Shared By Plural Load Supports Patents (Class 187/382)
  • Patent number: 9296590
    Abstract: An elevator has a first and a second cage, which are movable along a common travel path. In addition, the elevator includes a safety device, by which the two cages can be monitored, and a shaft information system, which is connected with the safety device and by which the speed and the position of the two cages can be determined. If the two cages fall below a safety spacing, a first braking measure can be initiated for at least a first cage by means of the safety device. A retardation plot for the at least first cage is predeterminable by the safety device on initiation of the first braking measure. In that case, a second braking measure can be initiated for the at least first cage by means of the safety device if the retardation plot is exceeded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Hans Kocher, Astrid Sonnenmoser, Jean-Philippe Escher
  • Patent number: 9096410
    Abstract: A multi-car elevator control device for controlling an operation in such a manner that a rear car can stop away from a periphery of a fire floor. The multi-car elevator control device includes a running-enabled section calculator for calculating, as a running-enabled section, a range of a floor in which a stop can be carried out to open a door without a collision with a front car which stops, a fire floor information acquiring part for acquiring fire floor information, an in-fire stop prohibition section calculator for calculating, based on the fire floor information, an in-fire stop prohibition section for prohibiting the stop of the car, and a running permission deciding part for deciding a running permission of an elevator by referring to the running-enabled section and the in-fire stop prohibition section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Masafumi Iwata
  • Patent number: 9090433
    Abstract: An elevator system is provided with a remote hall call registering device by use of which an elevator passenger performs a hall call registration in a position at a prescribed distance from a hall. A moving time comparison device compares the predicted moving time Te of the elevator car with the predicted walking time Tw in the case where the floor on which a remote hall call registering device is installed is set as a parking floor. A standby operation go/no go determination device makes a determination as to whether or not to perform a standby operation based on the result of the comparison of the moving time comparison device, and carries out a standby operation after responses to all calls have been finished only in the case where the standby operation go/no go determination device made a determination to the effect that a standby operation should be performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Naohiko Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9033112
    Abstract: In a group control system which temporarily assigns a destination call registered from a hall destination call registration device to the car of each elevator and computes a plurality of prescribed kinds of evaluation values for each elevator, as one of the plurality of evaluation values, the priority is calculated whose value is determined according to ease with which the passenger who has registered a destination call from the hall destination call registration device moves in a hall and ease with which a passenger who later registers a destination call from the hall destination call registration device moves in the hall. Thereby, the degree of congestion in a hall is appropriately controlled also in consideration of the movement of the passengers in the hall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshimasa Koba
  • Patent number: 9016440
    Abstract: An elevator system can be operated while recording the energy consumption of at least one energy consumer of the elevator system and at least one traffic situation of the elevator system. At least one energy consumption value is determined for the recorded energy consumption and the recorded traffic situation, and the calculated energy consumption value is output to at least one output means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Lukas Finschi, Karl Weinberger
  • Patent number: 8985280
    Abstract: In a method for limiting loading of an elevator assembly, a limit value for a maximum permitted loading is set for one or more parts of the elevator assembly, and a loading of the one or more parts of the elevator assembly is determined. A movement magnitude value of the elevator car in the movement profile of the elevator car is modified to limit the loading of the one or more parts of the elevator assembly if the loading of the one or more parts of the elevator assembly exceeds the limit value for the maximum permitted loading.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Tuukka Kauppinen, Joakim Modeen, Tomi Sipilä
  • Patent number: 8978833
    Abstract: A double-deck elevator group controller including a hall-installed car call registration device, cars of the first operation mode which are in charge of operation between even-numbered floors or between odd-numbered floors and cars of the second operation mode which serve all of the floors at which the cars can stop, are set, and in consideration of both combinations of boarding and alighting floors of registered from-hall car calls and an increment of the number of stops, the from-hall car calls are divided for assignment to the cars of the first operation mode and the cars of the second operation, whereby it is possible to meet from-hall car calls having arbitrary floors as the boarding and alighting floors and it is possible to improve the operation efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Naohiko Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8967335
    Abstract: An elevator installation has at least one elevator with at least one elevator car and at least one elevator control. A destination call terminal for input of destination calls and/or for recognition of an identification code is installed on at least one input floor. At least one destination call control is also installed. The destination call terminal is, for communication of the destination call signal, connected with the destination call control. The destination call control is connected to the elevator control through an existing serial maintenance interface of the elevator control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventor: Paul Friedli
  • Patent number: 8960375
    Abstract: An elevator monitoring and control method which involves indicating the condition of a plurality of elevators in indicators and controlling the plurality of elevators on the basis of a prescribed input. Since in control setting processing, it is possible to set a plurality of control items as a control pattern, in control execution processing, elevator control by a plurality of control items is made possible simply by executing the control pattern, with the result that it becomes possible to improve operability and to reduce the frequency of wrong operations. Furthermore, control execution processing can be performed after isolating part of the control patterns set in the control setting processing, with the result that it becomes possible to take speedy and flexible steps even in an emergency and to improve operability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Masaomi Katsura
  • Patent number: 8960374
    Abstract: Provided are a group control method and a group control device capable of efficiently controlling the operation of elevators in diversified traffic situations and under a variety of specification conditions required for a group management system. A plurality of elevators are placed in service for a plurality of floors, an evaluation index for a newly made hall call is calculated, and the best suited car is selected and assigned to the hall call based on the evaluation index in the group control method of elevators. A waiting time expectation value of all passengers on all floors for each direction, either that have already occurred or that are expected to occur within a predetermined time period, is taken as the evaluation index, the waiting time expectation value being the expectation value for the sum or the average of waiting time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Fujitec Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masami Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 8950555
    Abstract: A set of cars in an elevator system are scheduled by assigning passengers to the cars such that a current schedule for each car does not exceed a predetermined maximum number of stops per round trip, and the car is filled as near as possible to a maximum capacity at a predetermined bottleneck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventor: Matthew Brand
  • Patent number: 8939263
    Abstract: In an elevator system having a destination call registration device with which a user registers a destination call before boarding the elevator car and an assigned car confirming device with which a user makes sure of an assigned car by inputting his or her personal information when an elevator has been assigned to a destination call registered from the destination call registration device, information on an assigned car and personal information of a user are stored by associating these pieces of information with each other. An assigned car confirming device provides information on the assigned car to the user on the basis of the stored personal information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Sakurako Tokura
  • Patent number: 8905195
    Abstract: An elevator system having a double or multiple elevator cabins per elevator shaft can be controlled using a method, wherein at least one destination call is entered or at least one identification code is received on at least one call entry floor, said destination call or identification code designating an arrival floor; wherein at least one trip by at least one elevator cabin of the double or multiple elevator cabin from a departure floor to an arrival floor is determined for the destination call or identification code; wherein before determining a trip, it is determined whether at least one situation-specific parameter is fulfilled; and if said situation-specific parameter is fulfilled, at least one situation-compatible call assignment is determined for a trip having a floor difference of zero between the call entry floor and the departure floor or having a floor difference of zero between the destination floor and the arrival floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventor: Lukas Finschi
  • Patent number: 8905196
    Abstract: An elevator group control apparatus performs operation control of a plurality of elevators by detecting a downward traffic flow ratio of traffic flows departing downward from floors higher than a prescribed main floor in the total traffic flow departing from one floor to another. If the downward traffic flow ratio is not less than a prescribed reference value, a standby mode for downward traffic flow is made effective, in which at least one elevator car is caused to be on standby on a floor higher than the main floor and at least one elevator car is caused to be on standby on the main floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Naohiko Suzuki, Yoshimasa Koba, Sakurako Tokura
  • Publication number: 20140291077
    Abstract: In an elevator system in which a plurality of cars are operated in a coupled or independent manner in a single hoistway, an elevator group-control device includes a front-car car-call detection unit detecting a car call of a front car with respect to its traveling direction out of the plurality of cars or for detecting a floor and a car that are assigned a destination floor of a registered destination floor call; and a rear-car assignment-candidate exclusion unit excluding, from assignment candidate cars, a rear car in the same hoistway as the front car assigned the car call when a landing call for the same direction as the traveling direction is registered at a floor registered by the car call detected by the front-car car-call detection unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 28, 2011
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Naohiko Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20140284145
    Abstract: Elevator system passengers are transported in one or more of a plurality of elevator cars. The elevator cars can require different amounts of energy to operate. Passenger trips can be allocated to one car or another car based on the expected energy consumption for the trips in one or the other car.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2012
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Inventor: Lukas Finschi
  • Patent number: 8827043
    Abstract: An elevator control of an elevator installation with at least two elevator cars that move independently of one another in a common elevator shaft has a control device for fixing a first common direction of travel of the at least two elevator cars and for reversing this first direction of travel on the basis of at least one internal destination floor selection and/or an external conveying request and/or a destination call only when all of the internal destination floor selections and/or all of the external conveying requests and/or all of the destination calls in the first direction of travel have been processed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Miroslav Kostka, Paul Friedli
  • Publication number: 20140216858
    Abstract: An elevator group control system, which can perform an appropriate operation so that a user can shorten the time spent until the user arrives at a destination floor in a double-deck elevator performing a double operation in at least one running direction, including a hall operating panel by use of which a user inputs a destination floor in a prescribed hall of an elevator. In a case an operation-prohibited floor of a car stopping at the hall is inputted as a destination floor from the hall operating panel, a group control device registers, as a service floor of the car, a floor preceding or beyond the destination floor inputted from the hall operating panel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2011
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Masayuki Mitsuda
  • Patent number: 8794388
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, an elevator group control apparatus performs group control of operations of cars. The apparatus includes a power consumption calculation unit that calculates power consumption when each of the cars is run according to the operation curve on the basis of object data stored in the object data storage unit and an operation curve created by the operation curve creation unit, a distributed waiting controller that sets a car in a waiting state among the cars as a distributed waiting target car and outputs a distributed waiting instruction to move the target car to a distributed waiting floor, and a distribution instruction controller that obtains, from the power consumption calculation unit, power consumption when the distributed waiting target car is moved to the distributed waiting floor and, on the basis of the power consumption, permits or inhibits a distributed waiting instruction output from the distributed waiting controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Toshiba Elevator Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshihiro Takeda
  • Publication number: 20140131142
    Abstract: A method for giving a destination call to the control system of an elevator system is provided, in which method one or more predetermined departure floor-destination floor pairs are presented on the touch-sensitive display of a destination call-giving device having a touch-sensitive display, in which each pair identifies for the user one predetermined departure floor and one predetermined destination floor, and the departure floor-destination floor pair selected by the user is determined on the basis of a touch detected with the touch-sensitive display, and a destination call signal is sent to the control system of the elevator system, which signal identifies the departure floor and the destination floor of the departure floor-destination floor pair selected by the user. A call-giving device, an elevator system and a computer program product are provided to implement the aforementioned method.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2013
    Publication date: May 15, 2014
    Applicant: KONE Corporation
    Inventors: Jarmo PARKKINEN, Jussi HILTUNEN, Kim BERGMAN, Tommi SALONEN, Otto MIETTINEN
  • Publication number: 20140124302
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a solution for allocating hall calls in an elevator system, which comprises call input devices for registering hall calls at the floors, a group control system responsive to said hall calls, and a number of elevators controlled by elevator-specific elevator controllers on the basis of commands issued by the group control system. A number of route alternatives are generated on the basis of the calls active, and allocation calculation is decentralized by calculating elevator-specific cost terms associated with the route alternatives in the elevator controllers. The cost terms are returned to the group control system, which allocates the hall calls to the elevators according to the route alternative giving the lowest allocation cost.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2014
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Applicant: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Janne SORSA, Marja-Liisa SIIKONEN
  • Patent number: 8602172
    Abstract: A car-based running power computing mechanism computes running power values of each car in both cases including cases before and after a newly generated hall call is assigned. A car-based regenerative power computing mechanism computes regenerative power values of each car in the both cases. A car-based future running power computing mechanism computes future running power values of each car in the both cases. A car-based future regenerative power computing mechanism computes future regenerative power values of each car in the both cases. A car-based assigned total evaluation index computing mechanism obtains an in-travel power consumption value and an in-future-travel power consumption value based on the running power values, regenerative power values, future running power values, future regenerative power values and the like, to thereby compute assigned total evaluation indices of each car in the both cases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Naohiko Suzuki, Masafumi Iwata, Shingo Kobori, Sakurako Tokura, Yoshimasa Koba, Kouji Takeshima, Masayuki Mitsuda, Yoshinori Nonami
  • Patent number: 8584810
    Abstract: In an elevator system, a destination call registration device converts operation key information corresponding to a pressed key into floor information by using building specification data. The destination call registration device generates a destination call registration request which includes the floor information converted from the operation key information and sends the destination call registration request to a group management control device. The group management control device registers the destination call for a destination floor indicated in the floor information. The group management control device sets building specification data and sends the building specification data to the respective destination call registration devices for conversion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Sakurako Tokura
  • Patent number: 8567569
    Abstract: An elevator group management system improving operational efficiency in consideration of a situation change that has occurred after a destination floor registration in a hall. An assigned car review mechanism executes assigned car review processing in units of review registration information sets each including at least one piece of provisionally assigned car registration information managed by a registered destination floor hall call management section during a review period. After ending the assigned car review processing, the assigned car review mechanism modifies the contents of the provisionally assigned car registration information in the registered destination floor hall call management section based on the contents of the review registration information set after modification. That is, the assigned car review mechanism newly registers the provisionally assigned car registration information after review and erases the provisionally assigned car registration information before review at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Naohiko Suzuki, Masafumi Iwata, Shingo Kobori, Sakurako Tokura, Yoshimasa Koba, Kouji Takeshima, Masayuki Mitsuda, Yoshinori Nonami
  • Publication number: 20130264150
    Abstract: There is provided an elevator group control system, in which even after an assigned car has been determined, the assigned car can be changed as necessary, and therefore comfortable service can be offered to a user. This group control system includes a call registration device by the use of which a user registers a hall destination call before getting into a car, a car position detection part for detecting the car position of each elevator, and a call registration storage part for storing, for each elevator, a hall destination call having been registered. When a hall destination call having the same contents as those of an already registered hall destination call stored in the call registration storage part is registered newly from the call registration device, if a non-assigned car has already arrived at the floor on which the call registration device is installed, the newly registered hall destination call is assigned to the non-assigned car.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshimasa Koba
  • Publication number: 20130228399
    Abstract: Provided is a group management control device for elevator in which the occurrence of useless waiting time and lateness for boarding is reduced even when there is a difference in the distance from a hall call registration device to each car. For this purpose, the group management control device for elevator which manages a plurality of elevators as a bank includes a hall call registration device, a walking time prediction section which predicts the walking time of a user on the basis of the distance from the hall call registration device to each of the elevators, and a hall call assignment section which decides an elevator to be assigned to a hall call on the basis of an evaluation value calculated by using the predicted walking time. The plurality of elevators which are managed as a bank are divided into a plurality of groups according to the distance from the hall call registration device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Masaharu Eto, Naohiko Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8517149
    Abstract: An exemplary elevator system includes a first controller configured to recognize a hall call signal that indicates a passenger's desire to board an elevator car at a particular landing. The first controller is associated with at least one elevator car for assigning a hall call request to that elevator car. A second controller is configured to recognize a destination request that indicates a passenger's desire to be carried to a particular level. The destination request originates outside of an elevator car. The second controller is associated with at least one elevator car for assigning a destination request to that elevator car. The second controller is configured to determine whether a selected condition will be satisfied if a received destination request is serviced by an elevator car associated with the second controller. The second controller handles the received destination request in that manner if the condition will be satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Michael P. Flynn, Allen Patenaude, Randall Greenberg, Paul H. Ouellette, Lee A. Hornfischer, Dennis Hanvey, Greg Barnes, Vincent M. Maurino, Max P. Prinsen, Wade A. Montague, Jannah A. Stanley
  • Patent number: 8505692
    Abstract: Provided is an elevator system which can perform an optimum assignment suited to the operation condition of elevators and can appropriately notify a user of accurate information. For this purpose, there are provided a call registration device which registers a destination call before boarding and a notification device which provides elevator information. Normally, immediately after registration of a destination call, the notification device provides information on an assigned car. On the other hand, when a prescribed assignment review condition is met, immediately after registration of a destination call, the notification device provides information to the effect that the registration has been accepted, thereafter the assignment of the elevator is reviewed, and the notification device provides information on an assigned car when the elevator responds to the destination call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Sakurako Tokura, Yoshimasa Koba, Koji Takeshima, Masayuki Mitsuda, Yoshinori Nonami, Masafumi Iwata, Naohiko Suzuki, Shingo Kobori
  • Publication number: 20130153339
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and a system for allocating elevators on the basis of advance calls. According to the invention an advance call is registered, address data is connected to the advance call, an elevator is allocated when the activation condition of the advance call is fulfilled, and information about the allocation of the elevator is sent to the passenger by sending a notification to the address indicated by the address data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Publication date: June 20, 2013
    Inventor: Jukka-Pekka SARJANEN
  • Patent number: 8397874
    Abstract: An intelligent destination elevator control system streamlines the efficiency and control of destination elevators. The system monitors a building's population and predicts elevator traffic conditions. The system may monitor attributes of the destination elevators. Based on the monitored data, the system may generate a data structure that renders time-tables and target elevator service quality parameters that may control the destination elevators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Inventor: Pieter J. de Groot
  • Publication number: 20130056312
    Abstract: Energy efficiency settings for an elevator installation can be determined based on, for example, a start floor for a trip, a destination floor for a trip, user identity information and/or a condition associated with one or more users. In at least some cases, portions of a building (e.g., one or more floors) are associated with one or more energy settings. In further cases, an occupant of a building is associated with one or more elevator energy settings. Some embodiments can be used with an escalator installation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: INVENTIO AG
    Inventor: Lukas FINSCHI
  • Patent number: 8386291
    Abstract: The invention relates to a triple-deck elevator equipment planning support system, arranged such that the average number of times of being stopped per going-round is calculated on the basis of a given building specification and cage specification data in a triple-deck elevator system; a total value of getting-on/off time periods of passengers, a total value of door-opening/closing time periods, and the total value of running time periods are calculated based on the average number; and a going-round time period of an elevator is calculated from these calculation results, and a practical transportation capacity per on triple-deck elevator is calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shiro Hikita
  • Patent number: 8348021
    Abstract: A method, an elevator system control unit, computer-readable media and an elevator installation for allocation of a user to the elevator installation, which is provided with a plurality of elevator cars and with a destination call control unit, wherein the user lodges a destination call at the destination control unit using a communications unit. The destination call control unit determines a group of elevator cars for serving the destination call and makes the group known to the user by the communications unit. The user selects an elevator car from the group by the communications unit. In addition, information for guiding the user to the selected elevator car is communicated to the user by the communications unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventor: Lukas Finschi
  • Publication number: 20130001021
    Abstract: An exemplary method of controlling an elevator system includes determining a source floor of a new call from a passenger desiring elevator service. A direction of travel from the source floor for the new call is also determined. A path of a considered elevator car is simulated as if the new call were assigned to the considered elevator car by determining at least one of (i) a relationship between a position of the considered elevator car and the source floor or (ii) a relationship between a direction of movement of the considered elevator car and the direction of travel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Inventors: Jannah A. Stanley, Ashley Kaminski
  • Publication number: 20120318617
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a solution for adapting the control functions in elevator systems, wherein portable call terminals are used for the giving of calls. When the call terminals have been disposed in the desired locations in the building, the values of the control parameters that are dependent on the location of the call terminals and are used in the control of the elevator system are set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2012
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jukka-Pekka SARJANEN, Tuomas SUSI, Niko ELOMAA
  • Publication number: 20120305341
    Abstract: Disclosed is a solution for controlling an elevator system, which elevator system includes at least one elevator, call-giving appliances in the elevator lobbies, and also a device for detecting in the desired identification area contact patterns directed onto the floor surface of at least one elevator lobby. A user to be connected to a call given from the elevator lobby is classified on the basis of the contact pattern produced by the user, the type data of the call is connected to the call on the basis of the classification, and the call with its type data is transmitted to the control system of the elevator system for controlling the elevators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2012
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hannu Kuoppala, Reetta Ranne, Ari Hänninen, Pekka Korhonen, Marja-Liisa Siikonen, Janne Sorsa, Jukka Salmikuukka
  • Patent number: 8297409
    Abstract: The movement of a plurality of elevator cars (12, 14) in an elevator hoistway (16) is coordinated for situations in which the regions of the hoistway that are serviceable by the cars (12, 14) at any given time are configured to overlap. A car stop plan for each elevator car (12, 14) is generated that includes a sequence of stops for servicing demand assigned to the elevator car (12, 14). Operation of the elevator cars (12, 14) is then coordinated based on the car stop plans such that each elevator car (12, 14) services its assigned demand without interfering with the car stop plans of any other of the plurality of elevator cars (12, 14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Arthur C. Hsu, Cheng-Shuo Wang, Hansoo Shim, Cheong Sik Shin, SeongRak Jeong, Bruce P. Lerner
  • Publication number: 20120267201
    Abstract: A set of cars in an elevator system are scheduled by assigning passengers to the cars such that a current schedule for each car does not exceed a predetermined maximum number of stops per round trip, and the car is filled as near as possible to a maximum capacity at a predetermined bottleneck.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Inventor: Matthew Brand
  • Patent number: 8286756
    Abstract: An elevator group control system is obtained which is improved in the operating efficiency of entire cars by determining an assigned car with the use of an evaluation value calculated from an increment of the number of floors to be stopped by each car when a hall destination call newly generated by a hall control panel is temporarily assigned to each car. The system includes a hall input unit which is installed in a hall and by which the registration of a destination floor call is able to be made, and an assignment evaluation value calculation unit which includes a plurality of evaluation value calculation units for calculating the respective evaluation values of a plurality of cars in an individual manner, determines a final evaluation value from the respective evaluation values, and selects an optimal assigned car.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshimasa Koba, Naohiko Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20120255812
    Abstract: The object of the invention is a method and an arrangement for modernizing an elevator group, in which method the elevators of the elevator group are modernized in turn such that both modernized elevators and unmodernized elevators can be simultaneously in use in the elevator group, of which elevators the modernized elevators are each provided with individualized identification marks while the old unmodernized elevators in use in the elevator group are each provided with a similar identification mark to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tapani Talonen
  • Publication number: 20120255813
    Abstract: A near-optimal scheduling method for a group of elevators uses advance traffic information. More particularly, advance traffic information is used to define a snapshot problem (24) in which the objective is to improve performance for customers. To solve the snapshot problem (24), the objective function is transformed into a form to facilitate the decomposition of the problem into individual car subproblems (26). The subproblems (26) are independently solved using a two-level formulation, with passenger to car assignment (28) at the higher level, and the dispatching of individual cars (30) at the lower level. Near-optimal passenger selection and individual car routing (38) are obtained. The individual cars are then coordinated through an iterative process (40, 42) to arrive at a group control solution that achieves a near-optimal result for passengers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicants: University of Connecticut Center for Science & Technology Commercialization, OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Mauro J. Atalla, Arthur C. Hsu, Peter B. Luh, Gregory G. Luther, Bo Xiong
  • Patent number: 8276715
    Abstract: A method for assigning an elevator car to respond to a call signal includes a controller that determines which elevator car will respond to the call signal based on certain time metrics. The controller receives a hall call signal, and based on certain time metrics that can include, e.g., an estimated wait time (EWT), and/or estimated travel time (ETT), assigns the call signal to an elevator car. In this example, EWT represents the time a passenger is waiting for an elevator car to arrive, and ETT represents the it takes for a passenger to reach their destination once having boarded an elevator car. In some versions, an estimated time to destination (ETD) is used in determining which elevator car to assign, where ETD represents the sum of EWT and ETT. In some versions, a handling capacity coefficient (HCx), which reflects current traffic conditions, is used in determining which elevator car to assign.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: ThyssenKrupp Elevator Capital Corporation
    Inventors: Rory S. Smith, Richard D. Peters
  • Publication number: 20120175195
    Abstract: In a group control system which temporarily assigns a destination call registered from a hall destination call registration device to the car of each elevator and computes a plurality of prescribed kinds of evaluation values for each elevator, as one of the plurality of evaluation values, the priority is calculated whose value is determined according to ease with which the passenger who has registered a destination call from the hall destination call registration device moves in a hall and ease with which a passenger who later registers a destination call from the hall destination call registration device moves in the hall. Thereby, the degree of congestion in a hall is appropriately controlled also in consideration of the movement of the passengers in the hall.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2009
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Inventor: Yoshimasa Koba
  • Publication number: 20120152661
    Abstract: A double-deck elevator group controller including a hall-installed car call registration device, cars of the first operation mode which are in charge of operation between even-numbered floors or between odd-numbered floors and cars of the second operation mode which serve all of the floors at which the cars can stop, are set, and in consideration of both combinations of boarding and alighting floors of registered from-hall car calls and an increment of the number of stops, the from-hall car calls are divided for assignment to the cars of the first operation mode and the cars of the second operation, whereby it is possible to meet from-hall car calls having arbitrary floors as the boarding and alighting floors and it is possible to improve the operation efficiency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Naohiko Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8196711
    Abstract: An elevator system is obtained which is capable of assigning a suitable car by taking into consideration a change of a maximum speed or an acceleration according to the result of prediction of a change of a car load or a moving distance with respect to a hall call. In the elevator system having a group management control device (20), provision is made for a destination floor registration unit (11) that registers a destination floor according to a call into a call registration device (10) at the time of call registration, and an assignment control unit (21) that assigns a suitable car to a destination call registration request from the call registration device (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Sakurako Tokura
  • Publication number: 20120138388
    Abstract: An elevator system can be operated while recording the energy consumption of at least one energy consumer of the elevator system and at least one traffic situation of the elevator system. At least one energy consumption value is determined for the recorded energy consumption and the recorded traffic situation, and the calculated energy consumption value is output to at least one output means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Publication date: June 7, 2012
    Applicant: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Lukas Finschi, Kari Weinberger
  • Publication number: 20120125719
    Abstract: System for controlling the elevators in an elevator system, which elevator system comprises a number of elevators (1A . . . 1H). The system comprises first sensor means (2, 2A . . . 2H), which are arranged in the waiting area of each elevator (1A . . . 1H) on each floor (F, F1, F2, F3 . . . Fn), which sensor means (2, 2A . . . 2H) are fitted to give information about the presence and number of passengers waiting for an elevator at least in the waiting area in question; means for controlling the elevators, which means are fitted to receive information from the sensor means (2, 2A . . . 2H) about the presence and number of passengers waiting for an elevator and to control the movement of the elevators of the elevator system utilizing the information received from the sensor means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: Marimils Oy
    Inventors: Göran Sundholm, Palle Stevn
  • Patent number: 8177036
    Abstract: Elevator reassignment information is communicated to passengers in a group elevator system (10). The group elevator system (10) includes a group of elevators (14a, 14b, 14c) that is operable to transport each of the passengers to one of a plurality of floors (L, F2, F3, F4, F5). A destination entry input device (30, 35) at each floor permits each passenger to enter destination input information. A dispatch controller (20) assigns an elevator to each passenger based on the destination input information. When service of a dispatched elevator is terminated, a communication device (46, 50) communicates elevator reassignment instructions to passengers assigned to or located in the dispatched elevator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Jannah Stanley, Paul A. Stranieri, Richard K Pulling, Jr., Vlad Zaharia, Daniel Williams, Richard Mangini, Wade Montague
  • Patent number: 8172042
    Abstract: A power system (10) operates a plurality of hoist motors (18a, 18b, 18c), each of which controls movement of one of a plurality of elevators (12a, 12b, 12c). The power system (10) includes a power bus (11) and a converter (22) connected across the power bus (11) for converting alternating current (AC) power from an AC power source (20) to direct current (DC) power and delivering the DC power to the power bus (11). The power system (10) also includes a plurality of inverters (26a, 26b, 26c) connected across the power bus (11). Each inverter (26a, 26b, 26c) is connected to a hoist motor (18a, 18b, 18c) and is operable to drive the hoist motor (18a, 18b, 18c) when the hoist motor (18a, 18b, 18c) is motoring by converting the DC power from the power bus (11) into AC power. Each inverter (26a, 26b, 26c) is further operable to convert AC power produced by the hoist motor (18a, 18b, 18c) when the motor is generating to DC power and to deliver the DC power to the power bus (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: John P. Wesson, Mark S. Thompson
  • Patent number: 8172043
    Abstract: During elevator modernization, a cross-dispatching system receives hall calls and assigns each hall call to either a group of existing elevator car controllers or a group of new elevator car controllers. The cross-dispatching system creates an inter group relative system response (iRSR) value for the hall call for both the existing group of elevators and the new group of elevators, based upon information from each group such as car location, in-service status, load, and direction. If the group assigned the hall call does not answer the call within a redispatch time period, the cross-dispatching system again calculates the iRSR for each group and reassigns the hall call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: David M. Hughes, Jerrold C. Bloom, John W. Grant