GB2286177A

GB2286177A - Lift control

Info

Publication number: GB2286177A
Application number: GB9501643A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ari Haenninen
Original assignee: Kone Corp
Current assignee: Kone Corp
Priority date: 1994-02-04
Filing date: 1995-01-27
Publication date: 1995-08-09
Anticipated expiration: 2015-01-27
Also published as: ITTO950066A0; HK1000035A1; GB9501643D0; FI94122C; CN1112899A; ITTO950066A1; JP2744594B2; IT1279107B1; GB2286177B; FI94122B; FI940537A0; JPH07257844A

Abstract

The invention relates to a procedure and an apparatus for the transmission of call information in an elevator of an elevator group in operator control mode. According to the invention, a signal device (8) in the car panel (2) and/or the indicator lights (6) of the car call buttons (4) in different cars are used to indicate that a banding call has been given. The landing call is reset by means of the car call buttons (4), whereupon the display status of the indicator light (6) of the car call button (4) concerned is changed and in the other cars the indicator lights (6) relating to the corresponding landing are turned off. <IMAGE>

Description

PROCEDURE AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSMISSION OF CALL INFORMATION IN AN ELEVATOR The present invention relates to a procedure according to the preamble of claim 1 and to an apparatus according to the preamble of claim 6 for the transmission of call information in an elevator.

For the control of the movements of an elevator car, the landings are provided with call buttons by means of which passengers can give landing calls. Correspondingly, the elevator cars are provided with call buttons for the entry of car calls. By means of landing calls, an elevator car can be called to serve passengers waiting on a landing, and by giving a car call passengers indicate their target floor.

The control and operating system of the elevator carries out the calls in accordance with its programmed control criteria. Light indicators are often used to inform the passengers that a call has been accepted, so the passenger will know that he/she is being served. Although the movements of the elevator in the shaft are indicated by number displays or arrow symbols, no information about future functions or stoppages of the elevator is displayed.

In certain situations it is necessary to inform an operator in an elevator car and/or a passenger waiting on a landing about the entry of a new call or the resetting of a call.

Such situations include e.g. construction-time operator control, evacuation of handicapped persons from a building in an emergency, e.g. in the event of a fire, and various cases where an operator is used to control an elevator. Besides call buttons, voice communication e.g. by radio or telephone has been used in construction-time operator control. The operator receives information about the direction in which the elevator is needed and about the magnitude of the load and, on the basis of the call information and the traffic situation of the elevator car, makes a decision about serving the call. If the operator is unable to serve the call immediately, serving the call depends on his/her memory and is therefore uncertain and difficult in practice. For evacuation purposes, elevator cars are provided with separate panels displaying all landing calls issued.However, such a solution is expensive to implement. In operator-controlled elevators in hotels and department stores, the elevator operator only receives information as to whether landing calls have been issued from above or below the elevator car.

In solutions like this, the operator may pass by the landing calls if the car is full. Even this arrangement requires separate indicators, and still the information they provide is often insufficient.

The object of this invention is to achieve a new solution for the transmission of call information needed by an operator and/or a passenger. To implement this, the procedure of the invention is characterized by the features presented in the characterization part of claim 1. The apparatus of the invention is characterized by the features presented in the characterization part of claim 6. Other preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the other claims.

In the solution of the invention, the operator always has real-time information about landing calls issued but not yet reset. Also, the operator can directly see when a call is reset by someone else, e.g. the operator of another car. A passenger waiting on a landing can see when the elevator control system or the operator reacts to the call he/she has given. A sufficient data transmission link exists between the elevator cars and the landings and no voice communication link needs to be established. Improved transmission of information allows the cars to avoid unnecessary stoppages at floors when the car is already full. This permits a more effective use of the transport capacity of the elevator as superfluous stoppages are eliminated. On the other hand, passengers can be more at ease while waiting as they are better informed about the way their own landing call is being served.

The procedure and the apparatus implementing it can also easily be adapted for use in existing elevators if their data transmission is implemented e.g. using serial communication and if the call button system contains processors controlling them. The solution requires no additional wiring. The same call buttons are used both during construction-time operation and during final use, only the programming is changed as appropriate.

In the following, the invention is described in detail by the aid of one of its embodiments by referring to figure 1 in the drawing, presenting the landing call and car call equipment of an elevator.

In the figure, a display and switching panel placed in the elevator car 1 is indicated by reference number 2. The elevator car moves in an elevator shaft 3 in a manner known in itself, stopping at the landings 5, one of which is depicted as an example in the figure. An elevator group consists of one or more elevators which move in their own shafts. Fitted in the panel 2 are car call buttons 4, by means of which car calls are given. The buttons 4 are surrounded by illuminable rings 6 which are turned on to indicate an active call and thus act as call button indicator lights. The panel is also provided with a loudspeaker or bell 8 which acts as a signal device to give an audio signal. Mounted under the panel are the devices needed for signal processing and transmission, by means of which the call information is sent via a serial bus 10 to the control unit 12 of the elevator.Correspondingly, the data controlling the displays visualizing the status of the call buttons are sent through the serial bus 10 from the control unit 12. The display and switching panel is preferably provided with processors and memory units which are used to implement its "intelligent" functions.

Although this example presents the display and switching panel of only one car, there may be several elevator cars in the building, connected to the same control unit. In this case, the elevators form an elevator group having certain functions in common.

Mounted in the landing structures of the building are call button units 14 by means of which the elevators are given landing calls. The landings may be provided with several call button units, in which case some of the units may be shared by several elevator cars. The call button unit 14 has landing call buttons 16 for up and down calls and illuminable rings 18 formed on the periphery of the buttons. The illuminable ring indicates the status of the landing call button and thus acts as its indicator light. Moreover, the call button units 14 contain devices for signal transmission and reception as well as means for the display control required by the illuminable ring. The units 14 are connected to the elevator control unit 12 via a serial bus 20.

In the solution of the invetion, when the elevator is used under operator control, the action of the system is as follows. When a landing call is given, the indicator light 18 of the landing call button 16 is lit, indicating that the call has been accepted by the group control system. The group control system in the elevator control unit 12 does not assign the call automatically to a given elevator but proposes it to all elevators under operator control. As a result of the landing call, a sound signal is issued via a loudspeaker 8 in the car panel 2 to inform the operator that a landing call has been entered. At the same time, the indicator light 6 of the call button 4 for the floor from which the landing call was issued starts blinking. These sound and light signals are given in all cars in use. The one of the operators who is free to serve the landing call presses the call button for that floor in the car, whereupon the indicator light of the call button 4 is lit as after a normal car call. Simultaneously, the group control system of the control unit 12 sends out a command to turn off the blinking indicator light relating to the landing call in question in all the other cars.

When the operator gives a car call to the floor from where the landing call was issued, the indicator light 18 on that floor is caused e.g. to blink, thus informing the passenger that his/her call is being served.

In the indicator light 6 of the car call button 4 and in the indicator light 18 of the landing call button 16, it is possible to use lights of different colours instead of a blinking light to indicate a call'issued or a call being served.

Landing calls in the up and down directions can also advantageously be indicated by using signal lights differing in colour or by illumining the upper or lower half of the illuminable ring to indicate up or down direction respectively.

The implementations of the call buttons 4 and 16 and their indicator lights may vary according to the technology known in the art.

The apparatus and procedure of the invention are switched into operation by entering a control command into the elevator control system 12. This can be effected e.g. from the control panel of the elevator control unit or by means of a key switch or equivalent provided in the car panel or in the landing structures. When operator control is not on, the elevator is operated in the normal manner. In this case, when a landing call is given, the indicator light 18 of the landing call button 16 is lit, informing the passenger waiting for an elevator that the call has been accepted and is going to be served by one of the elevators. The group control system assigns the call to the best elevator according to the criteria used. When the selected elevator decelerates to stop at the floor to which it was called, the indicator light is turned off. In a corresponding manner, the car calls given by passengers turn on the car button indicator lights 6, which are turned off when the elevator arrives at the target floor.

The invention has been described above by the aid of an example of its embodiments. However, the presentation is not to be regarded as a limitation of the invention, but instead its embodiments may vary within the limits defined by the following claims. For instance, the call buttons and their indicator lights can be implemented by different methods.

Claims

1. Procedure for the transmission of call information in an elevator which belongs to an elevator group and in which landing calls are entered by means of landing call buttons (16) provided on the landings and having indicator lights (18) in conjunction with them, and car calls are given by means of car call buttons (4) provided with indicator lights (6), which elevator can be switched into operator control mode, characterized in that å signal device (8) in the car panel (2) and/or indicator lights (6) of the car call buttons (4) in different cars are used to indicate that a landing call has been entered and that the landing call is reset by means of the car call buttons (4), whereupon the display status of the indicator light (6) of the car call button (4) concerned is changed and the indicator lights (6) in the other cars relating to the corresponding landing are turned off.

2. Procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that, upon the entry of a landing call, the indicator light (6) of the car call button (4) is caused to blink, and after the operator has reset the call, the indicator light (6) of the car call button (4) is caused to remain continuously lit.

3. Procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that the indicator light (18) of the landing call button (16) is caused to burn in a first manner when a call is entered and after the operator has reset the call the light (18) of the landing call button (16) is caused to burn in a second manner.

4. Procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that the direction of a landing call is indicated by means of different indicator lights (6) of the car call buttons (4).

5. Procedure according to claim 1, characterized in that the entry of a landing call and the resetting of a landing call are indicated by differently coloured indicator lights (6) of the car call buttons (4).

6. Apparatus for the transmission of call information in an elevator belonging to an elevator group in which the landings are provided with landing call buttons (16) for the entry of landing calls and the cars are provided with car call buttons (4) for the entry of car calls, said call buttons being provided with indicator lights (6,18), which elevator can be switched into operator control-mode, characterized in that the cars are provided with signal devices (8) and that the entry of a landing call can be indicated by means of the signal devices (8) and the indicator lights (6) of the car call buttons (4) in the cars and that a landing call can be reset by means of a car call button (4), whereupon the display status of the indicator light (6) of the car call button (4) concerned is changed and the indicator lights (6) in the other cars relating to the corresponding landing are turned off.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the indicator light (6) of the car call button (4) can be caused to blink when a landing call has been entered and that the resetting of the call by the operator causes the indicator light (6) of the car call button (4) to remain continuously lit.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the indicator light (18) of the landing call button (16) can be turned on when a call is entered and the resetting of the call by the operator causes the indicator light (18) of the landing call button to blink.

9. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the direction of a landing call can be indicated by means of differently coloured indicator lights (6) of the car call buttons.

10. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the entry of a landing call and the resetting of a landing call can be indicated by differently coloured indicator lights (6) of the car call buttons (4).