Elevator apparatus and elevator control method

Abstract

Disclosed are an elevator apparatus and an elevator control method, which are capable of reducing an operation sound of an electrically actuated emergency stop device. This elevator apparatus is provided with an electric operation device (10) for operating a drive mechanism of an emergency stop device (2). The electric operation device is provided with: a movable element that is mechanically connected to the drive mechanism; electromagnets (35a, 35b) that adsorb the movable element at a standby position, restrict the movement of the drive mechanism, and operate the drive mechanism when the speed of a car reaches a predetermined overspeed; a return mechanism that returns the movable element from a movement position (P) at the time of operation of the emergency stop device to the standby position; and a controller (7) that controls the return mechanism. The controller controls the return mechanism to move the electromagnets that are excited to adsorb the movable element from the standby position toward the movement position.

Description

Elevator device and elevator control method

[0001] The present invention relates to an elevator system equipped with an electrically operated emergency stop device and an elevator control method for controlling the elevator system.

[0002] An elevator system is equipped with a governor and an emergency stop device that constantly monitors the ascending and descending speed of the car and brings the car to an emergency stop if it experiences a predetermined overspeed. Generally, the car and the governor are connected by a governor rope, and when an overspeed state is detected, the governor restrains the governor rope, activating the car's emergency stop device and bringing the car to an emergency stop.

[0003] In such elevator systems, the long governor rope is laid inside the hoistway, making it difficult to reduce space and costs. Furthermore, if the governor rope sways, it is likely to interfere with structures inside the hoistway.

[0004] In response to this, an electrically operated emergency stop device has been proposed that does not use a governor rope. A known prior art related to such an emergency stop device is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0005] In this prior art, a drive mechanism equipped with a drive shaft that drives the safety device and an operating mechanism that operates the drive shaft are provided on the car. The operating mechanism includes a movable iron core mechanically connected to the drive shaft and an electromagnet that attracts the movable iron core. The drive shaft is biased by a drive spring, but under normal circumstances, the electromagnet is energized and the movable iron core is attracted, so the movement of the drive shaft is restricted by the operating mechanism.

[0006] In an emergency, the electromagnet is demagnetized, releasing the drive shaft, and the drive shaft is driven by the biasing force of the drive spring, which activates the emergency stop device and brings the car to an emergency stop.

[0007] When returning the safety device to its normal state, the electromagnet is moved closer to the armature that moved in the emergency. When the electromagnet comes into contact with the armature, the electromagnet is energized, attracting the armature to the electromagnet. Then, with the armature attracted to the electromagnet, the electromagnet is driven to return the armature and electromagnet to their normal standby positions.

[0008] International Publication No. 2021 / 166318

[0009] The above-mentioned prior art has a problem in that the safety device makes a loud noise when it is operating.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention provides an elevator system and an elevator control method that can reduce the operating noise of an electrically operated emergency stop device.

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, an elevator system according to the present invention includes a car, an emergency stop device provided in the car, a drive mechanism for driving the emergency stop device, and an electric operating device for operating the drive mechanism. The electric operating device includes a mover mechanically connected to the drive mechanism, an electromagnet that attracts the mover at a standby position of the mover to restrict movement of the drive mechanism and that is demagnetized when the speed of the car reaches a predetermined overspeed to operate the drive mechanism, a return mechanism that returns the mover from a moving position when the emergency stop device is activated to a standby position, and a controller that controls the return mechanism. The controller controls the return mechanism to move the electromagnet, which is excited to attract the mover, from the standby position to the moving position.

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an elevator control method for controlling an elevator system including a car, a safety device provided in the car, a drive mechanism for driving the safety device, and an electric operator for operating the drive mechanism, the electric operator including a mover mechanically connected to the drive mechanism, an electromagnet that attracts the mover at a standby position of the mover to restrict movement of the drive mechanism and that is demagnetized when the speed of the car reaches a predetermined overspeed to operate the drive mechanism, and a return mechanism that returns the mover from a moving position when the safety device is activated to a standby position. In this method, the return mechanism moves the electromagnet, which is excited to attract the mover, from the standby position to a moving position.

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the operating noise of an electrically operated emergency stop device.

[0014] Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

[0015] Fig. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of an elevator apparatus according to an embodiment. Fig. 5 is a configuration diagram showing a detailed configuration of an emergency stop device according to an embodiment. Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a mechanism of an electric operating device according to an embodiment in the installed state of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a plan view similar to Fig. 3 showing a mechanism of an electric operating device according to an embodiment. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of an elevator controller 7 (Fig. 4) when power is cut off.

[0016] An elevator system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below by way of example with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same components or components having similar functions.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an elevator system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the elevator system includes a car 1, speed sensors (5, 6), an electric operating device 10, a drive mechanism (12 to 20), a lifting rod 21, and a safety device 2.

[0019] The car 1 is suspended by a main rope (not shown) in a hoistway provided in a building, and is slidably engaged with a guide rail 4 via a guide device (not shown). When the main rope is frictionally driven by a drive device (hoisting machine: not shown), the car 1 moves up and down in the hoistway.

[0020] The speed sensor in this embodiment is provided on the car 1, and includes a rotation detector 6 and a roller 5 connected to the rotation shaft of the rotation detector 6. In this embodiment, the roller 5 is connected to the rotation shaft of the rotation detector 6 so that the rotation shaft of the roller 5 and the rotation shaft of the rotation detector 6 are coaxial. A rotary encoder, for example, can be used as the rotation detector 6.

[0021] The rollers 5 are in contact with the guide rails 4. Therefore, when the car 1 moves up and down, the rollers 5 rotate, which in turn rotates the rotation detector 6. A safety controller, which will be described later, monitors the running speed of the car 1 based on the rotation position signal output by the rotation detector 6 in accordance with the rotation.

[0022] An image sensor may be used as the speed sensor. In this case, the position and speed of the elevator car 1 are detected based on image information of the surface condition of the guide rail 4 acquired by the image sensor. For example, the speed is calculated from the moving distance of the image feature over a predetermined time period.

[0023] In this embodiment, the electric operator 10 is an electromagnetic operator and is disposed on the top of the car 1. The electromagnetic operator includes a movable piece or movable rod operated by, for example, a solenoid or an electromagnet. The electric operator 10 is actuated when a predetermined overspeed state of the car 1 is detected by the speed sensors (5, 6). At this time, the lifting rod 21 is pulled up by the drive mechanisms (12 to 20) mechanically connected to the operating lever 11. This causes the safety device 2 to enter a braking state.

[0024] The drive mechanisms (12 to 20) will be described later.

[0025] The safety devices 2 are arranged one on each side of the car 1. A pair of wedge-shaped brake shoes (not shown) provided on each safety device 2 are movable between a braking position and a non-braking position, and in the braking position they clamp the guide rail 4. Furthermore, when the brake shoes rise relative to the car 1 as the car 1 descends, a braking force is generated by the frictional force acting between the brake shoes and the guide rail 4. As a result, the safety devices 2 are activated when the car 1 enters an overspeed state, bringing the car 1 to an emergency stop.

[0026] The elevator system of this embodiment is equipped with a so-called ropeless governor system that does not use a governor rope, and when the ascent / descent speed of the car 1 exceeds the rated speed and reaches a first overspeed (for example, a speed not exceeding 1.3 times the rated speed), the power supply to the drive device (hoisting machine) and the power supply to the control device that controls this drive device are cut off. Also, when the descent speed of the car 1 reaches a second overspeed (for example, a speed not exceeding 1.4 times the rated speed), the electric operating device 10 provided on the car 1 is electrically operated to activate the safety device 2 and bring the car 1 to an emergency stop.

[0027] In this embodiment, the ropeless governor system is composed of the above-mentioned speed sensors (5, 6) and a safety controller that determines an overspeed state of the car 1 based on the output signal of the speed sensor. This safety controller measures the speed of the car 1 based on the output signal of the speed sensor, and when it determines that the measured speed has reached a first overspeed, it outputs a command signal to cut off the power supply to the drive device (hoisting machine) and the power supply to the control device that controls this drive device. Furthermore, when it determines that the measured speed has reached a second overspeed, the safety controller outputs a command signal to operate the electric actuator 10.

[0028] In this embodiment, although not shown in FIG. 1, the safety controller is disposed on the top of the car 1 together with the electric operating device 10.

[0029] The drive mechanism (12 to 20) that drives the lifting rod 21 will be described below.

[0030] The operating lever 11 and first operating piece 16 of the electric actuator 10 are connected to form a substantially T-shaped first link member. The operating lever 11 and first operating piece 16 form the head and foot of the T, respectively. The substantially T-shaped first link member is rotatably supported on the crosshead 50 via a first operating shaft 19 at the connection between the operating lever 11 and the first operating piece 16. One end (left side in the figure) of a pair of lifting rods 21 is connected to the end of the first operating piece 16, which forms the foot of the T, on the opposite side from the connection between the operating lever 11 and the first operating piece 16.

[0031] The connecting piece 17 and the second operating piece 18 are connected to form a substantially T-shaped second link member. The connecting piece 17 and the second operating piece 18 form the head and foot of the T, respectively. The substantially T-shaped second link member is rotatably supported on the crosshead 50 via the second operating shaft 20 at the connection portion between the connecting piece 17 and the second operating piece 18. The other end (left side in the figure) of the pair of lifting rods 21 is connected to the end of the second operating piece 18, which forms the foot of the T, on the opposite side from the connection portion between the connecting piece 17 and the second operating piece 18.

[0032] An end of the operating lever 11 extending from the inside to the outside of the housing 30 and one of both ends of the connecting piece 17, which is closer to the top of the car 1 than the second operating shaft 20, are connected to one end (left side in the figure) and the other end (right side in the figure) of a drive shaft 12 lying on the car 1. The drive shaft 12 slidably passes through a fixed part 14 fixed to the crosshead 50. The drive shaft 12 also passes through a pressing member 15, which is fixed to the drive shaft 12. The pressing member 15 is located on the second link member (connecting piece 17, second operating piece 18) side of the fixed part 14. A drive spring 13, which is an elastic body, is located between the fixed part 14 and the pressing member 15, and the drive shaft 12 is inserted through the drive spring 13.

[0033] When the electric operator 10 is operated, that is, when the electromagnet is de-energized in this embodiment, the electromagnetic force that constrains the movement of the operating lever 11 against the biasing force of the drive spring 13 disappears, and the biasing force of the drive spring 13 applied to the pressing member 15 drives the drive shaft 12 along the longitudinal direction. As a result, the first link member (operating lever 11, first operating piece 16) rotates about the first operating shaft 19, and the second link member (connecting piece 17, second operating piece 18) rotates about the second operating shaft 20. As a result, one of the lifting rods 21 connected to the first operating piece 16 of the first link member is driven and pulled up, and the other lifting rod 21 connected to the second operating piece 18 of the second link member is driven and pulled up.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the detailed configuration of the safety device 2 (FIG. 1) in this embodiment.

[0035] The safety device 2 includes a brake shoe 61 , an inclined body 62 , and an elastic body 63 .

[0036] The brake shoe 61 has a wedge shape and its width narrows toward the top. The side of the brake shoe 61 facing the guide rail 4 is substantially vertical, and the side opposite the guide rail is smooth.

[0037] A base 22 on which a brake shoe 61 of the safety device 2 is placed is connected to the lower end of the lifting rod 21. Therefore, when the lifting rod 21 is displaced upward in response to the operation of the electric operating device 10, the brake shoe 61 is displaced upward together with the base 22.

[0038] The brake 61 is movable between a braking position and a non-braking position in the vertical direction. In Fig. 2, the brake 61 is in the non-braking position, and the vertical surface is away from the guide rail 4. When in the braking position, the vertical surface comes into contact with the guide rail 4, and the brake 61 clamps the guide rail 4.

[0039] The inclined body 62 is located on the opposite side of the guide rail from the brake shoe 61. The inclined body 62 has a wedge shape, and its width narrows as it goes downward. The side of the inclined body 62 facing the brake shoe is a sloping, smooth surface, and the side facing away from the brake shoe is a nearly vertical surface.

[0040] The elastic body 63 is disposed on the outside of the tilt body 62 and applies an elastic force to the tilt body 62. For example, the elastic body 63 is formed of a U-shaped spring, and sandwiches the pair of brake shoes 61 and the pair of tilt bodies 62 from the outside.

[0041] In this embodiment, the brake shoe 61, the inclined body 62 and the elastic body 63 are arranged in a frame-shaped or housing-shaped body portion 60.

[0042] Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the mechanical section of the electric actuator 10 in this embodiment in the installed state shown in Fig. 1. The mechanical section of the electric actuator 10 shown in Fig. 2 is housed in the housing 30 in Fig. 1.

[0043] FIG. 3 also shows the circuit configuration for driving and controlling the electric actuator 10.

[0044] In Fig. 3 (excluding the two-dot chain line), the safety device 2 (Fig. 1) is in a non-braking state, and the electric operating device 10 is in a standby state. In other words, the elevator system is in a normal operating state.

[0045] As shown in Figure 3, in the standby state, the movers (34a, 34b, 34c), which are movable members connected to the operating lever 11, are attracted by electromagnetic force to electromagnets 35a, 35b, whose coils are energized and excited. This restricts the movement of the movers against the biasing force F of the drive spring 13 (Figure 1) acting on the movers via the drive shaft 12 (Figure 1) and the operating lever 11. Therefore, the electric operating device 10 restricts the movement of the drive mechanism (12-20: Figure 1) against the biasing force of the drive spring 13.

[0046] The mover has an attraction portion 34a that is attracted to the magnetic pole faces of the electromagnets 35a and 35b, and a support portion 34b that is fixed to the attraction portion 34a and to which the operating lever 11 is connected. The operating lever 11 is rotatably connected to the support portion 34b of the mover via a connection bracket 38. In the electric actuator 10, a mover position detection switch 109 is provided at the position where the attraction portion 34a of the mover is located during standby.

[0047] The mover further has a cam portion 34c fixed to the suction portion 34a. When the mover is located at the standby position, the mover position detection switch 109 is operated by the cam portion 34c. When the mover position detection switch 109 is operated by the cam portion 34c, it transitions from an ON state to an OFF state, or from an OFF state to an ON state. Therefore, it is possible to detect whether the mover is located at the standby position depending on the state of the mover position detection switch 109. In this embodiment, the elevator controller 7 determines whether the mover is located at the standby position based on the state of the mover position detection switch 109.

[0048] In this embodiment, the mover position detection switch 109 is in an ON state when it is operated by the cam portion 34c.

[0049] In this embodiment, at least the attracting portion 34a of the movers (34a, 34b, 34c) is made of a magnetic material, preferably a soft magnetic material such as low carbon steel or permalloy (iron-nickel alloy).

[0050] The other mechanisms (36, 37, 39, 41) in FIG. 3 will be described later.

[0051] The electromagnets 35a, 35b are excited by a DC power supply 300 and a battery 111. In this embodiment, a storage battery is used as the battery 111. The DC power supply 300 is composed of a rectifier and a power converter that converts AC power input from a commercial single-phase AC power supply 500 into DC power. The DC output of the DC power supply 300 is connected in parallel to the battery 111 via a power feeding contact 150. The power feeding contact 150 is composed of a contact provided in, for example, an electromagnetic relay, an electromagnetic contactor, an electromagnetic switch, or the like.

[0052] When AC power is supplied from the commercial single-phase AC power supply 500, the electromagnets 35a, 35b are mainly excited by the DC power supply 300. At this time, the power supply contact 150 is controlled by the elevator controller 7 to be in a closed state. As a result, the DC power supply 300 excites the electromagnets 35a, 35b and charges the battery 111.

[0053] When the power supply from the commercial single-phase AC power supply 500 is cut off during a power outage or maintenance, the electromagnets 35a and 35b are excited by the battery 111. At this time, the power supply contacts 150 are controlled by the elevator controller 7 to be in an open state. This prevents the discharge current from the battery 111 from flowing into the DC power supply 300 side.

[0054] In the excitation circuit of the electromagnet 35a, one end of the coil of the electromagnet 35a is connected to the high potential side of the battery 111 via electrical contacts 104a, 105a and a fuse 107a connected in series, and is also connected to the high potential side of the DC output of the DC power supply 300 via a power supply contact 150. The other end of the coil of the electromagnet 35a is connected to the low potential sides of the battery 111 and the DC power supply output.

[0055] In the excitation circuit of electromagnet 35b, one end of the coil of electromagnet 35b is connected to the high potential side of battery 111 via electrical contacts 104b, 105b and fuse 107b connected in series, and is also connected to the high potential side of the DC output of DC power supply 300 via power supply contact 150. The other end of the coil of electromagnet 35b is connected to the low potential sides of battery 111 and the output of DC power supply 300.

[0056] Fuses 107a and 107b are provided in the excitation circuits to protect the electromagnets 35a and 35b from overcurrent, respectively.

[0057] The electrical contacts 104a, 105a, 104b, and 105b are controlled to be turned on and off by the safety controller 103. When the electric actuator 10 is in a standby state, the safety controller 103 controls each of the electrical contacts 104a, 105a, 104b, and 105b to be in an on state. As a result, the coils of the electromagnets 35a and 35b are energized, causing the electromagnets 35a and 35b to generate electromagnetic forces.

[0058] Each of the electrical contacts 104a, 105a, 104b, and 105b is composed of a contact provided in, for example, an electromagnetic relay, an electromagnetic contactor, or an electromagnetic switch. In each excitation circuit of the electromagnets 35a and 35b, multiple electrical contacts (two in FIG. 2 ) are connected in series. This ensures that even if an ON failure occurs in one contact when multiple electrical contacts are controlled to the OFF state to activate the safety device 2, the electromagnets are de-energized. This improves the operational reliability of the electric actuator 10. An ON failure may occur, for example, due to welding of a contact.

[0059] The other electrical equipment parts (37, 112) will be described later. Signal lines 106a, 106b are used to input answerback signals from the excitation circuits of electromagnets 35a, 35b to safety controller 103.

[0060] An answerback signal (hereinafter referred to as "answerback signal (106a)") input to safety controller 103 via signal line 106a indicates the potential at one end of the coil of electromagnet 35a, which is connected to the high-potential side of battery 111 and DC power supply 300 via electrical contacts 104a and 105a. Therefore, if electromagnet 35a is energized, answerback signal (106a) indicates the potential at the high-potential side of battery 111 and DC power supply 300 (high potential (HIGH)), and if electromagnet 35a is not energized, it indicates the potential at the low-potential side of battery 111 and DC power supply 300 (low potential (LOW)). Based on the potential indicated by answerback signal (106a), safety controller 103 detects the energized state of electromagnet 35a.

[0061] An answerback signal (hereinafter referred to as "answerback signal (106b)") input to safety controller 103 via signal line 106b indicates the potential at one end of the coil of electromagnet 35b, which is connected to the high-potential side of battery 111 and DC power supply 300 via electrical contacts 104b and 105b. Therefore, if electromagnet 35b is energized, answerback signal (106b) indicates the potential at the high-potential side of battery 111 and DC power supply 300 (high potential (HIGH)), and if electromagnet 35b is not energized, it indicates the potential at the low-potential side of battery 111 and DC power supply 300 (low potential (LOW)). Safety controller 103 detects the energized state of electromagnet 35b based on the potential indicated by answerback signal (106b).

[0062] Next, the operation of the electric operating device 10 when the safety device 2 is activated will be described.

[0063] When the safety controller 103 detects a predetermined overspeed state (the second overspeed state described above) of the car 1 based on the rotation position signal S from the rotation detector 6, it outputs an OFF command to each of the electrical contacts 104a, 105a, 104b, and 105b. The OFF command causes the electrical contacts 104a, 105a, 104b, and 105b to transition from the ON state ( FIG. 3 ) to the OFF state. This stops the excitation of the electromagnets 35a and 35b, and the electromagnetic force acting on the movers (34a, 34b, and 34c) disappears. This releases the constraint on the mover caused by the attraction of the attraction portion 34a of the mover to the electromagnets 35a and 35b. The mover then moves from its standby state position ( FIG. 3 ) to position P in the direction of the biasing force of the drive spring 13 (to the right in the figure) due to the biasing force of the drive spring 13 (F in FIG. 3 ). In FIG. 3, the mover after movement is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0064] As the restraint on the mover is released, the drive shaft 12 is driven by the biasing force of the drive spring 13 (FIG. 1) acting on the pressing member 15 (FIG. 1) of the drive shaft 12 in the direction from the fixed portion 14 (FIG. 1) toward the pressing member 15 (FIG. 1). When the drive shaft 12 is driven, the first link member (operating lever 11 and first operating piece 16: FIG. 1) connected to the drive shaft 12 rotates around the first operating shaft 19 (FIG. 1). This causes the lifting rod 21 (FIG. 1) connected to the first operating piece 16 to be pulled up. When the drive shaft 12 is driven, the second link member (connecting piece 17 and second operating piece 18: FIG. 1) connected to the drive shaft 12 rotates around the second operating shaft 20 (FIG. 1). This causes the lifting rod 21 (FIG. 1) connected to the second operating piece 18 to be pulled up.

[0065] Next, the return operation of the electric actuator 10 will be described.

[0066] To return the electric actuator 10 from the operating state to the standby state, the return mechanism unit (36, 37, 39, 41) and the electrical equipment unit (37, 112) return the movable elements (34a, 34b, 34c) from the moving position (position P in Figure 2) to the standby position, as described below.

[0067] The electric actuator 10 has a feed screw 36 for driving the mover. The feed screw 36 is coaxially connected to the rotation shaft of a motor 37 and rotatably supported by a support member 41. The electromagnets 35a and 35b are fixed to an electromagnet support plate 39 that includes a feed nut portion (not shown). The feed nut portion of the electromagnet support plate 39 is threadedly engaged with the feed screw 36. The feed screw 36 is rotated by the motor 37. The motor 37 is driven by a motor controller 112.

[0068] The motor controller 112 includes a drive circuit for the motor 37, and controls the rotation of the motor 37 in response to a control command from the elevator controller 7. The motor 37 may be either a DC motor or an AC motor.

[0069] The elevator controller 7 controls the normal operation of the car 1 and has information on the operating state of the car 1. In this embodiment, as described above, the elevator controller 7 further has a function of controlling the motor 37 provided in the electric operating device 10.

[0070] When returning the electric operator 10 to the standby state, the elevator controller 7 sends a rotation command for the motor 37 to the motor controller 112. Upon receiving the rotation command, the motor controller 112 drives the motor 37 to rotate the feed screw 36. The rotating feed screw 36 and a feed nut portion provided on the electromagnet support plate 39 convert the rotation of the motor 37 into linear movement of the electromagnets 35a, 35b along the axial direction of the feed screw 36. As a result, the electromagnets 35a, 35b approach the movement position P of the mover (34a, 34b, 34c) and come into contact with the mover.

[0071] The motor controller 112 monitors the motor current to control the motor 37. As described above, when the electromagnets 35a and 35b contact the mover, the load on the motor 37 increases, and the motor current increases. When the motor current increases and exceeds a predetermined value, the motor controller 112 determines that the electromagnets 35a and 35b have contacted the mover. The motor controller 112 sends this determination result to the safety controller 103 and the elevator controller 7.

[0072] When safety controller 103 receives the determination result from motor controller 112, it outputs an ON command to each of electrical contacts 104a, 105a, 104b, and 105b. The ON command causes electrical contacts 104a, 105a, 104b, and 105b to transition from an OFF state to an ON state. This causes electromagnets 35a and 35b to be excited. The electromagnetic force generated by excited electromagnets 35a and 35b acts on attraction portion 34a of the mover, causing it to be attracted to electromagnets 35a and 35b.

[0073] When elevator controller 7 receives the above-mentioned determination result from motor controller 112, it sends a reverse rotation command for motor 37 to motor controller 112. When motor controller 112 receives the reverse rotation command, it reverses the rotation direction of motor 37, thereby rotating feed screw 36 in the reverse direction. As a result, the mover attracted to electromagnets 35a and 35b moves toward the standby position together with electromagnets 35a and 35b while receiving the biasing force of drive spring 13.

[0074] The cam portion 34c of the mover (34a, 34b, 34c) is separated from the mover position detection switch 109 from when the electric actuator 10 is actuated and the mover (34a, 34b, 34c) moves to position P (FIG. 3) until immediately before the electric actuator 10 completes its return operation. Therefore, at this time, the mover position detection switch 109 is in the OFF state.

[0075] When the movers (34a, 34b, 34c) attracted to the electromagnets 35a, 35b reach the standby position, the mover position detection switch 109 is operated by the cam portion 34c provided on the mover. When the mover position detection switch 109 is operated, the elevator controller 7 determines that the mover is located at the standby position. Based on this determination result, the elevator controller 7 sends a stop command for the motor 37 to the motor controller 112. Upon receiving the stop command, the motor controller 112 stops the rotation of the motor 37.

[0076] In this embodiment, DC power supply 300 is composed of a rectifier and a power converter that convert AC power from a commercial single-phase AC power supply 500 into DC power. Commercial single-phase AC power supply 500 may be one phase of a commercial three-phase AC power supply (not shown) that supplies power to hoisting machine 200 and elevator controller 7 that drives and controls hoisting machine 200.

[0077] The DC power supply 300 serves as a power source for operating the electromagnets 35a and 35b, as well as the safety controller 103, the rotation detector 6, and the electrical contacts 104a, 104b, 105a, and 105b, and also as a power source for generating answerback signals (106a and 106b).

[0078] A battery 111 is connected to the output of the DC power supply 300 in order to compensate for the power supply to the load for a short time in the event of a power outage or voltage drop, thereby maintaining the supply of DC power when the power supply from the commercial single-phase AC power supply 500 is cut off.

[0079] In this embodiment, the elevator controller 7 includes a power conversion device such as an inverter device that drives the electric motor 201 included in the hoisting machine 200, a control unit that controls the electric motor 201 by controlling the power conversion device, a DC power supply for the brake device 202 included in the hoisting machine 200, and a control unit that controls the opening and closing of the brake device 202. The elevator controller 7 is supplied with AC power from a commercial three-phase AC power supply via normally open contacts included in an electromagnetic contactor, an electromagnetic switch, etc. Normally, the normally open contacts are closed.

[0080] When the safety controller 103 determines that the speed of the car 1 has reached the first overspeed, it issues a command to the electrical contacts to open the normally open contacts. This cuts off the power supply from the commercial three-phase AC power supply to the elevator controller 7, stopping the drive control of the electric motor 201 and putting the brake device 202 into a braking state. This brings the car 1 to an emergency stop.

[0081] Next, the general operation of the elevator apparatus of this embodiment when the power supply is cut off, that is, when the power supply from the commercial single-phase AC power supply 500 is cut off, will be described with reference to FIG.

[0082] FIG. 4 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3, showing the mechanism of the electric operating device 10 in this embodiment.

[0083] When the electric operator 10 is activated by a command signal from the safety controller 103 and the drive mechanisms (12 to 20) operate, the safety device 2 and the drive mechanisms (12 to 20) generate operating sounds. Even if an overspeed state of the car 1 is not detected and the safety control device does not output a command signal, the drive mechanisms (12 to 20) will operate when the power supply from the commercial single-phase AC power supply 500 is cut off and the electromagnets are demagnetized. At this time, elevator users and maintenance engineers can hear the operating sounds of the safety device 2 and the drive mechanisms (12 to 20).

[0084] Therefore, as will be described below, the elevator system of this embodiment is provided with means for maintaining excitation of the electromagnet when the power supply from the commercial single-phase AC power supply 500 is cut off, thereby preventing or suppressing the generation of operating noise from the safety device 2 and the drive mechanism.

[0085] In the following, it is assumed that the safety controller 103 has not detected any abnormality such as an overspeed state of the car 1 (FIG. 1).

[0086] Safety controller 103 detects the voltage between the output terminals of DC power supply 300 and detects a power interruption when the detected voltage drops. When safety controller 103 detects a power interruption, it transmits a power interruption detection signal to elevator controller 7. Note that safety controller 103 and elevator controller 7 are connected to each other via wire or wirelessly so that they can communicate with each other.

[0087] When the elevator controller 7 receives a power interruption detection signal from the safety controller 103, it opens the power supply contact 150 (see contact position p (dotted line) in Figure 4) and switches the power source for the electromagnets 35a, 35b, the motor controller 112, and the safety controller 103 from the DC power source 300 to the battery 111.

[0088] The elevator controller 7 is equipped with a battery (not shown) as an emergency power supply, and when it detects a cutoff of the power supply from the commercial three-phase AC power supply or receives a power cutoff detection signal from the safety controller 103, it switches the power supply of the elevator controller 7 from the commercial three-phase AC power supply to the battery. Note that the battery 111 may also be used as the emergency power supply of the elevator controller 7.

[0089] Safety controller 103 continues to operate by receiving power from battery 111. Therefore, safety controller 103 does not detect an overspeed state of car 1, and therefore keeps electrical contacts 104a, 105a, 104b, and 105b in the ON state. This keeps electromagnets 35a and 35b energized, so that electromagnets 35a and 35b continue to attract the movers (34a, 34b, and 34c) at their standby positions.

[0090] The elevator controller 7 operates the return mechanisms (36, 37, 39, 41) to move the electromagnets 35a, 35b that attract the mover from the standby position of the mover toward the mover position P to which the mover will move when the safety device 2 is activated if the car 1 falls into an overspeed state. At this time, the magnitude of the movement speed of the electromagnets 35a, 35b is smaller than the movement speed of the mover when the safety device 2 is activated. Therefore, the safety device 2 and the drive mechanisms (12 to 20) operate more slowly than when the car 1 falls into an overspeed state, and therefore the operating noise of the safety device 2 and the drive mechanisms is suppressed.

[0091] The elevator controller 7 controls the motor controller 112 to rotate the motor 37 in the forward direction, thereby rotating the feed screw 36 in the direction of the arrow circle A. As a result, the electromagnets 35a and 35b fixed to the electromagnet support plate 39 on which the feed nut that screws onto the feed screw 36 is provided, and the movers attracted to the electromagnets 35a and 35b move together with the electromagnet support plate 39 in the direction of the arrow A, i.e., toward the movement position P.

[0092] In this embodiment, when the mover position detection switch 110 detects that the mover has reached the movement position P, the elevator controller 7 controls the motor controller 112 to stop the motor 37. That is, the electromagnets 35a, 35b and the mover stop at the movement position P (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4).

[0093] After the electromagnets 35 a, 35 b and the mover have stopped, the safety controller 103 detects the voltage between the output terminals of the DC power supply 300, and when an increase in the detected voltage detects that the power supply has been released, i.e., that the power supply has been restored from the DC power supply 300, the safety controller 103 transmits a power supply restoration detection signal to the elevator controller 7.

[0094] When the elevator controller 7 receives a power supply restoration detection signal from the safety controller 103, it closes the power supply contact 150 (see the contact position (solid line) in FIG. 4 ) and switches the power supplies of the electromagnets 35a, 35b, the motor controller 112, and the safety controller 103 from the battery 111 to the DC power supply 300. At this time, when the elevator controller 7 itself detects the restoration of power supply from the commercial three-phase AC power supply, or when it receives a power supply restoration detection signal from the safety controller 103, it switches the power supply of the elevator controller 7 from the battery to the commercial three-phase AC power supply.

[0095] The elevator controller 7 operates the return mechanism (36, 37, 39, 41) to move the electromagnets 35a and 35b that attract the mover from the moving position P of the mover toward the standby position.

[0096] At this time, the elevator controller 7 controls the motor controller 112 to reverse the rotation of the motor 37, thereby rotating the feed screw 36 in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow circle A. As a result, the electromagnets 35 a, 35 b fixed to the electromagnet support plate 39 on which the feed nut that screws onto the feed screw 36 is provided, and the movers attracted to the electromagnets 35 a, 35 b move together with the electromagnet support plate 39 in the direction opposite to the arrow A, i.e., toward the standby position.

[0097] In this embodiment, when the mover position detection switch 109 detects that the mover has reached the standby position, the elevator controller 7 controls the motor controller 112 to stop the motor 37. That is, the electromagnets 35a and 35b and the mover stop at the standby position. That is, the electric operator 10 returns to the standby state.

[0098] 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the elevator controller 7 (FIG. 4) when the power is interrupted. In the following description, reference will be made to FIG. 4 as needed.

[0099] The elevator controller 7 in this embodiment includes a computer system such as a microcomputer, and operates by the computer system executing a predetermined program. Note that the safety controller 103 includes a computer system independent of the elevator controller 7.

[0100] In step S1, the elevator controller 7 determines whether the power supply from the DC power supply 300 has been cut off, i.e., whether a power cut has occurred, based on the presence or absence of a power cutoff detection signal from the safety controller 103. If the elevator controller 7 determines that a power cutoff detection signal has been received and that a power cutoff has occurred (YES in step S1), it then executes step S2. On the other hand, if the elevator controller 7 does not receive a power cutoff detection signal and that a power cutoff has not occurred (NO in step S1), it executes step S1 again.

[0101] In step S2, the elevator controller 7 opens the power supply contact 150 to switch the power supply to the electromagnets 35a, 35b, the motor controller 112, and the safety controller 103 from the DC power supply 300 to the battery 111 (denoted as "battery power supply" in FIG. 5). After executing step S2, the elevator controller 7 then executes step S3.

[0102] In step S3, the elevator controller 7 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since executing step S2, i.e., since switching to battery power supply. The predetermined time is a preset time for discharging the battery 111 until the remaining battery charge reaches an allowable level for supplying power to the electromagnets 35 a, 35 b, the motor controller 112, and the safety controller 103.

[0103] By having the elevator controller 7 execute step S3, even if the power supply is interrupted for a relatively long period of time (for example, during maintenance work), the return mechanism can be activated before the battery 111 runs out, thereby suppressing the operating noise of the emergency stop device and the drive mechanism.

[0104] If the elevator controller 7 determines that the predetermined time has elapsed (YES in step S3), it then executes step S4. If the elevator controller 7 determines that the predetermined time has not elapsed (NO in step S3), it then executes step S6.

[0105] In step S6, the elevator controller 7 determines whether to continue battery power supply based on the presence or absence of a power supply restoration detection signal from the safety controller 103. If the elevator controller 7 determines that there is no power supply restoration detection signal and that battery power supply should be continued (YES in step S6), it executes step S3 again. On the other hand, if there is a power supply restoration detection signal and it determines that battery power supply should not be continued (NO in step S6), the elevator controller 7 closes power supply contact 150 to return the power supply to electromagnets 35a, 35b, motor controller 112, and safety controller 103 from battery power supply to power supply from DC power supply 300, and then ends the series of processes.

[0106] By having the elevator controller 7 execute step S6, when the power cutoff is completed in a relatively short time (for example, a short-term power outage such as a momentary power outage), power supply from the DC power source 300 can be quickly restored without causing the recovery mechanism to perform unnecessary operations (corresponding to steps S4 to S5, S7 to S9).

[0107] In step S4, the elevator controller 7 uses the motor controller 112 to rotate the motor 37 in the forward direction. This rotates the feed screw 36, causing the electromagnets 35a and 35b and the movers (34a, 34b, 34c) attracted to the electromagnets 35a and 35b to move toward the mover's movement position P ( FIG. 4 ) when the safety device 2 is activated if the car 1 falls into an overspeed state. After executing step S4, the elevator controller 7 then executes step S5.

[0108] In step S5, the elevator controller 7 determines whether the electromagnets 35a, 35b and the mover have reached one of the two end points of the linear movable range of the electromagnets 35a, 35b and the mover, which is located on the side of the movement position P, based on the on / off state of the mover position detection switch 110. In this embodiment, the one end point is the movement position P. In this embodiment, the mover position detection switch 110 is turned on when operated by the cam portion 34c of the mover.

[0109] When the elevator controller 7 determines that the mover position detection switch 110 is in the on state and that the electromagnets 35a, 35b and the mover have reached one of the end points (YES in step S5), it uses the motor controller 112 to stop the rotation of the motor 37 and then ends the series of processes.

[0110] In this case, since the brake 61 (FIG. 2) of the safety device 2 has been pulled up to the braking position, after the elevator controller 7 has completed the series of processes shown in FIG. 5, the process moves to the restoration of the safety device 2 after the power supply from the DC power supply 300 is restored. In the restoration process, the return mechanism is operated to return the movable piece to the standby position, but since the electromagnets 35a, 35b have already moved to the movement position P, the time required to return the movable piece to the standby position is shortened.

[0111] If the elevator controller 7 determines that the mover position detection switch 110 is in the OFF state and that the electromagnets 35a, 35b and the mover have not reached one of the end points (NO in step S5), it then executes step S7.

[0112] In step S7, the elevator controller 7 determines whether to continue battery power supply based on the presence or absence of a power supply restoration detection signal from the safety controller 103. If the elevator controller 7 determines that there is no power supply restoration detection signal and that battery power supply should be continued (YES in step S7), it executes step S4 again to continue the forward rotation of the motor 37. On the other hand, if there is a power supply restoration detection signal and it determines that battery power supply should not be continued (NO in step S6), it closes the power supply contact 150 to return the power supply to the electromagnets 35a, 35b, the motor controller 112, and the safety controller 103 from battery power supply to power supply from the DC power supply 300, and then executes step S8.

[0113] By executing step S7, the elevator controller 7 can immediately move the electromagnets 35a, 35b and the movable element toward the standby position if the power supply from the DC power supply 300 is restored before the electromagnets 35a, 35b and the movable element reach one of the end points while moving toward that end point (corresponding to steps S8 and S9).

[0114] In step S8, the elevator controller 7 uses the motor controller 112 to reverse the motor 37. This reverses the rotation of the feed screw 36, causing the electromagnets 35a and 35b and the movers (34a, 34b, 34c) attracted to the electromagnets 35a and 35b to move toward the standby position. After executing step S8, the elevator controller 7 then executes step S9.

[0115] In step S9, the elevator controller 7 determines whether the electromagnets 35a, 35b and the mover have reached the other end point of the linear movable range of the electromagnets 35a, 35b and the mover, which is located closer to the standby position, based on the on / off state of the mover position detection switch 109. In this embodiment, the other end point is the standby position. In this embodiment, the mover position detection switch 109 is turned on when operated by the mover cam portion 34c.

[0116] When the elevator controller 7 determines that the mover position detection switch 109 is in the OFF state and that the electromagnets 35a, 35b and the mover have not reached the other end point (NO in step S9), it executes step S8 again to continue the reverse rotation of the motor 37. When the elevator controller 7 determines that the mover position detection switch 109 is in the ON state and that the electromagnets 35a, 35b and the mover have reached the other end point, i.e., the standby position (YES in step S9), it stops the rotation of the motor 37 using the motor controller 112, and then ends the series of processes.

[0117] As described above, according to this embodiment, when the DC power supply 300 of the electric actuator 10 is cut off, the electromagnets 35a, 35b, which are excited by the battery 111 and attract the movers (34a, 34b, 34c), are moved from the standby position toward the moving position, thereby gently operating the safety device 2 and the drive mechanisms (12 to 20). This makes it possible to suppress the operating noise of the safety device 2 and the drive mechanisms (12 to 20) when the power supply is cut off.

[0118] In the above-described embodiment, the safety controller 103 detects the interruption and restoration of the power supply by the DC power supply 300, but this is not limiting, and the elevator controller 7 may detect it. In this case, the elevator controller 7 determines the interruption and restoration of the power supply by the DC power supply 300 based on the interruption and restoration of the power supply by the commercial three-phase AC power supply that serves as the power source for the elevator controller 7 and the hoisting machine 200.

[0119] The one end point may be located closer to the standby position than the moving position P, and the mover position detection switch 110 may be provided at this position. In this case, after the electromagnets 35a, 35b reach one end point, the electromagnets 35a, 35b are demagnetized, and when the drive mechanism (12 to 20) and the safety device 2 operate, the elastic energy of the drive spring 13 is partially released. This reduces the operating noise of the drive mechanism (12 to 20) and the safety device 2.

[0120] As in the above-described embodiment, by setting one end point at the movement position P, it is possible to reliably suppress the operating noise of the drive mechanism (12 to 20) and the safety device 2. Furthermore, when the mover position detection switch 110 is provided at the movement position P, the mover position detection switch 110 can also be used to detect the operation of the safety device.

[0121] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of the embodiments with other configurations.

[0122] For example, instead of the mover position detection switch 109, other position detection sensors, such as a photoelectric position sensor, a magnetic position sensor, or a proximity sensor (capacitive or inductive), may be used.

[0123] In addition, the electric operating device 10 may be provided not only at the upper part of the elevator car 1 but also at the lower part or side part.

[0124] The elevator system may have a machine room, or may be a so-called machine room-less elevator that does not have a machine room.

[0125] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...car, 2...emergency stop device, 4...guide rail, 5...roller, 6...rotation detector, 7...elevator controller, 10...electric operator, 11...operating lever, 12...drive shaft, 13...drive spring, 14...fixing portion, 15...pressure member, 16...first operating piece, 17...connecting piece, 18...second operating piece, 19...first operating shaft, 20...second operating shaft, 21...pull-up rod, 22...base, 30...casing, 34a...suction portion, 34b...support portion, 34c...cam portion, 35a, 35b...electromagnet, 36...feed screw, 37...motor, 38...connecting bracket socket, 39...electromagnet support plate, 41...support member, 50...crosshead, 60...body portion, 61...brake shoe, 62...tilt body, 63...elastic body, 103...safety controller, 104a, 105a, 104b, 105b...electrical contacts, 106a, 106b...signal lines, 107a, 107b...fuses, 109, 110...mover position detection switch, 111...battery, 112...motor controller, 150...power supply contact, 200...hoisting machine, 201...electric motor, 202...brake device, 300...DC power supply, 500...commercial single-phase AC power supply

Claims

1. An elevator apparatus comprising a car, an emergency stop device provided in the car, a drive mechanism for driving the emergency stop device, and an electric operator for operating the drive mechanism, wherein the electric operator includes a mover mechanically connected to the drive mechanism, an electromagnet that attracts the mover at a standby position of the mover to restrain the movement of the drive mechanism and is demagnetized when the speed of the car reaches a predetermined overspeed to operate the drive mechanism, a return mechanism for returning the mover from a movement position during operation of the emergency stop device to the standby position, and a controller for controlling the return mechanism, and the controller controls the return mechanism to move the electromagnet that is excited to attract the mover from the standby position toward the movement position.

2. The elevator apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a power source and a battery for supplying power to the electric operator, wherein the operation of moving the electromagnet that is excited to attract the mover from the standby position toward the movement position is executed when the power supply to the electric operator is switched from power supply by the power source to power supply by the battery.

3. The elevator apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the power supply to the electric operator is switched to power supply by the battery when the power supply by the power source is interrupted.

4. The elevator apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller operates the return mechanism to move the electromagnet after a predetermined time has elapsed since the power supply is switched to power supply by the battery.

5. The elevator apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined time is set to be the discharge time of the battery until the remaining battery level that is allowed to compensate for the power supply to the electric operator by the battery is reached.

6. In the elevator apparatus according to claim 4, power supply to the electric actuator is switched to power supply by the battery when power supply by the power source is interrupted, and when the predetermined time has not elapsed since the power supply is switched to power supply by the battery, if the power supply by the power source is restored, the power supply to the electric actuator is switched to power supply by the power source. An elevator apparatus characterized by this.

7. In the elevator apparatus according to claim 1, the controller controls the return mechanism to stop the movement of the electromagnet when the mover reaches the end point on the side of the movement position within the movement range of the mover and the electromagnet. An elevator apparatus characterized by this.

8. In the elevator apparatus according to claim 7, it includes a power source and a battery for supplying power to the electric actuator, power supply to the electric actuator is switched to power supply by the battery when power supply by the power source is interrupted, and the controller, before the mover reaches the end point on the side of the movement position, if the power supply by the power source is restored and the power supply to the electric actuator is switched to power supply by the power source, operates the return mechanism to move the electromagnet toward the end point on the side of the standby position within the movement range. An elevator apparatus characterized by this.

9. In the elevator apparatus according to claim 8, the end point on the side of the standby position is the standby position. An elevator apparatus characterized by this.

10. In an elevator control method for controlling an elevator apparatus including a car, an emergency stop device provided in the car, a drive mechanism for driving the emergency stop device, and an electric actuator for operating the drive mechanism, the electric actuator includes a mover mechanically connected to the drive mechanism, an electromagnet that attracts the mover at the standby position of the mover to restrain the movement of the drive mechanism and is demagnetized when the speed of the car reaches a predetermined overspeed to operate the drive mechanism, and a return mechanism for returning the mover from the movement position during the operation of the emergency stop device to the standby position, the method includes moving the electromagnet that is excited to attract the mover from the standby position toward the movement position. An elevator control method characterized by this.

11. In the elevator control method according to claim 10, the elevator apparatus includes a power source and a battery that supply power to the electric actuator, and when the power supply to the electric actuator is switched from power supply by the power source to power supply by the battery, the electromagnet that is excited to attract the mover is moved from the standby position toward the moving position. An elevator control method characterized by this.