Solution for operating an elevator having different elevator car motion profiles

An elevator system, comprising:

• an elevator car;
• a counterweight;
• a safety controller communicatively connected to the elevator car or to the counterweight via a safety data bus;
• one or more brake control units;
• one or more safety brakes including triggering elements connected to the one or more brake control units;
• and
• an absolute positioning system configured to provide continuously information representing a movement of the elevator car or a movement continuously information representing a movement of the elevator car or a movement of the counterweight, the absolute positioning system communicatively connected to the safety controller via the safety data bus, the absolute positioning system including
• an encoder configured to generate continuous position information of the elevator car or the counterweight, and
• a door zone sensor system configured to generate door zone information, the door zone sensor system including
• a reader device arranged to the elevator car or the counterweight, and
• a plurality of targets arranged to a hoistway within separate, respective landing zones of a plurality of landings, the door zone information generated by the reader device based on the elevator car or the counterweight causing the reader device to pass at least one target of the plurality of targets, P1 wherein the absolute positioning system is configured to continuously provide information representing the movement of the elevator car or the movement of the counterweight, such that the information representing the movement of the elevator car or the movement of the counterweight includes both the continuous position information and the door zone information,
• wherein the safety controller includes
• one or more memories storing a computer program including instruction, and
• one or more processors configured to execute the computer program to cause the safety controller to
• receive a request to drive the elevator car to a destination,
• generate an elevator car motion profile to serve the received request, the elevator car motion profile including motion parameters of the elevator car, the motion parameters of the elevator car including at least acceleration of the elevator car, a target maximum speed of the elevator car, and deceleration of the elevator car, wherein at least one of the target maximum speed of the elevator car and the deceleration of the elevator car in the generated elevator car motion profile is defined based on the destination,
• monitor the movement of the elevator car or the movement of the counterweight in the hoistway based on processing the information provided continuously by the absolute positioning system, and
• trigger the one or more safety brakes to stop the movement of the elevator car and the movement of the counterweight, in response to detecting that, when the elevator car is at a given position in the hoistway, a speed of the elevator car or a speed of the counterweight at least meets a value of an overspeed threshold that corresponds to the given position of the elevator car in the hoistway,
• wherein the overspeed threshold is a continuous curve that varies based on both the target maximum speed of the elevator car and elevator car position in the hoistway, such that the overspeed threshold has
• an upper limit corresponding to elevator car positions in the hoistway at which the elevator car is to move at the target maximum speed according to the generated elevator car motion profile, the upper limit being greater than the target maximum speed of the elevator car by a safety factor, and
• a lower limit corresponding to elevator car positions in the hoistway that are proximate to a pit of the hoistway or an overhead structure in a top end terminal of the hoistway, the target maximum speed being greater than the lower limit, and
• wherein a pit safety equipment is dimensioned according to the overspeed threshold corresponding to the lower limit,
• wherein the safety data bus extends within a travelling cable that extends along the hoistway to be connected to the plurality of targets and is connected at one end to the elevator car.

A method for operating an elevator system, the method comprising:

• receiving, at a safety controller, a request to drive an elevator car to a destination;
• generating, at the safety controller, an elevator car motion profile to serve the received request, the elevator car motion profile including motion parameters of the elevator car, the motion parameters of the elevator car including at least acceleration of the elevator car, a target maximum speed of the elevator car, and deceleration of the elevator car, wherein at least one of the target maximum speed of the elevator car and the deceleration of the elevator car in the generated elevator car motion profile is defined based on the destination;
• and
• monitoring, at the safety controller, a movement of the elevator car in a hoistway based on processing information provided continuously by an absolute positioning system communicatively connected to the safety controller via a safety data bus, the information representing the movement of the elevator car, the information including both of
• continuous position information of the elevator car, the continuous position information received from an encoder, and
• door zone information receive from a door zone sensor system, the door zone sensor system including a reader device arranged to the elevator car, the door zone sensor system further including a plurality of targets arranged to the hoistway within separate, respective landing zones of a plurality of landings, the door zone information received from the reader device based on the elevator car causing the reader device to pass at least one target of the plurality of targets, wherein if the destination is an extreme destination,
• the target maximum speed of the elevator car in the generated elevator car motion profile is a first maximum speed, and/or
• a maximum deceleration of the elevator car in the generated elevator car motion profile is a first maximum deceleration,
• wherein if the destination is any other destination that the extreme destination,
• the target maximum speed of the elevator car in the generated elevator car motion profile is a second maximum speed, first maximum speed being lower than the second maximum speed, and/or
• the maximum deceleration of the elevator car in the generated elevator car motion profile is a second maximum deceleration, the first maximum deceleration being lower that the second maximum deceleration,
• wherein the elevator system includes a pit safety equipment dimensioned according to the target maximum speed corresponding to the first maximum speed and the maximum deceleration of the elevator car corresponding to the first maximum deceleration, and
• wherein the safety data bus extends within a travelling cable that extends along the hoistway to be connected to the plurality of targets and is connected at one end to the elevator car.