METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING A RESCUE RUN

• US 20160068368A1
• Filed: 11/18/2015
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Inventors: HOVI, Antti, KETONEN, Ari, KATIAINEN, Ari
• Granted Patent: US 10,189,676 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/06 electric
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/343 Fault-tolerant or redundant control system configuration
• 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

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and to an apparatus for performing a rescue run with an elevator. In the method information is received from the sensors measuring the operation of the elevator about the points being measured with the sensors in question, one or more rescue run functions are selected on the basis of information received from the sensors, and also a rescue run, including the selected one or more rescue run functions, is performed.

Claims

1. Method for performing a rescue run, wherein:

information is received from the sensors measuring the operation of an elevator about the points being measured with the sensors in question

one or more rescue run functions are selected on the basis of information received from the sensors

a rescue run, including the selected one or more rescue run functions, is performed.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein:

information is received during the rescue run from one or more sensors measuring the operation of the elevator

the rescue run is interrupted if the measured operation of the elevator differs from that desired.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the aforementioned sensors measuring the operation of the elevator comprise a safety contact and/or a series circuit of safety contacts.

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein:

one or more safety contacts are bypassed for the duration of the rescue run on the basis of the information received from the sensors.

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein:

a malfunction of the elevator relating to a bypassed safety contact is recorded in non-volatile memory

on the basis of the aforementioned malfunction of the elevator recorded in non-volatile memory, a run with the elevator is prevented after the rescue run has been performed.

6. Method according to claim 3, wherein:

the presence of an object in a door opening of the elevator hoistway is monitored with one or more sensors measuring the operation of the elevator, the landing door safety contact measuring which door opening is open

the safety contact of the landing door that is open is bypassed for the duration of the rescue run, if the door opening of the elevator hoistway is free.

7. Method according to claim 3, wherein:

the presence of an object in an open door opening of the car door is monitored with one or more sensors measuring the operation of the elevator

the safety contact of the car door that is open is bypassed for the duration of the rescue run, if the door opening of the car door is free.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein:

the drive direction of the elevator car is selected on the basis of information received from the sensors.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein:

a run is started, on the basis of the information received from the sensors, for driving the elevator car with the elevator motor according to the speed reference to an exit floor.

10. Method according to claim 9, wherein:

a run is started for driving the elevator car by gravity to an exit floor, if a run in the direction of travel brought about by gravity is possible on the basis of the information received from the sensors.

11. Method according to claim 10, wherein:

a run is started for driving the elevator car by gravity to an exit floor, if the run with the elevator motor according to the speed reference failed.

12. Apparatus for performing a rescue run, comprising:

an elevator car;

an electrically operated hoisting machine, with which the elevator car is driven;

one or more electromagnetic machinery brakes;

a brake controller, which is configured to open the machinery brake(s) by supplying current to the electromagnets of the machinery brake(s), and also to apply the machinery brake(s) to brake the hoisting machine by disconnecting the current supply of the electromagnets;

a reserve power drive for supplying electric power to the aforementioned one or more machinery brakes during an electricity outage of the elevator;

a drive unit, with which the movement of the elevator is controlled by supplying electric power from the main supply of the elevator to the hoisting machine;

wherein the apparatus comprises;

sensors measuring the operation of the elevator; and

also

an electronic safety controller, which is connected to the aforementioned sensors measuring the operation of the elevator for receiving information about the points being measured with the sensors in question.

and in that the electronic safety controller comprises at least one safety output, which is connected

to the drive unit and is configured to disconnect the current supply from the main supply of the elevator to the hoisting machine, and also

to a brake controller and is configured to disconnect the current supply to the electromagnets of the aforementioned one or more machinery brakes.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the electronic safety controller comprises two safety outputs controllable independently of each other, the first of which is connected

to the drive unit and is configured to disconnect the current supply from the main supply of the elevator to the hoisting machine, and also

to a brake controller and is configured to disconnect the current supply from the main supply of the elevator to the electromagnets of the aforementioned one or more machinery brakes, and the second safety output of which is connected to a brake controller and is configured to disconnect the current supply from the reserve power drive to the electromagnets of the aforementioned one or more machinery brakes.

14. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the electronic safety controller is configured

to select one or more rescue run functions on the basis of information received from the sensors, and also

to form a control command for performing a rescue run, including the selected one or more rescue run functions.

15. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the electronic safety controller is configured

to receive information during the rescue run from one or more sensors measuring the operation of the elevator, and also

to interrupt the rescue run if the measured operation of the elevator differs from that desired.

16. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the apparatus comprises an elevator control unit for forming the speed reference of the elevator car;

and in that the electronic safety controller is configured to form, on the basis of the information received from the sensors, a control command for driving the elevator car with the elevator motor according to the speed reference to an exit floor.

17. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the electronic safety controller is configured:

to form a control command for driving the elevator car by gravity to an exit floor, if a run in the direction of travel brought about by gravity is possible on the basis of the information received from the sensors.

18. Apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the electronic safety controller is configured:

to form a control command for driving the elevator car by gravity to an exit floor, if the run with the elevator motor according to the speed reference failed.

19. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the aforementioned sensors measuring the operation of the elevator comprise a safety contact and/or a series circuit of safety contacts.

20. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the electronic safety controller is configured:

to bypass one or more safety contacts for the duration of the rescue run on the basis of information received from the sensors.

21. Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the electronic safety controller is configured:

to record in non-volatile memory a malfunction of the elevator relating to a bypassed safety contact, and also

to prevent, on the basis of the aforementioned malfunction of the elevator recorded in non-volatile memory, a run with the elevator after the rescue run has been performed.

22. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the electronic safety controller is configured:

to monitor with one or more sensors measuring the operation of the elevator the presence of an object in a door opening of the elevator hoistway, the safety contact of the landing door measuring which door opening is open, and also

to bypass for the duration of the rescue run the safety contact of the landing door that is open, if the door opening of the elevator hoistway is free.

23. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the electronic safety controller is configured:

to measure with one or more sensors measuring the operation of the elevator the presence of an object in an open door opening of a car door, and also

to bypass for the duration of the rescue run the safety contact of the car door that is open, if the door opening of the car door is free.

24. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the electronic safety controller is configured:

to select the drive direction of the elevator car on the basis of information received from the sensors.