Elevator cab locating system including wireless communication

An elevator system comprising:

• an elevator cab that is adapted to move within a hoistway;
• a plurality of door frames adapted to be supported along the hoistway;
• a first wireless communicating portion supported for movement with the elevator cab, the first communicating portion including a transceiver that transmits a radio frequency triggering signal;
• a plurality of second wireless communicating portions, each supported in a selected position on one of the door frames, the first and second communicating portions wirelessly transmitting signals to each other, the second communicating portion responding to the triggering signal to generate a locating signal;
• and
• a controller that utilizes information regarding the wireless communications between the communicating portions to determine the position of the elevator cab within the hoistway.

An elevator system, comprising:

• an elevator cab that is adapted to move within a hoistway;
• a first wireless communicating portion supported for movement with the elevator cab, the first communicating portion including a transceiver that transmits a radio frequency triggering signal;
• a plurality of second wireless communicating portions supported in a selected positions relative to the hoistway, the first and second communicating portions wirelessly transmitting signals to each other, the second communicating portion responding to the triggering signal to generate a locating signal that comprises an ultrasound signal;
• and
• a controller that utilizes information regarding the wireless communications between the communicating portions to determine the position of the elevator cab within the hoistway.

A method of determining the location of an elevator cab within a hoistway in an elevator system having a first wireless communicating portion supported for movement with the elevator cab and at least one second wireless communicating portion at a selected position relative to the hoistway, comprising the steps of:

• generating a radio frequency trigger signal using the first wireless communicating portion;
• generating an ultrasound locating signal, using the second communicating portion, responsive to the trigger signal;
• and
• determining a location of the elevator cab within the hoistway based upon a characteristic of the locating signal received by the first communicating portion.