Retrofitting an elevator call input device

• US 9,718,641 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2014
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Inventors: Finschi, Lukas
• Primary Examiner(s): SALATA, ANTHONY J
• Application Number:
  US14/303,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20150041254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 187247, 187391-396, 187399, 187901
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/3407 Setting or modification of parameters of the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/3423 Control system configuration, i.e. lay-out
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/468 Call registering systems

Abstract

A lift system comprises a call input device and at least one touchscreen for inputting a call for a lift. The touchscreen has at least one functional identifier. When a functional identifier is touched, at least one input signal is generated. The call input device converts into a special input mode for a time-specific or location-specific generation of several input signals.

Claims

1. A method for retrofitting an elevator installation, the elevator installation comprising a call input device having a processor and at least one touchscreen for inputting at least one call for an elevator installation, the method comprising:

loading a computer program into the processor of the call input device, when being executed by the processor, the computer program causing the processor;

to generate a plurality of input signals in response to a touching of two or more functional designators displayed on the touchscreen;

to determine whether at least one of the plurality of input signals satisfy at least one predetermined criteria for a specific input mode by correlating the plurality of input signals with one another based on the positions on the touchscreen of the two or more of the plurality of the functional designators touched and the time at which each of the two or more of the plurality of functional designators is touched; and

upon determining that at least one of the plurality of input signals satisfy the at least one predetermined criteria, to change the call input device to the specific input mode.

2. The method of claim 1, the computer program further causing the processor:

in the specific input mode, to generate at least one additional input signal in response to a touching of at least one functional designator on the touchscreen; and

to associate at least one call signal with the at least one additional input signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the touching of the two or more of the plurality of functional designators constitutes a geometric pattern.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the call input device comprises at least one microphone, the computer program further causing the processor to associate, using the call input device, at least one input signal with at least one speech signal generated by the microphone.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the at least one additional speech signal is generated by the microphone, the computer program further causing the processor to associate, using the call input device, at least one other input signal with the at least one additional speech signal.

6. The method of claim 1, the computer program further causing the processor to provide at least one visual or audio confirmation of the at least one input signal.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the geometric pattern is selected from the group consisting of a digit, a letter, a straight line, a curved line and a multiple line.

8. A computer implemented method for retrofitting an elevator installation with a call input device having a computer processor including computer program instructions configured to be executed by the processor, and at least one user input for inputting at least one call for an elevator installation, the computer implemented method comprising:

generating, by the computer processor executing the computer program instructions, a plurality of input signals in response to activating, using a specific input mode, two or more functional designators;

determining, by the computer processor executing the computer program instructions, whether the plurality of input signals satisfy at least one predetermined criteria for the specific input mode based on the two or more of the plurality of the functional designators and activation criteria associated with each of the two or more of the plurality of functional designators; and

upon determining that at least one of the plurality of input signals satisfy the at least one predetermined criteria, changing, by the computer processor executing the computer program instructions, the call input device to the specific input mode enabling the call input device to receive a command input corresponding to the specific input mode.

9. A computer implemented method according to claim 8, wherein prior to changing the call input device to the specific input mode, the call input device was not enabled to process the command input.

10. A computer implemented method according to claim 9, further comprising performing an action by the elevator installation responsive to the specific input mode.

11. A computer implemented method according to claim 10, wherein prior to changing the call input device to the specific input mode, the elevator installation does not perform the action.

12. A computer implemented method according to claim 8, further comprising performing an action by the elevator installation responsive to the specific input mode.