IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,509,324
Granted Patent B2
US 12,509,324 · App. 17/490,497 · Granted Dec 30, 2025

Auto range process for elevator wireless node

Inventors: Peter Depaola (Glastonbury, CT); Wade A. Montague (Southington, CT); Dennis Hanvey (Leonardo, NJ)
Assignee: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
B66B1/3461B66B1/30B66B11/001H04B17/318
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,509,324
App. No.
17/490,497
Filed
Sep 30, 2021
Granted
Dec 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2846
USPC
187/247
Abstract

A method of calibrating a beacon for an elevator call system including: determining when a calibrator mobile device is located at a desired distance away from the beacon on a specific landing, the beacon being associated with one or more specific elevator systems at a specific elevator bank on the specific landing; detecting a wireless signal emitted by the beacon using a communication device of the calibrator mobile device when the calibrator mobile device is located at the desired distance; and establishing the desired distance as a selected range of the beacon for locating a passenger device for an elevator call received from the passenger device. The elevator call system is configured to assign future elevator calls received from the passenger mobile device detected to be within the selected range of the beacon to the one or more specific elevator systems at the specific elevator bank on the specific landing.

Claims (64)

1 . A method of calibrating a beacon for an elevator call system, the method comprising:

determining when a calibrator mobile device is located at a desired distance away from the beacon on a specific landing, the beacon being associated with one or more specific elevator systems at a specific elevator bank on the specific landing;

detecting a wireless signal emitted by the beacon using a communication device of the calibrator mobile device when the calibrator mobile device is located at the desired distance; and

establishing the desired distance as a selected range of the beacon for locating a passenger device for an elevator call received from the passenger device,

wherein the elevator call system is configured to assign future elevator calls received from the passenger mobile device detected to be within the selected range of the beacon to the one or more specific elevator systems at the specific elevator bank on the specific landing.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein prior to determining when the calibrator mobile device is located at the desired distance away from the beacon on the specific landing, the method further comprise:

instructing a calibrator to place the calibrator mobile device at the desired distance away from the beacon.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the establishing the desired distance as the selected range of the beacon for locating the passenger device for the elevator call received from the passenger device further comprises:

adjusting a power of the wireless signal emitted by the beacon such that:

the wireless signal is configured to not travel beyond the desired distance: or

the wireless signal will be undetectable beyond the desired distance.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the establishing the desired distance as the selected range of the beacon for locating the passenger device for the elevator call received from the passenger device further comprises:

detecting, using the communication device of the calibrator mobile device, a received signal strength indicator of the wireless signal emitted by the beacon; and

establishing that the received signal strength indicator detected by the communication device at the desired distance as being a minimum received signal strength indicator for the beacon and any future received signal strength indicator from the beacon that is detected to be less than the minimum received signal strength indicator is to be ignored when assigning future elevator calls.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting an elevator call from an elevator call application on the passenger mobile device;

detecting the wireless signal emitted by the beacon using a communication device of the passenger mobile device; and

assigning the elevator call to the one or more specific elevator systems.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

moving an elevator car of the one or more specific elevator systems at the specific elevator bank to the specific landing to pick-up a passenger in possession of the passenger mobile device.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

placing the calibrator mobile device at the desired distance away from the beacon on the specific landing.

8 . A beacon calibration system for calibrating a beacon of an elevator call system, the beacon calibration system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

determining when a calibrator mobile device is located at a desired distance away from the beacon on a specific landing, the beacon being associated with one or more specific elevator systems at a specific elevator bank on the specific landing;

detecting a wireless signal emitted by the beacon using a communication device of the calibrator mobile device when the calibrator mobile device is located at the desired distance; and

establishing the desired distance as a selected range of the beacon for locating a passenger device for an elevator call received from the passenger device,

wherein an elevator call system is configured to assign future elevator calls received from the passenger mobile device detected to be within the selected range of the beacon to the one or more specific elevator systems at the specific elevator bank on the specific landing.

9 . The beacon calibration system of claim 8 , wherein prior to determining when the calibrator mobile device is located at the desired distance away from the beacon on the specific landing, the operations further comprise:

instructing a calibrator to place the calibrator mobile device at the desired distance away from the beacon.

10 . The beacon calibration system of claim 8 , wherein the establishing the desired distance as the selected range of the beacon for locating the passenger device for the elevator call received from the passenger device further comprises:

adjusting a power of the wireless signal emitted by the beacon such that:

the wireless signal is configured to not travel beyond the desired distance: or

the wireless signal will be undetectable beyond the desired distance.

11 . The beacon calibration system of claim 8 , wherein the establishing the desired distance as the selected range of the beacon for locating the passenger device for the elevator call received from the passenger device further comprises:

detecting, using the communication device of the calibrator mobile device, a received signal strength indicator of the wireless signal emitted by the beacon; and

establishing that the received signal strength indicator detected by the communication device at the desired distance as being a minimum received signal strength indicator for the beacon and any future received signal strength indicator from the beacon that is detected to be less than the minimum received signal strength indicator is to be ignored when assigning future elevator calls.

12 . The beacon calibration system of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting an elevator call from an elevator call application on the passenger mobile device;

detecting the wireless signal emitted by the beacon using a communication device of the passenger mobile device; and

assigning the elevator call to the one or more specific elevator systems.

13 . The beacon calibration system of claim 12 , wherein the operations further comprise:

moving an elevator car of the one or more specific elevator systems at the specific elevator bank to the specific landing to pick-up a passenger in possession of the passenger mobile device.

14 . A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining when a calibrator mobile device is located at a desired distance away from a beacon on a specific landing, the beacon being associated with one or more specific elevator systems at a specific elevator bank on the specific landing;

detecting a wireless signal emitted by the beacon using a communication device of the calibrator mobile device when the calibrator mobile device is located at the desired distance; and

establishing the desired distance as a selected range of the beacon for locating a passenger device for an elevator call received from the passenger device,

wherein an elevator call system is configured to assign future elevator calls received from the passenger mobile device detected to be within the selected range of the beacon to the one or more specific elevator systems at the specific elevator bank on the specific landing.

15 . The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein prior to determining when the calibrator mobile device is located at the desired distance away from the beacon on the specific landing, the operations further comprise:

instructing a calibrator to place the calibrator mobile device at the desired distance away from the beacon.

16 . The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the establishing the desired distance as the selected range of the beacon for locating the passenger device for the elevator call received from the passenger device further comprises:

adjusting a power of the wireless signal emitted by the beacon such that:

the wireless signal is configured to not travel beyond the desired distance; or

the wireless signal will be undetectable beyond the desired distance.

17 . The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the establishing the desired distance as the selected range of the beacon for locating the passenger device for the elevator call received from the passenger device further comprises:

detecting, using the communication device of the calibrator mobile device, a received signal strength indicator of the wireless signal emitted by the beacon; and

establishing that the received signal strength indicator detected by the communication device at the desired distance as being a minimum received signal strength indicator for the beacon and any future received signal strength indicator from the beacon that is detected to be less than the minimum received signal strength indicator is to be ignored when assigning future elevator calls.

18 . The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting an elevator call from an elevator call application on the passenger mobile device;

detecting the wireless signal emitted by the beacon using a communication device of the passenger mobile device; and

assigning the elevator call to the one or more specific elevator systems.

19 . The computer program product of claim 18 , wherein the operations further comprise:

moving an elevator car of the one or more specific elevator systems at the specific elevator bank to the specific landing to pick-up a passenger in possession of the passenger mobile device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 3, 2022
From: DEPAOLA, PETER; MONTAGUE, WADE A.; HANVEY, DENNIS
To: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY
Reel/Frame 058527/0656 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230108212A1 · Apr 6, 2023
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