Elevator Group Selection via Redirector Score Evaluation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Elevator dispatching systems often fail to balance traffic effectively between multiple elevator groups, leading to crowding and lobby queuing, as they only consider cars within a selected group for assignment, ignoring the overall group information that could differentiate between groups.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a redirector that receives service requests and determines a group score for each elevator group capable of servicing the request, allowing the selection of the best group based on criteria such as lobby crowding, car occupancy, and wait times, thereby directing passengers to less crowded groups.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the system only considers cars within a selected group for assignment, then the group selection process is simple, but traffic balance between multiple elevator groups deteriorates leading to crowding and lobby queuing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the group selection process with the car assignment process by having the redirector communicate service requests to multiple group controllers simultaneously. This allows the system to evaluate both group-level and car-level criteria in an integrated manner, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and traffic balance effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The redirector is designed to perform multiple functions: it receives service requests, evaluates multiple elevator groups based on group criteria, selects the best group, and then communicates with the selected group to assign the best car. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain simplicity while achieving effective traffic balance.
2Productivity
If the system evaluates multiple elevator groups based on group criteria, then traffic distribution is optimized, but the complexity of the dispatching system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the dispatching system into distinct functional components: the redirector that handles group-level evaluation and selection, and the group controllers that handle car-level assignment. This segmentation allows each component to focus on specific tasks, optimizing traffic distribution while managing system complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The redirector acts as an intermediary between the service request and the group controllers. It receives service requests, evaluates multiple groups using group criteria (such as lobby crowding, car occupancy, and wait times), selects the best group, and then communicates with the selected group controller. This intermediary role simplifies the overall system architecture while enabling sophisticated group-level decision-making.
3Measurement precision
If the redirector communicates with multiple group controllers, then the best group can be selected based on comprehensive criteria, but the processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by having group controllers continuously monitor and evaluate group criteria (lobby crowding, car occupancy, wait times) before a service request arrives. This pre-evaluation allows the redirector to quickly compare groups and make rapid decisions when a service request is received, improving selection accuracy without significantly increasing processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The group controllers continuously evaluate group criteria and maintain updated information about their respective groups' status. This continuous evaluation ensures that when the redirector needs to select a group, the most current and accurate information is already available, enabling fast and precise decision-making without requiring time-consuming real-time calculations at the moment of selection.
Data Source
AI summary
An elevator dispatching system includes a plurality of elevator groups, each of the plurality of elevator groups including a group controller and a plurality of elevator cars, each of the plurality of elevator groups serving a respective set of floors; and a redirector configured to receive a service request including a destination floor, and, in the event more than one elevator group serves the destination floor, communicate the service request to the group controllers of the more than one elevator groups, wherein the respective group controllers of the more than one elevator groups are configured to each determine a respective group score, and communicate the respective group score to the redirector, and the redirector is further configured to determine the best group based on the respective group scores.