Elevator Destination Floor Indicator with Dynamic Layout Switching

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional car destination floor indication devices face challenges in high-rise buildings with numerous floors, including limited installation space, high installation costs, and difficulties in displaying all registered destination floors due to the need for numerous buttons or a small screen with fixed-size indication, which can lead to flickering and unclear user understanding of registration changes.

Innovation Solution

A car destination floor indication device with an indication section and an indication control section that switches between multiple layouts based on the number of registered floors, allowing all floors to be displayed even when numerous floors are registered, ensuring users can easily grasp registration changes without frequent screen flickering.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a destination floor registration button is provided for each destination floor, then the destination floor indication is clear and simple, but a large installation space is required and installation costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedestination floor indication clarityVSAvoidinstallation space
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the destination floor registration function and destination floor indication function into a single integrated device. The same button panel serves both to register destination floors and to display which floors are registered, eliminating the need for separate indication devices and reducing installation space.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The button panel performs multiple functions: it serves as both the registration interface for destination floors and the indication display for registered floors. Each button can be pressed to register a destination floor and simultaneously lights up to indicate that floor is registered, making the system multi-functional and space-efficient.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Area of stationary object

If a numerical key type destination floor registration device is used, then the installation space is reduced, but the registration buttons cannot serve for destination floor indication and a separate indication device is required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation spaceVSAvoiddevice structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the numerical key input system with the indication display system into a single integrated button panel. The same buttons used for numerical input also serve as indication elements, eliminating the need for separate indication devices and reducing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The button panel is designed to perform dual functions: numerical key input for destination floor registration and visual indication of registered floors. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components and simplifies the overall device structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Area of stationary object

If a small screen with fixed-size indication is used to display destination floors, then the installation space is reduced, but the display may flicker and user understanding of registration changes becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinstallation spaceVSAvoiddisplay stability and user understanding
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the indication display into multiple independent button elements rather than using a single small screen. Each button can independently light up to indicate a registered destination floor, allowing multiple floors to be displayed simultaneously without flickering and making it easy for users to understand registration changes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The button panel dynamically adjusts its indication state based on registration changes. When a destination floor is registered, the corresponding button lights up; when cancelled, it turns off. This dynamic visual feedback provides stable and clear indication without the flickering problems associated with small fixed screens.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP2407409B1Cage destination floor indicator
Publication Date: 2018.09.05 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP
  • EP2407409B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2407409B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2407409B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

There is provided a car destination floor indication device which can indicate all registered destination floors even when a large number of destination floors have been registered, and enables a user to easily grasp how the registration condition of destination floors has changed. For this purpose, a car destination floor indication device which is provided in a hall or car of an elevator and indicates destination floors of the elevator to users includes an indication section which indicates registered destination floors, and an indication control section which controls indication contents of the indication section and controls switching of a plurality of indication layouts for indicating the indication contents. The configuration is such that the indication control section performs switching of the indication layout presently being indicated to another indication layout belonging to the indication layouts when the number of registered destination floors has exceeded a first reference value and when the number of registered destination floors has become not more than a second reference value.