Advanced ride control for high speed passenger lifts

This thesis describes a research on advanced ride control for a high speed passenger lift system. The aim of the research is to design a strategy that would improve the ride quality in a lift. The research starts from a basic level that involves extensive work on modelling a high speed passenger lift system to create a mathematical model that would predict the mechanical rigid body modes of the system. A lift system consists of both electrical and mechanical elements. The electrical part of the system involves an electrical motor operating in closed-loop velocity control. The mechanical part of the system is made up of masses, ropes and pulleys. The dynamics of a lift system are time-variant and depend on the position of the lift within the shaft and the number of passengers on board. This poses further complications for the mathematical modelling and the design of the control system. Experimental work was conducted on the physical system to verify the mathematical model. Various unknown parameters (e.g. damping factors) were obtained from the test data, and also information on the sources and magnitude of the random disturbance on the lift car. [Continues.]