Control panel with accessibility wheel

Abstract

The invention concerns a control panel for an elevator system, the panel having an electronic control unit to which a touch sensitive screen as an interface available to a user is connected, the touch screen having incorporated a user accessibility-wheel which is felt haptic for the user, wherein an elevator command can be entered by means of the accessibility-wheel.

Claims

1. A control panel for an elevator system, comprising: an electronic control unit; and a touch sensitive touch screen, the touch sensitive touch screen connected to the electronic control unit, the touch sensitive touch screen configured to provide a user interface, the touch sensitive touch screen including an incorporated user accessibility wheel which is configured to provide haptic feedback to a user, the touch sensitive touch screen configured to enable an elevator command to be entered based on user interaction with the user accessibility wheel, wherein the user accessibility wheel is a touch sensitive surface that is configured to provide the elevator command based on an angular displacement of a point of contact around the user accessibility wheel by the user, wherein the user accessibility wheel is configured to provide a separate instance of haptic feedback in response to each incrementing of the angular displacement by a particular angular distance around the user accessibility wheel.

2. The control panel according to claim 1, further comprising: a speaker configured to provide an audible indication of an actual status of the elevator command as offered by the control panel.

3. The control panel according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive touch screen includes at least one pushdown-button-area configured to enable user-initiated entering of a control command based on user interaction with the at least one pushdown-button-area.

4. The control panel according to claim 1, wherein the user accessibility wheel includes a grooved wheel or an embossed wheel on a surface of the touch sensitive touch screen.

5. The control panel according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensitive touch screen includes a display screen.

6. An elevator with a control panel according to claim 1.

Description

(1) According to a preferred embodiment the determined command is independent of the initial location of the finger where the contact on the accessibility wheel has been made. The accessibility wheel solely counts the way the finger passes around, i.e. the relative movement of the finger and it is the relative movement choosing the offered command. The command itself can alternatively then be triggered by a separate action of the user, for example by pushing his finger on specific area of the screen or especially on a specific area of the accessibility wheel. Such specific area can be exactly the position of his finger at which he got the command offered so that he then would have to press down his finger with greater force onto the wheel to trigger and to activate the command.

(2) The accessibility wheel may also be used in a preferred embodiment to provide a user command corresponding to a selection of one or more items, for example, when the user of the device presses down on the centre of the wheel to therewith trigger a specific function.

(3) According to a convenient embodiment the touch screen can be a display screen able to display for example a symbol, an alphanumeric digit or a graphical information which display may use LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, or LPD (light emitting polymer display) technology, although other display technologies may be used. A touch screen in combination with the display screen and a display controller may detect the contact and any movement or breaking thereof using any of a plurality of touch sensing technologies, including but not limited to capacitive, resistive (=force sensor), infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with a touch screen in the display system.

(4) The command panel is then configured to display on its display screen pushbutton-area(s) to receive various running operation commands via pushdown-touching when pushed for example by the finger of an elevator user. Thus, the screen image being displayed can be an ordinary screen display in which buttons for an ordinary car operation, such as registration of a destination floor, opening of a car door, closing thereof and the like, make appearance, and possibly even a character input screen image in which buttons capable of inputting characters like a keypad can make appearance.

(5) According to such embodiment, when the accessibility wheel is integrated into the display touch screen panel the wheel itself can be displayed on the screen additionally to be felt haptic as described above. In this case the device displays an image that can include the digits of the destination floor possibly arranged in a circle while simultaneously the digits are made audible via a speaker for visual handicapped people or are linked with a haptic reaction like a vibration.

(6) The elevator control panel pertaining to this invention is either disposed inside an elevator car or on a floor platform or lobby and is used for the running operation of the elevator. The commands as made with the control panel may be communicated over one or more communication buses or signal lines with an elevator control.

(7) In the following the invention is disclosed as an exemplified embodiment as shown in FIG. 1.

(8) FIG. 1 reveals part of a touch screen of a control panel for an elevator which touch screen is in combination with a display screen. Beside the visual display of the accessibility wheel as shown in the form of a circle, the same is also made felt haptic by realizing a grooved circle on the display surface. The centre of the accessibility wheel is configured as a push-down button 18 for triggering a specific command.

(9) FIG. 2 shows a schematic figure of the inventive control panel with parts extracted in exploded view. The reference numbers concern a glass lens 10, a capacitive touch foil 12 below and a display 14. The said accessibility wheel as recessed haptic wheel in question is characterized with numeral 16.