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 elevators in an elevator group .
• Prior-art technology is described in US patent specification 5719360 (B66B 1/18) , which discloses an ele- vator group comprising several elevators, wherein the elevator cars serve selected floors in the building, some of the elevator cars being grouped to serve the lower floors of the building while the rest of the elevator cars are grouped to serve the upper floors of the building.
• the elevator group described here comprises several transfer floors, the location of which is selectable. On a transfer floor, the passenger changes elevators when traveling from the lower floors to the upper floors and vice versa.
• Published EP application 1270486 (B66B 1/20) discloses a prior-art method for selecting favorable elevators when a passenger changes elevator cars from one elevator group to another while traveling from a departure floor to a destination floor.
• the journey from the departure floor to the destination floor is divided into several sub-trips via transfer floors so that the passenger travels between transfer floors on elevators belonging to different elevator groups and these elevator groups are controlled by higher-level control systems.
• elevator group control it is possible to assign two elevator cars to one call in such manner that one of them serves the lower floors of the build- ing and the other serves the upper floors of the building.
• the floors of the building have been divided into zones such that the upper floors of the building belong to a separate zone while the lower floors of the building belong to another separate zone.
• the above-mentioned two zones may overlap each other preferably by one or more floors, in which case this floor or these floors belonging to both zones can be utilized to allow a passenger wanting to travel from one zone to the other to transfer from an elevator serving the zone of the departure floor to an elevator serving the destination floor.
• a floor is called a transfer floor or change floor.
• destination control of an elevator group also allows two elevator cars to be assigned to one destination call so that one of them serves the lower floors of the building and the other one serves the upper floors of the building in a building divided into two zones.
• Destination control of an elevator group again refers to a call input arrangement in an elevator group wherein, using destination call input devices designed for this purpose in the elevator passenger's departure lobby, a destination call comprising both an elevator call to the landing and an elevator call to the destination floor is issued to the elevators. In this case, no car call input devices are provided in the elevator car at all.
• the elevators in an elevator group can also be controlled by a so-called hybrid control arrangement, which refers to a combination of destination call input and conventional car call input such that the passenger can give the elevator a call to a desired destination floor using either conventional landing and car call input devices or destination call input devices placed at the landing.
• hybrid control arrangement refers to a combination of destination call input and conventional car call input such that the passenger can give the elevator a call to a desired destination floor using either conventional landing and car call input devices or destination call input devices placed at the landing.
• a passenger wanting to enter an elevator calls an elevator to the landing by using conventional up/down call buttons, pressing the down call button if he wants to have a downward ride on the elevator and the up call button if he wants to have an upward ride on the elevator.
• the passenger se- lects in the car the final destination floor that he wants to reach.
• building refers to all types of above-ground buildings, water-borne vessels, unfin- ished buildings under construction, or the like.
• Allocation in this context refers to both input, division, reservation or assignment of a call.
• a further problem is that, due to insufficient guidance, a passenger trying to find an elevator on the transfer floor does not necessarily find quickly and easily an elevator going to his final destination floor, which is another factor increasing the passen- ger's total journey time.
• the object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks appearing in the above-described prior-art technology.
• the object of the present invention is to shorten elevator allocation time and to enable correct allocation decisions to be made in group control so as to achieve a good predictability and accuracy.
• the solution here is to delay secondary elevator calls.
• the method of the invention for controlling the elevators of an elevator group is characterized by what is disclosed in the characterization part of claim 1.
• the features of certain preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the sub-claims.
• the method of the invention provides significant advantages.
• the greatest advantage achieved is that by dividing elevator calls to floors beyond the zone limits of the departure floor into two or more sub-calls, a good predictability and accuracy of elevator control is achieved, ena- bling the elevator group control system to make elevator allocation and transfer floor assignment decisions as correct as possible while at the same time minimizing passenger transfer times on the transfer floors as well as the total journey time.
• the present invention provides a further advantage in that congestion and therefore also the numbers of passengers waiting for elevators on the transfer floors are reduced, which again makes it possible to have smaller transfer floors and/or spaces reserved for elevator lobby use in the building. This allows the spaces freed up from lobby use to be utilized for other purposes, so the owner of the building may be able to get more rental income or make better rental agreements .
• Another advantage provided by the present invention is a more flexible function of the building as the building parts situated in different zones in respect of traffic are interconnected. Thus, the owner of the building will find it easier to rent out spaces divided between two zones in the building.
• the floor of transfer from a departure zone elevator to a destination zone elevator is assigned according to the load factor of or a forecast number of persons on the pos- sible transfer floors.
• the present invention significantly reduces the total journey times of passengers using the elevators.
• the present invention concerns a method for controlling the elevators of an elevator group in a building divided into zones comprising different floors in such manner that, on the passenger's departure floor, the elevators are given calls to floors beyond the zone limits of the departure zone.
• the aforesaid call is divided into at least two divided calls such that the passenger will travel via several zones and transfer floors to the destination floor, the allocation of the call for the latter portion of the journey being delayed as compared to the allocation of the call for the first portion of the journey.
• the divided call for the aforesaid latter portion of the journey is allocated later, preferably not until the passenger is temporally close to a transfer floor on his/her journey to be served by a subsequent zone .
• the divided call for the aforesaid latter portion of the journey is allocated to the next transfer floor or the destination floor when the passenger is on the aforesaid transfer floor.
• the divided call for the aforesaid latter portion of the journey is allocated to the next transfer floor or the destination floor when the passenger is coming temporally relatively close to the aforesaid next transfer floor in comparison with the total travel time of the elevator allocated to the passenger at the departure floor or at the previous transfer floor.
• a change between elevators of the elevator group serving different zones is preferably performed on a transfer floor which is selected in the elevator group control from several predetermined transfer floors overlapping with one or more different zones by one or more floors.
• the aforesaid transfer floor is selected in the group con- trol from among predetermined transfer floors on the basis of the load factor so that the number of passengers on the transfer floors is minimized.
• the aforesaid transfer floor is selected in the group control from among certain possible transfer floors by adaptively varying the number of transfer floors and/or the limits of the transfer floor zone on the basis of the load factor of the transfer floors.
• the aforesaid transfer floor is preferably selected in the group control during the travel of the elevator car allocated to the passenger from the departure floor.
• the aforesaid call to a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone is preferably divided into as many calls as the passenger has zones to pass through from the departure floor to the destination floor in such manner that the first call is given from the departure floor to an in- termediary transfer floor and a first car is allocated to the passenger and one or more next calls are given from the previous intermediary transfer floor to the next intermediary transfer floor and a car is allocated to the passenger in such manner that the last call is given from the last intermediary transfer floor to the destination floor and a car is allocated to the passenger.
• the aforesaid call to a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone is divided into two calls in such manner that the first call is given from the departure floor to a transfer floor and a first car is allocated to the aforesaid passenger and the second call is given from the aforesaid transfer floor to the destination floor and a second car going to the destination floor is allocated to the passenger.
• the passenger is guided on the transfer floor by means of car-specific and/or elevator-specific and/or lobby-specific passenger guiding devices to elevators allocated from there to the destination floor or intermediary transfer floors.
• displays serving as passenger guiding devices are placed either in the upper part of the elevator car or in the elevator lobby in front of the elevator arriving at the transfer floor or outside the elevator lobby on the transfer floor.
• the elevators are preferably controlled in such manner that each zone is controlled as a separate elevator group by a separate group control system and each group control system controlling a zone is controlled in common by a coordinating elevator group management control system, which divides the aforesaid zone-specific elevator groups into classes.
• the call to a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone given to the elevators of the elevator group at the departure floor is given as a destination floor call by means of a destination floor call input device in the elevator lobby.
• the call to a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone given to the elevators of the elevator group at the departure floor is given as a hybrid call or as a car call beyond the zone.
• Fig. 1 presents a general diagram representing the method of the invention
• Fig. 2A represents the most preferred embodiment of the present invention
• Fig. 2B represents another embodiment according to the invention.
• Fig. 2C represents a third embodiment according to the invention.
• Fig. 2D represents an alternative embodiment according to the invention
• Fig. 2E represents another alternative embodiment according to the invention.
• Fig. 2F represents an embodiment of the invention wherein each different zone is controlled by a sepa- rate group control system
• Fig. 3 presents a plan drawing of the layout of elevators, floor lobbies and passenger guidance devices on a transfer floor
• Fig. 1 the method of the present invention is visualized by a block diagram.
• the present invention concerns a method for control- ling the elevators of an elevator group in a building divided into zones comprising different floors in such manner that, on the passenger's departure floor, the elevators are given calls to floors beyond the zone limits of the departure zone.
• the aforesaid call is divided into several calls in such manner that the passenger will travel through several zones and transfer floors to the destination floor so that the allocation of the call for the latter portion of the trip is delayed as compared to the allocation of the call for the first portion of the trip.
• the call is divided into several, at least two parts in such manner that the first call is given from the departure floor F a to a transfer floor TF.
• This division of the call can be advantageously performed by dividing the whole call at once into parts that comprise both a call given from the departure floor F d to a first transfer floor TF and one or more calls for subsequent portions of the trip.
• Another advantageous procedure is to divide the call into parts in such manner that the first part comprises a call from the departure floor F d to the first transfer floor TF and the second part comprises all other calls pertaining to subsequent portions of the trip, which are divided later in different periods so that when the next call is divided, the number of remaining calls decreases .
• a call is again given from the previous transfer floor to the next transfer floor and a car is allocated to the passenger.
• instructions and timing as to how the passenger having reached the transfer floor will find his/her way to an elevator going to the next transfer floor are sent to the passenger guidance devices on the transfer floor, whereupon the information concerning the continuation of the trip is transferred into a register.
• a test is again carried out to determine whether the correct time/place of the transfer call has been achieved. If the result of the aforesaid test is positive, a test is carried out to determine whether the next floor is the target floor F t , and so on. This process is continued until the passenger has reached the target floor F t .
• FIGS. 2A - 2F visualize alternative embodiments of the present invention.
• Fig. 2A visualizes the most preferred embodiment according to the invention, wherein the building has been divided into two zones Z 1 and Z 2 . Of these zones, Z x serves the lower floors of the building and Z 2 serves the upper floors of the building.
• the pas- senger gives calls to the elevators while on his departure floor F a when he/she wants to travel to a destination floor F t which does not belong to the same zone with the departure floor.
• the elevators are given calls at the passenger's departure floor to floors beyond the zone limits of the departure zone.
• the passenger preferably gives the elevators a destination call as described above, which comprises an elevator call both to the departure floor F d and to the target floor F t of the elevator.
• the call to a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone issued on the departure floor to the elevators of the elevator group is preferably given as a destination floor call by means of a destination call input device provided in the elevator lobby.
• a call to a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone can be given to the elevators on the departure floor of the departure zone as a hybrid call beyond the zone in such manner that the call is divided into parts.
• the call to a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone is divided into at least two calls in such manner that the first call is given from the departure floor F a to a transfer floor TF.., TF 2 , TF 3 , TF 4 and a first car is allocated to the passenger, and the second call is given from the aforesaid TF.., TF 2 , TF 3 , TF 4 to the target floor F t and a second car to the target floor F t is allocated to the aforesaid passenger.
• the group control system of the elevator group select from among the four transfer floors TF l7 TF 2 , TF 3 , TF 4 the transfer floor which is selected in group con- trol from among predetermined transfer floors on the basis of the load factor so as to minimize the number of passengers on the transfer floors TF X , TF 2 , TF 3 , TF 4 , which are mutually alternative.
• the first elevator allocated to the passenger stops at a transfer floor TF.., TF 2 , TF 3 , TF 4 selected by the group control system and an elevator is allocated for the passenger which will take the passenger to the target floor F t .
• the transfer floor TF X , TF 2 , TF 3 , TF 4 is selected in the elevator group control system during the travel of the elevator car allocated to the passenger from the departure floor.
• the second call is preferably given from the aforesaid transfer floor TF l7 TF 2 , TF 3 , TF 4 to the target floor F t when the passenger comes temporally relatively close to the aforesaid transfer floor TF X , TF 2 , TF 3 , TF 4 as compared to the total travel time of the elevator allocated to the passenger at the departure floor.
• the elevator allocated to the passenger at the departure floor together with its passengers has now come temporally relatively close to the transfer floor as compared to the total travel time of the elevator car from the departure floor to the transfer floor.
• the aforesaid second call is given from the aforesaid transfer floor TF X , TF 2 , TF 3 , TF 4 to the target floor F t while the passenger is on the aforesaid transfer floor TF X , TF 2 , TF 3 , TF 4 .
• Fig. 2B presents an embodiment of the present invention wherein the transfer floor TF ⁇ TF 2 , TF 3 , TF 4 , TF 5 is selected in the group control system from among certain possible transfer floors TF l7 TF 2 , TF 3 , TF 4 , TF- by adaptively varying the number of transfer floors TF., TF 2 , TF 3 , TF 4 , TF 5 and/or the limits of the transfer floor zone on the basis of the load factor of each transfer floor TF X , TF 2 , TF 3 , TF 4 , TF 5 .
• the group control system of the elevator group can use a transfer floor zone consisting of only two transfer floors TF 2 , TF 3 of the possible maximum number, i.e. five transfer floors TF 1# TF 2 , TF 3 , TF 4 , TF 5 .
• the fact that three TF ⁇ TF 4 , TF 5 of the possible transfer floors are not in transfer floor use at a given moment may be due e.g. to a congested traffic situation in the elevator group when it has been found that three of the possible transfer floors have too high load factors.
• Fig. 2C illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein the zones Z x and Z 2 comprise only one possible transfer floor TF, where the passenger may change over to an elevator coming to the transfer floor TF from a departure floor F d in zone Z x and board an elevator going to the passenger's destination floor F t in zone Z 2 .
• Fig. 2D visualizes an embodiment of the invention wherein the building has been divided into more than two zones Z l f Z 2 and Z 3 , the number of zones being three in the situation illustrated in this figure.
• the passenger changes between elevators serving different zones Z x , Z 2 , Z 3 of the elevator group on more than one intermediary transfer floors TF X - TF 7 in order to reach a target floor F t outside the departure zone Z x given on the departure floor F d in the departure zone Z 3 .
• This type of zoning is very favorable to the passenger expressly in a down-peak situation.
• the elevators are given calls to floors beyond the zone limits of the departure zone Z 3 in such manner that the aforesaid call is divided into more than two calls.
• the first call is given from the departure floor F d to an intermediary transfer floor TF S - TF 7 and a first car is allocated to the passenger, and one or more next calls are given from the previous transfer floor TF 5 - TF 7 to the next transfer floor TF.
• - TF 4 and a car is allocated to the passenger, so that the last call is given from the last intermediary transfer floor TF j ⁇ - TF 4 to the target floor F t and a car is allocated to the passenger.
• Fig. 2E illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein the building has been divided into several zones.
• Passengers can transfer from elevators serving zone Z. to elevators serving zone Z 4 via three transfer floors TF 6 , TF 7 and TF 8 .
• To elevators serving zone Z 2 passengers can transfer from elevators serving Z x via three transfer floors TF l7 TF 2 and TF 3 .
• passengers can transfer from elevators serving zone Z 2 to elevators serving zone Z x via the three aforesaid transfer floors TF l7 TF 2 and TF 3 .
• a transfer from elevators serving zone Z 2 to elevators serving zone Z 3 is only possible via the two transfer floors TF 4 and TF S .
• passengers can transfer from elevators serving zone Z 3 to elevators serving zone Z 2 via the two aforesaid transfer floors TF 4 and TF S .
• passengers going from zone Z 3 to zone Z 4 will pass either via transfer floor TF 4 and TF 5 to elevators serving zone Z 2 , from which they will transfer to elevators serving zone Z on one of the aforesaid transfer floors TF., TF 2 and TF 3 .
• From elevators serving zone Z x passengers can transfer to eleva- tors serving zone Z 4 on one of transfer floors TF 6 , TF 7 and TF 8 .
• the passenger travels from his/her departure floor F d to a target floor F t in zone Z 4 via transfer floors TF 6 , TF 7 and TF 8 .
• the passenger does not have to stop at transfer floors TF,, TF and TF at all.
• the pas- senger's total journey time will be shorter than in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2D when the passenger's target floor F t is situated in a zone at a large distance from the zone of the departure floor F d .
• Fig. 2F illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein each different zone Z. - Z 4 is controlled by a separate group control system GC1 - GC4, which again are controlled and managed by a coordinating higher- level control system, which in this context is referred to by the designation elevator group management control system GMCS .
• each zone Z x - Z 4 is controlled as a separate elevator group by a separate group control system GC1 - GC4 and each group control system GC1 - GC4 controlling a zone is controlled in common by a coordinating elevator group management control system GMCS, which divides the aforesaid zone- specific elevator groups into classes.
• GMCS coordinating elevator group management control system
• the passenger is guided by means of car-specific and/or elevator-specific and/or lobby- specific passenger guidance devices on the transfer floor to elevators allocated from there to the target floor or to intermediary transfer floors.
• Such passen- ger guidance devices are preferably displays, which are placed either in the upper part of the elevator car or in the elevator lobby in front of the elevator arriving at the transfer floor or outside the elevator lobby on the transfer floor.
• guide dis- plays can be placed in the elevator lobby. From such guide displays, a passenger having arrived to a transfer floor on a given elevator will learn which eleva- tor will take him/her either to the actual target floor or to the next transfer floor.
• the guide display may also display information showing which is the next elevator going to the target floor of a passenger having arrived at a transfer floor on a given elevator or to the next transfer floor in case the passenger will stay on the transfer floor longer than estimated.
• Fig. 3 presents a plan drawing of the layout of the elevators, floor lobbies and passenger guidance devices PGl, PG2, PG3, PG4, PG5 and PG6 on a transfer floor.
• Fig. 3 shows an elevator group in which elevator cars Ll, L2 , L3 and L4 are two-door walk-through cars, whereas elevator cars L5, L6, L7 and L8 are single-door cars.
• passenger guidance devices PGl, PG2, PG3, PG4, PG5 , PG6 placed outside the lobby areas on the transfer floor and beside elevator L3 , in front of elevator L5 and between elevators L6 and L2.
• each elevator is provided with guidance means (not shown in the figure) to guide the passenger to the correct passenger guidance device PGl, PG2 , PG3, PG4, PG5 and PG6.
• the lobbies are indicated by letters A, B and C and they are depicted with differ- ent line, dot or diamond patterns to distinguish different lobby areas from each other.
• the passenger arrives at the transfer floor by elevator L4, from which he is guided to the passenger guidance device PGl placed outside lobby area C, which serves him this time and which tells him which elevator will take him further to the target floor.
• the passenger guidance device tells the passenger that elevator L5 has been allocated to the passenger having reached the transfer floor by elevator L4 , and that elevator L5 will arrive at the transfer floor in 15 seconds .
• the passenger guidance device PGl can also be used to show the passenger arriving on elevator L4 information regarding elevators going later to the passenger's target floor or to the next transfer floor.
• the other passenger guidance devices PG2 and PG3 placed outside the lobby areas A, B and C are of the same type as PGl in their operating principle.
• Passenger guidance device PG4 is placed right beside elevator L3 to inform only passengers arriving on or entering that elevator at the transfer floor.
• This passenger guidance device PG4 presents information e.g. about how long it will take for the elevator to reach the transfer floor and which is its latest de- parture floor.
• this passenger guidance device PG4 can tell a passenger leaving the elevator which is the next elevator allocated to him and going either to the target floor or to the next transfer floor. It is also possible to inform the passenger leaving the elevator about elevators that will depart after the one allocated to him just in case the passenger should be delayed on the transfer floor.
• the passenger guidance device PG5 placed in front of elevator L5 presents via a display D3 information for the passenger coming from the elevator into lobby A.
• This passenger guidance device PG5 has preferably been arranged to guide the passenger in the direction of another passenger guidance device PG2.
• Passenger guidance device PG6 which is disposed between elevators L6 and L2 , comprises a display arrangement such that display Dl presents elevator change information for the passenger entering lobby A from elevator L6 and display D2 presents elevator change information for the passenger entering lobby A from elevator L2.
• This elevator change information presented on the displays Dl and D2 may be information guiding to some other passenger guidance device PGl, PG2 or PG3 outside the lobby.
• Another alternative is that the display Dl of passenger guidance device PG6 tells the passenger leaving elevator L6 which is the next elevator allocated to him and display D2 indicates to the passenger leaving elevator L2 the elevator allocated for him and going to the target floor or to the next transfer floor.
• the above-mentioned passenger guidance devices PGl, PG2, PG3, PG4, PG5 and PG6 preferably refer to display means used to present elevator passengers information they need at the transfer floors when the passengers transfer from an elevator serving a given zone to an elevator serving another zone.
• the passenger guidance devices PGl, PG2 , PG3 , PG4, PG5 and PG6 can advantageously be disposed in conjunction with the destination floor call devices at the landing of the transfer floor.
• the present invention is characterized by what is disclosed in the characterization part of claim 1.
• Other embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is disclosed in the other claims.
• inventive embodi- ments are also presented in the description part of this application.
• the inventive content of the present application can also be defined in other ways than is done in the claims below.
• the inventive content may also consist of several separate inventions, espe- cially if the invention is considered in the light of expressions or implicit sub-tasks or in view of advantages or sets of advantages achieved. In this case, some of the attributes contained in the claims below may be superfluous in respect of separate inventive concepts.
• embodiments of the present invention are not necessarily limited to any one of the embodiments described above, but different embodiments can, within the framework of technical prerequisites, be combined in part or completely. Likewise, portions of different embodiments can be used to form embodiments not described here that are consistent with the basic concept of the invention.

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• Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
• Elevator Control (AREA)

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• 2004
  • 2004-04-22 WO PCT/FI2004/000246 patent/WO2005102894A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2004-04-22 DE DE602004025628T patent/DE602004025628D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2004-04-22 AT AT04728827T patent/ATE457952T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2004-04-22 ES ES04728827T patent/ES2338788T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2004-04-22 EP EP04728827A patent/EP1737777B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2004-04-22 CN CN2004800431755A patent/CN1956905B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2004-04-22 JP JP2007508918A patent/JP4796053B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2007
  • 2007-10-10 HK HK07110921.6A patent/HK1102684A1/xx not_active IP Right Cessation

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