System for controlling and configuration of an occupant evacuation operation in a building

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10150647-B2
Application number	US-201615387830-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2016
Priority date	Dec 22, 2016
Publication date	Dec 11, 2018
Grant date	Dec 11, 2018

Abstract

A system for controlling and configuration of an occupant evacuation operation (OEO) in a multi-story building has an elevator control system, a fire alarm detection system with a plurality of fire sensor devices, wherein the fire alarm detection system generates fire alarm information signals, and a central control system coupled with the elevator control system and the fire alarm detection system. The central control system has a data processing system with a processor and memory which provide a configurable model of the multi-story building, receive signals from the fire alarm detection system and receive signals and transmit control signals from/to the elevator control system. The configurable model allows configuration of the system creating a model of the functionalities in the multi-story building required for the OEO, and the central control system controls the OEO based on the signals received from the fire alarm detection system and the elevator control system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for controlling and configuration of an occupant evacuation operation in a multi-story building, comprising:
an elevator control system;
a fire alarm detection system comprising a plurality of fire sensor devices, wherein the fire alarm detection system generates fire alarm information signals;
a central control system coupled with the elevator control system and the fire alarm detection system, wherein the central control system comprises a data processing system comprising a processor and memory operable to provide a configurable model of the multi-story building, to receive signals from said fire alarm detection system and to receive signals and transmit control signals from/to the elevator control system, wherein the configurable model allows configuration of the system creating a model of the functionalities in the multi-story building required for the occupant evacuation operation, and wherein the central control system controls the occupant evacuation operation (OEO) based on the signals received from the fire alarm detection system and the elevator control system,
wherein the central control system provides control signals for the elevator system, wherein based on the control signals, the elevator system controls an evacuation procedure and a signage for the elevators, wherein the elevator system comprises a plurality of independently controlled elevator groups, wherein the central control system comprises at least one configurable OEO control group module related to an elevator group coupled with a common OEO control module and a plurality of OEO building level control modules.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the central control system comprises a network connection and the configurable model can be configured using an off-line engineering tool and is downloaded after configuration into the central control system through said network connection.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the signage comprises visual information.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the fire alarm system comprises a voice evacuation system.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the fire alarm system is an integrated part of the central control system.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the fire alarm detection system comprises fire alarm detectors for each building level.

7. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising fire alarm detectors coupled with the fire alarm system and located at least in one of: an elevator engine room, an elevator shaft, and an elevator lobby.

8. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the central control system is coupled with the elevator system through a BACnet network connection.

9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the central control system provides input signals to the elevator system and receives digital output signals from the elevator system.

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the fire alarm detection system provides signals to the common OEO control module and each OEO building level control module.

11. The system according to claim 1 , comprising a plurality of configurable OEO control group modules each related to one of a plurality of elevator groups, wherein each OEO control group module is further coupled with an associated common OEO control module and associated OEO building level control modules.

12. The system according to claim 11 , wherein a common OEO control module associated with one of the OEO control group modules provides signals for another common OEO control module associated with another OEO control group module.

13. The system according to claim 1 , wherein a configuration screen for configuring the model of the multi-story building shows configuration in a tree structure, wherein a root element represents a OEO control group module and elements representing the common OEO control module and the OEO building level control modules branch from said root element, wherein the OEO building level control modules are arranged in the tree structure showing a highest building level on the top and a lowest building level on the bottom.

14. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the configuration screen allows to assign input signals to cause predefined events.

15. The system according to claim 14 , wherein each module for a building level evaluates and provides the following states:
a) a first state indicating that an OEO relevant alarm has occurred on the building level;
b) a second state indicating that the building level shall be evacuated with OEO;
c) a third state indicating that the building level should be evacuated with OEO but no elevator is available;
d) a fourth state indicating that OEO is active within the elevator group but this level is currently not being evacuated; and
e) a fifth state indicating none of the states a). . . d) is currently active.

16. A method for controlling and configuration of an occupant evacuation operation (OEO) in a multi-story building, comprising:
configuring a model representing the multi-story building with an engineering tool, wherein the model represents and provides configuration of all building levels and associations with at least one elevator system and control signals;
installing the configured model in a central control system coupled with an elevator control system and a fire alarm detection system within the building, wherein the central control system comprises a data processing system comprising a processor and memory operable to execute an OEO control based on the configured model,
receiving signals from said fire alarm detection system and receiving signals and transmitting control signals from/to the elevator control system, wherein the central control system controls the occupant evacuation operation (OEO) based on the signals received from the fire alarm detection system and the elevator control system,
generating voice evacuation messages for each building level, wherein the central control system comprises at least one configurable OEO control group module related to an elevator group and a plurality of OEO building level control modules.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the model comprises a common OEO control for which a plurality of input signals can be assigned to predefined events.

18. The method according to claim 16 , further comprising modifying the configured model with an engineering tool to adapt the system to changes in the OEO as defined by a modified regulation or in order to adapt to changed building usage or constructional changes.

19. The method according to claim 16 , further comprising providing control signals by the central control system for the elevator system, wherein based on the control signals, the elevator system controls an evacuation procedure and a signage for the elevators.

20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the signage comprises visual information.

21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein the elevator system comprises a plurality of independently controlled elevator groups.

22. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the fire alarm detection system comprises fire alarm detectors for each building level.

23. The method according to claim 16 , further comprising arranging fire alarm detectors coupled with the fire alarm system at least in one of: an elevator engine room, an elevator shaft, and an elevator lobby.

24. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the a

Assignees

• Siemens Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Huber Andreas
• Kunze Axel

Classifications

• B66B5/0006

  Monitoring devices or performance analysers (B66B5/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G08B7/066

  guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip · CPC title

• B66B5/024 Primary

  where the abnormal operating condition is caused by an accident, e.g. fire · CPC title

• B66B2201/00

  Aspects of control systems of elevators · CPC title