GB2380184A

GB2380184A - Lift equipped with a door-detection device

Info

Publication number: GB2380184A
Application number: GB0217103A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Roberto Zappa
Original assignee: Sematic SpA
Current assignee: Sematic SpA
Priority date: 2001-08-09
Filing date: 2002-07-24
Publication date: 2003-04-02
Anticipated expiration: 2022-07-24
Also published as: ITMI20010472U1; ITMI20010472V0; GB0217103D0; DE20212162U1; GB2380184B

Abstract

A lift equipped has a door-detection device (1) on a cage. At least one of the floor doors comprise an identification device (2) readable by a read/write device (3) of the said detection device (1). This identification device (2) together with the read/write device (3) of the detection device (1) enables the unambiguous and automatic recognition of the various types of floor doors and thus even of types of doors which differ from floor to floor. Preferably, the door identifier contains information about the door such as weight, construction material or opening and closing profiles such as speed, safety parameters, opening times, etc. Preferably, the door identifier is a transducer and the information therein can be electronically or magnetically read and re-written if necessary.

Description

LIFT EQUIPPED WITH A DOOR-DETECTION DEVICE This invention relates to a lift equipped with a door-detection device.

More particularly, this invention relates to a lift equipped with a door-detection device, particularly but not exclusively, suitable for being used to detect and control the floor doors.

This invention also relates to a control system of a lift equipped with a doordetection device.

As is known, a lift comprises a cage, which is movable inside a special shaft and has access doors, a manoeuvring and operating system, a control system and so-called floor doors at each of the floors served by the lift to prevent access to the lift shaft when the said cage is not present.

It is also known that these floor doors may vary considerably in type and weight and in different cases the said doors may differ between various floors to suit specific requirements. Each of these doors, in order to operate properly, requires special adjustments of the opening and closing profile and special settings of the control system.

These adjustments and settings must then constantly be checked and updated to guarantee the lift's safety.

In any case, these adjustments and settings give rise to considerable expenditure both in terms of cost and the lift being out of action.

The aim of this invention is to provide a lift equipped with a door-detection device which, in addition to meeting this aim, enables the above disadvantage of the state of the art technology to be avoided.

According to this invention, these and other aims which will emerge from the following description, are achieved by a lift equipped with a door detection device comprising a cage, which is movable inside a special shaft and has access doors, a manoeuvring and operating system and a control system and floor doors at each of the floors served by the lift in which at least one of the said floor doors has an identification device readable by a read/write device of the said door detection device.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the drawings, in which : - Figure 1 represents the operating diagram of an embodiment of the door- detection device covered by this invention and - Figure 2 represents the operating diagram of an alternative embodiment of the door-detection device covered by this invention.

The lift equipped with a door-detection device covered by this invention comprises a cage, which is movable inside a special shaft and has access doors, a manoeuvring and operating system and a control system.

With reference to the attached Figures in which the same elements bear the same reference numbers, from each of the floors served by the lift, access to the cage is gained through floor doors each of which is identified by a detection device.

The detection device 1 of a lift covered by this invention comprises an identification element 2 and a read/write element 3. The identification element 2, commonly known as a transponder, is applied to each of the floor doors of the lift covered by this invention, or at least to one of them. This identification element 2 is programmed with a code, or, in particular, a number which it is

capable of transmitting once it is activated to transmit the code. Identification element 2 may also comprise a re-writable memory so that variable information characterising the door may be stored.

The read/write element 3, commonly known as a reader/writer, is applied to the lift's cage so as to face the identification element 2 when the cage is near one of the floor doors equipped with the said identification element 2.

In order to be able to recognise the identification element 2, the read/write element 3 constantly emits an electric 4, or magnetic 5, field at a set frequency, which may vary from about ten kHz to a GHz depending on the type of identification element 2 to be recognised and on the distance from it. When the read/write element 3 is at the correct distance, the electrical 4 or magnetic 5 field activates the identification element 2 which responds by transmitting its code or identification number with which it has been programmed, and the characteristic information stored if it has a memory.

This code, and any information stored, is received by the read/write element 3 which in turn converts it into a digital format so as then to send it to the control system of the lift covered by this invention.

In addition to the operating parameters of the lift itself, the lift's control system stores the type and relative characteristics, such as weight or construction material and the ideal profiles of opening and closing, such as spaces, times, speeds, forces, safety parameters and the like, of each of the floor doors.

When the lift cage, which is equipped with the read/write element 3, faces a floor door, the said read/write element 3 activates the identification element 2 which responds by transmitting its identification code and any information stored as described above. The identification code and any information

stored may be sent by the read/write element 3 to the control system, achieving unambiguous and automatic identification of the floor door and providing the characteristic information for this particular door. At this stage, the read/write element 3 re-programmes the identification element 2, if necessary, with updated information from the control system.

The control system then sends the operating system the specific ideal profile and the information stored for the floor door being operated, thus automatically achieving the opening and closing of the said floor door according to specific optimum parameters originating from the said specific profile.

It is clear how the lift equipped with a door-detection device covered by this invention enables automatic recognition of the floor door and thus even of types of door which differ from floor to floor.

An advantage of the lift equipped with a door-detection device covered by this invention is that it enables each of the current profiles of the floor doors to be made to tend towards the ideal profile set for each one, by automatically adapting the different parameters by means of various sorts of adaptive algorithms which, from cycle to cycle, are capable of reprocessing the current parameters and resetting them to new values that are closer to the ideal ones. Furthermore, the control system processing the information stored and received from the read/write element 3 on the basis of predictive algorithms is capable of providing updated parameters both for the operating system and for the read/write element 3 for storage in the identification element 2.

Another advantage of the lift equipped with a door-detection device covered by this invention is that it allows a considerable improvement in the lift's

diagnostics enabling the floor and/or door where a fault occurs to be memorised, as well as the actual fault, enabling dedicated maintenance management for each of the controlled doors with considerable advantages both as regards the management and safety of the lift installation.

A further advantage of the lift equipped with a door-detection device covered by this invention is that it simplifies spares management enabling intervention with the right spare at the right time.

The above description clearly shows how the lift equipped with a doordetection device covered by this invention enables optimum identification and adjustment of the floor doors and management of a lift installation, together with surprising simplicity both as regards construction and operation, overcoming the above-mentioned drawbacks of state-of-the-art technology.

Claims

CLAIMS 1) A lift equipped with a door-detection device comprising a cage, which is movable inside a special shaft and has access doors, a manoeuvring and operating system and a control system and floor doors at each of the floors served by the lift wherein at least one of the said floor doors has an Identification device readable by a read/write device of the said door detection device.

2) A lift equipped with a door-detection device according to Claim 1 wherein the identification device is applied to each of the floor doors.

3) A lift equipped with a door-detection device according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the identification device is programmed with a code which it is capable of transmitting once it is activated 4) A lift equipped with a door-detection device according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein the identification device is equipped with a re- writable memory and is reprogrammed by the read/write device with updated information.

5) A lift equipped with a door-detection device according to any preceding Claim wherein the detection device comprises a read/write device applied to the cage of the said lift so as to face the identification device.

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6) A lift equipped with a door-detection device according to any one of the preceding Claims wherein the read/write device emits an electrical or magnetic field to activate the identification device which responds by transmitting its own code, which the said read/write device converts into a digital format so as then to send it to the control system.

7) A lift equipped with a door-detection device according to any preceding Claim wherein the control system memorises the type with the relative characteristics and ideal profiles of opening and closing of each of the floor doors.

8) A lift equipped with a door-detection device according to any preceding Claim wherein it enables each of the current characterising profiles and parameters of the floor doors to move to tend towards the ideal values set for each door, by automatically adapting the different parameters by means of adaptive and/or predictive algorithms.

9) A lift equipped with a door-detection device according to any preceding Claim wherein the lift's diagnostics enables the floor and/or door where a fault occurs, as well as the actual fault, to be memorised.

10) A lift equipped with a door-detection device according to any preceding Claim wherein it enables spares management allowing intervention with the right spare at the right time.

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11) A lift equipped with a door-detection device according to any preceding Claim wherein it enables dedicated maintenance management for the controlled doors 12) A control system for a lift comprising a lift-detection device equipped with a door-detection device according to any one of the preceding Claims.

13) A lift equipped with a door detection device substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings 14) A control system for a list substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.