Kone Corporation

Juhamatti Nikander

Ari Kattainen

Arto Nakari

Pasi Raassina

Olli Pokkinen

Juha-Matti Aitamurto

Ari-Pekka Lahtinen

Teppo Vuorio

Pasi Rinnesaari

Lauri Stolt

Janne Salomäki

Pekka Hytti

Olavi Vairio

Pasi Ahonen

Ari-Ekka Lahtinen

In a system and method for an automatic rescue operation of an elevator car in an elevator system, the elevator system includes a hoisting machine and a battery-operated rescue drive device configured to provide power signals to the hoisting machine and/or hoisting machinery brakes. A load sensor is configured to gather elevator car load information, and the rescue drive device is configured to select, based on the elevator car load information, a first rescue run or a second rescue run.

Method and system for an automatic rescue operation of an elevator car

An elevator may include an elevator motor driving at least one elevator car in a hoisting path, which elevator motor is driven via a frequency converter controlled by a control device of the elevator. The frequency converter includes a rectifier bridge and an inverter bridge and a DC link in-between. The elevator further includes at least one elevator brake acting on a brake element rotating with the rotor of the elevator motor, which elevator brake is driven via a brake drive which is connected to the DC link of the frequency converter an comprises a DC/DC converter having its primary side connected to the DC link and its secondary side connected to a brake circuit comprising at least one brake coil of the elevator brake and at least one rectifying element. In the primary side of the DC/DC converter, a first semiconductor switch is connected which is controlled by the control device of the elevator. In the brake circuit a second semiconductor switch is connected which is also controlled by the control device of the elevator, whereby an earth fault indication circuit is connected between the brake circuit and earth. The earth fault indication circuit includes an transmitting part of an opto-coupler, which opto-coupler has its sensor part connected to an earth fault transmission circuit connected to the control device of the elevator. The control device is configured to control the first and/or second semiconductor switch depending on the signal of the earth fault transmission circuit.

Elevator

According to an aspect, there is provided a method for condition monitoring of inductive braking device of an elevator car in an elevator shaft, the method including determining that the elevator car is empty; determining that doors of the elevator car are closed; causing electromechanical brakes to hold the elevator car stationary in the elevator shaft; causing actuation of a braking condition for the elevator car with the inductive braking device; causing the electromechanical brakes to lift while the inductive braking device is in the braking condition; determining a value associated with the inductive braking device in response to causing the electromechanical brakes to lift while the inductive braking device is actuated; and determining an operating condition of the inductive braking device based on the value.

Condition monitoring of an inductive braking device

A method for detecting a loss or an undervoltage condition of phase of an electric converter unit, wherein the method comprises: determining an extremum value, such as a maximum and/or a minimum value, of a phase voltage of the electric converter unit for at least one fundamental period of the phase voltage, and comparing the extremum value to a first threshold value, and if, based on the comparison, a first threshold criterion related to the first threshold value is satisfied, then determining the loss or the undervoltage condition of phase.

Method for detecting loss or undervoltage condition of phase of electric converter unit, conveyor control unit, and conveyor system

The invention relates to an elevator comprising at least one elevator car moved by at least one elevator motor, which elevator motor is driven by a frequency converter controlled by a control device of the elevator, the frequency converter comprising a rectifier bridge, an inverter bridge and a DC link connected in-between, the inverter bridge being connected to the elevator motor and the rectifier bridge being connected to AC mains via three phase supply lines comprising an LCL-filter and a mains switch. The elevator further comprises a backup power supply and a safety device of the control device, which in case of a mains power failure is configured to switch off the mains switch and to connect the backup power supply to the DC link and/or to at least one phase supply line, whereby the rectifier bridge is a bidirectional rectifier bridge being configured to convert DC supplied to the DC link from the backup power supply to an AC voltage supplied to at least two of the phase supply lines connected with at least one load circuit. An earth fault protection circuit for the load circuit is connected between earth and a common terminal of the capacitors of the LCL filter for monitoring an earth fault indicating signal, and which earth fault protection circuit is configured to issue an earth fault signal and/or initiating earth fault safety measures, dependent on the earth fault indicating signal.

A drive device of an elevator includes a frequency converter to be connected to a public AC supply network and an elevator motor. The frequency converter includes a network rectifier configured to be connected to the AC supply network, a motor bridge to be connected to the elevator motor and a DC intermediate circuit located between the network rectifier and the motor bridge. The motor bridge is controlled by a control circuit which feeds the motor bridge with control pulses to regulate the motor speed. The drive device further includes at least one drive prevention circuit connected between the control circuit and the motor bridge. The drive prevention circuit is configured to obtain a safety signal from an elevator safety circuit includes two separate safety input circuits each configured to be connected to the elevator safety circuit to receive a safety signal. Each of the safety input circuits is configured to interrupt the connection between the control circuit and the motor bridge in response to the safety signal status.

Drive device having safety circuits using logic states for an elevator

A method for testing a capacity of a drive rescue battery includes opening a first switching device and second switching device to disconnect a LCL filter from AC mains and form a test load for testing the capacity of the drive rescue battery while disconnecting one of the LCL filter capacitors associated with a third phase from the test load, the test load including a series connection from one of the downstream LCL filter inductors and the LCL filter capacitors associated with the first phase to one of the LCL filter capacitors and the downstream LCL filter inductors associated with the second phase; and determining at least one of a voltage or a current of the drive rescue battery resulting from the test load.

Method for testing a capacity of a drive rescue battery of a transportation system, software program, and testing arrangement

A method and an elevator for moving an elevator car to a landing floor in case of a predefined event related to a main electrical power supply of an elevator are disclosed. The method includes charging energy from the main electrical power supply into an external electrical energy storage prior to detecting the predefined event related to the main electrical power supply, controlling an operation of an electric motor for moving the elevator car with an electrical drive to decelerate the elevator car and to produce regenerative electrical energy, selectively utilizing said energy charged from the main electrical power supply into the external electrical energy storage and said produced regenerative electrical energy to maintain an elevator brake in deactivated state.

Method, elevator control unit and elevator for moving an elevator car to landing floor in case of event related to main electrical power supply of the elevator

A transport conveyor drive having a rectifier and an inverter which are connected via a DC link, whereby the inverter comprises power switches for suppling electric power to an transport conveyor motor is disclosed. The transport convey drive comprises a motor controller for controlling the power switches of the inverter which is configured to produce control pulses in the control poles of the power switches, at least one safety signal interface, which is adapted to receive safety signals from a safety controller of the transport conveyor, and a brake control circuit having an output for supplying power to a brake coil of an electromagnetic brake, wherein at least one STO circuit is connected between the motor controller and each of the power switches of at least one half bridge of the inverter, the STO circuit being configured to transfer/cut the control pulses to the power switches.

Transport conveyor drive

The arrangement comprises a drive driving an electric motor, a contactor and a control circuit connecting a control coil of the contactor to a power supply. The control circuit comprises a manual control part provided with a manually operated first switch, and an electronical control part provided with an electronically operated second switch and a processor controlling the second switch. The first switch and the second switch are connected in series in the control circuit with the power supply and the control coil of the contactor so that de-energization of the control coil of the contactor may be done either by the first switch or by the second switch.

Current cut-off arrangement of an elevator

In a method for performing a manual drive in an elevator after mains power-off, the frequency converter of the motor is separated from mains, any safety blocking of the brake drive and/or motor drive is disabled, current is supplied from the battery to the brake drive to open the elevator brake and current is supplied from the battery to the drive control to allow regulation of the motor speed via the inverter bridge, the manual drive control observes the motor speed via the speed sensor and starts a speed feedback loop to regulate the motor speed to a manual drive reference value by feeding a three phase-AC current to the motor windings via the semiconductors of the inverter bridge, which manual drive speed reference is lower than the speed reference for normal elevator operation, when the car reaches a floor level the floor level indicator is activated, and the actuator is released whereafter the current supply from the battery to the elevator brake is interrupted and the previous disabled safety blocking of the brake drive and/or motor drive is enabled again.

Method for performing a manual drive in an elevator after mains power-off

The invention is related to a method of initiating a regenerative converter () and corresponding converter () including a line bridge () and a machine bridge (), which are interconnected via a DC intermediate circuit (A,B). The method comprises charging, through the line bridge () and while the machine bridge () remains inactive, the DC intermediate circuit (A,B) to a target voltage () higher than peak value of the mains voltage ().

Method of initiating a regenerative converter and a regenerative converter

A motor drive includes a rectifier bridge for connection with mains, a converter bridge configured to connect with an elevator motor and an intermediate DC circuit in-between. A capacitor and/or battery is connected between positive and negative branches of the intermediate DC circuit. At the mains side of the rectifier bridge a controlled main relay with contacts are configured to connect or disconnect the rectifier bridge with the corresponding mains phase. The motor drive comprises a charging circuit which comprises a charging switch connected with a current limiting component. The motor drive comprises a voltage sensor between positive and negative branches of the intermediate DC circuit. The voltage sensor is connected to a circuit comprising a reference value and a comparator. The evaluation circuit is configured to compare the actual sensor signal of the voltage sensor to the reference value and to operate the main relay based on the comparison.

Motor drive

The invention relates to an elevator comprising an elevator control having a motor drive of an elevator motor driving an elevator car on an movement path, which motor drive comprising a frequency converter with a rectifier bridge designed to be connected to mains, a converter bridge for feeding the elevator motor and an intermediate DC circuit located in-between, the elevator further comprising a brake drive for supplying energy to at least two motor brakes with the brake drive being connected to the intermediate DC circuit as well as an emergency power supply battery designed to allow safe release of passengers in case of a power outage. According to the invention the battery is connected to the intermediate DC circuit, and the elevator control has a measuring circuit connected to the intermediate DC circuit and the elevator control has a battery testing module which is configured to apply a defined load to the battery and to measure the voltage of the DC circuit for a defined time period. The battery testing module comprises a comparator for comparing the measured voltage with at least one stored first threshold value, whereby the elevator control is configured to issue a replacement signal for the battery dependent on the signal of the comparator.

The invention relates to a method and an electrical converter of an elevator. In the method a controller of the electrical converter determines a first reactive power produced by a smoothing filter using pre-determined information on impedance of the smoothing filter. The controller may also receive information on a second reactive power from a remote node over a communication channel, the second reactive power being produced to a grid. The controller adds the first reactive power and the second reactive power to yield a total reactive power. The controller requests the electrical converter to make a plurality of compensative connections in the converter matrix to compensate the first reactive power or the total reactive power.

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Helsinki, Finland

Juhamatti Nikander