Abstract: A method for diagnosis and/or maintenance of a brake configured to apply braking force to a hoisting machine of a transportation system includes controlling the brake to start a brake control action, e.g. an opening and/or a closing action of the brake; monitoring the brake to detect a response of the brake to the brake control action, wherein in case of the response the response is detected in a predefined manner; measuring a brake operating time interval from a first point in time of starting of the brake control action until a second point in time of monitoring the brake to detect the response; and, if either the response has not been detected until the brake operating time interval reaches and/or exceeds a predetermined threshold or the response has been detected after the brake operating time interval reaches and/or exceeds the predetermined threshold, establishing an information indicating that an operation of the brake should be modified.

Abstract: A method includes monitoring position and/or movement of an elevator car in a standby mode of a braking arrangement, and activating the braking arrangement from the standby mode in response to a detection of a change in the position or of the movement. An elevator and an electric power converter are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method monitors a plurality of elevators, in which at least two elevators are set into shuttle mode in which the corresponding elevator travels between two pre-defined floors. The method calculates at least one of an arrival time and a departure time of an elevator car of each of the at least two elevators in shuttle mode at a predetermined floor; determines a time required by a user for reaching each of the at least two elevators in shuttle mode from an operation terminal location; and calculates a preference order of the at least two elevators in shuttle mode on the basis of the time of arrival and/or departure of the elevator car of each of the at least two elevators in shuttle mode and the time required by the user for reaching each of the at least two elevators in the shuttle mode from the operation terminal location.

Abstract: An elevator brake includes a frame part including an electromagnet; a moving armature movably supported on the frame part; at least one energy storage, such as a work spring, arranged between the frame part and the moving armature; a friction lining associated with the moving armature and fitted to engage a braking surface with a normal force originating from the at least one energy storage, to brake movement of an elevator car or to hold the elevator car standstill; and a sensor system including one or more sensors mounted into the elevator brake and adapted to sense one or more operational parameters of the elevator brake and/or to directly measure normal force of the friction lining.

Abstract: In a method for allocating an elevator in an elevator system, the elevator system including elevator groups, each group including elevators, the elevator groups being formed based on a load unbalance of the elevators, the method includes: detecting received service calls in a predefined time window; evaluating a number of passengers requesting service based on the received number of service calls; selecting, based on the evaluated number of passengers, an elevator group to serve the floor; and allocating an elevator belonging to the selected elevator group to provide service. An apparatus, an elevator system, and a computer program are also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to an elevator system for observing a misoperation. The elevator system comprises an observation unit and a processing unit. The observation unit is configured to obtain data representing movement of an elevator car during a predetermined time interval and transmit the obtained data to the processing unit. The processing unit is configured to receive and store the data representing the movement of the elevator car, generate at least one statistical parameter from the received data, compare the at least one generated statistical parameter to at least one previously stored statistical parameter of the corresponding time interval, and generate a signal indicating a misoperation in response to a detection that the at least one generated statistical parameter deviates from the corresponding previously stored statistical parameter over a predetermined limit. The invention also relates to a method for observing a misoperation.

Abstract: The invention relates to an elevator drive unit for managing a regenerative power of an elevator system. The elevator drive unit comprises: first terminals for connecting the elevator drive unit to the mains; second terminals for connecting the elevator drive unit to an elevator hoisting motor; a frequency converter for enabling a bidirectional transfer of power between the mains and the elevator hoisting motor; and a control unit. The control unit is configured to: obtain an indication representing a detection of a special operational situation of the elevator system, introduce a non-zero power limit specific to the detected special operational situation of the elevator system, and control the frequency converter to limit supply of the regenerative power from the elevator hoisting motor to the mains to the power limit. The invention relates also to an elevator system and a method for managing a regenerative power of an elevator system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a monitoring system for monitoring a people conveyor system. The monitoring system comprises a wireless mesh network comprising a plurality of node devices and one or more peripheral devices. A node device joining to the wireless mesh network is configured to: obtain connection data representing a connection of the node device to a peripheral device and assign itself a sink node role, if the obtained connection data indicates a connection to a gateway device, or otherwise provide the obtained connection data to the gateway device. The gateway device is configured to: assign an operation role to the node device based on the obtained connection data. The assigned role is: a sensor node role, if the obtained connection data indicates a connection to a people conveyor related sensor device, or a router node role, if the obtained connection data indicates that the node device is not connected to any peripheral device.

Abstract: The method comprises a measuring step and a separate aligning step. The alignment of guide rails supported with adjustable fastening means in the shaft is measured in several measurement points along the height of the guide rail line based on at least one reference line provided in the vicinity of the guide rails. The measurement results are stored into a memory. The guide rails are aligned based on the measurement results stored in the memory. The aligning step is carried out after the measurement results of all measurement points have been stored in the memory.

Abstract: The method comprises measuring the position of two opposite guide rails in respect of the DGB direction and the BTF direction with a plumb line and a measurement device arranged at each guide rail. Each measurement device comprises a guide shoe being supported on at least two guide surfaces of the guide rail, a measurement frame connected to the guide shoe, and sensor means for sensing the position of the plumb line in respect of the measurement frame. The twist of the guide rails is measured with a wire extending between the two measurement devices and an edge sensor arranged in connection with at least one of the two measurement devices.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus (210, 120) for managing a maintenance of a conveyor system (110), the apparatus (210, 120) configured to: receive (410) data indicative of an access right to perform the maintenance; generate (430), in response to a detection (420) of an access right to perform the maintenance, a first control signal to disable communicatively reaching the sub-system (225); generate (450), in response to a receipt (440) of an acknowledgement signal indicative of a predefined state of the maintenance, a second control signal to enable the interface (215, 260) to communicatively reach the sub-system (225). The invention also relates to a method, a computer program, and a conveyor system.

Abstract: An elevator system selects a wireless communication system. The elevator system includes: an elevator car, a car control unit, and an elevator control unit. The car control unit and the elevator control unit establishes at least two wireless communication systems for providing wireless communication between the elevator control unit and the car control unit. The elevator control unit is configured to obtain selection data representing at least one selection parameter. The at least one selection parameter includes at least one elevator related selection parameter and/or at least one wireless communication system related selection parameter. The elevator control unit selects based on the obtained selection data the most appropriate wireless communication system at each point of time to be used to provide the wireless communication connection between the elevator control unit and the car control unit.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for inspecting quality and/or condition of an elongated composite member, which is a load bearing member of a rope of a hoisting apparatus, such as an elevator, or a precursor of such a load bearing member, the method comprising providing an elongated composite member; and changing the temperature of said elongated composite member by heating or cooling said elongated composite member via a flank thereof; and scanning said elongated composite member from a lateral side thereof with a thermal imaging device after said changing of the temperature; and creating thermographic images of said elongated composite member.

Abstract: A method and a controller are disclosed. The method in includes obtaining, by a controller of an elevator system, a sensor event associated with a location in a building; and changing, by the controller, the state of at least one elevator associated with the location from an idle state to an active state.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of monitoring assembly of an elevator, comprising prefabricating a plurality of hoistway sections each hoistway section having a hoistway space, transporting the hoistway sections to a building site, and lifting the hoistway sections at the building site on top of each other. In order to facilitate fast and reliable assembly, a hoistway section is provided during prefabrication with a sensor device having a transmitter which is activating during prefabrication to transmit sensor data via to a data storage storing the transmitted sensor data in a memory. The sensor data is monitored, and transmission of a message to a predetermined recipient is triggered when the sensor data fulfills at least one predetermined criterion defined in an assembly plan.

Abstract: An access gate device includes one or more 3D cameras arranged at least on an entry side of the access gate device and a control unit. Each of the one or more 3D cameras is configured to provide 3D depth data of a view range of said 3D camera. The control unit is configured to: define at least two consecutive volumetric detection zones in front of the access gate device at least on the entry side, detect a presence of at least one user inside at least one of the volumetric detection zones on the entry side based on the 3D depth data obtained from at least one of the at least one or more 3D cameras arranged on the entry side, and generate detection data in response to the detection of the presence of the at least one user for controlling access of users via the access gate device. A method for controlling an access gate device is also disclosed.

Abstract: A monitoring system for monitoring passenger interaction with one or more control panel apparatuses for placing transport calls to an elevator system in a landing of the elevator system includes: one or more cameras arranged for capturing images of passengers on the landing; and an interaction analyzer for determining passenger interaction with the one or more control panel apparatuses, the interaction analyzer arranged to: carry out, based on the respective time series of images received from said one or more cameras, an interaction analysis for determining one or more aspects of passenger interaction with the one more or more control panel apparatuses, carry out, based on the determined one or more aspects of passenger interaction with the one or more control panel apparatuses, a failure detection for the one more or more control panel apparatuses, and invoke one or more predefined actions in response to detecting a failure that pertains to at least one of the one or more control panel apparatuses.

Abstract: A conveyor system includes a conveyor control unit, one or more conveyor components, and a communication system for providing data frame-based communication between the conveyor control unit, the one or more conveyor components, and/or one or more external or remote systems. The communication system includes: at least two virtual local area networks (VLANs) separated by respective tags, a first switch device configured to connect the one or more conveyor components to at least one of the at least two VLANs, a second switch device configured to connect the conveyor control unit and the one or more external or remote systems to at least one of the at least two VLANs, and a trunk link configured to carry the data frames belonging to the at least two VLANs between the first switch device and the second switch device. An elevator system and a conveyor device are also discloses.

Abstract: An elevator includes a car, a counterweight, and a hoisting member connecting the car with the counterweight over a traction sheave. A free fall protection system includes a free fall protection controller, a free fall protection member connecting the car with the counterweight over the traction sheave or over a separate free fall sheave. The car and the counterweight are supported by the hoisting member in normal operation and by the free fall protection member only in a situation in which the hoisting member support fails. At least one free fall protection brake is arranged to stop the movement of the free fall protection member and thereby also the movement of the car and/or the counterweight, when being activated by the free fall protection controller.

Abstract: A method for taking an elevator of an elevator group into service mode includes entering in the input device of the elevator group a maintenance signal which comprises an elevator definition part, upon entering of the maintenance signal the elevator identified in the elevator definition part is removed from landing call allocation, the identified elevator is initiated to serve all remaining car calls and then to drive to a maintenance floor and to wait there for maintenance operation.