Otis Elevator Company

Other

Vlad Zaharia

Paul A Stranieri

Gerald E Johnson

Wade A Montague

Richard J Mangini

Nigel Bruce Morris

Jannah A Stanley

Pascal Rebillard

Thomas He

Michael P Flynn

Christophe Durand

Richard K Pulling

Levent Gosterisli

Richard J Ericson

James A Rivera

Anthony Cooney

Samuel C Wan

Theresa M Christy

Daniel S Williams

Gary M Meguerdichian

Arthur M McClement

Richard R Polacek

Richard W Calcasola

Jack Mansfield Thompson

Christopher S Pietrzykowski

Terry M Robar

John Faup

Satish P Patel

Dave C Jarvis

Denis Cho

Michael Flynn

Elevator reassignment information is communicated to passengers in a group elevator system (). The group elevator system () includes a group of elevators (, 14, 14) that is operable to transport each of the passengers to one of a plurality of floors (L, F, F, F, F). A destination entry input device () at each floor permits each passenger to enter destination input information. A dispatch controller () assigns an elevator to each passenger based on the destination input information. When service of a dispatched elevator is terminated, a communication device () communicates elevator reassignment instructions to passengers assigned to or located in the dispatched elevator.

Communication of elevator reassignment information in a group elevator system

An elevator system () uses destination entry dispatching techniques. A passenger interface device () operates in a first mode to allow passengers () to enter destination requests for elevator service. The passenger interface () operates in a second mode to provide at least one additional feature to an authorized individual. The additional feature may be at least one of a service-related function, a security-related function, a monitoring-related function or a communication-related function.

Destination entry passenger interface with multiple functions

A method for determining a position of a moving object, such as an elevator car in an elevator shaft, includes the steps of mounting a leading sensor and a lagging sensor to the moving object and spacing the leading sensor from the lagging sensor by an offset distance, mounting a plurality of spaced apart position indicators along a pathway of the moving object, transmitting signals representative of object position from the leading sensor and the lagging sensor to a controller as the sensors pass the spaced apart position indicators, and filling any gaps in the signal gathered from one of the sensors by using a correction factor established from the position sensed by the other sensor and the offset distance. A system for performing the method is described.

Elevator car position determining system and method using a signal filling technique

A floor selection station () has at least one switch button (-) which visually handicapped people use in selecting floors, and a speaker () to emit a sound uniquely ndicative of which elevator to board. Stations () have a plurality of buttons with Braille indications of groups of floors (-) or individual floors (). A station () has only one button (). Near or at each elevator lobby related to a group of floors serving a building, a floor identifier () identifies with color, and optionally a symbol such as letter, each floor which is served by the group of elevators related to that lobby. At each elevator (-) there is an elevator indicator (-) which displays the same color, and optionally the same symbol, as displayed for any floor which the respective elevator is currently assigned to serve, and a speaker () which emits the same sound as at the floor selection station until the assigned elevator is dispatched.

Correlating sounds to elevators serving destination floors

An elevator system () utilizes destination entry dispatching techniques. A controller () receives an automated destination request that includes a prestored, primary destination. This allows for seamlessly integrating building access and destination entry for the elevator system. A passenger interface () allows a passenger to override a prestored destination. The elevator controller () allows for override or secondary destination requests to be made at various intervals between receipt of the initial request and arrival of an initially assigned car at an appropriate level to let the passenger board the elevator car.

Automatic destination entry system with override capability

An elevator system utilizes a destination entry control technique and delays indicating which car is assigned to a request to allow an individual to arrive near an elevator lobby. An elevator group assignment is made responsive to a destination request. An indication regarding the group assignment is provided to a passenger within a first time from the receipt of the request. A second indication regarding a car assigned to carry that passenger to the desired destination is provided at a second, later time from the request. Separating out the group assignment indication and the car assignment indication is accomplished in one example by providing separate interfaces at different locations within a building.

Destination entry system with delayed elevator car assignment

An apparatus for effecting non-contact linear door displacement comprising a tubular motor formed of a stator () formed from a plurality of magnets () arranged along a linear axis (), and at least one thrust block () each formed of at least one electrically conductive coil encircling the stator () at a distance sufficient to facilitate electro-mechanical interaction between the plurality of coils and the stator (), at least one door () attached to at least one of the plurality of thrust blocks () via a hanger () and the at least one door () capable of a movement in the direction of the linear axis (), a rolling component () to enable movement of the hanger () in the direction of the linear axis (), and a control mechanism () for sensing the position of each of the at least one door () and issuing an electrical control signal to each of the plurality of thrust blocks () so as to affect the movement of the at least one door ().

Tubular linear synchronous motor control for elevator doors

Directionally sensitive motion detectors at the entrances to elevator cars provide a running count of passenger population aboard the cars. Passengers wear portable devices that transmit personal IDs, and a check of IDs of passengers on the elevator along with the total passenger count will determine if each of the passengers exiting the elevator corresponds to an ID authorized to enter a particular floor of the building, or determine if each of the passengers aboard the car corresponds to an ID authorized to make a particular trip (the particular elevator at a particular time). Unauthorized exit may cause an alarm or other events. If any passenger does not have an ID authorized for a secure trip, an announcement urges the unauthorized passenger to leave for some period of time, following which an alarm is sounded and the elevator is prevented from moving. Pairs of motion detectors may provide directional sensitivity, or doppler motion detectors may be used.

Elevator access security

Load cells on antirotation dowel pins or load mounts indicate brake reaction forces in the disk brake of an elevator. Vertical load cells on bending load cell indicate vertical brake reaction loads on a rail . A table indicating the load of an empty car at each of the landings served by the car permits subtracting load components relating to ropes, chains and cables to provide a live load indication prior to brake release; this may be used to determine if the load exceeds the maximum permissible load for the car.

Elevator brake load weighing system

Apparatus for determining the position of an elevator car within a hoistway that includes a code rail containing optically readable indicia that is being mounted within the hoistway adjacent to the path of travel of the car. At least one camera is mounted upon the car for movement therewith for scanning the code rail indicia and providing data indicative of the car's position to the car controllers.

Absolute position reference system for an elevator

Each elevator corridor of an elevator system has a transponder beacon disposed near each access to the corridor, each potential passenger, including regular tenants and visitors, carries a responder, such as an RFID responder, so as to provide an indication of entrance into and exit from the elevator corridor. Passengers that are not visitors have a history developed as to the likely travel route of each passenger as the passenger enters the elevator lobby; that is, whether the passenger is likely to take the elevator at this time, or likely to exit the elevator corridor to some other facility. Entered calls can be cancelled if the passenger leaves the lobby, and passenger travel patterns are updated with each passage through the elevator lobby.

Selective, automatic elevator call registering system

A personal remote control device exchanges electromagnetic transmissions with an elevator system, each transmission including the identification number of the device, whereby requests for elevator service made by means of the device are unique to that device, and requests can be made by the device to cancel or change any request for elevator service which has previously been made. The remote control device may either be verbal, communicating with the user by means of speech synthesis and voice recognition, or the device may utilize switches, displays or other mechanisms for interaction with the user.

Individual elevator call changing

A safety control arrangement for escalators includes a detector for generating a trigger signal, and a microprocessor connected to a memory. A serial data communications bus connects the detector to the processor. The memory includes toggling and interrogating routines which permit verifying proper operability of the detector.

Control arrangement for escalator or moving walk

A cab having a wheeled carriage fixed thereto is moved between rails on an elevator car frame and similar rails on a wheeled bogey. The ends of the rails are scarfed in a complimentary fashion so as to provide a temporary half-lap joint between the rails of the bogey and the rails of the car frame. Motion is provided by linear motors having active primaries disposed on the car frame and the bogey and passive secondaries disposed on the cab carriage. Motor control is in response to position signals provided by magnetostrictive linear displacement transducers. The cab carriage includes rollers on vertical axes which contact the insides of the rails for guidance. The cab carriage wheels and rollers are disposed in pairs separated sufficiently so that at least one roller and one wheel of each pair is in contact with a full rail as the carriage crosses the rail joints between the car frame and the bogey. Wheels coated with urethane reduce wheel noise and tapers at the ends of the rails provide smooth rail to rail transitions.

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Rocky Hill, CT, United States of America

Vlad Zaharia