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.

Abstract: An elevator installation has at least three vertical elevator shafts arranged adjacent to one another, at least one boarding zone and a plurality of individually movable elevator cars. At least two directly adjacent changeover zones are provided in the region of the boarding zone and enable horizontal displacement of the elevator cars between the elevator shafts.

Abstract: An elevator group control system includes a reference route generating portion, which for each elevator, generates a reference route which the elevator should follow with respect to the time axis and position axis; and an assignment portion which selects an elevator for assignment to a generated hall call so as to make the actual trajectory of each elevator closer to its reference route. Reference routes which guide the cage's trajectory into temporally equal interval condition are generated, and car assignment is executed to allow the cages to settle in temporally equal interval condition over a long period of time.

Abstract: A method and a system for responding to a service request sent to a transportation service, determining one or more alternatives as a transportation device for the user and selecting a personal transportation device. An automated transportation system according to the invention may contain a plurality of elevators in an elevator group, a passenger terminal device for reserving elevators for use by passengers, and an elevator group control system responsive to the passenger terminal device for controlling the elevators. The method of the invention involves entering a personal service request via the terminal device, determining on the basis of the service request at least one alternative as a transportation device for the user, and selecting via the terminal device one of the alternatives as the transportation device.

Abstract: An operation control method of plural elevators working between many floors is constructed so that a risk floor having a high probability that a long wait occurs is selected from among floors on which a platform call is not generated when a platform call is newly generated, assuming that along with the newly generated platform call a platform call is generated on the risk floor, allocation evaluations are made on the cases of allocating respective elevators to render services to these calls, an elevator to respond to the new platform call is decided based on the allocation evaluation result, and the plural elevators are controlled to be operated based on this decision.

Abstract: An elevator group management controller, that: predicts an arrival time each elevator car can arrive from a present position to a floor where a hall call is generated; estimates a travel distance for each car from its present position to stop in response to every car call to be handled by the car; calculates a waiting time with respect to the hall call based upon the predicted arrival time, for evaluating a waiting time by employing a first evaluation function while the waiting time is employed as an evaluation index, and for evaluating a travel distance by employing a second evaluation function employing the estimated travel distance as an evaluation index; and calculates an integral evaluation function containing at least the waiting time evaluation and travel distance evaluation for each car, and assigns a car whose integral evaluation function value is minimum with respect to the hall call.

Abstract: A method and a display for elevator allocation evaluating are provided. When an elevator allocated to a hall call is selected by employing two different view points such as a real and a future call evaluation index, an elevator allocation reason and a balance between the two view points can be easily grasped. An elevator allocated to a hall call is evaluated on orthogonal coordinates in which the real call evaluation index and the future call evaluation index are defined as an X and a Y coordinate axis. Evaluation indexes of first to fourth elevator cars are evaluated by employing contour lines of a synthetic evaluation function, which is represented as the real and the future call evaluation index. A weight for allocating is displayed visually.

Abstract: A set of elevators, preferably an elevator group, may include a number of elevators without counterweight which have a common connection to a power supply. The elevators may have a common control system which contains an instruction to prevent an elevator having stopped at a floor from being dispatched upwards if, of the elevator cars of the other elevators connected to the same power supply, more cars are moving upwards than are moving downwards at the instant and/or within a set period of time. A method for controlling a set of elevators without counterweight connected to a common power supply may include monitoring to establish whether, at the instant and/or within a set period of time, the number of upwards moving elevator cars of the elevators in the set is larger than the number of downwards moving elevator cars of the elevators in the set.

Abstract: An elevator system includes a controller that uses one of a plurality of fuzzy logic algorithms for assigning an elevator car to service a passenger request. One example uses a passenger's desired destination as indicated by the passenger service request prior to the passenger entering an elevator car. One example includes multiple fuzzy logic algorithms, each corresponding to a particular relationship between an elevator car's current assignments, a passenger's desired destination, a source landing of the passenger's request, or a combination of them.

Abstract: The present invention discloses an extension to a prior-art genetic algorithm, with which the routing of elevators based on the calls given in an elevator system is formed. A new type of gene, a so-called run type gene, is connected to the chromosome of the genetic algorithm according to the invention, with which gene the desired speed profile for the elevator trip can be set. In this way e.g. an upper limit can be set for the acceleration or for the maximum travel speed of the elevator. By means of the run type gene a kinetic energy term is included in the optimization. The energy consumed by the system can thus be minimized more effectively by means of the algorithm, because the varying travel speeds of the elevators create more freedom of choice for the chromosomes of the algorithm.

Abstract: One version of this disclosure includes a system for assigning an elevator car to respond to a call signal wherein a controller is responsible for determining which elevator car will respond to a call signal. This version includes the controller receiving a hall call signal, receiving information regarding the elevator system, determining whether the call assignment can be made in view of a first rule associated with a banned call assignment, and eliminating the rule against banned call assignments when necessary to avoid saturation of the elevator system.

Abstract: Described is a method for assigning hall calls comprising the steps of receiving a hall call signal, receiving information regarding an elevator system, assigning a destination to the hall call signal, and calculating a call cost value for each elevator car using a handing capacity coefficient. The controller designates the elevator with the lowest call cost value to respond to a call signal. The handling capacity coefficient is a value that reflects the current traffic conditions of an elevator system.

Abstract: An elevator installation has a vertical elevator hoistway and a plurality of elevator cars individually movable therein. An elevator control system readies at least two of the elevator cars in the hoistway in an area of two mutually adjacent entrance areas. Thus, simultaneous loading/unloading of the elevator cars via the entrance areas is possible. The two elevator cars then travel to destination floors, the first elevator car traveling a distance which is at least as great as that traveled by the second elevator car.

Abstract: An elevator system (20) includes a plurality of cars (22) and destination entry devices (40) located some distance from the elevator cars (22). A controller (38) dispatches an elevator car to a requested destination entered by a passenger before the passenger enters an elevator car. In a disclosed example, the controller (38) uses an expected arrival time corresponding to the time it is expected to take for a passenger to travel from the location where the destination request is entered to the location of the elevator car to decide how to dispatch a car to service that request. In a disclosed example, the controller dispatches an elevator car to the requested destination on a next trip of that car if the expected arrival time of the passenger near that car occurs at or before the departure time for that next trip. Otherwise, the controller (38) dispatches the car to the requested destination on a subsequent trip after the next trip.

Abstract: A method and a system for entering a destination floor call, for storing the call data of a destination floor call entered by the user, for allocating an elevator car to the user on the basis of the landing call data of the destination floor call and for transmitting a car call to the elevator car when the elevator is arriving at the landing. In the method, the user inputs a destination floor call using a destination call device. The destination floor call can be stored in the memory of the destination call device, in which case the call data transmitted to the control system comprises only the landing call, i.e. information specifying the user's starting floor and whether the destination floor given by the user is in the upward or downward direction. The destination floor call can also be transmitted directly to the elevator control system, which stores the call data of the destination floor call in the memory of the control system.

Abstract: When an average wait time is low (23, 24) an elevator car (31-34) is parked (39), unable to answer calls, or if a parameter (45) is low (46), the car is shut-down. If wait time is high, a parked car is assigned the call. If no cars are parked, a shut-down car may be assigned based on RRT. If up running cars can answer the call, the down running cars are excluded.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for verifying destination calls needed in an elevator system. In the method a person having entered a destination call is identified first on the floor level outside the elevator and again in the elevator car allocated to the person. The destination floor call received from a destination call device as well as starting floor information obtained from a detector used to identify the person having entered the call are transmitted to the elevator control system, which, based on the destination call, allocates an elevator to the person having entered the call. If the system identifies the person having entered the call when the person is in the elevator car, then the destination call is acknowledged in the system as executed. On the other hand, if the person having entered the call is not identified in the elevator car allocated to him/her, then the previously entered destination call is kept valid and a new elevator is allocated to the person having entered the call.

Abstract: A method schedules cars of an elevator system. Each possible assignment of a set of hall calls to a set of cars is represented by a solution vector maintained as a node in a search tree. Each solution vector is evaluated using an ESA-DP process according to an immediate policy to determine initially a best solution. A branch-and-bound process is applied to each solution vector using the initial best solution and the search tree to determine a globally optimal solution for scheduling the cars according to a reassignment policy.

Abstract: A perceived waiting time for a hall call to be answered by a car is determined as a constant times the square (46) of the summation (45) of remaining response time (39) and the amount of time that has expired since the call was registered (38). The time that may be perceived by a passenger to travel to the passenger's destination is determined as a constant times the square (51) of the distance between an estimated destination floor and the floor of the call and a constant times an estimated number of new hall stops and committed hall stops that each car will make (47). Perceived service time is (52) the sum of perceived wait time and perceived travel time. Constants are adjusted so that a long waiting time will yield a quick travel time. Assignment of calls to cars (60) is in accordance (61) with the smallest summation of square (59) of perceived service times for all waiting up calls and down calls.

Abstract: An elevator installation for conveying persons/goods, a method for operating the elevator installation and to a method for modernizing an elevator installation. The elevator installation includes at least two cages arranged one above the other in a vertical travel direction, and a drive per cage for moving the cages. The cage and the drive are connected by way of a conveying member. A counterweight for weight compensation of each cage. At least one cage guide rail is provided for guiding the cages, and at least a pair of counterweight guide rails are provided for guiding the counterweights. The drives are arranged near different first walls in the shaft.

Abstract: Destination calls entered by means of buttons (21-29) are each given a designation unique to the car and pick-up floor for that call and other calls to be serviced therewith, such as a letter (A-E), which is different from any other outstanding calls. Calls can be reassigned among elevators (UL, LL, UR, LR) whether they are in the same or different hoistways (LF, RT). Signs (31-39, 41-49) adjacent each hoistway are illuminated to display the designation of any call which is being answered by an elevator car approaching the floor Thus, passengers are informed when their call is being answered by the signs identifying the call, rather than identifying any particular car. Another embodiment identifies (60, 31a, 41a) the hoistway landing doorway (1, 2) as well as a letter to allow passengers to wait adjacent to the hoistway landing doorway of the car which will serve them.

Abstract: An elevator group control system includes a reference route generating portion, which for each elevator, generates a reference route which the elevator should follow with respect to the time axis and position axis; and an assignment portion which selects an elevator for assignment to a generated hall call so as to make the actual trajectory of each elevator closer to its reference route. Reference routes which guide the cage's trajectory into temporally equal interval condition are generated, and car assignment is executed to allow the cages to settle in temporally equal interval condition over a long period of time.

Abstract: A wireless, portable call request entry kiosk (14) has a control panel (19) with keys (20, 21) and a display panel for entering calls and informing passengers of the responding elevator. The kiosk has wireless communication (42, 56) with a building (43) where the kiosk is located, to transmit call requests to a dispatching controller (48). The kiosk operates on a rechargeable source such as a battery (51). A sensor (52) determines a lull in traffic, causing the kiosk to operate in a low power consumption mode.

Abstract: In an elevator group supervisory control apparatus, an estimation processing unit determines an estimated in-cage load in departing from a departure floor and estimates at least one of speed, acceleration, and jerk rate of the car in accordance with the estimated in-cage load to determine an estimated arrival time. An assignment unit selects and assigns a car serving as a response to a hall call on the basis of information from the estimation processing unit when the hall call is issued.

Abstract: A method for allocation of a user to a 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.

Abstract: An elevator group control system is provided which stably keeps cage's position in temporally equal interval condition over a long period of time. The present invention provides a system comprising: reference route generating means, which for each elevator, generates a reference route which the elevator should follow with respect to the time axis and position axis; and assignment means which selects an elevator for assignment to a generated hall call so as to make the actual trajectory of each elevator closer to its reference route. Since reference routes which guides the cage's trajectory into temporally equal interval condition are generated and car assignment is executed so as to make the respective cages follow their reference routes, it is possible to allow the cages to settle in temporally equal interval condition over a long period of time.

Abstract: One of a plurality of cars (17, 18) traveling in a hoistway (10) of an elevator system (9) may be diverted to the hoistway overhead (31) or pit (36) to enable another of the cars to gain access to a floor near or at a terminal floor (11, 14). When such car is at its last stop with doors open, visual (40) and audible (41) indicators present (57, 58) messages to the effect that this is the last stop and passengers should exit. After car doors are closed (66), visual and audible messages (68, 69) relate to the car going to the pit or overhead and that passengers may push any button (to reopen doors). Thereafter, the car moves (75, 76) to the overhead (31) or the pit (36) and presents (82, 83) visual and audible messages to the effect that passengers did not exit at the correct floor and must wait while the other car makes a stop.

Abstract: A method of controlling an elevator installation with several elevators, in which destination call inputs of passengers are input by destination call input apparatus and in which at least one traffic criterion, which characterizes a traffic intensity, of the elevator installation is measured by an elevator control, wherein the elevator control allocates cost-optimizing elevators to the destination call inputs. In order to obtain an energy saving without prejudicing the transport capacity of the elevator installation, the elevator control additionally allocates energy-optimizing elevators to the destination call inputs in dependence on the traffic criterion.

Abstract: A method for modernization of an elevator installation with several elevators in a building, wherein at least one floor terminal for input of a floor call is provided on at least one floor of the building, which floor terminal is, for communication of an input floor call, connected with a group control, and at least one elevator is controlled in drive in accordance with the communicated floor call by the group control, includes connecting at least one call detecting unit, for communication of an input floor call, with the group control. At least one new floor terminal is, for input of a floor call, mounted on at least one floor and the new floor terminal is, for communication of an input floor call, connected with the call detecting unit.

Abstract: An elevator group control apparatus to control an elevator system in which an upper car and a lower car serve in a single shaft and go up and down independently. If a new destination call is registered, a car travel range calculator provisionally assigns a car to the new destination call and calculates the travel range of the provisionally assigned car and the travel range of the other car in the same shaft. Based on the calculated travel ranges, an assignment candidate selector selects or rejects the car as a candidate for assignment to the new destination call. Later, several evaluation index values are calculated for each of the selected candidate cars. By comprehensively evaluating these calculated evaluation index values, a determination is made as to which car is to be assigned to the new destination call.

Abstract: An elevator system (8) includes a hoistway (9) having a plurality of cars (10, 11) traveling therein, the hoistway includes a steel tape (14), each car having two tape readers (20, 21; 22, 23) which feed corresponding position detectors (29, 30: 31, 32) to provide independent position signals (35, 26: 37, 38). A group controller (52) assigns calls in a fashion to avoid collisions. Controllers (45, 46) for each car communicate with each other and when deemed necessary, either lower the speed, acceleration, deceleration of one or both of the cars, or stop (with or without reversing) one or both of the cars. Independent processors (41, 42) will drop the brake (49, 50) of either or both cars if they come within a first distance of each other, or will engage the safeties (18, 19) of either or both cars if they come within a lesser distance of each other.

Abstract: The invention relates to an elevator system with at least one shaft, in which at least two cars can be made to travel along a common traveling path, and also with a shaft information system for determining the positions and speeds of the cars, which is connected to an electrical safety device.

Abstract: A passenger flow arrangement for use in moving passengers between two floors in elevator-like cabs allow the passenger to continue to face in a forward direction and exit the vehicle after having entered in the forward direction. In one aspect of this invention, a cab door on one side of the cab opens at a first of the floors, and a door on an opposed side of the cab opens at a second of the floors. In other arrangements, there are cab doors at each side of the cab, and one of the cab doors opens as an entrance door while the other opens as an exit door. Appropriate signals such as signs or door opening timing prompt the passengers to face and move in the appropriate directions.

Abstract: A method of assigning a user to an elevator system with several elevators wherein a user issues a destination call, at least one elevator is determined to serve the destination call and is announced to the user by an acoustic signal that identifies the elevator. All of the signals that designate the different elevators are exclusively formed by one single single-frequency signal tone, the various signals that identify the individual elevators being distinguishable to the user by a predefined signal duration and/or at least one predefined signal interruption. The invention further relates to an elevator system that is equipped for this method.

Abstract: A method for allocating an elevator in a destination floor elevator system. An elevator group includes several elevators, a passenger data terminal for reserving elevators for use by passengers, and an elevator group control system for controlling the elevators in response to signals from the passenger data terminal. The method includes inputting the size and destination floor of the group of passengers into the control system of the elevator group, allocating one or more elevators to the group of passengers by utilizing the size and destination floor of the group, and informing the members of the group of passengers about the allocation.

Abstract: An elevator group control method for the allocation of calls, in which method a given service time of the elevator group is assigned a target value. The service time may be passenger waiting time, call time, traveling time, riding time or an average value of one of these quantities. The method aims at fulfilling the assigned target value in such a way that the energy consumption of the elevator system is minimized. Optimization is implemented using a model of the elevator system, by means of which the desired service time can be predicted. This prediction is utilized in a controller controlling the optimizer. This makes it possible to improve the construction and operation of the controller and optimizer so that the energy consumption of the elevator system can be reduced while the condition regarding the target service time is fulfilled at the same time.

Abstract: The registration of each hall call (20, 21) is recorded (27) and the remaining response time of all available cars to each up hall call and each down hall call is determined. The response time for each car to answer is compared against a limit and a table indicates whether that car can answer that call in less than the wait time limit or not. The time limit may be adjusted upwardly or downwardly.

Abstract: An elevator control device which realizes, in a multi-car system, operation control superior in transportation efficiency. A first shunting device outputs a first shunting command for moving a car which has responded to a call request to a shunting floor. A blocked state detection device detects a blocked state in which a succeeding car cannot run due to a preceding car being in a standby state at a shunting floor, and outputs blocked-state-generation information. A second shunting device outputs a second shunting command for moving the preceding car in the standby state to a new shunting floor based on the blocked-state-generation information. Further a collective operation control device collectively controls the operation of each car based on information for each car, the first shunting command from the first shunting device, and the second shunting command from the second shunting device.

Abstract: In an elevator call registration system, elevator-related information is constantly transmitted from an elevator call registration server, and a call registration reservation for a desired elevator can be made by selecting contents from the information. Therefore, it is not necessary for the user to access a site where necessary contents are stored, enabling an easy call registration reservation. Further, since the call registration detects that the user is approaching the reserved elevator, the car is positioned at a good time and the user can smoothly go to a desired floor.

Abstract: The time required for each car to reach each up hall call and each down hall call is calculated (30, 33). These times are then arranged in categories and the number of landings in each category is identified. From fuzzy sets (FIGS. 7–10), the count of landings in each category determines a fuzzy set membership in a fuzzy category, such as FEW, SOME, MANY. The fuzzy membership of all non-zero memberships are then ANDed together (by multiplication). A relationship value is then determined (FIG. 11) by a metric with as many dimensions as there are categories, each dimension having as many parts as there are fuzzy categories in the fuzzy sets. The membership combination (the fuzzy summation) is then multiplied by a relationship value determined from the multi-dimensional metric to provide a corresponding separation metric of the invention.

Abstract: A genetic allocation method in an elevator group for allocating a landing call to one of several elevator cars in the elevator group, the cars moving and stopping within the area of several different floors. The elevator travel routes are encoded into alternative chromosomes. Using genetic methods, alternative chromosomes are developed and the best chromosome is selected. The elevator group is controlled in accordance with the best chromosome. The floors served by the elevator group are divided into a first group and a second group. On the floors of the first group, landing calls are given as passenger-specific destination calls. On the floors of the second group, landing calls are given as floor-specific up/down calls. When the destination calls and up/down calls are encoded into the same chromosome, the best chromosome represents an allocation decision, in which the gene values indicate which elevator car is to serve each passenger and each up/down call.

Abstract: An elevator operation system and apparatus reduce the round trip time of an elevator, by determining a target floor that corresponds to the destination floor requested by a passenger; and assigning the target floor to one of a plurality of elevators for service exclusively to the target floor.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for controlling an elevator installation with at least one shaft and a number of cars, it being possible to make at least two cars travel separately up and down along a common traveling path and a passenger being able to enter a destination call by means of an input unit disposed outside the shaft and the destination call being allocated to a car in dependence on an allocation assessment. To develop the method in such a way that the transporting capacity can be increased, with the cars which can be made to travel along a common traveling path hindering one another as little as possible, it is proposed according to the invention that, in the case of allocation of the destination call to one of the cars which can be made to travel along the common traveling path, the portion of the traveling path required for serving the destination call is assigned to this car and blocked for the time of the assignment for the other cars.

Abstract: A method schedules cars of an elevator system in a building. The method begins execution whenever a newly arrived passenger presses an up or down button to generate a call for service. For each car, determine a first waiting time for all existing passengers if the car is assigned to service the call, based on future states of the elevator system. For each car, determine a second waiting time of future passengers if the car is assigned to service the call, based on a landing pattern of the cars. For each car, combine the first and second waiting times to produce an adjusted waiting time, The method ends by assigning a particular car having a lowest adjusted waiting time to service the call and minimize an average waiting time of all passengers.

Abstract: In an apparatus for elevator group control which performs group management of a set of elevators, the set consisting of an upper car and a lower car which are disposed in a vertical relation within one elevator shaft and which ascend and descend independently, the floors are classified so that a floor communicating with an entrance of a building is classified as a main floor for the lower car, a floor communicating with an entrance of the building above the main floor for the lower car is classified as a main floor for the upper car, a lower-floor portion of the shaft is classified as a lower-car priority zone, an upper-floor is classified as an upper-car priority zone, and an intermediate-floor portion is classified as a common-use zone of the upper car and the lower car. A hall call is assigned to the upper car or the lower car according to the classification to which the hall in question belongs. In each of the priority zones, the upper car or the lower car is preferentially brought into service.

Abstract: Elevator cars move in two vertical hoistways each having at least one crossing-point to a third vertical parking hoistway arranged between the two hoistways to allow transfer of the elevator cars between adjacent ones of the hoistways. A control system and a drive move empty elevator cars through the crossing-points for parking and for responding to calls for service.

Abstract: A method for the allocation of passengers in an elevator group. The group has several elevator lobbies and multi-door elevators. Each passenger gives his/her destination floor by means of a call input device, so that the passenger's starting and destination floors are thereby defined.

Abstract: Elevator group control method for the allocation of landing calls, in which method a target value is assigned to a given service time of the elevator group and landing calls are so allocated to elevators that the assigned target value of the service time is realized on the average, the energy consumption of the elevator group being thereby reduced.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for allocating landing calls issued by passengers, in which method each passenger gives his/her destination floor via a call device. According to the invention, the call is allocated to an elevator car to serve the passenger via genetic allocation, wherein the floors of departure and destination of the passenger are recorded in alternative chromosomes, the required data regarding the passenger and elevator car being recorded in a gene in the chromosome, that, utilizing genetic methods, the best chromosome is selected, and that the passenger is directed into the elevator car selected, and that the selected elevator car is directed to serve the passenger in question.

Abstract: An elevator group supervisory control system for an elevator system including indicators of positions of elevators, for a group supervisory control of elevators, in which a car reversal, which becomes a cause of irritation for passengers, is curbed. For a hall call registered at an elevator hall which is ahead of a final car call and within a floor range defined based on building or elevator conditions, an additional assignment is given to an elevator having shortest predicted arrival time, and which is not assigned to respond to the elevator hall call.