HK40042121B - Communication solution for an elevator system - Google Patents

Description

Communication solution for elevator system

Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to the field of elevator technology. More particularly, the invention relates to a solution for enabling communication in an elevator system.

Background

Conventional elevator systems are more or less always based on the concept that one elevator car, or at most two elevator cars, is arranged to travel in the elevator shaft and that one and only elevator car serves all floors. The communication in such an elevator solution is arranged such that the elevator car communicates with an elevator controller configured to control the elevator system. In the case of a plurality of elevator shafts in a building, each shaft having one elevator car traveling in the respective shaft, only one elevator controller may be configured to manage the operation of the elevator system as a whole. Many times the elevator controller is called a group controller, indicating that it can control a plurality of elevators. Control may e.g. refer to selecting an elevator car, i.e. a shaft, to serve a certain elevator call given at a certain location in the building and instructing the selected elevator car to travel to that location.

Developments in the field of elevator motors in particular have initiated a number of projects in order to introduce elevator systems in which a number of elevator cars travel in one shaft, even in any direction along the shaft(s) arranged in the elevator system. Such multi-car elevator solutions naturally improve the efficiency of the elevator system, but on the other hand also bring many technical challenges to be solved. The basic requirement of an elevator system is safety and as can be directly derived, safe use of an elevator in a multi-car system with a plurality of elevator cars traveling in any direction can be a difficult task, requiring full consideration. One key factor in achieving the desired level of safety is communication within the elevator system, which should be accurate and efficient.

One drawback to using a conventional centralized elevator controller to control elevator cars in the context of a multi-car elevator system is that the amount of signaling is greatly increased. This is because each elevator car will communicate with the central elevator controller, which in turn generates separate control signals to the elevator cars and other entities connected in the elevator system. Furthermore, to meet the requirements of a multi-car system, the computational power in the elevator controller can be high.

There is therefore a need to improve existing communication solutions for elevator systems, in particular in order to make them better suited to the requirements of multi-car elevator systems.

Disclosure of Invention

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of various inventive embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the invention nor delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description of the exemplary embodiments of the invention.

The object of the invention is to provide an elevator system and a method for controlling an elevator car. It is another object of the invention that the elevator system and the method are capable of controlling elevator cars based at least in part on communication between a plurality of elevator cars.

The object of the invention is achieved by an elevator system and a method as defined by the respective independent claims.

According to a first aspect, there is provided an elevator system comprising: a plurality of elevator cars equipped with wireless communication devices; an elevator controller communicatively coupled to a plurality of elevator cars equipped with wireless communication devices and configured to generate a signal to a first elevator car for indicating an elevator call to the first elevator car; and wherein the first elevator car is configured to, in response to receipt of the signal: initiating communication with at least one second elevator car equipped with a wireless communication device to receive information related to a status of the at least one second elevator car; and in response to receipt of the information related to the status of the second elevator car, generating a control signal related to servicing the elevator call received by the first elevator car.

The information related to the status of the second elevator car may include at least one of: current location, destination address, route, speed, acceleration, estimated travel time, estimated start time, door position, load, battery status, failure mode.

The control signal generated in response to receipt of the information relating to the state of the second elevator car may include instructions for controlling operation of the motion-generating device of the first elevator car.

The first elevator car may be configured to determine a point in time for initiating travel from information received in the communication by analyzing information received about the state of the at least one second elevator car (110) in order to generate a control signal for serving an elevator call received by the first elevator car (110). The first elevator car may be configured to determine, by analyzing the received information, whether at least one position assigned to the at least one second elevator car conflicts with a route of the first elevator car for serving the elevator call in order to determine a point in time for initiating travel. Further, the first elevator car can be configured to determine a conflict between a route of the first elevator car for servicing the elevator call and the at least one location assigned to the at least one second elevator car in response to detecting that the at least one location assigned to the at least one second elevator car prevents travel of the first elevator car for servicing the elevator call. The first elevator car may also be configured to generate a signal indicative of at least one second elevator car movement to resolve the conflict in response to detection of the conflict.

Alternatively or additionally, the at least one second elevator car may be configured to provide an estimate of a time of departure from a location at which it is in communication with the first elevator car. The at least one second elevator car can be configured to determine an estimate of departure time based at least in part on a determination of a time required to load and unload the at least one second elevator car.

The communication device of the elevator car may be configured to implement wireless communication with a maximum time delay of less than 20 milliseconds.

The wireless communication may be implemented by a mobile communication network. For example, the mobile communication network may be a network implementing a fifth generation mobile communication technology.

According to a second aspect, there is provided a method for controlling an elevator car in an elevator system, the elevator system comprising: a plurality of elevator cars equipped with wireless communication devices; an elevator controller communicatively coupled in a wireless manner to a plurality of elevator cars equipped with wireless communication devices; the method comprises the following steps: receiving, by the first elevator car, a signal from an elevator controller, the signal for indicating an elevator call to the first elevator car; initiating, by the first elevator car, communication with at least one second elevator car equipped with a wireless communication device for receiving information related to a status of the at least one second elevator car; in response to receipt of the information related to the status of the second elevator car, a control signal is generated regarding servicing the elevator call received by the first elevator car.

The information related to the status of the second elevator car may include at least one of: current location, destination address, route, speed, acceleration, estimated travel time, estimated start time, door position, load, battery status, failure mode.

The control signal generated in response to receipt of the information relating to the state of the second elevator car may include instructions for controlling operation of the motion-generating device of the first elevator car.

The method can also include determining a point in time for initiating travel from the information received in the communication by analyzing the received information regarding the status of the at least one second elevator car in order to generate a control signal to service the elevator call received by the first elevator car. The analysis of the received information may include the step of determining whether at least one location assigned to at least one second elevator car conflicts with a route used to serve the first elevator car for the elevator call. Further, a conflict between a route of the first elevator car for servicing the elevator call and the at least one location assigned to the at least one second elevator car can be determined in response to detecting that the at least one location assigned to the at least one second elevator car prevents travel of the first elevator car for servicing the elevator call. The method may further include the step of generating a signal indicative of at least one second elevator car movement to resolve the conflict in response to the detection of the conflict.

Alternatively or additionally, the method may further include the step of providing, by the at least one second elevator car, an estimate of a time of departure from a location at which it communicates with the first elevator car. The method can also include the step of determining, by the at least one second elevator car, an estimate of departure time based at least in part on the determination of time required to load and unload the at least one second elevator car.

The expression "a number of refers herein to any positive integer starting from 1, such as 1, 2 or 3.

The expression "plurality" here means any positive integer starting from 2, for example 2, 3 or 4.

Various exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of the invention, both as to organization and method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific exemplary and non-limiting embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

The verbs "comprise" and "comprise" are used in this document as open-ended limitations that neither exclude nor require the presence of unrecited features. The features recited in the dependent claims are mutually freely combinable unless otherwise explicitly stated. Furthermore, it should be understood that the use of "a" or "an" throughout this document, i.e., in the singular, does not exclude the plural.

Drawings

In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are shown by way of example and not by way of limitation.

Fig. 1 schematically shows an elevator system according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 schematically shows a method according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 schematically shows an elevator car according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

The specific examples provided in the description given below should not be construed as limiting the scope and/or applicability of the appended claims. The list and set of examples provided in the description given below are not exhaustive unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Fig. 1 schematically shows an elevator system 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. The elevator system 100 may include at least one or more elevator cars 110 arranged to travel in an elevator shaft 130 or elevator car path 130. The elevator car(s) 110 may include at least one first portion of a motion-generating device 112, such as an electric drive (such as a frequency converter or inverter), and/or a motor (such as a linear motor). Additionally, the elevator car(s) may be configured to carry an energy storage device, such as one or more batteries. As described above, a first part of the motion generating means can be used to operate a mover arranged on the elevator car 110 to move the elevator car 110 in question along the elevator shaft 130. Other electrically powered devices, such as lighting, doors, user interfaces, emergency rescue equipment, etc., may also be present in the elevator car 110. Preferably, the energy storage device may be electrically coupled to the motion-generating device 112, such as to an intermediate circuit of a driver, for providing electrical energy to the motion-generating device 112.

To describe at least some aspects of the invention, the elevator system can include at least two landing (landing) locations 190, such as landing floors. The landing locations 190 may consist of landing floor doors or openings. In the example of FIG. 1, there are two groups or "columns" of horizontally separated vertically aligned landing locations. However, the example shown in FIG. 1 is a non-limiting example used to describe at least some aspects of the present invention.

With respect to the elevator shaft, designated 130 in fig. 1, it may be implemented such that the shaft defines a substantially closed volume in which the elevator car 110 is adapted and configured to move. The wall may be, for example, concrete, metal, or at least partially glass, or any combination thereof. The elevator shaft 130 here refers to essentially any structure or path along which the elevator car 110 is configured to move.

In a multi-car solution, according to the embodiment schematically shown in fig. 1, one or more elevator cars 110 can be moved vertically and/or horizontally along the elevator shaft 130 according to the direction of a stator beam 140 arranged in the elevator shaft 130. According to aspects similar to the embodiment in fig. 1, one or more elevator cars 110 can be configured to move along a plurality of vertical and/or horizontal stator beams 140, such as two beams in fig. 1, for example. The stator beam 140 is part of an electric linear motor of the elevator system 100, i.e. forms at least another part of the motion generating means, used to move one or more elevator cars 110 in the elevator shaft 130. The stator beams 140 may preferably be arranged in a fixed manner, i.e. stationary relative to the elevator shaft 130, e.g. by the fastening portion being stationary relative to the wall of the shaft, wherein the fastening portion may be arranged to be able to rotate at the change of direction position of the elevator car 110.

In the multi-car solution described in fig. 1, the generation of the movement of the elevator car 110 is based on an electromagnetic interaction between at least one first electricity generating means 112 and a stator beam 140 being at least one other part of the movement generating means.

In addition to the above-described elements and entities, the elevator system 100 may also include a communication device 114 coupled to one or more elevator cars 110 belonging to the elevator system 100. The communication devices 114 may advantageously be configured to implement wireless communication technology, and the communication devices 114 coupled to the elevator cars 110 may at least communicate directly with each other. The communication device 114 may include a communication interface implementing at least one communication technology, and a processing unit and a memory unit for controlling and managing the operation of the communication device. Additionally, the communication device 114 may include an interface for signaling communications with other entities of the elevator car 110. This may be done, for example, in a wired manner. Naturally, the communication device 110 is provided with power, e.g. from an electrical storage means carried by the elevator car 110 in question and/or from any power source providing power to the elevator car unit. In some embodiments, the processing unit as well as the memory unit may be implemented as external devices to the communication device 114. For example, they may be configured to serve the elevator car 110 as a whole, i.e. to generate the necessary control signals, e.g. in response to receiving input from some external entity (such as from a user interface located in the elevator car 110), but also for cooperating with the communication device 114.

In addition, the elevator system 100 according to an embodiment of the invention may include an elevator controller 150 for accomplishing some of the tasks of operating the elevator system 100. The term elevator controller 150 is understood to mean a device which is adapted to control at least some functions of the elevator system. The elevator controller 150 may be coupled to other entities in a wired or wireless manner. Other entities may e.g. refer to elevator cars, elevator call devices e.g. located at least some of the landing positions, and/or destination operating panels providing status indications of the elevator system or elevator car. Naturally, the elevator controller is provided with power and signaling to make it operate. The elevator controller 150 may be located "anywhere" inside or outside the building (e.g., as a cloud computer). It can be a separate unit or it can be located in the destination operating panel or other elevator component. There may be multiple elevator controllers 150 in the system, with one or more of the elevator controllers controlling the system at least partially simultaneously, or in series with each other.

The solution according to the invention can be based on the idea that each elevator car 110 belonging to the elevator system 100 knows its position in the elevator shaft 130. The determination of the position may be performed in the elevator car 110, which elevator car 110 comprises the necessary means to perform the positioning, or the determination of the position may be performed by an external device (such as performed by the elevator controller 150, which elevator controller 150 is configured to receive the necessary measurement data for the determination of the position and to transmit the determination of the position to any entity, such as to the elevator car 110 whose position is determined). The determination of the position may be based on any positioning system, such as a rotary encoder based positioning, where the encoder obtains data from the elevator drive to determine the position of the elevator car, or a radio signal based indoor positioning system, or any sensor based solution (where one or more applicable sensors are positioned in the elevator car 110 so that they can detect predetermined items mounted at known positions in the elevator shaft so that the elevator car can determine its position based on one or more detections). As an example of a radio signal based positioning system, positioning may be performed with one or more radar type sensors mounted on one or more elevator cars 110 or at an applicable location in the shaft, wherein the position of the elevator car may be determined from the received radio signals. Sensor-based solutions may also be based on the reading of position markers, for example implemented in a shaft with one or more applicable sensors.

Further, the elevator controller 150 may be configured to communicate with at least one elevator car 110 belonging to the elevator system 100, e.g., in response to receipt of an elevator call, to provide a request to service the elevator call. Serving an elevator call may refer to a process of: an indication of the landing floor (which may also be referred to as a destination address) is sent to the elevator car 110 in question, together with any necessary information, to indicate that the elevator car 110 moves to the destination floor in question. In some embodiments, the elevator controller 150 may be configured to select the elevator car 110 to which it sends a service request. To select the elevator car 110, the elevator controller 150 may be configured to consider a state of the elevator car 110, wherein the state of the elevator car may include at least one of: current location, destination address, route, speed, acceleration, estimated travel time, estimated start time, door position, load, battery status, failure mode, as non-limiting examples of parameters that may be used to select the elevator car 110. For example, the information about the destination address may refer to an indication about the floor on which the passenger is located or the passenger's destination floor, or both.

Next, some aspects of the invention are disclosed in the case of a first elevator car 100 that possesses information about its position in the elevator shaft and the destination floor. For example, the elevator controller 150 may have notified the destination floor to the first elevator car 100 in response to receiving an elevator call from a passenger located at a floor. A first elevator car 110 possessing this information may be configured to initiate communication with at least one other elevator car 110 so that the elevator cars 110 may exchange information. The information exchange may refer at least to the transfer of information from a first elevator car 110 possessing the mentioned information to at least one second elevator car 110, which information may represent information about the route allocated to the first elevator car 110. In one embodiment of the invention, the route may refer to data indicating a destination of the first elevator car 110. According to another embodiment, the route may refer to details disclosing a route from the current location of the first elevator car 110 to the destination floor. The route may be defined by a route calculation process configured such that the available routes defined by the stator beams 140 in the elevator shaft 130 are known, and the route calculation process is configured to define a route that meets at least one predetermined criterion, such as a fastest route. Accordingly, the at least one second elevator car 100 can inform the at least first elevator car 110 of the status of the second elevator car in question. The information transferred from the second elevator car 110 to the first elevator car 110 may correspond to information transferred from the first elevator car 110 to the at least one second elevator car 110. In some cases, at least one second elevator car 110 may not possess information about a destination floor or route (e.g., because it was not purposely assigned to it), but it may be located on the route of the first elevator car 110.

The first elevator car now knows its destination and the status of the at least one second elevator car 110, wherein the status may refer to the destination or route allocated to the at least one second elevator car 110 or an indication that the at least one second elevator car 110 is unoccupied. The first elevator car 110 can now determine whether they have a conflicting location at some point during travel by comparing the destination route assigned to it with the location of at least one second elevator car 110 when communicating or when the second elevator car 110 performs the assigned route. A conflict location should be understood to encompass at least a situation where at least one second elevator car 110 blocks the first elevator car 110 from traveling along the determined route to the destination floor. It is clear that blocking may occur if at least one second elevator car 110 stops at a location (such as a floor) through which the first elevator car 110 will travel to a destination floor, or if both elevator cars 110 may arrive at the same location at the same time when both elevator cars 110 are performing an assigned route. According to one embodiment of the invention, the first elevator car 110 may generate and send instructions to the at least one second elevator car 110 to command the at least one second elevator car 110 to move in response to detection of the conflict, thereby freeing up the route of the first elevator car 110 in the hoistway so that the first elevator car 110 may travel to the destination floor. According to another embodiment, the first elevator car 110 may be configured to instruct the at least one second elevator car 110 to generate a control signal for influencing an operating parameter, which e.g. causes the at least one second elevator car 110 to control its speed or acceleration, and in this way set the route to be free for the first elevator car 110. The command sent by the first elevator car 110 to the at least one second elevator car 110 may also be received simultaneously by the elevator controller 150 or sent separately to the at least one second elevator car 110. Informing the elevator controller 150 may be advantageous because the task of the elevator controller 150 is to select the elevator car 110 that is best suited for serving the passenger. In some embodiments, the second elevator car 110 can acknowledge receipt of and execution according to the command to at least the first elevator car 110 (but also to the elevator controller 150 in some embodiments). As a result of the above-described operations, the first elevator car 110 can determine an optimal point in time for initiating travel.

Here, the communication between the elevator cars 110 may be implemented such that the wireless communication is performed through one or more base stations arranged such that it can serve the communication between the elevator cars 110 as well as the communication with any other entity. In the solution according to the invention one or more base stations may e.g. be located in the elevator shaft so that the network coverage is at the necessary level.

In the following, some further aspects are given in view of the present invention. That is to say, the exchange of information in particular relating to the routes of the different elevator cars 110 enables more complex solutions to be developed which can, for example, improve the safety of the elevator system or the satisfaction of the passengers. In one embodiment, the information related to acceleration and deceleration of the elevator car 110 may be known. In this case, when determining the moment for starting travel (instant of time), the elevator car 110 may take into account e.g. the acceleration speed of the second elevator car 110 and its own deceleration speed in response to braking, and determine the safe moment for starting travel in such a way that the distance between the elevator cars 110 is acceptable. Naturally, the same information can be considered when the elevator car 110 is traveling and a situation arises in which the following car needs an emergency stop.

Accordingly, the communication between the elevator cars 110 enables adjustment of the mutual speed of the elevator cars 110, especially if the elevator cars 110 can detect each other's speed in some way. This may occur, for example, such that each elevator car 110 may determine its own speed and broadcast this information to at least one other elevator car 110, such as an elevator car 110 that has a conflicting route with the elevator car 110 in question. As a result, at least one other elevator car 110 can adjust its speed accordingly. The elevator car 110 instructed to adjust its speed may be selected according to predetermined rules. These rules may be based on priorities assigned to elevator cars, priorities assigned to different routes in the hoistway, number of passengers in the elevator car 110, etc.

In some other embodiments, the safety of the system may be improved such that if a certain elevator car 110 does not receive information from at least one other elevator car 110, wherein the information e.g. comprises position information about the at least one other elevator car 110, the certain elevator car 110 is configured to avoid travelling at the position where the at least one other elevator car 110 was last detected. Such a method may be arranged, for example, such that elevator cars 110 traveling in the same hoistway are configured to broadcast their location to other cars 110, and the elevator cars 110 maintain a data record storing the location. For example, when the location of at least one elevator car 110 is missing, a location with a safety margin (if applicable) may be blocked as a destination for the other cars 110.

Further, in one embodiment it may be arranged so that the elevator car 110 can communicate an estimate of the moment it might leave its current position, such as leaving a landing floor. According to this embodiment, the elevator car 110 may be configured to receive information from which the elevator car 110 may determine an estimate of the departure time. The information that can be used to determine this estimate can for example comprise the number of passengers entering the elevator car 110 in question and the number of passengers leaving the elevator car 110 in question. The number of passengers can be determined e.g. by applicable sensor solutions implemented in the landing floors and elevator car 110. The sensor may be, for example, a camera configured to capture images over the space, and by image recognition, the number of passengers per space may be determined. Furthermore, the average time for loading and/or unloading passengers, for example, can be known, for example, by measurement and statistical analysis, and in this way an estimate of the departure time can be generated. This information received by the at least one other elevator car 110 may be considered in determining the moment at which travel of the at least one other elevator car 110 is initiated.

The wireless communication technology used at least in the communication between the elevator cars 110 should be such that the connection is reliable. Therefore, the communication delay should be as short as possible for application-domain reasons, where security is of particular importance. In other words, the time delay in the communication, especially in the worst case, should be acceptable or at least advantageously taken into account when determining the point in time for initiating the travel. For example, in some embodiments of the present invention, wireless communication may be implemented by a mobile communication network. The mobile communication technology used in the communication between the elevator cars 110 may be based on 5G (fifth generation mobile communication technology). Advantageously, the communication device of the elevator car 110 enables wireless communication with a maximum time delay of less than 20 milliseconds.

Fig. 2 schematically shows the method according to the invention from the perspective of the first elevator car 110. As already described, the elevator controller 150 may receive an indication in the form of an elevator call that a passenger requires elevator system service. The elevator controller 150 can be configured to generate a signal to the first elevator car for indicating an elevator call to the first elevator car 110 in response to receipt of information carried in the elevator call. The first elevator car 110 may receive a signal 210, which may for example carry information about the landing floor or any other destination address, or in some other embodiments, which may carry information about the route the first elevator car 110 will perform in the elevator shaft. This route should be understood to cover at least the instructions defining the position chain by which the elevator car 110 can perform travel so that the final position corresponds to a landing floor. In the case where the signal includes only landing floors, the first elevator car 110 may be configured to determine the route autonomously by applying predefined rules for determining the route from its current location to the destination floor. Now, the first elevator car 110 can initiate a communication 220 with at least one second elevator car 110 for determining a status of the second elevator car 110. The determination of the state of the second elevator car 110 can, for example, include information regarding at least one of: current location, destination address, route, speed, acceleration, estimated travel time, estimated start time, door position, load, battery status, failure mode. In other words, the information can be directly or indirectly related to travel related aspects of the second elevator car 110. This communication may be accomplished wirelessly by utilizing the wireless communication device 140 of the elevator car 110. As described above, in communication, the elevator cars 110 may exchange information regarding their status. In general, information about the elevator car position should be understood to cover at least the current position of the elevator car 110 in question, and if a route is assigned to the elevator car 110, a chain of positions. The first elevator car 110 can now possess information about one or more positions assigned to the at least one second elevator car 110, and it knows the route assigned to itself. Finally, the first elevator car 110 can be configured to generate control signals related to servicing elevator calls received from the elevator controller 150.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first elevator car 110 may be configured to analyze information received through communication regarding a status of the second elevator car. The analysis may include the first elevator car 110 being configured to compare whether its route (i.e., location at a time) conflicts with the location or route of at least one other elevator car 110. The conflict should be understood to at least cover a situation in which at least one second elevator car 110 prevents travel of the first elevator car 110. Furthermore, the duration of the stopping of travel may also be considered. In response to the analysis, the first elevator car 110 may communicate with at least one second elevator car 110, e.g. for resolving conflicts determined in the analysis, and finally it may possess sufficient information for determining a point in time for starting a travel from the information received in the elevator call signal. Other rules and/or constraints may be considered in determining the point in time, such as a safety margin defined for the system. In response to the results of the analysis, the first elevator car 110 may generate a control signal 230 for initiating travel according to the determined point in time.

Fig. 3 schematically shows an example of an elevator car 110 that can be used in an implementation of the invention. In the schematic, the elevator car 110 may include a motion-generating device 112 and a communication device 114, the communication device 114 implementing at least one wireless communication technology used in the elevator system. The communication device 114 may include a processing unit 310 comprising one or more processors, a memory 320 for storing data, such as computer program code, and a transmitter/receiver module 330. Naturally, the communication device may comprise other devices and modules not shown in fig. 3. Control of the elevator car 110 may also be performed by the communication device 114. The communication device 114 can thus control the generation of control signals regarding servicing elevator calls based on communications with other elevator cars 110 and the elevator controller 150. For example, control may include, but is not limited to, generation of control signals that cause the motion generating device to generate power for moving the elevator car 110, and adjusting parameters that affect the power to adjust the speed of the elevator car 110. In fig. 3, a base station 340 is also shown, by which base station 340 the elevator cars 110 can communicate with each other and with any other entity.

The invention described herein is particularly advantageous in an elevator environment where the elevator car 110 is equipped with a motion generating device 112 and is therefore capable of independent movement in the elevator shaft. By enabling communication between elevator cars 110, such as through a base station, the resource requirements on the elevator controller 150 side can be reduced, and at least in some cases, the efficiency and safety of the elevator system can be improved.

For the sake of clarity, it is worth mentioning that in the context of the present invention the term "elevator call" should be understood to cover any call indicating that at least one elevator car 100 is to serve the call. Thus, the elevator call can come from a call device, by means of which e.g. a passenger indicates a service request to the elevator system. Such a call device may be located, for example, on the floor where the passenger is located. In some embodiments, the calling device may be a mobile device available to the passenger, or it may be received from a cloud computing system. Elevator calls should also be understood to cover solutions in which calls are generated in response to analysis of predetermined data, e.g. statistical data, in order to control the operation of the elevator system. In addition, in this context, an elevator call also covers an indication of the destination address to which the passenger is willing to go once the elevator car arrives. Furthermore, elevator calls can encompass any combination of the two.

The specific examples provided in the description given above should not be construed as limiting the applicability and/or interpretation of the appended claims. The list and set of examples provided in the above description are not exhaustive unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Claims (17)

1. An elevator system (100), comprising:

a plurality of elevator cars equipped with wireless communication devices (114),

an elevator controller (150) communicatively coupled to the plurality of elevator cars equipped with a wireless communication device (114), and the elevator controller (150) configured to generate a signal to a first elevator car for indicating an elevator call to the first elevator car, and

wherein the first elevator car is configured to, in response to receipt of the signal:

initiating communication with at least one second elevator car equipped with a wireless communication device (114) for receiving information related to a status of the at least one second elevator car, an

In response to receipt of the information related to the status of the second elevator car, generating a control signal related to servicing the elevator call received by the first elevator car,

wherein the at least one second elevator car is configured to provide an estimate of time to depart from its location in communication with the first elevator car based at least in part on a determination of time required to load and unload the at least one second elevator car.

2. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein the information related to the status of the second elevator car includes at least one of: current location, destination address, route, speed, acceleration, estimated travel time, estimated start time, door position, load, battery status, failure mode.

3. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein the control signal generated in response to receipt of the information related to the state of the second elevator car comprises instructions for controlling operation of a motion-generating device of the first elevator car.

4. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein the first elevator car is configured to determine a point in time for initiating travel from information received in the communication by analyzing information received about a state of at least one second elevator car in order to generate the control signal for servicing an elevator call received by the first elevator car.

5. The elevator system of claim 4, wherein the first elevator car is configured to determine, by analyzing the received information, whether at least one location assigned to the at least one second elevator car conflicts with a route of the first elevator car for servicing the elevator call in order to determine a point in time for initiating travel.

6. The elevator system of claim 5, wherein the first elevator car is configured to determine a conflict between a route of the first elevator car for servicing the elevator call and the at least one location assigned to the at least one second elevator car in response to detecting that the at least one location assigned to the at least one second elevator car prevents travel of the first elevator car for servicing the elevator call.

7. The elevator system of claim 6, wherein the first elevator car is configured to, in response to detection of the conflict, generate a signal indicative of the at least one second elevator car moving to resolve the conflict.

8. Elevator system according to any of the preceding claims 1-7, wherein the communication device (140) of the elevator car is configured to enable wireless communication with a maximum time delay of less than 20 ms.

9. Elevator system according to any of the preceding claims 1-7, wherein the wireless communication is implemented by a mobile communication network.

10. The elevator system of claim 9, wherein the mobile communication network is a network implementing fifth generation mobile communication technology.

11. A method for controlling an elevator car in an elevator system (100), the elevator system (100) comprising:

a plurality of elevator cars equipped with wireless communication devices (114),

an elevator controller (150) communicatively coupled wirelessly to the plurality of elevator cars equipped with a wireless communication device (114),

the method comprises the following steps:

receiving, by the first elevator car from an elevator controller (150), a signal (210) indicating an elevator call to the first elevator car,

initiating, by the first elevator car, communication (220) with at least one second elevator car equipped with a wireless communication device (114) for receiving information related to a status of the at least one second elevator car,

in response to receipt of the information related to the status of the second elevator car, generating a control signal related to servicing the elevator call received by the first elevator car,

wherein the method further comprises:

a step of providing, by the at least one second elevator car, an estimate of a time of departure from its location in communication with the first elevator car based at least in part on a determination of a time required to load and unload the at least one second elevator car.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the information related to the status of the second elevator car comprises at least one of: current location, destination address, route, speed, acceleration, estimated travel time, estimated start time, door position, load, battery status, failure mode.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the control signal generated in response to receipt of the information related to the state of the second elevator car comprises a command to control operation of a motion-generating device of the first elevator car.

14. The method according to any of the preceding claims 11-13, further comprising, for generating the control signal for serving an elevator call received by the first elevator car, determining a point in time for initiating travel from the information received in the communication by analyzing the received information on the state of at least one second elevator car.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the analysis of the received information includes the step of determining whether the at least one location assigned to the at least one second elevator car conflicts with a route of the first elevator car for servicing the elevator call.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a conflict between a route of the first elevator car for servicing the elevator call and the at least one location assigned to the at least one second elevator car is determined in response to detecting that the at least one location assigned to the at least one second elevator car prevents travel of the first elevator car for servicing the elevator call.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises, in response to detection of the conflict, the step of generating a signal indicative of the at least one second elevator car moving to resolve the conflict.