INTELLIGENT DESTINATION ELEVATOR CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20090050417A1
• Filed: 08/19/2008
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pieter J De Groot
• Original Assignee: Pieter J De Groot
• Inventors: de Groot, Pieter J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,151,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 187/387
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/2458 For elevator systems with multiple shafts and a single car per shaft
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/103 Destination call input before entering the elevator car
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/211 Waiting time, i.e. response time
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/212 Travel time
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/213 where the number of stops is limited
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/214 Total time, i.e. arrival time
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/222 Taking into account the number of passengers present in the elevator car to be allocated
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/225 Taking into account a certain departure interval of elevator cars from a specific floor, e.g. the ground floor
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/232 where the time needed for a passenger to arrive at the allocated elevator car from where the call is made is taken into account
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/402 by historical, statistical or predicted traffic data, e.g. by learning
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/403 by real-time traffic data

Abstract

An intelligent destination elevator control system streamlines the efficiency and control of destination elevators. The system monitors a building'"'"'s population and predicts elevator traffic conditions. The system may monitor attributes of the destination elevators. Based on the monitored data, the system may generate a data structure that renders time-tables and target elevator service quality parameters that may control the destination elevators. A time-table and target elevator service quality parameters may be selected to control destination elevators according to one or more customer selectable mode of operation parameters. The data structure may be processed to control UP and/or DOWN transportation capacities of the destination elevators while satisfying the one or more customer selectable mode of operation parameters.

Some intelligent destination elevator control systems may control when elevator cars of a group service the floors of a building. Control of the elevator cars may be flexible to allow the system to increase or decrease traffic capacities of the elevator cars in accordance with anticipated traffic conditions.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method that facilitates operation of a group of destination elevators, comprising:

retaining a data structure in a data warehouse that represents modes of operations of a group of destination elevators that satisfy predetermined traffic conditions;

identifying a subset of modes of car operations from the data warehouse based on a first selected mode of operation parameter; and

selecting a mode of car operation from the data structure that satisfies a second selected mode of operation parameter.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising controlling the group of destination elevators according to a target elevator service quality parameter that is associated with the first selected mode of operation parameter and the second selected mode of operation parameter.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising updating the target service quality parameters associated with the selected mode of car operation based on measured destination elevator attributes, the updated service quality parameters being retained with the data structure.

4. The method of claim 3 where the measured destination elevator attributes comprise data measured over a period of fixed time interval.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning passengers to an elevator car based on a predetermined pattern of floors that the elevator car services.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising assigning passengers to an elevator car until a maximum number of destinations provided by the selected mode of car operation is reached.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising assigning passengers to an elevator car until a maximum number of additional stops on a downward trip is reached, the maximum number being defined by the selected mode of car operation.

8. The method of claim 1 where the first mode of operation parameter comprises an UP peak transport capacity.

9. The method of claim 1 where the UP peak transport capacity comprises a percentage of a population distributed by the group of elevators in a predetermined time period.

10. A computer implemented method that facilitates the operation of a group of destination elevators, comprising:

measuring a traffic condition of a group of destination elevators through a plurality of electronic sensors; and

controlling UP and DOWN transportation capacities and a plurality of elevator service quality parameters of the group of destination elevators that satisfy the measured traffic condition,

where the plurality of service quality parameters are retained in an elevator data warehouse that identifies modes of car operations for the group of destination elevators.

11. The method of claim 10 where the act of controlling the plurality of the elevator service quality parameters comprises selecting from the plurality of elevator service quality parameters a maximum number of permitted destinations during an UP elevator trip.

12. The method of claim 11 where the act of controlling the plurality of the elevator service quality parameters further comprises selecting from the plurality of elevator service quality parameters a maximum number of additional stops for a DOWN elevator trip.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising setting a roundtrip time period of a next departing elevator car based on the selected plurality of elevator service quality parameters.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising adjusting elevator operational parameters of the next departing elevator car to substantially realize the roundtrip time period.

15. A system that controls a group of destination elevators, comprising:

a group of destination elevators; and

a processor that controls the group of destination elevators according to a first mode of operation or a second mode of operation,

where the first mode of operation comprises the processor assigning passengers to an elevator car of the group of destination elevators based on a first-come first-served method, and the second mode of operation comprises the processor assigning passengers to an elevator car of the group of destination elevators based on a direct trip pattern method.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising a data warehouse in communication with the processor, the data warehouse being configured to retain attributes of the group of destination elevators.

17. The system of claim 16 where the processor detects the first mode of operation or the second mode of operation based on attributes retrieved from the data warehouse corresponding to a mode of operation parameter.

18. The system of claim 17 where the mode of operation parameter comprises a traffic density.

19. The system of claim 16 further comprising a sensor that senses elevator movement data representing a movement of the group of elevators.

20. The system of claim 19 where the processor is programmed to update the attributes of the group of destination elevators retained in the data warehouse based on the sensed elevator movement data.