AUXILIARY POWER SUPPLY APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20080073157A1
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motion Control Engineering Incorporated (Nidec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Motion Control Engineering Incorporated (Nidec Corporation)
• Inventors: Wong, Felix, Kanon, Ashur
• Application Number:
  US11/852,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20080073157A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 187/290
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 5/027 to permit passengers to leave an elevator car in case of failure, e.g. moving the car to a reference floor or unlocking the door
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/06 with automatic change-over , e.g. UPS systems

Abstract

An auxiliary power supply apparatus and method thereof including a backup battery system having a power supply and a control board to provide an auxiliary power to an elevator control system upon failure of a primary power so that an elevator car may run to a next available upward or downward landing and open at least one door to the elevator.

Claims

1. An auxiliary power supply system comprising:

an auxiliary power supply;

a motion detector to detect a motion of an elevator car powered via a primary power supply; and

a control board to activate the auxiliary power supply if the primary power supply fails or is disrupted;

wherein the control board controls movement of an elevator car based on a signal from the motion detector if the primary supply fails or is disrupted.

2. The auxiliary power supply system of claim 1, further comprising:

a signal generated by the auxiliary power system and transmitted to the control board if the primary power supply fails or is disrupted and the auxiliary power supply is activated.

3. The auxiliary power supply system of claim 1, further comprising:

an auxiliary power supply safety shut-off switch to enable complete power shut-off to the elevator car during maintenance thereof.

4. The auxiliary power supply system of claim 1, further comprising:

an auxiliary supply by-pass switch to enable a user to by-pass the auxiliary power supply system.

5. A method of controlling an elevator system, the method comprising:

providing a first power source as a primary power supply;

providing a second power source as a second power supply;

powering an elevator car via the second power source if the first power source fails or is disrupted;

determining motion via a motion detector;

outputting a signal via the motion detector;

moving the elevator car to a predetermined location based on the signal and via the second power source if the first power source fails or is disrupted; and

opening one or more elevator car doors via the second power source when the elevator car reaches the predetermined location if the first power source fails or is disrupted.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

transferring power to the elevator car from the first power source to the second power source without interruption of power if the first power source fails or is disrupted.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining whether an actual charge of the battery is sufficient to move the elevator car to the predetermined location and open the one or more doors.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

calculating a minimum power amount to move the elevator car to the predetermined location and open the one or more doors; and

outputting the minimum power amount.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined location is an optimal floor in an upward direction or downward direction.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the optimal floor is based on proximity to the predetermined location, proximity to the nearest floor, type of load, or priority of load delivery.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined location is a nearest floor in a same direction that the elevator car was moving when failure or disruption of the first power source occurred.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined location is an original destination that the elevator car was moving to when failure or disruption of the first power source occurred.

13. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

continuously monitoring the second power supply during use of the first power supply to ensure the second power supply contains a predetermined amount of power.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein the first power supply is AC power and the second power supply is DC power.

15. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

monitoring a charge of the second power supply; and

charging the second power supply if the charge is below a predetermined charge level.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the charging of the second power supply is automatically executed.

17. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined charge level is calculated based on elevator car quantity, elevator car capacity, elevator shaft size, or distance between floors.

18. Apparatus for controlling movement of an elevator car in the event of a power loss or disruption, comprising:

a power supply;

a motion detector; and

a control device to move the elevator car to the next nearest floor in the event of the power loss or disruption.