EP3015412B1 - Operating an elevator using a touch screen - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a system and a method for controlling at least one elevator and an elevator system. In particular, the invention relates to the control of an elevator by means of at least one control terminal with a touch screen for entering a transport request.

In known elevator systems with one or more elevators, a control element is usually provided on the floor side of the elevator shaft, with which a transport request can be entered. As controls on the one hand simple push buttons are known, with which in particular a direction call (direction of travel up / down) can be realized. The corresponding buttons are then connected via line connections to an elevator control.

In a destination call control, in which not only the desired direction of travel but also the desired destination is entered directly when calling the elevator, other controls have become known. For example. reveals that EP 1 276 691 B1 a destination call control for elevators where the destination is entered via a numeric keypad.

In the GB 2 241 090 A an elevator control is described with which both directional call and destination call control is to be implemented. On the floor side, touchscreen terminals are provided, which are connected to various control computers via a Local Area Network, which is exemplarily implemented as a RS422 via a twisted pair of cables.

In the EP 1 043 260 B1 a method for communication with a transport system is described in which a control unit with computer and memory and a touchscreen is provided as a human-machine interface. On the touch screen authorized destinations of a user can be shown, which are individually selectable by touching the screen. Further information can be retrieved using windowing or scrolling technology. The destinations are not shown as real location information, such as, for example, a number of floors, but by means of identifiers that describe the destination, for example, functionally.

The EP 1 779 326 describes a programmable elevator call submission with a touch screen. In one mode, the display only displays conventional call buttons, while in another mode, destination call control is enabled.

US Pat. No. 6,315,083 B1 describes a transport system with a man-machine interface. A controller has access to an information source, for example in the form of a table with designations for destinations and the actual location parameters for this purpose. Several human-machine interfaces with touch-screen are connected to the controller via cable or wireless. At the touch-screen, a user selects destinations for destinations. The selection is transmitted to the controller. The controller informs the user of an indication on the touch-screen, for example, which represents the best connection from several elevators to which floor.

EP 2 471 735 A1 describes a lift control with a touch panel. An operating screen of the elevator can be displayed on the touch panel. The touch panel has a scanning function and recognizes the fingerprint of a user.

WO 2007/0468047 A1 describes a computer-controlled touch-screen as a destination call control of an elevator.

It is an object of the invention to provide a system and method for controlling an elevator and corresponding elevator system, in which a particularly flexible and easy to implement control is possible.

This object is achieved by a system for controlling by means of at least one elevator according to claim 1, by an elevator system according to claim 9 and by a control method according to claim 10. Dependent claims relate to advantageous embodiments of the invention.

The system according to the invention for controlling an elevator comprises at least one control computer and at least one floor-side operating terminal, preferably at least one such operating terminal on each floor. The control computer is used for control at least one elevator. In actual embodiments, the actual control of the elevator will not be effected directly by the control computer connected to the control terminals, but by a separate elevator control for each elevator.

The floor-side operator terminals include a touchscreen for entering a transportation request. They are connected to the control computer via a network connection. While in principle any digital network interfaces can be used, wired network connections are preferred, in particular via CAN.

According to the invention, the control computer is designed as a server, so that it holds a display description of the display for the operating terminal, ie its display or visualization, retrievable via the network in accordance with a suitable network protocol. Under a representation description are digital information preferably in the form of a file to understand that contains instructions or identifiers that result in interpretation or execution by the control terminal to the desired graphical representation. Preferably, the representation description is a File written in a presentation description language. In this case, various known presentation description languages such as XML or PDF can be used, the use of HTML files is particularly preferred.

According to the invention, the operator terminal is configured as a server matching the client so as to retrieve and display the representation description from the server via the network. For this purpose, the operator terminal preferably has a parser for the presentation description language used. Particularly preferably, the operator terminal can use a browser to display the presentation description, preferably in HTML format.

In the method according to the invention, the operating terminal retrieves the representation description from the server and displays on the touchscreen the hereby prescribed graphical representation for the input of transport requests.

The system and method according to the invention thus proves to be extremely flexible. The design, setup and configuration of the operator terminals can be largely universal, while any adjustment to the controlled elevator system, its operating condition and / or special operating conditions are possible only on the control computer. Any changes to the system can therefore be made on the server without the need for a single adaptation of the terminals. The terminals only need the respective retrieval address of the presentation description on the server.

Above all, easily available up-to-date hardware and software components can be used on the terminals, namely preferably any operating system that can control the touchscreen, provides network access and has a parser for the page description language used. In particular, for example, operating systems such as Linux, Android or iOS can be used, preferably in a kiosk mode in which a browser with the specified address is called directly without the user being able to operate other components of the operating system.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the representation given by the presentation description comprises a number of representations for transportation destinations. For example. they can be graphically displayed buttons. The representations are through Tap on the touch screen activatable. For this purpose, they can preferably be identified as active elements in the representation description, so that the activation leads to a signaling to the control computer. Thus, the selection made by the user is signaled to the control computer so that the latter can process and service the transport request accordingly. This can also be done particularly preferably via the browser of the respective operating system of the operator terminal, if the representations, especially floor buttons are deposited as active elements, namely as a link in the page description language used, so that the respective activation to a signaling to the server and the Calling the new representation description delivered by the server back leads.

It is particularly preferred that at the operating terminal the transport destinations, i. In particular, the floors, either denoted by function names or simply by floor number, are displayed one above the other in the correct position. This is achieved by a suitable display description on the server, which is then interpreted and displayed by the operator terminal.

In order to display sufficiently large controls on the touch screen, it is preferred that only a portion of the available transport destinations is displayed at any time, with additional destinations being scrollable and then selectable.

In principle, the system and method according to the invention can be used both for direction calling and for destination call control. Particularly preferred is the use in a destination call control, in which a transport destination, and not just a direction of travel is selected on the operator terminal. According to one embodiment of the invention, the control computer is designed to control a plurality of elevators. Upon receipt of a transportation request, the control computer may select an elevator for carriage. The control computer then preferably operates as a dispatcher, which in turn controls the elevator controls of the various elevators. In this case, it is particularly preferred that the control computer, as a dispatcher for the destination call control, makes a selection for a transport request in which, upon receipt of the transport request, information about the current position of the lifts and previously received transport requests is provided an elevator is selected for transport in an optimization algorithm, so that overall the transport performance can be optimized. An optimization algorithm may, for example, be geared to optimizing hold times by taking people in the appropriate direction of travel. An optimization does not necessarily mean a shortening of each individual transport time, since the success of the optimization depends on a plurality of factors, in particular on the order of incoming transport requests. Overall, however, an improvement in the delivery rate of an elevator or in particular of an elevator system with several elevators can be achieved with such an optimization algorithm.

Upon selecting one of several elevators, the operator terminal preferably displays upon receipt of a transportation request which of several elevators has been selected to fulfill the transportation request. This is preferably specified by the control computer in the form of a representation description, in particular preferably in turn HTML page, and transmitted to the operator terminal.

Fig. 1

in schematischer Darstellung Elemente eines Aufzugsystems mit zwei Aufzügen;

Fig. 2

in schematischer Darstellung Elemente eines Steuersystems des Aufzugsystems aus Fig. 1;

Fig. 3

in schematischer Darstellung einen Server und ein Bedienterminal als Client innerhalb des Systems gem. Fig. 2.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to drawings. Showing:

Fig. 1

a schematic representation of elements of an elevator system with two elevators;

Fig. 2

schematic representation of elements of a control system of the elevator system Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3

in a schematic representation of a server and an operator terminal as a client within the system gem. Fig. 2 ,

In Fig. 1 1 schematically shows a part of an elevator system 10 with, for example, two elevators 12a, 12b, each of which has an elevator car 14a, 14b with a drive 16a, 16b and an elevator control 18a, 18b. A control computer (dispatcher) 20 controls the elevator control 18a, 18b by specifying the respective floors of the elevators 12a, 12b to be approached.

In Fig. 1 schematically three of the served by the elevator system 10 floors 22, 24, 26 are shown. On each floor, a control terminal 30 is provided and mounted so that it is well visible and usable by a user.

As in particular Fig. 2 As can be seen, the terminals 30 are connected to the dispatcher 20 via a network connection 32 as a Local Area Network (LAN). Preferably, it is a wired network.

The dispatcher 20 is - in addition to its control function - configured as an HTTP server so that it holds in the presentation description language HTML coded files over the network connection 32 retrievable.

In the illustration in Fig. 3 the operator terminal 30 is shown in more detail. It has a touchscreen 34. In the preferred example, the touchscreen terminal 30 installs an Android operating system that runs in kiosk mode, so it only launches a browser with a default address. An operation is then possible for a user of the elevator system only within the browser, as long as not with the in Fig. 3 key icon shown and the subsequent input of a password unlocking the kiosk mode is made to make, for example. With the help of an extended user interface settings and maintenance.

The browser of the touch-screen terminal 30, which is located, for example, in the first floor 26 is, for example, preset to retrieve a specific HTML file. This HTML file 36, which can be called up on the server 20, is delivered to the terminal 30 by the server 20 via the network 32 at the request of the browser of the terminal 30. It is an HTML page with a representation of the various selectable floors of the elevator system, each - as from Fig. 3 visible - shown as numbered buttons.

As in Fig. 3 shown as an example, the different floors are shown in the same position one above the other. However, only part of the total selectable floors is shown on the limited display area of the terminal 30. The rest are accessible by scrolling. The current scroll position is displayed in the usual way by a scroll bar 38. The scrolling on the touch screen can be triggered by swiping in the respective scroll direction.

The dispatcher 20 is as in the schematic representation in Fig. 2 shown in connection in the elevator controls 18a, 18b of the two elevators 12a, 12b. Thus, on receipt of destination call transport requests from the operator terminals 30 of the different floors, the dispatcher 20 can make a determination as to which elevator an incoming transport request should be met on the basis of available information about the respective current position of the elevator cars 14a, 14b and about previously received transport requests , After an optimization algorithm, the dispatcher 20 selects the suitable elevator and transmits to the respective elevator control 18a, 18b the destination to be approached.

The dispatcher 20 communicates with the operator terminals 30 to receive transport requests and feedback on the elevators selected to fulfill the request via the network 32 in HTTP protocol. For this purpose, the dispatcher 20 provides for each of the terminals 30 an HTML page with the destinations to be selected; the exact address and name of the relevant HTML file within the network 32 is stored in each of the operator terminals 30. In this case, the selectable destinations (floors) are shown as active elements, so that a selection is reported to the HTTP server of the dispatcher 20 and leads to the retrieval of a response page from there.

In this way, the signaling of the selected destination to the dispatcher 20 and - after the local selection of the appropriate elevator - the representation of the feedback with display of the selected elevator in the control terminal 30th

The representation on the terminals 30 is flexibly adaptable, for example, simply by exchanging the files provided. For example, locked floors as in Fig. 3 exemplified for the floor 17 shown as not activatable ("grayed out"). For the adjustments no work on the operating terminals 30 on the individual floors is necessary.

Via the operating terminal 30 further control functions can be specified. For example. For example, a user who requires a longer time to get in or out due to a disability can communicate this by activating a corresponding button 40, which is communicated to the dispatcher 20 via the network 32 and by the elevator controller 18a, 18b is considered in the specification of the door opening time.

Claims (10)

1. A system for controlling at least one elevator, comprising

   - a control computer (20) for actuating at least one elevator (12a, 12b)

   - and at least one operating terminal (30) on the floor side having a touch screen (34) for entering a conveyance request,

   - the control computer (20) and the operating terminal (30) being connected to one another via a network connection (32),

   characterized in that

   - the control computer (20) is configured as a server in order to provide a presentation description (36) of the presentation for the operating terminal (30) so that it can be called up via the network (32),

   - and the operating terminal (30) is configured as a client, in order to call up the presentation description (36) from the server and present said presentation description (36).
2. The system according to claim 1, in which

   - the presentation comprises a number of representations for conveyance destinations,

   - wherein the representations can be activated by tapping on the touch screen.
3. The system according to claim 2, in which

   - the representations in the presentation description (36) are identified as active elements so that the activation results in signaling to the control computer (20).
4. The system according to one of the preceding claims, in which

   - the operating terminal (30) presents a portion of the available conveyance destinations on the touch screen (34),

   - wherein additional conveyance destinations can be presented by scrolling.
5. The system according to one of the preceding claims, in which

   - the conveyance destinations are presented in the correct position above one another on the operating terminal (30).
6. The system according to one of the preceding claims, in which

   - the control computer (20) is configured to actuate a plurality of elevators (12a, 12b),

   - wherein the control computer (20) is configured, following receipt of a conveyance request, to select an elevator (12a, 12b) for conveying based on information regarding the current position of the elevators (12a, 12b) and previously received conveyance requests.
7. The system according to one of the preceding claims, in which

   - the control computer (20) is configured, following receipt of a conveyance request and selection of one of multiple elevators (12a, 12b), to transmit the selection to the operating terminal (30) for display.
8. The system according to one of the preceding claims, in which

   - the presentation description (36) is written in a presentation description language,

   - and the operating terminal (30) has a parser for the presentation description language.
9. An elevator system comprising one or more elevators and a control system according to one of the preceding claims.
10. A method for controlling at least one elevator, in which at least one operating terminal (30) on the floor side calls up a presentation description (36) via a network connection (32) from a control computer (20) configured as a server in order to actuate at least one elevator and presents said presentation description (36) on a touch screen (34) in order to enter a conveyance request.

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