Configuring accessing right to elevator control system

Abstract

A control system of an elevator can be communicated with by a mobile control device to execute a maintenance and/or installation for the elevator. The control system includes a receiving element for receiving a request to establish a communication connection from the mobile control device, at least one processor to perform a first identification whether the mobile control device is authorized to communicate with the elevator, the at least one processor to perform a second identification whether a user of the mobile control device is authorized for using this mobile control device and/or for servicing this elevator, the at least one processor for matching a right of access of the mobile control device to the elevator depending on results of the first and the second identification, and a communication element to establish the requested communication connection according the matched right of access of the mobile control device.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a control system of an elevator, wherein the control system is accessible by and/or communicated with a mobile control device to execute a maintenance and/or installation for the elevator, comprising the steps of: the control system receiving a request from the mobile control device to establish a communication connection; the control system performing a first identification whether the mobile control device is authorized to communicate with the elevator; the control system performing a second identification whether a user of the mobile control device is authorized for using the mobile control device and/or for servicing the elevator; the control system matching a right of access of the mobile control device to the elevator depending on results of the first identification and the second identification; and the control system establishing the requested communication connection according the matched right of access of the mobile control device.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the right of access of the mobile control device is classified in one of at least two levels of access which are different in accessing possibility to data resources and/or functions of the elevator.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the user is verified with one of at least two different authorized rights in the second identification.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein a classification of the right of access of the mobile control device depends on whether the user of the mobile control device uses the mobile control device during a predefined accessing time period.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the control system sends a message to a service center of the elevator about result of the first identification and/or the second identification.

6. The method according to claim 1 including saving a communication procedure between the mobile control device and the control system and/or the result of the first identification and/or the second identification as a protocol in a database or memory unit.

7. An elevator with a control system that is configurable to control an accessing and/or a communication from a mobile control device in order to execute a maintenance and/or installation for the elevator, the control system comprising: a receiving element for receiving a request to establish a communication connection from the mobile control device; a processor for performing a first identification whether the mobile control device is authorized to communicate with the elevator; the processor performing a second identification whether a user of the mobile control device is authorized for using the mobile control device and/or for servicing the elevator; the processor matching a right of access of the mobile control device to the elevator depending on results of the first identification and the second identification; and a communication element for establishing the requested communication connection according the matched right of access of the mobile control device.

8. The elevator according to claim 7 wherein the processor classifies the right of access of the mobile control device in one of at least two levels of access which are different in accessing possibility to data resources and/or functions of the elevator.

9. The elevator according to claim 7 wherein the processor verifies the user in one of at least two different authorized rights in the second identification.

10. The elevator according to claim 7 wherein the classification of the right of access of the mobile control device depends on whether the user of the mobile control device uses the mobile control device during a predefined accessing time period.

11. The elevator according to claim 7 wherein the communication element of the control system sends a message to a service center of the elevator about the result of the first identification and/or the second identification.

12. The elevator according to claim 7 including a memory unit or database for saving a protocol of a communication procedure between the mobile control device and the control system and/or the result of the first identification and/or the second identification.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers may indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an elevator with a control system in communication with a mobile control device of a user according to the invention; and

(3) FIG. 2 is a flow diagram for a method for configuring the elevator control system of FIG. 1 according to embodiments of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) FIG. 1 represents an elevator 1 with a control system 2. A user 5 with a mobile control device 3 wants to execute a maintenance or installation working for this elevator 1. The control system 2 is e.g. a software module and the mobile control device 3 could be a handheld device such as a smartphone, tablet computer or laptop. The control system 2 has a receiving element 10, e.g. a signal receiver, to receive a request 6 sent from the mobile control device 3. A processor 11 of the control system 2 identifies at first whether the mobile control device 3 is authorized to communicate with this elevator 1, after then this processor 11 will execute a second identification whether this user 5 is authorized for using this mobile control device 3 to service this elevator 1. Furthermore, the processor 11 can match a right of access of the mobile control device 3 to the elevator 1, whereat this matching depends on the results of the first and the second identification.

(5) The right of access of the mobile control device 3 may be classified in three levels of access when the user 5 can be verified as three different authorizations, for example as an authorized employee, an authorized person and other people. These levels of access are named e.g. Level-III, -II and -I respectively, they are different in accessing data resources and/or functions of the elevator 1. The classification is available either for a single elevator, for a group of elevators or all elevators of a same type.

(6) Level-I allows the user 5 as an unauthorized person only to access basic or adequate maintenance information. For this Level, the elevator control system 2 makes basic maintenance tools or control tools available for the user 5 for free. These maintenance/control tools are e.g. programs used by software engineers. In this case, not all the data resources of this elevator 1 are accessible, the user 5 has only limited or even no maintenance service options.

(7) Level-II is classified for an authorized person. For this Level the control system 2 offers advanced maintenance information with enhanced functions to the user 5, e.g. for paying a reasonable license fee. The advantage maintenance information has maintenance tools providing (compared to the Level-I) additional diagnostic features. For the Level-II the user 5 gets more maintenance information but still cannot access all maintenance information in detail what is available for specialists.

(8) Only classified in the Level-III, optimum or full maintenance information is available to user 5 so that he/she can get a higher or complete accessing right to documents including e.g. license of field devices, software interface or knowhow documents for specialists etc. For this case, the user 5 is normally an authorized actual employee of the manufactory company of this elevator 1.

(9) Although user 5 was authorized and classified once in the Level-III, he/she may not be always assigned with the same accessing right. For example, a user 5 has been identified as an authorized employee for certain type of elevators. If this user 5 later intends to service another elevator 1 of the same type, he/her can no more retain the same accessing right with the Level-III for this elevator 1. A similar scenario could be that this user 5 wants to service an elevator 1 outside his/her normal or scheduled working hours or this user 5 changed his/her job to another company. In this case, the user 5 cannot get the full accessing right, even though he/her was verified as an authorized employee. For example, it can be prevented that the user 5 tries to work for a competitor company additionally and thus makes important or security documents available for this competitor.

(10) This control system 2 has a communication element 12 e.g. a router to establish the requested communication connection 4 according the matched right of access of the mobile control device 3. This communication connection 4 may be in the form of Bluetooth and/or W-LAN (Wireless Local Area Network). Through this connection 4 the user 5 can communicate with the control system 2 by using the mobile control device 3. Then the user 5 can access data resources and call functions of this elevator 1.

(11) The communication procedure between the mobile control device 3 and the control system 2 and/or all the results of the first and/or the second identification are saved as a protocol in the database or memory unit. The protocol, the accessible data resources and functions can be saved e.g. in a database or memory unit 9. The memory unit 9 could be a computer-readable medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, an USB (Universal Serial Bus) storage device, a SD-card (Secure Digital), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) or a FLASH memory. The database 9 may be in or remote from the elevator 1, for example in the remote service center 8. Also, the database 9 may also be a part of the control system 2. The control system 2 and/or the mobile control device 3 can be communicatively interconnected with the database 9 and the service center 8 via network or Internet.

(12) FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram for a method for configuring an elevator control system 2 according to embodiments of this invention.

(13) When the mobile control device 3 sends a request 6 to the elevator control system 2, the control system 2 has to identify this user 5 and this mobile control device 3. Then the control system 2 executes a first identification 13 to identify whether this control device 3 is allowed to communicate with this elevator 1. After the first identification 13 is confirmed, the control system 2 will identify further in the second identification 14 whether this user 5 is authorized for using this mobile control device 3 and/or for servicing this elevator 1. Otherwise, as a response to the request 6 the control system 2 will send a message 7 to the mobile control device 3 to inform the user 5 that this control device 3 is not permitted to communicate with this elevator 1. Furthermore, this message 7 can also be sent to a remote center 8 to inform the center 8 that an accessing attempt to this elevator 1 was denied. Therefore, the remote center 8 can be notified about e.g. the time, the number of the attempting and the identifier of this mobile control device 3.

(14) If the second identification 14 was not confirmed, namely the user 5 cannot be authorized for the mobile control device 3 and/or for this elevator 1, a communication connection 4 will be built between the mobile control device 3 and the elevator control system 2, and the user 5 is assigned with an accessing right classified in Level-I 16. This means that the user 5 has only a restricted accessing possibility to adequate or basic maintenance Information.

(15) If the mobile control device 3 and the user 5 both are authorized successfully for this elevator 1, the user 5 can get a full accessing right for this elevator 1. Otherwise, the control system 2 will classify further the user 5 as an authorized person in Level-II 17 or as an authorized employee in Level-III 18 and match his/her accessing right respectively 15. A user 5 as an authorized person has less access right than a user 5 as an authorized employee. The user 5 authorized with Level-II can only access advantage maintenance information while the user 5 authorized in Level-III has accessing right to optimum maintenance information. For the classification or identification necessary data can be defined and saved in the control system 2. For instance, every mobile control device 3 has an own identifier which could be either prestored in the mobile device 3 during manufacturing or configured before using this mobile device 3. This identifier is unique for this control system 2.

(16) A message 7 can be sent to a remote center 8 after the confirmed second identification 14 and a communication connection 4 is established. So the remote center 8 knows that who is using which mobile device 3 is doing a service/maintenance for this elevator 1. The remote center 8 can also monitor this accessing to the elevator 1.

(17) The reference symbols used in the drawings, and their meanings, are listed in summary form in the list of reference symbols below. In principle, identical parts are provided with the same reference symbols in the figures.

(18) While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art and practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word comprising does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article a or an does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or controller may fulfil the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

(19) In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(20) 1 Elevator 2 Control system 3 Mobile control device 4 Communication connection 5 User 6 Request 7 Message 8 Service center 9 Database or memory unit 10 Receiving element/Receiver 11 Processor 12 Communication element/Router 13 The first identification 14 The second identification 15 Matching the accessing right 16 Classification in Level-I 17 Classification in Level-II 18 Classification in Level-III