Elevator evacuation system configured to account for prioritized evacuation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10160618-B2
Application number	US-201514952297-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2015
Priority date	May 31, 2013
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

A method for evacuating people with an elevator system. The method including identifying an evacuation mode in the elevator system; determining the amount of people in each building floor to be evacuated by a normal evacuation service of the elevator system and whether there exists at least one person to be evacuated who is entitled to a prioritized evacuation service; calculating an estimated evacuation waiting time for each floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service, wherein the calculation takes into account that the at least one person allowed to the prioritized evacuation service is evacuated first; and causing display of the estimated evacuation waiting time iii each building floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for evacuating people with an elevator system, the method comprising:
identifying an evacuation mode in the elevator system;
determining an amount of people in each building floor to be evacuated by a normal evacuation service of the elevator system;
determining whether there exists at least one person to be evacuated who is entitled to a prioritized evacuation service;
calculating an estimated evacuation waiting time for each floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service such that the calculating increases the estimated evacuation waiting time in response to determining that there exists the at least one person entitled to prioritized evacuation service that will be evacuated prior to the people to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service; and
causing display of the estimated evacuation waiting time in each building floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the amount of people in each building floor to be evacuated comprises determining the amount of people based on destination calls from each building floor.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
redetermining the amount of people in each building floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service of the elevator system and whether there exists at least one person to be evacuated who is entitled to a prioritized evacuation service during the evacuation mode.

4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising:
recalculating the estimated evacuation waiting time for each building floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service; and
causing display of the recalculated estimated evacuation waiting time in the each building floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein calculating the estimated evacuation waiting time for each floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service takes into account at least one of longer stop time, longer passenger transfer time and a reduced car capacity of the prioritized evacuation service.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
performing evacuation in the evacuation mode on a floor-by-floor basis.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the elevator system comprises a double-deck elevator, the method comprising:
arranging evacuation by the normal evacuation service with a first elevator car of the double-deck elevator; and
arranging evacuation by the prioritized evacuation service with a second elevator car of the double-deck elevator.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing including program code instructions, which when executed by at least one processor, configures the at least one processor to perform the method of claim 1 .

9. An apparatus in an elevator system, the apparatus comprising:
at least one memory
storing program code instructions; and
at least one processor configured to read the program code instructions to perform a method, the method including,
identifying an evacuation mode in the elevator system;
determining an amount of people in each building floor to be evacuated by a normal evacuation service of the elevator system;
determining whether there exists at least one person to be evacuated who is entitled to a prioritized evacuation service;
calculating an estimated evacuation waiting time for each floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service such that the at least one processor increases the estimated evacuation waiting time in response to determining that there exists the at least one person entitled to prioritized evacuation service that will be evacuated prior to the people to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service; and
causing display of the estimated evacuation waiting time in each building floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one memory comprises program code instructions which when executed by the at least one processor, executes the following:
determining the amount of people based on destination calls from each building floor.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one memory comprises program code instructions which when executed by the at least one processor, executes the following:
redetermining the amount of people in each building floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service of the elevator system and whether there exists at least one person to be evacuated who is entitled to a prioritized evacuation service during the evacuation mode.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the at least one memory comprises program code instructions which when executed by the at least one processor, executes the following:
recalculating the estimated evacuation waiting time for each building floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service; and
causing display of the recalculated estimated evacuation waiting time in the each building floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one memory comprises program code instructions which when executed by the at least one processor, executes the following:
calculating the estimated evacuation waiting time for each floor to be evacuated by the normal evacuation service takes into account at least one of longer stop time, longer passenger transfer time and a reduced car capacity of the prioritized evacuation service.

14. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one memory comprises program code instructions which when executed by the at least one processor, executes the following:
performing evacuation in the evacuation mode on a floor-by-floor basis.

15. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the elevator system comprises a double-deck elevator and wherein the at least one memory comprises program code instructions which when executed by the at least one processor, executes the following:
arranging evacuation by the normal evacuation service with a first elevator car of the double-deck elevator; and
arranging evacuation by the prioritized evacuation service with a second elevator car of the double-deck elevator.

16. An elevator system comprising:
an apparatus of claim 9 ;
at least one elevator car for evacuating people during an evacuation mode; and
at least one display device in each building floor for displaying an estimated evacuation waiting time.

Assignees

• Sorsa Janne
• Siikonen Marja Liisa
• Kone Corp

Inventors

• Sorsa Janne
• Siikonen Marja-Liisa

Classifications

• B66B1/28 Primary

  electrical (detecting excessive speed B66B5/04 {; control of electrical motor H02P}) · CPC title

• B66B5/021 Primary

  the abnormal operating conditions being independent of the system (alarm systems in general G08B) · CPC title

• B66B1/3476

  Load weighing or car passenger counting devices (B66B5/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B66B11/0213

  for multi-deck cars · CPC title

• B66B1/3415

  Control system configuration and the data transmission or communication within the control system · CPC title