Managing the number of active elevator cars in a multi-car elevator shaft system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11414296-B2
Application number	US-201916239200-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 3, 2019
Priority date	Aug 9, 2016
Publication date	Aug 16, 2022
Grant date	Aug 16, 2022

Abstract

According to an aspect, there is provided a method for determining the number of elevator cars in a two-shaft multi-car elevator system. The method comprises determining the number of active elevator cars N in the two-shaft multi-car elevator system byN=RTT*arra*carsize,wherein RTT is a round trip time of the two-shaft multi-car elevator system, arr is the arrival rate of passengers, a is a car load factor, and carsize is the number of passengers one elevator car is able to carry.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for determining the number of elevator cars in use in a two-shaft multi-car elevator system, wherein the elevator shafts are connected to each other and wherein the elevator cars are configured to move only upwards in a first elevator shaft among the two elevator shafts and move only downwards in a second elevator shaft among the two elevator shafts, the method comprising:
determining, by a processor of the multi-car elevator system, the number of active elevator cars N in use in the two-shaft multi-car elevator system by

N
=

RTT
*
arr

a
*
carsize

,

wherein
RTT is a round trip time of the two-shaft multi-car elevator system,
arr is the arrival rate of passengers,
a is a car load factor, and
carsize is the number of passengers one elevator car is able to carry; and
taking back to service, by a processor of the multi-car elevator system, one or more elevator cars from an elevator car storage or putting back one or more elevator cars to the elevator car storage depending on the determined number of active elevator cars N,
wherein the two-shaft multi-car elevator system further comprises:
a top having only a first connecting passageway;
a bottom having only a second connecting passageway; and
at least one elevator car storage separate from the first elevator shaft and the second elevator shaft, and connected to one of the first elevator shaft and the second elevator shaft or connected to both the first connecting passageway and the second connecting passageway.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the arrival rate of passengers with at least one of elevator car load weighing devices, photocells and door light ray systems.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the arrival rate based on traffic forecast data.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the round trip time in real-time with elevator control logic.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the value of the car load factor approximately 0.8.

6. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining the round trip time in real-time with elevator control logic.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the value of the car load factor approximately 0.8.

8. An elevator system comprising:
two elevator shafts, wherein the elevator shafts are connected to each other and wherein elevator cars are configured to move only upwards in a first elevator shaft among the two elevator shafts and move only downwards in a second elevator shaft among the two elevator shafts; and
a processor configured to:
determine the number of active elevator cars N in use in the two-shaft multi-car elevator system by:

N
=

RTT
*
arr

a
*
carsize

,

wherein
RTT is a round trip time of the two-shaft multi-car elevator system, arr is the arrival rate of passengers, a is a car load factor, carsize is the number of passengers one elevator car is able to carry, and take back to service one or more elevator cars from an elevator car storage or putting back one or more elevator cars to the elevator car storage depending on the determined number of active elevator cars N,
wherein the elevator system further comprises:
a top having only a first connecting passageway:
a bottom having only a second connecting passageway, and
at least one elevator car storage separate from the first elevator shaft and the second elevator shaft and connected to one of the first elevator shaft and the second elevator shaft or connected to both the first connecting passageway and the second connecting passageway.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein the value of the car load factor approximately 0.8.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one elevator car storage is a single elevator car storage connected to the right side of the second connecting passageway.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one elevator car storage is a single elevator car storage located between the first elevator shaft and the second elevator shaft, and
wherein the single elevator car stage is connected to the first connecting passageway and to the second connecting passageway.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one elevator car storage includes a first elevator car storage, a second elevator car storage, and a third elevator car storage,
wherein the first elevator car storage is connected to the first connecting passageway,
wherein the second elevator car storage is connected to a middle of the multi-car elevator system and is located below the first elevator car storage, and
wherein the third elevator car storage is connected to the second connecting passageway and is located below the second elevator car storage.

13. The elevator system of claim 8 , wherein the value of the car load factor approximately 0.8.

14. The elevator system of claim 13 , further comprising:
determining the arrival rate based on traffic forecast data.

15. The elevator system of claim 13 , further comprising:
determining the round trip time in real-time with elevator control logic.

16. The elevator system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one elevator car storage is a single elevator car storage connected to the right side of the second connecting passageway.

17. The elevator system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one elevator car storage is a single elevator car storage located between the first elevator shaft and the second elevator shaft, and
wherein the single elevator car stage is connected to the first connecting passageway and to the second connecting passageway.

18. The elevator system of claim 13 , wherein the at least one elevator car storage includes a first elevator car storage, a second elevator car storage, and a third elevator car storage,
wherein the first elevator car storage is connected to the first connecting passageway,
wherein the second elevator car storage is connected to a middle of the elevator system and is located below the first elevator car storage, and
wherein the third elevator car storage is connected to the second connecting passageway and is located below the second elevator car storage.

Assignees

• Kone Corp

Inventors

• Siikonen Marja-Liisa
• Ruokokoski Mirko

Classifications

• B66B1/2491

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

• B66B1/2466 Primary

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

• B66B9/003

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

• B66B5/0018

  Devices monitoring the operating condition of the elevator system · CPC title

• B66B2201/242

  Parking control · CPC title