Elevator arrangement provided with remote elevator system group controller, method and computer program product

• US 10,640,327 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Inventors: Salmikuukka, Jukka
• Primary Examiner(s): Salata, Anthony J
• Application Number:
  US15/448,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20170174470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 187247, 187380-389, 187391-394
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/2458 For elevator systems with multiple shafts and a single car per shaft
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/3415 Control system configuration and the data transmission or communication within the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/00 Aspects of control systems of elevators
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 5/0018 Devices monitoring the operating condition of the elevator system

Abstract

An elevator arrangement includes an elevator group. A connection to a remote elevator system group controller is monitored. Traffic is served by the elevator group as controlled by a local elevator system group controller, when the connection is down. Traffic is served by the elevator group as controlled by the remote elevator system group controller, when the connection is up.

Claims

1. An elevator arrangement comprising:

an elevator group; and

a local elevator system group controller for serving traffic on the basis of a local operating model and a communications unit for connecting the elevator arrangement to a remote elevator system group controller, wherein the remote elevator system group controller is provided remotely from the elevator group and is located in an external network,

wherein the local elevator system group controller is connected to the elevator group and communications unit to cause;

monitoring a connection to the remote elevator system group controller;

serving traffic by the elevator group as controlled by the local elevator system group controller, when the connection is down; and

serving traffic by the elevator group as controlled by the remote elevator system group controller, when the connection is up.

2. The elevator arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the remote elevator system group controller controls the elevator group on the basis of a remote operating model.

3. The elevator arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the remote elevator system group controller comprises a cloud computing system.

4. The elevator arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the elevator arrangement comprises sensors for obtaining data on traffic and environment of the elevator arrangement and the data from the sensors and data from external data sources from the elevator arrangement are input to the remote operating model for serving traffic as controlled by the remote operating model.

5. The elevator arrangement according to claim 4, wherein data from the sensors within the elevator arrangement is input to the local operating model for serving traffic as controlled by the local operating model.

6. The elevator arrangement according to claim 2, wherein a new local operating model is formed on the basis of the remote operating model.

7. The elevator arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the elevator arrangement comprises sensors for obtaining data on traffic and environment of the elevator arrangement, and the data is buffered when the connection to the remote elevator system group controller is down and the buffered data is sent to the remote elevator system group controller when the connection is up for forming a new local operating model or updating the remote operating model.

10. The elevator arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the remote elevator system group controller comprises a cloud computing system.

11. The elevator arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the elevator arrangement comprises sensors for obtaining data on traffic and environment of the elevator arrangement and the data from the sensors and data from external data sources from the elevator arrangement are input to the remote operating model for serving traffic as controlled by the remote operating model.

12. The elevator arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the elevator arrangement comprises sensors for obtaining data on traffic and environment of the elevator arrangement and the data from the sensors and data from external data sources from the elevator arrangement are input to the remote operating model for serving traffic as controlled by the remote operating model.

13. The elevator arrangement according to claim 10, wherein a new local operating model is formed on the basis of the remote operating model.

14. The elevator arrangement according to claim 11, wherein a new local operating model is formed on the basis of the remote operating model.

15. The elevator arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the elevator arrangement comprises sensors for obtaining data on traffic and environment of the elevator arrangement, and the data is buffered when the connection to the remote elevator system group controller is down and the buffered data is sent to the remote elevator system group controller when the connection is up for forming a new local operating model or updating the remote operating model.

16. The elevator arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the elevator arrangement comprises sensors for obtaining data on traffic and environment of the elevator arrangement, and the data is buffered when the connection to the remote elevator system group controller is down and the buffered data is sent to the remote elevator system group controller when the connection is up for forming a new local operating model or updating the remote operating model.

17. The elevator arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the elevator arrangement comprises sensors for obtaining data on traffic and environment of the elevator arrangement, and the data is buffered when the connection to the remote elevator system group controller is down and the buffered data is sent to the remote elevator system group controller when the connection is up for forming a new local operating model or updating the remote operating model.

18. The elevator arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the elevator arrangement comprises sensors for obtaining data on traffic and environment of the elevator arrangement, and the data is buffered when the connection to the remote elevator system group controller is down and the buffered data is sent to the remote elevator system group controller when the connection is up for forming a new local operating model or updating the remote operating model.

19. The elevator arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the elevator arrangement comprises sensors for obtaining data on traffic and environment of the elevator arrangement, and the data is buffered when the connection to the remote elevator system group controller is down and the buffered data is sent to the remote elevator system group controller when the connection is up for forming a new local operating model or updating the remote operating model.

8. A method for an elevator arrangement comprising an elevator group, comprising the steps of:

monitoring a connection to a remote elevator system group controller;

serving traffic by the elevator group as controlled by a local elevator system group controller, when the connection is down; and

serving traffic by the elevator group as controlled by the remote elevator system group controller, when the connection is up.

9. A computer program product for a computer embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising software code portions that when run on a computer causes execution of a method comprising the steps of:

monitoring a connection to a remote elevator system group controller;

serving traffic by the elevator group as controlled by a local elevator system group controller, when the connection is down; and

serving traffic by the elevator group as controlled by the remote elevator system group controller, when the connection is up.