Elevator Group Selection via Redirector Traffic Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In elevator dispatching systems, passengers often face crowded conditions due to uneven distribution of traffic across multiple elevator groups, leading to increased lobby queuing and reduced passenger satisfaction.
Innovation Solution
An elevator dispatching system that includes a redirector to determine the best elevator group for servicing a passenger's request based on stored information, such as traffic demand, time of day, and physical configuration, allowing for balanced traffic distribution and selection of the best car within that group.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If passengers select elevator group based on physical location or lobby crowding, then elevator group selection is simplified, but traffic distribution remains uneven and lobby queuing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary evaluation of elevator group status before passenger selection. The group controller pre-determines the best car for each passenger request based on predicted traffic patterns and group status, so that when passengers arrive at the lobby, the optimal elevator assignment is already ready, reducing queuing time and balancing traffic distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors elevator group status, traffic patterns, and passenger requests to dynamically adjust group assignments. The group controller receives feedback about car availability, floor traffic demand, and group status to make real-time decisions about which car should serve which passengers, optimizing traffic distribution and reducing lobby crowding.
2Device complexity
If group controller selects best car only from its own group, then car selection process is simplified, but overall system efficiency is reduced due to inability to optimize across multiple groups
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the elevator system into multiple independent groups, each with its own controller that manages car assignments within the group. This segmentation allows each group to operate autonomously while the overall system coordinates across groups to optimize traffic distribution. The group controller handles car selection within its group, maintaining simplicity, while the system as a whole achieves enhanced efficiency through coordinated group management.
3Adaptability or versatility
If more than one elevator group serves the same destination floors, then service coverage is improved, but traffic distribution becomes uneven and some groups become overcrowded
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts elevator group assignments based on real-time traffic patterns, group status, and passenger requests. Instead of fixed group assignments, the system can flexibly redirect passengers to different groups depending on current conditions. This dynamic allocation ensures that service coverage remains comprehensive while traffic is evenly distributed across groups, preventing overcrowding in any single group.
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, determine a best group to service the request from the plurality of elevator groups based on information stored in the redirector, wherein the group controller of the determined best group is configured to determine a best car from the plurality of elevator cars in the determined best group.