ELEVATOR USAGE IN VENUES

Abstract

A method, apparatus, computer program product and system are provided that are configured to obtain a plurality of pieces of movement information that is at least indicative of an origin location and a destination location in a venue; obtain indoor map data of the venue that is indicative of one or more connections one or more users can utilize for transferring between floors of the venue and that comprises or is associated with pre-determined route information; and determine one or more pieces of control information for one or more elevators of the venue based at least partially on the plurality of pieces of movement information and the indoor map data. The control information enables a controlling of a respective elevator of the one or more elevators. The one or more pieces of control information influence an overall elevator usage of the one or more elevators of the venue.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform: obtaining a plurality of pieces of movement information, wherein a respective movement information of the plurality of pieces of movement information is at least indicative of an origin location and a destination location in a venue; obtaining indoor map data of the venue in case the indoor map data is not available, wherein the indoor map data is indicative of at least one or more connections one or more users can utilize for transferring between floors of the venue, wherein the indoor map data comprises or is associated with one or more pre-determined route information indicative of a pre-determined route within the venue; and determining one or more pieces of control information for one or more elevators of the venue based at least partially on the plurality of pieces of movement information and the indoor map data, wherein a respective control information of the one or more pieces of control information enables a controlling of a respective elevator of the one or more elevators, and wherein the one or more pieces of control information together enable to influence an overall elevator usage of the one or more elevators of the venue.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pieces of movement information are obtained based at least partially on one or more pieces of calendar information, wherein each of the one or more pieces of calendar information is indicative of a destination location and a time at which a respective user of the one or more users wishes to reach the destination location of the calendar information, wherein a respective movement information of the plurality of pieces of movement information is deduced from a current location of a respective electronic device of the respective user and the destination location of the calendar information.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one respective movement information of the one or more pieces of movement information comprises or is associated with a trajectory information indicative of a current direction of movement of a respective electronic device of a respective user, wherein the one or more pieces of control information are determined further based on the trajectory information.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus further to perform: outputting the control information for usage in controlling the one or more elevators of the venue, and/or for usage in a navigation service within the venue, wherein the navigation service enables a respective electronic device of a respective user to navigate from an origin location to a destination location of the venue.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus further to perform: determining navigation information based at least partially on a respective movement information of the plurality of pieces of movement information and the one or more pieces of control information, wherein the navigation information is indicative of a certain route enabling a respective user to get from the origin location to the destination location of the respective movement information.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one or more pieces of control information are determined further based on a plurality of pieces of time information indicative of a time a user wishes to reach a destination location in the venue, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of movement information is associated with such a time information, wherein the one or more pieces of control information are determined by aggregating the plurality of pieces of movement information associated with the plurality of pieces of time information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the plurality of pieces of movement information are gathered by one or more sensors.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the navigation information is determined based on a probability information indicative of a likelihood that the user utilizes a certain connection to transfer from one floor of the venue to another.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a respective control information of the one or more pieces of control information for a respective elevator of the one or more elevators of the venue is determined further based on one or more of the following parameters i) to iii), which are deducable from the plurality of pieces of movement information: i) number of users requiring an elevator in an origin floor of the respective elevator; ii) number of users requiring an elevator in a destination floor of the respective elevator; and iii) number of users requiring an elevator in one or more floors in between the origin floor and the destination floor of the respective elevator.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the indoor map data is indicative of one or more of the following: i) a model of the venue; ii) one or more points-of-interest of the venue; and iii) one or more graph models of the venue.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus further to perform: obtaining historical movement information indicative of one or more routes a respective user has used in the past, wherein the one or more pieces of control information are determined further based on the historical movement information.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus further to perform: generating one or more weight indexes based at least partially on the historical movement information for determining potential routes which are usable by the user; and associating the one or more weight indexes with the respective user; wherein the one or more pieces of control information are determined further based on the one or more weight indexes.

13. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform: gathering a movement information indicative of an origin location and a destination location in a venue; outputting the movement information; receiving one or more pieces of control information that enable a controlling of one or more elevators of the venue; and determining navigation information based on the movement information and the one or more pieces of control information, wherein the navigation information enables to navigate a user in the venue from the origin location to the destination location.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the apparatus is a mobile device or a tag device.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein at least the origin location of movement information is gathered by one or more sensors enabling a current location in the venue to be determined.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus further to perform: outputting historical movement information indicative of one or more routes the user has used in the past, enabling the one or more pieces of control information to be determined based on the historical movement information.

17. A system, comprising: a plurality of first apparatuses, each first apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the respective first apparatus to at least perform: obtaining a plurality of pieces of movement information, wherein a respective movement information of the plurality of pieces of movement information is at least indicative of an origin location and a destination location in a venue; obtaining indoor map data of the venue in case the indoor map data is not available, wherein the indoor map data is indicative of at least one or more connections one or more users can utilize for transferring between floors of the venue, wherein the indoor map data comprises or is associated with one or more pre-determined route information indicative of a pre-determined route within the venue; and determining one or more pieces of control information for one or more elevators of the venue based at least partially on the plurality of pieces of movement information and the indoor map data, wherein a respective control information of the one or more pieces of control information enables a controlling of a respective elevator of the one or more elevators, and wherein the one or more pieces of control information together enable to influence an overall elevator usage of the one or more elevators of the venue; and at least one second apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to at least perform: gathering a movement information indicative of an origin location and a destination location in a venue; outputting the movement information; receiving one or more pieces of control information that enable a controlling of one or more elevators of the venue; and determining navigation information based on the movement information and the one or more pieces of control information, wherein the navigation information enables to navigate a user in the venue from the origin location to the destination location.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0120] In the figures show:

[0121] FIG. 1 is a schematic high-level block diagram of a system according to the third exemplary aspect of the present invention;

[0122] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example embodiment of a first method according to the first exemplary aspect of the present invention, for instance performed by server 110 of FIG. 1;

[0123] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example embodiment of a second method according to the second exemplary aspect of the present invention, for instance performed by electronic device 130 of FIG. 1;

[0124] FIG. 4a-b are schematic illustrations of an indoor map of a venue, wherein FIG. 4a shows a first floor map and FIG. 4b shows a second floor map of the venue;

[0125] FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a first apparatus configured to perform the first method according to the first exemplary aspect of the present invention; and

[0126] FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a second apparatus configured to perform the second method according to the second exemplary aspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0127] The following description serves to deepen the understanding of the present invention and shall be understood to complement and be read together with the description as provided in the above summary section of this specification.

[0128] FIG. 1 is a schematic high-level block diagram 100 according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention. Such a system 100 may for instance represent a client-server (respectively server cloud) architecture as used by one or more exemplary embodiments according to all exemplary aspects of the present invention.

[0129] System 100 comprises a server 110, an optional database 120, one or more electronic devices 130 (e.g. a smartphone, tablet, portable navigation device, wearable, IoT device, to name but a few non-limiting examples), one or more elevators 150 located in a venue 140 (e.g. a high rise building comprising a plurality of floors). The floors in the venue are schematically illustrated by the stroked horizontal lines in the venue 140. The arrows schematically illustrated above the elevators 150 indicate that the respective elevators 150 could transfer between two floors of the venue 140.

[0130] The server 110 may alternatively be embodied as a server cloud (e.g. a plurality of servers connected, e.g. via the Internet and providing services at least partially jointly). The server 110 may for instance be configured to perform the first method according to the first exemplary aspect of the present invention (e.g. flowchart 200 of FIG. 2). Each of the electronic devices 130 located within the venue 140 may for instance be configured to perform the second method according to the second exemplary aspect of the present invention (flowchart 300 of FIG. 3).

[0131] The database 120 may for instance be optional. The database 120 may for instance be comprised by or connectable to the server 110. The database 120 may alternatively be comprised by or be a part of the venue 140, wherein server 110 may for instance have access (e.g. by being connectable) to the database 120. The database 120 may for instance comprise or be a part of a memory, e.g. for storing one or more pieces of movement information, indoor map data, one or more pieces of control information, one or more pieces of navigation information, one or more weight indexes, one or more pieces of historical movement information, or a combination thereof, to name but a few non-limiting examples.

[0132] Communication between at least one of the electronic devices 130, and/or at least one of the elevators 150 and the server 110 may for instance take place at least partially in a wireless fashion, e.g. based on cellular radio communication, on Bluetooth based communication, and/or on Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) based communication, to name but a few non-limiting examples. In this way, mobility of the electronic devices 130, in particular within the venue 140, is guaranteed.

[0133] Example embodiments of the present invention enable to gather a respective movement information by the electronic devices 130-1 to 130-3 located in the venue 140. Then, those gathered movement information are output by the respective electronic devices 130-1 to 130-3, e.g. to server 110. The server 110 can obtain those plurality of pieces of movement information, obtain indoor map data of the venue in case the indoor map data is not available at the server 110 (e.g. then, the indoor map data can be obtained from the database 120, to name but one non-limiting example), and determine one or more pieces of control information. Then, the one or more pieces of control information may for instance be output, e.g. from the server 110 back to at least one of the electronic devices 130-1 to 130-3. At least one of the electronic devices 130-1 to 130-3 may for instance use the received one or more pieces of control information to determine navigation information, e.g. to navigate a respective user of at least one of the electronic devices 130-1 to 130-3 from an origin location in the venue 140 to a destination location in the venue 140, wherein a route represented by the navigation information may for instance be determined under consideration of the overall usage of the elevators 150-1 to 150-2 of the venue 140 so that e.g. load between the elevators 150-1 to 150-2 of the venue 140 can be balanced. Further, after determining the one or more pieces of control information by the server 110, the one or more pieces of control information are output to the elevators 150-1 to 150-2 of the venue 140. Thus, the elevators 150-1 to 150-2 of the venue 140 are enabled to control transfers respectively tours between floors of the venue 140 based on the one or more pieces of control information.

[0134] FIG. 2 is a flowchart 200 showing an example embodiment of a method according to the first exemplary aspect of the present invention. This flowchart may for instance be performed by server 110 of FIG. 1.

[0135] In a first step 201, a plurality of pieces of movement information is obtained (e.g. received), e.g. from a plurality of electronic devices (e.g. electronic devices 130-1 to 130-3 of FIG. 1). The plurality of pieces of movement information may for instance be obtained via a communication network (not shown in FIG. 1), e.g. a cellular based, Bluetooth based, and/or WLAN based communication network.

[0136] In a second step 202, indoor map data of a venue (e.g. venue 140 of FIG. 1) is obtained, in case the indoor map data is not available at the server 110, e.g. from a memory (e.g. comprised by database 120 of FIG. 1 and connectable to server 110 of FIG. 1, or comprised by server 110 of FIG. 1).

[0137] In a third step 203, one or more pieces of control information are determined. The one or more pieces of control information enable to control one or more elevators of a venue (e.g. elevators 150-1 to 150-2 of the venue 140 of FIG. 1). The one or more pieces of control information are determined based at least partially on the plurality of pieces of movement information obtained in step 201 of FIG. 2, and the indoor map data, e.g. obtained in step 202 of FIG. 2 in case the indoor map data was not available at the server 110 of FIG. 1.

[0138] In an optional fourth step 204, the one or more pieces of control information are output, e.g. to the one or more elevators 150-1 to 150-2 of the venue 140 of FIG. 1, and/or to the one or more electronic devices 130-1 to 130-3 of FIG. 1 for further usage, e.g. as described in the above summary section of this specification.

[0139] FIG. 3 is a flowchart 300 showing an example embodiment of a method according to the second exemplary aspect of the present invention. This flowchart may for instance be performed by at least one of the electronic device 130-1 to 130-3 of FIG. 1.

[0140] In a first step 301, a movement information is gathered (e.g. measured). The movement information may for instance be gathered by one or more sensors, e.g. sensors 670 of apparatus 600 of FIG. 6.

[0141] In a second step 302, the movement information are output (e.g. sent), e.g. from the respective electronic device (e.g. at least one of the electronic devices 130-1 to 130-3 of FIG. 1) to a server (e.g. server 110 of FIG. 1).

[0142] In a third step 303, one or more pieces of control information are received, e.g. from the server 110 of FIG. 1 after this server 110 of FIG. 1 may for instance have determined the one or more pieces of control information.

[0143] In a fourth step 304, navigation information are determined based on the movement information gathered in step 301 and the one or more pieces of control information received in step 303, enabling to navigate a user of the respective electronic device performing and/or controlling the flowchart 300 from an origin location of a venue (e.g. venue 140 of FIG. 1) to a destination location of the venue.

[0144] FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of an indoor map of a venue, wherein FIG. 4a shows a first floor map 440a (floor 4 of 7 of the venue) and FIG. 4b shows a second floor map 440b (floor 3 of 7 of the venue).

[0145] FIGS. 4a and 4b show an elevator 430a respectively 430b that enables one or more users in the venue to transfer between the floors of the venue. Further, FIGS. 4a and 4b show a legend 450a, 450b indicating the floor level that is shown in the respective FIG. 4a, 4b. Further, FIGS. 4a and 4b show a route 480a, 480b that may enable the navigation of a user from an origin location 460 (shown in the indoor map 440b of FIG. 4b) to a destination location 470 (shown in the indoor map 440a of FIG. 4a) in the venue.

[0146] Example embodiments of the present invention enable e.g. calling elevators to floors of a venue, wherein the usage of the elevators may for instance be influenced (e.g. optimized), e.g. by calling/using the elevators in a venue (e.g. building) based on one or more of the following: [0147] Number of people needing an elevator; [0148] in the origin floor; [0149] in the destination floor; and [0150] in the floors between the origin and destination; and [0151] The known or estimated origin and destination location (e.g. floor) and the required elevator routes.

[0152] The origin and the destination floors may for instance be based on: [0153] Indoor positioning/tracking; and/or [0154] Indoor routing/navigation.

[0155] Moreover, origin/destination location (e.g. floor) may for instance be understood from the calendar (e.g. represented by a calendar information) e.g. from the meeting rooms/places allocated in the calendars. Such a calendar information can be considered as the information on where the individual (user) will most likely go next.

[0156] The output of these information may for instance be used to create a forecast for the required elevator routes in the building, respectively considered by determining the one or more pieces of control information. Such an elevator route data may for instance be constantly changing based on the location of the user(s) and the route(s) he (they) will take in the venue. Further, historical/statistical location and route data over the daily hours may for instance be used to predict the elevator usage and therefore enable a smooth user (e.g. visitor) flow in the building.

[0157] The elevator usage optimization enabled by determining the one or more pieces of control information may for instance be partitioned by considering the two following aspects:

a. Understanding the amount of users needing an elevator in a floor at any given time; and
b. Understanding where those users want to move.

[0158] To exemplify, in a case with two users approaching an elevatorthe question may for instance arise whether one or two elevators are to be called to that floor in a predictive fashion. If both users go up or down, calling one elevator is sufficient. However, if one user wants to go up and the other user wants to go down, then two elevators are needed to be called. Therefore, understanding the destination location (e.g. floor) may for instance be advantageous, when the elevator usage is being optimized by determining one or more pieces of control information according to the first method of the first exemplary aspect of the present invention.

Aspect a:

[0159] Understanding the destination location (e.g. floor) may for instance be possible via indoor routing. For instance, in the building, e.g. a so-called smart office system may for instance be deployed, which allows users (e.g. employees located in the building) to use location technologies to improve their productivity. Such features allow employees to run e.g. an application in their electronic devices (e.g. mobile devices). The application may for instance run indoor positioning (thus, knows employee location) and indoor maps (thus, understands where different locations are indoors). Now, the application may for instance access the employee's calendar, e.g. represented by a calendar information. When there is a meeting according to the calendar information, the application may for instance allow the employee to route/navigate the employee to the meeting room (see indoor routing example in the FIG. 4a, 4bthe routing is from the third floor of the venue to the fourth floor of the venue). This information may for instance be used as a (direct) input to the elevator usage optimization (e.g. by determining one or more pieces of control information): [0160] the employee location is knownit is known very precisely, when the user arrives at the elevator (this allows further optimization when the determining the one or more pieces of control information is further based on this feature); [0161] if there is a floor change between the origin/current location and destination location, the employee will need to take stairs or use an elevator. A relatively probability of these two options may for instance be estimated, e.g. based on the number of floors to change (the higher the number of floors to change, the more probable it is that the employee will use an elevator), the current trajectory (towards elevator or stairs) and historical patterns (the application may for instance learn the employee habits); and [0162] the destination location (e.g. floor) is known for sure based on the routing information.

Aspect b:

[0163] Understanding the origin and destination location (e.g. floor) is sometimes possible just by analyzing the calendar of the user. The system optimizing elevator usage could understand, where individuals (users) are (via indoor positioning or tracking) and have access to calendars of the individuals (users). In such a case, it may for instance be deducible, where the individual (user) is heading to (e.g. the person is in the floor 3 now, and has a meeting in the floor 7 in five minutesthen it is plausible that the person is heading to the floor 7).

[0164] The method according to the first exemplary aspect of the present invention may for instance run totally in a (server) cloud (e.g. configured as a cloud component)the users in the venue may for instance be tracked e.g. through their electronic devices (e.g. mobile phones) or they could carry a tracking tag (for instance, a Bluetooth-based one; Bluetooth tag-device) to understand users' location in the venue at any given time. Additionally, the cloud component may for instance have access to calendar information of the respective users, allowing to deduce a most probable destination location in the venue, e.g. to which the respective user may for instance be going. In this case, there might not even be a need to have any application or the like running in the users' electronic device.

[0165] In this way, e.g. lower construction costs can be achieved, since e.g. fewer elevators are needed in the venue. Further, more efficient space utilization can be achieved, since elevator shafts take less space, and a better experience for users (e.g. employees) of the venue (e.g. building) can be achieved as transportation flow between floors of the venue is smooth and efficient.

[0166] FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 500 according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention, which may for instance represent server 110 of FIG. 1.

[0167] Apparatus 500 comprises a processor 510, working memory 520, program memory 530, data memory 540, communication interface(s) 550, and an optional user interface 560.

[0168] Apparatus 500 may for instance be configured to perform and/or control or comprise respective means (at least one of 510 to 560) for performing and/or controlling the method according to the first exemplary aspect of the present invention. Apparatus 500 may as well constitute an apparatus comprising at least one processor (510) and at least one memory (520) including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause an apparatus, e.g. apparatus 500 at least to perform and/or control the method according to the first exemplary aspect of the invention of the present invention.

[0169] Processor 510 may for instance comprise a movement information obtainer 511 as a functional and/or structural unit. Movement information obtainer 511 may for instance be configured to obtain a plurality of pieces of movement information (see step 201 of FIG. 2).

[0170] Processor 510 may for instance comprise an indoor map data obtainer 512 as a functional and/or structural unit. Indoor map data obtainer 512 may for instance be configured to obtain indoor map data of a venue (see step 202 of FIG. 2).

[0171] Processor 510 may for instance comprise a control information determiner 513 as a functional and/or structural unit. Control information determiner 513 may for instance be configured to determine one or more pieces of control information (see step 203 of FIG. 2).

[0172] Processor 510 may for instance comprise an optional navigation information determiner 514 as a functional and/or structural unit. Optional navigation information determiner 514 may for instance be configured to determine navigation information, e.g. for usage in indoor navigation services, e.g. by an electronic device (e.g. electronic device 130 of FIG. 1).

[0173] Processor 510 may for instance comprise an optional weight index generator 515 as a functional and/or structural unit. Weight index generator 515 may for instance be configured to generate one or more weight indexes.

[0174] Processor 510 may for instance further control the memories 520 to 540, the communication interface(s) 550, and the optional user interface 560.

[0175] Processor 510 may for instance execute computer program code stored in program memory 530, which may for instance represent a computer readable storage medium comprising program code that, when executed by processor 510, causes the processor 510 to perform the method according to the first exemplary aspect of the present invention.

[0176] Processor 510 (and also any other processor mentioned in this specification) may be a processor of any suitable type. Processor 510 may comprise but is not limited to one or more microprocessor(s), one or more processor(s) with accompanying one or more digital signal processor(s), one or more processor(s) without accompanying digital signal processor(s), one or more special-purpose computer chips, one or more field-programmable gate array(s) (FPGA(s)), one or more controller(s), one or more application-specific integrated circuit(s) (ASIC(s)), or one or more computer(s). The relevant structure/hardware has been programmed in such a way to carry out the described function. Processor 510 may for instance be an application processor that runs an operating system.

[0177] Program memory 530 may also be included into processor 510. This memory may for instance be fixedly connected to processor 510, or be at least partially removable from processor 510, for instance in the form of a memory card or stick. Program memory 530 may for instance be non-volatile memory. It may for instance be a FLASH memory (or a part thereof), any of a ROM, PROM, EPROM and EEPROM memory (or a part thereof) or a hard disc (or a part thereof), to name but a few examples. Program memory 530 may also comprise an operating system for processor 510. Program memory 530 may also comprise a firmware for apparatus 500.

[0178] Apparatus 500 comprises a working memory 520, for instance in the form of a volatile memory. It may for instance be a Random Access Memory (RAM) or Dynamic RAM (DRAM), to give but a few non-limiting examples. It may for instance be used by processor 510 when executing an operating system and/or computer program.

[0179] Data memory 540 may for instance be a non-volatile memory. It may for instance be a FLASH memory (or a part thereof), any of a ROM, PROM, EPROM and EEPROM memory (or a part thereof) or a hard disc (or a part thereof), to name but a few examples. Data memory 540 may for instance store one or more pieces of movement information, indoor map data, one or more pieces of control information, one or more pieces of navigation information, one or more weight indexes, one or more pieces of historical movement information, or a combination thereof, to name but a few non-limiting examples.

[0180] Communication interface(s) 550 enable apparatus 500 to communicate with other entities, e.g. with electronic device 130, and/or with database 120 of FIG. 1, and/or with elevator 150 of FIG. 1. The communication interface(s) 550 may for instance comprise a wireless interface, e.g. a cellular radio communication interface and/or a WLAN interface) and/or wire-bound interface, e.g. an IP-based interface, for instance to communicate with entities via the Internet.

[0181] User interface 560 is optional and may comprise a display for displaying information to a user and/or an input device (e.g. a keyboard, keypad, touchpad, mouse, etc.) for receiving information from a user.

[0182] Some or all of the components of the apparatus 500 may for instance be connected via a bus. Some or all of the components of the apparatus 500 may for instance be combined into one or more modules.

[0183] FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 600 according to an exemplary aspect of the present invention, which may for instance represent the electronic device 130 of FIG. 1.

[0184] Apparatus 600 comprises a processor 610, working memory 620, program memory 630, data memory 640, communication interface(s) 650, an optional user interface 660 and (an) optional sensor(s) 670.

[0185] Apparatus 600 may for instance be configured to perform and/or control or comprise respective means (at least one of 610 to 670) for performing and/or controlling the method according to the second exemplary aspect of the present invention. Apparatus 600 may as well constitute an apparatus comprising at least one processor (610) and at least one memory (620) including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause an apparatus, e.g. apparatus 600 at least to perform and/or control the method according to the second exemplary aspect of the invention of the present invention.

[0186] Processor 610 may for instance comprise a navigation information determiner 611 as a functional and/or structural unit. Navigation information determiner 611 may for instance be configured to determine a navigation information (see step 304 of FIG. 3). Processor 610 may for instance further control the memories 620 to 640, the communication interface(s) 650, the optional user interface 660 and the optional sensor(s) 670.

[0187] Processor 610 may for instance execute computer program code stored in program memory 630, which may for instance represent a computer readable storage medium comprising program code that, when executed by processor 610, causes the processor 610 to perform the method according to the second exemplary aspect of the present invention.

[0188] Processor 610 (and also any other processor mentioned in this specification) may be a processor of any suitable type. Processor 610 may comprise but is not limited to one or more microprocessor(s), one or more processor(s) with accompanying one or more digital signal processor(s), one or more processor(s) without accompanying digital signal processor(s), one or more special-purpose computer chips, one or more field-programmable gate array(s) (FPGA(s)), one or more controller(s), one or more application-specific integrated circuit(s) (ASIC(s)), or one or more computer(s). The relevant structure/hardware has been programmed in such a way to carry out the described function. Processor 610 may for instance be an application processor that runs an operating system.

[0189] Program memory 630 may also be included into processor 610. This memory may for instance be fixedly connected to processor 610, or be at least partially removable from processor 610, for instance in the form of a memory card or stick. Program memory 630 may for instance be non-volatile memory. It may for instance be a FLASH memory (or a part thereof), any of a ROM, PROM, EPROM and EEPROM memory (or a part thereof) or a hard disc (or a part thereof), to name but a few examples. Program memory 630 may also comprise an operating system for processor 610. Program memory 630 may also comprise a firmware for apparatus 600.

[0190] Apparatus 600 comprises a working memory 620, for instance in the form of a volatile memory. It may for instance be a Random Access Memory (RAM) or Dynamic RAM (DRAM), to give but a few non-limiting examples. It may for instance be used by processor 610 when executing an operating system and/or computer program.

[0191] Data memory 640 may for instance be a non-volatile memory. It may for instance be a FLASH memory (or a part thereof), any of a ROM, PROM, EPROM and EEPROM memory (or a part thereof) or a hard disc (or a part thereof), to name but a few examples. Data memory 640 may for instance store a movement information, one or more pieces of control information, navigation information, historical movement information, or a combination thereof, to name but a few non-limiting examples.

[0192] Communication interface(s) 650 enable apparatus 600 to communicate with other entities, e.g. with server 110 of FIG. 1. The communication interface(s) 650 may for instance comprise a wireless interface, e.g. a cellular radio communication interface and/or a WLAN interface) and/or wire-bound interface, e.g. an IP-based interface, for instance to communicate with entities via the Internet.

[0193] User interface 660 is optional and may comprise a display for displaying information to a user and/or an input device (e.g. a keyboard, keypad, touchpad, mouse, etc.) for receiving information from a user.

[0194] Sensor(s) 670 are optional and may for instance comprise a GPS sensor to gather location information indicative of the (current) location of the apparatus 600, a barometric sensor, e.g. to gather pressure information indicative of a (relative) altitude of the apparatus 600, an accelerometer to gather acceleration information indicative of a trajectory of the apparatus 600, and/or a gyroscope to gather position information indicative of an orientation of the apparatus 600, to name but a few non-limiting examples.

[0195] Some or all of the components of the apparatus 600 may for instance be connected via a bus. Some or all of the components of the apparatus 600 may for instance be combined into one or more modules.

[0196] The following embodiments shall also be considered to be disclosed:

Embodiment 1

[0197] A first method (e.g. performed by at least one server), comprising: [0198] obtaining a plurality of pieces of movement information, wherein a respective movement information of the plurality of pieces of movement information is at least indicative of an origin location and a destination location in a venue; [0199] obtaining indoor map data of the venue in case the indoor map data is not available, wherein the indoor map data is indicative of at least one or more connections one or more users can utilize for transferring between floors of the venue, wherein the indoor map data comprises or is associated with one or more pre-determined route information indicative of a pre-determined route within the venue; and [0200] determining one or more pieces of control information for one or more elevators of the venue based at least partially on the plurality of pieces of movement information and the indoor map data, wherein a respective control information of the one or more pieces of control information enables a controlling of a respective elevator of the one or more elevators, and wherein the one or more pieces of control information together enable to influence an overall elevator usage of the one or more elevators of the venue.

Embodiment 2

[0201] The method according to embodiment 1, wherein the plurality of pieces of movement information are obtained based at least partially on one or more pieces of calendar information, wherein each of the one or more pieces of calendar information is indicative of a destination location and a time at which a respective user of the one or more users wishes to reach the destination location of the calendar information, wherein a respective movement information of the plurality of pieces of movement information is deduced from a current location of a respective electronic device of the respective user and the destination location of the calendar information.

Embodiment 3

[0202] The method according to any of the preceding embodiments, wherein at least one respective movement information of the one or more pieces of movement information comprises or is associated with a trajectory information indicative of a current direction of movement of a respective electronic device of a respective user, wherein the one or more pieces of control information are determined further based on the trajectory information.

Embodiment 4

[0203] The method according to any of the preceding embodiments, further comprising: [0204] outputting the control information for usage in controlling the one or more elevators of the venue, and/or for usage in a navigation service within the venue, wherein the navigation service enables a respective electronic device of a respective user to navigate from an origin location to a destination location of the venue.

Embodiment 5

[0205] The method according to any of the preceding embodiments, further comprising: [0206] determining navigation information based at least partially on a respective movement information of the plurality of pieces of movement information and the one or more pieces of control information, wherein the navigation information is indicative of a certain route enabling a respective user to get from the origin location to the destination location of the respective movement information.

Embodiment 6

[0207] The method according to any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the one or more pieces of control information are determined further based on a plurality of pieces of time information indicative of a time a user wishes to reach a destination location in the venue, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of movement information is associated with such a time information, wherein the one or more pieces of control information are determined by aggregating the plurality of pieces of movement information associated with the plurality of pieces of time information.

Embodiment 7

[0208] The method according to any of the preceding embodiments, wherein at least a part of the plurality of pieces of movement information are gathered by one or more sensors.

Embodiment 8

[0209] The method according to any of the embodiments 5 to 7, wherein the navigation information is determined based on a probability information indicative of a likelihood that the user utilizes a certain connection to transfer from one floor of the venue to another.

Embodiment 9

[0210] The method according to embodiment 8, wherein a respective control information of the one or more pieces of control information for a respective elevator of the one or more elevators of the venue is determined further based on one or more of the following parameters i) to iii), which are deducable from the plurality of pieces of movement information: [0211] i) number of users requiring an elevator in an origin floor of the respective elevator; [0212] ii) number of users requiring an elevator in a destination floor of the respective elevator; and [0213] iii) number of users requiring an elevator in one or more floors in between the origin floor and the destination floor of the respective elevator.

Embodiment 10

[0214] The method according to any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the indoor map data is indicative of one or more of the following: [0215] i) a model of the venue; [0216] ii) one or more points-of-interest of the venue; and [0217] iii) one or more graph models of the venue.

Embodiment 11

[0218] The method according to any of the preceding embodiments, further comprising: [0219] obtaining historical movement information indicative of one or more routes a respective user has used in the past, wherein the one or more pieces of control information are determined further based on the historical movement information.

Embodiment 12

[0220] The method according to embodiment 11, further comprising: [0221] generating one or more weight indexes based at least partially on the historical movement information for determining potential routes which are usable by the user; and [0222] associating the one or more weight indexes with the respective user; [0223] wherein the one or more pieces of control information are determined further based on the one or more weight indexes.

Embodiment 13

[0224] A second method (e.g. performed by at least one electronic device), comprising: [0225] gathering a movement information indicative of an origin location and a destination location in a venue; [0226] outputting the movement information; [0227] receiving one or more pieces of control information that enable a controlling of one or more elevators of the venue; and [0228] determining navigation information based on the movement information and the one or more pieces of control information, wherein the navigation information enables to navigate a user in the venue from the origin location to the destination location.

Embodiment 14

[0229] The method according to embodiment 13, wherein the apparatus is a mobile device or a tag device.

Embodiment 15

[0230] The method according to embodiment 13 or embodiment 14, wherein the movement information is gathered by one or more sensors enabling a current location in the venue to be determined.

Embodiment 16

[0231] The method according to any of the embodiments 13 to 15, further comprising [0232] outputting historical movement information indicative of one or more routes the user has used in the past, enabling the one or more pieces of control information to be determined based on the historical movement information.

Embodiment 17

[0233] A computer program code, said computer program code when executed by a processor causing an apparatus to perform the method according to any of the embodiments 1 to 12.

Embodiment 18

[0234] A computer program code, said computer program code when executed by a processor causing an apparatus to perform the method according to any of the embodiments 13 to 17.

Embodiment 19

[0235] A non-transitory computer readable storage medium in which computer program code is stored, the computer program code when executed by a processor causing at least one apparatus to perform the method according to any of the embodiments 1 to 12.

Embodiment 20

[0236] A non-transitory computer readable storage medium in which computer program code is stored, the computer program code when executed by a processor causing at least one apparatus to perform the method according to any of the embodiments 13 to 17.

Embodiment 21

[0237] An apparatus, said apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to any of the embodiments 1 to 12.

Embodiment 22

[0238] An apparatus, said apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to any of the embodiments 13 to 17.

Embodiment 23

[0239] An apparatus, said apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause said apparatus at least to perform the method according to any of the embodiments 1 to 12.

Embodiment 24

[0240] An apparatus, said apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause said apparatus at least to perform the method according to any of the embodiments 13 to 17.

Embodiment 25

[0241] A system comprising: [0242] a plurality of apparatuses according to embodiment 22 or embodiment 24, wherein each respective apparatus of the plurality of apparatuses is configured to perform the method according to any of the embodiments 13 to 17; and [0243] at least one apparatus according to embodiment 21 or embodiment 23, which is configured to perform the method according to any of the embodiments 1 to 12.

[0244] In the present specification, any presented connection in the described embodiments is to be understood in a way that the involved components are operationally coupled. Thus, the connections can be direct or indirect with any number or combination of intervening elements, and there may be merely a functional relationship between the components.

[0245] Moreover, any of the methods, processes and actions described or illustrated herein may be implemented using executable instructions in a general-purpose or special-purpose processor and stored on a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., disk, memory, or the like) to be executed by such a processor. References to a computer-readable storage medium should be understood to encompass specialized circuits such as FPGAs, ASICs, signal processing devices, and other devices.

[0246] The expression A and/or B is considered to comprise any one of the following three scenarios: (i) A, (ii) B, (iii) A and B. Furthermore, the article a is not to be understood as one, i.e. use of the expression an element does not preclude that also further elements are present. The term comprising is to be understood in an open sense, i.e. in a way that an object that comprises an element A may also comprise further elements in addition to element A.

[0247] It will be understood that all presented embodiments are only exemplary, and that any feature presented for a particular example embodiment may be used with any aspect of the invention on its own or in combination with any feature presented for the same or another particular example embodiment and/or in combination with any other feature not mentioned. In particular, the example embodiments presented in this specification shall also be understood to be disclosed in all possible combinations with each other, as far as it is technically reasonable and the example embodiments are not alternatives with respect to each other. It will further be understood that any feature presented for an example embodiment in a particular category (method/apparatus/computer program/system) may also be used in a corresponding manner in an example embodiment of any other category. It should also be understood that presence of a feature in the presented example embodiments shall not necessarily mean that this feature forms an essential feature of the invention and cannot be omitted or substituted.

[0248] The statement of a feature comprises at least one of the subsequently enumerated features is not mandatory in the way that the feature comprises all subsequently enumerated features, or at least one feature of the plurality of the subsequently enumerated features. Also, a selection of the enumerated features in any combination or a selection of only one of the enumerated features is possible. The specific combination of all subsequently enumerated features may as well be considered. Also, a plurality of only one of the enumerated features may be possible.

[0249] The sequence of all method steps presented above is not mandatory, also alternative sequences may be possible. Nevertheless, the specific sequence of method steps exemplarily shown in the figures shall be considered as one possible sequence of method steps for the respective embodiment described by the respective figure.

[0250] The invention has been described above by means of example embodiments. It should be noted that there are alternative ways and variations which are obvious to a skilled person in the art and can be implemented without deviating from the scope of the appended claims.