ELEVATOR ARRANGEMENT ADAPTED FOR SOUND-BASED DETERMINING OF POSITIONS OF FIXTURES AT VARIOUS FLOORS

Abstract

An elevator arrangement includes a car, an elevator control having car position current information, a plurality of fixtures, at least one sound generator at one of the car and each of the fixtures, and at least one sound detector at the other of the car and each of the fixtures. A fixture position learning procedure includes: travelling the car to and, preferably, stopping at each of the floors; at each floor stop, generating a sound signal from the sound generator at the car or the fixture at the floor stop, detecting the sound signal using the sound detector, determining a position information for the fixture at the floor stop by assigning information on a current position of the car from the elevator control, and storing the position information for subsequent identification purposes, whereby the identity/position of each of the fixtures is determined in the automatically performed learning procedure.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. An elevator arrangement comprising: a car that travels between various floors within a building; an elevator control for controlling travel of the car between the various floors, the elevator control having information on a current position of the car; a plurality of fixtures, each of the fixtures being located at one of the floors and being connected to the elevator control for an exchange of information; a sound generator being positioned at the car and a plurality of sound detectors with each of the sound detectors being positioned at one of the fixtures, or a plurality of sound generators with each of the sound generators being positioned at one of the fixtures and a sound detector being positioned at the car; and wherein the elevator arrangement performs a fixture position learning procedure comprising: travelling the car to each of the floors; and at each of the floors where the car is currently stopped using the sound generator positioned in the car or at the currently stopped at floor to generate a sound signal, detecting the sound signal using the sound detector positioned at the currently stopped at floor or in the car, and determining a position information for the fixture located at the currently stopped at floor by assigning the current position information from the elevator control to the fixture located at the currently stopped at floor and storing the position information for subsequent identification purposes.

17. The elevator arrangement according to claim 16 wherein, upon traveling the car to each of the floors, the elevator control stops the car at the travelled to floor.

18. The elevator arrangement according to claim 16 wherein, during performing the fixture position learning procedure, the elevator control opens a door of the car to establish a direct sound connection between an interior of the car the currently stopped at floor.

19. The elevator arrangement according to claim 16 wherein, during performing the fixture position learning procedure, the elevator control only partially opens or does not open a door of the car and a direct sound connection between an interior of the car and the currently stopped at floor is provided due to the car being stopped at the currently stopped at floor.

20. The elevator arrangement according to claim 16 wherein one of the sound detectors is positioned at each of the fixtures, wherein the sound generator is positioned in the car, and wherein, during performing the fixture position learning procedure, the position information is generated by assigning the current position information to a one of the fixtures at which the sound detector detects the sound signal with a sound pressure level higher than a sound level pressure detected at all others of the sound detectors.

21. The elevator arrangement according to claim 16 wherein the sound detector is positioned in the car, wherein one of the sound generators is positioned at each of the fixtures, and wherein, during performing the fixture position learning procedure, each of the sound generators generates the sound signal in sequence and the position information is generated by assigning the current position information to a one of the fixtures at which the sound generator generates the sound signal detected by the sound detector with a sound pressure level higher than a sound level pressure detected from all others of the sound generators.

22. The elevator arrangement according to claim 16 wherein each of the fixtures, when determining the position information, requests the information on the current position of the car from the elevator control and assigns the current position information to the fixtures and stores the position information for the subsequent identification purposes.

23. The elevator arrangement according to claim 16 wherein each of the fixtures, when determining the position information, transmits a unique identification information of the fixture to the elevator control and the elevator control stores the unique identification information for the subsequent identification purposes.

24. The elevator arrangement according to claim 16 wherein, in a normal operation mode, the elevator control identifies each of the fixtures based on the position information stored for the subsequent identification purposes during the fixture position learning procedure.

25. The elevator arrangement according to claim 16 wherein the fixture position learning procedure including the travelling of the car to each of the floors and the generating and detecting of the sound signals is performed automatically under control of the elevator control.

26. The elevator arrangement according to claim 16 wherein the car has at least two car doors and wherein, during the fixture position learning procedure, both car doors are opened at the stopped at floors sequentially and sound signals are generated and detected using the sound generator and the sound detector, respectively, positioned at the car and an associated one of the fixtures located at the floor where the car is currently stopped and where the car doors are currently opened.

27. The elevator arrangement according to claim 26 wherein the position information is determined by additionally correlating an information on which of the car doors is currently opened, the car door information being provided by the elevator control.

28. A method for determining position information for each of a plurality of fixtures of an elevator arrangement, the fixtures being located at various floors within a building, the method comprising the steps of: travelling the car to and stopping the car at each of the floors; when the car is stopped at each of the floors, generating a sound signal using a sound generator positioned at one of the car and the fixture located at the floor where the car is currently stopped, detecting the sound signal using a sound detector positioned at another the car and the fixture located at the floor where the car is currently stopped, determining a position information for the fixture located at the floor where the car is currently stopped by assigning a current position information for the car from the elevator control to the fixture located at the floor where the car is currently stopped, and storing the position information for subsequent identification purposes.

29. A computer program product comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed by a programmable elevator control, perform the method according to claim 28.

30. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising the computer program product according to claim 29 stored thereon.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view through an elevator arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] FIG. 2 shows a front view onto an opened elevator car and a fixture of an elevator arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] FIG. 3 shows a front view onto an opened elevator car and a fixture of an elevator arrangement according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] The figures are only schematic and not to scale. Same reference signs refer to same or similar features.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] FIG. 1 shows an elevator arrangement 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The elevator arrangement 1 comprises a car 3 which is held by a suspension member 23 such as a rope or belt and which may be vertically displaced within an elevator shaft 25 to different levels corresponding to various floors 5 within a building using a driving machine 21 driving the suspension member 23. An elevator control 7 may control the displacements of the car 3 between the various floors 5. In order to be able to precisely control such displacements, the elevator control 7 has precise information on a current position of the car 3 available. For example, the elevator control 7 precisely knows where the car 3 is actually positioned within the elevator shaft 25, i.e. at which of the floors 5 the car is currently stopped or between which of the floors 5 the car 3 is currently displaced.

[0051] The car 3 has at least one car door 9. This car door 9 may be opened and closed. The opening and closing of the car door 9 may be controlled e.g. by the elevator control 7.

[0052] In the example given in FIG. 1, the car 3 has two car doors 9 disposed at opposite sides of the car 3. While a front side car door 9 may be opened to enable access to floors 5 at a front side of the building, another car door 9 at the rear side of the car 3 may enable access to floors 5 at a rear portion of the building. The floors 5 at the front portion and at the rear portion of the building may or may not be displaced in a vertical direction with respect to each other.

[0053] While the car doors 9 are attached to the car 3 and may be moved together with the car 3 within elevator shaft 25, shaft doors 11 are provided at shaft door openings at each of the floors 5 and are therefore fixedly connected to the building structure. These shaft doors 11 may also open and close. Particularly, the shaft doors 11 are configured to be opened and closed together with one of the car doors 9 when the car 3 is located at a respective floor 5.

[0054] At each of the floors 5, fixtures 15 are located. These fixtures 15 are connected to the elevator control 7 for an exchange of information. For example, each fixture 15 may be connected to the elevator control 7 via a hard-wiring 19. In the example given, the fixtures 15 are landing operating panels (LOP) comprising a call button 27 for ordering the car 3 to be moved towards a respective floor 5. However, other fixtures 15 may be provided within the floors 5 and may serve for different purposes.

[0055] Details on embodiments of the elevator arrangement 1 and of fixture position learning procedures to be performed therewith will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0056] FIGS. 2 and 3 show front views onto a portion of an elevator arrangement 1 wherein the elevator car 3 has been stopped at one of the floors 5 and its car doors 9 and shaft doors 11 have been opened. In the other floors 5 where the car 3 is not currently stopped, the shaft doors 11 are closed.

[0057] Inside the elevator car 3, a car operating panel (COP) 29 is provided. The COP 29 comprises a plurality of selection buttons 31 with which a passenger may select e.g. a floor 5 to which he wants to travel. Additionally, the COP 29 comprises a sound generator 33 such as a loudspeaker.

[0058] On the floor 5 at a location close to the elevator shaft, i.e. close to an associated shaft door 11, a fixture 15 formed by a landing operating panel (LOP) is provided. Additionally to the call button 27, the LOP comprises a sound detector 35 such as a microphone. Fixtures 15 all comprising a same hardware may be provided at the various floors 5.

[0059] In such embodiment, in order to determine a position information for each of the fixtures 15 indicating where, i.e. at which of the floors 5, a respective fixture 15 is located, a fixture position learning procedure may be initiated for example after installing the elevator arrangement within the building. In such fixture position learning procedure, the elevator car 3 is driven by the elevator control 7 to travel to each of the floors 5, stop there and open its elevator doors 9 together with associated shaft doors 11.

[0060] Then, at each of the floors 5 and with a direct sound connection being established between the interior of the elevator car 3 and the associated floor 5 at which the elevator car 3 is currently stopped, the sound generator 33 comprised within the car 3 is controlled to emit a sound signal 37. For example, the elevator control 7 may control the COP's 29 sound generator 33 to emit a specific sound signal comprising for example a specific acoustical spectrum and/or a specific time-dependent sound pattern.

[0061] The sound signal 37 will be detected by the sound detectors 35 comprised in the fixtures 15. While, in principle, the sound signal 37 may be detected at various fixtures 15 arranged at neighboring floors 5, the associated fixture 15 arranged at the floor 5 at which the elevator car 3 is currently stopped will detect the sound signal 37 with a highest sound pressure level compared to sound detectors comprised in fixtures 15 arranged at floors at which the elevator car 3 is not stopped.

[0062] Accordingly, by comparing the sound signals 37 detected by the various sound detectors 35 comprised in the various fixtures 15, the elevator control 7 may easily identify the fixture 15 which is closest to the elevator car 3. As the elevator control 7 generally has information about where the elevator car 3 is currently stopped, the elevator control 7 may therefore determine the position information for this specific associated fixture 15.

[0063] For example, the elevator control 7 may transmit such position information to the associated fixture 15 and the associated fixture 15 may store this position information in a memory such that, upon later normal operation of the elevator arrangement 1, each fixture 15 may provide its position information to the elevator control when for example transmitting an elevator request upon the call button 27 being pressed. Alternatively, the elevator control 7 may store the position information together with a unique identification information which is provided by the associated one of the fixtures 15 to the elevator control 7 upon determining that this associated fixture is located at the position where the car 3 is currently stopped. The elevator control 7 may then store a look-up table in which a position information is assigned to a unique identification information for each of the various fixtures 15.

[0064] As soon as the position information has been determined for a specific fixture 15, the fixture position learning procedure will be continued by travelling the elevator car 3 to a next one of the floors 5 and determining the position information for the fixture 15 provided at this next floor. Such procedure may be repeated until the position information for all fixtures 15 at all floors 5 has been determined.

[0065] The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 differs from the embodiment of FIG. 2 in hardware mainly in that the sound generator 33 is not comprised within the elevator car 3, for example in its COP 29, but at each of the fixtures 15 provided at the various floors 15. Consequently, the sound detector 35 is comprised within the elevator car, for example within its COP 29.

[0066] In such embodiment, the fixture position learning procedure may differ from that described above with respect to the embodiment of FIG. 2. Similarly to the above described embodiment, the elevator car 3 is travelled to and stopped at each of the floors 5 and, preferably, its elevator doors 9 and shaft doors 11 are opened at a floor where the elevator car is currently stopped.

[0067] However, in contrast to the above described embodiment, a sound signal 37 is not only generated once during the elevator car 3 being stopped at a specific floor 5. Instead, for example the elevator control 7 controls each of the fixtures 15 to emit sound signals 37 using their associated sound generators 33 in a time sequence. For example, first, a sound signal 37 is generated at an uppermost fixture 15, then, for example one second later, a sound signal is generated at a fixture 15 one floor below this uppermost floor 5, and so on. The sound detector 35 in the elevator car 3 may listen to such sequence of sound signals 37. Accordingly, the sound detector 35 may determine when a sound signal 37 is detected with a highest sound pressure level.

[0068] Knowing, on the one hand, where the elevator car 3 is currently stopped and knowing, on the other hand, which one of the fixtures 15 has emitted the sound signal 37 being detected with the highest sound pressure level, the elevator control 7 may assign the position information to the respective one of the fixtures 15.

[0069] While not explicitly shown in the figures, the elevator arrangement 1 and its fixture position learning procedure may be specifically adapted for cases where two or more car doors 9 are provided within the elevator car 3. In such case, the position information may be determined not only based on an information about the current position of the elevator car 3 but also taking into account an information about which one of the elevator doors 9 is currently opened. It may be assumed that due to the direct sound connection between the fixture 15 at the floor 5 and the COP 29 in the elevator car 3 generated by opening the car door 9 and the shaft door 11, a sound signal 37 is detected with a significantly higher sound pressure level than is the case for a different fixture 15 arranged adjacent to the closed one of the elevator doors 9.

[0070] Briefly summarized and using a different wording, an elevator system is described which may automatically learn fixtures floor and side locations. A transceiver arrangement comprising a sound generator and a sound detector may be used for determining position information for each of the fixtures during a fixture position learning procedure. For example, the elevator car may travel to each of the floors, open either front or rear doors and transmit/generate a predefined sound signature. A fixture attached to the elevator will be listening for this sound signature during the learn mode. Once, a fixture recognizes this sound signature, it will inform for example a controller of the elevator of its unique ID. The controller may then either store this information locally or provide the location information to the fixture to be stored there, for example in EEPROM. As an alternative method, the sound detector may be located inside the elevator car. The sound generator may then be a device being installed in a hall fixture, for example as one of hall lanterns with a gong. In such case, the elevator car would travel to a floor and open one side door, then command the hall fixtures, one by one, to generate the sound signatures. The sound detector in the elevator car would detect the sounds from the hall fixtures located at the same floor and side, at which point the device in the elevator car would inform the controller of the elevator. The controller would then send the floor and site information to the last device which was commanded to generate the sound. The elevator would continue doing this on all floors until all of the fixtures have been detected. Such elevator may be commanded or pre-programmed to learn the locations of the fixtures during for example the night when no one is around. A same method may also be used to check for example the fixture function automatically, when doing a selftest.

[0071] Finally, it should be noted that terms such as comprising do not exclude other elements or steps and the a or an does not exclude a plurality. Also elements described in association with different embodiments may be combined.

[0072] 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.