Touchless elevator user interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12428262-B2
Application number	US-202017062620-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2020
Priority date	Oct 4, 2020
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

Systems and methods having a touchless operating panel with buttons and an electronic circuit (EC). The system including a proximity sensor (PS) associated with an associated button and positioned proximate thereto. The PS arranged to generate a button detection zone around the associated button and detect a presence within the button detection zone. When the PS detects a presence of an object within the button detection zone in a time period, the EC receives proximity values about the detection from the PS. The EC detects if activation of the PS is intentional or unintentional, based on inputting into an activation assessment module, the received proximity values and any other proximity values received from one or more other PSs. When a detection is made that the PS is intentionally activated regarding the presence of the object within the button detection zone. The EC generates and emits a command action.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An elevator system having a touchless elevator operating panel with buttons and an electronic circuit, the touchless elevator operating panel comprising:
a proximity sensor associated with an associated button and positioned proximate thereto, the proximity sensor arranged to generate a button detection zone around the associated button and detect a presence within the button detection zone,
wherein, when a detection is made by the proximity sensor regarding a presence of an object within the button detection zone in a time period, the electronic circuit receives proximity values about the detection from the proximity sensor, and
wherein, the electronic circuit detects if activation of the proximity sensor is intentional or unintentional, based on inputting into an activation assessment module, the received proximity values and any other proximity values received from one or more other proximity sensors for the time period,
wherein, when a detection is made that the proximity sensor is intentionally activated regarding the presence of the object within the button detection zone, the electronic circuit generates and emits at least one command action including button information that is related to the associated button within the button detection zone to an elevator group control (EGC) unit.

2. The elevator system of claim 1 , wherein activation assessment module includes the steps of
identify a first and second highest proximity values and corresponding proximity sensor identifications from all proximity values received for the time period, that include the received proximity values and the any other proximity values received from the one or more other proximity sensors,
wherein the elevator operating panel is a hall call panel and the associated button is a direction button to make an elevator service request, or that the elevator operating panel is a car operating panel and the associated button is a floor selection button of the car operating panel;
apply a predetermined function to both the first and second highest proximity values, yielding a first comparison value and a second comparison value, such that the first comparison value and the second comparison value have a decreased dependence on proximity sensor-specific characteristics when compared to the first and second highest proximity values; and
subtract the first comparison value from the second comparison value to obtain a final test value, wherein, if the final test value is greater than a predetermined final value threshold, then the detection is made that the proximity sensor is intentionally activated regarding the presence of the object within the button detection zone, the electronic circuit generates and emits the at least one command action including the button information that is related to the associated button within the button detection zone to the EGC unit.

3. The elevator system of claim 1 , wherein the at least on proximity sensor includes a near infrared (IR) transmitter and a near IR receiver, such that the near IR transmitter and the near IR receiver are configured to provide a proximity signal.

4. The elevator system of claim 1 , wherein the proximity sensor is a type of proximity including one of, an ultrasonic proximity sensor, a pyroelectric proximity sensor, a thermal IR proximity sensor, a capacitive electric proximity sensor or a laser time-of-flight proximity sensor.

5. The elevator system of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining and receiving of the proximity values for all proximity sensors are obtained based on the electronic circuit scanning and recording all the proximity sensor for the time period.

6. A touchless device for real-time contactless elevator service operation of an elevator having an operating panel, the operating panel including comprising:
a sensor array including sensor elements corresponding to floors serviced by the elevator, each sensor element having a proximity sensor, such that a sensor detection zone of the proximity sensor senses by emitting proximity values indicative of an object positioned within the sensor detection zone to detect the object;
an electronic circuit is configured to detect if the object is positioned in a single sensor element detection (SSED) zone, or if the object is positioned in multiple sensor elements sensor detection (MSESD) zone, based on
obtain proximity values from all sensor elements in the sensor array;
identify a first and second highest proximity values and corresponding sensor identifications from all sensor element proximity values of the sensor array;
applying a predetermined function to both the first and second highest proximity values, yielding a first comparison value and a second comparison value, such that the first comparison value and the second comparison value have a decreased dependence on proximity sensor-specific characteristics when compared to the first and second highest proximity values; and
subtracting the first comparison value from the second comparison value to obtain a final test value, such that if the final test value is greater than a predetermined final value threshold, then the object is considered as in the SSED zone, and the electronic circuit generates and emits at least one command action to an elevator group control (EGC) unit.

7. The touchless device of claim 6 , wherein the sensor element sensor-specific characteristics include an amount of a sensor variance, an amount of an anomaly or an amount of an error, due to manufacture or to an amount of time of the sensor element operation.

8. The touchless device of claim 6 , wherein each sensor element includes a confirmation lamp, such that the at least one command action includes a flash of the confirmation lamp, and the at least one command action includes a floor dispatch to the floor associated with the sensor element having the highest proximity value.

9. The touchless device of claim 6 , wherein each sensor element is designated to a digit number corresponding to digits in a multi-digit floor number touchless COP, such that a time delay is incorporated in an operating program of the CPU so leading zero digits of the multi-digit floor number are not entered.

10. The touchless device of claim 6 , wherein, that if the final test value is less than or equal to the predetermined final value threshold, then the object is considered as in the MSESD zone, and the electronic circuit does not generate or emit the at least one command action to the EGC unit.

11. The elevator system of claim 6 , wherein the operating panel is a hall call panel and the sensor element is a direction button to make an elevator service request.

12. The elevator system of claim 6 , wherein the operating panel is a car operating panel and the sensor element is a floor selection button of the car operating panel.

13. A method for real-time contactless elevator service operation of an elevator, comprising:
using an operating panel having a sensor array with sensor elements corresponding to floors serviced by the elevator, such that each sensor element includes a proximity sensor with a sensor detection zone that senses by emitting proximity values indicative of an object positioned within the sensor detection zone to detect the object;
detecting by an electronic circuit, if the object is positioned in a single sensor element detection (SSED) zone, or if the object is positioned in multiple sensor elements sensor detection (MSESD) zone, based on
obtaining proximity values from all sensor elements in the sensor array by the electronic circuit, and identifying a first and second highest proximity values and corresponding sensor identificati

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Res Laboratories Inc

Inventors

• Yerazunis William
• Mahmud Aleef
• Lee Brian

Classifications

• B66B3/004

  Mechanical devices that can be illuminated · CPC title

• H03K2217/960755

  Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches · CPC title

• B66B2201/4638

  Wherein the call is registered without making physical contact with the elevator system · CPC title

• H03K17/941

  using an optical detector (H03K17/968 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H03K2217/94036

  Multiple detection, i.e. where different switching signals are generated after operation of the user is detected at different time instants at different locations during the actuation movement by two or more sensors of the same or different kinds · CPC title