Abstract: A control system (10) for a door operator (12) for moving a door includes a position sensor (54) to be coupled to the door (28) for sensing the position of the door and generating a position signal. An acceleration sensor (48) is to be coupled to the door for sensing the acceleration of the door (28) and generating an acceleration signal. An integrator (50) integrates the acceleration signal to generate a first velocity signal. A differentiator (56) differentiates the position signal to generate a second velocity signal. A blending filter (42) blends the first and second velocity signal to generate a filtered velocity signal, and a controller (32) regulates the velocity of the door (28) in response to the time and position of the door in a door open or close operation.

Abstract: An elevator control system has a roller guide assembly comprising a plurality of rollers arranged in a cluster having at least one roller connected thereto for coupling an elevator car to a guide rail mounted on an elevator hoistway wall. The roller guide assembly comprises a pivot arm for pivoting on a horizontal pivot axis in relation to a longitudinal axis of the guide rail. The elevator control system features one or more electromagnet actuators for providing both vibration and centering control and without any solenoid for providing centering control.

Abstract: A method of installing roller guides in an elevator system so as to be centered on their respective T-rails. In the case of an elevator using either and active or semi-active roller guide system, the method uses the position transducers that are part of the roller guide to indicate how to reposition the roller guide after it is loosely bolted and approximately positioned on the elevator car. For an elevator not using an active roller guide or semi-active roller guide, the present invention temporarily attaches position transducers to the roller guide before bolting the roller guide to the elevator car. These position transducers are removed after centering the roller guide on the T-rail.

Abstract: A contactless slide guide or magnetic bearing for guiding an elevator vertically along a hoistway rail has one or more electromagnet actuators spring-mounted within a yoke attached to the elevator car at a corner thereof. The positioning of the electromagnets within the yoke is such that they are positioned extremely close to the surface of the rail so as to form a magnetic bearing having a gap of just a few millimeters, and which is controlled in a position feedback control loop to keep the gap constant. The contactless slide guide may be used for low-rise buildings with a rigid connection between the yoke and the elevator, or may be used in conjunction with an active suspension system more typically used in mid- to high-rise buildings. The active suspension system may be used, for example, in conjunction with a pendulum car suspended within the elevator frame to which contactless slide guides are attached at the top and bottom.

Abstract: The invention features an elevator system including an elevator car (12) having a frame that operates on guide rails of an elevator shaft of a building. The elevator car (12) has a rigid body motion in a global coordination system (X, Y, Z) kinematically defined by five degrees of freedom including side-to-side translation along the X axis, front-to-back translation along the Y axis, a pitch rotation about the X axis, a roll rotation about the Y axis, and a yaw rotation about the Z axis. The elevator system includes local parameter sensing means (14), responsive to local parameter sensed in each of the five degrees of freedom in the global coordination system (X, Y, Z), for providing local parameter signals (G.sub.m, A.sub.m); coordinated control means (16), responsive to the local parameter signals (G.sub.m, A.sub.m), for providing coordinated control signals (CC.sub.x1, CC.sub.x2, CC.sub.y1, CC.sub.y2, CC.sub.

Abstract: A contactless position sensor uses at least a first magnetic flux source on one side of an object, wherein a sensor is responsive to the flux, for providing a sensed signal indicative of varying positions (x) of the first magnetic flux source and the object relative to each other, including a null position (g), wherein the sensed signal is related to the null position and the varying positions according to a relation (1/(g+x))-(1/(g-x)). An additional magnetic flux source can be provided on the other side of the object for providing additional flux sensed by the sensing means, wherein the first and second magnetic flux sources can be arranged to move in unison with respect to the object, or can be stationary while the object moves between them. The second flux source can be made stationary and its flux directed to either the object or to a second object with a fixed distance therebetween. Or, the second flux source can be dispensed with entirely and simulated by a bias signal.

Abstract: A control system for compensating for horizontal vibrations in a travelling elevator includes at least one horizontal vibration sensor disposed in a plane wherein high frequency vibrations are spatially filtered. Each sensor is provided with a control circuit that provides control signals to actuators associated with roller guide wheels for applying force against a rail as needed to reduce vibrations.

Abstract: An actuator having a part that is capable of moving both longitudinally and transversely may include a housing having a longitudinal axis with respect to which the movable actuator part can move within the housing both longitudinally and transversely. The actuator may include electromagnetic windings on a central section of the moveable part and permanent ring magnets disposed thereabout within the housing. The housing may be adapted to allow the longitudinal and transverse movement of the movable part to compensate for rotational movement of pivot mounted linkages connected to first and second ends of the movable part.

Abstract: A safety brake (14) for an elevator (or other) car has a plurality of permanent magnets (21, 23) arranged along the car guide rail (13) with alternate magnets disposed with opposite polar orientation so as to provide loops of flux (23) between the magnets and in the guide rail when the brake is actuated. A pawl (27) engages a latch (30) to retain the brake lifted when not in use; a governor operated safety rod (34) rotates the pawl to disengage the latch for actuation of the brake in an emergency. Guides (55-59) stabilize the brake against the braking forces. A jack screw (49) overcomes attractive magnetic forces to reset the brake into the lifted position.

Abstract: Alternating current provided at an angular frequency (.omega.) for powering an electromagnet force actuator having a leakage inductance (L.sub.1) whereby the alternating current is controlled by a voltage reference and a feedback signal indicative of the controlled current and amplified at a gain factor (K.sub.1) having a magnitude greater than or equal to the leakage inductance (L.sub.1) times the angular frequency (.omega.), whereby the electromagnet has a flat or positive spring rate.

Abstract: An elevator car vertically guided along a hoistway rail has horizontal motions controlled by means of an actuator wherein horizontal acceleration of the elevator car and relative horizontal displacement between the car and the rail is sensed for controlling such horizontal motions by means of the actuator. Guiding means can be provided in the form of roller clusters at the corners of the car for engaging hoistway rails on opposite sides of the car wherein, for each roller cluster, plural actuators are included with accompanying springs wherein the roller cluster actuators are responsive to the controller for actuating the elevator car horizontally with respect to the hoistway rail. The roller cluster actuators can be electromagnets. Each wheel of the roller cluster can have stop means assocaiated therewith that is operable to limit the extent of movement of the guide wheel in a direction away from the guide rail.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for actively counteracting a disturbing force acting on a suspended elevator cab in a frame moving vertically in a hoistway is disclosed. A manifestation of the disturbing force such as acceleration is sensed and counteracted, for example, by effectively adding mass to the cab in proportion to the sensed acceleration. This may be accomplished by using an electromagnet actuator for actuating the suspended cab in response to a control signal from a control means which is in turn responsive to the sensed signal. Whatever type of actuator is used, it may be used as well to bring the suspended cab to rest with respect to a hoistway sill prior to transferring passengers. The control means may be analog or digital or a combination of both. A preferred analog-digital approach is disclosed in which the digital part is responsive to accelerometer signals, the analog part is responsive to a force command signal from the digital part and provides a position feedback signal in return.

Abstract: Orthogonal sets (26, 28) of coils (21-24) are each connected for differential response to an alternating magnetic field in a taut wire (20) disposed adjacent a rail (76) in an elevator hoistway. The wire is powered with AC current (34, 38) which is also used (40, 44) to synchronously demodulate the response of the coils to the alternating magnetic field so as to produce an output signal (58, 67) indicative of the position of the coils with respect to the taut wire. The coils may be in a holder (70) which is resiliently urged (72) toward the rail, with the wire passing through a hole therein within the coils, or mounted on an elevator which also has a contactless rail position sensor (110-112). Variation in current adjacent the coils is measured by additively coupling the coils (FIGS. 8, 9) which may be used to compensate the position measured by the coils (FIG. 11). Rectangular coil cross sections, as well as preferred coil spacing and dimensions are shown.

Abstract: An improved centering control for an elevator horizontal suspension having at least one actuator and includes a circuit for disabling the control or braking the actuator in response to an error signal indicative of the difference between a reference signal and a sensed signal indicative of the degree of centering of the car. Of course, both braking and disabling may be carried out instead of just one. For those cases in which two actuators are acting in concert to center the car, where the control is responsive to the error signal for only selecting one of the opposed actuators at a time, a small centering window is set up about the centered condition and part of the window is used to disable or brake one of the actuators and another part to disable or brake the other of the actuators. Again, both disabling and braking operations may be carried out at the same time with respect to a given actuator.

Abstract: Rail learning is combined with feedback in a control for improving ride quality in an elevator. For example, a pre-stored signal indicative of a horizontal deviation of the rail's surface from a vertical reference is retrieved and used along with a sensed signal indicative of a horizontal position (or other parameter indicative of a disturbance of the elevator) relative to the rail's surface (or a reference) for controlling an actuable horizontal suspension for reducing horizontal disturbances of the elevator while guiding an elevator vertically in a hoistway along a rail. As another example, a sensed force signal is averaged over a plurality of trips under differing load conditions and the average is pre-stored for retrieval at various vertical points in the hoistway and may be used, in combination with a feedback loop, to predict horizontal forces about to act on the car.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for actively counteracting a disturbing force acting horizontally on a platform moving vertically in a hoistway is disclosed. A manifestation of the disturbing force such as acceleration is sensed and counteracted, for example, by effectively adding mass to the platform in proportion to the sensed acceleration. This may be accomplished by using an electromagnet actuator for actuating the platform in response to a control signal from a control means which is in turn responsive to the sensed signal. Whatever type of actuator is used, it may be used as well to bring the platform to rest with respect to a hoistway sill prior to transferring passengers. The control means may be analog or digital or a combination of both. A preferred analog-digital approach is disclosed in which the digital part is responsive to accelerometer signals, the analog part is responsive to a force command signal from the digital part and provides a position feedback signal in return.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for counteracting a disturbing force acting on an elevator platform in a hoistway comprises sensing the acceleration and position of the platform and applying a force between the platform and the hoistway in proportion to the magnitude of the acceleration signal, in proportion to the integral of the acceleration signal and in proportion to the position signal. The second position signal may be obtained from an electromagnet actuator wherein the sensed current may be divided by a sensed flux density signal multiplied by a transformation signal to obtain position. A force feedback signal may be obtained by squaring the flux density.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for actively counteracting a disturbing force acting on a suspended elevator cab moving vertically in a hoistway is disclosed. A manifestation of the disturbing force such as acceleration is sensed and counteracted, for example, by effectively exerting counterforces against the cab. The magnitude and phase of the counterforce is selected according to the magnitude and phase of the system response to a disturbing force. The invention may be carried out using an electromagnet actuator for actuating the suspended cab in response to a control signal from a control means which is in turn responsive to the sensed signal. The control means may be analog or digital or a combination of both. A preferred analog-digital approach is disclosed in which the digital part is responsive to accelerometer signals, the analog part is responsive to a force command signal from the digital part and provides a force feedback signal for comparison to the force command signal.

Abstract: A semi-active secondary suspension comprises a relatively large actuator for handling low-frequency forces such as those caused by uneven passenger distribution, etc., by means, for example, of a position control loop. A pair of such suspensions on opposite sides of the car or rail can be made to act in concert, for example, by actuating only one at a time. An inner loop can be added to the position control for each secondary suspension to restore its actuator to a selected preload position when not being used as an actuator. The semi-active secondary suspension is made fully active by adding a relatively small actuator for handling higher frequency dynamic forces. A roller guide embodiment has rollers pivotally mounted on links which are spring-biased toward the rail blades. The relatively large actuators are connected to the link springs to slowly increase or decrease the preload force on the spring acting on the links to counter low frequency disturbances.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for actively counteracting a disturbing force acting on a platform moving vertically in a hoistway is disclosed. A manifestation of the disturbing force such as rotational acceleration or translational accelerations indicative thereof is sensed and counteracted, for example, by effectively adding mass to the platform in proportion to the sensed acceleration. The rotations of the platform may be about a vertical axis, one or more horizontal axes or equivalents thereof. Counteraction may but need not be accomplished using an electromagnet actuator for actuating the platform in response to a control signal from a control means which is in turn responsive to the sensed signal. Whatever type of actuator is used, it may be used as well to bring the platform to rest with respect to a hoistway sill prior to transferring passengers. The control means may be analog or digital or a combination of both.