Group control device for double-deck elevators and group control method for double-deck elevators

Abstract

The present invention provides a group control device for a double-deck elevator that can accurately assign elevator cars to incoming landing calls. [Solution] According to the embodiment, the group control device for a double-deck elevator comprises an assignment change unit, an assignment change prediction unit, a preliminary processing unit, and an assignment car determination unit. The assignment change unit changes the assigned car for a landing call to a different car of the same unit when the assigned car assigned to a registered landing call arrives first in the forward direction at the floor where the landing call originated and opens its doors. The assignment change prediction unit predicts the likelihood of a change in the assigned car occurring when new landing call information is registered for each car if it is provisionally assigned to the new landing call. The preliminary processing unit generates an evaluation value for each car for the new landing call based on the predicted information. The assignment car determination unit determines the assigned car to be assigned to the new landing call based on the information including the evaluation value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a group management control device for double-deck elevators and a group management control method for double-deck elevators.

Background Art

[0002] A system that comprehensively controls a plurality of elevators is called an elevator group management control system. In particular, a group management control system in which each elevator is composed of a double-deck elevator connecting an upper car and a lower car is called a double-deck group management control system.

[0003] In an elevator group management control system, when a user performs a registration operation for a landing call, an allocation process is performed to determine a car (allocated car) that responds to the landing call so that the user can be transported most efficiently.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] When performing an allocation process for a landing call related to a double-deck elevator, the upper car and the lower car are distinguished for processing. On the other hand, when the landing call registration at the landing is performed by inputting the destination floor using a landing destination floor registration device, the landing destination floor registration device displays the allocated car number for the user who has input the destination floor, but does not notify whether it is the upper car or the lower car.

[0006] When a call is registered using the destination floor registration device at the landing, the call to the destination floor is automatically registered when the assigned elevator car responds at the departure floor. Therefore, the user does not need to operate the destination floor call button inside the elevator car. Alternatively, in such elevators, there may not be a destination floor call button installed inside the elevator car.

[0007] If a passenger makes a call to the elevator on the floor where they have made the call, and another elevator car of the same type as the one assigned to that passenger arrives and opens its doors before the assigned elevator car, traveling in the same direction as the passenger's destination floor, it is possible that the passenger may mistakenly board the elevator car with its doors open. If a passenger who has entered their destination floor into the elevator destination floor registration device mistakenly boards the elevator car with its doors open as described above, the call to the destination floor will not be automatically registered for the elevator car the passenger boarded in the wrong place, and therefore the passenger will not be able to alight at their destination floor.

[0008] To avoid such a situation, an assignment change should be made when another elevator car of the same unit arrives first at the registered floor in the same direction as the registered call and opens its doors.

[0009] However, when assigning an elevator car in response to a call at the landing, the operating status of the preceding elevator car of the same type, such as congestion levels and door-open duration, is not taken into consideration. As a result, when an assignment change occurs, the operating efficiency of the double-deck elevator decreases, which can significantly reduce convenience for users.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a group control device and a group control method for double-deck elevators that can accurately perform elevator car allocation processing in response to landing calls in group control of double-deck elevators. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] According to an embodiment for achieving the above objective, the group control device for a double-deck elevator comprises an assignment change unit, an assignment change prediction unit, a preliminary processing unit, and an assignment car determination unit. The assignment change unit changes the assigned car for a registered landing call to a different car of the same unit when the assigned car assigned to the landing call arrives first in the forward direction at the floor where the landing call originated and opens its doors. The assignment change prediction unit predicts the likelihood of a change in the assigned car occurring when new landing call information is registered for each car, if it is provisionally assigned to the new landing call. The preliminary processing unit generates an evaluation value for each car for the new landing call based on the predicted information. The assignment car determination unit determines the assigned car to be assigned to the new landing call based on the information including the evaluation value. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram of an elevator group control system using a group control device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2A] This flowchart shows the process by which a group control device for a double-deck elevator according to one embodiment updates an evaluation value indicating the priority of each elevator car assignment. [Figure 2B] This flowchart shows the process performed by a group control device for a double-deck elevator according to one embodiment, which predicts the likelihood of a change in the allocation of the first-arriving elevator car. [Figure 2C] This flowchart shows the process by which a group control device for a double-deck elevator according to one embodiment calculates the final evaluation value for each elevator car, and the process of determining which elevator car to assign to a landing destination call based on the calculated evaluation value. [Figure 3] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating a specific example (1) of the car allocation determination process performed by a group control device for a double-deck elevator according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating a specific example (2) of the car allocation determination process performed by a group control device for a double-deck elevator according to one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] In order to describe embodiments of the present invention, the technical details of the elevator system that serves as a prerequisite will be explained.

[0014] A system that controls multiple elevators collectively is called an elevator group control system. A group control system for elevators that has a Hall Destination Controller (HDC) installed at the elevator landing is called a DCS (Destination Control System). A DCS in which each elevator is a double-deck elevator is called a double-deck DCS.

[0015] When a user enters their destination floor on the HDC and performs a landing call operation, the HDC displays the elevator car they should board. The user waits at the landing in front of the door of the displayed elevator car, and boards when the elevator car, with its direction of travel being towards the destination floor, lands and opens its doors at the floor where the landing call was made. For example, if a user going from the 2nd floor to the 8th floor is assigned elevator car A, the user boards when elevator car A opens its doors with its direction of travel being upward. In this embodiment, the "direction of travel" is the direction in which the elevator car is expected to travel next when it is stopped (indicated by announcements output to the user or by the flashing of lights installed at the landing), and the direction in which the elevator car is moving when it is moving.

[0016] A double-deck elevator has an upper and lower car for each unit, but when a user makes a landing call, they are not instructed which car to board. Therefore, they board the car that first opens its doors in the forward direction to the floor where the landing call was made, in the unit assigned to them. Here, the user can determine which direction the elevator is traveling based on the announcement made when the call is answered or the indicator lights on the landing.

[0017] On the other hand, in the double-deck DCS, for a newly generated landing call, the allocation process is performed to determine the allocated car, including in the schedule which car, not only the train, but also the upper car or the lower car will transport the user. For example, for the landing call generated by the landing call operation performed by the above user, "the upper car of Train A" is allocated.

[0018] When the user gets on the car, there is no need to press the button for the destination floor. Since the information on the destination floor entered at the landing is transmitted to the elevator control device, the car on which the user has boarded will open the door at the user's destination floor. Therefore, the user can get off at the destination floor without operating anything in the car. However, there is also a DCS configured such that a car call button is installed in the car and the user can get off at the floor operated by this button. In particular, in a DCS (hybrid DCS) equipped with a landing call registration device for registering up and down calls on some floors, it is necessary to install a car call button in the car.

[0019] In the double-deck DCS, it is conceivable that another car of the same train as the car allocated to the user's landing call will land and open the door at the landing call generation floor with the same traveling direction as the direction in which the user is going to the destination floor. In this case, the user is likely to board the wrong car that has opened the door by mistake with the allocated car. This is because the user is not instructed which of the upper car or the lower car to board, and since the upper car and the lower car open the door with the same landing door, it is difficult to distinguish between the upper car and the lower car and board.

[0020] When a car lands at the landing and the door opens, it is basically required to notify the user whether this car is going up or down by means of a lantern or an announcement. Therefore, even if another car of the same train as the car allocated to the landing call arrives first, if the car that travels in the opposite direction to the direction in which the user is going to the destination floor opens the door, the possibility of the user boarding by mistake is low and it does not become a major problem. On the other hand, when another car of the same train as the car allocated to the landing call passes through the landing call generation floor earlier than the allocated car with the direction in which the user is going to the destination floor as the traveling direction, the possibility of the user boarding by mistake increases and a problem occurs.

[0021] To address this, in principle, when the car of the same elevator type assigned to the landing call opens its door at the landing call generation floor earlier than the assigned car, with the running direction being the direction towards the destination floor of the user, the assignment to this landing call is switched to the car that is opening its door, and the operation schedule is changed so that the car opening its door provides service. Such a switching of the assignment is referred to as assignment change. Also, since the assigned car after the assignment change arrives earlier than the assigned car before the assignment change, it is called the "first-arrival car", and thus the assignment change executed as described above is referred to as the "assignment change to the first-arrival car".

[0022] However, depending on the operation status of the double-deck elevator, the occurrence of an assignment change may reduce the convenience of the user or the operation efficiency of the double-deck elevator. In particular, such problems are likely to occur when the other cars of the same elevator type are congested, when the door is open for a long time, or when the destination floor is a non-stop floor. Therefore, it is necessary to confirm the likelihood of an assignment change occurring while considering the operation status of the double-deck elevator, and perform the assignment process for the generated landing call.

[0023] Hereinafter, as an embodiment of the double-deck group management control system, a case where, while confirming the likelihood of an assignment change occurring considering the operation status of the double-deck elevator, the car assignment process for the generated landing call is accurately executed will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] <Configuration of a Double-Deck Group Management Control System Using a Group Management Control Device According to an Embodiment> The configuration of a double-deck group control system using a group control device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 1. The double-deck group control system 1 according to this embodiment comprises a plurality of double-deck elevators (elevator A 10A, elevator B 10B, and elevator C 10C) installed in an n-story building, landing destination floor registration devices 20-1 to 20-m installed at the landings on each floor, and a group control device 30. The double-deck group control system 1 of this embodiment is configured using a destination floor control system (DCS) in which landing destination floor registration devices (HDC) 20-1 to 20-m are installed on each floor of the building. In this embodiment, the case in which there are three double-deck elevators installed in the building will be described, but the number is not limited to this, and there may be two or four or more.

[0025] Elevator A 10A comprises an upper car 11A, a lower car 12A, and an elevator control device 13A. The elevator control device 13A outputs elevator information such as the position information, travel status information, door opening / closing status information, load status information, and car call registration information of the upper car 11A and lower car 12A to the group control device 30. The elevator control device 13A also causes elevator A 10A to respond to the registered floor of the call based on an assignment command from the group control device 30, and opens the doors of the corresponding car.

[0026] Since elevators 10B and 10C of Unit B and Unit C have the same configuration as elevator 10A of Unit A, a detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0027] The boarding destination floor registration devices 20-1 to 20-m are devices that allow boarding users to register boarding calls specifying their destination floor and calling one of the elevator cars 11A to 11C or 12A to 12C. Each of the boarding destination floor registration devices 20-1 to 20-m outputs identification information of the elevator car to be boarded to the user who has registered the boarding call.

[0028] Hereafter, unless it is specified which of the boarding destination floor registration devices 20-1 to 20-m is being referred to, it will be written as "boarding destination floor registration device 20". Similarly, unless it is specified which of the control devices 13A, 13B, or 13C is being referred to, it will be written as "control device 13".

[0029] The group control device 30 manages elevators A 10A, B 10B, and C 10C as a group. The group control device 30 includes a landing call registration unit 31 and a CPU 32.

[0030] The landing call registration unit 31 receives and registers landing call information obtained from the landing destination floor registration devices 20-1 to 20-m.

[0031] The CPU 32 is, for example, the CPU (Central Processing Unit) of a general-purpose microcomputer, and by installing and executing a predetermined elevator group management control program, it configures one or more information processing units as shown below. The CPU 32 includes an elevator information acquisition unit 321, an allocation car determination unit 322, an allocation information output unit 323, an allocation change unit 324, a preliminary processing unit 325, and an allocation change prediction unit 326.

[0032] The elevator information acquisition unit 321 acquires elevator information output from each of the control devices 13A, 13B, and 13C.

[0033] The assigned elevator car determination unit 322 determines which elevator car (assigned elevator car) to assign to a newly generated elevator car call in order to transport users most efficiently overall, considering both newly generated elevator car calls and registered calls. The assigned elevator car determination unit 322 performs the assignment elevator car determination process by considering the evaluation value for each assigned elevator car generated by the preliminary processing unit 325, as described later, and the information predicted by the assignment change prediction unit 326.

[0034] The allocation information output unit 323 outputs an allocation command to the control device 13 of the corresponding elevator based on the allocation car information determined by the allocation car determination unit 322, and also notifies the landing destination floor registration device 20, where the landing call registration operation was performed, of the elevator number information corresponding to the determined allocation car.

[0035] The assignment change unit 324 changes the assigned elevator car for a landing call to the other elevator car of the same unit that arrived first and opened its doors when the assigned elevator car for a landing call determined by the assigned elevator car determination unit 322 arrives first and moves in the same direction as indicated by the landing call, and immediately responds. However, the assignment change unit 324 does not change the assigned elevator car for a landing call when the destination floor of the landing call is the top or bottom floor among the service floors of elevators 10A, 10B, or 10C.

[0036] The preliminary processing unit 325 performs preliminary processing for the assigned elevator cars as a preliminary step before the assigned elevator car determination process executed by the assigned elevator car determination unit 322. In the preliminary processing, the preliminary processing unit 325 generates an evaluation value for each candidate elevator car that indicates the priority of assignment to a new landing call. Specifically, when new landing call information is registered in the landing call registration unit 31, the preliminary processing unit 325 generates an evaluation value for each elevator car within elevators 10A, 10B, and 10C based on information predicted by the assignment change prediction unit 326 (described later) and the operating status.

[0037] When generating evaluation values ​​for each car, the qualifying processing unit 325 uses at least one of the following as operational information: the load inside each car, information on passengers' planned disembarking dates, information on planned reversal of direction of travel, duration of door opening, and information on pre-set non-stopping floors.

[0038] The assignment change prediction unit 326 predicts the likelihood of an assignment change occurring by the assignment change unit 324 when each of the elevator cars within elevators 10A, 10B, and 10C is assigned to a new landing call.

[0039] <Operation of a double-deck group management and control system according to one embodiment> The operation of the double-deck group management control system 1 according to this embodiment will now be described. In the following description, "assigned candidate car" refers to the car that is currently being considered for assignment in the assignment process for a given landing call. However, this is before the assignment to that car has been decided. "Forward direction" refers to the relationship between the car and the landing call such that the car can respond to the landing call without changing direction. This is true when the current direction of travel of the car and the direction of the landing call are the same, and the car has not yet passed the departure floor of the landing call, or when the car is stopped and has no direction, that is, when the next direction of travel has not been determined.

[0040] Figure 2A is a flowchart showing the process by which the group control device 30 updates an evaluation value indicating the priority of assigning each elevator car to a landing destination call X, according to the operating status of elevators 10A, 10B, and 10C.

[0041] When a user enters destination floor information into the landing destination floor registration device 20 at a landing on any floor of the building and performs a landing call registration operation, the landing destination call X information is registered in the landing call registration unit 31 of the group control device 30 (YES in S1).

[0042] When the information for the boarding destination call X is registered, the qualifying processing unit 325 starts loop 1 processing, which executes qualifying processing for each candidate elevator car. In this case, the upper car 11A and lower car 12A of elevator 10A (unit A), the upper car 11B and lower car 12B of elevator 10B (unit B), and the upper car 11C and lower car 12C of elevator 10C (unit C) are designated as candidate elevator cars.

[0043] The preliminary processing unit 325 first processes the upper car 11A of elevator unit A 10A and provisionally assigns it to landing destination call X (S2). Based on the information acquired by the elevator information acquisition unit 321, the preliminary processing unit 325 calculates and stores an evaluation value (points) for the upper car 11A that indicates the priority of assigning it to landing destination call X based on its current position and direction of travel. The smaller the evaluation value, the more suitable it is for assignment to landing destination call X and the higher the priority.

[0044] Here, the preliminary processing unit 325 determines whether the load inside the upper car 11A is above a predetermined threshold and whether there are any plans for passengers to disembark from the car or for the car's direction of travel to reverse between the current position and the floor where a landing call is generated (S3). If the upper car 11A is in a situation that meets the determination conditions of step S3 (YES in S2), the preliminary processing unit 325 adds 2 points to the evaluation value for the upper car 11A that it has held (S4).

[0045] Next, the qualifying processing unit 325 determines whether the upper car 11A is stopped at the floor where the landing call originated, with its direction of travel being towards the destination floor of the landing destination call X, and whether a predetermined time, for example 15 seconds or more, has elapsed since the doors started opening (S5). If the upper car 11A is in a state that meets the determination conditions of step S5 (YES in S5), the qualifying processing unit 325 adds 4 points to the evaluation value for the upper car 11A that it has held (S6).

[0046] Next, the qualifying processing unit 325 determines whether the departure floor or destination floor of the landing destination call X is a non-stopping floor for the upper car 11A (S7). If the departure floor or destination floor of the landing destination call X is a non-stopping floor for the upper car 11A (YES in S7), the qualifying processing unit 325 adds 8 points to the evaluation value for the upper car 11A that it has held (S8).

[0047] As described above, points are added, and the evaluation value for the upper elevator car 11A is updated so that the lower the degree of suitability of the upper elevator car 11A for assigning it to the destination call X, the lower the assignment priority (higher the points).

[0048] Next, the preliminary processing unit 325 instructs the assignment change prediction unit 326 to perform a process that predicts the likelihood of an assignment change occurring, that is, the probability of it occurring, when the upper basket 11A is assigned to destination call X.

[0049] Figure 2B is a flowchart showing the process performed by the allocation change prediction unit 326 to predict whether or not an allocation change to the first-come-first-served cart is likely to occur.

[0050] The assignment change prediction unit 326 determines whether the lower car 12A, which is the same car unit as the upper car 11A but a different car, is open with its doors open in the forward direction toward the destination floor of the landing destination call X at the departure floor (S9). If the lower car 12A is open with its doors open in the forward direction at the departure floor (YES in S9), the assignment change prediction unit 326 predicts "certain" that an assignment change will definitely occur if the upper car 11A is assigned to the landing destination call X (S10).

[0051] In step S9, the assignment change prediction unit 326 determines whether, if the lower car 12A is not traveling in the forward direction and its doors are open (NO in S9), the landing destination call X is a forward call (forward call) for both the upper car 11A and the lower car 12A, the upper car 11A is the rear car that will arrive at the departure floor of the landing destination call X after the lower car 12A, and whether the lower car 12A, which is the front car that will arrive first at the departure floor of the landing destination call X, is scheduled to stop traveling in the forward direction (S11).

[0052] If the situation does not meet the criteria of step S11 ("NO" in S11), the assignment change prediction unit 326 predicts that there is "no" likelihood of an assignment change occurring when the upper car 11A is assigned to the landing destination call X (S12).

[0053] Furthermore, if the situation matches the judgment condition of step S11 ("YES" in S11), the assignment change prediction unit 326 predicts that there is a possibility, though not a certainty, that an assignment change will occur when the upper car 11A is assigned to the landing destination call X (S13).

[0054] Subsequently, the preliminary processing unit 325 loops through steps S2 to S13 for each of the lower basket 12A, upper basket 11B, lower basket 12B, upper basket 11C, and lower basket 12C. Loop 1 ends when processing has been completed for all candidate baskets for assignment.

[0055] Next, the preliminary processing unit 325 starts loop 2 processing to calculate the final evaluation value for each candidate elevator car for assignment to the landing destination call X. Here again, the upper car 11A and lower car 12A of elevator 10A of elevator A, the upper car 11B and lower car 12B of elevator 10B of elevator B, and the upper car 11C and lower car 12C of elevator 10C of elevator C are considered candidate elevator cars for assignment.

[0056] Figure 2C is a flowchart showing the process by which the preliminary processing unit 325 calculates the final evaluation value for each elevator car and determines the assigned elevator car for the landing destination call X based on the calculated evaluation value. The preliminary processing unit 325 first starts processing the upper car 11A of elevator car A 10A.

[0057] If the likelihood of the assignment change predicted in Loop 1 occurring with respect to the upper cage 11A is "certain" (YES in S14), the qualifying processing unit 325 recognizes the evaluation value of the lower cage 12A, which is the same cage unit as the upper cage 11A, as the final evaluation value of the upper cage 11A (S15).

[0058] Furthermore, with respect to the upper basket 11A, if there is "no" likelihood of an assignment change occurring ("YES" in S16), the preliminary processing unit 325 recognizes the evaluation value of the upper basket 11A as the final evaluation value of the upper basket 11A (S17).

[0059] Furthermore, with respect to the upper cage 11A, if there is a "possibility" of an assignment change occurring ("NO" in S16), the preliminary processing unit 325 calculates the final evaluation value of the provisionally assigned upper cage 11A based on the evaluation value of the lower cage 12A, which is the same cage unit as the upper cage 11A, and the evaluation value of the upper cage 11A (S18). For example, the preliminary processing unit 325 calculates the final evaluation value of the upper cage 11A as the average value of the evaluation value of the lower cage 12A and the evaluation value of the upper cage 11A, or the higher value (the value with lower priority). This concludes the preliminary processing for the upper cage 11A.

[0060] Subsequently, the preliminary processing unit 325 loops through steps S14 to S18 for each of the lower basket 12A, upper basket 11B, lower basket 12B, upper basket 11C, and lower basket 12C. Once processing has been performed for all candidate baskets and loop 2 has finished, the preliminary processing is completed.

[0061] Once the preliminary processing is completed for all candidate elevator cars, the process moves to step S19, where the elevator car assignment unit 322 retains the elevator car with the best final evaluation value, i.e., the minimum value, as the candidate elevator car for the destination call X (S19). Here, the elevator car assignment unit 322 may retain not only the elevator car with the minimum final evaluation value, but also elevator cars with evaluation values ​​between the minimum value and a predetermined percentage (e.g., 20%) increase, as candidate elevator cars.

[0062] The allocation car determination unit 322 further determines the allocation car for each boarding destination call X from among the remaining candidate cars for allocation, using existing technology to estimate, for example, the waiting time and boarding time of users for each registered call from the operation schedule, so as to provide service to each call in the shortest possible time (S20).

[0063] The allocation information output unit 323 outputs an allocation command to the control device 13 of the corresponding elevator based on the allocation car information determined by the allocation car determination unit 322, and also notifies the landing destination floor registration device 20, which performed the landing call registration operation, of the elevator number information corresponding to the determined allocation car (S21).

[0064] Upon receiving the assignment command, the control device 13 moves the assigned elevator car toward the departure floor of the destination call X. The destination floor registration device 20, upon receiving the assignment command, displays the information of the assigned elevator car to the user who performed the destination call registration operation, indicating the elevator car they should board.

[0065] As described above, after executing the assignment process, when elevators 10A, 10B, and 10C are in operation, if the assignment change unit 324 detects that another elevator of the same unit as the assigned elevator for a landing call determined by the assigned elevator car determination unit 322 has arrived first at the floor where the landing call originated and opened its doors in the same direction as indicated by the landing call, the assignment change unit 324 changes the assigned elevator for the landing call to the other elevator of the same unit that arrived first and immediately initiates a response. However, the assignment change unit 324 does not change the assigned elevator for a landing call if the destination floor of the landing call is the top or bottom floor among the service floors of elevators 10A, 10B, and 10C.

[0066] The following describes specific examples (1) and (2) of the embodiments described above.

[0067] [Specific Example (1)] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram relating to a specific example (1) of this embodiment. In this example, elevator unit A 10A is traveling in the UP direction, and when the upper car 11A arrives on the 4th floor with the doors open and the departure floor is the 4th floor (marked with a triangle) and the destination floor is the 7th floor (marked with a circle), the destination call X1 for the 4th floor is registered in the landing destination floor registration device (4th floor) 20-4 on the 4th floor.

[0068] In this case, if the upper car 11A is provisionally assigned to landing destination call X1 during the preliminary processing, the in-car load is above the threshold and the car has already arrived at the departure floor of landing destination call X1, so 2 points are added to the evaluation value and the priority of assigning it to landing destination call X1 is lowered.

[0069] Furthermore, if the lower car 12A is temporarily assigned to landing destination call X1, the in-car load is not above the threshold, but since the upper car 11A, which is a different car of the same unit, is open with its doors open at the departure floor of landing destination call X1 with the forward direction as the direction of travel, it is determined that the likelihood of an assignment change occurring is "certain".

[0070] As a result, the evaluation value of the upper car 11A is used as the final evaluation value for the lower car 12A. However, as mentioned above, the upper car 11A has a low priority for assignment to the landing destination call X1, so the lower car 12A also has a low priority. Consequently, the elevator car other than elevator 10A of unit A is assigned to the landing destination call X1.

[0071] [Specific Example (2)] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram relating to a specific example (2) of this embodiment. In this example, the landing destination floor registration device (6th floor) 20-6 on the 6th floor registers a landing destination call X2 with the departure floor being the 6th floor and the destination floor being the 8th floor, and the upper car 11A is assigned to this landing destination call X2, and elevator unit A 10A is traveling in the UP direction.

[0072] Here, if a destination call X3 for the departure floor 6 and destination floor 7 is further registered, and the upper car 11A is provisionally assigned to destination call X3 during the preliminary processing, the car load is above the threshold, and there are no plans for passengers to disembark or the car's direction of travel to reverse between the current position and the departure floor 6, then 2 points are added to the evaluation value, and the priority for assigning the upper car 11A to destination call X1 is lowered.

[0073] Furthermore, if the lower car 12A is provisionally assigned to the landing destination call X3, the in-car load is not above the threshold, but the landing destination call X3 is a sequential call to both the lower car 12A and the upper car 11A, the lower car 12A is the rear car, and the front car is scheduled to stop at the 6th floor, the departure floor of the landing destination call X3, with the forward direction of travel. Therefore, the average of the evaluation value of the upper car 11A, which is the same car unit as the lower car 12A, and the evaluation value of the lower car 12A is calculated as the final evaluation value of the lower car 12A.

[0074] At this time, the priority for assigning the upper car 11A to the landing destination call X1 is lower, which in turn lowers the final evaluation value of the lower car 12A, making it more likely that an elevator car other than elevator 10A of unit A will be assigned to the landing destination call X3.

[0075] In the embodiment described above, the preliminary processing unit 325 generates evaluation values ​​in three cases: when it is predicted that the possibility of a change in the assigned car by the assignment change unit 324 will occur for a car that has been provisionally assigned to a new landing call is "certain," when it is predicted that it will not occur, and when it is predicted that it will occur. However, the invention is not limited to this. For example, the level of possibility of a change in the assigned car by the assignment change unit 324 will be divided into two or four or more cases, and for each case, the evaluation value may be calculated using the evaluation value of another car in the same unit and the evaluation value of the provisionally assigned car in a predetermined ratio.

[0076] [Effects of the Embodiment] According to the embodiment described above, the group control device for double-deck elevators is a group control device for double-deck elevators that manages multiple double-deck elevators consisting of an upper car and a lower car, and comprises a landing call registration unit, an assignment change unit, an assignment change prediction unit, a preliminary processing unit, and an assignment car determination unit. The landing call registration unit registers information of a landing call in which the destination floor is specified. The assignment change unit changes the assigned car for a registered landing call to another car of the same unit when another car of the same unit that was assigned to the landing call registered in the landing call registration unit arrives first at the floor where the registered landing call originated and opens its doors in the same direction as indicated by the landing call. The assignment change prediction unit predicts the likelihood that the assignment car will be changed by the assignment change unit if each of the cars in the multiple double-deck elevators is provisionally assigned to the new landing call when new landing call information is registered in the landing call registration unit. The preliminary processing unit generates evaluation value information indicating the priority of assignment to a new landing call for each of the multiple double-deck elevator cars, based on the information predicted by the assignment change prediction unit and the operating status. The assignment car determination unit determines which car to assign to the new landing call based on the evaluation value information.

[0077] According to this, in group control of double-deck elevators, when a landing call occurs, the system accurately assigns elevator cars based on the likelihood that a car of the same type will arrive first and the operating status, thereby reducing the possibility that a car that cannot accommodate a passenger will respond to a landing call.

[0078] Furthermore, with respect to a car provisionally assigned to a new landing call, if the preliminary processing unit predicts that there is a "certainty" possibility of the assignment change unit changing the assigned car, it may recognize the evaluation value of another car of the same unit as the final evaluation value of the provisionally assigned car. If it predicts that there is "no" possibility of the assignment change unit changing the assigned car, it may recognize the evaluation value of the provisionally assigned car as the final evaluation value of the provisionally assigned car. If it predicts that there is a "certainty" but not a "certainty" possibility of the assignment change unit changing the assigned car, it may calculate the final evaluation value of the provisionally assigned car based on the evaluation value of another car of the same unit and the evaluation value of the provisionally assigned car.

[0079] This allows for more accurate calculation of evaluation values ​​based on the likelihood of changes in assigned elevator cars, enabling proper execution of elevator car assignment processing in group control of double-deck elevators.

[0080] Furthermore, if the preliminary processing unit predicts that there is a possibility that the assigned elevator car may be changed by the assignment change unit for an elevator car that has been provisionally assigned to a new landing call, it may calculate the final evaluation value of the provisionally assigned elevator car as the average value of the evaluation value of another elevator car of the same unit and the evaluation value of the provisionally assigned elevator car, or the lower of the two values.

[0081] This allows for the simple and appropriate calculation of an evaluation value when it is predicted that there is a possibility of a change in the assigned elevator car for a newly assigned elevator car, by also considering the evaluation value of each elevator car of the same unit.

[0082] Furthermore, the preliminary processing unit may generate evaluation value information using at least one of the following: the load inside the provisionally assigned elevator car, information on the passenger's planned disembarkation date, information on the planned reversal of the direction of travel, the duration of door opening, and information on pre-set non-stopping floors. This allows for even more accurate elevator car assignment processing.

[0083] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1…Double-deck group management control system, 10A, 10B, 10C…Elevators, 13, 13A, 13B, 13C…Control devices, 20, 20-1~20-m…Landing destination floor registration devices, 30…Group management control device, 31…Landing call registration unit, 321…Elevator information acquisition unit, 322…Assignment car determination unit, 323…Assignment information output unit, 324…Assignment change unit, 325…Preliminary processing unit, 326…Assignment change prediction unit

Claims

1. A group control device for double-deck elevators that manages multiple double-deck elevators consisting of an upper car and a lower car, A landing call registration unit that registers landing call information with a specified destination floor, When an assigned car and another car of the same unit that were assigned to a landing call registered in the landing call registration unit arrive first at the floor where the registered landing call originated and open their doors in the same direction as indicated by the landing call, the assignment change unit changes the assigned car for the registered landing call to the other car of the same unit. When new landing call information is registered in the landing call registration unit, the assignment change prediction unit predicts the likelihood of a change in the assigned car occurring when each of the multiple double-deck elevator cars is provisionally assigned to the new landing call, For each of the cars in the multiple double-deck elevators, a preliminary processing unit generates an evaluation value indicating the priority of assignment to the new landing call based on the information predicted by the assignment change prediction unit, A group control device for a double-deck elevator, comprising: an allocation car determination unit that determines an allocation car to be assigned to the new landing call based on information including the aforementioned evaluation value.

2. The aforementioned qualifying processing unit, with respect to the elevator car provisionally assigned to the new landing call, If it is predicted that a change in the assigned cage will occur by the aforementioned assignment change unit is "certain," the evaluation value of another cage in the same unit will be recognized as the final evaluation value of the provisionally assigned cage. If it is predicted that there is "no" possibility of a change in the assigned basket by the aforementioned assignment change unit, the evaluation value of the provisionally assigned basket is recognized as the final evaluation value of the provisionally assigned basket. If it is not certain but is predicted that a change in the assigned cage may occur due to the aforementioned assignment change unit, the final evaluation value of the provisionally assigned cage is calculated based on the evaluation value of another cage in the same unit and the evaluation value of the provisionally assigned cage. A group control device for a double-deck elevator according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned qualifying processing unit, with respect to the elevator car provisionally assigned to the new landing call, If it is predicted that there is a possibility of a change in the assigned cage due to the aforementioned assignment change unit, the average value of the evaluation value of another cage in the same unit and the evaluation value of the provisionally assigned cage, or the lower of the two values, is calculated as the final evaluation value of the provisionally assigned cage. Group control device for a double-deck elevator according to claim 2.

4. The preliminary processing unit further generates the evaluation value using at least one of the following: the load inside the provisionally assigned elevator car, information on the passenger's planned disembarkation, information on the planned reversal of the direction of travel, the duration of door opening, and information on pre-set non-stopping floors. A group control device for a double-deck elevator according to claim 1.

5. Multiple double-deck elevators, each consisting of an upper and lower car, are managed as a group. A landing call registration unit that registers landing call information with a specified destination floor, A group control device for a double-deck elevator includes an assignment change unit that changes the assigned car for a registered landing call to another car of the same unit when another car of the same unit that was assigned to a landing call registered in the landing call registration unit arrives first at the floor where the registered landing call originated and opens its doors in the same direction as indicated by the landing call, When new landing call information is registered in the landing call registration unit, the unit predicts the likelihood of a change in the assigned car when each of the multiple double-deck elevator cars is temporarily assigned to the new landing call, Based on the predicted information and the operating status, an evaluation value indicating the priority of assignment to the new landing call is generated for each of the multiple double-deck elevator cars. A group control method for a double-deck elevator, which determines the allocation car to be assigned to the new landing call based on information including the aforementioned evaluation value.

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