Elevator system accommodating elevator cars having different sizes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11465877-B2
Application number	US-201815994296-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2018
Priority date	Dec 11, 2015
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

The invention refers to an elevator system having a plurality of elevator cars, which elevator cars comprise several first cars and at least one second car, which second car differs from the first cars in its size and/or technical configuration, whereby the first cars and the second car run together within one and the same elevator shaft, which elevator system comprises an elevator control comprising a call allocation control having a first part connected to at least one call input device for allocating the first elevator cars and a second part connected to at least one call issuing means for the call allocation of the second car, whereby the first and second part of the call allocation control are configured to work independently of each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An elevator system, comprising:
a plurality of elevator cars, the plurality of elevator cars including a plurality of first cars and a second car, wherein the plurality of first cars and the second car are configured to run together within one elevator shaft such that the plurality of first cars and the second car are each configured to move vertically through at least a same vertical shaft part of the one elevator shaft, wherein the second car differs from each first car of the plurality of first cars based on the second car having a different size than each first car of the plurality of first cars, such that the second car has a larger base area than each first car of the plurality of first cars; and
an elevator control, the elevator control including a call allocation control, the call allocation control including
a first part connected to at least one call input device configured to allocate the plurality of first cars, and
a second part connected to at least one call issuing means for call allocation of the second car,
wherein the first part and the second part of the call allocation control are configured to work independently of each other,

wherein
the one elevator shaft includes at least two vertical elevator shaft parts that are
connected by an upper horizontal transfer passage, and
connected by a lower horizontal transfer passage, and

the plurality of first cars and the second car are configured to run together simultaneously in a multi-car arrangement in a closed loop through the at least two vertical elevator shaft parts, the upper horizontal transfer passage, and the lower horizontal transfer passage of the one elevator shaft.

2. The elevator system according to claim 1 , wherein the second car is configured to be parked in a park position when no call is issued by the at least one call issuing means.

3. The elevator system according to claim 1 , wherein the call allocation control or the elevator control includes a synchronizing unit configured to control an activity of the first part and the second part of the call allocation control to synchronize movements of the plurality of first cars and the second car in the one elevator shaft.

4. The elevator system according to claim 1 , further comprising landing doors that are between the at least two vertical elevator shaft parts in an area of intermediate horizontal transfer passages, wherein the elevator system is configured to move each car of the plurality of elevator cars in the closed loop and further horizontally move each car between the closed loop and separate, respective landing doors of the landing doors via separate, respective intermediate horizontal transfer passages of the area of intermediate transfer passages.

5. The elevator system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one call issuing means is a key-switch or a movable wireless call issuing device configured to co-act with a receiver connected with the elevator system.

6. The elevator system according to claim 1 , wherein the second car has a different door arrangement than each first car of the plurality of first cars, wherein
the plurality of first cars and the second car each include a separate first car door on a first car side in relation to a first shaft side of the one elevator shaft and the one elevator shaft has corresponding first landing doors at the first shaft side, and
the second car further includes a second car door on a different car side in relation to a second shaft side of the one elevator shaft than respective car doors of the plurality of first cars and the one elevator shaft has a corresponding second landing door with limited access rights at the second shaft side.

7. The elevator system according to claim 1 , wherein the second car has different equipment included in the second car than each first car of the plurality of first car.

8. The elevator system according to claim 1 , wherein the second car is configured to be parked at a parking position on an intermediate horizontal transfer passage of a parking position floor of the elevator system.

9. The elevator system according to claim 8 , wherein the call allocation control includes an allocation history unit, and the elevator control is configured to select the parking position floor of the parking position of the second car from the allocation history unit as a floor of the elevator system that is associated with a lowest allocation target numbers of respective allocation target numbers of the plurality of elevator cars.

10. The elevator system according to claim 8 , wherein the elevator control is configured to automatically drive the second car from the parking position floor to a different floor level, in response to a call input by a call input device of the elevator system that includes the parking position floor where the second car is parked.

11. The elevator system according to claim 1 , wherein each elevator car of the plurality of first cars and the second car carries an ID tag with a unique ID indicating an elevator car type of the elevator car.

12. The elevator system according to claim 1 , wherein the first part of the call allocation control is a destination call control.

13. The elevator system according to claim 1 , wherein the one elevator shaft comprises a handling/parking area for cars, wherein the handling/parking area is horizontally offset from a vertical extension of the at least two vertical elevator shaft parts of the one elevator shaft.

14. The elevator system according to claim 1 , comprising a maintenance and/or cleaning section for cars, wherein the maintenance and/or cleaning section is horizontally offset from a vertical extension of the at least two vertical elevator shaft parts f the one elevator shaft.

15. The elevator system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a handling area for the plurality of first cars and the second car, the handling area being horizontally offset from the at least two vertical elevator shaft parts of the one elevator shaft,
wherein the handling area includes at least one section of a parking section, a maintenance section, a cleaning section, an equipment section,
wherein the handling area includes a horizontal moving mechanism configured to move a car, of the plurality of elevator cars, horizontally between an operating position in the vertical elevator shaft parts and the at least one section of the handling area.

16. The elevator system according to claim 1 , wherein the one elevator shaft includes a handling/parking area configured only for parking of the second car.

Assignees

• Kone Corp

Inventors

• Hanninen Ari
• Haipus Ilpo
• Koivisto Ari
• Ratia Jouni
• Haivala Markku

Classifications

• B66B1/2466 Primary

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

• B66B1/468

  Call registering systems · CPC title

• B66B2201/00

  Aspects of control systems of elevators · CPC title

• B66B1/2433 Primary

  For elevator systems with a single shaft and multiple cars · CPC title

• B66B2201/4615

  Wherein the destination is registered before boarding · CPC title