Patent Description:
Correct operation of elevator doors is an important aspect in terms of safety and convenience of elevator passengers. In particular, timely opening the doors to enable passengers to enter and exit an elevator car plays an important role in avoiding undue delays in passenger transport, while keeping the doors open only when the elevator car is in a position that ensures safe entry thereto and exit therefrom is critical in terms of passenger safety.

In many elevator systems the elevator doors are automatically operated such that opening and closing the elevator doors is carried out via using a driving system that comprises an electric motor arranged to drive movement of the elevator doors under control of an elevator door controller. Since elevator cars and elevator doors are manufactured in a multitude of different sizes in accordance with the requirements of their specific usage environments, the driving system and/or the elevator door controller need to be configured for each elevator car separately in order to ensure reliable, efficient and safe operation. However, configuration of the elevator door controller typically requires manual work and/or usage of hardware dedicated to the configuration procedure, which may introduce additional cost in manufacturing and installing the elevator system while also making the configuration procedure prone to errors.

In related art, <CIT> discloses an elevator door control device that includes: a car door panel and a hall door panel that open/close, respectively; a motor that drives the car door panel to open/close; jointing means for mechanically jointing the car door panel and the hall door panel to each other so that the panels open/close in an integrated manner; a closer device that provides a self-closing force in a door close direction to the hall door panel, and controller controlling the motor. The controller includes a torque detection unit that detects a torque of the motor in at least one of door closing and door opening of the panels when the panels are jointed to each other, and a diagnosis unit determines whether or not the hall door panel can self-close via the self-closing force when the panels are not jointed to each other, based on the torque detected by the torque detection unit.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique that facilitates configuring and/or monitoring operation of an elevator car door in a flexible but yet reliable and cost-effective manner.

According to a first aspect of the invention, an apparatus for controlling operation of an elevator car door according to claim <NUM>, via operating a door driving system arranged to drive movement of the car door between first and second end positions of its movement range is provided, wherein the door driving system comprises an electric motor that is coupled to the car door via a transmission system and wherein, the elevator car comprises a door coupler connected to the car door for temporarily coupling the car door to a landing door when the elevator car resides in a landing zone of a landing such that the landing door moves between a closed position and an open position together with the car door is provided, the apparatus configured to: control movement of the car door, monitor one or more parameters that are descriptive of power consumption of said electric motor upon movement of the car door, and carry out a configuration procedure comprising: recording a first power consumption profile that is descriptive of the power consumption of said electric motor as a function of the car door position when the car door is moved from the first end position to the second end position, recording a second power consumption profile that is descriptive of the power consumption of said electric motor as a function of the car door position when the car door is moved from the second end position to the first end position, and designating one of the first and second end positions as a closed door position and the other one of the first and second end positions as an open door position based on one or more characteristics of the first and second power consumption profiles.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a method for controlling operation of an elevator car door according to claim <NUM>, via operating a door driving system is provided, wherein the car door is arranged in the elevator car and where the door driving system is arranged to drive movement of the car door between first and second end positions of its movement range, wherein the door driving system comprises an electric motor that is coupled to the car door via a transmission system and wherein, the elevator car comprises a door coupler connected to the car door for temporarily coupling the car door to a landing door when the elevator car resides in a landing zone of a landing such that the landing door moves between a closed position and an open position together with the car door is provided, the method comprising: monitoring one or more parameters that are descriptive of power consumption of said electric motor upon movement of the car door; recording a first power consumption profile that is descriptive of the power consumption of said electric motor as a function of the car door position when the car door is moved from the first end position to the second end position; recording a second power consumption profile that is descriptive of the power consumption of said electric motor as a function of the car door position when the car door is moved from the second end position to the first end position, and designating one of the first and second end positions as a closed door position and the other one of the first and second end positions as an open door position based on one or more characteristics of the first and second power consumption profiles.

According to a third aspect of the invention, a computer program according to claim <NUM> is provided, the computer program comprising computer readable program code configured to cause performing at least the method according to the example embodiment described in the foregoing when said program code is executed on one or more computing apparatuses.

The computer program according to the above-described example embodiment may be embodied on a volatile or a non-volatile computer-readable record medium, for example as a computer program product comprising at least one computer readable non-transitory medium having the program code stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more computing apparatuses, causes the computing apparatuses at least to perform the method according to the example embodiment described in the foregoing.

The exemplifying embodiments of the invention presented in this patent application are not to be interpreted to pose limitations to the applicability of the appended claims. The verb "to comprise" and its derivatives are used in this patent application as an open limitation that does not exclude the existence of also unrecited features. The features described hereinafter are mutually freely combinable unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Some features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. Aspects of the invention, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of some example embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

<FIG> schematically illustrates some aspects of an elevator system <NUM> provided with automatic doors according to an example, including an elevator car <NUM> that may be moved in the vertical direction within an elevator shaft <NUM>. The elevator car <NUM> may be provided with a car door <NUM>, wherein the car door <NUM> comprises a sliding door that may be moved between a closed position and an open position. The car door <NUM> may be kept locked while the elevator car <NUM> is moving, unlocked upon the elevator car <NUM> entering a landing zone located at and close to a landing <NUM> and opened upon the elevator car <NUM> stopping at the landing <NUM>. In contrast, the elevator car door <NUM> may be closed before the elevator car <NUM> leaves the landing <NUM> and locked upon the elevator car <NUM> exiting the landing zone. Moreover, the elevator car <NUM> is provided with a door coupler <NUM> connected to the car door <NUM> for temporarily coupling the car door <NUM> to a landing door <NUM> of the landing <NUM> when the elevator car <NUM> resides within the landing zone of the landing <NUM> such that landing door moves between a closed position and an open position together with the car door <NUM>, thereby allowing passengers to move between the landing <NUM> and the elevator car <NUM> when the elevator car <NUM> is at the landing <NUM> while preventing the passengers from entering the elevator shaft <NUM> when the elevator car <NUM> is not at the landing <NUM>.

The door coupler <NUM> may comprise coupling elements that engage corresponding counter elements in the landing door <NUM> when the elevator car <NUM> resides within the landing zone of the landing <NUM>. In this regard, the coupling elements in the door coupler <NUM> and the counter elements in the landing door <NUM> are positioned with respect each other such that, when the elevator car <NUM> is moving past the landing door <NUM>, the coupling elements are passed between the coupling elements. When the elevator car <NUM> is at the landing <NUM> and the car door <NUM> is moved in order to open the car door <NUM>, the door coupler <NUM> in the elevator car <NUM> engages the counter elements in the landing door <NUM> and, consequently, when the car door <NUM> is moved by a door driving system arranged in the elevator car <NUM>, the landing door <NUM> moves together with the car door <NUM>.

As an example, the coupling elements may comprise sheet-metal vanes projecting from the door coupler <NUM> towards the landing door <NUM>, where the vanes arranged such that they form a vertical 'slot' that has its open end directed towards the landing door <NUM>, whereas the counter elements may comprise one or more rollers mounted on the landing door <NUM> in a position projecting from the landing door <NUM> towards the elevator shaft <NUM>, the axis of the one or more rollers being substantially perpendicular to the plane of the landing door <NUM>. The door coupler <NUM> and/or the car door <NUM> may be further provided with a locking device that closes or locks the car door <NUM> in such manner that the car door <NUM> cannot be opened without special measures when the elevator car <NUM> is outside the landing zone. In other words, the locking device may enable opening the car door <NUM> (without special measures) only when the elevator car <NUM> is within the landing zone and hence the car door <NUM> is substantially vertically aligned with the landing door <NUM>. The locking device may comprise a mechanical or electromechanical locking arrangement.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram of some logical elements of an elevator control system <NUM> according to an example. The elevator control system <NUM> may serve to control various aspect related to movement and operation of the elevator car <NUM>. In this example, the elevator control system <NUM> is shown with an elevator controller <NUM> for controlling at least some aspects of movement of the elevator car <NUM> in the elevator shaft <NUM>, a door driving system <NUM> for driving movement of the car door <NUM> of the elevator car <NUM> between a closed position and an open position; and a door controller <NUM> for operating the door driving system <NUM> and for monitoring at least one aspect of operation of the door driving system <NUM>.

Along the lines described in the foregoing, the elevator controller <NUM> may be arranged to control at least some aspects of movement of the elevator car <NUM> in the elevator shaft <NUM>. The elevator control in this may involve, for example, controlling the speed of the elevator car <NUM> via control of one or more electric motors arranged to drive the elevator car <NUM> and braking system arranged to regulate the speed of the elevator car <NUM>. In context of the present invention an aspect of interest is the operation of the door controller <NUM> and, consequently, any aspects related to general operation of the elevator controller <NUM> in controlling movement of the elevator car <NUM> may be provided using techniques known in the art. Therefore, any further details pertaining to the operation of the elevator controller <NUM> and/or movement of the elevator car <NUM> along the elevator shaft <NUM> are described herein only to extent they are necessary for describing examples that pertain to operation of the door controller <NUM>.

The elevator controller <NUM> is typically installed outside the elevator car <NUM>, for example in suitable location in the elevator shaft <NUM> or in its close proximity, and it may comprise or may be provided using one or more computing devices comprising respective one or more processors arranged to execute one or more computer programs to provide at least some aspects of operation of the elevator controller <NUM>. Hence, the elevator controller <NUM> may be provided as an elevator control apparatus (e.g. using a single computer apparatus) or as an elevator control system (e.g. using one or more computer apparatuses). The elevator controller <NUM> is communicatively coupled to the door controller <NUM>, where the communicative coupling between the elevator controller <NUM> and the door controller <NUM> may be provided using a wired communication network or communication link, using a wireless communication network or communication link, or using a combination of a wireless communication network or communication link and a wireless communication network or communication link.

The elevator controller <NUM> may be further communicatively coupled to one or more further elevator controllers that arranged for controlling at least some aspect of movement of respective elevator cars in other elevator shafts and/or to an elevator group controller arranged to control at least some aspects related to movement of a plurality of elevator cars in a plurality of elevator shafts.

Along the lines described in the foregoing, the door driving system <NUM> may be arranged to drive movement of the car door <NUM> between the closed position and the open position. In this regard, the door driving system <NUM> may operate under control of the door controller <NUM>, e.g. in accordance with one or more door control signals received from the door controller <NUM>. The door driving system <NUM> may comprise an electric motor and a motor controller arranged to control operation of the electric motor that is coupled to the car door <NUM> via a transmission system such that operation of the electric motor causes linear movement of the elevator car door <NUM> in a direction that is substantially parallel with an opening in a wall of the elevator shaft <NUM> at the landing <NUM>, thereby enabling movement of the car door <NUM> between the closed and open positions. The transmission system may be arranged to convert the rotary motion provided by the electric motor into the linear movement of the car door <NUM>. Characteristics of the transmission system may be selected in accordance with requirements of a specific implementation of the elevator car <NUM>, the car door <NUM> and/or the door driving system <NUM>, and the transmission system may involve, for example, one or more of the following: a belt drive, a chain drive, a gear train, etc..

Along the lines described in the foregoing, the door controller <NUM> may be arranged to control operation of the door driving system <NUM>, thereby enabling controlling the movement of the car door <NUM> between the closed and open positions. The door controller <NUM> may be further arranged to monitor at least one aspect of operation of the door driving system <NUM>. The door controller <NUM> is typically installed in the elevator car <NUM>, for example in suitable location in the interior of the elevator car <NUM> (e.g. in a ceiling structure of the elevator car <NUM>) or on the exterior of the elevator car <NUM> (e.g. on the roof of the elevator car <NUM>).

The door controller <NUM> may comprise or may be provided using a computing device comprising one or more processors arranged to execute one or more computer programs to provide at least some aspects of operation of the door controller <NUM>. Hence, the door controller <NUM> may be provided as a door controller apparatus. Along the lines described in the foregoing, the door controller <NUM> is communicatively coupled to the elevator controller <NUM>, whereas the door controller <NUM> is further communicatively coupled to the door driving system <NUM>, where the communicative coupling between the door controller <NUM> and the door driving system <NUM> may be provided using a wired or wireless communication network and/or communication link.

The aspect of the door controller <NUM> controlling the movement of the car door <NUM> between the closed and open positions may comprise at least the following operations with respect to moving the elevator car door <NUM>:.

Each of these operations may be effected via the door controller <NUM> issuing a respective control signal to the door driving system <NUM>. The door controller <NUM> may further enable, for example, setting and/or adjusting movement speed of the car door <NUM> via application of a respective control signal.

The aspect of the door controller <NUM> monitoring at least one aspect of operation of the door driving system <NUM> may comprise monitoring one or more parameters that are descriptive of power consumption of the electric motor of the door driving system <NUM>. As an example in this regard, the door controller <NUM> may be able to directly monitor or measure the power consumption of the electric motor of the door driving system <NUM>, whereas in another example the door controller <NUM> may be able to monitor one or more parameters that are indirectly descriptive of power consumption of the electric motor of the door driving system <NUM>. As an example of the latter, the door controller <NUM> may be arranged to monitor one or more characteristics of the electric current and/or voltage supplied to the electric motor of the door driving system <NUM>, e.g. the magnitude and/or phase of the electric current supplied to the electric motor. Monitoring of the electric current and/or voltage may comprise obtaining respective indications of characteristics of the electric current and/or voltage supplied to the electric motor from the motor controller or using respective measurement arrangements for obtaining respective indications of characteristics of the electric current and/or voltage supplied to the electric motor.

The door controller <NUM> may further enable monitoring a position of a component of the transmission system of the door driving system <NUM>, which position is at least indirectly indicative of the (relative) position of the car door <NUM>. As an example in this regard, in case the transmission system of the door driving system <NUM> comprises a belt drive assembly, the measure of interest may comprise a position of (a predefined reference point in) a driving belt of the belt drive assembly and/or the traveling distance of the driving belt between the closed and open positions of the car door <NUM>.

The aspect of the door controller <NUM> may monitoring of at least one aspect of operation of the door driving system <NUM> may comprise the door controller <NUM> reading or receiving the one or more parameters that are descriptive of the power consumption of the electric motor of the door driving system <NUM>, possibly together with the position of the component of the transmission system of the door driving system <NUM>, according to a predefined schedule, e.g. at predefined time intervals. As an example in this regard, predefined time interval may be chosen from the range from <NUM> to <NUM> milliseconds, e.g. <NUM> milliseconds.

Upon manufacturing and installation to the elevator car <NUM>, the door controller <NUM> may lack knowledge of the type of the car door <NUM>, the size (e.g. width) of the car door <NUM> and/or any position reference pertaining to the car door <NUM> and, consequently, the door controller <NUM> may initially lack knowledge required for detecting the current position of the car door <NUM>. In particular, the door controller <NUM> may initially lack knowledge regarding which one of the end positions of the movement range of the car door <NUM> represents the closed position and which one represent the open position. An advantage arising from such a manner of providing the door controller <NUM> is that the same or similar door controller <NUM> is applicable for any car door <NUM> regardless of the design of the car door <NUM> and its arrangement with respect to the elevator car <NUM>, while on the other hand such an approach requires configuration of the door controller <NUM> upon configuring or reconfiguring the elevator car <NUM> for use in order to enable proper operation of the door controller <NUM>.

In this regard, the elevator door controller <NUM> may be arranged to carry out a configuration procedure to derive position reference data that may be subsequently applied in controlling the door movement in the course of operation of the elevator system <NUM>. The position reference obtained via the configuration procedure may comprise an indication which one of the end positions of the movement range of the car door <NUM> represents the closed position and which one represents the open position. The position reference data may further comprise a first reference position for a component of the transmission system of the elevator door driving system <NUM> and a second reference position for said component of the transmission system of the elevator door driving system <NUM>, where one of the first and second reference positions may represent the closed position (e.g. a closed end) of the car door <NUM> and the other one of the first and second reference positions may represent the open position (e.g. an open end) of the car door <NUM>. Alternatively or additionally, the position reference data may comprise a reference position for said component of the transmission system of the elevator door driving system <NUM> and a reference distance, where the reference position may represent one of the closed and open positions of the car door <NUM> and the reference distance may represent the deviation in the position of said component of the transmission system of the elevator door driving system <NUM> between the closed and open positions of the car door <NUM>. Derivation of the position reference data according to technique described in the present invention provides a reliable and repeatable manner of configuring, reconfiguring and monitoring the operation of the car door <NUM> without a need to apply any physical components that are dedicated for the configuration procedure.

The power consumption of the electric motor of the door driving system <NUM> varies with the position of the car door <NUM> due to changes in load of the electric motor in the course of moving the car door from a first end position to a second end position of its movement range, where one of the first and second end positions represents the closed position of the car door <NUM> and the other one of the first and second end positions represents the open position of the car door <NUM>. In particular, the load of the electric motor temporarily increases due an additional load resulting from operation of the door coupler <NUM> (e.g. due to the coupling elements of the door coupler <NUM> in the car door <NUM> engaging the counter elements of the landing door <NUM>) while the load of the electric motor increases significantly when the car door <NUM> is moved to end position of its movement range from which it cannot move any further. In the following, a curve that is descriptive of the power consumption of the electric motor of the door driving system <NUM> as a function of the car door position while moving the car door <NUM> from one of the first and second end position to the other one is referred to as a power consumption profile.

The configuration procedure may be based on recording respective power consumption profiles while moving the car door <NUM> between the end positions of its movement in both directions. In particular, the configuration procedure may rely on comparing one or more characteristics of the recorded power consumption profiles to respective characteristics of one or more reference power consumption profiles. The reference power consumption profiles may reflect one or more characteristic of the arrangement between the door driving system <NUM>, the car door <NUM>, the landing door <NUM> and the door coupler <NUM>. As non-limiting examples in this regard, <FIG> schematically depicts a first reference power consumption profile that represents the power consumption of the electric motor as a function of the door position when moving the car door <NUM> from the closed position to the open position, whereas <FIG> schematically depicts a second reference power consumption profile that represents the power consumption of the electric motor as a function of the door position when moving the car door <NUM> from the open position to the closed position.

In the first reference power consumption profile, upon starting the car door <NUM> movement, the power consumption of the electric motor initially rises to and remains at an intermediate power consumption level Pc due to an additional load resulting from operation of the door coupler <NUM> (designated as "door coupler range" in the illustration of <FIG>). After the door coupler range, the force required for moving the car door <NUM> decreases and, consequently, the power consumption of the electric motor decreases to and remains at a baseline (or nominal) power consumption level Pn until the car door <NUM> has been moved to the fully open position, which results in steeply increasing power consumption of the electric motor (e.g. a power consumption peak) due to the car door <NUM> having reached the end position of its movement range.

In the second reference power consumption profile, upon starting the car door <NUM> movement, the power consumption of the electric motor initially remains at the baseline power consumption level Pn until the car door <NUM> has been moved to the door coupler range. Upon entering the door coupler range, the load resulting from operation of the door coupler <NUM> causes the power consumption of the electric motor to rise to and remain at the intermediate power consumption level Pc until the car door <NUM> has been moved to the fully closed position, which results in steeply increasing power consumption of the electric motor (e.g. a power consumption peak) due to the car door <NUM> having reached the end position of its movement range. In the second reference power consumption profile, the entry to the "door coupler range" may further result in a minor peak in the power consumption of the electric motor, as shown in the illustration of <FIG>.

A further aspect that may have an effect on the power consumption of the electric motor upon moving the car door <NUM> may arise from a closing weight that may be coupled to the car door <NUM> and arranged such that it ensures closing the car door <NUM> in case loss of electric power (and hence inability of the door driving system <NUM> driving the movement of the car door <NUM>): the closing weight may cause a minor increase in load of the electric motor when opening the door in comparison to closing the door. This may make the baseline power consumption level Pn in a power consumption profile pertaining to movement of the car door <NUM> from the closed position to the open position slightly higher than that that of a corresponding power consumption profile pertaining to movement of the car door <NUM> from the open position to the closed position.

The configuration procedure may comprise recording a first power consumption profile that is descriptive of the power consumed by the electric motor of the door driving system <NUM> as a function of the car door position when the car door <NUM> is moved from the first end position to the second end position and recording a second power consumption profile that is descriptive of the power consumed by the electric motor of the door driving system <NUM> as a function of the car door position when the car door <NUM> is moved from the second end position to the first end position. In this regard, configuration procedure may comprise operating the door driving system <NUM> to move the car door <NUM> from the first end position to the second end position and to move the car door <NUM> from the second end position to the first end position while measuring the one or more parameters that are descriptive of the power consumption of the electric motor in order to, respectively, record the first and second power consumption profiles. In this regard, the movement towards the first or the second direction may be continued until the power consumption of the electric motor exceeds a predefined peak power threshold Phi (see also <FIG> in this regard), which may be considered as an indication of the car door <NUM> having reached the respective end position of its movement range.

The configuration procedure may further comprise tracking or monitoring the position of a component of the transmission system of the door driving system <NUM> that at least indirectly represents the (relative) position of the car door <NUM> while moving the car door <NUM> from the first end position to the second end position and/or vice versa. Consequently, the configuration procedure may comprise recording the first reference position as the position of said component of the transmission system when the car door <NUM> is positioned at the first end position of its movement range and/or recording the second reference position as the position of said component of the transmission system when the car door <NUM> is positioned at the second end position of its movement range. Alternative or additionally, the configuration procedure may further comprise recording the reference distance between respective positions of said component of the transmission system between the first and second end positions of the movement range of the car door <NUM>.

Along the lines described in the foregoing, in an example, the power consumption of the electric motor may be represented by one or more characteristics of the electric current and/or voltage supplied to the electric motor of the door driving system <NUM>, e.g. by the magnitude of the electric current supplied to the electric motor. In such an example, the first and second power consumption profiles may comprise respective current profiles that are descriptive of the magnitude of the electric current supplied to the electric motor of the door driving system <NUM> as a function of the car door position between the first and second end positions of its movement range. Further along the lines described in the foregoing, in an example, the transmission system may comprise a belt drive and the first and second reference positions may comprise respective positions of (a predefined reference point in) the driving belt of the belt drive assembly and/or the reference distance may comprise the traveling distance of the driving belt between the closed and open positions of the car door <NUM>.

As described in the foregoing, the elevator door controller <NUM> may not have the knowledge regarding which one of the first and second end positions represents the closed position of the car door <NUM> and which one represents the open position of the car door <NUM>. In this regard, the configuration procedure may comprise designating one of the first and second end positions as the closed door position and designating the other one of the first and second end positions as the open door position based on the first and second recorded power consumption profiles.

The designation may rely on one or more characteristics of the first and second recorded power consumption profiles in view of one or more characteristics of reference power consumption profiles that represent the power consumption of the electric motor as a function of the door position, e.g. the ones according to the examples illustrated in <FIG>. In this regard, the designation may consider the first and second recorded power consumption profiles in their entirety or it may consider a certain portion in the first and second recorded power consumption profiles. In this regard, the designation may comprise identifying a respective door coupler range in each of the first and second recorded power consumption profiles and carrying out the designation in dependence of one or more characteristics of the respective door coupler ranges identified in the first and second recorded power consumption profiles. In this regard, the door coupler range may be identified as a sub-portion of the power consumption profile that exhibits a continuous period of increased power consumption that meets one or more predefined door coupler range criteria, e.g. one or more of the following:.

Non-limiting examples of using one or more characteristics of the respective door coupler ranges identified in the first and second recorded power consumption profiles in the designation in consideration of the first and second recorded power consumption profiles in their entirety or at least in a major part include the following:.

In further examples, additionally or alternatively, the designation may consider a certain sub-portion of the first and second recorded power consumption profiles, e.g. the respective door coupler ranges identified in the first and second recorded power consumption profiles. Non-limiting examples in this regard include the following:.

In this regard, a presence of a power consumption peak may be identified via usage of one or more predefined peak criteria, e.g. one or more of the following:.

Hence, the designation of one of the first and second end positions as the closed door position and designation of the other one as the open door position provides the door controller <NUM> with the knowledge of which one of the first and second end positions of the movement range of the car door <NUM> represents the closed position and which one represents the open position. This information may be stored in a memory available in or otherwise accessible by the door controller <NUM> for subsequent use in the course of operation of the elevator system <NUM>. Moreover, the door controller <NUM> may further transmit an acknowledgement regarding the designation having been successfully completed to the elevator controller <NUM>.

As described in the foregoing, the configuration procedure may comprise tracking or monitoring the position of a component of the transmission system of the door driving system <NUM> and recording the first reference position as the position of said component of the transmission system when the car door <NUM> is at the first end position of its movement range and/or recording the second reference position as the position of said component of the transmission system when the car door <NUM> is at the second end position of its movement range, possibly together with a reference distance that between said first and second reference positions.

With the above-described designation of one of the first and second end positions of the car door <NUM> as the closed position and the other one as the open position, the door controller <NUM> may further associate the first and/or second reference positions to the closed position of the car door <NUM> or to the open position of the car door <NUM> accordingly: in case the first end position of the car door <NUM> has been found to represent the closed position of the car door <NUM> (and, conversely, the second end position has been found to represent the open position of the car door <NUM>), the first reference position indicates the position of said component of the transmission system when the car door <NUM> is closed and the second reference position indicates the position of said component of the transmission system when the car door <NUM> is open, whereas in case the second end position of the car door <NUM> has been found to represent the closed position of the car door <NUM> (and, conversely, the first end position has been found to represent the open position of the car door <NUM>), the second reference position indicates the position of said component of the transmission system when the car door <NUM> is closed and the first reference position indicates the position of said component of the transmission system when the car door <NUM> is open.

Consequently, the door controller <NUM> may operate the car door <NUM> in accordance with the first and/or second reference positions, possibly in view of the reference distance between the first and second reference positions, e.g. such that one of the first and second reference positions serves as an indication of the closed position of the car door <NUM> position while the other one serves as an indication of the open position of the car door <NUM>.

The door controller <NUM> may be arranged to initiate the configuration procedure in response to a command received from the elevator controller <NUM>, in response to command from an external (computing) device coupled to the elevator controller <NUM>, or in response to a command received via a user interface provided in the elevator car <NUM>. Regardless of manner of initiating the configuration procedure, this function is to be made accessible only by maintenance personnel.

Once initiated, the door controller <NUM> may be arranged to carry out the configuration procedure a predefined number of times in order to ensure correct designation of the first and second end positions of the movement range of the car door <NUM> as the closed door position and the open door position and, possibly, to ensure correctly setting the first and second reference positions for the component of the transmission system of the door driving system <NUM>. In particular, successful completion of the configuration procedure may require that the configuration procedure described in the foregoing is carried the predefined number of times with the same outcome with respect to designation of the first and second end positions of the movement range of the car door <NUM> as the closed door position and the open door position in response to a command received from the elevator controller <NUM> and, if applicable, with the substantially same outcome with respect the first and second reference positions.

In the foregoing, the description refers to the car door <NUM> in singular. However, the description readily generalizes into controlling operation of at least one car door <NUM> of the elevator car <NUM> and, consequently, the technique described in the present invention is equally applicable, for example, to a single car door <NUM> opening to the left, a single car door <NUM> opening to the right, and to a double doors <NUM> that comprises respective door leaves opening to the left and to the right. In the latter example, the same electric motor and transmission system of the door driving system <NUM> may be applied for driving the movement of the both door leaves. In case the elevator car <NUM> comprises two or more independent car doors that are driven by respective separate door driving systems <NUM>, e.g. respective car doors <NUM> in both ends of the elevator car <NUM>, the door controller <NUM> may carry out the above-described configuration procedure separately for each of the car doors <NUM>.

Standards related to safety of elevator transport require that the elevator car <NUM> is not allowed to travel unless the car door <NUM> is fully closed. As an example, closed status of the car door <NUM> may be provided via usage of a safety switch arranged in the car door <NUM> that closes a safety chain when the car door <NUM> is fully closed and consequently issues a monitoring signal, which may be delivered to the elevator controller <NUM> as a primary car door closed signal to provide an indication of the car door <NUM> being duly closed.

In some situations, such as maintenance operations carried out to the elevator system <NUM>, it may be necessary to bypass the safety switch, thereby disconnecting the safety chain. In such situations there may be still a need to move the elevator car <NUM> up or down, whereas safety regulations nevertheless prohibit the elevator controller <NUM> moving the elevator car <NUM> without an indication of the car door <NUM> being fully closed. For such a situation the elevator controller <NUM> may allow movement of the elevator car <NUM> in response to receiving a secondary car door closed signal from the door controller <NUM>, which is secondary car door closed signal is derived using a mechanism that is substantially independent from that applied in derivation of the primary car door closed signal. As an example in this regard, the door controller <NUM> may substantially continuously record the power consumption profiles resulting from movement of the car door <NUM> and consider a power consumption profile that ends with the door coupler range and/or a door coupler range within a power consumption profile that terminates with a power consumption peak as an event that may trigger transmission of the secondary car door closed signal to the elevator controller <NUM>. As another example, alternatively or additionally, the door controller <NUM> may consider the component of the transmission system reaching the one of the first and second reference positions that is associated with the closed door position as an event that may trigger transmission of the secondary car door closed signal to the elevator controller <NUM>.

The operations pertaining to operation of the door controller <NUM> with respect to carrying out the configuration procedure may be described as steps of a method. As an example in this regard, <FIG> depicts a flowchart illustrating a method <NUM>, which may be implemented by the door controller <NUM>, by a (computing) device coupled to the door controller <NUM>, or by another entity of the elevator control system <NUM>. The method <NUM> commences from monitoring one or more parameters that are descriptive of the power consumption of the electric motor of the door driving system <NUM> upon movement of the car door <NUM>, as indicated in block <NUM>. The method <NUM> further comprises recording the first power consumption profile that is descriptive of the power consumption of said electric motor as a function of the car door position when the car door <NUM> is moved from the first end position to the second end position, as indicated in block <NUM>, and recording the second power consumption profile that is descriptive of the power consumption of said electric motor as a function of the car door position when the car door <NUM> is moved from the second end position to the first end position, as indicated in block <NUM>. The method <NUM> further comprises designating one of the first and second end positions as the closed door position and the other one of the first and second end positions as the open door position based on one or more characteristics of the first and second power consumption profiles, as indicated in block <NUM>. The method <NUM> may further comprise operating the car door <NUM>, after completion of the configuration procedure, in accordance with said designation, as indicated in block <NUM>. Respective operations described with references to blocks <NUM> to <NUM> pertaining to the method <NUM> may be implemented, varied and/or complemented in a number of ways, for example as described with references to the door controller <NUM>, to other elements of the elevator control system <NUM> and/or to another element of the elevator system <NUM>.

Along the lines described in the foregoing, the door controller <NUM> may comprise or may be provided using one or more computing devices comprising respective one or more processors arranged to execute one or more computer programs to provide at least some aspects of operation of the door controller <NUM>. As an example in this regard, the operation of the door controller <NUM> may be provided by a door controller apparatus or by an apparatus arranged to operate as the door controller <NUM>. <FIG> schematically illustrates some components of an apparatus <NUM> that may be employed to implement such an apparatus.

The apparatus <NUM> comprises a processor <NUM> and a memory <NUM>. The memory <NUM> may store data and computer program code <NUM>. The apparatus <NUM> may further comprise communication means <NUM> for wired or wireless communication with other apparatuses and/or user I/O (input/output) components <NUM> that may be arranged, together with the processor <NUM> and a portion of the computer program code <NUM>, to provide the user interface for receiving input from a user and/or providing output to the user. In particular, the user I/O components may include user input means, such as one or more keys or buttons, a keyboard, a touchscreen or a touchpad, etc. The user I/O components may include output means, such as a display or a touchscreen. The components of the apparatus <NUM> are communicatively coupled to each other via a bus <NUM> that enables transfer of data and control information between the components.

The memory <NUM> and a portion of the computer program code <NUM> stored therein may be further arranged, with the processor <NUM>, to cause the apparatus <NUM> to perform at least some aspects of operation of the door controller <NUM> described in the foregoing. Although the processor <NUM> is depicted as a respective single component, it may be implemented as respective one or more separate processing components. Similarly, although the memory <NUM> is depicted as a respective single component, it may be implemented as respective one or more separate components, some or all of which may be integrated/removable and/or may provide permanent / semi-permanent/ dynamic/cached storage.

The computer program code <NUM> may comprise computer-executable instructions that implement at least some aspects of operation of the door controller <NUM> described in the foregoing when loaded into the processor <NUM>. As an example, the computer program code <NUM> may include a computer program consisting of one or more sequences of one or more instructions. The processor <NUM> is able to load and execute the computer program by reading the one or more sequences of one or more instructions included therein from the memory <NUM>. The one or more sequences of one or more instructions may be configured to, when executed by the processor <NUM>, cause the apparatus <NUM> to perform at least some aspects of operation of the door controller <NUM> described in the foregoing. Hence, the apparatus <NUM> may comprise at least one processor <NUM> and at least one memory <NUM> including the computer program code <NUM> for one or more programs, the at least one memory <NUM> and the computer program code <NUM> configured to, with the at least one processor <NUM>, cause the apparatus <NUM> to perform at least some aspects of operation of the door controller <NUM> described in the foregoing.

The computer program code <NUM> may be provided e.g. a computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable non-transitory medium having the computer program code <NUM> stored thereon, which computer program code <NUM>, when executed by the processor <NUM> causes the apparatus <NUM> to perform at least some aspects of operation of the door controller <NUM> described in the foregoing. The computer-readable non-transitory medium may comprise a memory device or a record medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, a Blu-ray disc or another article of manufacture that tangibly embodies the computer program. As another example, the computer program may be provided as a signal configured to reliably transfer the computer program.

Claim 1:
An apparatus (<NUM>) for controlling operation of a car door (<NUM>) arranged in an elevator car (<NUM>) via operating a door driving system (<NUM>) arranged to drive movement of the car door (<NUM>) between first and second end positions of its movement range, wherein the door driving system (<NUM>) comprises an electric motor that is coupled to the car door (<NUM>) via a transmission system and wherein, the elevator car (<NUM>) comprises a door coupler (<NUM>) connected to the car door (<NUM>) for temporarily coupling the car door (<NUM>) to a landing door (<NUM>) when the elevator car (<NUM>) resides in a landing zone of a landing (<NUM>) such that the landing door (<NUM>) moves between a closed position and an open position together with the car door (<NUM>),
wherein the apparatus (<NUM>) is arranged to control movement of the car door (<NUM>) and monitor one or more parameters that are descriptive of power consumption of said electric motor upon movement of the car door (<NUM>),
wherein the apparatus (<NUM>) is arranged to carry out a configuration procedure comprising:
recording a first power consumption profile that is descriptive of the power consumption of said electric motor as a function of the car door (<NUM>) position when the car door (<NUM>) is moved from the first end position to the second end position,
recording a second power consumption profile that is descriptive of the power consumption of said electric motor as a function of the car door (<NUM>) position when the car door (<NUM>) is moved from the second end position to the first end position, and characterized by
designating one of the first and second end positions as a closed door position and the other one of the first and second end positions as an open door position based on one or more characteristics of the first and second power consumption profiles.