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US 6,161,655 AGranted
Non-contact elevator call button
AssigneeOtis Elevator Company
InventorsXavier Lejon, Gerard Sirigu, Christophe Durand
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An elevator call button transmits infrared radiation into the space adjacent an elevator, and a call request is recognized by infrared radiation reflected from a potential passenger to an infrared receiver. Thus not only is contact with the button not required, the use of a finger or like-sized object is not required in order to place a call.
Claims6
An elevator call button apparatus for an elevator having a hatchway opening into an elevator corridor, said elevator serving a plurality of floors of a building, comprising:
- a plurality of elevator call buttons, there being an up-direction call button on each floor served by said elevator except the highest such floor, and a down call button on each floor served by said elevator except the lowest such floor;
- each of said buttons comprising:
- an electromagnetic transmitter disposed in a surface adjacent the elevator corridor for transmitting electromagnetic radiation into the space of the elevator corridor;
- an electromagnetic receiver disposed in said surface in the vicinity of said transmitter, thereby to receive electromagnetic radiation of said transmitter reflected by a passenger placed in proximity with said elevator call button;
- and
- circuitry responsive to said electromagnetic receiver for providing an elevator call request signal, in a direction corresponding to said button, in response to said receiver receiving electromagnetic radiation reflected from a passenger.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.