Elevator Handoff Controller for Seamless Multi-Group Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
In high-rise buildings, users often face inefficiencies when trying to travel between elevator groups, requiring multiple destination calls if the source and destination floors are not in the same elevator group, leading to increased travel time and inconvenience.
Innovation Solution
A controller-based system that manages elevator transportation by determining the user's location, instructing the appropriate elevators to meet at a common floor, and optimizing travel paths to minimize delays and wait times, allowing for seamless handoff between elevators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple destination calls are required to travel between elevator groups, then elevator group segmentation is maintained for traffic management, but travel time and user convenience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple elevator groups into a coordinated system where elevators from different groups can be sequentially dispatched to serve a single continuous journey. The controller merges the transportation tasks across elevator groups, allowing the first elevator to take the passenger to an intermediate floor and the second elevator to complete the journey to the destination floor, thereby reducing total travel time while maintaining group segmentation benefits
2Productivity
If multiple destination calls are required to travel between elevator groups, then elevator group segmentation is maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides self-service by automatically coordinating between elevator groups without requiring user intervention. The controller autonomously determines the sequence of elevators to dispatch, calculates optimal timing, and manages the handoff between elevators, freeing the user from the burden of making multiple manual destination calls while maintaining efficient traffic management
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary that coordinates between different elevator groups and the user. It receives the single destination request, processes the routing logic, and manages the interaction between the first and second elevators, thereby simplifying the user interface while maintaining systematic control over multi-elevator coordination
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is an elevator system (200) having a plurality of elevators (220) including a first elevator (230) and a second elevator (240), the plurality of elevators (220) servicing a respective plurality of sets of floors (250), wherein the first elevator (230) services a first set (260) of the plurality of sets of floors and the second elevator services a second set (270) of the plurality of sets of floors, wherein the first set of floors (260) includes a first floor (280) and a common floor (290) and the second set of floors (260) includes a second floor (300) and the common floor (290), and the system receives a request from the first device (330) to travel from the first floor (280) to the second floor (300), executes a first transportation directive to effect transportation by providing handoff between the plurality of elevators, which includes: instructing the first elevator (230) to provide service to the first floor (280), and instructing the second elevator (240) to provide service to the common floor (290).