Patent Application
20200039795
The present disclosure relates generally to multi-door systems, and more particularly to controlling elevator doors for deboarding passengers in multi-door elevators.
In some configurations, elevators are equipped with one or more doors to allow passengers to enter and exit the elevator car. For example, elevators may have a forward entrance and a rear entrance that are accessible to the same landing floor. In other configurations, the rear entrance may not be accessible on every floor or the rear entrance may be restricted to authorized personnel. Oftentimes as passengers deboard the elevator, they face crowds of awaiting passengers that are eager to enter the elevator car. There is a need to manage the flow of passengers exiting an elevator to alleviate the congestion of people in areas surrounding the elevator entrance and lobby area.
According to an embodiment, a system for controlling doors in a multi-door system is provided. The system includes a multi-door system, and a system controller configured to control the multi-door system, wherein the multi-door system includes a first door and a second door, wherein the first door is on a different side than the second door. The system also includes one or more sensors operably coupled to the multi-door system and the system controller, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to detect one or more conditions. The system controller includes a processor, wherein the processor is configured to receive an input from the one or more sensors, wherein the input comprises at least one of call information and crowd sensing information, responsive to the input, prioritize an operation of the first door and the second door based at least in part on the input, and operate the first door and second door based on the prioritization.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include an elevator system.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include landing crowd sensing information and elevator crowd sensing information.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include hall calls or car calls indicating at least one of a floor selection or a door preference indicating a first or second side of the multi-door system.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include landing crowd sensing information that indicates a crowd size on a first side and a second side of the multi-door system and the elevator crowd sensing information indicates a number of passengers present in an elevator car.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include a second multi-door system, wherein the second multi-door system is proximate to a first multi-door system, and wherein the processor is configured to prioritize operation of the first door and the second door of the first multi-door system based on an input of the second multi-door system.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include one or more sensors that monitor an area common to the first multi-door system and the proximate multi-door system.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include at least one of a display unit or audio unit to provide an indication of a first door to be opened.
According to another embodiment, a method for controlling doors in a multi-door system is provided. The method includes receiving an input from one or more sensors, and responsive to the input, comparing a condition associated with a first door and a condition associated with a second door of a multi-door system. The method also includes prioritizing an operation of the first door and the second door based at least in part on the comparison, and operating the first door and second door based on the prioritization.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include an elevator system.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include opening a subsequent door after a configurable delay responsive to operating a first door.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include opening a subsequent door based at least in part on a detected load in the multi-door system.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include opening a subsequent door responsive to closing a first door.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include opening a subsequent door based at least in part on a number of elevator calls for a side of the multi-door system.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include opening a subsequent door based at least in part on a crowd size inside the multi-door system.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include providing an indication of a first door to be opened inside of the multi-door system, wherein the indication is at least one of an audio indication or a visual indication.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include call information and crowd sensing information, wherein the call information indicates a floor selection and a door preference indicating a first or second side of the multi-door system, wherein the crowd sensing information comprises landing crowd sensing information and elevator crowd sensing information.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include determining a crowd size of a proximate multi-door system, and operating the first door and the second door of a first multi-door system based on the crowd size of the proximate multi-door system.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include a configurable delay that is determined by at one of a fixed delay, landing crowd sensing information, or elevator crowd sensing information.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments include a threshold number of passengers in an elevator car is determined by an image capture device configured to perform a crowd estimation or a load sensor configured to detect a weight of passengers in the elevator car.
The foregoing features and elements may be combined in various combinations without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated otherwise. These features and elements as well as the operation thereof will become more apparent in light of the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following description and drawings are intended to be illustrative and explanatory in nature and non-limiting.
The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limited in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements.
Elevators provide a convenient means for transporting people and cargo between floors of a building. However, passengers that are waiting to board an elevator can be a source of congestion in elevator lobby areas or hallways. In elevator systems having a single set of doors for entering and exiting, passengers may attempt to board the elevator before allowing those passengers in the elevator to exit, contributing to the formation of crowds in areas proximate the elevator doors.
The techniques described herein provide a mechanism to prioritize the opening of multiple doors of an elevator to manage the flow of exiting passengers. In one or more embodiments, the elevator doors are opened based on the number of detected passengers gathered at the entrance of an elevator. For example, the side of the elevator having the least number of waiting passengers or the smallest crowd will be opened first to allow the passengers in the elevator to exit on the least crowded side first. Subsequently, the other door can be opened to allow the remaining passengers to exit the elevator after a portion of the passengers has already deboarded. The second or subsequent door can be opened based on a configurable time delay or based on data indicating the weight/pressure of the elevator car. This data can be used to indicate how many passengers are remaining in the elevator car which can be used to trigger the other door to open when a threshold level of people are estimated to have exited.
In one or more embodiments, an indication is provided inside the elevator car to notify the passengers which door will be opening first. This indication can be provided to the passengers prior to reaching the destination in order to help the passengers smoothly transition to exit the elevator. The indication can be a visual and/or an audible indication to help prepare the passengers to deboard.
In one or more embodiments, various sensors can be used to determine the number of waiting passengers which provides feedback on which side the door of the multi-door system should be opened first to encourage the traffic flow out of the elevator. For example, cameras can be configured to detect a crowd size on both sides of an elevator having two doors. In another example, information indicating which side of the elevator a call is received (indicating a waiting passenger) can be used to estimate the crowd on a particular side. In addition, the detected crowd size of a neighboring elevator can be used to determine the first door to open because the neighboring crowd can impact the passengers that are exiting a given elevator.
The techniques described herein leverage the tendency for passengers to exit the first door to open. In addition, the techniques include prioritizing the sequence of operating the doors and synchronizing the opening of a subsequent door in the multi-door system to aid in traffic flow and reduce congestion in areas surrounding the elevators.
The tension member 107 engages the machine 111, which is part of an overhead structure of the elevator system 101. The machine 111 is configured to control movement between the elevator car 103 and the counterweight 105. The position reference system 113 may be mounted on a fixed part at the top of the elevator shaft 117, such as on a support or guide rail, and may be configured to provide position signals related to a position of the elevator car 103 within the elevator shaft 117. In other embodiments, the position reference system 113 may be directly mounted to a moving component of the machine 111, or may be located in other positions and/or configurations as known in the art. The position reference system 113 can be any device or mechanism for monitoring a position of an elevator car and/or counter weight, as known in the art. For example, without limitation, the position reference system 113 can be an encoder, sensor, or other system and can include velocity sensing, absolute position sensing, etc., as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art.
The controller 115 is located, as shown, in a controller room 121 of the elevator shaft 117 and is configured to control the operation of the elevator system 101, and particularly the elevator car 103. For example, the controller 115 may provide drive signals to the machine 111 to control the acceleration, deceleration, leveling, stopping, etc. of the elevator car 103. The controller 115 may also be configured to receive position signals from the position reference system 113 or any other desired position reference device. When moving up or down within the elevator shaft 117 along guide rail 109, the elevator car 103 may stop at one or more landings 125 as controlled by the controller 115. Although shown in a controller room 121, those of skill in the art will appreciate that the controller 115 can be located and/or configured in other locations or positions within the elevator system 101. In one embodiment, the controller may be located remotely or in the cloud.
The machine 111 may include a motor or similar driving mechanism. In accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, the machine 111 is configured to include an electrically driven motor. The power supply for the motor may be any power source, including a power grid, which, in combination with other components, is supplied to the motor. The machine 111 may include a traction sheave that imparts force to tension member 107 to move the elevator car 103 within elevator shaft 117.
Although shown and described with a roping system including tension member 107, elevator systems that employ other methods and mechanisms of moving an elevator car within an elevator shaft may employ embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, embodiments may be employed in ropeless elevator systems using a linear motor to impart motion to an elevator car. Embodiments may also be employed in ropeless elevator systems using a hydraulic lift to impart motion to an elevator car.
In other embodiments, the system comprises a conveyance system that moves passengers between floors and/or along a single floor. Such conveyance systems may include escalators, people movers, etc. Accordingly, embodiments described herein are not limited to elevator systems, such as that shown in
In
Now referring to
The system 300 can also include one or more sensors 318A, 318B that are operably coupled to the controller 302 and elevator car 306 located outside of the elevator car 306. The sensors 318A, 318B can include cameras (such as, video camera, thermal camera, depth sensor, etc.) or load sensors (such as pressure or pressure sensors, piezo electric sensors), etc. and can be configured to monitor the respective areas outside of the elevator car 306. For example, the sensor 318A can be used to monitor a crowd size of the first side 330 of the elevator car 306 and the sensor 318B can be used to monitor the other side.
In this non-limiting example, the sensor 318A has determined that a crowd of passengers 320 has formed on the first side 330 of the elevator car 306. Upon reaching the floor the elevator doors 310 which are opposite the side of the crowd 320 are opened first to allow the passengers inside the elevator car 306 to efficiently exit without navigating through the crowd 320. After a delay, the elevator doors 308 can be opened to allow those people in the crowd 320 that desire to board the elevator car 306 to enter. In other embodiments, the elevator doors 308 are opened responsive to a detection by the sensor 316, such as a camera or load sensor in the floor of the elevator car 306, indicating that a configurable threshold number of passengers has deboarded. In one or more embodiments, the delay can be configured in a number of ways. For example, a delay can be configured to be longer on one floor over another floor if it determined that a particular floor is known to have higher traffic such as a lobby. In another embodiment, the delay can be configured based on a number of passengers on the landing that is detected by an image capturing device or a number of elevator calls that have been received. The image capturing device can be coupled to an image processor configured to perform crowd estimation or the image can be processed in a cloud network or some other network or location. Also, the multi-door system can be configured to ensure a sufficient number of passengers on the elevator car have exited the elevator car prior to opening the set of doors facing a large crowd by increasing the delay between opening the first set of doors and the second doors. It should be understood that different delay can be configured based on a number of factors, conditions, etc. In one or more embodiments, the configurable threshold can be an estimated threshold number of passengers detected by an image capturing device or the weight of the passengers of the elevator car detected by a load sensor. The configurable threshold can be a fixed or dynamic threshold that can be determined by an elevator operator. In some embodiments, the elevator door 310 that was opened first will be completely closed prior to opening the elevator door 308.
In
In the non-limiting example shown in
In
The car calls correspond to passengers that are deboarding an elevator at a floor. The input can include a crowd detection of passengers on each side of the elevator car. In one or more embodiments, a number of elevator calls that are received for a particular side of the elevator can be used to estimate a crowd of waiting passengers. For example, in some elevator systems a passenger logs in an elevator call at a kiosk where the passenger is either assigned to a particular elevator car and door assignment or the passenger may request a door preference in the elevator car to reach their destination. In one or more embodiments, the choice of the elevator doors is based at least in part on hall calls which indicate that potential passengers are present in front of a particular set of doors.
The method 500 at block 506 provides for comparing a condition associated with a first door and a condition associated with a second door of the unit. In one or more embodiments, a unit is an elevator unit and the condition is the crowd size of people detected outside of the elevator car on a first side and a second side. The crowd size can be detected using cameras that monitor the areas outside of the elevator car. In other embodiments, the crowd size may be estimated based on a number of elevators calls that are associated with a particular side of the elevator car discussed above. This elevator call information can include a floor selection and a door preference which can be used to prioritize the operation of the doors to reduce the crowding outside of the elevator car.
At block 508, the method 500 provides for prioritizing an operation of the first door and the second door based at least in part on the comparison. The operation includes sequencing the opening and closing of the doors of the unit. In one or more embodiments, the first door or the second door is selected to be opened first based on the comparison. For example, if the crowd size is detected to be larger on a first side of the elevator car, the elevator doors on the second side, opposite the first side, will be given first priority and opened first. On the other hand, if the crowd size on the second size is larger, the elevator doors on the first side will receive priority and be opened first.
Subsequently, the other door(s) will be opened to allow the remaining passengers to deboard the elevator car. The operation of the opening of the subsequent door can be operated in a number of ways such opening the doors responsive to a configurable delay, responsive to a load detection or passenger crowd detection, responsive to completely closing the first door, etc. It is to be understood that other configurations can be used to open the subsequent door where the system can be equipped with the appropriate sensors to detect the conditions.
Block 510 provides for operating the first door and second door based on the prioritization. The controller is configured to transmit commands to the elevator car to control the opening and closing of the doors according to the determined crowd size. In one or more embodiments, the method 500 can repeat each time an elevator call is made to select the sequence and operation of opening the doors. The method 500 ends at block 512.
The technical effects and benefits improve passenger flow in the elevator lobby by minimizing interference between boarding and deboarding passengers. This is accomplished by manipulating the door operation of the multi-door system to steer/encourage the passengers to follow an efficient path. The technical effect and benefits also alleviate crowd congestion surrounding the elevator cars.
As described above, embodiments can be in the form of processor-implemented processes and devices for practicing those processes, such as a processor. Embodiments can also be in the form of computer program code containing instructions embodied in tangible media, such as network cloud storage, SD cards, flash drives, floppy diskettes, CD ROMs, hard drives, or any other computer-readable storage medium, wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes a device for practicing the embodiments. Embodiments can also be in the form of computer program code, for example, whether stored in a storage medium, loaded into and/or executed by a computer, or transmitted over some transmission medium, loaded into and/or executed by a computer, or transmitted over some transmission medium, such as over electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via electromagnetic radiation, wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into an executed by a computer, the computer becomes an device for practicing the embodiments. When implemented on a general-purpose microprocessor, the computer program code segments configure the microprocessor to create specific logic circuits.
The term “about” is intended to include the degree of error associated with measurement of the particular quantity and/or manufacturing tolerances based upon the equipment available at the time of filing the application.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, element components, and/or groups thereof.
Those of skill in the art will appreciate that various example embodiments are shown and described herein, each having certain features in the particular embodiments, but the present disclosure is not thus limited. Rather, the present disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions, combinations, sub-combinations, or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, while various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the present disclosure may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.
