JP7820155B2 - Motor and brake driving method and driving device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method and device for driving a motor and brake used to raise and lower objects in a multi-story parking system.

For example, a multi-story parking system 70 such as the one shown in Figure 4 is equipped with multiple motors and brakes for raising and lowering objects such as pallets 72 (72a-72i) for storing vehicles and gates 76 (76a-76c) at heights for vehicles to enter and exit the system. These motors and brakes are typically powered by electricity from a commercial power source. However, to meet the needs of users who want to be able to exit their vehicles even during a power outage, there are multi-story parking systems equipped with emergency power sources for driving the motors and brakes during a power outage. Patent Document 1 discloses a parking system equipped with an emergency power source for supplying power to information processing devices, communication devices, and the like during a power outage.

JP 2013-074781 A

4 is equipped with an emergency power supply, for example, the motor and brake for raising and lowering the pallet 72 receive power from the emergency power supply during a power outage. When the pallet 72 is lowered, it is lowered by its own weight and the weight of the vehicle. If this causes the motor to enter a power regeneration state, the power generated by the motor could damage the emergency power supply. To avoid this, it is conceivable to use inverter control or a braking resistor to prevent the regenerative power from flowing to the emergency power supply, but this would significantly increase costs.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to prevent damage to the emergency power supply when the motor and brake are driven by the emergency power supply while suppressing costs.

(Aspects of the invention)
The following embodiments of the present invention are examples of the configuration of the present invention and are described in terms to facilitate understanding of the various configurations of the present invention. Each term does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. Therefore, while taking into consideration the best mode for carrying out the invention, some of the components of each term may be replaced or deleted, or other components may be added, and these may also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

(1) A method for driving a motor and a brake used to raise and lower an object in a multi-story parking device, in which the motor and the brake are driven by a commercial power source under normal circumstances and by an emergency power source during a power outage , the driving power source being switched between the commercial power source and the emergency power source by a switching unit , the switching unit and the motor being connected via a first switch, and the switching unit and the brake being connected via a second switch, and when the driving power source is the emergency power source, the first switch and the second switch are controlled separately to raise the object by driving the motor with the brake released, and to lower the object by driving the motor with the brake activated.

The motor and brake driving method described in this section applies to a motor and brake used to raise and lower an object in a multi-story parking system. Specifically, these motors and brakes are normally driven using a commercial power source, and in the event of a power outage when the commercial power source is unavailable, the drive power source is switched to an emergency power source. The drive power source is switched between the commercial power source and the emergency power source using a switching unit. A first switch is installed between the drive power source and the motor, i.e., between the switching unit for connecting the commercial power source and the emergency power source and the motor, and the first switch is used to connect them. A second switch is installed between the drive power source and the brake, i.e., between the switching unit for connecting the commercial power source and the emergency power source and the brake, and the second switch is used to connect them. This allows the power supply from the drive power source to the motor and the power supply from the drive power source to the brake to be switched separately.

When powered by an emergency power source, the first and second switches are controlled separately to raise and lower the object using the motor and brake. That is, when raising an object, the first and second switches are controlled so that the motor is driven with the brake released. For example, if the motor is driven by applying power and the brake is released by applying power, both the first and second switches are closed and power is supplied to both the motor and the brake, releasing the brake and driving the motor in the direction that raises the object. This allows the object to be raised smoothly when using an emergency power source without being affected by the braking force of the brake.

On the other hand, when lowering an object, the first and second switches are controlled so that the motor is driven with the brake activated. For example, if the motor and brake are configured as described above, the first switch is closed to supply power to the motor, and the second switch is opened to cut off the power supply to the brake, thereby activating the brake and driving the motor in the direction of the object's descent. This prevents the object from descending due to its own weight, while the brake restrains it from moving downward. Because the motor's driving force lowers the object, the motor does not enter a regenerative state. This prevents the motor from generating power, preventing damage to the emergency power supply due to such power. Furthermore, costs are reduced because a braking resistor and its associated control circuit for consuming regenerative power are not required. Note that, during normal operation when commercial power is used as the driving power source, there is no particular problem if the motor enters a regenerative state. Therefore, the first and second switches can be controlled so that the object's descent due to its own weight is slowed down by the brake.

(2) In the above (1), a method for driving a motor and a brake that raises and lowers a pallet that accommodates vehicles in the multi-story parking device as the object.
The motor and brake driving method described in this section drives a motor and brake used to raise and lower a pallet that houses a vehicle as an object to be raised and lowered in a multi-story parking system. Therefore, when the pallet is lowered using an emergency power source as the driving power source, the first and second switches are controlled so that the motor is driven in the direction of lowering the pallet with the brake activated. As a result, the pallet is lowered by the driving force of the motor while the brake is suppressing downward movement due to the pallet's own weight (and the weight of a vehicle, if present on the pallet), and the motor does not enter a power regeneration state. Therefore, even when targeting a motor and brake used to raise and lower a pallet, costs are reduced without the need for a braking resistor or the like, and damage to the emergency power source is prevented.

(3) A device for driving a motor and a brake used to raise and lower an object in a multi-story parking device, which is normally driven by a commercial power source and driven by an emergency power source during a power outage, the device including: a switching part that switches the driving power source to either the commercial power source or the emergency power source; a first switch installed on the wiring between the switching part and the motor; a second switch installed on the wiring between the switching part and the brake; and a control part that controls the first switch and the second switch, wherein the control part separately controls the first switch and the second switch so that when the driving power source is the emergency power source, the motor is driven with the brake released to raise the object, and the motor is driven with the brake activated to lower the object.

(4) In the above (3), the motor and brake drive device is such that the object is a pallet that accommodates vehicles in the multi-story parking device.
The motor and brake drive devices described in paragraphs (3) and (4) are used in the motor and brake drive methods described in paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively, to achieve the same effect as the motor and brake drive methods described in paragraphs (1) and (2).

This configuration of the present invention makes it possible to prevent damage to the emergency power supply when the motor and brake are driven by the emergency power supply while keeping costs down.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a motor and brake drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 10 is an image diagram of a case where a pallet is raised by a motor and brake driving method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an image diagram of a case where a pallet is lowered by a motor and brake driving method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a multi-story parking system to which the motor and brake drive device of FIG. 1 is applied.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, identical or corresponding parts will be designated by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings. Furthermore, detailed descriptions of parts that are identical or corresponding to those in the prior art will be omitted.
The motor and brake driving method and driving device according to an embodiment of the present invention drive a motor 40 and a brake 42 (see Figures 1 to 3) used to raise and lower an object 50 (see Figures 2 and 3) that moves up and down, such as a pallet 72 or an opening and closing gate 76, in a multi-story parking device 70 as shown in Figure 4, for example.

Here, the multi-story parking system 70 in Figure 4 is a structure with nine pallets 72a-72i, four rows and three columns above ground (four rows vertically and three columns horizontally), and three opening and closing gates 76a-76c are provided in front of the pallets 72 (pallets 72a-72c in the state in Figure 4) that are in the loading and unloading position. Of the nine pallets 72a-72i, two pallets 72b and 72c only move laterally at the height position for loading and unloading vehicles, four pallets 72d-72g can move vertically and horizontally to the loading and unloading position, and the remaining three pallets 72a, 72h, and 72i can only move up and down vertically. Each of the pallets 72a, 72d-72i and opening/closing gates 76a-76c is provided with a motor 40 and brake 42 to raise and lower them, and the motor and brake drive method and drive device according to the embodiment of the present invention are intended to drive such motors 40 and brakes 42.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the motor and brake drive device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention drives a motor 40 and a brake 42 using a commercial power source 32 or an emergency power source 34 as the drive power source 30, and includes a first switch 12, a second switch 14, and a control unit 16. The drive power source 30 supplies power to drive the motor 40 and the brake 42. The commercial power source 32 is used as the drive power source 30 under normal circumstances, and the emergency power source 34 is used as the drive power source 30 in the event of a power outage in the commercial power source 32. For this reason, for ease of explanation, the drive power source 30 in FIG. 1 is illustrated as including the commercial power source 32 and the emergency power source 34, as well as a switching unit 36 for switching the power source to either of them.

The first switch 12 is installed on the wiring supplying power from the drive power source 30 to the motor 40 and switches the power supply on and off. Similarly, the second switch 14 is installed on the wiring supplying power from the drive power source 30 to the brake 42 and switches the power supply on and off. The first switch 12 and the second switch 14 may be, but are not limited to, electromagnetic contactors. The control unit 16 controls the opening and closing operations of the first switch 12 and the second switch 14. While a detailed description is omitted here, the control unit 16 controls the opening and closing operations of the first switch 12 and the second switch 14 depending on whether the drive power source 30 is the commercial power source 32 or the emergency power source 34, whether the object 50 is being raised or lowered, and so on. The control unit 16 is implemented using various hardware and software, but may also be incorporated into a component responsible for controlling the operation of the multi-story parking system 70, for example.

Meanwhile, the motor 40 generates the driving force for raising and lowering the object 50, and receives power from the drive power source 30 to rotate in a direction that raises or lowers the object 50. For example, when raising or lowering a pallet 72 as the object 50, the rotational force generated by the motor 40 is transmitted to the pallet 72 via the structure shown in Figures 2 and 3 (chain 60, drum 62, wire rope 64, sheave 66, etc.). On the other hand, the brake 42 generates a braking force to stop the object 50 or slow down the raising and lowering speed of the object 50, and receives power from the drive power source 30 to generate or release the braking force according to its specifications. In this embodiment, the following explanation will be given using as an example a case in which the braking force of the brake 42 is released when power is supplied from the drive power source 30.

The motor 40 and brake 42 may have any structure that generates the driving force and braking force described above. For example, the motor 40 and brake 42 may be integrated into a geared motor with a brake, or the motor 40 and brake 42 may be separate. Because the motor 40 and brake 42 are installed for each object 50, such as a pallet 72, the motor and brake drive device 10 configuration shown in FIG. 1 is provided for each object 50, excluding the shared drive power source 30. However, the control unit 16 may be integrated into a single piece of hardware to separately control the first switches 12 and second switches 14 for some or all of the multiple objects 50 moving up and down in the multi-story parking system 70. Furthermore, the configuration of the motor and brake drive device 10 is not limited to the block diagram shown in FIG. 1. For example, some of the components shown in FIG. 1 may be omitted, modified, or added as appropriate depending on the motor 40 and brake 42, the object 50, and the situation.

Next, with reference to Figures 2 and 3, a motor and brake driving method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is realized using the motor and brake driving device 10 shown in Figure 1, will be described. First, with reference to Figure 2, a state in which a pallet 72 is raised as an object 50 during a power outage when the emergency power supply 34 is used as the driving power supply 30, is illustrated. At this time, under control of the control unit 16, the first switch 12 is closed to supply power to the motor 40, causing the motor 40 to rotate in a direction that raises the pallet 72. Specifically, by rotating the motor 40 in the counterclockwise direction in Figure 2, the drum 62 is rotated counterclockwise via the chain 60. At the same time, under control of the control unit 16, the second switch 14 is closed to supply power to the brake 42, thereby releasing the braking force of the brake 42.

As a result, with the braking force of the brake 42 released, the drum 62 rotates counterclockwise in Figure 2, causing the multiple wire ropes 64 suspending the pallet 72 to be wound around the drum 62 with or without the sheave 66, and the pallet 72 to rise. Here, the state shown in Figure 2 can be expressed as follows: where "F" is the force required to raise the pallet 72, "P" is the driving force of the motor 40, and "W" is the weight of the pallet 72 (including the weight of the vehicle 90), because the braking force of the brake 42 is released, the relationship F = P - W. The driving method of the motor 40 and brake 42 for raising the object 50 (pallet 72) shown in Figure 2 is also performed during normal operation when the commercial power source 32 is used as the drive power source 30.

Next, referring to Figure 3, the diagram shows how a pallet 72 is lowered as an object 50 during a power outage when the emergency power supply 34 is used as the drive power supply 30. At this time, under control of the control unit 16, the first switch 12 is closed to supply power to the motor 40, causing the motor 40 to rotate in a direction that lowers the pallet 72. Specifically, by rotating the motor 40 in the clockwise direction in Figure 3, the drum 62 is rotated in the clockwise direction via the chain 60. At the same time, under control of the control unit 16, the second switch 14 is opened to cut off the power supply to the brake 42, and braking force is applied by the brake 42.

As a result, while the downward movement of the pallet 72 due to its own weight (including the weight of the vehicle 90) is suppressed by the braking force of the brake 42, the driving force of the motor 40 causes the drum 62 to rotate clockwise in Figure 3 against the braking force of the brake 42. As a result, the multiple wire ropes 64 suspending the pallet 72 are unwound via the drum 62, and the pallet 72 descends. The state shown in Figure 3 can be expressed by the relationship "F = W - P' + P," where "F" is the force for descending the pallet 72, "P" is the driving force of the motor 40, "P'" is the braking force of the brake 42, and "W" is the weight of the pallet 72 (including the weight of the vehicle 90).

Here, the method of driving the motor 40 and brake 42 to lower the object 50 (pallet 72) as shown in Figure 3 is intended to be used only during a power outage when the emergency power source 34 is used, taking into consideration the load on the brake 42. When lowering the object 50 during normal times when the commercial power source 32 is used as the drive power source 30, both the first switch 12 and the second switch 14 are closed under control of the control unit 16. This allows the object 50 to be lowered using the weight of the pallet 72 (including the weight of the vehicle 90) while the braking force of the brake 42 is released to prevent load on the brake 42 and the motor 40 is in a power regeneration state. Therefore, the method of Figure 3, which places a concern on the load on the brake 42, is intended to be used for maintenance purposes, such as counting the number of times it is performed and requiring inspection of the brake 42 according to the number of times it is performed.

Note that the motor and brake driving method according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in Figures 2 and 3. For example, the motor 40 and brake 42 to be driven may be used to raise and lower an opening and closing gate 76. Furthermore, the multi-story parking system 70 in which the motor 40 and brake 42 to be driven and the object 50 are installed is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 4. The number of pallets 72 and the number of opening and closing gates 76 may differ from the configuration shown. For example, as long as the multi-story parking system 70 includes pallets 72 that can be raised and lowered, it may be configured with pallets 72 not only above ground but also underground, and may be configured with multiple rows of pallets 72 in the front-to-back direction (from the front right to the back left in Figure 4).

The embodiment of the present invention configured as described above can achieve the following effects. Specifically, the motor and brake driving method according to the embodiment of the present invention uses a motor and brake driving device 10 as shown in FIG. 1 to drive a motor 40 and a brake 42 for raising and lowering an object 50 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) using a commercial power source 32 as the driving power source 30 under normal circumstances, and in the event of a power outage when the commercial power source 32 is unavailable, switch the driving power source 30 to the emergency power source 34. A first switch 12 is installed between the driving power source 30 and the motor 40, i.e., between the switching section 36 for connecting the commercial power source 32 and the emergency power source 34 and the motor 40, and these are connected via the first switch 12. A second switch 14 is installed between the driving power source 30 and the brake 42, i.e., between the switching section 36 and the brake 42, and these are connected via the second switch 14. This allows the power supply from the drive power supply 30 to the motor 40 and the power supply from the drive power supply 30 to the brake 42 to be switched separately.

When powered by the emergency power supply 34, the control unit 16 controls the first switch 12 and the second switch 14 independently to raise and lower the object 50 using the motor 40 and the brake 42. That is, when raising the object 50, the first switch 12 and the second switch 14 are controlled so that the motor 40 is driven with the brake 42 released. For example, if the motor 40 is driven by the application of power and the brake 42 is released by the application of power, both the first switch 12 and the second switch 14 are closed and power is supplied to both the motor 40 and the brake 42, thereby releasing the brake 42 and driving the motor 40 in the direction that raises the object 50. This allows the object 50 to be raised smoothly when using the emergency power supply 34 without being subjected to the braking force of the brake 42, as shown in FIG. 2, for example.

On the other hand, when the object 50 is to be lowered, the control unit 16 controls the first switch 12 and the second switch 14 so that the motor 40 is driven with the brake 42 activated. For example, if the motor 40 and brake 42 are configured as described above, the first switch 12 is closed to supply power to the motor 40, and the second switch 14 is opened to cut off the power supply to the brake 42, thereby activating the brake 42 and driving the motor 40 in the direction that lowers the object 50. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, the downward movement of the object 50 due to its own weight is suppressed by the brake 42, and the object 50 is lowered by the driving force of the motor 40. Therefore, the motor 40 does not enter a power regeneration state. This prevents the motor 40 from generating power, preventing damage to the emergency power supply 34 due to such power. Furthermore, costs can be reduced because a braking resistor and its control circuit for consuming regenerative power are not required.

Furthermore, the motor and brake driving method according to an embodiment of the present invention drives the motor 40 and brake 42 used to raise and lower a pallet 72 housing a vehicle 90 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) as the object 50 to be raised and lowered in a multi-story parking system 70 as shown in FIG. 4. Therefore, when the pallet 72 is lowered using the emergency power supply 34 as the driving power supply 30, the first switch 12 and the second switch 14 are controlled by the control unit 16 so that the motor 40 is driven in the direction to lower the pallet 72 with the brake 42 activated. As a result, the pallet 72 is lowered by the driving force of the motor 40 while the brake 42 is suppressing downward movement of the pallet 72 due to its own weight (and, if a vehicle 90 is housed on the pallet 72, the weight of the vehicle 90 is also added), and the motor 40 does not enter a power regeneration state. Therefore, even when targeting the motor 40 and brake 42 used to raise and lower the pallet 72, it is possible to prevent damage to the emergency power supply 34 while keeping costs down without the need for a braking resistor or the like.

On the other hand, when used in the motor and brake driving method described above, the motor and brake driving device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention can achieve the same effects as the motor and brake driving method.

10: Motor and brake drive device, 12: First switch, 14: Second switch, 16: Control unit, 30: Drive power source, 32: Commercial power source, 34: Emergency power source, 40: Motor, 42: Brake, 50: Object, 70: Multi-story parking device, 72: Pallet, 90: Vehicle

Claims (4)

A method for driving a motor and a brake used to raise and lower an object in a multi-story parking device using a commercial power source as a driving power source under normal circumstances, and using an emergency power source as the driving power source during a power outage, comprising:
A switching unit switches the drive power source to either the commercial power source or the emergency power source,
The switching portion and the motor are connected via a first switch, and the switching portion and the brake are connected via a second switch;
A motor and brake driving method characterized in that, when the driving power source is the emergency power source, the first switch and the second switch are controlled separately, and the object is raised by driving the motor with the brake released, and the object is lowered by driving the motor with the brake activated. The motor and brake driving method described in claim 1, characterized in that the object is a pallet that stores vehicles in the multi-story parking system, which is raised and lowered. A device that drives a motor and a brake used to raise and lower an object in a multi-story parking device using a commercial power source as a driving power source under normal circumstances and an emergency power source as the driving power source during a power outage,
a switching unit that switches the drive power source to either the commercial power source or the emergency power source, a first switch that is installed on a wiring between the switching unit and the motor, a second switch that is installed on a wiring between the switching unit and the brake, and a control unit that controls the first switch and the second switch,
The control unit controls the first switch and the second switch separately so that, when the drive power source is the emergency power source, the object is raised by driving the motor with the brake released, and the object is lowered by driving the motor with the brake activated. 4. The motor and brake drive device according to claim 3, wherein the object is a pallet for accommodating vehicles in the multi-story parking system.