Method and apparatus for assigning new hall calls to one of a plurality of elevator cars

A computer implemented method for assigning a new hall call to one or more of a plurality of elevator cars in an elevator system where some new hall call signals contain destination information indicating a specific desired destination and where some hall call signals do not contain information indicating a specific desired destination, wherein the cars are capable of stopping on a plurality of elevator landings and wherein the cars may have existing car calls and existing hall calls, the method comprising:

• receiving a new hall call signal;
• for each elevator car, calculating a call cost for accepting each of the new hall calls as follows:
• (a) if the new hall call signal contains destination information, calculating an estimated time to the desired destination (“ETD”);
• (b) if the new hall call signal does not contain destination information, inferring a desired destination and calculating the estimated time to the inferred destination (“ETID”);
• (c) calculating system degradation factors (“SDFs”) for each elevator car's existing car calls and hall calls;
• (d) determining the call cost value (“CC”) in accordance with the following equations:
• if the new hall call signal contains destination information, CC = ∑ k = 1 n ⁢ SDF k + ETD
• wherein there are n existing car and hall calls (k), and
• if the new hall call signal does not contain destination information, CC = ∑ k = 1 n ⁢ SDF k + ETID
• wherein there are n existing car and hall calls (k);
• and
• assigning the new hall calls to the cars with the lowest call costs.

An elevator system for assigning a new hall call to one of a plurality of available elevator cars comprising:

• a plurality of elevator car landings;
• an elevator hall call entry device at each landing, the hall call entry device capable of generating a new hall call signal;
• and
• an elevator controller, the controller interfaced with the hall call devices, the controller programmed to:
• (a) calculate a call cost for each elevator car by:
• (i) inferring a destination from the new hall call signal,
• (ii) calculating an estimated time to the inferred destination for the elevator car,
• (iii) calculating system degradation factors for the elevator car, and
• (iv) summing the system degradation factors and adding the sum of the system degradation factors for the car to estimated time to the inferred destination;
• and
• (b) assign the new hall call to the car having the lowest call cost.

Elevator control system software for programming an elevator controller to assign one of a plurality of elevator cars to a new hall call, the software comprising:

• an inferred destination function for inferring a destination from a new hall call signal;
• an estimated time to destination function for calculating the estimated time to the inferred destination;
• a system degradation factor function for calculating for each elevator car system degradation factors for the car's existing car calls and existing hall calls;
• a function for calculating for each elevator car a call cost according to the following:
• CC = ∑ k = 1 n ⁢ SDF k + ETID
• wherein there are n existing car and hall calls (k);
• and
• a car assignment function for assigning the car with the lowest call cost value to the new hall call.

An elevator control system comprising:

• a means for receiving a new hall call signal,
• a means for inferring a destination from the new hall call signal and calculating an estimated time to the inferred destination;
• a means for calculating a system degradation factor (SDF) for each elevator car's existing hall calls and car calls;
• a means for calculating a call cost for each elevator car;
• and
• a means for assigning the new hall call to the elevator car having the lowest call cost.