US 12,275,620 B2
Method for determining a degraded guide rail condition in an elevator system, computer program product, and elevator system
Mikko Viljanen, Helsinki (FI); and Henri Wenlin, Helsinki (FI)
Assigned to KONE CORPORATION, Helsinki (FI)
Filed by KONE Corporation, Helsinki (FI)
Filed on Aug. 28, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/006,198.
Claims priority of application No. 19194303 (EP), filed on Aug. 29, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0061614 A1, Mar. 4, 2021
Int. Cl. B66B 5/00 (2006.01); B66B 1/34 (2006.01); B66B 7/04 (2006.01); G01D 5/14 (2006.01)
CPC B66B 5/0025 (2013.01) [B66B 1/3461 (2013.01); B66B 7/046 (2013.01); G01D 5/145 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for determining a degraded guide rail condition in an elevator system, comprising:
operating the elevator system, the elevator system including:
a hoisting motor including a motor encoder;
an elevator cart; and
an elevator component arranged to move relative to a guide rail, wherein the guide rail includes at least partly along a length thereof, position markings, and wherein the elevator component is arranged to move in contact with the guide rail and includes a rotary encoder for measuring movement of the elevator component relative to the guide rail, and a reader device for reading the position markings;
obtaining, by the rotary encode and the reader device, first data including information about movement of the elevator component relative to the guide rail;
obtaining, by a motor encoder, second data including information about movement of the elevator component relative to a hoistway of the elevator system;
comparing the first data and the second data, or characteristics based on said first and second data to each other;
detecting, based on the comparison, a deviation fulfilling a deviation criterion;
subsequently, creating a signal indicating a guide rail buckling based on the deviation; and
sending the signal to trigger a guide rail maintenance alert,
wherein the first data is a distance travelled by the elevator component or a speed of the elevator component measured along a guide surface of the guide rail relative to the guide surface of the guide rail, and the second data is a distance travelled by the elevator cart or a speed of the elevator cart measured in a longitudinal direction of the hoistway of the elevator system relative to the hoistway of the elevator system.