Audible Feedback Device for Elevator Cab Accessibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Elevator systems and similar transportation systems often lack audible feedback, making it difficult for visually impaired individuals to determine their floor position, especially in systems with multiple banks or skipped floors.
Innovation Solution
A standalone device is mounted inside the cab of a transportation system, equipped with a sensor to detect location, a speaker to provide audible feedback, and a processing board to control the device. This device can be calibrated to announce floor positions or locations audibly, using a machine learning algorithm to generate descriptions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional elevator systems operate without audible feedback, then the system structure remains simple and cost-effective, but visually impaired individuals cannot determine their floor position
Solution Approach 1:
The elevator system is segmented into independent functional modules: a sensor module for detecting floor position, a processing board for determining location data, and a speaker module for audible feedback. This segmentation allows the audible feedback feature to be added without redesigning the entire elevator system, thus improving accessibility while controlling overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
A processing board acts as an intermediary between the sensor and the speaker. It receives raw sensor data, determines the current floor position, and triggers appropriate audible announcements. This intermediary layer simplifies the integration process and allows the system to work with different sensor and speaker configurations without major redesign.
2Loss of information
If audible feedback is added to provide floor position information, then accessibility is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The processing board is designed to be universal and can work with different types of sensors and speakers. It handles multiple functions including sensor data acquisition, floor position determination, and triggering appropriate audible announcements. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the elevator's existing control system and sensor infrastructure to provide audible feedback. The processing board leverages existing floor position data from the elevator's control system, eliminating the need for completely independent sensing mechanisms. This self-service approach minimizes additional complexity while ensuring accurate floor position information is available for audible announcement.
3Ease of operation
If a standalone device with sensor and speaker is installed, then audible feedback is provided, but the installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The audible feedback system is provided as a standalone device that can be installed independently of the elevator's main control system. This segmentation into a separate, self-contained unit simplifies installation, as the device can be mounted and connected without requiring extensive modifications to the existing elevator infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The processing board serves as an intermediary that interfaces between the standalone device and the elevator's existing control system. It receives floor position information through standard communication protocols and triggers audible announcements accordingly, facilitating easy integration without complex wiring or system modifications.
Data Source
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AI summary
A standalone device is provided for use with a cab of a transportation system. The standalone device includes a mounting by which the standalone device is attachable to a cab body in an interior thereof, with the cab body being configured to travel between first and second locations and to accommodate at least one person in the interior while traveling. The standalone device further includes a sensor configured to sense a location of the cab body, a speaker and a processing board operably coupled to the sensor and the speaker. The processing board is configured to determine the location of the cab body from sensing results of the sensor and to control the speaker to audibilize a description of the location to the persons.