阅读说明：本技术 使用电梯机器附近的振动传感器的电梯监测 (Elevator monitoring using vibration sensors near the elevator machine ) 是由 S.苏迪 M.C.朗 M.J.哈德斯蒂 于 2019-08-21 设计创作，主要内容包括：电梯系统的说明性示例实施例包含机器,所述机器包含马达和制动器。所述机器被配置成选择性地引起电梯轿厢的移动。位于所述机器附近的至少一个振动传感器提供对所述机器的操作的指示,对所述机器的操作的所述指示用于至少指示与所述电梯轿厢的停止和开始移动相关联的所述机器的停止和开始。(An illustrative example embodiment of an elevator system includes a machine including a motor and a brake. The machine is configured to selectively cause movement of an elevator car. At least one vibration sensor located proximate to the machine provides an indication of operation of the machine for at least indicating stopping and starting of the machine associated with stopping and starting movement of the elevator car.)

1. An elevator system comprising:

a machine including a motor and a brake, the machine configured to selectively cause movement of an elevator car; and

at least one vibration sensor located proximate to the machine, the at least one vibration sensor providing an indication of operation of the machine for at least indicating stopping and starting of the machine associated with stopping and starting movement of the elevator car.

2. The elevator system of claim 1, comprising a communication interface configured to communicate information corresponding to the indication of operation of the machine to a device remote from the elevator system, and

wherein

The at least one vibration sensor provides real-time indications of the operation of the machine; and

the communication interface communicates the information in real time.

3. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein the at least one vibration sensor provides an indication of operation of the brake of the machine, the indication of operation of the brake of the machine including timing information.

4. The elevator system of claim 3, wherein the timing information corresponds to timing of at least one of: brake release, brake closing, and brake squeal.

5. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein the at least one vibration sensor provides an indication of any emergency stop of the elevator car effected by the machine.

6. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein

The machine includes a plurality of bearings; and

the at least one vibration sensor provides an indication of a condition of at least one of the bearings.

7. The elevator system of claim 1, comprising a processor that processes the indication of operation of the machine, and wherein

The stopping and starting movement of the elevator car occurs for each run of a plurality of runs of the elevator car; and

the processor provides information regarding the trend of the plurality of runs.

8. The elevator system of claim 1, comprising a processor that processes the indication of operation of the machine, and wherein

The processor determining a condition of at least a portion of the machine based on the indication of operation of the machine; and

the processor provides an output corresponding to the determined condition.

9. The elevator system of claim 8, comprising a communication interface configured to communicate information corresponding to the indication of operation of the machine to a device remote from the elevator system, and

wherein

The information communicated over the communication interface provides an indication of the determined condition of at least the portion of the machine; and

the information communicated over the communication interface describes the condition as at least one of: acceptable, in operation but quickly requiring maintenance, and requiring immediate repair.

10. The elevator system of claim 8, wherein

A plurality of predetermined vibration thresholds are indicative of a respective plurality of conditions of the machine;

the processor determining a relationship between the indication of operation of the machine and at least one of the thresholds; and

the processor determines the condition of at least the portion of the machine based on the determined relationship.

11. The elevator system of claim 1, comprising a machine frame supporting the machine in a selected position, and wherein the at least one vibration sensor is supported on at least one of: the machine and the machine frame.

12. The elevator system of claim 11, wherein

The brake is located near one end of the machine frame; and

supporting the at least one vibration sensor on the machine frame closer to the one end than to an opposite end of the machine frame.

13. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a three-axis micro-electromechanical (MEMS) vibration sensor.

14. A method of monitoring an elevator system including a machine configured to selectively cause movement of an elevator car, the method comprising using at least one vibration sensor located in proximity to the machine to obtain an indication of operation of the machine, the indication of operation of the machine to indicate at least a stop and a start of the machine associated with the stop and start movement of the elevator car.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising

Obtaining the indication in real time; and

communicating the information in real time to a device remote from the elevator system.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein obtaining the indication of operation of the machine comprises obtaining an indication of operation of a brake of the machine, the indication of operation of the brake of the machine comprising timing information corresponding to timing of at least one of: brake release, brake closing, and brake squeal.

17. The method of claim 14, comprising

Processing, using a processor, the indication of operation of the machine; and

the processor provides information regarding a trend of a plurality of runs of the elevator car, wherein the stopping and starting movement of the elevator car occurs for each run of the plurality of runs of the elevator car.

18. The method of claim 14, comprising

Determining a condition of at least a portion of the machine based on the indication of operation of the machine; and

wherein

The condition is at least one of: acceptable, in operation but quickly requiring maintenance, and requiring immediate repair.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a plurality of predetermined vibration thresholds are indicative of a respective plurality of conditions of the machine, and the method comprises

Determining a relationship between the indication of operation of the machine and at least one of the thresholds; and

determining the condition of at least the portion of the machine based on the determined relationship.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the machine includes a plurality of bearings, and the method includes providing an indication of a condition of at least one of the bearings.

Background

Elevator systems are useful for carrying passengers and items between different floors in a building. Although elevator systems are reliable, they are prone to require maintenance or repair when system components age or break down. Over time, various solutions have been developed in addressing such problems. Although there is a desire to obtain better performance data for monitoring elevator systems, there is currently no solution for providing such data at a reasonable cost.

Disclosure of Invention

An illustrative example embodiment of an elevator system includes a machine including a motor and a brake. The machine is configured to selectively cause movement of an elevator car. At least one vibration sensor located proximate to the machine provides an indication of operation of the machine for at least indicating stopping and starting of the machine associated with stopping and starting movement of the elevator car.

An example embodiment that includes one or more features of the elevator system of the preceding paragraph includes a communication interface configured to communicate information corresponding to the indication of operation of the machine to a device remote from the elevator system. The at least one vibration sensor provides a real-time indication of the operation of the machine, and the communication interface communicates the information in real-time.

In an example embodiment that includes one or more features of the elevator system of any of the preceding paragraphs, the at least one vibration sensor provides an indication of operation of the brake of the machine, the indication of operation of the brake of the machine including timing information.

In an example embodiment that includes one or more features of the elevator system of any of the preceding paragraphs, the timing information corresponds to timing of at least one of: brake release, brake close (brake pick), and brake squeal (brake squeal).

In an example embodiment that includes one or more features of the elevator system of any of the preceding paragraphs, the at least one vibration sensor provides an indication of any emergency stop of the elevator car effected by the machine.

In an example embodiment that includes one or more features of the elevator system of any of the preceding paragraphs, the machine includes a plurality of bearings and the at least one vibration sensor provides an indication of a condition of at least one of the bearings.

In an example embodiment that includes one or more features of the elevator system of any of the preceding paragraphs, the stopping and starting movement of the elevator car occurs for each of a plurality of runs of the elevator car, and the processor provides information regarding trends of the plurality of runs.

An example embodiment that includes one or more features of the elevator system of any of the preceding paragraphs includes a processor that processes the indication of operation of the machine. The processor determines a condition of at least a portion of the machine based on the indication of operation of the machine, and the processor provides an output corresponding to the determined condition.

An example embodiment that includes one or more features of the elevator system of any of the preceding paragraphs includes a communication interface configured to communicate information corresponding to the indication of operation of the machine to a device remote from the elevator system. The information communicated over the communication interface provides an indication of the determined condition of at least the portion of the machine, and the information communicated over the communication interface describes the condition as at least one of: acceptable, in operation but quickly requiring maintenance, and requiring immediate repair.

In an example embodiment that includes one or more features of the elevator system of any of the preceding paragraphs, a plurality of predetermined vibration thresholds are indicative of a respective plurality of conditions of the machine, the processor determines a relationship between the indication of operation of the machine and at least one of the thresholds, and the processor determines the condition of at least the portion of the machine based on the determined relationship.

An example embodiment that includes one or more features of the elevator system of any of the preceding paragraphs includes a machine frame that supports the machine in a selected position, and wherein the at least one vibration sensor is supported on at least one of: the machine and the machine frame.

In an example embodiment that includes one or more features of the elevator system of any of the preceding paragraphs, the brake is located near one end of the machine frame and supports the at least one vibration sensor on the machine frame closer to the one end than an opposite end of the machine frame.

In an example embodiment including one or more features of the elevator system of any of the preceding paragraphs, the at least one sensor comprises a three-axis micro-electromechanical (MEMS) vibration sensor.

An illustrative example method of monitoring an elevator system having a machine configured to selectively cause movement of an elevator car includes using at least one vibration sensor located in proximity to the machine to obtain an indication of operation of the machine to at least indicate a stop and a start of the machine associated with the stop and start movement of the elevator car.

An example embodiment that includes one or more features of the method of the preceding paragraph includes obtaining the indication in real time and communicating the information to a device remote from the elevator system in real time.

In an example embodiment including one or more features of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, obtaining the indication of operation of the machine includes obtaining an indication of operation of a brake of the machine, the indication of operation of the brake of the machine includes timing information corresponding to timing of at least one of: brake release, brake closing, and brake squeal.

An example embodiment that includes one or more features of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs includes processing the indication of operation of the machine using a processor, and the processor provides information regarding a trend of a plurality of runs of the elevator car, wherein the stopping and starting movement of the elevator car occurs for each of the plurality of runs of the elevator car.

An example embodiment that includes one or more features of the method of any preceding paragraph includes determining a condition of at least a portion of the machine based on the indication of operation of the machine, and the condition is at least one of: acceptable, in operation but quickly requiring maintenance, and requiring immediate repair.

In an example embodiment that incorporates one or more features of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, a plurality of predetermined vibration thresholds are indicative of a respective plurality of conditions of the machine, and the method includes determining a relationship between the indication of operation of the machine and at least one of the thresholds, and determining the condition of at least the portion of the machine based on the determined relationship.

In an example embodiment that includes one or more features of the method of any of the preceding paragraphs, the machine includes a plurality of bearings and the method includes providing an indication of a condition of at least one of the bearings.

The various features and advantages of at least one disclosed example embodiment will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows.

Drawings

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates selected portions of an elevator system designed according to an embodiment of this invention.

Fig. 2 schematically illustrates a vibration sensor located near an elevator machine according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 schematically illustrates an indication of at least one vibration sensor corresponding to the operation of the machine of the elevator system shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates an indication of at least one vibration sensor corresponding to another operation of the machine of the elevator system shown in fig. 1.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present invention provide the ability to obtain information about the performance or condition of a portion of an elevator system based on an indication of vibration corresponding to operation of an elevator machine.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates selected portions of an example elevator system 20. The elevator machine 22 is configured to selectively control movement of the elevator car 24 and counterweight 26 in a generally known manner. As shown in fig. 2, the elevator machine 22 includes a motor 30, a brake 32, and a traction sheave (traction sheave) 34. The machine also contains bearings that are not visible in the illustration. The machine 22 is mounted within the elevator system 20 using a support frame 36.

At least one vibration sensor 38 is located proximate to machine 22 for detecting vibrations associated with operation of machine 22. For illustrative purposes, two vibration sensors 38 are shown in FIG. 2. The other vibration sensor positions are shown at 38' in fig. 2 in phantom. Vibration sensor 38 may be located on machine 22, frame 36, or any portion of a nearby structure in which vibrations associated with the operation of machine 22 are detectable. The vibration sensor 38 provides an indication of the operation of the machine that indicates at least the stopping and starting of the machine associated with the stopping and starting movement of the elevator car 24. Vibration sensors 38 located near the machine 22 provide an economical source of elevator system performance information. Performance data of the elevator system 20 has a close relationship with machine operation, including the starting and stopping of the machine 22 during each run of the elevator car 24.

At least one of the vibration sensors 38 is located on the support frame 36 proximate the brake 32 for the purpose of monitoring operation of the brake 32. In the illustrated example embodiment of fig. 2, the brake 32 is located near one end of the frame 36. At least one of the vibration sensors 38 is positioned closer to the end of the frame 36 than the opposite end.

The vibration sensor 38 captures frequencies associated with operation of the machine 22. Each component of machine 22 has a unique frequency signature that is useful for providing an indication of the state or operation of the corresponding component and machine 22. A variety of known vibration sensors may be included in different embodiments. In some embodiments, the vibration sensor 38 comprises a wireless vibration sensor. Other embodiments include a three-axis microelectromechanical (MEMS) vibration sensor.

The indication of the operation of the machine 22 is useful for ongoing monitoring or analysis of the elevator system 20. For example, the real-time output or delivery of the indication allows a technician or mechanic to monitor the "heartbeat" of the elevator system 20 in real-time. In some embodiments, such information is available to individuals present at the location of the elevator system. In some embodiments, the indication of the operation of the machine is provided to a remotely located mechanic or technician through a communication interface 40, which communication interface 40 is configured to communicate information corresponding to the indication of the operation of the machine 22 to a remote device 42 separate from the elevator system 20. In some example embodiments, the remote device 42 includes a communication tool used by an elevator technician or technician. Some such remote devices 42 include hand-held devices, such as smart phones or dedicated elevator monitoring and maintenance devices. Some embodiments include communication from the communication interface 40 to a remote device 42, the remote device 42 comprising a monitoring device accessible by a remote elevator expert.

As shown in fig. 2, the illustrated example embodiment includes a processor 44, the processor 44 including a computing device programmed or configured to receive indications of vibrations from the vibration sensor 38 and process them to determine a condition of one or more of the components of the elevator machine 22. Although processor 44 is schematically illustrated as a separate component from communication interface 40, it is possible that the two schematically illustrated features may be incorporated into a single device. In this embodiment, the processor 44 can obtain predetermined thresholds (e.g., stored in memory) corresponding to different operating conditions of the elevator system 20. When the output from vibration sensor 38 exceeds one of those thresholds, processor 44 determines that a particular corresponding condition or operation of machine 22 has occurred or exists. Processor 44 determines a relationship between an output of at least one of vibration sensors 38 and at least one of the predetermined thresholds for determining a condition or state of machine 22.

For example, fig. 3 schematically illustrates at 50 a vibration sensor output that indicates at 52 when the brake 32 of the elevator machine 22 has dropped (drop) or is released. This may occur, for example, at the beginning of a run of the elevator car 24 when service is provided to at least one elevator passenger. As can be seen in fig. 3, after a period of relative silence corresponding to the elevator car being stationary at a landing, the output from at least one of the vibration sensors 38 exceeds a threshold at 54. The timing at which this threshold 54 is crossed represents an aspect of the performance or condition of the brake 32. Other aspects of brake operation include brake closing and brake squeal. Also shown in fig. 3 is a vibration sensor output corresponding to acceleration of the elevator car at 56 due to operation of the motor 30 of the elevator machine 22.

Fig. 4 illustrates another example vibration sensor output at 60 that includes an elevator car moving at a relatively constant speed at 62 followed by an acceleration at 64. In this example, the acceleration indicated by the vibration sensor output at 64 triggers an emergency stop of the elevator car by applying the brake 32 of the elevator machine 22. The indication from the at least one vibration sensor 38 at 66 crosses the emergency stop threshold shown at 68. Processor 44 is configured or programmed to recognize when the vibration sensor output crosses one of threshold 54 or threshold 68 to make a determination regarding the condition or operation of machine 22.

The communication interface 40 provides information regarding the condition or operation detected by the at least one vibration sensor 38. The information from the communication interface 40 need not contain raw data as schematically shown in fig. 3 and 4, for example. Rather, in some example embodiments, communication interface 40 provides information regarding the status or condition of machine 22. In an example embodiment, the information communicated by the communication interface 40 describes the condition as at least one of: acceptable, in operation but quickly requiring maintenance, and requiring immediate repair. Other ways of describing the determined condition are within the scope of embodiments of the present invention. Such information allows a remote expert or local mechanic to determine whether a portion of machine 22 requires immediate attention (e.g., repair or replacement) or should be scheduled for maintenance at some time in the near future.

The information available from the vibration sensor 38 provides the ability to perform ongoing, real-time monitoring of the performance of the elevator system 20. Although the indication from the vibration sensor 38 may be available at all times, the information communicated through the communication interface 40 may appear on a more limited, selected basis, such as at pre-scheduled intervals or in response to a query from a remote expert or technician using the remote device 42. In some embodiments, when the processor 44 determines that a particular threshold has been crossed (which indicates a need to repair one or more components of the elevator system 20), the communication interface 40 automatically generates a notification or alert regarding the determined condition.

The indication from the vibration sensor 38 provides information about machine operation during each of a plurality of runs of the elevator car 24. The indication can generally reveal the operation or condition of the motor 30, the bearing or brake 32, and the machine operation. Processor 44 in the illustrated example embodiment provides information regarding the trend of the multiple runs. Stopping and starting movement of the elevator car 24 occurs for each run of the elevator car 24. The vibration sensor indication about the machine 22 controlling the stopping and starting of the elevator car allows the processor 44 to determine such information for each run and to determine trends for multiple runs.

Having the vibration sensor 38 located near the elevator machine 22 and providing an indication of the stopping and starting of the machine 22 for controlling the stopping and starting of movement of the elevator car 24 provides improved elevator monitoring in an efficient manner at a reasonable cost.

The preceding description is illustrative rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart from the essence of this invention. The scope of legal protection given to this invention can only be determined by studying the following claims.