplates associating a position reference with each identification code memorized in each tag 11 of each actuator 5. in the scope of a lifting installation of the type shown in Figure 3, the calibration procedure may be carried out simply by moving the cabin 2 from the lowest floor 3 of the building to the highest floor and associating each counting data item acquired in an incremental manner, that is, through the Hall sensors 20A and 20B, with each identification code acquired by the reader 14 through a radiofrequency signal communication between the antennas 12 and 19. Naturally, the calibration procedure will have to be carried out in such a manner that the identification codes of all the electronic tags 11 are acquired with certainly by the reader 14. This may be carried out by bringing the reader 14 to a position facing each actuator 5 with a relative speed lower than 0,2 m/s or by providing a slop at every floor so as to guarantee the transfer of information between the reader 14 and the actuators 5.
At the end of the calibration procedure, that is, after the univocal identification code of each electronic tag 11 has been associated with each incremental count data item, the device for detecting the position of a moving apparatus will have available an absolute reference system that is concretized in the following table: Table 1

DATE OF INCREMENTAL COUNT (e.g., floor of a building) ELECTRONIC TAG IDENTIFICATION CODE

1 CODE 1

2 CODE 2

3 CODE 3

..... .....

N CODE N
Table 1 is memorized in a suitable storage memory so that, every time the reader acquires the identification code of an electronic tag 1, the simple comparison of such code with the values of the table will produce information relative to the position of the moving apparatus.
The method described above of detecting the position of a moving apparatus 2 can also be carried out in the same manner by means of a reader 214 and actuators 205 arranged in accordance with the second embodiment shown in Figures 7 and 8. In fact, the only operating particularity of the reader 214 and the actuators 205 consists substantially of using the optical sensors 220A, 220B in place of the Hall effect sensors 20A. 20B. More particularly, the substitution of the Hall effect sensors 20A, 20B with the optical sensors 220A, 220B will require only a different mode of activation of the sensors, leaving their functionality unchanged in the scope of the method of detecting the position of a moving apparatus according to the invention. As mentioned above, such sensors 220A, 220B are activated by reflection of the infrared or laser radiation emitted by the emitters 228A, 228B toward one or more receivers 229A, 229B by means of the front surface 209 of each actuator 205 every time it comes face to face with the reader 214.
In a lifting installation of the type shown in Figure 3, the Hall effect sensors 20A, 20B (shown in Figures 5B and 6) and the relative magnetic element 10 provided on each of the actuators 5, or the optical sensors 220A, 220B and the surface 209 of each actuator 205 or the surfaces 309, 326 of each actuator 305 described below, in addition to making it possible to determine the floor 3 where the cabin 2 is or has passed, also perform the important function of enabling the alignment of the cabin 2 with the floor 3 that is guaranteed by the simultaneous activation of the sensors 20A, 20B, 220A, 2208. This function, which is already well known in the technical field of lifting installations, is advantageously performed by the same devices that perform the incremental detection of the position of the cabin 2 and that are even more advantageously integrated with a system of absolute detection of the position of the cabin 2. In particular, Figure 9 shows a structural variant of the second embodiment of the actuator 205 shown in Figure 8. This structural variant, used with the reader 214 shown in Figure 7 to form a detection device 301, makes it possible to carry out the procedure of detecting the position of a moving apparatus 2 described above and of reliably detecting if the cabin 2, when it reaches a floor 3, is correctly aligned with it. For this purpose, the actuator 305 is provided with a plate 306 having a front surface 309 from which a portion 324 projects to form a wall 326 arranged in a position opposite the rear surface 307 of the plate 306. The projecting portion 324 covers only one part of the second surface 309 of the plate 306, leaving regions 325 exposed to form with the surface 309 a stepped structure that is preferably symmetrical. For what concerns the housing of the antenna 312 and the electronic tag 311, the prearrangement of a magnetic element 310 as a support means 308 to fasten the actuator 305 on any portion of the building 4 or on a structure integral to it, as well as the separation of the magnetic element 310 of the antenna 312 through a thin plate of polymeric material (not shown in Figure 9), the configuration of the actuator 305 is similar to the one described with reference to the second embodiment of the actuator 205 shown in Figure 8, and thus its description will not be repeated here.
When the actuator 305 is installed on a lifting installation, the portions 325 and the wall 326 are exposed to the reader 214, or facing it. The moment in which the reader 214, installed on a cabin 2, passes in front of an actuator 305, first the radiation emitted by one of the two optical sensors 220A, 220B, and then the radiation emitted by the other optical sensor 220B, 220A, intercept at a first moment a region 325 and then the wall 326. If the reader 214 stops in front of an actuator in a position of correct alignment, both optical sensors 220A and 220B emit a radiation that is reflected by the wall 326. If the position of the reader 214 is out of alignment with the actuator 305, there is a condition in which one of the two optical sensors 220A, 220B emits a radiation that is rejected by one of the regions 325, white the other optical sensor 220B, 220A emits a radiation that is reflected by the wall 326, The different distance between the reader 214 and, respectively, the region 325 struck by the radiation emitted by one of the two optical sensors 220A, 220B and the wall 326 struck by the radiation emitted by the other optical sensor 220B, 220A will be detected and recognized by the controller as a condition of misalignment between the reader 214 and the actuator 305. Through the optical sensors 220A, 220B it will also be possible to detect if the reader 214, and consequently the cabin 2 to which the reader 214 is associated, is at a higher or lower level with respect to an actuator 305. In fact, the controller is capable of sensing if the greater distance between the actuator 305 and the reader 214 (distance between one of the two optical sensors 220A, 220B and a region 325) is detected by the optical sensor 220A or by the optical sensor 220B and if the lesser distance (distance between the other optical sensor 220B, 220A and the wall 326) is correspondingly detected by the optical sensor 220B or the sensor 220A.
It has thus been ascertained how the invention has achieved the set objectives, as a method of sensing the position of moving devices, such as lifts or the like, in which the information relative to the position of the apparatus is available independently of its speed of motion and/or of the presence of events which make the transfer of such information difficult. Advantageously, a device built according to the invention applied to a lifting installation can perform both the function of detecting the position of the cabin and to provide its correct alignment with the floor of a building. In addition, in case of a momentary and sudden loss of position of the cabin, due to some extraordinary event of electromagnetic incompatibility or simply a malfunction of the controller program, the method of detecting the position of an apparatus in motion makes it possible to reacquire the position data in a time far shorter than the time hitherto required by known sensing methods, and in all cases through a simplified process.

Claims

Method for detecting the position of a moving apparatus (2), whereby comprises the following steps:
a) providing a plurality of actuators (5, 205, 305), each one of which comprises an electronic tag (11, 211, 311) provided with a univocal identification code stored in a data storage memory, and a first antenna (12, 212, 312);

b) providing an electronic tag reader (14, 214) provided with a second antenna (19, 219) and a plurality of sensors (20A, 20B; 220A, 220B);

c) activating said plurality of sensors (20A, 20B; 220A, 220B) and storing the activation in a counter device to update a counting data item;

d) concurrently with step c) above, activating said first antenna (12, 212, 312) of one of said plurality of actuators (5, 205, 305) to establish a signal communication with the second antenna (19, 219) and verify the connection of the antennas (12, 212, 312; 19, 219) with each other;

e) if the verification of the connection of the antennas (12, 212, 312; 19, 219) with each other in step d) above is successful, then acquiring the identification code of the actuator (5, 205, 305) corresponding to the first antenna (12, 212, 312) activated in step d), otherwise

f) acquiring the counting data item from the counter device.
Method for detecting the position of a moving apparatus (2) according to claim 1, wherein said steps c) and d) are carried out by moving the reader (14, 214) to a position facing one of said plurality of actuators (5, 205, 305).
Method for detecting the position of a moving apparatus (2) according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a step g) of storing the counting data item and/or the identification code, as acquired in steps f) and e), respectively, in a data storage memory, a step h) of verifying the contents of said data storage memory, and a step i) to be carried out depending on the result of the verification performed in step h), wherein said step i) consists of said steps d) through f) being repeated while using one of said plurality of actuators (5, 205, 305).
Method for detecting the position of a moving apparatus (2) according to claim 3, wherein said step h) consists of checking whether said counting data item is present or not, or checking the congruence of said counting data item of the counter device with the identification code of the tag (11, 211, 311).
Method for detecting the position of a moving apparatus (2) according to claim 4, wherein said step i) is solely carried out only in the case of a negative result of the verification performed in step h).
Method for detecting the position of a moving apparatus (2) according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a preliminary calibration step b1) that calls for steps c) and d) to be carried out by selectively bringing the reader (14, 214) to a position facing each actuator (5, 205, 305) so as to acquire the identification code of all said actuators (5, 205, 305) and associate each such identification code with a corresponding counting data item.
Arrangement (1, 201, 301) for detecting the position of a moving apparatus (2) comprising a plurality of actuators (5, 205, 305), each one of which comprises a plate (6, 206, 306) having a first surface (7, 207, 307) provided with first fastening means (8, 208, 308), and a second surface (9, 209, 309), extending opposite to said first surface (7, 207, 307), in the proximity of which there is provided an electronic tag (11, 211, 311) provided with a univocal identification code stored in a data storage memory, and a first antenna (12, 212, 312), wherein said arrangement further comprises an electronic-tag reader (14, 214) for reading the electronic tags (11, 211, 311), said reader comprising a support (15, 215) having a third surface (16, 216) provided with second fastening means (17, 217), a fourth surface (18, 218), lying opposite to said third surface (16, 216), on which are provided a second antenna (19, 219) and a plurality of sensors (20A, 20B; 220A, 2208), and a counter device to count algebraically the passages of said reader (14, 214) in front of each of said actuators (5, 205, 305) on the basis of the sequence of activations of said plurality of sensors (20A, 20B, 220A, 220B).
Arrangement (1, 201, 301) for detecting the position of a moving apparatus (2) according to claim 7, wherein said fastening means (8, 208, 308) comprise a magnetic element (10, 210, 310).
Arrangement (1, 201, 301) for detecting the position of a moving apparatus (2) according to claim 8, wherein said first antenna (12, 212, 312) is separated from said magnetic element (10) by a spacing element (13, 213).
Arrangement (1) for detecting the position of a moving apparatus (2) according to any one of claims from 7 to 9, wherein said detecting elements (20A, 20B) include Hall effect sensors.
Arrangement (201, 301) for detecting the position of a moving apparatus (2) according to any one of claims from 7 to 9, wherein said sensors (220A, 220B) comprise optical sensors.
Arrangement (301) for detecting the position of a moving apparatus (2) according to any one of claims from 7 to 9 or according to claim 11, wherein each of said actuators (305) includes a portion (324) projecting from the second surface (309) of the plate (306), forming a wall (326) arranged in a position on the side opposite the first surface (307) of the plate (306).
Arrangement (301) for detecting the position of a moving apparatus (2) according to claim 12, wherein said projecting portion (324) covers only one part of the second surface (309) of the plate (306) and leaves some portions exposed (325).
Lifting installation comprising a moving apparatus (2) and an arrangement (1, 201, 301) for detecting the position of said moving apparatus constructed according to any one of claim 7 to 13.
Lifting installation according to claim 14, wherein said position-detecting arrangement comprises a reader (14, 214) fixedly joined to the moving apparatus (2) and a plurality of actuators (5, 205, 305) located one for each floor (3) reached by said moving apparatus (2), the reader (14, 214) and the plurality of actuators (5, 205, 305) being positioned so as to be able to come into a position facing each other during the movement of the moving apparatus (2).