Elevator group management system

Abstract

The application discloses an elevator group management system, comprising: a first storage unit for storing distribution information of a charging layer, a second storage unit for storing three sections for dividing the residual storage capacity of an elevator storage device, an acquisition unit for acquiring a passenger registration, an elevator request signal, the residual storage capacity of each elevator storage device and the operation information of each elevator, a section determination unit for determining the current section of the residual storage capacity of each elevator storage device according to the residual storage capacity of each elevator storage device and the three sections stored in the second storage unit, and a control unit for selecting a corresponding strategy to control the elevator according to the current section of the residual storage capacity of each elevator storage device determined by the section determination unit, so that the elevator is charged and / or responds to the elevator request signal of the passenger. The application sets different strategies according to the corresponding sections of the residual storage capacity, and realizes the consideration of the transportation efficiency and the charging.

Description

[0001] This case is a divisional application of the patent application filed on November 24, 2021, with application number 202111404504.6 and title "Elevator Group Management System". Technical Field

[0002] This invention relates to the field of elevators, and more specifically to an elevator group management system for contactless power supply. Background Technology

[0003] Typically, elevators use a traveling cable to power the car. As building heights increase, elevator lifting heights also rise, leading to longer and heavier traveling cables. Once the traveling cable exceeds a certain length, its excessive weight can cause power supply anomalies. Therefore, cableless elevators (especially high-rise elevators) are becoming an important development trend. However, eliminating the traveling cable raises the crucial technical challenge of powering the elevator car.

[0004] For the power supply problem of elevator cars without traveling cables, the industry currently mostly adopts a non-contact power supply solution. That is, a power supply unit is set up on the floor of the building and a power receiving unit is set up on the side of the car. When the elevator stops at the floor with the power supply unit, the car obtains electrical energy from the outside through the non-contact power supply structure composed of the power supply unit and the power receiving unit, and stores it in the energy storage device on the car. The energy storage device then supplies electrical energy to the electrical equipment in the car.

[0005] Specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, an elevator without a traveling cable has a power supply unit located near the hoistway at each landing, which provides power to the receiving unit non-contactly. The car has a receiving unit that works in conjunction with the power supply unit, and when the receiving unit is opposite the power supply unit, it can obtain power from the power supply unit. The positions of the receiving and supply units ensure that when the elevator car stops at a floor (charging floor) with the power supply unit, the receiving and supply units are directly opposite each other, thus enabling the transfer of power from the power supply unit to the receiving unit. An energy storage device on the car is connected to the receiving unit. After receiving power from the power supply unit, the receiving unit transfers the power to the energy storage device for storage, and then supplies power to the electrical equipment in the car when needed.

[0006] Using an energy storage device to power the car's electrical equipment presents a new challenge: how to ensure that the energy storage device obtains sufficient power through timely charging (i.e., obtaining power from the outside via a non-contact power supply unit) so that it has enough power to supply the electrical equipment in the car before stopping again at the charging floor (i.e., the floor with the power supply terminal).

[0007] To address the aforementioned technical problems, existing technologies have proposed several solutions, as detailed below:

[0008] First, Reference 1 (Application No. 201210199128.6) proposes that when the elevator is in standby mode, the elevator car should be moved to the charging floor to charge, and the elevator should not respond to new call signals until the battery power reaches a certain level. This scheme is more suitable for single elevators. If it is simply applied to an elevator group with multiple group-controlled elevators, the problem of distributing elevator request signals will not be considered, and the elevator may stop operating due to low battery power.

[0009] Second, Reference 2 (application number 201210199091.7) predicts the necessary electrical energy required to respond to elevator lobby calls. Based on the comparison between the sum of the necessary electrical energy and the reserve power and the current electrical energy in the energy storage device, the elevator lobby call is allocated to the corresponding elevator. That is, the elevators are group-controlled according to the predicted value of the required electrical energy, which ensures the necessary electrical energy for the elevator to respond to the call. However, this scheme only considers the electrical energy required to respond to the call and does not involve how to actively charge the energy storage device.

[0010] Third, Reference 3 (Application No. 201810286333.3) proposes to use appropriate group control to ensure that the number of consecutive stops at non-charging floors by the elevator does not exceed a specified value determined by the energy storage capacity of the energy storage device, thereby preventing service interruptions due to insufficient energy storage capacity. However, this solution also involves the issue of how to actively charge the energy storage device.

[0011] Therefore, for multiple elevators, how to properly allocate elevator request signals to actively charge the energy storage device while ensuring elevator transportation efficiency, thus achieving a balance between transportation efficiency and charging, has become a technical problem that needs to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0012] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an elevator group management system that can solve the problem of how multiple elevators can simultaneously meet the requirements of transportation efficiency and timely charging of the energy storage device.

[0013] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides an elevator group management system in which the elevators in the elevator group adopt non-contact power supply, the elevator car is equipped with a power receiving part and a power storage device, the power storage device is electrically connected to the power receiving part, and the hoistway is equipped with a power supply part that cooperates with the power receiving part. When the power receiving part and the power supply part are opposite each other, the power storage device can obtain electrical energy from the power supply part through the power receiving part. The system includes:

[0014] The first storage unit is used to store the distribution information of the charging layer, wherein the charging layer refers to each floor in the building where the elevator is located and the power supply unit is installed.

[0015] The second storage unit stores the segmentation benchmark for dividing the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator energy storage device into segments, and the segments obtained by segmentation. The segmentation benchmark is a first benchmark α and a second benchmark β, and α < β. The segments include a first segment [100%, β), a second segment [β, α), and a third segment [α, 0%]. The first segment corresponds to a no-charging strategy, the second segment corresponds to an opportunistic charging strategy, and the third segment corresponds to an immediate charging strategy.

[0016] The acquisition unit is used to acquire passenger registration elevator request signals, the remaining energy storage capacity of each elevator's energy storage device, and the operating information of each elevator. The elevator request signal includes the departure floor or the departure floor and the destination floor.

[0017] The segment determination unit is used to determine the current segment in which the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device of each elevator is located based on the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device of each elevator obtained by the acquisition unit and the segment stored in the second storage unit.

[0018] The control unit selects a corresponding strategy from the no-charging strategy, the opportunistic charging strategy, and the immediate charging strategy corresponding to the first segment, the second segment, and the third segment, respectively, based on the current segment where the remaining energy storage capacity of each elevator energy storage device is located, as determined by the segment determination unit, so as to control the elevator to charge and / or respond to passenger boarding request signals.

[0019] Furthermore, the second reference β ensures that the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device of the elevator in the second section is sufficient to support a ratio of the elevator car's travel distance to the elevator's total lifting height that is not less than a first threshold.

[0020] Furthermore, the travel distance includes the actual travel distance of the elevator car and the equivalent travel distance generated when the elevator car stops at a floor. The equivalent travel distance is the travel distance calculated by converting the increased energy consumption caused by the elevator car stopping at a floor relative to the increase caused by the elevator car directly passing through the floor without stopping, according to the energy consumption required for the car to travel a unit distance. The ratio of the number of floors stopped to the total number of floors in the building is not less than the second threshold.

[0021] Furthermore, the second reference β is determined according to the following steps:

[0022] Step 1: Determine the maximum number of stops based on the total number of floors in the building where the elevator is located and the second threshold.

[0023] Step 2: Obtain the energy consumption increase when the elevator performs the maximum number of stops compared to when the elevator does not make any stops;

[0024] Step 3: Calculate the equivalent travel distance based on the energy consumption and the energy consumed per unit distance the elevator car travels;

[0025] Step 4: Determine the second reference β based on the sum of the equivalent moving distance and the actual moving distance of the elevator car, and the first threshold.

[0026] Furthermore, the "no-charging-required strategy" refers to the traditional group management strategy of managing elevators when none of them require charging; the "opportunistic charging strategy" refers to the strategy of controlling elevators to go to the charging floor for charging while prioritizing the transportation of passengers; and the "immediate charging strategy" refers to the strategy of prioritizing the control of elevators to go to the charging floor for charging as soon as possible.

[0027] Furthermore, the control unit assigns different priorities γ1, γ2, and γ3 to each segment and its corresponding strategy, wherein the first priority γ1 corresponds to the first segment and its corresponding no-charging strategy, the second priority γ2 corresponds to the second segment and its corresponding opportunistic charging strategy, and the third priority γ3 corresponds to the third segment and its corresponding immediate charging strategy, and γ1 < γ2 < γ3. The control unit selects the elevator with the highest priority as the target elevator according to the order of priority, and controls it according to the strategy corresponding to the current segment in which it is located.

[0028] Furthermore, when there are multiple elevators in the same section, the control unit assigns sub-priorities to the elevators in descending order of the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator energy storage device, and the highest sub-priority in the first section is lower than the lowest sub-priority in the second section, and the highest sub-priority in the second section is lower than the lowest sub-priority in the third section.

[0029] Furthermore, when the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator's energy storage device is in the third segment, the control unit controls the target elevator according to the following steps:

[0030] Step S1: Determine if there is an unassigned elevator request signal. If yes, proceed to step S2; otherwise, proceed to step S3.

[0031] Step S2: Determine whether the departure floor and destination floor of the elevator request signal are both non-charging floors. If so, proceed to step S3; otherwise, proceed to step S5.

[0032] Step S3: Determine whether there are passengers in the elevator car. If yes, proceed to step S4; otherwise, control the elevator to move directly to the nearest charging floor for charging and proceed to step S6.

[0033] Step S4: Determine whether the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator's energy storage device is sufficient to transport passengers in the car. If yes, control the target elevator to move to the nearest charging floor for charging after transporting passengers, and proceed to step S6. Otherwise, control the target elevator to move to the nearest charging floor with the passengers in the car for charging, and proceed to step S6.

[0034] Step S5: Determine whether the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator's energy storage device is sufficient to respond to the elevator request signal. If yes, control the target elevator to respond to the elevator request signal and proceed to step S6; otherwise, return to step S3.

[0035] Step S6: Determine if there are any unprocessed elevators in the third section whose remaining energy storage capacity is in the third section and requires charging. If so, select the elevator with the highest priority from the unprocessed elevators in the third section as the new target elevator according to the priority order, and return to step S1; otherwise, end.

[0036] Furthermore, in step S5, when there are multiple elevator request signals and the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator's energy storage device is sufficient to complete each elevator request signal, the target elevator is controlled to prioritize responding to the elevator request signal whose departure floor is closest to the target elevator's current position or the elevator request signal whose destination floor is closest to the nearest charging floor.

[0037] Furthermore, when the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator's energy storage device is in the second segment, the control unit controls the target elevator according to the following steps:

[0038] Step S1: Determine if there is an unassigned elevator request signal. If yes, proceed to step S2; otherwise, proceed to step S3.

[0039] Step S2: Determine whether the departure floor and destination floor of the elevator request signal are both non-charging floors. If so, use the traditional elevator group management method to allocate elevators that respond to the elevator request signal and proceed to step S4. Otherwise, control the target elevator to respond to the elevator request signal and proceed to step S4.

[0040] Step S3: Determine whether there are any idle elevators in the elevator group or whether the current time is a low point in elevator usage. If so, remove the target elevator from the list of available elevators that respond to the elevator request signal and control the target elevator to move to the nearest charging floor for charging, and proceed to step S4. Otherwise, use the traditional elevator group management method to allocate elevators, and proceed to step S4.

[0041] Step S4: Determine if there are any unprocessed elevators in the second section whose remaining energy storage capacity is in the second section and requires charging. If so, select the elevator with the highest priority from the unprocessed elevators in the second section as the new target elevator according to the order of priority. Return to step S1. Otherwise, end.

[0042] Furthermore, when the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator's energy storage device is in the first segment, the control unit uses a traditional group management method to control the elevator group.

[0043] Furthermore, the system also includes:

[0044] The monitoring unit is used to monitor whether the current section containing the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator's energy storage device has changed.

[0045] When the monitoring unit detects a change in the current segment where the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator's energy storage device is located, the control unit updates the priority according to the changed current segment and controls the elevator according to the updated priority, so that the elevator responds to the elevator request signal or charges.

[0046] Furthermore, the system also includes:

[0047] The monitoring unit is used to monitor whether the elevator's priority has changed;

[0048] When the monitoring unit detects a change in the elevator's priority, the control unit controls the elevator according to the changed priority, so that the elevator responds to the elevator request signal or charges.

[0049] Furthermore, the system also includes:

[0050] The monitoring unit is used to monitor whether a new elevator request signal has been received;

[0051] When the monitoring unit does not detect a new elevator request signal, the control unit controls the elevator based on the current section where the remaining energy storage capacity of each elevator energy storage device is located, as determined by the section determination unit, and the elevator's operating information, so that the elevator can charge and / or respond to the passenger's elevator request signal.

[0052] When the monitoring unit detects a new elevator request signal and the departure floor and destination floor of the elevator request signal are both non-charging floors, the elevators with the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device in the first and second sections are used as allocable elevators, and the traditional group management method is used to allocate responding elevators to the elevator request signal.

[0053] When the monitoring unit detects a new elevator request signal and the departure floor and / or destination floor of the elevator request signal is a charging floor, it determines whether there is an elevator whose remaining energy storage device is in the third segment and whose remaining energy storage device is sufficient to complete the passenger transport of the elevator request signal. If there is such an elevator, the elevator request signal is assigned to the elevator in urgent need of charging. Otherwise, it determines whether there is an elevator whose remaining energy storage device is in the second segment. If there is such an elevator, an elevator is selected from the elevators whose remaining energy storage device is in the second segment to respond to the elevator request signal. Otherwise, an elevator whose remaining energy storage device is in the first segment is used as the allocable elevator, and the elevator is assigned to respond to the elevator request signal using the traditional group management method.

[0054] Furthermore, when the monitoring unit detects a new elevator request signal, and the departure floor and / or destination floor of the elevator request signal is a charging floor, and there is a power storage device with remaining power in the third segment and its remaining power is sufficient for multiple elevators in urgent need of charging to complete the passenger transport of the elevator request signal, the elevator in urgent need of charging with the smallest distance between the current position and the departure floor of the elevator request signal or the elevator in urgent need of charging with the least remaining power will be preferentially selected to respond to the elevator request signal.

[0055] Furthermore, the elevator that urgently needs charging, responding to the elevator request signal, will immediately charge after completing the current transport and will not respond to other elevator request signals until charging is complete.

[0056] Furthermore, when the monitoring unit detects a new elevator request signal, and the departure floor and / or destination floor of the elevator request signal is a charging floor, and an elevator is selected from elevators whose remaining energy storage capacity is in the second section to respond to the elevator request signal, if there is only one elevator whose remaining energy storage capacity is in the second section, then that elevator is assigned to the elevator request signal; otherwise, the elevator to respond to the elevator request signal is selected according to the following steps:

[0057] Step S1: Establish a comprehensive objective function F = α1 × F1 + α2 × F2, where F1 is the objective function with the elevator's transport efficiency and / or elevator energy consumption as the objective, F2 is the objective function with the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator's energy storage device as the variable and is monotonically decreasing with the remaining energy storage capacity, α1 is the first weight corresponding to F1, and α2 is the second weight corresponding to F2.

[0058] Step S2: Calculate the objective function value for all elevators in the second section whose remaining energy storage capacity is in the energy storage device.

[0059] Step S3: Select the elevator with the lowest objective function value and make it respond to the elevator request signal.

[0060] Furthermore, the objective function F2 also includes the travel distance, travel time, and power consumption of the elevator moving to the charging floor corresponding to the elevator request signal when the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device is in the second segment.

[0061] Furthermore, the first weight α1 and the second weight α2 are preset constant values; or the first weight α1 and the second weight α2 are variable values, wherein the second weight α2 is inversely proportional to the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device.

[0062] Furthermore, the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device corresponding to the second segment is divided into multiple sub-intervals, and a uniform sub-weighting coefficient α2 is set for the remaining energy storage capacity corresponding to each sub-interval. i , where i is the number of each sub-interval.

[0063] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects achieved by the present invention are as follows:

[0064] First, the present invention divides the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator's energy storage device into multiple sections and sets different charging and response strategies for each section, so as to ensure that the energy storage device that urgently needs to be charged can be charged in a timely and reasonable manner.

[0065] Secondly, the present invention allocates the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device to elevators in different sections according to different situations of elevator request signals. This can not only respond to elevator request signals in a timely manner to complete the transportation of passengers, but also meet the charging needs of elevators whose energy storage devices need to be charged immediately or at an opportune time, thereby achieving a balance between transportation efficiency and charging.

[0066] Third, when responding to an elevator request signal, the present invention prioritizes charging the energy storage device with low remaining power, thus avoiding the situation where the elevator stops operating due to the low remaining power of the energy storage device. Attached Figure Description

[0067] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an elevator system without a traveling cable;

[0068] Figure 2 This is a framework diagram of a first embodiment of the elevator group management system of the present invention;

[0069] Figure 3The control flowchart of the control unit for the target elevator when the remaining stored power of the target elevator's energy storage device is in the third zone;

[0070] Figure 4 The control flowchart of the control unit for the target elevator is shown when the remaining energy storage device of the target elevator is in the second section. Detailed Implementation

[0071] 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.

[0072] Example 1

[0073] In this embodiment of the elevator group management system, the elevators in the elevator group are powered by contactless power supply. The elevator car is equipped with a power receiving unit and an energy storage device. The energy storage device is electrically connected to the power receiving unit. A power supply unit that cooperates with the power receiving unit is provided in the shaft. When the power receiving unit and the power supply unit are opposite each other, the energy storage device can obtain electrical energy from the power supply unit through the power receiving unit. Figure 2 As shown, the system includes:

[0074] The first storage unit is used to store the distribution information of the charging layer, wherein the charging layer refers to each floor in the building where the elevator is located and the power supply unit is installed.

[0075] The second storage unit stores the segmentation benchmark for dividing the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator energy storage device into segments, and the segments obtained by segmentation. The segmentation benchmark is a first benchmark α and a second benchmark β, and α < β. The segments include a first segment [100%, β), a second segment [β, α), and a third segment [α, 0%]. The first segment corresponds to a no-charging strategy, the second segment corresponds to an opportunistic charging strategy, and the third segment corresponds to an immediate charging strategy.

[0076] The acquisition unit is used to acquire passenger registration elevator request signals, the remaining energy storage capacity of each elevator's energy storage device, and the operating information of each elevator. The elevator request signal includes the departure floor or the departure floor and the destination floor.

[0077] The segment determination unit is used to determine the current segment in which the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device of each elevator is located based on the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device of each elevator obtained by the acquisition unit and the segment stored in the second storage unit.

[0078] The control unit selects a corresponding strategy from the no-charging strategy, the opportunistic charging strategy, and the immediate charging strategy corresponding to the first segment, the second segment, and the third segment, respectively, based on the current segment where the remaining energy storage capacity of each elevator energy storage device is located, as determined by the segment determination unit, so as to control the elevator to charge and / or respond to passenger boarding request signals.

[0079] The "no-charging-required strategy" refers to the traditional group management strategy (such as those in applications 201410165675.1, 201580081036.X, and 201580081039.3) for managing elevators when none of them require charging. The "opportunistic charging strategy" refers to a strategy that prioritizes ensuring elevators transport passengers (without affecting or significantly affecting passenger transport) and directs elevators to the charging floor for charging. The "immediate charging strategy" refers to a strategy that prioritizes directing elevators to the charging floor for charging as quickly as possible (without considering or with minimal consideration of passenger transport).

[0080] The second reference β ensures that the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator's energy storage device in the second section is sufficient to support a ratio of the elevator car's travel distance to the elevator's total lifting height that is not less than a first threshold. The travel distance includes the actual travel distance of the elevator car and the equivalent travel distance generated when the elevator car stops at a floor. The equivalent travel distance is calculated by converting the increased energy consumption caused by the elevator car stopping at a floor compared to the energy consumption required for the elevator car to travel a unit distance without stopping at that floor. The ratio of the number of floors stopped to the total number of floors in the building is not less than the second threshold.

[0081] Specifically, the second reference β is determined according to the following steps:

[0082] Step 1: Determine the maximum number of stops based on the total number of floors in the building where the elevator is located and the second threshold.

[0083] Step 2: Obtain the energy consumption increase when the elevator performs the maximum number of stops compared to when the elevator does not make any stops;

[0084] Step 3: Calculate the equivalent travel distance based on the energy consumption and the energy consumed per unit distance the elevator car travels;

[0085] Step 4: Determine the second reference β based on the sum of the equivalent moving distance and the actual moving distance of the elevator car, and the first threshold.

[0086] In this embodiment, the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator's energy storage device is divided into multiple segments, and different charging and response strategies are set for each segment. This ensures that the energy storage device that urgently needs charging can be charged in a timely and reasonable manner.

[0087] Example 2

[0088] Based on Embodiment 1, this embodiment further details how the control unit controls the elevator. Specifically, the control unit assigns different priorities γ1, γ2, and γ3 to each segment and its corresponding strategy. The first priority γ1 corresponds to the first segment and its corresponding no-charging strategy, the second priority γ2 corresponds to the second segment and its corresponding opportunistic charging strategy, and the third priority γ3 corresponds to the third segment and its corresponding immediate charging strategy, with γ1 < γ2 < γ3. The control unit selects the elevator with the highest priority as the target elevator according to the order of priority and controls it according to the strategy corresponding to the current segment it is in.

[0089] Furthermore, when there are multiple elevators in the same section, the control unit assigns sub-priorities to the elevators in descending order of the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator energy storage device, and the highest sub-priority in the first section is lower than the lowest sub-priority in the second section, and the highest sub-priority in the second section is lower than the lowest sub-priority in the third section.

[0090] When the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator's energy storage device is in the third segment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the control unit controls the elevator according to the following steps:

[0091] Step S1: Determine if there is an unassigned elevator request signal. If yes, proceed to step S2; otherwise, proceed to step S3.

[0092] Step S2: Determine whether the departure floor and destination floor of the elevator request signal are both non-charging floors. If so, proceed to step S3; otherwise, proceed to step S5.

[0093] Step S3: Determine whether there are passengers in the elevator car. If yes, proceed to step S4; otherwise, control the elevator to move directly to the nearest charging floor for charging and proceed to step S6.

[0094] Step S4: Determine whether the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator's energy storage device is sufficient to transport passengers in the car. If yes, control the target elevator to move to the nearest charging floor for charging after transporting passengers, and proceed to step S6. Otherwise, control the target elevator to move to the nearest charging floor with the passengers in the car for charging, and proceed to step S6.

[0095] Step S5: Determine whether the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator's energy storage device is sufficient to respond to the elevator request signal. If yes, control the target elevator to respond to the elevator request signal and proceed to step S6; otherwise, return to step S3.

[0096] Step S6: Determine if there are any unprocessed elevators in the third section whose remaining energy storage capacity is in the third section and requires charging. If so, select the elevator with the highest priority from the unprocessed elevators in the third section as the new target elevator according to the priority order, and return to step S1; otherwise, end.

[0097] In step S5, when there are multiple elevator request signals and the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator's energy storage device is sufficient to complete each elevator request signal, the target elevator is controlled to prioritize responding to the elevator request signal whose departure floor is closest to the target elevator's current position or the elevator request signal whose destination floor is closest to the nearest charging floor.

[0098] When the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator's energy storage device is in the second segment, such as Figure 4 As shown, the control unit controls the elevator according to the following steps:

[0099] Step S1: Determine if there is an unassigned elevator request signal. If yes, proceed to step S2; otherwise, proceed to step S3.

[0100] Step S2: Determine whether the departure floor and destination floor of the elevator request signal are both non-charging floors. If so, use the traditional elevator group management method (such as application numbers CN201410165675.1, 201580081036.X, 201580081039.3) to allocate elevators that respond to the elevator request signal, and proceed to step S4. Otherwise, control the target elevator to respond to the elevator request signal (in the process of responding to the elevator request signal, its energy storage device can be charged, taking into account both passenger transportation and timely charging), and proceed to step S4.

[0101] Step S3: Determine whether there are any idle elevators in the elevator group or whether the current time is a low point in elevator usage. If so, remove the target elevator from the list of available elevators that respond to the elevator request signal and control the target elevator to move (after completing the transportation of passengers) to the nearest charging floor for charging, and proceed to step S4. Otherwise, use the traditional elevator group management method to allocate elevators, and proceed to step S4.

[0102] Step S4: Determine if there are any unprocessed elevators in the second section whose remaining energy storage capacity is in the second section and requires charging. If so, select the elevator with the highest priority from the unprocessed elevators in the second section as the new target elevator according to the order of priority. Return to step S1. Otherwise, end.

[0103] When the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator is in the first segment, the control unit uses the traditional group management method to control the elevator group. At this time, if there is a ride request signal, the group control of the elevator can be implemented from the perspective of traditional transportation efficiency and energy saving, without having to consider the charging of the energy storage device.

[0104] This embodiment takes the elevator with the highest priority in the elevator group as the control object, and fully considers the remaining power storage, elevator request signals and elevator operation status. In order to arrange charging in a timely and reasonable manner when charging is urgently needed, or to transport passengers first and then charge, so that the power storage device can be replenished in a timely manner and the operating efficiency of the entire elevator group can be guaranteed.

[0105] Example 3

[0106] Based on Example 2, this example adds a monitoring function to monitor changes in the elevator status of the elevator group (such as the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device, priority, etc.) to ensure timely updates of the control strategy and more precise management of the elevator group.

[0107] Specifically, the system also includes:

[0108] The monitoring unit is used to monitor whether the current section containing the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator's energy storage device has changed.

[0109] When the monitoring unit detects a change in the current segment where the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator's energy storage device is located, the control unit updates the priority according to the changed current segment and controls the elevator according to the updated priority, so that the elevator responds to the elevator request signal or charges.

[0110] Of course, the monitoring unit can also directly monitor whether the elevator's priority has changed;

[0111] When the monitoring unit detects a change in the elevator's priority, the control unit controls the elevator according to the changed priority, so that the elevator responds to the elevator request signal or charges.

[0112] Example 4

[0113] The difference from Embodiment 2 is that this embodiment does not take the elevator as the object of consideration, but starts from the elevator request signal to explain in detail how the control unit controls and manages the elevator group.

[0114] Specifically, the elevator group management system also includes:

[0115] The monitoring unit is used to monitor whether a new elevator request signal has been received.

[0116] When the monitoring unit does not detect a new elevator request signal, the control unit controls the elevator based on the current segment where the remaining energy storage of each elevator energy storage device is located, as determined by the segment determination unit, and the elevator's operating information (whether there are passengers in the elevator car, whether the remaining energy storage can complete the transportation of passengers in the car, whether there is an idle elevator, whether the current time is in a low usage period, etc.), so that the elevator can charge and / or respond to passengers' elevator request signals.

[0117] When the monitoring unit detects a new elevator request signal and the departure and destination floors of the elevator request signal are both non-charging floors, the elevators with remaining energy storage in the first and second sections of the energy storage device are used as allocable elevators, and the traditional group management method is used to allocate responding elevators to the elevator request signal.

[0118] When the monitoring unit detects a new elevator request signal and the departure floor and / or destination floor of the elevator request signal is a charging floor, it determines whether there is an elevator whose remaining energy storage device is in the third segment and whose remaining energy storage device is sufficient to complete the passenger transport of the elevator request signal. If there is such an elevator, the elevator request signal is assigned to the elevator in urgent need of charging. Otherwise, it determines whether there is an elevator whose remaining energy storage device is in the second segment. If there is such an elevator, an elevator is selected from the elevators whose remaining energy storage device is in the second segment to respond to the elevator request signal. Otherwise, an elevator whose remaining energy storage device is in the first segment is used as the allocable elevator, and the elevator is assigned to respond to the elevator request signal using the traditional group management method.

[0119] Furthermore, when the monitoring unit detects a new elevator request signal, and the departure floor and / or destination floor of the elevator request signal is a charging floor, and there is a power storage device with remaining power in the third segment and its remaining power is sufficient for multiple elevators in urgent need of charging to complete the passenger transport of the elevator request signal, the elevator in urgent need of charging with the smallest distance between the current position and the departure floor of the elevator request signal or the elevator in urgent need of charging with the least remaining power will be preferentially selected to respond to the elevator request signal.

[0120] The elevator that urgently needs charging responds to the elevator request signal will immediately charge after completing the current transport and will not respond to other elevator request signals until charging is complete. This can prevent the elevator from stopping service due to low remaining power in the energy storage device.

[0121] When the monitoring unit detects a new elevator request signal, and the departure floor and / or destination floor of the elevator request signal is a charging floor, and an elevator is selected from elevators whose remaining energy storage capacity is in the second section to respond to the elevator request signal, if there is only one elevator whose remaining energy storage capacity is in the second section, then that elevator is assigned to the elevator request signal; otherwise, the elevator to respond to the elevator request signal is selected according to the following steps:

[0122] Step S1: Establish a comprehensive objective function F = α1 × F1 + α2 × F2, where F1 is the objective function with the elevator's transport efficiency and / or elevator energy consumption as the objective, F2 is the objective function with the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator's energy storage device as the variable and is monotonically decreasing with the remaining energy storage capacity, α1 is the first weight corresponding to F1, and α2 is the second weight corresponding to F2.

[0123] Step S2: Calculate the objective function value for all elevators in the second section whose remaining energy storage capacity is in the energy storage device.

[0124] Step S3: Select the elevator with the lowest objective function value and make it respond to the elevator request signal.

[0125] Furthermore, the objective function F2 can also include the travel distance, travel time, and power consumption of the elevator moving to the charging floor corresponding to the elevator request signal when the remaining power of the energy storage device is in the second segment. For example, when there are multiple charging floors, if the departure floor of the current elevator request signal is a charging floor but is far from the current position of the car, and if the remaining power of the energy storage device is large, it is possible to consider abandoning the current charging opportunity and waiting for a subsequent charging opportunity that is closer to it.

[0126] The first weight α1 and the second weight α2 can be preset constant values ​​or variable values. The second weight α2 is inversely proportional to the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device. That is, the less the remaining energy storage capacity, the greater the second weight α2.

[0127] Furthermore, the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device corresponding to the second segment can be divided into multiple sub-intervals, and a uniform sub-weighting coefficient α2 can be set for the remaining energy storage capacity corresponding to each sub-interval. i , where i is the number of each sub-interval.

[0128] Of course, when the monitoring unit detects a new elevator request signal, and the departure floor and / or destination floor of the elevator request signal is a charging floor and there are multiple elevators with the remaining power of the energy storage device in the second section, it can also directly select the elevator with the least remaining power of the energy storage device to respond to the elevator request signal.

[0129] In this embodiment, the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device is allocated to elevators in different sections according to different elevator request signals. This not only responds to elevator request signals in a timely manner to complete the transportation of passengers, but also meets the charging needs of elevators whose energy storage devices need to be charged immediately or at an opportune time, thus achieving a balance between transportation efficiency and charging.

[0130] 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. An elevator group management system, wherein the elevators in the elevator group are powered by contactless power supply, the elevator car is equipped with a power receiving unit and a power storage device, the power storage device is electrically connected to the power receiving unit, and a power supply unit that cooperates with the power receiving unit is provided in the shaft, wherein when the power receiving unit and the power supply unit are opposite each other, the power storage device can obtain electrical energy from the power supply unit through the power receiving unit, characterized in that, The system includes: The first storage unit is used to store the distribution information of the charging layer, wherein the charging layer refers to each floor in the building where the elevator is located and the power supply unit is installed. The second storage unit stores the segmentation benchmark for dividing the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator energy storage device into segments, and the segments obtained by segmentation. The segmentation benchmark is a first benchmark α and a second benchmark β, and α < β. The segments include a first segment [100%, β), a second segment [β, α), and a third segment [α, 0%]. The first segment corresponds to a no-charging strategy, the second segment corresponds to an opportunistic charging strategy, and the third segment corresponds to an immediate charging strategy. The acquisition unit is used to acquire passenger registration elevator request signals, the remaining energy storage capacity of each elevator's energy storage device, and the operating information of each elevator. The elevator request signal includes the departure floor or the departure floor and the destination floor. The segment determination unit is used to determine the current segment in which the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device of each elevator is located based on the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device of each elevator obtained by the acquisition unit and the segment stored in the second storage unit. The control unit, based on the current segment where the remaining energy storage capacity of each elevator's energy storage device is located, as determined by the segment determination unit, selects a corresponding strategy from the no-charging strategy, opportunistic charging strategy, and immediate charging strategy corresponding to the first segment, second segment, and third segment, respectively, to control the elevator, enabling the elevator to charge and / or respond to passenger boarding request signals. The no-charging strategy refers to the traditional group management strategy of managing elevators when none of the elevators have a charging requirement. The opportunistic charging strategy refers to the strategy of controlling the elevator to proceed to the charging floor for charging while prioritizing passenger transport. The immediate charging strategy refers to the strategy of prioritizing controlling the elevator to proceed to the charging floor for charging as quickly as possible. The monitoring unit is used to monitor whether a new elevator request signal has been received; When the monitoring unit does not detect a new elevator request signal, the control unit controls the elevator based on the current section where the remaining energy storage capacity of each elevator energy storage device is located, as determined by the section determination unit, and the elevator's operating information, so that the elevator can charge and / or respond to the passenger's elevator request signal. When the monitoring unit detects a new elevator request signal and the departure floor and destination floor of the elevator request signal are both non-charging floors, the elevators with the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device in the first and second sections are used as allocable elevators, and the traditional group management method is used to allocate responding elevators to the elevator request signal. When the monitoring unit detects a new elevator request signal and the departure floor and / or destination floor of the elevator request signal is a charging floor, it determines whether there is an elevator whose remaining energy storage device is in the third segment and whose remaining energy storage device is sufficient to complete the passenger transport of the elevator request signal. If there is such an elevator, the elevator request signal is assigned to the elevator in urgent need of charging. Otherwise, it determines whether there is an elevator whose remaining energy storage device is in the second segment. If there is such an elevator, an elevator is selected from the elevators whose remaining energy storage device is in the second segment to respond to the elevator request signal. Otherwise, an elevator whose remaining energy storage device is in the first segment is used as the allocable elevator, and the elevator is assigned to respond to the elevator request signal using the traditional group management method.

2. The elevator group management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second reference β ensures that the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device of the elevator in the second section is sufficient to support a ratio of the elevator car's travel distance to the elevator's total lifting height that is not less than a first threshold.

3. The elevator group management system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The travel distance includes the actual travel distance of the elevator car and the equivalent travel distance generated when the elevator car stops at a floor. The equivalent travel distance is the travel distance calculated by converting the increased energy consumption caused by the elevator car stopping at a floor relative to the increase caused by the elevator car passing directly over the floor without stopping, according to the energy consumption required for the car to travel a unit distance. The ratio of the number of floors stopped to the total number of floors in the building is not less than the second threshold.

4. The elevator group management system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second reference β is determined according to the following steps: Step 1: Determine the maximum number of stops based on the total number of floors in the building where the elevator is located and the second threshold. Step 2: Obtain the energy consumption increase when the elevator performs the maximum number of stops compared to when the elevator does not make any stops; Step 3: Calculate the equivalent travel distance based on the energy consumption and the energy consumed per unit distance the elevator car travels; Step 4: Determine the second reference β based on the sum of the equivalent moving distance and the actual moving distance of the elevator car, and the first threshold.

5. The elevator group management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit assigns different priorities γ1, γ2, and γ3 to each segment and its corresponding strategy. The first priority γ1 corresponds to the first segment and its corresponding no-charging strategy, the second priority γ2 corresponds to the second segment and its corresponding opportunistic charging strategy, and the third priority γ3 corresponds to the third segment and its corresponding immediate charging strategy. γ1 < γ2 < γ3. The control unit selects the elevator with the highest priority as the target elevator according to the order of priority and controls it according to the strategy corresponding to the current segment in which it is located. When there are multiple elevators in the same section, the control unit assigns sub-priorities to the elevators in descending order of the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator energy storage device, and the highest sub-priority in the first section is lower than the lowest sub-priority in the second section, and the highest sub-priority in the second section is lower than the lowest sub-priority in the third section.

6. The elevator group management system according to claim 5, characterized in that, When the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator is in the third segment, the control unit controls the target elevator according to the following steps: Step S1: Determine if there is an unassigned elevator request signal. If yes, proceed to step S2; otherwise, proceed to step S3. Step S2: Determine whether the departure floor and destination floor of the elevator request signal are both non-charging floors. If so, proceed to step S3; otherwise, proceed to step S5. Step S3: Determine whether there are passengers in the elevator car. If yes, proceed to step S4; otherwise, control the elevator to move directly to the nearest charging floor for charging and proceed to step S6. Step S4: Determine whether the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator's energy storage device is sufficient to transport passengers in the car. If yes, control the target elevator to move to the nearest charging floor for charging after transporting passengers, and proceed to step S6. Otherwise, control the target elevator to move to the nearest charging floor with the passengers in the car for charging, and proceed to step S6. Step S5: Determine whether the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator's energy storage device is sufficient to respond to the elevator request signal. If yes, control the target elevator to respond to the elevator request signal and proceed to step S6; otherwise, return to step S3. Step S6: Determine if there are any unprocessed elevators in the third section whose remaining energy storage capacity is in the third section and requires charging. If so, select the elevator with the highest priority from the unprocessed elevators in the third section as the new target elevator according to the priority order, and return to step S1; otherwise, end.

7. The elevator group management system according to claim 6, characterized in that, In step S5, when there are multiple elevator request signals and the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator's energy storage device is sufficient to complete each elevator request signal, the target elevator is controlled to prioritize responding to the elevator request signal whose departure floor is closest to the target elevator's current position or the elevator request signal whose destination floor is the closest charging floor.

8. The elevator group management system according to claim 5, characterized in that, When the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator is in the second segment, the control unit controls the target elevator according to the following steps: Step S1: Determine if there is an unassigned elevator request signal. If yes, proceed to step S2; otherwise, proceed to step S3. Step S2: Determine whether the departure floor and destination floor of the elevator request signal are both non-charging floors. If so, use the traditional elevator group management method to allocate elevators that respond to the elevator request signal and proceed to step S4. Otherwise, control the target elevator to respond to the elevator request signal and proceed to step S4. Step S3: Determine whether there are any idle elevators in the elevator group or whether the current time is a low point in elevator usage. If so, remove the target elevator from the list of available elevators that respond to the elevator request signal and control the target elevator to move to the nearest charging floor for charging, and proceed to step S4. Otherwise, use the traditional elevator group management method to allocate elevators, and proceed to step S4. Step S4: Determine if there are any unprocessed elevators in the second section whose remaining energy storage capacity is in the second section and requires charging. If so, select the elevator with the highest priority from the unprocessed elevators in the second section as the new target elevator according to the order of priority. Return to step S1. Otherwise, end.

9. The elevator group management system according to claim 5, characterized in that, When the remaining energy storage capacity of the target elevator's energy storage device is in the first segment, the control unit uses a traditional group management method to control the elevator group.

10. The elevator group management system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The system also includes: The monitoring unit is used to monitor whether the current section containing the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator's energy storage device has changed. When the monitoring unit detects a change in the current segment where the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator's energy storage device is located, the control unit updates the priority according to the changed current segment and controls the elevator according to the updated priority, so that the elevator responds to the elevator request signal or charges.

11. The elevator group management system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The system also includes: The monitoring unit is used to monitor whether the elevator's priority has changed; When the monitoring unit detects a change in the elevator's priority, the control unit controls the elevator according to the changed priority, so that the elevator responds to the elevator request signal or charges.

12. The elevator group management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the monitoring unit detects a new elevator request signal, and the departure floor and / or destination floor of the elevator request signal is a charging floor, and the remaining power of the energy storage device is in the third segment and its remaining power is sufficient for multiple elevators in urgent need of charging to complete the passenger transport of the elevator request signal, the elevator in urgent need of charging with the smallest distance between the current position and the departure floor of the elevator request signal or the elevator in urgent need of charging with the least remaining power shall be selected to respond to the elevator request signal.

13. The elevator group management system according to claim 12, characterized in that, An elevator that urgently needs charging, responding to the elevator request signal, will immediately begin charging after completing the current transport and will not respond to other elevator request signals until charging is complete.

14. The elevator group management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the monitoring unit detects a new elevator request signal, and the departure floor and / or destination floor of the elevator request signal is a charging floor, and an elevator is selected from elevators whose remaining energy storage capacity is in the second section to respond to the elevator request signal, if there is only one elevator whose remaining energy storage capacity is in the second section, then that elevator is assigned to the elevator request signal; otherwise, the elevator to respond to the elevator request signal is selected according to the following steps: Step S1: Establish a comprehensive objective function F = α1 × F1 + α2 × F2, where F1 is the objective function with the elevator's transport efficiency and / or elevator energy consumption as the objective, F2 is the objective function with the remaining energy storage capacity of the elevator's energy storage device as the variable and is monotonically decreasing with the remaining energy storage capacity, α1 is the first weight corresponding to F1, and α2 is the second weight corresponding to F2. Step S2: Calculate the objective function value for all elevators in the second section whose remaining energy storage capacity is in the energy storage device. Step S3: Select the elevator with the lowest objective function value and make it respond to the elevator request signal.

15. The elevator group management system according to claim 14, characterized in that, The objective function F2 also includes the distance, time, and power consumption of the elevator moving to the charging floor corresponding to the elevator request signal when the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device is in the second segment.

16. The elevator group management system according to claim 14, characterized in that, The first weight α1 and the second weight α2 are preset constant values; or the first weight α1 and the second weight α2 are variable values, wherein the second weight α2 is inversely proportional to the remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device.

17. The elevator group management system according to claim 16, characterized in that, The remaining energy storage capacity of the energy storage device corresponding to the second section is divided into multiple sub-intervals, and a uniform sub-weight coefficient α2 is assigned to the remaining energy storage capacity of each sub-interval. i , where i is the number of each sub-interval.

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