Elevator remote destination entry based on altitude

• US 10,392,222 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2013
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otis Elevator Company (Otis Worldwide Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Otis Elevator Company (Otis Worldwide Corp.)
• Inventors: Simcik, Paul A., Scoville, Bradley Armand, Peterson, Eric C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Salata, Anthony J
• Application Number:
  US15/032,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20160272460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,129 Days
• Field of Search: 187247, 187277, 187380-388, 187391, 187392, 187393, 187394, 187396
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/468 Call registering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/4615 Wherein the destination is registered before boarding
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/4653 wherein the call is registered using portable devices

Abstract

A method includes determining an altitude of a mobile device, determining a floor coinciding with the altitude, and requesting elevator service specific to the floor mapped to the mobile device location. An apparatus includes a memory having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the apparatus to: determine an altitude of the apparatus within a building, determine a floor within the building coinciding with the altitude, and request an elevator car to arrive at the floor.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining an altitude of a mobile device;

determining a floor coinciding with the altitude; and

requesting elevator service specific to the floor;

wherein the altitude is determined based on the use of at least one of a barometric pressure sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a camera included in the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for elevator service,

wherein the altitude of the mobile device is determined in response to the request for elevator service.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the received request for elevator service comprises an up/down direction request.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the received request for elevator service comprises a specification of a destination, and wherein the elevator car traverses a hoist-way from the floor within the building coinciding with the altitude to a destination floor associated with the specified destination.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the destination is specified as at least one of an office and a tenant located in the building, the method further comprising:

mapping the at least one of an office and a tenant to the destination floor.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, by the mobile device, the altitude to a controller,

wherein the controller determines the floor within the building coinciding with the altitude.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device determines the floor within the building coinciding with the altitude.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the floor within the building coinciding with the altitude is determined based on the altitude falling within a range of altitude values assigned to the floor.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the altitude is determined based on the use of at least one of the barometric pressure sensor and the camera included in the mobile device.

9. An apparatus comprising:

memory having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the apparatus to;

receive a request for elevator service,

determine an altitude of the apparatus within a building;

determine a floor within the building coinciding with the altitude; and

request an elevator car to arrive at the floor;

wherein the altitude of the apparatus is determined in response to the request for elevator service;

wherein the apparatus is configured to determine the altitude of the apparatus based on the use of at least one of a barometric pressure sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a camera included in the apparatus.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the received request for elevator service comprises a specification of a destination, and wherein the request for elevator service comprises a request for the elevator car to traverse a hoist-way from the floor within the building coinciding with the altitude to a destination floor associated with the specified destination.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the destination is specified as at least one of an office and a tenant located in the building, and wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the apparatus to:

map the at least one of an office and a tenant to the destination floor.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the apparatus to:

receive a map used to translate between altitude and floors within the building; and

determine the floor within the building coinciding with the altitude based on the map.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the apparatus to:

determine the floor within the building coinciding with the altitude based on the altitude falling within a range of altitude values assigned to the floor.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the apparatus to:

determine a second altitude of the apparatus within the building as the apparatus and the elevator car traverse a hoist-way;

determine a second floor within the building coinciding with the second altitude; and

present an indication of the second floor.

18. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine the altitude of the apparatus based on the use of at least one of the barometric pressure sensor and the camera included in the apparatus.

15. An apparatus comprising:

memory having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause the apparatus to;

receive a request for elevator service,

receive from a mobile device an indication of a current altitude of the mobile device within a building,

determine a floor within the building coinciding with the altitude, and

dispatch an elevator car to the floor;

wherein the altitude of the mobile device is received in response to the request for elevator service;

wherein the apparatus is configured to determine the altitude of the apparatus based on the use of at least one of a barometric pressure sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a camera included in the apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the apparatus to:

determine the floor based on the altitude falling within a range of altitude values assigned to the floor.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine the altitude of the apparatus based on the use of at least one of the barometric pressure sensor and the camera included in the apparatus.