Method for determining a destination call for use by an elevator installation, and an elevator installation

• US 8,820,486 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Inventors: Gerstenkorn, Bernhard, Ottiger, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): SALATA, ANTHONY J
• Application Number:
  US12/740,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20120031711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,136 Days
• Field of Search: 187/247, 187380-388, 187391-393, 187/396, 187/901
• US Class Current: 187/391
• 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 2201/4638 Wherein the call is registered without making physical contact with the elevator system
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/4653 wherein the call is registered using portable devices
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/4676 for checking authorization of the passengers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10425 the interrogation device being arranged for interrogation of record carriers passing by the interrogation device

Abstract

A method for determining a destination call for use by an elevator installation with a control unit and at least one destination call device includes ascertaining several destination calls and making them known to the user by the destination call device. A destination call is selected by a change in position of the user and/or a data communication is activated between the destination call device and a communications unit, which is carried by the user, within a defined range of a radio link section of the destination call device and thereupon a destination call is selected by a change in position of the communications unit inside or outside the radio link section. The selected destination call is communicated to the control unit for serving the destination call.

Claims

1. A method of determining a destination call for use by an elevator installation having a control unit and at least one destination call device, comprising the steps of:

activating data communication between the at least one destination call device and a communications unit carried by a user when the communications unit is within a specific range of a radio link section of the destination call device;

positioning the communications unit in the ratio link section by at least one of a movement and substantially keeping still;

detecting a change in position of the communications unit as a radio signal of greater or lesser strength; and

converting the detected radio signal into a destination call selection signal for use by the control unit.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the communications unit is one of a mobile telephone and an RFID card.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the radio link section is a near radio link section and including at least one of:

selecting a destination call by movement of the communications unit out of the near radio link section;

selecting a destination call by movement of the communications unit while in the near radio link section;

providing a range of the near radio link section of less than 10 meters; and

automatically activating the data communication between the destination call device and the communications unit within the near radio link section.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein a movement of the user or the communications unit is detected as a positive movement signal, a standstill of the user or the communications unit is detected as a negative movement signal, and the detected movement signal is converted into the destination call selection signal.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the movement signal is automatically recognized by at least one movement sensor.

6. The method according to claim 1 including displaying several fields and an indicator on a screen of the destination call device, wherein a different destination call is associated with each of the fields, and guiding the indicator over the fields in accordance with the destination call selection signal.

7. The method according to claim 1 including displaying several fields and an indicator on a screen of the destination call device, wherein a different destination call is associated with each of the fields, guiding the indicator over the fields in response to detection of the radio signal as a negative movement signal, and stopping the indicator over one of the fields upon detecting the radio signal as a positive movement signal.

8. The method according to claim 7 including guiding the indicator over the fields in a predetermined sequence, the indicator remaining on each of the fields for a predetermined time period, and selecting the associated destination call when the indicator is stopped.

9. The method according to claim 1 including one of communicating an identification signal for identification of the user from the communications unit to the destination call device, and inputting an identification code at a terminal and communicating the identification code as an identification signal to the destination call device.

10. The method according to claim 9 including checking the communicated identification signal with the destination call device and if the checking of the identification signal is successful, ascertaining of several destination calls and making known the destination calls to the user.

11. The method according to claim 1 including communicating an access authorization code from the user to the destination call device and checking the access authorization code to determine whether the user has an access authorization to the elevator installation.

12. The method according to claim 1 including communicating data for guidance of the user to an elevator of the elevator installation to the destination call device or to the communications unit.

13. The method according to claim 1 including at least one of:

generating from the destination call device at least one destination call recommended for the user;

generating from the destination call device destination calls of greatest probability for the user;

generating from the destination call device destination calls by at least one of acoustic, optic and vibration indication; and

generating from the destination call device to the communications unit data for guidance of the user to an elevator of the elevator installation and indicating the data to the user by at least one of acoustically, optically and vibration from the communications unit.

14. An elevator installation having at least one elevator, a control unit and at least one destination call device, wherein the at least one destination call device indicates to a user any of a plurality destination calls, comprising:

the at least one destination call device is responsive to a destination call section signal for selecting one of the plurality of destination calls;

a communications unit carried by the user wherein the at least one destination call device includes a radio device that activates a data communication between the radio device and the communications unit when the communications device is within a specific range of a radio link section of the radio device;

said radio device detects a movement of the communications unit as a radio signal of greater or lesser strength; and

the at least one destination call device converts the radio signal into the destination call selection signal.

15. The elevator installation according to claim 14 including a movement sensor for detecting a movement of the user as a positive movement signal and a standstill of the user as a negative movement signal, and wherein one of the destination call device and the control unit converts the movement signal into the destination call section signal.

16. The elevator installation according to claim 14 wherein said communications unit is one of a mobile telephone and an RFID card.

17. The elevator installation according to claim 14 wherein the radio link section is a near radio link section.

18. The elevator installation according to claim 14 wherein the at least one destination call device includes a screen on which a plurality of fields each associated with a different one of the destination calls are displayed and an indicator is displayed, the at least one destination call device being responsive to the destination call selection signal for moving said indicator among said fields to select one of the destination calls.

19. The elevator installation according to claim 18 wherein the destination call device automatically moves said indicator from one of said fields to another of said fields after a predetermined time period.

20. The elevator installation according to claim 14 having a plurality of floors served by the at least one elevator and including a plurality of the at least one destination call device, and wherein each of the destination call devices is arranged in a region of at least one of each of the floors and each elevator of the elevator installation.