1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a double deck elevator controlling apparatus for performing group supervisory control of a plurality of double deck elevators each having upper and lower cages connected to each other.
2. Discussion of the Background
A double deck elevator is constructed so that upper and lower cages are vertically connected to each other, and each cage is capable of responding to a call. Therefore, the call for one cage exerts influences on a call for the other cage, resulting in such a situation that the other cage must uselessly halt. Such being the case, some kinds of operation modes are predetermined in order to obviate the useless halts as much as possible, and one of such operations modes is properly selected. In general, to be specific, a double operation mode, a single operation mode and a semi-double operation mode are known as the above operation modes.
In the double operation mode the upper cage gives services responding to elevator hall calls to even-numbered floors, and the lower cage gives services responding to elevator hall calls to odd-numbered floors. In the single operation mode one cage is closed, and only the upper or lower cage gives the services for the calls irrespective of the even-numbered or odd-numbered floors. Further, in the semi-double operation mode is that passengers wishing to go to the even-numbered floors are allowed to get on the upper cage only at a start base floor, while the passengers wishing to go to the odd-numbered floors are allowed to get on the lower cage thereat, and both of the upper and lower cages can stop at an arbitrary floor after leaving the start base floor. Those operation modes are so operated as to be switched over corresponding to a time zone, taking into consideration the number of passengers and a moving direction etc.
Mainly in the semi-double operation mode, a variety of operating systems have hitherto been proposed for the purpose of enhancing an operation efficiency. For example, there is a system, wherein when the elevator is lifted, the service cage is set to the lower cage, and, when lowered, the service cage is set to the upper cage. If there is an allocation of the elevator hall call to the floor of the non-service cage when responded, the allocation is changed, and a simultaneous response is made. In another system if the upper and lower cages are incapable of simultaneously responding to the call when the elevator hall call occurs, the allocation of the elevator hall call occurred is reserved and held for a fixed period of time, and a reservation guide is released immediately when the upper and lower cages become capable of simultaneously responding due to a call addition thereafter. Furthermore, there is developed a system for not only taking the simultaneous response into consideration when the elevator hall call occurs, but also reviewing the allocation between the upper and lower cages to perform the simultaneous response with the addition of the cage call or of the elevator hall calls to other floors after allocating the elevator hall call.
The prior art controlling apparatus is, however, merely constructed so that the simultaneous response is made by controlling the allocation of the elevator hall call when performing the semi-double operation. Namely, the passenger sets a call to an arbitrary floor with respect to the cage call, and nevertheless no control considering the simultaneous response is implemented in the operations excluding the semi-double operation. Further, during the double operation, the passenger selects the elevator on which the passenger can get and therefore must walk up along a staircase to the even-numbered or odd-numbered floor, which might give some burden upon the passenger.
In particular, the elevator services concentrate at only a dining-hall floor at a lunch time. Therefore, during the double operation, the floors from which to go directly to the dining-hall floor and the floors from which the elevator is unable to go directly, are set by classifying the even-numbered floors and the odd-numbered floors, thus deconcentrating the elevator services. This contrivance, however, although capable of deconcentrating the elevator services, conduces to such a situation that the passengers on the floors coming under one classification invariably must walk along the staircase. This being the case, at the lunch time, the semi-double operation is often conducted involving some decline in the operation efficiency.
On the other hand, with a spread of higher-rise buildings, the double deck elevators have recently been adopted in terms of enhancing a transporting capability, and consequently group supervisory control of the plurality of double deck elevators are implemented. Normally, in the group supervisory control of the elevators, when the elevator hall call is registered, an allocation evaluation arithmetic process is executed upon each of the elevators on the basis of a time required till the elevator arrives at a calling floor, and a cage to which the elevator hall call is allocated is determined based on this arithmetic result.
Further, in the operation of the elevator, there might be performed an operation mode (which is hereinafter referred to as a "reciprocating operation") in which the elevator stops only at two specified floors considerably away from each other and travels non-stop past the other floors. In the case of performing this reciprocating operation, the plurality of elevators are classified into reciprocating elevators and normal operation elevators, the reciprocating operation is applied to only the elevators classified as the reciprocating elevators. This reciprocating operation is utilized especially in such a case that a multiplicity of passengers are transported in concentration to only the specified floors. The reciprocating operation is applied to such a case that, for example, an entrance hall floor is set as a start base floor, a restaurant floor or an event floor is set as an arrival base floor, and the elevator travels non-stop therebetween. In the prior art group supervisory control of the double deck elevators, no special allocation control system is adopted on the occasion of the reciprocating operation.
Moreover, in the prior art controlling apparatus for the double deck elevator, when performing the reciprocating operation, the allocation evaluation arithmetic process base on the arrival time is executed upon each elevator upon registering the elevator hall call, and the cage to which the elevator hall call is allocated is determined based on this arithmetic result. Therefore, a useless stop might occur in spite of the reciprocating operation. That is, there might arise a case in which the useless halt occurs due to the stop of the other cage of the same elevator, which gives a feeling of irritation to the passengers. Further, a problem is that the elevator does not necessarily have a good usability.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds