US 4,846,311 AGranted

Optimized "up-peak" elevator channeling system with predicted traffic volume equalized sector assignments

AssigneeOtis Elevator Company

InventorKandasamy Thangavelu

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An elevator system containing a group of elevator cars (1-4) and a group controller (32) having signal processing means (CPU) for controlling the dispatching of the cars from a main floor or lobby (L) in relation to different group parameters. During up-peak conditions, each car is dispatched from the main floor to an individual plurality of contiguous floors, defining a "sector" (SN). Sectors are contiguous, and the number of sectors may be less than the number of cars, and a floor can be assigned to more than one sector. Floors that constitute a sector assigned exclusively to a car are displayed on an indicator (SI) at the lobby. Cars are selected for assignment by grouping floors into sectors and appropriately selecting sectors, so that each elevator car handles more or less an equal predicted traffic volume during varying traffic conditions, resulting in the queue length and waiting time at the lobby being decreased, and the handling capacity of the elevator system increased. Estimation of future traffic flow levels for the various floors for, for example, each five (5) minute interval, are made using traffic levels measured during the past few time intervals on the given day as real time predictors, using a linear exponential smoothing model, and traffic levels measured during similar time intervals on previous days as historic traffic predictors, using a single exonential smoothing model. The combined estimated traffic is then used to group floors into sectors ideally having at least nearly equal traffic volume for each time interval.

Claims34

Dependent claims

An elevator system, including

a plurality of cars for transporting passengers from a main floor to a plurality of contiguous floors spaced from the main floor;
car call means for entering car calls for each car;
indicating means at the main floor for indicating the intended floor stops for each car;
car motion control means for moving each car;
traffic volume measuring means for measuring data related to the traffic volume on a per floor basis upon which varying estimated traffic volumes are made;
memory means for recording values based at least in part on data measured by said traffic volume measuring means;
and
a controller, with which said traffic volume measuring means and said memory means are associated, for providing signals that control the operation of the motion control and the indicating means in response to the car calls, characterized in that said controller comprises:
signal processing means for providing signals for determining when the system is in an up-peak condition and, when such up-peak condition exists, for providing further signals
for dividing the floors in the building into a plurality of sectors, no greater in number than the plurality of cars, each sector comprising at least one floor, with multiple floors being contiguous floors, with the sectors being contiguous with each other, with the floors being assigned to the sectors to at least nearly equalize the estimated total traffic volumes among the sectors during a cycle of a first cyclical assignment sequence that assigns a floor to a sector during one cycle based on estimated values based at least in part on the traffic volume related data measured by said traffic volume measuring means measured during the last relatively short period of time of the order of no more than some minutes;
for assigning a sector to a car during a cycle of a further cyclical assignment sequence that assigns each sector to a car during one cycle;
for allowing a car to which a sector has been assigned to move away from the main floor in response to car calls only if the car calls are to floors in the sector assigned to the car;
and
for indicating on the indicating means the floors in a sector assigned to that car.

11 more elements

An elevator dispatcher for controlling the assignment of car calls among a plurality of elevator cars serving a plurality of floors in a building in response to car calls made at a main floor to floors spaced from the main floor, in association with traffic volume measuring means for measuring the traffic volume on a per floor basis, and for controlling an indictor at the main floor that is capable of indicating the floors to which each car may travel, characterized by:

signal processing means for providing signals for determining when the system is in an up-peak condition and, when such up-peak condition exists, for providing further signals;
for dividing the floors in the building into a plurality of sectors, no greater in number than the plurality of cars, each sector comprising one or more contiguous floors, with the sectors being contiguous with each other, with the floors being assigned to the sectors to at least nearly equalize the total traffic volumes among the sectors during a cycle of a first cyclical assignment sequence that assigns a floor to a sector during one cycle based on estimated traffic volume values based at least in part on the traffic volume related data measured by said traffic volume measuring means measured during the last relatively short period of time of the order of no more than some minutes;
for assigning a sector to a car during a cycle of a further cyclical assignment sequence that assigns each sector to a car during one cycle;
for allowing a car to move away from the main floor in response to car calls only if the car calls are to floors in the sector assigned to the car;
and
for indicating on the indicating means by car the floors in a sector assigned to that car.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 07/209,745Filed 21 Jun 1988
Granted: 11 Jul 1989
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

B66B 1/2458
Where the allocation of a call to an elevator car is of importance, i.e. by means of a supervisory or group controller: for elevator systems with…
B66B 2201/102
Details with respect to the type of call input: up or down call input
B66B 2201/211
Details of the evaluation method for the allocation of a call to an elevator car: waiting time, i.e. response time
B66B 2201/222
Details of the evaluation method for the allocation of a call to an elevator car: taking into account the number of passengers present in the…