JPH0223474B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Claim 1: In a passenger transport elevator room in which a control panel is mounted on a wall, the control panel is provided with a plurality of control buttons that are arranged at a first distance above the floor of the elevator room. a first surface oriented upwardly at a first angle relative to a wall of the elevator room; and a display device vertically above the first surface and a second distance above the floor. a second surface oriented downwardly at a second angle relative to a wall of the elevator room, the first distance being such that most of the buttons on the first surface said first angle is selected to be substantially at eye level for a first group of passengers standing within arm's reach of said control panel; and the second distance is such that the viewing angle of the second group of passengers is directed toward the first surface, and the second distance is such that the display device is above eye level of the passengers of both groups. and the second angle is such that the viewing angles of the passengers in both groups are directed upward with respect to the display device.

2. The elevator cab of claim 1, wherein the first distance is about 85 cm, the first and second angles are about 14 degrees, and the second distance is about 205 cm.

3. The elevator of claim 2, wherein said control buttons are arranged in rows extending horizontally across said first surface, the lowest row of buttons being about 90 cm above the floor of the elevator room. Room.

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to elevator systems, and in particular to elevator cabin equipment such as control buttons, control panels and displays and their arrangement in the elevator cabin.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As is well known, a typical elevator room system of the prior art consists of a control panel, which is essentially a flat array of control buttons fixed to a wall of the elevator room; The door of the elevator room, usually located on some wall of the elevator room visible to the majority of passengers and often located on or above the control panel, presumably indicating its direction of operation, i.e. up/down; and some type of display device, which may be placed on top of the screen. The main criteria for deciding where to place these devices in the elevator room are the ease of operation of the control panel buttons and the visibility of the display. In particular, control buttons must be within reach of passengers, and displays must be placed high enough so that they are easily visible to all passengers without being obstructed by other passengers. .

However, this typical device is usually arranged for normal passengers, ie normal standing passengers of average height, and is not easily accessible by children or disabled persons, especially those in wheelchairs. These devices are often very difficult to operate for some passengers who have limited range and whose line of sight is easily interrupted by other passengers. As such, this typical device and its location in the elevator room is very inconvenient for certain types of passengers who may also use the elevator, and therefore these devices are not suitable for such passengers. There are calls for making it more convenient. However, whatever solution is adopted, no passenger should be inconvenienced, and these devices should be suitable for children and persons in wheelchairs of average height and reach. It must be equally convenient for the average standing person.

In order to unify the requirements to alleviate some of these problems, “Minimum Elevator Requirements for the Disabled” was proposed and the National Elevator
Published by lndustry Association.
In most cases, the basic equipment dimensions suggested are that the bottom row of control buttons on the control panel must be at a height of no more than 35" (87.5 cm) above the floor, and the top row of keys must be above the floor. It must be 54" (135cm) or less. Although the dimensions of the lower part of the device are satisfactory for a disabled person in a wheelchair, they are actually too low for a normal standing passenger, especially when the elevator car is crowded. It becomes difficult to see or touch the buttons. Although no standards have been proposed for display devices, these should naturally be aimed at solving the above problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an elevator interior system, control panel and display, which is easy to use for both disabled and normal standing passengers.

According to a first feature of the invention, the main control buttons for selecting landing and controlling door operation are conveniently accessible even for passengers below a certain set height range for normal standing passengers. Placed on the floor so that it can be reached. Some rows of buttons within this low-lying position are raised upward at a strategic angle based on the distance of the buttons from the floor so that they are visible to and accessible to normal standing passengers. directed towards.

According to another feature of the invention, the display device is located above the floor and above the buttons and is easily visible not only to normal standing passengers, but also to passengers below average height, i.e. passengers in wheelchairs. The display is positioned for easy viewing and oriented downwardly at an angle based on the expected height for these passengers and the location of the display on the floor.

Therefore, the present invention allows all passengers to see and operate the control buttons, without making them convenient only for a particular passenger, and the display of the location and operation of the car is visible to all passengers. To provide a composite device, that is, an integrated device, which is characterized by easy visibility.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of an elevator room including a conventional control panel, showing the viewing angles of typical adult passengers and child passengers in the room.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the field of view of a typical passenger in a wheelchair; FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the viewing angle of a passenger in a wheelchair; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a control panel according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a child 10 and an adult 12 standing in an elevator room (partially shown) with a wall 1 of the room
5 is shown looking at a conventional, typical flat control panel 14 mounted on a. Control panel 14
includes a plurality of buttons arranged along its length, and includes a display in the upper control panel 14A. However, these buttons and display devices are not shown because they are well known. Dotted lines A, B, C and D are each passenger's line of sight with respect to both ends 14A and 14B of the control panel 14. This control panel is located lower than other control panels that are (mostly) located for adults only, i.e. it is convenient (easier to see and reach) for both adults and children. Assume that they are arranged as follows. Therefore, the distance along the adult's line of sight A is not the same as the distance along the line of sight B, and the viewing angle 16 becomes narrower at the lower end 14B of the control panel, making it difficult for the adult to see and reach this lower end. . In the case of the child 10, on the contrary, the upper end 14 of the control panel
While the viewing angle 17 with respect to A becomes narrower, the viewing angle with respect to the lower end 14B of the control panel becomes deeper, so that the lower part of the control panel is easier to operate, but the upper part of the control panel is harder to see.

Figure 2 shows the lines of sight E and F of a passenger 20 seated in a wheelchair, with whom the same problem arises as with a child: the top edge of the control panel is difficult to see, but the bottom edge of the control panel is easy to see and reach. is easy to reach. Figures 1 and 2 show that simply lowering the position of the existing control panel is not a satisfactory solution; Just as many new problems arise, and all passengers are only slightly disadvantaged.

3 and 4 illustrate an integrated elevator cabin system 30, ie, a control panel and display combination, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in perspective view in FIG.
has a lower surface 30A for control buttons including buttons 32, preferably arranged in a row configuration, and an upper surface 30B containing a display 34, e.g. a digital display, for indicating the position of the car and possibly the direction of travel of the car or other information. have. In order to make the display device easier to see, the surface 30B is located on the vertical wall 1 of the elevator room.
5, and in order to make the control buttons easier to see and operate, the underside 30A is at an angle 36 to the wall 15, which of course is at an angle 36 to the floor 18 of the elevator room. Vertical. The lower surface 30A contains the main elevator control buttons 32A, which are the most frequently used buttons and relate to door activation and car emergency functions. A less important and less frequently used button is the flat part 3 in the center of the control panel.
0c, this portion 30c is parallel to the wall X, i.e. it is not inclined to this wall and is therefore substantially perpendicular to the floor of the elevator room.

Figure 3 shows two passengers 10 and 1, similar to Figure 1.
2, and FIG. 4, like FIG. 2, shows a passenger 20. However, unlike in FIGS. 1 and 3, by slanting the surface 30A upward, the viewing angle 16A relative to the bottom of the device is reduced.
(shown with respect to the line of sight G) is the visual angle 1 in the case of Fig. 1
6, which makes it easier for the passenger 12 to see and touch the lower button, without adversely affecting the passenger's 10 viewing angle and button operability. Viewing angle 17A with respect to top surface 30B
(shown with respect to the line of sight H) is also considerably larger than the viewing angle 17 shown in FIG.
The display device is easy to see even from zero. The display device is also made easily visible to the passenger 12 due to the angle 33.

Taking up the suggested requirement that the lowest button be at least 35" (87.5 cm) above the floor, it is convenient for the majority of passengers 10, 12 and 20 expected to use the elevator to operate it. The dimensions were determined experimentally to allow for
The lower edge 30D of the control panel 30 in position D1 must be approximately 34" (85.0 cm) above the floor, and the first row of buttons 32B in position D2 must be approximately 35" to 36" (87.5 to 90.0 cm) above the floor. Must be;
The angle 36 should then be approximately 14° to 15°. For these conditions, the total length of the control panel is such that the upper end 30E of the control panel at position D3 is 8
4" (210cm) and angle 33, as well as angle 36, must be about 14° to 15°. The width of the control panel should be such that the main buttons can fit on the bottom surface 30A of the control panel. However, as mentioned above, the button may be located in the central portion 30C.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.