A method for testing an elevator hoisting machine brake with a preselected test load TL includes confirming empty elevator car positioned at a test location s.sub.test; obtaining information of elevator balancing B; obtaining information of friction F.sub.r of the elevator at the test location s.sub.test; determining required assisting test torque T.sub.M of a hoisting machine motor based on said test load TL, balancing B and friction F.sub.r; opening one of the brakes while keeping rest of the brakes engaged in braking position, applying torque with the motor at most up to the required test torque T.sub.M, measuring movement of the elevator car, and if movement of the elevator car was detected, generating a signal indicating degraded condition of one or more hoisting machine brakes.

A method for intelligent control of an elevator to give priority to a floor containing the total highest priority of passengers acquires first images taken by first cameras, identifies targets in the first images, and determines priority levels of the targets. In response to receiving a plurality of first service signals from a number of floors in a building, the method controls a driving unit to drive an elevator to move to service the passengers as targets with a highest total priority level according to individual priority levels of the targets within a group of passengers waiting on each floor of the building.

In the present invention, an anti-pinch device which uses a simple optical mechanism to prevent the user being hurt by the moving part before the moving part touches the user is disclosed. Also, a space computing device which uses a simple optical mechanism to compute acquired space of a target object is disclosed. Additionally, a hovering control device which uses a simple optical mechanism thereby the user can control the hovering control device without touching the hovering control device is disclosed. The optical mechanism comprises at least one light source and at least one optical sensor, which can arrange in various ways.

A method for intelligent control of an elevator to give priority to a floor containing the total highest priority of passengers acquires first images taken by first cameras, identifies targets in the first images, and determines priority levels of the targets. In response to receiving a plurality of first service signals from a number of floors in a building, the method controls a driving unit to drive an elevator to move to service the passengers as targets with a highest total priority level according to individual priority levels of the targets within a group of passengers waiting on each floor of the building.

An elevator system includes: an elevator control; a plurality of individually movable elevator cars driving in an elevator runway system including at least one elevator runway, preferably at least two elevator runways, whereby the number of elevator cars is higher than the number of elevator runways in the runway system. The elevator cars are movable in the elevator runway system via at least one drive system. Each of the elevator cars is provided with an identifier. The elevator system includes at least one reader device for the identifier and a car handling module in the elevator control processing the information on the elevator cars and their identifiers in connection with their position in the elevator system. The elevator system includes elevator cars differing in at least one parameter (differing parameter). The memory of the elevator control includes car parameters of the cars in operation in the elevator system and the elevator control is configured to use the car parameters in the control of the elevator system. The identifier includes information at least about the differing parameter, and the car handling module is configured to put out of use the car parameters of an elevator car that is to be put out of operation and/or to introduce the car parameters of an elevator car which is to be put into operation.

A method for operating an elevator including operating the elevator in a pre-programmed sequence to stop at pre-designated floors in a predetermined order, upon receipt of an indication that a user at a given floor wishes to ride the elevator, temporarily not performing part of the pre-programmed sequence in order to arrive at the given floor with minimum delay and thereafter, in the absence of another indication that a user wishes to ride the elevator, continuing to temporarily not perform part of the pre-programmed sequence in order to arrive at a pre-designated egress floor with minimum delay and thereafter operating the elevator in the pre-programmed sequence including performing the part of the pre-programmed sequence to stop at pre-designated floors at pre-programmed times until receipt of an indication that a user at a given floor wishes to ride the elevator.

The invention relates to a method for controlling a passenger transport system, which transport system comprises at least two passenger conveyors, as e.g. escalators or elevators, which transport system comprises a control for the passenger conveyors and for controlling passenger flow in the transport system. The control is connected to a passenger flow determination device for establishing a passenger flow reference value of the actual passenger flow to be expected in the passenger transport system, and which control further comprises a passenger guide system for controlling passenger flow in the transport system, which passenger guide system uses a cost function considering a set of system control parameters as passenger riding time, energy consumption, passenger waiting time, passenger transport capacity, maintenance demand, etc. The control uses a transport model simulating the function of the hardware components of the transport system under consideration of correlated system operating parameters as e.g. number of active passenger conveyors, passenger conveyor speed, still-stand times, door opening times etc. in connection with passenger flow, whereby the passenger flow reference value is input to the transport model and in an optimization process the system operating parameters are optimized under use of the transport model to meet the passenger flow reference value under consideration of at least one significant system control parameter from said set of system control parameters to achieve a best set of system operating parameters. The best set of system operating parameters is applied to the control of the passenger transport system.

According to an example embodiment, an elevator control system is provided, the elevator control system comprising an elevator controller for controlling movement of one or more elevators of an elevator transport system between one or more floors of a building under construction; and a scheduling system for maintaining a transport reservation schedule pertaining to said one or more elevators, wherein the transport reservation schedule comprises one or more transport reservations that comprise at least a first transport reservation that defines at least a first reserved transport time period, a first origin floor, and a first activation code, wherein the elevator controller is arranged to: control an elevator allocated to serve the first transport reservation to arrive at the first origin floor by the beginning of the first transport time period, and control, during the first reserved transport time period, said elevator allocated to serve the first transport reservation to move to a destination floor in response to receiving an activation code that matches the first activation code.

A method for operating an elevator system can be used with elevator systems that include at least two cars and at least two vertically extending elevator shafts where the at least two cars can be moved between the at least two elevator shafts. In a first operating mode transportation operations are performed by the at least two cars in the at least two elevator shafts. In a second operating mode a location of at least one of the at least two cars is restricted to at least one region of at least one of the at least two elevator shafts. In the second operating mode, the at least one of the at least two cars is not available for transportation operations in remaining regions of the at least two elevator shafts.

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.