According to one embodiment, a method of operating an elevator system having at least one lane is provided. The method comprising: detecting a failure in the elevator system; detecting a location of the failure within the elevator system; determining a traffic pattern of the elevator car in response to the location of the failure, the traffic pattern operable to direct the elevator car to avoid the location of the failure; and moving the elevator car in accordance with the traffic pattern selected.

A method and system for managing an elevator system (10), includes providing at least one elevator car (14) to travel in a hoistway (11), and selectively introducing and removing the at least one elevator car (14) to and from the hoistway (11) via an intermediate transfer station (50) disposed at an intermediate floor location, wherein the intermediate transfer station (50) includes a service lift (54).

An elevator car separation assurance system and method of operation includes determining a position and velocity of each one of a plurality of cars by a safety motion state estimator. A safety assurance module of the system is configured to determine a separation map associated with a first car and an adjacent second car of the plurality of cars. The system is further configured to initiate a first separation assurance-induced event associated with at least one of the first and the second cars and based on the separation map. A recovery manager of the system is configured to detect the first separation assurance-induced event, and upon detection, slow at least a third car of the plurality of cars down.

A method for operating an elevator system having a shaft system and elevator cars that are moved separately between floors in a circulation operation may involve moving the elevator cars upward in a first shaft and moving the elevator cars downward in a second shaft. A number of shaft positions that can be respectively adopted by the elevator cars and that correspond to the number of elevator cars is defined, and synchronization of movement of the elevator cars may be carried out with respect to these defined shaft positions. Further, each of the elevator cars may be moved according to a travel curve. To synchronize the movement of the elevator cars the travel curve for each elevator car may be adapted to account for positions of the elevator cars in the same shaft.

An elevator system includes an elevator car to travel vertically in a first lane and a second lane; a propulsion system to impart force to the elevator car; a transfer station to move the elevator car horizontally from the first lane to the second lane; and a control system to supervise travel of the elevator car, the control system to supervise a first intersection between the first lane and the transfer station such that no more than one of vertical elevator car travel and horizontal elevator car travel is permitted at the first intersection at a given time.

An illustrative example elevator system includes a first vertical pathway, a second vertical pathway, and a transfer space situated to allow movement between the vertical pathways. An elevator car is selectively moveable along the respective vertical pathways and through the transfer space. At least one blocker has a passage condition and a blocking condition. The passage condition allows the elevator car to move from one of the vertical pathways into the transfer space when the transfer space is configured to receive the elevator car from the one of the vertical pathways. The blocking condition prevents the elevator car from moving from the one of the vertical pathways into the transfer space when the transfer space is not configured to receive the elevator car from the one of the vertical pathways.

A method of operating an elevator system is provided. The method comprising: detecting an occupancy status of the elevator car, the occupancy status comprising at least one of occupied and unoccupied; selecting a motion profile of the elevator car in response to the occupancy status, the motion profile comprising at least one of an unoccupied motion profile, an occupied motion profile, an occupied lateral movement motion profile, a power-save motion profile, and an occupied descent motion profile; and moving the elevator car in accordance with the motion profile selected.

A method and system for managing an elevator system (10), includes providing a plurality of elevator cars (14) to travel in a hoistway (11), and selectively introducing and removing at least one of the plurality of elevator cars (14) to and from the hoistway (11) via a loading station (50).

A system for controlling multidirectional operation of an elevator is disclosed. The system includes a processing subsystem which includes a centralized elevator control module to receive a control signal representative of elevator operation from one or more control units deployed at one or more elevator cabins. A usage pattern generation module utilizes a learning model to learn usage pattern of the one or more elevator cabins. An elevator operation evaluation module identifies deviation of one or more operational parameters associated with the one or more elevator cabins, detects operational failure of the one or more elevator cabins. An elevator rescue module receives rescue command from the centralized elevator control module to initiate rescue process, identifies one or more rescue elevator cabins in proximity to the one or more elevator cabins, activates the one or more rescue elevator cabins identified for transporting a plurality of passengers from source to destination.

An elevator car separation assurance system and method of operation includes determining a position and velocity of each one of a plurality of cars by a safety motion state estimator. A safety assurance module of the system is configured to determine a separation map associated with a first car and an adjacent second car of the plurality of cars. The system is further configured to initiate a first separation assurance-induced event associated with at least one of the first and the second cars and based on the separation map. A recovery manager of the system is configured to detect the first separation assurance-induced event, and upon detection, slow at least a third car of the plurality of cars down.