Control system for group-controlled elevators

• US 20020112923A1
• Filed: 01/29/2002
• Published: 08/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Elevator Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Elevator Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Nakai, Shoji
• Granted Patent: US 6,708,801 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 187/283
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/34 Details , e.g. call counting devices, data transmission from car to control system, devices giving information to the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/3415 Control system configuration and the data transmission or communication within the control system

Abstract

There is provided a group controlled elevator control system capable of easily forming a reliable group control system by connecting platform call input/output units and operation control units for each floor to each other by means of a transmission line of one system every one-car system.

At least platform call input/output units 3a through 3c and operation control units 2a through 2c are connected to each other via transmission lines 11a through 11c every elevator, and all of the operation control units 2a through 2c and a group control unit 1 are connected to each other via a transmission line 19, so that the platform call input/output units 3a through 3c are disconnected from the group control unit 1.

Claims

1. A group controlled elevator control system for controlling a plurality of elevators by assigning the optimum elevator to a registered platform call, said system comprising:

a plurality of platform call input/output units, each of which controls the input/output of a platform call on each floor;

a group control unit configured to assigning the optimum elevator to a platform call registered therein;

a plurality of operation control units, each of which is provided in each of the elevators, configured to controlling the operation of a corresponding one of the elevators in response to at least an assignment control signal for said platform call; and

a transmission line system configured to connecting said platform call input/output units, said operation control units and said group control system to each other, said transmission lime system connecting at least said platform call input/output units and operation control units each other by every one of said elevators, and all of said operation control units being connected to said group control unit via said transmission line, so that said platform call input/output units are disconnected from said group control unit.

2. A group controlled elevator control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said group controlled elevator control system is provided with a distributed control system in stead of the group control unit so that the operation control units serves transmitting signals each other and assigning the optimum elevator to a registered platform call.

3. A group controlled elevator control system as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein said group control unit comprises:

means configured to deciding permission to register said platform call on the basis of predetermined information concerning such as non-stopping floor information; and

a transmission unit configured to periodically transmitting a decided platform call registration permission signal to all of said operation control units, and

each of said operation control units comprises;

a transmission unit configured to receiving said platform call signal, which is inputted to said platform input unit provided on each floor, via said transmission line and for transmitting said plat form input signal to other operation control units and said group control system by a simultaneous multiple address; and

control means configured to lighting lamps of platform call buttons on the same floor.

4. A group controlled elevator control system as set forth in claim 1 or 2, which further comprises failure detecting means configured to monitoring the status of transmission between said group control unit and a corresponding one of said operation control units to detect a failure therein,

wherein said failure detecting means responds directly to said platform call registered by said platform call input unit, with a response being suspended to said assignment control signal, when a failure is detected.

5. A group controlled elevator control system as set forth in claim 1 or 2, wherein each of said operation control units comprises:

arithmetic means configured to calculating a transmission time in which a data is transmitted from one of said operation control units to another control unit when said data is received and transmitted between said plurality of operation control units; and

means configured to delaying the output of a lighting signal for said lamps of said platform call buttons by said transmission time which is calculated by said arithmetic means.

6. A group controlled elevator control unit as set forth in claim 1 or 1, wherein each of said operation control units includes means configured to outputting a door opening signal for controlling the opening of a door by a corresponding one of said operation control units without transmitting said platform call input signal to other operation control units and said group control system, when said platform call button connected to the corresponding one of said operation control units having responded to said platform call when said door which is open in response to at least said platform call intends to be closed.

7. A group control elevator control system as set forth in claim 4, which further comprises a second transmission line for connecting said plurality of operation control units to each other in addition to a first transmission line for connecting said group control unit to said operation control units,

wherein when said failure detecting means detects a transmitting failure between the group control system and the operation control units or between each of the operation control units and, said group control unit stops receiving a platform call input signal from said first transmission line, and uses said platform call input signal transmitted from said second transmission line to carry out assignment.

8. A group controlled elevator control system as set forth in claim 7, wherein at least adjacent two of said plurality of platform call input/output units on the same floor are connected to each other as a pair via a back-up transmission line.