Patent ID: 7165655

Claim:
Apparatus for detecting obstructions within paths of elevator doors having sills ( 19 , 24 ) and motion of passengers or objects toward the elevator ( 9 ), comprising: means ( 26 ) for illuminating a volume ( 29 ) which includes (a) a portion of said paths, including the door sills, and (b) a portion of a landing ( 13 ) adjacent said elevator, including a landing floor ( 20 ) adjacent to said sills; means ( 26 ) for continuously providing successive video images of said volume; means ( 34 ) for converting each of said video images into a single-dimension numerical vector; a pattern recognizing neural network ( 35 ) capable of providing a door-open signal in response to one or more patterns recognized by said neural network as indicating something moving toward said elevator or as something within one or more of said paths; means for applying each said vector to said neural network; an elevator door controller ( 39 ) for controlling the opening and closing of said doors; and means ( 34 , 38 ) for applying said door open signal to said elevator door controller for controlling the opening and closing of said doors to cause said doors to become or remain open.