Abstract: In a method for allocating an elevator in an elevator system, the elevator system including elevator groups, each group including elevators, the elevator groups being formed based on a load unbalance of the elevators, the method includes: detecting received service calls in a predefined time window; evaluating a number of passengers requesting service based on the received number of service calls; selecting, based on the evaluated number of passengers, an elevator group to serve the floor; and allocating an elevator belonging to the selected elevator group to provide service. An apparatus, an elevator system, and a computer program are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for controlling a passenger flow in a building includes: dividing a group of elevators to sub-groups; receiving a service call; selecting a sub-group to provide a service and generating an indication for indicating the selected sub-group; selecting a first candidate elevator; evaluating a second candidate elevator by comparing the second forecast time to the first forecast time; selecting the second candidate elevator to provide the service if the second forecast time is less than the first forecast time. The evaluation is continued until a selection is locked for the service call due to at least one characteristic relating to the elevator system. The invention also relates to a group controller, a computer program product, and an elevator system.

Abstract: According to an aspect, there is provided a method for managing elevator cars in a multi-car elevator shaft system. The method comprises determining, by an elevator control entity, the optimum number of elevator cars for a given time of a day in the multi-car elevator shaft system; and commanding, by the elevator control entity, at least one elevator car into at least one elevator car storage or back to service from the at least one elevator car storage based on the determination, wherein elevator cars in the at least one elevator car storage act as standby elevator cars for the multi-car elevator shaft system.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for computing allocation decisions in an elevator system is provided. Historical passenger batch journey data relating to the elevator system is obtained, wherein each passenger batch journey includes an origin and a destination floor of the journey, the number of passengers of the journey and the time of the journey. Historical passenger traffic statistics are constructed based on the passenger batch journey data, and expected calls are modelled based on the passenger traffic statistics. The modelled expected call is taken into account in computing subsequent allocation decisions in the elevator system.

Abstract: A method for elevator call allocations in an elevator group of an elevator system includes applying statistical traffic forecasts modelling future passenger arrivals in the elevator system; receiving an indication of at least one elevator call; generating, for a fixed parameter, a set of scenarios based on the statistical traffic forecasts; determining a quality attribute for each candidate allocation policy of a set of candidate allocation policies by simulating, for each candidate allocation policy, the set of scenarios according to the candidate allocation policy in a current elevator call allocation situation in the elevator system; selecting a candidate allocation policy based on the quality attributes associated with the candidate allocation policies; and allocating the at least one elevator call to at least one elevator in the elevator group according to the selected candidate allocation policy.

Abstract: An arrangement of counting passengers in an elevator using two separate counting mechanisms is disclosed. The elevator car typically has a curtain of light arranged to the door and a load weighing device arranged to measure the weight of the elevator car. From the information recorded by the curtain of light and the load weighing device, it is possible to count the number of passengers. The reliability of the counting results can be improved by processing the counting results for forming a combined counting result that provides a more reliable counting result when the independent counts deviate from each other.

Abstract: Modern large buildings and public places are equipped with a plurality of elevators, exits and points of interest for fluent movement. The passenger flows in a building or public place can be traced and modelled by using statistics and information regarding current state of the modelled building or public place. The information derived from this model can be used for controlling elevators, escalators and similar in the building more efficiently. The same information may be used also for guiding passengers in the building or public place to use other transportation means so that the duration high traffic situation can be reduced or sometimes completely avoided.

Abstract: A multicar elevator system includes a plurality of elevator sub-systems, each elevator sub-system including a shaft forming a loop path including a first vertical section and a second vertical section connected to each other with at least two horizontal sections. The first vertical section in each elevator sub-system is travelable upwards by at least one elevator car and the second vertical section is travelable downwards by at least one elevator car. The elevator system further include a reservation shaft accessible for at least one elevator car from each elevator subsystem. A method for controlling the multicar elevator system is disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to an elevator system comprising: a plurality of elevator sub-systems and a group controller configured to control the plurality of the elevator sub-systems, wherein the group controller is configured to: determine an efficiency of the elevator system; and control, in accordance with the efficiency of the elevator system, at least one elevator sub-system to serve elevator calls at different zones from at least one other elevator sub-system. The invention also relates to a method, a group controller and a computer program product.

Abstract: An elevator system includes at least one elevator group control with a destination control system, at least one elevator group having elevators with a different destination range, destination operating panels at each landing including an input for issuing destination calls, car operating panels located in the elevators having an input for the input of destination calls, hall lanterns for each elevator indicating the moving direction of the corresponding elevator, a signaling device for each elevator indicating the arrival of an elevator at the landing, the destination control system controls hall lanterns to indicate a moving direction of the elevators and activates the signaling device when elevators arrive at a landing. The destination control system displays, after the issue of a destination call, a range identifier indicative of the elevator's destination range, and the next arriving elevator by activation of its signaling device before its arrival at the landing.

Abstract: According to an aspect, there is provided a method for managing elevator cars in a multi-car elevator shaft system. The method comprises determining, by an elevator control entity, the optimum number of elevator cars for a given time of a day in the multi-car elevator shaft system; and commanding, by the elevator control entity, at least one elevator car into at least one elevator car storage or back to service from the at least one elevator car storage based on the determination, wherein elevator cars in the at least one elevator car storage act as standby elevator cars for the multi-car elevator shaft system.

Abstract: An arrangement of counting passengers in an elevator using two separate counting mechanisms is disclosed. The elevator car typically has a curtain of light arranged to the door and a load weighing device arranged to measure the weight of the elevator car. From the information recorded by the curtain of light and the load weighing device, it is possible to count the number of passengers. The reliability of the counting results can be improved by processing the counting results for forming a combined counting result that provides a more reliable counting result when the independent counts deviate from each other.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for computing allocation decisions in an elevator system is provided. Historical passenger batch journey data relating to the elevator system is obtained, wherein each passenger batch journey includes an origin and a destination floor of the journey, the number of passengers of the journey and the time of the journey. Historical passenger traffic statistics are constructed based on the passenger batch journey data, and expected calls are modelled based on the passenger traffic statistics. The modelled expected call is taken into account in computing subsequent allocation decisions in the elevator system.

Abstract: A method for a passenger-allocation in a multi-deck elevator group where the decks of the elevator cars are stacked above each other and being mounted in a car frame to be moved synchronously in an elevator shaft utilizes an improved allocation strategy. The method is performed by a control unit to dispatch the elevator cars for serving any passenger call which can be entered as a landing call or a car call, wherein a call creates plural allocation proposals calculated by an optimization algorithm carried out by the control unit for dispatching an elevator to a passenger call. The allocation proposals are then processed in a routing algorithm defining one serving deck to be taken for the allocation of a specific call, which routing algorithm is restarted for any further incoming call independent of whether a further incoming call is creating new elevator allocation proposal(s) or when a reallocation timeout has passed. A computer program carrying out the method is further disclosed.

Abstract: A method for evacuating people with an elevator system. The method including identifying an evacuation mode in the elevator system; determining the amount of people in each building floor to be evacuated by a normal evacuation service of the elevator system and whether there exists at least one person to be evacuated who is entitled to a prioritized evacuation service; calculating an estimated evacuation waiting time for each floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service, wherein the calculation takes into account that the at least one person allowed to the prioritized evacuation service is evacuated first; and causing display of the estimated evacuation waiting time iii each building floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and arrangement for closing doors of an elevator that comprises at least an elevator shaft, a car running along guide rails, in the shaft and equipped with a car door, landing doors at each landing floor, a hoisting machinery, a necessary roping system and shaft equipment, and a control system for controlling the activities of the elevator. According to traffic situations controlled by the control system of the elevator the door open time of the car doors and landing doors is reduced by speeding up the closure of the doors, and at the same time the passengers are informed about the speed-up.

Abstract: An elevator control method for an elevator system including cars movable in an elevator shaft of a building the building being dividable into serving sectors each serving sector including at least one floor to be served by a car, and a recording device for recording car usage data, the recording device being dedicated to the cars, wherein the recording device forwards the car usage data to an elevator controller receiving the car usage data for creating car-logbook-data. The method of division of the serving sectors is decided on evaluation-analysis of the car-logbook-data by gathering and storing the car usage data over a period of time into a memory of the elevator controller and allocating a serving sector in dependency of the evaluation-analysis of the car usage data respectively.

Abstract: A method for controlling an elevator where an elevator is allocated for the use of a passenger in a first optimization phase in such a way that a first cost function is minimized, a second optimization phase is performed, in which the route of the allocated elevator is optimized in such a way that a second cost function is minimized.

Abstract: Radio signals are communicated on spatially separate radio paths across a doorway of an elevator. Signal strengths of the radio signals are measured and used to determine traffic served by the elevator. In this way traffic boarding and leaving the elevator may be measured when more than one unit of traffic, for example people, pass through the doorway simultaneously.

Abstract: A method for controlling an elevator group including at least a first elevator and a second elevator, wherein a counterweight balance of the first elevator differs from a counterweight balance of the second elevator, the method including: controlling the elevator group; determining threshold loads for the first and second elevator separately for up and down direction, a threshold load being dependent of the counterweight balance of the corresponding elevator, wherein the threshold load being a load for which consumed energy per up-down run is approximately zero; and controlling, when allocating an elevator in response to a destination call, route determination for the first and second elevator involves minimizing a load difference from the threshold loads.