Kone Corporation

Pasi Raassina

Ari Kattainen

Arto Nakari

Juhamatti Nikander

Ari-Pekka Lahtinen

Lauri Stolt

Antti Kallioniemi

Tuukka Korhonen

Seppo Suur-Askola

Tapio Saarikoski

Olavi Vairio

Pasi Rinnesaari

Mikko Puranen

Ari Koivisto

Jussi Lähteenmäki

Olli Pokkinen

Risto Jokinen

Tero Hakala

Jyrki Laaksonheimo

Pekka Perunka

Ilya Petrov

Tommi Huotari

Pekka Hytti

Hannu Nousu

Maksim Sokolov

Marko Hinkkanen

Seppo Saarakkala

Marko Minkkinen

Reza Hosseinzadeh

Seppo Lappalainen

Tuomas Asikainen

Pasi Ahonen

Ari-Ekka Lahtinen

A method for operating, such as commissioning, an elevator, and an elevator are presented herein. The elevator comprises an electric linear motor for moving movable units. The method comprises moving a first movable unit along a linear stator of the electric linear motor in the elevator shaft, and determining at least one characteristic, such as a floor position or an air gap width of the electric linear motor, at a plurality of elevator shaft positions by the first movable unit, such as by a winding, a coil, or a sensor, during the moving. The method further comprises storing the determined at least one characteristic, and controlling moving of at least a second movable unit, such as comprising another of the elevator cars or a second motor unit, by utilizing the stored at least one characteristic.

Method for operating an elevator and elevator

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 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 door operating arrangement in an elevator, including a door operating unit located in the elevator car including a door controller and a door drive as well as a door motor configured to open and close elevator car doors, optionally together with elevator landing doors, a DC bus connecting the door operating unit via a travelling cable of the elevator car with a DC power source of the elevator. The voltage level of the DC bus is between 40 V and 120 V, the DC bus is connected to a capacitor bank located in the elevator car having a parallel connection of at least two capacitors and a total capacity value of at least 75.000 &#x3bc;F, preferably at least 100.000 &#x3bc;F.

Door operating arrangement in an elevator

A wireless power transfer arrangement for an elevator car of an elevator is presented. The wireless power transfer arrangement comprises primary winding units distantly arranged with respect to each other at first positions of an elevator shaft along which the elevator car is configured to be moved, at least one secondary winding unit arranged to the elevator car. Each one of the primary winding units and the at least one secondary winding unit are arranged so that there is a gap between said winding units for enabling movement of the secondary winding unit with respect to the primary winding units and for establishing an inductive coupling between said winding units whenever said winding units are arranged to face each other at one of the first positions.

Wireless power transfer arrangement for an elevator car and 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

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 refers to an electric linear motor, control apparatus, transport system and a method. The electric linear motor comprises a longitudinal stator beam; at least one mover at least partially surrounding the stator beam and adapted to move along the stator beam; which stator beam comprises at least two side faces located at opposite sides of the stator beam, each of the side faces carrying ferromagnetic poles spaced apart by a pitch, and which mover comprises at least two counter-faces facing the respective side faces of the stator beam. The mover has in at least one of said counter-faces rotor units having at least one winding and at least one permanent magnet arranged to co-act with the ferromagnetic poles of the respective side faces of the stator beam. The ferromagnetic stator poles of the stator beam and the rotor units of the mover are used for generating propulsion forces for driving the mover along the stator beam as well as for generating attraction forces to levitate the mover around the stator beam while driving.

Electric linear motor

An electric linear motor for an elevator and a method for controlling the operation thereof are presented. The electric linear motor comprises at least one stator beam and at least one mover, wherein said at least one stator beam comprises at least two stators on opposite sides of the stator beam, and the at least one mover is in electromagnetic engagement with said at least two stators and configured to be moved relative to said stator beam. Said at least one mover comprises at least two units of electromagnetic components arranged on opposite sides of the stator beam to face said at least two stators for controlling the movement and the position of the mover with respect to said stator beam.

Electric linear motor for an elevator and method for controlling thereof

In the method for increasing the availability of an elevator standing unused at a landing The patent application also includes an independent claim for a system for increasing the availability of an elevator standing unused at a landing.

Method and system for increasing the availability of an elevator standing unused at a landing

A passenger conveyor may include a conveyor motor controlled by a conveyor control via a motor drive, the motor drive including a frequency converter with a rectifier bridge, an intermediate DC circuit and a converter bridge connected with the conveyor motor. The rectifier bridge is configured to be connected to mains via at least one relay, which relay is controlled by the conveyor control, the conveyor comprises a deep sleep mode, in which the frequency converter as well as at least a major part of conveyor control is switched off. The intermediate DC circuit forms the power supply for the conveyor control. During the activation of the deep sleep mode, the conveyor control is configured to open the relay, whereby at least one signal circuit of the conveyor is configured to remain powered at least during the deep sleep mode.

Passenger conveyor with deep sleep mode

A brake controller, an elevator system and a method for performing an emergency stop are provided. The brake controller includes an input for connecting the brake controller to the DC intermediate circuit of the frequency converter driving the hoisting machine of the elevator, an output for connecting the brake controller to the electromagnet of the brake, a switch for supplying electric power from the DC intermediate circuit of the frequency converter driving the hoisting machine of the elevator via the output to the electromagnet of a brake, and also a processor with which the operation of the brake controller is controlled by producing control pulses in the control pole of the switch of the brake controller.

Brake controller, elevator system and a method for performing an emergency stop with an elevator hoisting machine driven with a frequency converter

A drive device of an elevator includes a DC bus, a motor bridge connected to the DC bus for the electricity supply of the elevator motor, a control circuit with which control circuit the operation of the motor bridge is controlled by producing control pulses in control poles of high-side and low-side switches of the motor bridge, a brake controller, which comprises a switch for supplying electric power to an electromagnetic brake, a brake control circuit, with which the operation of the brake controller is controlled, an input circuit for the safety signal to be disconnected/connected from outside the drive device, drive prevention logic and brake drop-out logic connected to the input circuit and configured to prevent the passage of control pulses to the control poles of the high-side and/or low-side switches when the safety signal is disconnected.

Drive device of an elevator with safety system

The invention relates to a safety arrangement of an elevator, which includes sensors configured to indicate functions that are critical to the safety of the elevator, and also a safety circuit, with which the data formed by the sensors indicating the safety of the elevator is read. The safety arrangement includes a drive device including a control circuit of a motor bridge, an input circuit for a safety signal that can be disconnected/connected from outside the drive device, and also drive prevention logic, to prevent the passage of control pulses to the control poles of high-side and/or low-side switches of the motor bridge when the safety signal is disconnected. The safety circuit brings the elevator into a state preventing a run by disconnecting the safety signal and removes the state preventing a run by connecting the safety signal.

Elevator safety arrangement with drive prevention logic

The invention relates to an electronic safety device and a conveyor system comprising the same. The electronic safety device has a safety input for receiving a safety signal, the electronic safety device being configured to terminate its operation responsive to absence of the safety signal in the safety input. The electronic safety device comprises an operation-preventing circuit configured to detect an operational anomaly in the safety input, the operation-preventing circuit comprising a switch adapted to short the safety input when the operational anomaly is present in the safety input.

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Helsinki, Finland

Pasi Raassina