Abstract:
An elevator installation has a vertical elevator hoistway and a plurality of elevator cars individually movable therein. An elevator control system readies at least two of the elevator cars in the hoistway in an area of two mutually adjacent entrance areas. Thus, simultaneous loading/unloading of the elevator cars via the entrance areas is possible. The two elevator cars then travel to destination floors, the first elevator car traveling a distance which is at least as great as that traveled by the second elevator car.
Abstract:
An elevator system for a multistory structure having a plurality of elevator shafts is shown which includes at least one independently movable elevator car in each elevator shaft. A digital computer with memory is used to control elevator cars including the dispatch of cars from terminal floors. A daily control parameter table in memory identifies a plurality of different methods of scheduling dispatch of elevator cars from terminal floors, groups of floors to be serviced by each elevator car, and cars in a shaft to be coupled for tandem operation. The memory is periodically read for selecting for each elevator car one of said methods of scheduling dispatch and for identifying the group of floors to be serviced by the cars. The selected method of scheduling the dispatch of cars is implemented and cars are limited to servicing the selected group of floors. One method of scheduling dispatch includes obtaining a measure of estimated passenger demand for travel in one direction that is incapable of being met by cars currently in service. A passenger loading threshold limit for travel in the one direction is selected which may range from zero to maximum capacity of the elevator car to be dispatched. When the measure of estimated passenger demand for travel in the one direction that is incapable of being met by cars currently in service equals the passenger loading threshold limit a car dispatch signal is issued for dispatch of a car from the terminal floor. Where a plurality of independently-operated cars are included in a hoistway, operation in either a coupled or decoupled manner is provided.
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:
An elevator arrangement includes a plurality of elevators in a building, which plurality includes a plurality of zoned elevators moving in an elevator hoistway, which have different ranges of movement of the elevator car in the building to each other, and which zoned elevators each have a top limit and a bottom limit of the range of movement of the elevator car, to above the top limit and to below the bottom limit of which range of movement travel of the elevator car of the zoned elevator in question is prevented. The vertical location, in relation to the building, of the top limit and/or bottom limit of the range of movement of the elevator car of each aforementioned zoned elevator can be changed. The arrangement also comprises a lobby elevator, the range of movement of the elevator car of which differs from the ranges of movement of the elevator cars of the aforementioned zoned elevators, and the stopping floors of the lobby elevator comprise a plurality of lobby floors, each of which is a stopping floor of one or more zoned elevators belonging to the aforementioned zoned elevator plurality. A method is provided for re-adjusting the elevator arrangement, wherein the range of movement of the elevator car of the zoned elevator in question is changed to reach to a different height in the elevator hoistway by changing the vertical location in relation to the building of the top limit and/or the bottom limit of the range of movement of the elevator car of the zoned elevator in question.
Abstract:
A method for controlling car separation in a multi-car elevator system, the method including: initiating, by a controller, a change in a profile of a target elevator car; determining that N elevators cars are affected by the change in the profile of the target elevator car, wherein elevator car N is an elevator car farthest from the target elevator car; calculating for each of the N elevator cars an updated profile; for each of the N elevator cars, beginning with the Nth elevator car and ending with the target elevator car, performing: determining if the updated profile for the elevator car will provide separation between the elevator car and a neighboring elevator car; and when the updated profile for the elevator car will provide separation between the elevator car and the neighboring elevator car, executing an elevator car profile update process for the elevator car.
Abstract:
An elevator system is a one-shaft double-car elevator system and includes a floor-recognition abnormality detector to detect, with respect to one of the cars, a floor recognition abnormality that at least one of a car position and floor information cannot be normally recognized, a terminal-floor driving mechanism to make, on the basis of a notification of floor-recognition abnormality information detected by the floor-recognition abnormality detector, the other one of the cars travel to a terminal floor in a direction opposite to a direction toward the one of the cars, and a floor-recognition-abnormality correcting-operation mechanism to perform, on the basis of terminal-floor traveling information from the terminal-floor driving mechanism, a floor-recognition-abnormality correcting-operation to correct the floor recognition abnormality of the one of the cars; therefore, an operation to recover from the abnormality can be safely performed without collision of the cars.
Abstract:
An elevator system includes a car, configured to travel through a hoistway; a first stationary drive unit, con figured to be mounted in a hoistway, a first movable drive unit, configured to be functionally coupled to the car and toDrive the first stationary drive unit, and a second movable drive unit, configured to be functionally coupled to the car and to the first stationary drive unit.
Abstract:
An elevator installation has a vertical elevator hoistway and a plurality of elevator cars individually movable therein. An elevator control system readies at least two of the elevator cars in the hoistway in an area of two mutually adjacent entrance areas. Thus, simultaneous loading/unloading of the elevator cars via the entrance areas is possible. The two elevator cars then travel to destination floors, the first elevator car traveling a distance which is at least as great as that traveled by the second elevator car.
Abstract:
An elevator installation and a method of operating the elevator installation with a shaft, in which at least a first elevator car and second elevator car are separately movable upwardly and downwardly for serving destination calls includes a control device, which determines a suitable one of the elevator cars for serving the destination calls. The first elevator car is moved either synchronously in time with the second elevator car, or displaced in time relative to the second elevator car, in dependence on at least one operating parameter, but still within the time duration of a journey of the second elevator car.