Elevator access control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12131601-B2
Application number	US-202217963584-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2022
Priority date	May 29, 2020
Publication date	Oct 29, 2024
Grant date	Oct 29, 2024

Abstract

An apparatus for managing access to one or more elevators of a building is configured to: receive, for a plurality occupants of the building, a respective occupant registration request including at least occupant characteristics recorded for the respective occupant; assign each occupant into one of a plurality of occupant groups based on the occupant characteristics recorded for the respective occupant, wherein each occupant group has respective access rights with respect to said one or more elevators that are different from access rights of other occupant groups in terms of a time schedule of accessing said one or more elevators; and selectively allow or disallow an occupant of the building to access said one or more elevators in accordance with the access rights of the occupant group into which said occupant is assigned.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for managing access to one or more elevators of a building, the apparatus configured to:
receive, for a plurality occupants of the building, a respective occupant registration request including at least occupant characteristics recorded for the respective occupant;
assign each occupant into one of a plurality of occupant groups based on the occupant characteristics recorded for the respective occupant, wherein each occupant group has respective access rights with respect to said one or more elevators that are different from access rights of other occupant groups in terms of a time schedule of accessing said one or more elevators; and
selectively allow or disallow an occupant of the building to access said one or more elevators in accordance with the access rights of the occupant group into which said occupant is assigned,
wherein said occupant characteristics recorded for an occupant comprise one or more aspects that are descriptive of health of the respective occupant, said one or more aspects that are descriptive of health of the respective occupant comprise a status indication with respect to a predefined medical condition, and wherein assigning each occupant to one of the plurality of occupant groups comprises assigning each occupant into one of the plurality of occupant groups at least in dependence of said status, and
wherein said plurality of occupant groups comprise a respective occupant group for the following statuses:
not having suffered from said medical condition;
currently suffering from said medical condition; and
recovered from said medical condition.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein occupants assigned to a first occupant group are not allowed to use said one or more elevators during a time period during which occupants assigned to another occupant group are allowed to use said one or more elevators.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein access rights of an occupant group define one or more of the following:
one or more first time periods during which occupants assigned to the respective occupant group are allowed to use said one or more elevators; and
one or more second time periods during which occupants assigned to the respective occupant group are not allowed to use said one or more elevators.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said one or more aspects that are descriptive of health of the respective occupant comprise the body temperature recorded for the respective occupant, and wherein assigning each occupant to one of the plurality of occupant groups comprises assigning each occupant to one of the plurality of occupant groups at least in dependence of the body temperature recorded for the respective occupant.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said plurality of occupant groups comprises two or more occupant groups defined via a respective range of body temperatures.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said occupant characteristics pertaining to an occupant comprise one or more further characteristics recorded for the respective occupant, and wherein assigning each occupant to one of the plurality of occupant groups comprises assigning occupants assigned to said plurality of occupant groups at least in dependence of said one or more further characteristic.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein said one or more further characteristics comprise the age recorded for the respective occupant and/or the gender recorded for the respective occupant.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of occupant groups is defined via respective one or more criteria pertaining to one or more occupant characteristics ,and wherein assigning an occupant into one of the plurality of occupant groups comprises:
identifying an occupant group whose definition matches the occupant characteristics recorded for said occupant; and
assigning the occupant into the identified occupant group.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of occupant groups has a respective maximum number of occupants defined therefor.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein assigning an occupant into one of the plurality of occupant groups comprises:
identifying an occupant group whose definition matches the occupant characteristics recorded for said occupant;
in case the identified occupant group does not have a respective maximum number of occupants defined therefor or said respective maximum number of occupants has not been reached, assigning the occupant into the identified occupant group; and
in case a respective maximum number of occupants defined for the identified occupant group has been reached, dividing the identified occupant group into two separate occupant groups and assigning the occupant into one of the occupant groups so obtained.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein selectively allowing or disallowing the occupant of the building to access the one or more elevators comprises:
receiving, from an elevator access control point, an access request pertaining to said occupant;
identifying the occupant group into which said occupant is assigned;
identifying the access rights of the identified occupant group; and
indicating, to the elevator access point, one of allowing or disallowing said occupant to access the one or more elevators.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein said elevator access point serves as an access control point for one of the following:
an entry point for one of said one or more elevators; and
a space of the building that includes respective entry points for said one or more elevators.

13. An elevator control system comprising the apparatus according to claim 1 .

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the occupant characteristics further comprise non-health characteristics, and assigning each occupant into one of the plurality of occupant groups is further based on the non-health characteristics.

15. A method for managing access to one or more elevators of a building, the method comprising:
receiving, for a plurality of occupants in the building, a respective occupant registration request including at least occupant characteristics recorded for the respective occupant;
assigning each occupant into one of a plurality of occupant groups based on the occupant characteristics recorded for the respective occupant, wherein each occupant group has respective access rights with respect to said one or more elevators that are different from access rights of other occupant groups in terms of a time schedule of accessing said one or more elevators; and
selectively allowing or disallowing an occupant of the building to access said one or more elevators in accordance with the access rights of the occupant group into which said occupant is assigned,
wherein said occupant characteristics recorded for an occupant comprise one or more aspects that are descriptive of health of the respective occupant, said one or more aspects that are descriptive of health of the respective occupant comprise a status indication with respect to a predefined medical condition, and wherein assigning each occupant to one of the plurality of occupant groups comprises assigning each occupant into one of the plurality of occupant groups at least in dependence of said status, and
wherein said plurality of occupant groups comprise a respective occupant group for the following statuses:
not having suffered from said medical condition;
currently suffering from said medical condition; and
recovered from said medical co

Assignees

• Kone Corp

Inventors

• Kemppainen Mika
• Perko Antti
• Pihkala Tomio

Classifications

• G07C2209/02

  Access control comprising means for the enrolment of users · CPC title

• G07C9/00309

  operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks · CPC title

• G07C9/27

  with central registration · CPC title

• G06Q50/40

  Business processes related to the transportation industry (shipping G06Q10/083) · CPC title

• B66B2201/4669

  using passenger condition detectors · CPC title