State remote reading device, and uses thereof

• US 8,145,744 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2003
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Inventors: Gielis, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): TANG, KAREN C
• Application Number:
  US10/517,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20060077033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,211 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 13/143 electrical

Abstract

The invention concerns a device for remote reading of states, comprising a communication network (1), a plurality of peripherals (31 to 33) each of which adopts an instantaneous state (STAT_—1 to STAT_—3), and a controller (2) periodically scanning said peripherals (31 to 33) to read therefrom the instantaneous state (STAT_—1 to STAT_—3). The invention is characterized in that the communication network (1) electromagnetically connects the peripherals (31 to 33) to the controller (2), and said peripherals (31 to 33) are supplied with electrical energy via said communication network (1). The invention is useful for managing calls in lifts by means of peripherals not provided with any galvanic connection and with any individual power source.

Claims

1. A system for remote status readings, comprising:

an elevator communication network comprising a plurality of stationary electromagnetic induction loops wired together;

a central controller linked to the communication network; and

a plurality of peripheral devices linked to the central controller through the communication network, each of the plurality of peripheral devices associated with a respective one of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops, each of the plurality of peripheral devices being stationary relative to the respective one of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops, each peripheral device having an instantaneous status belonging to a plurality of possible statuses, the controller being operative to periodically scan the peripheral devices to read their respective instantaneous statuses, each peripheral device having a display element displaying information pertinent to all of the plurality of peripheral devices, the communication network linking the peripheral devices to the controller and communicating with the peripheral devices by inductive coupling through the electromagnetic induction loops, each of the peripheral devices being powered by inductive coupling with the associated one of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops of the communication network wherein each of the peripheral devices receives power through a same one of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops through which the peripheral device communicates.

2. The system for remote status readings according to claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises a series circuit supplied by the controller.

3. The system for remote status readings according to claim 2, wherein each peripheral device has its own identification code, the controller having a configuration memory in which are stored correlatively, for each peripheral device, the identification code of the peripheral device and a localization parameter identifying the location of the peripheral device in the network, the controller being operative to read, for each peripheral device, the instantaneous status and identification code of the peripheral device, with a result that each instantaneous status read is correlated, by the controller, to a location in the network.

4. The system for remote status readings according to claim 3, wherein each peripheral device includes a transmitter-receiver circuit and at least one status encoder adopting an instantaneous status constituting or participating in building up the instantaneous status of the peripheral device, the status encoder being linked to the transmitter-receiver circuit to allow the peripheral device to transmit the instantaneous status of the encoder to the controller.

5. The system for remote status readings according to claim 4, wherein each peripheral device includes an electronic tag having a memory containing the identification code attributed to the peripheral device, a local antenna coupled to one of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops of the communication network to receive electrical energy transmitted by the one of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops, and the transmitter-receiver circuit, the transmitter-receiver circuit being linked to the local antenna so as to be able at least to receive from the controller a transmission order and to be able to transmit to the controller, apart from the instantaneous status of the encoder, the identification code of the tag.

6. The system for remote status readings according to claim 4, wherein each peripheral device includes, as the status encoder, at least one appropriate element.

7. The system for remote status readings according to claim 6, wherein the appropriate element is an electric contact.

8. The system for remote status readings according to claim 4, wherein each peripheral device includes, as the status encoder, at least one sensor sensitive to influence of a physical parameter to which the peripheral device is subjected.

9. The system for remote status readings according to claim 1, wherein each peripheral device forms a command terminal for management of remote commands.

10. The system for remote status readings according to claim 4, wherein each peripheral device forms a call terminal for management of remote calls.

11. The system for remote status readings according to claim 10, wherein each peripheral device is installed at a specific location and forms a call terminal for a means of transport.

12. The system for remote status readings according to claim 11, wherein each peripheral device is installed on a respective floor of a building and forms a call terminal for an elevator.

13. The system for remote status readings according to claim 11, wherein the status encoder of each peripheral device includes a plurality of appropriate elements each of which identifies an assigned destination for the means of transport from a departure position represented by the specific location.

14. The system for remote status readings according to claim 2, wherein each peripheral device includes a local antenna coupled to one of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops of the communication network to receive electrical energy transmitted by the one of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops.

15. The system for remote status readings according to claim 14, wherein the one of the plurality of induction loops and antenna are separated by a support, the peripheral devices being supplied with electrical energy through the support.

16. The system for remote status readings according to claim 15, wherein the support is formed of a dielectric material.

17. The system for remote status readings according to claim 16, wherein the support is formed as a partition.

18. The system for remote status readings according to claim 2, wherein an electric power signal circulating in the series circuit has a frequency lower than 500 kHZ.

19. The system for remote status readings according to claim 18, wherein the electric power signal in the series circuit is modulated at 125 kHZ.

20. The system for remote status readings according to claim 2, wherein an electric power signal circulating in the series circuit has a frequency between 500 kHZ and 125 kHZ.

21. An elevator installation at a building, the elevator installation comprising:

a first power induction loop positioned at a wall of a first floor space of the building;

a second power induction loop positioned at a wall of a second floor space of the building, the first and second power induction loops being wired to each other;

a first peripheral device induction loop positioned at the wall of the first floor space and inductively coupled through the wall of the first floor space with the first power induction loop, the first peripheral device induction loop and the first power induction loop being stationary relative to each other;

a second peripheral device induction loop positioned at the wall of the second floor space and inductively coupled through the wall of the second floor space with the second power induction loop, the second peripheral device induction loop and the second power induction loop being stationary relative to each other;

a first peripheral circuit component wired to the first peripheral device induction loop, the first peripheral circuit component comprising a first switch indicating a first elevator operation call through the first peripheral device induction loop and through the first power induction loop wherein the first peripheral circuit component communicates through the first power induction loop and receives power from the first power induction loop; and

a second peripheral circuit component wired to the second peripheral induction loop, the second peripheral circuit component comprising a second switch indicating a second elevator operation call through the second peripheral device induction loop and through the second power induction loop wherein the second peripheral circuit communicates through the second power induction loop and receives power from the second power induction loop,

wherein the first peripheral circuit component and the second peripheral circuit component each have a display element displaying information pertinent to all the peripheral circuit components.

22. A method for remote status readings, comprising:

powering a plurality of peripheral devices from a central controller via an elevator communication network, each of the plurality of peripheral devices having a device induction loop, the communication network comprising a plurality of stationary electromagnetic induction loops wired together, each of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops being associated with the device induction loop of a respective one of the plurality of peripheral devices and being stationary relative to the respective one of the plurality of peripheral devices, each of the plurality of peripheral devices being powered via inductive coupling between the device induction loop and the associated one of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops, each of the plurality of peripheral devices having a display element displaying information pertinent to all of the plurality of peripheral devices;

linking each of the plurality of peripheral devices for communication with the central controller through the communication network via inductive coupling between the device induction loop and the associated one of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops wherein each of the peripheral devices receives power through a same one of the plurality of electromagnetic induction loops through which the peripheral device communicates; and

scanning each of the plurality of peripheral devices via the communication network to read an instantaneous status of each of the plurality of peripheral devices via the communication network, the instantaneous status belonging to a plurality of possible statuses.