Allocation of calls in a lift installation

• US 9,556,001 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2014
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Inventors: Friedli, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): SALATA, ANTHONY J
• Application Number:
  US14/256,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20150053509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 187/247, 187/248, 187380-388, 187391-393, 187395-399
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/20 and for varying the manner of operation to suit particular traffic conditions, e.g. "one-way rush-hour traffic" B66B1/2466 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/24 Control systems with regulation, i.e. with retroactive action, for influencing travelling speed, acceleration, or deceleration
• 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 2201/104 Call input for a preferential elevator car or indicating a special request
• 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 2201/222 Taking into account the number of passengers present in the elevator car to be allocated
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/302 with variable boundaries

Abstract

A method of allocating calls of a lift installation with at least one lift and at least one car per lift to move passengers in a journey from at least one input floor to at least one destination floor, a system for executing the method and a computer readable memory with instructions for executing the method. The method includes receiving input calls from passengers travelling from an input floor to a destination floor, each call identifying at least one floor as an input floor or a destination floor. A start zone with identified input floors and a destination zone with identified destination floors are determined from the input calls and destination calls. Each identified floor within a corresponding zone is considered using at least one selection criterion and a stopping floor is selected which satisfies the criterion. The car is caused to stop at fewer than all the identified input floors and identified destination floors during the journey.

Claims

1. A computer implemented lift installation operation method, comprising:

determining, using a computer having at least one central processing unit including at least one processor configured to execute instructions stored on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, a start zone in a building which identifies input building floors in at least one destination call;

determining, by the computer processor executing the instructions, a destination zone in the building which identifies at least one destination building floor in the at least one destination call;

selecting, using the computer processor executing the instructions, a stopping floor from the start zone of floors or from the destination zone of floors, the selecting of the stopping floor being based on a selection criterion; and

transporting the car of a lift installation between the start zone and the destination zone by omitting a stop for at least one of the input building floors or at least one of the destination building floors.

2. The lift installation operation method of claim 1, further comprising communicating to one of the passengers to exit the car at a floor other than a destination building floor identified in a destination call inputted by the passenger.

3. The lift installation operation method of claim 1, further comprising communicating to one of the passengers to enter the car at a floor other than an input building floor identified in a destination call inputted by the passenger.

4. The lift installation operation method of claim 3, communicates to the one of the passengers being performed using a destination call input terminal.

5. The lift installation operation method of claim 3, communicates to the one of the passengers being performed before the passenger enters the car.

6. The lift installation operation method of claim 1, the selection criterion comprising passenger identification.

7. The lift installation operation method of claim 1, the selection criterion comprising a predefined input floor.

8. The lift installation operation method of claim 1, the selection criterion comprising a number of inputted destination calls.

9. The lift installation operation method of claim 1, the selection criterion comprising a lowest floor difference.

10. The lift installation operation method of claim 1, the selection criterion comprising a floor number.

11. The lift installation operation method of claim 1, the selection criterion comprising a substitute cost.

12. A non-transitory computer readable memory programmed storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, configure the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining, for a lift journey by the processor executing the instructions, a start zone in a building, the start zone comprising input building floors identified in destination calls inputted by two or more passengers;

determining, for the lift journey by the processor executing the instructions, a destination zone in the building, the destination zone comprising destination building floors identified in the destination calls;

selecting, by the processor executing the instructions, a stopping floor from the start zone of floors or from the destination zone of floors, the selecting of the stopping floor being based on a selection criterion; and

transporting, responsive to said determining and selecting by the processor executing the instructions, the two or more passengers in a car of a lift installation between the start zone and the destination zone during the lift journey, the transporting comprising omitting a stop at at least one of the input building floors or at least one of the destination building floors.

13. A computer implemented lift installation operating method, comprising:

receiving, using a destination call input terminal, a destination call for a passenger, the destination call being associated with an indicated departure floor in a building and with an indicated destination floor in the building;

determining, using a computer having at least one central processing unit including at least one processor configured to execute instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, a start zone of floors in the building and a destination zone of floors in the building; and

selecting a stopping floor based on selection criteria and stopping the lift car at fewer than the identified input floors and the identified destination floors.

14. The lift installation operating method of claim 13, further comprising instructing the passenger to board the lift car at the floor other than the indicated departure floor comprising:

displaying travel data for traveling from the indicated departure floor to the floor other than the indicated departure floor.

15. The lift installation operating method of claim 13, further comprising instructing the passenger to exit the lift car at the floor other than the indicated destination floor comprising:

displaying travel data for traveling from the floor other than the indicated destination floor to the indicated destination floor.

16. The lift installation operating method of claim 13, further comprising communicating state data of the lift installation to the passenger.

17. The lift installation operating method of claim 16, the state data of the lift installation comprising an indication of a floor at which the lift car will not stop during a lift trip.

18. The lift installation operating method of claim 16, the state data of the lift installation comprising an indication that a lift trip from the indicated departure floor to the indicated destination floor will be available later.

19. The lift installation operating method of claim 13, further comprising determining a substitute cost for the indicated departure floor or the indicated destination floor.