Method and system for elevating elevator cars including allocating elevator cars to serve load calls

Abstract

An elevator group control device may handle load calls for an elevator system having an elevator car, whereby a load call includes a departure floor, a destination floor, load specification data and a time period which the load is to be transported from the departure floor to the destination floor. The allocating may include reserving a particular portion of the floor area of the elevator car for the load during a portion of the time period, based on the load specification data and the particular portion being available to accommodate the load during the portion of the time period.

Claims

1. A method for allocating an elevator car in an elevator system for passenger transport, the method comprising: receiving a load call via a communications interface, the load call including information indicating a departure floor, a destination floor, load specification data associated with a load, and a time period wherein the load is to be transported from the departure floor to the destination floor; allocating the elevator car to serve the load call, to prioritize the elevator car to serving the load call over serving another load call within the time period, the allocating including reserving a particular portion of a floor area of the elevator car for the load during a portion of the time period, based on the load specification data and the particular portion being available to accommodate the load during the portion of the time period, and causing the elevator car to, within the portion of the time period and subsequently to reserving the particular portion of the floor area of the elevator car for the load during the time period, first move to the departure floor to accept the load within the particular portion of the floor area of the elevator car and subsequently move from the departure floor to the destination floor to enable offloading of the load from the particular portion of the floor area of the elevator car at the departure floor; and transmitting a notice to a terminal device via the communications interface based on the allocating, the notice indicating the elevator car as a particular elevator car that is to serve the load call during the time period, arrival of the elevator car at the departure floor to serve the load call, or a combination thereof, wherein the load specification data indicates that the load is configured to be divided into a plurality of partial loads, the allocating includes dividing the load according to the load specification data into the plurality of partial loads, based on a determination that, within the time period, there is no space for the load available in a single elevator car, and the method further includes transmitting a separate notice to the terminal device, the separate notice indicating the dividing.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the time period is a limited portion of the time period; and the reserving reserves the particular portion of the floor area of the elevator car for the load during the portion of the time period based on a determination that total traffic in the elevator system during the portion of the time period is less than total traffic during a remaining period of the time period.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the allocating includes calculating a space/weight portion of the elevator car based on processing the load specification data, and reserving the particular portion of the floor area of the elevator car based on the calculated space/weight portion.

4. The method according to claim 1, the terminal device is a mobile device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reserving excludes the particular portion of the floor area of the elevator car from being available to accommodate one or more passengers during the portion of the time period.

6. The method according claim 1, wherein the allocating includes calculating separate, respective cost function values of a cost function associated with different allocation solutions to serve the load call, and comparing the cost function values of the different allocation solutions to select one allocation solution of the different allocation solutions as a most fit allocation solution to serve the load call, the cost function based on a plurality of weighted passenger travel parameters that are correlated with travel weight coefficients and a load transportation parameter that is correlated with a load weight coefficient.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the allocating reserves the particular portion of the floor area of the elevator car based on a determination that the elevator car is a next elevator car moving to the departure floor during the time period after a time threshold value within the time period.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the load weight coefficient has a value that varies according to remaining time of the time period.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting includes communicating with the terminal device.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving receives the load call from the terminal device via the communications interface, and the terminal device is configured to display an indication that the elevator car is allocated to serve the load call prior to arrival of the elevator car at the departure floor.

11. An elevator system, comprising an elevator group including an elevator, the elevator including an elevator shaft and an elevator car configured to move within the elevator shaft, the elevator car having a floor area; a communications interface configured to communicate with a terminal device; and an elevator group control device configured to receive a load call via the communications interface, the load call including information indicating a departure floor, a destination floor, load specification data associated with a load, and a time period wherein the load is to be transported from the departure floor to the destination floor, allocate the elevator car to serve the load call, to prioritize the elevator car to serving the load call over serving another load call within the time period, the allocating including reserving a particular portion of the floor area of the elevator car for the load during a portion of the time period, based on the load specification data and the particular portion being available to accommodate the load during the portion of the time period, and causing the elevator car to, within the portion of the time period and subsequently to reserving the particular portion of the floor area of the elevator car for the load during the portion of the time period, first move to the departure floor to accept the load within the particular portion of the floor area of the elevator car and subsequently move from the departure floor to the destination floor to enable offloading of the load from the particular portion of the floor area of the elevator car at the departure floor, and transmit a notice to the terminal device via the communications interface based on the allocating, the notice indicating the elevator car as a particular elevator car that is to serve the load call during the time period, arrival of the elevator car at the departure floor to serve the load call, or a combination thereof, wherein the load specification data indicates that the load is configured to be divided into a plurality of partial loads, the allocating includes dividing the load according to the load specification data into the plurality of partial loads, based on a determination that, within the time period, there is no space for the load available in a single elevator car, and the elevator group control device is configured to transmit a separate notice to the terminal device, the separate notice indicating the dividing.

12. The elevator system according to claim 11, wherein the terminal device is a mobile device.

13. The elevator system according to claim 11, wherein the communications interface is a wireless network communication interface.

14. The elevator system according to claim 11, wherein the allocating includes calculating separate, respective cost function values of a cost function associated with different route alternatives to serve the load call, the cost function including a sum of passenger travel parameters and corresponding passenger travel weight coefficients, and extending the cost function by a load transportation parameter correlated with a corresponding load weight coefficient, the load weight coefficient having a value that varies according to remaining time of the time period, such that the load weight coefficient has a greater value than the passenger travel weight coefficients at an end of the time period, and allocating the elevator to the load call such that the elevator car serves the load call according to a selected route alternative of the different route alternatives, the selected route alternative being selected based on comparing the separate, respective cost function values of the different route alternatives.

15. The elevator system according to claim 11, wherein the elevator group control device is further configured to calculate the particular portion of the floor area of the elevator car based on the load specification data.

16. The elevator system according to claim 11, wherein the terminal device is configured to operate as a destination operating panel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention is hereinafter described via the aid of an embodiment in the schematic drawing. This shows a diagram of an elevator system for the handling of passenger calls and load calls,

(2) FIG. 1 a diagram of an elevator system for the handling of passenger calls and load calls.

(3) FIG. 2 a flow diagram for the handling of a load call in a call allocation process.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(4) FIG. 1 shows an elevator system 10 having an elevator group 12 consisting of three elevators 14, 16, 18 each elevator having one or two elevator cars 20a-20d wherein the third elevator 18 has two elevator cars 20c, 20d travelling together in one elevator shaft. The three elevators 14, 16, 18 of the elevator group 12 are connected to an elevator group control 22 which comprises a call allocation system 24 which again comprises an optimization unit 26. The elevator group control 22 is connected to a communication means 28 which can also be an integral part of the elevator group control 22. The communication means 28 allows the communication of the elevator group control 22 via a public telephone network. Furthermore, the elevator system 12 comprises terminal devices 30, 32 preferably embodied as smartphones and comprising a touch screen 34 which is able to operate as an input means as well as a display.

(5) The elevator system according to FIG. 1 works as follows.

(6) A user may issue via a first smartphone 30 a load call wherein he informs the elevator system that he (on the 22.sup.nd floor) wants to obtain a material order from the base floor within the next 1 to 3 hours. Furthermore, the user specifies the size of the material to be ordered by 0.5 m×0.5 m×1 m (width×depth×height). In a different embodiment the user may select material/article from a material/article list displayed on the terminal device display, e.g. his smartphone, and then give the amount of selected material/articles. In this preferred embodiment the terminal device (smartphone) is also configured to display material/articles which can be ordered by users of the elevator group. The elevator system, preferably its group control then calculates from the ordered materials/articles the necessary space to be reserved in the elevator car. The elevator system 22 stores this load call and feeds it to the call allocation system 24 after 1 hour, i.e. the beginning of the first time frame. The call allocation system 24 calculates from the load specification data an area of the elevator car to be reserved for the load call and allocates an elevator car to serve the load call whereby a notification is given to the first smartphone 30 of the user who has given the load call as well as to a second smartphone 32 of the mail order worker of the environment located in the basement of the environment and who is responsible for material orders. Thus, the sender of the load call, namely the worker in the material handling and mail order department, as well as the recipient of the material order, namely the user who has issued the load call, are informed in time when the load has to be brought to the allocated elevator and when then allocator with the load is to be expected at the destination floor. The fact that the first time frame is freely selectable makes the handling of the load transport in the elevator system very smooth as it can for example be specified by according selection of the first time frame in a period where the traffic in the elevator system is low.

(7) FIG. 2 shows a flow-chart of the handling of a load call in the call allocation system 24.

(8) At start step 40, a load call is input via the first smartphone 30 into the elevator system 10. In step 42, first, the elevator car portion necessary to serve the load call is calculated and in the deciding step 44 it is checked whether the load fits into at least one elevator car of the elevator system. If the answer is no, the load call is rejected in step 46 which is notified to the first smartphone 30 of the user who has issued the load call. The routine then goes to the end 48.

(9) If the load fits into the elevator car, the load call is confirmed in step 50 which is notified to the first smartphone 30 who has issued the load call. Now in the deciding step 52 it is checked whether the current time already passes the begin of the first time frame. If not, the process repeats this step until the begin of the first time frame. After the begin of the first time frame the load weight parameter is set to an initial value in step 54 and the load call is considered in the load call allocation in an optimization process in step 56. In deciding step 58 it is asked whether the load has already been allocated. If the answer is no, it the process leads in a further deciding step 60 in which it is checked whether a time threshold (indicating the running out of the first time period has been achieved as to ensure the allocation of the load call within the first time frame. If this time threshold has been achieved, the next elevator car with enough car space which is travelling to or passing by the departure floor is allocated to the load call in step 62, whereafter in step 66, the first smartphone 30 as well as the worker in the material order department 32 are notified about the car arrival time at the departure floor and about the allocated elevator whereafter the procedure ends in step 70. If in step 60 the time threshold is not achieved, the load weight parameter is increased after a certain time and the process returned to allocation step 56.

(10) Via this handling of a load call it is on one hand achieved that load calls are smoothly handled within the predominant passenger calls of the elevator system but are on the other hand handled in time within the boundaries of the first time frame.

(11) The invention is not delimited to the described embodiment but it can be varied within the scope of the appended patent claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

(12) 10 elevator system 12 elevator group 14 first elevator 16 second elevator 18 third elevator 20a-d elevator cars 22 elevator group control 24 call allocation system 26 optimization unit 28 communication means 30 first smartphone 32 second smartphone 34 touchscreen 40 input load call via smartphone 42 calculation of elevator car portion from load specification data 44 load fits in elevator car? 46 rejection of load call 48 end 50 confirmation of load call to smartphone 52 begin of first time frame? 54 set load weight parameter to initial value 56 consider load call in call allocation 58 has load call been allocated? 60 time threshold achieved? 62 allocate next elevator with enough space 64 increase load weight parameter after time span (clock) 66 notify car arrival time at departure floor and allocated elevator via smartphone 68 end