HK1075240B - Method for the allocation of passengers in an elevator group - Google Patents

Description

Method for allocating passengers to an elevator group

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method for allocating passengers in an elevator group comprising several elevator lobbies and multi-door elevators, in which method each passenger gives his/her destination floor via a call input device, whereby the passenger's starting floor and destination floor are defined.

Background

The prior art is described in finnish patent application FI-a-20000502(B66B1/18), which discloses a solution relating to the allocation of passengers to the elevators of an elevator group. In this passenger allocation scheme, each passenger gives his/her destination floor. In case the starting floor is known on the basis of the position of the call input device, explicit information about the passenger's attempt to board the system can be obtained. Using these initial data, the elevator group control can find the most preferred elevator for each passenger. This is called passenger allocation.

In this scenario, the decision is made based on, for example, a genetic (genetic) algorithm. First, a number of alternatives, i.e. chromosomes, are created and the chromosome quality as a decision on allocation is determined. Thereafter, the set of selectable protocols is refined (redefinition) by genetic methods that include selecting representative selectable protocols for the next generation (parent as offspring, and generation of offspring), i.e., new selectable protocols, by crossing the best selectable protocols for each instant (instant) with each other and/or by making changes or mutations to the created offspring genes. A quality factor has to be determined for each descendant, whereby a next generation alternative can be created, or if the end criterion is fulfilled, the best alternative of the set of alternatives is selected as the solution to the problem. Without genetic algorithms, the best solution can be found by heuristics, for example by finding a selectable route that minimizes call time and using techniques of the prior art described in U.S. patent specification 5616896(B66B 1/42).

In the genetic-based passenger allocation, the subject of consideration is obviously the passenger, in other words, a decision is made as to which elevator car (car) serves each passenger. Each passenger gives his/her destination floor using the call input device of the starting floor, and the data of each passenger is therefore known in the elevator system. The elevator system must also inform each passenger which elevator will serve him/her. Once the passenger is so notified, it is no longer possible to change the elevator car provided to him/her.

Us patent specification 5689094(B66B 1/20) also discloses an elevator group comprising passenger terminals located on each floor. In the elevator group described in this specification, destination calls can be entered by the aforementioned passenger terminals via input means consisting of e.g. a keypad. After the destination call has been given, information about the allocated elevator will be presented to the user immediately on a display device located at the aforementioned passenger terminal. A second display is provided above the landing door to tell the passenger which elevator car will serve the required floor.

A problem with prior-art solutions is that in an elevator group a given elevator car is always explicitly assigned to serve a given call entered by a passenger. The elevator control system is therefore unable to change the elevator assigned to a particular call after that. On the other hand, in the case of a multi-deck elevator group comprising several lobbies, it does not make any great difference to him/her which elevator deck is to serve the passenger. In addition, it is difficult for passengers to discern the elevator car assigned to a given call.

Furthermore, the problems associated with the immediate assignment of calls in conventional up/down button group control are not directly comparable to the immediate assignment problem in the case of destination assignment, because in the case of destination assignment information about the respective passenger destinations is immediately available in a manner associated with hall calls and the passenger cannot influence the formation of his/her elevator trip route.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks seen in the above-mentioned prior art solutions.

The present invention achieves several advantages over the prior art.

The invention provides the advantage that the group control system of an elevator group comprising lobby and door allocation can be adapted well to the needs of the elevator group control system, since it is not necessary to allocate calls for a given elevator car explicitly at once. Similarly, the use of a multi-door elevator car shortens the stopping time of the elevator, because passengers can enter the elevator using any one of the doors, preferably close to his/her own door.

A significant advantage achieved by the invention is that the elevator lobby allocation method of the invention reduces congestion in the elevator lobbies, since passengers are allocated to different lobbies in a balanced manner. Similarly, lobby allocation increases the time available for calculation in the group control of the elevator group.

In addition, the use of elevators preferably comprising several doors enhances the operation of an efficient genetic algorithm in the group control of the elevator group, since the search space for potentially different solutions is increased and thus also better elevator route solutions can be found.

Another advantage achievable by the invention is that it is easier to guide passengers from the call input device to the elevator lobby than with a single elevator car. For guiding passengers to the assigned elevator lobby, e.g. international arrow signs can be used.

More specifically, the method of the invention for allocating passengers in an elevator group comprising multi-door elevators is characterized in that in connection with the destination floor call of a passenger, an elevator lobby is first allocated, on the basis of which elevator doors are allocated. The dependent claims disclose features of certain preferred embodiments of the invention.

The invention provides a method for allocating passengers in an elevator group comprising several elevator lobbies and multi-door elevators, in which method each passenger gives his/her destination floor via a call input device, thereby defining the passenger's starting floor and destination floor, characterized in that in connection with the passenger's destination floor call, an elevator lobby is first allocated, on the basis of which elevator doors are allocated.

In particular, the invention relates to a method for allocating passengers in an elevator group comprising a plurality of waiting lobbies and multi-door elevators, in which method each passenger gives his/her destination floor via a call input device, the passenger's starting floor and destination floor being defined as a given starting floor, which can be a lower-floor lobby or a higher-floor lobby or a floor between the lobby floors in the case of a shuttle elevator in a skyscraper or a shuttle elevator in the case of a shuttle elevator in a skyscraper. In a skyscraper, the aforementioned floors with elevator lobbies are usually referred to as lobby floors, for example the upper lobby is referred to as sky lobby floors. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, when a passenger gives a destination floor call, the elevator lobby is first allocated, on the basis of which elevator doors are allocated.

According to another embodiment of the invention, if the passenger is to be served by means of a multi-deck (deck) elevator car, the elevator serving the passenger's call is reassigned after the elevator door has been assigned.

According to another embodiment of the invention the passenger is allocated to the elevator car to serve him/her by a genetic allocation method by encoding the elevator route into an alternative chromosome, the data required by the passenger about the elevator lobbies, elevator doors and elevator cars being stored in the genes of the chromosome. In addition, with the genetic method, alternative chromosomes are developed, the best one of which is selected, and in addition to that, the passengers indicated by the best chromosome are guided to the elevator lobbies, elevator doors and elevator cars indicated by the best chromosome, while the elevator lobbies, elevator doors and elevator cars indicated by the best chromosome are made to serve the passengers stored on the chromosome.

Similarly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the chromosome is formed such that the location of the gene in the chromosome defines the identity of the passenger, and the value or allele of the gene defines the elevator lobby, elevator door, and elevator car serving the passenger.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a gene comprises several selectable alleles as long as the genetic algorithm is running.

According to the invention, the elevator lobbies, elevator doors and elevator cars assigned to the passenger during the preceding allocation cycle are stored on the chromosome as genes whose alleles are not variable and represent the elevator lobbies, elevator doors and elevator cars already allocated to the passenger.

According to the invention, the genetic allocation is performed in a GA kernel, from which the execution unit obtains the elevator lobby, elevator door and elevator car selected for the passenger to be guided as the passenger allocated to the elevator with that elevator lobby, elevator door and elevator car.

According to an embodiment of the invention, after the genetic algorithm has stopped, the execution unit calls a decoding function, whereby the elevator lobby, elevator door and elevator car indicated with the best chromosome are obtained from the GA kernel to be entered into the elevator data area of the unassigned passenger.

In accordance with the present invention, more than two passengers can be treated together by a single passenger group gene.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, after one or more lobbies on a given floor have become congested, passengers arriving at the elevator are directed from the call input device to the less congested lobby.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, in a group elevator system including two-door elevator cars, passengers are directed to less congested lobbies.

Drawings

The invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

figure 1 shows the operation of a genetic algorithm in a hall and door allocation process according to the invention,

fig. 2 presents door and lobby allocation employed in an elevator system according to the invention.

Detailed Description

Figure 1 illustrates the principles of the present invention. To describe the operation of the genetic algorithm in the lobby and door allocation process, a control system is presented that aims to find the most suitable elevator door and lobby to serve the passenger, instead of the most suitable elevator car. In the elevator control system it is possible to search for an exit door which the passenger can advantageously use in order to leave the elevator car at the destination floor. The door and lobby allocation principle is applicable to elevator systems employing destination allocation.

In an elevator group control system using door and lobby allocation according to the invention, the genetic value represents the elevator door serving the passenger, unlike the passenger algorithm. The designation of elevator doors instead of elevator cars makes it possible in a control system comprising multi-deck elevators to change to elevator cars serving the passenger even after the passenger has been informed which elevator door will serve him/her. According to one principle employed in earlier elevator control systems, one car of the elevator serves only the even floors of the building and the other car serves only the odd floors. In the current control algorithm, it is possible to change the elevator car allocated to serve the passenger by specifying the elevator door of the starting floor until the deceleration is started before the elevator stops. In the case of multi-story elevators, the selection of an elevator car can be done by means of a GA kernel, because the data encoded in the chromosome also comprise, in addition to the elevator door data, data indicating the elevator car serving the passenger.

In the case of an elevator system comprising a double-door elevator car, the explicit designation of the elevator doors serving the passenger at the destination floor can be decided only at a moment before the elevator doors are opened at the destination floor. A double-door single-deck elevator can serve two lobbies on one floor at the same time. Thus, in the control system of a double-door elevator, the passenger flow can be distributed more evenly between the lobbies of floors where the elevator has two landing doors available. In elevator systems based on destination allocation, the number of passengers in each lobby can be registered so that passengers leaving a double-door elevator car can be guided to the less congested lobby if necessary. In addition to a more even distribution of passengers between elevator lobbies, the use of double-door elevator cars also makes it possible to reduce the stopping time of the elevators at the floors.

In an elevator group control system with lobby and door allocation according to the invention, a direction gene encoded in the form of a gene determines the departure direction of an empty elevator on the basis of a passenger algorithm. The elevator group model determines the mass of each chromosome representing an alternative solution regarding elevator group operation. The initial data used by the elevator group model contains elevator speed, size, position and number of elevator cars, behavior rules of the elevators and information received from the passenger model. The passenger model in fig. 1 defines the transfer and waiting costs of passengers on floors and in elevator cars. Initial data for the model may be obtained from the passenger register, call input devices, external databases, and elevator group models. The initial data may be used, inter alia, to determine the space requirements and walking times of different persons.

In forming elevator routes in the elevator group model, data generated by the passenger model, such as information about people's travel time and space requirements, are taken into account. The passenger model generates the travel time of the passenger from the position of the call input device to the target lobby or target elevator door based on these initial data. In case the final destination of the passenger is known, it is possible to calculate the travel time from the destination floor elevator doors in the building to the final destination.

The passenger model estimates the passenger's space requirement and moving speed based on the collected personal data. With personal data it is possible to define passenger group data for an individual. Members of the passenger group have similar transfer and space requirements or destinations in the building, for example. Using passenger type data may simplify the passenger model because it is possible to avoid processing personal data for several people in the passenger model using passenger type data. Another purpose of using passenger type data is to ensure that people belonging to a given group receive similar services in the elevator system.

In the formation of the elevator route of the elevator group model, the space requirements of the passenger group members are taken into account. In earlier methods, the number of passengers entering the elevator car was limited in particular on the basis of the information provided by the car load weighing device. However, if it is considered that the occupancy of the elevator car is limited to the use of a car load weighing device, this will lead to unnecessary stops of the elevator since the light luggage carried by the passengers may quickly fill up the elevator space. For example, a hotel customer carrying a suitcase will take up more elevator space than a normal passenger. Due to the various space requirements of elevator passengers, the space requirements of a given group of passengers should be taken into account in forming the elevator route in order to avoid unnecessary stops of the elevator. Floors that are crossed by lack of elevator space will be served in a later stage of the elevator route. When an elevator crosses a floor it is advisable to tell people waiting in front of the lobby via the lobby display that the elevator is to cross the floor to ensure that these waiting people do not interpret the elevator crossing as an incorrect elevator operation.

In the course of forming the elevator route of the elevator group model, the elevator door time or the delay of the photocell is constant, since an unexpected behavior of the elevator door can cause a misstatement. An exception to this is the situation in which no passengers are present in the elevator car. In this case the elevator can wait longer than usual at the floor to allow passengers to enter the cabin. In other cases, when a passenger arrives too late at an elevator to enter the cabin because the elevator time has passed, the passenger must wait until the elevator arrives again. It is important to accurately estimate the transfer time of passengers in order for them to catch up to the elevator car intended for them.

In the elevator group control system of the invention based on door and lobby allocation, the gene value indicates the elevator door serving the passenger, unlike the passenger algorithm. The designation of elevator doors instead of elevator cars makes it possible to change elevator cars to serve a passenger even after the passenger has been informed which elevator door will serve him/her in a control system comprising multi-deck elevators. According to one principle used in earlier elevator control systems, one of the cars of the elevator serves only the even floors of the building, while the other car serves the odd floors. In the current control algorithm, the elevator doors of the designated starting floor make it possible to change the elevator car allocated to serve the passenger until the elevator starts to decelerate before the stop. In the case of multi-deck elevators, the selection of an elevator car can be done by means of the GA kernel, because the data encoded in the chromosome comprise, in addition to the elevator door data, data representing the elevator car to serve the passenger.

In the case of an elevator system comprising a double-door elevator car, the unambiguous designation of the elevator door serving the passenger at the destination floor can be decided only at the moment before the elevator door is opened at the destination floor. A double-door single-deck elevator can serve two lobbies of one floor at the same time. Thus, in the control system of a double-door elevator, the passenger flow can be more evenly distributed between the lobbies of floors where the elevator has two landing doors available. In elevator systems based on destination allocation, the number of passengers in each lobby can be registered so that passengers leaving the double-door elevator car can be guided to the less congested lobby if necessary. In addition to a more balanced distribution of passengers between elevator lobbies, the use of double-door elevator cars makes it possible to reduce the stopping time of the elevators at the floors.

The control operation of the destination floor elevator door designated with the last moment can be shown by an example situation based on fig. 32. In this example situation, the passenger arrives at elevator 3 of the floor while the passenger call has been entered from terminal "ID 1". In this case the elevator door most suitable for the passenger call is the door of elevator 3 facing lobby a. In this example situation, a passenger arriving at the floor walks out of the elevator doors into lobby a when the number of times the elevator doors are opened is minimized, and into lobby B when elevator stopping time is minimized. After one lobby of the floor becomes congested, passengers arriving at the elevator can be directed to the less congested lobby, whereby further congestion of the already congested lobby is avoided by the elevator control decision.

In the elevator group control system of the invention the number of selectable routes can also be decided when using single-deck elevators. In a control system based on door and lobby allocation, it is necessary to determine the doors serving passengers at the starting and destination floors in addition to the elevator route. In addition, the applicability of the elevator door to the passenger can be established by employing the passenger model shown in fig. 1. The use of two landing doors increases the number of potential passenger routes. The number of potential passenger routes in an elevator system reflects the difficulty of making good and reasonable control decisions in the door and lobby allocation process.

In the control algorithm the elevator routes are formed on the basis of the hall calls placed. In the control process using genetic algorithms, unallocated hall calls are taken into account in generating chromosomes, i.e. alternative elevator routes, containing genes. In the gate and lobby allocation process, the location of the genes in the chromosome specifies the passenger or passenger group, and the initial data for at least some of the group members are similar to each other.

In the elevator group control system of the invention based on door and lobby allocation, the number of passenger calls to be taken into account in the course of coding the genes is determined on the basis of the manner and instant in which the passenger route is assigned and the instant in which the elevator route is assigned. The number of calls to be considered in the elevator control decision process remains small as a result of the instantaneous decision about the elevator doors and the car serving the passenger. The last minute decision regarding the elevator door serving the passenger increases the number of passenger calls to be considered in the elevator control process and makes it mathematically more difficult to make a control decision. The control decision made last time is adapted to making a change in the control system, because the decision about the elevator serving the passenger can be changed even before the elevator reaches the deceleration point. In the elevator group control system based on door and lobby allocation of the invention, the control decision can be improved by delaying the assignment of the elevator doors and cars serving the passenger if the passenger is initially notified only by means of the lobby call input device located at the elevator lobby.

After the destination lobby has been designated, the number of elevators suited to serve hall calls is reduced if more than one lobby elevator is suited to serve passenger calls. In this case the number of elevator routes to be examined in the control system is reduced considerably. In the elevator group control system of the invention based on door and lobby allocation, the individual hall calls again increase the number of elevators and passenger routes to be considered. In the elevator group control system according to the invention based on door and lobby allocation, it takes some calculation time at the lobby for the passenger to determine the destination if several elevator lobbies are able to serve the passenger call. If the destination elevator door is only assigned after the passenger has arrived at the lobby, the number of elevator calls to be considered in the control decision making process also depends on the position of the call input device in the system.

Fig. 2 shows the use of door and lobby allocation in an elevator system according to the invention.

Destination allocation makes it unnecessary for the passenger to know the destination floor served by the elevator, because the control system tells the passenger which elevator will serve him/her by informing the passenger on that floor to which elevator he/she is allocated to serve according to the immediate allocation. In the present invention, the passenger does not have to know which destination floors each elevator serves; if, on the contrary, the elevator trip comprises several levels and stops at different floors, the control system takes care of providing the appropriate elevator to the passenger. It is known that the aforementioned sky lobby floors are traditionally used for the direction change of elevators. According to the invention, in contrast to the prior art, a solution is proposed: wherein the passenger is immediately informed in connection with the terminal call which lobby will serve him/her and later in the course of serving the passenger in the lobby, the elevator door assigned to serve him/her is indicated for the passenger.

As seen in fig. 2 below, lobby allocation makes it easier to find a destination elevator door in a large elevator system. This illustration presents a system with 8 elevators. Of the elevators at the floor, elevators 3-8 are double-door elevators and elevators 1 and 2 are single-door elevators. The elevator car may be of the single-deck or multi-deck type. It is easier to guide the passenger from the terminal "ID 1" (passenger terminal) to a distant lobby C than to the elevator door of the elevator 6 beside the lobby C.

The operation of the control system with the last moment specifying the destination elevator door of the passenger is illustrated by an example scenario based on fig. 2. In this example scenario, the passenger arrives at elevator 3 at the floor while entering the passenger call from terminal "ID 1". In this case the elevator door most suitable for the passenger call is the door of the elevator 3 located beside the lobby a. In this example situation, a passenger arriving at the floor leaves the elevator doors and enters lobby a when the number of elevator door openings is minimized and enters lobby B when elevator stopping time is minimized. After one lobby on the floor becomes congested, passengers arriving at the elevator are directed to the less congested lobby, which avoids further congestion of the already congested lobby by elevator control decisions.

The invention has been described above by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, while different embodiments of the invention are possible within the scope of the inventive concept defined in the claims.

Claims (11)

1. Method for allocating passengers in an elevator group comprising several elevator lobbies and multi-door elevators, in which method each passenger gives his/her destination floor via a call input device, thereby defining the passenger's starting floor and destination floor, characterized in that in connection with the passenger's destination floor call, the elevator lobbies are allocated first, on the basis of which elevator doors are allocated.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the elevator serving the passenger call is reallocated after the allocation of the elevator doors if the passenger is served by a multi-story elevator car.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the passenger is allocated to the elevator car serving him/her by heuristics or by genetic allocation in the following way:

the elevator route is coded into an alternative chromosome, and the data required by the passenger concerning the elevator lobby and elevator doors and elevator car are stored in the genes of the chromosome,

using genetic algorithms, developing alternative chromosomes and selecting the best chromosome therefrom, an

Guiding the passenger indicated by the optimal chromosome into the elevator lobby, elevator door and elevator car indicated by the chromosome, and

the elevator lobbies, elevator doors and elevator cars indicated by the optimal chromosome are made to serve the passengers stored in said chromosome.

4. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that the chromosome is formed such that the position of the gene in the chromosome defines the passenger identity and the value or allele of the gene defines the elevator lobby, elevator door and elevator car that the passenger serves.

5. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that said genes comprise several alternative alleles as long as the genetic algorithm is running.

6. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the elevator lobbies, elevator doors and elevator cars assigned to the passenger in the previous allocation period are stored as genes in the chromosome, whose alleles are unchangeable and represent the elevator lobbies, elevator doors and elevator cars already allocated to the passenger.

7. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the genetic allocation is performed in a GA kernel, from which the execution unit obtains the elevator lobby, elevator door and elevator car selected for the passenger, and guides the passenger as a passenger allocated to the elevator with the elevator lobby, elevator door and elevator car.

8. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that after the genetic algorithm has stopped, the execution unit calls a decoding function, whereby the elevator lobby, elevator door and elevator car indicated with the optimal chromosome are obtained from the GA kernel for input into the elevator data area of the unallocated passenger.

9. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that two or more passengers can be treated together by a single passenger group gene.

10. A method according to claim 3, characterized in that passengers arriving at the elevator are guided from the call input device to the less congested lobby after one or more lobbies on a given floor have become congested.

11. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that in a group elevator system comprising two-door elevator cars, the passengers are guided to less congested lobbies.