CN115515880A - Elevator monitoring device, method and elevator system for providing user tracking data of an elevator car - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an elevator monitoring device (106) for providing user tracking data of an elevator car (102). An elevator monitoring device (106) is disposed to the elevator car (102) and is part of the contact tracking system (200). The elevator monitoring device (106) is configured to: one or more user devices (202 a-202 n) belonging to a contact tracking system (200) inside an elevator car (102) are detected, and user tracking data representing the detection of the one or more user devices (202 a-202 n) is provided to a storage unit for storage thereon. The invention also relates to a method for providing user tracking data of an elevator car (102) and to an elevator system.

Description

Elevator monitoring device, method and elevator system for providing user tracking data of an elevator car

Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to the field of elevator technology. In particular, the invention relates to elevators with tracking functionality.

Background

Elevator cars are closed, confined spaces where passengers often stand in close proximity to each other. Sneezing, coughing and/or nose blowing of one passenger in an elevator car may expose at least some other passengers in the elevator car to any viruses and/or bacteria that the passenger may carry. In addition, the elevator car comprises a plurality of elevator elements that are touchable by passengers, i.e. in physical contact with passengers, such as car call devices and other interior components of the elevator car, e.g. doors, floors, ceilings, walls, mirrors, handrails, etc. For example, a large number of passengers make elevator car calls by physical contact (e.g., contact by hand) using the same car call device, resulting in the possibility of transmission of viruses and bacteria to the car call device and/or the elevator buttons of the car call device. Furthermore, passengers without any symptoms may be infected with viruses or bacteria. In general, viruses and bacteria can survive for a long time, even up to several days, in the elevator buttons of car call devices made of metal or plastic. Thus, passengers using the same elevator car at a later time of the day or the next day may also be exposed.

In addition, contact tracking systems based on mobile applications for tracking the movements and contact of virus infected individuals are now available to combat some viruses, such as codv-19. The privacy and peer aspects of these applications raise much attention. According to an example, a mobile application installed to a mobile device may be used to track nearby bluetooth devices. The trace data may be stored locally encrypted. If a person is verified to have a viral infection, access to the stored tracking data may be provided to local health authorities to track other people who have had close contact with the person having the verified viral infection.

Disclosure of Invention

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of various inventive embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the invention nor delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention.

The object of the invention is to propose an elevator monitoring device, a method, an elevator system and a computer program for providing user tracking data of an elevator car. It is a further object of the invention that an elevator monitoring device, a method, an elevator system, a computer program for providing user tracking data of an elevator car can provide data for tracking elevator passengers with possible viral or bacterial infections.

The object of the invention is achieved by an elevator monitoring apparatus, a method, an elevator system and a computer program, which are defined by the respective independent claims.

According to a first aspect, there is provided an elevator monitoring device for providing user tracking data of an elevator car, wherein the elevator monitoring device is arranged to the elevator car and is part of a contact tracking system, the elevator monitoring device being configured to: one or more user devices belonging to a contact tracking system inside the elevator car are detected and user tracking data representing the detection of the one or more user devices is provided to the storage unit for storage thereon.

The detection may comprise receiving from inside the elevator car radio signals emitted by one or more user devices belonging to the contact tracking system, wherein each radio signal may comprise an identifier related to the user device emitting said radio signal, and wherein the provided user tracking data may comprise an identifier of the received radio signal emitted from inside the elevator car.

Furthermore, the elevator monitoring device can also be configured to determine the radio signal emitted from the interior of the elevator car on the basis of the signal strength value of the received radio signal.

Alternatively or additionally, the detection of one or more user devices inside the elevator car may be based on using bluetooth technology.

Alternatively or additionally, the elevator monitoring device may be further configured to provide its location information to the storage unit.

The storage unit may be a memory unit of the elevator monitoring device and/or the user tracking data may be temporarily stored in the storage unit during a predetermined period of time.

The user tracking data may also include a detection time of one or more user devices.

Alternatively or additionally, the user tracking data may also include floor information related to the detected one or more user devices.

Alternatively or additionally, the elevator monitoring apparatus may also be configured to receive a notification including an indication of possible contamination of the elevator car and forward the notification to the elevator service system.

According to a second aspect, a method for providing user tracking data of an elevator car is provided, wherein the method comprises: detecting, by an elevator monitoring device disposed on the elevator car and being part of the contact tracking system, one or more user devices belonging to the contact tracking system inside the elevator car; and providing, by the elevator monitoring unit, user tracking data representing the detection of the one or more user devices to the storage unit for storage thereon.

The detection may comprise receiving from inside the elevator car radio signals emitted by one or more user devices belonging to the contact tracking system, wherein each radio signal may comprise an identifier related to the user device emitting said radio signal, and wherein the provided user tracking data may comprise an identifier of the received radio signal emitted from inside the elevator car.

Furthermore, the method may further comprise determining the radio signal emitted from the interior of the elevator car based on a signal strength value of the received radio signal.

Alternatively or additionally, the detection of one or more user devices inside the elevator car may be based on using bluetooth technology.

Alternatively or additionally, the method may also comprise providing the storage unit with its location information by the elevator monitoring unit.

The storage unit may be a memory unit of the elevator monitoring device and/or the user tracking data may be temporarily stored in the storage unit during a predetermined period of time.

The user tracking data may also include detection times of one or more user devices.

Alternatively or additionally, the user tracking data may also include floor information related to the detected one or more user devices.

Alternatively or additionally, the method may further comprise receiving a notification comprising an indication of possible contamination of the elevator car and forwarding the notification to the elevator service system.

According to a third aspect, an elevator system is provided, wherein the elevator system comprises: at least one elevator car configured to travel along a respective elevator shaft between a plurality of floors; and at least one elevator monitoring device as described above.

According to a fourth aspect, a computer program is provided, wherein the computer program comprises instructions which, when the computer program is executed by a computer (e.g. a monitoring device as described above), cause the computer to perform the method as described above.

Various exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of the invention, both as to organization and method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific exemplary and non-limiting embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

The verbs "comprise" and "comprise" are used herein as limitations on the disclosure, and neither exclude nor require the presence of unrecited features. The features recited in the dependent claims may be freely combined with each other, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that the use of "a" or "an" or "the singular forms throughout this document does not exclude a plurality.

Drawings

In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are shown by way of example and not by way of limitation.

Fig. 1 schematically shows a simple example of an elevator system according to the invention.

Fig. 2 schematically shows a simple example of a contact tracking system.

Fig. 3 schematically shows an example of components of an elevator monitoring apparatus according to the invention.

Fig. 4 schematically shows an example of the method according to the invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 schematically shows a simple example of an elevator system 100 according to the invention. The elevator system 100 includes at least one elevator car 102 and at least one elevator monitoring device 106, the elevator car 102 configured to travel along a respective elevator shaft 104 between a plurality of floors (i.e., landings). In the example of fig. 1, the elevator system includes one elevator car 102, but the elevator system may also include more than one elevator car 102. Each of the at least one elevator monitoring devices 106 is arranged to the elevator car 102, e.g., attached or mounted to the elevator car 102. According to an example, the elevator monitoring device 106 may be disposed on the roof of the elevator car 102, as shown in the example of fig. 1. However, the elevator monitoring device 106 may be disposed to any other portion of the elevator car 102. The elevator system 100 may also include a hoist system configured to drive at least one elevator car 102 along a respective elevator shaft 104 between floors, an elevator control unit for controlling at least operation of the elevator system 100, and one or more other elevator-related entities. For the sake of clarity, the hoisting system and the elevator control unit are not shown in fig. 1.

The elevator monitoring device 106 is part of a contact tracking system 200 (i.e., a contact tracking system). A simple, non-limiting example of a contact tracking system 200 is shown in fig. 2. The contact tracking system 200 may include a plurality of node devices 106, 202a-202n. The node devices 106, 202a-202n of the contact tracking system 200 may comprise at least one elevator monitoring device 106 and one or more user devices 202a-202n, i.e. mobile devices, e.g. mobile phones, smartphones, tablets and/or wearable mobile devices, such as smartwatches, according to the present invention. Each user device 202a-202n may be carried by a user. The contact tracking system 200 may also include one or more memory units 204, such as a database and/or server, for storing any data. The contact tracking system 200 may be used to track movement of the node devices 106, 202a-202n belonging to the contact tracking system 200 and/or contact between the node devices 106, 202a-202n belonging to the contact tracking system 200. The contact tracking system 200 may preferably be used to track other node devices 106, 202a-202n, i.e. contacts that may have been in contact with the node devices 106, 202a-202n, such as during a pandemic or epidemic, that the user has a viral or bacterial infection. This tracking enables notification or warning of other node devices 106, 202a-202n that have been in contact with the infected user's node device 106, 202a-202n. The notification or alert may include, for example, an isolation instruction to the user of the other node device 106, 202a-202n. Some non-limiting examples of contact tracking system 200 may include, but are not limited to, pan-european privacy preserving proximity tracking (PEPP-PT), decentralized privacy preserving proximity tracking (DP-PPT/DP-3T), and the like. Contact tracking system 200 may be based on tracking the geographic location of node devices 106, 202a-202n, for example, by using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology and/or QR code technology. Alternatively or additionally, the contact tracking system 200 may be based on tracking proximity to other node devices 106, 202a-202n, i.e., contact between the node devices 106, 202a-202n, for example, by using bluetooth technology, zigbee technology, adaptive Network Topology (ANT) technology, Z-wave technology, or wireless local area network (e.g., wi-Fi) technology, etc. The node devices 106, 202a-202n may include, i.e., track, a mobile application for providing tracking data and can be part of, i.e., part of, the contact tracking system 200. Alternatively or additionally, the node devices 106, 202a-202n may be configured to register, i.e., join, as part of the contact tracking system 200. Registration may include, but is not limited to, initiating use of the mobile application. The mobile application is a computer program designed to run on a mobile device, such as one or more user devices 202a-202n and the elevator monitoring device 106.

Fig. 3 schematically shows an example of components of an elevator monitoring device 106 according to the invention. The elevator monitoring device 106 may include a processing unit 310 including at least one processor, a memory unit 320 including at least one memory, and a communication unit 330 including and possibly including a User Interface (UI) unit 340. The memory unit 320 may store parts of the computer program (code) 325 and any other data, and the processing unit 310 may cause the elevator monitoring unit 106 to at least realize (i.e. perform) the operation of the elevator monitoring device 106, i.e. the method steps, by executing at least some parts of the computer program 325 stored in the memory unit 320, as will be described. Portions of the computer program 325 may include mobile applications. For the sake of clarity, a processor here refers to any unit adapted to process information and control the operation of the elevator monitoring device 106 and other tasks. The operation can also be implemented with a microcontroller solution with embedded software. Similarly, the memory is not limited to only a certain type of memory, but any type of memory suitable for storing the various pieces of information described may be applied to the case of the present invention. The communication unit 330 may be based on one or more known wired or wireless communication technologies in order to exchange various pieces of information, as will be described. The communication unit 330 provides an interface for communicating with any external units, such as one or more user devices 202a-202n, a storage unit (e.g., one or more memory units of the contact tracking system 200), and/or any other external entity. The communication unit 330 may include one or more communication devices, such as a radio transceiver, antenna, and the like. The user interface 340 may include I/O devices such as buttons, a keyboard, a touch screen, a microphone, a speaker, a display, a screen, etc. for receiving user input and output information.

The elevator monitoring device 106 may be a conventional mobile device, such as a mobile phone; a smart phone; or a tablet computer, or a dedicated device for use in an elevator environment that is capable of providing tracking data as required by the contact tracking system 200 and incorporating and forming part of the contact tracking system 200, such as a device that may be installed with mobile applications. For example, the elevator monitoring device 106 dedicated to the elevator environment can also include one or more sensor devices 350 for providing elevator-related information, such as the position of the elevator car 102 within the hoistway 104, the speed of the elevator car 102, vibration of the elevator car 102 or elevator doors, condition information, and the like.

The elevator monitoring device 106 is configured to detect one or more user devices 202a-202n belonging to the contact tracking system 200 inside the elevator car 102. The elevator monitoring device 106 is further configured to provide user tracking data representing the detection of one or more user devices 202a-202n to the storage unit for storage thereon. Depending on the contact tracking system 200, the storage unit may include the memory unit 320 of the elevator monitoring device 106 and/or one or more memory units 204 of the contact tracking system 200. The elevator monitoring device 106 can be communicatively coupled to a storage unit. Preferably, access to the storage unit may be restricted to a specific group of users, such as a health authority, to improve protection of the privacy of the users. Alternatively or additionally, the user tracking data may be temporarily stored in the storage unit, preferably during a predetermined period of time. For example, the predetermined time period may be defined based on, for example, a time period during which a virus or bacteria is deemed (i.e., estimated) to be infectious. This makes the stored user tracking data unnecessary, i.e. irrelevant, from the point of view of viral or bacterial infection, and can be deleted from the storage unit, which in turn improves the protection of the user's privacy. Alternatively or additionally, the user tracking data may preferably be stored in the memory unit 320 of the elevator monitoring device 106. This may improve the protection of user privacy since the user tracking data is stored locally. Alternatively or additionally, the stored user tracking data may be encrypted in order to improve the protection of the user's privacy.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the detection of the one or more user devices 202a-202n may include the elevator monitoring device 106 being configured to receive from inside the elevator car 102 radio signals, i.e., messages or packets, emitted by the one or more user devices 202a-202n belonging to the contact tracking system 200. Each transmitted radio signal comprises an identifier associated with the user equipment 202a-202n transmitting said radio signal. Preferably, the identifier may be an anonymous identifier of a user that cannot connect to the user device 202a-202n, such that location information, personal information, or any other information that allows identification of the user device 202a-202n is not stored. This improves the protection of the privacy of the user. The user tracking data provided and stored may include an identifier of the received radio signal transmitted from inside the elevator car 102.

The user tracking data may also include a timestamp, i.e., a detection time, of one or more of the user devices 202a-202n. This enables the definition of a particular moment and/or time period at which one or more user devices 202a-202n are detected to have been inside the elevator car 102. If the detection is based on receiving radio signals transmitted by one or more user devices 202a-202n, the timestamp may represent a time of reception of the received radio signals.

The monitoring device 106 is capable of receiving radio signals transmitted within the operating range (i.e., radio range) of the transceiver of the monitoring device 106. The operating range may depend on, for example, the communication technology used. In addition, radio signals may pass through walls, floors and ceilings. In other words, the monitoring device 106 may also receive radio signals emitted by one or more user devices 202a-202n belonging to the contact tracking system 200 located outside the elevator car 102, e.g. passing the elevator car 102 or located in an area close to the elevator shaft 104, such as an elevator lobby area, a landing area, an apartment, and/or an office room, etc. According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the elevator monitoring device 106 may be configured to determine the radio signal emitted from the interior of the elevator car 102 based on a signal strength value of the received radio signal, e.g., a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value. In other words, the elevator monitoring device 106 may be configured to detect (i.e., identify) radio signals received from one or more user devices 202a-202n located inside the elevator car 102 from all radio signals received within the operating range of the transceiver of the monitoring device 106 based on the signal strength value of the received radio signals. The signal strength value of the received radio signal decreases according to the distance between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Radio signals transmitted to the exterior of the elevator car 102 may be omitted from the user tracking data. In other words, only radio signals transmitted from inside the elevator car 102 may be included in the user tracking data.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the elevator monitoring device 106 dedicated to the elevator environment may also be configured to define floor information related to the detected one or more user devices 202a-202n. The elevator monitoring device 106 may include one or more sensor devices configured to provide position data of the elevator car 102 within the hoistway 104 to define floor information. The provided user tracking data may also include floor information related to the detected one or more user devices 202a-202n. Alternatively or additionally, the determination of the radio signals transmitted from inside the elevator car 102 may include using the floor information to determine that the elevator monitoring device 106 receives radio signals from the same user device 202a-202n at the departure floor and the destination floor, i.e., at the beginning of an elevator ride and at the end of an elevator ride. The inclusion of floor information in the user tracking data provided to and stored in the memory unit provides the contact tracking system 200 with further information for tracking contacts between node devices 106, 202a-202n belonging to the contact tracking system 200. Alternatively or in addition, the floor information can improve the accuracy of detection of one or more user devices 202a-202n actually located inside the elevator car 102, which in turn can reduce false contact detection, e.g., false isolation indications, by the contact tracking system 200.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the detection of one or more user devices 202a-202n inside the elevator car 102 may be based on using bluetooth technology. In other words, the radio signals transmitted by one or more user devices 202a-202n may be, for example, bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) advertisement signals, and the transceiver of the elevator monitoring device 106 may be a bluetooth transceiver. This means that the communication between the elevator monitoring device 106 and one or more user devices 202a-202n may be based on bluetooth technology. The use of bluetooth technology enables substantially accurate and simple detection of one or more user devices 202a-202n, for example, and substantially low power consumption by the elevator monitoring device 106. Alternatively, the detection of one or more user devices 202a-202n within the elevator car 102 may be based on using, for example, zigbee technology, adaptive Network Topology (ANT) technology, Z-wave technology, or wireless local area network (e.g., wi-Fi) technology.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the elevator monitoring device 106 may also be configured to provide its location information to a storage unit (e.g., one or more memory units 204 of the contact tracking system 200). The location information may be the geographic location of the elevator monitoring device 106. The location information may be based on using, for example, GPS technology.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the elevator monitoring apparatus 106 may also be configured to receive a notification that includes an indication of possible contamination of the elevator car 102, i.e., possible exposure to viruses or bacteria. The contact tracking system 200 may receive infection information from one or more user devices 202a-202n belonging to the contact tracking system 200, the users of which have a verified viral or bacterial infection. In response to receiving the infection information, the contact tracking system 200 may generate a notification to all other node devices 106, 202a-202n that the infected user device (i.e., the user device of the infected user) has contacted. In other words, the elevator monitoring device 106 may receive a notification from or via the contact tracking system 200 if a user having a verified viral or bacterial infection and carrying a user device 202a-202n belonging to the contact tracking system 200 is already inside the elevator car 102, i.e. the user device 202a-202n is among one or more user devices 202a-202n detected by the elevator monitoring device 102. Alternatively or additionally, the elevator monitoring device 106 may receive notifications directly from one or more user devices 202a-202n, whose users have a verified viral or bacterial infection. The stored user tracking data and/or location information of the elevator monitoring device 106 may be used to define that the elevator monitoring device 106 has contacted the infected user device 202a-202n. Alternatively or additionally, the stored user tracking data and/or location information of the elevator monitoring device 106 may be used to determine and/or alert other user devices 202a-202n belonging to the contact tracking system 200 and detected within the elevator car that may be exposed.

The elevator monitoring device 106 can also be configured to forward the notification to the elevator service system. The elevator service system may be, for example but not limited to, a building management system, an elevator service center, or an elevator remote monitoring center. In response to receiving the notification, the elevator service system may generate at least one of: a cleaning request for the elevator car 102, a disabling request for the elevator car 102, alarm information, and/or a delayed maintenance request for the elevator car 102. A cleaning request may be generated to a cleaning service provider to clean and/or sanitize the elevator car 102. A disable request for the elevator car 102 can be generated to an elevator control unit of the elevator system 100 to disable use of the elevator car 102 until the elevator car has been cleaned and/or sanitized. The alert message may be generated, for example, to a maintenance person heading for the elevator car 102 to use protective clothing or the like. Alternatively, in the case of non-critical maintenance, an alarm message or delayed maintenance request for the elevator car 102 may be generated, for example, to maintenance personnel in order to delay maintenance until the elevator car 102 has been cleaned and/or sanitized.

An example of a method according to the invention is described next with reference to fig. 4. Figure 4 illustrates the invention schematically in the form of a flow chart.

At step 402, the elevator monitoring device 106 detects one or more user devices 202a-202n belonging to the contact tracking system 200 inside the elevator car 102.

At step 404, the elevator monitoring device 106 provides user tracking data representing the detection of one or more user devices 202a-202n to the storage unit for storage thereon. Depending on the contact tracking system 200, the memory unit may include the memory unit 320 of the elevator monitoring device 106, and/or one or more memory units 204 of the contact tracking system 200, as described above. Preferably, the user tracking data may be temporarily stored in the storage unit during a predetermined period of time as described above. Alternatively or additionally, the user tracking data may preferably be stored in the memory unit 320 of the elevator monitoring device 106. This may improve the protection of user privacy since the user tracking data is stored locally. Alternatively or additionally, the stored user tracking data may be encrypted in order to improve protection of the user's privacy.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the detection of the one or more user devices 202a-202n at step 402 may include the elevator monitoring device 106 receiving a radio signal, i.e., a message or packet, from inside the elevator car 102 that is transmitted by the one or more user devices 202a-202n belonging to the contact tracking system 200. As described above, each transmitted radio signal comprises an identifier associated with the user equipment 202a-202n transmitting said radio signal. The user tracking data provided and stored may include an identifier of the received radio signal transmitted from inside the elevator car 102.

The user tracking data may also include a timestamp, i.e., a detection time, of one or more of the user devices 202a-202n. This enables the definition of a particular moment and/or period of time that one or more user devices 202a-202n detected have been inside the elevator car 102. If the detection is based on receiving radio signals transmitted by one or more user devices 202a-202n, the timestamp may represent a time of reception of the received radio signals.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the elevator monitoring device 106 may determine a radio signal emitted from inside the elevator car 102 based on a signal strength value of the received radio signal, e.g., a Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value, at step 402. In other words, the elevator monitoring device 106 may detect (i.e., identify) the radio signals received from one or more user devices 202a-202n located inside the elevator car 102 from all the radio signals received within the operating range of the transceiver of the monitoring device 106 based on the signal strength value of the received radio signals. Radio signals transmitted to the exterior of the elevator car 102 may be omitted from the user tracking data. In other words, only radio signals transmitted from inside the elevator car 102 may be included in the user tracking data.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the elevator monitoring device 106 dedicated to the elevator environment may also define floor information relating to the detected one or more user devices 202a-202n. The elevator monitoring device 106 may include one or more sensor devices configured to provide position data of the elevator car 102 within the hoistway 104 to define floor information. The provided user tracking data may also include floor information associated with the detected one or more user devices 202a-202n. Alternatively or additionally, the determination of the radio signal emitted from inside the elevator car 102 may include using the floor information to determine that the elevator monitoring device 106 receives radio signals from the same user device 202a-202n at the departure floor and the destination floor, i.e., at the beginning of an elevator ride and at the end of an elevator ride.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the detection of one or more user devices 202a-202n inside the elevator car 102 at step 402 may be based on using bluetooth technology, e.g. BLE, as described above. Alternatively, the detection of one or more user devices 202a-202n within the elevator car 102 may be based on using, for example, zigbee technology, adaptive Network Topology (ANT) technology, Z-wave technology, or wireless local area network (e.g., wi-Fi) technology.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, at optional step 406, the elevator monitoring device 106 may further provide its location information to a storage unit, such as to one or more memory units 204 of the contact tracking system 200. The location information may be the geographic location of the elevator monitoring device 106. The location information may be based on using, for example, GPS technology.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, at optional step 408, the elevator monitoring device 106 may further receive a notification including an indication of possible contamination of the elevator car 102, i.e. possible exposure to viruses or bacteria, as described above. The stored user tracking data and/or location information of the elevator monitoring device 106 may be used to define that the elevator monitoring device 106 has contacted the infected user device 202a-202n. Alternatively or additionally, the stored user tracking data and/or location information of the elevator monitoring device 106 may be used to determine and/or alert other user devices 202a-202n belonging to the contact tracking system 200 and detected within the elevator car that may be exposed. The elevator monitoring device 106 can further forward the notification to the elevator service system. The elevator service system may be, for example, but not limited to, a building management system, an elevator service center, or an elevator remote monitoring center. As described above, in response to receiving the notification, the elevator service system can generate at least one of a cleaning request for the elevator car 102, a disabling request for the elevator car 102, alarm information, and/or a delayed maintenance request for the elevator car 102.

The specific examples provided in the description given above should not be construed as limiting the applicability and/or interpretation of the appended claims. The list and group of examples provided in the description given above are not exhaustive unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Claims (20)

1. An elevator monitoring device (106) for providing user tracking data of an elevator car (102), wherein the elevator monitoring device (106) is arranged to the elevator car (102) and is part of a contact tracking system (200), the elevator monitoring device (106) being configured to:

detecting one or more user devices (202 a-202 n) belonging to a contact tracking system (200) inside an elevator car (102), an

User tracking data representing detection of one or more user devices (202 a-202 n) is provided to the storage unit for storage thereon.

2. The elevator monitoring device (106) according to claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises receiving radio signals from inside the elevator car (102) transmitted by one or more user devices (202 a-202 n) belonging to the contact tracking system (200), wherein each radio signal comprises an identifier related to the user device (202 a-202 n) transmitting the radio signal, and wherein the provided user tracking data comprises an identifier of the received radio signal transmitted from inside the elevator car (102).

3. The elevator monitoring device (106) of claim 2, further configured to determine a radio signal emitted from inside the elevator car (102) based on a signal strength value of the received radio signal.

4. The elevator monitoring device (106) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the detection of one or more user devices (202 a-202 n) inside the elevator car (102) is based on using bluetooth technology.

5. The elevator monitoring device (106) according to any of the preceding claims, further configured to provide its location information to a storage unit.

6. The elevator monitoring device (106) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the storage unit is a memory unit (320) of the elevator monitoring device (106) and/or the user tracking data is temporarily stored in the storage unit during a predetermined time period.

7. The elevator monitoring device (106) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the user tracking data further comprises a detection time of the one or more user devices (202 a-202 n).

8. The elevator monitoring device (106) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the user tracking data further comprises floor information related to the detected one or more user devices (202 a-202 n).

9. The elevator monitoring device (106) according to any of the preceding claims, further configured to receive a notification including an indication of possible contamination of the elevator car (102) and forward the notification to an elevator service system.

10. A method for providing user tracking data of an elevator car (102), the method comprising:

detecting (402), by an elevator monitoring device (106) arranged to the elevator car (102) and being part of the contact tracking system (200), one or more user devices (202 a-202 n) inside the elevator car (102) belonging to the contact tracking system (200), and

providing (404), by the elevator monitoring unit (106), user tracking data representing detection of one or more user devices (202 a-202 n) to the storage unit for storage thereon.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the detecting comprises receiving radio signals from inside an elevator car (102) transmitted by one or more user devices (202 a-202 n) belonging to the contact tracking system (200), wherein each radio signal comprises an identifier related to the user device (202 a-202 n) transmitting the radio signal, and wherein the provided user tracking data comprises the identifier of the received radio signal transmitted from inside the elevator car (102).

12. The method of claim 11, comprising determining a radio signal emitted from inside the elevator car (102) based on a signal strength value of the received radio signal.

13. The method of any of claims 10 to 12, wherein the detection of the one or more user devices inside the elevator car (102) is based on using bluetooth technology.

14. The method according to any of claims 10-13, further comprising providing (408), by the elevator monitoring unit (106), its location information to a storage unit.

15. The method according to any of claims 10 to 14, wherein the storage unit is a memory unit (320) of the elevator monitoring device (106) and/or the user tracking data is temporarily stored in the storage unit during a predetermined time period.

16. The method of any of claims 10 to 15, wherein the user tracking data further comprises a detection time of the one or more user devices (202 a-202 n).

17. The method of any of claims 10 to 16, wherein the user tracking data further comprises floor information related to the detected one or more user devices (202 a-202 n).

18. The method of any of claims 10 to 17, further comprising receiving (408) a notification comprising an indication of possible contamination of the elevator car (102) and forwarding the notification to an elevator service system.

19. An elevator system (100), comprising:

at least one elevator car (102) configured to travel along a respective elevator shaft (104) between a plurality of floors, and

at least one elevator monitoring device (106) according to claims 1 to 9.

20. A computer program (325) comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method according to any one of claims 10 to 18.

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