US 6,000,505 AGranted

Multiple level building with an elevator system operable as a means of emergency egress and evacuation during a fire incident

OwnerThomas H. Alleninventor

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Abstract

A building having a plurality of floors, a plurality of detectors, such as smoke detectors, located on the floors, and an elevator system usable for moving building occupants between floors during an emergency condition, such as a building fire. The elevator system includes a control unit that controls movement of an elevator car between selected floors within an emergency evacuation zone for evacuation of building occupants to a designated evacuation assistance floor. The vertical movement of the elevator car is controlled relative to the detection of smoke within the building to increase the efficiency of emergency evacuation. The elevator and smoke detection systems are equipped with an emergency power source for operation in the event of a power outage. A signal control system receives status information from the building systems, including the elevator system, an air handling system, and a fire suppression system. The signal control system provides the status information to the fire station or to fire department personnel en route to the building.

Claims36

Dependent claims

A multi-floor building, comprising:

a plurality of floors;
a plurality of detectors, at least one of the detectors being located on a respective one of the floors, each detector being positioned to detect a selected emergency condition, the detector that detects the emergency condition being a signaling detector that generates a detector signal upon detecting the emergency condition;
a vertical transportation system usable for moving building occupants between selected floors during an emergency condition, the vertical transportation system provides a first status signal;
an air handling system coupled to the vertical transportation system, the air handling system provides a second status signal;
an emergency suppression system having suppression members on selected floors, the emergency suppression system provides a third status signal;
and
a signal control system coupled to the detectors to receive the detector signal from the signaling detector, the signal control system being coupled to one of the vertical transportation system, the air handling system, and the emergency suppression system and receives one of the first, second, and third status signals, the signal control system having a communication mechanism connectable to a remote communication system at a location remote from the building, the communication mechanism sends the detector signal and one of the first, second, and third status signals to the remote communication system to provide building status information to the location remote from the building, and the communication mechanism configured to receive a signal from the remote communication system to control at least one of the vertical transportation system the air handling system, and the emergency suppression system.

4 more elements

A method of evacuating building occupants from a building having a plurality of floors, including a building exit floor, and an elevator system having an elevator car that is positionable at locations adjacent to selected ones of the floors, comprising:

detecting an emergency condition on a signaling floor in the building;
defining an evacuation zone in a portion of the building during the emergency condition, the evacuation zone including the signaling floor and an evacuation assistance floor that is a selected number of floors away from the signaling floor and that is not the building exit floor, the evacuation zone being defined not to include floors considered to be non-emergency floors other than the evacuation assistance floor;
sending a plurality of status signals to a signal control system, the status signals providing data of status of the building systems, the plurality of status signals including a first status signal from the signaling floor to a signal control system identifying which floor is the signaling floor;
and a second status signal from the elevator system to the signal control system providing status information about the elevator system;
sending the plurality of status signals from the signal control system to a remote communication system at a location remote from the building to provide building status information;
and
evacuating with the elevator car one or more building occupants from the evacuation zone to the evacuation assistance floor.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/108,106Filed 30 Jun 1998 · continuation in part
Priority: 31 Mar 1998
Granted: 14 Dec 1999
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

B66B 5/024
The abnormal operating conditions being independent of the system: where the abnormal operating condition is caused by an accident, e.g. fire
G06Q 90/205
Destination assistance within a business structure or complex: building evacuation
G08B 7/066
Using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources: guiding along a path, e.g.…
B66B
Elevators