Method for controlling the elevators in an elevator bank in a building divided into zones

• US 6,991,068 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2004
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Inventors: Siikonen, Marja-Liisa, Selin, Kimmo, De Jong, Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): SALATA, ANTHONY J
• Application Number:
  US10/990,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20050109562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 439 Days
• Field of Search: 187/247, 187/248, 187280-289, 187380-389
• US Class Current: 187/383
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/2408 where the allocation of a call to an elevator car is of importance, i.e. by means of a supervisory or group controller
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/103 Destination call input before entering the elevator car
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/302 with variable boundaries

Abstract

Method for controlling the elevators in an elevator bank in a building divided into zones has a plurality of floors via a process whereby destination floor calls are issued to the elevators by destination floor call input devices in the lobby of departure and the calls are distributed internally among different zones in the building by the elevator group control system, the elevators and the floors to be served being divided dynamically within the aforesaid elevator group control system into aforesaid zones, varying the numbers of elevators and the zone limits (r) according to traffic forecasts and transportation need.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the elevators in an elevator bank in a building divided into zones comprising a plurality of floors via a process whereby destination floor calls are issued to the elevators by destination floor call input devices in the lobby of departure and the calls are distributed internally among different zones in the building by the elevator group control system, comprising the steps of:

dynamically dividing the elevators and the floors to be served within the aforesaid elevator group control system into aforesaid zones, instantaneously varying the numbers of elevators and the zone limits according to traffic forecasts and the need for transportation, and

in the aforesaid elevator group, using a destination floor call input device, the group elevator control system provides immediate information as to which one of the elevators in the elevator group has been allocated to the passenger.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the aforesaid elevator group control system, the zone limits (r) of the zones are divided dynamically into standard floors according to the prevailing traffic.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, in the aforesaid elevator group control system, elevators are allocated dynamically between different zones.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein an elevator arriving at a lobby serves the zone that has remained longest without service and/or where the number of passengers waiting in the zone is largest.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more elevators in the aforesaid elevator group allocated to a zone other than the zone comprising the entrance lobby floor are used to serve the entrance lobby floor in addition to their own zone according to the transportation need and traffic forecasts.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more elevators in the aforesaid elevator group allocated to a zone other than the zone comprising a sky lobby floor are used to serve the sky lobby floor in addition to their own zone according to the transportation need and traffic forecasts.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more elevators in the aforesaid elevator group are used to serve two or more zones in the aforesaid building according to the transportation need.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the elevators in the aforesaid elevator group are allocated to different zones in such manner that the number of elevators in said elevator group that are allocated to each zone varies according to the transportation need in each zone.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the number of zone limits varies dynamically according to the transportation need and the transportation capacity of the aforesaid elevator group.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the group control system of the aforesaid elevator group, dynamic zoning is activated when the volume of traffic within the elevator group exceeds a given limit value indicating a peak traffic situation.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein a given zone is only served by elevators in the elevator group that have been allocated to the zone in question or to several other zones.