Elevator Luminaire Reflects Light to Highlight Floor Misalignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Elevator systems often fail to precisely stop at destination floors, resulting in a trip hazard due to misalignment between the lift car floor and the landing, and existing illumination methods do not adequately highlight this hazard.
Innovation Solution
A method and system where a luminaire is positioned on a toe guard below the lift car doorway sill, directing light toward the opposing wall to reflect and illuminate the gap, ensuring that at least a portion of the light reflects off the wall before exiting, thereby indicating the presence of a trip hazard, with the luminaire being an LED strip light and positioned below the lift car floor to avoid dazzling passengers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a luminaire is positioned to illuminate the gap between landing and lift car, then the gap is illuminated, but the step hazard is not adequately highlighted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by directing light specifically at the opposing wall within the gap rather than uniformly illuminating the entire gap. This creates a localized bright region that highlights the step hazard area where passengers need to be most alert, making the dangerous vertical misalignment visible through contrast between the illuminated wall and the darker surrounding gap area.
Solution Approach 2:
The opposing wall acts as an intermediary element that the light reflects off to indirectly illuminate the gap. By positioning the luminaire to shine at the wall rather than directly into the gap, the wall serves as a mediator that bounces light back into the gap space, effectively highlighting the hazard area while allowing the luminaire to be positioned lower to avoid dazzling passengers.
2Illumination intensity
If the luminaire is positioned higher to illuminate the gap, then illumination is improved, but it may dazzle passengers in the line of sight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the contradiction by changing the spatial dimension of light direction. Instead of positioning the luminaire higher in the vertical dimension to improve illumination, the solution directs light at an angle toward the opposing wall, utilizing the horizontal and angular dimensions. This allows the luminaire to remain low (avoiding dazzling) while still achieving effective gap illumination through wall reflection.
3Reliability
If the luminaire is positioned below the maximum accepted misalignment level, then it remains operational, but it may not effectively indicate hazards when misalignment exceeds this level
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by positioning the luminaire below the maximum accepted misalignment level in advance, ensuring it remains operational under normal conditions. The luminaire is pre-positioned at a safe height that won't be obscured even when minor misalignment occurs, allowing it to continuously provide hazard indication throughout the operational misalignment range without needing to be higher than the safety threshold.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively warns passengers of vertical misalignment between the lift car and landing surfaces, reducing the risk of tripping hazards by ensuring that the light is visible and not directly in the line of sight, while maintaining operational safety by adjusting the luminaire's position based on the maximum accepted misalignment level.
Implementation Method 1
directing light toward the opposing wall so that at least a portion of the light from the luminaire reflects off the opposing wall prior to passing out of the gap
Data Source
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AI summary
The present application relates to an elevator system and a method of adapting an elevator system, the system being adapted to warn elevator users of the existence of a vertical misalignment between a floor of a lift car and a landing surface adjacent to which the lift car stops. The elevator system comprises facing parallel walls that depend vertically downwards from a leading edge of the lift car floor and a leading edge of the landing surface respectively. A luminaire is mounted on at least one of said walls at a distance below the edge of said wall so as to face the opposing wall irrespective of said vertical misalignment. Light from said luminaire illuminates said opposing walls to alert elevator users to the existence of said vertical misalignment.