Abstract: A conveyor passenger interface system includes a passenger reception area (10) having a mechanism (14) for receiving a voice request from a passenger. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the voice request receiving mechanism (14) is a sound dome. The system further includes a device (18) responsive to the voice request for identifying a conveyor for transporting the passenger to a desired location and for identifying the conveyor to the passenger. The system of the present invention has utility in elevator systems as well as other transportation systems.

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: In down peak, floors of the building are divided into sectors (38), empty cars (50) are assigned (63, 64) to the sector and assigned (65) the highest down call in the sector provided the highest down call is above the committable floor of any car already assigned in the sector, or there is no car assigned in the sector. If a car is not full (52), it will be assigned additional calls (56). If there are no calls in the sector below a car sector which is not full, a long calls routine (67) determines if there is a down call (75), that is in danger of becoming a long-waiting call, ahead of a car (69) and if so, assigns that call to the car (76).

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: Instantaneous car assignment is combined with sectoring for providing an elevator dispatching scheme in which, in response to a hall call registered at the lobby, a car not assigned to a sector and having the lowest remaining response time of all such cars is assigned to the next available sector and the sector assignment is displayed to passengers immediately on a screen in the lobby.

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: 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: A method for controlling the dispatching of elevator cars, and apparatus for accomplishing the method. The method includes the steps of (a) receiving a hall call from a floor landing; (b) determining a current passenger load of an elevator car; (c) determining if a crowd signal is generated for the floor landing; and, if it is determined that a crowd signal is generated for the floor landing, (d) determining, from the current passenger load, if the elevator car is EMPTY. If it is determined that the elevator car is EMPTY, the method further includes the steps of (e) assigning an Empty Car Bonus to the elevator car; and (f) employing the Empty Car Bonus value in determining a Relative System Response for the elevator car. The Relative System Response is a function of a plurality of bonuses and penalties.

Abstract: Method and apparatus is disclosed for operating an elevator system that includes a group of elevator cars servicing a plurality of floor landings divided into Sectors. The method includes the steps of, with a controller associated with each elevator car of the group, (a) determining when the elevator car has reached a Turn Around Point for returning the elevator car to a lobby; (b) initiating travel to the lobby; and (c) determining when the elevator car has reached a predetermined Sector Assignment Fixation Point. After reaching the predetermined Sector Assignment Fixation Point, the method further includes the steps of (d) communicating Sector-related information with other controller of other elevator cars of the group; and (e) based upon the communication, assigning to the elevator car a next Sector to be serviced after arrival at the lobby. A round-robin arbitration technique is disclosed for assigning Sectors among the elevator cars.

Abstract: An elevator system (FIG. 1) employing a microprocessor-based group controller (FIG. 2) communicating with elevator cars (3, 4, . . . ) to affect the assignment of cars to hall calls at a plurality of floors in the building, using different, speedier car motion profiles and system motion parameters when the presence of a passenger crowd is predicted (FIGS. 3-5). When a large passenger crowd presence is predicted, each of the assigned car(s) going to the relevant floor(s) is given a higher jerk and acceleration and deceleration rates for improved service time and decreased waiting time. (See FIG. 5.) When such a passenger crowd presence is no longer predicted (crowd signal reset), the car reverts back to a profile with a lower jerk and acceleration and deceleration rates for enhanced passenger comfort. The prediction methodology used for the predicted presence of a crowd utilizes "artificial intelligence" logic.

Abstract: An elevator system (FIG. 1) employing a microprocessor-based group controller (FIG. 2) communicating with elevator cars (3,4, . . . ) to affect the assignment of cars to hall calls at a plurality of floors in the building, using different, speedier car motion profiles and system motion parameters when the average waiting time is increasing beyond an acceptable delta (.DELTA.) [e.g. .+-.15% or .+-.5 sec.] or exceeds a specific pre-set limit (e.g. thirty-five seconds), indicating high traffic intensity (FIG. 3). This causes each of the assigned car(s) going to the relevant floor(s) to be given a higher jerk rate and acceleration & deceleration rates for reduced waiting time and improved service time. When relatively high intensity traffic conditions are no longer present, the relevant cars are changed back to a profile with a lower jerk rate and acceleration & deceleration rates for enhanced passenger comfort.

Abstract: Elevator door dwell time is varied as a function of arrival time so that a show-and-go time is met. The show-and-go time is the time from when the passengers are shown which elevator to board to the time when the elevator door is ready to close after the pasengers have entered the elevator. The arrival time is a function of the distance of the elevator from the floor of the hall call signal and is the time remaining after an elevator reaches a stop control point where a hall call assignment is fixed to a car until the door of said elevator begins to open. Door opening time, door dwell time, and arrival time are subtracted from a show-and-go time. If the difference is greater than or equal to zero, the door dwell time is increased by the difference, but if the difference is less than zero the door dwell time is decreased by the difference, and the doors are then held open at a landing for the door dwell time.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to notifying a user of an arriving elevator car in response to a hall call registered by the user, wherein notification occurs a threshold time value before elevator car arrival. In the preferred embodiment, an elevator car is assigned to a floor in response to a hall call. The amount of time required for the assigned elevator car to arrive at the floor is determined and compared with the threshold time value. If the arrival time is greater than the threshold time value, the system reexamines assignment, possibly reassigning a different elevator car to respond to the hall call. The arrival time of the assigned (or newly assigned) elevator car is again determined, and this process continues until the arrival time is less than or equal to the threshold time value. When the arrival time is less than or equal to the threshold time value, the hall lantern at the door of the assigned elevator car is energized, e.g., illuminated and/or sounded.

Abstract: Disclosed are me and apparatus for establishing a Door Dwell Time for an elevator car. The method includes the steps of (a) accumulating, over a first interval of time, a total amount of time that expires between a time when a hall call is received to when an elevator door of the elevator car opens in response to the hall call; and, at the end of the interval of time, (b) determining an Average Waiting Time (AWT) by dividing the total amount of time by a number of hall calls that occurred during the first interval of time. The method further includes the steps of (c) comparing the AWT to a first AWT threshold value; and, if the AWT exceeds the first AWT threshold value, (d) decreasing the elevator car Door Dwell Time (DDT) by a time increment so as to obtain a revised DDT for use during a second time interval.

Abstract: During up-peak, a dispatcher selecting method chooses among three dispatching algorithms: (i) an up-peak sectoring scheme triggered when two cars leave the lobby fully loaded, (ii) static sectoring, and (iii) dynamic sectoring, in response to any of three criteria: car load, floor population, and average waiting time, allowing a group of elevators to be operated under any three of the dispatching algorithms, not locked into any two.

Abstract: A method of operating an elevator system includes the steps of specifying and storing at least one profile describing at least one elevator operational characteristic, including an elevator security function specifying a landing or landings for which hall calls are not to be responded to and a landing or landings for which car calls are not to be responded to. The profile has a start time, an end time, and a day or days of the week specified therefor during which time the profile is to be activated. A next step repetitively determines a current time and a current day of the week and compares the current time and current day of the week to the specified start time, end time, and day or days of the week associated with the at least one stored profile. Responsive to an equality condition, the method includes a further step of transmitting information to a controller of at least one elevator car within a group of elevator cars.