An object of the present invention is to provide a vibration damping device including an instability preventing means, for efficiently suppressing amplification of vibration of a long structure, which is mechanically flexible, due to a resonance phenomenon. A vibration damping device (100) for reducing vibration of a long structure (1) includes a displacement amplifier (7) and limiting members (8). The displacement amplifier (7) is arranged along a given position in the longitudinal direction of the structure (1). The displacement amplifier (7) amplifies a displacement of the structure (1). The limiting members (8) control displacement amplification performed by the displacement amplifier (7) such that the displacement of the structure (1) amplified by the displacement amplifier (7) does not become greater than a first displacement, the first displacement being a displacement of the structure (1) by which the structure (1) is not allowed to return to the equilibrium position of the vibration.

A method for controlling a robot to take elevator, a system for controlling a robot to take elevator, an elevator system, a robot system, and a computer-readable storage medium. The method for controlling a robot to take elevator includes receiving an elevator-taking request from a robot; acquiring current passenger information in at least one elevator car; and determining whether the elevator car meets a pre-set carrying condition according to the acquired current passenger information: if yes, instructing the robot to board the elevator car in response to the elevator-taking request; otherwise, rejecting the elevator-taking request.

An object of the present invention is to provide a sway amount estimation system that can suppress a reduction in user convenience that would occur if the operation method is switched more than necessary. A sway amount estimation system (300) includes a sensing unit (78), a judgment unit (80), and an estimation unit (79). The estimation unit (79) calculates an estimated value of the amount of sway of an elevator rope due to vibration caused by building sway based on the sway sensed by the sensing unit (78) and an estimation model incorporating the effect of the displacement amplification of the displacement amplifier (7). The judgment unit (80) judges if the estimated value calculated by the estimation unit (79) is greater than a threshold for switching the operation method for the elevator apparatus (11).

A method for detecting changes in an area to be monitored of a conveying system utilizes a sound sensor and an evaluation unit connected to the sound sensor. The method includes emitting an acoustic pulse into the area to be monitored, recording an acoustic response signal of the pulse as an actual signal, determining an envelope of the actual signal, and detecting changes on the basis of the envelope.

Brake release sensors for an elevator can be replaced by an arrangement wherein the brake release is determined from the force caused by the brake. This is achieved by providing measuring device for measuring the weight of an elevator car between the brake and the motor body so that the weight of the elevator car is measured only when the brake is on.

Methods and systems to control an elevator door of an elevator car that can be moved between floors of a building. At least one registered destination call is evaluated, which makes it possible to plan the number of boarding or exiting passengers for each stopping floor. For each stopping floor, a corresponding door dwell time for the elevator door is determined to make it possible for a registered passenger to board or exit on a stopping floor. The number of passengers that exit the elevator car on the stopping floor and the number of passengers that board the elevator car on the stopping floor is also determined. The elevator door is closed regardless of the set door dwell time if the number of passengers boarding and exiting on the stopping floor determined by the sensor system corresponds to the number of boarding or exiting passengers planned for the stopping floor.

An elevator system includes a first elevator car (28) constructed and arranged to move in a first lane (30, 32, 34) and a first propulsion system (40) constructed and arranged to propel the first elevator. An electronic processor of the elevator system is configured to selectively control power delivered to the first propulsion system (40). The electronic processor includes a software-based power estimator configured to receive a first weight signal and a nm trajectory signal for calculating a power estimate and comparing the power estimate to a maximum power allowance. The electronic processor is configured to output an automated command signal if the power estimate exceeds the maximum power allowance.

An elevator control system, an elevator system, and a control method therefor. The elevator control system includes: a data collection unit configured to receive a call request signal from a machine passenger at each landing, and receive information about the machine to ride the elevator sent by the machine passenger; and a control unit configured to determine whether to accept the call request from the machine passenger based on elevator operating condition and the information about the machine to ride the elevator, and send information about the rules of riding the elevator to the machine passenger after accepting its call request.

A sensor device, an automated transportation system and an operating method for the same are provided. The sensor device essentially includes a thermal sensor array for capturing a two-dimensional thermographic image within a sensing zone and a processing circuit for processing the image so as to obtain a thermal distribution within the sensing zone. The sensing zone is such as a cage of the automated transportation system. The thermal distribution depicts a distribution of one or more thermal sources for determining a status of the sensing zone. For example, the status is capable of indicating a number of people within the sensing zone and a personal status. Therefore, the automated transportation system is driven to operate the cage in response to a control signal that is generated according to a scenario responsive to the status.

A method for crowd prediction in an elevator system includes logging the number of calls across a period of time and generating a first time series for an average number of calls; collecting external influence data and generating a second time series for the external influence data; performing a cross-correlation test on the first and second time series; when a cross-correlation between the first and second time series is determined, performing a causality test on the first and second time series; and when a causal relationship between the first and second time series is determined, using the causal relationship to predict an expected number of calls in the elevator system.