Dynamic zoning based supervisory control for elevators

Zoning is one conventional way to make an existing elevator system adapt to different traffic patterns. However, zoning is generally either fixed permanently or static based on time scheduling where the floors being grouped into zones are predetermined during the design stage. In the paper, a concept is introduced that can provide the feature of dynamic zoning for a elevator system based on the real time traffic patterns. The objectives are to achieve maximum handling capacity of the system and minimum waiting/travelling time for passengers during up-peak and down-peak traffic conditions. Two algorithms, namely "uniform RTT" and "demand matching", have been developed for intelligent control. Information related to real time zoning can be delivered to passengers by LED display boards installed at each landing above the landing doors. A computer simulation based on a software package on the market, Elevator 2.0, has revealed that the two new algorithms can improve the passenger waiting/travelling time under the two major traffic conditions.