The invention relates to a method for controlling an elevator, wherein a user of the elevator communicates a travel request by means of a man/machine interface to the elevator which executes the desired journey.
There has become known from patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,363 a communication system for transport equipment with elevators. A management plane superordinate to the transport equipment manages the transport equipment on the basis of specific operational data. If a potential user carries a radio telephone, his or her position is continuously ascertained. If the user moves to an elevator entry, an elevator car is ordered to the desired stopping point by the management plane.
A disadvantage of the known equipment resides in the fact that the user has to input his or her travel destination at the story or in the elevator car. In the case of crowding at the story or in the elevator car the user is stressed and loses time for the command input, whereby false inputs can also arise.
Here the invention will create a remedy. The invention fulfills the object of avoiding the disadvantages of the known equipment and of creating a method by which the control of an elevator installation is made more user-friendly.
The advantages achieved by the invention are substantially to be seen in the fact that the user can use an individual control unit which is trusted by the user and which makes possible a locally fixed control by the user of the elevator installation. Moreover, there can be made available to the user, on the individual control unit, information about the elevator installation, the building and the use of the building. It is further of advantage that the user during the control and utilisation of the elevator installation is reachable at any time. The user can thus be assisted during the control and/or on his or her way with further information, such as, for example, details about transfer stories and changes in the car allocation, or with details and instructions relating to a fire situation. It is further advantageous that no or only a few locally fixed control units are necessary, because each user carries his or her own control unit therewith, which is also usable for other communications services.
The control unit is temporarily used for control of the elevator, wherein the control unit is provided for a specific time with functions which enable elevator control. For that purpose the necessary program and data are communicated to the control unit, are executed and evaluated therein and subsequently obliterated. By virtue of an identification of the control unit, this can be addressed by the elevator installation and information can be communicated thereto.
The present invention is explained in more detail on the basis of the accompanying figures, in which:
Static information for elevator control, for example in the form of defined WML (Wireless Markup Language) pages and scripts is stored in the memory 9 and can be accessed by the server 8. Programs which can produce situation-induced information can also be filed in the memory 9. The server 8 can, in addition, make dynamic information and elevator functions available via interface 10. If the mobile telephone 3 is capable of interpreting information based on the WAP standard (Wireless Application Protocol), the information can be loaded at the mobile telephone 3 and made available at the mobile telephone 3. With the WAP standard the information is prepared for the mobile telephone in that graphical ballast is reduced and the information is optimised for small screens. The mobile telephone 3 must have available an interpreter denoted as a browser, by means of which the information can be loaded and the offered elevator capabilities utilized and the information represented.
For control of the elevator installation, the terminal 7 as a setting representative of the elevator installation 1, 2 is called up by the mobile telephone 3 according to its address. Thereupon the information (WML page) associated with the address is transmitted to the mobile telephone 3 and represented on the display 5 by means of the browser of the mobile telephone. If an elevator journey is desired, then the mobile 3 telephone demands corresponding WML pages from the server 8 and, if needed, supplementary WML scripts according to the WML page active in the mobile telephone 3. For preparation of this information the server 8 of the memory 9, which as explained further above contains the WML information and/or program for producing the WML information, serves itself. In addition, supplementary, elevator-specific information accessible by means of the interface 10 can be incorporated. The control of the elevator installation 1, 2 then takes place through selection on the WML page by means of the keyboard 4. As response to the selection the elevator installation 1, 2 makes available to the user further information, for example the elevator allocation in the case of an elevator group, the travel time, etc., via the WML page on the display 5.
The communication between mobile telephone 3 and server 8 is usually carried out in the manner that the information has to be expressly requested at the server 8 by the user by means of the mobile telephone browser. In the case of the WAP standard there is the new addition that the server 8 can transmits data to the browser without his making an express wish. The browser desires at the server 8 a WML initial page which usually enables all inputs necessary for an elevator journey, such as, for example, boarding story and destination story. After the data input a demand with the data goes to the server 8, which books the desired journey at the elevator control 2 and which obtains from the elevator control 2 the allocation of the elevator car. The server 8 combines this information with possible further information, such as WML content and transmits this to the mobile telephone browser.
The mobile telephone 3 can, as shown in
If a user is detected within a locally distinct cell ZE, Z1, Z2, Z3, ZA, then the communication content between the control unit 3 and the terminal 7 is supplemented by the local information of the corresponding cell. The terminal 7 can then associate each user request with a specific local region.
Local information can also be obtained by a system for positional determination of the user, for example by GPS (Global Positioning System). The ascertained local information is transmitted to the server and used for construction and checking of the course of the controlling. With the local information, for example, the boarding story can be ascertained and/or guidance of the user within the building MAN, warning of the user in the case of going wrong, etc., can be managed.
Connections from the control unit 3 to building services external to the elevator are also possible if interfaces to the corresponding building services are present in the terminal 7 and the relevant WML contents are filed in the memory 9. Building services of domestic technology, such as, for example, control and checking of heating installations, lighting installations, doors, equipment for identification of users and access to the building, monitoring installations, internal building telephone networks, building information equipment, etc., are reachable from the control unit 3.
Communication between the control unit 3 and the terminal 7 can also comprise user-specific information, for example identification data of the user or data for release of special functions or user data which, for example, enables association of the costs for the elevator utilization.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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00810367 | May 2000 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCTCH01/00261 | 4/25/2001 | WO | 00 | 10/31/2002 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO0183351 | 11/8/2001 | WO | A |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20030159890 A1 | Aug 2003 | US |