Method, elevator control unit, and elevator system for dynamically adjusting a levelling speed limit of an elevator car

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10676316-B2
Application number	US-201715637218-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2017
Priority date	Aug 2, 2016
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

A method for dynamically adjusting a levelling speed limit of an elevator car during a levelling operation includes obtaining an indication that the elevator car is detected to arrive to a zone; obtaining at least one value indicating the speed of the elevator car, in response to detecting that the elevator car arrives to the zone; and dynamically adjusting the levelling speed limit of the elevator car based on the speed of the elevator car. An elevator control unit and a system are provided to perform at least partly the method.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for dynamically adjusting a levelling speed limit of an elevator car during a levelling operation, the method comprising the steps of:
obtaining an indication that the elevator car is detected to arrive to a zone;
obtaining at least one value indicating the speed of the elevator car, in response to detecting that the elevator car is arriving to the zone; and
dynamically adjusting the levelling speed limit of the elevator car based on the speed of the elevator car,
wherein the speed of the elevator car is determined at a number of points during the levelling operation of the elevator car, and the levelling speed limit is adjusted at each point based on the speed of the elevator car determined at the respective point.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one value for indicating the speed of the elevator car is obtained from at least one of the following: position sensor, drive, acceleration sensor, a magnetic sensor of door zone sensor unit.

3. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising the steps of:
determining if the speed of the elevator car meets the dynamically adjusted levelling speed limit of the elevator car; and
controlling the movement of the elevator car, if the speed of the elevator car is determined to meet the dynamically adjusted levelling speed limit of the elevator car.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one value indicating the speed of the elevator car is a position of the elevator car and the method further comprises the steps of:
obtaining an indication if the position of the elevator car is determined to be outside the zone;
determining if at least one door is open; and
stopping the movement of the elevator car, if the position of the elevator car is determined to be outside the zone and the at least one door is determined to be open.

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the zone is an unlocking zone, and wherein the unlocking zone is a zone extending from an upper limit above a floor level of a landing and a lower limit below the floor level of the landing, in which the elevator car floor is in order to enable at least one door to be unlocked.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
determining if the speed of the elevator car meets the dynamically adjusted levelling speed limit of the elevator car; and
controlling the movement of the elevator car, if the speed of the elevator car is determined to meet the dynamically adjusted levelling speed limit of the elevator car.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one value indicating the speed of the elevator car is a position of the elevator car and the method further comprises the steps of:
obtaining an indication if the position of the elevator car is determined to be outside the zone;
determining if at least one door is open; and
stopping the movement of the elevator car, if the position of the elevator car is determined to be outside the zone and the at least one door is determined to be open.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the zone is an unlocking zone, and wherein the unlocking zone is a zone extending from an upper limit above a floor level of a landing and a lower limit below the floor level of the landing, in which the elevator car floor is in order to enable at least one door to be unlocked.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one value indicating the speed of the elevator car is a position of the elevator car and the method further comprises the steps of:
obtaining an indication if the position of the elevator car is determined to be outside the zone;
determining if at least one door is open; and
stopping the movement of the elevator car, if the position of the elevator car is determined to be outside the zone and the at least one door is determined to be open.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the zone is an unlocking zone, and wherein the unlocking zone is a zone extending from an upper limit above a floor level of a landing and a lower limit below the floor level of the landing, in which the elevator car floor is in order to enable at least one door to be unlocked.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the zone is an unlocking zone, and wherein the unlocking zone is a zone extending from an upper limit above a floor level of a landing and a lower limit below the floor level of the landing, in which the elevator car floor is in order to enable at least one door to be unlocked.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the indication that the elevator car is detected to arrive to the zone is obtained from a door zone sensor unit.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the levelling speed limit is continuously adjusted during the levelling operation.

14. An elevator controller for dynamically adjusting a levelling speed limit of an elevator car during a levelling operation, the elevator control unit comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory storing at least one portion of computer program code,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the elevator control unit at least to:
obtain an indication that the elevator car is detected to arrive to a zone;
obtain at least one value indicating speed of the elevator car, in response to detecting that the elevator car is arriving to the zone; and
dynamically adjust the levelling speed limit of the elevator car based on the speed of the elevator car,
wherein the speed of the elevator car is determined at a number of points during the levelling operation of the elevator car, and the levelling speed limit is adjusted at each point based on the speed of the elevator car determined at the respective point.

15. The elevator controller according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one value indicating the speed of the elevator car is obtained from at least one of the following: position sensor; drive; acceleration sensor; magnetic sensor of door zone sensor unit; which is communicatively coupled to the controller.

16. The elevator controller according to claim 14 , wherein the elevator controller is further configured to:
determine if the speed of the elevator car meets the dynamically adjusted levelling speed limit of the elevator car; and
control the movement of the elevator car, if the speed of the elevator car is determined to meet the dynamically adjusted levelling speed limit of the elevator car.

17. The elevator controller according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one value indicating the speed of the elevator car is a position of the elevator car and the elevator controller is further configured to:
obtain an indication if the position of the elevator car is determined to be outside the zone;
determine if at least one door is open; and
stop the movement of the elevator car, if the position of the elevator car is determined to be outside the zone and the at least one door is open.

18. The elevator controller according to- claim 14 , wherein the zone is an unlocking zone, and wherein the unlocking zone is a zone extending from an upper limit above a floor level of a landing and a lower limit below the floor level of the landing, in which the elevator car floor is in order to enable at least one door to be unlocked.

19. The elevator controller according to claim 14 , wherein the indication that the elevator car is detected to arrive to the zone is obtained from a door zone sensor unit.

20. An elevator system for dynami

Assignees

• Kone Corp

Inventors

• Aitamurto Juha-Matti
• Hovi Antti
• Jussila Ari
• Kattainen Ari

Classifications

• B66B1/405

  for hydraulically actuated elevators · CPC title

• B66B1/44

  and for taking account of disturbance factors, e.g. variation of load weight · CPC title

• B66B1/2416 Primary

  For single car elevator systems · CPC title

• B66B1/285 Primary

  with the use of a speed pattern generator · CPC title

• B66B5/04

  for detecting excessive speed · CPC title