ELEVATOR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

Abstract

An elevator car 104 is provided which comprises an elevator control device 106 arranged to accept an elevator control command from a passenger in the elevator car 104. The elevator car is arranged to receive a query from a support provider 116; communicate said query to the passenger; and send a response to the support provider 116 based on passenger input provided via the elevator control device 106.

Claims

1. An elevator car comprising an elevator control device arranged to accept an elevator control command from a passenger in the elevator car; wherein the elevator car is arranged to: receive a query from a support provider; communicate said query to the passenger; and send a response to the support provider based on passenger input provided via the elevator control device.

2. The elevator car as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elevator control device comprises a floor call button, a door operation button, an alarm button or an emergency stop button.

3. The elevator car as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elevator control device is connected to the support provider via a direct connection to an external communication link.

4. The elevator car as claimed in claim 3, wherein the external communication system comprises a telephone line.

5. The elevator car as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elevator control device consists of a single input device.

6. The elevator car as claimed in claim 1, wherein the input provided via the elevator control device on which the response is based comprises the passenger actuating or otherwise interacting with a single input device a particular number of times.

7. The elevator car as claimed in claim 6, wherein the input provided via the elevator control device on which the response is based comprises a passenger pressing a button once to indicate a first response and the passenger pressing the button twice to indicate a second response.

8. The elevator car as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a communication device arranged to communicate the query to the passenger.

9. The elevator car as claimed in claim 8, wherein the communication device comprises a screen arranged to visibly display the query.

10. The elevator car as claimed in claim 8, wherein the communication device comprises a loudspeaker arranged to audibly broadcast the query.

11. The elevator car as claimed in claim 8, wherein the communication device further comprises a speech synthesis module arranged to generate synthesised speech of the query, and the communication device is arranged to broadcast this synthesised speech via the loudspeaker.

12. The elevator car as claimed in claim 1, wherein the query comprises instructions on how to respond to the query.

13. A method of communication between a passenger in an elevator car and a support provider, said car comprising an elevator control device arranged to accept an elevator control command from the passenger, said method comprising: the elevator car receiving a query from the support provider; communicating said query to the passenger; and sending a response to the support provider based on passenger input provided via the elevator control device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the query and response are transmitted via a telephone line.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the response is generated from a single input device of the elevator control device.

Description

DRAWING DESCRIPTION

[0031] Certain examples of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0032] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an elevator system including an elevator car according to one example of the present disclosure; and

[0033] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an elevator system including an elevator car according to another example of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] FIG. 1 shows an elevator system 102 comprising an elevator car 104 with a control panel 106 and a communication device 108 comprising a display 110. The communication device 108 is connected to a remote support centre 116 (i.e. remote from the elevator system 102) via a communication link 118 (e.g. a telephone network, a WiFi connection, a satellite connection or a communication link according to the NB-IoT or CAT-M1 protocols). The control panel 106 comprises a plurality of floor buttons 120 (corresponding to floors of a building in which the elevator car 104 operates), two door operation buttons 122 (a door open button and a door close button) and an alarm button 124. However, in other examples, different sets of buttons may be present. For example in destination control-based systems, the control panel 106 may not have floor buttons 120 and may instead only have door control and/or alarm buttons. In this example, the control panel 106 is connected to an elevator control system 114, and the alarm button 124 is also connected directly to the communication link 118, although in other examples other configurations are possible (e.g. in which all buttons are connected only to an elevator control system or to a communication link or some or all buttons are connected to both.

[0035] During normal operation of the elevator system 102, a passenger travels in the elevator car 104 between floors of a building (not shown). The passenger uses the control panel 106 to control operation of the lift (i.e. the control panel 106 acts as an elevator control device). For example, the passenger may operate a floor button 120 to select a destination floor, a door operation button 122 to open/close the elevator doors (not shown) or the alarm button 124 to signal an emergency.

[0036] During an emergency, the remote support centre 116 may communicate with the passenger (e.g. to provide information and/or guidance). As part of this communication, a support technician at the remote support centre 116 sends one or more queries to the elevator car (e.g. enquiring about the operational status of the elevator car or the wellbeing of its occupant(s)). A query from the remote support centre 116 is received by the elevator car 104 and displayed (e.g. as text) on the display 110, where it may be read by the passenger.

[0037] The query may comprise a simple YES/NO question (such as Are you injured?). Alternatively, the query may have a plurality of possible responses (e.g. How many passengers are in the elevator car?). The query may contain instructions on how a passenger can provide their response.

[0038] In an example where the query is a YES or NO question, the passenger may indicate their response to the query by pressing the alarm button 124 once to indicate a YES response and by pressing the alarm button 124 twice (in quick succession) to indicate a NO response. Of course, in other examples different numbers of presses or different patterns may be used to indicate different responses.

[0039] The response (YES or NO) based on this passenger input is then relayed to the remote support centre 116 (e.g. via the elevator control system 114 or via the direct connection from the alarm button 124 and the communication link 118).

[0040] The remote support centre 116 may subsequently send one or more further queries to the elevator car 104, which may be based on the passenger's response to the first query.

[0041] FIG. 2 shows another elevator system 202 comprising an elevator car 204 with a control panel 206 and a communication device 208. The communication device 208 is connected to a remote support centre 216 (i.e. remote from the elevator system 202) via a communication network 218. In this example, the control panel 206 comprises a plurality of floor buttons 220 (corresponding to floors of a building in which the elevator car 204 operates), two door operation buttons 222 and an alarm button 224. The control panel 206 is connected to an elevator control system 214, and the alarm button 224 is also connected directly to the communication link 218. However, in some other non-illustrated examples a control panel may comprise fewer or more buttons than the control panel 206 (e.g. an alternative control panel may not comprise floor buttons).

[0042] The communication device 208 in this exemplary elevator system 202 comprises a speech synthesis module 211 connected to a loudspeaker 210. A query from the remote support centre 216 is received by the communication device 208 (e.g. as text), where the speech synthesis module 211 synthesizes speech audio of the query. This audio is broadcast from the loudspeaker 210 such that it may be heard by the passenger. Although in this example a speech synthesis module 211 is used, in some examples direct (i.e. non-synthesised) speech (e.g. from a remote support technician) may be broadcast from the loudspeaker 210).

[0043] As with the elevator car 104 shown in FIG. 1, the passenger then indicates their response to the query by interacting with the control panel 206 (e.g. by pressing one of the buttons 220, 222, 224 corresponding to their desired response). The response is then sent over the communication link 218 to the remote support centre 216.

[0044] Features of the present disclosure are set out in the following clauses: Clause 1: An elevator car comprising an elevator control device arranged to accept an elevator control command from a passenger in the elevator car; wherein the elevator car is arranged to: receive a query from a support provider; communicate said query to the passenger; and send a response to the support provider based on passenger input provided via the elevator control device. Clause 2: The elevator car of clause 1, wherein the elevator control device comprises a floor call button, a door operation button, an alarm button or an emergency stop button. Clause 3: The elevator car of clause 1 or 2, wherein the elevator control device is connected to the support provider via a direct connection to an external communication link. Clause 4: The elevator car of clause 3, wherein the external communication system comprises a telephone line. Clause 5: The elevator car of any preceding clause, wherein the elevator control device consists of a single input device. Clause 6: The elevator car of any preceding clause, wherein the input provided via the elevator control device on which the response is based comprises the passenger actuating or otherwise interacting with a single input device a particular number of times. Clause 7: The elevator car of clause 6, wherein the input provided via the elevator control device on which the response is based comprises a passenger pressing a button once to indicate a first response and the passenger pressing the button twice to indicate a second response. Clause 8: The elevator car of any preceding clause, further comprising a communication device arranged to communicate the query to the passenger. Clause 9: The elevator car of clause 8, wherein the communication device comprises a screen arranged to visibly display the query. Clause 10: The elevator car of clause 8 or 9, wherein the communication device comprises a loudspeaker arranged to audibly broadcast the query. Clause 11: The elevator car of clause 8, wherein the communication device further comprises a speech synthesis module arranged to generate synthesised speech of the query, and the communication device is arranged to broadcast this synthesised speech via the loudspeaker. Clause 12: The elevator car of any preceding clause, wherein the query comprises instructions on how to respond to the query. Clause 13: A method of communication between a passenger in an elevator car and a support provider, said car comprising an elevator control device arranged to accept an elevator control command from the passenger, said method comprising: the elevator car receiving a query from the support provider; communicating said query to the passenger; and sending a response to the support provider based on passenger input provided via the elevator control device. Clause 14: The method of clause 13, wherein the query and response are transmitted via a telephone line. Clause 15: The method of clause 13 or 14, wherein the response is generated from a single input device of the elevator control device.