METHOD FOR OPERATING A LIFT SYSTEM

Abstract

A method for operating an elevator system with a car that moves in an elevator shaft may involve detecting an operating parameter related to a change in loading of the car, ascertaining whether a position of the car relative to a stopping floor needs to be adjusted based on the operating parameter, determining times at which the car is to be stopped and at which the adjustment is to be performed, stopping the car and blocking a flow of energy of a drive of the car and/or activating a service brake as the car is being stopped and/or while the car is stopped, and adjusting the position of the car if necessary. Further, whether the adjustment is necessary may be ascertained before the car is stopped.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A method for operating an elevator system comprising a car that is moved in an elevator shaft, the method comprising: detecting an operating parameter related to a change in loading of the car; ascertaining whether an adjustment of a position of the car relative to a stopping floor is necessary based on the operating parameter; if the adjustment is ascertained to be necessary, determining a first time at which the adjustment is to performed; determining a second time at which the car is to be stopped; stopping the car at the stopping floor and at least one of blocking a flow of energy of a drive of the car as the car is being stopped and/or while the car is stopped, or activating a service brake as the car is being stopped and/or while the car is stopped; and if the adjustment is ascertained to be necessary, adjusting the position of the car to the stopping floor whereby the position of the car in the elevator shaft relative to the stopping floor is set, wherein whether the adjustment is necessary is ascertained before the car is stopped.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein detecting the operating parameter and ascertaining whether the adjustment is necessary occur before the car is stopped.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein if the adjustment is ascertained to be necessary the car is adjusted before the car is stopped.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising ascertaining an anticipated change in loading of the car based on the detected operating parameter.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the car is stopped after the adjustment in accordance with the anticipated change in loading that is ascertained.

21. The method of claim 16 wherein to ascertain whether the adjustment is necessary the operating parameter is compared to a threshold value.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the operating parameter comprises at least one of: a first change in load by way of which a load of the car at the stopping floor is reduced; a second change in load by way of which the load of the car at the stopping floor is increased; a first number of passengers that leave the car at the stopping floor; or a second number of passengers that enter the car at the stopping floor.

23. The method of claim 16 wherein if the adjustment is ascertained to be necessary, the car is adjusted from the beginning of a stop, throughout the stop, and up until an end of the stop, wherein the car is stopped at the end of the stop.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein a beginning of a stop corresponds to the first time, at which point the adjustment is performed.

25. The method of claim 16 wherein the second time follows an end of the adjustment.

26. The method of claim 16 wherein a beginning of a stop is determined as the second time, at which point the car is stopped.

27. The method of claim 16 wherein the first time, at which point the adjustment is performed, follows an end of a stop of the car.

28. The method of claim 16 wherein if the adjustment is ascertained to be unnecessary, a beginning of a stop is determined as the second time.

29. The method of claim 16 wherein the operating parameter is at least one of: determined by way of a destination selection controller of the elevator system; determined by way of an occupancy profile of the elevator system; is fixedly configured and the adjustment is always performed at a predetermined stopping floor; determined by way of a person- and/or load-specific sensor signal; or determined by way of a load measurement of the car.

30. An elevator system comprising: a car that is movable in an elevator shaft; and a control unit that detects an operating parameter related to a change in loading of the car, ascertains whether an adjustment of a position of the car relative to a stopping floor is necessary based on the operating parameter, if the adjustment is ascertained to be necessary, determines a first time at which the adjustment is to performed, determines a second time at which the car is to be stopped, stops the car at the stopping floor and at least one of blocks a flow of energy of a drive of the car as the car is being stopped and/or while the car is stopped, or activates a service brake as the car is being stopped and/or while the car is stopped, and if the adjustment is ascertained to be necessary, adjusts the position of the car to the stopping floor whereby the position of the car in the elevator shaft relative to the stopping floor is set.

31. A method for operating an elevator system comprising a car that is moved in an elevator shaft, wherein the car stops at a stopping floor; wherein the car is stopped at the stopping floor, a flow of energy being blocked and/or a service brake being activated during a course of stoppage, wherein in a case of the flow of energy being blocked a flow of energy of a drive of the car is blocked; wherein if adjustment is required a position of the car is adjusted to the stopping floor, wherein the car position in the elevator shaft relative to the stopping floor is set during a course of the adjustment; wherein at least one operating parameter that relates to a change in loading of the car is detected; wherein depending on the at least one operating parameter at least before the car is stopped, it is ascertained whether adjustment to the stopping floor is required; and wherein if it is ascertained that adjustment is required, a first time at which the adjustment is carried out is determined, and a second time at which the car is stopped is determined.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0071] FIG. 1 schematically shows a preferred refinement of an elevator system according to the invention.

[0072] FIG. 2 schematically shows a preferred embodiment of a method according to the invention as a block diagram.

[0073] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a preferred refinement of an elevator system according to the invention which is designated 100. A car 110 of the elevator system 100 can be moved in an elevator shaft 101. The car 110 is connected to a counterweight 105 by means of a suspension cable 102.

[0074] The car 110 is driven by a traction sheave drive 103 with motor 106. The traction sheave drive 103 is connected to a power supply system by means of an expedient connecting circuit. Said connecting circuit comprises two contactors 104 which are independent of one another, generally switching devices which are accommodated in the machine room 107.

[0075] The car 110 can be moved to several floors in the elevator shaft 101. Purely by way of example, FIG. 1 illustrates two floors 121 and 122. The elevator system comprises a destination selection controller. Input means 140, for example touchscreens or keypad input fields, are arranged at the different floors for a destination selection controller of this kind. Using these input means 140, passengers, at a starting floor at which they enter the car 110, can enter a destination floor to which they would like to be transported.

[0076] The elevator system comprises a control unit 130, for example an elevator controller. The elevator controller 130 is designed to carry out a preferred embodiment of a method according to the invention which is schematically illustrated as a block diagram in FIG. 2. The control unit 130 is accommodated in the machine room 107. Parts of the control unit 130 can also be located in the car 110.

[0077] In a first step 201, passengers at the starting floor 122 enter a destination floor using the corresponding input means 140. The elevator controller 130 receives a call. According to this call, the car 110 is intended to stop at the starting floor 122. In this case, the starting floor 122 is a corresponding stopping floor 122 at which people can already be located.

[0078] In step 202, operating parameters of the elevator system 100 which relate to a change in loading of the car 110 are determined by the elevator controller 130. In step 202, an anticipated first change in load, by which a load of the car 110 at the first stopping floor 122 is reduced, and an anticipated second change in load, by which the load of the car 110 at the stopping floor 122 is increased, are determined as operating parameters which relate to the change in loading of the car.

[0079] To this end, the elevator controller 130 evaluates information from the destination selection controller. Therefore, a second number of passengers who enter the car 110 at the stopping floor 122 is known to the elevator controller 130. Furthermore, a number of passengers who are currently in the car 110 and leave said car at the stopping floor 122 is known to the elevator controller 130. Using this first and second number of passengers, the elevator controller determines the first and the second change in load. Therefore, an anticipated change in loading of the car during the stop is ascertained in particular.

[0080] In step 203, the elevator controller 130 ascertains, depending on the specific operating parameters, whether adjustment is required at the stopping floor 122 and whether an adjustment of a car position should be carried out at the stopping floor 122. To this end, the operating parameters are in each case subjected to comparison with a threshold value. During the course of said comparison, the elevator controller 130 checks whether the first change in load and the second change in load each exceed a limit value.

[0081] In a first and a second case 210 and 220, the first and the second change in load exceed the respective limit value. In these cases 210 and 220, the elevator controller 130 evaluates that adjustment is required and that an adjustment should be carried out at the stopping floor 122.

[0082] In step 204, the elevator controller 130 determines whether the adjustment should be carried out before or after the car 110 is stopped. To this end, the elevator controller 130 determines a first time, at which the adjustment should be carried out, and a second time, at which the car 110 is stopped at the stopping floor 122.

[0083] In case 210, the adjustment is carried out before the car 110 is stopped. The determined first time therefore precedes the second time. In this example, a beginning of the stop is determined as the first time. An end of the stop is determined as the second time.

[0084] In step 211, the car 110 reaches the stopping floor 122 and doors of the car 110 are opened. The stop and the first time begin when the doors open.

[0085] In step 212, the adjustment is carried out at the beginning of the stop. During the course of the adjustment, the position of the car 110 in the elevator shaft 101 relative to the stopping floor 122 is set. To this end, the drive 103 of the car is correspondingly regulated.

[0086] At the end of the stop, the doors of the car 110 are closed again. At this second time, the car 110 is stopped in step 213.

[0087] During the course of said stoppage, in particular a service brake is activated first and then a flow of energy is blocked. For said blocking of the flow of energy, the contactors 104 are corresponding operated and the traction sheave drive 103 is deactivated. A check is then made to determine whether the traction sheave drive 103 is actually deactivated and the flow of energy of the traction sheave drive 103 is actually blocked.

[0088] The contactors 104 are then operated once again, so that the traction sheave drive 103 is activated again. The service brake is released and the car 110 leaves the stopping floor 122 in step 214.

[0089] In case 220, the adjustment is carried out after the car 110 is stopped. The determined second time therefore precedes the first time. The beginning of the stop is determined as the second time. An end of the blocking of the flow of energy is determined as the first time.

[0090] In step 221, the car 110 reaches the stopping floor 122 and doors of the car 110 are opened. The second time begins when the doors are opened and, in step 222, the car 110 is stopped at the beginning of the stop. Following the stoppage, the adjustment is carried out in step 223. At the end of the stop, the doors of the car 110 are closed again and, in step 224, the car 110 leaves the stopping floor.

[0091] In a third case 230, the first and the second change in load do not exceed the respective limit value. In this case 230, the elevator controller 130 assesses that adjustment is not required and adjustment should not be carried out. In said case 230, only the second time is determined in step 205. In this example, the beginning of the stop is determined as the second time. The car is therefore stopped at the beginning of the stop.

[0092] In step 231, the car 110 reaches the stopping floor 122 and doors of the car 110 are opened. The second time begins when the doors are opened and, in step 232, the service brake is activated and then the flow of energy is blocked. At the end of the stop, the doors of the car 110 are closed again and, in step 234, the car 110 leaves the stopping floor.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0093] 100 Elevator system [0094] 101 Elevator shaft [0095] 102 Suspension cable [0096] 103 Traction sheave drive [0097] 104 Contactor, switching devices, service brake actuation means [0098] 105 Counterweight [0099] 106 Motor [0100] 107 Machine room [0101] 110 Car [0102] 121 Floor [0103] 122 Floor, stopping floor [0104] 130 Control unit, elevator controller [0105] 140 Input means, destination selection controller [0106] 201-205 Method steps [0107] 210-214 Method steps [0108] 220-224 Method steps [0109] 230-232, 234 Method steps