Apparatus and method for elevator control utilizing logarithmic averaging for consistent leveling times
AssigneeSmartrise Engineering, Inc.
InventorsGilbert Zogbi, Thomas Hanger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for controlling a hydraulic elevator system involves setting a baseline slowdown distance based on initial tuning, establishing a target leveling time in 0.1-second intervals, monitoring elevator operations to capture high speed, transition distance, leveling speed, leveling distance data, and adjusting the reference slowdown distance to align actual leveling times with the target time. A logarithmic averaging method is employed to calculate the reference slowdown distance, ensuring consistent elevator performance by smoothing out data variations.
Claims28
A control system for a hydraulic elevator, the hydraulic elevator including a car movably disposed in an elevator shaft, the car motivated by a hydraulic cylinder, which is operatively connected to a hydraulic pump, the hydraulic pump controlled by a set of valves and powered by a motor, the car including a motion sensor reporting a car speed and a car position in the elevator shaft, the control system comprising:
- a processor, including a memory;
- a valve controller, operatively connected to the set of valves and the processor,
- a motor controller, operatively connected to the motor and the processor;
- a control panel, operatively connected to the processor;
- and
- the memory containing a set of instructions, that when executed cause the control system to:
- receive a target leveling time;
- receive a destination command identifying a destination position;
- activate the set of valves to move the car;
- determine a slowdown position using a logarithmic averaging algorithm scaled by the target leveling time;
- monitor the car position to determine whether or not the car is at the slowdown position;
- deactivate a high speed valve, of the set of valves, to slow the car if the car is at the slowdown position;
- and
- deactivate a low speed valve, of the set of valves, to stop the car if the car is at the destination position.
A control system for a hydraulic elevator, the hydraulic elevator including a car movably disposed in an elevator shaft, the car motivated by a hydraulic cylinder which is operatively connected to a hydraulic pump, the hydraulic pump controlled by a set of valves and powered by a motor, the car including a motion sensor reporting a car speed and a car shaft position, the control system comprising:
- a processor, including a memory;
- a valve controller, operatively connected to the set of valves and the processor,
- a motor controller, operatively connected to the motor and the processor;
- a control panel, operatively connected to the processor;
- and
- the memory containing a set of instructions, that when executed cause the control system to:
- receive a target leveling time;
- receive a destination command to move the car to a destination position;
- determine a direction of travel based on the destination command;
- if the destination command is “up” then start the motor;
- open a high speed valve, of the set of valves, and a slow speed valve, of the set of valves;
- determine a slowdown position using a logarithmic averaging algorithm scaled by the target leveling time;
- if the car is at the slowdown position, then deactivating the high speed valve;
- monitoring a transition distance until the car reaches a leveling speed;
- and
- deactivating the slow speed valve when the car reaches the destination position.
A method for controlling a hydraulic elevator, the hydraulic elevator including a car movably disposed in an elevator shaft, the car motivated by a hydraulic cylinder, which is operatively connected to a hydraulic pump, the hydraulic pump controlled by a set of valves and powered by a motor, the car including a motion sensor reporting a car speed and a car position in the elevator shaft, the method comprising:
- providing a processor, including a memory;
- providing a valve controller, operatively connected to the set of valves and the processor,
- providing a motor controller, operatively connected to the motor and the processor;
- providing a control panel, operatively connected to the processor;
- and
- providing the memory with a set of instructions, that when executed cause the processor to:
- receive a target leveling time;
- receive a destination command identifying a destination position;
- activate the set of valves to move the car;
- determine a slowdown position using a logarithmic averaging algorithm scaled by the target leveling time;
- monitor the car position to determine whether or not the car is at the slowdown position;
- deactivate a high speed valve, of the set of valves, to slow the car if the car is at the slowdown position;
- and
- deactivate a low speed valve, of the set of valves, to stop the car if the car is at the destination position.
A method for controlling a hydraulic elevator, the hydraulic elevator including a car movably disposed in an elevator shaft, the car motivated by a hydraulic cylinder which is operatively connected to a hydraulic pump, the hydraulic pump controlled by a set of valves and powered by a motor, the car including a motion sensor reporting a car speed and a car shaft position, the method comprising:
- providing a processor, including a memory;
- providing a valve controller, operatively connected to the set of valves and the processor,
- providing a motor controller, operatively connected to the motor and the processor;
- providing a control panel, operatively connected to the processor;
- and
- providing the memory with a set of instructions, that when executed cause the processor to:
- receive a target leveling time;
- receive a destination command to move the car to a destination position;
- determine a direction of travel based on the destination command;
- if the destination command is “up” then start the motor;
- open a high speed valve, of the set of valves, and a slow speed valve, of the set of valves;
- determine a slowdown position using a logarithmic averaging algorithm scaled by the target leveling time;
- if the car is at the slowdown position, then deactivating the high speed valve;
- monitoring a transition distance until the car reaches a leveling speed;
- and
- deactivating the slow speed valve when the car reaches the destination position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.