Elevator group and method for controlling an elevator group

• US 20080041666A1
• Filed: 08/27/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Inventors: Sorsa, Janne, Siikonen, Marja-Liisa, Aulanko, Esko
• Granted Patent: US 7,559,407 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 187/247
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/18 with means for storing pulses controlling the movements of several cars or cages B66B1/2458 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 11/007 for counterweightless elevators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 50/00 Energy efficient technologies in elevators, escalators and moving walkways, e.g. energy saving or recuperation technologies

Abstract

A set of elevators, e.g. an elevator group, is connected to a common power supply. The elevators are controlled by a common control system so that an elevator car having stopped is prevented from being dispatched in the up direction if, of the elevator cars of the elevators connected to the common power supply, more cars are moving upwards than are moving downwards.

Claims

1. A set of elevators, preferably an elevator group, comprising a number of elevators without counterweight which have a common connection to a power supply, wherein in that the elevators have a common control system which contains an instruction to prevent an elevator having stopped at a floor from being dispatched upwards if, of the elevator cars of the other elevators connected to the same power supply, more cars are moving upwards than are moving downwards at the instant and/or within a set period of time.

2. An elevator group according to claim 1, wherein in that the set of elevators is an elevator group and the common control system is a group control system.

3. An elevator group according to claim 1, wherein in that the group comprises at least three elevators having a common power supply.

4. An elevator group according to claim 1, wherein in that all the elevators in the set are elevators without counterweight.

5. An elevator group according to claim 1, wherein in that the common control system contains an instruction to dispatch a vacant elevator car downwards in a situation where there are more elevator cars moving upwards than there are elevator cars moving downwards and otherwise no elevator cars are departing in the down direction at the instant.

6. A method for controlling a set of elevators without counterweight connected to a common power supply, wherein in that monitoring is performed to establish whether, at the instant and/or within a set period of time, the number of upwards moving elevator cars of the elevators in the set is larger than the number of downwards moving elevator cars of the elevators in the set, and that, when the number of elevator cars moving upwards is larger than the number of elevator cars moving downwards, an elevator having stopped at a floor is prevented from being immediately dispatched in the upward direction.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein in that simultaneous dispatch of a plurality of elevator cars in the same direction is prevented and the next elevator is only dispatched in the same direction after a set period of time, preferably at least about one second has elapsed.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein in that the departure of the next elevator car is delayed by a time proportional to the acceleration of the elevator car to full speed.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein in that, in a situation where at least two more elevator cars are moving in one direction than in the other direction, more frequent dispatch of elevator cars in this other direction than at intervals of the set period of time is temporarily allowed.

10. A method according to claim 6, wherein in that the dispatch of an elevator car to be dispatched in the upward direction is delayed until the number of downwards moving elevator cars is at least equal to the number of upwards moving elevator cars of the elevators connected to the common power supply.

11. A set of elevators, preferably an elevator group, comprising a number of elevators without counterweight having a common connection to a power supply, wherein in that the elevators have a common control system which contains an instruction to prevent and/or delay the dispatch of an elevator car having stopped at a floor and/or to command the elevator to be driven with reduced acceleration if at the instant and/or within a set period of time the power consumed from the electric network or fed into the electric network by the set of elevators together exceeds a set value.

12. A method for controlling a set of elevators without counterweight connected to a common power supply, wherein in that an examination is performed to determine whether at the instant and/or within a set period of time the power consumed from the electric network or fed into the electric network by the set of elevators together exceeds a set value, and if this is the case, then the departure of the next elevator car to be dispatched is prevented or delayed or this elevator car is dispatched with a reduced acceleration.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein in that the final speed of the elevator car to be dispatched is limited.