Product category:
Industrial Drives/Controls
News Release from: Yaskawa Electric Europe | Subject: Inverters for lift control
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 25 July 2003
Inverter software gives lift to elevator
engineers
Drives manufacturer Yaskawa has developed special software for its AC inverters to optimise lift control while simplifying the setting.
Setting AC inverter drives for lift applications can be tricky The human passengers carried in a lift are the most sensitive detectors of all, with regard to the acceleration and deceleration that dictates ride quality, which is why all lift engineers pursue the best possible smoothness of control
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 5 Mar 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Drives manufacturer Yaskawa has developed special software for its AC inverters to optimise lift control while simplifying the setting.
The benefits for the lift installer are that startup time is reduced because the lift-specific parameters are factory default.
No specific inverter expertise is required to tune the drive as the menu of parameters to be adjusted is reduced significantly.
Further reading
Inverter has automatic energy saving as standard
Yaskawa's Varispeed VS-606V7 AC inverter that not only provides excellent starting torque, accurate speed control and stability at very low speeds, but also has automatic energy saving as standard.
Motion controller makes servo programming simple
Commonly encountered problems in servo motion control applications have been overcome by what is described by Yaskawa Electric as its simplest yet most advanced motion controller solution ever.
Brake operation is safe, optimised and factory set as a default.
The software also makes the drive flexible and easy to adapt to any lift controller sequence.
The majority of existing traction lifts in Europe have single or two-speed motors with or without variable voltage systems (thyristor controls).
The ride quality of these lifts is greatly improved by installing AC inverters for lift control.
There are also energy consumption reductions of up to 50% and, thanks to the inherent ability to soft start and soft stop the lifts, wear and tear is similarly reduced.
In a typical lift sequence, the controller selects the direction and pre-set speeds (top speed, levelling speed and service speed).
The controller is also likely to activate the transistor base block to avoid the possibility of switching the motor contactor while the motor is running.
An inverter opens and closes the lift's brake via a relay output and provides a digital output to allow contactor operation and the door-opening signal.
The problem is that setting all the various parameters to tune the drive for the best ride quality often requires a drives expert.
For example, to tune even one of Yaskawa's high quality inverters for acceptable ride quality requires the adjustment of about 45 parameters.
Using Yaskawa's new software, the brake sequence is automatically optimised - in open loop mode, brake opening/closing occurs during DC injection; in closed loop mode, the brake is operated at zero speed.
Current is always checked when the brake is opened.
Parameter default values and setting ranges are changed within the software.
As a result, the menu presented to the lift engineer is simplified and the number of available parameters for setting is reduced.
There are also additional lift specific functions, such as contactor supervision, short floor operation, door open signal and startup pre-torque functions.
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