Allocation of elevators in elevator systems based on internal database

Abstract

A method for allocation of elevators in an elevator system, including identifying at least one passenger, searching for a group or groups the at least one passenger is assigned to in an internal database, or assigning the at least one passenger to a group or to groups, where the assignment is based on information of an internal database, and calling an elevator car for the at least one passenger and assigning to the elevator car the destination of one group the at least one passenger is assigned to.

Claims

1. A method for an allocation of at least one elevator in an elevator system comprising the steps: identifying at least one passenger; searching for the group or the groups the at least one passenger is assigned to in an internal database or assigning the at least one passenger to a group or to groups, where the assignment is based on information of an internal database; and calling an elevator car for this at least one passenger and assigning to this elevator car the destination of one group the at least one passenger is assigned to, wherein a person using the system as the passenger has the possibility to affect the allocation through an additional input.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identification of a person is accomplished by using at least one identification device, after the person has entered the building or the elevator zone or passed another special position in the building.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the searching for the group or the groups the respective person is assigned to is executed by searching the identified person in an internal database of the system or an external database to which the processing device of the system has access and to look up the information to which group this person is assigned to, or an assignment procedure is executed by searching the profile of the identified person in the database and assign this person to a group where the profile fits best.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the destination floor for each member of the work groups particularly depends on the work area of the respective group and the work area of each work group is assigned by the first member of the respective group entering the building or the work area of each work group is assigned automatically based on environmental data, by decision of authorities or by schedule.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein additional information is presented on means to present this information.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elevator system comprises more than one elevator and two or more members of a certain work group had been identified, wherein these members are assigned to one single elevator car, as well as all other passengers with the same or a similar destination are assigned to this elevator car, wherein the special assignment of the elevator is especially displayed for the respective passengers.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the case of groups comprising a large number of members, one of the elevators is reserved for passengers travelling to the floor comprising the work area of this group, only.

8. A computer program which when executing on a computer performs the method of claim 1.

9. The computer program of claim 8, when stored on a computer readable medium.

10. An elevator system, comprising: one or more elevators; at least one identification device, suitable to identify passengers; and at least one processing device, suitable to activate calls for one or more individual elevators of the elevator system, based on the information of the at least one identification device, and wherein the elevator system is designed to execute the method as claimed in claim 1.

11. The elevator system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one identification device is able to identify a person entering the building or at least a person intending to use an elevator of the elevator system, and/or the at least one processing device is able to process the passenger data, allocate a destination to an elevator car of the elevator system used by the respective passenger, call this elevator car to the position of the respective passenger and direct the elevator car to the allocated destination of the passenger.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the additional input is a mobile device (MOP), an elevator system UI (DOP), a manual input device or a system override.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identification of a person is accomplished by using at least one identification device, after the person has entered the building or the elevator zone or passed another special position in the building, wherein to identify a person there are used items carried by this person, including ID-cards or RFID-devices, and/or biometric features of the person, the biometric features being fingerprints or the face of the person.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein additional information is presented on means to present this information, including display means or means for data transfer, wherein the display means are used to show information for each identified person, including information about the group this person is actually assigned to, the location of team members, the team members already present in the work area or the exact position of the work area, and the means for data transfer are used to send data to a mobile device of a person where the information can be displayed.

15. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the searching for the group or the groups the respective person is assigned to is executed by searching the identified person in an internal database of the system or an external database to which the processing device of the system has access and to look up the information to which group this person is assigned to, or an assignment procedure is executed by searching the profile of the identified person in the database and assign this person to a group where the profile fits best.

16. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the destination floor for each member of the work groups particularly depends on the work area of the respective group and that the work area of each work group is assigned by the first member of the respective group entering the building or the work area of each work group is assigned automatically based on environmental data, by decision of authorities or by schedule.

17. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the destination floor for each member of the work groups particularly depends on the work area of the respective group and that the work area of each work group is assigned by the first member of the respective group entering the building or the work area of each work group is assigned automatically based on environmental data, by decision of authorities or by schedule.

18. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein additional information is presented on means to present this information, including display means or means for data transfer, wherein the display means are used to show information for each identified person, including information about the group this person is actually assigned to, the location of team members, the team members already present in the work area or the exact position of the work area, and the means for data transfer are used to send data to a mobile devices of a person where the information can be displayed.

19. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein additional information is presented on means to present this information, including display means or means for data transfer, wherein the display means are used to show information for each identified person, including information about the group this person is actually assigned to, the location of team members, the team members already present in the work area or the exact position of the work area, and the means for data transfer are used to send data to a mobile devices of a person where the information can be displayed.

20. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein additional information is presented on means to present this information, including display means or means for data transfer, wherein the display means are used to show information for each identified person, including information about the group this person is actually assigned to, the location of team members, the team members already present in the work area or the exact position of the work area, and the means for data transfer are used to send data to a mobile devices of a person where the information can be displayed.

Description

(1) In the following, the invention will be described in detail by the aid of examples of its embodiments, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 presents an elevator system suitable for the method of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 1 presents an elevator system suitable for the method of the present invention. The elevator system forms an elevator group, which comprises two elevator cars 1 and 2, the elevator cars 1 and 2 are able to move in the elevator hoistway between the floors F1, F2 . . . F10. The elevator system is operated by processing device 3 that moves elevator car 1 via motor unit 4 and elevator car 2 via motor unit 5. In addition, processing device 3 receives signals over a data line 6 from identification devices 7 that are mounted at least on the ground floor, but preferably also in any lobby of floors F1 to F10. Every destination device 7 comprises means to identify a person, such as a receiving unit 8 or a keyboard 9 for manual identification.

(4) In the FIGURE, three persons are shown wherein persons 10 and 11 are members of the same work group and person 13 is the supervisor of this group and other groups.

(5) When person 10 arrives in the building, person 11 has already begun to work and had been assigned to a working place that has been determined to be the present working place of the group, earlier or has assigned this working place by himself. Identification device 7 will identify person 10 to be a member of this certain group and send a signal to the processing device 3, comprising data of person 10. Processing device 3 will decide, what group person 10 has been assigned to, call an elevator car and automatically set the correct destination floor for this elevator car (here floor F10). Person 10 will enter the elevator car and be brought to the correct floor automatically.

(6) As an additional option, the system may comprise display means 12, as shown in this example on identification module 7, where users of the system can get additional information, e.g. the room number or the work group, they will be assigned today, or the elevator car that should be used.

(7) If the supervisor of the present group is going to visit this group, he will also be identified by the system. The system then can automatically call an elevator car and assign the correct destination by schedule or by an additional information about the desired group, given by the supervisor, e.g. via manual input by using keyboard 9.

(8) The invention is not only limited to be applied to the embodiments described above, but instead many variations are possible within the scope of the inventive concept defined by the claims below. Thus, for example, the control system of the elevator system can comprise a number of separate control units, of which one or more control unit can belong to the access control system of the building.

REFERENCE SIGNS

(9) TABLE-US-00001 1 & 2 elevator cars 3 processing device 4 & 5 motor units 6 data line 7 identification device 8 receiving unit 9 keyboard 10 & 11 persons 12 display means 13 person (supervisor)