Abstract: A wireless safety chain for an elevator system includes a base transceiver connected to a system controller. A plurality of safety chain components each includes a physical sensor such as a switch, and a wireless transceiver. The physical sensor monitors the component status. The wireless transceiver communicates among the other safety chain components and the system controller. The wireless safety chain preferably employs a token scheme, where a token is sent from the base transceiver to one component, which in turn sends the token to another component, and so on, until the token returns to the base transceiver. Failure of the token to return to the base transceiver in a predetermined amount of time signals that the elevator system is unsafe.

Abstract: An elevator speed measurement system includes a reflective sensing device that is supported within the hoistway. In one example, the reflective sensing device is a radar-type device that is supported for movement with the cab through the hoistway. Reflected signals off of a structural component within the hoistway provides information regarding speed of movement of the cab in the hoistway. The speed signals are then transmitted to a remotely located receiver that provides an indication to a technician of the speed of the elevator movement.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of determining the position of a rotor at standstill relative to a stator in a synchronous motor elevator machine includes injecting an AC current having a predetermined single frequency and a predetermined initial phase angle into a stator coil of the stator, and sampling the injected current and resultant voltage a predetermined number of times per period of the frequency. Subsequently the method calculates a stator inductance from the sampled voltages and currents using a DFT. By incrementing the initial phase angel a predetermined number of times over a 360 degree cycle, and repeating the injecting, sampling, and calculating with each incremented phase angle, the algorithm provides a predetermined number of calculated stator inductances. The position of the d axis relative to the stator is then determined from the minimum of the calculated stator inductances.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for determining the speed of an elevator car. A radar speed sensor (30) is provided determining the velocity of an elevator car (2). The speed sensor produces a signal which is processed by a processor (52) and compared to a threshold speed value by speed detection module (70). The speed detection module produces an overspeed signal (72) triggering the operation of actuator (34) and safety brake (26).

Abstract: A self-commissioning controller 7 for a field-oriented elevator motor controller 14 includes calculating an integral gain K.sub.I, a proportional gain Kp, and an overall gain (Gc) for the motor controller; obtaining initial values of a rotor time constant .tau..sub.R, magnetizing current Id, and motor torque constant K.sub.T for the motor controller 14, and obtaining a value of a motor transient inductance L.sigma.; calculating final values for said rotor time constant .tau..sub.R and magnetizing current Id, using said transient inductance L.sigma.; and calculating a system inertia J* parameter for speed loop compensation 16 within the motor controller 14. The controller 7 may also include calculating the initial values for .tau..sub.R, Id, and K.sub.T *, and performing self-commissioning automatically upon receiving a command from a service tool 80.

Abstract: An elevator controller 7 is provided with logic 48 which automatically calculates a motor time constant (.tau..sub.R) for a field-oriented current regulator/motor drive 20 by running the elevator up and down while computing a loss component VDX and while varying .tau..sub.R and determining the value of .tau..sub.R at which VDX for the up and down elevator runs are the same within a predetermined tolerance and which automatically calculates a magnetizing current (Id) by running the elevator in a predetermined direction while calculating a motor voltage Vm and varying Id and determining a new value of .tau..sub.R by performing the up/down elevator run until Vm is within a predetermined tolerance of a target voltage V.sub.T.

Abstract: An elevator controller 7 is provided with logic 48 which automatically calculates a motor time constant (.tau..sub.R) for a field-oriented current regulator/motor drive 20 by running the elevator up and down while computing an average of a sign-adjusted error signal DXD.sub.ERR for the up/down run and while varying .tau..sub.R and determining the value of .tau..sub.R at which the average of DXD.sub.ERR for the up and down runs equals zero within a predetermined tolerance. Alternatively, instead of computing the average of DXD.sub.ERR, a single elevator run may be used to determine the value of .tau..sub.R at which DXD.sub.ERR equals zero within a predetermined tolerance.

Abstract: A method of adjusting an elevator speed comprising the steps of determining a desired creep period, determining an actual creep period, determining a difference between the desired creep period and the actual creep period, determining a deceleration time for minimizing the difference between the desired creep period and the actual creep period, and adjusting the elevator speed in response to the deceleration time.

Abstract: An elevator controller 7 is provided with logic 48 which automatically calculates a motor time constant (.tau..sub.R), a torque constant (K.sub.T *), and a magnetizing current (Id) for a field-oriented motor/drive system by calculating a transient inductance L.sigma., injecting a variable input frequency sinewave into a q-axis reference current I.sub.qREF and varying the input frequency while calculating an imaginary part of a rotor impedance Imag(Z.sub.R) to obtain a frequency (F.sub.PEAK) at which the maximum value of Imag(Z.sub.R) occurs, then calculating .tau..sub.R from F.sub.PEAK. K.sub.T *, Id, and a total motor voltage V.sub.M are calculated and Id is varied until a ratio of rated motor voltage (Vph.sub.-- RATED) to V.sub.M is within a predetermined tolerance of one. The procedure is performed with the rotor locked.

Abstract: An elevator controller 7 is provided with logic 48 which automatically calculates a proportional gain (K.sub.P), an integral gain (K.sub.I), and an overall gain (Gc) for a current regulator/motor drive 20 by injecting a sinewave having a predetermined test frequency (F.sub.OL, F.sub.CL) into a reference current I.sub.qREF, measuring the open and closed loop transfer functions and adjusting K.sub.P and K.sub.I until the desired open and closed loop responses are achieved with Gc set based on F.sub.OL. First, with the test frequency at F.sub.OL, K.sub.I is set to zero and K.sub.P is varied until the open loop gain response at F.sub.OL is equal to one. Then, with the test frequency at F.sub.CL and K.sub.P set per the previous step, K.sub.I is varied until the closed loop gain response at F.sub.CL is equal to one. The procedure is performed with the rotor locked.

Abstract: An elevator controller 7 is provided with logic 48 which automatically calculates a motor speed loop gain (J*) of an elevator motor controller 14 by running the elevator up and down while computing an average of a model speed reference signal W.sub.MRE for the up/down run and while varying J* and determining the value of J* at which the average of W.sub.MRE equals zero within a predetermined tolerance.

Abstract: A load compensation calibration method for an elevator controller includes the steps of moving an elevator car in a first direction, the first direction a first creep speed region; determining the time to travel a given distance; during the first run; determining a first actual creep speed of the first creep speed region; determining a difference between a dictated creep speed and the first actual creep speed; determining a first compensation frequency for minimizing the difference between the dictated creep speed and the first actual creep second; moving the elevator car in a second direction, the speed direction including a second creep speed region; determining the time to travel a given distance during the second run; determining a second actual creep speed of the second creep speed region; determining a difference between a dictated creep speed and the second actual creep speed; determining a second compensation frequency for minimizing the difference between the dictated creep speed and the second actua

Abstract: A method of adjusting a leveling time of an elevator car is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: moving the elevator car in a hoistway; transmitting a first signal by a first sensor in response to moving the elevator car in the hoistway; beginning a time measurement in response to detecting the first signal; transmitting a second signal by a second sensor in response to moving the elevator car in the hoistway, the second sensor being disposed a predetermined distance from the first sensor; ending the time measurement in response to detecting the second signal; determining a time measurement value in response to ending the time measurement; determining a leveling speed of the elevator car by dividing the predetermined distance between the first sensor and the second sensor by the time measurement value; and adjusting the leveling time in response to determining the leveling speed.