Abstract:
An elevator system is shown that includes an elevator shaft (12) in building (10) and a plurality of elevator cars (C.sub.1, C.sub.2 and C.sub.3) that are movable up and down within the shaft along vertical axis (20). The elevator cars are independently movable by drive motors (D.sub.1, D.sub.2 and D.sub.3) attached to the cars through hoisting cables (24, 28 and 34). The motors are controlled by motor controllers (MC.sub.1, MC.sub.2 and MC.sub.3) which, in turn are controlled by a computer (62) having as inputs service and destination requests, load weight and car location. Different operating modes are shown (FIGS. 5-8) including one in which serviced floors (F.sub.1 through F.sub.16) are serviced by no more than one elevator car at a time, and the cars travel sequentially from one end floor to the other end floor (FIGS. 5 and 6). Simultaneous servicing of a plurality of different floors is shown (FIGS. 7 and 8) and travel of empty elevator cars to a designated floor without responding to floor calls also is shown (FIGS. 6 and 8). Counterweights (CW.sub.1, CW.sub.2 and CW.sub.3) are attached by cables to the respective elevator cars (C.sub.1, C.sub.2 and C.sub.3), which counterweights travel along a vertical axis (38) laterally displaced from the elevator car axis (20). Shock absorbers (54) are provided for absorbing impact of accidental collision between adjacent counterweights (FIG. 3 ) which shock absorbers include coil springs (58) and dashpots (60).
Abstract:
The present invention discloses a method and a system for modernizing at least one elevator group, which comprises a plurality of elevators, a group control that controls the elevator group as well as call-giving appliances connected to the group control via the landing appliance bus. According to the solution a new group control, new call-giving appliances for the floor levels and also a new landing call bus are installed in the elevator group; a new group control is connected to the pushbutton interface of the old call-giving appliances for transmitting calls given by passengers from the new group control to the old group control. The elevator calls given by passengers are divided between the modernized subgroup and at least one unmodernized subgroup on the basis of the given selection criterion, and a call addressed to the modernized subgroup is allocated in the new group control to the modernized elevators or a call addressed to the unmodernized subgroup is transmitted via the pushbutton interface to the unmodernized subgroup.
Abstract:
Method for operating a lift unit (10), comprising an upper lift cabin (DU) and a lower lift cabin (LU), arranged in the same lift shaft (11). The lift unit (10) can be operated in a normal mode and in a substitute mode. In the normal mode, the lower lift cabin (LU) is prepare for the passengers who have given a signal that they would like to go to lowest floor (13.1), by means of a destination call (Z.1). For example, in the downwards substitute mode the upper lift cabin (DU) is made available for passengers who would like to go to the lowest floor (13.1). These passengers are then transported in the upper lift cabin (DU) and only during the transportation of the passengers are the passengers told that the lift cabin (DU) is actually arriving at a floor (13.2 to 13.n-1) above the lowest floor (13.1).
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method for controlling an elevator system comprising at least one shaft (12,14) and several elevator cars. At least two elevator cars can travel upwards and downwards along a common travel path in a separate manner and a passenger can input a destination request by means of an input unit (77). The destination request is allocated to an elevator car according to an evaluation of said allocation. The aim of the invention is to develop the above method in such a way that transport capacity can be increased, causing minimum reciprocal disruption to the elevator cars travelling along a common travel path. According to the invention, when a destination request is allocated to one of the elevator cars (21,22) traveling along the common travel path, the section of the travel path section required to serve the travel request is allocated to said elevator car and allocation of the other elevator car is blocked during said period.
Abstract:
A rule base in which control rule sets are stored is created. By applying a rule set in the rule base to the current traffic, the elevator cars are operated, and the behavior of each car is simulated in real time by scan assignment till reverse. Thus, a group control performance when the rule set is applied is predicted. According to the results of the performance prediction, an optimum rule set is selected. In such a way, real time simulation is made during group control, and accordingly group control of elevator cars is effected by applying an optimum rule set at all times, thus providing favorable service.
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, and a dual lobby routine stored within the memory. The dual lobby routine includes instructions for dispatching (125) at least one of the elevator cars to a lower lobby during up-peak, indicating (130) a sector assigned to the car, nudging (150) (if needed) the car if a lower lobby time-out is exceeded (135,145), dispatching the car to the upper lobby if a load weight threshold is not exceeded (155), and then indicating the sector assigned to the car while the car is located at the upper lobby.