ELEVATOR SYSTEM
FIELD OP THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to elevator systems. In
particular, the present invention relates to a method
for controlling an elevator system, in which method an
elevator car suitable- for the user is determined on
the basis of the landing call data of a destination
call entered by the user.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In an elevator system, the operation of the elevators
is controlled on the basis of calls entered by users.
In a conventional elevator system, call input is in
most cases arranged by placing on each floor of the
building up/down buttons, by means of which an
arriving passenger indicates the desired traveling
direction. In addition, the elevator car needs to be
provided with a control panel, on which the elevator
passenger presses the button corresponding to his/her
desired destination floor. In the traditional call
input method, the elevator customer thus inputs two
calls. First, a call button has to be pressed to call
an elevator to the floor where the customer is
currently located. In addition to this, a second press
of a call button is needed in the elevator car.
An indicator light, which may have the shape of e.g. a
direction arrow, is generally placed near the landing
call buttons, i.e. near the up/down buttons outside
the elevator car. A signal light lit in such a
direction arrow indicates the traveling direction of
an elevator having arrived at the floor. In addition,
the landing may be provided with a digital number
display placed beside or above the elevator door and

continuously showing the floor at which the elevator
is currently located.
Fig. 1 presents the parts of a traditional elevator
system, wherein an elevator group 111 in the - elevator
system comprises one or more elevator cars 11, an
elevator control panel 12, an elevator group control
system 13 and an elevator control system 14.
The elevator group control system 13 receives the
landing call entered via the up/down buttons and tries
to determine which one of the elevators in the
elevator group will be best able to serve the person
having entered the call. The landing call comprises
information indicating the user's starting floor and
whether the user is traveling in the upward or down-
ward direction. The process of determining which
elevator will be suitable for the user is termed call
allocation. In continuous allocation, the control
system 13 keeps continuously selecting, e.g. at half-
second intervals, a suitable elevator for the user.
Often a landing call is allocated to the elevator that
is located closest to the user and traveling in the
direction of the call. In continuous allocation, the
actual selection of an elevator is not made until the
elevator is so close to the floor of the call that it
must begin to decelerate in order to stop. At this
stage, the group control system 13 allocates the
landing call to the stopping elevator car and
transmits the received landing call to the elevator
control system 14. Once the control system 13 has
determined which elevator is to serve the user, the
user can give his/her destination floor by pressing
the desired button in the control panel 12. One of the
advantages of continuous allocation is that, if an
elevator traveling towards the user's starting floor
stops before reaching the user's floor and remains

stationary for some time, there may arrive from else-
where another elevator that reaches the user's floor
much earlier than that elevator car which seemed best
at the time of entry of the landing call.
Fig. 2 presents an elevator system employing another
call method. In the destination-floor elevator system
according to Fig. 2, the user selects his/her
destination floor already in the elevator lobby
outside the elevator 21. In destination-floor elevator
systems, each user wanting to have a ride on an
elevator enters at the landing a destination floor
call, which comprises information indicating the
user's starting floor, destination floor and possibly
some other information, such as the number of
passengers or the like. In destination-floor elevator
systems, the number of calls to be entered per
elevator ride is one instead of the traditional two
calls.
A destination floor call is entered e.g. using a
destination call device 25 specifically reserved for
this purpose, which is an expanded version of the
traditional landing call button and is mounted at the
landing. In the destination call device, the
traditional landing call button has been expanded with
a more versatile user interface so as to allow the
user to directly indicate the floor he/she wants to
reach by elevator. The destination floor call is
transmitted for elevator allocation to the group
control system, i.e. to the elevator control system
24, which immediately allocates an elevator to serve
the user, specifically for each case e.g.on the basis
of a genetic algorithm, and sends to the destination
call device information regarding the elevator
reserved for the user. Elevator allocation performed
immediately is called single allocation. In this case,

allocation takes place at the moment when the control
system 24 receives a destination floor call from a
user and the allocation is not changed afterwards. A
simplified control panel 22 placed in the elevator car
comprises e.g. a digital number display -showing- the
floors at which the elevator is going to stop.
In traditional landing call allocation, it is
difficult to utilize the entire transport capacity of
the elevator group as well as simultaneous calls of a
plurality of users. Neither is it possible in the
traditional control method to optimize the total
travel time of each passenger on a passenger-specific
basis. By contrast, a destination-floor elevator
system takes each passenger's total travel time and
the number of users into account and can thus serve
the users of the system more effectively. In a
destination-floor elevator system, it is also possible
to gather users with the same destination floor in the
same elevator, thus allowing fast and efficient
operation of the elevator system. However, the
elevator control needed in a destination-floor
elevator system requires for group control a very
complex control system, which is not necessary in
smaller elevator systems. The control tables required
in a destination-floor elevator system also require
plenty of memory storage space and are additionally
impractical in respect of price in the case of smaller
elevator systems.
Moreover, a destination-floor elevator system requires
- complicated signaling, such as displays mounted at the-
landings to let the user know in which direction the
elevator selected to serve the call is moving and at
which floors it will stop.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to eliminate or
alleviate the above-mentioned problems associated with
prior art and to disclose a solution that is simple
"and easy to" implement using traditional group control.
A further object of the present invention is to
disclose a solution that is cost-effective as compared
to earlier solutions.
As for the features of the invention, reference is
made to the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to present a method for
entering a destination floor call, for storing the
call data of a destination floor call entered by the
user, for allocating an elevator car to the user on
the basis of the landing call data of the destination
floor call and for transmitting a car call to the
elevator car when the elevator is arriving at the
landing. The method of the invention is characterized
by what is presented in the characterization part of
claim 1. The system of the invention is characterized
by what is presented in the characterization part of
claim 9. Other embodiments of the invention are
characterized by what is disclosed in the other
claims. Inventive embodiments are also presented in the
description part and drawings of the present
application. The inventive content disclosed in the
application can also be defined in other ways than is
done in the claims below. The inventive content may
also consist of several separate inventions, especially
if the invention is considered in the light of explicit
or implicit sub-tasks or in respect of advantages or
sets of advantages achieved. In this case, some of the
attributes contained in the claims below may be

superfluous from the point of view of separate
inventive concepts. Within the framework of the basic
concept of the invention, features of different
embodiments of the invention can be applied in
conjunction with other embodiments.
In an embodiment of the invention, the user enters a
destination floor call using a destination call
device. The call data of the destination floor call
entered by the user are stored in the memory of the
destination call device. The landing call data of the
destination floor call comprise information indicating
the user's starting floor and whether the user is
traveling in the upward or downward direction.
Moreover, the call data comprise information
indicating the user's destination floor. The
destination call device transmits the call entered by
the user to a traditional elevator control system as a
landing call indicating the user's starting floor and
whether the destination floor given by the user is
located upwards or downwards from the starting floor.
The elevator group control allocates a suitable
elevator car to the user on the basis of the landing
call data, using continuous allocation or single
allocation. If the control system uses continuous
allocation, then the user is informed e.g. by an
optical and/or acoustic signal as to which elevator is
going to serve him/her as the elevator arrives at the
landing. When single allocation is applied, the user
is informed regarding the elevator to serve him/her
immediately e.g. via the destination call device. When
the elevator car arrives at the landing, -the
destination call device transmits, based on the call
data stored from the destination floor call,
information regarding the user's destination floor to
the elevator control system, which transmits a car
call further to the elevator car.

In another method according to the invention, the user
again enters a destination floor call via a
destination call device. In this example, the user's
..destination floor call entered via the . destination -
call device is transmitted directly to the elevator
control system, which stores the call data of the
destination floor call in the memory of the control
system. The control system allocates a suitable
elevator to the user on the basis of the landing call
data of the destination floor call, using continuous
allocation or single allocation. If the control system
uses continuous allocation, then the user is informed
regarding the elevator to serve him/her e.g. by an
optical and/or acoustic signal when the elevator
arrives at the landing. When single allocation is
applied, the user is informed regarding the elevator
to serve him/her immediately via the destination call
device. When the elevator car arrives at the landing,
the control system sends to the elevator car "a car
call telling the elevator to which floor the user is
traveling.
In an embodiment of the invention, the floors served
by the elevators are divided into different zones. For
example, if the elevator group comprises four
elevators, it is possible to configure two of the
elevators to serve the lower floors and the other two
to serve the upper floors. When an elevator passenger
comes to the entrance floor, the elevator control
system uses zoning data in elevator allocation,
because- an- elevator can only be stopped at certain - ■
floors of the system. In this case, the call entered
is only transmitted to an elevator for which the zone
definition includes the destination floor in question.
In this way, more efficient elevator operation can be

achieved e.g. in up-peak conditions as the number of
floors served by an elevator is reduced.
In an elevator system according to the invention, a
destination floor -call-entered by. a user can-be served
by using a simple elevator control system. In the
method of the invention, the user can enter a call as
a destination floor call, in which case he/she only
needs to enter a call once, whereupon the control
system takes care of call allocation so as to respond
to the call and bring a car to the user's destination
floor.
The solution disclosed also has the advantage of
making it unnecessary to install expensive and
complicated processors in the control system to take
care of call allocation. According to the invention,
the system responsible for allocation does not need a
corresponding control system requiring a large storage
and computing capacity; instead, allocation of calls
is performed on the basis of the landing call data
contained in the traditional destination floor call.
In this way, the service level of the elevator system
can be further improved without expensive and
complicated control systems.
The system of the present invention is easy to install
even in existing systems because no large and time-
consuming changes need to be made in the existing
control system. It is also possible to install storage
space as well as a simple destination floor call
processing function in existing destination -call
devices.

LIST OF FIGURES
Fig. 1 presents a traditional elevator system, wherein
the user inputs a landing call from a landing and a
destination floor only from inside an elevator car,
Fig. 2 presents another prior-art elevator system,
wherein the user inputs both a landing call and an
indication of the destination floor by a single
destination floor call,
Fig: 3 presents an embodiment of the elevator system ~
of the invention, wherein the user enters a single
destination floor call containing landing call data on
the basis of which the control system allocates a
suitable elevator to the user, and
Fig. 4 presents a functional block diagram of a method
according to the invention in a simplified form.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Fig. 3 presents an elevator system according to the
invention, said system comprising: an elevator group
311 including several elevators 31, a destination call
device 34 for reserving elevators for use by
passengers, and a control system 33 of the elevator
group 311.
"According to—the-invention, the user of the elevator
system enters a destination floor call via the
destination call device 34 as he/she comes to the
elevatojr landing. . _ ,„......
According to the invention, the destination call
device 34 stores the destination floor call and
transmits the call to the control system 33 of the
elevator group 311 as a landing call, the call- only

indicating to the control system the user's starting
floor and whether the user is traveling in the upward
or downward direction (i.e. the landing call data).
The destination floor call can also be transmitted
directly as such to the control system 33, in which
case the control system 33 stores the call and picks
out the landing call data from it.
In principle, the control system 33 comprises separate
elevator control and group control. However, only one
group control of the control system is active at a
time. The control system 33 performs elevator
allocation on the basis of the landing call data of
the destination floor call using either continuous
allocation or single allocation. When the selection of
the elevator car is performed by continuous
allocation, the control system 33 continuously
observes the positions of the elevator cars and
distributes landing calls to the elevator group. When
an elevator car is stopping at a floor, it is
allocated a call entered by a user, and this call can
be removed from the control system 33 after allocation
has taken place. At the same time, the user is
informed by an optical and/or acoustic signal as to
which elevator will serve him/her. When the elevator
has stopped at the floor, a car call based on the call
data stored from the destination floor call is sent to
the elevator control system and the elevator leaves
for the destination floor.
The elevator allocation can also be performed
immediately by the single allocation method, in which'
case the control system 33 allocates the most suitable "
elevator to the user directly on the basis of the
landing call received. If the allocation is performed
via single allocation, then information regarding the
elevator allocated to the user is transmitted to the

destination call device 34, where the user can read
the information and thus knows which is the right
elevator car for him/her to board. When the elevator
car arrives at the floor, the landing call is removed
from the . control system 33, whereupon a car call
(information regarding the destination floor) is
transmitted to the elevator car.
Fig. 4 presents a functional block diagram of the
method of the invention. In the method, the user
inputs a destination floor call via a destination call
device 41. The call data of the destination floor call
entered by the user are stored 42 in memory. This can
be done in two different ways. According to a first
alternative, the destination floor call entered by the
user is stored in the memory of the destination call
device, in which case the call data transmitted to the
control system comprises only the landing call, i.e.
information specifying the user's starting floor and
whether the destination floor given by the user is in
the upward or downward direction. According to a
second alternative, the destination floor call entered
by the user via the destination call device is
transmitted to the elevator control system, which
stores the destination floor call in the memory of the
control system. The control system - allocates - an
elevator suited to the user's requirements on the
basis of the landing call 43 of the destination floor
call. When the elevator car allocated to the user
arrives at the floor, then, if the destination floor
call has been stored in the destination call device,
the information regarding the destination floor
comprised in the destination floor call is transmitted
to the control system, which transmits the car call
further to the elevator car 44. On the other hand, if
the destination floor call has been stored in the
control system, then, when the elevator car allocated

to the user arrives at the floor, the control system
picks out the car call from the stored call data of
the destination floor call and transmits it further to
the elevator car 44.
Although the elevator system specifically discussed in
the above examples is a destination-floor elevator
system, the invention can be applied in other elevator
systems as well. Neither is the invention exclusively
limited to the embodiment examples described above;
instead, many variations are possible within the
inventive concept defined in the claims.

WE CLAIM:
1. Method for controlling an elevator system comprising.
an elevator group (311) comprising a plurality of elevator cars (31),
a destination call device (34) for reserving an elevator car (31) for use by passengers, and
a control system (33) of the elevator group (311) for controlling the elevator cars (31),
said control system being responsive to the aforesaid destination call device (34),
characterized in mat the method comprises me succession of following steps:
- entering (41) a destination floor call via me destination call device (34),
- storing call data (42) of the destination, floor call in a memory of the destination
call device (34), which call data (42) comprise information indicating the user's starting
floor and whether the user is traveling in the upward or downward direction as well as the
user's destination floor,
- transmitting information indicating the user's starting floor and traveling
direction from the destination call device to the control system (33), allocating (43) an
elevator car for the user on the basis of said and
- transmitting the information regarding the user's destination floor from the
destination call device to the control system (33) which control system (33) transmits a
car call further to the elevator car (31) only as me elevator car is arriving at a landing
(44).
2 method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method optionally includes the step of.
storing the call data of the destination floor call in the control system (33) of the
elevator group (311).
3. method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1- 2, wherein an elevator car is
allocated to the user by continuous allocation

4. Method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the user of the elevator system is informed
about the allocated elevator car by a signal light as the elevator car is arriving at the
landing.
5. Method as claimed m any one of claims 1-2, wherein an elevator car is allocated to the
user by single allocation
6. Method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1-5, wherein the elevator cars
are assigned zones determining the floors to be served by each elevator car for persons
arriving to the entrance floor.
7. Elevator system comprising:
an elevator group (311) comprising a plurality of elevator cars (31),
a destination call device (34) for reserving an elevator car (31) for use by passengers, a
control system (33) of the elevator group (311) for controlling the elevator cars (31), said
control system (33) being responsive to said destination call device (34), characterized in
mat the aforesaid destination call device (34) has been arranged to receive a destination
floor call, the destination call device (34) has a memory for storing call data of the
destination floor call, which call data comprises information indicating the user's starting
floor and whether the user is traveling m the upward or downward direction as well as the
user's destination floor, the destination call device (34) is configured to transmit
information indicating the user's starting floor and traveling direction to the control
system (33), which has been arranged to allocate (43) an elevator car to the user on the
basis of said information, and
the destination call device (34) has been arranged to transmit the information regarding the
user's destination floor from the stored call data to the control system (33) only as the

allocated car is arriving at a landing (44), which control system (33) has been arranged to
transmit a car call further to the allocated elevator car (31)
8. System as claimed in claim 7, wherein the aforesaid control system (33) has been
arranged to allocate an elevator car to the user by using continuous allocation.
9. System as claimed in any one of claims 7 - 8, wherein the aforesaid control system
(33) has been arranged to allocate an elevator car to the user by using single allocation.

ABSTRACT

TITLE: MULTIPLE CAR ELEVATOR SYSTEM AND ELEVATOR GROUP
CONTROL THEREFOR
Method for controlling an elevator system comprising an elevator group (311)
comprising a plurality of elevator cars (31), a destination call device (34) for reserving an
elevator car (31) for use by passengers, and a control system (33) of the elevator group
(311) for controlling the elevator cars (31), said control system being responsive to the
aforesaid destination call device (34), the method comprises - entering (41) a destination
floor call via the destination call device (34), storing call data (42) of the destination
floor call in a memory of the destination call device (34), which comprise information
indicating the user's starting floor and whether the user is traveling in the upward or
downward direction as well as the user's destination floor, transmitting information to the
control system (33), allocating (43) an elevator car for the user and transmitting the
information regarding the user's destination floor from the destination call device to the
control system (33) which transmits a car call further to the elevator car (31) only as the
elevator car is arriving at a landing (44). The present invention also relates to an elevator
system