METHOD OF ASSIGNING A USER TO AN ELEVATOR SYSTEM AND SUCH AN ELEVATOR SYSTEM

Abstract

A method of assigning a user to an elevator system with several elevators wherein a user issues a destination call, at least one elevator is determined to serve the destination call and is announced to the user by an acoustic signal that identifies the elevator. All of the signals that designate the different elevators are exclusively formed by one single single-frequency signal tone, the various signals that identify the individual elevators being distinguishable to the user by a predefined signal duration and/or at least one predefined signal interruption. The invention further relates to an elevator system that is equipped for this method.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a prior art elevator lobby;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the elevator floor selection station shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the elevator system for performing the method according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following detailed description and appended drawings describe and illustrate various exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description and drawings serve to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. In respect of the methods disclosed, the steps presented are exemplary in nature, and thus, the order of the steps is not necessary or critical.

An elevator system 20 according to the present invention comprises several elevators (elevators 26 through 29 of FIG. 1) that are capable of traveling between a plurality of floors. Provided for the purpose of controlling the elevator system 20 is a control module 10 with a destination call issuing module 11 that receives a destination call issued by a user and thereupon determines at least one elevator that is suitable for serving the destination call. For the purpose of issuing the destination call, in the area of each landing area of the elevator system is the destination call issuing module 11 with a number of switches 12 that corresponds to the number of floors. Each of the switches 12 is provided with haptic means in the form of Braille marks with projections to designate a floor. In addition, assigned to each elevator hoistway door is an acoustic signal module 13. This signal module 13 comprises a single-frequency signal tone emitter 14, an acoustic signal generating means, that is so equipped as to emit a sequence of single-frequency signal tones that are separated by pauses for assigning the user to one of the elevator hoistway doors.

If, now, a visually disabled person enters a building that is equipped with such an elevator installation and, in the area of the ground floor in the lobby area of the elevator system, arrives at the destination call issuing module 11, by means of his sense of touch this user can identify that switch 12 that is marked with Braille that corresponds to his desired destination floor. After actuation of the respective switch 12, this destination call is transmitted to the destination call issuing module 11. The destination call control module 10 determines a suitable elevator for transporting the user into the desired destination floor and gives the user the associated designation of the elevator, for example a letter or number, by means of a correspondingly configured single-frequency signal tone by means of the acoustic signal module 13 of the destination call issuing module. Thus, for example, four elevators A, B, C, D that are present in the elevator system can be designated by the following sequences of signal tones (“-”=long; “.”=short): Elevator A “- - -” Elevator B “. - - ”; Elevator C “- . -”; and Elevator D “. . -”. Between the individual signal tone components “long” and “short”, signal interruptions that are also of predefined length are provided. Afterwards, the same single-frequency signal tone sounds from the signal module 13 of the assigned elevator hoistway door.

In this manner, the visually disabled person can orientate himself by means of the signal tone and move in the direction of the assigned elevator hoistway door. In addition, it can be foreseen that after arrival of the elevator car in the starting floor, and after opening of the elevator hoistway door and elevator car door, a further acoustic signal module that is arranged in or on the elevator car issues the same signal tone to communicate to the user that he can now board the elevator car.

The exemplary embodiment described above relates to the method according to the present invention as well as to the elevator installation according to the present invention, and is especially characterized in that through the use of a single-frequency tone emitter, a comparatively simply constructed acoustic signal module can be used and that it is also not necessary to hold ready a plurality of elaborately melodic sounds.

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.

Claims

1. A method of assigning a user to an elevator system with several elevators, in which the user issues a destination call and at least one elevator is determined to serve the destination call and, by means of an acoustic signal that designates the elevator, is announced to the user, comprising: forming all of the acoustic signals that designate the different elevators of the elevator system by generating one single single-frequency signal tone; anddistinguishing the various acoustic signals that identify the individual elevators to the user by a predefined signal duration and/or at least one predefined signal interruption of the signal tone.

2. The method according to claim 1 including configuring the acoustic signals with a predetermined signal code.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the predetermined signal code is a Morse alphabet code.

4. The method according to claim 1 including emitting the acoustic signals for the elevators separated by time from one another.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the user issues the destination call by actuating at least once at least one switch of a destination call issuing module.

6. The method according to claim 5 including guiding the user by another acoustic signal to the destination call issuing module.

7. An elevator system having several elevators, at least one destination call issuing module for issuing a destination call, a destination call control module to determine an elevator to serve the destination call, and at least one acoustic signal module to issue an acoustic signal, to assign the user to the determined elevator, comprising: acoustic signal generating means in the acoustic signal module for generating signals that identify all of the different elevators by forming one single single-frequency signal tone, the signals that identify the individual elevators being recognizable by a predefined signal duration and/or at least one predefined signal interruption that is distinguishable to the user.

8. The elevator system according to claim 7 wherein the signals are configured by means of a predefined signal code.

9. The elevator system according to claim 8 wherein the predefined signal code is a Morse alphabet code.

10. The elevator system according to claim 7 wherein the destination call issuing module is provided in the landing area of the elevators and has at least one switch for actuation by the user.

11. The elevator installation according to claim 7 wherein the destination call issuing module includes several switches, each said switch being identified by a haptic means of designating a certain destination.

12. The elevator system according to claim 7 wherein the signal module is arranged in at least one of an area of an elevator hoistway door, in an area of elevator cars, and in a landing area of the elevators.