Multicar Elevator Reservation Shaft Bypass
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Multicar elevator systems with circular paths face delays and vulnerability due to inability to bypass malfunctioning cars, leading to service disruptions and system malfunctions.
Innovation Solution
A multicar elevator system with a reservation shaft accessible from each sub-system, controlled by a group controller that detects malfunctions and generates signals to enable the use of the reservation shaft, allowing cars to bypass blocked sections and maintain optimal service levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If elevator cars travel along a circular path in two shafts connected to each other, then the system allows independent motion of elevator cars within the shafts, but the elevator cars cannot bypass each other causing delay in service time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a third spatial dimension by adding a reservation shaft perpendicular to the main circular path shafts. This allows elevator cars to exit the circular path, travel through the reservation shaft to a different location, and re-enter the circular path, effectively adding a bypass route that resolves the blocking issue while maintaining independent motion capability
2Adaptability or versatility
If elevator cars travel along a circular path in two shafts connected to each other, then the system allows individually movable elevator cars, but one malfunctioning car blocks the utilization of the elevator system as a whole
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the malfunctioning elevator car from the main circular path by introducing a reservation shaft that allows other cars to bypass the blocked section. The reservation shaft acts as a separate extraction path that removes the harmful effect of the malfunctioning car from the system, allowing continued operation of healthy cars
3Reliability
If a reservation shaft is added to allow bypassing malfunctioning cars, then system reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reservation shaft is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as a bypass route for malfunctioning cars, provides an alternative path during maintenance, and can be used for load balancing between shafts. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by providing numerous benefits beyond just malfunction handling
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The invention relates to a multicar elevator system comprising: a plurality of elevator sub-systems (110, 110', 110'', 110'''110, 110'), each elevator subsystem comprising a shaft forming a loop path comprising a first vertical section and a second vertical section connected to each other with at least two horizontal sections, wherein the first vertical section in each elevator subsystem (110, 110', 110'', 110''') is travelable upwards by at least one elevator car and the second vertical section is travelable downwards by at least one elevator car, the elevator system further comprising a reservation shaft (210) accessible for at least one elevator car from each elevator sub-system (110, 110', 10'', 110'''). Some aspects of the invention relate to a method thereto.