GB2290885A - Express elevator system - Google Patents

Abstract

An elevator control system wherein when it is determined that demand for travel between certain floors is heavy (fig 5a), an elevator car is operated alternately in a mode whereby only the certain floors are served (fig 5c), and in a normal running mode whereby all floors are served (fig 5e). This operating pattern is maintained only for as long as the heavy demand condition exists. <IMAGE>

Description

ELEVATOR SYSTEM The present invention relates to an elevator system for supervising the movement of elevators, and more particularly to improvements in an elevator system which is suitable for application to a small number of elevators.

In the system for supervising the movement of elevators, the most significant problem is to reduce and uniform the waiting time of each user.

For this problem, various techniques have hitherto been employed.

In the initial stage, it has been practiced that zones of which individual elevators take charge are determined in accordance with respective positions of a plurality of elevators so that the elevators may be placed at intervals as equally as possible. With subsequent development of microcomputers, a hall call assignment method has been employed wherein various factors are evaluated each time a hall call is generated in order to assign an optimum elevator in accordance with each hall call.

These control methods are techniques of optimally serving hall calls generated irregularly. In addition, for the sake of serving specified traffic, there are available a zoning express running operation at the office-going hour and an elevator for specified service which takes charge of a specified hall call to take care of a specified traffic demand.

JP-A-63-247279 and JP-A-63-247280 disclose a specified elevator serving a specified traffic demand.

JP-A-63-247279 describes that a numbered machine to be specifically served accepts only a cage call from a specified floor during a specified high demand occurring at a preset hour, so that during a time zone such as the lunch hour or the closing hour in which the demand is heavily concentrated to a specified floor, an elevator destined for a specified floor is designated and the demand for the specified floor is served by this elevator to reduce the one cycle time of the specified numbered machine, thereby giving preferential service to the high-demand floor.JP-A-63-247280 describes that in addition to JP-A-63-247279, a plurality of elevators are divided into two groups of elevators serving all of the floors and of elevators serving specified floors, special indicators and special buttons are provided to the elevators serving the specified floors, and an indication purporting the movement to only the specified floors is given to the elevators serving the specified floors when time comes to a preset hour, thereby ensuring that passengers can be served without wavering in choice.

The hall call assigning method and zone method are control methods suitable for the case where the hall call is generated irregularly and are not satisfactory to serve a traffic demand in which a floor from which a hall call is generated and a destination floor are almost determined.

Good service is desired to be given to even a high demand which the hall call assigning method can cope with at the cost of difficulties and the prior arts disclosed in the aforementioned laid-open publications are achieved to solve the problems. But it has been proven that with the prior arts, in a demand in which passengers from individual floors are concentrated to the first floor at the lunch hour, for example, an elevator becomes crowded at higher floors and service to intermediate and lower floors is degraded significantly.

It has also been proven that with the aforementioned prior arts, the hour, the specified destination floor and the specified elevator are determined in advance and therefore demands for different destinations cannot be dealt with, resulting in a failure to take care of a demand changeable in various ways.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide an elevator system which can efficiently take care of the traffic demand when it is subject to an unpredictable change or unpredictable localization.

According to one aspect of the invention, in response to a scheduled state, a desired elevator is allowed to serve only a plurality of specified floors.

In an embodiment of the invention, when it is detected that localization of the traffic demand in a building occurs, the share of demand is so changed that a desired elevator is allowed to take charge of a localized demand and the remaining elevators are allowed to take charge of the other or general demand.

With the above construction, assignment of elevators suitable for traffic at that time can be permitted and service can be improved as a whole.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the traffic is divided into specified high-demand traffic and normal traffic and service is given by using service elevators sorted into elevators serving the specified high-demand traffic and elevators serving the normal traffic, thereby preventing localization of service to the traffic demand.

Further, in another preferred embodiment of the invention, elevators serving the other floors are freed from serving over high-demand floors in which much time is consumed for boarding and alighting and therefore the one cycle time can be reduced and the waiting time can be reduced as a whole. Further, floors preceding and succeeding a high-demand floor can be prevented from being passed by owing to the occurrence of crowdedness at the high-demand floor and so serviceability can be improved as a whole.

As described previously, the recent hall call assignment method for assigning a hall call by using total evaluation is used for optimally serving a hall call generated irregularly. Therefore, this method is unsuitable for serving a high demand occurring over specified floors. In the case where group-supervisory control of four or more elevators is carried out, while a certain elevator serves over specified floors, the other elevators are allowed to serve the other floors and therefore the hall call assignment method can be employed to fulfill itself as far as the demand is not excessively heavy.

Bowever, simulation conducted by the inventors in which that assignment method is applied to two to three elevators at the most has demonstrated that in the case of a demand being concentrated to, for example, the first floor at, for example, the lunch time, crowdedness occurs on the way if the number of boarding persons at higher floors is large, resulting a failure to serve lower floors. Even if crowdedness does not occur, time is much more consumed in a heavy boarding and alighting state than in a light boarding and alighting state, with the result that a vicious circle occurs in which the one cycle time of an elevator is prolonged to increase the waiting time while the number of passengers waiting at each floor is increased to cause the elevator to again undertake heavy movement.

Even with four or more elevators employed, when the demand is significantly high, the localization of demand is heavy and the number of service floors is large, most elevators serve over high-demand floors. As a result, service to the other floors than the highdemand floors is degraded and even in service to the high-demand floors, the one cycle time is increased owing to, for example, a heavy boarding and alighting state and so the waiting time is prolonged, resulting in degraded service.

Then, a desired elevator is allowed to serve over high-demand floors. For example, when a demand from the tenth and ninth floors to the first floor is heavy in a building of ten stories, an elevator becomes crowded at the ninth floor in the absence of any countermeasures and service to the eighth and lower floors is degraded. Then, this demand is detected so that desired one of a plurality of elevators may be allowed to perform shuttle running from the tenth and ninth floors to the first floor so as to reduce the waiting time at the tenth, ninth and first floors and the other elevators may be allowed to serve the other general floors, thereby preventing the pass-by due to crowdedness and an increase in the boarding and alighting time during crowdedness.

Through this, the one cycle time of all of the elevators can be reduced and the waiting time can be reduced in both the demand occurring over specified floors and general demand to improve serviceability.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an overall construction diagram; Fig. 2 is a flow chart of the invention; Figs. 3A-3I are diagrams for explaining the invention; Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment in the case of a single machine; Figs. SA-5E are diagrams for explaining an example of schedule running of a single machine; Fig. 6 is a flow chart of an example of schedule running of a single machine; Fig. 7 is a flow chart of high demand measurement.

Fig. 8 is a flow chart of running method decision; Figs. 9A-9H are examples of schedule running; Figs. 1OA-1OD are examples of schedule running in the case of a single machine; Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example in the case where learning is carried out; Fig. 12A and 12B are examples of a learning table; Fig. 13 is an example in the case where simulation is carried out on the basis of learning; Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example in the case where a schedule is determined; Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example in the case where a schedule is determined through simulation; Fig. 16 is a flow chart in the case where a schedule to be executed is determined; Fig. 17A and 17B are examples of a schedule running table; Fig. 18 is a diagram showing an example in the case where a service rate is set;; Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example in the case where a destination can be inputted; Figs. 20A-20I are diagrams showing examples of express indication; Figs. 21A-21H are diagrams showing examples in the case where a destination indication is given on an indicator; Figs. 22A-22E are diagrams showing examples in the case where a running diagram is indicated; Fig. 23 is a flow chart in the case where a diagram is indicated; Figs. 24A-24F are flowcharts showing examples of simplified schedule running; and Figs. 25A-25D are diagrams showing embodiments of an operation board for designating a destination floor at a landing stage.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an overall construction diagram of the invention.

Information from hall call buttons 101 to lOn is collected in a hall call collecting unit 31 included in a group-supervisory controller 3 through a hall call transmission path 2 and transmitted, together with cage information from a cage information collecting unit 32, to an assignment controlling unit 33 and a traffic deciding unit 34. Information from cage call buttons 41to 44 is transmitted to numbered machine controllers 61 to 64 through cage call transmission paths 51 to 54 and is transmitted, together with cage position information and the like of each numbered machine, to the cage information collecting unit 32 and assignment controlling unit 33.The assignment controlling unit 33 determines an assigned elevator serving a hall call, on the basis of the above information, and sends an assignment signal to the numbered machine controllers 61 to 64 through a transmission line 7. The numbered machine controllers 61 to 64 control motors 81 to 84 in accordance with the assignment signal so that the motors 81 to 84 may cause traction machines 91 to 94 to move conveyance cages 111 to 114, thereby serving the hall call and a cage call. Denoted by 121 to 124 are counterweights. Based on the information sent from the hall call collecting unit 31 and cage information collecting unit 32, the traffic deciding unit 34 decides traffic in respect of each floor.The traffic at each floor is defined by a presumptive value of traffic volume to a destination floor, the presence or absence of occurrence of crowdedness, the waiting time, the boarding time, the passenger rate upon arrival and departure, the presence or absence of occurrence of a long-term wait and the presence or absence of long-term boarding. When a high demand occurs or poor service such as a long-term wait is detected at a different floor, the traffic deciding unit 34 issues a schedule running command to the assignment controlling unit 33.

The assignment controlling unit 33 selects a schedule running operation suitable for the traffic in accordance with the decided traffic condition to give an indication that the schedule running is ready to proceed on landing stage indicators 131 to 13n, and when the cage becomes empty or after end floor service is done, the schedule running is carried out. In the schedule running, one or more numbered machines are selected and dispatched to a floor where the high demand is occurring. At that time, a major destination floor presumed from the traffic is indicated on the landing stage indicators 131 to 13n.

When the elevator arrives at the floor where the high demand is occurring, a cage call destined for the presumed destination floor is registered automatically and after passengers have gotten on board, the elevator goes straight to the presumed destination floor.

Fig. 2 is a flow chart of the invention. The following is carried out as part of typical assignment control. On the basis of collected hall call information and cage information, the traffic deciding unit 34 first measures traffic at each floor (201) and then decides the traffic (202). Further, it decides whether the occurrence of a high demand or service degradation is detected (203). If a high demand or service degradation is occurring, the traffic deciding unit 34 transmits a schedule running command to the assignment controlling unit 33 (204). If there is no occurrence, the program returns to normal assignment control (212). The assignment controlling unit 33 receiving the schedule running command selects a schedule running operation suitable for the traffic on the basis of the traffic decided by the traffic deciding unit 34 (205). Subsequently, a predetermined elevator is selected and disconnected from an object undergoing normal assignment control (206), and an indication that the elevator is placed in the schedule running is indicated on the landing stage indicators 131 to 13n.

In that case, one of the landing stage indicators 131 to 13n provided on a floor at which the high demand is occurring is given an indication that the elevator in question goes non-stop from this floor to a major destination floor presumed by the traffic. When becoming empty or after service to an end floor, this elevator goes straight to the high-demand floor (207).

Upon arrival at the high-demand floor, a cage call for running from this floor to the presumed major destination floor is registered (208) and the elevator of interest is caused to go straight to the destination floor (209). Thereafter, the high demand is checked for its dissolution (210) and if not, the program returns to step 207 to repeat the above steps; but if the high demand is dissolved, an indication that normal running recovers is given on the landing stage indicators (211) and the program returns to the normal running (212).

Figs. 3A-3I are diagram for explaining the invention. Fig. 3A shows the movement of elevators during schedule running in the case where two elevator ports are located in a building of six stories. Fig. 3B shows traffic in this case wherein down traffic is heavy and up traffic is light and in particular, down traffic is heavy at the sixth and fifth floors. In that case, a down elevator is loaded with many passengers at the fifth and sixth floors and.crowded, failing to serve a down call from the fourth or lower floor. Especially, in this traffic, calls from the fifth and sixth floors are predominant, so that the elevator is prevented from returning on the way and service to midway floors is degraded significantly. In the worst case, the fourth or lower floors could not be served before the down demand at the fifth and sixth floors ends.Further, any elevator is to stop at each floor and the time for an elevator to complete an up-down cycle, that is, the one cycle time is increased to prolong both the waiting time and boarding time. In addition, in the case of a group user of several persons, if the number of persons allowed to get on is small, nobody would sometimes get on an elevator even when the elevator is not crowded.

In this case, immediately after the elevator departs, a hall call button is depressed for the next elevator calling. Because of the occurrence of such a wasteful call for stopping devoid of boarding and alighting passengers, the one cycle time is further prolonged to further degrade the waiting time and boarding time.

When this condition becomes stationary, down users from the fourth floor are forced to utilize an elevator by depressing an up call button to once reach the highest floor and by preventing themselves from alighting there so as to take a down course. This aggravates crowdedness and an essentially wasteful hall call is issued to further increase the waiting time. The aforementioned traffic models after traffic at the lunch hour in a building, demonstrating that traffic for users to have lunch from the sixth and fifth floors, on which offices are located, to a reference floor or the first floor is major traffic. Accordingly, the traffic shown in Fig. 3B can be divided into one traffic from the fifth and sixth floors to the first floor and the other traffic as shown in Fig. 3C and Fig. 3D.Thus, one elevator is dedicated to service to the traffic from the fifth and sixth floors and the remaining elevator is allowed to serve the other traffic. In this example, a numbered machine A is an elevator dedicated to the traffic from the fifth and sixth floors to the first floor and a numbered machine B is an elevator allowed to serve the other traffic. In this manner, users on the fifth and sixth floors can get on the elevator which goes straight to the first floor without stopping at the other floors thus decreasing the boarding time and which does not respond to a hall call from the other floors, thus decreasing the one cycle time to reduce the waiting time. In connection with traffic associated with the other floors, there occurs no such inconvenience that crowdedness occurring at the fifth and sixth floors impairs service to the traffic.In addition, since service to down running from the fifth and sixth floors in which much time is consumed by many boarding and alighting passengers can be dispensed with, the one cycle time can be reduced and a decrease in the waiting time can be expected.

In case where crowdedness at the fifth and sixth floors is so aggravated that full crowdedness occurs at the sixth floor to impair service to the fifth floor, the traffic may be divided into down traffic from the fifth floor and down traffic from the sixth floor as shown in Fig. 3G and Fig. 3E, whereby as shown in Fig.

3E the numbered machine A responds to a down call from the sixth floor, then goes non-stop to the first floor and thereafter goes non-stop to the fifth floor to serve a down call from the fifth floor.

Fig. 4 is an embodiment in which a single machine is used. A traffic deciding unit 34 included in a numbered machine controller 61 receives information from hall call buttons 101 to lOn, a cage call button 41 and a load sensor included in a cage through the medium of a hall call collecting unit 31 and a cage information collecting unit 32 to decide traffic and when detecting a high-demand floor or a low service floor, it sends a schedule running command to a running control unit 6llwhich in turn controls a motor control unit 612 to place the running in schedule running.

Figs. 5A-SE are diagram for explaining an example of schedule running in the case of a single machine. Traffic shown in Fig. 5A is divided into a demand from the sixth floor to the first floor as shown in Fig. 5B and the other demand as shown in Fig. 5D. In the case of a single machine, a first one-round shuttle running operation is defined, as shown in Fig. 5C, as a period for serving a high-demand floor as shown in Fig.

5B with a second one-round shuttle running operation defined, as shown in Fig. SE, as a period for serving the other floors, and the first and second one-round shuttle running operations are carried out alternately at a constant rate.

Fig. 6 is a flow chart of schedule running in the case of a single machine. When a high-demand floor or a low service floor is detected (601), a floor to be served by schedule running is examined (602), and an indication purporting the schedule running is given on each floor (603). Since in the case of a single machine the provision of a special indicator is seldom, an express indication is given in many applications.

Subsequently, during the first period, a floor served by the schedule running is indicated (604), an elevator goes non-stop to the served high-demand floor (605) and then goes non-stop from there to a major destination floor (208), thereby performing service of high-demand traffic. During the next period, general floors other than the high-demand floor are served. At that time, an indication that general floors are served is given (607). Further, when the elevator responds to a call from floors other than the high-demand floor (608) to reach an end floor after having responded to all the calls from other floors than the high-demand floor, the high-demand condition is checked for its dissolution (210). If the high-demand condition is not dissolved, step (604) and ensuing steps are repeated but if dissolved, the program returns to normal running (212).

Fig. 7 is a flow chart of high demand measurement. Firstly, during normal running, the waiting time at each floor, the boarding time, boarding rate, the number of hall calls, the number of alighting passengers, the occurrence of crowdedness and the wasteful call are measured in respect of one cycle of elevator (202-1), it is then examined whether the crowdedness, pass-by of hall call, wasteful call or long-term wait occurs (202-2) and in the absence of the occurrence, the normal running is allowed to continue.

In the absence of the occurrence, the program returns to the normal running but in the presence of the occurrence, on the basis of the time that the crowdedness, pass-by of hall call, wasteful call and long-term wait occur and floors at which they occur, the occurrence is examined as to whether to be attributable to a high demand (202-3). If the occurrence is not due to a high demand, the normal running is allowed to continue but if due to a high demand, the assignment controlling unit 33 transmits a schedule running command to the running control unit 611 to carry out schedule running (202-4).

In normal traffic, a floor at which a user gets on an elevator and a floor at which the user gets off the elevator cannot be presumed in most cases, but a high demand occurs when passengers move between a floor on which entertainments are held and another floor, when passengers gather at a specified floor at the lunch hour or the closing hour or when traffic directed from a specified floor to another-floor takes place at, for example, the office-going hour and therefore, by recording the number of passengers who get on and off each elevator during one up-and-down cycle thereof, major traffic can be known.

In examining, in (203-3) of Fig. 7, whether the long-term wait is due to a high demand to be served by schedule running of the invention, a method is employed in which a table based on, for example, an occurrence time zone, an occurrence floor and an occurring event as shown in Figs. 17A and 17B is prepared, and it is decided by looking up this table whether schedule running should be effected. To simplify this table, it can be based on the crowdedness of elevator, the long-term wait and its occurrence time zone and the long-term wait occurring floor. The table prepared in advance can be set or it may be prepared after operation through learning.

Fig. 8 is a flow chart of a running method decision. Firstly, from the floor and time for the occurrence of, for example, a long-term wait and the number of boarding and alighting passengers at each floor which are measured during the high demand measurement, a floor to be served by schedule running and a destination floor for which an elevator is destined from the served floor are determined (205-1).

For example, the floor to be served by schedule running is determined in a manner described below. It is now assumed that crowdedness occurs at an hour within the lunch time zone at the sixth floor in a building of seven stories and the fifth and lower floors are subject to pass-by due to crowdedness. According to the invention, the sixth and seventh floors are termed highdemand floors and the fifth and lower floors are termed low service floors. With the learning function, the determination is done on the basis of results of old learning and without the learning function, it is done by looking up a table prepared in advance. The learning function referred to here is not required to be precise but it suffices that, for example, only floors calling the cage immediately after high-demand floor hall call service are recorded in accordance with time zones.

Subsequently, the number of elevators to be subject to schedule running is determined from the learning results or the table (205-2). In the case of a single machine, not the elevator number but the ratio between effectuation of service to high-demand floors and that of service to general floors is determined. This ratio may be defined in terms of time or may be two general floor service operations (two up-and-down cycles) per one high-demand floor service operation. The manner of operating each elevator is determined by looking up a table prepared in advance or a table prepared on the basis of results of simulation (205-3).

Figs. 9A-9H are diagrams for explaining an example of schedule running. Shown in Fig. 9A to 9D are traffic types and shown in Figs. 9E and 9F are examples of schedule running in the respective traffic types.

Shown in Fig. 9A is traffic in which passengers gather from a high-demand floor to a reference floor at, for example, the first half of the lunch hour or the closing hour or when entertainments held on the rooftop of a department store ends. Shown in Fig. 9B is a case where there are two high-demand floors. Shown in Fig. 9C is traffic in which passengers from a floor disperse to the other floors at, for example, the office-going hour. In contrast to the conventional zoning express during the office-going hour, the present invention is advantageous in that a high demand is not required to occur at the reference floor without exception or within a predetermined time zone, and that when a high demand occurs, schedule running can be carried out in consideration of the overall efficiency.Especially, such a trouble that at the office-going hour, crowdedness occurs at a start floor and up-running service to midway floors is degraded significantly can be prevented. Shown in Fig. 9D is a case where passengers move from a specified floor to another specified floor after, for example, a meeting ends or when passengers go to another entertainment hall after the former entertainments end. Shown in Fig. 9E is an example of schedule running in the case of the traffic demand shown in Fig. 9A. It will be seen that major traffic is a traffic demand of from the sixth floor to the first floor and therefore a numbered machine A makes non-stop shuttle running between the sixth floor and the first floor to serve this demand and a numbered machine B serves the other demands. Shown in Fig. 9F is a case where two floors are covered by a major demand as shown in Fig. 9B.In this example, the major traffic demand is a traffic demand of from the fifth and sixth floors to the first floor. In this case, too, the major traffic demand is served by the numbered machine A and the other traffic demands are served by the numbered machine B. In this example, the numbered machine A stops at the sixth and fifth floors in sequence and thereafter goes non-stop to the first floor; but in the event that the demand further grows and service to the fifth floor is degraded, the numbered machine A stops at the sixth floor, detects crowdedness occurring at the sixth floor, goes non-stop to the first floor to allow passengers to alight there and thereafter goes non-stop to the fifth floor to serve the fifth floor.In addition to the case of the occurrence of crowdedness at the sixth floor, when the number of boarding passengers at the fifth floor is smaller than that originally expected, this running is also carried out on the assumption that the occurrence of a high demand is determined. In the extremity of this case, even upon arrival responsive to a hall call, there is nobody boarding. Shown in Fig. 9G is an instance where the major traffic demand being a traffic demand as shown in Fig. 9C is served wherein the traffic demand in which passengers from the reference floor disperse to the other floors at the office-going hour is somewhat mixed with the traffic destined for the respective floors. In this traffic demand, when the traffic demand destined for the respective floors exceeds a constant rate, the up and down elevators stop on each floor and therefore the one cycle time is increased, resulting in the occurrence of a long-term wait. In addition, passengers at midway floors get on a crowded up elevator to prolong the boarding and alighting time, and service to a floor near the reference floor is degraded significantly in the absence of a cage call. Under the circumstances, the numbered machine A is dedicated to service to the demand in which passengers from the reference floor disperse to the respective floors and the numbered machine B is allowed to respond to calls from the other floors. In this manner, service can be improved as a whole.In this case, service to the reference floor appears to be degraded but in the traffic demand for which this running method is effective, the one cycle time of the numbered machine A serving the reference floor can be halved, thereby ensuring the same service as that effected by the two machines A and B. Shown in Fig. 9H is an instance where a traffic demand in which a traffic demand of from a specified floor to another specified floor is superimposed on the general traffic demand as shown in Fig. 9D.The traffic demand of from a specified floor to another specified floor, which consists of, in essentiality, different traffic types, is served by the numbered machine A and the general traffic demand is served by the numbered machine B, whereby wasteful boarding and alighting and concentration of the elevators can be prevented, users on the specified floor, for which the dedicated boarding cage is prepared, can advantageously be freed from the necessity of wandering moving on the floor and can afford to spend a short boarding time, and for users on the other floors, not only the boarding time is improved but also crowdedness due to the users from the specified floor can be avoided, thus improving service as a whole.

Figs. 1OA-1OD show examples of a running method in the case of a single machine. To take care of the traffic as shown in Fig. 9A, non-stop service from the sixth floor to the first floor is given during a first period, service to the other floors is given during a second period and the above service operations are repeated alternately as shown in Fig. l0A, thus attaining effects similar to those in the case shown in Fig. 9E. To take care of the case shown in Fig. 9B, there are provided, as shown in Fig. lOB, a period during which service to the fifth and sixth floors is given and a period during which service to the other floors is given, and the above service operations are repeated alternately.To take care of aggravated crowdedness, there are provided three service periods as shown in Fig. lOC, of which a first period is for serving the sixth floor, a second period is for serving the fifth floor and third period is for serving the other floors. To take care of the case shown in Fig.

9D, there are provided, as shown in Fig. lOD, a period for serving specified floors and a period for serving the other floors, thus reducing the boarding time and the boarding rate.

Fig. 11 is an embodiment in the case where learning is effected. A learning unit 35 learns information from a hall call collecting unit 31 and a cage information collecting unit 32 and prepares a learning table 36. The learning table 36 records, in respect of each floor, the waiting time for each elevator, the number of generated hall calls, the boarding time, a hall call generated during an interval of time between arrival of the elevator at a floor and arrival thereof at the next floor, the boarding rate, the number of boarding and alighting passengers, the occurrence of crowdedness, the number of pass-by floors and the number of wasteful calls, itemizes the data in accordance with unit time and each floor, and records the itemized data in accordance with time zones.Since, according to the present embodiment, accuracy of presuming a major destination floor for which an event occurring within a certain time zone is destined can be improved, accuracy of wasteful schedule running can be improved to ensure efficient running.

Fig. 12A and 12B are examples of the learning table 36. As shown in Fig. 12A, the waiting time on each floor, the number of generated hall calls, the boarding time, a hall call generated during an interval of time between arrival of the elevator at a floor and arrival thereof at the next floor, the boarding rate, the number of boarding and alighting passengers, the occurrence of crowdedness, the number of pass-by floors, the number of wasteful calls and a major destination floor for which the elevator from each floor is destined are recorded in accordance with time zones. The recording can be simplified as shown in Fig. 12B by using the occurring time zone, the occurrence floor and the destination floor for which the elevator from each floor is destined.In this case, the high-demand floor and the destination floor for which the elevator from high-demand floor is destined can be changed by results of learning but fundamental movement for performing schedule running remains unchanged.

Fig. 13 shows an embodiment in a case where simulation is carried out on the basis of the results of learning. A simulation unit 37 performs simulation by changing each time zone, conditions within each time zone, the number of machines subject to schedule running in accordance with traffic types, the number of floors and the running method on the basis of the contents of a learning table 36, which contents is representative of results of learning by a learning unit 35, to find schedule running suitable for various conditions.The schedule running is registered in a schedule running table 38 corresponding to each learning running table, and when the occurrence of conditions for performing schedule running is detected by a traffic deciding unit 34, a schedule suitable for the decided traffic, running conditions, time and floor is found from the schedule running table 38 to carry out schedule running.

According to the present embodiment, schedule running suitable for various conditions which differ for different buildings can be prepared through simulation carried out precedently and so effective running can be ensured.

Fig. 14 is an embodiment in the case where the schedule is determined in advance. The schedule set forth so far is for performing schedule running of the type in which the occurrence of a certain condition is detected and the condition is dissolved, but in such a method, a delay is caused in responding. For traffic which constantly occurs at a specified hour, a delay in control can be eliminated by placing running in schedule running in advance when time comes to the specified hour. In this case, time for pacified traffic to occur is detected by means of the learning unit, schedule running corresponding to that traffic is determined in advance, and running is automatically brought into the schedule running at that hour. By using a timer 39, the learning unit 35 records a time zone generated by each traffic on a learning table 36, and an assignment controlling unit 33 looks up a schedule running table 38 on the basis of data of the learning table 36 and timer 39 to perform schedule running suitable for a time zone of interest. According to the present embodiment, schedule running can be executed in advance of the occurrence of an event of interest to ensure rapid response.

Fig. 15 shows an embodiment in the case where a schedule is determined in advance on the basis of results of simulation. A simulation unit 37 performs simulation for the case where various types of schedule running are carried out, by using data of a learning table 36 based on results of learning by a learning unit 35, to determine a running method suitable for each time zone, each traffic demand and each event and write the determined running methods in a schedule running table 38. On the basis of outputs of a timer 39 and the learning table 36 and conditions of halls and cages, an assignment controlling unit 33 selects, from the schedule running table 38, a schedule running type suitable for a time zone of interest and conditions and carries out the selected schedule running.According to the present embodiment, since validity can be confirmed in advance through the simulation, steadier running control can be realized and how the schedule running changes the flow of persons can be predicted. When the actual flow of persons is found to be greatly different from the predicted flow after the schedule running is practiced, the actual traffic is determined to be different from the traffic presumed by the schedule running now in execution and the running is returned to normal running to avoid improper movement.

Fig. 16 is a flow chart in the case where a schedule to be executed at a certain hour is determined in advance. Firstly, the assignment controlling unit 33detects that the time comes to a predetermined hour by means of the timer 39 (161). Subsequently, traffic is decided (202) and the traffic is examined as to whether to be traffic which is predicted within that time zone, by looking up data in the learning table 36 (162). If the actual traffic is different from the predicted traffic, the program returns to the normal running but if the actual traffic coincides with the predicted traffic, (204) and ensuing steps are executed as in the case of Fig. 2.Returning to normal running which is effected when the actual traffic differs from the predicted traffic is effective especially for the case where simulation is carried out as shown in Fig. 15 but it can be realized without carrying out simulation if the traffic can be determined by simply deciding whether a call is generated at a certain floor.

Figs. 17A and 17B are examples of the schedule table. Shown in Fig. 17A is an instance where the destination floor, the control method and the machine number are retrieved in accordance with the time zone, the floor and the occurrence of such an event as a high demand and shown in Fig. 17B is an instance where retrieval is effected in accordance with the time zone and the occurrence of an event.

Fig. 18 shows an example where the service rate is set. While the foregoing embodiments mainly aim at preventing service from being degraded during a high demand and so the respective floors are served as uniformly as possible, the rate of service to the individual floors can be changed in order that a specified floor can be served preferentially without appreciably degrading service to the other floors. A service rate setting unit 12 sets a service rate, and a simulation unit 37 finds out a control method capable of realizing the service rate through simulation and writes the control method in a schedule running table 38. An assignment controlling unit 33 selects a schedule, which can realize the set service rate, from the schedule running table 38 in accordance with each traffic and time zone and controls the assignment.

Fig. 19 shows an embodiment in the case where a destination for which passengers are destined is known. With destination buttons 141 to 14n provided at landing stages, the efficiency can further be improved by providing cages prepared for different destinations when there are a plurality of major destinations of high-demand floors.

Figs. 20A-20I show examples of an express indication. Shown in Figs. 20A to 20E are instances where an indication is given to indicators at a floor and a landing stage of an elevator subject to schedule running, and shown in Figs. 20F and 20G are instances where an indication is given to landing stages for other elevators than that subject to schedule running. Shown in Fig. 20A is an instance where an indication simply purporting express is given. Shown in Fig. 20B is an instance where floors between which non-stop service is given is indicated by going non-stop from the sixth floor to the first floor. Shown in Fig. 20C is an instance of an indication given when running is brought into schedule running. Shown in Fig. 20D is an instance where a destination is indicated when running is brought into schedule running.Shown in Fig. 20E is an instance where a service floor and a destination floor are diagrammatically indicated. Shown in Fig. 20F is an instance where an indication that this elevator goes non-stop to floors not served by an elevator subject to schedule running is given. Shown in Fig. 20G is an instance where an indicatibn that non-stop running is in execution and service is given by the other elevators is given.

Shown in Fig. 20H is an instance where an indication as to which elevator is subject to schedule running is given on an indicator of another elevator on a floor served by schedule running. Shown in Fig. 20I is an instance where users about to take service of schedule running are guided to an elevator subject to the schedule running.

Figs. 21A-21H show examples of express indication given on an indicator. Shown in Fig. 21A is an instance where an elevator is at the third floor at which an indicator indicates that the running is about to go into schedule running and a lamp on the third floor is lit. Shown in Figs. 21B and 21C are an instance where express running is carried out between the sixth floor and the first floor. An express indication is lit and lamps for service floors, that is, the first and sixth floors are flashed. Shown in Fig.

21C is arrival at the sixth floor. Shown in Fig. 21D is an instance where schedule running is effected between the first floor and each of the sixth and seventh floors. Shown in Figs. 21E and 21F are an instance where schedule running is effected between the first floor and each of the sixth and seventh floors, with the period for serving the sixth floor separated from the period for serving the seventh floor as shown in Fig.

l0C. Firstly, lamps for the seventh and first floors served firstly are lit and indicated, a lamp for the sixth floor served secondly is lit and indicated in place of the lamp for the seventh floor when the first service ends, and this is repeated until the schedule running ends. Shown in Figs. 21G and 21H is an instance where two indication lamps indicative of express and normal are provided. When as shown in Fig. 4 a single elevator is subject to schedule running, a period during which the single elevator is subject to express running and a period during which that elevator is subject to normal service occur alternately. Under this condition, an express indication is given during the period for performing express running to give the indication described so far and a normal indication is given during normal service running, thus clarifying which running is in execution at present.

Figs. 22A-22E show examples of indication in the case where a movement diagram is indicated. Shown in Fig. 22A is an instance where an approximate arrival hour and a destination floor are indicated. Shown in Fig. 22B is an instance of indication given at a floor not served when crowdedness occurs as shown in Fig. l0C and there occurs a service blank hour. Shown in Fig.

22C is an instance where a first departure and a second departure are indicated when a plurality of elevators are subject to schedule running. Shown in Fig. 22D is an instance where the sequence of service is diagrammatically indicated. Shown in Fig. 22E is an instance of indication which is given to the other elevators associated with a floor served by schedule running in order to guide users to an elevator subject to the schedule running.

Fig. 23 is a flow chart in the case of diagram indication. Steps ending in (208) where a cage call for a major destination floor is prepared are carried out in a similar way to Fig. 2, wait proceeds following arrival until the hour indicated on the diagram (231), and (209) and ensuing steps are carried out in a similar way to Fig. 2. According to the present embodiment, since wait proceeds until the hour indicated on the diagram, the waiting time is increased but the elevator never departs earlier than the diagram to permit the users to effectively utilize the spare time preceding the arrival time.

Figs. 24A-24F show examples of simplified schedule running. In each flow in these Figure, steps al to fl represent steps for detecting triggering events which start the respective flows. Shown in Fig. 24A is a flow chart in the case where crowdedness upon departure is detected to perform schedule running.

Firstly, departure with crowdedness subsequent to arrival with non-crowdedness is detected (al).

Subsequently, a major destination floor is detected (a2). Further, it is decided whether a call of a floor subject to crowdedness is registered immediately after departure (a3), and if the call is not registered, normal running is carried out but if the call is registered, straight-going running is carried out between the crowded floor and the major destination floor (a4). Thereafter, it is decided whether the demand at the floor subject to crowdedness disappears (a5) and the program is repeated until the demand disappears (a5). In the present embodiment, the floor subject to the occurrence of crowdedness is considered as a floor subject to a high demand to advantageously improve service to this floor. Shown in Fig. 24B is a flow chart in the case where when degradation in service due to pass-by attributable to crowdedness is detected, a schedule is put in.Crowdedness upon departure is detected (b2) and a major destination floor at that time is examined. Subsequently, it is examined whether a call is generated at a floor subject to the occurrence of crowdedness immediately after departure of a service elevator (b3) and if the call is not generated, normal running is carried out but if the call is generated, non-stop running is carried out between the floor subject to the occurrence of crowdedness and the major destination floor (b4); and it is further examined whether a predetermined call is generated at the floor subject to crowdedness, and if the call is generated, (b4) and the ensuing step are repeated but if the call is not generated, the program returns to normal running.

Shown in Fig. 24C is an instance where schedule running is carried out on the basis of the number of boarding and alighting persons and the time zone. Firstly, it is detected that the time comes to a set time zone (cl).

Subsequently, it is detected whether boarding of many passengers takes place at a scheduled floor (c2), and if boarding of many passengers does not occur, a scheduled traffic demand is determined not to be generated and normal running is carried out. If there occurs boarding of many passengers, a major destination floor is detected (c3) and non-stop running is carried out between the specified floor and the major destination floor (c4). Subsequently, it is examined whether the demand at the specified floor disappears (c5), and if the demand disappears, (c4) and the ensuing step are repeated but if the demand does not disappear, the program returns to normal running. Shown in Fig. 24D is an instance where schedule running is carried out when a wait-passenger sensor for detecting the number of waitpassengers at a landing stage detects many wait passengers.Firstly, the wait-passenger sensor detects a high demand (dl). Subsequently, a major destination floor is detected (d2) and it is examined whether a call is registered immediately after departure at a floor preceding or succeeding a floor subject to crowdedness or to a high demand (d3), and if the call is not registered, normal running is carried out but if the call is registered, non-stop running is carried out between the floor subject to a high demand and the major destination floor (d4). It is then examined whether the high demand disappears (d5), and if the demand does not disappear, (d4) and the ensuing step are repeated but if the demand disappears, the program returns to normal running. According to the present embodiment, a high demand can be detected accurately by means of the waitpassenger sensor.Shown in Fig. 24E is an instance where schedule running is carried out when nobody gets on an elevator even upon arrival of the elevator in response to a hall call and another hall call is generated immediately thereafter. Firstly, it is detected that upon arrival of a slightly crowded elevator in response to a hall call, there is no boarding and alighting person (el). Subsequently, it is examined whether immediately after departure from the floor subject to the hall call, a hall call is registered (e2), and if the hall call is not registered, normal running is carried out but the hall call is registered, non-stop running to a floor in question is carried out after completion of service to an end floor (e3).Subsequently, service to the hall call generated at the floor in question is given (e4) and it is examined whether a call is generated at the floor in question within a constant period following departure of elevator (e5). If the hall call is generated, (e3) and the ensuing steps are repeated but if the hall call is not generated, the program returns to normal running. According to the present embodiment, service to a floor at which a crowded service cage arrives can be improved. Shown in Fig. 24F is an instance where non-stop service to a floor subject to degraded service is given. Firstly, it is detected that degraded service occurs at a floor owing to pass-by attributable to crowdedness (fl). Subsequently, it is examined whether a call is generated at the floor subject to the degraded service (f 2). If the call is not generated, normal running is carried out but if the call is generated, non-stop running to the floor subject to the degraded service is carried out after completion of service to an end floor (f3), service to the floor in question is given (f 4), and it is then examined whether a call is generated at the floor in question (the running direction is determined in accordance with conditions of the floor in question) within a constant period following departure of elevator(f5). If the hall call is generated, (f3) and the ensuing steps are repeated but if not, the program returns to normal running.

Figs. 25A-25D show embodiments in which a wait-passenger is allowed to participate in operation.

In an office building, when a high demand occurs on a floor where a meeting room is located, a destination in this case cannot be predicted but is frequently almost determined. In that case, even when the destination depends on a time zone and is not fixed, good service can be given by providing destination buttons 141. to 14nintegral with boarding hall indicators as shown in Fig. 25A or by carrying out running after the occurrence of a cage call without determining a destination direction of an express elevator, i.e., a schedule running elevator. Conventionally, only arrival at the floor in question is effected but in the present invention, an elevator arrives at a floor at which a hall call occurs and thereafter goes non-stop to a floor at which a cage call occurs.Shown in Fig. 25B is an embodiment in which when a passenger desires to go to a floor other than a floor subject to schedule running, the passenger is allowed to select the floor. Instead of using these buttons, a hall call button located at a place other than the vicinity of an elevator reserved for schedule running can be depressed to select a cage for assigning the normal running other than the schedule running. When the number of elevators arranged is one or two, only a pair of hall call buttons are provided on each floor. In that case, a normal running cage can be registered by depressing again the hall call button after completion of schedule running reservation or by effecting two depressions sequentially. Shown in Fig.

25C and 25D is an instance where a destination of express running is registered by using an indicator and a landing stage button. For example, express running is registered by keeping an up and down call button depressed during a constant period, and after registered express is indicated, a destination floor is set by using the up and down call button. The set destination floor is indicated in flash, and the floor number is caused to ascend by depressing the up button and to descend by depressing the down button. Subsequently, when it is detected that setting of the floor keeps unchanged during a constant period, this floor is set as a destination floor.

According to the present invention, there is provided an elevator system which can efficiently take care of a traffic demand undergoing a change or localization which is unpredictable.

Claims (6)

1. An elevator system comprising an elevator for servicing a plurality of floors, the system comprising allocation means for allocating the elevator to respond to passenger calls, the elevator having a normal running mode in which the plurality of floors are serviced, wherein the allocation means acts, when a predetermined level of demand is detected for travel between two or more floors and until the demand for travel between those floors has fallen below the predetermined level, to assign the elevator alternately to operate in the normal running mode and in a specific floor running mode in which the elevator shuttles between those two or more floors only.

2. An elevator system according to claim 1, wherein in the specific floor running mode the elevator is temporarily assigned to shuttle between either two or three floors only.

3; An elevator system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the allocation means includes state detection means for detecting a predetermined state at a landing place of a desired floor.

4. An elevator system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a display is provided to an elevator landing place of each of the plurality of floors to display, when the predetermined level of demand is detected and the elevator is operating in the specific floor running mode, a service floor of the elevator.

5. An elevator system according to claim 4, wherein the allocation means includes demand detection means for detecting said traffic demand.

6. An elevator system substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.