Patents by Inventor Antti Hovi

Antti Hovi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11897729
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ari Kattainen, Antti Hovi
  • Patent number: 11858779
    Abstract: The invention relates to an elevator safety arrangement comprising a hoistway; an elevator car mounted in the hoistway; a working platform on top of the elevator car; at least one movable balustrade, which is movable between a substantially upright position and a substantially horizontal position; and a sensing arrangement for sensing position of the movable balustrade, said sensing arrangement for sensing position of the movable balustrade comprising at least one sensor for sensing position of the balustrade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Ari Kattainen, Juha-Matti Aitamurto, Antti Hovi, Juha Panula, Jari Kantola, Matti Rasanen, Janne Mikkonen, Nithil Karimpanackal Natarajan, Jari Pursiainen, Markku Haapaniemi
  • Patent number: 11667494
    Abstract: A safety control device applicable to an elevator system including an elevator car driven in an elevator shaft by means of a drive device, said safety control device comprising at least one sensor configured to detect, in the elevator shaft, a presence of an object in at least one specified area of the elevator shaft, and a controller configured to receive and process a signal of the at least one sensor indicating a detection result, and to conduct, when the detection result indicates the presence of an object in the at least one specified area of the elevator shaft, a safety procedure in which a switch from a normal drive control of the drive unit to a safety drive control is executed in which a target value set for the speed of the elevator car is decreased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ari Kattainen, Antti Hovi
  • Patent number: 11560291
    Abstract: The invention relates to an elevator arrangement comprising an elevator with a control system, and an inspection or maintenance mode, which elevator further comprises an elevator car arranged to run up and down in an elevator shaft along its guide rails, and which elevator car is equipped with a roof and a car operating panel. The arrangement comprises actuating means to open the roof of the elevator car, which actuating means are operatively connected to the car operating panel of the elevator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Markku Haapaniemi, Esko Aulanko, Matti Rasanen, Ari Kattainen, Antti Hovi
  • Patent number: 11487689
    Abstract: Elevator safety and safety related information needs to be sent reliably to safety controlling systems. Existing elevator communication devices may be used for transmitting this information by processing the received safety and safety related information and processing it before sending it over the communication bus from the elevator car or floor equipment to the controlling devices. A separate communication unit may be used for receiving and processing safety and safety related data packets before they are transmitted over a common bus used for safety and safety non-critical submission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ari Kattainen, Antti Hovi
  • Patent number: 11472667
    Abstract: Elevator components can be equipped with an electronic information plate. The electronic information plate are associated with a particular electronic information plate that can store different properties of the associated component. The content of each electronic information plate is read manually or automatically and transmitted to a controller. The controller analyzes the received content and launches a predetermined action if the content indicates a possible mistake or a fraud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Antti Hovi, Ari Kattainen
  • Patent number: 11453570
    Abstract: Conventionally, elevator communications have been implemented using travelling cables. This is particularly the case when safety related data transmitted from an elevator car has to fulfil real-time restrictions often set by regulators so that the receiving of the information may not be delayed. Typically, this cannot be guaranteed when wireless transmission technologies are used. The reliability can be increased by using a second to supplement the wireless transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ari Kattainen, Antti Hovi
  • Patent number: 11358832
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method for defining absolute position information of an elevator car. The method comprises: obtaining continuously a pulse position information of the elevator car; and defining an absolute position information of the elevator car by adding a predefined correction value to the obtained pulse position information of the elevator car. The predefined correction value indicates a drift between the obtained pulse position information of the elevator car and the actual pulse position of the elevator car. The invention also relates to a safety control unit and an elevator system performing at least partly the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Ari Kattainen, Antti Hovi
  • Patent number: 11352235
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for verifying speed data of an elevator car for overspeed monitoring of the elevator car. The method comprising obtaining at least one continuous speed data of the elevator car at two channels; obtaining a zone speed data of the elevator car within at least one zone of an elevator shaft at two channels, generating a two-channel verified speed information by comparing the said at least one continuous speed data to the zone speed data at least at one channel; generating a control signal, if the comparison indicates a mismatch at least at one channel; and if the comparison indicates a match at each of the at least one channel in which the comparison is provided; the method further comprising comparing the verified speed information at each channel between each other; and generating the control signal, if the reciprocal comparison indicates a mismatch. The invention also relates to a safety control unit and an elevator system performing at least partly the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Ari Kattainen, Antti Hovi
  • Patent number: 11325813
    Abstract: An elevator includes a car with at least two car doors, each car door being provided with a door contact, a shaft being provided with corresponding landing doors, each landing door being provided with a door contact, each landing door opening in synchronism with the corresponding car door, the door contacts forming part of a safety circuit of the elevator, a car door contact input being connected to a middle point in the safety circuit between a series connection of the car door contacts and a series connection of the landing door contacts. A status information of the car door contact input is monitored in order to determine whether the door contacts are operational or not when the car doors are opened and/or closed with a predetermined time delay at a landing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Antti Hovi, Ari Kattainen, Juha-Matti Aitamurto
  • Patent number: 11242221
    Abstract: A sensor connecting unit includes a safety input for connecting with a sensor; a power supply that is controllable through a controllable power switch; and a first I/O processing unit and a second I/O processing unit being connected to each other through a reciprocal comparison communication channel. The first I/O processing unit and the second I/O processing unit are both connected through a measurement circuit to measure voltage, current or power between a reference input and the safety input, and connected to a safety bus. The first I/O processing unit informs the second I/O processing unit about switching off of the controllable power supply, the second I/O processing unit commands the first I/O processing unit to switch off the controllable power supply, and/or the second I/O processing unit measures an output of the controllable power switch to detect switching of the power switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ari Kattainen, Antti Hovi
  • Patent number: 10919733
    Abstract: According to an aspect of the invention there is provided a configuration apparatus for an elevator system. The configuration apparatus comprises a communication interface configured to enable communication with a main safety circuit of the elevator system via a communication channel; at least one memory configured to store safety configuration data of the elevator system; wherein configuration apparatus is configured to provide via the communication interface at least part of the safety configuration data to the main safety circuit in response to a safety configuration data query.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Antti Hovi, Ari Kattainen
  • Patent number: 10776523
    Abstract: The invention refers to a method for accessing an passenger transportation device control means comprising several separated printed circuit boards (PCB), whereby each of these PCBs comprises a unique identifier (ID), and in which method the passenger transportation device control means comprise a matching table which is used by the passenger transportation device control means to perform a matching test to check the identifier of at least two of the PCBs and to put the passenger transportation device control means into normal operation only if their IDs match the IDs of the matching table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Sampo Ahokas, Antti Hovi, Ferenc Staengler
  • Publication number: 20200180910
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for defining elongation of an elevator car suspension means. The method comprises: obtaining periodically a value representing an overtravel distance of the elevator car, and defining the elongation of the elevator car suspension means on a basis of the periodically obtained values representing the overtravel distance of the elevator car. The invention relates also to an elevator system performing at least partly the method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2020
    Publication date: June 11, 2020
    Applicant: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Ari KATTAINEN, Antti HOVI
  • Patent number: 10676316
    Abstract: A method for dynamically adjusting a levelling speed limit of an elevator car during a levelling operation includes obtaining an indication that the elevator car is detected to arrive to a zone; obtaining at least one value indicating the speed of the elevator car, in response to detecting that the elevator car arrives to the zone; and dynamically adjusting the levelling speed limit of the elevator car based on the speed of the elevator car. An elevator control unit and a system are provided to perform at least partly the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Juha-Matti Aitamurto, Antti Hovi, Ari Jussila, Ari Kattainen
  • Publication number: 20190352130
    Abstract: This invention relates to a method for performing a synchronization run for an elevator stopped between floors. The method comprises: upon initiating the synchronization run, driving an elevator at a low speed in order to detect a first magnet of the elevator shaft detecting a first magnet of the elevator shaft, comparing the identification code of the detected first magnet to the stored pre-information in order to identify the detected first magnet, in response to identification of the first magnet, generating a control signal to the elevator car to travel up to an elevator rated speed, and driving an elevator car with an elevator rated speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2019
    Publication date: November 21, 2019
    Applicant: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Ari Jussila, Toni Hirvonen, Ari Kattainen, Antti Hovi
  • Publication number: 20190322485
    Abstract: A safety control device applicable to an elevator system including an elevator car driven in an elevator shaft by means of a drive device, said safety control device comprising at least one sensor configured to detect, in the elevator shaft, a presence of an object in at least one specified area of the elevator shaft, and a controller configured to receive and process a signal of the at least one sensor indicating a detection result, and to conduct, when the detection result indicates the presence of an object in the at least one specified area of the elevator shaft, a safety procedure in which a switch from a normal drive control of the drive unit to a safety drive control is executed in which a target value set for the speed of the elevator car is decreased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Publication date: October 24, 2019
    Applicant: KONE Corporation
    Inventors: Ari KATTAINEN, Antti HOVI
  • Publication number: 20190322490
    Abstract: An elevator includes a car with at least two car doors, each car door being provided with a door contact, a shaft being provided with corresponding landing doors, each landing door being provided with a door contact, each landing door opening in synchronism with the corresponding car door, the door contacts forming part of a safety circuit of the elevator, a car door contact input being connected to a middle point in the safety circuit between a series connection of the car door contacts and a series connection of the landing door contacts. A status information of the car door contact input is monitored in order to determine whether the door contacts are operational or not when the car doors are opened and/or closed with a predetermined time delay at a landing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Publication date: October 24, 2019
    Applicant: KONE Corporation
    Inventors: Antti HOVI, Ari KATTAINEN, Juha-Matti AITAMURTO
  • Patent number: 10435271
    Abstract: Elevator safety and safety related information needs to be sent reliably to safety controlling systems. Existing elevator communication devices may be used for transmitting this information by processing the received safety and safety related information and processing it before sending it over the communication bus from the elevator car or floor equipment to the controlling devices. A separate communication unit may be used for receiving and processing safety and safety related data packets before they are transmitted over a common bus used for safety and safety non-critical submission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ari Kattainen, Antti Hovi
  • Publication number: 20190270610
    Abstract: According to an aspect, there is provided a communication system for transmitting safety information in an elevator system. The communication system comprises a first node; and a second node ; wherein the first node is configured to receive first safety information from a first safety node via two parallel communication channels, to convert the received first safety information into a serial form for transmission in a first safety message over a single communication channel between the first node and the second node and to transmit the first safety message to the second node over the single communication channel; and the second node is configured to receive the first safety message and to convert the first safety information in the first safety message back into the parallel form for transmission via two parallel communication channels to a second safety node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2019
    Publication date: September 5, 2019
    Applicant: KONE Corporation
    Inventors: Ari Jussila, Juha-Matti Aitamurto, Arttu Leppäkoski, Antti Hovi