MXPA00003084A - Procedure of communicating with a transportation system - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves at least one man-machine interface for entering destinations and for providing information. to the user. entering destinations and/or providing information to the user, descriptions are used instead of real statements of location to destinations in an easily noticeable form related to the destinations.

Description

Communication procedure with a transport system Description The invention relates to a method of communication with a transport system, in which at least one man-mac interface is provided for entering travel destinations and providing information to the user. In EP 0 320 583, call indicating and recording devices for elevators are provided, arranged on the floors, with a group control device with immediate assignment of destination calls, each indicating and recording device presenting calls a ten-button keypad for entering calls for desired destination floors and a display field to indicate the desired floor and the assigned elevator car. A disadvantage of the known device is that the man-mac communication is oriented to the floor numbers. To select the appropriate floor, the user of the elevator installation must know the existing infrastructure in the corresponding floor. You have to know, for example, that the restaurant is on the fourth floor or that the tax administration is in the eighth floor. Only in this way can the user select the correct floor number. This disadvantage is that which seeks to remedy the invention. The invention, as characterized in claim 1, avoids the disadvantages of the known device and proposes a method that facilitates the use of a transport system. The advantages achieved with the invention essentially consist in simplifying the man-mac communication. The user of the means of transport does not need to have any knowledge in the usual sense with respect to his place of destination. For example, a functional indication of the user's travel destination is sufficient. The user does not need to give any indication of place. The mac, or the control of the transport system, provides the user with the necessary information. The introduction of the travel destination can be done more quickly, so that the means of transport can work together more effectively, especially in case of large crowds. Additional information may also be communicated to the user, for example in relation to his place of destination, such as the opening hours of windows or shops or indications on the road he has to follow. In this way unnecessary trips or detours can be avoided. On the other hand, users can be characterized and classified according to the selection of their travel destination, so that the type of execution of the travel wishes can be adapted to the corresponding user or group of users. In the execution of the transport order attributes such as priority, necessary space or loading / unloading time can be used.

The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of drawings representing an exemplary embodiment. The drawings show: - Figure 1. A transport system with several vehicles. - Figure 2. A man-mac interface. Figure 3. The man-mac interface for information communication. In Figures 1 to 3, a man-mac interface is designated by 1, with which the user makes known his travel destination to a control 2 of a transport system. The control 2, which essentially consists of a computer and a memory, has access to a source of information executed for example in the form of table 3 with the actual place indications of the travel destinations and the bookmarks assigned to the place indications. The transport system can be, for example, an elevator system with at least one elevator box through which several vehicles or elevator cars with large autonomy circulate, which can be the direction of vertical and / or horizontal movement. In the simplest case, the transport system consists of a system of lifts with one or more cabins, one cabin circulating through each elevator box. In the control 2 drive units 4 are connected for control and feeding of the vehicles 5, or of the elevator cars, Figure 2 shows a man-machine interface in the form of a touch screen 1. Instead of the touch screen, a keyboard with a screen can also be provided. In the simplest case, some keys with the corresponding label are enough. A selection of travel destinations, for example from a university, can be selected on the touch screen 1 by touching the screen. Other travel destinations can also be selected using the window technique or through the technique of moving information up and down the screen. Travel destinations are not represented as real place indications, for example as a floor number, but by means of bookmarks describing the travel destination, for example functionally. The user selects for example the conference room as a travel destination, without knowing where it really is. After selecting the travel destination, the control 2 can ask the user for other information, for example its participant number. If, for example, the name of a company is provided as a signal, the user is announced in advance at the reception of the company, which can be attended to in a more friendly and immediate manner. Other examples of application are hospitals or hotels, where different users continually request trips to the most diverse destinations. Based on the bookmarks, the operating theaters or the VIP boxes can be preferentially attended with respect to other rooms that are located on the same floor. The users of the elevator do not need to know the organization of the building, often complex. People who do not know the building can also be guided by the easily remembered bookmarks. The control 2 determines the actual location indication by means of table 3, in which for example the "conference room" indicator is assigned the indication of the real place, floor 23. The control assigns the desired floor to the elevator cabin that has the most favorable travel conditions and informs the user through the touch screen 1, as shown in figure 3. The information includes the designation of the means of transport, in this case the elevator car D, and an indication of the place of entry, in this case an arrow to the right. The information also includes the side of the door in case of elevator cabins of several doors, or the coordinates of the place of entry in case of horizontal and / or vertical transport systems. The coordinates of the place of entry and / or exit can usually be used. In transport systems where several vehicles serve the same stop, the information can also include the vehicle's name. During the trip, the destinations reached are indicated, using the indications of real place and / or the signs. Depending on the use of the building, table 3 can be modified as a function of time. For example, if a room is used during the day as a conference room and at night as a ballroom, the corresponding bookmark is adapted to the use of the room. The selection of travel destinations may also depend on the place or the corresponding entrance floor, or for each place of entry an adapted or limited table may be provided. The table can also depend on the momentary position of the user or the materials to be transported. Other easily memorable bookmarks can also be used in relation to the travel destination, such as names, telephone numbers, affectionate words for kindergartens, images, symbols, pictograms, reference numbers, signs, etc. Instead of table 3, in order to change the flag, a source of information can be searched in a network that assigns an indication of the real place to the flag. It can also be made that the use of the means of transport depends on confirmation by the selected destination. The confirmation can be provided individually for each user. To this end, communication means such as telephone can be used, videophone, email, etc.

Claims (4)

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N S

1. Communication procedure with a transport system, in which at least one man-machine interface is provided to enter a travel destination and provide information to the user, characterized in that to enter the travel destination and / or to provide information to the user, in Instead of the actual place indications, bookmarks are used that present the desired destinations in an easily memorable way and that are related to said destinations. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the real place indications and the pointers assigned to the place indications are stored in a source of information to which a control of the transport system has access. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the pointers and their assignment with respect to the location indications can be modified as a function of time. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the users are characterized on the basis of the destinations they have selected by means of bookmarks, and the type of execution of the selected trips can be adapted to said characterization.