阅读说明：本技术 用于控制升降机的运行的电子装置 (Electronic device for controlling the operation of an elevator ) 是由 庞廷 于 2020-07-24 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种用于控制升降机的运行的电子装置。该电子装置包括：至少一个非接触式按钮,其配置成检测用于选择该至少一个非接触式按钮的用户输入；以及控制器,其配置成接收与被选择的至少一个非接触式按钮对应的信号,基于该信号来确定用于控制升降机的运行的指令,以及将该指令传送给升降机。(An electronic device for controlling operation of an elevator. The electronic device includes: at least one non-contact button configured to detect a user input for selecting the at least one non-contact button; and a controller configured to receive a signal corresponding to the selected at least one non-contact button, determine an instruction for controlling an operation of the elevator based on the signal, and transmit the instruction to the elevator.)

1. An electronic device for controlling operation of an elevator, the electronic device comprising:

at least one non-contact button configured to detect a user input for selecting the at least one non-contact button; and

a controller configured to:

receiving a signal corresponding to the selected at least one non-contact button;

determining instructions for controlling operation of the elevator based on the signal; and

transmitting the instruction to the elevator.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are for instructing the elevator to travel to a floor corresponding to the selected at least one contactless button or for closing or opening a door of the elevator.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one contactless button is configurable to be in an inactive mode and an active mode,

wherein, in the inactive mode, the at least one contactless button is configured not to detect a user input for selecting the at least one contactless button, and

wherein, in the active mode, the at least one contactless button is configured to detect a user input for selecting the at least one contactless button.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

a contactless enable button configured to detect a first user input for selecting the contactless enable button; and

wherein the controller is further configured to:

receiving an enable signal corresponding to the selected enable button; and

switching the at least one contactless button from an inactive mode to an active mode in response to receiving the enable signal such that the at least one contactless button can detect a user input for selecting the at least one contactless button.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receiving a deactivation signal corresponding to a second user input for selecting the activation button; and

causing the at least one contactless button to switch from the active mode to the inactive mode in response to receiving the deactivation signal.

6. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to:

causing the at least one contactless button to switch from the active mode to the inactive mode in response to expiration of a predetermined period of time.

7. The electronic device of any of claims 4-6, wherein the controller is configured to transmit the instruction after switching the at least one contactless button from the active mode to the inactive mode.

8. The electronic device of any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the controller is configured to transmit instructions to the lift if a single user input is detected within a predetermined period of time, and the controller is configured not to transmit instructions to the lift if at least two user inputs are detected within a predetermined period of time.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the electronic device further comprises a contactless acknowledgement button, and the controller is configured to transmit the instruction to the elevator upon the controller receiving a signal corresponding to the contactless acknowledgement button having been selected by the user.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a contactless cancel button configured to detect a user input for selecting the cancel button;

wherein the controller is further configured to:

a cancel signal corresponding to the selected non-contact cancel button is received, and in response, the controller does not send the instruction to the elevator.

11. The electronic device of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one contactless button comprises a sensor, and wherein the sensor comprises at least one of a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor, an inductive sensor, a capacitive sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and/or a photoelectric sensor.

12. The electronic device of any preceding claim, wherein the electronic device is located within or external to the lift.

13. An elevator car comprising an electronic device according to any one of the preceding claims.

14. A method performed by an electronic device for controlling operation of an elevator, the electronic device including a controller and at least one contactless button, the method comprising:

at least one non-contact button detects a user input for selecting the at least one non-contact button and transmits a detection signal to the controller;

the controller receives the detection signal and, in response, determines an instruction to control operation of the elevator based on the detection signal and communicates the instruction to the elevator.

15. A computer program for controlling operation of a lift, the computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to detect a user input for selecting at least one contactless button, determine instructions for controlling operation of the lift based on the detected instructions, and communicate the instructions to the lift.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of elevators, and in particular to an electronic device for controlling operation of an elevator.

Background

Elevators are installed in many buildings throughout the world. In most cases, elevators require the user to select a floor number using an elevator control panel mounted in or outside the elevator car so that the elevator travels to the desired floor.

Typically, the control panel is made of metal and comprises elevator call buttons which the user has to press with his fingers in order to control the elevator travel to the requested floor. Therefore, the elevator control panel and the elevator call button are particularly unhygienic because the elevator control panel and the elevator call button are frequently touched and touched by many people. Thus, the elevator call button increases the spread of infectious diseases between users of the elevator.

Therefore, a more sanitary and reliable means to control the operation of the elevator is desirable for the user.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electronic device for controlling operation of an elevator, the electronic device comprising: at least one non-contact button configured to detect a user input for selecting the at least one non-contact button; and a controller configured to: receiving a signal corresponding to the selected at least one non-contact button; determining instructions for controlling operation of the elevator based on the signal; and transmitting the instructions to the elevator.

The instructions may be for instructing the elevator to travel to a floor corresponding to the selected at least one contactless button, or for closing or opening a door of the elevator, or for any other action to be taken by the elevator.

Advantageously, the at least one contactless button does not require a user of the electronic device to touch or make physical contact with the electronic device in order to operate the electronic device.

The at least one contactless button may be configurable to be in an inactive mode and an active mode, wherein in the inactive mode the at least one contactless button is configured to not detect a user input for selecting the at least one contactless button, and wherein in the active mode the at least one contactless button is configured to detect a user input for selecting the at least one contactless button.

Advantageously, the at least one contactless button may use less power when in the inactive mode. Further, in the inactive mode, the at least one touchless button may not detect accidental user input or unintentional user input.

The electronic device may further include: a contactless enable button configured to detect a first user input for selecting the contactless enable button; and wherein the controller may be further configured to: receiving an enable signal corresponding to the selected enable button; and switching the at least one contactless button from an inactive mode to an active mode in response to receiving the enable signal, such that the at least one contactless button can detect a user input for selecting the at least one contactless button.

Advantageously, the contactless enable button allows a user to manually enable the at least one contactless button such that the at least one contactless button detects a user input only when the user intends to make the user input.

The controller may be configured to: receiving a deactivation signal corresponding to a second user input for selecting an activation button; and switching the at least one contactless button from the active mode to the inactive mode in response to receiving the deactivation signal.

Advantageously, the user may switch the at least one contactless button from an active mode to an inactive mode such that the at least one contactless button is reconfigured to save power and avoid detecting accidental user input.

The controller may be configured to switch the at least one contactless button from the active mode to the inactive mode in response to expiration of the predetermined period of time.

Advantageously, the at least one contactless button may automatically switch to the inactive mode upon expiration of the predetermined period of time, in order to save power and avoid accidental user input.

The controller may be configured to transmit the instruction after switching the at least one contactless button from the active mode to the inactive mode.

Advantageously, the instruction is only transmitted once the user input is complete and the at least one contactless button switches from the active mode to the inactive mode.

The controller may be configured to transmit the instruction to the elevator if a single user input is detected within a predetermined period of time, and the controller may be configured not to transmit the instruction to the elevator if at least two user inputs are detected within the predetermined period of time.

Advantageously, this prevents or reduces accidental user input, wherein multiple user inputs may occur in a predetermined period of time due to the user standing close to the at least one contactless button.

The electronic device may further include a contactless acknowledgement button, and the controller may then be configured to transmit instructions to the elevator once the controller receives a signal corresponding to the contactless acknowledgement button having been selected by the user. This means that if the controller does not receive a signal indicating that the user has selected the contactless ok button, the controller will not send an instruction to the elevator.

The electronic device may further include: a contactless cancel button configured to detect a user input for selecting the cancel button; wherein the controller may be further configured to: a cancel signal corresponding to the selected non-contact cancel button is received, and in response, the controller does not send an instruction to the elevator.

Advantageously, the user may use a cancel button to prevent the controller from sending instructions. For example, if the user selects one of the at least one non-contact buttons by mistake, the user may select a cancel button to cancel transmission of the corresponding instruction.

The at least one non-contact button may include a sensor, and the sensor may include at least one of a proximity sensor, an infrared sensor, an inductive sensor, a capacitive sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and/or a photoelectric sensor.

The electronic device may be located within the elevator.

The electronics can be located outside the lift.

According to a second aspect of the disclosure, there is provided an elevator car comprising an electronic device according to the first aspect of the disclosure.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method performed by an electronic device for controlling operation of an elevator, the electronic device including a controller and at least one contactless button, the method comprising: the at least one non-contact button detects a user input for selecting the at least one non-contact button and transmits a detection signal to the controller; the controller receives the detection signal and, in response, determines an instruction for controlling operation of the elevator based on the detection signal and transmits the instruction to the elevator.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program for controlling operation of an elevator, the computer program comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to detect a user input for selecting at least one contactless button, determine an instruction for controlling operation of the elevator based on the detected instruction, and transmit the instruction to the elevator.

Within the scope of the present application, it is expressly intended that the aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set forth in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings, and in particular individual features thereof, may be implemented independently or in any combination. That is, all examples and/or all features of any example may be combined in any manner and/or combination unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or to file any new claim accordingly, including to amend any originally filed claim to a right to depend from and/or to incorporate any feature of any other claim, although not originally claimed in this way.

Drawings

One or more embodiments of the invention are illustrated schematically, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an electronic device;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an electronic device;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating operation of the electronic device;

FIG. 4 is another flow chart illustrating another example of operation of the electronic device;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method performed by an electronic device;

fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an electronic device; and

fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an electronic device.

Detailed Description

The operation of the elevator requires the user to press a button corresponding to the floor they want to travel to. These buttons may be considered unhygienic because they may be a source of bacteria or pathogens. To improve the hygiene of elevator control panels and buttons, regular cleaning is required. However, it is impractical to clean the elevator control panel after each use. In addition, the cleaning fluid used may damage the electronic components of the control panel.

Another approach commonly used is to cover the elevator control panel with a plastic sheet that can be easily removed and replaced in order to improve hygiene. However, these plastic sheets will similarly have to be cleaned after each use in order to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Furthermore, voice-enabled elevators, where the user uses voice commands to select the floor they want to travel to, are more hygienic, but pose a problem because voice-enabled elevators are unreliable in determining commands generated by the user in a number of different languages or accents.

Examples of the invention relate to an electronic device for controlling the operation of a lift or an elevator, wherein a user does not have to touch a button in order to operate the lift. This is achieved by using one or several contactless buttons, as will become apparent from the description below.

Before describing particular examples of the present invention, it will be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the particular electronic devices described herein. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is used for the purpose of describing particular examples only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

In describing and claiming the electronic device and method of the present invention, the following terminology will be used: the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a non-contact button" includes reference to one or more of such elements. In addition, "elevator" may also be referred to as "elevator", the two terms being interchangeable.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device 100. The electronic device 100 includes a controller 110 and at least one contactless button 101.

The electronic device 100 is used to control the operation of a lift or elevator. Electronic device 100 may be referred to, for example, as an elevator control panel, an elevator control input device, and an elevator control interface, user interface panel, or user input device.

The contactless button 101 is configured to transmit a signal corresponding to the selected contactless button 100 to the controller 110 in response to a user input for selecting the contactless button 101. The controller 110 is configured to determine an instruction corresponding to the received signal and to transmit the instruction to the elevator or to a control unit of the elevator. The instructions may be used to operate the elevator to travel to the floor corresponding to the selected contactless button 101, or to open or close an elevator door, for example.

As shown in fig. 1, the electronic device 100 may include a plurality of contactless buttons 101. For example, in fig. 1, the electronic device includes fifteen non-contact buttons 101. However, the electronic device 100 may include any number of contactless buttons 101.

The contactless button 101 may be referred to as a contactless user input area, a contactless call button, a contactless control button, a contactless operation button, or a contactless control area, for example.

The contactless buttons 101 are configured to detect a user input for selecting one of the contactless buttons 101. In particular, the touchless button 101 is configured to detect a user input, wherein the user does not touch the touchless button 101 or make physical contact with the touchless button 101. That is, the user may select the contactless button 101 without contact, or the contactless button 101 may detect the user input in a contactless manner. This can also be described as the user selecting the contactless button 101 without touching.

The contactless button 101 may be distinguished from conventional buttons in which a user would be required to touch or make physical contact with a button in order to select the button. Generally, such a button will require the user to press the button in order to select the button, however, the contactless button 101 does not require the user to press the button in order to select the button.

The non-contact buttons 101 may include a first plurality of non-contact buttons 101a, wherein each non-contact button 101a of the first plurality of non-contact buttons corresponds to a floor of the elevator. The floor of the elevator can be referred to as the destination floor or destination floor of the elevator. It will also be appreciated that the destination floor of the elevator corresponds to the floor of the building on which the elevator is installed or the destination floor.

For example, the electronic device 100 may include a contactless button (labeled "G") corresponding to a bottom floor of the elevator, a contactless button (labeled "1") corresponding to a first floor of the elevator, a contactless button (labeled "2") corresponding to a second floor of the elevator, and so on. The first plurality of non-contact buttons 101a may thus comprise as many non-contact buttons as there are floors of the elevator. In one example, the touchless button labeled "G" in FIG. 1 may instead be labeled "0" to indicate the bottom layer.

The non-contact buttons 101 may be arranged in a single row or column or in a plurality of rows and columns. For example, in fig. 1, the contactless buttons 101 are arranged in five rows, with three contactless buttons in each row. It should be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to a particular configuration of the non-contact button 101.

The electronic device may further include a display 104, and the display 104 may display a number, a word, or a letter corresponding to the selected non-contact button 101. For example, if the user selects the non-contact button 101 corresponding to the 4 th layer, the display 104 may display the number "4" or the word "fourth layer". In another example, the display 104 may display the current floor of the elevator. For example, if the elevator is at the bottom floor, the display 104 may display the letter "G", the word "bottom floor", or the number "0".

Fig. 2 depicts another example of an electronic device 200 for controlling operation of an elevator, wherein each of a first plurality of non-contact buttons 201a may not necessarily correspond directly to a floor of the elevator, but may be used in a process for selecting a floor number of the elevator. As shown in fig. 2, the first plurality of contactless buttons 201a may include ten contactless buttons, wherein each contactless button 201a corresponds to one of the numbers 0-9. Then, the user may select the non-contact buttons 201a or select a plurality of the non-contact buttons 201a in succession in order to input a floor number to which they want to travel. For example, to select the 17 th floor of the elevator, the user may select the non-contact button corresponding to the number 1, and then, subsequently, select the non-contact button corresponding to the number 7. In another example, to travel to the bottom floor of the elevator, the user may select the contactless button corresponding to the number 0. It should also be appreciated that if the user wanted to proceed to layer 10, the user would select the touchless button corresponding to the number 1, followed by the selection of the touchless button corresponding to the number 0. In one example, the user may press the confirm button 205 after a desired single button or combination of buttons has been pressed in order to confirm the user's selection of a desired floor. The confirmation button 205 is explained in more detail below.

The non-contact buttons 201 may be arranged in a single row or column or in a plurality of rows or columns. For example, a first row may include touchless buttons corresponding to the numbers 1, 2, 3, a second row may include touchless buttons corresponding to the numbers 4, 5, 6, and a third row may include touchless buttons corresponding to the numbers 7, 8, 9, wherein the touchless button corresponding to the number 0 may be located in the fourth row.

Referring to fig. 1 or 2, the electronic device 100, 200 may further include a contactless door-closing button 101b, a contactless door-opening button 101c, a contactless emergency button (not shown), a contactless alarm button (not shown), and/or a contactless phone call button (not shown). When the electronic device is located inside the elevator, the door open button 101c and the door close button 101b enable the user to operate the door, and the emergency button and the phone call button enable the user to issue an alarm and talk with the elevator operator, accordingly.

The contactless buttons 101, 201 may be of any shape. For example, in fig. 1, the non-contact button 101 is circular. However, the contactless buttons 101, 201 may be square, triangular, rectangular, or oval. In other examples, the buttons may be represented by only numbers or letters, without any visual boundaries for the buttons.

The contactless button 101, 201 may comprise at least one contactless sensor. For example, the contactless button 101, 201 may comprise a plurality of contactless sensors. The non-contact sensor may be any sensor or sensors configured to detect a user input, wherein the user does not touch the non-contact sensor. Suitable non-contact sensors may include proximity sensors, infrared sensors, inductive sensors, capacitive sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and/or photoelectric sensors. It should be understood that the non-contact sensors described herein may include any of these sensors, or alternatively, a combination of any of these sensors.

The contactless button 101, 201 is configured to detect a user input for selecting the contactless button 101, 201. That is, the contactless button 101 may use a contactless sensor to detect a user input for selecting the contactless button 101, 201. In this regard, the touchless buttons 101, 201 can use a touchless sensor or otherwise detect a user input for selecting the touchless button 101, 201 by detecting that the user has a portion of their body (e.g., a hand) proximate to at least one of the touchless buttons 101, 201. For example, at least one of the touchless buttons 101, 201 may detect a user input for selecting the touchless button 101, 201 when detecting that the user has his hand within a predetermined distance or proximity of the touchless button 101, 201. The predetermined distance may be a distance of 1 cm to 5 cm from the non-contact button. The predetermined distance may be adjustable.

The user input for selecting the contactless button 101, 201 may comprise a gesture of the user. For example, the user may hold his hand in front of the contactless button 101, 201 for a predetermined period of time (e.g., for at least 0.5 seconds) to select the contactless button 101, 201. In another illustrative example, the user may select the contactless button 101, 201 by placing their hand near the contactless button 101, 201 and then removing their hand to cover and reveal the contactless button 101, 201.

The contactless buttons 101, 201 may be configured to distinguish user inputs made using a user's hand from those made without using the user's hand. For example, the contactless button 101, 201 may determine that the user input for selecting the contactless button 101, 201 is made using a hand and thus, a signal corresponding to the contactless button 101, 201 is transmitted to the controller 110, or the contactless button 101, 201 may determine that the user input for selecting the contactless button 101, 201 is not made using a hand and thus, a signal corresponding to the contactless button 101, 201 is not transmitted to the controller 110.

The touchless buttons 101, 201 can distinguish between inputs made with the user's hand and those that are not based on the user's hand (e.g., temperature or capacitance measured by sensors or otherwise of the touchless buttons 101, 201). For example, if the contactless button 101, 201 detects a user input made using the user's hand (e.g., by sensing the typical temperature or capacitance of the human hand), it may be assumed that the input is intentional and a signal should be sent to the controller 110. However, if the contactless button 101, 201 detects that the user input is not made by the user's hand (e.g., if the contactless button 101, 201 senses a typical temperature or capacitance of the user's arm), then it is likely that the user input is unintentional and, therefore, a signal should not be sent to the controller 110 and the input should be ignored. Advantageously, the contactless button 101, 201 thus does not send signals to the controller 110 for accidental user inputs (e.g., those made by a user standing too close to the contactless button 101, 201 in a crowded elevator).

Alternatively, information about the details of the user input for selecting the contactless button 101, 201 may be included in the information or signal sent to the controller 110. The controller 110 may then determine whether the user input for selecting the contactless button 101, 201 was intended or not. This determination may be based on information about the temperature or capacitance of the user input obtained through sensors or otherwise of the touchless buttons 101, 201, as described above (however, it is appreciated that any other means of determining whether the user input is intended or not may be employed). Upon determining that the user input is not an intentional user input, the controller 110 may determine not to send a corresponding command to the elevator. If the user input is determined to be an intentional user input, the controller 110 may be configured to send an instruction corresponding to the signal (which in turn corresponds to the selected touchless button 101, 201) to the elevator.

The controller 110 may be further configured to transmit an instruction corresponding to the selected contactless button 101, 201 if a single user input is detected within a predetermined period of time. The controller 110 may be further configured not to transmit an instruction corresponding to the selected contactless button 101, 201 if two user inputs are detected within a predetermined period of time. Advantageously, this prevents the controller 11 from transmitting an instruction when two user inputs are made within a short (predetermined) period of time, since it is likely that the user input results from someone standing or leaning against the contactless button 101, 201. The predetermined period of time may thus be of the order of milliseconds (e.g. 1 ms to 100 ms or 1 ms to 500 ms) in order to distinguish between two genuine user inputs and two accidental user inputs, because two accidental user inputs will likely occur near simultaneously (e.g. due to someone leaning against the contactless button 101, 201 and selecting multiple contactless buttons 101 simultaneously), however, there will be a large period of time (e.g. 500ms to 1s) between two intentional user inputs, because the user will have to move his hand between selecting the first contactless button 101, 201 and selecting the second contactless button 101, 201.

In another example, and as shown in fig. 2, the electronic device 200 may further include a contactless confirmation button 205, the user will select the contactless confirmation button 205 after having selected a desired floor button or combination thereof, in order to confirm the user's selection of the contactless button 201. Only once the ok button 205 has been selected, the controller 110 sends an instruction corresponding to the selected contactless button 201 to the elevator. The contactless validation button 205 may include at least one contactless sensor. For example, the contactless validation button 205 may include a plurality of contactless sensors. The contactless sensor may be any sensor capable of detecting a user input for selecting the contactless validation button 205 without the user touching the contactless validation button 205. Suitable non-contact sensors may include, for example, proximity sensors, infrared sensors, inductive sensors, capacitive sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and/or photoelectric sensors. The confirmation button 205 may be larger than other contactless buttons so that the confirmation button 205 may be more easily recognized by the user. The electronic device 100 of FIG. 1 may similarly include a contactless confirmation button (not shown in FIG. 1).

The contactless confirm button 205 may be configured to detect user input similar to the contactless buttons 101, 201 or the enable button 102 and the cancel button 103.

The contactless buttons 101, 201 of the electronic device 100 may be configured to be in an active mode or an inactive mode.

In the inactive mode, the contactless button 101, 201 is configured not to detect a user input for selecting the contactless button 101, 201. The controller 110 may configure the contactless button 101, 201 not to detect a user input by turning off the contactless button 101, 201 or turning off the contactless sensor of the contactless button 101, 201. Alternatively, when in the inactive mode, the contactless button 101, 201 may still detect a user input for selecting the contactless button 101, 201, but a signal corresponding to the user input may not be transmitted to the controller 110, so that an instruction for controlling the elevator is not transmitted to the elevator. Alternatively, in the inactive mode, the contactless button 101, 201 may still detect a user input for selecting the contactless button 101, 201, and the controller 110 may still receive a signal corresponding to the selected contactless button 101, 201. However, the controller 110 may not transmit the instruction to the elevator.

Advantageously, configuring the contactless button 101, 201 in the inactive mode prevents a user from accidentally selecting the contactless button 101, 201 by, for example, standing too close to the contactless button 101, 201. This can be a problem when the elevator is particularly crowded (e.g., during peak use hours). Furthermore, configuring the contactless buttons 101, 201 in an inactive mode may provide power savings. For example, when the elevator is empty and not carrying any user, it would be advantageous to configure the contactless buttons 101, 201 in an inactive mode to save power. Thus, the contactless buttons 101, 201 may be configured to be in an inactive mode when it is determined that no user is currently using the elevator. This determination may be accomplished through the use of additional sensors (e.g., motion sensors or proximity sensors) in the electronic device 100, 200 that are configured to detect whether a user is present in the vicinity of the electronic device 100, 200 (e.g., whether the user is within a 1 m to 2 m radius of the electronic device 100, 200, or whether the user is located within an elevator). For example, the contactless button 101, 201 may be configured to be in an inactive mode if no motion in the vicinity of the electronic device 100, 200 is detected for a predetermined period of time. The contactless button 101 may be configured to be in an active mode when it is determined that the user is in the vicinity of the electronic device 100, 200. Alternatively, the contactless button 101, 201 may be configured to be in an inactive mode after a given period of time has expired in which no user input has been made using the contactless button 101. Alternatively, the contactless button 101, 201 may be configured to be in an inactive mode after transmitting the instruction to the elevator.

In the active mode, the contactless button 101, 201 may be configured to detect a user input for selecting the contactless button 101, 201. The controller 110 may configure the contactless button 101, 201 to detect a user input by activating the contactless button 101, 201 or by activating a contactless sensor of the contactless button 101, 201. In the active mode, when the user selects the contactless button 101, 201, the controller 110 of the electronic device 100, 200 is configured to receive a signal corresponding to the selected contactless button 101, 201, determine an instruction corresponding to the received signal, and transmit the instruction to the elevator. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, where there is a contactless enable button 102, the user may be required to first select the contactless enable button 102 to operate the elevator before selecting the contactless buttons 101, 201. When the contactless enable button 102 is selected, the contactless button 101, 201 may be switched to an active mode such that the contactless button 101, 201 may detect a user input. The enable button 102 is described in more detail below with reference to fig. 4.

An example of the operation of electronic device 100 is described with respect to flowchart 300 of FIG. 3.

When the contactless button 101 is configured in an active mode (i.e., its normal state), or the user has first selected the enable button 102, the contactless button 101 may receive a first user input for selecting the contactless button 101 (operation 301). In response to receiving the first user input, the contactless button 101 transmits a signal (i.e., data or information) corresponding to the selected contactless button 101 to the controller 110 (operation 302). In response to receiving the signal corresponding to the selected touch-less button 101, the controller 110 determines a first instruction for controlling the elevator corresponding to the received signal (operation 303). The controller 110 then transmits the determined first command for controlling the elevator to the elevator or to a control unit of the elevator. The elevator or control unit may then operate according to the first instruction. For example, if the first signal corresponds to selection of the contactless door open button 101b or the contactless door close button 101c, the instruction will instruct the elevator to open or close the doors of the elevator.

Alternatively, after determining the first command, the controller 110 may wait a predetermined period of time before transmitting the first command to the elevator (operation 304). If an additional signal corresponding to the user input is not received from the contactless button 101 before the predetermined period of time elapses, the controller 110 may transmit a first command to the lifter (operation 305). If a second signal corresponding to a second user input for selecting the non-contact button 102 is received before the predetermined period of time elapses, the controller may not transmit the first command but may instead determine a second command for controlling the operation of the elevator corresponding to both the first signal and the second signal (operation 306). The controller 110 may then transmit the second instruction to the elevator (operation 307). The elevator may then operate according to the second instructions.

If the electronic device 100, 200 comprises a contactless ok button 205, the operation of the electronic device will be similar to the operation of the electronic device described with reference to fig. 3, wherein the controller 110 will determine a first instruction for controlling the elevator corresponding to the received signal. However, the controller continues to transmit the determined first instruction for controlling the elevator to the elevator or to the control unit of the elevator only once the controller also receives a signal or information that the contactless acknowledgement button 205 has been selected by the user.

The electronic device is again considered according to fig. 1 or fig. 2. The electronic device 100 may further include a contactless enable button 102. The contactless enable button 102 is configured to detect a user input for selecting the contactless enable button 102. In this regard, the contactless enable button 102 is configured to transmit an enable signal to the controller 110 in response to a user input for selecting the contactless enable button 102.

The contactless activation button 102 may be larger than the contactless button 101, or the contactless activation button 102 may be in a different shape than the contactless button 101. For example, when the contactless button 101 is circular, the contactless enable button 102 may be rectangular and may have a side length greater than the diameter of the contactless button 101. Advantageously, the larger size of the contactless enable button 102 relative to the contactless button 101 may improve the ease with which a user may select the enable button 102. The contactless enable button 102 may be labeled with the word 'enable' or similar words.

The contactless enable button 102 may include at least one contactless sensor. For example, the contactless enable button 102 may include a plurality of contactless sensors. The contactless sensor may be any sensor capable of detecting a user input for selecting the contactless enable button 102 without the user touching the contactless enable button 102. Suitable non-contact sensors may include, for example, proximity sensors, infrared sensors, inductive sensors, capacitive sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and/or photoelectric sensors.

The contactless enable button 102 can use a contactless sensor to detect a user input for selecting the contactless enable button 102. In this regard, the contactless enable button 102 may use a contactless sensor to detect a user input for selecting the contactless enable button 102 by detecting that a user brings a portion of their body (e.g., a hand) in proximity to the contactless enable button 102. For example, the contactless enable button 102 may detect a user input for selecting the contactless enable button 102 when the user is detected to have his hand within a predetermined distance of the contactless enable button 102. The predetermined distance may be a distance of 1 cm to 5 cm from the contactless activation button 102.

The user input for selecting the contactless enable button 102 may comprise a gesture of the user. For example, the user may hold their hand in front of the contactless enable button 102 for a predetermined period of time (e.g., for at least 0.5 seconds) to select the contactless enable button 102. In another illustrative example, the user may cover and reveal the contactless enable button 102 by placing their hand near the contactless enable button 102 and then removing their hand.

The confirmation button 205 may be used together with the contactless enable button 102 and the contactless cancel button 103 such that the user first needs to select the enable button 102 in order to select the contactless button 101, 201 corresponding to the desired floor and then presses the contactless confirmation button 205 in order to confirm the selection. In this example, the controller 110 does not send instructions for operating the elevator unless the ok button 205 has been selected. In an alternative example, the contactless enable button 102 and the contactless cancel button 103 are not required, and, instead, the contactless confirm button 205 is used to confirm selection of the contactless button. Thus, in this example, the contactless buttons 101, 201 are always in an active mode, however, the controller 110 does not send an instruction corresponding to the selected contactless button to the elevator until the contactless confirm button 205 has been selected. In yet another example, the electronic device includes the contactless confirm button 205 and the contactless cancel button 103, but does not include the contactless enable button 102. Similarly, in this example, the contactless buttons 101, 201 are also always in the active mode, however, the controller 110 does not send an instruction corresponding to the selected contactless button to the elevator until the contactless confirm button 205 has been selected.

FIG. 4 depicts an example of the operation of the controller 110 of the electronic device 100, wherein the electronic device 100 includes the contactless enable button 102. At a first time, the electronic device may be configured to be in an active mode or an inactive mode. If the electronic device 100 is initially configured in the inactive mode, the contactless enable button 102 may detect a first user input for selecting the contactless enable button 102. The controller 110 receives an enable signal corresponding to a first user input for selecting the contactless enable button 102 (operation 401). The controller 110 may then switch the contactless button 101 from the inactive mode to the active mode based on receiving the enable signal (operation 402).

The touchless buttons 101, now in the active mode, can detect a first user input for selecting one of the touchless buttons 101. In response to the first user input for selecting the non-contact button 101, the controller 110 receives a first signal (e.g., from a sensor of the non-contact button 101) corresponding to the selected non-contact button 101 and determines an instruction for controlling the operation of the elevator corresponding to the selected non-contact button 101 (operation 403). The controller 110 may then communicate the determined command to the elevator.

Alternatively, the contactless-activation button 102 may detect a second user input for selecting the contactless-activation button 102 and transmit a deactivation signal to the controller 110, i.e., the controller 110 receives a deactivation signal corresponding to the second user input for selecting the activation button 102 (operation 404). Then, in response to receiving the deactivation signal, the controller 110 may transmit an instruction to the elevator and switch the contactless button 101 from the active mode to the inactive mode (operation 405).

The electronic device 200 may further comprise a contactless cancel button 103, the contactless cancel button 103 being configured to receive a user input for selecting said contactless cancel button 103. In response to receiving a user input to select the contactless cancel button 103, the contactless cancel button 103 may send a cancel signal to the controller 110, and in response, the controller 110 is configured not to send an instruction to the elevator. Alternatively, when the controller 110 receives a cancel signal, the controller 110 may transmit a cancel command to the elevator instructing the elevator to stop executing the last received or currently executed command.

If the electronic device includes a contactless validation button 205, the operation of the electronic device will be similar to the operation of the electronic device described with reference to FIG. 4 in that the enable button 102 detects a first user input for selecting the contactless enable button 102 and sends an enable signal to the controller 110. The controller 110 receives an enable signal corresponding to a first user input for selecting the contactless enable button 102, and switches the contactless button 101 from the inactive mode to the active mode. Then, the controller 110 may receive a signal corresponding to a user input for selecting the contactless button 201. Based on the signal, the controller 110 determines a first command for controlling the elevator corresponding to the received signal. However, only once the controller 110 also receives a signal or information that the contactless confirm button 205 has been selected by the user, the controller 110 continues to transmit the determined first instruction for controlling the elevator to the elevator or to the control unit of the elevator.

Fig. 5 depicts an exemplary method 500 performed by the electronic device 100. The method comprises the following steps:

the at least one non-contact button 101 detects a user input for selecting the at least one non-contact button 101 and transmits a detection signal to the controller 110 (step 501).

The controller 110 receives the detection signal and, in response, determines an instruction for controlling operation of the elevator based on the detection signal and transmits the instruction to the elevator (step 502). That is, a command for controlling the lifter corresponding to the selected at least one non-contact button 101 and the corresponding detection signal is determined. The instructions may be used to instruct the elevator to travel to the floor corresponding to the selected at least one contactless button 101, or to close or open the door of the elevator. However, in an alternative example, the instructions are for calling the elevator to a particular floor where the user is waiting to ride on the elevator.

In one example, the at least one contactless button 101 is configured to be in an inactive mode or an active mode, wherein in the inactive mode the at least one contactless button 101 is configured to not detect a user input for selecting the at least one contactless button 101, and wherein in the active mode the at least one contactless button 101 is configured to detect a user input for selecting the at least one contactless button 101.

The method may then further include detecting a user input by the enable button 102, the enable button 102 sending an enable signal to the controller 110. When the controller 110 receives the enable signal, the method includes the controller 110 switching the at least one contactless button 101 from the inactive mode to the active mode in response to receiving the enable signal, such that the at least one contactless button 101 can detect a user input for selecting the at least one contactless button 101.

The method may further include the controller 110 receiving a deactivation signal corresponding to a second user input for selecting the activation button 102, and the controller 110 causing the at least one contactless button 102 to switch from the active mode to the inactive mode in response to receiving the deactivation signal.

In an alternative example, the method includes switching the at least one contactless button 101 from the active mode to the inactive mode in response to expiration of the predetermined period of time.

In one example, the method includes the controller 110 transmitting an instruction after switching the at least one contactless button 101 from the active mode to the inactive mode.

In another example, a method comprises: the controller 110 transmits the instruction to the elevator if a single user input is detected within a predetermined period of time, and the controller 110 does not transmit the instruction to the elevator if at least two user inputs are detected within the predetermined period of time.

In another example, a method comprises: once the controller 110 has received a signal from the contactless validation button 205, the controller 110 transmits a command to the elevator. Thus, unless the controller 110 receives a signal from the contactless validation button 205, the controller 110 does not send an instruction to the elevator (the signal from the contactless validation button 205 is generated when the contactless validation button 205 detects a user input).

In another example, the electronic device 100 further includes a contactless cancel button 103, and then the method may include: a user input for selecting the cancel button 103 is detected, and the controller 110 receives a cancel signal corresponding to the selected non-contact cancel button 103, and in response, the controller 110 does not transmit an instruction to the elevator.

Additionally, the method of any example may be implemented as a computer program for controlling operation of an elevator. For example, the computer program includes instructions that, when executed on the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to detect a user input for selecting the at least one non-contact button, determine instructions for controlling operation of the lift based on the detected instructions, and transmit the instructions to the lift. Fig. 6 shows a first example of an electronic device 600, which electronic device 600 may perform the method of the invention, e.g. upon receiving suitable instructions from a computer program. Referring to fig. 6, an electronic device 600 includes a processor 620 and a memory 630. The memory 630 includes instructions executable by the processor 620 such that the electronic device 600 is operable to perform the methods described herein.

In another example, a computer program product is provided, comprising a computer readable medium and a computer program as described above stored on the computer readable medium.

Fig. 7 depicts a component diagram of an exemplary electronic device 700.

The electronic device 700 may be located within a car of an elevator. The car of the elevator is a platform or compartment configured to move a user of the elevator between floors of the building. For example, an elevator car may be referred to as an elevator cab, an elevator cage, or an elevator car. The elevator includes mechanical components that move the elevator car between floors of the building. The elevator car can move between floors in an enclosed space called a shaft or hoistway. The shaft may be located within the building or on the outside of the building. Alternatively, the electronic device 700 may be located outside of the elevator car, for example, on each floor of a building where the elevator is located, and adjacent to the doors of the elevator. The doors of the elevator are opened to allow the user to access the elevator car from the building floor where the user is located. Alternatively, the electronic device 700 may be located only on the floor of the building.

The electronic device 700 includes a controller 710 and a contactless button 701 configured according to any of the examples mentioned above. The electronic device 700 may further include a processor 720, a memory 730, a power supply 740, and a transmission unit 750. The electronic device 700 may further include a contactless enable button 702, a contactless cancel button 703, and a display 704. The contactless enable button 702 and the contactless cancel button 703 may be configured according to any of the examples described above.

The controller 710 and the processor 720 may be the same component or separate components and may provide the same functionality. The controller 710 and the processor 720 may be configured according to any of the examples of controllers described with reference to any of fig. 1-6.

The memory 720 may store instructions for controlling the operation of the elevator corresponding to the contactless buttons 701.

The display 704 may display a number, word, or letter corresponding to the selected contactless button 701. For example, if the user selects the non-contact button 701 corresponding to the 4 th layer, the display 704 may display the number "4" or the word "fourth layer". In another example, the display 704 may display the current floor of the elevator. For example, if the elevator is at the bottom floor, the display 704 may display the letter "G", the word "bottom floor", or the number "0".

The transfer unit 750 may be configured to transfer instructions to the elevator. However, in another example, this may be performed by the controller 710. The transfer unit 750 may be further configured to receive transfers or instructions from other devices (e.g., a user device or an elevator).

In another example, not shown, a lift is provided comprising an electronic device according to any of the examples described above with reference to fig. 1 to 7.

It will be appreciated that embodiments of the invention may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Any such software may be stored in the form of volatile or non-volatile memory devices (such as, for example, memory devices such as ROM, whether erasable or rewritable or not), or in the form of memory such as, for example, RAM, memory chips, devices or integrated circuits, or on optically or magnetically readable media such as, for example, CDs, DVDs, magnetic disks or tapes. It will be appreciated that the storage means and storage medium are embodiments of machine-readable storage devices suitable for storing programs which, when executed, implement embodiments of the present invention. Accordingly, embodiments provide a program comprising code for implementing a system or method according to any preceding claim and a machine readable storage device storing such a program. Still further, embodiments of the present invention may be conveyed electronically via any medium, such as a communication signal transmitted over a wired or wireless connection, and embodiments suitably encompass such medium.

Features, integers, characteristics, compounds, chemical groups or groups described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment or example of the invention are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described herein unless incompatible therewith. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive. The invention is not restricted to the details of any of the foregoing examples. The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.