Abstract: An elevator includes an elevator car inside an elevator shaft, adapted to transfer passengers and/or cargo between landings; an electric drive for operating the elevator car; a manual operating panel disposed inside the elevator shaft for manual drive of the elevator car; and an elevator safety chain including a controller in connection with a plurality of safety devices for monitoring elevator safety. The safety chain includes an electrical safety device configured to provide information about the elevator car approaching a temporary refuge space inside the shaft. The controller is configured to obtain information from the electrical safety device, and to generate a stopping command to stop movement of the elevator car before entering the refuge space. The controller is configured to, in response to a maintenance request of the electrical safety device, exclude the electrical safety device from operation of the elevator safety chain, to enable manual drive of the elevator car with the manual operating panel.

Abstract: An elevator system includes a hoistway with marking objects arranged at predetermined positions in the hoistway, an elevator car with a sensor providing an indication when the elevator car has reached the position a marking object, a complementary positioning system providing a complementary indication of the position of the elevator car in the hoistway, and a controller receiving the indication and the complementary indication. In order to minimize a need for manual inspections, the controller includes a memory maintaining for each marking object a setup position, and during elevator runs, the controller is configured to calculate an offset for a marking object for which the sensor provides an indication, by comparing the setup position for the marking object in question with the position indicated by the complementary positioning system at the indication of the marking object, and to trigger an alarm if the calculated offset fulfills a predetermined criterion.

Abstract: An elevator system includes an elevator car, a hoistway with landing doors, a first sensor system generating position information indicating a position of the elevator car in the hoistway, a second sensor system generating position information indicating a position of the elevator car in the hoistway, and a hoisting machine moving the elevator car during elevator runs between the landing doors based on position information generated by the first and second sensor system. In case the elevator system detects that one of the first and second sensor systems has a fault, the elevator system is configured to control the hoisting machine to continue an elevator run to a landing door, if positioning data from the first or second sensor system for which no fault has been detected is available. This reduces the risk of entrapment for the passengers.

Abstract: An elevator safety system includes: an electronic safety controller; at least one safety sensor providing safety-related information; at least one dual-channel safety node communicatively connected to the safety controller and configured to obtain safety-related information from the at least one safety sensor; and a safety diagnostics configured to: detect a single-channel failure of the at least one dual-channel safety node, and in response to detecting a single-channel failure, determine integrity of the obtained safety-related information. In case the safety-related information was determined intact, the safety controller is configured to generate a command allowing a rescue run of an elevator car to a rescue floor using said safety-related information. An elevator system and an elevator car rescue run method are also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for resetting a safety mode of an elevator system. The safety mode is caused by a power cycle of the elevator system. The method comprises: obtaining, upon a restoration of a power supply of the elevator system, status information indicative of a current safety status of at least one safety space of the elevator system from an elevator safety detection system; receiving, from a remote elevator service entity, a reset command comprising an instruction to reset the safety mode of the elevator system; and resetting the safety mode of the elevator system in response to receiving the reset command, if the obtained status information fulfills a predefined criterion. The invention relates also to an elevator safety control unit, a remote reset system, a computer program, and a computer-readable storage medium for resetting a safety mode of an elevator system.

Abstract: A method for acquiring a new set of elevator operation parameters of an elevator includes determining a loss of data integrity relative to a previous set of elevator operation parameters and checking whether a set of pre-conditions for the acquiring are fulfilled, the set of pre-conditions including determining that an elevator car of the elevator is empty of persons, determining that an elevator shaft of the elevator is empty of persons, and determining that a safety system of the elevator is operable. The method also includes initiating a setup run to be performed by utilizing the elevator car for the acquiring of the new set.

Abstract: According to an aspect, there is provided an elevator communication system including a communication bus applying a master-slave protocol, a master node connected to the communication bus and at least one slave node connected to the communication bus. The master node and the at least one slave node are configured to apply, for data communication in the communication bus, a repeating frame structure in which a first time slot of a frame is reserved for the master node and in the remaining time slots of the frame each slave node of the at least one slave node has a dedicated time slot. The master node is configured to extend the time between consecutive frames in order to enable a power saving mode for the communication bus.

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.

Abstract: A method for preventive maintenance of an elevator speed sensor system includes at least a first and a second sensor, which are independent of each other. The method includes: determining a reference distance for an elevator car travel between a first door zone and a second door zone, during the elevator car travel, defining continuously a first elevator car speed information from the first sensor and a second elevator car speed information from the second sensor, calculating a cumulative sensor system error by integrating the difference between the first elevator car speed information and the second elevator car speed information, and dividing the cumulative sensor system error with the reference distance to obtain a sensor system performance indicator.

Abstract: An elevator safety system includes an electronic safety controller running a software including a monitoring mode for monitoring the position of an elevator car within a hoistway. The system includes a position measurement device for measuring the elevator car position. There are limit position identification markers being installed in the hoistway for defining a starting point of a final movement zone in which the car is still allowed to run in a direction to the outermost ends of the hoistway. However, as soon as the end of the final limit zone is reached by the car, an emergency stop is triggered. The position data for the final limit zone are laid down in a memory of the safety controller as parametrized data for being able to adjust them if so needed. Therewith, it can be avoided that the hardware components in the shaft have to be replaced.

Abstract: A method for aiding or managing a rescue operation in an elevator system includes at least one elevator having a car driving in an elevator runway having several floors, and an elevator control which gathers data of components of the elevator system and issues a failure signal in any case of failure situation in the elevator system leading to a stop of the car between the floors. In the method it is checked based on first sensor data, whether a person is trapped in the car, and based on the first data or manually a rescue managing process is started, using a rescue managing circuit connected to the elevator control.

Abstract: Devices, methods and computer programs for monitoring, processing and/or adjusting of elevator emergency stopping events are disclosed. At least some of the disclosed embodiments allow measuring automatically the performance of an elevator emergency stopping event protection function, and the invention can be utilized together with manual checks for adjusting parametrization of the elevator emergency stopping event protection function. The invention further allows separate safety parameters for up and down direction. Measurements can be done separately to both directions and related safety parameters can be adjusted based on those.

Abstract: An elevator car roof system is provided for monitoring safety of a service access located on an elevator car roof. The elevator car roof system may monitor a change in an opening state of the elevator car roof. Positions of a plurality of roof panels may indicate when the elevator car roof is partially open, fully open or fully closed. The positions of the roof panels may cause at least one sensor of the elevator car roof system to provide a signal to a control system of the elevator. Further, the elevator car roof system may detect if there is an object on the roof. Based on the detected object on the roof, the elevator car roof system may provide at least one signal to enable controlling operation of the elevator.

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.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for detecting a malfunction of an elevator system. The method comprises: obtaining continuously resistance data representing resistance of an elevator safety chain comprising one or more safety contacts, detecting a temporary change in the obtained resistance data, and generating an indication of a malfunction of the elevator system in response to the detection of the temporary change. The invention relates also to a system implementing at least portions of the method.

Abstract: A safety circuit board for controlling an electromechanical brake and motor controller of a passenger transport installation includes at least one processing unit, a main safety output with an associated relay connected to the at least one processing unit and providing a connection to the electromechanical brake and motor, and a secondary safety output with an associated relay connected to the at least one processing unit and providing a connection to the electromechanical brake and motor. The main safety output and the secondary safety output are configured in parallel enabling control of the electromechanical brake and motor with the at least one processing unit using either of the safety outputs.

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.

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.

Abstract: A method for preventive maintenance of an elevator speed sensor system includes at least a first and a second sensor, which are independent of each other. The method includes: determining a reference distance for an elevator car travel between a first door zone and a second door zone, during the elevator car travel, defining continuously a first elevator car speed information from the first sensor and a second elevator car speed information from the second sensor, calculating a cumulative sensor system error by integrating the difference between the first elevator car speed information and the second elevator car speed information, and dividing the cumulative sensor system error with the reference distance to obtain a sensor system performance indicator.

Abstract: A safety circuit board for controlling an electromechanical brake and motor controller of a passenger transport installation includes at least one processing unit, a main safety output with an associated relay connected to the at least one processing unit and providing a connection to the electromechanical brake and motor, and a secondary safety output with an associated relay connected to the at least one processing unit and providing a connection to the electromechanical brake and motor. The main safety output and the secondary safety output are configured in parallel enabling control of the electromechanical brake and motor with the at least one processing unit using either of the safety outputs.