JPS6256074B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to a device that manages a plurality of elevator cars arranged in parallel as a group. In recent years, as buildings have become larger and taller, there has been an increase in the number of group-controlled elevators that efficiently operate and service multiple cars as a group. On the other hand, in recent years, there has been an increasing trend toward energy conservation, and group control elevators are no exception, and elevators that satisfy the two demands of providing enhanced service to passengers and saving power consumption have become desirable. There is an assignment method as a conventional control method for group-controlled elevators aimed at enhancing services to passengers. In this method, when a hall call is registered, the service status for passengers waiting at the hall (e.g. waiting time, building traffic situation,
In this method, an evaluation value is calculated by predicting the car's load condition, etc., a hall call is assigned to the car with the lowest evaluation value, and only the assigned car is made to respond to the hall call. This allocation method places emphasis on service to passengers waiting at the landing, and is not satisfactory from the perspective of reducing power consumption. In addition, as a method used in conventional group control elevators for the purpose of reducing power consumption, a car that is currently operating in the same direction as a newly generated hall call is There is a system that assigns priority to This means that since the power consumption of an elevator has a large peak when the car is started, priority is given to the car whose hall call floor matches the car call floor, thereby reducing the number of unnecessary car starts and stops. The aim is to reduce power consumption by reducing the amount of power consumed. However, this method only considers when responding to a newly generated hall call, and does not take into account what happens after responding to that hall call. Therefore, by matching the stop-start to respond to a newly generated hall call and the stop-start to respond to a car call, the power required for one stop-start can be saved. , the number of stops and starts of the responding car may increase due to a new car call occurring as a result of responding to that hall call, and it is not necessarily the case that the number of stops and starts of the responding car increases. However, it is not always possible to save power for the entire elevator group. The present invention has been made with attention to the above-mentioned points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a group management device that can improve services for waiting customers and reduce power consumption. In other words, if the car call that will transition from a newly generated hall call is known in advance, a car that will stop due to another car call or an assigned hall call is assigned priority to that car call floor, thereby eliminating unnecessary stops. It is possible to prevent startup and save power. Furthermore, if there are multiple car calls transitioning from the hall call, priority can be given to the car with the largest number of cars whose floors match those car call floors with floors known in advance to stop. This makes it possible to save power. Therefore, in the present invention, the transition probability of transition from a hall call to a car call is used, and from a newly generated hall call,
The above-mentioned hall calls are prioritized and assigned to the car that has the highest sum of transition probabilities to the floor where the car is scheduled to stop due to the already assigned hall calls or car calls occurring within the car. ing.
In other words, there are floors where a stop is generally scheduled due to a car call that has already occurred and a hall call that has been assigned, and a floor where a stop is expected due to a car call that transitions from a newly generated hall call. The probability that the floor matches the floor (hereinafter referred to as expected stoppage rate) S
Let P(i, j) be the probability that a hall call on the i floor changes to a car call on the j floor, and let f(j) be the probability that the car stops on the j floor, then S=〓P(i, j) f (j) ...(1) For the sake of simplicity, let us assume that the car will stop at a probability of 1 for an assigned landing call or a car call that occurs within the car, and that the probability of stopping at other floors is 0, then the expected stopping rate S is S=〓P( i, j)...(2) and is given by the sum of the transition probabilities. In other words, the greater the sum of these transition probabilities is, the greater the probability that the car call floor to which a newly generated hall call will transition will match the floor to which it is scheduled to stop, and this car should be assigned preferentially. This is expected to reduce the number of unnecessary stops and starts of the car after responding to a hall call. In addition, by adding the evaluation value corresponding to this transition probability and the evaluation value corresponding to the service status such as waiting time and re-evaluating, and assigning priority to the car with the lowest value, power consumption can be reduced and waiting time can be reduced. It becomes possible to simultaneously satisfy customers with enhanced services. An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below based on the drawings. For convenience of explanation, a case is shown in which three cars are installed in an eight-story building as shown in FIG. 1, but it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to a plurality of cars and a plurality of floors. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between elevator cars and calls. In the diagram, A is a car ascending the first floor, and B is a 3-car car.
Car going up the floor, C car going down the second floor, 5
U is the 5th floor landing call assigned to car A;
7C is the 7th floor car call registered in car A, 8
C is the 8th floor car call registered in car B, 1C
The 1st floor car call registered in car C, 6U, is the 6th floor landing up call assigned to car C, 4U.
is a call to go up to the 4th floor landing which has now been newly generated and has not yet been assigned to any car. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an elevator group management system according to the present invention. In the figure, 9 is a hall call registration device for registering and storing hall calls; 10
1 is a car call registration device that registers and stores car calls for each car, 11 is a car position calculation device that calculates the car position of each car, and 12 is provided in each car and controls each car to respond to a call. A car control device, G selects an optimal car from cars A to C for a hall call, and assigns the car to the above-mentioned call, a group management device; 13 designates a hall call to be assigned next from among the stored hall calls; A hall call selection device 14 stores the probability of a hall call transitioning to a car call for each floor, and selects one floor and direction for the hall call, and outputs the floor and direction. A hall call transition probability storage device that outputs the transition probability to each car call; 15 is an expected arrival time calculation device that predicts and calculates the response time of each car to the hall call;
16 is an evaluation value calculation device that calculates a service evaluation value based on a predetermined evaluation formula; 17 is an evaluation value calculation device 1
An allocation calculation device 18 selects an optimal car based on the output from the car 6 and the output from the expected stop rate calculation device 19, and issues an allocation signal to the selected car. Hall call selection device 13 is an allocation storage device that stores information until a response is received.
In response to the input of the direction and position signals of the hall call, which are output from the terminal, "1" is output for the floor where the hall call is occurring, and "0" is output for the floor where the hall call is not occurring. 19 is a hall call transition probability storage device 14
Using the outputs from the car call registration device 10 and the allocation storage device 18 as input, each calculation calculates the sum of the probabilities that a newly generated hall call will transition to another already allocated hall call floor or an existing car call. This is an expected stoppage rate calculation device that calculates for each car. FIG. 3 is an example of one circuit of the expected stop arithmetic unit 19, and is shown only for car A, but for cars B and C.
The same applies to l1 to l8 are output signals from the hall call transition probability storage device 14, li is a signal representing the probability that the hall call that is currently being assigned will transition to a car call on the i floor, and m1 to m8 are the assignment storage devices In the output signal from 18, mi represents the presence or absence of a hall call on the i floor that has already been assigned, corresponding to the direction of the hall call that is about to be assigned. If there is, it is "1", otherwise it is " 0” is input. n1 to n8 are output signals from the car call registration device 10, and ni represents the presence or absence of a car call on the i floor; if there is a car call, "1" is input; if there is no car call, "0" is input. 20 is an OR element; 21 is an output signal from the OR element 20; when the input is "1", the signal li representing the probability, which is the other input signal, is output as is; when it is "0", it is "0"; A gate circuit 22 outputs a signal corresponding to ``.'', and 22 is an adder that inputs the output signal from the gate circuit 21, adds them, and outputs the result. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a circuit of the allocation calculation device 17. In the figure, SA to SC are expected stoppage rate calculation devices 19
The output signals correspond to the cars A to C, respectively.
TA to TC are output signals from the evaluation value calculating device 16 and represent service evaluation values corresponding to the cars A to C calculated based on a predetermined evaluation formula. 23 is a comparator that outputs "0" for the signal with the largest value among the input signals SA-SC and "1" for the other signals as SA'-SC', and 24 is a positive reference. A reference value generator 25 that outputs a value signal a outputs a reference value signal a, which is the other input signal, when the input signals SA' to SC' are "1", and SA' to SC' are "0". ”; 26 is an adder; 27 is a gate circuit that outputs “1” for the smallest value signal among the input signals TA' to TC'; and “1” for other value signals. This is a comparator that outputs 0'' as TA'' to TC''. FIG. 5 shows an example of one circuit of the allocation storage device 18 for car A.
The same applies to the cars B and C, although only the car shown in FIG. U1 and U2 are output signals from the hall call selection device 13, U1 is a signal representing the floor position of the hall call that is currently being assigned, and U
2 represents the direction of the hall call. VA is an output signal from the car control device, which is a signal for resetting the hall call to which the response is received, and 28 is a storage unit, which is the direction of the hall call assigned by U1 and U2 when the output TA'' of the assignment arithmetic unit 17 is "1". and the floor is memorized and reset by the reset signal VA.Also, from 1UH to 7
UH, 2DH to 8DH are output signals from the storage unit 28, 1UH to 7UH correspond to the up calls for the landings on the 1st to 7th floors, respectively, and 2DH to 8DH correspond to the down calls for the landings on the 2nd to 8th floors, respectively. , "1" is output when each is assigned, and "0" is output when not assigned. 29 is a NOT element, U2' is its output, and 30 is the input signal 1UH to 7UH and 8 when the input signal U2 or U2' is "1".
The signals m1 to m8 outputted by the gate circuits that output DH or 1UH and 2DH to 8DH as they are, and do not output anything when they are "0", become input signals to the expected stop rate calculation device 19. In addition, the allocation calculation device,
Since each device other than the allocation storage device, expected stoppage rate, and arithmetic device is well known or can be easily realized using conventional technology, a description thereof will be omitted here. Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained based on FIGS. 1 to 5. Here, the values to be stored in the hall call transition probability storage device 14 are shown in the table below. (Only shows the upward direction)

[Table] In this table, 1C to 8C are respectively 1st floor to 8th floor.
Floor car calls 1U to 7U are the landing calls for the 1st to 7th floors, respectively. This table shows that, for example, if the elevator call is 5U for the 5th floor, the probability that a person who boarded the car after the car arrives at the 5th floor will register the 6th floor elevator call 6C or the 7th floor elevator call 7C is 0.3, which is also 8.
The probability of registering floor car call 8C is 0.4 and 5
This indicates that the probability of registering car calls 1C to 5C below the floor is 0. Of course, the transition probability is not limited to the values shown in the table above, and may be arbitrarily set depending on the nature of the building and traffic conditions. Now, as shown in FIG. 1, when a fourth floor landing up call is newly generated, it is stored in the hall call registration device 9, and is selected by the hall call selection device 13 as the next hall call to be assigned. When 4U is selected as the call to be assigned, the car position and presence/absence of a car call are detected for each car A to C, and the estimated time of arrival calculation device 15 calculates the expected time until the 4th floor landing call is serviced. The evaluation value calculation device 15 outputs service evaluation values TA to TC corresponding to the calculation results. Here, it is assumed that the shorter the waiting time, the smaller the service evaluation value. On the other hand, the sum of the transition probabilities from the hall call 4U to be assigned to the floor where the stop is already confirmed is for each car A ~
C is calculated by the expected stoppage rate calculation device 19. Looking at car A now, since it is in charge of the car call 7C on the 7th floor and the up call 5U on the 5th floor, the output signal n7 from the car call registration device 10 is "1", and the output signal n7 from the allocation storage device 18 is "1". The output signal m5 becomes "1". Therefore, in the expected stop rate calculation device 19, the probability l7 of transitioning from the fourth floor landing call to the seventh floor car call and the probability l5 of transitioning to the fifth floor car call are output from the transition probability storage device 14 and sent to the gate circuit 21. are added by the adder 22 via the adder 22. From the transition probability table above, now l7=0.3, l5=0.2
Therefore, the expected stoppage rate SA, which is the sum of the transition probabilities of car A, is output as SA=0.3+0.2=0.5. Similarly, for car B, the only place where it is certain that it will stop is the 8th floor, so SB = 0.3,
Regarding car C, the only place where it is certain that it will stop in the upward direction is the 6th floor, so SC=0.2.
As a result, in the allocation calculation device 17 of FIG.
The values of SA to SC are compared by the comparator 23, and SA′ corresponding to the largest value is set to “0”, and the other
Outputs "1" to SB' and SC'. Therefore SB′ and
The reference value signal a is added to the adder 26 corresponding to SC' via the gate circuit 25, and as a result, TA'=
TA, TB'=a+TB, TC'=a+TC. Then, the comparator 27 compares the input signals TA' to TC', and if TA' is the smallest value, TA'' corresponding to TA' becomes "1" and corresponds to this. The assignment of hall call 4U on the 4th floor to car A is determined. Here, the above reference value a can be set to any value, and in the above example, the service evaluation value TA ~
The configuration is such that a reference value a is added to the TC excluding the car with the lowest expected stoppage rate, and allocation is made to the car with the lowest resulting value.The larger the value of the reference value a, the greater the expected stoppage rate, that is, the reduction in power consumption. The smaller the reference value a, the more emphasis is placed on the service evaluation value, and by appropriately setting the reference value a, it is possible to achieve a good balance between service to passengers waiting in the hall and reduction in power consumption. becomes possible. Note that the same effect can be obtained by outputting a value corresponding to the expected stoppage rate for each car instead of the above-mentioned reference value as the evaluation value of the expected stoppage rate. Note that in the above example, the expected stoppage rate was calculated using the above-mentioned equation (2) for simplicity, but of course, (1)
It may be determined by a formula. In addition, instead of calculating the expected stoppage rate only for floors where stoppage has been confirmed,
It is also possible to calculate the sum of the transition probabilities to the floors and use it as f(j), or to calculate f(j) by anticipating the occurrence of a hall call. Furthermore, the degree of transition may be used instead of the transition probability. Furthermore, although the above embodiment is represented by a configuration using a logic circuit, it can be easily realized by a program if it is a group management device equipped with a microcomputer. As explained above, the present invention uses the transition probability of transitioning from a hall call to a car call, and selects a car that has the smallest probability of increasing the number of stops and starts after responding to a newly generated hall call. By preferentially allocating the group, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the group as a whole, and by combining it with the service evaluation value, it is possible to save power without degrading the service to waiting customers.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between elevator cars and calls, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an elevator group management device according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an example of the expected stop rate calculation device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the allocation calculation device of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the allocation storage device of FIG. 2. 12... Car control device, 13... Hall call selection device, 14... Hall call transition probability storage device, 15
...Estimated arrival time calculation device, 16...Evaluation value calculation device, 17...Allocation calculation device, 18...Allocation storage device, G...Group control device, TA~TC...Service evaluation value, SA~SC... ...Expected stoppage rate.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Selecting a car from among a plurality of cars that should respond to a hall call, and assigning this car to the hall call;
In response to the car calls registered in this car and the hall calls assigned above, the floors where the car is scheduled to stop due to the car calls that have already occurred and the hall calls that have been assigned; An expected stop rate calculation device that calculates the probability (expected stop rate) that a car call that transitions from a newly generated hall call will match the floor where the car is expected to stop (expected stop rate), and a value of the expected stop rate. An elevator group management device comprising an allocation calculation device that assigns the largest car to the hall call with priority. 2 Select the car that should respond to the hall call from among multiple cars, assign this car to the hall call,
In response to the car calls registered in this car and the hall calls assigned above, an evaluation value calculation device that predicts the service status of each car and outputs the corresponding service evaluation value has already been generated. The floor where the vehicle is scheduled to stop due to the currently occurring car call and assigned hall call matches the floor where the vehicle is expected to stop due to the car call transitioning from the newly generated hall call. An expected suspension rate calculation device that calculates a probability (expected suspension rate) for each car, re-evaluates by inputting an evaluation value corresponding to the expected suspension rate and the service evaluation value,
An elevator group management device characterized by comprising an allocation calculation device that assigns priority to the car having the smaller re-evaluation value to the hall call.