Destination control system

Abstract

The invention relates to a destination control system of an elevator system having at least one elevator group, wherein a destination call is input via at least one destination call input device to the destination control system to be allocated to at least one of the elevators of the elevator group to service the destination call. The destination call input device further includes an optional input for a desired operating time of a so called pre-booked destination call and the destination control system comprises a memory for pre-booked destination call data comprising the departure floor, the destination floor, a correlated operating time for the pre-booked destination call as well as a correlated identifier of the user having issued the pre-booked destination call, in which destination control system the pre-booked destination calls are allocated to the elevators of the elevator group with a higher priority than not pre-booked destination calls. Further, the destination control system has at least one identification reader arranged at least in the vicinity of the elevators to obtain an identifier input by the elevator user, and a pre-booked destination call is confirmed by the destination control system only after it has been checked that the identifier obtained by the identification reader corresponds to the identifier correlated to the pre-booked destination call. The invention rewards pre-booking of destination calls and leads thus to a better efficiency of the elevator system.

Claims

1. A destination control system of an elevator system having an elevator group having plural elevators controlled thereby, comprising: a destination call input device providing at least one destination call to the destination control system; a destination control configured to allocate to at least one of the elevators of the elevator group to service a destination call, the destination control prioritizing elevators to calls, and establishing different elevator call priority for different elevators of said elevator group; an identification reader, operatively connected to the destination control, and arranged in proximity to at least one elevator, to receive an identifier input providing an identity of an elevator user; and a memory for a travel history of individual users in the elevator system as identified by an identifier of each of the users; the destination call input device further including an input for entering a pre-booked destination call including at least a predetermined operating time in the future for a use of an elevator, the input being provided by a pre-booking elevator user identified by the identifier input; the destination control being configured to handle destination calls based on destination call data comprising a departure floor, a destination floor, a correlated operating time for the pre-booked destination call as well as a correlated identifier of the pre-booking user providing the pre-booked destination call; the destination control allocating all pre-booked destination calls to the elevators of the elevator group with a higher elevator call priority than otherwise equivalent not pre-booked destination calls, the priority of the allocation of a pre-booked destination call of a user is dependent on a number of unused and/or confirmed used pre-booked destination calls issued by the user wherein the destination control system is configured to allow non-pre-booked calls made in an elevator lobby without providing an input used to book a pre-booked call; a pre-booked destination call being confirmed as used by the destination control only after the destination control has checked within a certain time frame before predetermined operating time of the pre-booked call that the identifier of an elevator user obtained by the identification reader corresponds to the identifier of the pre-booking user correlated to the pre-booked destination call.

2. The destination control system according to claim 1, wherein each user is allocated an individual priority and that the destination call input device includes a display for indicating the allocated priority to the user.

3. The destination control system according to claim 1, wherein, for the allocation of the destination, the destination control calls a cost function having different parameters including passenger waiting time, passenger riding time, and energy consumption, which different parameters are weighted by weighting coefficients in the cost function, said destination control being configured to assign different weighting coefficients to different users.

4. The destination control system according claim 3, wherein, to increase the priority of a pre-booked destination call, the weighting coefficient of the passenger waiting time and/or riding time of a pre-booked destination call of a user is increased with respect to a corresponding weight coefficient of a non-pre-booked destination call.

5. The destination control system according to claim 1, wherein at least one particular elevator of the elevator group is reserved for pre-booked destination calls.

6. The destination control system according to claim 5, wherein an access control is arranged for a particular elevator which comprises an identification reader.

7. The destination control system according to claim 1, wherein the elevator has a capacity, a part of the capacity of the elevator is reserved for pre-booked destination calls.

8. The destination control system according to claim 1, wherein the destination call input device is a mobile device interface, terminal or a destination input panel and the destination control is connected by a wired and/or wireless input node for connection of the destination call input device.

9. The destination control system according to claim 1, wherein an access area to a particular reserved elevator is restricted and access to said area is only possible for users having an identifier correlated to a pre-booked destination call within a limited time frame.

10. The destination control system according to claim 1, wherein the destination control is implemented as an algorithm on a microprocessor system.

11. The destination control system according to claim 1, wherein the destination call input device allows the user to cancel a pre-booked destination call up to a preset time period before the operating time of the pre-booked destination call.

12. An elevator group control comprising a destination control system according to claim 1.

13. An elevator system having at least one elevator group comprising an elevator group control with a destination control system according to claim 1.

14. An elevator system according to claim 13, wherein the destination control system is a part of the elevator group control, arranged on a module thereof.

15. A method for allocating destination calls to elevators in an elevator system having an elevator group with several elevators comprising: inputting a destination call via a destination call input device communicating with a destination control system, the destination call being allocated to at least one of the elevators of the elevator group, wherein said inputting includes entry of a desired time of a pre-booked destination call including at least a desired operating time in the future for a use of an elevator and the destination call is stored as data that includes a departure floor, a destination floor, as well as a correlated identifier of a user issuing the pre-booked destination call, allocating all pre-booked destination calls a higher priority to the elevators of the elevator group than otherwise equivalent non pre-booked destination calls, wherein each user of plural users is assigned an individual priority which is dependent on a number of confirmed used pre-booked destination calls, the method is configured to accept non-pre-booked calls made in an elevator lobby without providing an input used to book a pre-booked call; and calling the at least one allocated elevator of the elevator group at the desired operating time of a pre-booked destination call; obtaining an identifier of an elevator user for the at least one allocated elevator of the elevator group; wherein the inputting, for the pre-booked destination call, determines the identifier of the user having issued the pre-booked destination call and the identifier of the elevator user are the same to confirm correct use of the pre-booked destination call.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein at least one particular elevator or at least a certain area in at least one elevator is reserved for pre-booked destination calls; said method further comprising enabling access to one of said at least one particular elevator or to the certain area only after retrieving a correct identifier for a pre-booked destination call to be served within a certain time frame.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the priority affects user-specific individual weighting coefficients of parameters of a cost function of an allocation algorithm.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein upon registration of a pre-booked call given by an individual destination call input device, issuing a confirmation message by the destination control system to said individual destination call input device.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein the destination control system issues, after having made the allocation for the pre-booked call, a message identifying an allocated elevator to an individual said destination call input device.

Description

(1) The invention is hereinafter described via an example in connection with the accompanied drawings. In these drawings

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an elevator system having an elevator group with one elevator being reserved for pre-booked calls,

(3) FIG. 2 a flow diagram for the allocation of pre-booked and non-pre-booked destination calls.

(4) FIG. 1 shows an elevator system 10 having a first elevator group 12 consisting of four elevators 14, 16, 18, 20 which are connected to an elevator group control 22 comprising a destination control system 24. A further elevator group 26 may be connected to the elevator group control 22 which other elevator group 26 may be arranged in a different zone of the building. The connection of a further elevator group 26 to the elevator group control 22 is optional. The elevator group control 22 comprises an input node 28 to which destination input panels 30 in the different elevator lobbies and several individual computers or terminals 32 are connected via bus/LAN. Furthermore, a wireless access point 34 is connected to the input node 28 which wireless access point 34 is able to communicate via individual mobile devices 36, e.g. smartphones.

(5) The fourth elevator 20 of the first elevator group 12 is a particular elevator reserved for pre-booked calls. This particular reserved elevator 20 is located in an access controlled area which is separated via a fence structure 38 whereby an access hub of said fence structure is provided in the vicinity of an identification reader 40 to allow access to the particular reserved elevator 20 only for the users of active pre-booked calls. Active pre-booked calls are pre-booked calls which are to be served within a certain time frame of e.g. 5 minutes.

(6) The elevator system of FIG. 1 works as follows:

(7) Via the destination call input devices, i.e. the terminal or computer 32, the destination input panel 30 or the mobile device 36, a destination call is input to the destination control system 24 of the elevator group control 22. In case of the computers or terminals 32 and the mobile devices 36, an identifier of the user of the elevator system may automatically be issued with the issuing of the destination call. The computer or terminal 32 and the mobile device 36 also enables the user to input a desired time for the destination call which is the time when the destination call is really operated in the allocation system. On this behalf, a user of the elevator system may issue at twelve o'clock a pre-booked call from the 85th floor to the ground floor at 16:30. This is a pre-booked call which comprises the departure floor, the destination floor as well as the time when the allocation has to be operated. In case of the terminals 32 or mobile devices 36, the identifier can be given automatically. In case of a common destination input panel 30 comprising a display and a decade keyboard, the identifier has to be input manually. In this case, the destination control system 24 in the elevator group control 22 reserves a ride in the particular reserved elevator 20 from the departure floor to the destination floor of the pre-booked call at 16:30. The user is able to gain access into the fenced access area of the particular elevator 20 via a rotation hub which is released after presenting his identifier tag to an identification reader 40 provided in the vicinity of the rotation hub. The access into the access area is possible only within a certain time frame before the operating time of the pre-booked call, i.e. at 16:20 or 16:25 at the earliest. As the destination control system 24 knows the departure floor and destination floor of the pre-booked call long before, it can arrange an energy-saving allocation of the particular elevator 20 to serve the pre-booked call in time in a most economical manner.

(8) FIG. 2 shows an optional flow diagram for pre-booked calls and non-pre-booked calls. Box 50 is the start box for a pre-booked call wherein the elevator system, i.e. the elevator group control 22 of the elevator system, obtains the departure floor, the destination floor, the operating time of the call allocation as well as an identifier of the user having issued the pre-booked call. Box 52 is the start box for a non-pre-booked call, i.e. an instantaneous destination call which only comprises the departure floor, the destination floor and optionally identification data of the user. In decision field 54, it is prompted whether the pre-booked destination call has meanwhile been cancelled. If yes, the procedure stops at end marker 56. If the pre-booked call is not cancelled, the flow diagram proceeds to decision field 58 wherein the operating time of the pre-booked call is compared with the actual time and it is decided whether the pre-booked call is to be allocated. If no, the process goes back to field 54. If yes, the flow diagram proceeds to decision field 60. Non-pre-booked calls process directly from Box 52 to decision field 60. In decision field 60, it is prompted whether the active call is a pre-booked call. If yes, the flow diagram proceeds to decision field 62 wherein it is checked whether a particular reserved elevator 20 comprises enough space to serve the call. If yes, an allocation procedure for this particular reserved elevator 20 is performed in field 64. If no room in the particular elevator 20 is available, the flow diagram proceeds from decision field 62 to operation field 66 where the identifier of the elevator user is retrieved and the corresponding user-individual priority is obtained to retrieve the priority of the destination call. The individual priority assigned to the destination call in operation field 66 leads in operation field 68 to a call allocation of all other elevators except the particular elevator 20 with a set of individual weighting coefficients leading to a better performance of the call allocation for this pre-booked destination call of the individual user.

(9) Coming back to the third decision field 60 where it is prompted, if the present destination call is a pre-booked call, a negative result leads to the operation field 70 in which a normal call allocation within all elevators of the elevator system except the particular elevator 20 is performed with normal weighting coefficients of the parameters of the cost function corresponding to a low priority of the instantaneous destination call.

(10) The operation fields 70 and 68 connect ahead of operation field 72 in which the allocated elevator is indicated in a display of the destination input panel 30 or in a display of a mobile device 36. In decision field 74, it is again prompted, if the pending destination call is a pre-booked call. If not, the allocation ends at end field 76. yes, the allocation process advances to decision field 78 in which it is prompted if the pre-booked call has been confirmed. If yes, the priority of the individual user is increased in operation field 80. If not, the priority of the individual user is decreased in operation field 82. Afterwards, the allocation procedure ends in the end field 76.

(11) With the above-mentioned allocation method, it is on one hand ensured that the pre-booking user gets a place in the particular reserved elevator 20, if available. However, if no room is available, the allocation procedure still leads to an individual allocation with better weighting coefficients for the passenger sensitive parameters of the cost function of the allocation algorithm as passenger waiting time and passenger riding time which will lead to a better service than any instantaneous destination call.

(12) If no particular elevator(s) 20 is(are) reserved for pre-booked calls, the decision field 62 and the operation field 64 can be omitted.

(13) The invention is not limited by the above embodiments but may be varied within the scope of the appended patent claims.