Patent Application
20190010017
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to elevator systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to elevator status indicator displays.
Elevator systems typically include landing doors at each landing floor of the elevator system. Elevator call buttons are located on a wall next to the elevator landing doors for a user to call the elevator to the particular landing floor. The elevator system may further include indicators or screens located at the wall to give the user indication of direction of travel of the elevator car, floor at which the elevator car is currently located or other information.
The screens and indicators are costly devices that are difficult to integrate into a homogeneous design that is pleasing to the user.
In one embodiment, a landing floor door for an elevator system includes a door body and a door pocket located at the door body. A display panel is located at the door pocket and includes a panel having a front surface and a back surface, the back surface offset from the front surface by a panel thickness. One or more transparent portions are formed in the panel, and at least one light source associated with each transparent portion of the one or more transparent portions is located at a panel edge of the panel. The at least one light source is configured and oriented to emit a light into the panel in a direction transverse to the panel thickness. When the at least one light source is activated, light is transmitted through the associate transparent portion, thus displaying a selected image or light pattern.
Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments one or more of the front surface or the back surface of the panel is etched to facilitate display of the selected image or light pattern.
Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments etching of the front surface and/or the back surface modifies light incidence and simulates a light source emitting light parallel to the panel thickness.
Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments the etching is accomplished via a laser etching process.
Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments a protective cover is positioned over the front surface.
Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments the light source is one or more light emitting diodes.
Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments the selected image or light pattern is indicative of one or more of direction of travel of an elevator car in a hoistway, a floor at which the elevator car is currently located, number of passengers in the elevator car, current wait time for arrival of the elevator car at a landing floor, or a service indicator of the elevator system.
Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments the door pocket extends inwardly from a door panel edge to facilitate insertion and/or removal of the display panel therefrom.
In another embodiment, an elevator system includes a hoistway, an elevator car drivable along the hoistway, and one or more landing floors positioned along the hoistway. Each landing floor includes a landing floor door to allow passenger entry to and exit from the elevator car at the landing floor. The landing floor door includes a door body, a door pocket located at the door body, and a display panel positioned at the door pocket. The display panel includes a panel having a front surface and a back surface, the back surface offset from the front surface by a panel thickness. One or more transparent portions are formed in the panel. At least one light source is associated with each transparent portion of the one or more transparent portions located at a panel edge of the panel and is configured and oriented to emit a light into the panel in a direction transverse to the panel thickness. When the at least one light source is activated, light is transmitted through the associate transparent portion, thus displaying a selected image or light pattern.
Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments one or more of the front surface or the back surface of the panel is etched to facilitate display of the selected image or light pattern.
Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments etching of the front surface and/or the back surface modifies light incidence and simulates a light source emitting light parallel to the panel thickness.
Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments the etching is accomplished via a laser etching process.
Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments a protective cover is positioned over the front surface.
Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments the light source is one or more light emitting diodes.
Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments the selected image or light pattern is indicative of one or more of direction of travel of an elevator car in a hoistway, a floor at which the elevator car is currently located, number of passengers in the elevator car, current wait time for arrival of the elevator car at a landing floor, or a service indicator of the elevator system.
Additionally or alternatively, in this or other embodiments the door pocket extends inwardly from a door panel edge to facilitate insertion and/or removal of the display panel therefrom.
These and other features of exemplary embodiments are disclosed herein.
The subject matter is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the present disclosure are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Shown in
The hoistway 14 includes one or more landing floors 34 at which the elevator car 12 stops to allow ingress and/or egress of passengers from the elevator car 12 through elevator car door 38. A landing floor door 36 is located at each landing floor 34 of the hoistway 14. During elevator system operation, the landing floor door 36 opens when the elevator car 12 is present at the landing floor 34 to allow for passenger ingress and/or egress. In some embodiments, this is enabled by a mechanical interlock between the elevator car door 38 and the landing floor door 36 when the elevator car 12 is present at the landing floor 34. It is to be appreciated that while double elevator car doors 38 and landing floor doors 36 are shown in the FIGs. and described herein, the present disclosure may be readily applied to elevator cars 12 with single elevator car doors 38 and landing floors 34 with single landing floor doors 36 at each hoistway 14.
Shown in
Referring now to
The etching of the transparent panel 58 modifies light incidence and simulates a perpendicular light source, such that light transmission through the transparent panel 58 is blocked at etched portions on the transparent panel 58, and light is transmittable through the transparent patterns 76 of the transparent panel 58. The etching may be performed on the front surface 72 by any suitable process, for example, by a laser etching process such that the desired image or images are displayed at the transparent panel 58 when light 64 from the light source 60 is projected through the transparent panel 58. The light source 60 may be configured to transmit any one or a number of light colors, as desired to display the desired image or light pattern via the transparent pattern 76.
In some embodiments, the display panel 56 may include a protective glass panel 74 placed over the front surface 72 of the transparent panel 58 to protect the transparent panel 58 from damage or marring which may lead to distortion of the displayed image or light pattern and/or failure of the display panel 56.
Referring now to
As stated above, the transparent pattern 76 in the transparent panel 58 and the associated light pattern or image displayed may be indicative of, for example, direction of travel of the elevator car 12 in the hoistway 14 shown at 42, floor at which the elevator car 12 is currently located, number of passengers in the elevator car 12 shown at 44, current wait time for arrival of the elevator car 12 at the landing floor 34, or the like. Further, the landing floor door 36 may display a service indicator 46 when the elevator system 10, or a particular elevator hoistway 14 is out of service for maintenance or repair. In some embodiments, the displayed information may include a door closed indicator 48 to indicate when the landing floor door 36 is opened or closed, or may further indicate arrival of the elevator car 12 at the landing floor 34.
The system described herein is simple and efficient, allowing for a multiude of images or other information to be displayed at the landing floor doors 36 for the benefit of elevator system 10 users at the landing floor 34. Further, since the light source 60 is located at a transparent panel edge 62, no wiring or other components are visible behind the displayed light pattern or image, giving a clean appearance.
While the present disclosure has been described in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the present disclosure is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the present disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate in spirit and/or scope. Additionally, while various embodiments have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the present disclosure may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2015/002567 | 12/28/2015 | WO | 00 |
