Method and apparatus for assigning calls entered at floors to cars of a group of elevators

A method for assigning hall calls to cars of an elevator group, the elevator group having an elevator control which generates signals representing optimization criteria data and situation data for the cars and entered hall calls and responds to call allocation data signals for serving the entered hall calls, comprising the steps of:

• a. storing as passenger data a distribution of passengers entering hall calls into an elevator control for a group of elevators, the passenger data representing a probable number of passengers waiting at floors served by the elevators and their probable destination floors, and outputting the passenger data as an output signal;
• b. receiving current situation data signals from the elevator control representing a current situation of the elevator cars and entered hall calls;
• c. generating a first possible call allocation solution based on the current situation data signals as a probable best call allocation solution signal and as a best call allocation solution signal representing a best call allocation solution;
• d. generating a factors data signal based upon the output signal representing the stored passenger data and the probable best call allocation solution signal;
• e. receiving optimization criteria data signals from the elevator control representing desired optimization criteria for assigning the entered hall calls;
• f. calculating another call allocation solution from the optimization criteria data signals and the factors data signal and generating the another call allocation solution as another call allocation solution signal;
• g. checking the another call allocation solution signal against the best call allocation solution signal, predicting future situation data for the elevator cars and the entered hall calls from the output data signals and the probable best call allocation solution signal when the another call allocation solution signal is better than the best call allocation solution signal, and storing the probable best call allocation solution as the best call allocation solution when the future situation data indicates that an unfavorable allocation of the entered hall calls would not result;
• h. generating another possible call allocation solution based on the current situation data signals as the probable best call allocation signal and repeating the steps d. through h.;
• and
• i. generating a call allocation data signal to the elevator control for assigning the entered hall calls to the elevator cars according to the best call allocation solution when the steps d. through g. have been performed on all possible call allocation solutions.

An apparatus for assigning hall calls to cars of an elevator group, the elevator group having an elevator control which generates signals representing optimization criteria data and current situation data for the cars and entered hall calls and responds to call allocation data signals for serving the entered hall calls, comprising:

• a traffic model module for storing as passenger data a distribution of passengers entering hall calls into an elevator control for a group of elevators, said passenger data representing a probable number of passengers waiting at floors served by the elevators and their probable destination floors, and having an output for generating an output signal representing said passenger data;
• a simulator module having a first input connected to said traffic model module output for receiving said output signal, a second input for receiving a probable best call allocation solution signal and a first output, said simulator module being responsive to said traffic model module output signal and said probable best call allocation solution signal for generating a factors data signal at said simulator module first output representing factors related to said passenger data;
• a calculation module having a first input connected to said simulator module first output, a second input for receiving optimization criteria as optimization criteria data signals generated by the elevator control and an output, said calculation module being responsive to said factors data signal and said optimization criteria data signals for generating another call allocation solution signal at said calculation module output according to the optimization criteria;
• and
• a solution selection module having a first input connected to said calculation module output, a second input for receiving current situation data signals from the elevator control representing a current situation of entered hall calls and elevator cars related to the elevator control, a first output connected to said simulator module second input and a second output for generating a best call allocation solution as a call allocation data signal to the elevator control, said solution selection module being responsive to said current situation data signals for generating a plurality of possible call allocation solutions, for storing said best call allocation solution, and for generating one of said possible call allocation solutions as said probable best call allocation solution signal at said solution selection module first output, and being responsive to said another call allocation solution signal for checking said another call allocation solution signal against said best call allocation solution whereby if said another call allocation solution signal is a better call allocation solution for the elevator group, said solution selection module stores said probable call allocation solution as said best call allocation solution, and wherein said solution selection module responds to a change in said current situation data signal by terminating said probable best call allocation solution signal and responds to said terminating by calculating a first time possible call allocation solution according to a predetermined set of conventional rules and by generating said probable best call allocation solution signal from said first time possible call allocation solution.