Available-car elevator system

Claim 2

In an elevator system for a structure having a plurality of vertically spaced floors including a first terminal floor, a second terminal floor and a plurality of floors intermediate said terminal floors, said floors being arranged in a plurality of zones spaced vertically, each of said zones containing a plurality of said floors, a plurality of elevator cars, means mounting the elevator cars for movement relative to the structure to serve the floors, down floor call registering means operable for registering a call for down elevator service from each of a plurality of said floors, up floor call registering means operable for registering a call for up elevator service from each of a plurality of said floors, car call registering means for each of the elevator cars operable for registering a call for each of a plurality of said floors which may be desired by load in the associated elevator car, selecting means for selecting an available one of the elevator cars to leave one of said floors, one of said cars traveling in the up direction becoming available for selection by the selecting means while adjacent a floor intermediate the terminal flooRs after such car has answered the last call for a floor ahead of the car registered by its car call registering means, and provided that no call is registered by the up floor call registering means for a floor ahead of the elevator car in the zone containing the floor for which the last car call was answered by such car during its up travel, and means responsive to registration by the up floor call registering means of a call for a floor ahead of the last-named elevator car in the zone containing the floor for which the last car call was answered by such car for rendering such car unavailable for selection by the selection means, the presence of a call registered by the up floor call registering means for a floor above the last-named zone being ineffective to prevent the selection of the last-named car by the selecting means, the selecting means comprising assigning means for assigning an available car selected by the selecting means to answer a call for service registered by one of the down floor call registering means at an intermediate one of the floors.

Claim 3

In a load transporting system for a structure having a plurality of stations, a plurality of cars for transporting load, means mounting the cars for movement relative to the structure to serve the stations, first station call registering means for registering a call for service in a first direction from each of a plurality of said stations, each of said cars under predetermined conditions being available for selection and assignment to proceed to a specific zone containing a call registered by the call registering means, and control means for moving each of the cars and for stopping each of the cars traveling in the first direction at a station approached by such car for which a call is registered by the call registering means for service in the first direction, said control means including first means responsive to registration of a call by the call registering means for selecting and assigning one of the available cars to proceed to a specific zone containing such call, and failure means responsive to a predetermined failure of a car to be selected and assigned by said first means to answer a call registered by the call registering means for sending an available car to answer such call.

Claim 4

In a load transporting system for a structure having a plurality of stations, a plurality of cars for transporting load, means mounting the cars for movement relative to the structure to serve the stations, first station call registering means for registering a call for service in a first direction from each of a plurality of said stations, each of said cars under predetermined conditions being available for selection and assignment to proceed to a specific zone containing a call registered by the call registering means, and control means for moving each of the cars and for stopping each of the cars traveling in the first direction at a station approached by such car for which a call is registered by the call registering means for service in the first direction, said control means including first means responsive to registration of a call by the call registering means for selecting and assigning one of the available cars to proceed to a specific zone containing such call, and failure means responsive to a predetermined failure of a car to be selected and assigned by said first means to answer a call registered by the call registering means for sending an available car to answer such call.

Claim 5

A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said failure means comprises means responsive to said failure for successively assigning each of the available cars to the farthest station in a second direction opposite to said first direction for which a call is registered by the first station call registering means to provide service in the first direction for such call.

Claim 6

A system as claimed in claim 3 in combination with means responsive to the answer of all calls registered by the station call registering means for terminating said successive assignment.

Claim 7

A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said failure means is responsive to a failure only for a duration in excess of a predetermined time.

Claim 8

A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said failure means is responsive to a predetermined failure of a car to be selected and assigned to answer a plurality of calls registered by the call registering means for assigning certain of the available cars to the farthest station in a second direction opposite to said first direction and certain of the available cars to a station displaced in the first direction from such farthest station for which calls are registered by the first station call registering means to provide service in the first direction for such calls.

Claim 9

In a load transporting system for a structure having a plurality of stations including a primary station and a plurality of first stations displaced in a first direction from the primary station, a plurality of cars for transporting load, means mounting the cars for movement relative to the structure to serve the stations, first station call registering means for registering a call for service in the first direction from each of a plurality of said stations, one of the cars when located at the primary station when available being selected as the next car to leave the primary station, and control means for moving each of the cars and for stopping each of the cars traveling in the first direction at a station approached by such car for which a call is registered by the call registering means for service in the first direction, said control means including auxiliary means responsive when a call is registered by the call registering means to a predetermined failure of an available one of the cars to be assigned to another such call for dispatching successively each of the next cars from the primary station.

Claim 10

In a load transporting system for a structure having a plurality of stations including a primary station and a plurality of first stations displaced in a first direction from the primary station, a plurality of cars for transporting load, means mounting the cars for movement relative to the structure to serve the stations, first station call registering means for registering a call for service in the first direction from each of a plurality of said stations, one of the cars when located at the primary station when available being selected as the next car to leave the primary station, and control means for moving each of the cars and for stopping each of the cars traveling in the first direction at a station approached by such car for which a call is registered by the call registering means for service in the first direction, said control means including auxiliary means responsive when a call is registered by the call registering means to a predetermined failure of an available one of the cars to be assigned to another such call for dispatching successively each of the next cars from the primary station.

Claim 11

A system as claimed in claim 7 in combination with means responsive to the answering of all calls registered by the call registering means for terminating the successive dispatching of the next cars by the auxiliary means.

Claim 12

A system as claimed in claim 7 in combination with second station call registering means operable for registering a call for service in a second direction from each of a plurality of said stations, car call registering means for each of the cars operable for registering a call for each of a plurality of said stations which may be desired by load in the associated car, said control means comprising means for stopping each of the cars approaching a station for which a car call is registered by the car call registering means or a call is registered by the station call registering means requiring service in the direction of travel of the car, means for designating each car under predetermined conditions as available for assignment to answer calls, means responsive to registration of a call by the second station call registering means for assigning an available one of the cars to answer such call, and means responsive to failure of an available car to be assigned to answer the last named call for a predetermined time for conditioning the available ones of the cars successively to proceed to stations displaced from said end station in the first direction to provide service in the second direction.

Claim 13

In a load transporting system for a structure having a plurality of stations, car means comprising a load car for transporting load, means mounting the car for movement relative to the structure to serve the stations, calling means comprising first station call registering means for registering a call for service in a first direction from each of a plurality of said stations, control means for moving the car and for stopping the car when traveling in the first direction at a station approached by the car for which a call is registered by the call registering means, priority means for each of the call registering means responsive to a first predetermined condition for designating a call registration by the associated call registering means as a priority call registration, modifying means responsive to a priority call registration for modifying the operation of said car, and altering means responsive to a second predetermined condition for causing the priority means to respond to a condition which differs from the first predetermined condition.

Claim 14

In a load transporting system for a structure having a plurality of stations, car means comprising a load car for transporting load, means mounting the car for movement relative to the structure to serve the stations, calling means comprising first station call registering means for registering a call for service in a first direction from each of a plurality of said stations, control means for moving the car and for stopping the car when traveling in the first direction at a station approached by the car for which a call is registered by the call registering means, priority means for each of the call registering means responsive to a first predetermined condition for designating a call registration by the associated call registering means as a priority call registration, modifying means responsive to a priority call registration for modifying the operation of said car, and altering means responsive to a second predetermined condition for causing the priority means to respond to a condition which differs from the first predetermined condition.

Claim 15

A system as claimed in claim 10 wherein said system is an elevator system, said stations being vertically spaced floors of the structure, said car means comprising a plurality of elevator cars independently mounted for movement to serve the stations similarly to said load car, said calling means comprising down floor call registering means operable for registering a call for down elevator service from each of a plurality of said floors, up floor call registering means operable for registering a call for up elevator service from each of a plurality of said floors, car call registering means for each of the elevator cars operable for registering a call for each of a plurality of said floors which may be desired by load in the associated elevator car, said control means controlling the elevator cars to provide a first service for calls registered by the call registerIng means, said priority means being responsive to a first predetermined condition for designating a call registered by certain of said registering means as a priority call registration, said modifying means being responsive to operation of the priority means for controlling said cars to provide a second service for calls registered by the call registering means, and said altering means being responsive to a second predetermined condition for modifying the first predetermined condition to which the priority means responds.

Claim 16

A system as claimed in claim 11 wherein said first service is suitable for balanced traffic in the two directions, said second service being suitable for traffic which is predominantly in one direction, said first predetermined condition being call registration in excess of a predetermined time, said second service being preferential service for the priority call registration, and said altering means being responsive to transfer of the control means from the first to the second condition for increasing the time value of said predetermined time.

Claim 17

In a load transporting system for a structure having a plurality of stations, car means comprising a load car for transporting load, means mounting the car for movement relative to the structure to serve the stations, calling means comprising first station call registering means for registering a call for service in a first direction from each of a plurality of said stations, control means for moving the car and for stopping the car when traveling in the first direction at a station approached by the car for which a call is registered by the call registering means, priority means responsive to a first predetermined condition for designating a call registration by the call registering means as a priority call registration, modifying means responsive to a priority call registration for modifying the operation of said car, and altering means responsive to a second predetermined condition for altering the first predetermined condition, said system being an elevator system, said stations being vertically spaced floors of the structure, said car means comprising a plurality of elevator cars independently mounted for movement to serve the stations similarly to said load car, said calling means comprising down floor call registering means operable for registering a call for down elevator service from each of a plurality of said floors, up floor call registering means operable for registering a call for up elevator service from each of a plurality of said floors, car call registering means for each of the elevator cars operable for registering a call for each of a plurality of said floors which may be desired by load in the associated elevator car, said control means controlling the elevator cars to provide a first service for calls registered by the call registering means, said priority means being responsive to a first predetermined condition for designating a call registered by certain of said registering means as a priority call registration, said modifying means being responsive to operation of the priority means for controlling said cars to provide a second service for calls registered by the call registering means, and said altering means being responsive to a second predetermined condition for modifying the first predetermined condition to which the priority means responds, said first predetermined condition being a predetermined call registration by the call registering means in excess of a predetermined time, said second service providing preferential service for the priority call registration, said altering means comprising service means operable for removing one of the elevator cars from service, and means responsive to operation of the service means to remove an elevator car from service for increasing the time value of said predetermined time.

Claim 18

In a load transporting system for a structure having a plurality of stations, car means comprising a load car for transporting load, means mounting the car for movement relative to the structure to serve the stations, calling means comprising first station call registering means for registering a call for service in a first direction from each of a plurality of said stations, control means for moving the car and for stopping the car when traveling in the first direction at a station approached by the car for which a call is registered by the call registering means, priority means responsive to a first predetermined condition for designating a call registration by the call registering means as a priority call registration, modifying means responsive to a priority call registration for modifying the operation of said car, and altering means responsive to a second predetermined condition for altering the first predetermined condition, said system being an elevator system, said stations being vertically spaced floors of the structure, said car means comprising a plurality of elevator cars independently mounted for movement to serve the stations similarly to said load car, said calling means comprising down floor call registering means operable for registering a call for down elevator service from each of a plurality of said floors, up floor call registering means operable for registering a call for up elevator service from each of a plurality of said floors, car call registering means for each of the elevator cars operable for registering a call for each of a plurality of said floors which may be desired by load in the associated elevator car, said control means controlling the elevator cars to provide a first service for calls registered by the call registering means, said priority means being responsive to a first predetermined condition for designating a call registered by certain of said registering means as a priority call registration, said modifying means being responsive to operation of the priority means for controlling said cars to provide a second service for calls registered by the call registering means, and said altering means being responsive to a second predetermined condition for modifying the first predetermined condition to which the priority means responds, said first predetermined condition being a predetermined call registration by the call registering means in excess of a predetermined time, said second service providing preferential service for the priority call registration, said altering means comprising service means operable for removing one of the elevator cars from service, and means responsive to operation of the service means to remove an elevator car from service for increasing the time value of said predetermined time.

Claim 19

A system as claimed in claim 13 wherein said altering means comprises preferential means operable for providing preferred elevator service for certain of said floors, time means responsive to time periods for providing preferential service to certain of said floors, and means for altering the time value of said predetermined time in response to each of the following: A. operation of the control means from the first condition to the second condition; B. operation of the preferential means; C. operation of the time means for providing preferential service.