Abstract: A personal remote control device exchanges electromagnetic transmissions with an elevator system, each transmission including the identification number of the device, whereby requests for elevator service made by means of the device are unique to that device, and requests can be made by the device to cancel or change any request for elevator service which has previously been made. The remote control device may either be verbal, communicating with the user by means of speech synthesis and voice recognition, or the device may utilize switches, displays or other mechanisms for interaction with the user.

Abstract: There is described an elevator call registration system which enables automatic registration of a destination floor and correction of the thus-registered destination floor. A destination floor CC is anticipated for each passenger, and the thus-expected floor is stored in expected destination floor storage means. The passenger is identified by means of passenger identification means, and the expected destination floor MCC is read from the expected destination floor storage means on the basis of the result of such identification. For convenience of checking, the expected destination floor MCC is temporarily indicated in a car and is automatically registered in a control panel of the elevator as the final destination floor. If the destination floor CC intended by the passenger is different from the expected destination floor MCC, the destination floor CC based on the expected destination floor MCC can be corrected by new designation of the destination floor CC through use of a car destination button.

Abstract: An identification system for a lift installation in which a lift user carries with him an information transmitter. The information transmitter communicates individual data, for example the weight of the lift user, to a recognition device, which files the data in a data bank. Lift users without information transmitters, so-called unauthorized travellers, are detected with the aid of a load-measuring device. A comparator compares the weight in a lift cage with the weight identified by means of the information transmitter to verify the identity of the lift user as the user to whom the information transmitter was assigned. In the case of agreement, a release signal issued to a lift control, which dispatches or otherwise permits operation of the lift cage.

Abstract: Equipment for monitoring an approach area of a moving belt apparatus (1), such as an escalator or a travelling walkway, and for controlling a drive for the belt includes light sensors (12) arranged in handrail entry caps (11) of balustrades (3). Each light sensor (12) has an emitter (15) and a receiver (16) and operates with, for example, infrared beams. The light sensors (12) monitor the access to the moving belt apparatus (1) in a specific region (13) in front of an entry to the belt (2), for example, the region of the threshold plate (14). On stepping into the monitoring region (13) of the light sensor (12), the beams emitted by the emitter (15) are reflected by the person and sensed by the associated receiver (16) to switch on the drive.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring a load in an elevator cage supported by a carrying frame. The elevator cage movable relative to the carrying frame and to an elevator shaft. The elevator cage may rest on spring elements, which bear on the carrying frame. A belt, which may guided by a pair of deflecting rollers, may be mechanically coupled with the elevator cage. The movement of the elevator cage may be transmitted to the belt, which drives a pulse generator coupled to a first deflecting roller. When the load within the elevator cage changes, the spring elements may be compressed to a greater or lesser extent according to their spring characteristic. Accordingly, the elevator cage may move relative to the carrying frame, and the movement may be detected by the pulse generator and translated into a travel signal. An evaluating unit may be utilized to convert the travel signal into a load magnitude for influencing a motor current.

Abstract: A security system for an elevator is disclosed that secures access to a landing by having the resident use a transmitter identifying the secured landing. In a building having a plurality of secured landings, the transmitter provides access to only one of the secured landings by emitting a signal that identifies only that secured landing. The emitted signal is received by a receiver and sent to a controller of the elevator system. In a particular embodiment, the elevator system includes a plurality of common landings and a plurality of private landings. Each transmitter provides access to all the common landings and only the particular private landing that corresponds to that transmitter.

Abstract: A system including a group controller for controlling the dispatching of elevator cars in a building. The group controller operates by using control parameters stored in its memory. The system records car loads of cars leaving the lobby and the time intervals between their departures and uses fuzzy logic to categorize the car loads and intervals into fuzzy sets. The system determines the lobby traffic and traffic rate using fuzzy relations among car loads, departure intervals, lobby traffic and traffic rate and the fuzzy logic rules. The group controller collects traffic data during operation. The system runs simulations off-line, after single source traffic periods, using the specified control parameter values. The system collects and analyzes performance data to identify significant deviations from acceptable performances. New sets of control parameters are selected using appropriate specified rules.

Abstract: An assembly for a no-contact power reversing system for an elevator car gate comprises a lost-motion linkage comprising inner and outer telescoping members, the inner member having an upper extension which stabilizes and protects the electrical cable leading to the scanner unit of the device during retraction and extension of the scanner unit mounting as the gate approaches and leaves full closed position. The linkage and associated parts mounted in such a way that the scanner unit is protected against pilferage.

Abstract: In a lift installation in which a multi-beam curtain (primary beam) extends across a lift car door opening, auxiliary transmitters direct secondary beams towards a detection zone in front of landing doors. The multi-beam curtain is intercepted by a passenger entering the lift to prevent premature door closure. However, premature closure is also prevented when a passenger stands in front of the landing doors, thereby causing some of the secondary beam to be reflected onto auxiliary receivers. This provides a low cost solution to the problem of non-detection of an obstruction in the closing path of the landing doors, but not intercepting the primary beam system and also provides an increase in the passenger convenience of the lift, as the doors are held open for a passenger approaching the lift, but not yet interrupting the primary beams.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting weak beams in an beam detection system includes a plurality of emitters for radiating beams of energy, a plurality of detectors for providing detector signals in response to the beams of energy radiated by said plurality of emitters and means for detecting if the beams radiated by said plurality of emitters are weak. If weak beam is detected, the beam is determined inoperative by the obstruction detection system and is not considered in subsequent obstruction detection.

Abstract: Elevator installation. This device enables an implicit input of destination calls in elevator installations, with an information transmitter, after a corresponding enquiry, sending data to a recognition device, wherein the data can contain direct information about the desired destination floor or serve for the identification of the elevator user and thus enable access to the information, filed in a storage device, about the destination floor, with the storage device being accommodated in a processing unit of an elevator control. The communication between the recognition device and the information transmitter takes place via radio frequencies and with the aid of the obtained data, the destination floor is determined in the processing unit and conveyed to the lift control, with the allocation being communicated to the passenger on a display device, with the process of the call entry taking place automatically, contactless and independent of the orientation of the information transmitter, i.e.

Abstract: An improved group management control method for an elevator capable of efficiently performing a group management control of an elevator based upon the building condition by deciding a corresponding car to be allocated in accordance with a predetermined hall call based upon a traffic flow and the fuzzy theory which are differ from the characteristics of each building, which includes the steps of a traffic flow collecting step for collecting information concerning a current traffic flow occurred at each hall call and car; a traffic flow study step for studying information collected at the traffic flow collecting step; a traffic flow anticipating step for anticipating a traffic flow after a predetermined time based upon the information studied at the traffic flow study step; a specific mode judgement step for judging a specific mode corresponding to the traffic flow anticipated at the traffic anticipating step; an allocation control strategy establishment step for establishing control strategy for allocating a p

Abstract: Each car in a group of elevator cars in a building is determined to be available or not depending on whether it is assigned in the group, whether it is the only delayed car, whether it is fully loaded without intervening car calls which comprise all the car calls, whether it has intervening hall calls, and whether other cars in the group are fully loaded with or without some chance of offloading passengers before reaching a call to be assigned. Among available cars, assignment is made based on each car's membership in fuzzy sets relating to low, medium or high delay in that car responding to the call and each car's membership in fuzzy sets indicative of the extent to which assignment of that car will have no adverse effect or a very high adverse effect on the response to already-assigned hall calls. The call is assigned to the car with the highest summation of weighted memberships in the fuzzy sets.

Abstract: An elevator system for up-peak servicing of a building having a dual lobby. The system includes a controller having an electronic processor coupled to a memory; a plurality of elevator cars controllably connected to the controller, a dual lobby routine stored within the memory, the dual lobby routine includes instructions for dispatching at least one of the elevator cars to a lower lobby during up-peak, indicating a sector assigned to the car, nudging (if needed) the car if a lower lobby time-out is exceeded, dispatching the car to the upper lobby if a load weight threshold is not exceeded, and then indicating the sector assigned to the car while the car is located at the upper lobby.

Abstract: An elevator door safety system includes hoistway side doors (2), (3) which open on both sides installed in the side of the hoistway in such a way that they can freely open and close, car side doors (5), (6) which open on both sides installed in the side of the car in such a way that they can freely open and close, a light-emitting element (10) and a light-receiving element (11) respectively provided on either door in the car side, and a pair of reflection members (12), (13) provided on either door in the hoistway side. The reflection members are arranged and dimensioned such that the light from the light-emitting element (10) is emitted toward one of the reflection members (12), which light is reflected from one of the reflection members (12) to the other reflection member (13), and from the other reflection member (13) toward the light-receiving element (11).

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting an object adjacent an elevator door includes a housing (47) mounted at an upper edge of a car door opening (38) and in which are mounted a plurality of short range detector pairs (50) and a plurality of long range detector pairs (53). Each short range detector pair includes a transmitter (14,25,40) for generating a relatively short range infrared beam (18,27,42) toward a path of travel (16) of an elevator door (17) across the door opening and a short range receiver (15,26,41) for detecting a reflection (31) of the beam from a facing surface (17b) of the door and generating a short range beam detection signal.

Abstract: In an elevator dispatching system controlling the assignment of elevator cars in a building, a method of assigning a multi-deck elevator car includes determining if a crowd exists at a floor in the building; if it is determined that the crowd exists at the floor in the building, determining if two decks of a best elevator car are available; if it is determined that multiple decks of the best elevator car are available, assigning the two available decks of the best elevator to the floor where the crowd exists; wherein, the best elevator car makes one stop for each of the two available decks at the floor where the crowd exists.

Abstract: Ultrasonic waves may be emitted from a transmitter/receiver sonic transducer, or separate transmitter working with a separate receiver, directly or reflected into the opening between doors of an elevator; responses reflected from objects or passengers between the doors which are received within a window of response are utilized to create a door reversal signal. The ultrasonic waves may be shaped into a curtain or sheet by means of a hyperbolic reflector opening downwardly toward the doors. To equalize time of travel for sound waves emanating from a single source on one side to all parts of the door opening, the reflector may also have a parabolic shape. The sound waves may be emitted in a cylindrical pattern to accommodate elevators having circular doors. Multiple reflectors may include a convex reflector to spread the sound waves vertically.

Abstract: A remote controller linkage is established to an elevator system having one or more elevators and using a data transmission network (21) including at least one serial communication bus for the transmission of control signals between the operating and/or other devices belonging to the system, car calls, landing calls and other information obtained from and/or generated by the devices included in the elevator system. At least one of the serial communication buses belonging to the data transmission network (21) of the elevator system is connected to a functional unit (3,7,10,13) fitted to receive messages sent to it by a remote controller (1,22). On the basis of the message received, the functional unit (3,7,10,13) transmits into the serial communication bus a message containing at least one control, call or other datum and the bus address of the transmitting functional unit (3,7,10,13).

Abstract: Armature current I.sub.ARM is measured at full load and empty load. These two values are used to calculate a pre-torque armature current gain (MBIAS) and an overbalance correction is included in calculation of an elevator pre-torque armature current I.sub.ARM to compensate for an erroneous overbalance value for providing an armature current I.sub.ARM which does not cause rollback or rollforward of an elevator hoist motor.Samples of elevator car load and armature current I.sub.ARM are taken after the elevator brake is lifted, with the car at zero velocity, over a number of runs for continually recalibrating the pre-torque armature current gain (MBIAS) and offset, thereby compensating for any drift in performance of the loadweighing system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling doors of an elevator includes a passenger sensor and load sensor. The passenger sensor detects the presence of passengers in a lobby, and the load sensor generates a load signal indicating only a load of the elevator. A processor then determines passenger movements between the lobby and the elevator, and passenger movements within the elevator based on the load signal. Next, an elevator door controller controls the elevator doors based on output from the processor and the passenger sensor.

Abstract: A computer controlled elevator system (FIG. 1) including signal processing means for dynamically computing the population spread of the building, i.e., the number of elevator users in a building on a floor-by-floor basis, including the lobby, in accordance with an algorithm (FIG. 2). During the up-peak period each floor's population is computed by monitoring the boarding and de-boarding counts and using those counts to update that floor's population figure throughout that period on an additive basis. After the period has been completed, the floor-by-floor information, which had been maintained in a table, is used to determine the "final" historic based floor population spread using also historic data based at least on the past several active days' of population spread using "exponential smoothing." As a verifying cross-check the lobby's figure, which typically should equal the total building population, is compared to the total of all of the upper floors' populations.

Abstract: An automated arrangement selects one of a plurality of load weight bypass thresholds for an elevator car. The selection depends, for example, upon the car direction and the time of day. Alternative embodiments of the arrangement utilize in the selection either actual or estimated elevator car floor space. Fuzzy logic is used to estimate available floor space.

Abstract: A system and method for determining the availability of an elevator car for response to hall calls includes a plurality of infrared sensors disposed to monitor the presence of an object within an elevator car. The cross-sectional area occupied by an object, or objects, within an elevator car is determined by the number of sensors generating output signals based upon reflections of transmitted radiation from such an object. The system monitors the cross-sectional area availability of the elevator car and categorizes the car as to its availability for responding to a hall call.

Abstract: Procedure for determining the number of passenger transfers in an elevator car on the basis of car load data. The procedure of the invention includes continuous measurement of the car load during stoppage, filtering of the measurement data, recording of the load changes taking place during stoppage, and determination of the number of persons having entered or left the elevator car, based on said changes. The device contains an A/D converter for converting the load data into digital form, and a recording and calculation unit placed in the elevator control system and connected to the output of the A/D converter to detect and count the changes in the load.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to determining an arrival time for each of the passengers boarding an elevator car. Where the elevator car stops at a floor in response to a hall call request, the arrival time of the passengers which boarded the elevator car is preferably determined based the time period between when the hall call was registered and when the elevator car door closed. Where the elevator car stops at a floor in response to a car call registered within the elevator, the arrival time of the passengers which boarded the elevator car is preferably determined based on the time period between when the elevator stopped at the floor and when the elevator car door closed. Alternatively, the time period between when the elevator car door opened and when the elevator car door closed can be used. In the preferred embodiment, the first passenger is assumed to have an arrival time corresponding to the beginning of the time period.

Abstract: Armature current I.sub.ARM is used to dynamically recalibrate the elevator loadweighing system, thereby eliminating errors in the load (% LOAD) reported from the loadweighing system which are a linear function of the actual weight. Errors in the load (% LOAD) reported from the loadweighing system which are a nonlinear function of the actual weight are minimized by sampled % LOAD values and corresponding actual weight values (% WGT), then mapping sampled % LOAD values to the corresponding % WGT values and providing the % WGT values to the drive instead of the received % LOAD values.

Abstract: Passengers approaching an elevator are distinguished from other people standing in front of an elevator door by obtaining an image signal of an area in front of the elevator door and masking out of the image signal increasing with time greater portions thereof when no motion is indicated by the image signal for controlling door movement when motion is detected in an unmasked portion of the image.