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An Introduction To Permanent-Magnet Gearless Motors and Drive Control Systems
An Introduction To Permanent-Magnet Gearless Motors and Drive Control Systems
An Introduction to Permanent-Magnet
Gearless Motors and Drive Control Systems
by Tony Heiser
ing costs, while maximizing square field. The result is no torque produc-
ELEVATOR TECHNICIAN
EDUCATION PROGRAM
referred to as the slip speed. The slip speed is typically 2- generate the correct car speed, the rated frequency gen-
5% of a motor’s theoretical synchronous speed, n1, defined erally needs to be calculated using Equation 1.
by the applied frequency and number of motor poles: Synchronous Motors
n1 synchronous speed (rpm) = PM gearless motors are similar, but the rotor rotates at
motor operating frequency(Hz)X 120
_____________________________________ the same speed, synchronous to the stator-generated
# of poles (Equation 1) magnetic field. This is a function of the rotor design,
which consists of outlying PM. So, a change in magnetic
and the actual motor speed, n, given the slip speed ns: flux across the rotor is not needed to create an opposite
n=n1-ns (Equation 2) magnetic field to follow the stator magnetic field. The
Note that the frequency reference is not necessarily the rotor is already magnetized. Therefore, slip is not required.
line frequency, but rather the operating frequency. This The rotor magnets will follow the rotating magnetic field
takes into consideration the use of a variable-frequency of the stator.
drive, rather than a line start. The frequency applied by
the inverter at rated speed in closed-loop operation will
be the entered motor rated frequency, which may be dif-
Magnetic flux line
S
ferent from the line frequency, (for example, European 50
Stator winding
Hz motors). A common misconception is that PM gear- N
Stator
less machines are 60-Hz motors, since they run from a
Rotating magnetic
60-Hz line. For induction motors, the most common are field
four-pole or six-pole designs, which, given a typical 60- Squirrel cage S
conductor
Hz rating dictates the corresponding 1175-rpm or 1750-
rpm asynchronous output speeds. But PM AC gearless
machines will have a much higher number of poles, rang- Rotor
ing from 16 to 66. Given the necessary rotational speed to
S S
N N
S N
Stator winding
N S
Stator
N
Permanent
S magnet
Rotor
Figure 2: Synchronous PM motor design: the magnetic field of the fixed rotor
magnets interacts with the rotating stator field, creating torque. The fields
rotate synchronously, with the relative angle between them determining the
resultant rotational torque.
Lb.-ft. = Nm
___________________ (Equation 5) Encoder Absolute Position
1.355 The difference between an absolute encoder and a
As previously mentioned, larger motors may be de-rated standard encoder is that it contains additional tracks for
per the application specifications without changing the position, as well as speed. Typical formats for commercial
Continued
applications serially transmit the position. Other formats Yet, new drive features are available that can automati-
send a set of single-turn sine-cosine waveforms or U,V,W cally determine the encoder offset position after a power
phase pulses, from which the rotor position can be inter- up when an incremental encoder is used.
polated by the drive, but are less common and more sus- High-Resolution Encoders
ceptible to electrical noise due to the increased number In addition to retaining position values, most absolute
of analog tracks. encoders offer much higher resolution than incremental pulse
Encoders that serially transmit the position data gener- encoders. An effective pulse count of more than 500,000 per
ate the position from a barcoded disc with a unique value revolution is not uncommon. The high resolution is
within 360° of rotation. Multi-turn formats are also avail- needed for control of a gearless application with a much
able, which may be used for absolute hoistway position- slower shaft speed, especially during takeoff and landing
ing. Before this information may be useful to the drive, a when the speed commands are zero during the release
reference point must be established. This is commonly and setting of the brake. Additionally, high-resolution en-
referred to as learning the encoder position, learning the coders also enable drive synthetic pre-torque to eliminate
motor pole position or phasing the encoder. The proce- rollback without the use of a load-weighing device.
dure generally determines an encoder position that is off- As an example of encoder resolution, consider a 500-
set relative to one of the motor pole pairs. If not per- fpm geared application with a 2048 incremental encoder.
formed, the results would be similar to not having the At a leveling speed of 5 fpm, the actual motor shaft speed
correct motor speed or frequency pole relationship; the may be 11.75 rpm. Now, consider the system as a gear-
machine would jerk violently or stall and draw high current. less motor, where 5 fpm would correspond to 0.73 rpm.
Establishing the encoder position is an important step So, for the same encoder resolution, the incremental
in starting a PM gearless installation, but frequently not encoder line count would need to be at least 32,000
familiar to first-time installers. The motor generally must pulses per revolution.
be free to move relatively unloaded, by either performing The higher resolution is accomplished by sampling
the procedure with an unroped sheave or balancing the sine or cosine incremental tracks since a sine/cosine pair
car. Fortunately, these hassles will become a thing of the will have a unique sample at any point within one elec-
past as new technology allows the motor pole position to trical cycle. These samples can also be used as a redun-
be identified statically by the drive without any sheave dant position reference, as well. Such high resolution
movement while the brake is set. cannot be accomplished with incremental pulse encoders,
Motor Output Phasing since only two unique samples can be determined per
An item to note in regard to learning the encoder cycle – during the rising and falling pulse edge. One aspect
position is that the motor must be phased properly with of the sinusoidal waveforms that must be considered is
the absolute position increments. That is, the U,V,W their susceptibility to electrical noise. Noise on these wave-
phases of the motor must match the U,V,W output phases forms can cause a false speed reference signal and man-
of the drive. If the direction of rotation is incorrect after ifest itself as vibration on the motor or can be felt in ride
the encoder position learning process has been completed, quality. This is why mitigation of electrical noise from
it can be inverted by a drive setting. Unlike induction proper installation, grounding and shielding are important.
motors, two output phases cannot be swapped to invert Continuous double-shielded, twisted pair cables are
the direction, as this would invert the rotation opposite to optimal. However, it is important that the encoder cables
the absolute position values of the encoder. be separate from high voltage and switching supply
When Should the Encoder Position Be Relearned? sources, preferably in their own conduit. Additionally,
Once the encoder position is determined on an installation of dv/dt filters on the output phases of the
absolute encoder, the only time the position would need drive will decrease drive-emitted noise on the encoder
to be relearned is if the orientation of the encoder to the cabling. Also, dv/dt filters protect motor windings from
rotor were physically changed. (That is, anytime the harmful rapid change in voltage, prolonging the life of the
encoder is removed or if any slippage of the encoder motor. These are recommended for any application with
mounting has occurred over time). It does not need to be more than 40 feet of motor cable between the motor and
learned after a power cycle, even if the sheave is moved the drive. Pure serial formats which eliminate problems
while power is off. The exception to this is when an with noise on the analog tracks can be used with less
incremental pulse encoder is used. In this case, the position costly cabling and are currently available, but have yet to
would need to be learned after each power cycle, since the become common in the market.
incremental pulses do not contain any information for Inverter Ride Quality Adjustment
deciphering position. This is one reason why absolute The most common adjustments needed for PM gear-
encoders are used, as opposed to incremental encoders. less applications on the drive side are usually around the
and reducing dependence on the speed reference back machine-room cooling costs. Finally, installation of a line
from the encoder. The result is smoother torque output regeneration system may provide the building owner
and less speed over- or undershoot. Generally, determin- with incentives from utilities or local governments and
ing the system inertia is a final step in the tuning process. municipalities.
The system inertia can typically be determined by the The additional positive aspect of a line regeneration
drive, but should be done after final cab, compensation system includes better power quality surrounding the
and counterweight adjustments have been made, and will elevator system. This can reduce harmonic distortion on
require a balanced load to perform. the line and effectively increase the drive’s DC bus life-
Pre-Torque time by a factor of two through reduction of DC bus cur-
With gearless machines, there is no reliance on the rent ripple and protecting input against transient voltage
gear to help reduce rollback during the transfer of the spikes. Finally, it is considered a “green” solution and
load from brake to motor, and there is no gear breakaway becoming more welcome among many building owners
torque. In addition to speed-dependent gains, drives may and architects.
also need pre-torque adjustment settings to eliminate
rollback. Because high-resolution encoders are available, Tony Heiser is an elevator applications and sales engineer with KEB America,
one particular drive feature that may be available is inter- Inc. He received a BS of Electrical Engineering from the University of
nal synthesized pre-torque. That is, the drive generates a Minnesota in Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
pre-torque response between the load transfer period
when the brake opens, and the rollback occurs when the
profile begins. This means, no need for an external load- Learning-Reinforcement Questions
weighing device, which will fall out of calibration over Use the below learning-reinforcement questions to
time. However, drive-synthesized pre-torque is depend- study for the Continuing Education Assessment Exam
ent on the physical brake opening time sequence, so this available online at www.elevatorbooks.com or on
should always be adjusted after the brake has been cali- page 111 of this issue.
brated, and spring tension and air gap are set. ◆ How are PM motors similar to and different from
Line Regeneration Potential induction motors?
PM motors are the highest-efficiency ones available for ◆ How is the motor data of a PM motor different from
elevator applications. Therefore, this high efficiency that of an induction motor with respect to the rela-
makes many PM gearless applications well suited for tionship between motor rated speed, frequency and
installation together with a line regeneration system. Such number of motor poles?
a system will provide the building owner further return on ◆ What is the importance of knowing the rotor posi-
investment over time by returning energy generated dur- tion with respect to the encoder, and when does this
ing empty-car-up/full-load-down operation back to the relationship change?
main line to be consumed internally within the building ◆ What are important installation techniques when uti-
by other loads. Typically, this energy is wasted by being lizing high-resolution encoders with analog tracks?
dissipated in a bank of braking resistors. Additionally, the ◆ In a PI speed control loop, how does each term affect
elimination of heat from the braking resistors will further ride quality?
reduce the overall system operation costs by reducing
1. When does the motor pole position need to be 6. Which of the following installation technique is not
learned on a PM AC motor with absolute encoder? recommended?
a. This is done at the factory and never needed in the a. Run the encoder cable with incoming power.
field. b. Run the encoder cable with the brake wires.
b. Only when it is new. c. Run the encoder cable with the motor wires.
c. After each power cycle. d. All of the above.
d. When the encoder mounting has physically
changed. 7. If the motor runs in the opposite direction, the solu-
tion is to swap two motor phases.
2. Which of the following should be used when entering a. True
the motor data for a PM AC motor? b. False.
a. Actual line frequency.
b. Inverter rated line frequency. 8. If the drive has a difficult time picking full load, but
c. Inverter rated frequency at rated speed. the current is not excessive, which could be the
d. Output frequency at rated speed. problem?
a. Not enough magnetizing current generated.
3. Which of the following PM AC motor data would be b. Speed control set too low.
incorrect? c. Flux buildup too slow.
a. Rated motor speed = 97 rpm, rated motor fre- d. All of the above.
quency = 12.93 Hz
b. Rated motor speed = 146.9 rpm, rated motor fre- 9. The ride quality is smooth coming out of the floor and
quency = 53.86 Hz into leveling, but vibrates during high speed. What
c. Rated motor speed = 125 rpm, rated motor fre- would likely eliminate this?
quency = 21.87 Hz a. Reduced high-speed control response.
d. Rated motor speed = 250, rated motor frequency = b. Increased high speed control response.
58.33 Hz c. Reduced low-speed control response.
d. Increased low-speed control response.
4. If a motor stalls and draws high current, which could
be the problem? 10. Which would be a good method to start adjusting
a. Incorrect endcoder position. speed controller?
b. Incorrecy rated motor speed or frequency. a. Make adjustments in large steps to clearly see the
c. Torque limit set too low. difference.
d. All of the above. b. Make adjustments in small steps to make sure op-
timal value is obtained.
5. What is the typical rated slip on a PM AC motor? c. Make all adjustments for inspection speed first.
a. 2–5% d. None of the above.
b. None.
c. 25–90 rpm
d. 2–5 Hz
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Article title: “An Introduc-
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tion to Permanent-Magnet
Gearless Motors and Drive Circle correct answer
Control Systems” (EW, Novem-
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