Operation device and elevator apparatus with operation device

• US 8,003,907 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2009
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hoshino, Takeshi, Tsukada, Yujin, Sasanabe, Chizuko, Obata (nee Nakajima), Akiko, Yamamoto, Yukari, Yanagimoto, Manabu, Maki, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Friedhofer; Michael A
• Application Number:
  US12/607,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20100243381A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 200308-317, 200/330, 200/331, 200/518, 200/42.01
• US Class Current: 200/314
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 3/00 Applications of devices for indicating or signalling operating conditions of elevators

Abstract

To reduce the number of erroneous operations, on an operation apparatus conducting mutually different operations such as opening and closing operations, a concretized human pictogram indicating mutually different state changes such as state changes represented by use of a face with opened eyes and a face with closed eyes associated with operation signals assigned to a pair of operation switches and a pictogram in which the human pictogram is combined with an operation pictogram representing a state in which a door concretizing an operation target to operate in response to an operation signal is opened or is being completely closed are respectively attached to the operation switches disposed adjacent to each other.

Claims

1. An operation apparatus, comprising

an operation panel which has at least a pair of input switches including a first switch and a second switch, each respectively marked with pictograms, wherein

the pictograms are prepared for respective input switches and each of the pictograms is made by combining a concretized human pictogram indicating mutually different state changes respectively associated with operation signals of the apparatus respectively assigned to the pair of input switches with an operation pictogram concretizing an operation target which operates in response to an operation signal,

the first and second switches are arranged at positions adjacent to each other in the operation panel, and

a difference between space area ratios of the first and second switches is equal to or greater than 15%, where a space area ratio of each switch is a ratio of a space area which is not occupied by the operation pictogram to an entire switch area.

2. An operation apparatus, comprising:

at least a pair of input switches to make an operation target of the apparatus conduct mutually different functional operations, wherein

a pictogram in which a human pictogram indicating a state change associated with a respective functional operation is combined with an operation pictogram concretizing an operation mode of the operation target is disposed on each of the input switches, and

a difference between space area ratios of the first and second switches is equal to or greater than 15%, where a space area ratio of each switch is a ratio of space area which is not occupied by the operation pictogram to an entire switch area.

3. An operation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the human pictogram is a face pictogram.

4. An operation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the human pictogram comprises at least a face contour and two eyes and a mouth in the face contour.

5. An operation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

the mutually different functional operations are an opening operation and a closing operation of the operation target;

an opening operation pictogram indicating a state in which the operation target opens and an open-eye face pictogram representing a state in which the eyes and the mouth are opened are disposed in combination with each other for an opening operation switch to cause execution of the opening operation; and

a closing operation pictogram indicating a state in which the operation target closes and a closed-eye face pictogram representing a state in which the eyes and the mouth are closed are formed in combination with each other for a closing operation switch to cause execution of the closing operation.

6. An operation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the opening operation switch comprises a space section in the switch area where the operation pictogram is not formed, the space section having a first ratio with respect to an area of the switch;

the closing operation switch comprises a space section in the switch area where the operation pictogram is not formed, the space section having a second ratio with respect to the area of the switch; and

a ratio difference between the first and second ratios is equal to or more than 15%.

7. An apparatus comprising:

an operation panel having at least first and second input switches, wherein the first switch is marked with a first pictogram and the second switch is marked with a second pictogram,

wherein the first pictogram is prepared by combining a first human pictogram indicating a first state with a first operation pictogram indicating a first operation;

wherein the second pictogram is prepared by combining a second human pictogram indicating a second state, different from the first state, with a second operation pictogram indicating a second operation;

wherein the first and second switches are arranged at positions adjacent to each other in the operation panel, and

wherein a difference between space area ratios of the first and second switches is equal to or greater than 15%, where a space area ratio of the first switch is a ratio of a space area which is not occupied by the first operation pictogram to an entire switch area and a space area ratio of the second switch is a ratio of a space area which is not occupied by the second operation pictogram to an entire switch area.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first and second human pictograms are face pictograms.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first and second human pictograms each comprise at least a face contour and two eyes and a mouth in the face contour.

10. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the first and second operations are an opening operation and a closing operation for an operation target, respectively;

the first operation pictogram indicates a state in which the operation target opens and the first human pictogram is an open-eye face pictogram representing a state in which the eyes and the mouth are opened; and

the second operation pictogram indicates a state in which the operation target closes and the second human pictogram is a closed-eye face pictogram representing a state in which the eyes and the mouth are closed.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the first switch comprises a space section in the switch area where the first operation pictogram is not formed, the space section having a first ratio with respect to an area of the first switch;

the second switch comprises a space section in the switch area where the second operation pictogram is not formed, the space section having a second ratio with respect to the area of the second switch; and

a ratio difference between the first and second ratios is equal to or more than 15%.