Otis Elevator Company

Edward D Piedra

Ismail Agirman

Ronnie E Thebeau

Christopher S Czerwinski

Amir Lotfi

Jeffrey M Izard

Randall Keith Roberts

Vladimir Blasko

Randy Roberts

HanJong Kim

Michael Garfinkel

Prasanna Nagarajan

Daniel Rush

Dennis Hanvey

Yang Wang

Daryl J Marvin

Bruce P Swaybill

David Ginsberg

Shashank Krishnamurthy

Konda Reddy Chevva

Frank Higgins

XiaoBin Tang

Neil A Greiner

Draguna Vrabie

Rui Huang

Ismail Agiman

Daryl Marvin

Methods and systems for monitoring a dynamic compensation control system of an elevator system are provided. The methods and systems include monitoring a first motion state sensor signal generated by a first motion state sensor, the first motion state sensor associated with an elevator machine, monitoring a second motion state sensor signal generated by a second motion state sensor, the second motion state sensor located on an elevator car, determining an operational status of the second motion state sensor based on an analysis of the first motion state sensor signal and the second motion state sensor signal, and when it is determined that a failure status of the second motion state sensor is present, the method further comprises deactivating a dynamic compensation control mode of operation of the elevator system.

Health monitoring systems and methods for elevator systems

Methods and systems of controlling elevators including detecting a landing stop for an elevator car, measuring load information associated with the stop, controlling stopping of the elevator at the landing using a machine based on at least one of the detected landing and the measured load information and performing dynamic compensation control of a motion state of the elevator with a computing system and the elevator machine. The dynamic compensation control includes receiving motion state information related to at least one motion state of the elevator car at the computing system, receiving the landing and load information at the computing system, applying a filter to the received information and generating a first control signal, and producing a control output from the first control signal to control the elevator machine to minimize oscillations, vibrations, excessive position deflections, and/or bounce of the elevator car at the detected landing.

Dynamic compensation control for elevator systems

An elevator drive system () includes a permanent magnet (PM) synchronous electric motor () including a plurality of phases and a plurality of motor drives () electrically connected to the PM synchronous electric motor. Each of the plurality of motor drives is operatively connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of phases. The plurality of motor drives is configured and disposed to deliver a torque current divided equally between each of the plurality of phases and independently deliver flux current to the corresponding one of the plurality of phases.

Elevator system including a permanent magnet (PM) synchronous motor drive system

A permanent magnet (PM) synchronous electric motor () includes a plurality of phases, and a plurality of motor drives () electrically connected to the PM synchronous electric motor. Each of the motor drives is operatively connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of phases. The plurality of motor drives is configured and disposed to deliver a torque current divided equally between each of the plurality of phases and independently deliver flux current to the corresponding one of the plurality of phases. A controller () is operatively connected to each of the plurality of motor drives to selectively control the PM synchronous electric motor, and a rescue module () operatively connected to the controller, the rescue module being configured and disposed to determine a failure of one of the plurality of motor drives and control the PM synchronous electric motor in a reduced operation profile employing remaining ones of the plurality of motor drives.

Rescue control and method of operating an elevator system including a permanent magnet (PM) synchronous motor drive system

A method of operating an elevator system is provided. The method includes powering, using a battery, the elevator system when an external power source is unavailable. The method also includes controlling, using a controller, a plurality of components of the elevator system. The controlling comprises operating at least one of the battery, an elevator car, a drive unit, and a brake. The method further includes determining, using the controller, a run profile of the elevator car in response to a selected deceleration. The method yet further includes operating, using the controller, the elevator car in response to the run profile determined, and determining, using the controller, an actual velocity of the elevator car.

Elevator run profile modification for smooth rescue

A method includes determining that an elevator car is arriving at a landing at which re-leveling is anticipated; upon the elevator car arriving at the landing at which re-leveling is anticipated, initiating the at least one of a brake cycling operation and a power cycling operation to reduce elevator car sag at the landing; monitoring transfer of weight to or from the elevator car at the landing over a period of time; terminating the at least one of the brake cycling operation and the power cycling operation upon at least one of (i) the transfer of weight to or from the elevator car at the landing over the period of time being less than a threshold and (ii) the elevator car sag at the landing meeting a sag threshold.

Brake operation management in elevators

A system including a drive portion, and an external computing device in communication with the drive portion, wherein the external computing device is configured to receive operational data from the drive portion, determine operational parameters based at least in part on the operational data, determine whether the operational parameters are valid, and automatically transmit commands to the drive portion if the operational parameters are valid.

System and method of maintaining performance of a system

Embodiments are directed to determining that an elevator car of an elevator system is approaching a landing, obtaining, by a controller, a value for at least one parameter associated with the elevator system based on the determination that the elevator car is approaching the landing, determining that the elevator car arrives at the landing within a threshold distance, determining, by the controller, when to engage in at least one of a brake cycling operation and a power cycling operation based on the value for the at least one parameter and based on determining that the elevator car arrives at the landing within the threshold distance, and initiating the at least one of a brake cycling operation and a power cycling operation at a time corresponding to the determination of when to engage in the at least one of a brake cycling operation and a power cycling operation.

Embodiments are directed to calculating a current associated with a motor of an elevator based on an output of a speed regulator, and controlling the elevator based on the current. Embodiments are directed to examining a feeder current obtained via a converter current sensor of a regenerative drive during a peak power condition, and regulating a speed of an elevator based on the feeder current.

Elevator speed control

According to one embodiment, a method of operating an elevator system is provided. The method includes detecting, using a controller, when an external power source is unavailable. The method also includes controlling, using the controller, a plurality of components of the elevator system. The controlling comprises operating at least one of an elevator car, a drive unit, an inverter and a brake. The method further includes detecting, using the controller, an original direction of travel of the elevator car. The method yet further includes detecting, using the controller, a mode of the elevator car, wherein the mode includes at least one of a motoring mode, a near balance mode, and a regenerative mode. The method includes determining, using the controller, a target floor. The method also includes adjusting, using the controller, a velocity of the elevator car to reach the target floor in response to the mode detected.

Advanced smooth rescue operation

A hoist motor () for an elevator () is continuously driven from an irregular power supply (). A regenerative drive () delivers power between the power supply () and the hoist motor (). A controller () measures a power supply voltage in response to a detected change in the power supply voltage and controls the regenerative drive () to adjust a nominal motion profile of the elevator () in proportion with an adjustment ratio of the measured power supply voltage to a normal power supply voltage.

Elevator motor drive tolerant of an irregular power source

An elevator drive assembly () includes a voltage regulator () that selectively introduces current under certain conditions. In one example, the voltage regulator () introduces a negative flux current to an electric motor () when the motor () is operating under conditions corresponding to constant speed movement of an elevator car (). In one example, the added negative flux current effectively reduces the back-EMF voltage of the motor () during the constant velocity portion of an elevator run. A disclosed example includes controlling the added current to maintain control over a motor torque constant, which becomes a function of the added current.

Elevator drive control strategy

An encoder failure in an elevator drive system is detected and managed. A velocity of the elevator drive system is provided by an encoder signal () and compared with a minimum velocity threshold (). An encoder fault timer is incremented when the velocity is less than the minimum velocity threshold (). The elevator drive system is disabled when the encoder fault timer reaches a fault threshold time ().

Managing an encoder malfunction in an elevator drive system

The temperature ( ) of solid state switching devices in variable speed motor drives ( ), such as elevator motor drives, are utilized to reduce the load on the drive, by reducing the switching frequency ( ) or the commanded load ( ). The choice between the preferred non-switching zero state and an alternative zero state is determined ( ) by temperature ( ) of the switched transistor's anti-parallel diode. The rate of recognizing reduced temperatures is limited ( ) to avoid motor speed and/or load variations. The temperature may either be measured ( ) or determined ( ) from models utilizing manufacturer product specification and normalized thermal transient response from the transistor/diode package to a heat sink.

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Holyoke, MA, United States of America

Edward D Piedra