Elevator Control System Dynamic Service Sector Adaptation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing elevator control systems for multi-car elevators in buildings fail to adapt effectively to changing occupancy patterns, leading to inefficiencies in car allocation and increased waiting times for tenants, especially in multi-tenant or multipurpose buildings with varying traffic demands.
Innovation Solution
The system continuously learns from car usage data to dynamically define and adjust service sectors by evaluating journey data, such as elevator events and passenger movements, allowing for intelligent allocation of cars to specific tenants or zones without manual input or software updates, thereby optimizing car allocation based on real-time and historical traffic patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If service sectors are predefined in controller memory, then car allocation can be managed in peak-demand-mode, but the system cannot adapt when building occupation changes without software updates
Solution Approach 1:
The controller automatically adapts service sector definitions by analyzing traffic patterns and journey data without requiring manual intervention or software updates. The system serves itself by learning from observed usage patterns and dynamically reconfiguring service sectors to match current building occupation patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors traffic data and journey patterns, using this feedback to automatically adjust service sector definitions. The controller evaluates observed traffic patterns and modifies service sector allocations in response to changing building occupation, creating a closed-loop adaptive system.
2Loss of time
If elevators serve all floors equally, then all tenants are treated uniformly, but waiting times increase for tenants with high inter-floor traffic
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different service qualities to different tenants based on their specific needs. Tenants with high inter-floor traffic receive preferential service through dedicated service sectors, while other tenants receive standard service. This local differentiation optimizes waiting times for high-usage tenants without affecting overall system fairness.
Solution Approach 2:
The building is divided into multiple service sectors based on observed traffic patterns and tenant needs. By segmenting the service areas and allocating specific elevators to specific sectors, the system reduces waiting times for tenants in high-traffic sectors while maintaining efficient coverage of the entire building.
3Productivity
If service sectors are dynamically adjusted, then car allocation optimizes for current traffic patterns, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller automatically performs the complex task of service sector definition by analyzing traffic patterns and journey data. Rather than requiring external configuration or complex manual programming, the system self-configures service sectors based on observed usage patterns, achieving high productivity without proportional increases in operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Service sector definitions are made dynamic rather than static, allowing the system to automatically adapt to changing traffic patterns. The controller continuously evaluates journey data and adjusts service sector allocations in real-time, enabling the system to respond dynamically to building occupation changes without manual intervention.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a
AI summary
The invention concerns an elevator control method for an elevator system 10 comprising cars 11 movable in an elevator shaft of a building the building being dividable into serving sectors each serving sector comprising at least one floor to be served by a car 11, recording means 12 for recording car usage data the recording means 12 dedicated to the cars 11, wherein the recording means 12 forward the car usage data to an elevator controller 13 receiving the car usage data for creating car- logbook-data, wherein the method of division of the serving sectors is decided on evaluation-analysis of the car-logbook-data by gathering and storing the car usage data over a period of time into a memory 14 of the elevator controller 13 and allocating a serving sector in dependency of the evaluation- analysis of the car usage data respectively.