Abstract: In a position controlling apparatus and method for an elevator which controls a position of an elevator in accordance with a velocity command profile consisting of an acceleration region, a uniform velocity region and a deceleration region, a position controlling apparatus and method according to the present invention controls generation of a synchronization position error in the deceleration region.

Abstract: A multiple-wound, three-phase, variable speed motor having N independent winding sets is driven by N inverters, each responding to 1/N of the torque and excitation current commands, and the torque current is limited as a function of N times the limiting current each inverter may tolerate, when all inverters are functioning. When M inverters fail, they are disconnected from the motor, the torque current is limited as function of N-M times the limiting current each inverter may tolerate. The remaining N-M inverters may each respond to 1/(N-M) of the torque and excitation commands. The excitation current may be maximized as (N-M) times the limiting current divided by the square root of two. The speed command may be predetermined by the integration over an acceleration interval, of the maximum acceleration achievable with torque available from those of the inverters which have not failed, in view of the inverters' current limits.

Abstract: In the control of the hoisting motor (5) of an elevator, the output (25,125) of the motor drive is generated using a signal (23,127) proportional to the rotation of the hoisting motor as feedback signal during passages between floors. At or near a landing, the position of the elevator car (1) in relation to the landing (8) is measured using a sensor (10) placed on the elevator car, and the position signal (25,125) is utilized to produce a reference for controlling the hoisting motor.

Abstract: The car speed feedback control circuit 1 or 13 calculates the car speed correction signal Vcref2 that can make the car speed detected value Vcfb from the car speed detecting circuit 6 follow-up the car speed command Vcref given from the outside. The speed convert circuit 2 converts the car speed correction signal Vcref2 from the car speed feedback control circuit into the motor speed reference Vmref for the elevator, and the motor speed control circuit 3 controls the rotational speed of the motor according to the motor speed reference from the speed convert circuit. In this feedback control of the elevator according to the car speed, the gain computing circuit 7 computes necessary feedback gains Kd and Tc for suppressing the resonance of the elevator mechanical system based on the combination of the car load detected value mc from the car load detecting circuit 9 and the car position detected value y from the car position detecting circuit 10, and sets the gains for the car speed feedback control circuit.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling an emergency operation in an elevator system. The apparatus includes an inverter for inverting a direct voltage into alternating voltages and driving an induction motor with the alternating voltages, a current detector for detecting a current that flows through a first coil of the induction motor, a speed detector for detecting a speed of the induction motor and outputting phase signals, and a control circuit for receiving the current outputted from the current detector and the phase signals outputted from the speed detector and outputting a voltage command to the inverter. The apparatus and method shorten a rescue time by determining an elevator car driving direction by the use of the phase signals outputted form the speed detector during a driving interruption caused by an abnormal or emergency situation.

Abstract: An elevator controller/solid state drive interface allows an existing relay logic passenger elevator controller to be retrofitted with either a DC or AC solid state drive replacing the motor generator set for DC hoist motors or the two-speed starter in AC systems. This interface can also allow systems utilizing a motor generator set and DC hoist motor to be retrofitted with an AC solid state drive and AC hoist motor while retaining the existing controller. The controller/solid state drive interface includes selectable dropping resistors to adapt to various control VDC from an existing elevator controller to a 24 VDC relay bank. An electrical circuit coupled to the relay bank (containing additional relays and timers) provides control signals to the solid state drive, which in turn provides the drive power to the hoist motor. Sequencing of specific control signals and creation of the functions necessary for proper operation of the solid state drive are provided within the controller/solid state drive interface.

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 method for generating velocity profiles for elevator car doors includes a step of generating a straight line velocity versus time profile. The profile is then passed through a low pass finite impulse response filter to smooth the transition between different velocity and acceleration values and to limit certain undesired frequencies. The filtered profile can be integrated into a position versus time profile and stored in the RAM of a control system to be used for subsequent operations.

Abstract: The invention relates to a procedure for stopping an elevator car at a landing, in which procedure the travelling velocity and position of the elevator in the shaft are measured and a distance from the landing, i.e. a deceleration point at which deceleration is started, is determined for one travelling velocity, i.e. a reference velocity. According to the invention, the deceleration point is changed in proportion to the difference between the measured travelling velocity and the reference velocity.

Abstract: In an elevator speed control circuit that has a proportional and integral speed amp 3 responsive to the deviation between a speed command .omega.* and actual motor speed .omega..sub.M, there is provided a car motion feedback circuit that amplifies the difference between a speed command .omega.* and actual car speed .omega..sub.car (or acceleration command and actual acceleration) with amp 12, extracts car vibration characteristics through band-pass filter 14, and changes these vibration components to the optimal phase in a phase correction filter 16 for feeding back. A load torque predictor 21 estimates load torque from signals from circuits 2-19 and from actual motor speed .omega..sub.M to improve speed feedback characteristics and the effectiveness of external disturbance suppression in elevator speed control. A variety of variable circuit elements are disclosed.

Abstract: A method for scaling a position versus time profile for elevator car doors includes a step for generating a time scaling factor and a distance scaling factor. The scaling factors allow a previously stored position versus time profile to be used for all subsequent operations of the elevator car doors.

Abstract: A control apparatus for use in an elevator is constructed in a compact and low-cost design without degrading the quality of service of the elevator by minimizing the current flowing through a hoisting motor. The control apparatus includes a load sensor and a speed command generator.

Abstract: An electric drive for the vehicle or traveling mechanism of a lifting appliance contains a control which controls the switching on of the mechanical brake and the switching of the motor current off and on again. In this case, there is provision, in the event of a changeover from a high traveling speed to slow maneuvering speed, for the mechanical brake to remain released until the maneuvering speed is approached. During this phase, the vehicle is decelerated solely by the internal friction and the rolling friction on the rail, in order to avoid inducing any or any additional load pendulum oscillation.

Abstract: A variable speed elevator drive system for automatically discriminating between large and small loads, and for adjusting a maximum cage speed (maximum output frequency) in accordance with such load. The system comprises a voltage detection circuit 4, a current detection circuit 5, and a CPU 6A which discriminates between large and small loads by a value I2 obtained by averaging a detected current I for a current detection range and current detection period that are provided as parameters, and automatically adjusts the maximum output frequency by determining a regenerative or power running state from the detected voltage and current. By making variable the current detection range and period, and a first order lag filter time constant used in averaging the current, an optimal maximum output frequency corresponding to the load may be selected to improve the operating efficiency even when fluctuations in the load are large.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for regulating the speed of an a.c. elevator motor (10) by means of a frequency converter (8) consisting of a rectifier bridge (12) and an inverter bridge (14) with an intermediate circuit between them. The frequency of the frequency converter is adjusted until it corresponds to a frequency reference (f.sub.ref) corresponding to the speed reference (v.sub.ref,v.sub.ref ') of the motor. The velocity of the motor (v.sub.real) is measured to form a speed feedback signal. According to the invention, the apparatus has elements (24,26) for correcting the speed reference (v.sub.ref) on the basis of the change occurring in the voltage (U.sub.c) of the intermediate circuit.

Abstract: Whenever the elevator cage (2) enters a landing zone at each target stop floor, the landing zone calculator (32) generates discriminate signals (32b, 32c, 32d) indicative of whether the cage lands from a normal distance or from one of abnormal distances (far away or not far away from the normal distance) detected by limit switches (27 to 30). Then, the landing pattern generator (34) calculates a landing pattern representative of the reference speed proportional to a distance from the current position to the target stop position of the motor shaft on the basis of the output of the landing zone calculator (32) and the detected motor shaft position. Therefore, whenever the moving cage enters the landing zone, the cage is controlled in such a way that the cage speed can be reduced gradually with the approach of the motor shaft angular position to a target stop angular position thereof.

Abstract: A linear motor for operating an elevator door is energized using a bang-bang control strategy (10) wherein three-phase AC utility mains (16) are connected (29) directly to the linear motor primary (14) by means of a motor control (12) in response to control signals (26) provided under the direction of a control strategy (10), which may be microprocessor-based. Commands (24) from an elevator controller to open/close the elevator door cause the system to operate the doors and a sensor (22) provides feedback (28) by means of which the control (10) is able to determine switch points for switching the AC mains.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling an elevator capable of providing enhanced comfort to passengers by reducing and compensating for propulsion change and propulsion ripples, the apparatus comprising an acceleration sensor for detecting the moving acceleration of an elevation member, and a control circuit including a speed controller for generating an acceleration command to be issued to the elevation member in accordance with a speed deviation. An acceleration controller for generating a corrected propulsion command to be issued to the elevation member in accordance with an acceleration deviation between the acceleration command and the moving acceleration is provided and a electric power command generater for generating an electric power command to be issued to the inverter in accordance with the corrected propulsion command is also provided.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of controlling a plurality of elevator cars disposed in a common hoistway. When the amount of time elapsed since a moving elevator has started is within a range which is determined by the position from which the moving elevator has started and the position from which a stopped elevator will start, a determination is made that there is the possibility that the two elevators move in parallel. Hence, the stopped elevator is prevented from starting. When such an amount of time is out of the range, a command is issued to start the stopped elevator. Thus, the stopped elevator is no longer prevented from starting when the amount of time elapsed since the moving elevator has started is out of the range within which the two elevators may move in parallel. The waiting time is minimized during which the elevator is prevented from starting, thus improving reliability.

Abstract: The present invention provides an elevator speed control system in one mode, including: a plurality of converters connected in parallel for converting an AC voltage to a DC voltage by means of controllable devices; a capacitor for smoothing output voltages of the plural converters; a plurality of inverters connected in parallel which convert the voltages smoothed by means of the capacitors to an AC voltage whose magnitude and frequency are controllable, and which further supply the resulting AC voltage to a hoisting induction motor; current detectors for detecting the currents in each phase of the plural converters and inverters; a control means which calculates the sum of the resulting currents of the plural converters and inverters and which further controls the output voltages of plural converters and inverters so that the resulting sum is minimized.

Abstract: A controller for a ropeless elevator, includes: a cross induction line cable arranged along the hoistway; an exciter provided on the car side to generate sinusoidal waves for positional detection in the cable; a movement amount detector provided on the car side to detect a car movement amount; a data calculator provided on the car side to calculate data on car speed and on secondary-conductor magnetic pole phase from the movement amount detected by the movement amount detector; a data transmitter provided on the car side to utilize the cross induction line cable in transmitting the data calculated by the data calculator to the building side; an induction radio circuit provided on the building side to utilize the cable in receiving data from the data transmission device and calculate the initial phase of the secondary conductor from the sinusoidal waves generated in the cross induction line cable; and an inverter control circuit provided on the building side to interpolate the initial phase calculated by the i

Abstract: An elevator system which is provided with power converters, electric motors supplied with power from the power converters, and a torque distributing section having functions for determining allocation of output power from the power converters on the basis of a required torque, by which an elevator is operated on the basis of functions selected in accordance with the operation mode. The system is able to save power in the elevator operation and also improve control functions and increase system capacity.

Abstract: An elevator includes a cab supported and guided by guide rails for travel along the guide rails. Emergency stop devices for stopping the travel of the cab are fixed to the cab. Mounted on the cab is a governor for actuating the stop devices when the traveling speed of the cab exceeds a predetermined speed. The governor includes a roller mounted on the cab and in rolling contact with one of the guide rails so that the roller rolls on the guide rail in interlocking engagement upon travel of the cab. A governor pulley is rotatably mounted on the cab and connected to the roller through a belt so as to rotate in interlocking cooperation with the roller. A safety Link mechanism is mounted on the cab and actuates the stop devices when the rotating speed of the governor pulley exceeds a predetermined speed.