U.S. patent number 3,918,552 [Application Number 05/435,972] was granted by the patent office on 1975-11-11 for elevator control system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hitachi, Ltd.. Invention is credited to Tadao Kameyama, Akinori Watanabe.
United States Patent |
3,918,552 |
Kameyama , et al. |
November 11, 1975 |
Elevator control system
Abstract
A system for controlling the braking force applied to an
elevator car driven by an A.C. motor in which means for controlling
the cut-off position of the elevator car driving motor from the
power supply depending on the load of the elevator car are provided
so as to ensure accurate arrival of the elevator car at a desired
target floor and a comfortable sense of ride under every condition
of the load. The elevator control system is advantageous over prior
art systems of this kind in that the capacity of the motor can be
reduced and a better sense of ride can be obtained.
Inventors: |
Kameyama; Tadao (Ibaraki,
JA), Watanabe; Akinori (Katsuta, JA) |
Assignee: |
Hitachi, Ltd.
(JA)
|
Family
ID: |
11723116 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/435,972 |
Filed: |
January 23, 1974 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 24, 1973 [JA] |
|
|
48-9541 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
187/296 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B66B
1/40 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B66B
1/28 (20060101); B66B 1/32 (20060101); B66B
001/32 () |
Field of
Search: |
;187/29
;318/362,363,364,365,369 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Schaefer; Robert K.
Assistant Examiner: Duncanson, Jr.; W. E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Craig & Antonelli
Claims
What we claim is:
1. A system for controlling the braking force applied to an
elevator car comprising a motor for driving the elevator car, means
for detecting the speed of the elevator car, means for detecting
the deceleration starting position for the elevator car, circuit
breaking means for cutting off said driving motor from the power
supply, means for generating a braking pattern signal for applying
the braking force to the elevator car in response to the
application of the output of said deceleration starting position
detecting means, and means for comparing the output of said braking
pattern signal generating means with the output of said speed
detecting means thereby controlling the braking force applied to
the elevator car, wherein means are provided so that the operation
of said circuit breaking means and said means applying the braking
force to the elevator car can be started with a suitable delay time
depending on the load of said motor after the appearance of the
output from said deceleration starting position detecting
means.
2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for delaying
the initiation of the operation of said circuit breaking means and
said means applying the braking force to the elevator car comprises
means for detecting the load of said motor.
3. A system as claimed in claim 2, further comprising means for
reducing the torque generated by said motor, said torque reducing
means being adapted to operate in response to the appearance of the
output from said deceleration starting position detecting
means.
4. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means including
said motor load detecting means for delaying the initiation of the
operation of said circuit breaking means and said means applying
the braking force to the elevator car comprises a dead zone circuit
from which an output appears to actuate said circuit breaking
means, when the difference between the output of said elevator car
speed detecting means and the output of said braking pattern signal
generating means exceeds a predetermined setting of said dead zone
circuit.
5. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein motor current detecting
means for detecting the load of said motor and a dead zone circuit
are further provided so that said circuit breaking means can be
actuated by the output of said dead zone circuit when the
difference between the output of said motor current detecting means
and the output of said braking pattern signal generating means
exceeds a predetermined setting of said dead zone circuit.
6. A system as claimed in claim 4, further comprising means for
reducing the torque generated by said motor, said motor torque
reducing means being adapted to operate in response to the
appearance of the output from said deceleration starting position
detecting means.
7. A system as claimed in claim 5, further comprising means for
reducing the torque generated by said motor, said motor torque
reducing means being adapted to operate in response to the
appearance of the output from said deceleration starting position
detecting means.
8. A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein a relay is actuated by
the output of said dead zone circuit, and said braking force
applying means comprises rectifier means for supplying D.C. braking
current to said motor and a phase shifter for controlling said
rectifier means, said relay having first contacts disposed between
said motor and the power supply and second contacts disposed
between said rectifier means and said motor so that said first and
second contacts can be opened and closed respectively in response
to the appearance of the output from said dead zone circuit.
9. A system as claimed in claim 7, wherein a relay is actuated by
the output of said dead zone circuit, and said braking force
applying means comprises rectifier means for supplying D.C. braking
current to said motor and a phase shifter for controlling said
rectifier means, said relay having first contacts disposed between
said motor and the power supply and second contacts disposed
between said rectifier means and said motor so that said first and
second contacts can be opened and closed respectively in response
to the appearance of the output from said dead zone circuit.
10. A system for controlling the braking force applied to an
elevator car comprising
a motor for driving an elevator car;
first means for detecting the speed of the elevator car and issuing
a first output signal representative thereof;
second means for detecting a deceleration starting position for the
elevator car and issuing a second output signal when the elevator
car reaches a position distant from a target floor by a
predetermined value;
circuit breaking means for cutting off power applied to terminals
of said motor from a power supply;
third means, responsive to said second output signal, for issuing a
braking pattern signal representing a predetermined deceleration
pattern for the elevator car;
fourth means for controlling the braking force applied to the
elevator car in response to the difference between said first
output signal and said braking pattern signal; and
fifth means for delaying by predetermined times depending on the
load of said motor the initiation of the operations of said circuit
breaking means and said fourth means with respect to the issuance
of said second output signal, said fifth means including
dead zone circuit means for generating an output permitting said
circuit breaking means to be actuated during a period of time when
the value of the difference between said first output signal and
said braking pattern signal exceeds a predetermined setting of said
dead zone circuit means.
11. A system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising means,
responsive to the appearance of said second output signal, for
reducing the torque generated by said motor.
12. A system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said circuit breaking
means comprises first relay means disposed between said motor and
the power supply, said first relay means having contacts which are
opened in response to the concurrence of said second signal and
said output of said dead zone circuit means; and said fourth means
includes rectifier means for supplying D.C. braking current to said
motor, phase shifter means for controlling said rectifier means,
and second relay means disposed between said rectifier means and
said motor, said second relay means having contacts which are
closed in response to the concurrence of said second signal and
said output of said dead zone circuit means.
13. A system for controlling the braking force applied to an
elevator car comprising;
a motor for driving an elevator car;
first means for detecting the speed of the elevator car and issuing
a first output signal representative thereof;
second means for detecting a deceleration starting position for the
elevator car and issuing a second output signal when the elevator
car reaches a position distant from a target floor by a
predetermined value;
circuit breaking means for cutting off power applied to terminals
of said motor from a power supply;
third means, responsive to said second output signal, for issuing a
braking pattern signal representing a predetermined deceleration
pattern for the elevator car;
fourth means for controlling the braking force applied to the
elevator car in reponse to the difference between said first output
signal and said braking pattern signal; and
fifth means for delaying by predetermined times depending on the
load of said motor the initiation of the operations of said circuit
breaking means and said fourth means with respect to the issuance
of said second output signal, said fifth means including
sixth means for detecting current of said motor to indicate the
load thereof, said sixth means having an output representative
thereof, and
dead zone circuit means for generating an output permitting said
circuit breaking means to be actuated during a period of time when
the value of the difference between the output of said sixth means
and said braking pattern signal exceeds a predetermined setting of
said dead zone circuit means.
14. A system as claimed in claim 13, further comprising means,
responsive to the appearance of said second output signal, for
reducing the torque generated by said motor.
15. A system as claimed in claim 14, wherein said circuit breaking
means comprises first relay means disposed between said motor and
the power supply, said first relay means having contacts which are
opened in response to the concurrence of said second signal and
said output of said dead zone circuit means; and said fourth means
includes rectifier means for supplying D.C. braking current to said
motor, phase shifter means for controlling said rectifier means,
and second relay means disposed between said rectifier means and
said motor, said second relay means having contacts which are
closed in response to the concurrence of said second signal and
said output of said dead zone circuit means.
Description
This invention relates to a system for controlling an elevator car
driven by an A.C. motor, and more particularly to improvements in a
deceleration control system for an elevator car in which negative
feedback control is employed for controlling the braking force for
stopping the elevator car at a desired target floor.
An elevator car driven by an A.C. motor is generally controlled in
such a manner that the A.C. motor does not generate any driving
force during application of the brake and the braking force is
solely utilized to stop the elevator car at a desired target floor
position, since this manner of control is advantageous for the
simplification and reduction in the costs of the elevator system.
The load of an elevator car varies greatly depending on time. More
precisely, the motor driving the elevator car operates in a heavy
loaded state during a certain period of time as when the elevator
car carrying no passengers moves downward or when the elevator car
full loaded with passengers moves upward. During another period of
time, the motor driving the elevator car operates in a no-loaded
state as when the elevator car carrying no passengers moves upward
or when the elevator car full loaded with passengers moves
downward. The moving speed of the elevator car is slow in the
former case and the load of the motor assists in applying the
braking force to the elevator car compared with the latter
case.
In prior art control systems of this kind, the distance between the
point of cutting off the motor from the power supply and the
desired stopping point has been fixed at a predetermined value
irrespective of whether the motor operates under a heavy load or no
load. Therefore, the prior art control systems have been defective
in that a very large variation occurs in the moving speed of the
elevator car being decelerated thereby giving rise to a very
uncomfortable sense of ride and a very large braking force is
required when the motor is operating in a no-loaded state. The
prior art control systems have also been defective in that the
moving speed of the elevator car may not attain the predetermined
speed value and the elevator car may stop at a position above or
below the desired target floor position when the motor is operating
in a heavy loaded state. Hitherto, it has been attempted to solve
such a problem by increasing the capacity of the motor or
increasing the inertia of the driving side.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provided an
improved elevator control system which provides a braking
characteristic giving a comfortable sense of ride.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an elevator
control system which ensures satisfactory performance in spite of
the fact that the capacity of elevator car driving means is
relatively small.
According to the present invention, the load of a motor driving an
elevator car is detected, and the distance between the position at
which application of the brake is started (the position of cutting
off the motor from the power supply) and the stopping position of
the elevator car is varied depending on the load. The elevator car
is required to stop exactly at the desired target floor position.
Therefore, in order to exactly stop the elevator car at the desired
target floor position, the load of the motor driving the elevator
car is detected to change the brake application starting position
on the basis of the detected load.
A first signal is generated from means which provides a
deceleration pattern so as to stop the elevator car sufficiently
smoothly at the desired target floor position even when the motor
is in a no-loaded state, and application of the brake is started in
suitably delayed relation from the point of appearance of the first
signal depending on the load so as to ensure a desirable braking
characteristic free from load variations.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention
will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the elevator control
system according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 shows the waveform of a voltage signal generated from the
speed pattern instruction signal generator 4 shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a graphic representation of the relation between the
torque and the speed when deceleration of the elevator car is
started under a heavy load;
FIG. 4a is a graphic representation of variations of deceleration
in response to the application of the brake in the embodiment of
the present invention shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4b is a graphic representation of variations of deceleration
in response to the application of the brake in a prior art
system.
FIG. 5 shows the control characteristic of the first embodiment of
the present invention compared with that of the prior art
system;
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the present
invention;
FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing a practical structure of the
comparator in the system shown in FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 shows the period of time between the deceleration starting
time t.sub.1 and the brake application starting time t.sub.2
relative to the motor load in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and
6;
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of still another embodiment of the
present invention;
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of yet another embodiment of the present
invention; and
FIGS. 11a and 11b show other voltage signal waveforms preferably
employed in the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, an induction motor 7 for driving an elevator
car is connected to a three-phase A.C. power supply 1 through relay
contacts Y.sub.a of a relay Y. A resistor 9 is shorted by a relay
contact X.sub.a of a relay X. The input terminals V and W of the
induction motor 7 are further connected to the three-phase A.C.
power supply 1 through relay contacts Y.sub.b of the relay Y and a
braking rectifier 2 which is composed of a pair of thyristors SCR
and a pair of diodes SR. The angular velocity of the rotating
induction motor 7 is detected by a speed detector 5 which is
mechanically coupled to the induction motor 7. The output V.sub.p
of the speed detector 5 is compared with the output V.sub.s of a
speed pattern instruction signal generator 4, and the error signal
V.sub.i obtained by comparing these signals V.sub.p and V.sub.s
with each other is applied to a phase shifter 12 which controls the
thyristors SCR in the rectifier 2. The negative feedback control is
such that the direct current supplied to the induction motor 7 is
increased to increase the braking force when the rotating speed of
the motor 7 is high, while this current is decreased to decrease
the braking force when the rotating speed of the motor 7 is low.
The error signal V.sub.i is also applied to a circuit 6 having a
dead zone characteristic, and this dead zone circuit 6 operates
when the error signal V.sub.i is greater than the operating voltage
level V.sub.k thereof. During deceleration of the elevator car, the
speed pattern instruction signal generator 4 generates a voltage
signal instructing the deceleration pattern for the elevator car in
response to the application of a signal from a deceleration
starting position detector 3. The relay X is deenergized by the
signal applied from the deceleration starting position detector 3,
and the contact X.sub.a of the relay X is opened. An AND gate 8 is
actuated when both the output of the dead zone circuit 6 and the
output of the detector 3 are applied thereto, and the relay Y is
deenergized by the output of the AND gate 8. The elevator car
deceleration pattern signal generated from the speed pattern
instruction signal generator 4 has a voltage waveform as shown in
FIG. 2.
The operation of the control system shown in FIG. 1 will be
described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The operation of the
induction motor 7, phase shifter 12 and rectifier 2 for D.C.
braking, and deceleration starting, position detector 3 is
described in detail in U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 364,494 and
correspnding British Patent Application No. 25060/73 (Inventors:
Nobuo Mitsui, Tadao Kameyama, Akinori Watanabe, Isao Fukushima and
Takanobu Hatakeyama) filed on May 29, 1973 and May 25, 1973
respectively. However, the motor in the present invention is in no
way limited to that disclosed in the said applications.
Suppose now that the relay Y is in the energized state and the
contacts Y.sub.a thereof are in the closed position. In this case,
the relay X is also in the energized state and the contact X.sub.a
thereof is closed to short the resistor 9. The induction motor 7 is
rotating in one direction and the elevator car is moving toward the
desired target floor. The motor 7 operates under a heavy load or no
load depending on the moving direction of the elevator car and the
load carried by the elevator car. In the state in which the motor
load is heavy, the rotating speed of the motor 7 is low and the
output of the speed detector 5 is also low. Conversely, in the
state in which the motor load is nearly equal to no load, the
rotating speed of the motor 7 is high and the output of the speed
detector 5 is also high. When the elevator car moving toward the
target floor reaches a position which is distant from the target
floor by a predetermined value, a signal appears from the
deceleration starting position detector 3 to actuate the speed
pattern instruction signal generator 4 and the relay X is
deenergized. Assume that the signal appears from the deceleration
starting position detector 3 at time t.sub.1 in FIG. 2 and that the
motor 7 is no-loaded or nearly no-loaded. In this case, the speed
of the elevator car is high and the output of the speed detector 5
is also high. At time t.sub.1 (deceleration starting point) in FIG.
2, the output V.sub.p1 of the speed detector 5 is higher than the
output V.sub.s of the speed pattern instruction signal generator 4.
Therefore, the braking force must be increased to decelerate the
elevator car according to the deceleration pattern output of the
speed pattern instruction signal generator 4 in order to stop the
elevator car at the desired target floor.
Conversely, when the motor 7 is heavy loaded as when the total
weight of the elevator car moving upward while carrying passengers
is heavier than the counterweight or when the total weight of the
elevator car moving downward while carrying passengers is lighter
than the counterweight, the elevator car moves at a constant low
speed and the output V.sub.p2 of the speed detector 5 is lower than
the output V.sub.s of the speed pattern instruction signal
generator 4 at time t.sub.1. In such a case, the elevator car may
stop at a position above or below the target floor position due to
the braking effect of the motor load when the motor 7 is cut off
from the power supply 1 at this time t.sub.1. In the present
embodiment, in order to ensure accurate arrival of the elevator car
at the target floor, the heavy loaded motor 7 is cut off from the
power supply 1 when the output V.sub.p of the speed detector 5 is
increased up to a level which is higher by a predetermined value or
setting V.sub.k than the output V.sub.s of the speed pattern
instruction signal generator 4.
Referring to FIG. 1, the outputs V.sub.p and V.sub.s of the speed
detector 5 and speed pattern instruction signal generator 4
respectively are applied to a comparing point at which V.sub.s is
compared with V.sub.p to give an error signal V.sub.i, and this
error signal V.sub.i is applied to the dead zone circuit 6 which is
set to operate when the input thereto exceeds the operating voltage
level V.sub.k thereof. In the state in which the induction motor 7
is nearly no-loaded, the error signal V.sub.i is greater than the
operating voltage setting V.sub.k and an output appears from the
dead zone circuit 6 to be applied to the AND gate 8. Since the
output signal of the deceleration starting position detector 3 has
already been applied to the AND gate 8, an output appears from the
AND gate 8 to be applied to the relay Y. The relay Y is deenergized
with the result that the contacts Y.sub.a disposed in the current
path between the motor 7 and the power supply 1 are opened, and the
contacts Y.sub.b disposed in the current path between the rectifier
2 and the motor 7 are closed.
The error signal V.sub.i obtained by comparing the output V.sub.p
of the speed detector 5 with the output V.sub.s of the speed
pattern instruction signal generator 4 is also applied to the phase
shifter 12 which acts to control the firing angle of the thyristors
SCR in the rectifier 2 depending on the level of the error signal
V.sub.i thereby controlling the value of direct current used for
braking. Thus, the rotating speed of the motor 7 mechanically
coupled to the elevator car can be reduced to conform to the speed
pattern signal generated from the speed pattern instruction signal
generator 4. The relay X is also deenergized by the output of the
deceleration starting position detector 3 and the contact X.sub.a
thereof is opened. However, this relay X does not substantially
participate in the operation of the system in the noloaded state of
the motor 7 due to the fact that the relays X and Y are
substantially simultaneously deenergized.
In the state in which the motor 7 is heavy loaded, that is, when
the elevator car moves downward without any load or when the
elevator car moves upward with the full load, the rotating speed of
the motor 7 is low and the output V.sub.p2 of the speed detector 5
is less than the sum of V.sub.s and V.sub.k as described
previously. In this state, no output appears from the dead zone
circuit 6. Suppose now that the deceleration starting position
detector 3 operates at time t.sub.1 in FIG. 2, then the speed
pattern instruction signal generator 4 generates a voltage signal
which decrease with time according to a deceleration pattern as
shown in FIG. 2. The power supply voltage is continuously supplied
to the motor 7. At the time at which the relation V.sub.s + V.sub.k
< V.sub.p2 is attained, an output appears from the dead zone
circuit 6 and an output appears from the AND gate 8 to deenergize
the relay Y. The contacts Y.sub.a of the relay Y are opened and the
contacts Y.sub.b are closed to start application of the brake. On
the other hand, the relay X is deenergized at time t.sub.1 in
response to the application of the output from the deceleration
starting position detector 3 and the contact X.sub.a thereof is
opened. Due to the opening of the contact X.sub.a, the resistor 9
interposed between the power supply 1 and the motor 7 becomes
active to reduce the motor torque to, for example, such a torque
value which is substantially intermediate between the torque value
developed by the motor 7 when the full voltage is applied thereto
and the torque value developed by the motor 7 when no voltage is
applied thereto. Such intermediate torque appears between time
t.sub.1 and time t.sub.2 in FIG. 2. After time t.sub.2, no voltage
is applied to the motor 7 during the period of time corresponding
to the difference between the operating time of the quick
responsive contacts Y.sub.a and slow responsive contacts Y.sub.b of
the relay Y, and then the braking action takes place.
FIG. 3 shows the relation between the torque and the speed when the
deceleration is started in the state in which the motor 7 is heavy
loaded. The curve D represents the torque-speed characteristic when
the full voltage is supplied to the induction motor 7, the curve E
the torque-speed characteristic when the resistor 9 is activated,
and the curve F the torque-speed characteristic when the brake is
applied to the induction motor 7. The rotating speed increases with
the decrease of the slip S toward zero and decreases with the
increase of the slip S toward unity.
Suppose that a point p on the torque-speed characteristic curve D
represents the operating point of the motor 7 when the motor 7 is
operating in the steady state. When now the relay X is deenergized
at time t.sub.1 due to the operation of the deceleration starting
position detector 3, the operating point of the motor 7 shifts from
the point p on the curve D to a point q on the curve E due to the
fact that the resistor 9 interposed between the motor 7 and the
power supply 1 becomes active. Thereafter, the torque increases
along the curve E with the reduction of the rotating speed of the
motor 7 and the operating point shifts from q to r at time t.sub.2.
At time t.sub.2, the relay Y is deenergized to cut off the motor 7
from the power supply 1. The operating point shifts from r to u,
and with the further reduction of the rotating speed, the operating
point shifts from u to w on the curve F when the application of the
brake is started. Thereafter, the rotating speed of the motor 7 is
controlled by the feedback of the speed. When the period of time of
from t.sub.1 to t.sub.2 is suitably selected, the vibration due to
the variation of the torque at time t.sub.1 and the vibration due
to the variation of the torque at time t.sub.2 cancel each other so
that a substantially vibration-free braking effect can be obtained.
In order to attain such braking effect, the period of time of from
t.sub.1 to t.sub.2 is preferably selected to be equal to one-fourth
of the period of the natural vibration of the elevator system. The
natural frequency of the elevator car is variable depending on the
length of the rope by which the elevator car is suspended. The
natural frequency of commonly presently employed elevator cars is
of the order of 5 to 2 Hz. Therefore, good results can be obtained
when the period of time of from t.sub.1 to t.sub.2 is selected to
lie within the range of from 50 ms to 150 ms. This period of time
of from t.sub.1 to t.sub.2 is determined by the setting V.sub.k of
the dead zone circuit 6 and the pattern signal V.sub.s of the speed
pattern instruction signal generator 4. It is therefore desirable
to suitably regulate these means so that the above condition can be
fully satisfied.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the resistor 9 is activated at
time t.sub.1 and the rotating speed of the motor 7 is reduced
during the period of from time t.sub.1 to time t.sub.2 at which the
application of the brake is started. Thus, the shock can be
alleviated in the initial stage of application of the brake.
FIG. 4a shows the rate of variation of deceleration during
application of the brake in the system of the present invention
shown in FIG. 1, while FIG. 4b shows that in the prior art system.
It will be seen that the variation in FIG. 4a is less than that in
FIG. 4b, and therefore, passengers in the elevator car feel a
better sense of ride.
FIG. 5 shows the distance which the decelerated elevator car runs
with inertia in the state in which the motor 7 is heavy loaded. The
dotted line A or bt.sub.4 represents the manner of deceleration of
the elevator car in the case in which the resistor 9 is activated
between time t.sub.1 and time t.sub.2 to provide a shock
alleviating period as above described. The solid line B or at.sub.3
represents the manner of deceleration of the elevator car in the
case in which the motor 7 is cut off from the power supply 1 as
soon as the deceleration starting position detector 3 is placed in
operation. During the period of time of from t.sub.1 to t.sub.2,
the rotating speed of the motor 7 is reduced slowly due to the
shock alleviating effect of the resistor 9. In the case in which
the rotating speed of the motor 7 is reduced along the line ab and
then the line A or bt.sub.4, the distance which the decelerated
elevator car starts to run with inertia after the operation of the
deceleration starting position detector 3 is represented by the
area of the trapezium abt.sub.4 t.sub.1. On the other hand, in the
case in which the rotating speed of the motor 7 is reduced along
the line B or at.sub.3, the distance which the decelerated elevator
car starts to run with inertia simultaneously with the operation of
the deceleration starting position detector 3 is represented by the
area of the triangle at.sub.3 t.sub.1. It will therefore be seen
that the distance which the decelerated elevator car runs with
inertia in the former case is longer than that in the latter case
by the area of the tetragon abt.sub.4 t.sub.3. Thus, the
deceleration control of the elevator car can be achieved with an
allowance which corresponds to the difference above described.
FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention and like
reference numerals are used therein to denote like parts appearing
in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 6, a comparator 101 includes a pair of
inverters 10 and 11. The outputs V.sub.p and V.sub.s of a speed
detector 5 and a speed pattern instruction signal generator 4
respectively are compared with each other after being inverted by
the inverters 10 and 11 so that the polarity of the input V.sub.il
to a phase shifter 12 is opposite to that of the input V.sub.i2 to
a dead zone circuit 6 having a dead zone characteristic. The
technical effect of this embodiment is substantially the same as
that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. However, this second
embodiment is advantageous in that the input V.sub.i2 to the dead
zone circuit 6 can be derived without being interfered by the input
V.sub.i1 to the phase shifter 12 due to the fact that the output
V.sub.p of the speed detector 5 is compared with the output V.sub.s
of the speed pattern instruction signal generator 4 by comparing
means which are arranged as shown. FIG. 7 shows one practical form
of the comparator 101 shown in FIG. 6. Referring to FIG. 7,
resistors (R.sub.1 + R.sub.2), R.sub.3, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5
constitute a bridge circuit to which the output V.sub.p of the
speed detector 5 and the output V.sub.s of the speed pattern
instruction signal generator 4 are applied. A pair of terminals 102
and 103 are connected to the phase shifter 12, and another pair of
terminals 105 and 106 are connected to the dead zone circuit 6.
In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the period of time T
between time t.sub.1 (at which deceleration of the elevator car is
started) and time t.sub.2 (at which application of the brake is
started) may be set to vary depending on the load as shown by the
solid line a in FIG. 8. Practically, this period of time T may be
shortest in the vicinity of an intermediate load and may be
successively increased toward a heavier load as shown in FIG. 8.
Further, this period of time T may be delayed by .DELTA.T relative
to the line a in a heavy load range as shown by the dotted line b
in FIG. 8. That is, a better effect can be obtained in a heavy load
range by delaying the speed pattern output of the speed pattern
instruction signal generator 4 by .DELTA.T. The load of the motor 7
is heavy when the result of comparison between the output V.sub.s
of the speed pattern instruction signal generator 4 and the output
V.sub.p of the speed detector 5 gives a negative value. Therefore,
when V.sub.i is negative, the output of the deceleration starting
position detector 3 may be applied through a suitable delay means
to the speed pattern instruction signal generator 4, so that the
brake can be applied according to a braking characteristic as shown
by the dotted line b in FIG. 8.
Referring to FIG. 11a, the deceleration starting position detector
3 operates at time t.sub.1 and the output voltage of the speed
pattern instruction signal generator 4 starts to decrease at time
t.sub.2 which is delayed from time t.sub.1 by .DELTA.t
corresponding to .DELTA.T shown in FIG. 8. Thus, the period of time
between time t.sub.1 and time t.sub.3 at which application of the
brake is started is longer by .DELTA.t than the corresponding
period of time shown in FIG. 2. By suitably selecting this delay
time .DELTA.t, the notch change-over time during deceleration, that
is, the period of time of from t.sub.1 to t.sub.3 can be easily set
at the optimum value. In the case of the embodiment shown in FIG.
1, difficulty may be encountered in obtaining proper timing for
deceleration due to the fact that determination of the deceleration
pattern or determination of the inclination is restricted from, for
example, the sense of ride. Such difficulty can be eliminated by
suitably adjusting .DELTA.t in FIG. 11a corresponding to .DELTA.T
in FIG. 8. Therefore, undesirable vibrations giving an
uncomfortable sense of ride can be reduced and the deceleration
control can be attained with a sufficient margin.
FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the present invention. Actually,
this embodiment is a modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1
and means is provided so as to vary the output voltage of the speed
detector 5 for obtaining a delay time .DELTA.t as shown in FIG.
11b. Such a delay time .DELTA.t may also be obtained by varying the
output voltage of the speed pattern instruction signal generator 4.
Referring to FIG. 9, a resistor 14 is inserted in the output
circuit of the speed detector 5 to reduce the output voltage of the
speed detector 5 for obtaining the delay time .DELTA.t.
FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of the present invention and is
actually another modification of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 for
obtaining the same effect as that described with reference to FIG.
9. Referring to FIG. 10, a current transformer 15 and a converter
16 are additionally provided so that the current input to the motor
7 can be compared with the output of the speed pattern instruction
signal generator 4. The current input to the motor 7 under a heavy
load is large compared with that under a light load, and this
current input is larger during acceleration than that during steady
state operation. On the other hand, the current in the line
connected to the terminal W is large compared with that in the line
connected to the terminal V due to the presence of the resistor 9
in the latter line. Thus, the same effect as that described with
reference to FIG. 9 can be obtained when the current output of the
current transformer 15 is applied to the comparing point through
the converter 16 to be compared with the output of the speed
pattern instruction signal generator 4. This embodiment can operate
with high precision compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. 9
due to the fact that the detected value varies greatly depending on
the load, hence the S/N ratio is large.
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