Abstract: Remote control devices borne by potential passengers are alerted to initiate a request for elevator service by beacons in the building. The beacon alert message includes a tag identifying the floor on which the beacon is located and a position on the floor at which the beacon is located. The floor description tags prevent transmissions of the remote device from being recognized on floors other than the floor on which the device was alerted by a beacon, whereby transmission power of the remote devices may be quite high to assure reception anywhere on the floor, while being ignored on adjacent floors.

Abstract: Automatic gain control is provided for a control means for controlling a magnetic actuator for an elevator horizontal active suspension. The gain is varied depending on the drive current in the coil of the electromagnet of the magnetic actuator, the airgap of the magnetic actuator, or both.

Abstract: A dual magnet controller, as part of an active roller guide (ARG) controller, that requires that each controlled actuator produce at least a minimum idling force, rather than carrying a minimum idling current. The dual magnet controller for a particular control axis determines force commands for its pair of actuators based on the actuators in combination having to produce a net force, and each actuator independently having to produce a force equal in magnitude at least to a pre-determined minimum idling force. The net force may be calculated by other elements of the ARG controller and communicated as input to the dual magnet controller.

Abstract: A fault sensor to be used with a controller as part of an active roller guide (ARG), the fault sensor disabling the ARG if it determines that any pair of current-force magnitudes for any of the ARG actuators is outside of a predetermined acceptable operating envelope, indicating an anomalous, or fault, condition. The ARG fault sensor receives, periodically, magnitudes of current and flux density for each actuator. From these, it calculates an actuator force and then checks that the current-force pair for each actuator is within the operating envelope. This envelope is curvilinear in its boundary. To check the curved segments of the envelope boundary, the fault sensor calculates the gap for each actuator. If each gap magnitude is within range, all that is left is to check the straight segments of the envelope boundary. This is done by simply checking that each actuator current and force magnitude is less than a predetermined limit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a roller guide assembly for controlling the position of an elevator car in relation to guide rails of an elevator hoistway in an elevator system. The roller guide assembly includes at least one electromagnet means and at least one solenoid means. The at least one electromagnet means responds to an elevator car control signal from an elevator car controller, for providing at least one electromagnet force to adjust the position of the elevator car in relation to the guide rails of the elevator hoistway. The at least one solenoid means responds to the elevator car control signal, for providing at least one solenoid force that counterbalances said at least one electromagnet force for adjusting the position of the elevator car in relation to the guide rails of the elevator hoistway.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided which can reduce life cycle costs associated with wear on active horizontal suspension actuators for elevators and also reduce cost of such actuators. The method includes discriminating lateral movement of elevator due to car loading imbalance from that of movement due to building sway and operating the actuators only in the case of lateral movement due to car loading imbalance. The discriminating may comprise the steps of detecting a car position outside a deadband, and allowing changes in the actuators to counter the forces causing such positional changes only if the car position stays outside the deadband for more than a predetermined time, e.g., more than half the predetermined period of building sway, which is an architectural constant for a particular building.

Abstract: A system for position loss recovery for an elevator car includes a plurality of pairs of encoded floor magnets that uniquely identify each floor. Upon restoration of power, the encoded floor magnets are sensed by an encoded floor sensor and the precise floor location of the elevator car is determined.

Abstract: Armature current I.sub.ARM is measured at full load and empty load. These two values are used to calculate a pre-torque armature current gain (MBIAS) and an overbalance correction is included in calculation of an elevator pre-torque armature current I.sub.ARM to compensate for an erroneous overbalance value for providing an armature current I.sub.ARM which does not cause rollback or rollforward of an elevator hoist motor.Samples of elevator car load and armature current I.sub.ARM are taken after the elevator brake is lifted, with the car at zero velocity, over a number of runs for continually recalibrating the pre-torque armature current gain (MBIAS) and offset, thereby compensating for any drift in performance of the loadweighing system.

Abstract: Armature current I.sub.ARM is used to dynamically recalibrate the elevator loadweighing system, thereby eliminating errors in the load (% LOAD) reported from the loadweighing system which are a linear function of the actual weight. Errors in the load (% LOAD) reported from the loadweighing system which are a nonlinear function of the actual weight are minimized by sampled % LOAD values and corresponding actual weight values (% WGT), then mapping sampled % LOAD values to the corresponding % WGT values and providing the % WGT values to the drive instead of the received % LOAD values.

Abstract: The main relay that controls power to an elevator motor and brake lift coil is dropped by an electronic emergency stop relay contact placed in series with the elevator safety chain in the event that the speed and position indications in the elevator controller do not agree with the indications of the emergency terminal stopping speed and zone relays, or if the elevator controller indicates the elevator is going too fast when within the emergency terminal stopping zone. Various parts of the safety chain are cycled off when the elevator is at a landing in order to check the safety circuits and main power relays.

Abstract: A magnet 34 is mounted to a linkage 30 which passes vertically over a conductive vane 32 which extends the entire length of the elevator hoistway 46. Eddy currents induced in the conductive vane 32 as the magnet 34 passes over the conductive vane 32 cause a reaction force on the magnet 34 and the linkage 30. The reaction force causes the safety 26 or 28 to contact a guide rail 22 on which an elevator car 10 is riding, thereby braking the elevator car 10 at any point in the hoistway between the terminals and eliminating the need for a governor. The vane width 50 is large at the terminals as compared to the middle of the hoistway 46 which increases the reaction force at the terminals. The invention eliminates the need for a governor.

Abstract: In an elevator hitch load weighing assembly, a load cell provides an analog load signal to a summer 12, where an analog tare compensation signal is subtracted from the load signal prior to a compensated load signal being provided to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 20; the digital load signal is provided to a remaining tare subtractor 26 where tare remaining in the digital load signal is subtracted and a payload provided.

Abstract: A single load cell 10 both (A) measures the load on a elevator hitch providing an analog elevator load signal on line 11 to an analog-to-digital converter 20 via line 18, for providing a digital elevator load signal and (B) is used for providing a dynamic tare of elevator load weighing system for calibrating the analog-to-digital converter 20 by adjusting an analog reference voltage (V.sub.ref) until the digital elevator load signal is equal to the dynamic tare.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a safety circuit which detects when the car is at least a predetermined distance away from a floor landing while a car door is open. The safety circuit, upon detection of this condition, activates a solenoid located on a safety governor of the elevator car and/or the counterweight, causing safeties to engage, precluding further motion of the car and/or counterweight. The safety circuit comprises the solenoid and a relay having a contact and a coil. Given means for energizing the coil when the elevator car drifts beyond a predetermined distance with a door open, the contact will close, providing power to the solenoid for actuation. The safety circuit preferably employs a relay which indicates whether the car door is open or closed, as well as relays which indicate whether various other system operational checks are satisfactory.

Abstract: A permanent magnet 54 mounted on rods 41 passes vertically over a conductive plate 56 in an elevator hoistway 36, a reactive force causes movement of the permanent magnet 54 vertically away from the conductive plate 56 so that a wedge 24 secured to the rods 41 moves within a tapered wedge guide 44 until it contacts an elevator guide rail 14 on which an elevator car 2 is riding, thereby braking the elevator car 2.

Abstract: The invention weighs an elevator car independently of variations in load distribution within the car and variations in the tension distribution in rods and ropes from which the car is suspended. This is accomplished by means of a top hitch plate, a middle hitch plate, and a bottom hitch plate, which are arranged such that the bottom hitch plate has a pivot 16 mounted on it with the middle hitch plate being mounted on the pivot 16 and a load cell and a support being mounted on the middle hitch plate 17 outboard of the rods from which the car 2 is supported. The top hitch plate is connected to a crosshead at its upper surface. The load cell and support bear against the top hitch plate when there is tension in the rods from the weight of the car 2.

Abstract: Elevator door chain contacts are isolated from the safety chain in a separate circuit, thus enabling the use of a separate door chain coil for independently checking the status of the door chain itself and for enabling the remainder of the safety chain. The status of the door chain itself may be checked to make sure the doors are all closed when they should be. If it is determined the door are not all shut, the car door may be cycled open and shut in an attempt to correct a possible problem at the landing. The individual hoistway door contacts in the door chain may be checked, one at a time, while the car doors are fully opened at each particular floor to make sure that the door chain is not being incorrectly shorted, i.e., to make sure the hoistway door switch contact at the particular floor is opening when it should. A checking contact may be wired into the door chain and used to selectively open circuit the door chain to ensure that the door chain coil is not directly shorted to the power supply.