Method for operating an elevator with multiple shafts and cars

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10526166-B2
Application number	US-201615552891-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2016
Priority date	Feb 23, 2015
Publication date	Jan 7, 2020
Grant date	Jan 7, 2020

Abstract

A method for operating an elevator system can be used with elevator systems that include at least two cars and at least two vertically extending elevator shafts where the at least two cars can be moved between the at least two elevator shafts. In a first operating mode transportation operations are performed by the at least two cars in the at least two elevator shafts. In a second operating mode a location of at least one of the at least two cars is restricted to at least one region of at least one of the at least two elevator shafts. In the second operating mode, the at least one of the at least two cars is not available for transportation operations in remaining regions of the at least two elevator shafts.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating an elevator system with at least two cars and at least two elevator shafts that extend vertically, wherein the at least two cars are movable between the at least two elevator shafts, the method comprising operating the elevator system in a first operating mode or a second operating mode,
performing transportation operations in the first operating mode by the at least two cars in the at least two elevator shafts;
restricting at least one of the at least two cars to a second region of the at least two elevator shafts in the second operating mode, wherein the at least one of the at least two cars is not available for transportation operations in a first region of the at least two elevator shafts, wherein the first and second regions do not overlap;
wherein transportation operations involving movement of the at least two cars between the first and second regions are performed in the first operating mode, and
further comprising carrying out maintenance, in the second region, on the at least one of the at least two cars that is restricted to the second region in the second operating mode.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
enabling passengers to enter the at least two cars through shaft doors in the first operating mode; and
prohibiting passengers from entering the at least two cars through the shaft doors in the second region in the second operating mode.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein in the second operating mode no transportation operations are performed in the second region, wherein in the second operating mode the at least one of the at least two cars that is restricted to the second region is not available for transportation operations.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein in the second operating mode transportation operations are performed by the at least one of the at least two cars that is restricted to the second region.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising adjusting, in the second operating mode, the number of the at least two cars unavailable for transportation operations based on operating parameters of the elevator system.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising switching between the first and second operating modes based on operating parameters of the elevator system.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the second region extends across a plurality of floors of a building.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the second region extends across an entire vertical length of one of the at least two elevator shafts.

Assignees

• Thyssenkrupp Elevator Ag
• Thyssenkrupp Ag

Inventors

• Gerstenmeyer Stefan
• Jetter Markus
• Bass Patrick Michael

Classifications

• B66B1/2466 Primary

  For elevator systems with multiple shafts and multiple cars per shaft · CPC title

• B66B5/0087

  Devices facilitating maintenance, repair or inspection tasks (devices incorporated in the buffer B66B5/288; railings on top of the car B66B11/0226) · CPC title

• B66B1/2491

  For elevator systems with lateral transfers of cars or cabins between hoistways · CPC title

• B66B9/003 Primary

  for lateral transfer of car or frame, e.g. between vertical hoistways or to/from a parking position · CPC title

• B66B1/3407

  Setting or modification of parameters of the control system · CPC title