Abstract: A socket plug assembly (44) on an elevator cab (10) may engage with complimentary socket plug assemblies (46) on either of two car frames (11, 13) when it is horizontally moved therebetween. A socket plug assembly (44a) on a horizontally moveable elevator cab may have a horizontal interface with a complimentary socket plug assembly (45b) mounted on an elevator car frame or landing, and one of them is moved vertically to cause engagement with the other. Socket plug assemblies (169) tethered to a cab (10) by means of an umbilical cord (168) is engageable with socket plug assemblies (170, 171) on booms (172, 173) on the elevator car frames (21, 22) or landings. An uninterruptible power supply (50) maintains power when the cab is unplugged; a transceiver (51) on the cab maintains communications with a transceiver (62) in the building when the cab is unplugged.

Abstract: In one embodiment, fuzzy sets indicative of the degree to which the time since the last passenger boarded an escalator can be deemed to be zero, a very long time, or something in between, are combined with fuzzy sets indicative of the extent to which the maximum number of passengers in a recent temporal or cyclic period can be deemed to be a zero passenger, a very large group, or something in between. In another embodiment, fuzzy sets indicative of the degree to which the time since the last passenger exited an empty escalator can be deemed to be nearly zero, a very long time, or something in between, are combined with fuzzy sets indicative of the degree to which the maximum group of passengers on the escalator at any time since the last time it was empty can be deemed to be a single passenger, a very large group, or something in between.

Abstract: An elevator car call is reassigned if a different car fortuitously shows up first, or if the assigned car leaves the group. The call is reassigned, one time only, if the assigned car is delayed by more than a threshold, or under certain circumstances, if the car is fully loaded without an intervening car call or the call has been waiting for more than a threshold time. The circumstances are that the weighted summation of membership values in fuzzy sets, indicating the degree to which the predicted waiting time for the currently assigned call is deemed long, the response time for a new call assignment is deemed small, and the improvement from switching the hall call assignment is deemed great, exceeds a threshold and each of the membership values exceeds its own corresponding threshold.

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: Deeming a full elevator car available for servicing a hall call is accomplished by testing if all of the car calls for the car are between the position of the elevator car and the hall call. If not, the full car may still be deemed available if there is a special stop car call between the position of the car and the position of the hall call or if there is at least one car call between the position of the car and the position of the hall call and there are no other hall calls between the position of the car and the position of the hall call.

Abstract: To assign a car to a hall call such that cars tend to be equally spaced apart and so that bunching of cars is avoided, the position of each car is predicted over a given period by estimating where it will arrive and leave each of its committed stops over that period for a given set of hall call/car call assignments, a bunching measure is calculated and a car to hall call assignment is made in response to the bunching measure.

Abstract: Assignment of a hall call to an elevator car occurs only if servicing the hall call will not have an adverse effect on the response times of other registered calls for the car. Assignment of a hall call is made to the car having the lowest number of registered calls which cross a predetermined response time threshold in response to servicing the call.

Abstract: Assignment of elevators to hall calls is performed directly as a function of one or more system performance parameters, all related to passenger waiting time. Assignment of elevators to hall calls is performed directly as a function of one or more system performance parameters by calculating said function as an objective (meaning object or goal) function dependent upon those system performance parameters.

Abstract: In response to a registered hall call, a car announcement is made when and only when an assigned car, of a plurality, has its RRT a calculated number of seconds lower than the car with the next lowest RRT to minimize actual waiting time wherein the calculation is performed as a function of the remaining response time of the assigned car, the waiting time of the passenger, and an RRT inflation factor which is an amount of deviation from the minimum expected remaining response time of the assigned car.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to assigning an elevator car in response to a hall call, based on a series of bonuses and penalties and remaining response time, defined herein as an estimation of the amount of time required for an elevator car to reach the floor at which the hall call is registered, given the car calls and hall calls to which the elevator car is committed. Upon the registration of a hall call, a relative system response (RSR) value for each elevator car is determined based on a series of bonuses and penalties. Additionally, a remaining response time (RRT) value for each car is determined. The RRT value of the elevator car having the most favorable RSR value is compared with the RRT value of the elevator car having the lowest RRT value. Based on this comparison, one of the two elevator cars will be assigned to service the hall call.

Abstract: An elevator system, and method of operating same, having a plurality of elevator cars mounted in a building to serve the floors therein. Supervisory system control periodically assigns service directions from the floors to the elevator cars by dividing them among the elevator cars according to a predetermined strategy, it periodically clears certain assignments, and reassigns the cleared assignments. The assignments periodically cleared are those which do not have a registered hall call associated therewith, and those which have a registered hall call but which are behind the advanced position of the car they are assigned to.