ISSN 1345-3041

VOL. 88/DEC. 1999

Elevator Edition

MITSUBISHI
ELECTRIC

A Quarterly Survey of New Products, Systems, and Technology

Vol. 88/Dec. 1999 Mitsubishi Electric ADVANCE

Our cover for this issue features the new

traction machine for the latest generation of
our GPQ series elevators, using a new
syncrhonous permanent magnet motor, and
the control panel for this series, 80% smaller
in volume than preceding comparable types.

Elevator Edition
CONTENTS

Editor-in-Chief

Shin Suzuki

TECHNICAL REPORTS
OVERVIEW
Introducing the Special Edition on Elevators ..................................... 1
by Sueo Okabe
Current Trends and Future Directions
in Elevator Technology ........................................................................ 2
by Shigeru Abe
New Model GPS-III and GPM-III Series Elevators ............................... 4
by Hiroshi Ando and Hiroyuki Ikejima
Elevators Without a Machine Room:
the Mitsubishi GPQ Series .................................................................. 8
by Takenobu Honda and Eiji Ando
High-Speed High-Capacity Elevators
for Ultrahigh-Rise Buildings ............................................................. 12
by Hiroshi Araki and Yasushi Chadani
A Modernising Control System for
High-Speed DC Elevators ................................................................ 16
by Toru Tanahashi and Masami Kawamura
New Elevators for Residential Use .................................................. 20
by Yoshio Kamiya and Hiroshi Hirano
A Remote Inspection System for Elevators .................................... 24
by Kiyoji Kawai and Hideki Shiozaki

NEW PRODUCTS
The FPR-MKII Finger Print Recognizer ............................................ 28

MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC OVERSEAS NETWORK

Editorial Advisors

Haruki Nakamura
Toshimasa Uji
Masakazu Okuyama
Kazunori Sasaki
Masao Hataya
Hiroshi Muramatsu
Yutaka Kamata
Masashi Honjo
Takashi Nagamine
Hiroaki Kawachi
Hiroshi Kayashima
Kouji Ishikawa
Tsuneo Tsugane
Toshikazu Saita
Akira Inokuma
Vol. 88 Feature Articles Editor

Hiroyuki Ikejima
Editorial Inquiries

Masakazu Okuyama
Corporate Total Productivity Management
& Environmental Programs
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
2-2-3 Marunouchi
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8310, Japan
Fax 03-3218-2465
Product Inquiries

Yasuhiko Kase
Global Strategic Planning Dept.
Corporate Marketing Group
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
2-2-3 Marunouchi
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8310, Japan
Fax 03-3218-3455

Mitsubishi Electric Advance is published on

line quarterly (in March, June, September,
and December) by Mitsubishi Electric
Corporation.
Copyright 1999 by Mitsubishi Electric
Corporation; all rights reserved.
Printed in Japan.

TECHNICAL REPORTS

Overview
Introducing the Special Edition on Elevators

by Sueo Okabe*

he last century has seen vertical transportation extend human living and working
space to high-rise buildings and areas below ground. Few would deny the critical role it
plays in supporting urban life as we know it, with its high population densities and
dependence upon sophisticated functions.
Inverter technology and elevator group control using artificial intelligence are among
the important innovations designed to improve convenience and comfort. Elevators are
also being designed to add a visual accent to the buildings within which they are used.
As we enter the 21st century, we can expect to see elevators that are friendlier to the
user and to the environment, with measures adopted specifically to meet the needs of the
elderly and and the physically challenged. The widespread adoption of universal design
will make using elevators a simple pleasure for everyone, and environmental concerns
will be addressed by further reducing energy requirements and increasing the amount of
materials that can be recycled.
The corporations introduction of the latest technical innovations has made Mitsubishi
Electric a world leader in low energy consumption. Our ongoing commitment to higher
efficiency will result in less materials being used in our elevators, and more of those used
will be recyclable. By offering a comprehensive selection of modernization options, we
also expect to satisfy a large and growing demand for modernization.
Finally, the corporation will continue to develop and adopt the most advanced technologies, creating products that will appeal to our customers while meeting the needs of
society. We thank all our customers for their support and encouragement in this continuing effort.

*Sueo Okabe is the Manager of Inazawa Works.

December 1999

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Current Trends and Future Directions

in Elevator Technology
by Shigeru Abe*
Market Trends
Japans economy has been slow and the elevator market sluggish since the collapse of the
speculative bubble, but signs of an economic
rebound are visible and encouraging. This slowdown has hurt elevator sales. The Asian economic crisis ended a highly visible construction
boom in major southeast Asian cities, leading
to the cancellation of some building projects and
delays in others. China, one of the largest markets for elevators, has seen funds for building
construction dry up, although not so severely
as in southeast Asia. Full recovery is not generally expected before the beginning of the new
century, but high-rise building construction and
other redevelopment projects in Shanghais
Pudon district promise to support the market in
the long term. Mitsubishi Electric has delivered
high-speed elevators to the high-rise Jin Mao
building and expects to receive further contracts
as the Shanghai economy picks up.
Trends in Standards and Regulation
Standards in the European Union are undergoing change. The EU has revised EN81, a unified set of elevator safety regulations for the
region.The European Lift Directive 96/16/EC,
which has been fully ratified since July 1999,
set the obligatory rules for building and operating elevators in the European Union. The US
based ANSI and ASME are also revising their
elevator standards. The ISO is working actively
toward a single set of elevator standards, but
the process is expected to take considerable
time.
Technical Trends
ELIMINATING THE MACHINE ROOM. Tractiontype elevators that hoist the car with a wire
rope require a machine room at the top of the
building. This need affects the building shape
and constrains locations where elevators can
be installed. Hydraulic elevators offer more flexibility regarding equipment location, but limit
the maximum travel and consume more energy.
The environmental impact of the mineral oil hydraulic fluid may also be an issue. Mitsubishi
*Dr. Shigeru Abe is with Inazawa Works.

Mitsubishi Electric ADVANCE

Electric has focused on developing machineroomless elevators for the European and Japanese markets. The Mitsubishi GPQ Series fits
the traction equipment and control electronics
entirely within the elevator shaft, eliminating
the need for an external machine room.
PERMANENT MAGNET TRACTION MOTOR. In
advance of other manufacturers, Mitsubishi
Electric has introduced a new type of gearless
traction machine with a permanent magnet (PM)
for high-speed elevators. This unique application of a PM motor effects several improvements
including higher efficiency, greater comfort, and
miniaturization.
H IGHER S PEEDS , L ARGER L OADS . Passenger
transportation efficiency is a central issue as
buildings grow larger and taller. The group control systems that manage multiple elevator
implement new scheduling algorithms that significantly boost transport efficiency. In a market climate that increasingly emphasizes
capacity, double-deck elevator cars capable of
serving two floors at a time have appeared.
Mitsubishi Electric has developed high-capacity power modules and motors for this application and is already delivering them to customers
worldwide.
Toward Harmonized Regulation
Elevator regulations differ from nation to nation.
An elevator manufacturer serving the global
market must satisfy three key sets of standards:
EN in Europe, ANSI in the United States, and
JIS and national building code in Japan. Other
countries add their own requirements, but most
generally follow European standards. While the
EU has established a single standard for its
member countries, Canada and the US have
merged their regulations. China generally follows the EU standards while retaining some
elements of the British code. Manufacturers are
continuing to work through the ISO toward
worldwide standards.
Modernization
More than five million elevators are estimated

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

to be in use worldwide. The life of an elevator

depends on its maintenance and operating environment. Most are renewed after 20 to 30
years. With such a large base of installed elevators needing renewal, this market is a significant one.
Older elevators suffer from higher power consumption, longer passenger waiting times, lower
transportation efficiency and lower riding comfort than newer models. These factors will necessarily expand the volume of modernization
projects.

WASTE MANAGEMENT. Processes are designed

to minimize waste products. Wastes are recycled wherever possible.
Various plans for larger, higher buildings have
been proposed. Mitsubishi Electric has delivered
the worlds fastest elevatorswith a top speed
of 12.5m/sec (750m/min)to the Yokohama
Landmark Tower and will continue to push the
envelope. While these elevators may be the fastest, new technologies allowing multiple cars to
share a single shaft or to operate entirely without hoist cables will surely draw attention.

Environmental Considerations
Considering environmental issues is imperative
in the design of modern elevator products. Three
areas stand out:
ENERGY SAVINGS. Fig. 1 shows energy savings
achieved in successive Mitsubishi elevator products. Continued energy savings are needed to conserve fossil fuels and minimize mans contribution
to global warming.

120

Hydraulic elevators
100
80

% 60
High-speed elevators

40
20

Low-speed elevators

0
'70

'75

'80

'85

'90

'95

year

Fig. 1 Energy savings in successive elevator

products.

RESOURCE CONSERVATION. Resources can be

saved by designing products to be lighter, by designing them to consume less energy in manufacturing, by simplifying product packaging and
by recycling packaging materials.

December 1999

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New Model GPS-III and GPM-III

Series Elevators
by Hiroshi Ando and Hiroyuki Ikejima*
The article introduces features and new technologies in Mitsubishi Electrics new-model GPSIII and GPM-III series elevators designed for
improved efficiency, reliability and comfort. See
Fig. 1.

ness by 20%. New stamping and joining technologies reduce the number of door components
while trimming door thickness by 40%.

Traction Motor
Induction motors are used. A traction motor with
a 10% smaller sheave diameter saves machineroom space in elevators with load capacity under 600kg and speed and 60m/min, while
redesigned gearing and a smaller traction motor save space in 120~150m/min elevators with
750~1,050kg capacities.
Shaft Dimensions
Thinner car walls and doors have been developed that reduce the shaft size of these madeto-order elevators. Reinforcing members in the
car walls have been repositioned and optimized
through structural analysis to reduce wall thick-

Fig. 2 The control board showing the AML central

processor unit.

- VLSI for elevator control

- Group control system without separate enclosure
- Compact, with single-side maintenance access
- Data networking for supervisory control

Smaller sheaves

- Thin landing indicator

- "Clicking buttons" with improved legibility

Thinner car walls

Aesthetically designed car and ceiling

- Thinner door-control device

- Improved belt-drive mechanisms
- Mass-sensing door control

- Aesthetically designed car control panel

- "Clicking buttons" with improved legibility
- Optional "landscape" oriented control panel
- Electroluminescent display

Multibeam photoelectric sensor (optional)

Fig. 1 Feature List.

*Hiroshi Ando and Hiroyuki Ikejima are with the Inazawa Works.

Mitsubishi Electric ADVANCE

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

CL (LSI)
Signals for
group control
board,
landing hall
and car

Serial
interface

UART

CONTROL BOARD

Processor
ROM RAM
core

Car travel and

speed control
computer

Dual-port memory

AML (VLSI)

Resistor
file
DC current
transformer

ADC

Processor
core

MOTOR DRIVE
CONTROL
PROCESSOR
Memory

Timer
interrupt
controller

Speed
Watchdog
feedback
timer
circuit

MainteAdditional
nance
logic
computer
interface

Maintenance
computer

Digital PWM

Gate-drive signals for

power switching devices

Motor pulse
generator

Parallel I/O
interface

Fig. 3 A block diagram of the control system.

Drive and Control Circuitry Implemented in

VLSI
Integrating major elevator control circuitry in a
single VLSI called Associated Management
Logic (AML) boosts performance while reducing the control electronics to the small board
shown in Fig. 2. The AML chip implements a
traction motor drive control processor and operation control logic in 300,000 gates. The device generates control signals for the inverter
and the transistor converter. Fig. 3 shows a block
diagram of the control system and AML architecture. The AML chip can compute motor current control commands in one fifth the time of
previous processors, which permits smoother,
more precise and more comfortable car operation. High-speed elevators feature a smaller and
more reliable inverter due to a new short-circuit protection function that no longer requires
a voltage feedback circuit to correct its time
characteristics.
Compact Electronics
The enclosure for the control system electronics is located in the machine room. Its volume
has been reduced by 30 to 50%. The control
panel for high-speed elevators has been redesigned to permit all maintenance access from

one side of the enclosure. This single-side access simplifies machine room equipment layout and reduces room size. Group control
functions for 45~105m/min elevators are now
integrated in the control panel, eliminating the
separate enclosure previously required.
More compact dimensions were achieved by
introducing low-impedance insulated copper
busbars that can be closely spaced. Two kinds
of insulated busbars are used. One type is insulated by a sandwich of PET film, the other has a
PPS coating formed by injection. Thermal analysis has made it possible to redesign the inverter
heat sinks for reduced volume while boosting
main circuit reliability.
Simpler connections to the main control board
also save space. Interface boards are connected
via high-speed differential-operation serial buses.
All cards receive power from a bus bar in the
front panel. The bus connectors also exit the
front of the panels. This eliminates the need for
backplane connections, boosting reliability and
reducing rack size.
Improved Door Operation
Several improvements in belt-drive mechanisms
now enable them to replace the mechanically
linked drives previously required to operate spe-

December 1999

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS
cialty doors incorporating glass and other heavy
materials, see Fig. 4.

Motor speed (radians/s)

100
Actual motor speed
80

STRONGER MECHANISM. The belt-drive mechanism is 25% faster than previous belt systems
while weighing 30% less than mechanically
linked drives. Durable high-traction belts have
been adopted, especially for the heavily loaded
deceleration mechanism.

60
40
Motor speed command
20
0
0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5
2.0
Time (s)

2.5

3.0

3.5

Fig. 4 Motor speed during door operation.

New Series (unifying domestic and export options)

Grade

S-De Luxe-2

MASS-SENSING DOOR CONTROL. A control system that automatically adjusts the motor power
and speed to suit doors of various weights has
been developed. A RISC-type high-performance
32-bit monolithic microprocessor provides the

DS-11M
Indirectly lighted arch
and acrylic blocks

DS-21M
Roof with side lighting

GS-11S, M
Indirectly lighted arch
with down light

GS-21S
Acrylic block roof

GS-31M
Large arch of white
translucent plastic

GS-41M
Gable of acrylic blocks

SS-11S, M
Acrylic blocks and
indirect lighting

SF-11M
Acrylic blocks in
rectangular frame

SP-11M
Acrylic blocks

SL-31M
90% Down light

SE-21S, M
Central louver

SE-21M
Half-silvered mirror in
rectangular frame

SP-21M
Punched holes with acrylic

SL-41M
90% Louvers

SE-11S, M
Down light

SL-11S, M
Punched holes plus white
translucent plastic panel

SL-21S, M
While translucent plastic panel
with Japanese paper pattern

CN-11S, M
Central globe of white
translucent plastic

CN-31M
Two globes of white translucent
plastic, one on each side

S-De Luxe-1

De Luxe-B

SS-21S, M
White translucent plastic
panel with central arch

De Luxe-A

Standard

Fig. 5 Five levels of the new elevator lineup.

Mitsubishi Electric ADVANCE

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS
computing power needed to process motor
torque commands for opening or closing the
doors while monitoring a pulse generator to determine actual motor speed. The motor speed
reveals the door mass, and the processor uses
this information to adjust torque commands accordingly.
MULTIBEAM PHOTOELECTRIC SENSOR. Two photoelectric sensor systems are available to reverse closing doors if a person or object is
blocking the doorway. One is a two-dimensional
sensor that detects objects in the plane of the
door. The other is a three-dimensional sensor
that extends the detection area in the direction

(a) CBM-B150, "landscape" oriented control panel

of the landing so that a closing door will open to

admit a late-arriving passenger.
Aesthetic Design
CAR INTERIOR. New car interiors have been developed. Separate ceiling illumination choices
for export and domestic markets have been
folded into a new five-level product scheme that
shares incandescent down lights and indirect
illumination. These products, listed in Fig. 5,
are designed to harmonize with modern architectural design and building interior decor.
CAR CONTROL PANEL. Fig. 6 shows the two control panel choices. An auxiliary control panel
with buttons arranged in a horizontal direction
is available for placement at heights of 900~
1,100mm to facilitate travel by children and wheelchair users. The new elevator cars retain the
LED dot-matrix display and the wave design of
previous door controls. The buttons now incorporate a tactile-feedback mechanism so that they
click when pressed. To improve legibility, the
font size for the button labels has been increased
by 1mm to 13.5mm and high-contrast colors
have been used.
LANDING INDICATOR AND CALL BUTTON. The
thin, 16.9mm landing indicator can be bolted
directly to the wall, eliminating the labor and
materials cost of a recessed box. An electroluminescent display that is bright, easy to read
and displays more information than the standard indicator is also available. The electroluminescent panel was selected for flicker-free
operation and a wide viewing angle.

(b) CBM-A110, control panel

Fig. 6 Aestheticaly designed control panels

December 1999

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

Elevators Without a Machine Room:

the Mitsubishi GPQ Series
by Takenobu Honda and Eiji Ando*
Designed for residential/business complexes,
Mitsubishi Electric GPQ Series elevators accommodate all traction equipment within the elevator shaft, eliminating the machine room and
easing architectural constraints. The 45m/min
models require an overhead of 3,150mm at the
top of the shaft, comparable with hydraulic elevators and less than previous traction designs.
A 60m/min model with nine-passenger capacity and five landings consumes 30% less space
than a comparable hydraulic model.
Table 1 lists the basic elevator types. The elevators target the domestic Japanese market and
comply with JIS regulations. Traction technology permits the elevators to handle travel distances up to 60m and as many as 25 landings
compared to the 20m travel limit of hydraulic
elevators.
Table 2 compares the floor space taken up by
GPQ, hydraulic and previous traction models
assuming a 9-passenger capacity, 60m/min

speed and five landings. The GPQ series takes

up 30% less floor area than hydraulic elevators
and 35% less than conventional traction models, allowing more floor space for income-generating purposes.
Table 3 compares the energy consumption of
the same three elevator types. Use of a permanent magnet synchronous traction motor and gearless drive reduces the power consumption of GPQ
elevators to 20% less than traction elevators.
The ride comfort of GPQ series elevators is
comparable to high-speed elevators thanks to a
quiet and responsive traction motor and sophisticated motor control technology.
To simplify building structural design, the
weight of the elevator equipment is carried
through the guide rails to the pit floor, placing
minimal loads on the top of the building.
The control panel is installed in the shaft,
supporting flexibility in landing design. Call buttons with tactile feedback, car buttons with
audible feedback and braille indications serve
riders of all abilities.

Table 1 Product Types

Type

Passengers

Load (mass)

450kg

Rated speed

45 or
45, 60 or
60m/min 90m/min

600kg

6 or 9

11, 13 or 15

450 or
600kg

750, 900
or 1,000kg

45, 60 or 45, 60, 90

90m/min or 105m/min

Maximum car travel

60m

Maximum landings

25

Drive

Traction

Table 3 Comparative Power Consumption of

Mitsubishi Elevators
Elevator

GPQ

Earlier traction model

Motor capacity

3.7kW

5.5kW

Power feed capacity

4kVA

6kVA

Yearly power
consumption

2,590kW.h

3,230kW.h

Table 2 Comparative Space Requirements of Mitsubishi Elevators

Elevator
Shaft
Width x depth
Floor area used
(5 landings)

GPQ "Packaged" Series

Hydraulic model

Earlier traction model

1.55 x 2.1m

1.65 x 2.3m

1.55 x 2.1m

16.3m

19.0m

16.3m2

Machine room
Width x depth
Floor area used

0
0

2.4 x 1.9m
4.56m2

2.4 x 3.8m
9.12m2

Total floor area used

16.3m2

23.5m2

25.4m2

Overhead

3,200mm

3,200mm

4,450mm

*Takenobu Honda and Eiji Ando are with the Inazawa Works.

Mitsubishi Electric ADVANCE

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

Layout
Fig. 1 shows a vertical section of the elevator
shaft. Fig. 2 shows shaft cross sections for three
elevator types. The traction machine is installed
at the base of the shaft under the guide rails
with a sheave at the top of the guide rails. The
hoist cable also passes over pulleys at the bottom of the elevator car and the top of the counterweight. The ends of the hoist cable are fixed
at the top of the guide rails, one on the side of
the elevator car, the other at the side of the
counterweight. With this arrangement the entire mechanical weight of the elevator is supported by the pit floor. The upward pull of the
traction motor and downward load of the sheave
compress the guide rails, relieving the building
of these loads.

Sheave
(at side of
counterweight)

Overhead 3,150

Guide rail (at side of car)

Sheave
(at side of car)
Counterweight

Traction Machine
Fig. 3 shows the traction machine. A disk-type
brake mechanism with dual calipers is used. The
brake is normally released by an internal electromagnet, although it can also released manually from the landings in emergencies.
Fig. 4 shows the configuration of the traction
motor and drive system. The drive system ensures a smooth, comfortable ride by utilising a

Door height 2,000

Pit depth 1,250 min. Elevator travel 30,000 max.

Car

Guide rail
(at side of
counterweight)

Traction machine

Fig. 1 Elevator shaft, vertical section (dimensions

in mm).
Shaft width 1,550 min.
Car interior width 1,050

Door opening
800~900
Car interior width 1,400~1,600

Car interior depth 850~1,500

Shaft depth 1,500~2,150

Shaft depth 2,350 min.

950
Car interior depth 1,520

Control
board

Control
board

480

1,150 for 6 passenger model

1,520 for 9 passenger model
1,700 for 6 passenger model
2,100 for 9 passenger model

Shaft width 1,550 min.

Car interior width 1,050

Shaft width 1,800~2,150

Door opening 800

a) R type

Door opening 800

b) R type with trunk

c) P type

Fig. 2 Shaft cross sections (dimensions in mm).

December 1999

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

system that precisely controls traction motor

speed and torque. Encoder pulses provide feedback to the speed-control loop while armature
current and magnetic polarity serve as feedback
for the current control circuit.
Fig. 5 shows the speed, acceleration and ar-

mature current waveforms for upward operation

with a full load at a top speed of 60m/min.
Control Board
The control panel functions are divided between

Armature current

Speed

Acceleration

Fig. 3 Traction machine.

Fig. 5 Operating waveforms.

Counterweight
Diode converter

IGBT inverter
Car

Regenerative
braking
resistor

3-Phase AC

Drive
wheel

Current
transformer
PM

TRACTION MACHINE

ENC
Current
feedback

INTELLIGENT
Gate drive circuit
POWER
MODULE

Car travel
control circuit

Speed control
circuit

Current control
circuit

Magnetic
pole
position
Speed feedback

Fig. 4 Drive system.

10

Mitsubishi Electric ADVANCE

Key
PM: Permanent magnet
synchronous motor
ENC: Encoder

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

Fig. 7 Car interior.

Fig. 6 Control board.

landing control units on each floor and a main

equipment enclosure at the base on the shaft. Fig.
6 shows a photo of the enclosure. To fit between
the shaft wall and elevator car side wall, the volume of the main unit has been reduced by 80% in
a new design with an 87mm thickness and 340mm
width. The entire unit can be raised or lowered to
allow maintenance as required.
The size of the control panel was reduced dramatically by replacing the power supply circuits
line-frequency transformer with a switching
transformer and using a low-voltage DC supply
throughout. A voltage-multiplying chopper circuit provides high-voltage power for the brake
exciter circuit and door drive inverter. The thickness of the traction motors inverter unit has
been halved by using a specially developed heatpipe cooling unit just 22mm thick. Wiring be-

tween the inverter and power supply unit is as

short and direct as possible.
The aesthetic design of the elevators follows
that of GPS series elevators, with enhancements
to the car interior, shown in Fig. 7. The ceiling
has a translucent arch with soft backlighting
and slit-shaped accents on either side.
Mitsubishi GPQ series elevators combine the
space savings of hydraulic elevators with power
efficiency even better than previous traction models, making them desirable in buildings where floor
space is at a premium.

December 1999

11

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High-Speed High-Capacity Elevators

for Ultrahigh-Rise Buildings
by Hiroshi Araki and Yasushi Chadani
Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest
in extremely high-rise buildings. These buildings
place extraordinary demands on elevator systemstheir primary mode of transportation.
Mitsubishi Electric has developed new technologies extending the speed of its elevators to an
industry-leading 540m/min with a load capacity
of 4,000kg. Permanent-magnet traction motors,
inverters, an improved safety gear device, oil
buffer and other new technologies were developed.
Traction Motor
Squirrel-cage AC induction motors have been
used to provide variable-speed capabilities for
gearless, direct-coupled traction applications for
more than a decade, replacing the DC motors
previously used. Applications of rare-earth permanent magnets to electric motors have expanded dramatically as new formulations with
increased flux density and coercive force have
been developed and become available in production quantities. Mitsubishi Electric has developed the industrys first permanent-magnet based
high-capacity traction motors for over 120m/min
and over 300m/min elevator applications, replacing the squirrel-cage induction motors previously
used. Fig. 1 shows the motor and its control system. The motor is more efficient since no excitation current is required, while lower levels of

harmonics mean that operation is quieter. Here

we will introduce the features of permanent
magnet traction motors for speeds exceeding
300m/min.
Rare-earth magnets are manufactured in samarium-cobalt, neodymium and praseodymium
formulations, each with different properties.
Neodymium was chosen for this application for
its high flux density and high coercive force that
yield a high energy value, the BH product. In addition, neodymium has excellent temperature
characteristics. Table 1 compares characteristics
of the three types of rare-earth permanent magnets.
Smaller traction motors are desirable since
they reduce the size and cost of the machine
room where the motors are housed. Smaller
motor size is generally achieved by use of a
multi-pole design that reduces the core diameter and coil end length. Size reductions in induction motors are limited by the drop in power
factor associated with multi-pole designs. Permanent magnet motors operate efficiently re-

Table 1 Comparison of Rare-Earth Magnets

Rare-earth

SmCo

Maximum accumulated energy

Temperature characteristics

Fig. 1 The traction motor and its control system.

*Hiroshi Araki and Yasushi Chadani are with Inazawa Works.

12

Mitsubishi Electric ADVANCE

Nd

Pr

High

Very high

High

Excellent

Excellent

Fair

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS
gardless of the number of poles, and hence are
appropriate for compact multi-pole designs, especially now that solid-state inverters can operate at the higher frequencies required by
multi-pole designs.
Since an increase in pole number means more
components and more complicated and time-consuming manufacturing procedures, Mitsubishi
Electric selected the minimum pole number satisfying miniaturization requirements.
Hydraulic Brake Unit
A hydraulic disk brake release unit was developed to handle the high torques involved, and
two of these brake units were used. The equipment layout is more flexible due to the compact dimensions and fewer design constraints
of the new equipment.
Controller
Fig. 2 illustrates the components of the power
control system. The system consists of a power
supply panel fitted with circuit breakers, an auxiliary panel with built-in reactors for the power
supply and output circuits, a control panel housing the power converter and control circuitry
and an inverter panel.
Heat-Pipe-Cooled Power Electronics
The weight of the hoisting ropes and electrical
cables is larger in higher buildings, adding tremendous inertia to the passenger or cargo load.
The traction motor must overcome this inertia

POWER INPUT
PANEL

to accelerate or decelerate the car, and the motor must sustain large currents to do so. The
converter and inverter driving the motor employ six 600A-rated insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules connected in parallel.
Heat pipes are used to cool the parallel-connected modules, preventing temperature differences that would result in unbalanced current
flows. This better cooling permits denser component mountingthe controller can deliver
double the output of previous equipment while
occupying less floor space.
Control Circuitry
A high-performance DSP controls the inverter
and converter. Control of permanent magnet
motors is simpler than that of squirrel cage induction motors and efficiency is higher because
there is neither the power consumption of the
excitation coils nor the delays in energizing
them. A more exacting requirement is that the
rotor position must be detected precisely. This
is accomplished by a cost-effective encoder that
combines two types of encoding systems: an
absolute encoder with markings at 45 degree
intervals, and an incremental encoder that provides two phase signals and delivers a zero-signal output once per revolution.
Rotor Position Compensation
Errors in the rotor position detector output reduce motor performance and efficiency and give
passengers a rougher ride. Errors in the abso-

AUXILIARY PANEL
Contactor

ACR

Encoder
ACR
PM

Circuit
breaker

Pulley
CONTROL PANEL
Converter

INVERTER PANEL
Inverter
Car

CT

CT

Counterweight

CPU

Fig. 2 Configuration of the control system.

December 1999

13

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS
lute encoder arise from variations in equipment
mechanical alignment during assembly. Also
the electrical angle signal used in the control
system can differ from actual rotor angle, and
this error increases with the number of poles in
the motor. Elevator operation data was monitored, major error components identified and
compensation implemented to overcome these
effects.
Elevator Test Apparatus
The performance of motors and control programs
for this high-speed, high-load application was
tested by an apparatus consisting of a load motor and flywheel connected through a torque
meter to the motor under test. The test simulates normal elevator operation, with the controller supplying voltage and current in
accordance with actual elevator speed instructions. The load motor creates torques corresponding to the load of the elevator car and
inertia of hoisting ropes and other components.
This arrangement permits tests to be conducted
under conditions nearly identical to actual elevator operation. Fig. 3 shows operation waveforms of a traction motor for a 540m/min elevator
measured by this apparatus.
Safety Equipment
Fig. 4 illustrates the elevator safety equipment.
The overspeed governor is located in the machine room and detects the elevator speed. If
for any reason the elevator exceeds permissible
operating speeds, an overspeed governor activates the safety gear device located under the
elevator car. This device has brake shoes that
stop the car by clamping onto a guide rail that
runs the length of the elevator shaft. Oil buffers
installed at the bottom of the shaft below the
car and counterweight will smoothly decelerate the car to a stop should it ever travel beyond its lower position limit.
Safety equipment must operate correctly to
serve its intended function. Standards organi-

zations of Europe, the US and Japan (ENI, ANSI

and JIS, respectively) set performance standards
for elevator safety equipment.
A DUPLEX S AFETY GEAR DEVICE FOR HEAVY
LOADS. An elevator car twice the height of a
conventional car can increase the transport capacity of an elevator shaft. The added weight of
a double-decker car, its passengers, counterweight, and the long hoisting ropes in high-rise
buildings has the effect of increasing the moving mass of the system so that the safety gear
device must provide more powerful braking action.
Mitsubishi Electric has developed a duplex
safety gear device that meets the needs of an
ultrahigh-rise 540m/min elevator with a doubledecker car with braking power 50% higher than
the companys previous safety gear device. Stopping power was increased 50% over a previous

Overspeed governor

Traction sheave

Main rope

Guide shoe
Governor rope

Car

Counterweight
Safety gear device

Operating lever

Brake shoe

Oil buffer

Motor current
Guide rail

DC bus voltage
Car velocity

540m/min
Buffer footing
Tension sheave

Input current

Pit

2s
Car acceleration (from torque meter output)

Fig.3 Waveforms during elevator operation at

540m/min.

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Mitsubishi Electric ADVANCE

Fig. 4 Safety device components.

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

10

800

Speed (m/min)

600

Speed

400

200

4
2

0
Acceleration

-200
-400

Link

Time (s)

Brake shoe

(a) Duplex type, 18,000kg load

Fig. 5 Duplex safety gear device.

800

Travel

350m

Maximum operating speed

675m/min

Maximum mass

176.5kN

Stopping distance

6.4~18.4m

Speed (m/min)

4,000kg

10

600

Table 2 Specifications of the Safety Gear Device

Capacity

-2

Speed

400

200

4
2

0
Acceleration
-200

-400

-2
0

Acceleration (G)

Jaw

Acceleration (G)

Car frame

Time (s)

(b) Single type, 9,000kg load

system by using two brake mechanisms in tandem. Fig. 5 shows a diagram of this arrangement. Table 2 lists its specifications. This
solution consumes less area under the elevator
car than a single safety gear. A link between
the upper and lower brake mechanisms ensures
that both brakes operate simultaneously. A
spring drives the jaw, clamping the shoes against
the elevator guide rail, which provides friction
to stop the car.
The duplex safety gear required testing because, while the braking behavior of shoes on
virgin rail is understood, the second shoes will
be gripping the rail after its surface characteristics have been altered by the braking action of
the first jaw.

Fig. 6 Results of safety gear tests at 675m/min.

Advances in rare-earth magnet formulations are

responsible for a new generation of compact and
powerful traction motors. Mitsubishi Electric has
harnessed these capabilities to increase the speed
and load capacity of elevators serving ultrahighrise buildings, while taking steps to ensure the
safety of the system under these more demanding operating conditions.

TESTING OF THE SAFETY GEAR DEVICE. The device was tested according to standards and procedures prescribed by the standards of the Japan
Elevator Association. The curves in Fig. 6a show
elevator car velocity and acceleration as a function of time while the safety gear is used to halt
a load of 18,000kg traveling at about 675m/min
25% over the rated maximum speed of 540m/
min. The brake achieved a full stop in about
9m, well within the required stopping distance.
Fig. 6b shows similar curves when a single safety
gear was used to stop a single-compartment elevator car with a 9,000kg load traveling at 540m/
min. The close match indicates that the duplex
mechanism provides close to double the stopping power of a single mechanism.

December 1999

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A Modernising Control System for

High-Speed DC Elevators
by Toru Tanahashi and Masami Kawamura*
Mitsubishi Electric has developed a new control system for high-speed gearless DC elevators with improved operating characteristics.
The system will soon enter commercial production aimed at modernizing old elevators.
The new control systems chopper circuit uses
inverter technology borrowed from inverter-controlled high-speed elevators to achieve higher
efficiency than thyristor Leonard systems with
increased rider comfort and reduced noise. Applicable elevators will be those with speeds of
120 ~240m/min and capacities below 1,600kg.
The needs of a broader range of elevators will
be addressed later. This article introduces the
new control system and its chopper circuit.
Main Circuit Configuration
Fig. 1 shows the basic configuration of the control system. The main circuit consists of a PWM
converter and chopper circuit. AC power supplied to the system is stepped down by a transformer and then converted to a constant-voltage
DC supply by the PWM converter. The chopper
circuit converts this constant-voltage supply to
variable-voltage power for the DC motor.
Based on 1,200V 600A IGBTs connected in
parallel, the PWM converter circuit has a proven

a) At Thyristor
Leonard circuit

Fig. 2 Comparison of power source current

waveforms.

record in the companys inverter-controlled highspeed elevators. The converter maintains a

sinewave input current waveform that dramatically reduces the harmonic current. Fig. 2 contrasts the square current waveform supplied by
a thyristor Leonard circuit with the sinusoidal
current waveform supplied by the PWM converter. The harmonic current distortion of the
PWM converter is low enough that the buildings
power feed requires no special harmonic current protection.
The power factor for the PWM converters input current is 1 during powering and 1 during
regenerative braking. This high power factor can

D.C. Motor

Transformer
3 Phase
Power Source

PWM
Converter

b) At PWM converter

Chopper
Circuit

Pulse
Generator

Sheave

Field

Car cage
Converter
Control Circuit

Voltage
feed-back

Chopper
Control Circuit

Speed Control Circuit

Field Current
Control Circuit
Counterweight

Speed feed-back

Fig. 1 Control system configuration.

*Toru Tanahashi and Masami Kawamura are with the Inazawa Works.

16

Mitsubishi Electric ADVANCE

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

8s

320V

Fig. 3 Surge voltage waveform.

reduce the substation capacity requirement by

20~30% compared to a thyristor Leonard circuit.
The transformer at the PWM converter input
provides electrical isolation that protects other
equipment in the building from damage by leakage currents originating in the elevator.
The chopper circuit employs an H-shaped
network permitting full four-quadrant control.
Powering and regenerative braking are available
during both ascent and descent. The chopper
circuit also uses parallel-connected 1,200V 600A
IGBTs to perform the power switching. The large
amount of heat in the IGBTs, generated by the
flow and switching of high DC currents, is carried away by compact heat sinks using heatpipe technology.

Steep voltage gradients that occur during IGBT

switching can cause voltage ringing that propagates through the output cable causing voltage
surges in the motors armature winding. IGBTs
can turn on or turn off in less than 0.1 microsecond. Surge voltages from this fast switching
can build up potential differences between the
armature windings high enough to cause dielectric breakdown, arcing and damaging the insulation. Older motors with declining insulation
resistance are especially subject to this type of
damage.
An LCR filter on the chopper circuit output
limits this danger by lengthening the rise time
of surge voltage and lowering peak voltage. Fig.
3 shows current transients at the armature

December 1999

17

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

winding terminals when the IGBT turns on. The

surge has a long, eight-microsecond rise time
that limits inductive effects. As a result the peak
voltage drops dramatically, rising scarcely 5%
above the DC bus voltage.
With thyristor Leonard circuits, the armature
current includes a ripple at a frequency six times
that of the power source, or 300~360Hz representing electromagnetic energy that causes
audible noise. In the chopper system, a modulation frequency of 5kHz results in a high ripple
frequency that is attenuated by the impedance
of the armature winding, reducing audible noise.
Control Circuit
A high-performance VLSI microprocessor developed to control inverter-controlled high-speed
elevators has been adapted to this DC application. A pulse generator on the motor shaft provides speed detection for the main feedback loop.
Speed control accuracy is further enhanced by
a second feedback loop that senses the armature current. The microprocesssor program for

controlling the chopper circuit performs calculations to suppress elevator vibration, thus improving riding comfort by reducing noise and
vibration.
In DC elevators, the current in the field winding is often controlled to vary with elevator velocity. This method results in torque variations
that can cause the car to vibrate. The new
systems control program minimizes these
torque pulsations by coordinated control of the
field current and armature current.
Fig. 4 shows the speed and acceleration curves
for the elevator operating at rated load capacity. The acceleration is as smooth as in the latest inverter-controlled elevators, with greater
ride comfort than previous control systems using a motor-generator (MG) set. A pulse encoder
on the governor detects car position to within
0.5mm and dramatically improves landing accuracy.
Other Features
The new control system has cut energy use by

Speed pattern
Car speed
1

Car acceleration

Fig. 4 Car speed and acceleration under full load.

18

Mitsubishi Electric ADVANCE

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

the machine room through the interior of the

building. The control panel, shown in Fig. 5, is
divided into upper and lower parts to facilitate
transport through constricted locations.
With the control system described here, older
DC high-speed elevators can be upgraded to efficiency and rider comfort levels approaching
those of the latest AC high-speed elevators.

Fig. 5 Control panel.

40% compared to an MG control system. Replacing the MG circuit by a chopper circuit has
reduced energy losses 20%. Another 5% power
saving comes from replacing relays with microprocessor control. A final 5% saving comes from
more efficient motor operation.
Mitsubishi Electric Model AI-2100N group
control system is available for modernization to
manage multiple elevators. The system uses artificial intelligence and neural network technologies. Many other options of Mitsubishi GPM
Series elevators are also available.
When elevators are updated with a new control system, the new control panel is carried to

December 1999

19

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

New Elevators for Residential Use

by Yoshio Kamiya and Hiroshi Hirano*
Mitsubishi Electrics Well Family Series of
residential elevators save space by locating the
guide rails on the side of the elevator shaft near
the traction unit. The elevators offer two car
ceiling designs, three designs for the elevator
hall and exterior doors, and a variety of other
options.
Features
The new elevators offer significant improvements over previous models.

Pulleys

Guide rails
Landing hall
doors
Lift cable

SMALLER. The cross section of the elevator shaft

was reduced to 1.89m2 for a three-person model,
a savings of 10% in installation area compared
to the product it replaces.
Car interior

QUIETER. Noise and vibration levels have also

been reduced, making the elevators better suited
to residential use. Smaller gaps and level differences at the door threshold facilitate cart and
wheelchair access.
CLEANER. To address environmental concerns,
recyclable specialty plastics replace polyvinyl
chloride-metal laminated sheet in wall and ceiling liners, cosmetic panels and decorative accents. Bacteria-resistant plastics help keep the
control panel and call buttons clean and hygienic.

Call button

Controller board

Traction motor

Shock absorber

OPTIONS. Several design and color variations are

available for the cars and elevator halls. Cars
can be provided with dual exits, an option available for the first time in two-passenger models.
Construction
Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the new elevator, Fig. 2 a plan view of several shaft designs. As
with previous residential elevators, the traction
unit is installed at the bottom of the shaft with
the lift cable passing over a pulley at the top of
the shaft and down to the car.
The shaft cross section needed for a given size
car has been reduced by moving the guide rails
to one side of the shaft and by modifying the
traction unit mounts. The pit depth is unchanged. The space efficiency of a three-person

Fig. 1 Elevator construction.

elevatorthe ratio of the car floor area to the

shaft cross section areahas been boosted by
ten percentage points to 57%.
A standardized design permits shared parts
among various configurations that include twoand three-passenger capacity cars, single- and
dual-entrance cars, right- and left-opening doors,
and installations in wood frame, steel frame and
reinforced concrete structures. Wood frame installations benefit from a shaft cross section that

*Yoshio Kamiya is with Inazawa Works and Hiroshi Hirano is with Mitsubishi Electric Elevator Products Co., Ltd.

20

Mitsubishi Electric ADVANCE

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

Car depth 1,180mm

Car width 900mm

Door opening 800mm

Door opening 800mm

Shaft width** 1,350mm

Shaft width** 1,350mm

Car width 730mm

d) Two passengers, two exits

Shaft depth** 1,270mm

Car depth 950mm

(1,200mm in wood-frame installations)

Shaft depth** 1,170mm

c) Two passengers, one exit, left-opening doors

Car depth 980mm

Car width 900mm

b) Three passengers, two exits

Shaft depth** 1,470mm

Car depth 1,150mm

Shaft depth** 1,350mm

(1,400mm in wood-frame installations)

a) Three passengers, one exit, left-opening doors

Car width 730mm

Door opening 680mm

Door opening 680mm

Shaft width** 1,170mm

Shaft width** 1,170mm

**Inside dimension

Fig. 2 Plan views of the elevator shaft.

is almost identical to that for other construction methods.

The size of the control panel for the new elevators has been reduced, allowing it to be
placed inside the open side door jamb at the
landing of the lowest floor. The control panel
can be removed via the door jamb inspection
port with wiring connected, allowing maintenance to be conducted in the hallway. This approach saves space and improves the landings

aesthetic appearance by eliminating the need

for a removable door-retraction-bay wall.
Fig. 3 shows the basic electrical configuration.
The elevators now use a 200VAC single-phase
power supplyavailable in most homesinstead
of the three-phase supply previously required. The
inverter is implemented using an intelligent power
module, as in previous residential elevators, but
with a redesigned mounting that is more compact and reliable than before.

December 1999

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T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

POWER CONNECTION BOARD

CONTROLLER BOARD

INVERTER UNIT
Diode converter
Power supply

Intelligent Power Module

Power supply detection
Traction motor

Line filter

Drive
circuitry
Battery

Power supply
feedback

CONTROL CIRCUITRY
Microcontroller
(controls car
movement)

Microcontroller
(processes user
control commands)

Microcontroller
(controls traction
motor)

Encoders
Speed
feedback
Car position
sensor

Emergency stop function

24VDC

Door motor
Microcontroller
(processes control
panel inputs)

Microcontroller
(door control)

CAR CEILING BOX

Fig. 3 Electrical system configuration.

A high-performance monolithic microprocessor generates control signals for the inverter

using digital control programs designed to optimize comfort and safety.
Included in all models is a battery-powered
emergency-stop function that lowers the car to
the next landing if a blackout or other failure
disrupts the main power supply while the car is
between floors. Circuitry for the function has
been moved onto the main controller board from
a separate board in the controller box. The power
connection board for the elevator has been
moved into the door retraction bay in the elevator hallway at the bottom floor. The board also
includes low-maintenance components that previously resided on the controller board. A line
filter is provided to prevent electromagnetic
noise generated in the inverter from affecting
other home appliances.
Control functions are implemented using a
distributed processing model. Two microprocessors managing the elevator car are located on a
circuit board mounted in the car ceiling. One
sends commands from the cars control panel

22

Mitsubishi Electric ADVANCE

to the elevator controller board and operates the

lights and exhaust fan. The second generates PWM
signals for the DC-motor-operated doors. The deceleration and landing switches located on the
guide rails at each floor are combined into single
units that simplify installation and adjustment.
The initial cars have been made of glass-fiber
reinforced plastic (GFRP) but this is to be replaced by a recyclable specialty plastic that is
20% lighter than GFRP. The specialty plastic
has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is
four times that of GFRP, making the car potentially liable to warping due to temperature
changes. Various structural designs were tested
under controlled temperature and humidity conditions in a large test chamber and a configuration with minimal warping was selected.
A telephone handset provided as standard
equipment serves day-to-day and emergency
communication needs.
Aesthetic and Ergonomic Design
Elevators for home use should use tranquil, relaxing color schemes that blend well with home

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

Fig. 4 Car interior.

interiors while offering various options to suit

individual tastes.
Fig. 4 shows the elevator car interior. Vertical
stripes from floor to ceiling establish a sense of
unity, while an arched ceiling and recessed control panel contribute to a feeling of space.
Fig. 5 shows the elevator hall. Environmental
considerations have led to the replacement of
the PVC cosmetic paneling previously used by
printed steel sheet. The call buttons can be
mounted for access by wheelchair users, or at
any height the customer specifies.
Fig. 6 shows the control panel. Large convex
buttons labeled with highly legible symbols facilitate use by the young, elderly and those with

Fig. 5 Elevator hall.

Fig. 6 Control panel.

Fig. 7 Handrail.

impaired vision. The cars can be optionally fitted with a choice of three types of handrails and
three types of mirrors, an increase over the previous single-choice options. Fig. 7 shows a handrail and Fig. 8 a mirror. The L-shaped handrail
facilitates wheelchair access and assisted walking.
A full-color painting option previously available for custom manufactured products is now
available for the cars rear wall. The rear wall
can also be fitted with an observation window.

Fig. 8 Mirror.

This latest generation of residential elevators

offers an aesthetic and cost-effective solution
to improving access to individual homes.

December 1999

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T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

A Remote Inspection System for

Elevators
by Kiyoji Kawai and Hideki Shiozaki*
leased lines.
The remote inspection unit has various measurement, monitoring and diagnostic functions
that replace most field inspection items. Data
can be logged internally. The unit also has control functions that can invoked from the monitoring center. Data gathered by the unit can be
used to generate optimal maintenance schedules and can serve as a basis for client consulting services.
The communications controller exchanges
data with the remote inspection unit, operates
the elevator cars intercom link to the monitoring center, and has modem and line control capabilities for data communications with the
monitoring center.

Mitsubishi Electric has developed a remote inspection system that monitors elevator operation continuously over leased and PSTN lines.
Downtime is reduced because the elevator operating conditions can be inspected without interrupting passenger services. The system
gathers data frequently, allowing problems to
be recognized early and remedied promptly. The
authors report on this system and operating experiences in Japan.
Fig. 1 illustrates the system configuration and
basic operating concepts. Each elevator is fitted with a remote inspection unit and a communications controller that is linked to a
computer at the remote monitoring center and
to terminals in service facilities via PSTN and

CUSTOMER BUILDING

MONITORING CENTER

SERVICE FACILITY

Elevator control board

Terminal
Analog
PSTN

Remote
inspection
unit

Communications
controller

Remote monitoring
host computer

Operation
data

Data analysis and archiving

Remote inspection
Marginal/
failed
component
data

Technical support

Preventive maintenance
planning

Voice communications
Operation data
acquisition

Remote inspection
Dispatch instructions

24-hour/365-day
continuous inspection

Automated
reporting
Dispatch instructions

Operating conditions

Operating status

Operation statistics

Normal/
marginal/
failure
criteria
for each
item
Intercom

Voice
communications
Operation
statistics report

Regular maintenance
Response to marginal
or failure conditions

Report delivery

Elevator remote
inspection report
Field engineer

Fig. 1 Basic concepts of the remote inspection system.

*Kiyoji Kawai is with Inazawa Works and Hideki Shiozaki with Mitsubishi Electric Building Techno-Service Co., Ltd.

24

Mitsubishi Electric ADVANCE

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

Fig. 2 A photograph of the monitoring center.

The central monitoring host is a computer

located in the monitoring center. It is independent, with its own control desk. Fig. 2 is a photograph of the control room.
The terminals are computers installed in service facilities that provide service personnel
access to elevator operation data logs on the
host computer. The terminals can check current elevator operating parameters and review
detailed inspection data. They also have reportgeneration functions that list remote inspection
results and generate instructions for the field
engineer.
As of November 1999, the remote inspection
system covers 14 types of elevators beginning with
the companys first microprocessor-controlled
models and extending to current products. The
latest elevators have these capabilities built-in.
Earlier models can be retrofitted.

System Functions
The system tracks marginal conditions as well
as failures, collecting more comprehensive and
revealing data than on-site inspections, see Fig.
3. For our purposes, a marginal condition is de-

On-site
inspection

Remote
inspection

Failure
Marginal

Normal

Marginal
Failure

Fig. 3 Normal, marginal and failure indications.

December 1999

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T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

Table 1 Major Remote Inspection Items

Machine room temperature
Brake valve status
Contactor status
Control electronics
Car operation during startup, travel and landing.
Landing accuracy
Car interior illumination
Emergency light bulb continuity and battery voltage
Door opening and closing times and safety functions, overload
detector.
Door switch operation
Intercom power voltage
Operation of door open, door close and destination buttons.
Call button operation
Landing switch operation
Safety switch operation

Table 2 Major Measurement Items

Measurement item

Service item

No. of trips

Brake equipment

Cumulative operating time

Guide shoes

Cumulative distance

Traction motor gear oil

Contactor operation count

Control equipment

Door operations, overall

and per floor

Door equipment

Car interior illumination startups

and interior illumination time

Lamp bulbs and circuits

Hall indicator illumination time

(per floor)

Related bulbs

Direction indicator illumination

time (per floor)

Related bulbs

Hoist cable flex count

Hoist cable

Table 3 Operation Statistics

26

Hall calls

Sorted by floor and direction

Car calls

Sorted by floor

No. of passengers
boarding or leaving

Sorted by floor and elevator direction

Passenger waiting times

Sorted by floor and direction

Power consumption

Mitsubishi Electric ADVANCE

fined as an failure that is resolved by a retry

within the context of normal operation. Mechanical wear and contamination can affect
relay contacts causing occasional recoverable
logic errors. The early warning provided by these
symptoms can be useful to ensure that full
equipment functionality is available at all times.
Detailed tracking of the progress of these conditions provides data that can be analyzed to
model failure mechanisms, predict failures, and
generate cost-effective maintenance schedules
that combine regular maintenance and timely
intervention.
There are three types of diagnostic function.
One of these can be performed while the elevator is delivering passenger services, and corresponds with the kind of parameters a field
engineer would come to inspect. These are
listed in Table 1. The second type includes braking tests, door operation tests and other sophisticated procedures that can identify impending
failures in their early stages. These are performed regularly, generally late at night when
there are few passengers. A third type is an operation test performed under remote supervision
by an engineer. These tests reveal many details
about the condition of the control electronics,
tractor motor and hoist mechanism that were
previously time-consuming to diagnose.
R EGULAR I NSPECTION AND M AINTENANCE
ITEMS. Elevator maintenance and component replacement schedules are based on the cumulative number of elevator trips, time under power,
and number of door openings at each floor. This
information is combined with data on wear and
failure rates. Service interruptions are reduced
by scheduling inspections, routine maintenance
and component replacement to be conducted
concurrently. Table 2 lists measurement, maintenance and replacement items.
OPERATION STATISTICS CONSULTING. Elevator
operation statistics are important to a building
owner or manager because they reveal how
people are moving through the building and how
many are visiting which floors. Statistics are also
important to demonstrate that the elevator sys-

T ECHNICAL R EPORTS

Fig. 4 An elevator remote inspection report.

tems are achieving their service goals. The remote inspection unit also includes several functions for monitoring traffic statistics and
delivering the information in timely manner.
Table 3 lists key items.
C USTOMER R EPORTS . Data gathered by the
online inspection system is delivered to customers as monthly inspection reports and regular
operation statistics. The monthly inspection
report is generated automatically and is printed
by the terminal. It shows item by item the various normal, marginal and failure conditions. Fig.
4 shows a typical report.
The addition of remote inspection capabilities
to elevator systems helps to improve system
availability while reducing maintenance costs.
These capabilities are available for new as well
as existing installations.

December 1999

27

NEW PRODUCTS
The FPR-MKII Finger
Print Recognizer

The FPR-DTMKII Fingerprint Recognizer for Personal Computers.

The new products in the FPR-MKII

series of Mitsubishi Electrics small
Finger Print Recognizers were marketed in April 1998. The series consists of low-price, compact units
with simple verification procedures
for great ease and convenience in
use.
This is achieved by implementing
image processing and verification
on a single-chip RISC CPU while at
the same time significantly reducing
the circuit component count by
directly employing the digital signal
from the video sensor. The volume
of these units is accordingly only
one fifth that of the corporations
previous models, and the price, one
third.
Again, the adoption of a faster
and more accurate verification
algorithm has made it possible to
provide an auto-verification function. This function automatically
compares the input fingerprint with
all those previously recorded and
identifies whether or not it is to be
found among them. This has the
practical advantage of dispensing
with the previously obligatory need
to enter an ID number. Identification
is possible at the touch of a finger,
greatly simplifying the whole procedure.
The series consists of two types:
one is for access control of restricted areas and the other is for connection to a personal computer. The
access control units lock and unlock doors under fingerprint control
to deny or permit access to certain
areas. Three types are available: the

28

Mitsubishi Electric ADVANCE

FPR-200ADMKII provides for control

of one door and 200 fingerprints; the
FPR-1000ADMKII for one door and
1,000 fingerprints; and the FPR1000CSMKII for four doors and
1,000 fingerprints.
The unit for personal computer
terminals is the FPR-DTMKII. This,
as shown in Fig. 1, is placed on the
desk beside the computer. Fingerprints can then be used instead of
passwords to authenticate users
signing onto the computer or the
network. This eliminates the forgettingand stealingof passwords,
greatly enhancing both convenience and security.

MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC OVERSEAS NETWORK (Abridged)

Country

Address

U.S.A.

Mitsubishi Electric America, Inc.

Mitsubishi Electric America, Inc. Sunnyvale Office
Mitsubishi Electronics America, Inc.
Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America, Inc.
Mitsubishi Semiconductor America, Inc.
Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc.
Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America, Inc.
Astronet Corporation
Powerex, Inc.
Mitsubishi Electric Information Technology Center America , Inc.

5665 Plaza Drive, P.O. Box 6007, Cypress, California 90630-0007

1050 East Arques Avenue, Sunnyvale, California 94086
5665 Plaza Drive, P.O. Box 6007, Cypress, California 90630-0007
9351, Jeronimo Road, Irvine, California 92618
Three Diamond Lane, Durham, North Carolina 27704
512 Keystone Drive, Warrendale, Pennsylvania 15086
4773 Bethany Road, Mason, Ohio 45040
3805 Crestwood Parkway Suite 400 Duluth, Georgia 30096
Hills Street, Youngwood, Pennsylvania 15697
201 Broadway, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139

Telephone
714-220-2500
408-731-3973
714-220-2500
949-465-6000
919-479-3333
724-772-2555
513-398-2220
770-638-2000
724-925-7272
617-621-7500

Canada

Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada Inc.

4299 14th Avenue, Markham, Ontario L3R 0J2

905-475-7728

Mexico

Melco de Mexico S.A. de C.V.

Mariano Escobedo No. 69,Tlalnepantla, Edo. de Mexico Apartado

Postal No.417, Tlalnepantla

5-565-4925

Brazil

Melco do Brazil, Com. e Rep. Ltda.

Melco-TEC Rep. Com. e Assessoria Tecnica Ltda.

Av. Rio Branco, 123, S/1504-Centro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ CEP 20040-005

Av. Rio Branco, 123, S/1507, Rio de Janeiro, RJ CEP 20040-005

21-221-8343
21-221-8343

Argentina

Melco Argentina S.A.

Florida 890-20-Piso, Buenos Aires

1-311-4801

Colombia

Melco de Colombia Ltda.

Calle 35 No. 7-25, P.12 A. A. 29653 Santafe de Bogota, D.C.

1-287-9277

U.K.

Mitsubishi Electric U.K. Ltd. Livingston Factory

Apricot Computers Ltd.
Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. Corporate Office

Houston Industrial Estate, Livingston, West Lothian, EH54 5DJ, Scotland

3500 Parkside, Birmingham Business Park, Birmingham, B37 7YS, England
Centre Point (18th Floor), 103 New Oxford Street, London, WC1A 1EB

1506-437444
121-717-7171
171-379-7160

France

Mitsubishi Electric France S.A. Bretagne Factory

The Netherlands Mitsubishi Electric Netherlands B.V.

Le Piquet 35370, Etrelles

2-99-75-71-00

3rd Floor, Parnassustoren, Locatellikade 1, 1076 AZ, Amsterdam

020-6790094

Belgium

Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. Brussels Office

Avenue Louise 125, Box 6, 1050 Brussels

2-534-3210

Germany

Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. German Branch

Mitsubishi Semiconductor Europe GmbH

Gothaer Strasse 8, 40880 Ratingen

Konrad-Zuse-Strasse 1, D-52477 Alsdorf

2102-4860
2404-990

Spain

Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. Spanish Branch

Polgono Industrial Can Mag, Calle Joan Buscall 2-4, Apartado de Correos
420, 08190 Sant Cugat del Valls, Barcelona

3-565-3131

Italy

Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. Italian Branch

Centro Direzionale Colleoni, Palazzo Persero-Ingresso 2, Via Paracelso 12,

20041 Agrate Brianza

39-60531

China

Mitsubishi Electric (China) Co., Ltd.

Mitsubishi Electric (China) Co., Ltd. Shanghai Office

10-6512-3222
21-6841-5300

Shanghai Mitsubishi Elevator Co., Ltd.

Room No. 1609 Scite Building (Noble Tower), Jianguo Menwai Street, Beijing
39th Floor, Shanghai Senmao International Building, 101, Yincheng Road (E),
Pudong New Area, Shanghai
Room No. 1221-4, Garden Tower, Garden Hotel, 368, Huanshi Dong Lu,
Guangzhou
811 Jiang Chuan Road, Minhang, Shanghai

Hong Kong

Mitsubishi Electric (H.K.) Ltd.

Ryoden (Holdings) Ltd.
Ryoden Merchandising Co., Ltd.

41st Floor, Manulife Tower, 169 Electric Road, North Point

10th Floor, Manulife Tower, 169 Electric Road, North Point
32nd Floor, Manulife Tower, 169 Electric Road, North Point

2510-0555
2887-8870
2510-0777

Korea

KEFICO Corporation

410, Dangjung-Dong, Kunpo, Kyunggi-Do

343-51-1403

Taiwan

Mitsubishi Electric Taiwan Co., Ltd.

Shihlin Electric & Engineering Corp.
China Ryoden Co., Ltd.

11th Floor, 88 Sec. 6, Chung Shan N. Road, Taipei

75, Sec. 6, Chung Shan N. Road, Taipei
Chung-Ling Bldg., No. 363, Sec. 2, Fu-Hsing S. Road, Taipei

2-2835-3030
2-2834-2662
2-2733-3424

Singapore

Mitsubishi Electric Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Mitsubishi Electric Sales Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Mitsubishi Electronics Manufacturing Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Mitsubishi Electric Asia Co-ordination Centre

152, Beach Road, #11-06/08, Gateway East, Singapore 189721

307, Alexandra Road, #05-01/02, Mitsubishi Electric Building, Singapore 159943
3000, Marsiling Road, Singapore 739108
307, Alexandra Road, #02-02, Mitsubishi Electric Building, Singapore 159943

295-5055
473-2308
269-9711
479-9100

Malaysia

Mitsubishi Electric (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.

Antah Melco Sales & Services Sdn. Bhd.
Ryoden (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.

Plo 32, Kawasan Perindustrian Senai, 81400 Senai, Johor Daruel Takzim
No.6 Jalan 13/6, P.O. Box 1036, 46860 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Daruel Ehsan
No. 14 Jalan 19/1, 46300 Petaling Jaya Selongar Daruel Ehsam

7-5996060
3-755-2088
3-755-3277

Thailand

Kang Yong Watana Co., Ltd.

Kang Yong Electric Public Co., Ltd.
Melco Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
Mitsubishi Elevator Asia Co., Ltd.

28 Krungthep Kreetha Road, Huamark, Bangkapi, Bangkok 10240

67 Moo 11, Bangna-Trad Road KM. 20, Bangplee, Samutprakarn 10540
86 Moo 4, Bangna-Trad Road KM. 23, Bangsaothong, Samutprakarn 10540
700/86~92, Amata Nakorn Industrial Estate Park2, Moo 6, Bangna-Trad Road,
Tambon Don Hua Roh, Muang District, Chonburi
17th Floor, Bangna Tower, 2/3 Moo 14, Bangna-Trad Highway 6.5 Km,
Bangkawe, Bang Plee, Samutprakarn 10540

2-731-6841
2-337-2431
2-312-8350~3
38-213-170

K.m. 23 West Service Road, South Superhighway, Cupang, Muntinlupa,

Metro Manila

2-842-3161~5

Mitsubishi Electric (China) Co., Ltd. Guangzhou Office

Mitsubishi Electric Asia Coordination Center

(Thailand)

20-8385-7797
21-6430-3030

2-312-0155~7

Philippines

International Elevator & Equipment, Inc.

Australia

Mitsubishi Electric Australia Pty. Ltd.

348 Victoria Road, Rydalmere, N.S.W. 2116

2-9684-7777

New Zealand

Melco New Zealand Ltd.

1 Parliament St., Lower Hutt, Wellington

4-560-9100

Korea

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. Seoul Office

Daehan Kyoyuk Insurance Bldg., Room No. 2205, #1,1-ka, Chongno-ku, Seoul

2-732-1531~2

India

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. New Delhi Liaison Office

Dr. Gopal Das Bhawan (8th Floor), 28 Barakhamba Road, New Delhi 110001

11-335-2343

Viet Nam

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. Ho Chi Minh City Office

18th Floor, Sun Wah Tower, 115 Nguyen Hue Street, District 1,
Ho Chin Minh City

8-821-9038

Representatives

MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION

HEAD OFFICE: MITSUBISHI DENKI BLDG., MARUNOUCHI, TOKYO 100-8310, FAX 03-3218-3455