HK1055715B - Safety system for elevator doors and its operating method - Google Patents

Description

Safety device for elevator door and operation method thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to a safety device for an elevator installation. The invention also relates to a method for operating the safety device according to the invention.

Background

In elevator installations which meet modern safety requirements, both the elevator car and the elevator shaft are usually equipped with automatically operable sliding doors. According to the size of the doorway, the doorway can be a single-leaf or multi-leaf single-sliding door or a double-sliding door with a split center. In addition, in different elevator installations, it is also possible to combine various doors. When automatic sliding doors are closed, there is generally no safety problem, since in most cases there are closing force limiters, but there is a great potential for improvement as far as the automatic opening process is concerned. In this case, the failure point in the automatically opening sliding door is in particular the pinch edge between the door leaf and the door column. In sliding doors, there are also similar pressing edges between the surface of each door leaf and the end edges of the other door leaf immediately adjacent in the direction of the door column.

The sliding doors of the known elevator systems have the risk that objects resting on the sliding door or even body parts resting on the sliding door are carried along by the automatically opening sliding door and clamped. In the case of children, it may happen that the child presses the palm against the door for playing the game. If it is a chrome steel door, which is mostly used as an elevator sliding door as in the past, there is little danger due to the low coefficient of friction. But in recent years elevators have increasingly used glass sliding doors. In order to make it possible to see the elevator function from the outside without much space, glass sliding doors create a mysterious attraction for people and in particular for children. But the coefficient of friction of glass against skin is high. Moisture such as sweat on the skin in turn increases the adherence of the skin to the glass surface. In this way, the hand may be carried along by the opening glass door and caught on the pinching ribs. If a person attempts to re-withdraw his handle, he may be injured.

Therefore, in order to reduce this danger tendency, it is desirable to monitor the crush ribs on the automatic sliding doors of the elevator car and the elevator shaft. For this purpose, presence sensors are provided for all the squeezing edges of all the elevator cabs of all the floors and for all the squeezing edges of the elevator shaft sliding doors. It is also considered that the sliding doors of the elevator shaft are generally passive doors. That is to say that the elevator shaft sliding doors at the respective floors can always only be opened automatically together with the sliding doors of the previously stopped elevator car. The drive of the sliding door of the elevator car is usually on the roof of the car. The synchronization member formed on the sliding door of the elevator cage is used to open the sliding door of the elevator shaft. A difficulty in reversing elevator installations with a series of presence sensors is, for example, the transmission of the signal of the presence sensor of the elevator shaft sliding door in front of which the elevator car is stopped to the elevator car in order to switch the door drive to the slow-opening mode or to stop it if necessary. A further problem is the presence of logical coupling of the sensors in order to maintain the correct functioning of the elevator installation. In the past, the estimated cost of these sensors and their installation and coupling has led to the elimination of such costly safety devices on known elevator installations.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the invention is therefore to remedy the disadvantages of the elevator installations of the prior art. For this reason, it is a prerequisite that elevator installations with automatically operated sliding doors are made safer in such a way that even with glass sliding doors the risk of injury to the public is completely eliminated. At the same time, it should be prevented that objects are caught on the sliding door pinching edges or that the limbs, especially the hands, of the human body are pinched, since they are carried along by the opened sliding door and are caught. Furthermore, the normal action of the sliding door, in particular the accidental or deliberate activation of the safety device, must not be prevented. The safety device should be suitable for simple and convenient retrofitting. Accidental or intentional damage to the safety device should be avoided, let alone first cause vandalism.

To this end, the safety device according to the invention is designed for an elevator installation with an elevator car whose position can be varied in an elevator shaft. The elevator shaft entrance and the elevator car entrance each have at least one sliding door which can be operated automatically by means of a drive arranged on the elevator car. At least one detection device is provided on each sliding door, which is arranged in the region of the pinch edge between one sliding door and one door column or between two adjacent sliding door leaves. The detection means generates a door opening signal or stops the drive means for opening the sliding door, depending on the condition of the monitored area. The signals of the detection devices on the sliding doors of the elevator shaft can be received in relation to the position of the elevator car. At the same time, only the signal of the detector device at the next sliding door of the elevator shaft, which should be automatically opened together with the sliding door of the elevator car, is always taken into account.

By logically coupling the signals of the detection devices to the elevator car sliding door and to the elevator shaft sliding door, only the signal of the detection device on the elevator shaft sliding door which is the next one to be opened is always taken into account. The influence of the signals of the detection devices on the remaining hoistway sliding doors is thus cut off and it is ensured that any object in the monitoring zone of another sliding door detection device on another floor does not prevent the current opening of the sliding door. In the case of a large number of detection devices, the logical connection can also be implemented very conveniently, since this always only involves detection devices on the elevator car and on the sliding door of the elevator shaft to be opened. Since the detection device on the passive elevator shaft sliding door to be opened generates an opening signal and the elevator shaft sliding door can only be opened simultaneously with the elevator door, dangerous malfunction is avoided. The whole structure of the safety device is simple and clear. The required installation costs are relatively low. This is advantageous in particular for retrofitting existing elevator installations.

The detection device on the sliding door of the elevator shaft is advantageously equipped with a transceiver, which can transmit information about the state of the monitoring zone of the pinch edge of the sliding door to a transceiver arranged on the elevator car, with the advantage that the signal does not have to be transmitted via long signal lines and suspension cables in the elevator car to the receiver on the elevator car. For example, transmission via contacts such as sliding contacts is contemplated. It is preferred to provide transceivers that enable wireless transmission of signals.

In a variant of the invention which is simple in construction and advantageous for installation and adjustment, the transceiver is a component of the detection device on the sliding door of the elevator car.

The detection device on the elevator shaft sliding door can be operated continuously. But this has proved to be advantageous for the service life of the sensing elements of the detection devices if these detection devices can be acted upon depending on the position of the elevator car. This can be achieved, for example, by a machine control. Since the elevator button is already provided on each elevator shaft sliding door, no extra wiring which is particularly troublesome is required for the operation of the detection device.

In one variant of the invention, the detection device on the elevator shaft sliding door can be activated by a signal which is emitted by the detection device on the elevator car sliding door. This solution is a particularly reliable variant for the logical connection of the signal of the detection device of the sliding door of the elevator car and the signal of the detection device of the sliding door of the elevator shaft to be opened. In a further variant of this starting principle, provision is made for the detection device on the sliding door of the elevator shaft to be supplied with energy via the detection device of the sliding door of the running elevator car. This ensures that the detection device on the elevator shaft sliding door can be activated only when the elevator car is in the receiving area of the detection device on the elevator shaft sliding door. The passive device then becomes an active detection device, which checks the monitoring area for the presence of foreign objects and sends a no-object signal to the detection device on the elevator car.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the detection devices on the elevator car sliding door and on the elevator shaft sliding door each have a transmitter-receiver directed toward each other. The transceiver zones overlap each other when the elevator car approaches and/or stops in front of the sliding doors of the elevator shafts, so that the transmission function of the transceiver in the detection device can be activated. With this arrangement, it is not only possible to connect the detection devices on the elevator car sliding door and on the elevator shaft sliding door to one another electronically, but they also interact spatially via the overlap region of the transceivers. The overlap zone is furthermore advantageously designed such that a sufficient time remains before the elevator car stops in front of the sliding door of the elevator shaft in order to warn or alert the public in front of the sliding door if necessary. Therefore, people can be urged to leave the monitoring area or move away from the dangerous area.

The signal emitted by the detector device on the sliding door of the elevator shaft informs one of three states: no object is detected at the monitoring zone; detecting an object; there is no signal from the hoistway sliding door sensor. The last of the three states is advantageously used for the fail-safe of the actual safety device, which is characterized by the fact that no signal is output in the event of a failure of the detection device. If the current detection device of the elevator shaft sliding door has no signal, this means to the receiver on the elevator car that the drive device for opening the sliding door is stopped or not activated and thus the sliding door is not opened.

The detection means for monitoring the pinch edges on the automatically operated elevator car sliding door or elevator shaft sliding door can be, for example, vertically running projections or lips which act in response to pressure and which stop the drive of the automatically operated sliding door when mechanical deformations occur as a result of objects or body parts. Furthermore, the deformation of the protrusion or lip may be by optical scanning or pneumatically actuating a switch, for example. The detection device has only one smaller monitoring area. Since they are actuated by mechanical deformation only immediately before the object or body part is caught, they do not provide absolute protection since the sliding door follows after the drive stops. In a very rational solution according to the invention, which eliminates the disadvantage of the attachment of vertically running projections or lips to the pressing edge, the detection devices each have at least one electromagnetically or acoustically active contactless presence sensor, the monitoring area of which comprises the vertically running pressing edge and a region in front of the pressing edge on the side of the sliding door or sliding door leaf facing away from the public. In addition to monitoring the pinch edges, electromagnetic or acoustic-based contactless presence sensors also monitor the region of the sliding door or of a sliding door leaf in front of the pinch edges, the use of such sensors ensuring that accidents caused by the inclusion of foreign bodies can be avoided. The enlarged monitoring area takes into account that the sliding door follows up after the door drive has stopped. At the same time, this solution allows to send out an automatic alarm or warning just before the sliding door is opened, when a foreign body is detected in the monitoring zone. It can even be provided by suitable regulating and controlling technical means that, when foreign bodies are present in the monitored area, the drive means is first actuated with a low force and speed to open the sliding door in order to have sufficient time for the foreign bodies to leave the hazard. The contactless presence sensor arranged in each crush zone is less susceptible to damage because it can be fully integrated within the structure. When using presence sensors based on invisible electromagnetic or acoustic signals, their presence is practically invisible, so that possible destructive actions are excluded from the beginning. However, even when using presence sensors based on visible signals, such as light curtains, since the presence sensors can be fully integrated in the structure, accidental or even intentional damage is less likely to occur. The advantage of a presence sensor based on a visible signal is that the danger zone is directly indicated. The safety device of the present invention has a compact construction and is particularly suitable for retrofitting to existing automatically operated sliding door systems.

For safety reasons in terms of the sliding door following-up and to provide a warning time which is sufficiently long for generating and issuing a warning signal, it is advantageous for the presence sensor monitoring zone to have a maximum extension of its course perpendicular to the pressing edge and parallel to the plane side of the sliding door, which is approximately 1cm to 20cm, preferably approximately 5 cm. By means of this upper limit value it is taken into account that the automatically opening sliding door should not be stopped by a person entering the elevator.

In order to avoid accidental or intentional damage, the presence sensor is suitably arranged in the region of the upper edge of the pinch edge. The monitoring zone extends from the upper edge of the pressing edge to the bottom, where it has in most cases the greatest extension parallel to the side of the sliding door plane. The shape of the monitoring area can be designed at will. It is preferred that it extends parallel to the planar side of the sliding door for a greater distance than it extends perpendicular thereto. In most cases, the monitoring area has, for example, a substantially oval shape which tapers from the upper edge of the pressing edge to the base. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the presence sensor comprises an integrated transmitter unit and receiver unit, which has the advantage that, in a plane facing the presence sensor perpendicularly, no mounting devices are required, which may be inadvertently caught in shadows or even damaged and may adversely affect the function of the safety device.

Although it is possible to design the presence sensor directly as a switching element, for example a grating switching element, it has proven advantageous to connect the presence sensor to an evaluation device. The evaluation device controls the switching function of the detection device of the door drive in such a way that a predetermined deviation curve from a preferably adjustable standard curve of the signal detected by the presence sensor in the monitoring area is followed. By using an analysis processing unit, even complex switching criteria can be translated into a yes/no decision like a raster to meet specific requirements.

It has proven advantageous to evaluate the signal attenuation curve in order to obtain a particularly reliable function of the safety device. For this purpose, an evaluation device is provided, which has a memory in which the temporal and/or spatial attenuation curves of the signal curves detected by the presence sensors in the monitoring area are stored. These decay curves are continuously and automatically compared with the current detection values during the evaluation process in order to activate the switching function for stopping the door drive when the decision criterion is fulfilled. By means of the safety device thus equipped, the judgment can be made quasi-adaptive to known conditions. Thus, for example, different reflection coefficients of the various materials with respect to the signal used can be taken into account. The evaluation device can also be designed to be "self-learning", for example, in order to take into account different brightnesses simultaneously.

The safety device of the present invention provides great flexibility in the sensors used. The contactless presence sensor may be, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, a radio sensor or a sensor for electromagnetic radiation in the visible or near ultraviolet or infrared spectrum, which may also be a capacitive sensor. This allows the use of presence sensors of the kind best suited for the purpose of use. For example, it has been found that a visible light curtain is suitable for elevators that can be well-looked and monitored, which light curtain at the same time also meets the designer's opinion. For elevator installations which are subject to a greater risk of damage, it may be advantageous to use a sensor device with an invisible monitoring zone.

In a contactless embodiment, the sensor connection according to the invention can also be used to transmit information of the elevator car to each floor door or vice versa. This has proven to be advantageous in particular in older elevator installations, which can therefore be retrofitted to modernization requirements in a very simple and uncomplicated manner. The transmitted information may be, for example, presence information which initiates a light display or a sound signal on each floor door. Information about the number of empty spaces in the elevator car can also be transmitted by the elevator system according to the invention when a corresponding sensor arrangement is used. In principle, the coupling of the sensors on the elevator car and on the floor doors according to the invention allows any information to be transmitted, the content of which depends only on the sensor used.

The invention also provides a safety device for an elevator installation having an elevator car whose position can be varied within the elevator shaft, wherein the entrance to the elevator shaft and the entrance to the elevator car each have at least one sliding door which can be operated automatically by means of a drive arranged on the elevator car, characterized in that at least one contactless detection device based on electromagnetic or acoustic radiation is provided on each sliding door, which detection device monitors the public-facing region of the sliding door and, depending on the position of the elevator car, exchanges information between the detection device of the elevator car and the detection device of the elevator shaft sliding door which is to be opened next automatically together with the sliding door of the elevator car.

The method according to the invention for operating a safety device of an elevator installation having an elevator car whose position can be varied in the elevator shaft relates to an elevator installation which is provided with at least one sliding door for the shaft entrance and the car entrance. The sliding doors are operated automatically by a drive arranged on the lift car. At least one detection device is provided on each sliding door, which is arranged in the region of the pinch edge between the sliding door and a door column or between two adjacent sliding door leaves. These detection means generate a door opening signal or stop the drive means for opening the sliding door, depending on the status of the monitored area. The signals of the detection devices on the sliding doors of the elevator shaft are received in relation to the position of the elevator car. In the determination of whether or not to open the door, the signals of the detector devices on the next sliding door of the elevator shaft which is to be automatically opened together with the sliding door of the elevator car are always taken into account. Since this procedure logically couples the elevator car detection device and the detection device which is the next hoistway sliding door to be opened, it is ensured that the opening of the sliding door is not hindered by objects in the monitoring area of the hoistway sliding door detection device on another floor.

This logical connection of the detection devices is then appropriate when the detection device that should be the next elevator shaft sliding door to be opened emits a signal about the conditions in its monitoring zone. These signals are received by detection devices on the sliding doors of the elevator car that are driving or stopped in front of the sliding doors of the elevator shaft and are processed to decide whether to open the sliding doors. The signal transmission is advantageously carried out wirelessly.

For maximum fault protection, the drive for opening the sliding doors of the elevator car is stopped or deactivated in the absence of the detection signal of the just present sliding door of the elevator shaft.

In a particularly attractive embodiment of the invention in terms of installation technology and the associated method control, the detection devices on the sliding doors of the elevator shaft are energized by the detection devices on the sliding doors of the oncoming elevator car. The energy supply can be effected, for example, by reflection or induction of sufficiently energetic radiation, such as microwave radiation.

Drawings

The invention will be described in detail hereinafter on the basis of embodiments shown in the drawings. The drawings shown are schematic views, not to scale, in which:

fig. 1, 2 show a prior art elevator installation;

FIGS. 3-6 illustrate various sensor layouts along the crush ribs;

fig. 7 shows a perspective view of an elevator installation equipped according to the invention;

fig. 8 is a partial enlarged view of the elevator installation shown in fig. 7.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

In fig. 1, 2, an elevator installation is designated by the reference numeral 1. It comprises an elevator shaft 2 and an elevator car 3 whose position can be varied in the elevator shaft. The elevator car 3 is moved in the elevator shaft 2 from one floor to the next in a known manner by means of an electric motor. At the entrances of the elevator shaft 2 and the elevator cage 3, there are provided sliding doors 8 or 4, respectively, which can be opened and closed automatically. The sliding doors 4, 8 can only normally be moved together. The sliding door 4 of the lift car 3 is furthermore an actively acting door which is driven by an electric motor which is usually arranged on the roof of the lift car 3. The sliding door 8 in the elevator shaft is a purely passive door which can be actuated by means of a synchronizing element on the sliding door 4 of the elevator car 3. The sliding door 8 or 4 slides in a sliding door guide, which is indicated by the reference numeral 9 or 5 in fig. 2. The sliding door 8 or 4 can slide relative to the fixed walls of the elevator shaft 2 and elevator car 3. In the elevator car 3 the invention relates to a fixed door column 6 and in the elevator shaft the invention relates to a fixed door column 10. Between the movable sliding door 4 or 8 and the fixed door column 6 or 10, pinch edges are formed, which are indicated by the reference numeral 7 on the lift car 3 and by the reference numeral 11 in the elevator shaft 2. As is clearly shown in fig. 1 and 2, objects or body limbs which are lying against or against the public-facing planar sides 12, 13 of the sliding doors 4, 8 run the risk of being caught on the pinch edges 7 or 11. The risk of entrainment is not critical for chrome steel doors, but there is a considerable risk for glass sliding doors, which are also increasingly used recently in elevator installations and are shown symbolically in fig. 1 and 2. Glass has a very high coefficient of friction against the skin. It is recognized that the glass sliding doors of elevator installations are a miraculous attraction for the public and especially for children, precisely because they attract a person looking into the elevator installation, which of course requires a reliable safety device.

Fig. 3 and 4 show a first sliding door protection variant which is intended to prevent jamming on the pinch edge 60 between a fixed door post 42 and the automatically opening sliding door 54 in the sliding door guide 44. The safety device includes a detection device 56 'having a series of non-contact presence sensors 58' stacked vertically and monitoring the crush ribs 60. The mutual spacing of the presence sensors is selected such that their monitoring zones 64' are substantially adjacent in the vertical direction. The presence sensor 58 'is mounted in or on the door post in such a way that its monitoring zone 64' has a greater extension in a direction parallel to the planar side 62 of the sliding door 54 than perpendicular thereto. The monitoring zone 64' extends parallel to the planar side 62 of the sliding door 54 for a distance of about 1cm to about 20cm and preferably about 5 cm.

Fig. 5 and 6 show a modified arrangement of the detection device for protecting the automatically operated sliding door. The elevator installation shown here is indicated with 50. The elevator car is indicated with reference numeral 52. A glass sliding door 54 shown in fig. 5 and 6 belongs to an elevator shaft and covers the glass sliding door of the elevator cage 52. The fixed door columns of the elevator hoistway are indicated at 42. The safety-relevant extruded edge between the fixed door column 42 and the sliding door flat side 62 of the elevator hoistway is marked 60. Unlike the presence sensors shown in fig. 3 which are stacked vertically along the crush ribs, in the illustrated example, the crush ribs 60 are monitored by a single non-contact presence sensor 58 which is mounted in or on the horizontal door beam 43. The presence sensor 58 is arranged in the region of the pressing edge 60 and has a monitoring area 64 which extends substantially conically from the presence sensor 58 to the ground. The monitoring zone 64 has a maximum extension parallel to the planar side 62 of the sliding door 54 of about 1cm to about 20cm, preferably about 5cm, which is reasonably greater than the extension perpendicular thereto. The monitoring zone 64 is, for example, generally oval in shape. An embodiment similar to the embodiment shown in fig. 3 to 5 is suitable for the design of this individual presence sensor 58. Fig. 5 and 6 show only one presence sensor 58 arranged on the pinch edge 60 between the elevator shaft sliding door column 42 and the elevator shaft sliding door 54. Of course, the crush ribs on the elevator car are protected in a similar manner.

Fig. 7 shows an overall view of an elevator installation designated as a whole by 50. The elevator installation has a vertically running elevator shaft 51 in which an elevator car 52 can be moved between floors by means of an electric motor. The motor drive of the cab 52 is disposed in a machine room 70 which normally upwardly encloses the elevator shaft 51. The suspension of the elevator car 52 is indicated with 71. The suspension cables 72 are used to transmit signals of machine control devices installed in the machine room 70 to the elevator car 52. The elevator shaft 51 has an entrance at each floor, which is closed by an automatically operated sliding door 54. The cage 52 has a sliding door 53. The squeezing edges of the sliding doors 53, 54 are monitored by the detection devices 55, 56 in order to be able to detect objects or body limbs in the monitoring area in time and to prevent the sliding doors 53, 54 from opening. The elevator installation 50 designed according to the invention is characterized in that the signals of the detector devices 56 on the sliding doors 54 of the elevator shaft 51 can be received in dependence on the position of the elevator car 52. In addition, only the signal of the detector 56 which is to be the next sliding door 54 of the elevator shaft 51 to be opened automatically together with the sliding door 53 of the elevator car 52 is always taken into account.

Fig. 8 shows elevator car 52 in front of sliding door 54 of elevator shaft 51 to be opened, which is stopped at one floor. The detection devices 55, 56 arranged in the region of the contact edges 59, 60 of the sliding doors 53, 54 correspond, for example, to the detection devices shown in fig. 5. The detection devices 55, 56 define monitoring zones 63, 64 on the public-facing flat sides 61, 62 of the sliding doors 53, 54. The detection device 56 of the elevator shaft sliding door 54 can be activated in dependence on the position of the elevator car 52. For this purpose, in addition to the presence sensors 57, 58, the detection devices 55, 56 on the sliding door 53 of the elevator car 52 and on the elevator shaft sliding door 54 are equipped with transceivers 65, 66 for always just starting the detection device 56 of the elevator shaft sliding door 54 that is to be opened next with the sliding door 53 of the elevator car 52. In this way, it is reliably prevented that the opening of the sliding door is hampered by foreign bodies in the monitoring area of the detection device on the sliding door of the elevator shaft at another floor. The transceivers 65, 66 may be, for example, ultrasonic or microwave transceivers. Capacitive signal generators and receivers may also be used. The transceivers 65, 66 have an overlap region. Thus, the detection device 56 of the hoistway sliding door 54 is activated before the elevator car 52 stops. This can alert or alert the public waiting in front of the hoistway sliding door 54 to the object leaving the associated surveillance zone. In another aspect of the invention, the transceiver can be designed to energize the detector 56 on the elevator shaft sliding door 54 through the detector 55 on the sliding door 53 of the elevator car 52. This can be achieved, for example, by means of sufficiently energetic microwave radiation or by means of induction. Thus, the detection device 56 on the hoistway sliding door 54 does not require special power supply wiring. This is advantageous for retrofitting existing elevator installations with the safety device according to the invention.

The variations of the presence sensor layouts shown in fig. 3-8 are based on acoustic, electromagnetic or capacitive based contactless sensors. The contactless presence sensor may be, for example, an ultrasonic sensor, a radio sensor, a sensor for electromagnetic radiation in the visible spectral range or in the near ultraviolet spectral range or in the infrared spectral range, among others. The presence sensors preferably each have an integrated transmitting and receiving unit which emits a detection signal or receives a return signal. These presence sensors are connected to an evaluation device, which is integrated in the detection device and is not shown in detail. The device controls the operating function of the detection device for the door drive in such a way that a predetermined deviation curve of the signal detected by the presence sensor in the monitoring area from a preferably adjustable standard curve is followed. For the evaluation, temporal and/or spatial attenuation curves are used, which are stored in a memory of an evaluation unit, which is considered as a detection device. These decay curves are continuously automatically compared with the current detection values during the evaluation process in order to activate the operating function of the stop door drive if the decision criterion is met. By means of the safety device thus equipped, the criterion can be adapted to known conditions. In this way, for example, different reflection coefficients of the various materials with respect to the signals used can be taken into account. The evaluation device can also be designed to be "self-learning", for example, in order to take into account different brightnesses simultaneously. The presence sensor is typically pulsed.

Although a detection device with a contactless presence sensor is preferred for a particularly reliable safety device of an elevator installation, the design of the invention is not limited to such a sensor. The compression edge can also be monitored by a detection device, such as a vertical projection or lip on the compression edge, which acts in response to pressure and stops the drive of the automatic sliding door when mechanical deformation is caused by an object or a limb of a human body. Furthermore, for example, the deformation of the projection or lip can be scanned optically, or a switch can be actuated pneumatically. But the detector has only a small monitoring area. Since they are activated by mechanical deformation just before the object or the limb of the body is gripped, they provide a non-absolute protection because the sliding door follows after stopping the drive.

The variants of the sliding door safety device illustrated are not limited to elevator installations with a single sliding door. In the case of multi-part sliding doors, further pinch edges can also occur between adjacent door wings. Of course, additional crush ribs are monitored in a similar manner and they help determine whether the doorway is open or closed.

A method for operating a safety device of an elevator installation having an elevator car whose position can be changed in an elevator shaft relates to an elevator installation in which at least one sliding door is provided for each of the shaft entrance and the car entrance. Such an elevator installation is shown in particular in fig. 7 and 8 and is designated as a whole by reference numeral 50. The sliding doors 53, 54 are operated automatically by a drive preferably arranged on the lift car 52. At least one detector device 55, 56 is provided on each sliding door 53, 54, which is arranged in the region of a pressing edge 59, 60 between a sliding door and a door column or between two adjacent sliding door wings. Depending on the condition of the monitoring areas 63, 64, the detection means 55, 56 generate a signal to open the doors, or they stop the drive to open the sliding doors 53, 54. The signal of a detection device 56 on a sliding door 54 of the elevator shaft 51 is received depending on the position of the elevator car 52. For the determination of the opening of the door, only the signal of the detector 56 is always taken into account as the next sliding door 54 of the elevator shaft 51 which should be automatically opened together with the sliding door 53 of the elevator car 52. By this execution, the detection device of the elevator car 52 and the detection device 56 as the next sliding door 54 to be opened are logically connected. It is thereby ensured that the opening of the sliding doors 53, 54 is not impeded by objects in the monitoring zone 64 of the elevator hoistway sliding door 54 detection device 56 at another floor.

This logical connection of the detection devices 55, 56 is suitable when, for example, the detection device 56, which is the next hoistway sliding door 54 to be opened, emits a signal of the condition of its monitoring zone 64. These signals are received by a detector 55 on the sliding door 53 of the elevator car 52, which is driving or stopped in front of the sliding door 54 of the elevator shaft, and are processed to determine whether to open the sliding doors 53, 54. The signals are advantageously transmitted wirelessly.

For maximum failsafety, the drive for opening the elevator car sliding door 53 is stopped or not started in the absence of the detection signal of the just present elevator shaft sliding door 54.

In a particularly attractive embodiment of the invention in terms of installation technology and the associated method control, the detection device 56 on the sliding door 54 of the elevator shaft 51 is supplied with energy by means of a detection device 55 on the sliding door 53 of the oncoming elevator car 52. The energy supply can be effected, for example, by reflection or induction of sufficiently energetic radiation, such as microwave radiation.

Claims (20)

1. Safety device for an elevator installation (50) with an elevator car (52) whose position can be varied in an elevator shaft (51), the entrance to the elevator shaft (51) and the entrance to the elevator car (52) each having at least one sliding door (53, 54) which can be operated automatically by means of a drive arranged on the elevator car (52), characterized in that at least one detection device (55, 56) is arranged on each of the sliding doors (53, 54) in the region of a pressing edge (59, 60) between the sliding door (53, 54) and a door column (42) or between two adjacent sliding door leaves, and in that a door opening signal is generated or the drive of the sliding door (53, 54) is stopped in dependence on the condition of a monitoring zone (63, 64), the signal of the detection device (56) on the sliding door (54) being receivable in dependence on the position of the elevator car (52), and always taking into account the signal of the detection device (56) as the next elevator shaft sliding door (54) to be opened automatically together with the sliding door (53) of the elevator car (52).

2. Safety arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the detection device (56) on the sliding door (54) of the elevator shaft (51) is equipped with a transceiver (66) which wirelessly transmits information about the condition of the monitoring area (64) of the pinch edge (60) of the sliding door (54) to a transceiver (65) arranged on the elevator car (52).

3. Safety arrangement according to claim 2, characterized in that the transceiver (65) is part of a detection device (55) on the sliding door (53) of the lift car.

4. Safety arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the detection device (56) on the sliding door (54) of the elevator shaft (51) can be activated depending on the position of the elevator car (52).

5. Safety arrangement according to claim 4, characterized in that the detection device (56) on the sliding door (54) of the elevator shaft (51) can be activated by a signal from the detection device (55) on the sliding door (53) of the elevator car (52).

6. Safety arrangement according to claim 5, characterized in that the detection device (56) on the sliding door (54) of the elevator shaft (51) is supplied with energy by means of a detection device (55) on the sliding door (53) of the oncoming elevator car (52).

7. Safety arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the detection devices (55, 56) on the elevator car sliding door and the elevator shaft sliding door each have mutually directed transceivers (65, 66), the transmission and reception ranges of which overlap when the elevator car (52) approaches and/or stops in front of the respective elevator shaft sliding door (54), whereby the monitoring function of the detection devices (55, 56) in the region of the pinch edges (59, 60) can be activated.

8. Safety arrangement according to claim 7, characterized in that the overlapping range (67) of the transceivers (65, 66) is designed to leave a sufficient time before the elevator car (52) stops in front of a hoistway sliding door (54) to possibly warn or alert the public in front of the sliding door (54).

9. Safety arrangement according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the actuation of the opening sliding door (53, 54) is stopped in the absence of a signal received by the current elevator shaft sliding door (54) detection device (56).

10. Safety device according to claim 1, characterized in that the detection means (55, 56) each comprise at least one electromagnetically or acoustically active contactless presence sensor (57, 58), the monitoring areas (63, 64) of which extend over the vertically running pressing edge (59, 60) and a region of the public-facing flat side (61, 62) of the sliding door (53, 54) or sliding door leaf in front of the pressing edge.

11. Safety arrangement according to claim 10, characterized in that the monitoring area (63, 64) of the presence sensor (57, 58) has a maximum extension perpendicular to the pressing edge (59, 60) and parallel to the public facing plane side (61, 62) of the sliding door (53, 54), which is approximately 1cm to 20 cm.

12. Safety device according to claim 10, characterized in that the presence sensor (57, 58) is arranged in the upper edge region of the pressing edge (59, 60).

13. Safety device according to one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the presence sensor (57, 58) is connected to an evaluation device which controls the operating function of the detection device for the door drive in such a way that a predetermined deviation curve from an adjustable standard curve is obtained from the signal detected by the presence sensor (57, 58) in the monitoring area (63, 64).

14. A safety arrangement as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that the evaluation unit has a memory in which temporal and/or spatial attenuation curves of the signal curves detected by the presence sensors (57, 58) in the monitoring zones (63, 64) are stored, which curves are automatically compared with the current detection values during the evaluation process in order to activate the operating function if the decision criterion is met.

15. Safety device according to one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the contactless presence sensor (57, 58) is an ultrasonic sensor, a radio sensor or a sensor for electromagnetic radiation in the visible spectrum or in the near ultraviolet or infrared spectrum or a capacitive sensor.

16. Safety device for an elevator installation (50) having an elevator car (52) whose position can be varied in an elevator shaft (51), wherein the entrance to the elevator shaft (51) and the entrance to the elevator car (52) have at least one sliding door (53, 54) respectively, the sliding door can be operated automatically by means of a drive arranged on the lift car (52), characterized in that at least one contactless detection device (55, 56) based on electromagnetic or acoustic radiation is provided on each sliding door (53, 54), the detection device monitors the public-facing area of the sliding doors (53, 54) and, depending on the position of the lift car (52), information is exchanged between the detection device (55) of the elevator car (52) and the detection device (56) which is the next elevator shaft sliding door (54) to be opened automatically together with the sliding door (53) of the elevator car (52).

17. Method for operating a safety device of an elevator installation (50) having an elevator car (52) whose position can be varied in an elevator shaft (51), wherein the entrance to the elevator shaft (51) and the entrance to the elevator car (52) each have at least one sliding door (53, 54) which is automatically operated by means of a drive arranged on the elevator car (52), wherein at least one detection device (55, 56) is provided on each sliding door (53, 54) which is arranged in the region of a pressing edge (59, 50) between the sliding door and a door column or between two adjacent sliding door leaves, wherein a door opening signal or a drive stopping the opening of the sliding door (53, 54) is generated as a function of the condition of a monitoring zone (63, 64), characterized in that the signal of the detection device (56) on the sliding door (54) of the elevator shaft (51) is received in dependence on the position of the elevator car (52), for a split door, the signal of the elevator shaft (51) is always taken into account as the signal of the detector (56) of the next sliding door (54) to be opened automatically together with the sliding door (53) of the elevator car (52).

18. Method according to claim 17, characterized in that the detector device (56) which is to be the next elevator shaft sliding door (54) to be opened emits a signal relating to the condition of its monitoring zone (64), which signal is received by the detector device (55) on the sliding door (53) of the elevator car (52) coming from or parked in front of the elevator shaft sliding door (54) and is processed in order to decide whether to open the sliding door (53, 54).

19. Method according to claim 18, characterized in that the drive for opening the sliding door (53) of the elevator car is stopped or not started in the absence of a detection signal of the just present elevator shaft sliding door (54).

20. Method according to one of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that the detection device (56) on the sliding door (54) of the elevator shaft (51) is supplied with energy by means of a detection device (55) on the sliding door (53) of the oncoming elevator car (52).