HK1189213B - Elevator system - Google Patents

Description

Elevator system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to elevator systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and an elevator system for generating an automatic elevator call using a personal identifier.

Background

With respect to elevator systems, call-giving solutions are known in which a passenger can give a destination call to an elevator system by means of an identifier, for example by means of an RFID identifier (radio frequency identifier), when he/she is in the possession. The elevator system must in this case be provided with a reader unit which reads the data contained in the identifier (so-called identification data) and transmits it to the elevator system. Based on the identification data, the elevator system determines a passenger-specified destination floor and assigns an elevator car from the elevator system for traveling to the floor. The destination floor is typically the floor to which the passenger repeatedly travels, for example the floor on which his/her work place is located. Frequent access control is also incorporated in said prior-art solutions so that for each passenger information about those destination floors in the building and about other spaces belonging to the access control area to which the passenger has access is kept in the elevator system or in a special access control system.

However, the prior art call presentation solutions described above have a number of disadvantages. The personal information connected to the passenger's identifier, e.g. the destination floor to be connected to the automatic call, must be fitted manually into the elevator system or into the access control system associated with the elevator system. The configuration is usually performed by a system administrator, which increases the maintenance costs of the system and usually prevents flexible use of the identifier for giving elevator calls. The prior art solutions are also less suitable for situations where passengers have to regularly use a number of different elevator systems, which may even be in different buildings.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to eliminate or at least alleviate said drawbacks occurring in the prior art. The object of the invention is also to achieve one or more of the following objects:

a self-learning system which automatically records and repeats the elevator journey selected by the passenger,

facilitating and accelerating the run in the elevator system,

a simple and cost-effective elevator system for generating automatic elevator calls,

call-giving solutions which are suitable for use in a plurality of elevator systems separate from each other.

The method according to the invention is characterized by what is presented in the characterization part of claim 1. The elevator system according to the invention is characterized by what is presented in the characterization part of claim 7. Other embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is presented in the other claims. Certain embodiments of the invention are also presented in the description part and drawings of the present application. The inventive content of the application can also be defined differently than what is provided in the claims below. The inventive content may also consist of several separate inventions, especially if the invention is considered in the light of expressions or implicit sub-tasks or from the point of view of advantages achieved or several categories of advantages. In that case, some of the attributes contained in the claims below may be superfluous from the point of view of separate inventive concepts. The features of the various embodiments of the invention can be applied within the scope of the basic inventive concept in combination with other embodiments.

The invention discloses a method for generating automatic elevator calls in an elevator system by means of a personal identifier owned by a passenger. In the method, identification data contained in an identifier is read at a first departure floor of a passenger, information relating to said first departure floor is incorporated into the identification data, the identification data is read at some second departure floor to which the passenger has transferred from the first departure floor, and an automatic elevator call for taking the passenger from said second departure floor to said first departure floor is generated. The term departure floor refers herein to a floor on which the identifier of a passenger is read and from which he/she can move by means of an elevator to his/her desired destination floor. The term elevator call refers to any call given to an elevator system. The identifier owned by the passenger is for example a remotely readable RFID identifier or other personal identifier suitable for the purpose. For reading the identification data contained in the identifier, the elevator lobby and/or elevator car and/or the call-giving device (call panel) of the elevator system is provided with a suitable reader unit.

The basic idea of the invention is an elevator system, or a system related thereto, that before each elevator trip saves the passenger's departure floor and automatically generates an elevator call that takes the passenger from the current floor to the departure floor of the previous elevator trip. In the method according to the invention the passenger gives a manual elevator call to the destination floor he/she wants to go to at the beginning of the first elevator trip and the elevator system automatically generates an elevator call to the departure floor that takes the passenger from said floor to the previous elevator trip when he/she departs from said destination floor and arrives at the elevator lobby of a floor. The elevator system is thus a self-learning system and no data about the passenger's destination floor, or other corresponding data, needs to be configured by the manager of the elevator system. Thanks to this self-learning capability, passengers can use the same personal identifier without difficulty in a plurality of different buildings having elevator systems to which the solution according to the invention is applied.

In one embodiment of the invention classification data given by the passenger in connection with manual elevator calls are recorded, which classification data are linked to automatic elevator calls to be generated later for the passenger. The classification data indicates that the passenger belongs to some special group, e.g. that he/she is physically disabled. Thanks to this embodiment the elevator system automatically learns and takes into account the special needs of passengers in the elevator service.

In one embodiment of the invention the elevator trip taken by the passenger during the visit is saved, on the basis of which elevator trip an automatic elevator call is generated during the next visit. Thanks to this embodiment the passenger can easily save e.g. an elevator trip taken during his/her working day and automatically repeat the same elevator trip when going to the building on the next working day.

In one embodiment of the invention the elevator system is provided with at least one motion detector by means of which the arrival of a passenger in the elevator lobby (at the departure floor) is detected. Based on the identification signal of the motion detector an automatic landing call is generated for moving the elevator car into the floor. When the passenger has transferred from the elevator lobby into the elevator car serving him/her, the reader unit in the elevator car reads the identification data contained in the passenger's identifier, on the basis of which identification data an automatic elevator call to the departure floor of the previous elevator trip can be made.

The invention also discloses an elevator system for generating automatic elevator calls. The elevator system comprises at least one elevator, a control system controlling the elevator system, and call-giving appliances for registering manual elevator calls. The elevator system further comprises a back-end system connected to said control system, and at least one reader unit for reading identification data contained in an identifier owned by a passenger. The elevator system is arranged to read identification data contained in an identifier of a passenger on a first departure floor of the passenger to incorporate information relating to said first departure floor into said identification data; reading identification data of the identifier on a second departure floor of the passenger; and generating an automatic elevator call to take a passenger from the second departure floor to the first departure floor based on the identification data.

By means of the solution according to the invention, a number of advantages are achieved compared to prior art solutions. The elevator system according to the invention is a self-learning system and does not require personnel resources for configuring or updating the information of specific passengers, in which case the elevator system becomes simple and maintenance work is minimized. The teaching of the elevator trip is based on a predicted elevator trip by the passenger himself/herself, so that the system is easy and flexible to use even in elevator systems located in different buildings. In this context, reference is also made to other advantages to be achieved by the invention, which are provided above in connection with the different embodiments.

Drawings

In the following, the invention will be described in more detail by means of examples of embodiments of the invention, in which:

fig. 1 presents an elevator system according to the invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows an elevator system 10 according to the invention, which comprises elevators 10a and 10b of the elevator system 10, a control system 10c of the elevator system, a back-end system 15 connected to the control system 10c, and also call-giving appliances 12 for registering manual elevator calls in the elevator lobby and/or in the elevator car. An identifier 11 is given personal use for the passenger, which identifier is for example a remotely readable RFID identifier, the identification data stored by which identifier can be read by the reader unit 14 in the elevator lobby (only the reader unit of the entrance lobby floor F1 is shown in fig. 1). The identification data contains, for example, the individual ID number of the identifier, which the reader unit 14 reads and transmits to the backend system 15. Alternatively, the reader unit may be arranged in the elevator car instead of in the elevator lobby, in which case the passenger must give a manual elevator call in the elevator lobby or the elevator lobby must be provided with an optical or other corresponding motion detector for calling the elevator car to the floor level when the passenger arrives in the elevator lobby waiting for an elevator. In fig. 1, the highest floor F10 is provided with a motion detector, e.g. indicated with reference numeral 18, which detects passengers arriving at the elevator lobby of floor F10 and sends detection data to the control system 10c for commanding the elevator car to floor F10. After the elevator car has reached floor F10 and the passenger has entered the elevator car, the reader unit in the elevator car reads the ID number of the identifier of the passenger, on the basis of which the elevator system generates an automatic destination call if the passenger gives no manual destination call with the call button in the elevator car.

A destination call panel and/or conventional up/down buttons in the elevator lobby can be used as call-giving devices 12. Fig. 1 shows only the destination call panel 12 arranged on floor F1 (entrance lobby floor), which destination call panel comprises call buttons 12a for registering manual destination floor calls, and a display unit 12b for indicating to the passenger giving the call the elevator serving the call. In addition to the call button 12a, the destination call panel comprises a sorting button 12aa, by means of which a physically handicapped passenger can reserve for himself/herself a transport means accessible to handicapped persons. The elevator serving the automatic elevator call can also be indicated with a display unit 12b and/or the elevator lobby can be provided with a marking (not shown in fig. 1) for indicating the serving elevator. The identifier 11 can also be provided with a display unit to which the elevator system transmits information about the elevator serving the passenger.

The back-end system 15 comprises a processing unit, software and a memory means 15a for storing information about automatic elevator calls. The back-end system is connected to the control system 10c via a data transfer connection 10d for transferring automatic elevator calls from the back-end system to the control system and, if necessary, for transferring status information of the elevator from the control system to the back-end system.

When the holder (passenger) of the identifier 11 first arrives at the entrance lobby F1 of the building, he/she walks to the call-giving device 12 and gives a manual destination call, for example to floor F5. In the same connection, the reader unit 14 in the entrance lobby reads the ID number of the identifier 11 and transmits it to the backend system 15. The back-end system 15 receives the ID number, opens a data record in the memory means 15a corresponding to the ID number and saves data record information about the departure floor of the passenger, which in this case is the entrance lobby F1. The control system 10c assigns the passenger an elevator car that takes him/her from the entrance lobby floor F1 to floor F5. After arriving at floor F5, the passenger moves, for example, to his/her office. When the passenger returns to the elevator lobby of floor F5, the reader unit 14 in the elevator lobby of floor F5 detects the passenger's identifier 11, reads the ID number contained in said identifier and transmits said ID number to the back-end system 15. The back-end system, on the basis of the ID number, identifies a data record which comprises information about the departure floor of the passenger's previous elevator trip and generates an automatic destination call from floor F5 to the departure floor, which in the case of this example is the entrance lobby floor F1. In the same connection the back-end system updates the new departure floor (floor F5) in the data record for the next elevator trip. When the passenger arrives at the entrance lobby F1 of the building, for example in the next morning, the backend system generates an automatic destination call from the entrance lobby floor F1 to floor F5 in the manner described above. If the passenger has pressed the classification button 12aa via a manual call, this is also taken into account when generating an automatic call by reserving an elevator conveyance for the passenger according to the classification, for example by extending the door time of the doors of the elevator for a physically handicapped passenger.

In the preceding example, the elevator lobby is equipped with a reader unit 14 which reads the identification data in the identifiers 11 of the passengers installed in the elevator lobby. Since the back-end system 15 has the position data of the reader unit available to it, it can detect which floor's elevator lobby a passenger arrives at any given time (by elevator or by walking), or which floor's elevator lobby a passenger leaves (by elevator or by walking). By means of the reader unit, on which floor the passenger enters the elevator car and on which floor he/she leaves the elevator car, i.e. the destination floor, in the elevator trip taken by the passenger can thus be determined. The corresponding determination can be performed with the reader unit in the elevator car by detecting the presence of the identifier of the passenger in the elevator car with the reader unit and by identifying the floor at which the elevator car was located at the time of the detection.

According to one embodiment of the invention the back-end system 15 records the elevator trip taken by the passenger during one visit. The term access refers to the period from the moment the passenger arrives at the building to the moment he/she leaves the building. This embodiment comprises a "logging function" in which the elevator trips taken by the passenger during a visit are saved in the memory means 15a in the order they were performed, including information about the departure floor and the destination floor of each elevator trip. In the example according to fig. 1, the "recording function" starts when a passenger arrives at the entrance lobby floor F1 and the reader unit 14 on the entrance lobby floor F1 detects the identifier 11 of the passenger. In the exemplary case according to fig. 1, the "recording function" ends when the reader unit 14 on the entrance lobby floor F1 detects that a passenger (identifier 11) has left the detection zone of the reader unit 14 in the entrance lobby F1 and that the identifier 11 of the passenger is not detected thereafter by the reader unit 14 during a predetermined period of time. When the passenger visits the building at a later time and his/her identifier 11 is detected in the elevator lobby of a different floor, the back-end system generates an automatic elevator call based on the elevator trips saved in the memory means 15a and taking into account the order in which the elevator trips relating to the specific floor are saved. If the passenger does not make an elevator trip based on the automatic elevator call (e.g., he/she does not step into the elevator car assigned to him/her), the back-end system deletes the elevator trip from the plurality of saved elevator trips. Accordingly, if a passenger gives a manual elevator call and produces an elevator trip that has not been "recorded," the back-end system adds the elevator trip to the plurality of saved elevator trips.

The invention is not restricted to being applied to the embodiments described above, but instead many variations are possible within the scope of the inventive concept defined by the claims. Thus, for example, the back-end system shown in FIG. 1 as a separate computer system may be fully or partially integrated into control system 10 c. There is also a memory device 15a, which, as an exception to fig. 1, may be fully or partially integrated into the control system 10c and/or into the identifier 11, and the reader unit 14 may be used, for example, to transfer data to be stored in the integrated memory device 15a to the identifier 11.

Claims (11)

1. Method for generating an automatic elevator call in an elevator system by means of a personal identifier owned by a passenger, characterized in that the method comprises the phases:

the identification data contained in the identifier is read on the first departure floor of the passenger;

information relating to the first departure floor is incorporated into the identification data;

the identification data contained in the identifier are read on the passenger's second departure floor; and

based on the identification data, an automatic elevator call is generated for bringing the passenger from the second departure floor back to the first departure floor.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that classification data given by the passenger in connection with manual elevator calls are recorded; and taking into account the classification data when generating the automatic elevator call.

3. Method according to the preceding claim 1, characterized in that it comprises the following phases: the elevator trips taken by the passenger during the visit are saved; and during the next visit, one or more automatic elevator calls are generated based on the saved elevator trip.

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims 1-3, characterized in that the identification data contained in the identifier are read when the passenger is in the elevator lobby.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims 1-3, characterized in that the identification data contained in the identifier are read when the passenger is in the elevator car.

6. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the arrival of a passenger at an departure floor is detected by means of a motion detector arranged in the elevator lobby of the departure floor; and generating an automatic landing call for collecting passengers from the departure floor based on the detection.

7. Elevator system for producing automatic elevator calls, which elevator system (10) comprises at least one elevator (10a, 10b), a control system (10c) and a call-giving device (12) for registering manual elevator calls, characterized in that the elevator system further comprises: a back-end system (15) connected with a control system (10c), at least one reader unit (14) connected to the back-end system (15) for reading identification data contained in an identifier (11) owned by a passenger, and the elevator system being arranged to: reading the identification data contained in said identifier (11) on a first departure floor; incorporating information relating to the first departure floor into the identification data; reading the identification data contained in the identifier (11) on a second departure floor; and generating an elevator call for bringing a passenger from the second departure floor to the first departure floor.

8. Elevator system according to claim 7, characterized in that the call-giving device (12) comprises at least one sorting button (12aa) for recording sorting data relating to manual elevator calls, and that the elevator system is arranged to: incorporating the classification data into the identification data; and taking into account said classification data when generating an automatic elevator call.

9. Elevator system according to claim 7, characterized in that the elevator lobby (F1, F2 … F10) and/or the elevator car (10a, 10b) is provided with a reader unit (14) for reading identification data contained in the identifier (11).

10. Elevator system according to one of the preceding claims 7-9, characterized in that the elevator system is arranged to: saving elevator trips taken by passengers during one visit; and generating one or more automatic elevator calls based on the saved elevator trip during the next visit.

11. Elevator system according to one of the preceding claims 7-9, characterized in that the elevator system comprises a motion detector (18) arranged in at least one elevator lobby for generating automatic landing calls after passengers have arrived at the elevator lobby.