Method and system for maintaining distance between elevator cars in an elevator system with multiple cars in a single hoistway
AssigneeOtis Elevator Company
InventorsTheresa M. Christy, Randall Keith Roberts, Harold Terry, Mauro J. Atalla, Arthur C. Hsu, CheongSik Shin, Hansoo Shim
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Controlling the movement of elevator cars (22, 24) within a single hoistway (26) prevents the cars from becoming too close while servicing assigned stops. Example control techniques include controlling door operation of at least one of the elevator cars (22, 24) to effectively slow down a follower car or speed up a leader car for increasing a distance between the cars in an area within the hoistway (26) where the cars would otherwise be too close to each other.
Claims20
A method of controlling an elevator system having a plurality of elevator cars in a single hoistway that are each assigned to travel from a respective starting floor to a respective last destination floor, comprising the steps of:
- determining whether there is at least one area between the starting floors and the last destination floors assigned to the elevator cars where the elevator cars will be too close if the elevator cars operate at a normal, contract speed;
- and
- controlling a door operation of at least one of the elevator cars to change a time when the at least one elevator car will travel in the at least one area to increase a distance between the elevator cars in the at least one area.
An elevator system, comprising:
- plurality of elevator cars in a hoistway, each elevator car having at least one door;
- and
- a controller configured to determine when each of the elevator cars is assigned to travel from a respective starting floor to a respective last destination floor and there is at least one area between the starting floors and the last destination floors where the elevator cars will be too close if the elevator cars operate at a normal, contract speed, and to responsively control a door operation of at least one of the elevator cars to change a time when the at least one elevator car will travel in the at least one area to increase a distance between the elevator cars in the at least one area.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.