Multi-car elevator and controlling method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9394139-B2
Application number	US-201113981140-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2011
Priority date	Apr 8, 2011
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

In a multi-car elevator, when two adjacent cars travel in a like direction, an elevator controlling apparatus: determines a shortest stopping position that is a stopping position at which a leading car stops in a shortest stopping distance from its present position; determines an estimated stopping position that is a stopping position of a trailing car if the trailing car is stopped urgently when the trailing car deviates from a speed change path for stopping using decelerating control by the elevator controlling apparatus from its present position and approaches the leading car; and controls a separating distance between the leading car and the trailing car such that the estimated stopping position is before the shortest stopping position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A multi-car elevator comprising:
a plurality of cars that are disposed inside a shared hoistway;
a plurality of driving apparatuses that respectively raise and lower the cars independently;
an elevator controlling apparatus that controls the driving apparatus;
a plurality of braking apparatuses that brake the cars; and
an inter-car safety device that monitors for an anomalous state that could lead to a collision between the plurality of cars,
wherein, when two adjacent cars travel in a like direction, the elevator controlling apparatus:
determines a shortest stopping position that is a stopping position at which a leading car stops in a shortest stopping distance from its present position;
determines an estimated stopping position that is a stopping position of a trailing car if the trailing car is stopped urgently when the trailing car deviates from a speed change path for stopping using decelerating control by the elevator controlling apparatus from its present position and approaches the leading car; and
controls a separating distance between the leading car and the trailing car such that the estimated stopping position is before the shortest stopping position, and

wherein, when the two adjacent cars travel in the like direction, the inter-car safety device:
stops the trailing car urgently if a collision cannot be avoided using decelerating control by the elevator controlling apparatus; and
determines the shortest stopping position of the leading car and the estimated stopping position of the trailing car and monitors the separating distance independently from the elevator controlling apparatus.

2. A multi-car elevator according to claim 1 , wherein the elevator controlling apparatus controls the separating distance by disposing a predetermined delay time between when the leading car starts traveling and when the trailing car starts traveling.

3. A multi-car elevator according to claim 1 , wherein the elevator controlling apparatus increases speed of the leading car, or reduces the speed of the trailing car, or stops the trailing car, or stops the leading car and the trailing car, if an anomalous approach of the trailing car toward the leading car is detected.

4. A multi-car elevator according to claim 1 , wherein the elevator controlling apparatus assumes that the leading car stops at an infinite deceleration rate and determines the present position of the leading car as the shortest stopping position.

5. A multi-car elevator controlling method, being a multi-car elevator controlling method when two adjacent cars travel in a like direction, wherein the multi-car elevator controlling method comprises steps of:
determining a shortest stopping position that is a stopping position at which a leading car stops in a shortest stopping distance from its present position;
determining an estimated stopping position that is a stopping position of a trailing car if the trailing car is stopped urgently when the trailing car deviates from a speed change path for stopping using decelerating control by a elevator controlling apparatus from its present position and approaches the leading car;
controlling a separating distance between the leading car and the trailing car such that the estimated stopping position is before the shortest stopping position;
determining the shortest stopping position of the leading car and the estimated stopping position of the trailing car and monitoring the separating distance independently from the elevator controlling apparatus by an inter-car safety device; and
stopping the trailing car urgently by the inter-car safety device if it is determined that a collision cannot be avoided using decelerating control by the elevator controlling apparatus.

6. A multi-car elevator controlling method according to claim 5 , wherein the separating distance satisfies:
Plst ( T )− Ptst ( T )≧ Dth

where Plst(T) is the shortest stopping position of the leading car at a predetermined time T, Ptst(T) is the estimated stopping position of the trailing car, Dth is a threshold distance that is greater than or equal to 0, and position increases in a direction of travel.

7. A multi-car elevator controlling method according to claim 5 , wherein the separating distance is controlled by disposing a predetermined delay time between when the leading car starts traveling and when the trailing car starts traveling.

Assignees

• Kugiya Takuo
• Kakio Masayuki
• Funai Kiyoshi
• Iwata Masafumi
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Kugiya Takuo
• Kakio Masayuki
• Funai Kiyoshi
• Iwata Masafumi

Classifications

• B66B5/0031 Primary

  for safety reasons · CPC title

• B66B1/32 Primary

  effective on braking devices {, e.g. acting on electrically controlled brakes (brake control H02P, lift brakes per se B66B5/02)} · CPC title

• B66B1/06

  electric · CPC title

• B66B1/18 Primary

  with means for storing pulses controlling the movements of several cars or cages {(B66B1/2458 takes precedence)} · CPC title