Apparatus useful for obtaining and displaying information. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a wireless network interface, touch screen input and display device, and speech processing apparatus configured to receive user speech input and enable performance of various tasks via a remote entity, such as obtaining desired information relating to a desired entity or organization In one implementation, user touch input on the input and display device is converted to spatial or geographic coordinates, and imagery relating to those coordinates is provided to the user on the same device.

An elevator system is configured to be capable of accepting an internal call made by a user operating an elevator operating panel and an external call made from an external apparatus using a communication network. The elevator system is provided with a processor that assigns a car to be an arranged-car candidate to an internal call or an external call from among one or more cars. The processor is configured to, when an external call is accepted, execute an operation condition judgment process for judging whether each of the one or more cars is in an operating state or in a non-operating state and an external call assignment process for preferentially assigning a car in the non-operating state as the arranged-car candidate over a car in the operating state.

In an elevator system, floor terminals can be actuated by a control unit in one of at least two operating modes. A screen unit of a floor terminal can generate a user interface with a functional scope dependent on the operating mode. An individual functional scope can be defined for each operating mode. The control unit can determine a local traffic volume at the first floor terminal location. The local traffic volume can be compared with at least one threshold value that is defined for the traffic volume at the first floor terminal to generate a comparison result. A desired operating mode of the first floor terminal can be defined based on the comparison result and the operating mode in which the control unit actuates the first floor terminal. The first floor terminal can be actuated in the defined desired operating mode.

A remote monitoring system for an elevator system includes at least one remotely operable intermediate device and a monitoring unit for remotely controlling operation of the at least one intermediate device at least partly. The monitoring unit controls at least one intermediate device to generate a remote command for controlling at least one operation of the elevator system, and monitors a response of the elevator system to the remote command. A method for remotely monitoring an elevator system is also included.

In an elevator System with a destination call control device, a first destination call being input on a floor by a first passenger at a first point in time is evaluated in order to determine first call information comprising data on a call input floor and/or a destination floor. The first call information determines if a number of additional passengers are to be assigned to the first destination call resulting in an additional space requirement in an elevator car handling the first destination call. Information on the additional space requirement is generated if a number of additional passengers are to be assigned to the first destination call. If this is the case, the first destination call is allocated with the aid of an allocation algorithm by using information on the additional space requirement in order to transport the first passenger from the call input floor to the destination floor.

An elevator system includes an elevator controller, an elevator car, and an operating terminal. The operating terminal includes a 3D sensor system and a touch-sensitive screen system to generate a graphical user interface for display on a touch-sensitive screen. The graphical user interface includes predetermined content. The 3D sensor system determines a surface area on the touch-sensitive screen to be touched by a user when selecting displayed content of interest and generates a control signal having at least one indication specifying the surface area when an object is within a predetermined distance from the touch-sensitive screen. The touch-sensitive screen system generates a display region within the graphical user interface in response to the at least one indication, wherein the display region includes an enlargement of content, and wherein the display region is sized to overlap at least a portion of the surface area.

The invention comprises a method and a system for conveying a mobile robot in an elevator involving the monitoring of elevator operating components and of persons surrounding the elevator and operating the elevator by selecting a floor to which the mobile robot is to move. In one aspect an inertial sensor is used to learn or determine the number of floors. The robot may also have methods implemented to assess the floor space inside the elevator or to position itself in front of the elevator in such a way that it can, for example, monitor the operation of elevator operating components without being perceived as an obstacle from the elevator users' perspective.

An elevator installation has elevator operating devices arranged on floors of a building and communicatively connected to an elevator controller. The elevator operating devices include main operating devices configured for inputting a destination floor desired by a passenger and for outputting travel information, and at least one secondary operating device arranged on one of the floors. The secondary operating device is next to the main operating device on the one floor and is communicatively connected to the elevator controller. The secondary operating device has a touch-sensitive screen system that confirms a destination floor, input by touch, by a tactilely perceptible feedback in order to support a passenger with a physical limitation when inputting a call. The elevator controller determines travel information for the destination floor input on the secondary operating device and communicates this information to the passenger by the main operating device arranged next to the secondary operating device.

According to an aspect, there is provided a signalization apparatus, the signalization apparatus comprising a first input module comprising a capacitive proximity sensing arrangement configured to detect a gesture from a user; a second input module comprising at least one signalization interface element and configured to detect an input from the user; an analysis module coupled to the first and the second input module and configured to analyze signals received from the first and the second input module to generate a control signal; and an interface coupled to the analysis module and configured to receive the control signal and provide the control signal to a controller.

The invention relates to an elevator system that has a number of elevator operating devices which are arranged on floors (F1, F2) of a building and which are connected to an elevator controller. At least one first elevator operating device is permanently assigned to a single destination floor (L) such that inputting an elevator call on the first elevator operating device generates a destination call comprising data that specifies the floor (F1, F2) on which the first elevator operating device is arranged as the boarding floor and the destination floor (L) which is permanently assigned to the first elevator operating device as the destination floor (L). The first elevator operating device has a housing in which a display device, an input device, and a controller are arranged, wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to the elevator controller and actuates the display device such that the display device displays the destination floor (L) which is permanently assigned to the first elevator operating device and confirms the elevator call on the first elevator operating device after the elevator call is input using the input device.