Car separation control in multi-car elevator system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10399815-B2
Application number	US-201615175208-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2016
Priority date	Jun 7, 2016
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A method for controlling car separation in a multi-car elevator system, the method including: initiating, by a controller, a change in a profile of a target elevator car; determining that N elevators cars are affected by the change in the profile of the target elevator car, wherein elevator car N is an elevator car farthest from the target elevator car; calculating for each of the N elevator cars an updated profile; for each of the N elevator cars, beginning with the Nth elevator car and ending with the target elevator car, performing: determining if the updated profile for the elevator car will provide separation between the elevator car and a neighboring elevator car; and when the updated profile for the elevator car will provide separation between the elevator car and the neighboring elevator car, executing an elevator car profile update process for the elevator car.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling car separation in a multi-car elevator system, the method comprising:
initiating, by a controller, a change in a profile of a target elevator car;
determining that N elevators cars are affected by the change in the profile of the target elevator car, wherein elevator car N is an elevator car farthest from the target elevator car;
calculating for each of the N elevator cars an updated profile;
for each of the N elevator cars, beginning with the Nth elevator car and ending with the target elevator car, performing:
determining if the updated profile for the elevator car will provide separation between the elevator car and a neighboring elevator car; and
when the updated profile for the elevator car will provide separation between the elevator car and the neighboring elevator car, executing an elevator car profile update process for the elevator car.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the elevator car profile update process comprises:
sending, from the controller to a motion controller, a target and a commanded profile for an elevator car;
receiving, at the motion controller, the target and the commanded profile, the motion controller determining an initial condition of the elevator car corresponding to a current condition of the elevator car;
generating, by the motion controller, a new profile for the elevator car in response to the target, the commanded profile and the initial condition of the elevator car; and
sending from the motion controller to the controller an acceptance message indicating acceptance by the motion controller of the target and the commanded profile.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the elevator car profile update process further comprises: sending, by the motion controller to the controller, the initial condition of the elevator car.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the elevator car profile update process further comprises: determining, by the controller, an updated profile for the elevator car in response to the initial condition of the elevator car and the commanded profile.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein: the commanded profile includes a velocity limit, acceleration limit and jerk limit.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein: the initial condition of the elevator car includes position, velocity and acceleration.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein: the sending from the controller to the motion controller the target and the commanded profile for the elevator car includes sending a unique command identifier.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein: the sending from the motion controller to the controller the acceptance message includes sending the unique command identifier.

9. An elevator system comprising:
an elevator car;
a system to impart force to the elevator car in a hoistway;
a motion controller operable to command the system to impart force to the elevator car; and
a controller in communication with the motion controller, the controller configured to execute operations comprising:
initiating a change in a profile of a target elevator car;
determining that N elevators cars are affected by the change in the profile of the target elevator car, wherein elevator car N is an elevator car farthest from the target elevator car;
calculating for each of the N elevator cars an updated profile;
for each of the N elevator cars, beginning with the Nth elevator car and ending with the target elevator car, performing:
determining if the updated profile for the elevator car will provide separation between the elevator car and a neighboring elevator car; and
when the updated profile for the elevator car will provide separation between the elevator car and the neighboring elevator car, executing an elevator car profile update process for the elevator car.

10. The elevator system of claim 9 wherein the operations further comprise:
sending, from the controller to the motion controller, a target and a commanded profile for an elevator car;
receiving, at the motion controller, the target and the commanded profile, the motion controller determining an initial condition of the elevator car corresponding to a current condition of the elevator car;
generating, by the motion controller, a new profile for the elevator car in response to the target, the commanded profile and the initial condition of the elevator car; and
sending from the motion controller to the controller an acceptance message indicating acceptance by the motion controller of the target and the commanded profile.

11. The elevator system of claim 10 wherein the operations further comprise:
sending, by the motion controller to the controller, the initial condition of the elevator car.

12. The elevator system of claim 11 wherein the operations further comprise:
determining, by the controller, an updated profile for the elevator car in response to the initial condition of the elevator car and the commanded profile.

13. The elevator system of claim 10 , wherein: the commanded profile includes a velocity limit, acceleration limit and jerk limit.

14. The elevator system of claim 10 , wherein: the initial condition of the elevator car includes position, velocity and acceleration.

15. The elevator system of claim 10 , wherein: the sending, from the controller to the motion controller, the target and the commanded profile for the elevator car includes sending a unique command identifier.

16. The elevator system of claim 15 , wherein: the sending from the motion controller to the controller the acceptance message includes sending the unique command identifier.

17. The elevator system of claim 9 , wherein: the system to impart force to the elevator car is a ropeless system.

18. The elevator system of claim 9 , wherein: the system to impart force to the elevator car is a roped system.

Assignees

• Otis Elevator Co

Inventors

• Ginsberg David
• Hsu Arthur
• Pasini Jose Miguel

Classifications

• B66B2201/307

  Tandem operation of multiple elevator cars in the same shaft · CPC title

• B66B5/0031 Primary

  for safety reasons · CPC title

• B66B9/003

  for lateral transfer of car or frame, e.g. between vertical hoistways or to/from a parking position · CPC title

• B66B1/28

  electrical (detecting excessive speed B66B5/04 {; control of electrical motor H02P}) · CPC title

• B66B9/00

  Kinds or types of lifts in, or associated with, buildings or other structures (characterised by control systems B66B1/00; apparatus for raising or lowering persons on stages of theatres A63J5/12) · CPC title