Emergency Button Lighting Groups for Multi-State Door Lock Indication

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing emergency buttons for securing escape routes only display locked and unlocked states, limiting the visualization of additional system states, which hampers user feedback and system awareness.

Innovation Solution

The emergency button system incorporates lamps that can be controlled in multiple groups, allowing for different lighting patterns and colors to indicate various system states, such as fire alarms, actuation status, and time delays, without requiring additional lighting components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If traditional lighting means are used to indicate door lock states, then the basic locked/unlocked states can be displayed, but the number of displayable system states is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenumber of displayable statesVSAvoidlighting control complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The lighting means are divided into multiple controllable groups, where each group can be independently controlled to display different states. This segmentation allows the same physical lighting components to represent multiple system states by varying which groups are activated, thereby increasing the number of displayable states without adding more physical components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The existing lighting means are made multi-functional by enabling them to indicate not only locked/unlocked states but also additional system states such as fire alarms, actuation status, and time delays. The same lighting infrastructure serves multiple indication purposes through different control patterns, achieving versatility without increasing device complexity.

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

2Adaptability or versatility

If additional lighting components are added to indicate more system states, then the number of displayable states increases, but the device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenumber of displayable statesVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the existing lighting means serve multiple functions by implementing intelligent control logic that assigns different meaning patterns to the same physical lights. Instead of adding more lights for each additional state, the system reuses the existing lighting infrastructure with enhanced control capabilities, thereby avoiding increased manufacturing complexity and cost while still achieving comprehensive state indication.

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

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the control parameters of the existing lighting means (such as which groups are active, their intensity, or their timing patterns) to encode different system states. This parameter-based encoding allows the same physical components to represent multiple states without any physical modifications, maintaining ease of manufacture while increasing versatility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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

Enhances user feedback by significantly increasing the number of states that can be displayed, providing clear and distinct visual cues for multiple system conditions, thus improving situational awareness and safety.

Implementation Method 1

The emergency button comprises at least lighting means with which a locked and an unlocked state of a door lock can be visualized. The lighting means glow green in the unlocked state and red in the locked state.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight Emitting Diode: Light Emitting Diode

Data Source

PatentEP4016572B1Release element
Publication Date: 2024.04.17 DORMAKABA DEUT GMBH
  • EP4016572B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4016572B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4016572B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a release element, in particular an emergency button (10), for unlocking at least one door lock (200), especially for securing escape routes, wherein the release element comprises light sources (41) for indicating a locked and/or unlocked state of a door lock (200). According to the invention, the light sources (41) are controllable in at least two groups, and in particular, the light sources (41) are at least partially controllable individually.