IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,371,420
Granted Patent B2
US 8,371,420 · App. 12/740,371 · Granted Feb 12, 2013

Elevator system for reducing collision shock

Inventors: Rikio Kondo (Tokyo, JP); Hiroshi Kigawa (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,371,420
App. No.
12/740,371
Granted
Feb 12, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

An elevator system includes a car ( 1 ) traveling up and down along a hoistway; a buffer ( 15 ) for stopping the car ( 1 ) at an end of the hoistway, brakes ( 7 ), ( 8 ), and ( 9 ) for braking travel of the car ( 1 ); a car traveling-information acquisition part for acquiring car traveling information; and a brake controller ( 10 ) for controlling the brakes ( 8 ) and ( 9 ), based upon the information acquired by the car traveling-information acquisition part, so as to reduce a collision speed at a collision of the car with the buffer to below a predetermined speed so that a shock at the collision of the car ( 1 ) with the buffer ( 15 ) can be absorbed to a level below a specified value.

Claims (21)

1. An elevator system comprising:

a car supported for traveling up and down along a hoistway;

a buffer positioned for stopping the car at an end of the hoistway;

a brake configured for braking travel of the car;

a car traveling-information acquisition means for acquiring car traveling information; and

a brake controller for continuously controlling the brake to selectively put the brake into a state ready to weaken the braking force or to put the brake into a state unable to weaken the braking force, to reduce a collision speed at a collision of the car with the buffer to below a predetermined speed, based upon the information acquired by the car traveling-information acquisition means, so that a shock at the collision of the car with the buffer can be absorbed to a level below a specified value.

2. The elevator system of claim 1 , wherein the car traveling-information acquisition means acquires information on a deceleration of the car, and the brake controller controls the brake by comparing the deceleration of the car with a deceleration for reducing the collision speed to below the predetermined speed.

3. The elevator system of claim 1 , wherein

the car traveling-information acquisition means acquires information on a speed of the car and a distance from the car to the buffer; and

the brake controller includes a storage part for storing a speed of the car versus distance from the car to the buffer relation that enables the collision speed to be reduced to below the predetermined speed by braking of the brake, and continuously controls the brake to selectively put the brake into a state ready to weaken the braking force or to put the brake into a state unable to weaken the braking force, to reduce the collision speed at the collision of the car with the buffer to below the predetermined speed, by comparing the speed of the car versus distance from the car to the buffer relation stored in the storage part with the information on the speed of the car and the distance from the car to the buffer acquired by the car traveling-information acquisition means.

4. The elevator system of claim 3 , further comprising:

a car load-weight acquisition means for calculating a load weight of the car; and

a car traveling-direction detecting means for detecting a traveling direction of the car, wherein

the storage part stores a speed of the car versus distance from the car to the buffer relation calculated by taking into account the load weight and the traveling direction of the car, for the collision speed to be reduced to below the predetermined speed; and

the brake controller continuously controls the brake to selectively put the brake into a state ready to weaken the braking force or to put the brake into a state unable to weaken the braking force, to reduce the collision speed at the collision of the car with the buffer to below the predetermined speed, by comparing the speed of the car versus distance from the car to the buffer relation stored in the storage part with information acquired by the car load-weight acquisition means, the car traveling-direction detecting means, and the car traveling-information acquisition means.

5. An elevator system comprising:

a counterweight supported for traveling up and down along a hoistway;

a buffer positioned for stopping the counterweight at an end of the hoistway;

a brake configured for braking travel of the counterweight;

a counterweight traveling-information acquisition means for acquiring counterweight traveling information; and

a brake controller for continuously controlling the brake to selectively put the brake into a state ready to weaken the braking force or to put the brake into a state unable to weaken the braking force, to reduce a collision speed at a collision of the counterweight with the buffer to below a predetermined speed, based upon the information acquired by the counterweight traveling-information acquisition means, so that a shock at the collision of the counterweight with the buffer can be absorbed to a level below a specified value.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 29, 2010
From: KONDO, RIKIO; KIGAWA, HIROSHI
To: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 024307/0585 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20100258382A1 · Oct 14, 2010