Method for communicating with elevator system by means of mobile terminal

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for communicating with an elevator system (1) by means of a mobile terminal (5) and to such an elevator system (1) and to such a mobile terminal (5). The method may comprise the steps of: sending a request from a mobile terminal (5) to an elevator device (1) or an elevator controller (8); generating an encoded light signal as requested by means of an operating panel (2) arranged outside the elevator shaft (3); detecting the encoded light signal by means of the mobile terminal (5); sending an acknowledgement to the elevator installation (1) that the encoded light signal has been detected; and authorizing the mobile terminal (5) to communicate with the elevator installation (1).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method for communicating with an elevator installation by means of a mobile terminal, as well as to such an elevator installation and such a mobile terminal. Background Art

[0002] Elevator installations are used to transport people within buildings, wherein an elevator car moves vertically between different floors in an elevator shaft. In order to ensure the safety of passengers or maintenance personnel, elevator installations must be regularly maintained. There are many components in the elevator shaft of an elevator installation that can be maintained and / or require maintenance. In order to maintain these components or to perform regular maintenance work, the elevator installation is placed in a maintenance mode in which the automatic operation of the elevator car is blocked or the elevator car is allowed to move at walking speed only by manual control.

[0003] For maintenance work, according to the EN81-20 standard, there must be control devices on the top of the elevator car and in the shaft pit respectively, so as to manually control the elevator car during maintenance work. In order to carry out maintenance work, maintenance personnel must climb to the top or go down to the shaft pit. This is potentially dangerous and can easily lead to accidents. Therefore, in connection with this, some technical factors that are critical to safety must be checked before maintenance personnel enter the elevator shaft or connect the elevator with the maintenance operation of the elevator. In addition, maintenance work must meet certain standards, such as making certain preparations or implementing various specific safety measures (check-in process). This may be challenging for maintenance personnel, especially if they are not yet competent. Even if the maintenance personnel have received sufficient training, the maintenance personnel cannot always accurately know all the required measures, because the elevator and safety requirements are very complex and there may be great differences between different elevators. Summary of the invention

[0004] Essentially, an additional safety measure is required, with which it is possible to ensure that maintenance personnel can enter the elevator shaft safely and, in particular, also leave the elevator shaft safely. The elevator system must not be put into normal operation while the technician is still in the shaft. Therefore, a so-called check-out procedure must be carried out to avoid such dangerous scenarios as much as possible. In this way, personal safety can be ensured during and after maintenance work. This requirement should be met as independently as possible from the facilities or equipment of the elevator system.

[0005] The object of the invention is to ensure the operational safety of the elevator installation both during maintenance work and after the maintenance work when the elevator installation is switched back to normal operation.

[0006] This object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are defined in the dependent claims and in the following description.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for communicating with an elevator device via a mobile terminal is provided. The method may include the following steps:

[0008] For example, at the entrance of the elevator equipment, a request is sent from the mobile terminal to the elevator equipment;

[0009] In response to the request, a coded light signal is generated by means of an operating panel arranged outside the elevator shaft of the elevator installation;

[0010] Detecting the coded optical signal with the aid of a mobile terminal;

[0011] sending an acknowledgement of detection of the coded light signal to the elevator equipment; and

[0012] Authorize the mobile terminal to communicate with the elevator equipment.

[0013] Therefore, the communication connection between the elevator equipment and the mobile terminal can be established by optical transmission technology. In this transmission technology, light is modulated with a modulation signal (optical signal). In principle, the light can be changed in amplitude, phase and polarization.

[0014] In order to confirm the detection of the coded light signal, the detected coded light signal or the data of the detected coded light signal is advantageously transmitted to the elevator system. Here, the operating panel is, for example, a floor panel, also referred to as a LOP (Lobby Operation Panel). By receiving the light signal generated by the elevator system and sending it back to the elevator system directly or in a modified form, for example in the form of a digital data packet, via a feedback path, the elevator system is informed that a communication connection exists between it and the mobile terminal by means of the light signal. As a result, the elevator system can be used reliably in maintenance mode, since, on the one hand, a prescribed (complex) sign-in process can be carried out with the help of the mobile terminal, and, on the other hand, the current position of the maintenance personnel can be easily determined. The elevator system can also be reliably transferred from maintenance operation to normal operation, while the sign-out process can be carried out with the help of the mobile terminal, and no dangerous movement of the elevator car can occur when a person is present in the shaft or there may be a potential risk.

[0015] If the request from the mobile terminal contains its identity, for example, the elevator device can authenticate the mobile terminal. In order to create a secure connection, the detection of the coded light signal is pre-checked in the following way: before the light signal is generated, a coded test light signal is generated by means of the operating panel of the mobile terminal, and the coded test light signal is detected by the mobile terminal. Like the light signal, the test light signal can also be transmitted to the elevator device directly or in a modified form (such as data or data packets). Here, the mobile terminal can also decode the coded test light signal. By transmitting the detected test light signal, it is confirmed that the coded test light signal has been received by the mobile terminal without any problems. This means that in this way there is a secure communication between the mobile terminal and the elevator device.

[0016] In order to identify unexpected changes in the transmitted original data (here, the test optical signal), according to an advantageous design of the first aspect of the invention, the detected test optical signal or its data is transmitted with the addition of a check value, and / or the detected optical signal or its data can also be transmitted with the check value. With the help of the check value, errors that may occur during the storage or transmission of data can be identified. The check value can be designed in such a way that errors in data transmission, such as errors caused by noise on a line or a wired or wireless network, are found with a high probability. In particular, the check value can be developed to prevent common errors in communication, thereby quickly and appropriately ensuring the integrity of the transmitted data or signal.

[0017] According to the advantageous design of the first aspect of the present invention, a coded light signal and / or a coded test light signal in the form of a temporal light signal sequence is generated. That is, the light signal can be encoded in the time domain, such as Morse code. In order to generate such a light signal sequence, the control panel does not need to be equipped with a screen for displaying the light signal in a graphical form. For example, the QR code can be displayed instead of the corresponding information in the form of a light signal sequence. Usually, the control panel of the elevator device does not include a screen (if any), so the control panel as a COP (Car Operation Panel) is usually located in the elevator car. In this case, the maintenance personnel can only start working when entering the elevator car. On the one hand, this advantageous design reduces the cost of the control panel. On the other hand, the communication between the mobile terminal and the elevator device can be ensured. Directly displaying information (such as a QR code) is not safe because unauthorized personnel can obtain the QR code.

[0018] According to the advantageous design of the first aspect of the present invention, the position of the mobile terminal can be determined by communicating with the elevator device. As a result, the current position of the maintenance personnel can also be easily determined. In this case, it is not only possible to determine whether the technician is outside the elevator shaft, but also to determine which floor the technician is currently located, because each operating panel can be individually identified.

[0019] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a mobile / portable terminal for an elevator device is provided. The mobile terminal is, for example, a mobile phone (smartphone), a laptop, a tablet computer or a PDA (personal digital assistant). The mobile terminal is designed to communicate with the elevator device in the following manner:

[0020] The mobile terminal sends a request to the elevator device;

[0021] When a coded light signal is generated by a control panel arranged outside the elevator shaft of the elevator installation upon request, the mobile terminal detects the coded light signal.

[0022] The mobile terminal confirms to the elevator equipment that the coded light signal has been detected; and

[0023] The mobile terminal is authorized by the elevator equipment to communicate with the elevator equipment.

[0024] According to an advantageous design of the second aspect of the invention, the mobile terminal can transmit the detected coded light signal or its data to the elevator device to confirm the detection of the coded light signal. Here, the coded light signal of the elevator device can be sent back directly or in a modified form as feedback or confirmation, thereby informing the elevator device that there is a communication connection between it and the mobile terminal by means of light signals.

[0025] According to an advantageous design of the second aspect of the invention, the detection of the coded light signal can be pre-checked in the following manner: the mobile terminal detects a coded test light signal, wherein the test light signal is generated before the light signal by means of an operating panel upon request, and the mobile terminal transmits the detected test light signal or its data to the elevator system.

[0026] According to an advantageous design of the second aspect of the invention, the detected test light signal or its data and / or the detected light signal or its data are transmitted with the addition of a check value. Thus, it is possible to monitor whether unexpected errors occur when transmitting or storing the test light signal.

[0027] According to the advantageous design of the second aspect of the present invention, maintenance / inspection work on the elevator system can be controlled and / or started with the help of a mobile terminal. For example, a maintenance person can easily move the elevator car or stop the elevator car at a desired position with the help of his smartphone. Here, the maintenance person can give the desired stop floor or any stop position with the help of a mobile terminal. Therefore, when performing maintenance work, the maintenance person does not always have to be on top of the elevator car or in the shaft pit, but can be in the elevator car or outside the shaft.

[0028] According to a third aspect of the present invention, an elevator device having an operating panel is provided, wherein the operating panel is arranged outside the elevator shaft of the elevator device. The elevator device can communicate with a mobile terminal in the following manner: the elevator device receives a request from the mobile terminal; the operating panel generates a coded light signal according to the request, and the mobile terminal detects the coded light signal; the elevator device receives a confirmation of the detection of the coded light signal; and the elevator device authorizes the mobile terminal to communicate with the elevator device.

[0029] In this case, the operating panel does not need to be equipped with a screen. The operating panel can be, for example, a simple operating panel with only one or two call buttons (up and down call buttons). It is known that light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are used as light sources in such buttons to illuminate the buttons to display arrow symbols. In this case, the call button or the two call buttons are illuminated at a certain time within a predetermined time period, so that the operating panel can emit a time-dependent sequence of light signals. In addition, the illumination of each button can last for different durations independently of each other. In other words, the light signal can be encoded in the time domain, for example Morse code.

[0030] According to an advantageous design of the third aspect of the invention, the detected coded light signal or its data can be transmitted to the elevator installation as a confirmation of the detection of the coded light signal.

[0031] According to an advantageous design of the third aspect of the invention, the detection of the coded light signal can be pre-checked in the following manner: a coded test light signal is generated before the light signal according to a request by means of an operating panel and then the coded test light signal is detected by a mobile terminal, which transmits the detected test light signal or its data to the elevator device.

[0032] According to an advantageous design of the third aspect of the present invention, the detected test optical signal or its data and / or the detected optical signal or its data are transmitted with added check values ​​in order to monitor whether unexpected errors occur during transmission of the test optical signal.

[0033] In addition, a computer program including the following instructions may be provided, which enables a processor, such as a processor of a mobile terminal, to perform the method given above when the computer program is executed by the processor. The computer program may be stored on a computer-readable medium (USB, server, cloud or storage unit of a mobile terminal).

[0034] It should be noted that some possible features and advantages of the present invention are described herein with reference to different embodiments of the inspection control system on the one hand and with reference to a method for switching an elevator device between normal operation and inspection operation on the other hand. Those skilled in the art recognize that these features can be appropriately combined, adjusted or interchanged to achieve other embodiments of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Below, advantageous embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein neither the accompanying drawings nor the description should be considered as limiting the present invention. The accompanying drawings are only schematic and not drawn to scale.

[0036] in:

[0037] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing an elevator device according to the present invention and a mobile terminal according to the present invention,

[0038] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the communication between the control panel of the elevator equipment and the mobile terminal,

[0039] Figure 3 A flow chart showing an embodiment of the method according to the invention,

[0040] Figure 4 A diagram of the method according to the invention is shown with a pre-check mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] Figure 1Details of an elevator installation 1 according to the invention and a mobile terminal 5 according to the invention are shown. An elevator car 7 can travel between different floors in an elevator shaft 3. A shaft door 6 is provided on each floor. An operating panel 2 (e.g., LOP) is arranged next to the shaft door 6. A technician 9 can control the elevator car 7 or move it up and down with the help of a mobile terminal 5 (e.g., a smartphone) during an inspection operation, so that the technician can easily stop the elevator car 7 at a desired floor or position. In this case, the mobile terminal 5 can be connected to the controller of the elevator installation 1 in a wireless or wired manner. Before the mobile terminal 5 switches the elevator installation 1 between maintenance operation and normal operation, the mobile terminal 5 can be used to perform necessary safety measures (e.g., checklists) or sign-in / sign-out procedures. In this case, the technician 9 can receive all required information about the mobile terminal 5 when the mobile terminal 5 communicates with the elevator installation 1. The mobile terminal 5 can also be connected to the Internet. For this purpose, the elevator installation 1 can also be informed of the presence of the technician 9 or his current location. In addition to determining whether the technician 9 is outside or inside the elevator shaft 3, it is also possible to determine which floor the technician is currently on based on the position of the control panel 2, since the control panel 2 as an LOP can indicate a specific floor. Potentially dangerous situations can thus be avoided as much as possible. The elevator system 1 can thus be safely used in maintenance mode or returned to normal operation.

[0042] The elevator system 1 can communicate with the mobile terminal 5 in the following manner: the operating panel 2 generates a light signal sequence and the mobile terminal 5 detects this light signal sequence. Figure 2 The communication between the elevator device 1 and the mobile terminal 5 is shown. Here, the mobile terminal 5 is connected to the controller 8 of the elevator device 1 via a LAN (local area network). If maintenance work of the elevator device 1 needs to be started or ended, a corresponding sign-in / sign-out process must be performed. Here, the mobile terminal 5 first sends a request to the controller 8 of the elevator device 1 via an application software (e.g., App), wherein the request may contain the identity of the mobile terminal 5. Thus, the elevator device 1 can authenticate the mobile terminal 5. Then, the operating panel 2 generates a coded light signal. The operating panel 2 includes, for example, two direction buttons, each with an LED. The mobile terminal 5 receives the light signal and converts it into data that can be processed by a computer processor. Then, the mobile terminal 5 sends the detected light signal to the controller 8 in the form of converted data. In order to identify random errors that may occur during the detection of the light signal, a check value is added to the transmission of the light signal. By checking: whether the check value changes, the change of the transmitted light signal can be perceived. If the check value does not change, it means that the mobile terminal 5 correctly detects the light signal. In this case, the controller 10 can authorize the mobile terminal 5 to communicate with the elevator device 1 or can intervene in the elevator device 1.

[0043] exist Figure 3 The method according to the invention for communicating with an elevator system 1 by means of a mobile terminal 5 is shown in FIG. Figure 1 The elevator installation 1 shown in FIG. 1 is to be subjected to maintenance work. Therefore, the following steps numbered with "S" must be performed:

[0044] S1: The mobile terminal 5 sends a request to the elevator device 1;

[0045] S2: If the request contains the identity of the mobile terminal 5, the elevator device 1 performs identity authentication on the mobile terminal 5;

[0046] S3: Generate a coded optical signal (optical signal sequence) by means of the operating panel 2;

[0047] S4, the mobile terminal 5 detects the encoded optical signal;

[0048] S5: The mobile terminal 5 sends the transmission data of the detected coded optical signal to the elevator device 1 to confirm the detection;

[0049] S6: The elevator device 1 authorizes the mobile terminal 5 to communicate with the elevator device.

[0050] In order to ensure the detection of the optical signal and to ensure communication in this way, the data is, for example, added with a check value when it is stored or transmitted. Figure 4 As shown, the first two steps S1' and S2' are Figure 3 The first two steps of the process are the same:

[0051] S3': before generating the formal optical signal, generating a coded test optical signal, the coded test optical signal may also be a time-based optical signal sequence;

[0052] S4': the mobile terminal 5 detects the test optical signal, wherein the mobile terminal 5 can, for example, convert the test optical signal into digital data;

[0053] S5': the mobile terminal 5 sends data with the check value added to the controller 8 of the elevator device 1, thereby informing the controller 8 of the check value;

[0054] S6': the controller 8 instructs the manipulation panel 2 to generate the light signal again;

[0055] S7': Generate a coded optical signal with the help of the operating panel 2;

[0056] S8': Detect the encoded optical signal with the help of the mobile terminal 5. At the same time, the mobile terminal 5 also converts the optical signal into digital data;

[0057] S9': the mobile terminal 5 adds the detected optical signal data and the inspection value to the data and sends them to the controller 8;

[0058] S10': The controller 8 checks: whether the check value has changed?

[0059] S11': If the check value has not changed, the controller 8 assumes that the data of the detected light signal has not changed either. Therefore, the communication between the mobile terminal 5 and the elevator device 1 should be reliable. The controller 8 then authorizes the mobile terminal 5 to communicate with the elevator device 1. If the check value has changed, it is likely that the detected light signal or the transmitted data is inconsistent with the generated light signal. In this case, an alarm signal is issued. It is also advantageous to shut down the entire elevator device 1.

[0060] In summary, the embodiments of the method proposed here enable early avoidance of safety hazards in the elevator shaft.

[0061] Finally, it should be noted that terms such as "having", "comprising" etc. do not exclude other elements or steps, and terms such as "a" or "an" etc. do not exclude a plurality. Furthermore, it should be noted that features or steps that have been described with reference to one of the above embodiments may also be used in combination with other features or steps of other above-described embodiments. Reference signs in the claims should not be considered as limiting.

[0062] It should be noted that: herein, the feasible features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention are described partly with reference to the method according to the present invention and partly with reference to the device according to the present invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various features can be combined, modified or exchanged in a suitable manner, and that the features described in particular for the method can be similarly transferred to the device, or the features described for the device can also be similarly transferred to the method, so as to obtain other embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for communicating with an elevator device (1) by means of a mobile terminal (5), comprising the following steps: Sending a request from the mobile terminal (5) to the elevator device (1); In response to the request, a coded light signal is generated by means of an operating panel (2) arranged outside the elevator shaft (3) of the elevator installation (1); detecting the coded optical signal by means of a mobile terminal (5); sending an acknowledgement of detection of the coded light signal to the elevator equipment (1); and The mobile terminal (5) is authorized to communicate with the elevator device (1).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The detected coded light signal or data of the detected coded light signal is transmitted to the elevator installation (1) as confirmation of the detection of the coded light signal.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The detection of the coded optical signal is pre-checked as follows: Before generating the optical signal, a coded test optical signal is generated by means of a control panel (2). detecting the encoded test optical signal by the mobile terminal (5), and The detected test light signal or data of the detected test light signal is transmitted to the elevator device (1).

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The detected test light signal and / or the detected light signal is transmitted with the addition of a check value.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The coded optical signal and / or the coded test optical signal is generated in the form of a temporal optical signal sequence.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The position of the mobile terminal (5) can be determined by communicating with the elevator device (1).

7. A mobile terminal (5) for an elevator device (1), wherein: The mobile terminal (5) is designed to communicate with the elevator device (1) in the following manner: The mobile terminal (5) sends a request to the elevator device (1); When a coded light signal is generated upon request by an operating panel (2) arranged outside an elevator shaft (3) of an elevator installation (1), the mobile terminal (5) detects the coded light signal; The mobile terminal (5) confirms to the elevator device (1) that the coded light signal has been detected; and The mobile terminal (5) is authorized by the elevator device (1) to communicate with the elevator device (1).

8. The mobile terminal (5) according to claim 7, wherein: In order to confirm the detection of the coded light signal, the mobile terminal (5) transmits the detected coded light signal or data of the detected coded light signal to the elevator device (1).

9. The mobile terminal (5) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein: The detection of the coded optical signal can be pre-checked by: The mobile terminal (5) detects a coded test light signal, wherein the test light signal is generated in time earlier than the light signal upon request by means of the operating panel (2), and The mobile terminal (5) transmits the detected test light signal or the data of the detected test light signal to the elevator equipment (1).

10. The mobile terminal (5) according to claim 8 or 9, wherein: The transmission of the detected test light signal or the data of the detected test light signal and / or the detected light signal or the data of the detected light signal takes place with the addition of a check value.

11. The mobile terminal (5) according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein: Maintenance / repair work on the elevator system (1) can be controlled and / or started by means of the mobile terminal (5).

12. An elevator installation (1) comprising an operating panel (2) located outside an elevator shaft (3) of the elevator installation (1), wherein: The elevator device (1) is designed in such a way that the elevator device can communicate with a mobile terminal (5), wherein: The elevator device (1) receives a request from the mobile terminal (5); The operation panel (2) generates a coded light signal according to a request, wherein the coded light signal can be detected by the mobile terminal (5); The elevator device (1) receives a confirmation of detection of the coded light signal from the mobile terminal (5); and The elevator device (1) authorizes the mobile terminal (5) to communicate with the elevator device (1).

13. Elevator installation (1) according to claim 12, wherein: The detected coded light signal or data of the detected coded light signal can be transmitted to the elevator installation (1) as confirmation of the detection of the coded light signal.

14. Elevator installation (1) according to claim 12 or 13, wherein: The detection of the coded optical signal can be pre-checked as follows: By means of the control panel (2), a coded test optical signal is generated before the optical signal. detecting the encoded test optical signal by the mobile terminal (5), and The mobile terminal (5) transmits the detected test light signal or the data of the detected test light signal to the elevator device (1).

15. Elevator installation (1) according to claim 13 or 14, wherein: The detected test light signal or the data of the detected test light signal and / or the detected light signal or the data of the detected light signal are transmitted with the addition of a check value.

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