Otis Elevator Company

Theresa M Christy

Jannah A Stanley

Arthur Hsu

Daniel S Williams

Harold Terry

Wade A Montague

Hansoo Shim

Hideyuki Honma

Cheong SikShin

Frank M Sansevero

Randall Keith Roberts

Zuhair S Bahjat

Harry Terry

Bradley L Whitehall

Mark Ross

Thomas W Saxe

Bruce A Powell

John M Milton-Benoit

Vlad Zaharia

George Scott Copeland

Paul A Stranieri

Barry G Blackaby

Michael Garfinkel

Richard J Mangini

Jason R Armistead

Toshimitsu Mori

Mauro Jorge Atalla

Brian F Beloin

Samuel R Talbot

Ronald R Pepin

CheongSik Shin

Joseph Kronen

Anne R L Davis

Michael E Dickinson

Arthur C Hsu

Cheong Sikshin

A systemincludes an input/outputunit for receiving a user request to call an elevatorand a processorfor processing the user request to assign an elevator to the user. The processor performs one of a first assignment process and a second assignment process. The first assignment process includes determining whether a delay condition exists for delaying assignment of the elevator to the user, delaying assignment of the elevator to the user based on determining that the delay condition exists, and assigning the elevator to the user based on determining that the delay condition does not exist. The second assignment process includes assigning the elevator to the user and notifying the user of the assignment, determining whether an assignment change condition exists, changing the assignment to another elevator based on determining that the assignment change condition exists, and notifying the user of the assignment change

Variable elevator assignment

An elevator control system including an elevator management system obtaining meeting information from at least one of a calendar system and a user interface; the elevator management system generating a control command in response to the meeting information; and an elevator controller controlling destinations of one or more elevator cars in response to the control command.

Elevator control system using meeting information to control car destinations

A method of operating an elevator system includes detecting a building sway which causes sway of elevator suspension or compensation members. An elevator control system is switched into a building sway mode, and operation of one or more elevator cars of the elevator system is changed via the building sway mode to mitigate vibratory effects of the building sway on the one or more elevator cars.

Elevator rope sway mitigation

An elevator dispatching system includes a plurality of elevator groups, each of the plurality of elevator groups including a group controller and a plurality of elevator cars, each of the plurality of elevator groups serving a respective set of floors; and a redirector configured to receive a service request including a destination floor, and, in the event more than one elevator group serves the destination floor, communicate the service request to the group controllers of the more than one elevator groups, wherein the respective group controllers of the more than one elevator groups are configured to each determine a respective group score, and communicate the respective group score to the redirector, and the redirector is further configured to determine the best group based on the respective group scores.

Best group selection in elevator dispatching system incorporating group score information

An elevator dispatching system includes a plurality of elevator groups, each of the plurality of elevator groups including a group controller and a plurality of elevator cars, each of the plurality of elevator groups serving a respective set of floors; and a redirector configured to receive a service request including a destination floor, and, in the event more than one elevator group serves the destination floor, determine a best group to service the request from the plurality of elevator groups based on information stored in the redirector, wherein the group controller of the determined best group is configured to determine a best car from the plurality of elevator cars in the determined best group.

Best group selection in elevator dispatching system incorporating redirector information

An exemplary method of assigning calls to elevator cars includes ensuring that a passenger separation requirement is satisfied. The passenger separation requirement is satisfied when a passenger belonging to one service group is not carried in the same elevator car simultaneously with another passenger belonging to a different service group, for example. A call is assigned to an elevator car to carry a passenger belonging to the one service group while the elevator car is assigned to carry or is already carrying another passenger belonging to the different service group.

Elevator car assignment control strategy with passenger group separation and future serviceability features

Controlling the movement of elevator cars () within a single hoistway () prevents the cars from becoming too close while servicing assigned stops. Example control techniques include controlling door operation of at least one of the elevator cars () to effectively slow down a follower car or speed up a leader car for increasing a distance between the cars in an area within the hoistway () where the cars would otherwise be too close to each other.

Method and system for maintaining distance between elevator cars in an elevator system with multiple cars in a single hoistway

Elevators () in a group elevator system () are controlled to facilitate transport of a large item (LI). A destination entry input device receives an input from a passenger () indicating that the passenger () has a large item (LI) to be transported in the group elevator system (). The passenger () with the large item (LI) is assigned to an elevator () having capacity to accommodate the passenger () and the large item (LI).

Destination entry group elevator system for facilitating transport of large items

A method of dispatching an elevator car to a destination requested by a passenger before the passenger enters the car includes determining which trip of the elevator car begins at a time having a desired relationship to an expected arrival time when a passenger is expected to arrive near the elevator car. An actual arrival time of the passenger near the elevator car is determined. The elevator car is dispatched to the requested destination during a trip that begins at a time that corresponds to or is after the actual arrival time.

Method of dispatching an elevator car including an expected arrival time of a passenger near an elevator car

A plurality of cars (A-C) traveling in the same hoistway () send communication check codes () to each other over a first communication channel, and if a response is not received () within a predetermined time () the car not getting a response will send a failure mode command to the other two cars (). Either the car (A) which senses the failure, or a predesignated car (B) will assume a wild car mode () after the other two cars are safely parked () out of the way, under control of special sensors and signals sent over a second communications channel. Two out of three cars may operate if only one has communication failure with one or two of the others.

Operating less than all of multiple cars in a hoistway following communication failure between some or all cars

Destination calls entered by means of buttons (-) are each given a designation unique to the car and pick-up floor for that call and other calls to be serviced therewith, such as a letter (A-E), which is different from any other outstanding calls. Calls can be reassigned among elevators (UL, LL, UR, LR) whether they are in the same or different hoistways (LF, RT). Signs (--) adjacent each hoistway are illuminated to display the designation of any call which is being answered by an elevator car approaching the floor. Thus, passengers are informed when their call is being answered by the signs identifying the call, rather than identifying any particular car. Another embodiment identifies () the hoistway landing doorway () as well as a letter to allow passengers to wait adjacent to the hoistway landing doorway of the car which will serve them.

Call indicator provided near elevator car currently assigned to the call

An elevator system () includes a plurality of cars () and destination entry devices () located some distance from the elevator cars (). A controller () dispatches an elevator car to a requested destination entered by a passenger before the passenger enters an elevator car. In one example, the controller () uses an expected arrival time corresponding to the time it is expected to take for a passenger to travel from the location where the destination request is entered to the location of the elevator car to decide how to dispatch a car to service that request. In one example, the controller dispatches an elevator car to the requested destination on a next trip of that car if the expected arrival time of the passenger near that car occurs at or before the departure time for that next trip. Otherwise, the controller () dispatches the car to the requested destination on a subsequent trip after the next trip.

Method of dispatching an elevator car

A method of assigning destination calls to cars (A-F) in an elevator system () having a plurality of hoistways (-) in which there is more than one car in each hoistway includes determining () the time for each car to respond to the call Among the cars with an acceptable response time, a determination is made regarding () the amount of additional delay in the hoistway that assignment of the call to one car will impose on the either car in the same hoistway. The call is assigned to that car which creates the least additional delay for cars in any hoistway.

Calls assigned to one of two cars in a hoistway to minimize delay imposed on either car

One of a plurality of cars () traveling in a hoistway () of an elevator system () may be diverted to the hoistway overhead () or pit () to enable another of the cars to gain access to a floor near or at a terminal floor (). When such car is at its last stop with doors open, visual () and audible () indicators present () messages to the effect that this is the last stop and passengers should exit. After car doors are closed (), visual and audible messages () relate to the car going to the pit or overhead and that passengers may push any button (to reopen doors). Thereafter, the car moves () to the overhead () or the pit () and presents () visual and audible messages to the effect that passengers did not exit at the correct floor and must wait while the other car makes a stop. Once the terminal floor is clear, the diverted car will run (-) to that floor, presenting () visual and audible messages to the effect that passengers should exit once the doors are open and reenter their service requests.

Communicating to elevator passengers re car movement to pit or overhead

When an average wait time is low () an elevator car (-) is parked (), unable to answer calls, or if a parameter () is low (), the car is shut-down. If wait time is high, a parked car is assigned the call. If no cars are parked, a shut-down car may be assigned based on RRT. If up running cars can answer the call, the down running cars are excluded.

Growing community of inventors

West Hartford, CT, United States of America

Theresa M Christy