Patent ID: 7063189

Claim:
A method of controlling a lift car located in a lift shaft, which serves to define at least two or more stations between which the lift car can be driven and at each of the at least two or more stations the lift car can be caused to stop to enable at least one of a person and an article to one of enter and leave the lift car, the method comprising the steps of: providing the lift car with a scanning device directed outwardly from the lift car; providing an independent scanning extension at each of the at least two or more stations; upon arrival of the lift car at one station of the at least two or more stations equipped with the scanning extension, aligning the scanning device with the scanning extension at the one station in a juxtaposed arrangement to form an operable combination; scanning a predetermined region of the one station by the operable combination to provide an output signal representing a state of the predetermined region indicating whether or not the predetermined region is occupied; and using one of the output signal and a function of the output signal, in an event one of the output signal and the function of the output signal represents a predetermined condition, to regulate subsequent operation of the lift car.