Patent Application
20240246793
The technology described here relates generally to an operating device for an elevator system and the operation thereof in a building. Exemplary embodiments of the technology relate in particular to an elevator system in which an elevator control allocates an elevator call input at an elevator operating device, and a method for operating such an elevator system.
In buildings with elevator systems, elevator operating devices are arranged on the individual floors with which a user can call an elevator. In widespread elevator systems, an elevator operating device arranged on one floor has up/down buttons so that the user can input the desired direction of travel. In the elevator car, there is a car device in this elevator system so that the user can input the desired destination floor in the elevator car. In other known elevator systems, the user can already input the destination floor on an elevator operating device on the floor. For this purpose, the elevator system is equipped with a destination call control. For the input of the destination floor, an elevator operating device located on a floor has either an electromechanical keyboard, a touch-sensitive screen, an RFID card reader known from EP 0 699 617 B1, or a (Bluetooth) radio module known from EP 2 238 067 A1. For the operation of an elevator, it is known from EP 3 536 647 A1 to situate a matrix code (quick response, QR code) on a floor at or near an elevator. To input a call, a user can scan the QR code with a mobile phone/smartphone.
The mentioned possibilities for call input each have advantages and disadvantages; for example, a user must touch the electromechanical keyboard or the touch-sensitive screen, which may not be desirable in particular in times of a pandemic. The call input by means of an RFID card reader or mobile telephone requires in each case that the users handle an RFID card or a mobile telephone, which can in some circumstances be time-consuming and therefore also not desirable. There is therefore a need for a technology for call input in an elevator system that improves the operating comfort for a broader group of users who have different interests, without increasing the technical complexity of the elevator system.
One aspect relates to an elevator system that has an elevator control, an elevator car, which upon actuation by the elevator control can be moved from a first floor to a second floor by means of a drive machine, and a number of elevator operating devices arranged on floors of the building and connected to the elevator control. One of the elevator operating devices has a control device and a visual display unit, wherein the control device is configured to receive data for an optical code and data for a floor indicator from the elevator control, wherein the data for the optical code and the data for the floor indicator are stored in the elevator control as belonging to the same floor. The control device is also configured to control the visual display unit in accordance with the data for the optical code, wherein the visual display unit depicts the optical code in a first display field, and to control the visual display unit in accordance with the data for the floor indicator to depict the floor indicator in the first display field, wherein the floor indicator and the optical code are perceivable by the user. The control device is also configured to detect a touch of the optical code, depicted in the first display field, by the user and, upon detection of a touch, to generate an elevator call to a floor indicated by the floor indicator.
Another aspect relates to a method for operating an elevator system that has an elevator control, an elevator car, which upon actuation by the elevator control can be moved from a first floor to a second floor by means of a drive machine, and a number of elevator operating devices situated on floors of a building. The elevator operating devices are connected to the elevator control, wherein at least one of the elevator operating devices has a control device and a visual display unit. According to the method, the visual display unit is controlled to display an optical code and a floor indicator in a first display field, wherein the control takes place according to data received from the elevator control for the optical code and data received from the elevator control for the floor indicator. An electrical detection signal is generated by the visual display unit when the optical code shown in the first display field is touched by the user. If an electrical detection signal is present, an elevator call is generated, which is transmitted to the elevator control, wherein the elevator call indicates a floor displayed by the floor indicator.
The technology described here creates an elevator operating device which allows an elevator call to be input manually at an elevator operating device or with the aid of a communications device (e.g., a smartphone). The elevator operating device displays a display field and therein an optical code that can be detected and processed by the communications device. In addition to the optical code, the visual display unit shows a floor indicator in the display field, which visibly or readably indicates to the user which function and/or information is assigned to the display field or to the optical code. In particular, the floor indicator shows the user the floor that is assigned to the display field and can be input by the user as the destination floor. The elevator operating device is designed to recognize a touch of the display field, or the optical code shown therein, as an input of an elevator call. For example, a user carrying a mobile communications device can choose in which way the user wishes to input the elevator call. The choice can depend, for example, upon whether touching a surface of the elevator operating device is to be avoided for, for example, hygienic reasons, or whether the communications device is available (e.g., at hand and/or ready for use). If the call input is to take place as simply and quickly as possible, touching the elevator operating device with a finger can in some circumstances be done more quickly than handling the communications device, which may need first to be unlocked.
In one exemplary embodiment, the elevator operating device can display several display fields. The control device of the elevator operating device is designed to control the visual display unit to display at least a second display field. The first display field and the at least second display field are perceivable as spatially separated from one another by the user. As a result, the elevator operating device can be flexibly adapted to the building-specific requirements of the elevator system.
Due to the mentioned possibility of the type of call input (manually or with the aid of the communications device), a call confirmation or providing allocation information can take place flexibly at the elevator operating device or at the communications device. In one exemplary embodiment, the control device is configured to control the visual display unit to display an identifier of an elevator allocated to the elevator call in the first display field or a further shown display field. If the identifier is displayed in the first display field, it can be displayed instead of the optical code; the identifier is displayed for a defined period of time.
In addition to flexibility, the technology described here also offers security against misuse. In one exemplary embodiment, the elevator control is designed to generate data for a new optical code at regular or random intervals and to transmit it to the elevator operating devices. The control device controls the visual display unit according to the data for the new optical code, so that the new optical code is displayed in the first display field.
Various aspects of the improved technology are described in greater detail below in conjunction with the drawings with reference to exemplary embodiments. In the figures, identical elements have identical reference signs. In the drawings:
The elevator control unit 15 comprises in the exemplary embodiment shown in
The call allocation system 8 also includes a device for sending and receiving signals via a communications network 20. Since the call allocation system 8 establishes a connection between components connected to the communications network 20 and the computer of the call allocation system 8, the call allocation system can also be referred to as a destination call gateway (DCG). The control system 12 controls the drive machine 14, among other things, such that the allocated car 22 is moved from the boarding floor to a destination floor. The person skilled in the art will recognize that the elevator control 15 can comprise further subsystems and components configured for different functions and tasks.
In the exemplary embodiment shown, at least one device (6, 10) is arranged on each floor L, F1, F2, by means of which device users 4, 5 can input elevator calls. In the following, the devices 6 on the floors F1, F2 are referred to as “elevator operating devices 6,” and the device 10 on the floor L is referred to as “floor call device 10.” The configuration of the devices (6, 10) is not limited to the configuration shown in
Each of the elevator operating devices 6 has a visual display unit 24 on which at least one display field 30 can be displayed in a manner perceivable or visible to the user 4, 5. In one exemplary embodiment, the visual display unit 24 is configured to recognize whether and where the user 4, 5 touches a user-facing surface of the visual display unit 24. Such a visual display unit 24 can also be referred to as a touch-sensitive visual display unit 24 or as a touch-sensitive screen (touchscreen). The functionality and structure of a touchscreen are generally known to the person skilled in the art.
In the situation illustrated in
The optical code 26 can be designed in various ways as long as it can be read and further processed by machine, using an optical reading device. In the exemplary embodiments described here, the optical reading device is a camera in a communications device 9 (e.g., mobile radio device/mobile telephone, smartphone, tablet PC). The optical code 26 may comprise, for example, an alphanumeric string and/or a representation of bars or dots of different widths and gaps between them, with the highest possible contrast. The aforementioned illustration can be a one-dimensional barcode or a two-dimensional (2-D) code. Examples of 2-D codes are 2-D barcodes (e.g., a coda block or a code 49) and matrix codes (e.g., a quick response (QR) code, a DataMatrix code, a JAB color code). Such codes and their generation are known to the person skilled in the art, so that further explanations do not appear to be necessary at this point.
In
The floor L can be an entrance hall of the building 2, which the users 4, 5 enter when entering building 2 and from which the users 4, 5 leave building 2 again. If a user 4, 5 enters the floor L, each floor F1, F2 of the building 2 can be reached with the elevator system 1 from there, with appropriate access authorization. An elevator operating device 6, a floor call device 10, or a combination of these devices (6, 10) can be located on the floor L. For illustration, in
The floor call device 10 is shown in
To illustrate and describe exemplary embodiments, in
In the situation shown in
An exemplary operation of the elevator operating device 6 during a call input is shown in
As an alternative to the touching shown in
If the communications device 9 is, for example, a smartphone, application-specific software (also known as an “app”) can be installed thereon, which reads in and further processes the optical code 26. The communications device 9 communicates via a building-internal communications network and/or a mobile radio network with the elevator control 15, which receives the destination call including associated information about the boarding floor and destination floor, and initiates the allocation of an elevator. The person skilled in the art will recognize that, here as well, the allocated elevator is communicated to the user 5; the allocated elevator can, for example, be displayed on the visual display of the communications device 9 and/or transmitted as a voice message. An example of an app suitable for this application is the myPORT® app from the Schindler Group, Ebikon, Switzerland.
Depending upon the configuration of the elevator system 1 and/or the app, a user interface can be displayed on a visual display of the communications device 9, which user interface allows the operation of the elevator system 1 with the aid of the communications device 9. If the user 5 uses the communications device 9 to read the optical code 26, in one exemplary embodiment, the app can automatically generate a destination call to the destination floor displayed by the floor indicator 28. In another exemplary embodiment, the app can suggest the destination floor, displayed by the floor indicator 28, on the user interface as a destination floor, and provide the user 5 with the possibility of confirming the suggested destination floor or of selecting another destination floor within a defined period of time; if no selection is made within this time period, the call input can be aborted, or a destination call to the suggested destination floor can be automatically generated.
The floor indicators 28 (“L,” “F1”) shown in
The elevator operating devices 6 and the floor call device 10 are coupled to the elevator control 15 via a communications network 20. The network 20 is configured, for example, for an Ethernet connection to the elevator control 15. The communication between the elevator control 15 and the named devices 6, 10 takes place in accordance with a protocol for line-bound communication—for example, the Ethernet protocol.
In the exemplary embodiment shown, the control device 40, 42 comprises a central processing unit (CPU) 40 and a processor 42, which are shown by way of example as separate components. The processor 42 is connected to the central processing unit 40 and the display and input device 54. The processor 42 detects, for example, a signal that is generated by the display and input device 54 when the user 4, 5 touches the surface of the visual display unit 24. The person skilled in the art will recognize that the central processing unit 40 and the processor 42, or their functions, can be combined in a control device (40, 42); accordingly, the function of the processor 42 can be performed by the central processing unit 40, and the illustration of the processor 42 can be omitted in
The illumination device 50 is used to illuminate the user interface of the elevator operating device 6, or only regions of the user interface, e.g., the fields 30, 32. Controlled by the central processing unit 40, the illumination device 50 can illuminate the display device 54, or its user interface, with white light so that the displayed information can be perceived by a user 4, 5—in particular, in poor lighting conditions. The illumination device 50 can also illuminate the user interface fields 30, 32 with colored light in order to confirm the input of an elevator call to the user 4, 5. In one exemplary embodiment, the illumination device 50 comprises one or more LED light sources.
With the understanding of the above-described basic system components of the elevator system 1 and their functionalities, descriptions are given in the following of exemplary methods with reference to
A method for operating the elevator operating device 6 shown in
In a step S2, a display field 30 is generated in which an optical code 26 and a floor indicator 28 are to be displayed. Since the elevator operating device 6 communicates with the elevator controller 15 via the communications device 38, the elevator operating device 6 receives from the elevator controller 15 information or data about the optical code, based upon which the optical code 26 is generated and displayed by the display device 24. The optical code 26 is floor-specific. In one exemplary embodiment, the elevator operating device 6 also receives information or data about the floor indicator 28.
In a step S3, the method waits for the optical code 26 or the display field 30 displaying it to be touched by the user 4, 5. If no touch takes place, the method remains in standby mode, which is indicated by a loop along the “no” branch back to step S2. If, on the other hand, a touch takes place, the method proceeds to step S4 along the “yes” branch.
In step S4, an elevator call is transmitted to the elevator control 15. The elevator call includes information about the boarding floor (F1) and the destination floor. The destination floor is the destination floor indicated by the floor indicator 28. The elevator operating device 6 transmits this information via the communications network 20 to the elevator control 15, which thereupon executes an allocation algorithm that allocates the elevator call to an elevator car 22. Allocation algorithms used are known to persons skilled in the art.
In a step S5, the elevator car 22 allocated to the elevator call is displayed by the display device 24. For this purpose, the elevator control 15 can, for example, send the allocation information relating to the elevator car 22 to the control device 40, 42. The control device 40, 42 controls the visual display unit 24 accordingly in order to display an elevator indicator (e.g., “A” in
In one exemplary embodiment, the elevator indicator is displayed, from the perspective of the user 4, 5, almost simultaneously with the confirmation that the elevator call has been registered. This is possible because the call allocation takes place very quickly—for example, within milliseconds—using known allocation algorithms. In one exemplary embodiment, the confirmation of an elevator call is made by the display device 24. Alternatively or additionally, the confirmation can also take place acoustically—for example, using the electroacoustic transducer 52. Subsequently, the elevator operating device 6 again displays the optical code 26.
The operation of the elevator operating device for this elevator call ends according to step S6, shown in
In the following, on the basis of
In a step A2, display information is generated. The display information is generated by the elevator control 15 and includes data, to be encoded in the optical code 26, that an elevator operating device 6 has to display in floor-specific fashion. This data can include, for example, an address (e.g., URL) of the elevator system 1, so that the app in the communications device 9 can communicate with the elevator system 1. The display information also includes data indicating the floor indicator 28 that the elevator operating device 6 also has to display; in one exemplary embodiment, the floor indicator 28 can likewise be floor-specific. In addition, the display information includes an identifier (number) of the display information. This display information is stored in a memory device of the elevator control 15; there, it is thus stored which display information identifiable by the identifier is sent to a specific elevator operating device 6 at which time.
In a step A3, the display information is sent from the elevator control 15 to the elevator operating device 6. Based upon this display information, the elevator operating device 6 displays the optical code 26 and the floor indicator 28. Exemplary representations of the optical code 26 and the floor indicator 28 are shown in
In a step A4, an elevator call is received. If the elevator controller 15 receives the elevator call, the communications channel over which the elevator call is received is also detected. If the user 4, 5 enters the elevator call at the elevator operating device 6 by touching the display field 30, the communications channel includes the communications network 20. However, if the user 5 uses the communications device 9, the communications channel includes an app interface and/or a radio interface.
In a step A5, the received elevator call is allocated to an elevator car 22, and allocation information is generated. As explained above, an allocation algorithm is used for the call allocation.
In a step A6, it is determined whether the allocation information is to be transmitted to the elevator operating device 6 or to the communications device 9. In the exemplary embodiment shown, in step A6, it is checked whether the elevator call was made by touching the surface of the visual display unit 24, and therefore the elevator call was transmitted via the communications network 20 from the relevant elevator operating device 6. If this is the case, the method moves along the “yes” branch to a step A7 in which the allocation information is transmitted via the communications network 20 to the elevator operating device 6 (cf. step S5 in
If, on the other hand, the user 5 uses the communications device 9 to read the optical code 26, the elevator call is received via the app interface. In step A6, therefore, the check indicates that the elevator call was not generated by touching an elevator operating device 6, and the method advances along the “no” branch to a step A8 in which allocation information is transmitted to the user's communications device 9 via the app interface. The method ends with step A9.
In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21176810.6 | May 2021 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2022/061903 | 5/4/2022 | WO |
