Patent Publication Number: US-2022219941-A1

Title: Position detecting device and elevator system including the same

Description:
FOREIGN PRIORITY 
     This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202110030055.7, filed Jan. 11, 2021, and all the benefits accruing therefrom under 35 U.S.C. § 119, the contents of which in its entirety are herein incorporated by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to the technical field of elevators; specifically, the present invention relates to a position detecting device and an elevator system including the same. 
     BACKGROUND 
     With the development of society, there are more and more multistorey and even highrise buildings regardless of whether in living areas or in commercial areas, production areas and so on. Elevators are usually installed in these buildings to transport people or goods between floors. 
     In order to improve the transportation efficiency of elevators and ensure transportation safety and stability, it is necessary to perform real-time detection of the position of the elevator car. 
     The car position detecting technology in the prior art includes setting a position ruler vertically suspended from the top of the hoistway in the elevator hoistway and installing a sensor on the elevator car, and detecting the position of the car by collecting position information on the position ruler via the sensor. 
     SUMMARY 
     An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved position detecting device. 
     An object of another aspect of the present invention is to provide an elevator system including the position detecting device of the foregoing aspect. 
     In order to achieve the foregoing objects, one aspect of the present invention provides a position detecting device for an elevator system, the position detecting device comprises: a ruler guide formed with a through groove for receiving and guiding a position ruler of the elevator system, the through groove further has a through opening toward a side surface of the ruler guide; and wherein, a limitator is provided at the through opening, the limitator is distributed or extended along a longitudinal direction of the through opening, and the position of the limitator is arranged to correspond to a site of the position ruler without position information. 
     Optionally, in the position detecting device as described above, the limitator is an independent component. 
     Optionally, in the position detecting device as described above, the limitator is a flanging that narrows the through opening from both sides of the through groove. 
     Optionally, in the position detecting device as described above, the position detecting device further includes a lining board, which covers the through opening in a removable manner at the side surface of the ruler guide, and the limitator is integrally formed on the lining board. 
     Optionally, in the position detecting device as described above, the position detecting device has an outer housing, the outer housing has a groove opening at least toward both ends thereof, the ruler guide is received in the groove, and, the width of the groove is greater than the width of the ruler guide, a protrusion or a recess is provided at two outer side walls of the ruler guide adjoining the through opening, and the corresponding recess or protrusion is provided at the corresponding inner side walls of the groove, the protrusion is received and guided in the recess. 
     Optionally, in the position detecting device as described above, the groove of the outer housing further has a side through opening, the width of the side through opening is smaller than the width of the ruler guide, and the ruler guide is arranged in the groove such that the through opening of the through groove faces towards the bottom surface of the groove. 
     Optionally, in the position detecting device as described above, a biasing element is provided between the protrusion and the recess, the biasing element biases both the protrusion and the recess at the same time in opposite directions. 
     Optionally, in the position detecting device as described above, more than one protrusion or recess is provided on each side of the ruler guide, and the protrusion or recess is distributed along the longitudinal direction of the ruler guide. 
     Optionally, in the position detecting device as described above, the position detecting device further includes a sensor located outside the ruler guide, the sensor faces the through opening and is adapted to read the position information of the position ruler of the elevator system through the through opening, in order to achieve the foregoing objects, another aspect of the present invention provides an elevator system, a position detecting system of the elevator system comprises: the position detecting device according to any one of the preceding aspects, which is attached to a side surface of a car or counterweight of the elevator system; and a position ruler vertically placed in the hoistway of the elevator system, the position ruler extends through the through groove of the ruler guide. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       With reference to the drawings, the disclosure of the present invention will be more apparent. It should be understood that these drawings are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an elevator system, in which a position detecting device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown; 
         FIG. 2  is a partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of the position detecting device of the elevator system in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 3-6  show schematic steps of assembling the position ruler to the position detecting device; 
         FIGS. 7 a  and 7 b    shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram at the groove of the position detecting device; and 
         FIGS. 8 a  and 8 b    shows a schematic diagram of the assembled position detecting device and position ruler. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding technical features. In addition, for the sake of brevity, for more than one technical feature, only one place or several places may be marked in the same drawing. 
     It can be understood that although the detailed description has been made in combination with a limited number of embodiments in the specifications, those skilled in the art can expand, modify, replace, and/or combine technical features on this basis. Therefore, the content in the specification is descriptive and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present invention. 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an elevator system, in which a position detecting device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. 
     Specifically,  FIG. 1  shows an elevator system  10 , and specifically shows a car  11  of the elevator system  10  and a guide system and a position detecting system for the car  11 . 
     According to the illustration, the guide system for the car  11  includes a guide wheel assembly  14  and a guide rail  15 . The upper and lower ends of the guide rail  15  are respectively fixed to a top bracket  16  and a bottom bracket  17  in the hoistway of the elevator system. When the elevator system is running, the car  11  can go up and down along the guide system under the driving force of the traction system (not shown) to transport people or goods between floors of different heights. 
     Regarding the specific lifting principle and structure of the elevator system, no further description will be given here. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention can be adapted to various different types of elevator systems, and are not limited to the elevator systems exemplified in the drawings. 
     The drawings also show a position detecting system for the car  11  in the elevator system  10 . It can be seen from the drawings that the position detecting system includes a position detecting device  12  and a position ruler  13 . The position ruler  13  is arranged through the position detecting device  12  and can move up and down along the position ruler  13 , so that a sensor  40  (see  FIG. 7 a   ) in the position detecting device  12  can scan the position information on the position ruler  13 . 
     In this embodiment, the position detecting device  12  is fixed on the back side of the car  11  of the elevator system  10 . According to specific situations, in other embodiments, the position detecting device  12  may also be attached on other side surfaces of the car. When the car  11  moves up and down, the position detecting device  12  will move up and down together with the car  11 . In other embodiments, the position detecting device  12  may also be provided in other appropriate positions of the car  11  adapted to its sensor to scan the position information on the position ruler  13 . 
     In this embodiment, the position ruler  13  is in the shape of a strip, which is vertically placed in the hoistway of the elevator system  10 . Specifically, the upper end of the position ruler  13  is fixed to the top bracket  16  in the hoistway of the elevator system, and the lower end is suspended to the bottom bracket  17  in the hoistway of the elevator system through a tensioner  18 . In order to limit the swing amplitude of the position ruler  13 , a guide bracket  19  is optionally provided in this embodiment, and the lower end of the position ruler  13  passes through a through hole on the guide bracket  19  to prevent the lower end of the position ruler  13  from swinging excessively. It can be understood that in different embodiments, the upper and lower ends of the position ruler  13  can also be fixed to the top and bottom of the hoistway of the elevator system, respectively. 
     In a specific example, the sensor in the position detecting device  12  may be a magnetic sensor, the position information on the position ruler  13  may be, for example, the magnetic position information of a magnetic code. During the running of the elevator system, through the up and down movement of the elevator car, the magnetic sensor reads the position information at different heights of the position ruler  13  and provides it to the relevant analysis unit, control unit, etc. of the elevator system, which can be used in the detection of the position, speed, acceleration, etc. of the elevator car and the related control of the elevator system, such as but not limited to elevator leveling function and/or safety protection function, etc. 
     In another embodiment, the position detecting device may be fixed to the side surface of the counterweight (not shown) in the elevator system. In this case, the position ruler is also appropriately installed near the counterweight in the hoistway. When the counterweight goes up and down with the car, the position information of the position ruler is scanned by the sensor in the position detecting device to obtain the moving position of the counterweight; based on the moving position of the counterweight, according to the relation between the position of the counterweight and the position of the car, the calculation unit, analysis unit and/or control unit of the elevator system can further obtain the position, speed, acceleration and other information of the elevator car and perform related control of the elevator system. 
     Here, the position detecting device is “fixed” to the car or the counterweight, including that the position detecting device is directly or indirectly fixed to the car or the counterweight. In one embodiment, the position detecting device may be fixed to the car or the counterweight by a mounting bracket. 
       FIG. 2  is a partial three-dimensional schematic diagram of the position detecting device of the elevator system in  FIG. 1 . 
     As can be seen from the drawings, in this embodiment, the position detecting device is exemplarily in the shape of a cuboid. The position detecting device has an outer housing, and a groove  121  opening toward both ends of the outer housing is formed on one side surface (for example, the back side) of the outer housing, a ruler guide  20  is provided in the groove  121 . 
     The grooves  121  are open towards both ends of the outer housing and at the same time open towards the side surface of the outer housing. The side surface opening provides convenience for installing a position ruler to the position detecting device, which will be further described below. The width of the side surface opening is smaller than the width of the ruler guide  20 , so the ruler guide  20  will not fall off from the groove  121 . It can be seen that, in order to receive the ruler guide  20 , the inner width of the groove  121  is also greater than the width of the side surface opening. 
     The openings at both ends of the groove  121  may be smaller than the cross-sectional size of the ruler guide  20  to prevent the ruler guide  20  from falling off the groove  121  in the axial direction. Alternatively, at the end as shown in the drawings, a stopper  123  is provided, and the stopper  123  is installed at the end of the groove  121  by a screw  122 , in the position shown in the drawings, the stopper  123  restricts the size of the groove  121  at the opening of the end, preventing the ruler guide  20  from falling off from the opening of the end of the groove  121 . After the screw  122  is loosened, the stopper  123  can be rotated outward or inward, for example, 90 degrees, so as to completely release the opening of the groove  121  at this end, so that the ruler guide  20  can be drawn out of the groove  121 . In an optional embodiment, a stopper may be provided on one or both ends of the groove  121  in this way, or a stopper may be provided on one or both sides of the groove  121  in this way. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the width of the groove  121  is optionally equal to the width of the ruler guide  20 , so the ruler guide  20  can be stably installed in the groove  121 . In an optional embodiment, the width of the groove  121  may also be greater than the width of the ruler guide  20 ; in this case, a restoring element, that is, a biasing element, may be provided on both sides of the ruler guide  20  to prevent it from colliding with grooves. At the same time, the restoring element can also play a role in eliminating the vibration transmitted from the car  11  to the ruler guide  20 , which is beneficial to prevent scratches between the position ruler  13  and the through groove  21  in the ruler guide  12 . 
     An optional lining board  30  is also shown in the drawings Here, the lining board  30  is an optional component, which helps to isolate the groove from the inside of the position detecting device  12 , and can prevent dust and so on from entering the inside of the position detecting device  12 , for example. For example, in the case where the sensor detects the position information on the position ruler through optical principles, the lining board may be made of transparent material. The lining board  30  and the through groove  21  of the ruler guide  20  (see  FIG. 4 ) constitute the space for the position ruler  13  to pass through and to move back and forth along it. 
     In addition, as can be seen from the drawings, other functional features such as a cable joint  124 , a ground wire insert  125 , an indicator light  126 , and the like may also be provided on the position detecting device  12 . It will not be repeated here. 
       FIGS. 3-6  show schematic steps of assembling the position ruler  13  to the position detecting device  12 . 
     In  FIG. 3 , the position ruler has not been assembled into the position detecting device  12 . Here is the initial preparation step for assembling the position ruler. In this preparation step, first, the stopper  123  can be rotated by loosening the screw  122 . For example, the stopper  123  can be rotated in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction until the stopper  123  leaves the opening of the end of the groove and reaches an unlocked position that no longer blocks at the opening of the end of the groove, so that the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30  can be drawn out of the groove of the position detecting device  12 . In the drawings, the stopper  123  is schematically rotated 90 degrees clockwise. Then, the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30  are drawn out of the groove of the position detecting device  12  in the direction indicated by arrow A. In this example, the way shown by arrow A is the upward direction of the elevator. 
     It can be understood that, as an optional manner, only the ruler guide  20  may be drawn out of the groove. 
     According to  FIG. 4 , the ruler guide  20  is separated from the lining board  30  at first, and then the position ruler  13  is placed between the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30  as shown, specifically, the position ruler  13  is placed in the through groove  21  of the ruler guide  20 . Finally, the lining board  30  and the ruler guide  20  are closed again, and the lining board  30  is used to cover the side surface opening of the through groove  21  of the ruler guide  20 . The directions indicated by arrows B 1  and B 2  in  FIG. 4  are the schematic directions for assembling the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30  together respectively. In this way, the position ruler  13  is surrounded in the space enclosed by the lining board  30  and the through groove  21  of the ruler guide  20 . The position ruler  13  can move back and forth along the longitudinal direction in the through groove  21  of the ruler guide  20 . 
     As can be seen from  FIG. 4 , the ruler guide  20  is formed with a through groove  21  for receiving and guiding the position ruler  13  of the elevator system, the through groove  21  further has a through opening toward the side surface of the ruler guide. The side surface opening of the aforementioned through groove  21  is the through opening. 
     In  FIG. 5 , the position ruler  13  has been arranged in the ruler guide  20 , specifically surrounded in the space between the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30 . Then, the ruler guide  20 , the lining board  30  and the position ruler  13  are moved to the position detecting device  12  together in the direction indicated by arrow C 1  in the drawings at first. Since the side surface of the groove of the position detecting device  12  is provided with an opening, the position ruler  13  can enter into the groove. Since the position ruler  13  can move up and down freely relative to the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30  in this space, at this time, the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30  can be moved up and down freely in the case where the vertical position of the position ruler  13  remains unchanged. As shown in the drawings, the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30  can be inserted into the groove of the position detecting device  12  in the direction indicated by arrow C 2 . 
     Here, the through opening of the through groove of the ruler guide  20  faces towards the bottom surface of the groove on the outer housing of the position detecting device. 
     In  FIG. 6 , the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30  have been inserted into the groove of the position detecting device  12 . The stopper  123  has been restored to the locked position, restricting the longitudinal movement of the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30  relative to the position detecting device  12 . 
     It can be seen from  FIG. 6  that, at the locked position, a part of the upper end of the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30  protrudes out of the groove of the position detecting device  12 . This is because, as shown in  FIGS. 3-5 , corresponding lock notches  22  and  31  are respectively provided on the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30 , and when both are inserted into the groove of the position detecting device  12  and the lock notches  22  and  31  are aligned with the stopper  123 , the stopper  123  can rotate into the lock notches  22  and  31 , thereby locking the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30  in place. 
     In an optional embodiment, such lock notches  22  and  31  may also not be provided. In this case, the length of the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30  is not greater than the length of the groove of the position detecting device  12  so that they can be fully inserted into the groove, and then the stopper  123  can prevents them from falling out of the groove at the opening of the end of the groove. 
     In combination with the above description, it can be understood that in the illustrations of  FIGS. 3-6 , the position ruler  13  can be assembled into the position detecting device without drawing the lining board  30  out of the groove. Specifically, during operation, only the ruler guide  20  is drawn out of the groove, and then the position ruler  13  is placed in the through groove of the ruler guide  20 , and finally the ruler guide  20  and the position ruler  13  are moved to the position detecting device  12  and the ruler guide  20  fits with the lining board  30  and is inserted into the groove, until it reaches a position adapted to lock and is locked in place by the stopper  123 . 
     According to the above-mentioned embodiment, a case where the groove of the position detecting device has a through opening on the side surface (that is, a side through opening) is described. In an optional embodiment, if a groove that does not have a through opening on the side surface is provided in the position detecting device, the position ruler can be inserted into the through groove of the ruler guide  20  located in the groove at the lower end of the position ruler. 
       FIG. 7 a    shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram at the groove of the position detecting device, wherein  FIG. 7 b    is an improved solution. The position detecting device and the position ruler constitute a position detecting system for the elevator system. 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 7 a   , the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30  are inserted into the groove  121  of the position detecting device  12 . In this example, the size of the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30  fits exactly with the side surface of the inner wall of the groove  121 , it is beneficial to prevent their relative movement from causing detection errors or scratching damage between components. The lining board  30  covers the side surface opening of the through groove  21  of the ruler guide  20  (the side surface opening here refers to the side facing the lining board and the sensor  40 ). In the space enclosed by the ruler guide  20  and the lining board  30 , the position ruler  13  passes therethrough. The position ruler  13  includes a strip  131  constituting its base and position information  132 . A sensor  40  is provided in the position detecting device  12 . The sensor  40  is provided outside the ruler guide  20 , which can read the information data on the position ruler  13  in the elevator hoistway without any contact. In the case where the sensor  40  is a magnetic sensor, the position information  132  on the position ruler  13  may be magnetic position information, such as a magnetic code and so on. In an optional embodiment, it can be implemented by different types of sensors and position information. In this solution, there is a risk that the position information  132  on the position ruler  13  is scratched by the lining board  30 . 
     In  FIG. 7 b   , the ruler guide  20 ′ and the lining board  30 ′ are inserted in the groove  121 ′ of the position detecting device  12 ′. In this solution, the width of the groove  121 ′ is greater than the width of both the ruler guide  20 ′ and the lining board  30 ′, and there is the space formed between the side surfaces of the ruler guide  20 ′ and the lining board  30 ′ and the inner wall of the groove  121 ′. The lining board  30 ′ covers the side surface opening of the through groove  21 ′ of the ruler guide  20 ′ (the side surface opening here refers to being at the side facing the lining board and the sensor). In the space enclosed by the ruler guide  20 ′ and the lining board  30 ′, the position ruler  13 ′ passes therethrough. The position ruler  13 ′ includes a strip  131 ′ constituting its base and position information  132 ′. A sensor  40 ′ is provided in the position detecting device  12 ′. The sensor  40 ′ is provided outside of the ruler guide  20 ′, the sensor  40 ′ can face the through opening of the ruler guide  20 ′ and is adapted to read the position information  132 ′ of the position ruler  13 ′ of the elevator system through the through opening. In the case where the sensor  40 ′ is a magnetic sensor, the position information  132 ′ on the position ruler  13 ′ may be magnetic position information, such as a magnetic code and so on. In an optional embodiment, it can be implemented by different types of sensors and position information. 
     It can also be seen from the drawings that, the ruler guide  20 ′ here has a flanging  23 ′ that narrows the opening from both sides of the through groove  21 ′. In the drawings, the position information  132 ′ is located at the center position of the strip  131 ′; correspondingly, the flanging  23 ′ is located at both sides of the opening of the through groove  21 ′, so that the flanging  23 ′ will not scratch the position information  132 ′ on the strip  131 ′. In this way, when the position detecting device  12 ′ moves back and forth relative to the position ruler  13 ′, the position of the position ruler  13 ′ is limited by the flanging  23 ′, so that the position information  132 ′ on the position ruler  13 ′ will not touch or scratch the lining board  30 ′. The flanging  23 ′ may extend through in the longitudinal direction of the through groove  21 ′, or it may be several flangings distributed along the longitudinal direction of the through groove  21 ′ that are disconnected from each other. 
     The flanging  23 ′ shown in the drawings is an example of a limitator. In an optional embodiment, an independent limitator may be provided at the opening of the through groove  21 ′. The independent limitator may be a component independent of the ruler guide  20 ′ and the lining board  30 ′, and it may be fixed at the side surface opening of the through groove of the ruler guide  20 ′ in a suitable manner. The independent limitator can be distributed or extended along the longitudinal direction of the through groove opening, and its position can be arranged to correspond to the site of the position ruler  13 ′ that does not have the position information  132 ′. 
     In another embodiment, the limitator may be formed on the lining board. Similarly, it can be distributed or extended along the longitudinal direction of the through groove opening, and its position can be arranged to correspond to the site of the position ruler  13 ′ that does not have the position information  132 ′. 
     By providing the aforementioned various types of limitators at the openings of the through grooves, it is possible to prevent or weaken the influence to the position ruler caused due to vibration when the car goes up and down, even if the position ruler moves towards the ruler guide and the lining board travelling up and down, it is also blocked by the limitator and will not scratch the position information on the position ruler, which will not affect the use of the position detecting system and ensure that it can be used for a long time. 
     In addition, in  FIG. 7 b   , the groove  121  of the position detecting device  12  in the (a) solution is appropriately widened. It can be seen from the drawings, that the ruler guide  13 ′ is received in the groove  121 ′, and the width of the groove  121 ′ is greater than the width of the ruler guide  20 ′. In the illustrated example, a protrusion  24 ′ is provided at two outer side walls  22 ′ of the ruler guide  20 ′ adjoining the through opening, and the corresponding recess  124 ′ is provided at the corresponding inner side walls of the groove  121 ′, the protrusion  24 ′ is received and guided in the recess  124 ′. In an optional embodiment, a recess is also provided at two outer side walls of the ruler guide adjoining the through opening, and the corresponding protrusion is provided at the corresponding inner side walls of the groove, the protrusion is received and guided in the recess. The interaction of the protrusion and recess provided in this way can further prevent the position ruler from moving to the ruler guide  20 ′ and the lining board  30 ′. Similarly, it helps prevent or weaken the influence to the position ruler caused due to vibration when the car goes up and down. 
     According to specific situations, more than one (for example, three) protrusions or recesses may be provided on each side of the ruler guide  20 ′, and the protrusions or recesses may be distributed along the longitudinal direction of the groove and the ruler guide of the position detecting device. In some embodiments, as shown in the drawings, the recess may be provided by a hollow tube attached to the corresponding wall surface, and the protrusion may extend into the hollow tube. When installing the ruler guide, the protrusion of one side can be extend into the corresponding recess at first, causing the ruler guide to tilt, and then the protrusion of another side can be extend into the corresponding recess. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 b   , a biasing element  125 ′ is also provided between each pair of protrusion and recess, the biasing element  125 ′ biases both the protrusion  24 ′ and the recess  124 ′ at the same time in opposite directions. In the illustrated embodiment, the biasing element  125 ′ is a spring. Specifically, the spring may be a compression spring or a tension spring. At the initial position of the spring, the positions of the ruler guide and the lining board are centered with the position of the position ruler, and the position ruler will not touch the ruler guide and the lining board. Under the action of the biasing element, the ruler guide is always in the relative position that is centered relative to the groove of the position detecting device as far as possible. On the one hand, it prevents the ruler guide from falling out of the groove, and on the other hand, it also prevents the shaking or vibration of the position detecting device from directly transmitting to the ruler guide, and the biasing element acts as a buffer here. Sometimes, due to deviations in the installation of the elevator system&#39;s hoistway, or when the car vibrates, it can be ensured that there is no great friction on its both sides so that the position ruler is subject to wear. 
       FIGS. 8 a  and 8 b    shows a schematic diagram of an assembled position detecting device and a position ruler. The postures of the position rulers in the hoistway in  FIGS. 8 a  and 8 b    correspond to the solutions in  FIGS. 7 a  and 7 b   , respectively. In  FIG. 7 a   , there is no limitator at the side surface opening of the ruler guide  20 , so there is a risk that the position ruler  13  touches the lining board and the like and damages the position information on the position ruler  13 . In order to avoid this situation, as shown in  FIG. 8 a   , the position ruler  13  is pulled obliquely in the hoistway so that the position ruler  13  is away from the lining board  30  in the position detecting device. This puts the higher requirements on the size and layout of the elevator system&#39;s hoistway (especially when the hoistway of the elevator system is higher in a highrise building), because the position ruler  13  needs to be pulled far, which cannot be achieved if the hoistway space is small In contrast, in  FIG. 7 b   , due to the presence of the limitator  23 ′ and the like, the position information  132 ′ of the position ruler  13 ′ has been effectively prevented from touching the lining board  30 ′ and other components, thereby the position ruler  13 ′ does not need to be obliquely provided in the hoistway, and the position ruler vertically placed in the hoistway of the elevator system reduces the requirements on the size and layout of the hoistway of the elevator system. 
     As described above, the position detecting device according to several embodiments of the present invention and the elevator system including the position detecting device according to several embodiments are described. It should be understood that the claimed scope of the present invention is not only limited to the content in the above description, those skilled in the art can make various transformations, modifications and/or combinations of the above embodiments without departing from the technical idea of the present invention. These transformations, modifications and/or combinations should all fall within the scope of the present invention.