WO2001064571A1

WO2001064571A1 - Ir sensor controlled elevator system

Info

Publication number: WO2001064571A1
Application number: PCT/SE2001/000433
Authority: WO
Inventors: Elyas Zoher
Original assignee: Elyas Zoher
Priority date: 2000-03-02
Filing date: 2001-03-01
Publication date: 2001-09-07
Also published as: SE0000683D0; SE518426C2; SE0000683L; AU2001236317A1

Abstract

An elevator system comprises an elevator shaft (1) and an elevator cage or car which moves up and down in said shaft between different building levels or floors (3). The elevator shaft has a door opening (2) on each level (3) and the elevator system includes control logic which controls the movement pattern of the elevator cage on the basis of information received. The system includes a detector (7A) which detects the possible presence of a passenger or passengers waiting on a level or floor in the close proximity of the elevator. The elevator logic is designed to send to the control logic a signal corresponding to the detected presence of a waiting passenger. The elevator system also includes on each intermediate level (3) two mutually separated elevator passenger waiting areas (17A, 17B). Each respective are a (17A, 17B) is designated to passengers who wish to take the elevator to a higher level or down to a lower level. Each area (17A, 17B) has a respective passenger sensing detector (7A, 7B) which is designed to send signals to the elevator logic in response to sensing the presence of a passenger in a respective area (17A and 17B).

Description

/ R SENSOR CONTROLLED ELEVATOR SYSTEM

The present inver.-ion rela-es to a passenger elevator or lift system comprising an escalator car or cage which moves up and down between the differen: levels or floors of a building, wherein the system also includes control logic which functions to control the movement pattern of the elevator on the basis of received information and fur-ther comprises a detector which functions to sense the presence of a passenger or passengers on a buildi.g level in the proximity of the elevator cage, and wherein the detector is adapted to transmit to the control logic a corresponding signal requesting the elevator car o stop at said building level and pick-up one or more passengers.

DΞ-A1-196 08 3B2 teaches an elevator system of this kind.

One advantage with an elevator system of this known construction is that waiting passengers need not press a button in order to call the elevator car. The detector, which nay be n IR detector, senses whether or not passengers are waiting on a given building level.

One drawback with this known elevator system is that the sensor/detector does not inform the elevator logic whether the passenger/passengers desires/desire to take the elevator to a higher or to a lower level, Fcr instance, when the elevator car transports passengers down to the bottom level, it is cften less desirable for the elevator to stop on an intermediate level in order to pick-up new passengers who wish to go to a higher level. Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an elevator system of the kind described with which the aforesaid drawback has been avoided without requiring any action on the part of waiting passengers, such as to enable the elevator logic to utilise said corresponding information in a known manner and therewith optimise passenger transportation.

This object is achieved with an elevator system that has the characteristic features set forth in the accompanying Claim 1.

Further embodiments of the inventive system will be apparent from the dependent Claims.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to exemplifying embodiments thereof and also with reference to the accompany drawing, in which

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectioned view of a building in which an inventive elevator system is installed; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line II-II in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 illustrates schematically an elevator or lift shaft 1 that includes a door 2 on each level 3 of the building. An elevator cage is caused to move between the different building levels in a conventional manner, with the aid of elevator machinery (not shown) and control logic (not shown). Provided in the elevator cage is a known set of control buttons which are manipulated by elevator passengers and which cause control signals to be sent to the control logic in accordance with manipulation of the buttons in a known manner, said logic being designed to give preference to certain signals,.

A detector 7A, 7B is provided on respective sides of the cage door opening 2 on each intermediate level 3. The areas 17A and 17B sensed by respective detectors 7A and 7B with respect to the possible presence of a passenger/passengers in said area, are suitably provided with signs or text 18A, 18B that indicate that the area 17A is intended for passengers who wish to go to a higher level and that the area 17B is intended for passengers who wish to go down to a lower level. The detectors 7A, 7B will suitably be designed to emit signals only when they have sensed the presence of a person in the area 17A or the area 17B over a given continuous time period, for instance over a period of two seconds, this time period suitably being longer than the time required for a person to pass through respective areas 17A and 17B at a normal walking pace. This prevents the control logic of the elevator system from being actuated by people who pass by the elevator door but do not intend to use the elevator.

The signals received by the elevator logic from the detectors 7A and 7B are processed in the logic in accordance with chosen criteria, for instance in order to ensure that the elevator cage will stop at an intermediate level 3 where passengers are waiting, solely when movement of the elevator cage towards said intermediate level coincides with the direction of elevator transport that the waiting passenger has passively requested through the medium of the corresponding detector signal. The detectors 7A, 7B may be IR sensors that are set to sense the presence of people within a chosen area. As illustrated in Figure 2, the detectors 7A, 7B may be set to detect the presence of passengers in areas 17A, 17B that are separated from each other on respective sides of the elevator door opening 2, such that passenger traffic moving towards the elevator and away from the elevator will not be detected by the detectors 7A and 7B. It will be understood, however, that the sensing areas 17A, 17B may nevertheless extend in front of the door opening 2, although it is preferred that the areas 17A and 17B will not overlap each other.

If desired, the areas 17A and 17B may, of course, be marked in some way or the other such as to indicate those areas in which the sensors 7A, 7B are able to sense the presence of a passenger. Naturally, it may be beneficial to place area borders, and therewith sensor coverage areas, at a distance from the door opening 2 so as to minimise interference between the passenger flows.

It will also be understood that the elevator system may include two or more juxtaposed elevators. In this case, the areas 17A, 17B may be located on respective sides of groups of elevators, or may lie in other positions that are chosen to ensure that said areas will be separated from each other and that there is only a short distance from respective areas to the elevators and that the stream of passengers to and from respective elevator areas will cause the minimum of interference with other streams of passengers to or from the elevator or elevators.

Claims

1. An elevator system comprising an elevator shaft ( 1 ) and an elevator cage that is caused to move up and down between the different levels (3) of a building, wherein the elevator shaft has a door opening ( 2 ) on each level ( 3 ) , wherein the elevator system further comprises control logic which is designed to control the movement pattern of the elevator on the basis of received information, wherein said system further comprises a detector (7A) which functions to sense the possible presence of a waiting passenger in the proximity of the elevator on a building level, and wherein the elevator logic is designed to transmit to the control logic a signal corresponding to the sensed presence of a waiting passenger, characterised in that the system includes on each intermediate level ( 3 ) two mutually spaced passenger waiting areas (17A, 17B) that are designated respectively for passengers who wish to go to a higher level and passengers who wish to go to a lower level; and in that each passenger waiting area (17A, 17B) includes an associated passenger sensing detector (7A, 7B) which is designed to send to the elevator logic signals corresponding to the detection of passengers in respective areas (17A and 17B) . /

2^"). An elevator system according to Claim 1, characterised in that the elevator logic is designed to stop the elevator cage at the intermediate level

(3) in response to said detector signals solely when the movement direction of the cage towards the intermediate level coincides with the direction of cage transportation passively requested by a passenger through the medium of the corresponding detector (7A; 7B). '31. An elevator system according to Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the elevator logic is designed to be actuated by signals from the detectors (7A, 7B) solely when said signals have a continuous duration that exceeds the time taken by a person to walk past the area at a normal speed.

4. An elevator system according to Claim 3, characterised in that the elevator logic is designed to react to signals from the detectors (7A, 7B) solely when these signals have a continued duration of at least three seconds.