HK1102684B - Method for controlling the elevators in an elevator group - Google Patents

Description

Method for controlling elevators in an elevator group

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method for controlling the elevators in an elevator group.

Background

The prior art is described in US patent specification US5719360(B66B1/18), which discloses an elevator group comprising several elevators, wherein the elevator cars serve in selected floors within a building, some of the elevator cars are divided into groups serving the lower floors of the building and the remaining elevator cars are divided into groups serving the higher floors of the building. The elevator group described here comprises several transfer floors, the location of which is selectable. When going from a lower floor to a higher floor, the passenger changes the elevator on the transfer floor and vice versa.

Published european patent application EP1270486(B66B1/20) discloses a prior art method for selecting a suitable elevator when a passenger transfers an elevator car from one elevator group to another in a destination floor from a departure floor. In this method the journey from the departure floor to the destination floor is divided into several sub-journeys via the transfer floor so that passengers travel between the transfer floors on elevators belonging to different elevator groups, which are controlled by a high-level control system.

In the case of the published european patent application several elevator groups are controlled by a high-level control system which divides these elevator groups into classes according to control classes with the aim of controlling and preventing elevator congestion from appearing on the transfer floors.

In principle, in elevator group control it is possible to allocate two elevator cars to a call in such a way that one of them is used for the lower floors of the building and the other is used for the upper floors of the building. In this case, the floors of the building have been divided into zones so that the upper floors of the building belong to one single zone and the lower floors of the building belong to another single zone. Preferably, the two zones can have a mutual overlap of one or more floors, in which case passengers who want to travel from one zone to the other can be transferred from the elevator for the departure floor zone to the elevator for the destination floor by means of this floor or floors belonging to both zones. Such floors are called transfer floors or change floors.

It is known that destination control of an elevator group also allows two elevator cars to be assigned to one destination call, so that in a building divided into two zones, one of them is used for the lower floors of the building and the other is used for the upper floors of the building.

Destination control of an elevator group also refers to a call input arrangement in an elevator group, in which a destination call, comprising an elevator call at a landing and an elevator call at a destination floor, is transmitted to the elevators using destination call input devices designed for this purpose and located in the departure lobbies of the elevator passengers. In this case no car call input device at all is provided in the elevator car.

It is known that the elevators in an elevator group can also be controlled by a so-called hybrid control arrangement, which refers to a combination of a destination call input device and a conventional car call input device, so that passengers can send calls to the elevators to the desired destination floor using the call input devices of conventional landings and cars or the destination call input devices placed at the landings. When using the call input devices of a conventional landing and car and giving a call to a floor outside the departure zone, the floor call sent from the car is divided into several parts.

In a normal elevator call input arrangement a passenger wanting to enter an elevator calls the elevator to the landing by using conventional up/down call buttons, the down call button being pressed if he wants to take the elevator down and the up call button being pressed if he wants to take the elevator up. Next, a car is entered, and the passenger selects the final destination floor within the car he wants to reach. In the case of a normal elevator call input arrangement, it is also possible for passengers to send calls to floors outside the departure zone in buildings containing different zones, in which case the call sent from the car is divided into several parts.

In this context, buildings refer to all types of above-ground buildings, water vessels, unfinished buildings in construction, and the like.

In this context, allocation refers to the input, splitting, reservation, or allocation of calls.

The main problem in prior-art solutions is that the travel time of the passengers and the time required for the transfer from the elevator from the departure floor of the departure zone to another elevator that will go to the destination floor in the destination zone, as well as the waiting time, become too long, which has an adverse effect on the allocation accuracy of the elevators of the elevator group.

When a passenger has to pass a transfer floor during an elevator trip, where the passenger has to go to the call input device to send a further call to the next floor, the time elapsed between the initial call input and the arrival at the destination floor is too long. In this case congestion occurs on the transfer floor, where the passenger has to wait unnecessarily long for the next elevator to go to the destination floor and the destination area.

Typically, such non-idealities occur, for example, when passengers have to switch from one zone to another during an elevator trip, the group control system of the elevator changing the transfer floor according to capacity, which is the method stated in the prior art US 5719360.

Another problem is that a passenger trying to find an elevator on a transfer floor cannot necessarily find an elevator going to his final destination floor quickly and conveniently due to insufficient guidance, which is another factor that increases the total journey time of the passenger.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks occurring in the prior art described above. The object of the invention is to shorten the elevator allocation time and to enable the correct allocation decisions to be made in the group control in order to achieve good predictability and accuracy. The solution here is to delay the secondary elevator call according to the invention.

According to the invention, a method is provided for controlling the elevators of an elevator group in a building, which building is divided into zones containing different floors, in such a way that on the passenger's departure floor a call is given to the elevator to a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone, characterized in that the above-mentioned call is divided into at least two sub-calls in such a way that the passenger will reach the destination floor through several zones and transfer floors in such a way that the allocation of the latter part of the trip is delayed compared to the allocation of the first part of the trip, and a transfer between the elevators of the elevator group serving different zones is made on the transfer floors, which transfer floors are selected in the group control of the elevator group from a predetermined number of transfer floors with one or more floors overlapping two or more different zones; the aforesaid transfer floors are selected from some possible transfer floors in the group control system on the basis of the load factor of each transfer floor by adaptively changing the number of transfer floors and/or the limits of the transfer floor zones, or the aforesaid transfer floors are selected from predetermined transfer floors in the group control system on the basis of the load factor, so that the number of passengers on the transfer floors is minimized.

Preferably, the sub-calls belonging to the latter part of the aforesaid journey are allocated when the passenger approaches in time the transfer floor to be served by the following zone in his/her journey.

Preferably, when the passenger is on the aforesaid transfer floor, the sub-call for the latter part of the aforesaid trip is allocated to the next transfer floor or destination floor.

Preferably, the sub-call for the latter part of the aforesaid trip is allocated to the next transfer floor or destination floor when the passenger is relatively close in time to the next transfer floor, compared to the total travel time of the elevator allocated to the passenger at the departure floor or at the previous transfer floor.

Preferably, calls of floors beyond the zone limits of the departure zone are divided into as many calls as the zone traversed by the passenger on his/her journey from the departure floor to the target floor in such a way that the first call is sent from the departure floor to an intermediate transfer floor and the first car is assigned to the passenger and one or more subsequent calls are sent from the previous intermediate transfer floor to the next intermediate transfer floor and a car is assigned to the passenger, so that the last call is sent from the last intermediate transfer floor to the target floor and a car is assigned to the passenger.

Preferably, the call of a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone is split into two calls, so that the first call is sent from the departure floor to the transfer floor and the first car is assigned to the aforementioned passenger, while the second call is sent from the aforementioned transfer floor to the target floor and the second car going to the target floor is assigned to the aforementioned passenger.

Preferably, the passengers are guided to the elevators assigned for going from the transfer floor to the destination floor or intermediate transfer floor by means of car-specific and/or elevator-specific and/or lobby-specific passenger guidance devices located on the transfer floor.

Preferably the display serving as passenger guidance device is placed in the upper part of the elevator car or in the elevator lobby in front of the elevator arriving at the transfer floor or outside the elevator lobby on the transfer floor.

Preferably, the aforesaid transfer floor is selected in the elevator group control system during the travel of the elevator car allocated to the passenger from the departure floor.

Preferably the elevators in the buildings divided into zones are controlled in such a way that each zone is controlled as a separate elevator group by a separate group control system, the group control systems controlling each zone being controlled together by a coordinated elevator group management control system, which divides the aforesaid elevator groups specific to the zone into classes.

Preferably, the call to a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone given to the elevators of the elevator group on the departure floor is issued as a destination floor call by means of a destination call input device in the elevator lobby.

Preferably, the calls to floors beyond the zone limits of the departure zone given to the elevators of the elevator group on the departure floor are issued as hybrid calls or car calls beyond the zone.

Preferably, when a call is given to an elevator on the departure floor, a check is always made to determine whether the departure floor belongs to the same zone as the destination floor.

The process of the present invention provides significant advantages over the prior art.

According to the method according to the invention for controlling the elevators in an elevator group, the greatest advantage is achieved by dividing the call of a floor outside the zone limits of the departure floor into two or more sub-calls, achieving good predictability and accuracy of elevator control, enabling the elevator group control system to make elevator allocation and transfer floor allocation decisions as accurately as possible, while at the same time minimizing the transfer time of passengers on the transfer floor and the total travel time. By delaying the allocation decision to enable longer elevator allocation delays as the elevator approaches the transfer floor, more efficient elevator operation will be achieved.

A further advantage provided by the invention is that congestion is reduced, thereby also reducing the number of passengers waiting for the elevator on the transfer floor, which in turn enables fewer transfer floors and/or smaller spaces to be reserved in the elevator lobbies used in the building. This allows the space for the lobby to be re-used for other purposes so the building owner may be able to receive more rental revenue or sign better rental agreements.

Another advantage afforded by the invention is that the function of interconnecting buildings is more flexible, since parts of the building located in different areas in traffic are obtained. Thus, the owner of the building will find it easier to rent out the space divided between two areas in the building.

According to the invention the transfer floor from the departure zone elevator to the target zone elevator is designated in dependence on the load factor at or on the predicted number of persons that may be at the transfer floor.

As an additional advantage, the invention significantly reduces the total travel time of passengers using the elevator compared to the prior art.

The invention relates to a method for controlling the elevators of an elevator group in a building, which building is divided into zones comprising different floors, in such a way that on the passenger's departure floor, the elevators are given calls to floors beyond the zone limits of the departure zone. According to a most preferred embodiment of the invention the above-mentioned call is divided into at least two sub-calls so that the passenger will cross several zones and transfer floors to the destination floor, the allocation of calls for the latter part of the journey being delayed compared to the allocation of calls for the first part of the journey.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the sub-calls for the latter part of the aforesaid trip are preferably allocated later, preferably until the passenger is in time proximity to a transfer floor on his/her trip to be served by the following area.

According to another embodiment of the invention, when the passenger is on the aforesaid transfer floor, the sub-call for the latter part of the aforesaid trip is allocated to the next transfer floor or destination floor.

According to a different embodiment of the invention, the sub-call for the latter part of the aforesaid trip is allocated to the next transfer floor or destination floor when the passenger is relatively close in time to the aforesaid next transfer floor, compared to the total travel time of the elevator allocated to the passenger at the departure floor or at the preceding transfer floor.

According to the invention it is preferred that the change between the elevators of the elevator group for different zones is made on a transfer floor selected in the elevator group control from several predetermined transfer floors with one or more floors overlapping one or more different zones.

According to another embodiment of the invention the aforesaid transfer floor is selected in the group control from predetermined transfer floors on the basis of a load factor in order to minimize the number of passengers on the transfer floor.

Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the invention, the aforesaid transfer floor is selected in the group control from among some possible transfer floors by adaptively changing the number of transfer floors and/or the limits of the transfer floor zone according to the load factor of the transfer floor. According to a further embodiment of the invention the aforesaid transfer floor is selected in the group control preferably during the travel of the elevator car allocated to the passenger from the departure floor.

According to the invention, the calls of floors beyond the zone limits of the departure zone are preferably divided into as many calls as the zone the passenger passes from the departure floor to the target floor, in such a way that the first call is sent from the departure floor to an intermediate transfer floor and the first car is assigned to the passenger, and one or more subsequent calls are sent from the above-mentioned intermediate transfer floor to the next intermediate transfer floor and a car is assigned to the passenger, in such a way that the last call is sent from the last intermediate transfer floor to the target floor and a car is assigned to the passenger.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the call to a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone is split into two calls in such a way that the first call is sent from the departure floor to the transfer floor and the aforesaid passenger is assigned a first car and the second call is sent from the aforesaid transfer floor to the target floor and the passenger is assigned a second car going to the target floor.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the passenger is guided on the transfer floor with car-specific and/or elevator-specific and/or lobby-specific passenger guiding means to the elevator allocated from there to the destination floor or to an intermediate transfer floor.

According to another embodiment of the invention the display serving as passenger guiding device is placed in the upper part of the elevator car or in the elevator lobby in front of the elevator arriving at the transfer floor or outside the elevator lobby on the transfer floor.

In a building divided into zones according to the invention, the elevators are preferably controlled in such a way that each zone is controlled as an individual elevator group by an individual group control system, each group control system controlling a zone being controlled jointly by a coordinated elevator group management control system, which divides the aforesaid zone-specific elevator groups into classes.

According to the invention, a call to a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone issued on the departure floor to the elevators of the elevator group is issued as a destination floor call by means of a destination floor call input device in the elevator lobby. According to a further embodiment of the invention calls to floors beyond the zone limits of the departure zone of the elevators of the elevator group issued on the departure floor are issued as hybrid calls or car calls beyond the zone.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, when an elevator is called on the departure floor, a check is always made to determine whether the departure floor belongs to the same zone as the destination floor.

Drawings

The invention will be described in detail below with reference to examples and the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 shows a basic procedure representing the method of the invention.

Figure 2A shows the most preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B shows another embodiment according to the present invention.

Fig. 2C shows a third embodiment according to the present invention.

Fig. 2D shows an alternative embodiment according to the present invention.

Fig. 2E shows another alternative embodiment according to the present invention.

Fig. 2F illustrates an embodiment of the present invention in which each of the different zones is controlled by a separate group control system.

Fig. 3 presents a plan view of the layout of the elevators, the floor lobbies and the passenger guidance devices on the transfer floors.

Detailed Description

In fig. 1, the method of the invention is visualized by a block diagram.

The invention relates to a method for controlling the elevators of an elevator group in a building, which is divided into zones comprising different floors in such a way that on the passenger's departure floor a call is given to a floor for which the elevator exceeds the zone limits of the departure zone.

According to a most preferred embodiment of the invention the above-mentioned call is divided into several calls in such a way that the passenger will cross several zones and transfer floors to the destination floor, so that the call allocation in the latter part of the trip is delayed compared to the call allocation in the first part of the trip.

When a call is given to an elevator on the departure floor, a check is always made to determine whether the departure floor belongs to the same area as the destination floor. If the call is not to a floor outside the zone limits, the call will be handled according to normal elevator group control.

If the building is divided into several zones served by different elevators in the same or different elevator groups and if on the departure floor F_dIs given a destination floor F outside the departure zone_tIn such a way that the call is divided into several, at least two parts, in order to take the first call from the departure floor F_dIs sent to a conversion buildingLayer TF. By dividing the whole call into several parts at once, one of the calls being taken from the departure floor F_dThe division of this call can advantageously be performed by sending to the first transfer floor TF one or more calls for the latter part of the journey. Another advantageous procedure is to divide the call into several parts in such a way that the first part contains the departure floor F_dCalls to the first transfer floor TF and the second part contains all other calls belonging to the latter part of the journey, which are then divided in different periods so that the number of remaining calls decreases when the next call is divided.

After the division of the call, the information about the subsequent trips is transferred into a register according to the method of the invention. A check is then made to determine whether the relatively correct moment of the transfer call issuance and the relatively correct position of the transfer call issuance have been reached in the elevator system or hoistway as compared to the total travel time from the departure floor to the transfer floor. If the result is negative, the procedure restarts from the previous step.

If the relatively correct instant of the transfer call issue or the relatively correct position of the transfer call issue has been reached, but the next floor is not the destination floor F_tThe call is again sent from the transfer floor to the next transfer floor and a car is assigned to the passenger. After this, instructions and timing as to how the passenger having reached the transfer floor will reach the elevator going to the next transfer floor are sent to the passenger guidance means on the transfer floor, whereupon information about the subsequent trip is transferred into the register. A check is then made to determine if the correct time/location for transferring the call has been reached. If the result of the aforementioned check is positive, a check is made to determine whether the next floor is the target floor F_tAnd so on. This process continues until the passenger has reached the destination floor F_t。

Without restricting the invention in any way, however, it is possible to apply the method of the invention when elevator control is implemented using target control or hybrid control or normal control.

Fig. 2A-2F show an alternative embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2A shows a most preferred embodiment according to the invention, in which the building has been divided into two zones Z₁And Z₂. In these regions, Z₁For the lower floors of buildings, and Z₂For the upper floors of the building.

In the situation shown in the figure, when a passenger wants to go to a destination floor F which does not belong to the same area as the departure floor_tWhen he/she is on his/her departure floor F_dAnd an elevator is called. In other words, in this case calls are given to floors of the elevator beyond the zone limits of the departure zone on the passenger's departure floor. Preferably, the passenger provides a target call to the elevator as described above, which target call comprises giving the departure floor F of the elevator_dAnd destination floor F_tElevator call of (2). The call to a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone, which is transmitted to the elevators in the elevator group on the departure floor, is preferably provided as a destination floor call by means of a destination call input device arranged in the elevator lobby. Without restricting the invention in any way, however, according to an embodiment of the invention calls for floors beyond the zone limits of the departure zone can be offered in portions as mixed calls beyond the zone to the elevators on the departure floor of the departure zone.

According to the invention, the calls of floors beyond the zone limits of the departure zone are divided into at least two calls in such a way that the first call is taken from the departure floor F_dIs sent to the transfer floor TF₁、TF₂、TF₃、TF₄And a first car is assigned to the passenger and a second call is made from the aforesaid transfer floor TF₁、TF₂、TF₃、TF₄To the destination floor F_tAnd will go to the destination floor F_tSecond car allocation ofTo the aforementioned passengers.

In the situation illustrated in fig. 2A, the group control system of the elevator group can transfer floors TF from four₁、TF₂、TF₃、TF₄In a group control, which transfer floor is selected from predetermined transfer floors on the basis of a load factor in order to have a transfer floor TF₁、TF₂、TF₃、TF₄The number of passengers on is minimized and the transfer floors alternate with each other. In this case the first elevator allocated to the passenger is at the transfer floor TF selected by the group control system₁、TF₂、TF₃、TF₄Stops and assigns to the passenger an elevator which will take the passenger to the destination floor F_t。

According to an embodiment of the invention, the transfer floor TF is made during the travel of the elevator car allocated to the passenger from the departure floor₁、TF₂、TF₃、TF₄In the elevator group control system.

According to the invention, it is preferred when a passenger is relatively close in time to the aforesaid transfer floor TF in comparison with the total travel time of the elevator allocated to the passenger at the departure floor₁、TF₂、TF₃、TF₄Then the second call is transferred from the aforesaid transfer floor TF₁、TF₂、TF₃、TF₄To the destination floor F_t. The elevator assigned to the passenger at the departure floor/together with its passengers has been relatively close in time to the transfer floor, compared to the total travel time of the elevator car from the departure floor to the transfer floor.

According to another alternative embodiment of the invention, the passenger is located at the aforesaid transfer floor TF₁、TF₂、TF₃、TF₄While the second call is being transferred from the transfer floor TF₁、TF₂、TF₃、TF₄To the destination floor F_t。

FIG. 2B shows the present inventionIllustrative embodiment for transferring floors TF₁、TF₂、TF₃、TF₄、TF₅According to each transfer floor TF in a group control system₁、TF₂、TF₃、TF₄、TF₅By adaptively changing the transfer floor TF₁、TF₂、TF₃、TF₄、TF₅From some possible transfer floors TF and/or the limits of the transfer floor areas₁、TF₂、TF₃、TF₄、TF₅Is selected.

In the situation illustrated in fig. 2B, the group control system of the elevator group can use only the maximum number possible, i.e. five transfer floors TF₁、TF₂、TF₃、TF₄、TF₅Two transfer floors TF in (1)₂、TF₃And forming a conversion area. Three TFs in a possible transfer floor at a given moment₁、TF₄、TF₅The fact that it is not used as a transfer floor may be due to a traffic congestion situation in the elevator group, e.g. when three of the possible transfer floors are found to have too high a load factor. On the other hand, it may be the case that the floor is reserved for use other than a transfer floor. Likewise, the group control system of the elevator group can exclude certain possible transfer floors from the use of transfer floors when the prescribed conditions are fulfilled.

FIG. 2C shows an embodiment of the invention in which zone Z₁And Z₂Comprising only one possible transfer floor TF, where passengers can pass from zone Z₁Inner departure floor F_dTransfer of elevator to transfer floor TF and boarding to zone Z₂Passenger destination floor F in_tThe elevator of (1).

FIG. 2D shows an embodiment of the invention in which a building has been divided into more than two zones Z₁、Z₂And Z₃In the case illustrated in the present drawing, the number of regions is three.

According to this embodiment, the passenger switches floors TF in more than one intermediate place₁-TF₇On different zones Z serving the elevator group₁、Z₂、Z₃To reach the departure zone Z₃Out of the departure zone Z₃Inner departure floor F_dGiven destination floor F_t. This type of zone division is very advantageous for passengers especially in down-peak environments.

According to the embodiment of the invention shown in fig. 2D, at the passenger's departure floor F_dIn such a way that the elevator is given a departure zone Z₃Such that the aforementioned call is divided into more than two calls. In this case, the first call is from the departure floor F_dSent to the intermediate transfer floor TF₅-TF₇And a first car is assigned to the passenger and one or more subsequent calls are made from the aforesaid transfer floor TF₅-TF₇Sent to the next transfer floor TF₁-TF₄And cars are assigned to passengers so that the last call transfers floor TF from the last intermediate floor₁-TF₄To the destination floor F_tAnd assigns the car to the passenger.

Fig. 2E shows an embodiment of the invention in which a building has been divided into several zones. According to this embodiment of the invention, the service zone Z can be selected from₁To the service zone Z₂Elevator and service area Z₄The elevator of (1). Passengers can pass through three transfer floors TF₆、TF₇And TF₈From for zone Z₁Is switched to be used in zone Z₄The elevator of (1). Passengers via three transfer floors TF₁、TF₂And TF₃Can be used in the zone Z₁Is switched to be used in zone Z₂The elevator of (1). Likewise, the passenger passes through the aforementioned three transfer floors TF₁、TF₂And TF₃Can be used in the zone Z₂Is switched to be used in zone Z₁The elevator of (1). In the aboveTransfer floor TF₁、TF₂、TF₃And transfer floor TF₆、TF₇、TF₈In the region Z₁Inner floor, service zone Z₁At which floors the elevator does not stop at all.

From for zone Z₂To the zone Z₃The transfer of the elevator of (2) is only possible via two transfer floors TF₄And TF₅. Likewise, passengers can pass through the two aforesaid transfer floors TF₄And TF₅From for zone Z₃Is switched to be used in zone Z₂The elevator of (1). Thus, for example, from zone Z₃To zone Z₄Will pass through the transfer floor TF₄Or TF₅Go to for zone Z₂At the aforesaid transfer floor TF₁、TF₂And TF₃On one, they will be used from zone Z₂Is switched to be used in zone Z₁The elevator of (1). At the aforesaid transfer floor TF₆、TF₇And TF₈One of which passengers are driven for zone Z₁Is switched to be used in zone Z₄The elevator of (1).

In the situation illustrated in fig. 2E, the passenger passes via the transfer floor TF₆、TF₇And TF₈From his/her departure floor F_dSwitching to zone Z₄Inner destination floor F_t. In this case the passenger does not have to be at the transfer floor TF at all₆、TF₇And TF₈And stopping the process. Thus, when the passenger's destination floor F_tLocated far from the departure floor F_dIn the area of the zone(s), the total travel time of the passenger will be shorter compared to the embodiment shown in fig. 2D.

FIG. 2F shows an embodiment of the invention in which each of the different zones Z₁-Z₄Are controlled by separate group control systems GC1-GC4, which in turn are controlled and managed by a coordinated advanced control system, referred to herein as a posted elevator group management control system GMCS。

According to this embodiment of the invention, in a building divided into zones, the elevators are controlled in such a way that each zone Z₁-Z₄Are controlled as separate elevator groups by separate group control systems GC1-GC4 and each group control system GC1-GC4 of the control zone is controlled jointly by a coordinated elevator group management control system GMCS which divides the elevator groups of the aforesaid specific zone into classes.

In all the above-described embodiments of the present invention the passengers are guided by means of special cars and/or special elevators and/or special lobby passenger guiding devices located on the transfer floors to elevators allocated from there to the destination floor or intermediate transfer floor. Such passenger guiding devices are preferably displays placed in the upper part of the elevator car or in the elevator lobby in front of the elevator arriving at the transfer floor or outside the elevator lobby on the transfer floor. In addition, the guidance display can be placed in the elevator lobby. By such a guidance display a passenger on a given elevator having arrived at a transfer floor will know which elevator will take him/her to the actual destination floor or to the next transfer floor. As an alternative the guidance display may also display information showing which is the destination floor to go to for a passenger having arrived at the transfer floor on the designated elevator or the next elevator going to the next transfer floor in case the passenger will stay longer on the transfer floor than estimated.

Fig. 3 presents a plan view of the layout of the elevators, the floor lobbies and the passenger guiding devices PG1, PG2, PG3, PG4, PG5, PG6 located on the transfer floor. Fig. 3 presents an elevator group in which elevator cars L1, L2, L3 and L4 are all double-door passing cars, and elevator cars L5, L6, L7 and L8 are all single-door cars. Passenger guidance devices PG1, PG2, PG3, PG4, PG5, PG6 are placed outside the lobby area on the transfer floor and beside elevator L3, in front of elevator L5, and between elevators L6 and L2. In addition, each elevator is equipped with a guiding device (not shown in the figure) in order to guide the passengers to the correct passenger guiding devices PG1, PG2, PG3, PG4, PG5 and PG 6. The hallway is indicated by letters A, B and C, which are depicted by different lines, dots, diamond patterns to distinguish different hallway areas from each other.

According to fig. 3, the passenger arrives at the transfer floor by elevator L4, from elevator L4 he is directed to the passenger guide PG1 placed outside the lobby area C, the passenger guide PG1 now serves him and tells him which elevator will take him further to the destination floor. The passenger guidance device tells the passenger that elevator L5 has been allocated to the passenger arriving at the transfer floor by elevator L4 and that elevator L5 will arrive at the transfer floor within 15 seconds. Passenger guidance device PG1 can also be used to display information to passengers arriving at elevator L4 about the destination floor of the passenger or to the next transfer floor following the elevator. The other passenger guiding devices PG2 and PG3 placed outside the hall area A, B and C are all of the same type as the PG1 operating principle.

Passenger guidance device PG4 is placed on the right side of elevator L3 to inform only passengers who take the elevator to the transfer floor or who enter the elevator. This passenger guidance device PG4 displays information e.g. about how long it will take the elevator to reach the transfer floor and which floor is its last departure floor. Also this passenger guidance device PG4 can tell the passenger leaving an elevator which next elevator is allocated to him and going to the destination floor or the next transfer floor. It is also possible to inform the passenger leaving the elevator of the elevator that is going to leave behind the elevator allocated to him, in case the passenger may delay on the transfer floor. Passenger guidance device PG5 placed in front of elevator L5 displays information via display D3 to the passenger entering lobby a from the elevator. This passenger guide PG5 is preferably arranged to guide a passenger in the direction of another passenger guide PG 2.

Passenger guiding device PG6, which is arranged between elevators L6 and L2, comprises a display arrangement such that display D1 displays elevator change information for passengers entering lobby a from elevator L6, and display D2 displays elevator change information for passengers entering lobby a from elevator L2. The elevator change information displayed on the displays D1 and D2 may be information directed to some other passenger guiding device PG1, PG2, or PG3 located outside the lobby. Alternatively, display D1 of passenger guidance device PG6 tells the passenger leaving elevator L6 which next elevator is allocated to him, while display D2 indicates to the passenger leaving elevator L2 the elevator that is allocated to him and going to the destination floor or the next transfer floor.

Preferably, the above passenger guiding devices PG1, PG2, PG3, PG4, PG5, and PG6 refer to display devices for displaying information required by passengers to elevator passengers on a transfer floor when the passengers are transferred from an elevator for a designated area to an elevator for another area. In addition, advantageously passenger guiding devices PG1, PG2, PG3, PG4, PG5 and PG6 are arranged at landings of the transfer floor together with a destination floor call device.

Inventive embodiments are also presented in the description part of the present application. The inventive content of the application can also be defined in other ways. The inventive content may also consist of several separate inventions, especially if the invention is considered in the light of explicit or implicit sub-tasks or on the basis of advantages or sets of advantages to be achieved. In such cases, some of the features included in each technical solution may be superfluous in respect of the respective inventive principles.

Furthermore, embodiments of the invention are not necessarily limited to any one of the above-described embodiments, but different embodiments may be combined partly or completely within the framework of necessary technical conditions. Also, some of the different embodiments may be used to form embodiments not described herein, which are in accordance with the basic principles of the invention.

Claims (13)

1. Method for controlling the elevators of an elevator group in a building divided into zones containing different floors in such a way that on the passenger's departure floor a call is given to the elevators to a floor exceeding the zone limits of the departure zone, characterized in that the above-mentioned call is divided into at least two sub-calls in such a way that the passenger will reach the destination floor through several zones and transfer floors in such a way that the allocation of the latter part of the trip is delayed compared to the allocation of the first part of the trip, and in that the transfer between the elevators of the elevator group serving different zones is made on the transfer floors, which transfer floors are selected in the group control of the elevator group from a predetermined number of transfer floors with one or more floors overlapping two or more different zones; the aforesaid transfer floors are selected from some possible transfer floors in the group control system on the basis of the load factor of each transfer floor by adaptively changing the number of transfer floors and/or the limits of the transfer floor zones, or the aforesaid transfer floors are selected from predetermined transfer floors in the group control system on the basis of the load factor, so that the number of passengers on the transfer floors is minimized.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the sub-calls belonging to the latter part of the aforementioned journey are allocated when the passenger approaches in time in his/her journey the transfer floor to be served by the latter area.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that when the passenger is on the aforesaid transfer floor, the sub-call for the latter part of the aforesaid journey is allocated to the next transfer floor or destination floor.

4. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the sub-call for the latter part of the aforesaid trip is allocated to the still next transfer floor or destination floor when the passenger is relatively close in time to the next transfer floor, compared to the total travel time of the elevator allocated to the passenger at the departure floor or at the previous transfer floor.

5. Method according to any of claims 1-4, characterized in that calls of floors beyond the zone limits of the departure zone are divided into as many calls as the passenger has traversed the zone on his/her journey from the departure floor to the target floor in such a way that the first call is sent from the departure floor to an intermediate transfer floor and the first car is assigned to the passenger and one or more subsequent calls are sent from the previous intermediate transfer floor to the next intermediate transfer floor and a car is assigned to the passenger, whereby the last call is sent from the last intermediate transfer floor to the target floor and a car is assigned to the passenger.

6. Method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the call for a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone is divided into two calls, so that the first call is sent from the departure floor to the transfer floor and the first car is allocated to the aforementioned passenger, and the second call is sent from the aforementioned transfer floor to the destination floor and the second car going to the destination floor is allocated to the aforementioned passenger.

7. Method according to any of claims 1-4, characterized in that the passenger is guided by means of car-specific and/or elevator-specific and/or lobby-specific passenger guidance means on the transfer floor to the elevator allocated for going from the transfer floor to the destination floor or to an intermediate transfer floor.

8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the display used as passenger guidance device is placed in the upper part of the elevator car or in the elevator lobby in front of the elevator arriving at the transfer floor or outside the elevator lobby located on the transfer floor.

9. Method according to any of claims 1-4, characterized in that the aforesaid transfer floor is selected in the elevator group control system during the travel of the elevator car allocated to the passenger from the departure floor.

10. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the elevators in the building divided into zones are controlled in such a way that each zone is controlled as a separate elevator group by a separate group control system, the group control systems controlling each zone being controlled jointly by a coordinated elevator group management control system, which divides the aforesaid elevator groups zone-specific into classes.

11. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the call to a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone given to the elevators of the elevator group on the departure floor is issued as a destination floor call by means of a destination call input device in the elevator lobby.

12. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the call to a floor beyond the zone limits of the departure zone issued on the departure floor to the elevators of the elevator group is issued as a hybrid call or car call beyond the zone.

13. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that when a call is given to the elevator on the departure floor, a check is always made to determine whether the departure floor belongs to the same zone as the destination floor.