Patent Publication Number: US-9834407-B2

Title: Elevator

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a Bypass Continuation of PCT International Application No. PCT/EP2011/073639 filed on Dec. 21, 2011, which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL BACKGROUND 
     The invention relates to an elevator comprising an elevator car and a suspension arrangement for suspending and/or driving an elevator car, which suspension arrangement comprises at least one suspension member. 
     Usually, these suspension members are a set of parallel independent elevator ropes, often steel wire ropes, coated or uncoated, but sometimes also belts, cogged belts, V-belts, chains and other suspension member geometries with a fibre or steel structure and possibly coatings made of plastics, rubber, textile or compounds thereof. The suspension member is used for at least partly suspending and/or moving the elevator car. 
     In elevator use most of these suspension members need any kind of suspension member component which is applied to the suspension member for affecting the physical properties thereof, as e.g. the frictional properties which are important in co-action with a traction sheave. Often these components are lubricants or grease being used to keep the suspension member smooth and to prolong its lifetime. As there are different types of suspension members different types of suspension member components are to be used which are configured to be used only with a special type of suspension member. This technology of the invention is per se known e.g. from WO 2010/133768. As the suspension member component essentially affects important properties of the suspension arrangement, e.g. the friction of the interface suspension member/traction sheave it is important not to use the wrong component in connection with a certain suspension member. The use of the wrong lubricant may lead to undue friction loss which again might result in uncontrolled rope slipping. This may have severe consequences related to elevator safety and also impacts the elevator performance as e.g. the car stopping accuracy etc. 
     OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore object of the invention to provide an elevator and a method which ensure that the correct suspension member component is used in connection with the correlated suspension member. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This object is solved with an elevator according to claim  1  and with a method according to claim  10 . 
     In line with the invention the suspension member component to be applied to the suspension member comprises a component identifier which is added to the suspension member component. Said component identifier is configured to be identified by the maintenance staff visibly or via auxiliary tools. The component identifier is e.g. dissolved or dispersed in the component. The component identifier is recognized by the maintenance staff or by the installation staff either before the component is applied to the suspension member e.g. during installation or during use of the elevator, e.g. during lubrication steps in maintenance. 
     The component identifier may also be used to verify the use of the correct component after the suspension member has applied to the suspension member and the component (e.g. a lubricant or grease) has become dark during use in the elevator. Further the component identifier may be used to improve the determination to which passages of the suspension member the component has been applied or where the component has already been worn off during use of the elevator. Therefore the component identifier could also be used to improve the evaluation of the lubrication quality, i.e. in how far the component is applied to all necessary passages of the suspension member. 
     The component identifier could e.g. be a material which dyes the component, e.g. colour pigments. The identifier may also be a material which can easily be detected by auxiliary means, e.g. detectors which are sensible in a certain wavelength range or apparatus which instigate an emission of radiation from the component identifier. Thus, the component identifier is preferably a fluorescent material, which emits radiation in a defined wavelength range when being instigated, e.g. by day-light or by special light, e.g. black-light. The advantage of fluorescent material is that the visible impression of the component itself or of the suspension member is not decisive for the recognition of the component. Therefore, the natural colour of the component or the colour the component has got during use of the elevator does not affect the fluorescent properties of the component identifier essentially, as the visible impression is not decisive for the determination of the component type. Therefore the blackening of grease as component during use of the elevator does not essentially interfere with the emission properties of the fluorescent material, whereas it does so with pigments emitting in the visible range. Further, a fluorescent material emits in a given wavelength or wavelength range which is widely unaffected by the type of the suspension member and its component during use of the elevator and can easily be detected by use of a corresponding recognition or instigation device (e.g. a black-light). Possible fluorescent materials are ATTO-Dyes (ATTO-TEC GmbH, Siegen), Alexa-Fluor (Molecular Probes, Invitrogen Corp.), cyanines (Cy3, Cy5), coumarines and TMRM+. 
     However, the component identifier could also be a colour material, e.g. pigments. Anyway, this material has to be so bright and defined in its dying properties that its colour will not be too much affected by the natural component colour and/or the colour of the suspension member to which the component is applied or by any colour changes thereof during use in the elevator. 
     The suspension member component may be a lubricant, e.g. a grease, a powder, e.g. talcum, a liquid as e.g. oil or any material adapted to influence the physical properties of the suspension member, e.g. the roughness, the friction properties against the traction sheave, the elasticity, the smoothness etc. 
     The suspension member may be for example one or a set of several of the following elements: A circular or non-circular hoisting rope, a belt, a V-belt, a cog-belt, a chain. 
     According to a preferred embodiment of the invention a suspension member identifier is provided. This suspension member identifier may be a tag which is provided in the suspension arrangement, e.g. in connection with the suspension arrangement but it could instead/additionally be a data file in a database of the elevator. The suspension member identifier comprises information about the type and/or physical properties of the suspension member and/or about adapted suspension member components to be used in connection with the particular suspension member. This suspension member identifier therefore allows the installation staff or maintenance staff the choice of at least one appropriate suspension member component in connection with the suspension member in question for the operation of the elevator. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of the method for matching a suspension member to a suspension member component. 
     The invention also refers to a method for determining matching suspension member/suspension member component combinations in an elevator comprising an elevator car and a suspension arrangement having at least one suspension member for suspending and/or moving the elevator car, in which method for the operation of the elevator a suspension member component is to be applied to the suspension member. According to the inventive method
         first a component identifier is applied to the suspension member component,   then the suspension member component is applied to the suspension member, whereby it is checked beforehand that the identifier of the suspension member component matches with the suspension member.       

     By the use of a component identifier which can be added to the suspension member component already in the production site of the component it is possible to identify the suspension member component unambiguously which avoids hazardous mistakes in using the wrong component for the suspension member. 
     The component identifier should be homogenously soluble or dispersible in the suspension member component to indicate clearly the type of the component and the locations to which it is applied. 
     The invention may be used with new elevator installations but also in course of maintenance routines with lubricating steps or in course of re-roping. 
     Preferably a fluorescent material is used as component identifier because in this case the emitting characteristics of the fluorescent material are not affected by the natural colour of the component and/or of the suspension member. Furthermore, as in this case the emission of the fluorescent material is instigated only by a auxiliary instigating device there is no emission of the material in normal operation which could affect the normal operation or maintenance of the elevator. With respect to adapted fluorescent materials it is referred to the corresponding passages above. Fluorescent material improves the determination which type of component has been used and also the determination of how good the component is (still) applied to the suspension member. Therefore it can more easily be checked if the component layer on the suspension member is still thick enough or has been worn off during elevator use. Further it can easily be checked whether the component is still provided on all required passages of the suspension member(s). 
     In a preferred embodiment of the inventive method an identifier of the suspension member is provided at the elevator or in a database comprising elevator data. The suspension member identifier comprises information about the type and/or about physical properties of the suspension member and/or components which may be used in connection with the suspension member. Based on this data the installation staff or maintenance staff is able to derive the correct component for the suspension member in question. In this case the determination of the correct component for the suspension member is facilitated. In this case, the suspension member identifier could be advantageously provided in connection with the suspension arrangement. 
     In a preferred embodiment a tag is connected to the suspension arrangement, particularly to the suspension member as suspension member identifier. Anyway, the suspension member identifier may also or alternatively be stored in a database of the elevator or of the maintenance company, which makes the necessary suspension member data available without providing any tags or info-material at the elevator site, where it can be lost or soiled. 
     In order to check up the correct material-pairs of suspension members and suspension member components a table with matching combinations of suspension members and suspension member components may be stored in a database of the elevator or of a maintenance centre and/or may be provided at the elevator site. Preferably these data are provided in a database which is accessible by the maintenance staff to ensure that the correct component is used for the suspension members of the elevator in question. 
     If the suspension member identifier is available via a database the maintenance staff could care for the correct suspension member components before heading to the elevator site. 
     Preferably, a table with matching combinations of suspension members and suspension member components is stored in a database of the elevator or of a maintenance centre.