DESC:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of elevator systems for high-rise buildings. In particular, the present disclosure pertains to an alternative elevator system integrating multiple cabins, a unified sensing module, integrated guidance architecture, and a cloud based rescue operation management system for evacuation during emergency from a multi-story building having a plurality of floors.

BACKGROUND
[0002] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[0003] High-rise buildings present several unique challenges not found in traditional low-rise buildings especially during a large scale emergency, longer egress times and distance, evacuation strategies, fire department accessibility, smoke movement and fire control being few of such challenges. Multiple floors of a high-rise building create a cumulative effect of requiring great numbers of persons to travel great vertical distances on stairs in order to evacuate the building. To ensure full scale evacuation it is equally important to plan for evacuation of non-ambulatory, injured, and disabled occupants during a potentially catastrophic event, and whether or not appropriate features or systems are provided to assist them during an emergency.
[0004] The critical provisions for minimum levels of safety in building design and construction can make a considerable difference between minimal life and property damage and outright ruin. During a major emergency situation, as normal elevators are usually taken out of service, it is difficult to evacuate building occupants via stairs and fire department personnel are also unable to reach building's upper floors from outside the building, raising a need for a highly effective egress system for high-rise buildings for rapid and effective evacuation.
[0005] Efforts have been made in the art to overcome above limitations of high-rise building’s rapid and effective mass evacuation capabilities in case of a major emergency situation. For example, United States Patent application number US 20050269155 discloses a tall building escape apparatus that can provide rapid escape without using power equipment. The escape apparatus according to this prior art includes two escape exits on one side of a building and two upright sliding rails abutting the escape exits. The hanging racks are located on the top floor. The hanging racks have pulleys mounted thereon to wind a rope between the two hanging racks. When a user escapes by descending through one escape case, another escape case is pulled by the rope upwards to enable another user to escape. The patent does not address problem of high density of tenants on each floor to be evacuated coupled with occupants with all kinds of disabilities. Furthermore, locating escape exits without signage in an emergency condition is a big challenge in itself.
[0006] Another reference, United States Patent application number US5355975A discloses an elevator system for vertical transport between floors of a multi-storied building during an emergency with an elevator shaft in the exterior of said building. An independent power source generates power even in the event of a local power failure, making the transport system available to be used during emergencies. The building is equipped with doors at each floors of the building and the elevator is provided with a mating door, which engages with the exterior of the building and allows access through the two doors from the elevator transport structure to the building. As would be evident, the proposed system leaves occupants trapped inside without any communication/guidance system or sign displays to assist them during an emergency.
[0007] Another reference, United States Patent application number US9129498 B2 proposes a plurality of nodes in communication with one another; receiving occupancy information from a node located in an area of a structure, where the occupancy information includes a number of individuals located in the area. One or more evacuation routes are determined based on the occupancy information and conveyed to the node with one or more evacuation routes. As would be evident, the proposed system only suggests the evacuation routes but does provide for a rescue system.
[0008] Yet another reference, United States Patent application number US7567844 B2 proposes a method and a system for emergency evacuation of building occupants with modernization of an existing building with the evacuation system. A first device is provided for measuring the number of persons in the building and a second device is provided for detecting an emergency condition in the building. At least one control unit is provided for determining/estimating number of occupants. The control unit defines at least one evacuation zone in the building during the emergency condition. Based on this information, the control unit defines at least one designated floor in the building during the emergency condition. Then the system evacuates the occupants with the elevator car and/or a stairway from the evacuation zone to the designated floor. However, any rescue system should not be developed around stairways and usual elevators as in multiple level buildings it is difficult to evacuate building occupants via the stairs, and the elevators are usually taken out of service during emergency situation, such as a fire.
[0009] Another reference, PCT publication number WO 1995019202 provides an evacuation system having a plurality of detectors comprising smoke detectors and thermo sensors adapted to apply signal in an emergency situation to actuate a plurality of signalling means with a view to indicating an escape route. It also integrates visual directional indicators positioned along the escape route to indicate one out of several directions of escape, such as a running light, sound generators positioned at the exit of the escape route and an intercom system for communication to and from the emergency zone.
[0010] Another reference, United States Patent application number US6000505 provides a plurality of detectors, such as smoke detectors, located on the floors, and an elevator system usable for moving building occupants between floors during an emergency condition, such as a building fire. The elevator system includes a control unit that controls movement of an elevator car between selected floors within an emergency evacuation zone for evacuation of building occupants to a designated evacuation assistance floor. The vertical movement of the elevator car is controlled relative to the detection of smoke within the building to increase the efficiency of emergency evacuation. The elevator and smoke detection systems are equipped with an emergency power source for operation in the event of a power outage. A signal control system receives status information from the building systems, including the elevator system, an air handling system, and a fire suppression system. The signal control system provides the status information to the fire station or to fire department personnel en route to the building. The patent does not address problem of occupants with special needs, a guidance system to guide the people trapped with an escape routes or the designated evacuation assistance floor. Confusion in the face of an emergency, poor visibility, unfamiliarity with the building, etc. can all contribute to the inability of individuals to effectively evacuate a building.
[0011] There is, therefore, a need in the art for an alternative elevator system that provides an integrated solution for mass evacuation from high-rise buildings ensuring equal egress of the non-ambulatory, injured, and disabled occupants. It would be advantageous if the proposed system also includes sensors which can communicate with local as well as remote sensors and help deciding the rescue operations.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0012] A general object of the present disclosure is to provide an alternative elevator system (AES) for high-rise buildings ensuring equal egress of non-ambulatory, injured, and disabled occupants during emergency.
[0013] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a multiple cabin based elevator system that is structurally flexible, customizable, independent of local power source and extraneously available as an alternative exit path for multiple storied residential, commercial or industrial building structures.
[0014] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an easy access to a rescue system, placed adjacent to the multi storied building. The front side of each cabin opens towards a stationery platform, which in turn is connected to balcony of each flat by a collapsible gate.
[0015] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a covering of safety wire net between two rows of cabins of AES with a sliding structure made of wire nets present all along AES allowing people to slide down directly from cabin.
[0016] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an easy access to rescue team to reach out various floors. The rescue team can board the same cabin after the victims come out of it.
[0017] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide utility support like newspaper, milk to the incumbents without disturbing their privacy.
[0018] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an intelligent sensor capsule that integrates one or more sensors, microcontroller or microprocessor, communication module and energy module (battery and supply) to receive, analyse sensor data and further relay alerts to targeted interfaces as well as to remote servers.
[0019] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide for real-time visualization of affected areas of building and accordingly and intelligently provide voice enabled assistance through wired/wireless speaker such that all entrapped victims are guided and evacuated with minimal loss of life.

SUMMARY
[0020] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to an elevator system (also referred to as alternative elevator system or AES hereinafter) for evacuation of one or more occupants of a high-rise building, the elevator system including a plurality of cabins vertically arranged such that at least one cabin is positioned at same level as that of at least one vestibule of at least one floor of the building, at least two conveying mediums configured to provide horizontal swivelling and vertical motion to the plurality of cabins, a plurality of collapsible bridges, each collapsible bridge attached to the at least one vestibule and adapted to foldably attach with the at least one cabin through a platform of the at least one cabin, and one or more safety nets, each safety net including one or more sliding surfaces configured between two columns of the at least one cabin to enable direct sliding of the one or more occupants to ground level, wherein the elevator system stops for a predefined time interval at each floor of the building to allow the one or more occupants to enter or exit the at least one cabin.
[0021] In an embodiment, the vestibule is any or a combination of a window, a balcony, and a ventilation shaft of the building.
[0022] In an embodiment, the at least two conveying mediums are any or a combination of a belt drive or a chain drive connected at ends of at least one horizontal shaft attached to roof of the at least one cabin by a suitable clamping mechanism. In an aspect, the at least one horizontal shaft is fixed to two vertically arranged pillar structures positioned at either sides of the at least one cabin to provide structural stability to movement of the at least one cabin, wherein the pillar structures are positioned extraneous to the building and takes support from the building at different levels.
[0023] In an embodiment, the elevator system initializes itself based on a specific signal received from a microcontroller operatively connected with one or more sensors providing sensor data to the microcontroller to detect occurrence of an emergency condition.
[0024] In an embodiment, the microcontroller transmits, via a communication module, the sensor data to a local server and a remote cloud server for any or a combination of real-time visualization and assessment of extent of the emergency condition, issuance of instruction for evacuation of the one or more occupants of the building, and transmission of an emergency signal to an appropriate emergency response team. In an aspect, the communication module enables both wired and wireless transmission of the sensor data between the microcontroller and the local server and the remote cloud server.
[0025] Aspects of the present disclosure further provide a method for managing evacuation of one or more occupants of a high-rise building, the method including steps of collecting data from one or more sensors configured at various levels of the building and an elevator system, detecting emergency signals based on data collected from the one or more sensors, comparing the emergency signals with nearby sensor data received from one or more sensors configured at a nearby location and evaluating an appropriate model for evacuation of the one or more occupants, initiating evacuation and rescuing of the one or more occupants by activating the elevator system, and sending the collected data to a local server and a remote cloud server for real-time visualization and estimation of emergency and recommend an optimal rescue path and provide necessary guidance to the one or more occupants through an audio-visual guidance system.
[0026] In an aspect, the one or more sensors include any or a combination of infrared sensors, flame sensors, gas sensors, smoke sensors, accelerometer, and proximity sensors.
[0027] In an aspect, the method further includes steps of storing the collected data on the local server and the remote cloud server, and analysing historically collected data and evaluating one or more recovery models for evacuation of the occupants.
[0028] In an embodiment, the audio-visual guidance system includes any or a combination of a speaker and an LED display unit to provide guidance to the one or more occupants about evacuation procedures and the optimal rescue path.
[0029] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] The accompanying drawings are included to provide further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
[0031] FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary representation of a multiple-cabin based elevator system extraneously connected to a multiple storied building through a collapsible bridge in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0032] FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary schematic arrangement of a multi cabin elevator system showing left and right conveying members fastened to pulley/ sprocket at top and bottom of the structure in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0033] FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary schematic arrangement of a multi cabin alternative elevator system showing the additional safety net, with a sliding structure made of wire nets present all along the AES allowing people to slide down directly from each cabin in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0034] FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary schematic arrangement of a multi cabin alternative elevator system showing the ramp provided for the escaping occupants in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of the information flow in the elevator system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0036] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of the proposed system comprising multiple sensors, microcontroller/microprocessor, and an analyser in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0037] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary block diagram depicting management system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038] The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0039] Each of the appended claims defines a separate invention, which for infringement purposes is recognized as including equivalents to the various elements or limitations specified in the claims. Depending on the context, all references below to the "invention" may in some cases refer to certain specific embodiments only. In other cases it will be recognized that references to the "invention" will refer to subject matter recited in one or more, but not necessarily all, of the claims.
[0040] Various terms as used herein are shown below. To the extent a term used in a claim is not defined below, it should be given the broadest definition persons in the pertinent art have given that term as reflected in printed publications and issued patents at the time of filing.
[0041] Embodiments explained herein relate to an elevator system (also referred to as alternative elevator system or AES hereinafter) for evacuation of one or more occupants of a high-rise building, the elevator system including a plurality of cabins vertically arranged such that at least one cabin is positioned at same level as that of at least one vestibule of at least one floor of the building, at least two conveying mediums (also referred to as conveying members hereinafter) configured to provide horizontal swivelling and vertical motion to the plurality of cabins, a plurality of collapsible bridges, each collapsible bridge attached to the at least one vestibule and adapted to foldably attach with the at least one cabin through a platform of the at least one cabin, and one or more safety nets, each safety net including one or more sliding surfaces configured between two columns of the at least one cabin to enable direct sliding of the one or more occupants to ground level, wherein the elevator system stops for a predefined time interval at each floor of the building to allow the one or more occupants to enter or exit the at least one cabin.
[0042] In an embodiment, the vestibule is any or a combination of a window, a balcony, and a ventilation shaft of the building.
[0043] In an embodiment, the at least two conveying mediums are any or a combination of a belt drive or a chain drive connected at ends of at least one horizontal shaft attached to roof of the at least one cabin by a suitable clamping mechanism including, but not limited to, hook mechanism. In an aspect, the at least one horizontal shaft is fixed to two vertically arranged pillar structures positioned at either sides of the at least one cabin to provide structural stability to movement of the at least one cabin, wherein the pillar structures are positioned extraneous to the building and takes support from the building at different levels.
[0044] In an embodiment, the elevator system initializes itself based on a specific signal received from a microcontroller operatively connected with one or more sensors providing sensor data to the microcontroller to detect occurrence of an emergency condition.
[0045] In an embodiment, the microcontroller transmits, via a communication module, the sensor data to a local server and a remote cloud server for any or a combination of real-time visualization and assessment of extent of the emergency condition, issuance of instruction for evacuation of the one or more occupants of the building, and transmission of an emergency signal to an appropriate emergency response team. In an aspect, the communication module enables both wired and wireless transmission of the sensor data between the microcontroller and the local server and the remote cloud server.
[0046] Embodiments of the present disclosure further relate to a method for managing evacuation of one or more occupants of a high-rise building, the method including steps of collecting data from one or more sensors configured at various levels of the building and an elevator system, detecting emergency signals based on data collected from the one or more sensors, comparing the emergency signals with nearby sensor data received from one or more sensors configured at a nearby location and evaluating an appropriate model for evacuation of the one or more occupants, initiating evacuation and rescuing of the one or more occupants by activating the elevator system, and sending the collected data to a local server and a remote cloud server for real-time visualization and estimation of emergency and recommend an optimal rescue path and provide necessary guidance to the one or more occupants through an audio-visual guidance system.
[0047] In an aspect, the one or more sensors include any or a combination of infrared sensors, flame sensors, gas sensors, smoke sensors, accelerometer, and proximity sensors.
[0048] In an aspect, the method further includes steps of storing the collected data on the local server and the remote cloud server, and analysing historically collected data and evaluating one or more recovery models for evacuation of the occupants.
[0049] In an embodiment, the audio-visual guidance system includes any or a combination of a speaker and an LED display unit to provide guidance to the one or more occupants about evacuation procedures and the optimal rescue path.
[0050] In an aspect, embodiments explained herein pertain to an emergency rescue system for high-rise buildings. In particular, the disclosed system analyses, models the exigency and accordingly alerts and/or starts the elevator module for quicker and safe rescue of the paranoid victims. It can facilitate rescuer with remote and real-time visualization of spread of fire on building plan and further help rescuer to plan for safer and effective rescue. The rescue operation system can also guide the trapped occupants of the building with automatic guidance system through speaker and sign displays.
[0051] It is to be appreciated that though various embodiments have been explained here with reference to application of system and method of the present disclosure in rescue environment for high-rise buildings they can with suitable modifications that would be apparent to those skilled in the art, be applied for other similar applications and all such applications are well within the scope of the present disclosure without any limitations.
[0052] In an aspect, the present disclosure relates to an emergency rescue system for high-rise buildings. In particular, the disclosed system analyses, models exigency, and accordingly alerts and/or starts an elevator module/system for quicker and safe rescue of paranoid victims. It can facilitate rescuer with remote and real-time visualization of spread of fire on building plan and further help rescuer to plan for safer and effective rescue. The rescue operation system can also guide trapped occupants of building with automatic guidance system through speaker and sign displays.
[0053] In an aspect, the disclosed system in case of emergency analyses, models the exigency, and accordingly alerts and/or starts the elevator system for quicker and safe rescue of the paranoid victims. The proposed system can therefore facilitate rescuer with remote and real-time visualization of spread of fire on building plan and further help rescuer to plan for safer and effective rescue. The rescue operation system can also guide trapped occupants of a building with automatic guidance system through speaker and sign displays.
[0054] In an aspect, the disclosed system includes a multiple cabin based elevator system, a unified sensing module, an integrated guidance system, and a cloud based rescue operation management system. The elevator system is extraneously connected to the side of multiple storied building with foldable bridge and safety hand rail.
[0055] In an aspect, each cabin made of metals/alloys/fibrous material is confined with closure on right and left side. The front side of the cabin can be optionally closed with collapsible doors. Fastening belts can be provided in the cabins for safe transit of residents. Front side of each cabin open towards the platform connected to the balcony by a collapsible bridge for simultaneous evacuation from each floor. Both front and back side of the cabin can be used as an entry and exit points to the ground level through a ramp placed at the ground floor. The rescue team can avail the same route to reach the paranoid occupants or incumbents with special needs.
[0056] In an embodiment, left and right conveying members can be fastened to pulley/ sprocket placed at top and bottom of the structure attached to respective horizontal shafts. The pulley is functional by bearing mechanism.
[0057] In an aspect, the disclosed system integrates the multiple cabin based elevator system with a complete control mechanism which can include one or more sensors, intelligent sensor capsules, microcontrollers, actuators, communication modules, and suitable user interfaces, wherein the sensors can include, but are not limited to, Infra-Red sensors, Flame sensor, Gas Sensor, Smoke sensor, Accelerometer, proximity sensors etc.
[0058] In an embodiment, sensor capsules can be fixed in every room of building and/or at all vital places of the building. Multiple sensor capsules can communicate, either through wired or through wireless communication with the local as well as remote server.
[0059] In an aspect, intelligent sensor capsule of the present disclosure can include one or more sensors, microcontroller(s) or microprocessor(s), communication module(s), and energy module(s) (battery and supply). All the components can be conveniently housed inside a cabinet.
[0060] In an aspect, microcontroller/microprocessor of sensor capsule can be programmed to run an analytical module that receives and analyses sensor data and in case of an emergency being detected, the microcontroller/microprocessor can switch on the communication module and send the data or alerts to targeted interface(s) as well as to remote server(s) for real-time visualisation as well as for post analysis for automatic or manual enrichment of analytical module by using suitable algorithms.
[0061] In an aspect, the disclosed system incorporates Cloud based rescue management system for real-time guidance system for victims, rescuer and post event analysts. In case of an eventuality like fire, data sent from sensor capsule can be fed into analytic module, and after due validation and estimation of threat propensity, targeted audience for the alert can be decided and accordingly alarms can be raised and relayed. Real-time data can also be used for real-time visualization of affected areas of building, and accordingly and intelligently provide drop down display and voice enabled assistance. Voice enabled assistance can be played through wired/wireless speaker attached to each house/compartment of the building.
[0062] In an aspect, each integrated sensor capsule can be fitted with small LED displays dispensing out from the module and can show signs such as left, right, forward and prohibited sign for guiding the trapped occupants.
[0063] In an aspect, the disclosed system can be used in non-emergency scenario, allowing only authorized users to avail the system as can be used only when the foldable bridge is opened by the residents. The proposed elevator system to avoid usage by unauthorised users can further include controlled doors at entry point on ground floor and various authentication modes, such as but not limited to finger print sensor etc.
[0064] FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary representation of multiple cabins based elevator system (also referred to as alternative elevator system hereinafter) 100 extraneously connected to a multiple storied building structure 102 through a foldable bridge 104 attached to the balcony 106. Each cabin 108 can be made of any or a combination of a metal, an alloy, or a fibrous material, wherein the cabin, in an exemplary implementation, can be confined with closure on right and left side. The front side of the cabin can be optionally closed with collapsible doors. Fastening belts can be provided in the cabins for safe transit of residents. In an aspect, front side of each cabin 108 can open towards a platform 110 connected to the vestibules of each floor such as balcony 106 through a collapsible bridge 104 to get occupants out of the distressed building. The alternative elevator system 100 can be accessed by occupants of the building from one or multiple balconies such that more number of occupants can be rescued in a shorter time interval. Also, the elevator system 100 can have access from common corridors provided in rooms, flats or hostels such that a large number of occupants can be evacuated in an emergency condition such as fire or a natural calamity.
[0065] In an aspect, both front and back side of the cabin can be used as an entry and exit points to the ground. The rescue team can avail the same route to reach the paranoid occupants or incumbents with special needs. Rescue system of the present disclosure can therefore allow for easy egress of all especially children and persons of varying disabilities with little or no need for rushing out of homes looking for stairways and other escape routes.
[0066] FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary schematic arrangement of a multi-cabin Alternative elevator system. Outer side of roof of each cabin 152 can be attached to a horizontal shaft 154 with right and left sides 156 of the horizontal shaft 154 being suitably attached to a conveying medium 158. The conveying medium 158 can be made out of but not limited to a belt or a chain drive. One or more anchoring knobs 114 can be hooked to the horizontal shaft 154 to help provide required swivel to the cabin structure. Swivel motion can be maintained for enabling the cabin to maintain half-circular motion path while passing sprocket/ pulley 162 swiftly through a closed loop mechanism. The conveying medium provides required strength, stability, horizontal swivel and vertical motion to the cabin. It provides required strength, stability, horizontal swivel and vertical motion to the cabin.
[0067] In an exemplary aspect, in order to give proper strength to motion of the cabin and to limit swaying of the cabin, additional conventional components like flywheel, length adjusting sprockets, guide wheel etc. can be fitted. It is to be appreciated that the chain drive used to drive the cabins of the alternative elevator system can be single stranded or multi stranded depending on load and safety requirements.
[0068] In an embodiment, the cabin of the AES houses all components of the intelligent sensor capsule and the speakers for instructions, conveniently inside a cabinet 112. The disclosed intelligent sensor capsule can include one or more sensors, microcontroller(s) or microprocessor(s), communication module(s), and energy module(s) (battery + supply).
[0069] In an aspect, left and right conveying members can be fastened to pulley/ sprocket 162 placed at top and bottom of the structure. Each pulley is functional by bearing mechanism. The bearing for both the pulleys at top and bottom of drive are attached to respective horizontal drive shafts 164 and 166 respectively. In an embodiment, drive mechanism of the AES can be located coupled with the bottom shaft either directly or through speed reducers. The non-drive end of the bottom shaft can be provided with suitable braking mechanism to stop and start the system as programmed. The top shaft can be provided with tension adjusting mechanism for proper functioning of AES. Guide rollers can be provided in the centre of the cabins to avoid their swinging during movement.
[0070] In an aspect, horizontal shafts can be fixed to two pillar structures 168 and 170 positioned on the right and left side, which provides structural stability to the entire moving system. Pillar structure, on the other hand, is positioned extraneous to the host building and may take support from the building at different levels depending on stability requirement.
[0071] FIG. 2A illustrates the disclosed system integrating an additional safety net 210, with a sliding structure 212 made of wire nets, present all along AES allowing people to slide down directly from each cabin. The net system can be placed just behind the cabins of the AES. The sliding structure can be provided with railing 214 for better safety.
[0072] It is to be appreciated that a zig-zag rescue path made of the safety net 210 can be provided outside the cabins or in between two cabins depending on space availability and desired size of the sprockets.
[0073] FIG. 2B illustrates the disclosed multi cabin alternative elevator system wherein, both front and back side of the cabin can be used as an entry and exit points to the ground level through a ramp 220 placed at the ground floor. The rescue team can avail the same route to reach the paranoid occupants or incumbents with special needs.
[0074] It is to be appreciated that although aspects of the present disclosure have been explained with respect to use of components such as pulley/sprocket for operating the proposed elevator system, these are only exemplary components/arrangements, and any other components/construction elements known in the art can be used to enable movement of cabins in the proposed manner and also opening/closing/working of each cabin.
[0075] FIG. 3 illustrates the disclosed system integrating multiple cabin based elevator system with a complete control mechanism which can include one or more sensors, intelligent sensor capsules, microcontrollers, actuators, communication modules, and suitable user interfaces. The sensors can include Infra-Red sensors, Flame sensor, Gas Sensor, Smoke sensor, Accelerometer, proximity sensors etc.
[0076] In an exemplary implementation, with reference to FIG. 3, one or more sensors 302 can be configured to detect an emergency such upon detection of fire, and then actuate the elevator system 100 of the present disclosure based on the specific signal received from the real-time guidance system 304 to enable users to exit through vestibules such as balconies connected to cabin of the elevator system through the foldable bridge 202.
[0077] In an aspect, upon detection of emergency, sensor signals from the signal control system 304 can be sent to multiple servers 306 (or any other configured computing device/cloud), which can enable one or more subscribed users to receive communications regarding the emergency such as location of fire/emergency, how to use the elevator system, severity of emergency, among other information attributes.
[0078] In an aspect, upon detection of emergency, the data channel is being created between the signals from the servers 306 and the emergency guidance system 308, wherein the emergency guidance system 308 processes the said information by estimating the gravity of fire/emergency and further transmitting the said information to targeted interface(s) as well as to local and remote servers for real-time visualisation as well as for post analysis by using suitable algorithms.
[0079] In another embodiment, the transmission of emergency signals can be configured to recommend the optimum rescue path through real-time visualisation of affected areas of building and accordingly and intelligently provide voice enabled assistance/instruction via, multitude of drop down displays 312, oral instructions via multiple speakers 314, integrated sensor capsule including led displays 316 and is intended to enable one or more subscribed users to receive communications regarding the emergency such as location of fire/emergency, how to use the elevator system, severity of emergency, among other information attributes.
[0080] In an aspect, multiple drop down displays 312, multiple speakers 314 and integrated sensor capsule including led displays 316 can be placed at locations throughout the high-rise building including any or a combination of each floor of a building, a house in the building, common spaces, the elevator system and wherein any or a combination of the displays/speakers issue instructions to the occupants of the building for their safe evacuation.
[0081] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram 400 of the Emergency Rescue System comprising multiple sensors 402-1, 402-2 and so forth (collectively referred to as 402) to detect one or more anomalies relating to an emergency condition such as fire, flood or any other natural as well as manmade calamity, a microcontroller/microprocessor 404 to initialize the alternative elevator system 102 and an analytics module 406 to register and analyse the detected emergency. The system further includes a communication module 408 that enables any or a combination of wired and wireless of the sensor data between the microcontroller 404 and a local server 412 and a remote cloud server 414 for any or a combination of real-time visualization and assessment of extent of the emergency condition, issuance of instruction for evacuation of the one or more occupants of the building, and transmission of an emergency signal to an appropriate emergency response team.
[0082] In an aspect, the data is forwarded to local server 412 and cloud based remote control server 414 for real-time visualisation and accessing the gravity of emergency. The elevator system 150 is activated, the optimum rescue path is recommended and all necessary guidance is given through speaker 418 and LED based guidance systems 420 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The information can be used later for analysis and updation of the Disaster Management and Remote Monitoring System 416. In an embodiment, the speaker 418 and the LED board 420 can provide alerts to the occupants of the building to initiate the evacuation process and further provide them with adequate information regarding various evacuation procedures and the optimal rescue path.
[0083] In an aspect, the system 400 can further include a smart power supply selector module 410 that automatically switches power supply of the elevator system from main power supply of the building to standalone power supply of the elevator system 150, and further switches back to the main power supply when the emergency condition is mitigated.
[0084] In an embodiment, the sensor capsules are mostly fixed in every room of house and all vital places of building. Multiple sensor capsules will communicate, either through wired or through wireless communication with the local as well as remote server.
[0085] In an aspect, intelligent sensor capsule consists of one or multiple numbers of sensors, microcontroller or microprocessor, communication module and energy module (battery and supply). All the components can be conveniently housed inside a cabinet.
[0086] In an embodiment each integrated sensor capsule can be fitted with small LED displays dispensing out from the module and can show signs such as left, right, forward and prohibited sign for guiding the trapped occupants.
[0087] In an aspect, the microcontroller/microprocessor of sensor capsule can be programmed to run an analytical module that receives and analyses the sensor data and in case of an emergency being detected, it switches on the communication module and sends the data or alerts to targeted interfaces as well as to remote servers for real-time visualisation as well as for post analysis for automatic or manual enrichment of analytical module by using suitable algorithms.
[0088] In an aspect, the disclosed system incorporates Cloud based rescue management system for real-time guidance for victims, rescuer and post event analysts. In case of an eventuality like fire, the data sent from sensor capsule will be fed into the analytic module and after due validation and estimation of threat propensity, the targeted audience for the alert can be decided and accordingly alarms raised and relayed. The real-time data can also be used for real-time visualization of affected areas of building and accordingly and intelligently provide the voice enabled assistance. The voice enabled assistance will be played through wired/wireless speaker attached to each house/compartment of the building.
[0089] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary block diagram 500 of the Emergency Rescue System depicting the flow of information incorporating various embodiments of the present disclosure. The flow of information can comprise steps such as step 502 of collecting the data from the sensors. Step 504 can be of detection of hazard or emergency, step 506 can be of comparing the signals with other nearby sensor data and finding the appropriate recommended model for action. After the signals are relayed and analysed at step 508 activating the elevator system, for rescuing the occupants, sending the data to local server and remote cloud server for real-time visualisation and estimation of gravity of emergency, based on the analysis recommending the optimum rescue path through speaker and LED based guidance systems is taken up, thereby assessing and guiding the trapped occupants out of the building. Accordingly at step 510 the stored information can be used for analysing the data for future reference.
[0090] In an aspect, the disclosed system can be used in non-emergency scenario, allowing only authorized users to avail the system. No one can approach the balcony unless the foldable bridge is opened by the residents. The system to avoid usage by unauthorised users to further make it secure can include controlled doors at entry point of the AES on ground floor and various other authentication modes, such as but not limited to finger print sensor etc. During emergency, the residents can wait at the bridge platform for their turn to board the elevator’s cabin without getting panicked inside their house.
[0091] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
[0092] The present disclosure provides a highly rapid and effective egress system in case of a major emergency situation especially for high-rise buildings.
[0093] The present disclosure provides multiple cabin based elevator system fitted extraneously to the building structure.
[0094] The present disclosure provides mass evacuation of building occupants with “equal egress” opportunity for occupants with a variety of disabilities. The extraneously positioned cabins open directly towards a platform connected to vestibules of each floor of the building like balconies, through a foldable bridge which can be opened by the residents at their will, for providing entrance to the elevator directly from their houses/floors.
[0095] The present disclosure provides use of the AES every day during rush hours as an alternate mode of commutation and providing of daily utilities like Newspaper, milk etc. This kind of daily use of AES makes the incumbents completely familiar with the working, feeling safe and comfortable using the disclosed system during any exigency.
[0096] The present disclosure shall consume quite less amount of power during emergency, as it is only required to go down along gravity.
[0097] The present disclosure provides multiple sensors mostly installed at various vital places of a building. Multiple sensor capsules will communicate, either through wired or through wireless communication with the local as well as remote server.
[0098] The present disclosure provides a system wherein the integrated sensor module senses, analyses and model the event and accordingly alerts and/or starts the elevator module for quicker and safe rescue of the paranoid victims.
[0099] The present disclosure provides an integrated guidance system with a voice enabled assistance. The voice enabled assistance can be played through wired/wireless speaker placed in each house/compartment of the building.
[00100] The present disclosure provides a Cloud based rescue management system for real-time planning and providing guidance for victims, rescuer and post event analysts.

,CLAIMS:
1. An elevator system for evacuation of one or more occupants of a high-rise building, the elevator system comprising:
a plurality of cabins vertically arranged such that at least one cabin is positioned at same level as that of at least one vestibule of at least one floor of the building;
at least two conveying mediums configured to provide horizontal swivelling and vertical motion to the plurality of cabins;
a plurality of collapsible bridges, each collapsible bridge attached to the at least one vestibule and adapted to foldably attach with the at least one cabin through a platform of the at least one cabin; and
one or more safety nets, each safety net comprising one or more sliding surfaces configured between two columns of the at least one cabin to enable direct sliding of the one or more occupants to ground level;
wherein the elevator system stops for a predefined time interval at each floor of the building to allow the one or more occupants to enter or exit the at least one cabin.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vestibule is any or a combination of a window, a balcony, and a ventilation shaft of the building.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two conveying mediums are any or a combination of a belt drive or a chain drive connected at ends of at least one horizontal shaft attached to roof of the at least one cabin by a suitable clamping mechanism.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one horizontal shaft is fixed to two vertically arranged pillar structures positioned at either sides of the at least one cabin to provide structural stability to movement of the at least one cabin.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the pillar structures are positioned extraneous to the building and takes support from the building at different levels.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the elevator system initializes itself based on a specific signal received from a microcontroller operatively connected with one or more sensors providing sensor data to the microcontroller to detect occurrence of an emergency condition.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more sensors comprise any or a combination of infrared sensors, flame sensors, gas sensors, smoke sensors, accelerometer, and proximity sensors.
8. The system of claim 6, wherein the microcontroller transmits, via a communication module, the sensor data to a local server and a remote cloud server for any or a combination of real-time visualization and assessment of extent of the emergency condition, issuance of instruction for evacuation of the one or more occupants of the building, and transmission of an emergency signal to an appropriate emergency response team.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the communication module enables both wired and wireless transmission of the sensor data between the microcontroller and the local server and the remote cloud server.
10. A method for managing evacuation of one or more occupants of a high-rise building, the method comprising steps of:
collecting data from one or more sensors configured at various levels of the building and an elevator system;
detecting emergency signals based on data collected from the one or more sensors;
comparing the emergency signals with nearby sensor data received from one or more sensors configured at a nearby location and evaluating an appropriate model for evacuation of the one or more occupants;
initiating evacuation and rescuing of the one or more occupants by activating the elevator system; and
sending the collected data to a local server and a remote cloud server for real-time visualization and estimation of emergency and recommend an optimal rescue path and provide necessary guidance to the one or more occupants through an audio-visual guidance system.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more sensors comprise any or a combination of infrared sensors, flame sensors, gas sensors, smoke sensors, accelerometer, and proximity sensors.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises steps of storing the collected data on the local server and the remote cloud server, and analysing historically collected data and evaluating one or more recovery models for evacuation of the occupants.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein the audio-visual guidance system comprises any or a combination of a speaker and an LED display unit to provide guidance to the one or more occupants about evacuation procedures and the optimal rescue path.