Elevator system configured to allocate one or more elevators to a passenger group and method of performing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9650225-B2
Application number	US-201414265708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2014
Priority date	Nov 23, 2011
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

A method for allocating elevators including reading, via one or more reading devices, identification data from one or more access cards associated with passengers until a desired termination condition is fulfilled; forming a passenger group based on the identification data such that the passenger group is formed only if the reading reads the identification data associated with two or more of the passengers, the passenger group containing the passengers therein; registering one or more destination calls to the passenger group, the one or more destination calls having at least one or more destination floors associated therewith; and allocating one or more of a plurality of elevators to the passenger group to transport the passengers belonging to the passenger group from a departure floor to the one or more destination floors.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of allocating one or more of a plurality of elevators in an elevator system to a passenger group, the elevator system including the plurality of elevators, call-giving devices and one or more reading devices, the method comprising:
reading, via the one or more reading devices, identification data from one or more access cards associated with passengers until a desired termination condition is fulfilled;
forming a passenger group based on the identification data such that the passenger group is formed only if the reading reads the identification data associated with two or more of the passengers, the passenger group containing the passengers therein;
registering one or more destination calls to the passenger group, the one or more destination calls having at least one or more destination floors associated therewith; and
allocating the one or more of the plurality of elevators to the passenger group to transport the passengers belonging to the passenger group from a departure floor to the one or more destination floors.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
connecting group data to the identification data of the one or more access cards; and
forming the passenger group based on the group data.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein
the reading includes reading two or more access cards in close range of each other, and
the forming the passenger group includes generating the group data based on the identification data of the two or more access cards, and linking the group data to the identification data.

4. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
deleting the group data automatically after the passengers in the passenger group are transported to the one or more destination floors group.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the call-giving devices is a destination call panel in an elevator lobby of the departure floor.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the reading includes reading, via the one or more reading devices, the identification data from consecutive access cards until a last one of the passengers belonging to the passenger group registers the at least one destination call via pushbuttons of the destination call panel or until a threshold period of time has passed from the reading of a last one of the consecutive access cards.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the registering includes registering the destination call given by the last one of the passengers to the passenger group, and registering any consecutive destination calls following the destination call given by the last one of the passengers to the passenger group, if the consecutive destination calls are given with the pushbuttons within a given time window.

8. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising:
displaying, via the destination call panel, which of the plurality of elevators is allocated to the passenger group.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the call-giving devices are terminal devices associated with respective ones of the passengers.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein
at least one of the one or more reading devices are configured to monitor an elevator lobby associated with the departure floor, and
the reading reads the identification data from the terminal devices associated with the passengers who are simultaneously in the elevator lobby.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the registering includes receiving the one or more destination calls from the terminal devices associated with the passengers belonging to the passenger group before the one or more elevators allocated to the passenger group arrive at the departure floor.

12. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
transmitting an announcement to the terminal devices, the announcement indicating which of the plurality of elevators is allocated to the passenger group.

13. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
determining access rights of the passengers belonging to the passenger group based on the identification data read from access cards, wherein
the registering only registers ones of the one or more destination calls having associated destination floors which all of the passengers of the passenger group have credentials to access based on the access rights.

14. An elevator system, comprising:
a plurality of elevators;
call-giving devices configured to register one or more destination calls given by passengers,
one or more reading devices configured to read one or more access cards associated with the passengers; and
a controller connected to the call-giving devices and to the reader devices, the controller configured to,
read, via the one or more reading devices, the identification data from the one or more access cards until a desired termination condition is fulfilled,
form a passenger group based on the identification data such that the controller is configured to form the passenger group only if the controller reads the identification data associated with two or more of the passengers,
register the one or more destination calls to the passenger group, the one or more destination calls having at least one or more destination floors associated therewith; and
allocate one or more of the plurality of elevators to the passenger group to transport the passengers belonging to the passenger group from a departure floor to the one or more destination floors.

15. The elevator system according to claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to,
connect group data to the identification data of the one or more access cards, and
forming the passenger group based on the group data.

16. The elevator system according to claim 14 , wherein
at least one of the one or more access cards includes a client-side reading device configured to read the identification data of the one or more access cards in close range thereto, and to form group data based on the identification data.

17. The elevator system according to claim 15 , wherein the group data is recorded in at least one of the one or more access card a memory associated with the controller.

18. The elevator system according to claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to read, via the one or more reading devices, the identification data from consecutive access cards until the controller registers the at least one destination call given via pushbuttons of a destination call panel or until a threshold period of time has passed from the controller reading a last one of the consecutive access cards.

19. The elevator system according to claim 14 , wherein
at least one of the one or more reading devices are configured to monitor an elevator lobby associated with the departure floor, and
the controller is configured to read, via the at least one of the one or more reading devices, the identification data from the terminal devices associated with the passengers who are simultaneously in the elevator lobby.

20. The elevator system according to claim 19 , wherein the controller is configured to register the one or more destination calls by,
receiving the one or more destination calls from the terminal devices associated with the passengers belonging to the passenger group before the one or more elevators allocated to the passenger group arrive at the departure floor.

21. The elevator system according to claim 14 , wherein the controller is configured to display,

Assignees

• Salmikuukka Jukka
• Lempinen Eeva
• Kone Corp

Inventors

• Salmikuukka Jukka
• Lempinen Eeva

Classifications

• B66B2201/40

  Details of the change of control mode · CPC title

• B66B2201/4676

  for checking authorization of the passengers · CPC title

• B66B1/468 Primary

  Call registering systems · CPC title

• B66B2201/405

  by input of special passenger or passenger group · CPC title

• B66B2201/4653

  wherein the call is registered using portable devices · CPC title