Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66B—ELEVATORS; ESCALATORS OR MOVING WALKWAYS
  • B66B1/00—Control systems of elevators in general
  • B66B1/02—Control systems without regulation, i.e. without retroactive action
  • B66B1/06—Control systems without regulation, i.e. without retroactive action electric
  • B66B1/14—Control systems without regulation, i.e. without retroactive action electric with devices, e.g. push-buttons, for indirect control of movements
  • B66B1/18—Control systems without regulation, i.e. without retroactive action electric with devices, e.g. push-buttons, for indirect control of movements with means for storing pulses controlling the movements of several cars or cages
  • B66B1/20—Control systems without regulation, i.e. without retroactive action electric with devices, e.g. push-buttons, for indirect control of movements with means for storing pulses controlling the movements of several cars or cages and for varying the manner of operation to suit particular traffic conditions, e.g. "one-way rush-hour traffic"

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method as defined in the preamble of claim 1 for controlling the eleva- tors in an elevator group.
• the invention relates to an elevator group control method in which destination floor call input is used.
• FI application document 972937 (B66B 1/20) , which discloses an elevator group control system in which the control of the elevators is optimized on the basis of the traffic situation, i.e. the currently prevailing type and intensity of traffic.
• the prevailing traffic situation is identified and the elevator group is controlled on the basis of a predetermined so-called expert rule corresponding to the aforesaid traffic situation.
• a problem with solutions according to the present state of the art using normal control and zoning for controlling the elevators in an elevator group is that, in quiet traffic conditions, congestion occurs in the elevator lobby when optimization is exclusively applied to the transportation capacity or the traveling times. To provide room for the passengers in the elevator lobby, it would be necessary to build a larger elevator lobby, which again would be too expensive in large buildings.
• the object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks encountered in the above-mentioned prior art .
• a specific object of the invention is to reduce waiting times in an elevator lobby under quiet traffic in- tensity conditions of an elevator group. Congestion of the elevator lobby is thus avoided and the need to build a larger elevator lobby for the waiting passengers is obviated.
• the present invention aims at reducing the lengths of waiting queues in the elevator lobby.
• the queues during quiet traffic will be of the same order as when a con- ventional, normal and continuous allocation method is used, while in an intensive up-peak traffic situation the transportation capacity of the elevator group will exceed the capacity of an elevator group control system using a conventional, normal and continuous allo- cation method by about 70 - 100 % .
• the method of the invention for the control of the elevators in an elevator group is characterized by what is disclosed in the characterization part of claim 1. The features of some preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the sub- claims .
• the method of the invention provides significant advantages.
• the most important advantage achieved by the present invention is that the method significantly improves passenger service and reduces passenger waiting times in the entrance lobby.
• the method of the invention reduces passenger waiting times in the entrance lobby of the elevator group when the traffic intensity for the elevator group is low. Therefore, the queues of passengers waiting for elevators in the elevator lobby are significantly shortened during quiet traffic conditions.
• the present invention affords the advantage of increasing the passenger transportation capacity of the elevator group.
• the present invention concerns a method for controlling the elevators in an elevator group when destination floor call input is used and the traffic within the elevator group is to be optimized.
• a cost function is optimized by changing the number of cost criteria from one to several and back and weighting the criteria in different ways in the aforesaid cost function.
• one or more of the following cost criteria of the cost function to be optimized are optimized: waiting time of passengers, traveling time of passengers, energy consumption, car load factor, transportation capacity and time of arrival of the elevator at floors where passengers are waiting.
• This optimization method utilizing several optimization criteria to be optimized in the cost function is more generally called multiobjective optimization, which allows considerably better results to be achieved than when only one optimization objective is used in the cost function.
• the cost criteria of the aforesaid cost function to be optimized are weighted by different coefficients depending on traffic intensity.
• the criteria for the aforesaid quantity to be optimized are changed in the cost function in a manner such that, in low traffic intensity conditions, the waiting time is optimized, while in a more intensive traffic situation the traveling time is optimized, the latter being equal to the passenger waiting time plus the time the passenger stays onboard the elevator.
• the cost criteria of the aforesaid quantity to be optimized are changed in the aforesaid cost function in a manner such that, when the traffic grows more intensive, the weighted cost function is optimized so that the weighting of the waiting time decreases while the weighting of the traveling time increases in the aforesaid cost function.
• zoning is applied to destination floor calls issued from the lobby, and when the zone limits are taken from traffic forecasts, dynamic zoning is employed in the elevator group control during busy traffic. It is further possible that dynamic zoning with zone limits taken from traffic forecasts is used in the optimization in the elevator group control during busy traffic when equal numbers of people leave the elevator in each zone. Further according to an embodiment of the invention, one or more of the elevators in the aforesaid elevator group are used to serve two or more zones depending on the transportation need.
• the one of the elevators in the elevator group allocated for each passenger is indicated by the group control system of the elevator group.
• Fig. 1 represents the method of the invention in diagrammatic form
• FIG. 2A and 2B visualize two different embodiments ac- cording to the present invention when dynamic zoning is used for optimizing the passenger flow carried by an elevator group in a building
• FIG. 3 shows average waiting times in an up-peak traffic situation in an elevator group in the cases of dynamic zoning, multiobjective optimization and destina- tion-r ⁇ ultiob ective optimization.
• the diagram in Fig. 1 visualizes the method of the invention, wherein the input of calls to the elevators in the elevator group is implemented using destination floor call input and the traffic within the elevator group is optimized using as a control method either multiobjective optimization or dynamic zoning, depending on the intensity and type of the traffic.
• the elevator group is controlled by a computer configured for this purpose.
• Information for use by the group control system of the elevator group is obtained from traffic forecasts regarding the current traffic type and intensity.
• information is collected e.g. from car load weighing devices and/or light cells and/or destination floor call buttons, which can be utilized expressly in connection with destination control. From destination call buttons, preferably infor- mation representing traffic arrival times and passengers' floors of arrival and departure is obtained.
• the elevator group control system has information available regarding the passengers' floors of destination and departure.
• the car load weighing device and light cells can be used to measure other values descriptive of the traffic, such as movements of people.
• the elevator group control system has information available regarding passengers entering the elevator and passengers leaving the elevator as well as the load of the elevators and the traveling directions of the passengers on the elevators.
• the energy consumed by the eleva- tors can be measured.
• the aforesaid traffic type of the elevator group has four categories: low traffic, normal traffic, busy traffic and intensive traffic.
• the currently prevailing traffic type and traffic intensity are determined for the elevator group control system.
• the cost factors to be used in the cost function in each case as well as suitable weightings for them can be selected using the aforesaid traffic type and intensity data.
• the cost function is optimized according to traffic intensity by changing the number of cost functions from one to several and back and weighting them in different ways in the aforesaid cost function.
• the cost factors of the cost function to be optimized include one or more of the following: waiting time of passengers, traveling time of passengers, energy consumption, car load factor, transportation capacity, elevator arrival time at floors where passengers are waiting.
• the traffic type is de- termined.
• dynamic zoning is adopted as an optimization method in the optimization process.
• the aforesaid multiobjective optimiza- tion method is used.
• zone limits are obtained from traffic forecasts. Zoning is implemented for destination floor calls issued from the elevator lobby. Likewise, zoning can be activated when equal numbers of passengers leave the ele- vator in each zone.
• dynamic zoning is used for optimizing the passenger flow of the elevator group in the group control of the eleva- tor group in a busy traffic situation so that passengers entering from the entrance floor are assigned to zones comprising adaptive zone limits when equal numbers of passengers leave the elevator in each zone.
• dynamic zoning is used for optimizing the passenger flow of the elevator group in the group control of the elevator group in a busy traffic situation so that passengers entering from congested floors are assigned to zones comprising adaptive zone limits when equal numbers of passengers leave the elevator in each zone.
• Fig. 2A visualizes an embodiment of the invention when dynamic zoning is used for optimizing the passenger flow handled by an elevator group in a building.
• dynamic zoning is used in the elevator group control for optimizing the passenger flow in the elevator group in a busy traffic situation when the traffic intensity of the passenger flow exceeds a given preset limit value.
• dynamic zoning is used in the elevator group control in the building for optimizing the passenger flow in the elevator group in a busy traffic situation so that pas- sengers entering from the entrance floor are assigned to zones comprising adaptive zone limits vr when equal numbers of passengers leave the elevator in each zone .
• 40 passengers enter the elevator group from the entrance floor and their destination floors are distributed equally between two different zones (zone 1 & zone 2) .
• zone 1 & zone 2 equal numbers of passengers leave the elevator in each zone (zone 1 & zone 2), although the aforesaid zones (zone 1 & zone 2) comprise different numbers of floors, while the number of passengers leaving the elevator at these floors varies according to the traffic situation determined by the destination floor calls .
• zone limits vr of the aforesaid zones are distributed adaptively so that the zone limits vr vary in the building, allowing floor- specific optimization of the passenger traffic in the elevator group of the building. This enables the elevators of the elevator group to serve the most congested entrance floors in an optimal way in busy traf- fie conditions .
• zone limits vr are obtained from the traffic forecasts.
• dynamic zoning is used in the elevator group control for optimizing the passenger flow in the elevator group in a busy traffic situation so that the passengers entering from said certain congested floors are assigned to zones com- prising adaptive zone limits vr when equal numbers of passengers leave the elevator in each zone.
• This figure visualizes a traffic situation where, in a zoned building, there are three entrance floors with heaviest traffic, with ten (10) passengers on two of said floors and (20) passengers on one of them waiting to enter the elevator group.
• the passengers of the elevator group are distributed equally between two zones (zone 1 & zone 2 ) formed from the passengers' destination floors so that equal numbers (20) of passengers leave the elevator in each zone (zone 1 & zone 2) .
• one or more of the elevators in the elevator group are used to serve two or more zones, depending on the transportation need.
• Fig. 3 shows the average waiting times in up-peak traffic conditions in the elevator group as a function of traffic intensity when the group control method used to control the elevator group is dynamic zoning or multiob ective optimization or traditional control based on up/down call buttons.
• the results presented in the figure have been obtained by utilizing an elevator traffic simulator in a building.
• Fig. 3 it can also be seen that, when the traffic intensity in the elevator group is below the above- mentioned certain traffic intensity value, the waiting times of the passengers of the elevator group differ from each other when dynamic zoning or multiobjective optimization is used as the group control method of the elevator group.
• Multiob ective optimization here yields considerably shorter passenger waiting times as compared with mere dynamic zoning.
• the waiting times are equally short. In traditional control, the waiting times start increasing steeply when the transportation capacity limit of the control system is exceeded.
• multiobjective optimization in low traffic conditions short waiting times are obtained, but also a much greater transpor- tation capacity is achieved than with traditional control.
• multiobjective optimization allows shorter waiting times to be achieved at all traffic intensity values, thereby also significantly shortening the queues of passengers in elevator lobbies .

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
• Elevator Control (AREA)
• Lift-Guide Devices, And Elevator Ropes And Cables (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

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• 2002
  • 2002-10-01 FI FI20021746A patent/FI113163B/fi not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2003
  • 2003-09-12 CN CN03823636.2A patent/CN1688501A/zh active Pending
  • 2003-09-12 AT AT03798940T patent/ATE407905T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-09-12 EP EP03798940A patent/EP1549581B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-09-12 DE DE60323518T patent/DE60323518D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-09-12 ES ES03798940T patent/ES2310261T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-09-12 WO PCT/FI2003/000665 patent/WO2004031062A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 2003-09-12 AU AU2003262594A patent/AU2003262594B2/en not_active Ceased

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