Touch based elevator call panel

• US 8,336,678 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2011
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kone Corporation
• Inventors: Rusanen, Niko, Poutiainen, Vesa
• Primary Examiner(s): SALATA, ANTHONY J
• Application Number:
  US13/179,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20120024638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 533 Days
• Field of Search: 187/247, 187391-396
• US Class Current: 187/395
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/463 Touch sensitive input devices

Abstract

The present invention presents a call panel of an elevator or of an elevator system including one or more display elements, a front plate covering the call panel, in connection with which front plate a touch sensor is fitted, and also a control unit to which the display elements and also the touch sensor are connected. The detection area of the touch sensor covers both an active area, and a passive area, where the active area additionally utilizes display elements, while the passive area lacks display capability and remains outside at least some of the aforementioned active area, in which one or more touch-sensitive pushbuttons are disposed in the passive area. The control unit is arranged to react to a touch of the touch-sensitive pushbuttons specified for the aforementioned detection area.

Claims

1. Call panel of an elevator or of an elevator system, the call panel comprising:

one or more display elements,

a front plate covering the call panel, in connection with which a touch sensor is fitted,

a control unit, to which said one or more display elements and the touch sensor are connected,

where the detection area of the touch sensor covers both an active area, and a passive area, where the active area additionally utilizes said one or more display elements, while the passive area lacks display capability and remains outside at least some of the aforementioned active area, and in which one or more touch-sensitive pushbuttons are disposed in the passive area, and

where the control unit is configured to react to a touch of the touch-sensitive pushbuttons.

2. Call panel according to claim 1, where the call panel comprises two or more display elements are installed in a vertical attitude into the call panel so that the shorter sides of the display elements are in a horizontal direction and are adjacent with respect to each other.

3. Call panel according to claim 1 or 2, where the control unit comprises an interface for conveying at least one of:

control commands, status data, and other information between the control unit and devices or systems external to the control unit.

4. Call panel according to claim 1, where the call panel is designed such that the amount of display elements can be varied without changing the construction of the call panel.

5. Call panel according to claim 1, where the front plate is partly translucent such that light produced by the display elements is visible on a front surface of the front plate while the features of the display elements and other components and structures that are behind the front plate are not visible on the front surface of the front plate.

6. Call panel according to claim 1, where at least one touch-sensitive pushbutton in the passive area is a standard pushbutton of the elevator or of the elevator system.

7. Call panel according to claim 1, where the touch sensor is a film-type touch sensor fitted to a rear surface of the front plate.

8. Call panel according to claim 1, where at least one embossed pushbutton is arranged for visually impaired elevator passengers on a front surface of the front plate in connection with a touch-sensitive pushbutton.

9. Call panel according to claim 1, where a group of two or more embossed pushbuttons is made by cutting off a part of a tape-type standard preform based on an installation site of the elevator or elevator system.

10. Call panel according to claim 1, where the control unit changes its operating mode based on fault data connected to the control unit.

11. Call panel according claim 2, where the call panel is designed such that the amount of display elements can be varied without changing the construction of the call panel.

12. Call panel according claim 3, where the call panel is designed such that the amount of display elements can be varied without changing the construction of the call panel.

13. Call panel according to claim 2, where the front plate is partly translucent such that light produced by the display elements is visible on a front surface of the front plate while the features of the display elements and other components and structures that are behind the front plate are not visible on the front surface of the front plate.

14. Call panel according to claim 3, where the front plate is partly translucent such that light produced by the display elements is visible on a front surface of the front plate while the features of the display elements and other components and structures that are behind the front plate are not visible on the front surface of the front plate.

15. Call panel according to claim 4, where the front plate is partly translucent such that light produced by the display elements is visible on a front surface of the front plate while the features of the display elements and other components and structures that are behind the front plate are not visible on the front surface of the front plate.

16. Call panel according to claim 2, where at least one touch-sensitive pushbutton in the passive area is a standard pushbutton of the elevator or of the elevator system.

17. Call panel according to claim 4, where at least one touch-sensitive pushbutton in the passive area is a standard pushbutton of the elevator or of the elevator system.