Floor selector system for elevator system

A floor selector comprises a first and a second switch on an elevator car, a vertical array of first switch actuators each disposed between each pair of adjacent floors in a hoistway, and another vertical array of second switch actuators located below the first actuators in the hoistway. When the first switch engages each of the first actuators, a synchronized floor is renewed by adding one floor to the preceding synchronized floor read out from an RAM by a micro-processor and written into the RAM. When the second switch engages each of the second actuators, an advanced floor in advance of the synchronized floor is renewed by adding two floors to the preceding advanced floor read out from the RAM by the micro-processor and written into the RAM.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to improvements in a floor selector system for an 
elevator system. 
In the operation of an elevator system it is indespensable to sense the 
position of the elevator car. This sensing is accomplished by an 
associated floor selector. A positional signal for the car delivered from 
the floor selector is used to display the position of the car on 
associated floors and in the car, and to determine if the car is to be 
stopped and so on. The floor displaying the position of the car is called 
hereinafter a "car floor" and the positional signal for the car is called 
hereinafter a "car-floor signal." There have been already employed various 
types of floor selectors. One of the known floor selectors has comprised 
an electric reversible motor, a screw rod connected to the motor to be 
rotated thereby, a movable nut screw threaded onto the screw rod against 
rotational movement, and a plurality of sets of position contacts, one for 
each floor of a building, selectively engageable by the movable nut during 
its movement along the screw rod. The floor selector has been arranged so 
that, during the ascent of the elevator car, for example, a car-floor 
signal is delivered each time the car passes through a predetermined point 
located above each floor. The car-floor signal is operated to rotate the 
motor to move upwardly the movable nut along the screw nut resulting in 
the closure of the position contact set corresponding to the next 
succeeding floor in the direction of the ascent of the elevator car. This 
closure of the position contact set delivers a car-floor signal which, in 
turn, stops the motor and also senses in synchronization with the movement 
of the car a synchronized floor corresponding to the now closed contact 
set. The process as described above is repeated to cause the movable nut 
to ascend stepwise with increments of one floor. 
In the descent of the elevator car the movable nut is arranged to descend 
similarly with increments of one floor. 
On the other hand, upon the start of the elevator car from each floor, an 
associated circuit has sensed therein an advanced car position or an 
advanced floor which is, for example, the next succeeding floor in the 
direction of travel of the car, in order to look for a call. In the 
presence of a call registered on that floor or a call for that floor 
registered on the elevator car, a command landing signal is delivered to 
cause the car to land at the floor where the call has been registered. 
Otherwise, the movable nut closes the position contact set corresponding 
to that floor having no call registered thereon whereupon the 
abovementioned advanced floor proceeds to the last-mentioned floor. 
If the elevator car is suddenly stopped before it reaches that floor 
corresponding to the advanced car position then the synchronized floor is 
spaced from the advanced floor by one floor because the advanced floor is 
set upon the start of the elevator car. When the car is then started, the 
advanced floor is again set so that the synchronized floor is spaced from 
the new advanced floor by two floors. Under these circumstances, it is 
impossible to operate the elevator car smoothly. 
In order to correct this spacing between the synchronized and advanced 
floors, the advanced floor must be returned back to the synchronized floor 
with a complicated circuit configuration. Furthermore, the floor selector 
as described above has encountered problems such as abrasion of the 
components involved because it relies upon mechanical operation and also 
increased manufacturing cost because of the use of the reversible motor 
which is expensive. There is therefore a demand for a floor selector which 
is highly reliable and economical. 
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and 
improved floor selector system for an elevator system for preventing a 
spacing between a synchronized floor and an associated advanced floor from 
changing even upon the sudden stoppage of an elevator car involved. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a floor selector for an elevator system 
having an elevator car traveling within a hoistway extending through a 
plurality of floors disposed at predetermined equal intervals one above 
another, comprising means including an electronic computer for sensing 
successively synchronized floors displayed in synchronization with the 
travel of the elevator car and advanced floors in advance of associated 
synchronized floors and for delivering signals for the synchronized and 
advanced floors wherein there are provided a first and a second switch 
actuator disposed between each pair of adjacent floors, first calculation 
means responsive to the passage of the elevator car through the first 
switch actuator to calculate the synchronized floor by effecting the 
addition or substraction of one floor to or from a synchronized floor at 
that time by the electronic computer, and second calculation means 
responsive to the start or passage of the elevator car through the second 
switch actuator to calculate the advanced floor by adding or subtracting a 
predetermined number of the floors to or from the synchronized floor by 
the electronic computer. 
Preferably, the floor selector may comprise further means for causing the 
advanced floor to coincide with the with the synchronized floor upon the 
stoppage of the elevator car.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated a 
conventional floor selector for an elevator system. The arrangement 
illustrated comprises a floor selector 10 disposed within a machine 
compartment (not shown) including an electric reversible motor 12 for the 
floor selector 10, a screw rod 14 connected to the motor 12 to be rotated 
thereby, and a movable nut 16 screw threaded onto the screw rod 14 against 
rotational movement. 
A plurality of sets of position contacts are disposed along the screw rod 
14, one for each of the floors of a building served by an associated 
elevator system, although the floors of the building are not illustrated 
only for purposes of simplicity of illustration. The sets of position 
contacts are arranged to sandwich selectively the movable nut 16 
therebetween to be put in their closed position and designated by the 
reference numeral 18 with a suffix 1, 2, 3, . . . , identifying the 
floors. For example, the reference numeral 18-1 designates the set of 
position contacts corresponding to a first one of the floors. When the nut 
16 is moved along the screw rod 14 without the rotational movement of nut 
16, the nut 16 successively is engaged by the sets of position contacts 
18-1, 18-2, 18-3, . . . , to sense successively synchronized floors for an 
associated elevator car (not shown). 
In FIG. 1 the position contact set 18-1 is shown as being closed through 
the movable nut 16. This means that the elevator car (not shown) is 
located on the first floor. When the elevator car travels upwardly and 
passes through a predetermined point above the first floor, a car-floor 
signal is delivered as will be described later. The motor 12 responds to 
that car-floor signal to be rotated thereby to move the nut 16 upwardly 
through the rotational movement of the screw rod 14. During this upward 
movement, the nut 14 engages the set of position contacts 18-2 for the 
second floor to operate the latter to deliver another car-floor signal. 
The motor 12 responds to the latter signal to be stopped and a 
synchronized floor is sensed by the position contact set 18-2 put in its 
closed position. That is, a synchronized floor is the second floor. 
When the elevator car further travels upwardly and passes through a 
predetermined position above the second floor, the electric motor 12 is 
similarly rotated to move the movable nut 16 further upwardly through the 
rotational movement of the screw rod 14 until position contact set 18-3 is 
similarly operated. 
In this way the movable nut 16 ascends stepwise with increments equal to 
one floor. 
On the other hand, upon the start of the elevator car from the first floor, 
an associated circuit (not shown) senses thereon an advanced position of 
the elevator car or an advanced floor corresponding, for example, to the 
second floor which is in advance of the first floor by one floor. This is 
because a call is looked for. At that time, it is assumed that a call has 
been registered on the second floor. Under the assumed conditions, a 
command stopping or landing signal is delivered to stop the elevator car 
on the second floor. In the absence of a call registered on the second 
floor, the engagement of the movable nut 16 with the position contact set 
18-2 results in the advanced floor as described above proceeding to the 
third floor. 
The process as described above is repeated to cause the movable nut 16 to 
ascend stepwise with increments of one floor. 
In this way the advanced floor has been set upon the start of the car. 
Under these circumstances, if the elevator car is suddenly stopped before 
the car arrives at the advanced floor then the synchronized floor is 
spaced from the advanced floor by one floor in the example as described 
above. When the elevator car is then started, the advanced floor is again 
set to be spaced from the synchronized floor by two floors. Under these 
circumstances, it is impossible to operate the elevator car smoothly. 
In order to correct such a spacing between the advanced and synchronized 
floor, the advanced floor must be returned back to the synchronized floor 
which is attended with the necessity of using a complicated circuit 
configuration. Furthermore, the floor selector 10 has encountered problems 
such as abrasion of the components involved because it relies upon 
mechanical operations, and an increase in manufacturing cost because the 
reversible electric motor used is expensive. Therefore, it is desirable to 
provide floor selectors which are highly reliable and economical. 
The present invention contemplates to comply with the demand as described 
in the introductory portion of the specification. 
Referring now to FIG. 2, there is schematically illustrated one embodiment 
according to the floor selector of the present invention. The arrangement 
illustrated comprises a plurality of floors. In this case, a first, a 
second, a third and a fourth floor 1F, 2F, 3F and 4F respectively are 
shown as being located at predetermined equal intervals one above another 
with the omission of those floors disposed above the fourth floor. One 
array of cams or switch actuators 20, 22 and 24 are disposed at 
predetermined distances above the floors 1F, 2F, 3F and 4F respectively to 
be vertically aligned with one another and with edges of the floors. 
Another array of cams or switch actuators cams 26, 28 and 30 are disposed 
below the cams or switch activators 20, 22 and 24 respectively to be 
vertically aligned with one another and with the edges of the floors and 
spaced therefrom by predetermined equal intervals respectively. Therefore, 
all the switch actuators are disposed in a vertically aligned relationship 
in a hoistway (not shown) extending through the floors 1F, 2F, 3F and 4F. 
However, the array of cams or switch actuators 20, 22 and 24 are 
horizontally staggered from the array of switch actuators 26, 28 and 30. 
The arrangement further comprises an elevator car 32 arranged to travel 
upwardly and downwardly within the hoistway as described above and a pair 
of switches 34 and 36 disposed on a vertical plate erected on the outer 
surface of the ceiling of the elevator car 32 adjacent to one edge 
thereof. The switches 34 and 36 are positioned so that, during the travel 
of the elevator car 32 the switch 34 engages selectively the switch 
actuators 20, 22 and 24 to renew the synchronized floor while the switch 
36 engages selectively the switch actuators 26, 28 and 30 to renew the 
advanced floor. The switches 34 and 36 are electrically connected to a 
floor selector generally designated by the reference numeral 38. 
In order to move the elevator car 32 upwardly and downwardly, the same is 
connected to a counterweight 40 through a traction rope 42 trained over a 
hoist wheel 44. The hoist wheel 44 is connected to a hoist electric 
reversible motor (not shown). 
The floor selector 38 shown in FIG. 2 includes an electronic computer. In 
the example illustrated the electronic computer comprises a 
micro-processor commercially available as TYPE 8085 from the Intel 
Corporation for example. However, it is to be understood that the 
micro-processor 38 is not limited thereby or thereto and may comprise any 
suitable digital computer which is commercially available. 
The micro-processor includes (as shown in FIG. 3) an input port 38A which 
is connected to the switches 34 and 36 and which is also connected to a 
data bus 46; the data bus 46 is also connected to a read only memory 
device (which is abbreviated hereinafter to "ROM") 38B, a random access 
memory device (which is abbreviated hereinafter to "RAM") 38C, an 
interrupting period control timer 38D, a central processor 38E and an 
output port 38F. The input port 38A and the ROM 38B are arranged to supply 
data to the data bus 46 while the timer 38D and the output port 38F are 
arranged to receive data from the data bus 46. The RAM 38C and central 
processor 38E are arranged to supply data to and receive data from the 
data bus 46. 
In the example illustrated, the input port 38A, the ROM 38B, the RAM 38C, 
the timer 38D, the central processor 38E and the output port 38F are of 
TYPES 8212, 2716, 2114A, 8155, 8085A and 8212, respectively commercially 
available from the Intel Corporation. 
The output port 38F is then connected to an indicator 48 for indicating a 
car floor. 
The ROM 38B has stored therein a deceleration pattern dependent upon each 
of the distances from the actual car positions to those associated floors 
at which the elevator car is predetermined to land due to calls registered 
on the floors or the elevator car and others and is used only to read 
selectively the deceleration patterns out on the data bus 46. The RAM 38C 
can write and read the synchronized and advanced floors in and out from 
the data bus 46. The input port 38A receives the synchronization and 
advance renewing signals from the renewing switches 34 and 36 and 
selectively delivers those signals to the central processor 38E, the ROM 
38B and RAM 38C. 
The operation of the arrangement shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 will now be 
described in conjunction with FIG. 4, wherein there are illustrated a 
traveling path for the elevator car shown in FIG. 2 and loci of a 
synchronized and an advanced floor developed in the operation of the 
arrangement shown in FIG. 2. Assuming that the elevator car 32 is located 
at the first floor 1F, the same has its synchronized and advanced 
positions lying on the first floor 1F which is preliminarily stored in the 
RAM 38C. The elevator car 32 is then initiated so as to ascend along an 
operating line 50 as shown by a dotted line describing the actual car 
position plotted the ordinate against time the abscissa in FIG. 4. Then, 
the synchronization renewing switch 34 engages the switch activator 20 to 
deliver an output to the central processor 38E through the input port 38A. 
The central processor 38E calculates a synchronized floor as lying on the 
second floor 2F according to a synchronization calculation program stored 
in the RAM 38C. That is, the synchronized floor is changed from the first 
floor 1F to the second floor 2F as shown by the arrowed broken line 52 
vertically running between the first and second floors in FIG. 4. The 
synchronized floor thus calculated is written in the RAM 38C at an address 
for the synchronized floor and read out therefrom as a synchronized floor. 
When the elevator car 32 has passed through the second floor 2F and the 
switch 34 thereon engages the switch actuator 22, the switch 34 delivers 
an output to the input port 38A. Then, the central processor 38E effects a 
similar calculation as described in conjunction with the engagement of the 
switch 34 with the switch actuator 20, whereby the address for the 
synchronized floor position is rewritten in the RAM 38C as coinciding with 
the third floor 3F as shown by the arrowed broken line 52 vertically 
running between the second and third floors 2F and 3F respectively. 
Thereafter, the process as described above is repeated with the result 
that the synchronized floor is changed in a stepped manner as shown by its 
locus expressed by the stepped broken line 52. 
On the other hand, upon the start of the elevator car 32 from the first 
floor 1F, the advanced floor is calculated as lying on the second floor 2F 
by the central processor 38E according to an advance calculation program 
stored in the ROM 38B. The calculated advanced floor is written in the RAM 
38C at an address for the advanced floor and sensed as an advanced floor. 
When the advance renewing switch 36 on the elevator car 32 engages the 
switch actuator 26 during this ascent thereof, the same delivers an output 
to the central processor 38E through the input port 38A. As in the 
engagement of the switch 34 with the switch actuator 20, the central 
processor 38E reads out the synchronized floor at that time from the RAM 
38C and calculates the advanced floor as the sum of the synchronized floor 
and two floors (see arrowed solid line vertically running between the 
second and third floors 2F and 3F respectively and dotted line forming a 
downward extension thereof). This results in the re-writing of the address 
for the advanced floor in the RAM 38C. The advanced floor at that time is 
thereby sensed to lie on the third floor 3F and held at and after that 
time as shown by the horizontal solid line running on the same level as 
the third floor 3F. 
When the elevator car 32 passes through the second floor 2F and its switch 
36 engages the switch actuator 28, the switch 36 delivers an output to the 
input port 38A. Thereafter, the central processor 38E effects a 
calculation similar to that described above with the result that the 
address in the RAM 38C for the advanced floor is rewritten to lie on the 
fourth floor 4F. 
The process as described above is then repeated. 
Therefore, it will readily be understood that the advanced floor is changed 
as shown at stepped solid line 54 describing a locus thereof. 
Assuming that, when the advanced floor proceeds to the fourth floor 4F, an 
up call has been registered on that floor, the advanced floor is held on 
the fourth floor 4F. Under these circumstances, a hoist motor (not shown) 
senses separately the actual position of the elevator car 32 from the 
number of rotations thereof. Then, a deceleration pattern is read out from 
the ROM 38B corresponding to the distance between the sensed actual car 
position and the fourth floor 4F. Accordingly, the elevator car 32 is 
decelerated following the read deceleration pattern while a comfortable 
ride is maintained until the car 32 lands at the fourth floor 4F. 
It is to be noted that, when the elevator car 32 is stopped to deenergize 
and drop out a travel relay (not shown), the synchronized floor at that 
time is always written into the RAM 38C at the address for the advanced 
floor. As described above, the advanced floor is calculated on the basis 
of the associated synchronized floor. Therefore, the advanced floor is not 
erroneously determined unless the associated synchronized floor is wrong. 
Also, even if the elevator car should be suddenly stopped during its 
travel, the advanced floor is corrected to the associated synchronized 
floor as in the normal landing of the elevator car as described above. 
This is because the above-mentioned travel relay (not shown) is 
deenergized and dropped out. 
From the foregoing it will readily be understood that upon the start of the 
elevator car from any floor other than the first floor, the advanced floor 
similarly proceeds to that floor located just above the starting floor. 
While the present invention has been described in conjunction with the 
calculation of the advanced floor by which an amount two floors equal to 
is added to the synchronized floor, it is to be understood that any 
desired number of the floors may be added to the synchronized floor in 
accordance with a particular speed of travel of the elevator car. 
It will also readily be understood that the process as described above in 
conjunction with the ascent of the elevator car is equally applicable to 
the descent thereof. In the latter case it is to be noted that the 
calculation of the advanced floor is obtained by subtracting a number of 
floors from the synchronized floor. 
The operation of the arrangement shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 will now be 
described in more detail with reference to FIG. 5 wherein there is 
illustrated a flow chart describing a program for the operation of the 
arrangement performed by the micro-processor shown in FIG. 3. The program 
is stored in the ROM 38B and is started in an interrupting manner at 
predetermined constant time periods by an interrupting period-control 
timer 38D. Also, another program (not shown) is arranged to execute an 
initializing process required for an associated elevator control system to 
rise by the micro-processor. 
The program is started in the START step and entered into the step 500 
where it is determined if the travel relay (not shown) is in its 
deenergized state. If the relay is in its deenergized state, as determined 
in the step 500, then the step 502 is entered where the advanced floor FSA 
is always maintained so as to coincide with the synchronized floor FSY. If 
the travel relay is not in its deenergized state, as determined in the 
step 500, then the step 504 is entered. The step 504 determines if the car 
is ascending. If so, a program is executed with the calculation of an 
advanced and a synchronized floor during the ascent of the elevator car. 
More specifically, the step 506 determines if the synchronization renewing 
switch 34 is on its CLOSED position by engaging any one of the switch 
actuators 20, 22 and 24. If the switch 34 is in its CLOSED position, as 
determined in the step 506, then the program enters the step 508 where it 
is determined whether or not a calculation route control flag A is equal 
to a binary ZERO. If the flag A is not equal to a binary ZERO, as 
determined in the step 508, the calculation of the synchronized floor is 
stopped and proceeds to that of the advanced floor as described later. 
On the other hand, when the flag A is equal to a binary ZERO as determined 
in the step 508, the step 510 is entered. In the step 510, the 
synchronized floor FSY is read out from the RAM 38C at an address destined 
therefor and added to one (1) after which the sum of the synchronized 
floor FSY and one is written in the RAM 38C as a new synchronized floor 
FSY. Then, the flag A is set to a binary ONE in the step 512, whereupon 
the program for calculating the synchronized floor is completed. 
On the other hand, when the step 506 determines that the switch 34 is not 
in its CLOSED position, the flag A is reset to a binary ZERO, also 
resulting in the end of the program for calculating the synchronized 
floor. 
It is noted that the calculation route control flag A is also reset to a 
binary ZERO by the initializing program (not shown) and a program (not 
shown) executed during the stoppage of the elevator car. 
After the completion of the program for calculating the synchronized floor, 
the program for calculating the advanced floor is started. First, the step 
516 determines if the advance renewing switch 36 is in its CLOSED position 
by engaging any one of the switch actuators 26, 28 and 30. If so, the next 
succeeding step 518 determines if a calculation route control flag B is 
equal to a binary ZERO. If the switch 36 is not in its CLOSED position, 
then the flag B is reset to a binary ZERO in the step 520 after which no 
process after the step 516 is prevented from processing unless the flag A 
is again reset to a binary ZERO. 
Like the flag A, the flag B is arranged to be also reset to a binary ZERO 
by the inilializing program (not shown) and the program (not shown) 
executed during the stoppage of elevator car. 
If the flag B is not equal to the binary ZERO, as determined in the step 
518, then the step END is reached. On the other hand, when the flag B is 
equal to the binary ZERO, as determined in the step 518, the synchronized 
floor FSY is read out from the RAM 38C at the address thereof and added to 
two (2) in the step 522. In the step 522, the resulting sum is also 
written into the RAM 38C at an address destined therefor in the step 522 
as a new advanced floor. Following this, the flag B is set to a binary ONE 
in the step 524, whereupon the calculation of the advanced floor is 
completed. That is, the step END is reached after which the step 524 is 
prevented from processing unless the flag B is again reset to a binary 
ZERO. 
After the descent of the elevator car has been determined in the step 504, 
programs for calculating the synchronized and advanced floor during the 
descent of the elevator car are executed in a series of steps similar to 
the steps 506 et segg excepting that a subtraction rather than an addition 
is effected in steps similar to the steps 510 and 522. 
From the foregoing it is seen that the present invention provides a floor 
selector for an elevator system including a first calculation means 
responsive to the passage of a first switch on an elevator car through 
each of first switch actuators disposed in an associated hoistway to 
calculate a synchronized floor through the addition or subtraction of one 
floor effected by an electronic computer or a micro-processor involved, 
and a second calculation means responsive to the start of the elevator car 
or to the passage of a second switch on the car through each of second 
switch actuators disposed in the hoistway to calculate an advance floor 
through the addition or subtraction of a predetermined number of the 
floors, for example, two floors effected by the micro-processor. The 
synchronized and advanced floors thus calculated are written or entered in 
an associated RAM at predetermined addresses and used with the next 
succeeding calculation. 
The present invention has several advantages. For example, the present 
invention provides a floor selector for an elevator system which is high 
in reliability because it does not rely upon mechanical operation and 
which is economical. As the advanced floor is calculated on the basis of 
the associated synchronized floor, the advanced floor is not erroneously 
calculated unless the synchronized floor is erroneously determined. Also, 
even upon a sudden stoppage of the elevator car, the advanced floor at the 
re-start thereof is corrected to coincide with the synchronized floor 
because an associated travel relay is deenergized. Furthermore, since the 
advanced floor is arranged to coincide with the synchronized floor upon 
the stoppage of the elevator car, the elevator can be smoothly operated 
without the occurrence of an error in the position of the advanced floor 
relative to the associated synchronized floor. 
While the present invention has been illustrated and described in 
conjunction with a single preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be 
understood that numerous changes and modifications may be resorted to 
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.