EP0134892B1 - Lift group control for double-compartment cars - Google Patents

Abstract

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.

Description

The invention relates to a group control for elevators with double cars, which are formed from two cars arranged one above the other in a common car frame, with car call memories and load measuring devices assigned to the cars, with floor call memories, with each elevator assigned to the group, each indicating the floor of a possible stopping as well as with a scanning device having at least one position for each floor, a control device being provided by means of which the double cabins of the elevator group can be allocated to the floor calls.

Such lifts can carry twice as many passengers on each trip as lifts with single cabins. Since less has to be held, the same number of floor calls can be serviced in a shorter time, so that the conveying capacity can be increased considerably.

With the Swiss patent specification No. 529 054 a control for an elevator group with double cabins has become known, in which the double cabins are designed in such a way that two neighboring floors can be operated simultaneously. In this case, the filling of a building should be achieved in the shortest possible time with approximately even occupancy of the double cabins by the fact that on the ground floor the passengers board the even-numbered upper floors in the upper cabin and the odd-numbered ones in the lower cabin, whereby the cabin callers for those not the Storeys assigned to the cabin are locked. As soon as the cabin has to stop for a floor call, the lock is released so that the boarding person can drive to any floor. The control of the elevator group works according to the system of dividing the travel path into zones, with cars and zones being assigned to one another and the cars being distributed over the entire travel path according to the position of the zones. In the case of such controls, the allocation of the floor calls to the cars is only dependent on the position and direction of the calls, whereas other factors, such as the car load, are practically not taken into account in the allocation procedure. A uniform distribution of the passengers to the individual cabins of the double cabins is therefore not possible during normal operation of the elevator system, so that optimal results cannot be achieved in relation to short average waiting times of the passengers and increase in the conveying capacity.

In a group control for elevators with single cabins known from European patent application No. 0032213, the assignments of the cabins to the floor calls can be optimized in terms of time. Here, by means of a computing device in the form of a microprocessor, during a scanning cycle of a first scanner on each floor, whether there is a floor call or not, the distance between the floor and the car position indicated by a selector, the intermediate stops to be expected within this distance and the instantaneous cabin load is calculated as a sum proportional to the time lost by waiting passengers and the time lost by passengers in the cabin. The cabin load at the time of the calculation is corrected in such a way that the expected boarding and disembarking operations, derived from the number of boarding and disembarking passengers in the past, are taken into account in future stops. This total loss time, also called operating costs, is stored in a cost memory. During a cost comparison cycle by means of a second scanner, the operating costs of all elevators are compared with one another via the comparison device, an allocation instruction which designates the floor to which the relevant car is optimally assigned in time can be stored in an allocation memory of the elevator with the lowest operating costs.

The object on which the invention is based is to provide, by improving the group control described above, a group control for elevators with double cabins, by means of which the double cabins can be allocated to the floor calls in such a way that minimal average waiting times of the passengers are achieved and the conveying capacity is increased. To achieve this object, the invention proposes, with the features characterized in the independent claim, to calculate the operating costs for each of the two cabins of a double cabin and to compare them with one another by means of a comparison circuit, the lower operating costs being stored in the cost memory of the elevator in question and being present Allocation instructions for rectified floor calls of two adjacent floors and / or coincidences of car calls and scanner positions reduce the service costs to be saved.

The advantages achieved by the invention are, in particular, that stopping on adjacent floors with rectified floor calls and / or on floors with cabin and floor calls is promoted, as a result of which fewer stops occur, waiting times are reduced and the conveying capacity is increased. Another advantage is that the cab serves a single floor call with the lower operating costs. To this In this way, the double cabins are filled more evenly and the delivery rate is increased.

• Fig. 1 eine schematische Darstellung der erfindungsgemässen Gruppensteuerung für einen Aufzug einer aus drei Aufzügen bestehenden Aufzugsgruppe,
• Fig. 2 eine schematische Darstellung einer Vergleichsschaltung eines Aufzuges der Gruppensteuerung gemäss Fig. 1 und
• Fig. 3 ein Diagramm des zeitlichen Ablaufes der Steuerung.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing. Show it:

• 1 shows a schematic representation of the group control according to the invention for an elevator of an elevator group consisting of three elevators,
• Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a comparison circuit of an elevator of the group control according to Fig. 1 and
• Fig. 3 is a diagram of the timing of the control.

1, 1 denotes an elevator shaft of an elevator a of an elevator group consisting of, for example, three elevators a, b and c. A conveyor machine 2 drives, via a conveyor cable 3, a double cabin 4, which is guided in the elevator shaft 1 and is formed from two cabins 5, 6 arranged in a common car frame, sixteen floors E1 to E16 being operated according to the elevator system chosen as an example. The distance between the two cabins 5, 6 is selected so that it corresponds to the distance between two adjacent floors. The carrier 2 is controlled by a drive control known from European Patent Application No. 0026406, the setpoint generation, the control functions and the initiation of the stop being realized by means of a microcomputer system 7 and the drive control measuring and actuating elements being symbolized by 8, which are symbolized by a first Interface IF1 are connected to the microcomputer system 7. Each cabin 5, 6 of the double cabin 4 has a load measuring device 9, a device 10 signaling the respective operating state Z of the cabin and cabin call transmitter 11. The devices 9, 10 are connected to the microcomputer system 7 via the first interface IF1. The car call transmitter 11 and the floor call transmitter 12 provided on the floors are connected to the microcomputer system 7, for example, via an input device 13 which has become known with the European patent application No. 0062141 and a second interface IF2.

The microcomputer system 7 consists of a storey call memory RAM 1, two cabin call memories RAM2, RAM3 assigned to the individual cabins 5, 6 of the double cabin 4, a load memory RAM4 storing the instantaneous load P _{M of} each individual cabin 5, 6, two the operating state Z of the cabins 5, 6 storing memories RAM5, RAM6, two cost share memories RAM7, RAM8, a cost memory RAM9, an allocation memory RAM10, a license plate memory RAM 11, each storing an identifier of the booth 5, 6, a program memory EPROM and a microprocessor CPU, which contains over a bus B is connected to the memories RAM1 to RAM11 and EPROM. R1 and R2 denote a first and a second scanner of a scanner, the scanner R1, R2 being registers by means of which addresses corresponding to the floor numbers and the direction of travel are formed. The cost share memory RAM7, RAM8 have two memory locations v, h for each scanning position, which are assigned to the two cabins 5, the double cabin 4. R3 denotes a selector in the form of a further register which, when the car is moving, displays the address of the floor on which the car could still stop. As is known from the drive control mentioned above, the selector addresses are assigned target paths which are compared with a target path generated in a setpoint generator. If the paths are identical and a stop command is present, the delay phase is initiated. If there is no stop command, the selector R3 is switched to the next floor.

A comparison circuit VS linked to the cost share memories RAM7, RAMB, the cost memory RAM9 and the identification memory RAM11 has, according to FIG. 2, two adders AD1, AD2 and a comparator KO. The comparison circuit VS required for the operations described in more detail below is formed by the microprocessor CPU.

The microcomputer systems 7 of the individual elevators a, b, c are connected to one another via a comparison device 14 known from European patent application No. 0050304 and a third interface IF3 and via a partyline transmission system 15 and a fourth interface IF4 known from European patent application No. 0050305 connected and in this way form the group control according to the invention.

The time sequence and the function of the group control described above are explained below with reference to FIG. 3:

When an event relating to a specific elevator a, b, c of the group occurs, such as entering a car call, assigning a floor call or changing the selector position, the first scanner R1 assigned to the elevator concerned begins with one cycle, hereinafter referred to as the cost calculation cycle KBZ from the selector position in the direction of travel of the cabin, whereby the event may have occurred at elevator a (time I). With each scanning position, the microprocessor CPU of the microcomputer system 7 now calculates for each individual cabin 5, 6 of the double cabin 4, in accordance with the formulas of claims 2 and 3, a sum proportional to the time lost by waiting passengers, also called operating costs K, the factors k, and k ₂ as in one with European Patent Application No. 0032213 known group control for lifts with individual cabins working on the same principle can be determined. During the calculation process, the inner and outer service costs K _lv K _A y, Kj _h , K _Ah are determined separately and the cost share memory RAM7, RAM8 is stored in the memory locations v, h. The total operating costs K _" , K _h then formed for each individual cabin 5, 6 of the double cabin 4 by means of the adders AD1, AD2 of the comparison circuit VS are compared with one another, and an identifier of the cabin 5 or 6 with the lower operating costs is stored in the identifier memory RAM11 Inscribed, for example, the rear cabin 5 or 6 in the direction of travel may have the lower operating costs and the rear cabin is each identified by a logical "1" (FIGS. 1, 2) _{h of} the rear cabin in the cost memory RAM 9. The scanner R1 is then switched to the next floor by forming a new address and the calculation process is repeated.

After the end of the cost calculation cycle KBZ (time II), the second scanners R2 simultaneously begin one round for all elevators a, b, c, hereinafter referred to as the KVZ cost comparison cycle, starting from the first floor (time III). For example, the KVZ cost comparison cycles start five to ten times per second. Each time the scanner is set up, the operating costs K _" or K _h contained in the cost memories RAM9 of the elevators a, b, c are fed to the comparison device 14 and compared with one another, with an allocation instruction each having the lowest operating costs K in the allocation memory RAM10 of the elevator a, b, c Can be stored in the form of a logical "1", which designates the floor to which the elevator a, b, c is optimally assigned in time. For example, based on the comparison in the scanning position 9, a reassignment may be made by deleting an assignment instruction for elevator b and registering one such as take place with elevator a (Fig. 1) Since, according to the example for floor E9, a floor call is stored and the selector R3 points to this floor (Fig. 1), the delay phase could be initiated for elevator a if the criteria mentioned at the beginning were given Here, in the presence of the identifier "1" in the identifier memory RAM1 1 predefines the destination path corresponding to the next selector position, so that the double cabin 4 would hold, for example, with the less loaded, rear cabin 5 or 6 on the floor E9. As a result of the reallocation in scanner position 9, a new cost calculation cycle KBZ is started for elevators a and b and the cost comparison cycle KVZ is interrupted, since the former has priority. While the cost calculation cycle KBZ of elevator b runs without interruption, that of elevator a may be suspended between times IV and V due to a drive control process. The cost comparison is then continued from scanner position 10 in order to be interrupted again at scanner position 9 (downward) by the occurrence of an event in elevator c, for example a change in the selector position (time VI). After the resulting cost calculation cycle KBZ has ended for elevator c (time VII), the cost comparison cycle KVZ continues and its termination with scanning position 2 (downward). A further cost calculation cycle KBZ for elevator a, triggered for example by a car call, runs between times VIII and IX, whereupon the next cost comparison cycle KVZ is started at time X.

Claims (3)

1. Group control for lifts with double cages, which are formed of two cages (5, 6) arranged one above the other in a common lift cage frame, with cage call stores (RAM2, RAM3) and load- measuring equipments (9) associated with the cages (5, 6), with floor call stores (RAM1), with selectors (R3) associated with each lift of the group and respectively indicating the floor of a possible stop as well as with a scanning equipment (R1, R2) displaying at least one setting for each floor, wherein a control equipment is provided, which for each lift displays an arithmetic equipment (CPU), which for each setting of a first scanner (R1) of the scanning equipment (R1, R2) determines operating costs (K) corresponding to the waiting times of passengers and wherein two cost component stores (RAM7, RAM8) each storing a respective inner and outer operating cost component (K_I, K_A), a cost store (RAM9) storing the operating costs (K), a comparison equipment (14) determining the cage with the smallest operating costs (K) for each setting of a second scanner (R2) of the scanning equipment (R1, R2) and an allocation store (RAM10) are provided, wherein an allocation instruction for a present or future floor call is recordable in the allocation store (RAM10) of the cage (4) displaying the least operating costs (K), characterised thereby,

- that the cost component stores (RAM7, RAM8) for each scanner setting display two storage places (v, h), in which operating cost components (K_lv), K_lh, K_Av, K_Ah) are stored, which are calculated for each individual cage (5, 6) of the double cage (4),

- that a comparison circuit (VS) is provided, which is interlinked with the cost component stores (RAM7, RAM8) and the cost store (RAM9) and which compares the operating costs (K_v, K_h) of both the cages (5, 6) of the double cage (4) one with the other, wherein the lower operating costs (Ky, K_h) are storable in the cost store (RAM9),

- that an identification store (RAM11) is provided, which stands in connection with the comparison circuit (VS) and the selector (S) and in which an identification of the cage (5, 6) with the smaller operating costs (K_v, K_h) is stored, and

- that the first operating cost component (K_Iv, K_lh) to be stored in the one cost component store (RAM7) is reducible in the presence of allocation instructions for equally directed floor calls of two adjacent floors and/or co-incidence of cage calls and scanner settings of the first scanner (R1).

2. Group control for lifts according to patent claim 1, wherein the determination of the operating costs (K) takes place according to the relationship

K = tv(P_M + k₁.R_E - k₂.R_c) + k₁ [ m.t_m + t_v(R + Z)],

wherein

t_v signifies the delay time for an intermediate stop,

P_M the instantaneous cage load at the instant of the calculation,

R_E the number of allocated floor calls between selector setting and scanner setting,

R_c the number of cage calls between selector setting and scanner setting,

k₁ an anticipated number, determined in dependence on traffic conditions, of persons boarding per floor call,

k₂ an anticipated number, determined in dependence on traffic conditions, of persons alighting per cage call,

m the number of floor distances between selector setting and scanner setting,

t_m the mean travelling time per floor distance,

R the number of the stops to be expected between selector setting and scanner setting,

Z a supplement dependent on the operational state of the cage,

t_v(P_M + k₁.R_E - k₂.R_cJ inner operating costs (K_I), which correspond to the waiting times of passengers anticipated to be in the cage and would arise during a stop at a floor designated by the scanner setting, and

k, m.t_m + t_v(R + Z) signifies outer operating costs (K_A), which correspond to the waiting times of passengers anticipated to be at a floor designated by the scanner setting,

characterised thereby, that the determination of the operating costs (K_v, K_h) of each individual cage (5, 6) of the double cage (4) takes place for each scanner setting according to the relationships

K_v = S_v.K_Iv + K_Av and

K_h = S_h.K_Ih + ^K _Ah,

wherein

K_Iv, K_Av signify respectively the inner and outer operating costs of the cage in front in direction of travel,

K_Ih, K_Ah respectively the inner and outer operating costs of the cage to the rear in direction of travel, as well as

S_v and S_h signify a status factor, wherein

S_v, S_h = 0 when co-incidence is present between a cage a call and the scanner setting,

S_v, S_h = 1 when allocation instructions are present for equally directed calls of two adjecent floors and

S_v, S_h = 2 when neither co-incidence nor allocation instructions are present for equally directed calls of two adjacent floors.

5. Group control for lifts according to patent claim 2, characterised thereby, that a counter (CPU) is provided, which counts allocated equally directed calls of two adjacent floors in pairs, and that the number of the stops (R) to be expected between selector setting and scanner setting is calculated according to the reletionship

R = R_E + Rc - R_EC - R_EE,

wherein

R_E signifies the number of allocated floor calls between selector setting and scanner setting,

R_c the number of cage calls between selector setting and scanner setting,

R_EC the number of co-incidences of cage calls and allocated floor calls between selector setting and scanner setting and

R_EE signifies the number of pairs of allocated equally directed calls of two adjacent floors between selector setting and scanner setting.

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