How to operate an elevator

Abstract

To early suppress excessive rope oscillation to improve elevator riding comfort in a rope oscillation situation.SOLUTION: In a method for operating an elevator (10) installed in connection with a building, in particular, an elevator for a high rise building, expected rope oscillation is monitored by use of building acceleration data obtained by a sensor (28) to calculate building oscillation, rope oscillation is estimated on the basis of building oscillation and a position of an elevator car, rope oscillation is compared to a threshold to determine a rope oscillation quantity, and an operating standard value of the elevator (10) is subtracted on the basis of the rope oscillation quantity. This method includes: a process in which a position of the elevator car is determined; a process in which rope oscillation change and building acceleration data on the basis of the position of the elevator car are determined; a process in which a rope oscillation cycle number n (zcar) is calculated in a previously selected constant time cycle when it is determined that rope oscillation does not increase; and a process in which a new (reduced) rope oscillation amplitude x is calculated on the basis of the rope oscillation cycle number n (zcar) and an attenuation coefficient ζ.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for operating elevators installed in relation to buildings, in particular elevators for high-rise buildings. These elevators, particularly those installed in high-rise buildings such as skyscrapers, may be subject to building sway caused by strong winds or earthquake waves. When the building sways, the rope may also sway. The rope sway may become excessive, especially when the natural frequency of the rope coincides with the frequency of the building sway. If the rope sway becomes excessive, it may be dangerous because the rope may collide with the devices in the hoistway. [Background technology]

[0002] In response, elevators are equipped with at least one building sway sensor, such as an acceleration sensor. If a certain amount of building sway is measured, elevator operation is interrupted. This may prevent some dangerous situations from occurring due to excessive rope sway. However, elevator operation may also be interrupted in the presence of potential faults, resulting in unnecessary interruptions of elevator service.

[0003] EP 2733103B1 discloses a method for estimating rope sway based on the current position of a moving elevator car and building acceleration (sway) using a pre-calculated table. Elevator operation is interrupted only when the estimated rope sway exceeds a predefined threshold. This method improves elevator operation since elevator operation is interrupted only in selected situations based on the estimation results. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] European Patent No. 2733103B1 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a method for suppressing excessive rope sway at an early stage, thereby improving the ride comfort of an elevator in rope sway conditions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above mentioned object is achieved by a method according to claim 1. Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject matter of the corresponding dependent claims and are also described in the present specification.

[0007] The method of operating an elevator installed in relation to a building, particularly an elevator for a high rise building, according to the present invention comprises: monitoring expected rope sway using building acceleration data obtained by at least one sensor to calculate building sway; estimating rope sway based on the building sway and the elevator car position; comparing the estimated rope sway with at least one threshold value to determine excessive rope sway and reducing the determined excessive rope sway by subtracting an elevator operation reference value.

[0008] According to the present invention, the predicted rope sway is monitored using building acceleration data obtained by a sensor to calculate the building sway. The rope sway is estimated based on the building sway and the elevator car position, the rope sway is compared with a threshold value to determine the amount of rope sway, and an elevator operation reference value is subtracted based on the amount of rope sway. According to the present invention, first the position of the elevator car is determined or predicted. Then, a change in rope sway is determined based on the car position and the building acceleration data. Furthermore, if it is determined that the rope sway is not increasing, the number of rope sway cycles n(z car ) and calculate the rope swing cycle number n(z car ) and the damping coefficient ζ to calculate a new (reduced) rope swing amplitude x.

[0009] According to the present invention, the preselected fixed time period may be in the range of 1 second to 15 seconds.

[0010] Preferably, the preselected constant time period is equal to or less than the building sway period T building It is.

[0011] The method allows the elevator to be controlled to optimally mitigate building sway and improve passenger comfort. The method allows for the determination of any condition that may lead to passenger discomfort. The operational criteria include "gentle" interference with elevator operation that should continue without passenger notice. Such operational criteria may therefore include changes in car speed and / or car acceleration, changes in the elevator car's dwell time at one or more stops, or even the temporary elimination of stops at floors whose future stops would result in an uncomfortable ride for passengers. All of these criteria are intended to reduce sway conditions and provide a smoother operation while still maintaining a good ride comfort.

[0012] Preferably, in one embodiment of the present invention, a virtual model of the elevator is used to pre-calculate a data table. Such a data table contains a time series of calculated rope sway as a function of car position for various building accelerations. The data table contains a time series for rope sway at a particular car position, e.g., rope sway increase after one building sway period T, after two sway periods 2T, etc. Then, a current sway amount S0, e.g., a measured value or a latest calculated or predicted value, is calculated in advance and compared with a maximum sway amount S0 in the data table. max Compared to the current oscillation amount S0, max If it reaches the value, it is determined that the sway is not increasing. In that case, the calculation routine is changed to the method of the present invention, i.e. to use a damping model which calculates the reduction in the rope sway as described above and as claimed in claim 1.

[0013] Or, S0 max ​, it is determined that the rope sway is still increasing and an "amplification model" is used for the calculation. Then, by using an appropriate data table selected based on the measured building acceleration, the current sway amplitude S0 or the closest value of S0 in the table is selected and the rope sway increase dS is determined from the table, i.e. from the selected table value, from now on. The rope sway after one building sway period ST is thus ST=S0+dS. If this value makes the rope sway undesirable in the future, corrective measures will be taken in due course. Such corrective measures may include an immediate stop of the car or a stop at the nearest landing to let the passengers off.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a running profile of the elevator car is set by the elevator control device. Based on said running profile, a car position of the elevator car is predicted. The estimated rope sway is then calculated based on the predicted car position and on the building acceleration data, and not on the current car position as shown in the known method according to DE 10 20 05 13 A1. An advantage of the method according to the invention is that the excessive rope sway can be calculated before the elevator car is in a position predicted as the position of the excessive rope sway. This also allows to react before the elevator car reaches a critical position correlated with the excessive rope sway. In this way, it may be possible to improve the elevator ride comfort in rope sway situations and / or to increase the safety of the elevator.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, a virtual model of the elevator is used to calculate the rope sway based on the measured building accelerations and the predicted elevator car position. The virtual model of the elevator includes important parameters of the elevator, such as the car path, the counterweight path, the rope length and the elevator shaft position in the building. It also includes physical properties such as the elevator load, the counterweight, the weight and the damping parameters. Thus, using the virtual model, the rope sway can be calculated based on the acceleration sensor data and the predicted car position. In a preferred embodiment, this calculation is performed in advance using the virtual model at the installation stage. In this case, the virtual elevator is used to calculate rope sway amplification data tables. These data tables are further stored in the rope sway control system. Using the virtual model, it is also possible to preliminarily eliminate problematic situations in a sophisticated way. Thus, even if a building sway situation is determined right from the start, it would be possible, for example, to lock the elevator run at one or more points in the hoistway and / or to set a deceleration operation of the elevator car at one or more points in the hoistway. This may also make it possible to predict passenger transport capacity under rope sway conditions.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the estimation of rope sway utilizes the prediction of elevator car position half a building sway period in advance to estimate the corresponding rope sway situation early, so that excessive rope sway can be dealt with in advance.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, a prediction of the elevator car position is used to estimate the rope sway before half a building sway period, and a corresponding very early estimation of the rope sway situation is made. In this situation, such a very early rope sway estimation is preferably verified by at least one continuous estimation of the rope sway after the elevator car has traveled. Even if this very early rope sway estimation, for example before half a building sway period, lacks accuracy, there is still time to predict an excessive rope sway situation and to counteract the sway. In this case, the very early rope sway estimation is advantageously verified by a car position prediction calculated half a building sway period before the current building sway period.

[0018] If excessive rope sway is determined, several measures can be taken. The elevator car's motion profile can be modified to avoid undesirable locations in the shaft or to move through these locations quickly. Alternatively, the car can be slowed down and stopped at the nearest possible landing to allow elevator passengers to exit. Alternatively, if excessive rope sway is determined based on an early estimation, the elevator run could be stopped within the acceptable ride comfort range. Alternatively or additionally, active measures against excessive rope sway could be taken, such as, for example, a retractable rope sway limiting device, to limit the effects of or respond to excessive rope sway.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, when excessive rope sway is determined, the elevator car is slowed down, meaning that the elevator continues to travel toward the original destination floor but at a reduced speed, which will reduce the car vibration caused by the rope sway. As a result, the elevator ride quality will be improved in rope sway situations.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the elevator controller is configured to activate actuators in response to a comparison between the estimated rope sway and a threshold value, the actuators being capable of dynamically reducing the rope sway by interacting with each rope.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the actuator is a retractable rope sway limiter, in particular at least one retractable damper arm. This type of actuator is preferably used in skyscrapers, for example at least 500 meters high.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the actual rope displacement is detected and the rope amplitude from the estimated rope sway is corrected to adapt to the current situation. This allows to match the virtual or estimated prediction with the actual situation and correct the prediction according to the current situation. This is a good way to better match the prediction with the actual situation while monitoring the quality of the prediction.

[0023] The method of the present invention is aimed at applying to an elevator capable of carrying out the above-mentioned method. The elevator comprises an elevator control device configured to predict the elevator car's running profile, a building acceleration sensor, and a rope sway estimation unit for calculating an estimated rope sway based on the predicted running profile and predicted elevator position data obtained from the signal sent by the building acceleration sensor. Such an elevator is capable of predicting excessive rope sway before the elevator car reaches the position where the excessive rope sway occurs. Thus, the building sway or acceleration is measured by the sensor, and furthermore, the elevator operation profile from the departure floor to the destination floor is determined by the elevator control device. Then, a time-dependent elevator car position prediction is obtained from the operation profile established by the elevator control device. Of course, the operation profile can also be established not by the elevator control device itself, but by another module or a cloud server connected thereto.

[0024] Preferably, the rope sway is determined by a simulator or virtual elevator based on measured building accelerations, e.g. building vibrations, and elevator car position predictions obtained from the operation profile. In one embodiment, a simulation can be performed during the elevator manufacturing stage, and the results of the simulation can be recorded in a table, which is later used for real-time rope sway monitoring. In another embodiment, a real-time simulation can be used for monitoring the rope sway. If an excessive rope sway amplitude is determined, the elevator can take safety measures. The elevator according to the invention allows an early determination of undesirable rope sway amplitudes. If the predicted rope sway amplitude exceeds a predefined threshold, the elevator operation can be restricted. Of course, the virtual elevator model does not only include the physical properties of the elevator and the building parameters, but also includes a damping model of the entire elevator system, in particular of the roping. The virtual elevator model therefore includes a damping model that specifies in detail the damping coefficient of the rope. The application of said model to study the predicted elevator car position over time thus increases the accuracy of the rope sway estimation.

[0025] According to an embodiment, the elevator may include one or more sensors, such as a rope displacement sensor and / or a car position sensor. The one or more sensors may be connected to the elevator controller. The virtual elevator may run on a remote server, which may be communicatively connected to the elevator controller and / or the rope sway estimator. Advantageously, the simulation model of the virtual elevator (e.g. the parameters of the simulation model) may be updated / modified using measurements from the one or more sensors mentioned above, thereby allowing the model to better match the real elevator system situation.

[0026] The simulator or virtual model may be realized remotely from the elevator controller and may be further connected via a network, for example as a remote cloud computer or server that communicates with the elevator controller. This allows the present invention to further improve elevator operation in rope sway situations and further improve elevator safety. By using the present invention, the evaluation process of the rope sway monitor can be improved to minimize the interruption of elevator operation, or alternatively, other methods can be adopted as required. Thus, by using the method or elevator of the present invention, elevator operation and conditions can be improved without compromising elevator safety.

[0027] Generally, the building sway period or natural period of a building is a function of the building height. Typically, the building sway period will be between approximately 2 and 8 seconds for a building height of 100 to 350 meters.

[0028] The following terms are used synonymously: excessive rope sway is synonymous with rope sway amplitude above threshold, undesirable rope sway amplitude, and simulator is synonymous with virtual elevator, elevator model simulation computer.

[0029] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above-described embodiments can be combined as appropriate.

[0030] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] 2 is a flow chart of the elevator according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a method flow diagram of the method of the present invention. [Figure 3a] Or [Figure 3c] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of building acceleration and rope swing amplitude. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] FIG. 1 shows an elevator 10 included in a building having an elevator shaft 12. The building is in particular a high-rise building such as a skyscraper, and the elevator shaft 12 is a very long shaft for a high-rise elevator. In the elevator shaft 12, the upper parts of the elevator car 14 and the counterweight 20 are connected via upper suspension ropes 22 running on an upper traction sheave 16. Also, the bottom parts of the elevator car 14 and the counterweight 20 are connected via lower compensation ropes 24 running on a lower compensation sheave 18. The car 14 and the counterweight 20 move via the suspension ropes, which interact with the traction sheave by friction, which is connected to the output shaft of the elevator motor.

[0033] The elevator 10 comprises an elevator controller 26 which controls the elevator motor 16 and thus the movement of the elevator car 14. The elevator 10 also comprises call input means, e.g. destination call panels in the lobby and on each floor for inputting destination floors or travel directions. The elevator controller also comprises a car allocation model which allocates generated calls to elevators according to certain optimization criteria, e.g. passenger waiting time, passenger travel time, total ride time, energy consumption, etc.

[0034] A building acceleration sensor 28 is connected to the building, which measures any acceleration acting on the building, for example due to seismic activity, wind pressure, etc. The elevator controller 26 is connected to a rope swing control system 30, which may be part of the elevator controller 26 or may be located remotely from the controller 26, and thus may be provided in a cloud server.

[0035] The swing control system 30 includes an elevator position prediction module 32. The elevator position prediction module 32 has elevator car operation profiles for all possible assignment situations. This allows the module 32 to predict the operation profile of the car position over time for the elevator car's journey between the departure floor and the final destination floor from the current assignment situation and the current elevator car position and / or trip data. The trip data based on the assignment and the current position / trip of the elevator car are obtained from the elevator controller 26 via input line 33.

[0036] In a first embodiment, where the rope swing situation is pre-calculated using a virtual model during the introduction phase, the real-time rope swing amplitude is calculated using pre-calculated amplification data tables. These data tables are pre-calculated using the simulator 34.

[0037] In a second alternative embodiment, the rope sway control system 30 further comprises an elevator system simulator 34. The simulator 34 has all the physical parameters of the elevator roping and the damping parameters associated with the roping. In both the first and second embodiments, the heart of the rope sway control system 30 is a real-time rope sway predictor 36, which obtains predicted car position data from the elevator position predictor 32. The first embodiment uses the data tables described above, whereas the second embodiment uses the simulator 34 to calculate the complete physical data.

[0038] Through the travel profile established by the elevator position prediction unit 32 and the elevator physical data obtained from the simulator / data table 34, the real-time rope sway calculation unit 36 ​​(together with the data obtained from the acceleration sensor 28) is able to calculate the rope sway that the elevator car will encounter during its entire journey along its path in the elevator shaft 12. The rope sway amplitude is then calculated taking into account the predicted car position during the course of the car's journey and the current building sway measured by the sensor 28. If the rope sway amplitude occurring along the predicted position of the elevator car exceeds at least one threshold value, this means that an excessive rope sway amplitude is expected along the elevator car's journey, usually at a certain position of the elevator car, where the natural sway frequency of the free lengths of the suspension ropes 22 and the compensation ropes 24 is increased by the building sway frequency. In this case, an output signal is returned on the output line 38 to the elevator control unit 26, which can modify or stop the elevator journey itself.

[0039] Optionally, this signal may activate a rope sway limiting device 40, for example a roller that contacts the elevator rope to limit rope sway, which can be retracted once the elevator car has passed the dangerous position.

[0040] Optionally, the elevator further comprises at least one rope displacement sensor 41, which may be an optical sensor, which can validate the estimated rope sway data with the actual rope sway, improving the accuracy of the prediction by validating and adapting the estimated data.

[0041] The rope sway control system 30 and / or all of its components 32, 34, 36 may of course be part of the elevator controller or may be disposed in a separate module connected to the elevator controller 26 by a data connection.

[0042] In short, the method of the present invention and the elevator of the present invention shown in Fig. 1 are able to predict undesirable rope swing conditions early, before they actually occur and before the elevator actually assumes an undesirable position, so that the elevator control device 26 can take appropriate measures in advance to avoid or react to the undesirable situation.

[0043] FIG. 2 shows a flow chart of a method for monitoring elevator rope sway during a car run. By inputting an elevator call and subsequent elevator allocation, the elevator run is recognized through the elevator position prediction module to the rope sway prediction unit 36, which executes the method of FIG. 2. The prediction routine starts at step 42 and proceeds to step 44 to update the calculation period. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the calculation period is selected to match the building sway period, but it could be selected in other ways. The building sway period could be a constant set by the installer. At step 46, a driving profile is obtained from the elevator control device to predict the elevator car position at the middle of the building sway period. Furthermore, at step 48, the current signal of the building acceleration detector 28 is used to calculate the building acceleration valid for the current building sway period. At step 50, it is determined whether the current rope amplitude is still increasing or has already reached the maximum width based on the data table 34 (first embodiment) or the simulator data 34 (second embodiment).

[0044] If the rope amplitude has increased, proceed to step 52, where the current rope swing amplitude is determined to be increased. The rope swing is calculated in step 52 by a first prediction method using an amplification model (eg, a data table).

[0045] Otherwise, the reduction in rope sway is calculated using a second prediction method, using a damping model, in step 54. The use of the damping model is described below.

[0046] The rope sway decreases logarithmically. In real-time rope amplitude calculation, the calculation time step is the building sway period T building(usually a constant given by the builder), where the elevator rope segment period T rope is the car position z in the shaft car The number of rope swing cycles in one building swing cycle, n, is determined by defining the following relationship:

[0047]

number

[0048] In other words, n(z car ) is a function of the elevator car position. The rope segment period T rope The values ​​of are calculated a priori using a simulator for different car positions and different rope segments. These values ​​are stored in an array that is used in the calculation of the real-time amplitudes. The rope segment period T rope corresponds to the first eigenmode of the rope segment.

[0049] Therefore, the elevator rope segment sway amplitude x (i.e., the value of the exponential decay envelope) after one building cycle is calculated by the following formula:

[0050]

number

[0051] In equation (2), ζ is a damping coefficient, which may be a predetermined constant that may be selected when calculating data table 34. Alternatively, damping coefficient ζ may be defined as a function of elevator car position and the corresponding rope swing amplitude.

[0052] By using equations (1) and (2), a fast and reliable real-time calculation of the rope sway in a damping situation is possible.

[0053] Both steps 52 and 54 merge into step 56, where the rope sway value corresponding to the middle of the current cycle is updated based on step 52 or step 54. The method then proceeds to decision step 58 to determine whether the updated rope sway value requires protective action. If protective action is not required, the method branches to step 64, which waits until the end of the building sway cycle before following the branch back to step 44. If protective action is required, step 60 verifies any currently active sway protection method, for example by reading the operating status of the rope sway limiting device 40 from the elevator control device 26. A distinction is then made according to the priority of the situation, i.e., a sudden increase in the building sway value that occurs for any reason, for example after an earthquake. If the priority is high, protective action is taken immediately in step 62. These measures may include rerouting the car in one direction or another to avoid the undesirable situation, and / or activating the rope sway limiting device, and / or halting the elevator operation after disembarking passengers at the nearest landing, etc. Then, wait until the end of the building sway cycle and return the spur to step 44.

[0054] If the priority is low, step 60 branches to step 64 to wait until the end of the building rocking cycle before returning to step 44.

[0055] The process ensures that a rational adaptive response can be taken in advance to any undesirable sway condition, so that safety measures can be implemented, for example by allowing passengers to disembark at an early stage before an undesirable situation occurs.

[0056] 3a to 3c show an example of the function of the rope swing control system 30 shown in FIG.

[0057] In Fig. 3, Fig. 3a shows a very simplified example of predicted car position in a 200-meter-long elevator shaft. Reference numeral 22a denotes a suspension rope between the car 14 and the traction sheave 16, and 22b denotes a suspension rope portion between the traction sheave 16 and the counterweight 20. Accordingly, reference numeral 24a denotes a compensation rope portion between the car 14 and the compensation sheave 18, and 24b denotes a compensation rope portion between the compensation sheave 18 and the counterweight 20. Since the car compensation rope 22a and the counterweight compensation rope 24b are freely stretched over almost the entire length of the shaft, the predicted situation is sensitive to excessive rope sway.

[0058] FIG. 3b shows the current signal of the building acceleration sensor 28 of the building in which the elevator 10 is installed.

[0059] Figure 3c shows the amplitude of the rope sway of the various suspension rope sections 22a, 22b and compensation rope sections 24a, 24b, calculated by the rope sway control system 30 for the predicted car and counterweight positions shown in Figure 3a. The system includes some limit values ​​for the rope sway amplitude, beyond which some action will be taken.

[0060] The minimum amplitude limit is the VAS limit, where VAS stands for "variable speed selection," which means that if the limit is exceeded, the elevator will travel slower than normal as it approaches the terminal.

[0061] The next highest limit is the PES limit, where PES stands for "function selection". If the estimated rope swing amplitude exceeds this limit, the elevator will run at reduced speed, i.e. at half speed, not necessarily when approaching the terminal.

[0062] The highest limit, shown only in Fig. 3b, is the PARK limit, beyond which the elevator car is brought to an immediate stop at a safe (non-resonant) floor in extreme swing conditions.

[0063] In this manner, the elevator is well-configured to proactively respond to any building condition that may cause an undesirable rope sway condition, such as an earthquake, high winds, or an object hitting the building.

[0064] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments but can be modified within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 10. Elevator 12 Elevator Shaft 14 Elevator car 16 Traction sheave 18 Compensating sheave 20 Counterweight 22 Hanging Rope 24 Compensating rope 26 Elevator control device 28 Building acceleration (swing) sensor 30 Rope swing control system 32 Elevator position prediction module 33 Input line from elevator controller to rope swing control system 34 Virtual Elevator Model-Simulator 36 Rope swing calculation section 38 Output line from rope swing control system to elevator control device 40 Rope swing limiting device 41 (real time) rope displacement sensor 42~64 Rope Swing Calculation Procedure

Claims

1. A method of operating an elevator installed in relation to a building, comprising: monitoring an expected rope sway using building acceleration data obtained by a sensor to calculate building sway; estimating a rope sway based on the building sway and a position of an elevator car; comparing the rope sway with a threshold value to determine an amount of rope sway; and subtracting an operation reference value for the elevator based on the amount of rope sway, the method comprising: determining a position of an elevator car; determining a change in rope sway based on the car position and the building acceleration data; If it is determined that the rope swing has not increased, The number of rope swing cycles n(z car ) and The rope swing cycle number n(z car and calculating a new (reduced) rope sway amplitude x based on the damping coefficient ζ.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the preselected constant time period is a building sway period T building The method according to claim 1,

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one building sway period T building Number of rope swing cycles n(z car ) is the formula [0030] The method is characterized by calculating the above.

4. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the new rope swing amplitude x is calculated by the formula: [0045] The method is characterized by calculating the above.

5. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operational criteria include a speed change of the car.

6. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operational criteria include a change in floor stop time.

7. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operational criteria include a temporary exclusion of floor stop operations.

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