METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ELEVATING ELEVATOR CARS

Abstract

The invention refers to a method for allocating elevator cars in an elevator system for passenger transport having at least one elevator group with at least one elevator having at least one elevator car, which elevator group is controlled by an elevator group control having a call allocation system to allocate an elevator car to a floor call using destination call control wherein the floor call includes the departure floor as well as the destination floor, whereby the elevator system communicates via a communication means with terminal devices, e.g. mobile devices acting as destination operating panels for the passengers. According to the invention the call allocation system is configured to handle load calls issued via the terminal device, whereby a load call comprises a departure floor, a destination floor, load specification data and a first time or time frame within which the load is to be transported from the departure floor to the destination floor, and the allocation system reserves within the first time/time frame the necessary space and/or weight in an elevator car, obtained from the load specification data and sends a notice to the terminal device from which the load call has been issued and/or to a predetermined terminal device, which notice comprises information that currently or at what time an elevator car is going to serve the load call and which elevator car is going to serve the load call.

Claims

1. Method for allocating elevator cars in an elevator system for passenger transport having at least one elevator group with at least one elevator having at least one elevator car, which elevator group is controlled by an elevator group control having a call allocation system to allocate an elevator car to a floor call using destination call control wherein the floor call includes the departure floor as well as the destination floor, whereby the elevator system communicates via a communication means with terminal devices, e.g. mobile devices acting as destination operating panels for the passengers, characterized in that the call allocation system is configured to handle load calls issued via the terminal device, whereby a load call comprises a departure floor, a destination floor, load specification data and a first time or time frame within which the load is to be transported from the departure floor to the destination floor, and that the call allocation system reserves within the first time/time frame the necessary space and/or weight in an elevator car, obtained from the load specification data and sends a notice to the terminal device from which the load call has been issued and/or to a predetermined terminal device, which notice comprises information that currently or at what time an elevator car is going to serve the load call and which elevator car is going to serve the load call.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the call allocation system comprises a forecast section and the call allocation system considers the allocation of the load call only in a second time frame within the first time frame, whereby the total traffic in the second time frame is according to the expected data of the traffic forecast section lower than in the remaining period of the first time frame.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the call allocation system calculates from the load specification data a space/weight portion of an elevator car to be reserved for the load call.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein a mobile device, particularly a smart phone is used as terminal device.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein the call allocation system excludes at least in a part of the first time frame the space/weight of the allocated elevator car to be reserved for the load call from the elevator car space available for passenger calls.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein the call allocation system divides the load according to the load specification data into several smaller partial loads if within the first time frame there is no space for the load available in a single elevator car, whereby a notice is sent to the terminal informing of this division of the load transportation and wherein the load specification data comprises data whether or not the load can be divided into partial loads.

7. Method according claim 1, wherein the load call is handled in a call allocation procedure comprising an optimization unit in which a cost function is used for each of a variety of calculated allocation solutions to evaluate the fitness of said allocation solution for the current call situation, in which cost function several weighted passenger transportation parameters together with correlated travel weight coefficients are considered, whereby in this cost function a load transportation parameter is added as a further parameter, which load transportation parameter is correlated with a corresponding load weight coefficient.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein after a time threshold value before the end of the first time period is obtained the load call is allocated to the next elevator moving to the departure floor and having enough space for the load.

9. Method according to claim 7, wherein the load weight coefficient is made dependent on the first time frame, particularly on the remaining time of the first time frame.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein the elevator system communicates wirelessly with the terminal devices.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein destination calls are input via the terminal device and an allocated elevator is displayed via the terminal device before arrival of the elevator car at the departure floor.

12. Elevator system comprising at least one elevator group with at least one elevator having at least one elevator car, at least one elevator group control comprising a call allocation system which is configured to allocate elevator cars in response to floor calls, communication means to communicate with terminal devices serving as destination operating panels, characterized in that the call allocation system has a load call allocation section being configured to handle load calls which comprise a departure floor, a destination floor, load specification data, and a first time/time frame wherein a load is to be transported from the departure floor to the destination floor, that the call allocation system is configured to reserve within the first time/time frame an available space in at least one of the elevator cars for the load to be transported, and that the call allocation system is configured to issue a notice to the terminal device issuing the load call and/or to a predetermined terminal device via the communication means, that or at what time an elevator car is arriving at the departure floor to serve the load call, and which elevator car is to serve the load call.

13. Elevator system according to claim 12, wherein the terminal devices are mobile devices, particularly smartphones.

14. Elevator system according to claim 12, wherein the communication means are wireless communication means, particularly a public communication network.

15. Elevator system according to claim 12, wherein the call allocation system comprises an optimization unit designed to calculate the value of a cost function for different route alternatives for a given call situation, which cost function comprises a sum of passenger travel parameters provided with corresponding travel weight coefficients, whereby the optimization unit is designed to extend the cost function by a load transportation parameter correlated with a corresponding load weight coefficient which at least towards the end of the first time/time frame is larger than the passenger travel weight coefficients.

16. Elevator system according to claim 12, wherein the call allocation system comprises a calculation unit for calculating from the load specification data a portion of the elevator floor area.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] 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,

[0038] FIG. 1 a diagram of an elevator system for the handling of passenger calls and load calls.

[0039] FIG. 2 a flow diagram for the handling of a load call in a call allocation process.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0040] 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.

[0041] The elevator system according to FIG. 1 works as follows.

[0042] 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 m0.5 m1 m (widthdepthheight). 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.

[0043] FIG. 2 shows a flow-chart of the handling of a load call in the call allocation system 24.

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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.

[0047] 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

[0048] 10 elevator system [0049] 12 elevator group [0050] 14 first elevator [0051] 16 second elevator [0052] 18 third elevator [0053] 20a-d elevator cars [0054] 22 elevator group control [0055] 24 call allocation system [0056] 26 optimization unit [0057] 28 communication means [0058] 30 first smartphone [0059] 32 second smartphone [0060] 34 touchscreen [0061] 40 input load call via smartphone [0062] 42 calculation of elevator car portion from load specification data [0063] 44 load fits in elevator car ? [0064] 46 rejection of load call [0065] 48 end [0066] 50 confirmation of load call to smartphone [0067] 52 begin of first time frame ? [0068] 54 set load weight parameter to initial value [0069] 56 consider load call in call allocation [0070] 58 has load call been allocated ? [0071] 60 time threshold achieved ? [0072] 62 allocate next elevator with enough space [0073] 64 increase load weight parameter after time span (clock) [0074] 66 notify car arrival time at departure floor and allocated elevator via smartphone [0075] 68 end