Abstract: A method of improving the landing of a hydraulic elevator car which responds to slowdown and leveling indicia associated with each floor of a building served by the car. The method, which utilizes signals which are already generated relative to the car traveling past slowdown and leveling indicia, provides an optimum deceleration time TOPT for the car to initiate deceleration and arrive at a leveling zone of a target floor, defined by leveling indicia. The method further delays the initiation of deceleration of the car, after the car reaches slowdown indicia for the target floor, by a predetermined time delay Td. The method determines the actual time TACT for the car to travel between slowdown and leveling indicia for the target floor, and then changes Td, if necessary, in a direction which tends to optimize Td, when TACT - Td is not equal to TOPT.

Abstract: A hydraulic elevator system 10 having an elevator car 12 in which car velocity V and car position L are determined by detecting the quantity Q of hydraulic fluid transferred between a hydraulic cylinder and a hydraulic fluid reservoir. The car velocity V is directly proportional to Q and the car position L is directly proportional to the integral of Q. The car velocity V, or quantity Q, is compared with a desired velocity pattern, or desired flow rate pattern, PG, and the difference is a control signal C which is used to control the quantity Q. The car position L may also be used to determine the distance-to-go to a target floor, which may be used to initiate slowdown and/or to calculate all, or selected portions of, the desired pattern PG.

Abstract: An elevator control system with a local area network on the traveling cable and distributed control circuit safeguard for loss of remote microprocessor control with a car door open when floor releveling distance exceeds the landing zone limit. The elevator control circuit is interactive with the car driving apparatus and with the car door circuit so that when the driving apparatus for the car is leveling the car for passenger load weight gain or loss, the car door is signaled to remain open in the zone of the target floor so long as the distance that the car moves is within the elevator safety code requirements. A time delay relay interfaced with an output channel circuit of the microprocessor times out to stop car driving apparatus if the distance limit is exceeded.

Abstract: An elevator dispatching method which estimates the time of arrival (ETA) of each car at the floor of a hall call to be assigned. A building profile of average door cycle times per floor, over predetermined periods of the day, is tabulated and used in the ETA calculations, to provide more accurate ETA values and thus a lower average call waiting time.

Abstract: An elevator control system and method for efficient failure control of block operation with a local area network on the traveling cable and distributed electronic control circuits in the car and proximate to the respective floors with a remote microprocessor controller for each car. A local area network also provides communication with the corridor fixtures in a serial signal format of input and output signals. Each remote controller includes a microprocessor based computer circuit which normally communicates over a multicar-link with the other and also over the local area networks for car and hall calls. Each controller implements an adaptive time based block operation with the total building being serviced, despite partial or total failure of communication between the controllers and the corridor fixtures, which would otherwise degrade the bank operation sooner and more restrictively.

Abstract: An elevator control system and method for efficient failure control with a local area network on the traveling cable and distributed electronic control circuits in the car and proximate to the respective floors with a remote microprocessor controller for each car. A local area network communicates with the corridor fixtures in a serial signal format of input and output signals. Each remote controller includes a microprocessor based computer circuit which communicates over a multicar-link with the other and also over the local area networks for car and hall calls to implement an expanded control strategy with interactive program modes with least restrictive capability. This program interacts with programs for floor control strategy and bank control strategy for the elevator system to select the best car and the most efficient operation, despite failures which would otherwise degrade the bank operation sooner and more restrictively.

Abstract: An elevator control system and method with a local area network on the traveling cable and distributed electronic control circuits in the car and proximate to the respective floors with a remote microprocessor controller for each car. A local area network communicates with the corridor fixtures in a serial signal format of input and output signals. Each remote controller includes a microprocessor based computer circuit which communicates over a multicar-link with the other and also over the local area networks for car and hall calls to implement a floor control strategy and bank control strategy for the elevator system to select the best car and the most efficient operation despite failures.