Inventio Ag

Joris Schroder

Jiri Kiml

Miroslav Kostka

Hans Bosshard

Walter Zimmermann

Paul Friedli

Thomas Hinderling

Fritz Meyer

Martin Meier

A method of controlling a group of elevators allocates target calls definitively and immediately to the individual elevators for serving the call according to higher rank and lower rank function requirements and these allocations are indicated immediately at the call input floors. A weighted sum corresponding to higher rank function requirements is formed from partial operating costs, this sum is modified into operating costs in the sense of lower rank function requirements by means of variable bonus and penalty point factors and a target call is allocated to the elevator with the lowest operating costs. A target call allocation algorithm with subordinate algorithms for the bonus and penalty point tracking and the costs computation implements this method in a computer. The bonus and penalty point factors are continuously made to follow the traffic volume or the car load group by group or elevator by elevator with the tracking algorithm. The computation of the operating costs takes place in the costs computation algorithm according to a special costs formula, wherein the readjusted bonus and penalty point factors act multiplicatively on a six term partial costs sum.

Method and apparatus for the immediate allocation of target calls in

A group control for an elevator system assigns immediately destination calls which were entered at a floor lying behind the car in the direction of travel of the car and for a floor which lies ahead of the car. The group control includes a call memory having a first register for storing the calls of like direction of travel entered ahead of the car, a second register for storing the calls of opposite direction of travel and a third register for storing the calls of like direction of travel entered behind the car. A control circuit is activated each time a call is entered such that a call of the same direction of travel is written, according to its position with respect to the car, into the first or third register. The allocated calls of the third register are transferred into the second register on the first change in direction of travel of the car and into the first register on the second change in direction of travel so that they can be detected by a selector addressing the call memory.

Elevator group control for the immediate assignment of destination calls

A group control for an elevator system, in which it is possible to assign a newly entered floor call to a car for the first time, immediately and finally, includes a computer and a comparator circuit for calculating operating costs and assigning the call to the car with the lowest cost during a comparison cycle. The operating cost includes car load values for the floors which are stored in a load table for the assigned car. Upon the assignment of a floor call, the load value for the call input floor is increased proportionally to the number of entered calls and the load values at the floors of destination are reduced proportionally to the number of calls for the respective floor of destination. These load values are used by a monitoring circuit to prevent the assignment of a call which would cause an overload condition.

Group control overload protection for elevators with immediate

A method and apparatus for the control of the dispatch of elevator cars from the main floor during up peak traffic conditions are implemented in an algorithm performed by a process computer. The algorithm for an elevator group, consisting of at least one elevator, calculates a transport capacity and a nominal time interval. The transport capacity and the nominal time interval are dependent on the nominal departure load and the compound values are stored in a transport capacity field and in an interval field, respectively. From data generated by a sensor, an elevator control and an input/output unit, the algorithm determines the traffic requirement at the main floor and the traffic requirement at an associated car, and the transport capacity is computed dependant on the higher of the two traffic requirements. Subsequently, the algorithm searches in the transport capacity field for the nominal departure load corresponding to this transport capacity. In a similar manner, the field component of the interval field, indexed with the nominal departure load, is addressed and the value of the field component assigned to the nominal time interval. As soon as the condition actual departure load equals nominal departure load or the condition actual time interval equals nominal time interval is satisfied, the associated car is dispatched.

Method and apparatus for the control of elevator cars from a main floor

A call registering and indicating device includes a keyboard wherein calls for desired floors of destination can be entered without pressing a register key after a correct input or pressing a correction key after an incorrect call input. A call input is possible only if a proximity switch connected with the call input keyboard is activated. On deactivation of the proximity switch, a delay circuit causes the call to be automatically registered. An erroneously entered call is automatically cancelled by means of a second control circuit, where simultaneouly a second indicating element lights up in the form of a double question mark. A third indicating element, signaling the selected elevator, located on the same indicating panel, as well as a fourth and fifth indicating element, signaling the position of the selected elevator in relation to the actuated keyboard, are connected with a group control circuit by way of further control circuits. In response to the call assignment, the third and the fourth or fifth indicating elements are activated, which then will light up together with a first indicating element signaling the selected floor of destination at the input of the call.

Elevator call registering and indicating device

A group control for an elevator system in which a call firmly assigned to a car, but not serviceable at a stop at the respective floor due to an expected overload, can be serviced subsequently by the same car. For this purpose first and second circuits, assigned to the floors, are provided. A selector scanning the floor and car call memories activates at every position the assigned first and second circuits, where the first circuit causes the car to pass the respective floor if an overload would be generated at a stop. The second circuits assigned to the upward and downward directions are linked to each other in such a manner that, on establishment of an overload, the scanning by the selector of the floor and car call memories assigned in each case to the calls of opposite direction is prevented. After passage of the non-serviceable floor and reaching of the point of return of the direction of travel, the car travels without interruption back to the earlier disregarded floor, whereby the blocking of the scanning of the floor and car call memories of the calls in the opposite direction is cancelled.

Group control for elevators with load dependent control of the cars

A group control for an elevator system, in which it is possible to assign a newly entered floor call to a car for the first time, immediately and finally, includes a computer and a comparator circuit for calculating servicing costs and assigning the call to the car with the lowest cost during a comparison cycle. The floor call generates an entry floor signal which is stored in a floor call memory and an assignment memory for the assigned car. Storage cells of the assignment memory and the floor call memory are linked to each other by way of an automatic holding circuit that prevents reassignment of the floor call during subsequent comparison cycles.

Group control for elevators with immediate allocation of calls of

An actual position value transmitter for an elevator position control circuit includes a pulse transmitter in the form of a digital tachometer which is driven by way of a cable and a car distance counter responsive to the pulses for generating an actual position signal. Stopping errors of the elevator car caused by slip of the cable are avoided by utilizing a correction table in the form of a write-read memory, in which correction values assigned to the floors and corresponding to the stopping errors are stored. The correction table is connected to the car distance counter and on departure of the elevator car from a floor or on passing a floor, a correction value assigned to the next floor is fetched from the correction table and fed to the car distance counter for the purpose of correction of the actual position signal.

Actual position signal generator for the position control circuit of an

A floor call registering circuit for an elevator system includes a keyboard at each floor for inputting the destination floors. The call registering circuit at the main stopping location permits only travels to destination floors which are allocated to a certain group of destination floors. According to an alternate embodiment, the call registering circuit is provided either with a pulse generator or with a decade keyboard. If the keyboard at the main stopping location has keys for all the destination floors, a circuit is provided which frees the destination floor calls allocated to the certain group of destination floors and blocks the destination floor calls lying outside the certain group of destination floors.

Elevator system floor call registering circuit

A group elevator control wherein the calls entered by means of call registering devices at a main floor for desired destination floors are assigned to the next arriving or already present car, and indicated so that no doubts can arise for passengers, whose calls had been acknowledged, in the choice of the correct car. A locking circuit responds to the presence of several cars at the main floor by only opening the doors of one elevator and assigning the entered calls to this elevator. The call registering devices are blocked at a time dependent on the start of the door closure or after the entering of a certain number of calls, by means of an inhibiting circuit and released again at the departure of the respective car. During the retention cycle, an indicator element, arranged in an indicator panel of the call registering devices, signals the blocking.

Elevator group control for the distribution of traffic at a main floor

A group control assigns elevator cars to floor calls optimized in such a manner, that minimal waiting times result and the elevating capacity is increased. A computing device provided for each elevator calculates at every floor a sum proportional to the time losses of the waiting passengers from the distance between the floor and the car position as indicated by a selector, the intermediate stops to be expected within the distance and the instantaneous car load. By means of call registering devices in the form of ten key keyboards at the floors, it is possible to enter calls for destination floors, so that at the time of calculation, the floor calls and the car calls are available simultaneously. The calculated lost time sum, also called servicing costs, is stored in a cost memory provided for each elevator. During a cost comparison cycle, the servicing costs of all elevators are compared with each other by way of a cost comparison device where in each case an assignment instruction can be stored in an assignment memory of the elevator with the lowest servicing costs which instruction designates that floor to which the respective car is optimally assigned in time.

Group control for elevators

An indicating device for which the passengers waiting at a floor can recognize immediately whether the calls entered by them at the floor for desired destination floors have been assigned to an arriving car so that rapid entry decisions can be taken. To this purpose, the indicating device includes a first and a second indicator element in the form of an upward and a downward arrow, and a third indicator element signaling an entry prohibition. A floor circuit connected with the indicator by way of three inputs activates through the first and second inputs, the first and the second indicator elements respectively, if the entered calls are assigned to the arriving car, and by way of the third input activates the third indicator element, if the entered calls have not been assigned to a car arriving at a floor.

Service indicating device for elevators

A mounting for printed circuit boards includes a plurality of holders arranged on support rails of an instrument rack, where each holder of a holder pair associated with a printed circuit board is arranged on an adjacent support rail and where the support rails run parallel to each other. The edges of the support rails are formed as outwardly extending flanges engaged by opposed grooves in the body of the holder. The holders also have a clamping device cooperating with the grooves for affixing the holders to the support rails. Prior to the clamping, the positions of the holders can be matched by shifting them along the support rails to the selected locations of the individual printed circuit boards. In one embodiment, the clamping device is a flexible web extending between panels containing the grooves and a set screw extending through the holder body into threaded engagement with the web. In another embodiment, the web is rigid and the set screw threadably extends through the web into engagement with the support rail.

Apparatus for mounting printed circuit boards on an instrument rack

An elevator control receives car calls for certain floors which are subject to a restriction of operation, but does not prevent the storage of these car calls. The car calls subject to the restriction of operation are only served during the trip in the opposite direction, if a load increase has been detected by a load measurement device during the change in the direction of travel. The restriction of operation is only cancelled during a predetermined time interval dependent on the movement of the car door and simultaneous occurrence of a load change caused by added travelers. Two storage cells are connected to the car call circuits for the car calls subject to the restriction of operation where an entered call, during a cancelled restriction of operation, is stored in the first storage cell and, during the restriction of operation, is stored in the second storage cell. A call stored in the first storage cell is transferred to the travel control of the elevator prior to the change of direction of travel and a call stored in the second storage cell is only transferred after the change of direction of the elevator.

Method and apparatus for controlling elevators with double cars

A group control for elevators in which the allocations of the individual cars of double cars in an elevator group to stored floor calls can be optimized with respect to time, and newly occurring floor calls can be assigned immediately. A computing device is provided for each elevator to calculate operating costs of each car corresponding to the waiting and delay times of passengers at the floor and aboard the car with regard to each floor. The operating costs are reduced if unidirectional calls exist on the calculation floor and on a directly adjacent floor, and/or if coincidences of car calls and such floors occur. The operating costs of the two cars of a double car are compared with one another and the smaller costs are stored in a cost memory. During a cost comparison cycle, the operating costs of all elevators are compared with one another floor by floor via a comparator, whereby an allocation instruction is stored in an allocation memory of the elevator with the smallest operating costs. The allocation instruction designates the floor to which the car is assigned optimally with respect to time.

Growing community of inventors

Lucerne, Switzerland

Joris Schroder