Abstract:
An elevator system containing a group of elevator cars ( 1-4 ) and a group controller ( 32 ) having signal processing means ( CPU ) for controlling the dispatching of the cars from a main floor or lobby ( L ) in relation to different group parameters. During up-peak conditions, each car is dispatched from the main floor to an individual plurality of contiguous floors, defining a "sector" ( SN ). Sectors are contiguous, and the number of sectors may be less than the number of cars, and a floor can be assigned to more than one sector. Floors that constitute a sector assigned exclusively to a car are displayed on an indicator ( SI ) at the lobby. Cars are selected for assignment by grouping floors into sectors and appropriately selecting sectors, so that each elevator car handles more or less an equal predicted traffic volume during varying traffic conditions, resulting in the queue length and waiting time at the lobby being decreased, and the handling capacity of the elevator system increased. Estimation of future traffic flow levels for the various floors for, for example, each five (5) minute interval, are made using traffic levels measured during the past few time intervals on the given day as real time predictors, using a linear exponential smoothing model, and traffic levels measured during similar time intervals on previous days as historic traffic predictors, using a single exponential smoothing model. the combined estimated traffic is then used to group floors into sectors ideally having at least nearly equal traffic volume for each time interval.
Abstract:
An elevator system contains a group of elevator cars (2). A group controller (32) contains signal processing means for controlling the dispatching of the cars from a main floor. During up-peak conditions, each car is dispatched from the main floor to a "sector" of contiguous floors. Sectors are contiguous. Floors that constitute a sector are assigned exclusively to a car and are displayed on an indicator (SI) at the lobby. Sectors are selected for assignment according a preset order. Cars are selected for assignment to a selected sector according to a preset order. If no car calls are made to the floors in the assigned sector, the next sector is selected along with the next car. When an up hall call is made during the up peak period, the car that is most able to serve the call is selected from those cars assigned to a sector in the upper 2/3 of the building. Cars serving floors in the lower 1/3 of the building are never assigned to up hall calls during the up peak period.
Abstract:
The present invention is directed to an elevator dispatching system for controlling the assignment of elevator cars. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method of determining the commencement and/or conclusion of UP-PEAK and DOWN-PEAK periods of operation. For example, for commencing UP-PEAK operation, a lobby boarding count is predicted, based on historical information of the number of passengers boarding the elevators at the lobby. The predicted lobby boarding count is compared with a predetermined threshold value. If the predicted lobby boarding count is greater than the predetermined threshold value, UP-PEAK is commenced. In the preferred embodiment, the predetermined threshold value is a predetermined percentage of the building's population. Additionally, the present invention is directed to a method of adjusting the threshold value based on actual passenger traffic. For example, once UP-PEAK is commenced, the load of the first few elevators leaving the lobby within a predetermined time interval is determined, and the threshold value is adjusted based on their predetermined load. If the determined load is greater than a certain percentage of the elevator car's capacity, indicative of starting UP-PEAK too late, the threshold value is decreased. Similarly, if the determined load is less than a certain percentage of the elevator car's capacity, indicatve of starting UP-PEAK too soon, the threshold value is increased.
Abstract:
An elevator control system employing a micro-processor-based group controller, which communicates with the cars of the system to determine the conditions of the cars, and responds to hall calls registered at a plurality of landings in the building serviced by the cars under control of the group controller, assigning hall calls to cars based on the weighted summation for each car, relative to each call, of a plurality of system response factors, some indicative, and some not, of conditions of the car irrespective of the call being assigned, assigning varying "bonuses" and "penalties" to them in the weighted summation. "Artificial intelligence" techniques are used to predict traffic levels and any crowd build up at various floors to better assign one or more cars to the "crowd" predicted floors, either parking them there, if they were empty, or more appropriately assigning car(s) to the hall calls. Traffic levels at various floors are predicted by collecting passenger and car stop counts in real time and using real time and historic prediction for the traffic levels, with single exponential smoothing and/or linear exponential smoothing. Predicted passenger arrival counts are used to predict any crowd at fifteen second intervals at floors where significant traffic is predicted. Crowd prediction is then adjusted for any hall call stops made and the number of passengers picked up by the cars. The crowd dynamics are matched to car assignment, with one or more cars being sent to crowded floor(s).
Abstract:
The present invention is directed to determining the frequency of elevator cars to each sector in a building divided into sectors. According to the invention, historical information regarding the number of passengers arriving at each floor is obtained and used to predict the number of passengers to be arriving at each of the floors. By summing the predicted traffic per floor and dividing by the number of sectors to be formed, average traffic per sector can be determined. Traffic volume for each formed sector is compared with the determined average traffic per sector. The frequency of service of elevator cars to each sector is variable, based on this comparison. Thus, sectors having a larger traffic volume are serviced more often, relative to sectors having a smaller traffic volume.