Elevator Group Management Methods and Systems

Abstract

This invention discloses an elevator group management method that assigns unassigned passenger requests to the earliest returning elevator, ensuring that the time interval between the return time of the earliest returning elevator after completing passenger transport and the return time of an adjacent elevator returning to the main floor is not less than a time threshold, or that the horizontal distance between the position of the earliest returning elevator at the main floor and the positions of the adjacent elevators at the main floor is not less than a distance threshold; the earliest returning elevator refers to the elevator that returns to the main floor earliest. The technical problem this invention aims to solve is how to effectively prevent passengers from mistakenly boarding non-target elevators while simultaneously reducing the computational load on the elevator group management system during peak usage periods.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of elevators, and more specifically to a method and system for managing elevator groups. Background Technology

[0002] For high-traffic floors such as the main station, during peak hours, there may be passengers going to different floors in different directions at the same time. If the arrival time or distance of the elevators going to these different destination floors is too close, passengers may mistakenly board the wrong elevator, resulting in a reduced passenger experience and reduced elevator operating efficiency.

[0003] Therefore, how to effectively prevent passengers from mistakenly entering the wrong elevator has become a technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is how to effectively prevent passengers from mistakenly entering the wrong elevator, while at the same time effectively reducing the computational load of the elevator group management system during peak hours.

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides an elevator group management method, which assigns unassigned passenger requests to the earliest returning elevator, such that the time interval between the return time of the earliest returning elevator when it returns to the main floor after completing passenger transport and the return time of an adjacent elevator returning to the main floor is not less than a time threshold, or the horizontal distance between the position of the earliest returning elevator at the main floor and the position of the adjacent elevator at the main floor is not less than a distance threshold; the earliest returning elevator refers to the elevator that returns to the main floor earliest.

[0006] Preferably, the earliest returning elevator satisfies the following conditions: Condition 1, it is assigned a ride request with the main floor as the departure floor; Condition 2, it returns to the main floor after completing the ride request; Condition 3, its running direction when it returns to the main floor is the same as its running direction when it departs from the main floor after receiving the assigned ride request; Condition 4, it has the earliest arrival time among all elevators that return to the main floor.

[0007] Preferably, the elevator group management method estimates the return time of each elevator to the main floor station based on elevator operation information, and determines the earliest returning elevator based on the return time.

[0008] Preferably, the elevator group management method estimates the return time of each elevator when it returns to the main floor station based on a first time, a second time, and a third time; the first time refers to the time required for the elevator to travel from the main floor station to the farthest destination floor and back to the main floor station, calculated based on the distance between the farthest destination floor and the main floor station and the elevator's rated operating speed; the second time refers to the additional travel time caused by all elevator stops, calculated based on the number of assigned destination floors; and the third time refers to the time consumed by passengers disembarking, estimated based on the number of passengers corresponding to the assigned destination floors.

[0009] Preferably, the elevator group management method determines the return order of the earliest returning elevator relative to other elevators when it returns to the main floor after completing its passenger transport, based on at least one of the preset factors; wherein, the return order refers to the order in which it returns to the main floor after completing the current passenger transport relative to other elevators, or the order in which it returns to the main floor after completing the current passenger transport relative to other elevators and completing the transport after the passenger request currently assigned to that elevator enters the car and starts; the preset factors include the number of waiting passengers, passenger waiting time, elevator operating efficiency, and elevator power consumption.

[0010] Preferably, the group management method determines the return order of the earliest returning elevator relative to other elevators when it returns to the main floor after completing its passenger transport, based on the return time of each elevator, and simultaneously determines the adjacent elevator of the earliest returning elevator.

[0011] Preferably, the elevator group management method adjusts the return time of the earliest returning elevator by adjusting the unassigned elevator requests allocated to the earliest returning elevator.

[0012] Preferably, adjusting the number of unassigned elevator requests allocated to the earliest returning elevator refers to adjusting the number of unassigned elevator requests allocated to the earliest returning elevator and the position of the destination floor in the main floor station, or adjusting the number of unassigned elevator requests allocated to the earliest returning elevator and the vertical distance between the destination floor farthest from the main floor station and the main floor station.

[0013] Preferably, the elevator group management method adjusts the return order of the earliest returning elevator relative to other elevators when it returns to the main floor after completing its passenger transport by adjusting the return time of the earliest returning elevator, thereby changing the adjacent elevators of the earliest returning elevator.

[0014] Preferably, the elevator group management method adjusts the time interval between the return times of the earliest returning elevator and the adjacent elevators by adjusting the return time of the earliest returning elevator.

[0015] Preferably, the elevator group management method adjusts the horizontal distance between the position of the earliest returning elevator at the main floor station and the positions of its adjacent elevators at the main floor station by adjusting the adjacent elevators of the earliest returning elevator.

[0016] Preferably, the time interval is not shorter than the time it takes for a passenger to move from the elevator waiting area to the elevator furthest from the elevator waiting area or the passenger movement time required to move to the earliest returning elevator.

[0017] Preferably, the elevator group management method determines the elevator request allocation scheme according to the following steps:

[0018] Step S1: By selecting at least one elevator request from all unassigned elevator requests, an elevator request allocation scheme is formed for the earliest returning elevator. The resources required by the elevator requests in the allocation scheme do not exceed the available resources of the earliest returning elevator.

[0019] Step S2: Estimate the car travel time required for the earliest returning elevator under each allocation scheme to travel from the main floor station to the main floor station after completing passenger transport;

[0020] Step S3: Determine the adjacent elevator of the earliest returning elevator and the time interval between the adjacent elevators based on the car travel time estimated in step S2.

[0021] Step S4: Select the allocation scheme corresponding to the time interval that meets the preset conditions from all allocation schemes as the candidate allocation scheme. The preset conditions are that the time interval is not shorter than the time it takes for the passenger to move from the elevator waiting area to the elevator that is farthest from the elevator waiting area or the time required to move to the earliest return elevator.

[0022] Step S5: Select one of the candidate allocation schemes as the final allocation scheme for the earliest returning elevator request.

[0023] Preferably, step S5 selects at least one of the preset principles as the final allocation scheme for the earliest returning elevator request; the preset principles include: optimal time interval principle, short passenger waiting time principle, high elevator operating efficiency principle, and low elevator power consumption principle.

[0024] Preferably, the optimal time interval principle refers to the time interval being the longest or closest to the passenger movement time required for the passenger to move from the waiting area to the earliest returning elevator.

[0025] Preferably, when multiple preset principles are adopted simultaneously, for a certain candidate allocation scheme, evaluation indicators under each preset principle are established respectively, and the weighted sum of the evaluation indicators under each preset principle is used as the total indicator of the candidate allocation scheme. The final allocation scheme is selected based on the total indicator of each candidate allocation scheme.

[0026] Preferably, the evaluation index of the optimal time interval principle is the difference between the time interval and the passenger movement time required for the passenger to move from the elevator waiting area to the elevator furthest from the elevator waiting area or to the earliest returning elevator, or the ratio of the difference to the passenger movement time.

[0027] Preferably, the elevator group management method determines the elevator request allocation scheme according to the following steps:

[0028] Step S1: Form an elevator request allocation scheme for the earliest returning elevator by selecting at least one elevator request from all unallocated elevator requests, wherein the resources required by the elevator requests in the allocation scheme do not exceed the available resources of the earliest returning elevator;

[0029] Step S2: Estimate the car travel time required for the earliest returning elevator under each allocation scheme to travel from the main floor station to the main floor station after completing passenger transport;

[0030] Step S3: Determine the adjacent elevator of the earliest returning elevator based on the car travel time estimated in step S2;

[0031] Step S4: Determine the horizontal distance between the adjacent elevators at the main floor station as determined in step S3 and the earliest returning elevator at the main floor station.

[0032] Step S5: Select the allocation scheme with a horizontal distance not less than the distance threshold from each allocation scheme as the candidate allocation scheme;

[0033] Step S6: Select one of the candidate allocation schemes as the final allocation scheme for the earliest returning elevator request.

[0034] Preferably, step S6 selects at least one of the preset principles as the final allocation scheme for the elevator request returning to the earliest elevator; the preset principles include: optimal distance principle, short passenger waiting time principle, high elevator operating efficiency principle, and low elevator power consumption principle.

[0035] Preferably, the optimal distance principle means that the horizontal distance is the maximum or closest to the distance threshold.

[0036] Preferably, when multiple preset principles are adopted simultaneously, for a certain candidate allocation scheme, evaluation indicators under each preset principle are established respectively, and the weighted sum of the evaluation indicators under each preset principle is used as the total indicator of the candidate allocation scheme. The final allocation scheme is selected based on the total indicator of each candidate allocation scheme.

[0037] Preferably, the evaluation index for the optimal distance principle is the difference between the horizontal distance and the maximum horizontal distance between all elevators, or the ratio of the difference to the maximum horizontal distance.

[0038] Preferably, the elevator group management method monitors the return time of each elevator and uses the moment when the car travel time of the earliest returning elevator is longer than the time threshold as the moment when a passenger request is assigned to the earliest returning elevator.

[0039] Compared to existing technologies, this application focuses on the earliest arriving elevator. It selects from existing unassigned elevator request signals and assigns the selected signals to that elevator. In this application's allocation method, the selection scope includes all existing unassigned elevator request signals, the selected signal is the chosen elevator request signal, and the allocation target is the earliest arriving elevator. This mechanism is completely different from existing technologies. Since the number of elevator request signals per unit time during peak usage periods is far greater than the number of elevators arriving at the main floor, this group management method effectively reduces the computational load on the elevator group management system. Furthermore, the expanded selection scope during the allocation process significantly increases the number of possible allocation schemes, resulting in a more rational final allocation scheme and higher elevator operating efficiency.

[0040] In addition, by rationally selecting unassigned elevator request signals, the time interval between each elevator arriving at the main floor and / or the distance between adjacent elevators arriving at the main floor can be guaranteed, thereby separating passengers taking different elevators and preventing passengers from taking the wrong elevator.

[0041] The present invention also provides an elevator group management system, which can determine the appropriate time for elevator group management to be started and allocated.

[0042] This invention provides an elevator group management system, comprising:

[0043] A destination floor information receiving unit is used to receive passengers' elevator ride requests, wherein the elevator ride request includes at least the destination floor information registered by the passenger.

[0044] Elevator operation information acquisition unit, used to acquire elevator operation information;

[0045] The estimation unit is used to estimate the car travel time required for each elevator to return to the main floor based on the elevator operation information.

[0046] The determining unit is used to determine the earliest returning elevator among all elevators that returns to the main floor earliest based on the car travel time output by the estimating unit, wherein the maximum value of the car travel time of the earliest returning elevator is not less than a time threshold.

[0047] A selected unit is used to select an allocation time, which is the time used to initiate the allocation of unallocated elevator requests to the earliest returning elevator;

[0048] An allocation unit is configured to allocate an unallocated elevator request to the earliest returning elevator at the allocation time.

[0049] The notification unit is used to inform the passengers of the allocation results.

[0050] Preferably, the time threshold is the passenger movement time required for a passenger to move from the elevator waiting area to the elevator furthest from the elevator waiting area or to the earliest returning elevator.

[0051] Preferably, the allocation unit uses any of the aforementioned elevator group management methods to allocate unallocated elevator requests to the earliest returning elevator.

[0052] Preferably, the selected unit monitors the return time of each elevator and uses the moment when the car travel time of the earliest returning elevator is longer than the time threshold as the moment when the elevator request is assigned to the earliest returning elevator.

[0053] Compared with the prior art, the elevator group management system of the present invention makes full use of the characteristic that elevator group management is based on the elevators that arrive at the main floor. It directly uses the car movement time of the earliest arriving elevator and the passenger movement time required for the passenger to move from the waiting area to the elevator to give a method for determining the optimal time for start-up allocation. This method is simple, convenient and accurate. Attached Figure Description

[0054] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the elevator system in the building. Detailed Implementation

[0055] The embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific examples. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. Specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention; however, the present invention can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be based on different viewpoints and applications. Those skilled in the art can make various similar extensions and substitutions without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0056] Example 1

[0057] This embodiment mainly addresses the following shortcomings of existing elevator group management systems:

[0058] 1) All of them are based on elevator requests. Each time a new elevator request signal is received, the appropriate target elevator is selected from all elevators in the group management system to respond to the elevator request signal. That is, the selection range is all elevators in the group management system, the selected target elevator is the selected object, and the elevator request signal (i.e., passengers) is the allocation target. This mode makes the computational load too large in specific situations such as peak elevator usage (at this time, the number of elevator request signals per unit time increases significantly, far exceeding the number of elevators arriving at the main floor station per unit time).

[0059] 2) The process from when a passenger registers their elevator request signal to when the passenger actually enters the elevator car often takes a long time. The elevator group management system allocates the responding elevator based on the elevator operation information when the passenger registers their elevator request signal. However, by the time the passenger enters the car, the elevator operation information may have changed significantly, and the elevator may no longer be the optimal responding elevator or even a very poor choice. This leads to a deterioration in elevator operation efficiency and passenger riding experience. Even if the elevator allocation is delayed for a certain period of time after receiving the passenger's registered elevator request signal, it can alleviate the degree of this shortcoming to some extent, but it does not help with shortcoming 1).

[0060] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the elevator group management system provided in this embodiment includes:

[0061] A destination floor information receiving unit is used to receive passengers' elevator ride requests, wherein the elevator ride request includes at least the destination floor information registered by the passenger.

[0062] Elevator operation information acquisition unit, used to acquire elevator operation information;

[0063] The estimation unit is used to estimate the car travel time required for each elevator to return to the main floor based on the elevator operation information.

[0064] The determining unit is used to determine the earliest returning elevator among all elevators that returns to the main floor earliest based on the car travel time output by the estimating unit, wherein the maximum value of the car travel time of the earliest returning elevator is not less than a time threshold.

[0065] A selected unit is used to select an allocation time, which is the time used to initiate the allocation of unallocated elevator requests to the earliest returning elevator;

[0066] An allocation unit is configured to allocate an unallocated elevator request to the earliest returning elevator at the allocation time.

[0067] The notification unit is used to inform the passengers of the allocation results.

[0068] Preferably, the time threshold is the passenger movement time required for a passenger to move from the elevator waiting area to the elevator furthest from the elevator waiting area or to the earliest returning elevator.

[0069] like Figure 1 As shown, assume a 30-story office building with its main station located on the 1st floor at the bottom, and the destination floor registration device located at the main station. The building has six elevators, each with a rated capacity of 18 passengers, located on either side of the long side of a rectangular waiting hall. The destination floor registration device is located at the rolling mill at the building entrance. The passenger waiting area is located between the rolling mill and the elevators, near the elevators, and is situated on the short side of the rectangular waiting hall closest to the rolling mill.

[0070] The following uses this scenario as an example to illustrate the working process of the elevator group management system in this embodiment.

[0071] Assume that at time k during the peak elevator usage period from 8:30 AM to 9:10 AM, elevator A goes up to the 5th floor and there are floors waiting to be stopped ahead; elevator B goes up to the 18th floor and there are floors waiting to be stopped ahead; elevator C goes up to the 28th floor and there are no floors waiting to be stopped ahead, and it will return to the 1st floor at the 29th floor; elevator D goes down to the 25th floor and there are no floors waiting to be stopped ahead except the 1st floor; elevator E goes down to the 20th floor and there are no floors waiting to be stopped ahead except the 1st floor; and elevator F goes down to the 10th floor and there are no floors waiting to be stopped ahead except the 1st floor.

[0072] The elevator operation information acquisition unit of the group management system acquires the elevator operation information, such as the position, direction of travel, and floor information to be stopped by each elevator. The destination floor information receiving unit receives the destination floor information registered by passengers through the milling machine. Based on the current position, direction of travel, and floor information to be stopped by each elevator in the elevator operation information, the unit estimates the elevator travel time required for each elevator to return to the main floor. For example, elevator A requires 50 seconds, elevator B requires 35 seconds, elevator C requires 20 seconds, elevator D requires 17 seconds, elevator E requires 12 seconds, and elevator F requires 10 seconds. The determination unit selects the earliest returning elevator from among all elevators based on the estimation results of the estimation unit and a set value. Note that when selecting the earliest returning elevator, the selected earliest returning elevator should be the elevator with the shortest return time among all elevators whose return time to the main floor is longer than the set value. Assuming the set value is 10 seconds, the earliest returning elevator selected by the earliest returning elevator determination unit is elevator F. The set value (i.e., the time threshold) here can be a constant value, such as the maximum passenger movement time required for a passenger to move from the waiting area to a certain elevator (which is actually the passenger movement time required to move to the elevator furthest from the movement area (here, elevator C or elevator F)), or it can be the passenger movement time from the waiting area to the earliest elevator location.

[0073] When the set value is the passenger movement time from the waiting area to the earliest elevator location, since the earliest elevator has not yet been determined, a trial method is required. That is, the elevators are arranged from shortest to longest time to return to the main floor. Starting with the elevator with the shortest time that has never been selected, it is determined whether its return time is longer than the passenger movement time from the waiting area to that elevator. If it is longer, that elevator is selected as the earliest returning elevator; otherwise, the elevator with the shortest time that has never been selected is selected again.

[0074] In practice, the following method can also be used: Based on the estimation results of the estimation unit, first compare the car travel time of each elevator with the passenger travel time corresponding to that elevator (i.e., the passenger travel time from the waiting area to that elevator), then establish a candidate elevator list consisting of elevators with longer car travel times and corresponding passenger travel times, and finally select the elevator corresponding to the shortest car travel time from the list as the earliest returning elevator.

[0075] The selection unit selects the allocation time. If the passenger movement times required to move from the waiting area to elevators A through F are 6 seconds, 8 seconds, 10 seconds, 6 seconds, 8 seconds, and 10 seconds respectively, the selection unit should select the time when the elevator car movement time is no later than a fixed set value (such as the aforementioned 10 seconds), or the time for elevators A through F that is no later than 6 seconds, 8 seconds, 10 seconds, 6 seconds, 8 seconds, and 10 seconds respectively. Here, the time corresponds to 10 seconds.

[0076] The allocation unit allocates the unallocated elevator requests to the earliest returning elevator at the allocation time; the notification unit informs the passengers of the allocation result.

[0077] The selected unit monitors the return time of each elevator and uses the moment when the car travel time of the earliest returning elevator is longer than the time threshold as the moment when the earliest returning elevator is assigned a ride request.

[0078] It should be noted that once the earliest returning elevator is selected, the allocation unit will assign a passenger request signal to that elevator. At this point, the estimation unit will re-estimate the return time of the elevator after completing the assigned passenger request (i.e., the time required for the elevator to reach the main floor, for passengers to enter the car, for the elevator to transport passengers, and for it to return to the main floor). The estimation result will then be used to update and reorder the previous results. With this processing procedure, as long as the estimation, updating, selection of the earliest elevator, and allocation of passenger request signals are performed in a timely manner, the phenomenon of an elevator not having been assigned a passenger request but having a car travel time shorter than a passenger travel time will not occur.

[0079] The elevator group management system in this embodiment fully utilizes the characteristic of group management systems that take the earliest arriving elevator as the main line, rather than taking the elevator request as the main line in the prior art (when taking the elevator request as the main line, since the responding elevator is not determined, the passenger movement time corresponding to the responding elevator cannot be determined, so the allocation cannot be performed at the best time (i.e. the latest time)). The optimal allocation time is determined based on the earliest arriving elevator and its corresponding passenger movement time, thereby achieving the best allocation effect.

[0080] For details on how to select a reasonable combination of elevator requests from the unassigned elevator requests and assign them to the earliest arriving elevator, please refer to Example 2.

[0081] Example 2

[0082] The elevator group management method in this application is for the elevator that returns to the main floor earliest, i.e., the earliest returning elevator.

[0083] The system assigns unassigned passenger requests to the earliest returning elevator, ensuring that the time interval between the return time of the earliest returning elevator after completing passenger transport and the return time of the adjacent elevator returning to the main floor is not less than a time threshold, or that the horizontal distance between the position of the earliest returning elevator at the main floor and the position of the adjacent elevator at the main floor is not less than a distance threshold. The earliest returning elevator refers to the elevator that returns to the main floor earliest. This separates passengers from those on different target elevators, thereby preventing passengers from boarding non-target elevator cars.

[0084] The earliest returning elevator meets the following condition:

[0085] Condition 1: An elevator request with the main floor as the departure floor has been assigned; Condition 2: After completing the elevator request, the elevator arrives at the main floor again; Condition 3: The direction of travel when arriving at the main floor again is the same as the direction of travel when departing from the main floor after receiving the assigned elevator request; Condition 4: The elevator arrives at the main floor earliest among all elevators that arrive at the main floor again.

[0086] The elevator group management method estimates the return time (for this trip) of each elevator to the main floor based on elevator operation information (mainly the direction of operation, current car position, and floor to be stopped), and determines the earliest returning elevator based on the return time.

[0087] The group management method estimates the return time of each elevator when it returns to the main floor station based on the first time, the second time, and the third time.

[0088] The first time refers to the time required for the elevator to travel from the main station to the farthest destination floor and back to the main station, calculated based on the distance between the farthest destination floor and the main station and the elevator's rated operating speed;

[0089] The second time refers to the additional travel time caused by all elevator stops, calculated based on the number of assigned destination floors. For example, the additional travel time caused by all stops is calculated based on the number of assigned destination floors (here, destination floors refer to different destination floors, and the same destination floor is not counted repeatedly) (each stop corresponds to one deceleration stop and acceleration start). The additional travel time caused by a single stop can be calculated based on the extra time required for the elevator to travel to and from the stop floor and the acceleration / deceleration process relative to the travel distance corresponding to the acceleration / deceleration process at the rated speed.

[0090] The third time refers to the estimated time for passengers to descend the elevator based on the number of passengers corresponding to the assigned destination floor.

[0091] The elevator group management method determines the return order of the earliest returning elevator relative to other elevators when it returns to the main floor after completing its passenger transport, based on at least one of the preset factors. The return order refers to the order in which the elevator returns to the main floor after completing its current passenger transport (this return) relative to other elevators, or the order in which the elevator returns to the main floor after completing its current passenger transport and completing the transport after a passenger request already assigned to that elevator enters the car and starts moving. The preset factors include the number of waiting passengers, passenger waiting time, elevator operating efficiency, and elevator energy consumption.

[0092] The group management method determines the return order of the earliest returning elevator relative to other elevators when it returns to the main floor after completing its passenger transport, based on the return time of each elevator, and also determines the adjacent elevator of the earliest returning elevator.

[0093] The elevator group management method adjusts the return time of the earliest returning elevator by adjusting the unassigned elevator requests allocated to the earliest returning elevator.

[0094] Preferably, adjusting the number of unassigned elevator requests allocated to the earliest returning elevator refers to adjusting the number of unassigned elevator requests allocated to the earliest returning elevator and the position of the destination floor in the main floor station, or adjusting the number of unassigned elevator requests allocated to the earliest returning elevator and the vertical distance between the destination floor farthest from the main floor station and the main floor station.

[0095] Preferably, the elevator group management method adjusts the return order of the earliest returning elevator relative to other elevators when it returns to the main floor after completing its passenger transport by adjusting the return time of the earliest returning elevator, thereby changing the adjacent elevators of the earliest returning elevator.

[0096] Preferably, the elevator group management method adjusts the time interval between the return times of the earliest returning elevator and the adjacent elevators by adjusting the return time of the earliest returning elevator. The time interval is not shorter than the time it takes for a passenger to move from the waiting area to the elevator furthest from the waiting area or the passenger movement time required to move to the earliest returning elevator.

[0097] Preferably, the elevator group management method adjusts the horizontal distance between the position of the earliest returning elevator at the main floor station and the positions of its adjacent elevators at the main floor station by adjusting the adjacent elevators of the earliest returning elevator.

[0098] For example, the elevator group management method determines the elevator request allocation scheme according to the following steps:

[0099] Step S1: By selecting at least one elevator request from all unassigned elevator requests, an elevator request allocation scheme is formed for the earliest returning elevator. The resources required by the elevator requests in the allocation scheme do not exceed the available resources of the earliest returning elevator.

[0100] Step S2: Estimate the car travel time required for the earliest returning elevator under each allocation scheme to travel from the main floor station to the main floor station after completing passenger transport;

[0101] Step S3: Determine the adjacent elevator of the earliest returning elevator and the time interval between the adjacent elevators based on the car travel time estimated in step S2.

[0102] Step S4: Select the allocation scheme corresponding to the time interval that meets the preset conditions from all allocation schemes as the candidate allocation scheme. The preset conditions are that the time interval is not shorter than the time it takes for the passenger to move from the elevator waiting area to the elevator that is farthest from the elevator waiting area or the time required to move to the earliest return elevator.

[0103] Step S5: Select one of the candidate allocation schemes as the final allocation scheme for the earliest returning elevator request.

[0104] Required resources refer to the resources needed by passengers when riding an elevator. Available resources refer to the resources that the elevator can currently provide to passengers. For example, when two passengers are transferring and carrying a large item, the required resource for them to ride the elevator is the riding area. Therefore, in this case, the required resource refers to the riding area that the passengers need to occupy, and the available resource is the riding area that the elevator car can currently provide to passengers. The riding area required by a single passenger is a standard value a1, and the riding area required by the item is determined by the length and width (a2 and a3) of the rectangle that can accommodate the item. For the elevator, the available resource (i.e., riding area) that it can provide to transferring passengers can be obtained by processing image data reflecting the space occupancy inside the car, collected by a camera installed in the car, using an appropriate algorithm. Further references can be made to published patent documents CN202010295007.6 and CN201910609480.4.

[0105] Step S5 selects at least one of the preset principles as the final allocation scheme for the earliest returning elevator request; the preset principles include: optimal time interval principle, short passenger waiting time principle, high elevator operating efficiency principle, and low elevator power consumption principle.

[0106] The optimal time interval principle refers to the time interval that is the longest or closest to the passenger's travel time from the waiting area to the earliest returning elevator.

[0107] When multiple preset principles are adopted simultaneously, for a certain candidate allocation scheme, evaluation indicators are established under each preset principle. The weighted sum of the evaluation indicators under each preset principle is used as the total indicator of the candidate allocation scheme. The final allocation scheme is selected based on the total indicator of each candidate allocation scheme.

[0108] The evaluation index for the optimal time interval principle is the difference between the time interval and the passenger movement time required for the passenger to move from the elevator waiting area to the elevator furthest from the elevator waiting area or to the earliest returning elevator, or the ratio of the difference to the passenger movement time.

[0109] Another exemplary method for managing elevator groups determines an elevator request allocation scheme by following these steps:

[0110] Step S1: Form an elevator request allocation scheme for the earliest returning elevator by selecting at least one elevator request from all unallocated elevator requests, wherein the resources required by the elevator requests in the allocation scheme do not exceed the available resources of the earliest returning elevator;

[0111] Step S2: Estimate the car travel time required for the earliest returning elevator under each allocation scheme to travel from the main floor station to the main floor station after completing passenger transport;

[0112] Step S3: Determine the adjacent elevator of the earliest returning elevator based on the car travel time estimated in step S2;

[0113] Step S4: Determine the horizontal distance between the adjacent elevators at the main floor station as determined in step S3 and the earliest returning elevator at the main floor station.

[0114] Step S5: Select the allocation scheme with a horizontal distance not less than the distance threshold from each allocation scheme as the candidate allocation scheme;

[0115] Step S6: Select one of the candidate allocation schemes as the final allocation scheme for the earliest returning elevator request.

[0116] Step S6 selects at least one of the preset principles as the final allocation scheme for the elevator request returning to the earliest elevator; the preset principles include: optimal distance principle, short passenger waiting time principle, high elevator operating efficiency principle, and low elevator power consumption principle. The optimal distance principle means that the horizontal distance is the maximum or closest to a distance threshold.

[0117] When multiple preset principles are adopted simultaneously, for a given candidate allocation scheme, evaluation indicators are established under each preset principle. The weighted sum of the evaluation indicators under each preset principle is used as the total indicator of the candidate allocation scheme. The final allocation scheme is selected based on the total indicator of all candidate allocation schemes. The evaluation indicator for the optimal distance principle is the difference between the horizontal distance and the maximum horizontal distance between all elevators, or the ratio of the difference to the maximum horizontal distance.

[0118] Preferably, the elevator group management method monitors the return time of each elevator and uses the moment when the car travel time of the earliest returning elevator is longer than the time threshold as the moment when a passenger request is assigned to the earliest returning elevator.

[0119] This embodiment separates passengers using different elevators by adjusting the time interval. It should be noted that the "main floor" in the claims and the foregoing description refers to a high-traffic floor, which can be the ground floor (the lowest floor) or an intermediate floor (not an end floor). When the main floor is the bottom end floor, the elevator that returns to the main floor earliest is the one that, after completing its ascent and transporting passengers, descends (even during its descent, it can transport passengers to their destination floor) to reach the bottom end floor, and then reverses direction. When the main floor is an intermediate floor, the elevator that returns to the main floor earliest can either travel along a first direction and transport passengers in that direction, then travel along a second direction opposite to the first direction to the intermediate floor (in which case the elevator's direction of travel is the second direction), or it can travel to the main floor with its direction of travel in the first direction (this could be because there are no floors waiting to be served in the second direction after reaching the main floor, so it stops directly at the main floor and reverses its direction of travel; or it could travel along the second direction past the main floor to complete the relevant passenger transport, then reverse its direction and travel along the first direction back to the main floor).

[0120] Following the example of Implementation Example 1, at time k during the peak elevator usage period from 8:30 AM to 9:10 AM, the following passengers are included: 8 passengers destined for the 10th floor, 10 passengers destined for the 16th floor, 5 passengers destined for the 21st floor, and 12 passengers destined for the 28th floor. Several candidate allocation schemes are generated according to the aforementioned method, and then one scheme is selected as the final allocation scheme.

[0121] The present invention has been described in detail above through specific embodiments. These embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described implementation methods. Equivalent substitutions and improvements made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principles of the present invention should be considered within the scope of the technology protected by the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for managing elevator groups, characterized in that, Assign unassigned passenger requests to the earliest returning elevator, such that the time interval between the return time of the earliest returning elevator when it returns to the main floor station after completing passenger transport and the return time of the adjacent elevator returning to the main floor station is not less than a time threshold, or such that the horizontal distance between the position of the earliest returning elevator at the main floor station and the position of the adjacent elevator at the main floor station is not less than a distance threshold. The earliest returning elevator refers to the elevator that returns to the main floor station earliest. The elevator group management method estimates the return time of each elevator to the main floor station based on elevator operation information, and determines the earliest returning elevator based on the return time. The elevator group management method determines the return order of the earliest returning elevator relative to other elevators when it returns to the main floor station after completing its passenger transport, based on at least one of the preset factors. The return order refers to the order in which the current passenger is transported back to the main floor station relative to other elevators, or the order in which the current passenger is transported back to the main floor station relative to other elevators and then returns again after the passenger request that has been assigned to that elevator enters the car and starts moving. The preset factors include the number of waiting passengers, passenger waiting time, elevator operating efficiency, and elevator power consumption.

2. The elevator group management method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The earliest returning elevator meets the following condition: Condition 1: An elevator request with the main floor as the starting floor has been assigned; Condition 2: After completing the elevator request, arrive at the main floor station again; Condition 3: The direction of travel when arriving at the main floor station again is the same as the direction of travel when departing from the main floor station after receiving the assigned elevator request. Condition 4: The elevator that arrives at the main floor station the earliest among all elevators that return to the main floor station.

3. The elevator group management method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elevator group management method estimates the return time of each elevator when it returns to the main floor station based on the first time, the second time, and the third time. The first time refers to the time required for the elevator to travel from the main station to the farthest destination floor and back to the main station, calculated based on the distance between the farthest destination floor and the main station and the elevator's rated operating speed; The second time refers to the additional travel time caused by all elevator stops, calculated based on the number of destination floors allocated. The third time refers to the estimated time for passengers to descend the elevator based on the number of passengers corresponding to the assigned destination floor.

4. The elevator group management method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elevator group management method adjusts the return time of the earliest returning elevator by adjusting the unassigned elevator requests allocated to the earliest returning elevator.

5. The elevator group management method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The adjustment of the unassigned elevator requests allocated to the earliest returning elevator refers to adjusting the number of unassigned elevator requests allocated to the earliest returning elevator and the position of the destination floor in the main floor station, or adjusting the number of unassigned elevator requests allocated to the earliest returning elevator and the vertical distance between the destination floor farthest from the main floor station and the main floor station.

6. The elevator group management method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The elevator group management method adjusts the return time of the earliest returning elevator to change the return order of the earliest returning elevator relative to other elevators when it returns to the main floor after completing its passenger transport, thereby changing the adjacent elevators of the earliest returning elevator.

7. The elevator group management method according to claim 4 or 6, characterized in that, The elevator group management method adjusts the time interval between the return times of the earliest returning elevator and the adjacent elevators by adjusting the return time of the earliest returning elevator.

8. The elevator group management method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The elevator group management method adjusts the horizontal distance between the position of the earliest returning elevator at the main floor station and the positions of its adjacent elevators at the main floor station by adjusting the adjacent elevators of the earliest returning elevator.

9. The elevator group management method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The time interval is not shorter than the time it takes for a passenger to move from the elevator waiting area to the elevator furthest from the elevator waiting area or the passenger movement time required to move to the earliest returning elevator.

10. The elevator group management method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elevator group management method determines the elevator request allocation scheme according to the following steps: Step S1: By selecting at least one elevator request from all unassigned elevator requests, an elevator request allocation scheme is formed for the earliest returning elevator. The resources required by the elevator requests in the allocation scheme do not exceed the available resources of the earliest returning elevator. Step S2: Estimate the car travel time required for the earliest returning elevator under each allocation scheme to travel from the main floor station to the main floor station after completing passenger transport; Step S3: Determine the adjacent elevator of the earliest returning elevator and the time interval between the adjacent elevators based on the car travel time estimated in step S2. Step S4: Select the allocation scheme corresponding to the time interval that meets the preset conditions from all allocation schemes as the candidate allocation scheme. The preset conditions are that the time interval is not shorter than the time it takes for the passenger to move from the elevator waiting area to the elevator that is farthest from the elevator waiting area or the time required to move to the earliest return elevator. Step S5: Select one of the candidate allocation schemes as the final allocation scheme for the earliest returning elevator request.

11. The elevator group management method according to claim 10, characterized in that, Step S5 selects at least one of the preset principles as the final allocation scheme for the earliest returning elevator request. The preset principles include: the principle of optimal time interval, the principle of short passenger waiting time, the principle of high elevator operating efficiency, and the principle of low elevator power consumption.

12. The elevator group management method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The optimal time interval principle refers to the time interval that is the longest or closest to the passenger's travel time from the waiting area to the earliest returning elevator.

13. The elevator group management method according to claim 11, characterized in that, When multiple preset principles are adopted simultaneously, for a certain candidate allocation scheme, evaluation indicators are established under each preset principle. The weighted sum of the evaluation indicators under each preset principle is used as the total indicator of the candidate allocation scheme. The final allocation scheme is selected based on the total indicator of each candidate allocation scheme.

14. The elevator group management method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The evaluation index for the optimal time interval principle is the difference between the time interval and the passenger movement time required for the passenger to move from the elevator waiting area to the elevator furthest from the elevator waiting area or to the earliest returning elevator, or the ratio of the difference to the passenger movement time.

15. The elevator group management method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The elevator group management method determines the elevator request allocation scheme according to the following steps: Step S1: Form an elevator request allocation scheme for the earliest returning elevator by selecting at least one elevator request from all unallocated elevator requests, wherein the resources required by the elevator requests in the allocation scheme do not exceed the available resources of the earliest returning elevator; Step S2: Estimate the car travel time required for the earliest returning elevator under each allocation scheme to travel from the main floor station to the main floor station after completing passenger transport; Step S3: Determine the adjacent elevator of the earliest returning elevator based on the car travel time estimated in step S2; Step S4: Determine the horizontal distance between the adjacent elevators at the main floor station as determined in step S3 and the earliest returning elevator at the main floor station. Step S5: Select the allocation scheme with a horizontal distance not less than the distance threshold from each allocation scheme as the candidate allocation scheme; Step S6: Select one of the candidate allocation schemes as the final allocation scheme for the earliest returning elevator request.

16. The elevator group management method according to claim 15, characterized in that, Step S6 selects at least one of the preset principles as the final allocation scheme for the earliest returning elevator request. The preset principles include: optimal distance principle, short passenger waiting time principle, high elevator operating efficiency principle, and low elevator power consumption principle.

17. The elevator group management method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The optimal distance principle refers to the horizontal distance being the maximum or closest to the distance threshold.

18. The elevator group management method according to claim 17, characterized in that, When multiple preset principles are adopted simultaneously, for a certain candidate allocation scheme, evaluation indicators are established under each preset principle. The weighted sum of the evaluation indicators under each preset principle is used as the total indicator of the candidate allocation scheme. The final allocation scheme is selected based on the total indicator of each candidate allocation scheme.

19. The elevator group management method according to claim 18, characterized in that, The evaluation index for the optimal distance principle is the difference between the horizontal distance and the maximum horizontal distance between all elevators, or the ratio of the difference to the maximum horizontal distance.

20. The elevator group management method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elevator group management method monitors the return time of each elevator and uses the moment when the car travel time of the earliest returning elevator is longer than the time threshold as the moment when a passenger request is assigned to the earliest returning elevator.

21. An elevator group management system, characterized in that, The group management system includes: A destination floor information receiving unit is used to receive passengers' elevator ride requests, wherein the elevator ride request includes at least the destination floor information registered by the passenger. Elevator operation information acquisition unit, used to acquire elevator operation information; The estimation unit is used to estimate the car travel time required for each elevator to return to the main floor based on the elevator operation information. The determining unit is used to determine the earliest returning elevator among all elevators that returns to the main floor earliest based on the car travel time output by the estimating unit, wherein the maximum value of the car travel time of the earliest returning elevator is not less than a time threshold. A selected unit is used to select an allocation time, which is the time used to initiate the allocation of unallocated elevator requests to the earliest returning elevator; An allocation unit is configured to allocate an unallocated elevator request to the earliest returning elevator at the allocation time. The notification unit is used to inform the passenger of the allocation result of the allocation unit for the elevator request; The allocation unit uses the elevator group management method of claim 1 to allocate the earliest returned elevator to the elevator that has not yet been allocated a passenger request.

22. The elevator group management system according to claim 21, characterized in that, The time threshold is the passenger movement time required for a passenger to move from the elevator waiting area to the elevator furthest from the elevator waiting area or to the earliest returning elevator.

23. The elevator group management system according to claim 21, characterized in that, The selected unit monitors the return time of each elevator and uses the moment when the car travel time of the earliest returning elevator is longer than the time threshold as the moment when the earliest returning elevator is assigned a ride request.

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