WO2009130364A1

WO2009130364A1 - Elevator system

Info

Publication number: WO2009130364A1
Application number: PCT/FI2009/000049
Authority: WO
Inventors: Salla Mannerjoki; Marjukka MÄKELÄ; Claus Ingman; Jukka-Pekka Sarjanen
Original assignee: Kone Corporation
Priority date: 2008-04-25
Filing date: 2009-04-15
Publication date: 2009-10-29
Also published as: FI120873B; FI20080320A0; FI20080320A

Abstract

The object of the invention is a method and an elevator system for expressing guidance messages in an elevator system in which passengers give destination calls to reach their destination floors. Guidance messages in two or more guidance languages are recorded in the elevator system for guiding passengers. A personal guidance language is determined for each passenger on the basis of the language choice made by the passenger in connection with giving a call. The determined guidance language and information about the elevator car allocated to the passenger are recorded in the elevator system for later use and also at least one guidance message is expressed to the passenger in the aforementioned guidance language in the elevator car and/ or on the exchange floor during elevator travel.

Description

ELEVATOR SYSTEM

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to elevator systems. More particularly the present invention relates to a method and to a system for expressing guidance messages in an elevator system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In elevator systems the operation of the elevators is controlled on the basis of the calls given by passengers. The giving of calls in a conventional elevator system is most often arranged by disposing up/down pushbuttons on each floor of the building, by means of which an elevator passenger expresses his/her desired direction of travel and further, by means of the car panel in the elevator car, the destination floor to which the passenger is going. Alongside conventional up/down pushbuttons, so-called destination call apparatuses are to an increasing extent used for the giving of calls, in which case each passenger trying to enter the elevator gives a destination floor call in the elevator lobby, which comprises information about the departure floor and the destination floor of the user. The destination floor call is transmitted for the purpose of elevator allocation to the group control of the elevator group, which group control immediately determines the elevator serving the passenger and sends information about the elevator reserved for the passenger, as well as possibly other guidance information such as e.g. position information about the elevator reserved for the passenger, to the destination call apparatus. The elevator car, for its part, contains e.g. a numerical display, which shows at which floor the elevator in question will stop so that passengers are able to leave the elevator car at the destination floors that they want. Diversified guidance information is thus needed in elevator systems so that access to the destination floor of a passenger is as fast and convenient as possible. The arrangement of guidance is, however, problematic if passengers representing many different language groups visit in the building. One simple method of arranging guidance is to use generally recognized simple symbols, such as numbers and/or letters, for guidance. A problem with simple symbols, however, is that they are not very informative. Another prior-art guidance solution is to record guidance messages in a number of different languages in the elevator system and to express the guidance messages visually and/or auditively in all the recorded languages consecutively. Multilingual guidance is, however, easily confusing and can cause uncertainty in passengers about the content of guidance messages. The repetition of multilingual guidance messages of long duration also causes unnecessary delay in the giving of calls, which can even have a reducing effect on the transport capacity of the elevator system. In prior-art guidance solutions guidance is given in a non-repetitive manner, e.g. in connection with an elevator call, in which case the guidance is not personal such that the passenger would receive guidance in the language he/she wants for the whole time of his/her elevator travel, from the moment of giving a call to the moment when the passenger arrives at his/her destination floor.

PURPOSE OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate or at least to mitigate the aforementioned problems of prior-art as well as to disclose a solution for expressing guidance messages that is easy to implement and from the viewpoint of the passenger simple to use. Additionally, the purpose of the invention is also to achieve one or more of the following objectives: to serve a passenger in the guidance language selected by him/her for the whole duration of elevator travel, to facilitate the transfer of a passenger at an exchange floor from one elevator to another, to guide a passenger in exceptional situations in the guidance language selected by him/her, to present general information during elevator travel in the guidance language selected by the passenger, to facilitate the configuration of the language versions of an elevator system, to speed up the language choice of a passenger by offering to the passenger an automatic default as the guidance language, and to utilize a messaging apparatus in the possession of the passenger in selecting the guidance language .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The method according to the present invention is characterized by what is disclosed in the characterization part of claim 1. The elevator system according to the invention is characterized by what is disclosed in the characterization part of claim 9.

Other embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is disclosed in the other claims. Some inventive embodiments are also discussed in the descriptive section of the present application. The inventive content of the application can also be defined differently than in the claims presented below. The inventive content may also consist of several separate inventions, especially if the invention is considered in the light of expressions or implicit sub-tasks or from the point of view of advantages or categories of advantages achieved. In this case, some of the attributes contained in the claims below may be superfluous from the point of view of separate inventive concepts .

The object of the invention is a method for expressing guidance messages in an elevator system, which comprises at least one elevator group, at least one destination call apparatus, and also a group control of the elevator group, which group control responds to the aforementioned destination call apparatus, for allocating an elevator car for the use of a passenger on the basis of a destination call given by the passenger. A plurality of guidance messages in two or more guidance languages are recorded in the elevator system for guiding passengers. In the method according to the invention a personal guidance language is determined for a passenger on the basis of the language choice made by the passenger in connection with giving a call. The determined guidance language and information about the elevator car allocated to the passenger are recorded in the elevator system for later use and also at least one guidance message is expressed to the passenger -in the aforementioned guidance language in the elevator car and/or on the exchange floor during elevator travel. Elevator travel here refers to the journey from the time a passenger gives his/her destination call to the time the passenger has arrived at his/her destination floor.

The object of the invention is also an elevator system, which comprises at least one elevator group, at least one destination call apparatus, a group control responding to the aforementioned destination call apparatus for allocating an elevator car for the use of a passenger on the basis of a destination call given by the passenger and also a plurality of guidance messages recorded in the elevator system in two or more guidance languages. The elevator system also comprises means for determining the personal guidance language of a passenger on the basis of the language choice made by the passenger in connection with giving a call, means for recording the aforementioned language choice, as well as the elevator car allocated to the passenger, for later use, and also means for expressing at least one guidance message to the passenger in the aforementioned guidance language in the elevator car and/or on the exchange floor during elevator travel.

In one embodiment of the invention the language choice made by the passenger is received from a separate language change pushbutton. Language change pushbutton refers in this context to a pushbutton e.g. in connection with a destination call apparatus, by pressing which a passenger can change the guidance language to the one he/she wants.

In one embodiment of the invention the language choice made by the passenger is received from a pushbutton notifying about handicapped transport. Handicapped transport pushbutton refers in this context to a pushbutton e.g. in connection with a destination call apparatus, by pressing which a passenger can order handicapped transport for his/her use.

In one embodiment of the invention information determining guidance language of the passenger is received from a messaging apparatus in the possession of the passenger. Messaging apparatus refers in this context to any personal apparatus or communications device whatsoever in the possession of the passenger, on the basis of the information transmitted with which the elevator system can determine the guidance language of the passenger either directly or indirectly. The messaging apparatus can be e.g. a magnetic card, an RFID transponder, a mobile phone, a PDA device or some other corresponding electrical messaging apparatus.

In one embodiment of the invention the guidance language recorded in connection with the previous call is used as the default value of the guidance language of the call-giving apparatus.

In one embodiment of the invention information about at least one of the following is expressed to the passenger with guidance messages: the elevator allocated to the passenger, the waiting lobby from where the elevator allocated to the passenger will serve the passenger, the estimated waiting time until the arrival of the elevator, the estimated travel time to the destination floor, - the destination floors to which the elevator is going for serving passengers, the next stopping floor of the elevator car, the floor at which the elevator car has stopped, information connected to the opening/closing of the doors of the elevator car, advance notice about the starting of the elevator, information connected with evacuation or some other exceptional situation, - the arrival of the elevator car at an exchange floor, the onward connection after an exchange floor, In one embodiment of the invention the guidance message is expressed in the elevator car in two or more guidance languages on the basis of the recorded language choices of passengers that are simultaneously in the elevator car.

In one embodiment of the invention general information is expressed in the elevator car and/or in the waiting lobby on the basis of the language choice made by the passengers.

With the method and the elevator system according to the invention numerous advantages with respect to prior-art solutions are achieved. The language choice made by the passenger is personal, in which case guidance connected to the different stages of elevator travel can be given to all passengers using the elevator system in the guidance languages that they themselves choose. The elevator system records the selected guidance language as the active guidance language of the destination call apparatus, in which case the need of passengers to change the guidance language minimizes on average. The language choice of passengers can be utilized also in presenting other information, such as e.g. in giving guidance and/or information to passengers connected to evacuating the building. The solution according to the invention can easily be integrated into new as well as into existing elevator systems. Also the configuration of different language versions is easy to implement in conjunction with the installation of an elevator system or after it, because the configuration does not require hardware changes in the elevator system. All in all a passenger can quickly and easily select the guidance language he/she wants, in which case the access of the passenger to the destination is made easier, the giving of a call is speeded up, and congestion in the waiting lobbies decreases.

LIST OF FIGURES Fig. 1 presents an elevator group, in which the solution according to the invention is applied,

Fig. 2a presents a destination call apparatus, in which the solution according to the invention is applied, and

Fig. 2b presents a second destination call apparatus, in which the solution according to the invention is applied.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Fig. 1 presents an elevator group 100, which comprises a group control 110 of the elevator group, elevators A, B, C and D, and destination call apparatuses 120 on the floor landings for reserving elevators for the use of passengers. The destination call apparatuses 120 are provided with pushbuttons 121 for giving the destination floor in the waiting lobby and also with display means 122 for displaying the elevator allocated and other guidance information to the passenger. The destination call apparatus also comprises a separate language change pushbutton 123 as well as an ordering pushbutton 124 for handicapped transport (handicapped transport pushbutton) . The destination call apparatuses are connected to the group control by means of a data transfer bus 111 for transmitting the necessary information between them. Guidance messages intended for passengers are recorded in the elevator system e.g. in the memory of the group control 110 and/or in the memory of the destination call apparatuses in all the necessary guidance languages .

When a passenger arrives at a destination call apparatus, the so-called active guidance language is selected in the destination call apparatus by default, which the passenger can verify e.g. on the basis of the guidance messages at the time on the display apparatus 122. If the passenger wants personal guidance messages in some other guidance language than the currently active guidance language, he/she can change it to the one he/she desires in connection with giving a call, either before giving a destination call or after it within a predefined time window. To change the active guidance language the passenger presses the language change pushbutton 123 one or more times, in which case each press of the language change pushbutton changes the guidance language to the next one configured for the elevator system and thus to the guidance language that the passenger can select. For example if Dutch-language and French-language guidance messages are configured (recorded) in the elevator system, each press of the language change pushbutton changes the guidance language from French to Dutch, and vice versa. If there are three guidance languages, e.g. French, Dutch and German, the guidance language changes from French to Dutch, from Dutch to German, from German to French, etc. A passenger needing handicapped transport can make a language choice in a corresponding way by means of the ordering pushbutton for handicapped transport of the destination call apparatus. In this case e.g. a physically handicapped passenger presses the ordering pushbutton for handicapped transport in connection with giving a destination call to order handicapped transport to his/her destination floor. If the active guidance language is not the guidance language wanted by the passenger, he/she can press the ordering pushbutton for handicapped transport one or more times again to change to the guidance language he/she wants in a way that corresponds with the case of the language change pushbutton presented above . The guidance language of the passenger can also be determined on the basis of the information transmitted by a messaging apparatus in the possession of the passenger. In this embodiment a reader apparatus 140 (Fig. 2a) is integrated e.g. in connection with the destination call apparatus, which reader apparatus is able to receive information from a messaging apparatus 150 in the possession of the passenger. If an access control system is in use in the building, the elevator system can be connected to the access control system in question and the information necessary in determining the language selection, and also if necessary in determining the destination floor, can be transmitted to the elevator system from e.g. a reader apparatus that is in connection with the swing door of the access control system. The messaging apparatus can be any personal apparatus or communication means whatsoever that is capable of electrical messaging, e.g. an RFID transponder, a magnetic card, a mobile phone, a PDA device or other corresponding personal messaging apparatus, which transmits the identification code that identifies the passenger and/or information determining the guidance language to the aforementioned reader apparatus. In this case the elevator system determines the guidance language of the passenger either indirectly on the basis of the identification code of the passenger or directly on the basis of information determining the guidance languages .

When the guidance language of the passenger is determined on the basis of the language choice made by the passenger, the language choice is recorded in the memory of the destination call apparatus and/or of the group control for later use. The recorded language selection is selected as the default for the active guidance language of the destination call apparatus, in which case it is automatically selected as the guidance language of the passenger who arrives next at the destination call apparatus, which the passenger does not need to change if he/she is satisfied with it. Since the active guidance language is specific to the destination call apparatus, a number of destination call apparatuses can be installed in the waiting lobby, in which a different active guidance language is simultaneously selected. Passengers representing different language groups can in this case be "selected" as users of a certain destination call apparatus, in which case the need to change the language choice decreases . By recording the destination floor of the passenger, information about the elevator car allocated to the passenger and also the guidance language in the memory of the group control, personal guidance information can be expressed to passenger for the whole duration of elevator travel, e.g. when the serving elevator arrives and/or has arrived at the destination floor or exchange floor of the passenger. Since the elevator system knows the destination floor and also the guidance language of all the passengers in a certain elevator car, the guidance messages can be expressed to all the passengers in the elevator car in the guidance language they selected.

Fig. 2a presents a destination call apparatus according to Fig. 1 in more detail. In Fig. 2a the destination call pushbuttons are marked with the reference number 120, the language change pushbutton with the reference number 123, the ordering pushbutton for handicapped transport with the reference number 124, and the display means for expressing guidance messages to a passenger that has given a call with the reference number 122. The reader apparatus for reading information contained in a personal messaging apparatus 150 of the passenger is marked with the reference number 140.

Fig. 2b presents a second implementation option for a destination call apparatus, in which the solution according to the invention can be applied. In Fig. 2b the destination call apparatus 200 comprises a touch- sensitive display 201, into which touch buttons 210 are configured by programming for giving a destination floor to the elevator system, language selection pushbuttons 220 for choosing a guidance language, and also a display field 202 for displaying guidance messages to a passenger. Other touch buttons can also be configured into the touch-sensitive display, such as e.g. an ordering pushbutton for handicapped transport or other special pushbuttons . In the case presented in Fig. 2b the guidance messages are recorded in the elevator system in German, English, French and Finnish, from which the passenger can choose the guidance language he/she wants using the language change pushbutton 220. The active guidance language can be expressed e.g. with a color of the language choice pushbutton corresponding to the active guidance language that differs from the other language choice pushbuttons. The solution according to Fig. 2b is advantageous when guidance messages in more than two guidance languages are configured into the elevator system.

When a passenger has given a destination call and chosen his/her guidance language, the elevator system allocates an elevator for the use of the passenger and guides him/her from the destination call apparatus to the allocated elevator with guidance messages, in which the serving elevator, and also if necessary its location with respect to the destination call apparatus, are expressed to him/her. Other information, such as e.g. the estimated waiting time for the elevator, the travel time to the destination floor, etc., can also be given to the passenger at the same time.

When the elevator allocated arrives at the departure floor of the passenger, the passenger moves into the elevator car, which takes him/her automatically to the destination floor. When the elevator car arrives and/or has arrived at the destination floor of the passenger, the stopping floor is expressed to him/her with the guidance means 160 (Fig. 1) in the elevator car in the guidance language he/she selected. If there are a number of passengers in the elevator car who have the same destination floor, the arrival of the elevator at the destination floor in question is expressed to all the passengers leaving the elevator car in the guidance languages that they chose. For example, if some of the passengers in question have selected the German language as their guidance language, and some the French language, the guidance messages will be expressed in the German language and in the French language. It is possible to act in a corresponding manner if the elevator arrives at a so- called exchange floor from where passengers have onward routes to their final destination floor using other elevators. In this case the arrival of the elevator car at the exchange floor as well as the elevators serving onward routes are expressed to passengers arriving at the exchange floor in the different guidance languages on the basis of what the language choice of the passengers was and to whom the aforementioned guidance messages apply.

According to one embodiment of the invention an information panel 170 (Fig. 1) is installed in the elevator car, on which general information can be displayed during elevator travel to passengers in the elevator car. Information is presented in the elevator car on the basis of the language choice of the passengers e.g. such that it is presented in all the guidance languages selected by the passengers in the elevator car or in only one guidance language, which is the most common amongst the passengers. The information to be presented can comprise e.g. current events of the building, news, or if some exceptional situation is detected in the elevator system or in the building, information connected to evacuation or some other exceptional situation. Information panels 170 can also be installed in the waiting lobbies, on which general information and/or information connected to exceptional circumstances is expressed to waiting passengers on the basis of what their language choice was .

The language choice of the elevator system can easily be changed by adding to and/or removing from the elevator system a language version and the guidance message connected to it. Configuration is easy because it does not require hardware changes, but instead it can be done by changing the software of the elevator system and/or the guidance information recorded in the elevator system.

The invention is not limited solely to the embodiments described above, but instead many variations are possible within the scope of the inventive concept defined by the claims below. It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that e.g. guidance messages can be auditory or visual guidance messages. The invention can also be applied in so-called double car elevators, in which case the guidance languages can differ from each other in the different cars of the double car elevator depending on the language choices of the passengers in the cars. The invention can also be applied in elevator systems comprising a number of elevator groups, in which information about the language choice of passengers can be transmitted from an elevator group to another and the information in question can be utilized in guiding passengers in the elevators of a different elevator group.

Claims

1. Method for expressing guidance messages in an elevator system, which elevator system comprises: at least one elevator group, at least one destination call apparatus, a group control responding to the aforementioned destination call apparatus for allocating an elevator car for the use of a passenger on the basis of a destination call given by the passenger, and in which elevator system a plurality of guidance messages in two or more guidance languages are recorded, c harac t er i z ed in that the method comprises the phases: the personal guidance language of a passenger is determined on the basis of the language choice made by the passenger in connection with giving a call, the aforementioned guidance language and information about the elevator car allocated to the passenger are recorded in the elevator system for later use, and at least one guidance message is expressed to the passenger in the aforementioned guidance language in the elevator car and/or on the exchange floor during elevator travel.

2. Method according to claim 1, c hara c t e r i z ed in that information about the language choice of the passenger is received from a separate language change pushbutton.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, c hara c t e r i z ed in that information about the language choice of a passenger is received from a pushbutton expressing handicapped transport.

4. Method according to any of claims 1 - 3 above, charac t er i z ed in that information determining the language choice of a passenger is received from a messaging apparatus in the possession of the passenger.

5. Method according to any of claims 1 - 4 above, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the guidance language recorded in connection with the previous call is used as the default for the guidance language of the destination call apparatus.

6. Method according to any of claims 1 - 5 above, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that information about at least one of the following is expressed with guidance messages: the elevator allocated to the passenger; the waiting lobby; the estimated waiting time; the estimated travel time to the destination floor; the destination floors to which the elevator is going; the destination floor at which the elevator car will stop next; the floor at which the elevator car has stopped; information connected to the opening/closing of the doors of the elevator car; advance information about the starting of the elevator; information connected to evacuation or some other exceptional situation; the arrival of the elevator car at an exchange floor; the onward connection after an exchange floor.

7. Method according to any of claims 1 - 6 above, c har ac t er i z ed in that the guidance message is expressed in the elevator car in two or more guidance languages on the basis of the recorded language choices of the passengers that are simultaneously in the elevator car.

8. Method according to any of claims 1 - 7 above, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that general information is expressed in the elevator car and/or in the waiting lobby on the basis of the language choice made by passengers in the elevator car or in the waiting lobby.

9. Elevator system, which comprises: at least one elevator group (100), at least one destination call apparatus (120, 200) , a group control (110) of the elevator group (100) responding to the aforementioned destination call apparatus for allocating an elevator car (A, B, C, D) for the use of a passenger on the basis of a destination call given by the passenger, and a plurality of guidance messages recorded in the elevator system in two or more guidance languages, characterized in that the elevator system further comprises: means (110,120,200) for determining the personal guidance language of a passenger on the basis of the language choice made by the passenger in connection with giving a call, means (110,120,200) for recording the aforementioned language choice and elevator car allocated to the passenger for later use, and means (120, 160, 200) for expressing at least one guidance message to the passenger in the aforementioned guidance language in the elevator car

(A-D) and/or on the exchange floor during elevator travel .

10. Elevator system according to claim 9, charac t er i z e d in that the aforementioned destination call apparatus (120) comprises a language change pushbutton (123) for receiving the language choice of the passenger.

11. Elevator system according to claim 9 or 10, c harac t er i z ed in that the aforementioned destination call apparatus (120) comprises an order pushbutton (124) for handicapped transport for receiving the language choice of the passenger.

12. Elevator system according to claim 9, c harac t er i z ed in that the aforementioned destination call apparatus (200) comprises language selection pushbuttons (220) for receiving the language choice of the passenger.

13. Elevator system according to any of claims 9 - 12 above, c harac t e r i z ed in that the elevator system comprises a reader apparatus (140) , which is arranged to receive information determining the language choice of a passenger from a messaging apparatus (150) in the possession of the passenger.

14. Elevator system according to any of claims 9 - 13 above, c harac t e r i z ed in that the aforementioned destination call apparatus (120) is arranged to use the guidance language recorded in connection with the previous call as the default value of the guidance language.

15. Elevator system according to any of claims 9 - 14 above, charac t e r i z ed in that the elevator system is arranged to express guidance messages in two or more guidance languages on the basis of the recorded language choices of passengers that are simultaneously in the elevator car.

16. System according to any of claims 9 - 15 above, c har a c t e r i z ed in that the elevator system comprises means (170) for expressing general information in the elevator car and/or in the waiting lobby on the basis of the language choice made by passengers in the elevator car or waiting lobby.