US2941624A

US2941624A - Elevator control system

Info

Publication number: US2941624A
Application number: US811437A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jack W Keppler; Henry J Holuba
Original assignee: Montgomery Elevator Co
Current assignee: Montgomery Elevator Co
Priority date: 1959-05-06
Filing date: 1959-05-06
Publication date: 1960-06-21
Anticipated expiration: 1977-06-21

Description

June 21, 1960 J. WJKEPPLER ETAL 2,941,624

ELEVATOR CONTROL SYSTEM Filed May 6, 1959 United States Patent ELEVATOR CONTROL SYSTEM Jack W. Keppler, Seattle, Wash., and Henry J, Holuba,

Moline, Ill., assignors to Montgomery Elevator Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 6, 1959, Ser. No. 811,437

9 Claims. (Cl. IS7-29) This invention relates to an elevator control system and is concerned more particularly with an apparatus in a multi-car elevator control system for expediting service and improving the eiliciency of the system.

In automatic or operatorless elevator systems controls for the cars are provided which respond to car and hall calls registered by actual or prospective passengers causing the cars to travel to the appropriate floors. It sometimes happens that a hall call will be registered by a,

prospective passenger at a iloor to which one of the cars of the installation is travelling in response t a car call registered by a passenger. With the usual control system the hall call sets up circuits directing each of the cars to go to the floor from which the call was registered, and the first car to arrive stops. Unless the car with the carcall for that loor happens to be the first one to arrive, two cars will stop at the iloor in close succession. This results in ineicient utilization of the elevator system.

A principal object of the present invention is the provision of a system in which a car conditioned to stop .at a tloor in answer to a car call also serves to answer ;a hall call at that oor and other cars are not affected by the hall call.

One feature of the invention is the provision in an elevator control system of means at the iloors for registering a hall call for service by a prospective passenger, rst control means responsive to a hall call for conditioning the cars to answer the hall call, means for registering car calls, second control means for conditioning cars to answer car calls, and a third control means responsive to a car call for service to a iloor rendering the second control means inoperative to conditionA another car to answer a hall call from that oor.

A further feature is that direction preference control means are provided for each car and interconnected with the third control means so that the second control means is rendered inoperative only when the car with a car call is conditioned to travel in the direction of travel desired by the prospective passenger who registers the hall call.

Further features and advantages will readily be apparent from the following specication and from the drawings, in which:

Figure l is a diagrammatic perspective of an elevator car at a iloor; and

Figure 2, comprising portions 2A and 2B, is a simpliiied control circuit diagram for an elevator control system embodying the invention.

In the drawings and in the following discussion, certain components of the elevator system as the hoisting mechanism, the guide and leveling mechanism in the shaft, the door operators, dispatching system, the associated electrical control circuitry for these mechanisms and the like, which form a part of a complete automatic elevator system and may be of any known or suitable design, are not illustrated in order to avoid complication of the drawings and description. Furthermore, while the invention relates to a control system for an installation having a plurality of elevator cars, only one car ICC is shown in Figure 1, and for the most part, only the circuitry associated with one car is illustrated in Figure 2. Where elements are duplicated for additional cars, this will be pointed out.

In Figure 1, an elevator car 10 is shown at a oor or landing 11. A hoisting cable 12 attached to the top of the car is connected with suitable machinery to raise or lower the car to each of a plurality of floors. A plurality of floor selector push-buttons 14 are provided on a panel 15 in the car 10 by means of which the passengers in the car may select or register the floor to which they Wish to go. A pair of push-buttons 16 and 17 are mounted in hall 11 adjacent the shaft of the elevator and may be used by prospective passengers to register a call for service in either the up or down direction. In a typical installation there are two or more elevator cars, each provided with its own set of car push-buttons, and hall call buttons at each floor the elevators service. Of course, at the highest floor there is only a Down button and at the lowest floor only an Up button.

Turning now to Figure 2, Figure 2A illustrates a simplified form of the essential elements of an elevator system embodying the invention, in an across the line diagram. Figure 2B is a key for the relays and contacts of Figure 2A.

The control circuit is energized by connecting leads 20 and 21 to a suitable source of power, as 1l() volts A.C. Typical hall call button circuits are illustrated for the highest and the lowest floors, here designated 10 and 1, respectively, and at the intermediate iioor, designated S. Down hall button 10D, when operated registers a call for down service from the 10th floor by completing a circuit for a master hall relay M10D. Contact M10D1 completes a holding circuit for relay M10'D so that it remains energized after hall button 10D is released. An indicator lamp L10D is connnected in par allel with M10D and lights indicating visually to those in the hall that a call has been registered for Down service from the 10th floor. Similar circuits are provided for relays MSU, M8D and MIU and their associated lamps.

Each of the master hall relays as MSD has a set of 4contacts in the circuit of individual hall relays for each of the cars, as SDH. Although only one of each of the individual hall relays is shown, it will be understood that the system has one individual hall relay for each car, in the installation. For example, in a three car installation, there will be a relay SDH for each car, and their circuits Will be completed through duplicate contacts associated with the master hall relays. Connected in series with the master hall relay contacts in the individual hall relay circuits are normally closed contacts designated MDS, SUS, SDS and IUS which are associated with screening relays that will be described incall relays as 16C, 3C and 1C. In the case of the relaysv 10C, three identical circuits are shown including relays 10C-A, 10G-B and 10C-C, representing the relays associated with the three cars of a three car installation. It

will be understood that an actual system has a car call relay for each car and for each ioor. The contacts asf sociated with the car call relays activate control circuitry (not shown in detail) which conditions the individual cars to travel to and stop at the selected oors.

Included as a part of the control circuitry of the system are direction preference relays UPR and DPR, there being one associatedwith the circuitryl for. each car. The manner in which these relays are activated andl deactivated is not essential to an understanding of the present invention and their circuits are shown in the drawing merely as completed through

switches

25 and 26 which are actuated by movement of the associated car so that the car is conditioned to travel in the proper direction. For example, a car at the highest lloor is conditioned to travel down (relay DPR is energized) and a car at the lowest floor is conditioned to travel up (relay UPR is energized).

The screening relays, referred to above, are designated 1DS,-8US, SDS andl IUS, corresponding with 10th oor Down, 8th floor Up, 8th floor Down and lst floor Up respectively. Of course, similar screening relays are provided for the other intermediate floors. The circuits of screening relays lllDS and IUS are simpler than that of intermediate floor screening relays and will be discussed first. Screening relay 10DS is energized through any one of three parallel circuits, the rst including series connected contacts MEC-A1 and UPRA, the car call and Up preference relays for car A, the second including contacts 16C-B and UPR-B are associated with car B and the third circuit includes contacts 16C-C and UPR-C, associated with car C. The three energizing circuits for screening relay lUS are generally the same, and including contacts associated with the three car call relays 1CA, lC-B and lC-C and contacts DPR-A, DPR-B and DPR C of the down preference relays of cars A, B and C. In the circuitry for energizing screening relays SUS and SDS, some consolidation of contacts is elected. For example, car call relay SC-A, which is energized when a call for the 8th floor is registered in car A, is connected in series with two parallel circuits one including contact UPR-A, associated with the Up preference relay of car A, and screening relay SUS; and the other circuit including-Down preference relay contact DPR-A and screening relay SDS. Thus when a call for the 8th floor is registered in car A, contact C-A closes and a circuit is completed through one of UPR-A or DPR-A depending upon which direction the car is traveling, energizing screening relay SUS or SDS. Identical circuits are provided for cars B and C.

A hall call for Down service from the 8th oor, for example, is registered by closing push-button switch SD, energizing master down relay MSD in turn completing a holding circuit for the relay through MSD@ and also energizing indicator lamp LSD. Contact MSD@ closes cornpleting a circuit through normally closed Contact SDS closing the `individua-.l hall relays SDH for each car. If a car call has been registered from anyone of the three cars A, B and C, for a stop at the 8th floor by a car moving in a downward direction, a circuit is completed energizing relay SDS. For example, such a circuit might be cornpleted through contacts SC-A and DPR-A. Screening relay SDS opens Contact SDS in the circuit of individual hall relay SDH. With the relay SDH unenergized, only the car responding to the car call, i.e. car A, stops at the 8th iloor. `Thus, it is not necessary to detain one of the other Vcars which might pass the 8th iloor travelling in a down direction before car A arrives.

At all times the indicator at the floor, as LMD, remains energized whether the call is being answered by a car also answering a car call or through the circuits of the individual hall relays, as NDH.

If a car call `for lthe 8th floor is registered from a car travelling in the Up rather than the Down direction, contact UPRA closes energizing screening relay SUS and the circuit of hall call relay SDH is unaffected.

The car call relays are each provided with a holding circuit, although only the circuit for relay 10C-A (corresponding with a call 'for service to the 10th tloor from a passenger in ca'r A) is shown in the drawing. The holdare to be understood therefrom, as some modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

We claim:

l. in a control system for a multi-car elevator installation, the cars serving a plurality of floors, apparatus corn prising: means at the lloors for registering a hall call for service by a prospective passenger; lirst control means responsive to a hall. call for conditioning a car to answer the hall call; means in each car for registering a car call for service to said oors; second control means responsive to a car call for conditioning the car to answer the car call; and third control means responsive to a car call for service to a oor rendering the .first control means inoperative to condition a carto answer a call Ifrom such oor.

2. In a control system for a multi-car elevator installation, the cars serving a plurality of floors, apparatus cornprising: means at the floors'for registering a hall call for service in a desired direction by a prospective passenger; rst control means responsive to a hall call for conditioning a car to answer the hall callg-means in each car for registering a car call for service to said floors; second control means responsive to a car call for conditioning the car to answer the car call; direction preference control means for each car; and third control means responsive to a car call for service to a lloor and to said direction pref- `erence control means, rendering the first control means inoperative to condition a car to answer` said hall call.

3. In a control system for a multi-car elevator installal tion, the cars serving a plurality of floors, apparatus comprising: means at the floors for registering a hall call for service by a prospective passenger; first control means responsive to a hall call for conditioning a oar to answer the hall call; means in each car for registering a car call for service to said floors; second control means re sponsive to a car call for conditioning the car to answer the car call; third control means responsive to a car call for service to a iloor rendering the first control means` inoperative to condition a car to answer a call from such floor; means for cancelling a car call; and holding meansl associated with said'hall call registering means for actuating said rst control means.

4. In a control system for a multi-car elevator installation, the cars serving a plurality of floors, apparatus comprising: ymeans at the floors for registering a hall call for i service by a prospective passenger; lirst control means responsive to a hall call for actuating individual car directing circuits conditioning all cars to answer said hall call; means in each car yfor registering a car call for service to said floors; second control means responsive to a car call for conditioning the car to answer the car actuating individual car directing circuits conditioning all cars to answer said hall call; means in each car for registering a car call for service to said oors; second control means responsive Vto a car call for conditioning the car to answer the car call; direction preference control means for each car; and third control means responsive to a car call for service to a floor and to said direction preference control means breaking each of said individual car directing circuits, rendering the first control means inoperative to condition the car to answer a hall call from such oor.

6. In a control system for a multi-car elevator installation, the cars serving a plurality of floors, apparatus comprising: means at the oors for registering a hall call for service by a prospective passenger; iirst control means responsive to a hall call for conditioning a car to answer a hall call; means in each car for registering a car call for service to said iioors; second control means responsive to a car call for conditioning the car to answer the car call; and screening relays responsive to car calls for service to a oor and having contacts associated therewith in the circuit of said rst control means, rendering the first control means inoperative to condition a car to answer a hall call from such oor.

7. In a control system for 4a multi-car elevator installation, the cars serving a plurality of floors, apparatus comprising: means at the floors for registering a hall call for service in a desired direction by a prospective passenger; first control means responsive to a hall call for conditioning a car to answer the hall call; means in each car for registering a car call for service to said oors; second control means responsive to a car call for conditioning the car to answer the car call; direction perference control means for each car; and screening relay means for each floor including interconnected switch contact means associated with said car call registering means and said direction preference control means, said screening relay means having switch contacts in the circuit of said iirst control means, rendering the rst control means inoperative to condition the car to answer a hall call which can be answered by a car answering a car call.

8. In a control system for a multi-car elevator installation, the cars serving a plurality of tloors, apparatus comprising: means at the oors for registering a hall call for service in a desired direction by a prospective passenger; first control means responsive to a hall call for actuating individual car directing circuits conditioning all cars to answer said hall call; means in each car for registering a car call for service to said floors; second control means responsive to a car call for conditioning the car to answer the car call; direction preference control means for each car and screening relay means including interconnected switch contact means associated with said car call registering means and said direction preference control means, said screening relay means having switch contacts associated therewith in the circuit of said rst control means, rendering the rst control means inoperative to condition a oar to answer a hall call from a floor to which a car is traveling in response to a car call and conditioned for travel in the direction desired by the prospective passenger.

9. The elevator control system of claim 3, wherein registered hall call indicating means are provided at each oor, actuated through said holding means.

No references cited.