Arrangements for maintaining favorite floor lists in elevator systems

Abstract

The present invention discloses a solution for maintaining passenger-specific favorite floor lists in an elevator system, which comprises at least one elevator, call-giving devices for registering calls given by the passengers, a control system that is responsive to the aforementioned calls and memory means, in which is recorded at least one passenger-specific favorite floor list. A passenger is identified in connection with giving a call on the basis of the ID number of an identifier. The favorite floor list is updated on the basis of calls given by the passenger and/or a given updating criterion.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining a favorite floor list in an elevator system, the elevator system including at least one elevator, call-giving devices, and a memory the method comprising: identifying a passenger based on destination calls given by the passenger, the destination calls indicating destination floors desired by the passenger from among floors associated with the elevator system; and updating the favorite floor list based on one or more of the destination calls and a given updating criterion, the favorite floor list indicating favorite ones of the destination floors, the updating including, storing, in the favorite floor list, the destination floors and call times associated with the destination calls from the passenger, and removing, in the favorite floor list, an unused floor from among the favorite ones of the destination floors, if a latest one of the call times associated with the unused is older than a threshold.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the updating updates the favorite floor list based on a most recent one of the destination calls given by the passenger.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising : counting a number of the destination calls to different one of the destination floors over a given period of time, wherein the updating updates the favorite floor list based on the number of the destination calls.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the updating comprises: deleting the favorite floor list of the passenger, if a latest one of the destination calls associated with the passenger occurred past a given time limit.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the updating updates the favorite floor list such that the favorite floor list is specific to departure floors and/or periods of time.

6. An elevator system, comprising: call-giving devices configured to register destination calls for at least one elevator given by a passenger, the destination calls indicating destination floors desired by the passenger from among floors associated with the elevator system; a sensor configured to read the identification data of an identifier in possession of the passenger; a memory configured to store a favorite floor list associated with the passenger, the favorite floor list indicating favorite ones of the destination floors; and a controller configured to update the favorite floor list based on one or more of the destination calls and a given updating criterion by, storing, in the favorite floor list, the destination floors and call times associated with the destination calls from the passenger, and removing, in the favorite floor list, an unused floor from among the favorite ones of the destination floors, if a latest one of the call times associated with the unused is older than a threshold.

7. The elevator system according to claim 6, wherein the controller to set one or more call pushbuttons of the call-giving devices to a highlighted state based on the favorite floor list.

8. The elevator system according to claim 6, wherein the sensor includes sensors installed in elevator lobbies and/or elevator cars.

9. The elevator system according to claim 6, wherein the memory is distributed into one or more of the call-giving devices.

10. The elevator system according to claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to update the favorite floor list based on a most recent one of the destination calls given by the passenger.

11. The elevator system according to claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to, count a number of the destination calls to different one of the destination floors over a given period of time, and update the favorite floor list based on the number of the destination calls.

12. The elevator system according to claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to delete the favorite floor list of the passenger, if a latest one of the destination calls associated with the passenger occurred past a given time limit.

13. The elevator system according to claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to update the favorite floor list such that the favorite floor list is specific to departure floors and/or periods of time.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: setting one or more call pushbuttons of the call-giving devices to a highlighted state based on the favorite floor list.

Description

LIST OF FIGURES

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

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

(3) FIG. 2 presents a second elevator system according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) FIG. 1 presents one elevator system 10 according to the invention, which comprises the elevators 10a and 10b, a control system 10c of the elevator system, call-giving devices 12 connected to the control system 10c for registering calls given by the passengers and also memory means 15 in connection with the control system, in which memory means passenger-specific favorite floor lists are recorded. A personal identifier 11 is given for the use of a passenger, which identifier is e.g. an RFID identifier and the identification data contained by which can be read with reader units 19 in connection with the call-giving device 12. The reading distance is preferably so long that the reader unit can read the identification data when the identifier 11 is e.g. in the pocket of a passenger. The identification data contains e.g. an individual ID number, which ID number the reader unit 14 reads and transmits to control system 10c. Call-giving devices 12 and reader units 19 can also be disposed in the elevator cars (not presented in FIG. 1). The memory means 15 can also be distributed into one or more call-giving devices 12 in such a way that in each call-giving device there are the favorite floor lists of at least one passenger, the updating of which lists is managed by the call-giving device in question. As a result of the distribution of the memory means it is easy to provide the elevator system with a solution according to the invention by modernizing only the call-giving devices without modernizing the rest of the apparatus belonging to the elevator system, e.g. the control system 10c.

(5) The call-giving devices 12 are preferably destination operating panels implemented with touch-sensitive displays. FIG. 1 presents only the destination operating panel 12 on floor F1 (entrance lobby floor), which panel can present in the display unit 12b the desired call buttons 12a and, if necessary, other information relating to call-giving. The call-giving devices and/or the reader devices are connected to the control system via a wireline or wireless data transfer connection 14.

(6) When the holder (a passenger) of an identifier 11 arrives in the entrance lobby F1 of a building, he/she goes to the call-giving device 12, in which case the reader device 19 reads the ID number of the identifier 11. The control system receives the ID number and, on the basis of it, retrieves from the memory means 15 the favorite floor list (so-called active favorite floor list) of the passenger. The favorite floor list could have been preliminarily entered into the memory means 15 manually or a first favorite floor could have been generated on the basis of the first call given by the passenger.

(7) On the basis of the favorite floor list the control system configures the call-giving device 12 in such a way that at least some of the call pushbuttons 12a of favorite floors are presented on the call-giving device highlighted compared to the call pushbuttons of the other floors. Owing to the highlighting a passenger quickly finds the correct call pushbutton, if he/she is going to any of his/her favorite floors.

(8) If a passenger is going to some other floor than his/her favorite floor, he/she can give his/her call with non-highlighted call pushbuttons.

(9) One task of the control system 10c is to update the passenger-specific favorite floor lists on the basis of calls given by passengers and/or given updating criteria, e.g.: the control system adds to the favorite floor list a destination floor to which a passenger has last traveled and which is not yet on the favorite floor list. At the same time the control system removes from the favorite floor list a favorite floor to which the last journey made by the passenger was the longest time ago. The maximum length of a favorite floor list is in this way kept constant, containing e.g. 10 favorite floors. the control system counts the numbers of elevator journeys/calls made by the passenger to different destination floors during a certain period of time, e.g. during the last 30 days. Based on the numbers the control system updates the favorite floor list in such a way that the destination floors to which the passenger has given most calls are on the list. The maximum length of the favorite floor list is set e.g. to ten favorite floors. The control system removes a favorite floor if the given time limit from the previous call by a passenger to the favorite floor in question has expired. the control system removes from the memory means all the data related to the favorite floor lists of a passenger, if the passenger has not given a single call to the elevator system within a given time limit.

(10) In the example presented above reader units 14 are in connection with the call-giving devices 12 in the elevator lobbies, which reader units read the identification data contained by the identifiers 11 in the possession of passengers. The control system has information about the location of the reader units, so it can deduce in which elevator lobby of which floor (departure floor) and at which call-giving device the passenger is at any given time and can utilize the information in the selection of a favorite floor list, such as e.g. if the favorite floors are specific to the departure floor. In this embodiment the control system maintains per each departure floor its own favorite floor list, which it updates depending on the departure floors on which a call of the passenger is registered. For example, in the elevator system according to FIG. 1 the elevator serves the floors F1, F2 . . . F10, so each passenger can have 10 favorite floor lists, from which the favorite floor list corresponding to the departure floor of the passenger is selected as the active favorite floor list.

(11) According to a second embodiment of the invention the favorite floor lists are time-based. In this embodiment the control system maintains with the memory means favorite floor lists for a passenger, one of which lists is selected as the active favorite floor list depending e.g. on the time of day and/or on the day of the week.

(12) FIG. 2 presents a second embodiment of the invention wherein a terminal device 22, such as e.g. a mobile phone, in the personal use of a passenger functions as a call-giving device, which is provided with e.g. a touch-sensitive display 22a and also with application software for utilizing favorite floor lists. A reader device 29 is e.g. a Bluetooth base station or some other reader device applicable to wireless data transfer, which device receives an ID number, e.g. the phone number of a mobile phone, sent by the terminal device 22. In this embodiment favorite floor lists can be recorded in the manner described above in the memory means 15 but are transmitted to a terminal device and presented to a passenger in the call-giving phase on the display 22b of the terminal device. Alternatively passenger-specific favorite floor lists can be recorded in the memory 25 of a terminal device and they can be updated in the manner described above.

(13) According to one embodiment of the invention the favorite floor lists are distributed among two or more elevator groups. In this embodiment the elevator groups can have a common memory means 15, in which the elevator groups (group controls) have reading rights and writing rights, or the passengers have terminal devices 22, in the memories 25 of which passenger-specific favorite floor lists are maintained.

(14) 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 control system 10c can comprise one or more control apparatuses.