Generating destination calls for an elevator system

Abstract

A method and a system for generating destination calls for an elevator system is described, wherein a passenger can give personal destination calls with his/her terminal device as well as on the basis of identification of the person in at least one identification point. A passenger is identified at an identification point, on the basis of which the home floor of the passenger is determined and a destination call to the home floor is generated for the elevator system if the passenger does not have a valid destination call at the time of identification.

Claims

1. A method for generating destination calls for an elevator system comprising: monitoring any destination call ordered by a passenger, including from a personal terminal device; receiving an identification of the passenger in at least one identification point; determining the home floor of the passenger from the identification; generating a destination call to the home floor of the passenger if the valid destination call is not identified in said monitoring.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein a destination call given by a passenger with his/her terminal device is registered before the identification of the passenger at an identification point; in conjunction with the aforementioned identification the passenger is informed of the elevator that has already been allocated on the basis of the aforementioned destination call.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: estimating the travel time of a passenger from the identification point to the elevator allocated to the passenger; wherein the aforementioned travel time is considered during control of the elevator system.

4. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a destination call given by a passenger from his/her terminal device is removed from the list of destination calls to be served if the aforementioned passenger is not identified at an identification point within a given time window.

5. Method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the passenger is identified from an RFID identifier, from an NFC identifier and/or from a biometric identifier.

6. A system for generating destination calls for an elevator system including at least one elevator, which system comprises: a back-end system; at least one identification point for identifying a passenger; means for registering personal destination calls given by the passenger from his/her terminal device, the back end system including, a processor configured to identify a passenger at an identification point; to determine the home floor of the passenger on the basis of the aforementioned identification; and to generate a destination call to the home floor of the passenger to control the elevator system if the passenger does not have a valid destination call.

7. System according to claim 6, wherein a display device is provided in connection with an identification point, on which the system, in conjunction with identification, indicates to a passenger that the elevator is allocated to the passenger.

8. System according to claim 7, wherein the allocated elevator is allocated on the basis of a destination call given with a terminal device before the identification of the passenger at an identification point.

9. System according to any of the preceding claims 6-8, wherein the system removes a valid destination call of a passenger if the system does not identify the passenger at an identification point within a given time window.

10. System according to claim 6, wherein an identification point is in connection with an access control device such as an access gate or automatic door.

11. System according to claim 6, wherein an identification point comprises means for reading a personal identifier.

12. System according to claim 6, wherein the identifier is integrated into a terminal device.

13. System according to claim 6, wherein the system is arranged to estimate, in conjunction with identification, the travel time of a passenger to the allocated elevator and to transmit the aforementioned travel-time estimate, or data determining it, to the elevator system.

14. System according to claim 7, wherein an identification point is in connection with an access control device such as an access gate or automatic door.

15. System according to claim 8, wherein an identification point is in connection with an access control device such as an access gate or automatic door.

Description

LIST OF FIGURES

(1) In the following, the invention will be described in detail by the aid of a few examples of its embodiments, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 presents one system according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(3) FIG. 1 presents one system according to the invention, said system being linked via an interface 111 to the control system 109 of an elevator system 100. The elevator system comprises elevators A and B. The system comprises a back-end system 110 of an access control system and also an access control gate 120. In connection with the access control gate is a locking device 122 for opening/closing the access control gate, a reader device 123 for reading electrical identifiers, e.g. for reading NFC identifiers, and also a display device 121 for informing about the elevator (A or B) serving the passenger identified at the access control gate. The reading distance of a reader device 123 is preferably a few centimeters from the identifier 110 forming the identification point 123. The locking device 122 of the access control gate, the reader device 123 and the display device 123 are connected with a data transfer connection 125 to the back-end system 110.

(4) In the possession of a passenger is a terminal device 102, e.g. a mobile phone, and also an identifier 101 for identifying the passenger at an identification point 123, e.g. an identifier based on NFC technology. The identifier 101 can be a separate identifier or integrated into the terminal device 102. The terminal device 102 is provided with software applicable to the purpose and with a user interface for giving personal destination calls and transmitting them to the back-end system 110. The data transfer connection 126 between the terminal device and the back-end system 110 is at least partly a wireless data transfer connection, e.g. a WAN, WLAN or corresponding connection.

(5) When a person arrives at the building and with a terminal device 102 gives a destination call already in the entrance lobby F1, the terminal device sends the call data, and also the terminal device ID identifying the terminal device, to the back-end system 110. The terminal device ID is e.g. the MAC address of the terminal device, the ID code contained in an NFC identifier, a phone number or a corresponding individual ID code.

(6) When the person arrives at an access control gate 120, he/she takes the identifier 110 into the reading range 123 of the reader device 123. The reader device 123 reads the ID code (NFC-ID) of the identifier and transmits it to the back-end system 110. Recorded in the database 108 of the back-end system for specific passengers are an NFC-ID and/or terminal device ID, information about the access rights of the passenger, and also valid destination calls. On the basis of the NFC-ID, the back-end system 110 checks the access rights of the person from the access control gate 120. If the access right is valid, the back-end system sends an opening command to the locking device 122 for admitting the passenger into the entrance lobby of the floor F1. In the same connection the back-end system 110 determines on the basis of the NFC-ID the home floor of the person, which home floor is recorded in the database 108 of the back-end system. If the person has not given a destination call with his/her terminal device 102 in the manner described above, and that being the case the passenger does not have a valid destination call, the back-end system sends via the interface 111 to the elevator system 100 a destination call (a so-called direct call) to the home floor of the person. The control system 109 of the elevator system allocates an elevator for the person and transmits the elevator data to the back-end system and onwards to the display device 123 of the access control gate, on which display device appears e.g. the text Elevator B. If the person has already given a destination call with his/her terminal device 102 in the manner described above, the call is valid and a direct call to the home floor is not generated when the person is identified at an identification point 123 on the basis of an identifier 101. Since there is already information in the back-end system 110 about the elevator serving the person, the back-end system can display it on the display device 123 when the person is identified at the identification point 123, e.g. with the text Elevator A.

(7) If a person has gone from the access control gate 120 and the aforementioned direct call to the home floor has been registered to him/her, after this he/she can give a new destination call with his/her terminal device, in which case the system cancels the earlier direct call.

(8) When a passenger gives a destination call with his/her terminal device 102 before his/her arrival at the access control gate 120, the back-end system 110 registers the moment the call was given and monitors whether the passenger arrives at the access control gate 120 and whether he/she is identified at the identification point 123 within a given time window from the moment the call was given, e.g. within 2 minutes of the call-giving moment. If the passenger is not identified at an identification point 123 inside the aforementioned time window, the back-end system 110 sends to the elevator system 100 a command for cancelling the aforementioned destination call that was given earlier.

(9) Recorded in the database 108 of the back-end system is an assumed travel time from the identification point/access gate to the elevators A and B. When a passenger is identified at an identification point 123, the back-end system 110 sends to the elevator system 100 a passenger-specific travel-time estimate from the access gate 120 to the elevators A, B. In this embodiment the back-end system 110 connects to call data generated for the elevator system an individual ID code, e.g. an NFC-ID, so that the elevator system can later identify the call to which the travel-time estimate notified by the back-end system should be connected. The back-end system can transmit a travel-time estimate to the elevator system e.g. as a time estimate (e.g. in seconds), as a distance (e.g. in meters) or as an ID code of an identification point, on the basis of which the elevator system can itself estimate the travel-time estimate.

(10) The invention is not only limited to be applied to the embodiments described above, but instead many variations are possible within the scope of the inventive concept defined by the claims. Thus, for example, the system according to the invention can be integrated at least partly into the elevator system.