EP3543192A1

EP3543192A1 - Emergency operation for elevator systems

Info

Publication number: EP3543192A1
Application number: EP18305329.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Nicolas PHILIPPE; Guilhem FOURNIER
Original assignee: Otis Elevator Co
Current assignee: Otis Elevator Co
Priority date: 2018-03-23
Filing date: 2018-03-23
Publication date: 2019-09-25

Abstract

Control methods and systems for elevators are provided. The methods and systems include receiving emergency information at an elevator controller, activating an emergency mode of operation of the elevator system, determining a position and direction of travel of an elevator car within an elevator shaft with an absolute positioning system, wherein the determination is made in real-time, and controlling operation of the elevator car to travel to an evacuation landing when the emergency mode of operation is activated.

Description

The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to elevator systems and, more particularly, to emergency operation of elevator systems.
Elevator systems are designed to convey passengers between floors or landings within a building. During emergencies, it is important to transport passengers to an evacuation landing to enable safe exit from the building. For example, during a fire emergency at a floor within a building, passengers within an elevator should be conveyed to an evacuation landing that is away from the landing having the fire. Typically, elevator systems will perform a current movement, e.g., travel to a preselected or entered destination landing, and then travel to the evacuation landing, to enable the passengers to exit an elevator car at the evacuation landing. Improved systems for delivering passengers to evacuation landings may be advantageous.
According to some embodiments, control methods for elevator systems are provided. The methods include receiving emergency information at an elevator controller, activating an emergency mode of operation of the elevator system, determining a position and direction of travel of an elevator car within an elevator shaft with an absolute positioning system, wherein the determination is made in real-time, and controlling operation of the elevator car to travel to an evacuation landing when the emergency mode of operation is activated.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the methods may include that the emergency information includes information identifying a landing having an emergency.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the methods may include that the elevator controller determines a direction of travel of the elevator car based on information obtained from the absolute positioning system. The methods further include, when the elevator car is determined to be traveling in a direction away from the evacuation landing, the elevator controller changes direction of travel of the elevator car to a direction toward the evacuation landing.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the methods may include that the absolute positioning system includes a position encoder in communication with the elevator controller.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the methods may include that the elevator car is at a first position when the emergency mode of operation is activated, wherein when the elevator is traveling to a destination floor in a direction away from the evacuation landing, the controller changes a direction of travel of the elevator car at a second position wherein the second position is a location closer to the evacuation landing than the destination floor.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the methods may include that controlling operation of the elevator car comprises slowing movement of the elevator car within the elevator shaft, stopping the elevator car, and directing the elevator car to the evacuation landing.
According to some embodiments, elevator systems are provided. The elevator systems include an elevator car within an elevator shaft and moveable between a plurality of landings, an absolute positioning system arranged to detect an absolute position and direction of travel of the elevator car within the elevator shaft, wherein the detection is made in real-time, and an elevator controller in operable communication with an emergency system. The elevator controller is configured to receive emergency information from the emergency system, activate an emergency mode of operation, receive position information of the elevator car within the elevator shaft from the absolute positioning system, wherein the information is received in real-time, and control operation of the elevator car to travel to an evacuation landing when the emergency mode of operation is activated.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the elevator systems may include that the emergency information includes information identifying a landing having an emergency.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the elevator systems may include that the elevator controller determines a direction of travel of the elevator car based on information obtained from the absolute positioning system, the elevator controller further configured to change a direction of travel of the elevator car to a direction toward the evacuation landing when the elevator car is determined to be traveling in a direction away from the evacuation landing.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the elevator systems may include that the absolute positioning system includes a position encoder in communication with the elevator controller.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the elevator systems may include that the elevator car is at a first position when the emergency mode of operation is activated, wherein when the elevator is traveling to a destination floor in a direction away from the evacuation landing, the controller changes a direction of travel of the elevator car at a second position wherein the second position is a location closer to the evacuation landing than the destination floor.
In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the elevator systems may include that controlling operation of the elevator car comprises slowing movement of the elevator car within the elevator shaft, stopping the elevator car, and directing the elevator car to the evacuation landing.
The foregoing features and elements may be combined in various combinations without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated otherwise. These features and elements as well as the operation thereof will become more apparent in light of the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following description and drawings are intended to be illustrative and explanatory in nature and non-limiting.
The subject matter is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the present disclosure are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an elevator system that may employ embodiments of the disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an elevator system having typical emergency control system;
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an elevator system having an emergency control system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
FIG. 4 is a flow process for controlling an elevator system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an elevator system 101 including an elevator car 103, a counterweight 105, a roping 107, a guide rail 109, a machine 111, a position encoder 113, and a controller 115. The elevator car 103 and counterweight 105 are connected to each other by the roping 107. The roping 107 may include or be configured as, for example, ropes, steel cables, and/or coated-steel belts. The counterweight 105 is configured to balance a load of the elevator car 103 and is configured to facilitate movement of the elevator car 103 concurrently and in an opposite direction with respect to the counterweight 105 within an elevator shaft 117 and along the guide rail 109.
The roping 107 engages the machine 111, which is part of an overhead structure of the elevator system 101. The machine 111 is configured to control movement between the elevator car 103 and the counterweight 105. The position encoder 113 may be mounted on an upper sheave of a speed-governor system 119 and may be configured to provide position signals related to a position of the elevator car 103 within the elevator shaft 117. In other embodiments, the position encoder 113 may be directly mounted to a moving component of the machine 111, or may be located in other positions and/or configurations as known in the art.
The controller 115 is located, as shown, in a controller room 121 of the elevator shaft 117 and is configured to control the operation of the elevator system 101, and particularly the elevator car 103. For example, the controller 115 may provide drive signals to the machine 111 to control the acceleration, deceleration, leveling, stopping, etc. of the elevator car 103. The controller 115 may also be configured to receive position signals from the position encoder 113. When moving up or down within the elevator shaft 117 along guide rail 109, the elevator car 103 may stop at one or more landings 125 as controlled by the controller 115. Although shown in a controller room 121, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the controller 115 can be located and/or configured in other locations or positions within the elevator system 101.
The machine 111 may include a motor or similar driving mechanism. In accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, the machine 111 is configured to include an electrically driven motor. The power supply for the motor may be any power source, including a power grid, which, in combination with other components, is supplied to the motor.
At the bottom of the elevator shaft 117, i.e., in pit 127, may be one or more buffers 129. The buffers 129 may be secured in the pit 127 of the elevator shaft 117, and may be secured to the guide rail 109, e.g., on a vertical portion or a horizontal portion of the guide rail 109, as shown in FIG. 1. The buffers 129 may be hydraulic or foam type buffers, as known in the art, or may take other configurations. The buffers 129 are configured to impact a bottom surface of the elevator car 103 in the event the elevator car 103 falls within the elevator shaft 117. In alternative non-limiting embodiments, the buffers 129 may be configured or fastened directly on or to a floor of the pit 127. In some configurations, as will be readily appreciated by those of skill in the art, the buffers may be affixed to the bottom of the elevator car 103 instead of or in addition to the pit buffers 129 shown in FIG. 1.
Although shown and described with a roping system, elevator systems that employ other methods and mechanisms of moving an elevator car within an elevator shaft may employ embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is merely a non-limiting example presented for illustrative and explanatory purposes.
The elevator system 101 is designed to convey passengers between the landings 125 within a building. During emergencies, it is important to transport passengers to an evacuation landing to enable safe exit from the building. The evacuation landing will be a landing different from a landing where the emergency is occurring. For example, during a fire emergency at a floor within a building, passengers within the elevator car 103 should be conveyed to an evacuation landing that is away from the landing having the fire. Typically, elevator systems will complete a current travel pattern, e.g., travel to a preselected or entered destination landing by one of the passengers within the elevator car 103, and then travel to the evacuation landing. That is, in typical systems, when a fire or other emergency is indicated within a building (e.g., by activation of a fire alarm) an emergency mode of operation of the elevator system 101 activates. If the elevator car 103 is traveling in a direction opposite to the level set for evacuation, the elevator car 103 will continue to run until the next landing and then move to the landing configured for evacuation. These systems rely upon identifying the position of the elevator car 103 based on a given landing, and thus additional travel time may be required before the direction of travel of the elevator car 103 is reversed to perform an evacuation operation.
For example, turning to FIG. 2, a schematic illustration of an elevator system 201 having a typical emergency operation procedure is shown. The elevator system 201 includes an elevator car 203 that is arranged to travel within an elevator shaft 217 between a number of landings located along the elevator shaft 217. As schematically shown, the elevator system 201 includes a first landing 225a, a second landing 225b, and a third landing 225c. FIG. 2 is merely schematic and more landings may be provided along the elevator shaft, and a landing interval 231 may include additional landings not shown. A landing interval, as used herein, is a vertical span or distance within an elevator shaft between any two given landings. In some elevator system arrangements, a landing interval may be a distance between two sequential landings, e.g., a distance between Floor 1 and Floor 2. In some systems, the landing interval may be significantly greater, for example, in systems for high-rise buildings that have a ground floor lobby (e.g., Floor 1) and then the first stop for a specific elevator shaft may be Floor 20 (with the specific elevator car providing travel to Floors 20-29, and a different elevator or elevators providing service to floors 2-19). Moreover, the landing interval may include additional intermediate landings, such as a distance between Floor 1 and Floor 5, with Floors 2-4 (and landings/landing doors) being present but encompassed in the Floor 1 to Floor 5 landing interval. Thus, in sum, the landing interval is merely a distance between landings within an elevator shaft, and is not to be limited by a specific arrangement of floors and/or landings of a given elevator system.
The movement or travel of the elevator car 203 is controlled by a controller 215, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. The controller 215 can be arranged to receive destination inputs from users of the elevator system 201, with inputs being received from the landings and/or within the elevator car 203, for example, as appreciated by those of skill in the art. The controller 215 may further be operably connected to and/or in communication with an emergency system of a building in which the elevator system 201 is located, and thus emergency signals or identification information can be received by the controller 215 to enable specific control modes of the elevator system 201.
In illustrative FIG. 2, the elevator car 203 is traveling from the first landing 225a to the second landing 225b, and thus, in the illustration, the elevator car 203 is shown at a first position 203'. Such direction of travel may be initiated by a passenger request by a passenger within the elevator car 203. As shown, an emergency 233, such as a fire, is located at the second landing 225b. The emergency 233 may be at the second landing 225b or on the floor of the second landing 225b. The emergency 233 can be identified by a fire alarm, automatically or manually activated, which identifies the landing at which the emergency 233 is occurring. The fire alarm or other emergency system of the building can provide information to the controller 215 to prompt an emergency mode of operation of the elevator system 201.
When an emergency is identified, the elevator system 201 will enter an emergency mode of operation that is operated by the controller 215. In such mode, the elevator car 203 will be controlled to travel to the third landing 225c (evacuation landing). In operation, the position and direction of the travel of the elevator car 203 is determined and specific action is taken based on such information.
For example, if the elevator car 203 is located at the evacuation landing already, the elevator car 203 will not travel to any new destinations, and the elevator car doors will open to allow passages to evacuate. If the elevator car 203 is traveling in a direction of the third landing 225c, whether the third landing 225c is the actual destination or not, the elevator car 203 will travel to and stop at the third landing 225c to allow passengers to evacuate. If in such situation a different landing was selected by a passenger, the selected floor will be bypassed or not stopped at, and the elevator car 203 will only travel to the evacuation floor (third landing 225c). Finally, if the elevator car 203 is traveling in a direction away from the third landing 225c at the time of activation of the emergency mode of operation as shown in FIG. 2 with a current destination being the second landing 225b, the elevator car 203 will change direction of motion, without stopping at a landing and opening of the elevator doors. For example, at a second position 203", which is at the current destination landing 225b, the elevator car 203 will stop, the doors will not open, and then immediately be diverted to the evacuation landing (e.g., the third landing 225c), indicated as a third position 203"'. The controller 215 will prevent elevator doors from opening at the second landing 225b because of the emergency 233, and will convey any passengers within the elevator car 203 to the third landing 225c (i.e., the evacuation landing). If the elevator car 203 is traveling from the first landing 225a to the second landing 225b and the emergency operation is activated, and there are additional landings between the first landing 225a and the second landing 225b, the elevator car 203 will stop at the next landing in the direction of travel, stop, the doors will not open, and then change direction to move to the third landing 225c, with the destination landing never reached.
The above emergency protocol and system provides safety to any passengers within the elevator car. However, the control system may be improved upon by quickly adjusting a direction of travel of the elevator car when an emergency is identified. Accordingly, embodiments described herein are directed to elevator control systems that can provide increased security and safety to passengers within an elevator car during an emergency because an evacuation may be more quickly achieved. For example, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, the elevator car, during an emergency mode of operation, may not be required to continue to travel to the next landing in a direction of travel, but rather may change direction immediately, even if the elevator car is located between landings or traveling within a large landing interval (e.g., within landing interval 231 shown in FIG. 2).
Turning now to FIG. 3, a schematic illustration of an elevator system 301 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The elevator system 301 includes an elevator car 303 that is arranged to travel within an elevator shaft 317 between a plurality of landings. As schematically shown, the elevator system 301 includes a first landing 325a, a second landing 325b, and a third landing 325c. FIG. 3 is merely schematic and more landings may be provided along the elevator shaft, and a landing interval 331 may include additional landings not shown. The movement or travel of the elevator car 303 is controlled by a controller 315, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art. The controller 315 can be arranged to receive destination inputs from users of the elevator system 301, with inputs being received from the landings and/or within the elevator car 303, for example, as appreciated by those of skill in the art. The controller 315 may further be operably connected to and/or in communication with an emergency system of a building in which the elevator system 301 is located, and thus emergency signals or identification information can be received by the controller 315 to enable specific control modes of the elevator system 301.
In illustrative FIG. 3, similar to the illustration of FIG. 2, the elevator car 303 is traveling from the first landing 325a to the second landing 325b, and thus, in the illustration, the elevator car 303 is shown at a first position 303'. Such direction of travel may be initiated by a passenger request by a passenger within the elevator car 303. As shown, an emergency 333, such as a fire, is located at the second landing 325b. The emergency 333 may be at the second landing 325b or on the floor of the second landing 325b. The emergency 333 can be identified by a fire alarm, automatically or manually activated, which identifies the landing at which the emergency 333 is occurring. The fire alarm or other emergency system of the building can provide information to the controller 315 to prompt an emergency mode of operation of the elevator system 301.
When an emergency is identified, the elevator system 301 will enter an emergency mode of operation that is operated by the controller 315. In such mode, the elevator car 303 immediately, or substantially immediately, changes position from a direction toward the emergency 333 and/or away from an evacuation landing to a direction toward the evacuation landing. For example, as shown, a second position 303" of the elevator car 303 is shown substantially overlapping with the first position 303' of the elevator car 303, thus indicating an immediate diversion to an evacuation landing (e.g., the third landing 325c), indicated as a third position 303"'. As used herein, the term "immediately" is used in the context of elevator operation, and consideration made with respect to the safety of passengers within an elevator car. That is, the change in direction occurs with the speed of operation of components of the elevator system. For example, when an emergency mode of operation is activated, brakes of the elevator car will be engaged to slow the travel of the elevator car to bring the elevator car to a complete stop. In accordance with the present disclosure, the stopped position may be a position between landings of an elevator shaft, and does not have to be a landing position as used by prior systems. Once stopped, the elevator car will change direction of travel to convey passengers to an evacuation landing (e.g., the third landing 325c).
In an example where the elevator car is located at a position above a landing having an emergency, and the evacuation is below the landing having the emergency, embodiments provided herein enable a prompt transition to move the elevator car to the evacuation landing. For example, if the elevator car is at a position between Floors 5 and 6 of an elevator shaft, with a current destination being Floor 7, and an emergency occurs at Floor 3 and the evacuation landing is Floor 1, the elevator car will slow to a stop before reaching Floor 6 (or proximate Floor 6) without reaching Floor 7. At this time, once stopped, the elevator car will be conveyed downward to the evacuation landing, passing by Floor 3 without stopping.
The immediate control and change in direction of travel of the elevator car 303 can be achieved through integration or inclusion of absolute positioning systems that are part of the elevator system 301. That is, using an absolute position system, such as an encoder system located on the elevator car 303, the controller 315 can immediately identify the position of the elevator car 303 within the elevator shaft 317 and appropriately control the travel of the elevator car 303 to the third landing 325c in a timely manner, thus saving time and providing additional safety to passengers within the elevator car 303. The absolute positioning system may be any absolute positioning system as known in the art, including encoders, optical systems, mechanical systems, etc. that provide real-time position data associated with the position of the elevator car 303 within the elevator shaft 317 to the controller 315.
In operation, with reference to FIG. 3, the elevator car 303 is located at the first position 303' when the emergency mode of operation is activated. Because the elevator car 303 is traveling toward a destination floor in the direction of the emergency 333 (or to the second landing 325b having the emergency) the elevator car will travel to the second position 303" which is toward the destination floor, with the second position 303" being a location closer to the evacuation landing (e.g., third landing 325c) than the destination floor (e.g., second landing 325b). That is, the elevator car 303 will not travel to the destination floor prior to being directed to the evacuation floor. Further, it is noted that in this illustrative embodiment, the elevator car 303 is traveling in a direction away from the evacuation landing and the control process is arranged to redirect the travel of the elevator car in a direction toward the evacuation landing.
The emergency control system described above is a control logic that is installed or part of the controller of the elevator system. Thus, the logic may be applied to existing systems that have absolute positioning systems or may be installed with new elevator systems. Accordingly, the controller of the elevator system may be a computer, electronic circuit, integrated circuit, or other controller as known in the art.
In one non-limiting embodiment, the controller includes a processor coupled to a random access memory device, a non-volatile memory device, a read-only memory device, one or more input/output controllers and/or elements as known in the art, and an optional LAN interface device via a data communications bus. In embodiments having a LAN interface device, the LAN interface device provides for communication between the controller and a network in a data communications protocol supported by the network, and can provide a communications connection with a building emergency system (e.g., fire alarm). The read-only memory device can be configured to store an application code, e.g., main functionality firmware, including initializing parameters, and boot code, for the processor. Application code also includes program instructions for causing the processor to execute any operation control methods of the system, including starting and stopping operation of the elevator system, responding to passenger call requests, changing operational states of the elevator system, monitoring predetermined operating parameters, generation of alarms, etc. In an embodiment, the application code can create an onboard telemetry system that may be used to transmit operating information between the elevator system and one or more remote computers or receiving locations. The information to be exchanged with remote computers and the elevator controller can include, but are not limited to, elevator position, elevator operational state, maintenance indication information, etc.
The non-volatile memory device may be any form of non-volatile memory such as an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) chip, a disk drive, or the like. Stored in the non-volatile memory device are various operational parameters for the application code. The various operational parameters can be input to non-volatile memory device either locally, using the user interface or through use of a remote computer, or remotely via the Internet using a remote computer. It will be recognized that application code can be stored in non-volatile memory device or the read-only memory device.
The controller includes operation control methods embodied in application code. The methods are embodied in computer instructions written to be executed by the processor, typically in the form of software. The software can be encoded in any language, including, but not limited to, assembly language, VHDL (Verilog Hardware Description Language), VHSIC HDL (Very High Speed IC Hardware Description Language), Fortran (formula translation), C, C++, Visual C++, C#, Objective-C, Java, Javascript ALGOL (algorithmic language), BASIC (beginners all-purpose symbolic instruction code), visual BASIC, ActiveX, HTML (HyperText Markup Language), Python, Ruby, and/or, for example, any combination or derivative of at least one of the foregoing. Additionally, an operator can use an existing software application such as a spreadsheet or database and correlate various cells with the variables enumerated in the algorithms. Furthermore, the software can be independent of other software or dependent upon other software, such as in the form of integrated software.
The above described data stored on the memory of the controller can include an emergency mode of operation protocol. The emergency mode of operation protocol can be used to promptly redirect an elevator car to an evacuation landing in the event of a detected emergency.
Turning now to FIG. 4, a flow process 400 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The flow process 400 may be part of a software or other instructions stored or executed by an elevator controller of an elevator system, similar to the systems described above, or other types of configurations of elevator controllers as known in the art. The elevator system further includes an absolute positioning system that is arranged to detect and monitor, in real-time, the position of an elevator car within an elevator shaft. The absolute positioning system is arranged to provide position data to the elevator controller. Further, the elevator controller is arranged in communication with an emergency system of a building in which the elevator system is located. In normal operation, the controller is arranged to control operation of the elevator car within the elevator shaft to respond to user requests and/or to respond to authorized personnel inputs (e.g., mechanics, emergency personnel, etc.).
At block 402, the controller receives emergency information. The emergency information includes identification of an emergency and identifying information indicating a location of the emergency. For example, the emergency information can include status information, e.g., that an emergency has been indicated, which may be received from an alarm system (e.g., manual or automatic system).
At block 404, the controller will transition from a normal mode of operation to activate an emergency mode of operation, in response to the received emergency information. The emergency mode of operation is designed to override or replace the normal mode of operation, and can provide for automated control of the elevator system, i.e., overriding or canceling any passenger requests.
At block 406, the system will determine the position and direction of travel of the elevator car within the elevator shaft. The determination of the position and direction of travel of the elevator car may be always present within the controller because a real-time data stream may be provided from the absolute positioning system of the elevator system. Various other information may be used to determine a direction of travel, including, but not limited to, passenger requests (e.g., input at a car operating panel).
At block 408, the system will immediately, or substantially immediately, initiate a redirection action, as described above. That is, upon activation of the emergency mode of operation, the elevator car will be directed to an evacuation landing. The specific action may be based on a location and direction of travel of the elevator car at the time of the activation of the emergency mode of operation.
For example, if it is determined that the elevator car is located at the evacuation landing already, the elevator car will not travel to any new destinations, and the elevator car doors will open to allow passages to evacuate.
If it is determined that the elevator car is traveling in a direction of a destination floor that is in a direction opposite a direction to an evacuation floor, the system will immediately slow, stop, and reverse direction of travel of the elevator car so that the car can be moved to the evacuation floor.
If it is determined that the elevator car is traveling in a direction toward the evacuation floor, the system will not stop at any intermediate floors, and will move the elevator car to the evacuation floor.
Further, in some embodiments, if the elevator car is traveling away from the emergency already, the controller may override a current destination and direct the elevator car to the evacuation landing. The change in direction of travel of the elevator car may occur immediately or near immediately, without the need to wait for the elevator car to reach a next landing location within an elevator shaft. Thus, an improved system for evacuating passengers of an elevator system in the event of an emergency is provided.
Advantageously, embodiments of the present disclosure allow for efficient and safe evacuation of passengers within an elevator car in the event of an emergency. Moreover, advantageously, embodiments provided herein may be employed effectively in systems wherein there may be a large inter-level travel distance (e.g., large landing interval with no intermediate landings). For example, if an inter-level, landing interval is large (with a high or long flight time between two sequential landings), passengers would typically have to wait to arrive at the next sequential landing and then return to the evacuation landing. However, with embodiments of the present disclosure, the elevator car will be slowed and stopped within the large landing interval and subsequently directly controlled to the evacuation landing. As such, advantageously, reductions in the time to arrive at the evacuation landing may be achieved.
While the present disclosure has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the present disclosure is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the present disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions, combinations, sub-combinations, or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, while various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the present disclosure may include only some of the described embodiments.
Accordingly, the present disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

A control method of an elevator system comprising:
receiving emergency information at an elevator controller;

activating an emergency mode of operation of the elevator system;

determining a position and direction of travel of an elevator car within an elevator shaft with an absolute positioning system, wherein the determination is made in real-time; and

controlling operation of the elevator car to travel to an evacuation landing when the emergency mode of operation is activated.
The control method of claim 1, wherein the emergency information includes information identifying a landing having an emergency.
The control method of claim 2, wherein the elevator controller determines a direction of travel of the elevator car based on information obtained from the absolute positioning system, the method further comprising:
when the elevator car is determined to be traveling in a direction away from the evacuation landing, the elevator controller changes direction of travel of the elevator car to a direction toward the evacuation landing.
The control method of any preceding claim, wherein the absolute positioning system includes a position encoder in communication with the elevator controller.
The control method of any preceding claim, wherein the elevator car is at a first position when the emergency mode of operation is activated, wherein when the elevator is traveling to a destination floor in a direction away from the evacuation landing, the controller changes a direction of travel of the elevator car at a second position wherein the second position is a location closer to the evacuation landing than the destination floor.
The control method of any preceding claim, wherein controlling operation of the elevator car comprises slowing movement of the elevator car within the elevator shaft, stopping the elevator car, and directing the elevator car to the evacuation landing.
An elevator system comprising:
an elevator car within an elevator shaft and moveable between a plurality of landings;

an absolute positioning system arranged to detect an absolute position and direction of travel of the elevator car within the elevator shaft, wherein the detection is made in real-time; and

an elevator controller in operable communication with an emergency system, the elevator controller configured to:
receive emergency information from the emergency system;

activate an emergency mode of operation;

receive position information of the elevator car within the elevator shaft from the absolute positioning system, wherein the information is received in real-time; and

control operation of the elevator car to travel to an evacuation landing when the emergency mode of operation is activated.
The elevator system of claim 7, wherein the emergency information includes information identifying a landing having an emergency.
The elevator system of claim 8, wherein the elevator controller determines a direction of travel of the elevator car based on information obtained from the absolute positioning system, the elevator controller further configured to change a direction of travel of the elevator car to a direction toward the evacuation landing when the elevator car is determined to be traveling in a direction away from the evacuation landing.
The elevator system of any of claims 7-9, wherein the absolute positioning system includes a position encoder in communication with the elevator controller.
The elevator system of any of claims 7-10, wherein the elevator car is at a first position when the emergency mode of operation is activated, wherein when the elevator is traveling to a destination floor in a direction away from the evacuation landing, the controller changes a direction of travel of the elevator car at a second position wherein the second position is a location closer to the evacuation landing than the destination floor.
The elevator system of any of claims 7-11, wherein controlling operation of the elevator car comprises slowing movement of the elevator car within the elevator shaft, stopping the elevator car, and directing the elevator car to the evacuation landing.