Stairlifts
AssigneeStannah Stairlifts Limited
InventorsNigel Titchener, Paul Alexander Cook
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is provided for ensuring the integrity of a stairlift installation constructed from re-used components. Data representative of the form of a stairlift rail is stored in a control facility included in the stairlift carriage and then compared with data sensed in real time. A stairlift carriage may be disabled in the event sensed data varies from stored data.
Claims14
A method of controlling the operation of a stairlift, comprising a rail, a carriage displaceable along the rail, and a control facility within the carriage configured and operable to control the movement of the carriage on the rail, the method comprising the steps of:
- configuring the control facility with defined fixed parameters of the rail;
- monitoring for any variations in the parameter of the rail itself, using the control facility to compare, in real time, the defined fixed parameters of the rail within the control facility to the parameters of the rail as the carriage moves along the rail;
- and
- initiating a response in the event of a variation being detected.
A stairlift comprising:
- a rail;
- a carriage displaceable along the rail;
- and
- a control facility within the carriage configured and operable to control the movement of the carriage on the rail;
- wherein the control facility is configured with defined fixed parameters of the rail, and
- wherein the control facility is operable;
- to monitor for any variations in the parameters of the rail itself, in real time;
- to compare the defined fixed parameters of the rail within the control facility to the parameters of the rail as the carriage moves along the rail;
- and
- to initiate a response in the event of a variation being detected.
A method of controlling the operation of a stairlift, comprising a rail, a carriage displaceable along a path of the rail, and a control facility within the carriage configured and operable to control the movement of the carriage on the rail, the method comprising the steps of:
- configuring the control facility with a map of defined fixed parameters of the rail stored in an electronic memory;
- comparing in real time, using the control facility, the map of defined fixed parameters of the rail to actual parameters of the rail as the carriage moves along the path of the rail;
- determining if the actual parameters of the rail as the carriage moves along the path of the rail is a departure from the map of defined fixed parameters of the rail within the control facility;
- and
- initiating a response, in the event that the actual parameters of the rail as the carriage moves along the path of the rail is a departure from the map of defined fixed parameters of the rail within the control facility and, in this event, the carriage is programmed to cease functioning.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.