Title of Invention

A METHOD FOR CONTROLLING PLURALITY OF LIFT GROUPS WITH DESTINATION CALL CONTROL AND IMMEDIATE ALLOCATION

Abstract

A method for controlling plurality of lift groups (Gl to G5) with destination call control and immediate allocation, wherein the call input takes place by means of a destination call input device (TE) or contactlessly and automatically by means of information transmitter and recognition device and the allocated lift is made known on a display device (DS) or acoustically, characterised in that all destination call controls are combined into a common multigroup control, wherein the multigroup control selects the most favourable lift from all lifts, which come into question, of all groups (Gl to G5).

Full Text

The invention relates to a method for controlling plurality of lift groups with destination call control and immediate allocation, in which all destination controls are combined into a common multigroup control. The previous solutions of transport of persons in large buildings are based on division of the building into individual zones which mostly are each served by a respective lift group. With conventional two-button controls as well as with previous destination call controls, such as, for example, for the group control equipment that has become known through EP 356 731, the passenger must first find the group which serves his desired storey. Only then will the appropriate UP or DOWN storey call or, in the case of the destination call control, the destination call be entered in the case of the conventional control. Although the traffic flow of persons is simplified in the case of the destination call group control, the search for the appropriate lift group, however, still remains. A destination call control with a dynamic sector allocation for a lift group has become known by US 5 382 761. A new destination call is in that case allocated either to a cage, the sector to be served by which includes the destination storey, or the new destination call is allocated to a cage which is not yet associated with an existing sector or the sector of which lies near to the destination storey and is enlarged to this. The control in that case takes into consideration the size of the already fixed sectors and allocates the new desfination call to the smallest sector. A respective display, which indicates the served sector, is arranged above each lift. In the case of the afore-described destination call control with dynamic sector allocation, the passenger can enter his desired destination storey and must then. by reference to the displays, find the lift which serves his storey. If several lifts are present, the search for the correct lift proves to be arduous, especially when many persons are at a main stop at a peak traffic time. In addition, the search for the correct lift becomes more difficult when the individual lift groups are not arranged in ascending or descending sequence adjacent to one another. The invention is based on the object of proposing a method for controlling plurality of lift groups with destination call control of the initially mentioned kind, wherein the destination call entry can be undertaken at any desired call-registering equipment which is not allocated to a specific lift group and an allocated lift is unambiguous and simple to recognise for the passenger. This task is solved by the present invention. The advantages achieved by the invention are to be seen essentially in that the passenger does not need to know the building division into individual zones (storey regions) which are served only by individual lift groups. When the zones served by several lift groups overlap, the selection from all lifts coming into question is made automatically. Advantageous developments of and improvements is in the multigroup control of the present invention for lifts with destination call control. The passengers know, before the cage has reached a storey at which another lift has to be transferred to, which lift another lift group is associated with their destination call and in which direction the lift is to be found after leaving the cage. Since the destination calls on the transfer storey need not be entered once again, time is gained and crowding of the passengers and the mutual obstruction connected therewith is avoided. Accordingly the present invention provides a method for controlling plurality of lift groups (Gl to G5) with destination call control and immediate allocation, wherein the call input takes place by means of a destination call input device (TE) or contactlessly and automatically by means of information transmitter and recognition device and the allocated lift is made known on a display device (DS) or acoustically, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: combining all destination call control into a common multigroup control; and selecting the most favourable lift from all lifts by the multigroup control, which come into question, of all groups (Gl to G5). Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawing and explained more closely in the following. There: Fig. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a main stop of a lift installation which serves different sectors, Fig. 2 shows a schematic illustration of main stop of a lift installation with three lift groups. WE CLAIM; 1. A method for controlling plurality of lift groups (Gl to G5) with destination call control and immediate allocation, wherein the call input takes place by means of a destination call input device (TE) or contactlessly and automatically by means of information transmitter and recognition device and the allocated lift is made known on a display device (DS) or acoustically, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: combining all destination call control into a common multigroup control; and selecting the most favourable lift from all lifts by the multigroup control, which come into question, of all groups (Gl to G5). 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, it comprises the steps of: connecting the controls of the individual lifts of a group (Gl to G5) into a group control; and then connecting the groups control with a central multigroup control. 3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, it comprises the steps of: connecting the controls of the individual lifts of a group (Gl to G5) into a group control; and additionally taking over the function of the multigroup control by one of the group controls. 4. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connections of the controls are effected by means of communications cable (bus). 5. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connections of the controls are realised wirelessly by means of transmitter and receiver. 6. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the lifts connected with the multigroup control are provided with uniform designations to be recongised unambiguously by the passengers, especially with Latin letters from A to Z in ascending or descending sequence. 7. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a display field (11) is arranged in cages (Kl to K5) of the lift groups (Gl to G5), on which display field all destination calls, which are not servable by the cage concerned and passed over to at least one other lift group, and the associated selected lifts of the other lift group and their position are displayed. 8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein two display fields (12, 13) are provided in the cages (Kl to K5) and are arranged to the right and to the left beside a cage door (7), wherein the destination calls associated with the lifts lying to the right of the cage door (7) are displayed in the righthand display field (12) and the destination calls associated with the lifts lying to the left of the cage door (7) are displayed in the lefthand display field (13). 9. A method for controlling plurality of lift groups with destination call control and immediate allocation, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

544-mas-1997 abstract.pdf

544-mas-1997 claims.pdf

544-mas-1997 correspondence others.pdf

544-mas-1997 correspondence po.pdf

544-mas-1997 description (complete).pdf

544-mas-1997 drawings.pdf

544-mas-1997 form-2.pdf

544-mas-1997 form-26.pdf

544-mas-1997 form-4.pdf

544-mas-1997 petition.pdf

544-mas-97 abstract-duplicate.pdf

544-mas-97 claims-duplicate.pdf

544-mas-97 description (complete)-duplicate.pdf

544-mas-97 drawings-duplicate.pdf