Elevator system comprising a destination control system

Abstract

An elevator system includes at least one elevator group control with a destination control system, at least one elevator group having elevators with a different destination range, destination operating panels at each landing including an input for issuing destination calls, car operating panels located in the elevators having an input for the input of destination calls, hall lanterns for each elevator indicating the moving direction of the corresponding elevator, a signaling device for each elevator indicating the arrival of an elevator at the landing, the destination control system controls hall lanterns to indicate a moving direction of the elevators and activates the signaling device when elevators arrive at a landing. The destination control system displays, after the issue of a destination call, a range identifier indicative of the elevator's destination range, and the next arriving elevator by activation of its signaling device before its arrival at the landing.

Claims

1. An elevator system comprising: at least one elevator group control with a destination control system (DCS); at least one elevator group having elevators with a different destination range; destination operating panels (DOP) at each landing comprising an input configured to issue destination calls; car operating panels (COP) located in the elevators having an input configured to input destination calls; a hall lantern for each elevator indicating the moving direction of the corresponding elevator; a signaling device for each elevator indicating the arrival of an elevator at the landing; a first serial bus connected to the destination operating panels, the hall lantern and the signaling device; and a second serial bus, separate from the first serial bus, wherein the second serial bus is connected to each elevator group control and the elevators, wherein the DCS controls the hall lantern to indicate the moving direction of the elevators and wherein the DCS is further configured to activate the signaling device when elevators of the group(s) arrive at a landing, wherein the DCS is configured to display, after the issue of a destination call at the DOP, a range identifier of the elevators serving the destination, which range identifier is indicative of the elevator's destination range, and to indicate the next arriving elevator by activation of the signaling device of the arriving elevator before arrival of the arriving elevator at the landing, and wherein the range identifier of each of the elevators of the elevator system is located in a vicinity of each elevator.

2. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein the elevator system is configured to be installed on a ship, and the landings are decks of the ship.

3. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein the elevators serving the destination are displayed on the DOP together with their range identifier.

4. The elevator system according to claim 3, wherein the elevators serving the destination are displayed by the DOP.

5. The elevator system according to claim 3, wherein an allocated elevator is displayed on the DOP via its individual number as well as with its range identifier.

6. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein the range identifier is a color.

7. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein each DOP and/or COP comprises an ADA-keyboard.

8. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein each DOP and/or COP comprises an identifier reader.

9. The elevator system according to claim 8, wherein upon reading an individual identifier via the identifier reader the destination control system is configured to load pre-stored destination data from the identifier.

10. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein the hall lantern and the signaling device comprise a common second display for the moving direction.

11. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein the signaling device comprises an acoustic signaling device.

12. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein the destination control system uses sensor data from the elevator group control for an optimal call allocation.

13. The elevator system according to claim 12, wherein the elevator group control is connected to load sensors of the elevators.

14. The elevator system according to claim 12, wherein the elevator group control is connected to passenger sensors at the landings and/or in the elevators.

15. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein the destination control system uses for the call allocation a cost function wherein different service parameters are considered.

16. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein the DCS is configured to switch an immediate call allocation principle wherein an elevator is immediately allocated after a destination call has been input via the DOP, and wherein the allocated elevator is displayed on the corresponding DOP where the destination call has been issued.

17. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein the hall lantern for each elevator is configured to indicate the position of the corresponding elevator, and wherein the DCS further controls the hall lantern to indicate the position the elevators.

18. The elevator system according to claim 12, wherein the sensor data is load data or traffic data.

19. The elevator system according to claim 15, wherein the different service parameters are passenger waiting time, passenger driving time or energy consumption.

20. The elevator system according to claim 2, wherein the elevators serving the destination are displayed on the DOP together with their range identifier.

Description

IN THESE FIGURES

(1) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an elevator lobby comprising elevator with two different destination ranges

(2) FIG. 2 shows the view from inside of an elevator to the elevator car door and a car operating panel and

(3) FIG. 3 a schematic diagram of an elevator control having a destination control system controlling functions of a continuous call allocation system.

(4) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a lobby landing 12 of a landing of an elevator system 10, from which lobby there is access to at least five elevators 14, 16, 18, 20, 22. In the lobby 12, there are two destination operating panels 24, 26 which comprise an input means for issuing destination calls, e.g. an ADA-keyboard as well as a display and or a touch screen for indicating adapted elevators serving the issued destination to the passenger, preferably immediately, after having issued the destination call. Each of the five elevators 14-22 has an individual identifier 28, in this embodiment the literals A-E. Each elevator has on its top a hall lantern means comprising a first display 34 for the actual position of the elevator as well as a second display 32 for indicating the moving direction of the elevator.

(5) Furthermore, each elevator has a range identifier display 34 which range identifier indicates a certain destination range serviced by the elevator. The range identifier may for example be a literal, a number or a color or as in the displayed embodiment a figure as a circle and a cross. Each range identifier stands for a certain destination range of the corresponding elevator whereby on the DOP as well as eventually at any place in the elevator lobby there may be an information showing the correlation of range identifier and serviced destinations. In the presented embodiment where the range identifier is displayed on a range identifier display 34, it is even possible to indicate the destination range of the corresponding elevator directly, e.g. decks 10 to 24.

(6) All the equipment indicated in FIG. 1 is connected to the elevator control or elevator group control which comprises a destination control system as shown in FIG. 3. Accordingly, the inventive elevator system performs continuous destination control based on the destination operating panels 24 and 26 without up down push buttons whereby the destination calls are issued and the possible elevators to serve the call are displayed with their range identifier. The destination control system also controls the first and second display 30, 32 of the hall lantern means as well as the destination range display 34 as well as an acoustic signaling means 35 indicating the arrival of an elevator at the landing.

(7) FIG. 2 shows the view from the interior of an elevator 14-22 to the car door 36. Aside of the car door 36 a car operating panel (COP) 38 is located in the car wall, via which COP destinations can be input, e.g. via a decade keyboard 40 provided on a touch screen of said COP 38 or via a separate keyboard. If the car operating panel 38 is a touch screen, the ADA-keyboard 40 can be displayed on the panel. The car operating panel 38 can also indicate the next destinations of the elevator car in moving direction, furthermore, an acoustic signaling means 42, usually a loudspeaker or gong, is provided in the elevator car to inform particularly visually handicapped people about the destinations of the car and the next stop of the elevator car.

(8) FIG. 3 shows the elevator group control 50 comprising a destination control system 52 in which the immediate call allocation which is usually with destination call systems is performed. The destination control system 52 may be integrated into the elevator group control or may be a separate part, e.g. a plug-in module of the elevator control. The destination control system 52 communicates with the different devices via two serial buses 54, 56 to which the different components of the elevator system are connected. To the first serial bus 54 which is connected to the elevator group control 50, the destination operating panels 24, 26, the first display 30, the second display 32 of the hall lantern means as well as the acoustic signaling 35 is connected. In this connection, also the second display 32 which indicates the moving direction of the elevator may be used as a signaling means so that when the elevator arrives at a landing, one or both arrows of the second display 32 flash up for a certain moment maybe together with an acoustic signaling of the acoustic signaling means 35.

(9) The first serial bus 54 in further connected to the car operating panel 38 as well as to the loudspeaker 42 located in the elevator.

(10) Via a second bus 56, preferably a serial bus, the elevator group control 50 communicates with the elevators 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 of the elevator group. The communication between the elevator group control 50 and the elevators 14-22 may happen in a way that the different components of the elevator as motor, brakes, door drives, etc. are directory controlled via the elevator group control 50 or in a way that each elevator 14-22 has its own elevator control which communicates with the different components of the elevator. In this case the communication between the elevator group control 50 and the elevator control of the different elevators 14-22 only comprises the control orders and status messages offer the different elevators and handshaking.

(11) The destination control system of the inventive elevator system always tries to allocate the best elevator according to evaluation principles of a cost function which evaluation principles comprise (or example passenger riding time, passenger wailing lime, total riding time, energy consumption, transport capacity, etc.

(12) Of course, the elevator system may comprise several sensors 31 as e.g. load sensors in the elevator cars, people sensors in the lobbies 12 to get information about the loading of the elevator cars and about the traffic in the elevator system. These data can be used together with the data issued via the destination operating panels 24, 26 as well as the car operating panels 38 to improve the handling capacity of the elevator system as well as the service quality thereof.

(13) The invention may be varied within the scope of the appended patent claim. The above-mentioned embodiments be combined with each other as long as this is technically feasible.