Otis Elevator Company

Clement A Skalski

Boris G Traktovenko

Richard L Hollowell

John K Salmon

Randall Keith Roberts

Richard C McCarthy

Samuel C Wan

Alberto Vecchiotti

Timothy M Remmers

John C Doane

Richard W Calcasola

A position reference system for an elevator car includes a laser that emits a beam that is reflected from a mirror. Either the laser or the mirror is in a non-moving position, while the other is fixed to the elevator car and moves with it. The laser beam is modulated at two frequencies, one of which provides a coarse position of the elevator car while the other provides a fine position of the elevator car. Position calibration occurs when the elevator car is stationary. When the elevator car begins to move, the coarse position is tracked while the fine position is determined from the higher of the two modulation frequencies. The absolute position of the moving elevator car is thus always known to a degree of accuracy depending on the higher modulation frequency.

Radiation-based contactless position reference system and method for elevators

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

Apparatus and method of determining overspeed of an elevator car

A ropeless governor system is provided for governing the speed of an elevator car (2) in the event of an overspeed condition. An actuator for a safety device (30) is positioned in close proximity to an elevator rail (14) and activated to come into contact and provide a dragging force against the rail in the event of an overspeed condition. The ropeless governor is coupled to an elevator safety braking system (26, 28) such that the dragging force activates the safety brakes. A safety controller (91) is used to determine if the speed of the elevator car has exceeded a predetermined threshold level and to produce a triggering signal (96) to operate the ropeless governor.

Ropeless governor mechanism for an elevator car

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.

Apparatus and method of controlling a linear motor door operator

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.

Elevator control system featuring all-electromagnet vibration and

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.

Method of mounting an elevator roller guide on a guide rail

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. The active suspension is controlled with a feedback control system that is completely separate from the position control loops used to control the individual contactless slide guides.

Contactless slide guide for elevators

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.y3); and local force generating means (18), responsive to the local force coordinated control signals (CC.sub.x1, CC.sub.x2, CC.sub.y1, CC.sub.y2, CC.sub.y3), for providing coordinated local forces (F.sub.x1, F.sub.x2, F.sub.y1, F.sub.y2, F.sub.y3) to maintain desired gaps between the frame and the guide rails to coordinate the position of the elevator car (12) with respect to the elevator shaft of the building.

Elevator active guidance system having a coordinated controller

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. The flux sources can be cores with coils wound thereon having the shape of a pot or an E. The sources can be permanent magnets. A simple signal processing technique for linearizing the output can be used in most cases and comprises a simple divider. Certain sensors can even be used without needing a divider in a certain limited linear range.

Industrial contactless position sensor

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.

Control system for elevator active vibration control using spatial

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.

Actuator having a two ended actuator rod movable longitudinally and

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.

Permanent magnet, magnetodynamic safety brake for elevators and the like

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.

Electromagnet control system

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.

Elevator active suspension system

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. In a preferred embodiment, four electromagnet actuators are situated in the corners of the cab between the floor of the frame and the bottom of the suspended cab. Each actuator may act along a line which intersects the walls of the cab at a forty-five degree angle. A single axis embodiment is also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Avon, CT, United States of America

Clement A Skalski