Patent Application
20080062981
The elevator system 10 has three elevators 11, 12, 13. In the vicinity of the elevator system 10, on the first story 15 there is a destination call terminal 20, and on the second story 16 a destination call terminal 25. To control the entire elevator system 10, a central control unit 14 is provided that via corresponding communication lines is in data communication with the destination terminals 20, 25 and other destination call terminals in the other stories that are not shown.
The destination call terminal 20 comprises an RFID receiver unit 22, a memory unit 21, and a keypad field 24. Correspondingly, the destination call terminal 25 comprises a memory unit 26, an RFID receiver unit 27, and a keypad field 29. The RFID receiver units 22, 27 are designed in such manner that in conjunction with a control data storage element 30 that is described in greater detail below, they can generate a near-field radio connection.
To modernize in the course of time the control of the elevator system 10 that is made possible by the central control unit 14 and the destination call terminal 20, 25, the following method is executed:
An authorized person 40, as for example maintenance personnel responsible for the elevator installation 10 or another person responsible for the building, who carries the mobile control data storage element 30 in the form of an RFID memory card 30 or mobile telephone, approaches the destination call terminal 20. The memory card 30 also contains a transmitter unit 31, including a transmitting device as, for example, an antenna. As soon as the memory card 30 that is held by the person 40 is in the immediate vicinity of the destination call terminal 20, which means that the distance R between the transmission unit 31 and the receiver unit 22 is, for example, less than approximately 30 cm, a near-field radio connection is generated between the transmission unit 31 and the receiver unit 22. This near-field radio connection is designed in such manner that an adequate transmission bandwidth for transmission of the control data packet is available. As an additional security measure it can be foreseen that the person 40, to be able to generate such a near-field radio connection at all, must first enter an enabling code by means of the keypad field 24.
After complete transmission of the control data packet from the control data storage element 30 to the destination call terminal 20, in other words from the transmission unit 31 to the receiver unit 22, the control data packet is deposited in the memory unit 21. On completion of this operation, the person 40 with the control data storage element can move away from the destination call terminal 20 and repeat the operation on the second story 16 for the destination call terminal 25. Alternatively, the data conductor that is present between the destination call terminal 20, 25 and the central control unit 14 can be used to transmit the control data packet that is stored in the storage unit 21 to the memory unit 26 of the destination call terminal 25.
The method according to the invention for modernizing the control of the elevator system 10 is especially characterized in that modernization of the control functions can be performed in simple manner by means of a wireless near-field radio connection and the mobile control data storage element 30 that is carried by a person. By this means, among other things the exchange of plug-in cards including opening and closing the housing of the destination call terminal 20, 25, can be obviated.
Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited but by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06120520.9 | Sep 2006 | EP | regional |
