Elevator system configured to provide car tones based on user feedback

Abstract

An elevator system has: an elevator car having a door opening; a controller configured to control the elevator car, and a controller configured to control the elevator car; and a car calling means configured to transmit a first request to the controller to command the elevator car to travel to a hall to pick up a user, the first request includes an arrival ringtone code indicating an arrival ringtone audibly played by a speaker proximate the car door opening when the elevator car arrives at a landing, the arrival ringtone being selected from a plurality of the arrival ringtones.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to an elevator system, and more particularly to an elevator system configured to provide a car chime based on user feedback. Background Art

[0002] For elevator passengers with disabilities, being able to identify their car when it arrives at a landing can be a challenge. Particularly for destination dispatch systems where passengers are assigned a specific car, it is desirable for passengers to locate and enter the appropriate assigned car. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Disclosed is an elevator system including: an elevator car having a door opening; a controller configured to control the elevator car; and a car call tool configured to transmit a first request to the controller to command the elevator car to travel to a lobby to pick up a user, wherein the first request includes an arrival chime code indicative of an arrival chime that is audibly played by a speaker proximate to the car door opening when the elevator car arrives at and / or departs from a floor landing, the arrival chime being selected from a plurality of the arrival chimes.

[0004] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the elevator system, the arrival chime is selected by one of the user, the car call tool, or the controller.

[0005] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the elevator system, the car call tool is a call panel or a smart phone or a smart watch.

[0006] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the elevator system, the arrival chime code within the first request is generated in response to user input received by the car call tool, wherein the user input indicates a user condition or a user preference.

[0007] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the elevator system, the arrival chime code indicates the disability of the user.

[0008] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the elevator system, each arrival chime of the plurality of arrival chimes has a different sound characteristic from each other arrival chime of the plurality of arrival chimes.

[0009] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the elevator system, the car call tool selects the arrival chime code when the first request is received from the user.

[0010] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the elevator system, the controller selects the arrival ringtone code upon receiving the first request from the car call tool.

[0011] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the elevator system, the car call tool receives, from the user, an input indicating a selection of the arrival ringtone code when generating the first request.

[0012] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the elevator system, in addition to the car door opening, the system further includes a speaker near the car call tool, wherein the car call tool is configured to play the arrival ringtone from the speaker near the car door opening when approaching the time of selecting the arrival ringtone and when the elevator car arrives at the landing.

[0013] Also disclosed is a method of operating an elevator system, including: receiving, by a car call tool, a first request to command an elevator car to travel to a floor to pick up a user; and transmitting, by the car call tool, the first request to a controller, wherein the first request includes an arrival ringtone code indicating an arrival ringtone that is audibly played by a speaker near a car door opening of the elevator car when the elevator car arrives at a lobby, the arrival ringtone being selected from a plurality of the arrival ringtones.

[0014] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, the method includes selecting the arrival ringtone by one of the user, the car call tool, or the controller.

[0015] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, the car call tool is a call panel or a smart phone or a smart device.

[0016] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, the method includes generating the arrival ringtone code within the first request in response to receiving user input by the car call tool, wherein the user input indicates a user condition or a user preference.

[0017] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, the arrival ringtone code indicates a disability of the user.

[0018] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, each of the plurality of arrival ringtones has a different sound characteristic from each of the other arrival ringtones of the plurality of arrival ringtones.

[0019] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, the method includes selecting the arrival ringtone code by the car call tool upon receipt of the first request from the user.

[0020] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, the method includes selecting the arrival ringtone code by the controller upon receipt of the first request from the car call tool.

[0021] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, the method includes receiving, by the car call tool at the time of generating the first request, an input from the user indicating a selection of the arrival ringtone code.

[0022] In addition to or as an alternative to one or more aspects of the method, the method includes playing a sample of the arrival ringtone by the car call tool when approaching the time of selecting the arrival ringtone and playing the arrival ringtone from the speaker near the car door opening when the elevator car arrives at the landing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and is not limited in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate like elements.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an elevator system in which various embodiments of the present disclosure may be employed;

[0025] Figure 2 shows aspects of an elevator system configured to provide a car tone based on user feedback; and

[0026] Figure 3 is a flow chart showing a method of operating an elevator system based on user feedback to provide a car tone. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an elevator system 101 that includes an elevator car 103, a counterweight 105, a tension member 107, a guide rail (or track system) 109, a machine (or machine system) 111, a position reference system 113, and an electronic elevator controller (controller) 115. The elevator car 103 and the counterweight 105 are connected to each other by the tension member 107. The tension member 107 may comprise or be configured as, for example, a rope, a steel cable, and / or a coated steel strip. The counterweight 105 is configured to balance the load of the elevator car 103 and is configured to facilitate the movement of the elevator car 103 relative to the counterweight 105 within an elevator shaft (or hoistway) 117 and along the guide rail 109 simultaneously and in opposite directions

[0028] The tension member 107 engages the machine 111, which is part of the overhead structure of the elevator system 101. The machine 111 is configured to control the movement between the elevator car 103 and the counterweight 105. The position reference system 113 may be mounted on a fixed portion at the top of the hoistway 117, such as on a track or guide rail, and may be configured to provide position signals related to the position of the elevator car 103 within the hoistway 117. In other embodiments, the position reference system 113 may be directly mounted to a moving component of the machine 111, or may be located in other positions and / or configurations well known in the art. As is well known in the art, the position reference system 113 can be any device or mechanism for monitoring the position of the elevator car and / or the counterweight. By way of example and not limitation, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the position reference system 113 can be an encoder, a sensor, or other system, and can include speed sensing, absolute position sensing, and the like.

[0029] The controller 115 can be located in the controller room 121 of the hoistway 117. It is to be appreciated that the controller 115 need not be in the controller room 121, but can be in the hoistway or other locations within the elevator system. According to one aspect, the controller 115 is configured to control the operation of the elevator system 101 and in particular the operation of the elevator car 103. For example, the controller 115 may provide drive signals to the machine 111 to control the acceleration, deceleration, leveling, stopping, etc. of the elevator car 103. The controller 115 may also be configured to receive position signals from the position reference system 113 or any other desired position reference device. As it moves up or down within the hoistway 117 along the guide rails 109, the elevator car 103 can stop at one or more landings 125 as controlled by the controller 115. Although shown in the controller room 121, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the controller 115 can be located and / or configured in other positions or locations within the elevator system 101. In one embodiment, the controller can be located remotely or in the cloud.

[0030] The machine 111 may include an electric motor or similar drive mechanism. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the machine 111 is configured to include an electric drive motor. The power supply for the motor can be any power source, including the power grid, which is supplied to the motor in combination with other components. The machine 111 may include a traction sheave that transfers force to the tension member 107 to move the elevator car 103 within the hoistway 117.

[0031] Although shown and described with a lanyard system that includes a tension member 107, elevator systems that employ other methods and mechanisms for moving an elevator car within an elevator shaft may employ embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, embodiments may be employed in a rope-free elevator system that uses a linear motor to transfer motion to the elevator car. Embodiments may also be employed in a rope-free elevator system that uses a hydraulic lift to transfer motion to the elevator car. Embodiments may also be employed in a rope-free elevator system that uses a self-propelled elevator car (e.g., an elevator car equipped with friction wheels, pinch wheels, or traction wheels). Figure 1 Non-limiting examples presented for illustrative and explanatory purposes only.

[0032] Moving on Figure 2 and, as discussed in more detail below, embodiments relate to utilizing distinguishable sounds when the car approaches a landing such that a passenger can identify the correct car. When the car approaches a landing, the standard bell sound can be replaced with a distinguishable audio signature such that a passenger can identify their intended car. For example, the audio can be a different pitch where local operating codes permit. Where codes specify a particular pitch, the audio can use different sound filters such as a piano, bell, chime, etc. such that the frequency meets the code and the sound style can be distinguishable.

[0033] As Figure 2 shown, elevator system 101 includes an elevator bank 102 having a plurality of elevator cars 103 configured to stop at a lobby (or landing) 150, including first through third cars 103A - 103C. It is to be appreciated Figure 2 that the illustration of three cars 103A - 103C in

[0034] is non-limiting as embodiments may be implemented in a system 101 having any number of elevator cars 103. A controller 115 is configured to control the elevator cars 103. A car call tool 160 is configured to transmit a first request 170 to the controller 115 based on a request of a passenger (alternatively referred to as a user) 155 to command a first elevator car 103A to travel to the lobby 150. Figure 2 As shown, each of the cars 103A - 130C has a corresponding speaker 200A, 200B, 200C. Additionally, a speaker 200D is located at the car call tool 160 to play tones during selection, as well as speakers at the car door openings.

[0035] The arrival ringtone 195 is selected by one of the user 155, the car call tool 160, and / or the controller 115. The car call tool 160 can be a call panel 161A fixed in the lobby 150 or a smart phone 161B or smart watch of the user 155. The call panel 161A can communicate with the controller 115 wirelessly or via a wired communication protocol. The smart phone 161B can communicate with the controller 115 using a wireless communication protocol.

[0036] In response to user input (or feedback) received by the car call tool 160, an arrival ringtone code 190 within the first request 170 is generated. The user input indicates a user condition or user preference. For example, the arrival ringtone code 190 indicates a disability of the user 155. In one embodiment, a button 165 is located on a fixture 166 to indicate elevator accessibility or a setting in a mobile application on the smart phone 161B.

[0037] Each of the plurality of arrival ringtones has a different sound characteristic from each other of the plurality of arrival ringtones. For example, the pitch can be different, or filters can be utilized to maintain the pitch and provide different sounds such as those produced by different musical instruments.

[0038] In one embodiment, the car call tool 160 selects the arrival ringtone code 190 when receiving the first request 170 from the user 155. In one embodiment, the controller 115 selects the arrival ringtone code 190 when receiving the first request 170 from the car call tool 160. In one embodiment, when generating the first request 170, the car call tool 160 receives an input from the user 155 indicating a selection of the arrival ringtone code 190.

[0039] The car call tool 160 can play a sample 197 of the arrival ringtone 195 at a time approaching the selection of the arrival ringtone 195, and when the first elevator car 103A arrives at the lobby 150, the elevator speaker 200A will play the arrival ringtone 195, such as the full ringtone.

[0040] Go to Figure 3 A method of operating an elevator system 101 is disclosed. As shown in block 310, the method includes receiving, by the car call tool 160, a first request 170 to command the first elevator car 103A to travel to the lobby 150 to pick up the user 155. As shown in block 320, the method includes transmitting, by the car call tool 160, the first request 170 to the controller 115. As indicated above, the first request 170 includes a data field 180 that includes an arrival ringtone code 190 indicating a selected arrival ringtone 195 from a plurality of arrival ringtones to be audibly played when the first elevator car 103A arrives at the lobby 150.

[0041] As shown in block 330, the method includes selecting an arrival ringtone 195 by one of the user 155, the car call tool 160, or the controller 115. As indicated, the car call tool 160 is the call panel 161A or the smart phone 161B. In one embodiment, the selection of the ringtone sound is performed or preset by the controller such that car 103A is always identified by a certain tone and car 103B is always identified by a certain different tone, and so on.

[0042] As shown in block 340, the method includes generating an arrival ringtone code 190 within the first request 170 in response to a user input received by the car call tool 160. As indicated, the user input indicates a user condition or a user preference. In one embodiment, the arrival ringtone code 190 indicates a disability of the user 155. In one embodiment, each of the plurality of arrival ringtones has different sound characteristics from each of the other arrival ringtones of the plurality of arrival ringtones.

[0043] In one embodiment, as shown in block 350A, the method includes the car call tool 160 selecting the arrival ringtone code 190 when the first request 170 is received from the user 155. In one embodiment, as shown in block 350B, the method includes the controller 115 selecting the arrival ringtone code 190 when the first request 170 is received from the car call tool 160. In one embodiment, as shown in block 350C, the method includes the car call tool 160 receiving, from the user 155, an input indicating a selection of the arrival ringtone code 190 when the first request is generated.

[0044] As shown in block 360, the method includes the car call tool 160 playing a sample 197 of the arrival ringtone 195 at a time close to the selection of the arrival ringtone 195, and the speaker 200A playing the arrival ringtone 195 when the first elevator car 103A arrives at the lobby 150 or when the elevator doors open.

[0045] The sensor data identified herein can be obtained and processed individually or simultaneously and spliced together or in combination, and can be processed in raw or compiled form. The sensor data can be processed on the sensor (e.g., via edge computing), by the controller identified or implied herein, on a cloud service, or by a combination of one or more of these computing systems. The sensors can transmit data via wired or wireless transmission lines using one or more of the protocols indicated below.

[0046] Wireless connection can apply protocols including Local Area Network (LAN or WLAN representing Wireless LAN) protocols. LAN protocols include WiFi technology based on the IEEE 802.11 standard from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Other applicable protocols include Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN), which is a wireless wide area network (WAN) designed to allow long-range communication at low bit rates so that terminal devices can operate using battery power for an extended period (several years). Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) is a type of LPWAN maintained by the LoRa Alliance and is a Media Access Control (MAC) layer protocol for transmitting management and application messages between a network server and an application server respectively. LAN and WAN protocols are generally considered to be the TCP / IP protocol (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol) used to manage the connection of computer systems to the Internet. Wireless connection can also apply protocols including Personal Area Network (PAN) protocols. PAN protocols include, for example, Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE), which is a wireless technology standard designed and marketed by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) for exchanging data over short distances using short-wavelength radio waves. PAN protocols also include Zigbee, a technology based on IEEE 802.15.4, representing an advanced communication protocol suite used to create personal area networks with small low-power digital radios for low-power low-bandwidth requirements. Such protocols also include Z-Wave, a wireless communication protocol supported by the Z-Wave Alliance that uses a mesh network and applies low-energy radio waves to communicate between devices (such as appliances), allowing wireless control of the devices.

[0047] The wireless connection may also include radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for communicating with, for example, an integrated circuit (IC) on an RFID smart card. Additionally, sub-1 GHz RF devices operate in the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) spectrum band below 1 GHz - typically in the 769 - 935 MHz, 315 MHz, and 468 MHz frequency ranges. This spectrum band below 1 GHz is particularly useful for RF Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The Internet of Things (IoT) describes a network of physical objects ("things") that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the Internet. Other LPWAN-IoT technologies include NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and Category M1 Internet of Things (Cat M1-IoT). The wireless communication of the disclosed system may include cellular, such as 2G / 3G / 4G (etc.). Other wireless platforms based on RFID technology include Near Field Communication (NFC), which is a set of communication protocols for low-speed communication, for example to exchange data between electronic devices over a short distance. The NFC standard is defined by ISO / IEC (defined below), the NFC Forum, and the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communications) group. The foregoing is not intended to limit the scope of applicable wireless technologies.

[0048] The wired connection may include a connection (cable / interface) under RS (Recommended Standard)-422, which is also known as TIA / EIA-422. It is a technical standard supported by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and initiated by the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) that specifies the electrical characteristics of digital signaling circuits. The wired connection may also include a connection (cable / interface) under the RS-232 standard for serial communication transmission of data, which officially defines the signals between a DTE (Data Terminal Equipment) such as a computer terminal and a DCE (Data Circuit-Terminating Equipment or Data Communication Equipment) such as a modem. The wired connection may also include a connection (cable / interface) under the Modbus serial communication protocol managed by the Modbus organization. Modbus is a master / slave protocol designed to be used with its Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), and it is a commonly available component for connecting industrial electronic devices. The wireless connection may also include a connector (cable / interface) under the PROFibus (Process Field Bus) standard managed by PROFIBUS&PROFINET International (PI). PROFibus is a standard for fieldbus communication in automation technology and is publicly published as part of IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 61158. Wired communication may also be carried out via a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus. CAN is a vehicle bus standard that allows microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other in an application without a host computer. CAN is a message-based protocol published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The above is not intended to limit the scope of applicable wired technologies.

[0049] When data is transmitted between end processors over a network as identified herein, the data may be transmitted in its raw form or may be processed in whole or in part at any one of the end processors or intermediate processors (e.g., in a cloud service (e.g., where at least a portion of the transmission path is wireless) or another processor). The data may be parsed, processed in part or in whole, or compiled at any one of the processors and then may be stitched together or maintained as separate information packets. Each processor or controller identified herein may be, but is not limited to, a single-processor or multi-processor system of any one of a variety of possible architectures, including field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), central processing units (CPU), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), digital signal processors (DSP), or graphics processing units (GPU) hardware in a homogeneous or heterogeneous arrangement. The memory identified herein may be, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), or other electronic, optical, magnetic, or any other computer-readable medium.

[0050] In addition to the processor and the non-volatile memory, the controller may further include one or more input and / or output (I / O) device interfaces, which are communicatively coupled via an on-board (local) interface to communicate between other devices. The on-board interface may include, for example but not limited to, an on-board system bus, including a control bus (for device-to-device communication), an address bus (for physical addressing), and a data bus (for data transfer). That is, the system bus may be capable of enabling electronic communication between the processor, the memory, and the I / O connections. The I / O connections may also include the wired and / or wireless connections identified herein. The on-board interface may have additional elements (omitted for simplicity), such as controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, transponders, and receivers, to enable electronic communication. The memory may execute programs, access data or lookup tables, or a combination of each, to facilitate its processing, all of which may be pre-stored or received during the execution of its process by other computing devices, such as via a cloud service or another network connection with other processors identified herein.

[0051] Embodiments may take the form of processor-implemented processes and apparatus for practicing those processes, such as a processor. Embodiments can also take the form of, for example, computer code-based modules such as computer program code (e.g., a computer program product) embodied in a tangible medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium) such as a floppy disk, a CD ROM, a hard disk drive, a register on a processor as firmware, or any other non-transitory computer-readable medium, where when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the embodiments. Embodiments can also take the form of computer program code, for example, whether stored in a storage medium, loaded into and / or executed by a computer, or transmitted via some transmission medium (such as via electrical wiring or cable wiring, via fiber optics, or via electromagnetic radiation), where when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the exemplary embodiments. When implemented on a general-purpose microprocessor, the computer program code segments configure the microprocessor to create specific logic circuits.

[0052] The terms used in this specification are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the disclosure. As used herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms. It will be further understood that the terms "comprise" and / or "comprising", when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0053] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various example embodiments are shown and described herein, each having certain features in a particular embodiment, but the disclosure is not limited thereby. On the contrary, the disclosure may be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions, combinations, sub-combinations, or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described but commensurate with the scope of the invention. Additionally, although various embodiments of the disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the disclosure may only include some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An elevator system, comprising: An elevator car having a door opening; A controller configured to control the elevator car; And A car call tool configured to transmit a first request to the controller to command the elevator car to travel to a landing to pick up a user, Wherein the first request includes an arrival ringtone code indicating an arrival ringtone that is audibly played by a speaker near the car door opening when the elevator car arrives at the lobby, and the arrival ringtone is selected from a plurality of the arrival ringtones.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein The arrival ringtone is selected by one of the user, the car call tool, or the controller.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein, The car call tool is a call panel or a smart phone or a smart watch.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein, The arrival ringtone code within the first request is generated in response to a user input received by the car call tool, wherein the user input indicates a user condition or a user preference.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein, The arrival ringtone code indicates the disability of the user.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein Each arrival ringtone among the plurality of arrival ringtones has a different sound characteristic from each other arrival ringtone among the plurality of arrival ringtones.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The car call tool selects the arrival ringtone code when receiving the first request from the user.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein The controller selects the arrival ringtone code when receiving the first request from the car call tool.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The car call tool receives an input indicating a selection of the arrival ringtone code from the user when generating the first request.

10. The system according to claim 4, including a speaker near the car door opening, wherein, The car call tool is configured to play a sample arrival ringtone from the speaker near the car door opening when approaching the time of selecting the arrival ringtone and when the elevator car arrives at the landing.

11. A method of operating an elevator system, comprising: Receiving, by a car call tool, a first request to command an elevator car to travel to a landing to pick up a user; And Transmitting, by the car call tool, the first request to a controller, Wherein the first request includes an arrival ringtone code indicating an arrival ringtone that is audibly played by a speaker near the car door opening of the elevator car when the elevator car arrives at the lobby, and the arrival ringtone is selected from a plurality of the arrival ringtones.

12. The method according to claim 11, comprising selecting the arrival ringtone by one of the user, the car call tool, or the controller.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The car call tool is a call panel or a smart phone or a smart device.

14. The method according to claim 12, including generating the arrival ringtone code within the first request in response to user input received by the car call tool, wherein, The user input indicates a user condition or a user preference.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein, The arrival ringtone code indicates the disability of the user.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein, Each arrival ringtone among the plurality of arrival ringtones has a different sound characteristic from each other arrival ringtone among the plurality of arrival ringtones.

17. The method according to claim 11, further comprising selecting, by the car call tool, the arrival ringtone code when receiving the first request from the user.

18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising selecting, by the controller, the arrival ringtone code when receiving the first request from the car call tool.

19. The method according to claim 11, further comprising receiving, by the car call tool, an input indicating a selection of the arrival ringtone from the user when generating the first request.

20. The method according to claim 11, further comprising playing a sample of the arrival ringtone by the car call tool when approaching the time of selecting the arrival ringtone and playing the arrival ringtone from the speaker near the car door opening when the elevator car arrives at the landing.

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