Guidance system

• US 20080010013A1
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Inventors: Rusanen, Niko
• Granted Patent: US 7,567,868 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/210
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/34 Details , e.g. call counting devices, data transmission from car to control system, devices giving information to the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 3/00 Applications of devices for indicating or signalling operating conditions of elevators
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 3/006 for guiding passengers to their assigned elevator car

Abstract

The invention concerns a guidance system and a method for guiding passengers in an elevator system. The elevator system comprises a number of elevators, means for receiving and allocating passengers'"'"' destination call data, and data transfer means for implementing data transfer between the elevator system and the guidance system. The guidance system comprises means for storing guiding messages into the guidance system and a number of reproduction devices for reproducing the guiding messages in the elevator system. Stored in the guidance system are a number of guiding messages, of which number a guiding message corresponding to the route has been defined for at least one route in the elevator system, which guiding message can be reproduced along the route in question. In the method, a number of guiding messages are stored into the guidance system, of which number a guiding message corresponding to the route is defined for at least one route in the elevator system, which guiding message is reproduced along the route in question.

Claims

1. A guidance system for the guidance of passengers in a multi-route elevator system, which elevator system comprises:

a number of elevators;

means for receiving passengers'"'"' destination call data and allocating the same as passenger route data; and

data transfer means for implementing data transfer between the aforesaid elevator system and the aforesaid guidance system, and which guidance system comprises means for storing guiding messages into the guidance system and a number of reproduction devices for reproducing the aforesaid guiding messages in the elevator system, characterized in that a number of guiding messages have been stored in the guidance system, of which number a guiding message has been defined for at least one route in the elevator system, said guiding message corresponding to said route, which guiding message can be reproduced along the route in question to guide passengers in the elevator system, and that the guiding message corresponding to the route allocated to the passenger can be reproduced in connection with the passenger entering destination call data via a destination call device.

2. A guidance system according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one the aforesaid guiding messages consists either completely or partly of a guiding sound, which guiding sound can be reproduced along the route corresponding to the guiding message in question.

3. A guidance system according to claim 1, characterized in that the guiding sound used is:

a piece of music or an abridged version of a piece of music;

a musical theme or an abridged version of a musical theme used by an enterprise or other community;

a sound characteristic of a mechanical device or system;

a sound characteristic of a living creature; and

/or a sound characteristic of a natural phenomenon.

4. A guidance system according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the aforesaid guiding messages consists either completely or partly of a guiding image, which guiding image can be reproduced along the route corresponding to the guiding message.

5. A guidance system according to claim 4, characterized in that the aforesaid guiding image used is an individual image, a series of images and/or a video image.

6. A guidance system according to claim 1, characterized in that the guiding message corresponding to a route in the elevator system can be reproduced in the immediate vicinity of an elevator at least partially implementing the route in question.

7. A guidance system according to claim 1, characterized in that the guiding message corresponding to a route in the elevator system can be reproduced on at least one floor level in connection with an elevator that at least partially implements the said route stopping at the floor in question.

8. A guidance system according to claim 4, characterized in that the guiding image and guiding sound corresponding to at least one route in the elevator system have been selected from among alternatives in which an associative connection exists between the guiding image and the guiding sound.

9. A guidance system according to claim 4, characterized in that at least one of the aforesaid guiding messages has been formed from a video recording wherein both a guiding image and a guiding sound have been recorded simultaneously in connection with the same audiovisual event.

10. A guidance system according to claim 1, characterized in that the aforesaid guiding messages can be reproduced in a continuous reproduction process, from time to time and/or as controlled by an external stimulus.

11. A method for guiding passengers in a multi-route elevator system, which elevator system:

receives passengers'"'"' destination call data;

allocates the said destination call data as passenger route data; and

communicates via a data transfer means with a guidance system, said guidance system comprising means for storing guiding messages into the guidance system and a number of reproduction devices for reproducing said guiding messages in the elevator system, characterized in that the method comprises the steps of;

storing a number of guiding messages into the guidance system;

defining among this number a guiding message for at least one route in the elevator system, said guiding message corresponding to the route in question;

reproducing the guiding message corresponding to the route allocated to the passenger in connection with the passenger entering destination call data on a destination call device; and

reproducing the guiding message corresponding to the aforesaid allocated route along the aforesaid allocated route to guide the passenger in the elevator system.

12. A method according to claim 11, characterized in that at least one of the aforesaid guiding messages consists either completely or partly of a guiding sound, which guiding sound is reproduced along the route corresponding to the guiding message in question.

13. A method according to claim 11, characterized in that the guiding sound used is:

a piece of music or an abridged version of a piece of music;

a musical theme or an abridged version of a musical theme used by an enterprise or community;

a sound characteristic of a mechanical device or system;

a sound characteristic of a living creature; and

/or a sound characteristic of a natural phenomenon.

14. A method according to claim 11, characterized in that at least one of the aforesaid guiding messages consists either completely or partly of a guiding image, which guiding image is reproduced along the route corresponding to the guiding message in question.

15. A method according to claim 14, characterized in that the guiding image used is an individual image, a series of images and/or a video image.

16. A method according to claim 11, characterized in that the guiding message corresponding to a route in the elevator system is reproduced in the immediate vicinity of an elevator at least partially implementing the route in question.

17. A method according to claim 11, characterized in that the guiding message corresponding to a route in the elevator system is reproduced on at least one floor level in connection with an elevator that at least partly implements the said route stopping at the floor in question.

18. A method according to claim 14, characterized in that the guiding image and guiding sound corresponding to at least one route in the elevator system are selected from among alternatives in which an associative connection exists between the guiding image and the guiding sound.

19. A method according to claim 14, characterized in that at least one of the aforesaid guiding messages is formed from a video recording wherein both a guiding image and a guiding sound have been recorded simultaneously in connection with an audiovisual event.

20. A method according to claim 11, characterized in that aforesaid guiding messages are reproduced in a continuous reproduction process, from time to time and/or as controlled by an external stimulus.