Method for diagnosis and/or maintenance of a brake of a transportation system, software program, and brake apparatus

A method for diagnosis and/or maintenance of a brake configured to apply a braking force to a hoisting machine of a transportation system, wherein said method comprises:

• controlling the brake to start a brake control action;
• monitoring the brake to detect a response of the brake to the brake control action, wherein in case of the response the response is detected in a predefined manner;
• measuring a brake operating time interval from a first point in time of starting of the brake control action until a second point in time of monitoring the brake to detect the response;
• and
• if either the response has not been detected until the brake operating time interval reaches and/or exceeds a predetermined threshold or the response has been detected after the brake operating time interval reaches and/or exceeds the predetermined threshold, establishing an information indicating that an operation of the brake should be modified,
• wherein the information indicating that an operation of the brake should be modified is established by comprising a corrective action which may be one or more of the following:
• controlling the brake to lower an operating current of an electromagnet of the brake to reduce the brake operating time interval for detecting the response;
• and
• if an increase of the brake operating time interval for detecting the response or derivative of the increase of the brake operating time interval reaches and/or exceeds another threshold, the transportation system is taken out of service because of safety reasons.