STAIR LIFT AND METHOD OF OPERATING A STAIR LIFT

Abstract

A stair lift includes a movable user carrier, an authentication device comprising a signal receiver and at least two signal emitters, wherein each emitter is assigned to a different user of the stairlift, operation adjustment means, for generating a behavioral profile of the stair lift, and a control unit for controlling the stairlift. A method of operating a stair lift includes authenticating one of at least two signal emitters assigned to a first user, and adjusting the behavioral profile of the stair lift according to a stored operation profile associated with the authenticated signal emitter.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A stair lift, comprising: a movable user carrier; an authentication device comprising, a signal receiver, and at least two signal emitters configured to emit a signal to be authenticated by said signal receiver, wherein each signal emitter is assigned to a different user of the stairlift; operation adjustment means configured to generate a behavioral profile of the stair lift; and a control unit configured to control the stairlift and adjust the behavioral profile of the stairlift based on which one of the at least two signal emitters is authenticated by the authentication device.

17. The stair lift of claim 16, wherein the operation adjustment means comprises one or more of: movement adjustment means configured to generate a movement profile for use by the user carrier; interaction adjustment means configured to generate an interaction profile of the user carrier, the interaction profile including adjusting one or more of emergency details and a voice signal profile; and surroundings adjustment means configured to generate a surroundings profile of said user carrier.

18. The stair lift of claim 16, wherein said user carrier comprises at least one of a chair, a wheelchair platform, and a standing platform.

19. The stair lift of claim 16, wherein said signal receiver is an RFID tag reader, and said at least two signal emitters are RFID tags, wherein each of the RFID tags has a different ID.

20. The stair lift of claim 16, wherein said signal receiver is disposed on said user carrier.

21. A method of operating the stair lift of claim 1, comprising: authenticating one of said at least two signal emitters assigned to a first user; adjusting the behavioral profile of the stair lift according to a stored operation profile associated with the authenticated signal emitter.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said step of adjusting the behavioral profile of the stair lift comprises: adjusting a movement profile of the stair lift.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said step of adjusting the movement profile comprises adjusting a stair lift speed profile.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said step of adjusting the movement profile comprises adjusting a swivel profile of the user carrier.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein said step of adjusting the movement profile comprises adjusting a tilt profile of the user carrier.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein said step of adjusting the behavioral profile of the stair lift comprises: adjusting a surroundings profile of the stair lift.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said step of adjusting the surroundings profile of the stairlift comprises adjusting at least one of a brightness profile and a lighting pattern of a stairlift lighting.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein said step of adjusting the behavioral profile of the stair lift comprises: adjusting an interaction profile of the stair lift.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said step of adjusting an interaction profile of the stair lift comprises, at least one of adjusting emergency details to those corresponding to the authenticated signal emitter of said first user, and adjusting a voice signal profile to that corresponding to the authenticated signal emitter of said first user.

Description

[0037] Further features, advantages and application of the invention result from the description below referring to the figures.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a stair lift according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, wherein only the user carrier and the corresponding section of a guiding rail is depicted;

[0039] FIG. 2 shows the stair lift of FIG. 1 depicted in an exemplary flight of an exemplary stair case;

[0040] FIG. 3 shows a flow chart depicting the steps of a method of operating the stair lift FIGS. 1 and 2 according to an exemplary embodiment; and

[0041] FIGS. 4a and 4b show the stair lift according to the previous figures operated by the method of FIG. 3, depicted for a first user and a second user.

[0042] In FIG. 1, a stair lift 1 is shown. The stair lift comprises a movable chair deployed as a user carrier 2. In different embodiments, the user carrier 2 can also be a wheel chair platform or a standing platform.

[0043] The stair lift also comprises an authentication device 4 for comprising a signal receiver 6 and a number of signal emitters 8, wherein each emitter 8.1, 8.2, 8.n is assigned to a different user U1, U2, Un (c.f. FIGS. 3 and 4) of the stair lift 1. In the exemplary embodiment, the signal receiver 6 is an RFID tag reader, and the signal emitters 8 are RFID tags that can be authenticated by the RFID tag reader 6.

[0044] The stair lift further comprises operation adjustment means for generating a behavioral profile 12 of a stair lift 1, particularly of the user carrier 2. The operation adjustment means comprise a rail drive 14 for driving the user carrier 2 alongside the guiding rail 15 of the stair lift 1, a swivelling and tilting drive 16 for swivelling and tilting the user carrier 2 with respect to a lift body 17 connecting to the guiding rail 15 via the rail drive 14. The operation adjustment means further comprise lighting 18 for lighting the stair case in which the user carrier 2 travels, at least one speaker 20 for communication from the stair lift to the user, and a user interface 22 for entering commands by the user and/or displaying information to the user and/or emergency assistance personnel.

[0045] Stair lift 1 further comprises a control unit 24 for controlling the stair lift 1. Control unit 24 comprises an authentication controller 26 which is connected to the signal receiver 6, to a database 28 and to an operation controller 30.

[0046] In database 28, user profiles (c.f. reference signs U1, U2 and Un) are stored, each of which is linked to one of the signal emitters 8, wherein each of the signal emitters 8.1, 8.2, 8.n is assigned to a different user U1, U2 or Un.

[0047] The operation controller 30 is connected to the operation adjustment means 14, 16, 18, 20 and/or 22, and is configured to apply control commands to each of these operation adjustment means.

[0048] The control unit 24 is also arranged to adjust the behavioral profile 12 (c.f. FIG. 3) of the stair lift 1 depending on which of the signal emitters 8.1, 8.2 or 8.n have been authenticated by the authentication device 4 using signal receiver 6.

[0049] The stair lift 1 can be moved through a stair case 40 in both directions along the guiding rail 15, following a rail axis R using the rail drive 14.

[0050] By deployment of the swivelling and tilting drive 16, the user carrier 2 can perform a swivelling movement 32 around its vertical axis V. User carrier 2 can also perform tilting movements 34, 36 around its orthogonal horizontal axes H1 and H2.

[0051] FIG. 2 shows the stair lift 1 of FIG. 1 in an exemplary installation environment, wherein the installation environment is a stair case 40. In FIG. 2, one flight 42 between a lower floor 44 and an upper floor 46 is depicted. The figure shows a first apartment front door 48 on the left side of the user carrier 2 on the lower floor 44. It also shows a second apartment door 50 on the rear side of the user carrier 2 on the higher floor 46.

[0052] Stair case 40 comprises several additional flights of stairs, that are not depicted in FIG. 2. Stair lift 1 can travel throughout the stair case 40 along the guiding rail 15 and its axes R, wherein the guiding rail is particularly mounted in a typical way for known stairlifts (see also FIG. 4). In FIGS. 3 and 4, an exemplary embodiment of a method of operating the stair lift according to FIGS. 1 and 2 is described.

[0053] FIG. 3 particularly depicts the logic within the control unit 24 when performing the method; FIGS. 4a and 4b depict two examples of performing the method for different authenticated users U1, U2.

[0054] In step S10, the current user of the stair lift 1 is authenticated. Therefore, the signal receiver 6 of authentication device 4 is in a receive mode. Once a signal emitter 8 is placed in receive area, authentication controller 26 detects the corresponding user. In the example of FIG. 3, user U2 is authenticated.

[0055] In step S20, a user profile of the authenticated user U2 is loaded (i.e. made available) to the operation controller 30. The user profile of user U2 is one several user profiles stored in database 28. Each of the user profiles comprises the preferences of the respective user for a movement profile 60, a surroundings profile 70 and/or an interaction profile 80. A movement profile 60 comprises a stair lift speed profile 62, a swivelling profile 64 of the user carrier 2 and/or a tilting profile 66 of the user carrier. The surroundings profile 70 of the stair lift 1 comprises a lighting brightness profile 72 and a lighting pattern 74. The interaction profile 80 of the stair lift comprises emergency details 82 and/or a voice signal profile 84.

[0056] With the user profile user U2 loaded in step S20, step S30 is applied. In step S30 the behavioral profile 12 of the stair lift 1 is adjusted by applying the preferences stored in user profile U2 to the operation adjustment means 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22 via the control unit 24.

[0057] Thereby, the operation of stair lift 1 can be adjusted to the needs, preferences and/or requirements of the user U2.

[0058] In FIG. 4, different swivelling profiles 64 are depicted for the preferences of user 2 (FIG. 4a) and user 1 (FIG. 4b).

[0059] Stair case 40 of FIG. 2 is depicted in FIG. 4 from a top view perspective. In each of FIGS. 4a and 4b, the stair lift 1 is shown at a position on floor 44, at a position in stair case flight 42 and at a position on floor 46.

[0060] In FIG. 4a, the user profile of user U2 is applied (as in FIG. 3), since the signal emitter 8.2 personalized for user U2 is currently authenticated.

[0061] User U2 lives on floor 44 in the apartment with front door 48. Therefore, the swivelling profile 64.2 of user U2 comprises swivelling the user carrier 2 around the vertical axis V towards door 48 in order to facilitate an easy getting off the user carrier 2 for the user U2. This swivelling movement is indicated by arrow A. In contrast, on floor 46—where user U2 normally does not exit the user carrier 2, no swivelling will take place, according to swivelling profile 46.2.

[0062] In FIG. 4b, user U1 is authenticated as current user of the stair lift 1, since the signal emitter 8.1 personalized for user U1 is currently authenticated. User U1 has different preferences, so a different swivelling profile 64.1 applies.

[0063] Since user 1 lives on floor 46 in the apartment with front door 50, in this case it is on floor 46, that swivelling around vertical axis V takes place towards door 50 in order to facilitate easy exiting. This swivelling movement is indicated by arrow B. On floor 44 in contrast, no swivelling takes place, because such swivelling is not provided in swivelling profile 64.1.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0064] 1 stair lift [0065] 2 user carrier (e.g. chair, wheelchair platform, stair walker) [0066] 4 authentication device [0067] 6 signal receiver [0068] 8 signal emitter [0069] 12 behavioral profile [0070] 14 rail drive [0071] 15 guiding rail [0072] 16 swivelling and tilting drive [0073] 17 lift body [0074] 18 lighting [0075] 20 speaker [0076] 22 user interface [0077] 24 control unit [0078] 26 authentication controller [0079] 28 database [0080] 30 operation controller [0081] 32 swivelling movement [0082] 34, 36 tilting movement [0083] 40 staircase [0084] 42 flight of the staircase [0085] 44 lower floor [0086] 46 upper floor [0087] 48 apartment front door on the lower floor [0088] 50 apartment front door on the upper floor [0089] 60 movement profile [0090] 62 stair lift speed profile [0091] 64 swivelling profile [0092] 66 tilting profile [0093] 70 surroundings profile [0094] 72 lighting brightness profile [0095] 74 lighting pattern [0096] 80 interaction profile [0097] 82 emergency details [0098] 84 voice signal profile [0099] U user (or user profile) [0100] R longitudinal axis of the guiding rail [0101] H1, H2 horizontal axes of the swivelling and tilting drive [0102] V vertical axis of the swivelling and tilting drive