A prior-art system is described in patent specifica- tion US 5832363 (H04B 7/26). The patent discloses a mobile communication system comprising service manage- ment of traffic machine apparatus. The mobile radio system described in the aforesaid specification com- prises management of the operation of traffic ma- chines, mobile radio terminals of traffic machines and users of mobile communication, at least one traffic machine for transportation of the aforesaid user, an operation management element for controlling the op- eration of traffic machines and a radio line manage- ment element for the control of the radio lines used by the aforesaid mobile radio terminals.

This solution does not comprise the possibility of a potential user of a mobile station and traffic machine receiving, after a wireless service call sent to the traffic machines, a message on his/her own mobile ra- dio terminal informing the aforesaid user of the traf- fic machines and mobile communication services as to which traffic machine he/she should preferably use in order for the utilization of the above-mentioned traf- fic machines to be optimized.

The object of the invention is to eliminate the draw- backs encountered in the above-mentioned prior-art systems.

A passenger using the passenger transportation system of the invention sends to the control unit of the pas- senger transportation system control messages compris- ing service requests reserving transportation devices, said messages being transmitted by a wireless tech- nique via the user's mobile electronic communication device so that the aforesaid control messages with the service requests are transmitted via a communication link to the control unit of the passenger transporta- tion system.

A specific object of the invention is a system whereby the control unit of the passenger transportation sys- tem sends back via the communication link to the pas- senger's mobile electronic communication device a con- trol message indicating which transport device the passenger should preferably use.

An embodiment of the passenger transportation system of the invention is associated with elevator systems.

In more precise terms, the method of the invention for the control of passenger transportation is character- ized by what is presented in the characterization part of claim 1. The passenger transportation system of the invention is characterized by what is presented in the characterization part of claim 4. The features charac- teristic of certain other preferred embodiments of the invention are presented in the sub-claims.

As compared with prior art, the solution of the inven- tion provides a number of significant advantages.

The passenger's waiting time is minimized as he knows his route beforehand. Similarly, the degree of utili- zation of the passenger transportation system is raised as the control unit of the passenger transpor- tation system is able to optimize the operation of the transportation means comprised in the system. When the aforesaid passenger transportation system is an eleva- tor system and the transportation means are the eleva- tors, especially in the case of large buildings having several elevators, a special advantage is achieved for the passenger using the elevator as his waiting time is minimized and he knows in advance which elevator he should use. On the other hand, in the case of passen- ger transportation systems differing from each other in respect of extent of service area and operating principles, the present invention can be used to opti- mize correct timing and use of the services of these passenger transportation systems relative to each other so as to minimize the passenger's travelling time.

In the following, the invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein Fig. 1 presents a passenger transportation system ac- cording to the best embodiment of the invention Fig. 2 presents a second embodiment of the invention, wherein a number of different passenger transportation systems are controlled Fig. 3 presents a basic implementation of a wireless and portable electronic communication device used in the passenger transportation system of the invention

Fig. 4 presents a second embodiment of the portable electronic communication device used in the passenger transportation system of the invention.

Fig. 1 represents a passenger transportation system 1 according to the best embodiment of the invention, comprising a plurality of individual transport devices 2. In addition, this passenger transportation system 1 comprises a control unit 7 controlling the operation of the aforesaid transport devices 2.

The aforesaid control unit 7 of the passenger trans- portation system 1 is connected to a communication link 6, through which it is possible in this case for the passenger 3, using a portable electronic communi- cation device 4 he is carrying with him, to wirelessly send control messages 5 containing service requests addressed to the passenger transportation system 1 comprising several transport devices 2 to the control unit 7 of the passenger transportation system 1. The aforesaid communication link 6 is wirelessly connected to the passenger's 3 portable electronic communication device 4, and in addition the aforesaid communication link 6 communicates with the control unit 7 of the passenger transportation system 1 either via a wired connection and/or a wireless connection. The wireless connection of the aforesaid communication link 6 to the portable electronic communication device 4 is based on the utilization of electromagnetic waves without being in any way limited specifically to a given wavelength range. As an application example on which the communication between the communication link 6 and the portable electronic communication device 4 is based, let us consider radio waves, in which case the above-mentioned communication link can be called e. g. a repeater station or radio link or base station, such as those used in mobile telephone systems.

Such wireless transmission of the passenger's 3 serv- ice requests to the control unit 7 of the passenger transportation system 1 by using control messages 5 is possible because the passenger 3 is using a portable electronic communication device 4. In addition to the aforesaid service requests reserving transport devices 2, the aforesaid control messages 5 comprise other in- formation as well.

The aforesaid control unit 7 of the passenger trans- portation system 1 sends back via the communication link 6 to the passenger's 3 portable electronic commu- nication device 4 a control message 5 indicating which transport device 2 the aforesaid passenger 3 should preferably use. In this case, too, the control message 5 received by the passenger 3 may contain other infor- mation in addition to the aforesaid information re- garding the preferable transport device.

Thus, the system of the invention involves two-way communication between the passenger and the control unit 7 of the passenger transportation system 1 via the communication link 6, with the passenger 3 signal- ling his destination to the control unit 7 of the pas- senger transportation system 1, from which the passen- ger 3 receives a message indicating which transport device 2 he should preferably use so that the time that the passenger 3 has to wait for the transport de- vice 2 is minimized and the utilization of the trans- port device 2 is optimized in the aforesaid passenger transportation system 1. This optimization of the utilization of the transport devices 2 takes place in the control unit 7 of the passenger transportation system 1.

In an embodiment of the invention, the passenger transportation system 1 described in the case illus- trated in Fig. 1 is an elevator system. As this afore- said passenger transportation system 1 is an elevator system, it consists of a plurality of transport de- vices consisting of elevators 2. In the case of an elevator system, the aforesaid control unit 7 of the passenger transportation system 1 is called group con- trol system in elevator systems.

Fig. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of the inven- tion, in which a number of passenger transportation systems 11,12,13,14,15,16 of different types serving the passenger's 3 needs are controlled simul- taneously. These passenger transportation systems 11, 12,13,14,15,16 may be e. g. escalator systems, ele- vator systems, train systems, taxi systems, bus sys- tems and airplane systems, and so on. As stated, these passenger transportation systems 11,12,13,14,15, 16 differ from each other in respect of their type of service area and operating principles. In other words, there are several passenger transportation systems 11, 12,13,14,15,16 differing from each other in re- spect of the extent of their service areas and operat- ing principles, the operation of which can be opti- mized relative to each other, thus allowing timely op- eration of the aforesaid passenger transportation sys- tems 11,12,13,14,15,16 and permitting the passen- ger's 3 travelling needs to be taken into account e. g. so that at the same time the travelling time needed by the aforesaid passenger 3 can thus also be minimized.

These passenger transportation systems 11,12,13,14, 15,16 are controlled by means of a common passenger transportation system control unit 10, to which the passenger 3 sends control messages 8 comprising serv- ice requests via a communication link 9 using a port-

able electronic communication device 4. These afore- said service requests are intended for different pas- senger transportation systems 11,12,13,14,15,16.

The connection of the aforesaid communication link 9 to the portable electronic communication device 4 is based on the utilization of electromagnetic waves without being in any way specifically limited to a given wavelength range. For instance, such a communi- cation link 9 could consist of a base station com- prised in mobile telephone systems and communicating with the control unit 10 of the passenger transporta- tion systems 11,12,13,14,15,16 which controls different passenger transportation systems 11,12,13, 14,15,16 and which could be connected e. g. in con- junction with a mobile telephone switching center. In this case, by way of example, the communication be- tween the portable electronic communication device 4 and the communication link 9 would be radio communica- tion.

In large buildings, a so-called meta-group control system is used to control a plurality of elevators lo- cated in different parts of the building. In this case, the aforesaid control unit 10 of the passenger transportation system would correspond to this so- called meta-group control, and the aforesaid passenger transportation systems 11,12,13,14,15,16 would correspond to separate elevator groups in different parts of the building.

The control units 7,10 of the passenger transporta- tion systems 1,11,12,13,14,15,16 presented in Fig. 1 and 2 are not necessarily based on the same technical operating principle, neither are the control messages 5 and 8 shown in said figures based on the same principles, which should be obvious to the person skilled in the art. For instance, the control messages

5 and 8 may differ from each other e. g. in respect of their frequency range.

Fig. 3 illustrates a basic embodiment of the portable electronic communication device 4 used in the passen- ger transportation system of the invention. The pas- senger 3 must at least have such a device 4 at his disposal to send control messages 5,8 containing service requests reserving transport devices 2 by wireless communication 22 to the control unit 7,10 of the passenger transportation system 1 over a communi- cation link 6,9. The aforesaid portable electronic communication device 4 comprises a user interface con- sisting of a display 18 for showing messages to the passenger 3 and a keypad 17 that the passenger 3 can use to type messages to be sent forward over the com- munication link 6,9 as control messages 5,8 to the control unit 7,10 of the passenger transportation system. The portable electronic communication device 4 presented in Fig. 3 additionally comprises a means 19 for establishing a wireless connection to the afore- said communication link 6,9 by emitting electromag- netic radiation of a given wavelength.

Fig. 4 presents a second embodiment of the portable electronic communication device 4, comprising a micro- phone 20 that the passenger 3 can use to speak mes- sages to be sent further over the communication link 6,9 to the control unit 7,10 of the passenger trans- portation system. In this embodiment, it is also pos- sible to utilize speech recognition to produce the above-mentioned control messages 5,8. Moreover, the passenger 3 may receive messages via a loudspeaker 21 in addition to visual messages received via the dis- play 18. In other words, the aforesaid passenger 3 can receive messages from his portable electronic communi- cation device 4 audiovisually either via the loud-

speaker 21 and/or via the display 18 and input mes- sages to the aforesaid portable electronic communica- tion device 4 using either the keypad 17 and/or the microphone 20.

The passenger's 3 portable electronic communication device 4 presented in Fig. 3 and in Fig. 4 for commu- nicating with the control unit 7,10 of the passenger transportation system 1 via a communication link 6,9 has been designed to be used only in a given passenger transportation system 1 or in given passenger trans- portation systems 11,12,13,14,15,16. In this case, the aforesaid wireless communication 22 from the portable electronic communication device 4 with the communication link 6,9 takes place independently of the frequency of the electromagnetic radiation. The frequency of the electromagnetic radiation used in the wireless communication can be selected separately for each passenger transportation system 1,11,12,13, 14,15,16. The aforesaid portable electronic communi- cation device 4 of the passenger 3 may also consist of either a mobile telephone or a pager or a so-called bluetooth device with a wireless and/or wired connec- tion to an actual mobile telephone. The aforesaid portable electronic communication device 4 may also be a device based on an inductive link.

In addition, in the case of a mobile telephone, the aforesaid portable electronic communication device 4 may be connected to various radio systems, which may be GSM, UMTS or GPRS radio systems. If the aforesaid wireless communication is implemented by utilizing ra- dio waves, then the means 19 presented in Fig. 3 and 4 is an antenna, which produces the radiation needed for the wireless connection 22 and used for radio communi- cation.

In the foregoing, the invention has been described by way of example with reference to the attached drawings while different embodiments of the invention are pos- sible within the inventive idea defined in the claims.