Managing the number of active elevator cars in a multi-car elevator shaft system
AssigneeKone Corporation
InventorsMarja-Liisa Siikonen, Mirko Ruokokoski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
According to an aspect, there is provided a method for determining the number of elevator cars in a two-shaft multi-car elevator system. The method comprises determining the number of active elevator cars N in the two-shaft multi-car elevator system by N = RTT * arr a * carsize , wherein RTT is a round trip time of the two-shaft multi-car elevator system, arr is the arrival rate of passengers, a is a car load factor, and carsize is the number of passengers one elevator car is able to carry.
Claims18
A method for determining the number of elevator cars in use in a two-shaft multi-car elevator system, wherein the elevator shafts are connected to each other and wherein the elevator cars are configured to move only upwards in a first elevator shaft among the two elevator shafts and move only downwards in a second elevator shaft among the two elevator shafts, the method comprising:
- determining, by a processor of the multi-car elevator system, the number of active elevator cars N in use in the two-shaft multi-car elevator system by
- N
- =
- RTT
- *
- arr
- a
- *
- carsize
- ,
- wherein
- RTT is a round trip time of the two-shaft multi-car elevator system,
- arr is the arrival rate of passengers,
- a is a car load factor, and
- carsize is the number of passengers one elevator car is able to carry;
- and
- taking back to service, by a processor of the multi-car elevator system, one or more elevator cars from an elevator car storage or putting back one or more elevator cars to the elevator car storage depending on the determined number of active elevator cars N,
- wherein the two-shaft multi-car elevator system further comprises:
- a top having only a first connecting passageway;
- a bottom having only a second connecting passageway;
- and
- at least one elevator car storage separate from the first elevator shaft and the second elevator shaft, and connected to one of the first elevator shaft and the second elevator shaft or connected to both the first connecting passageway and the second connecting passageway.
An elevator system comprising:
- two elevator shafts, wherein the elevator shafts are connected to each other and wherein elevator cars are configured to move only upwards in a first elevator shaft among the two elevator shafts and move only downwards in a second elevator shaft among the two elevator shafts;
- and
- a processor configured to:
- determine the number of active elevator cars N in use in the two-shaft multi-car elevator system by:
- N
- =
- RTT
- *
- arr
- a
- *
- carsize
- ,
- wherein
- RTT is a round trip time of the two-shaft multi-car elevator system,
- arr is the arrival rate of passengers,
- a is a car load factor,
- carsize is the number of passengers one elevator car is able to carry, and
- take back to service one or more elevator cars from an elevator car storage or putting back one or more elevator cars to the elevator car storage depending on the determined number of active elevator cars N,
- wherein the elevator system further comprises:
- a top having only a first connecting passageway:
- a bottom having only a second connecting passageway, and
- at least one elevator car storage separate from the first elevator shaft and the second elevator shaft and connected to one of the first elevator shaft and the second elevator shaft or connected to both the first connecting passageway and the second connecting passageway.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.