Elevator system

Claim 2

An elevator system comprising: a structure having a plurality of floors and a hoistway, an elevator car mounted for movement in the hoistway of said structure, motive means for moving said elevator car relative to the structure to serve said floors, said motive means including speed control means having first, second and third modes of operation which control acceleration of said elevator car to first, second and third progressively higher speEds, respectively, slowdown indicator means disposed in said hoistway for initiating slowdown of said elevator car at a selected floor, and notching selector means responsive to runs of said elevator car of one floor, two floors, and more than two floors, selecting said first, second and third modes of operation, respectively, of said speed control means, said notching selector means including means for counting at least certain of the notchings thereof, with said counting means selecting the second accelerator mode when the elevator car is making a run of two floors by modifying the effect of said slowdown indicator means.

Claim 3

The elevator system of claim 1 wherein the speed control means includes energy storage means, with the acceleration of the elevator car during each of the first, second and third operating modes of the speed control means being responsive to the voltage across said energy storage means, said energy storage means being charged toward the same target voltage at the same charging rate for each of the first, second and third operating modes.

Claim 4

The elevator system of claim 2 wherein the slowdown indicator means includes at least first and second spaced slowdown indicators disposed in the hoistway associated with each floor for each direction in which the elevator car may approach the floor, and wherein the speed control means includes means for controlling the deceleration of the elevator car according to the voltage across the same energy storage means which controls the acceleration of the elevator car, including first slowdown circuit means discharging the energy storage means towards a first predetermined lower voltage when the elevator car passes the first slowdown indicator associated with the floor at which the elevator car is to stop, and second slowdown circuit means discharging the energy storage means towards a second predetermined lower voltage when the elevator car passes the second slowdown indicator associated with the floor at which the elevator car is to stop.

Claim 5

The elevator system of claim 3 wherein the second slowdown indicator for a given floor is located between the first and second slowdown indicators associated with an adjacent floor, and means successively enabling the first and second slowdown circuit means, with the time period between the enabling of the first and second slowdown circuit means being selected such that the first and second slowdown circuit means are responsive to the first and second slowdown indicators associated with the floor at which the elevator car is to stop, while ignoring the intervening second slowdown indicator for the adjacent floor.

Claim 6

An elevator system comprising: a structure having a plurality of floors and a hoistway, an elevator car mounted for movement in the hoistway of said structure, motive means for moving said elevator car relative to the structure to serve said floors, said motive means including speed control means having first, second and third modes of operation which control the acceleration of said elevator car to first, second and third progressively higher speeds, respectively, notching selector means responsive to runs of said elevator car of one floor, two floors, and more than two floors, selecting said first, second and third modes of operation, respectively, of said speed control means, said notching selector means including means for counting at least certain of the notchings thereof to determine when the elevator car is making a run of one floor, two floors, or more than two floors, control circuits for said floors, means modifying the control circuit of a floor from a first condition to a second condition when the elevator car should stop at this floor, said notching selector means including means successively enabling the control circuits of said floors responsive to the location and travel direction of the elevator car, means responsive to the enabliNg of the control circuit of the next adjacent floor to the floor of the last stop of the elevator car when said control circuit is in its second condition, for selecting the first operating mode, and means responsive to the enabling of the control circuit of the second floor from the last stop of the elevator car, when the control circuit of this floor is in its second condition, for selecting the second operating mode, said notching selector means selecting the third operating mode when the elevator car does not stop within two floors of its last stop.

Claim 7

An elevator system comprising: a structure having a plurality of floors and a hoistway, an elevator car mounted for movement in the hoistway of said structure, motive means for moving said elevator car relative to the structure to serve said floors, said motive means including speed control means having first, second and third modes of operation which control the acceleration of said elevator car to first, second and third progressively higher speeds, respectively, notching selector means responsive to runs of said elevator car of one floor, two floors, and more than two floors, selecting said first, second and third modes of operation, respectively, of said speed control means, said notching selector means including means for counting at least certain of the notchings thereof to determine when the elevator car is making a run of one floor, two floors, or more than two floors, control circuits for said floors, means modifying the control circuit of a floor from a first condition to a second condition when the elevator car should stop at this floor, said notching selector means including means successively enabling the control circuits of said floors responsive to the location and travel direction of the elevator car, means responsive to the enabliNg of the control circuit of the next adjacent floor to the floor of the last stop of the elevator car when said control circuit is in its second condition, for selecting the first operating mode, and means responsive to the enabling of the control circuit of the second floor from the last stop of the elevator car, when the control circuit of this floor is in its second condition, for selecting the second operating mode, said notching selector means selecting the third operating mode when the elevator car does not stop within two floors of its last stop.

Claim 8

An elevator system comprising: a structure having a plurality of floors and a hoistway, an elevator car mounted for movement in the hoistway of said structure, motive means for moving said elevator car relative to the structure to serve said floors, said motive means including speed control means having first, second and third modes of operation which control the acceleration of said elevator car to first, second and third progressively higher speeds, respectively, said speed control means including energy storage means, with the acceleration of the elevator car during each of the first, second and third operating modes of the speed control means being responsive to the voltage across said energy storage means, said energy storage means being charged toward the same target voltage at the same charging rate for each of the first, second and third operating modes, notching selector means responsive to runs of said elevator car of one floor, two floors, and more than two floors, selecting said first, second and third modes of operation, respectively, of said speed control means, said notching selector means including means for counting at least certain of the notching thereof to determine when the elevataor car is making a run of one floor, two floors, or more than two floors, first and second voltage clamping means for clamping the voltage across said energy storage means to voltages corresponding to the maximum operating speeds of the elevator car for the first and third operating modes, respectively, and means maintaining the charging of said energy storage means to a voltage higher than the voltage of the first voltage clamping means, but less than the voltage of the second voltage clamping means, for the second operating mode.

Claim 9

An elevator system comprising: a structure having a plurality of floors and a hoistway, an elevator car mounted for movement in the hoistway of said structure, motive means for moving said elevator car relative to the structure to serve said floors, said motive means including speed control means having first, second and third modes of operation which control the acceleration of said elevator car to first, second and third progressively higher speeds, respectively, said speed control means including energy storage means, with the acceleration of the elevator car during each of the first, second and third operating modes of the speed control means being responsive to the voltage across said energy storage means, said energy storage means being charged toward the same target voltage at the same charging rate for each of the first, second and third operating modes, notching selector means responsive to runs of said elevator car of one floor, two floors, and more than two floors, selecting said first, second and third modes of operation, respectively, of said speed control means, said notching selector means including means for counting at least certain of the notching thereof to determine when the elevataor car is making a run of one floor, two floors, or more than two floors, first and second voltage clamping means for clamping the voltage across said energy storage means to voltages corresponding to the maximum operating speeds of the elevator car for the first and third operating modes, respectively, and means maintaining the charging of said energy storage means to a voltage higher than the voltage of the first voltage clamping means, but less than the voltage of the second voltage clamping means, for the second operating mode.

Claim 10

The elevator system of claim 6 wherein the means maintaining the charging of the energy storage means to a voltage higher than the voltage of the first voltage clamping means includes timing means for continuing the charging of the energy storage means for a predetermined period of time after the energy storage means has reached the magnitude of the first voltage clamping means.

Claim 11

An elevator system comprising: a structure having a plurality of floors and a hoistway, an elevator car mounted for movement in the hoistway of said structure, motive means for moving said elevator car relative to the structure to serve said floors, said motive means including speed control means having first, second and third modes of operation which control the acceleration of said elevator car to first, second and third progressively higher speeds, respectively, notching selector means responsive to runs of said elevator car of one floor, two floors, and more than two floors, selecting said first, second and third modes of operation, respectively, of said speed control means, said notching selector means including means for counting at least certain of the notchings thereof to determine when the elevator car is making a run of one floor, two floors, or more than two floors, control circuits associated with each of the floors, and notching means successively enabling said control circuits of the floors in the travel direction of the elevator car in response to the position of the elevator car relative to the floors, said means for counting the notchings being responsive to said notching means for determining whEn the control circuit associated with at least a second floor from the last stop is enabled by said notching means.

Claim 12

An elevator system comprising: a structure having a plurality of floors and a hoistway, an elevator car mounted for movement in the hoistway of said structure, motive means for moving said elevator car relative to the structure to serve said floors, said motive means including speed control means having first, second and third modes of operation which control the acceleration of said elevator car to first, second and third progressively higher speeds, respectively, notching selector means responsive to runs of said elevator car of one floor, two floors, and more than two floors, selecting said first, second and third modes of operation, respectively, of said speed control means, said notching selector means including means for counting at least certain of the notchings thereof to determine when the elevator car is making a run of one floor, two floors, or more than two floors, control circuits associated with each of the floors, and notching means successively enabling said control circuits of the floors in the travel direction of the elevator car in response to the position of the elevator car relative to the floors, said means for counting the notchings being responsive to said notching means for determining whEn the control circuit associated with at least a second floor from the last stop is enabled by said notching means.

Claim 13

The elevator system of claim 8 including slowdown indicator means disposed in the hoistway to signify the slowdown point for each floor when the elevator car is to stop at the associated floor, slowdown means responsive to the slowdown indicating means of a specific floor when the control circuits of that floor indicate the elevator car should stop at that floor, and timing means initiated in response to the means for counting detecting that the control circuit being enabled is associated with the second floor from the last stop of the elevator car, said timing means delaying the slowdown of the elevator car in the event it is to stop at this floor, notwithstanding the elevator car passing the slowdown indicator means in the hoistway associated with this floor.

Claim 14

The elevator system of claim 9 wherein the slowdown indicator means includes high and intermediate speed slowdown indicators for each floor, for each direction in which the elevator car may approach the floor, and the slowdown means includes first and second slowdown means responsive to the high and intermediate speed slowdown indicators, respectively, with the maximum speed of the elevator car and spacing of the floors being such that the intermediate speed slowdown indicator for one floor is between the high and intermediate speed slowdown indicators associated with an adjacent floor, and including means delaying the response of the second slowdown means to the intermediate speed slowdown indicator once slowdown is initiated by the first slowdown means in response to the high speed slowdown indicator, until the intervening intermediate speed slowdown indicator of the adjacent floor has been passed by the elevator car.

Claim 15

An elevator system comprising: a structure having a plurality of floors and a hoistway, an elevator car mounted for movement in the hoistway of said structure, motive means for moving said elevator car relative to the structure to serve said floors, first and second slowdown indicators spaced in the hoistway for each floor, for each service direction in which said elevator car may serve the floor, control means initiating slowdown of said elevator car to stop the elevator car at a predetermined floor in response to the second slowdown indicator for that floor and service direction for a run of one floor, said control means initiating slowdown of said elevator car to stop the elevator car at a predetermined floor in response to the first slowdown indicator for that floor and service direction for a run of more than one floor, and means overriding the effect of the first slowdown indicator for a predetermined period of time, for a floor and service direction at which the elevator car is to stop for a run of two floors, to delay the initiation of slowdown for the predetermined period of time and reduce the time required for the elevator car to make a two floor run.

Claim 16

An elevator system comprising: a structure having a plurality of floors and a hoistway, an elevator car mounted for movement in the hoistway of said structure, motive means for moving said elevator car relative to the structure to serve said floors, first and second slowdown indicators spaced in the hoistway for each floor, for each service direction in which said elevator car may serve the floor, control means initiating slowdown of said elevator car to stop the elevator car at a predetermined floor in response to the second slowdown indicator for that floor and service direction for a run of one floor, said control means initiating slowdown of said elevator car to stop the elevator car at a predetermined floor in response to the first slowdown indicator for that floor and service direction for a run of more than one floor, and means overriding the effect of the first slowdown indicator for a predetermined period of time, for a floor and service direction at which the elevator car is to stop for a run of two floors, to delay the initiation of slowdown for the predetermined period of time and reduce the time required for the elevator car to make a two floor run.

Claim 17

The elevator system of claim 11 wherein the means which overrides the first slowdown indicator associated with the stopping floor of a two floor run, overrides the first slowdown indicator for the second floor from the last stop of the elevator car on every run of more than one floor, regardless of the length of the run.