Passenger waiting time determination device and determination method

Abstract

This invention discloses a passenger waiting time determination device, comprising: a first determining unit for determining the number of passengers in the waiting queue and determining a first moment; a second determining unit for determining the number of passengers entering a specific elevator car when a specific elevator arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located, wherein the specific elevator refers to an elevator that arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located after the first moment; an accumulation unit for sequentially accumulating the number of passengers entering each specific elevator according to the arrival order when the specific elevator arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located, and outputting the accumulation result; a third determining unit for determining the moment when the accumulation result changes from being less than the number of waiting passengers to being greater than or equal to the number of waiting passengers for the first time, and determining the moment when the specific elevator corresponding to the last accumulated number of passengers arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located as a second moment; a calculation unit for calculating the time interval between the first moment and the second moment; and an output unit for outputting the time interval as the waiting time of the passenger at the end of the waiting queue at the first moment. This invention can obtain passenger waiting time without being limited by application scope, and at low cost and low computational load.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of elevators, and more specifically to a device and method for determining passenger waiting time. Background Technology

[0002] The waiting time of passengers waiting for elevators is an important indicator for evaluating whether the elevator capacity is sufficient and the efficiency of the elevator group management system. It is also one of the basic information for controlling elevator operation.

[0003] The elevator waiting time estimation device disclosed in Document 1 (CN202180069567.2) includes: a queue start measuring unit that measures the arrival of elevator users at a set location; a ride measuring unit that measures the entry of elevator users into the car; a storage unit that stores the arrival time measured by the queue start measuring unit and the ride time measured by the ride measuring unit; and a waiting time calculation unit that calculates the waiting time required until the elevator user enters the car based on the arrival time and ride time stored in the storage unit. Although this solution can obtain the waiting time of elevator users, it uses the ride time and arrival time of the same elevator user to calculate the waiting time of a specific passenger. Therefore, it requires the use of cameras installed in the waiting hall to track specific passengers, which limits the application scope of the solution and results in a large amount of computation due to the need for image recognition and tracking technology (correspondingly, the required computing processing device is high-end and costly).

[0004] Therefore, how to calculate the waiting time of the elevator at low cost without being limited by the application scope has become a technical problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a passenger waiting time determination device that can calculate the waiting time by load at low cost without being limited by the application scope.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention discloses a passenger waiting time determination device, the passenger waiting time determination device comprising:

[0007] The first determining unit is used to determine the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue and to determine the first moment.

[0008] The second determining unit is used to determine the number of passengers entering the specific elevator car when the specific elevator arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located. The specific elevator refers to the elevator that arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located after the first moment.

[0009] The accumulation unit is used to accumulate the number of passengers entering each specific elevator in the order of arrival when the specific elevator arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located, and output the accumulation result.

[0010] The third determining unit determines the second moment when the accumulated result changes from being less than the number of waiting passengers to being greater than or equal to the number of waiting passengers for the first time.

[0011] The calculation unit is used to calculate the time interval between the first time point and the second time point;

[0012] The output unit takes the time interval as the waiting time of the passenger at the end of the elevator queue at the first moment and outputs it.

[0013] Preferably, the first determining unit takes the moment when the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue is taken as the first moment.

[0014] Preferably, the first determining unit includes a camera and an image processing device. The camera's field of view covers the waiting queue of passengers, and the image processing device processes the image captured by the camera that includes the waiting queue and outputs the number of passengers in the waiting queue.

[0015] Preferably, the first determining unit determines the length of the waiting queue and determines the number of waiting passengers based on the length of the waiting queue and the average distance between two adjacent waiting passengers.

[0016] Preferably, when the waiting queue contains at least two passengers whose location information is available, a second distance between the two passengers is determined based on their location information. Then, the number of waiting passengers between the two passengers is determined using the boarding detection signal when the waiting passengers board the elevator car. Finally, the distance between adjacent waiting passengers is calculated using the second distance and the number of waiting passengers between the two passengers, and this distance between adjacent waiting passengers is used as the average distance. The second distance or the number of waiting passengers between the two passengers is greater than a threshold.

[0017] Preferably, when the floor where the waiting passengers are located is a terminal floor, the second determining unit uses the elevator's rated passenger capacity as the number of passengers boarding; when the floor where the waiting passengers are located is not a terminal floor, the second determining unit uses the boarding detection signal during the period when the specific elevator stops at the floor where the waiting passengers are located to determine the number of passengers boarding the specific elevator car during the stopping period.

[0018] Preferably, the second determining unit predicts a specific elevator that will stop at the floor where the waiting passengers are located based on the elevator operation information, and uses the number of passengers that can be carried in the specific elevator car as the number of passengers that specific elevator will take.

[0019] Preferably, the first determining unit periodically determines the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue according to a preset period.

[0020] Preferably, when no passengers enter a specific elevator car within a preset period, or when no specific elevator stops at the floor where the waiting passengers are located and is in an open state, the preset period ensures that the change in the length of the waiting queue or the corresponding number of waiting passengers when determining the number of waiting passengers in two consecutive periods is less than a threshold; otherwise, the preset period ensures that the sum of the number of waiting passengers corresponding to the change in the length of the waiting queue when determining the number of waiting passengers in two consecutive periods and the number of waiting passengers in the specific elevator car is less than a threshold.

[0021] Preferably, the first determining unit determines the first moment according to the following steps:

[0022] Step S1: Based on the elevator operation information, predict the arrival time of a specific elevator after the current time at the floor where the waiting passengers are located, as well as the number of passengers that can be carried in the car when the specific elevator arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located.

[0023] Step S2: Determine the second elevator based on the arrival time of the first elevator and the number of passengers it can carry, and the number of passengers currently waiting in the elevator queue. The second elevator refers to the first elevator that arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located earliest among all first elevators that meet the first condition. The first condition is that the number of first passengers is greater than or equal to the number of passengers currently waiting in the elevator queue. The number of first passengers refers to the number of passengers that can be carried by all first elevators and second elevators whose arrival time is earlier than the arrival time of the second elevator.

[0024] Step S3: Determine whether the number of the first passenger is equal to the number of passengers waiting in the current elevator queue. If so, determine the time when the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue is determined as the first moment and end the process. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.

[0025] Step S4: Predict the subsequent passenger flow entering the elevator waiting hall to prepare to take the elevator;

[0026] Step S5: Calculate the difference j between the number of the first passenger and the number of passengers currently waiting in the elevator queue;

[0027] Step S6: Based on the passenger flow forecast results, determine the j-th passenger who will enter the elevator waiting hall to take the elevator after the current time;

[0028] Step S7: Determine the time when the j-th passenger arrives at the end of the elevator queue and take it as the first time.

[0029] The present invention also provides a method for determining passenger waiting time for elevators, the method comprising the following steps:

[0030] Step 1: Determine the number of passengers waiting in the current elevator queue, and take the moment when the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue is determined as the first moment;

[0031] Step 2: Predict the arrival time and number of passengers that the first elevator can carry based on the elevator operation information. The first elevator refers to the elevator that will arrive at the floor where the waiting passengers are located after the current time.

[0032] Step 3: Determine the second elevator based on the arrival time of the first elevator and the number of passengers it can carry, and the number of passengers currently waiting in the elevator queue. The second elevator refers to the first elevator that arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located earliest among all first elevators that meet the first condition. The first condition is that the number of first passengers is greater than or equal to the number of passengers currently waiting in the elevator queue. The number of first passengers refers to the number of passengers that can be carried by all first elevators and second elevators whose arrival time is earlier than the arrival time of the second elevator.

[0033] Step 4: Calculate the time interval between the first moment and the arrival time of the second elevator;

[0034] Step 5: Use the time interval as the waiting time for passengers waiting for the elevator.

[0035] Beneficial technical effects

[0036] This application departs from the existing technology that uses the arrival time of a specific passenger to the elevator lobby and the time of boarding the elevator car to determine the passenger waiting time. Instead, it uses the matching relationship between the capacity required by the waiting queue at a certain moment and the time when the actual capacity provided by the elevator reaches the required capacity to determine the passenger waiting time. Since it does not require tracking specific passengers, it overcomes the shortcomings of the existing technology, such as limited application scope, large amount of computation, high requirements for computing processing devices, and high cost. Attached Figure Description

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the passenger waiting time determination device in Example 1. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0039] Example 1

[0040] First, it should be noted that the term "passenger" in this application refers to elevator users, including living passengers in the conventional sense, as well as any individual riding an elevator, such as a robot (autonomous mobile body).

[0041] The passenger waiting time determination device in this embodiment essentially uses the matching relationship between the capacity required by the waiting queue at a certain moment and the actual capacity provided by the elevator to reach the required capacity to determine the passenger waiting time. That is, when the actual capacity provided by the elevator first reaches or exceeds the capacity required by the waiting queue at a certain moment, the passenger at the end of the queue at a certain moment (assuming that the passenger arrived at the waiting hall at a certain moment and came from the end of the queue) can just board the elevator car. Therefore, the time interval between the capacity matching moment and a certain moment is the waiting time of the passenger at the end of the queue.

[0042] Specifically, the passenger waiting time determination device includes:

[0043] The first determining unit is used to determine the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue, and the moment when the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue is determined is taken as the first moment;

[0044] The second determining unit is used to determine the number of passengers entering the specific elevator car when the specific elevator arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located. The specific elevator refers to the elevator that arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located after the first moment.

[0045] The accumulation unit is used to accumulate the number of passengers entering each specific elevator in the order of arrival when the specific elevator arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located, and output the accumulation result.

[0046] The third determining unit determines the second moment when the accumulated result changes from being less than the number of waiting passengers to being greater than or equal to the number of waiting passengers for the first time.

[0047] The calculation unit is used to calculate the time interval between the first time point and the second time point;

[0048] The output unit takes the time interval as the waiting time of the passenger at the end of the elevator queue at the first moment and outputs it.

[0049] The first determination unit monitors passengers entering the elevator waiting hall, and when it detects that a passenger has entered the elevator waiting hall and moved to the end of the elevator waiting line, it determines the number of passengers waiting in the elevator waiting line, and takes the moment when the number of passengers waiting in the elevator waiting line is determined (i.e. the moment when the passenger moves to the end of the elevator waiting line) as the first moment.

[0050] Example 2

[0051] This embodiment further explains the first determining part based on Embodiment 1.

[0052] In this embodiment, the first determining unit includes a camera and an image processing device. The camera's field of view covers the waiting queue of passengers waiting for the elevator. The image processing device processes the image captured by the camera that includes the waiting queue and outputs the number of passengers waiting in the queue.

[0053] Although this embodiment also uses a theoretical floor station camera and image recognition to determine the number of passengers waiting for the elevator, it does not require tracking specific passengers, so its computational load is still much smaller than that of existing technology solutions.

[0054] Example 3

[0055] This embodiment further explains the first determining part based on Embodiment 1.

[0056] In this embodiment, the first determining unit determines the length of the waiting queue and determines the number of waiting passengers based on the length of the waiting queue and the average distance between two adjacent waiting passengers. That is, the length of the waiting queue is divided by the average distance, the quotient is rounded down, and the rounded result is the number of waiting passengers.

[0057] Example 4

[0058] This embodiment, based on implementation 3, further explains how the first determining unit determines the length of the waiting ladder queue.

[0059] When the location information of waiting passengers is available, the first determining unit uses this information to determine the length of the waiting queue. For example, if the waiting passengers are autonomous mobile entities with their own positioning capabilities, such as robots, or passengers carrying mobile devices, these passengers possess the ability to determine their own location. In this case, the first determining unit can utilize this ability to determine the passenger's location information. Specifically, the first determining unit determines a first distance between the waiting passenger and the elevator lobby based on the location information of the passenger at the end of the queue, and uses this first distance as the length of the waiting queue. The first determining unit also determines whether a passenger is at the end of the queue based on changes in their position (based on changes in their movement speed from entering the waiting hall until they reach the end of the queue).

[0060] Example 5

[0061] This embodiment, based on implementation 3, further explains the average distance between two adjacent passengers waiting for the elevator.

[0062] The average distance between two adjacent passengers waiting for the elevator can be a pre-set constant parameter that remains unchanged in later applications, or it can be adjusted according to the actual situation in later applications.

[0063] Example 6

[0064] Based on implementation 1, this embodiment further explains how to adjust the average distance between two adjacent waiting passengers in later applications according to actual conditions.

[0065] The following describes a method for adjusting the average distance between two adjacent passengers waiting for an elevator:

[0066] When there are at least two passengers whose location information is available in the elevator queue, a second distance between them is determined based on the location information of the two passengers. Then, the number of passengers between them is determined by the boarding detection signals (light curtain signal, change signal of weighing value, camera in the elevator car, etc.) when the passengers board the elevator. Finally, the distance between adjacent passengers is calculated by using the second distance and the number of passengers between them, and the distance between adjacent passengers is used as the average distance. The second distance or the number of passengers between them is greater than a threshold.

[0067] Example 7

[0068] This embodiment further explains the method by which the second determining unit determines the number of passengers, based on implementation 1.

[0069] Method 1: When the floor where the waiting passengers are located is the terminal floor, the second determining unit uses the elevator's rated passenger capacity as the number of passengers boarding; when the floor where the waiting passengers are located is not the terminal floor, the second determining unit uses the boarding detection signal (light curtain signal, change signal of weighing value, camera inside the car, etc.) during the specific elevator stop at the floor where the waiting passengers are located to determine the number of passengers boarding the specific elevator car during the stop.

[0070] Method 2: The second determination department uses historical data to determine the number of passengers boarding.

[0071] Method 3: The second determining unit predicts the specific elevator that will stop at the floor where the waiting passengers are located based on the elevator operation information, and uses the number of passengers that can be carried in the specific elevator car as the number of passengers that specific elevator will take.

[0072] Example 8

[0073] Based on implementation 1, this embodiment provides a detailed explanation of the timing for determining the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue by the first determining unit.

[0074] The first type: periodic

[0075] The first determination unit periodically determines the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue according to a preset cycle.

[0076] For a periodicity, at least one of the following conditions must be met:

[0077] Condition 1: When no passengers enter a specific elevator car within a preset period, or when no specific elevator stops at the floor where the waiting passengers are located and is in an open state, the period ensures that the change in the length of the waiting queue or the corresponding number of waiting passengers when determining the number of waiting passengers in two consecutive periods is less than a threshold; otherwise, the preset period ensures that the sum of the number of waiting passengers (positive when the queue is long, negative when it is short) corresponding to the change in the length of the waiting queue when determining the number of waiting passengers in two consecutive periods and the number of waiting passengers in the specific elevator car is less than a threshold.

[0078] Condition 2: The preset period ensures that the ratio of the difference between the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue in two consecutive determinations to the rated passenger capacity of the elevator is less than a threshold.

[0079] The above-mentioned restrictions are all designed to avoid excessively large cycles, so that when waiting times change rapidly, the waiting time determined by the device cannot reflect the rapid changes in actual waiting times in a timely manner.

[0080] When the device obtains and outputs multiple waiting times, it can use the average of multiple waiting times within a certain time range as the result of determining the waiting time within that time period, thus avoiding the possible errors of a single result.

[0081] The second type: non-periodic

[0082] The first determining unit determines the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue and the first moment according to the following steps:

[0083] Step S1: Determine the current time as time k;

[0084] Step S2: At time k, the first determining unit determines the number of passengers waiting for the elevator, m.

[0085] Step S3: Predict the specific elevator that will arrive at the floor where the waiting passengers are located after time k, the number of passengers that can ride the specific elevator, and the arrival time of the specific elevator at the floor where the waiting passengers are located.

[0086] Step S4: Predict the number of passengers entering the elevator lobby after time k to prepare to take the elevator, and obtain the curve of the change in the number of passengers waiting for the elevator relative to time.

[0087] Step S5: Select the elevator from all elevators that have not been selected before as the elevator that arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located earliest.

[0088] Step S6: Calculate the total number of passengers that can ride in all elevators that have been selected as a specific elevator.

[0089] Step S7: Determine whether the selected specific elevator meets the following conditions:

[0090] Condition A: The sum of the total number of passengers that can ride the elevator minus the number of passengers waiting for the last selected elevator plus 1 is greater than the number of passengers waiting for the elevator m determined in step S2.

[0091] Condition B: The total number of passengers that can take the elevator is less than or equal to the number of waiting passengers m and the number of first waiting passengers. The first waiting passengers refer to the waiting passengers who enter the waiting hall between time k and the arrival time of the selected specific elevator to take the elevator.

[0092] If the condition is met, proceed to the next step; otherwise, return to step S5.

[0093] Step S8: Determine the times k1 and k2 when the first and last waiting passengers enter the last selected specific elevator car, respectively, and further determine the number of waiting passengers p1 from time k to time k1 and the number of waiting passengers p2 from time k to time k2.

[0094] Step S9: Based on the change curves described in step S4 and p1, determine the special passengers who meet the following conditions:

[0095] Condition a: Special passengers enter the elevator lobby after time k;

[0096] Condition b: The first result obtained by summing the number of waiting passengers who enter the waiting hall after time k but before special passengers with the number of waiting passengers m+1 is equal to p1 and p2 respectively;

[0097] Step S10: Determine the times t1 and t2 when the first special passenger and the second special passenger corresponding to p1 and p2 arrive at the end of the waiting passenger queue, respectively, and use t1 and t2 as the waiting time of the first and last passengers to board the selected elevator.

[0098] In theory, after time k, the first determining unit only needs to determine the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue at the two aforementioned determined times; it does not need to perform the determining action at other times. Furthermore, since one of the two aforementioned determined times will be used as time k in the previous steps for the next earliest arriving elevator, and step S2 and subsequent steps will be executed again, two new determined times will be obtained for that next earliest arriving elevator, and this process will be repeated. Thus, the first determining unit only needs to determine the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue at these determined times; it does not need to determine the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue at other times.

[0099] From an engineering practice perspective, since the curve in step S4 cannot be obtained precisely, in this case, the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue can be determined frequently at time k, so as not to miss the number of passengers entering the elevator hall to prepare for the elevator after meeting the conditions in step S9 at time k.

[0100] Furthermore, roughly speaking, the waiting time for passengers can be calculated by taking the time interval between one of the two aforementioned fixed times and the arrival time of the finally selected specific elevator. However, considering that elevators transport multiple passengers each time, and that passengers are generally considered to enter the waiting hall sequentially, meaning that the starting time of each passenger's waiting is different, the calculated waiting time will vary depending on the selected passengers. To improve the accuracy of the calculated waiting time and better reflect the overall waiting time of the current passengers, it is preferable to calculate two waiting times using the two fixed times separately, and then use the average of the two as the final waiting time calculation result.

[0101] Example 9

[0102] This embodiment provides another method for determining the first moment in a non-periodic manner.

[0103] The first determining unit determines the first moment according to the following steps:

[0104] Step S1: Based on the elevator operation information, predict the arrival time of a specific elevator after the current time at the floor where the waiting passengers are located, as well as the number of passengers that can be carried in the car when the specific elevator arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located.

[0105] Step S2: Determine the second elevator based on the arrival time of the first elevator and the number of passengers it can carry, and the number of passengers currently waiting in the elevator queue. The second elevator refers to the first elevator that arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located earliest among all first elevators that meet the first condition. The first condition is that the number of first passengers is greater than or equal to the number of passengers currently waiting in the elevator queue. The number of first passengers refers to the number of passengers that can be carried by all first elevators and second elevators whose arrival time is earlier than the arrival time of the second elevator.

[0106] Step S3: Determine whether the number of the first passenger is equal to the number of passengers waiting in the current elevator queue. If so, determine the time when the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue is determined as the first moment and end the process. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.

[0107] Step S4: Predict the subsequent passenger flow entering the elevator waiting hall to prepare to take the elevator;

[0108] Step S5: Calculate the difference j between the number of the first passenger and the number of passengers currently waiting in the elevator queue;

[0109] Step S6: Based on the passenger flow forecast results, determine the j-th passenger who will enter the elevator waiting hall to take the elevator after the current time;

[0110] Step S7: Determine the time when the j-th passenger arrives at the end of the elevator queue and take it as the first time.

[0111] Step S2 determines the second elevator according to the following steps:

[0112] Step A: Based on the arrival time of the specific elevator to the floor where the waiting passengers are located, select the earliest arriving specific elevator from all the specific elevators that have not been selected before as the selected elevator;

[0113] Step B: Determine the specific elevator whose arrival time is earlier than the arrival time of the selected elevator based on the arrival time of the passengers waiting at the floor of the specific elevator.

[0114] Step C: Calculate the number of passengers that can be carried by the specific elevators whose arrival time is earlier than that of the selected elevator (which is actually the previously selected elevator) and the total number of passengers that can be carried by the selected elevator.

[0115] Step D: Determine whether the total number of passengers that can be taken is greater than or equal to the number of passengers waiting in the current elevator queue. If so, select the elevator as the second elevator and end the process; otherwise, return to step A.

[0116] Example 10

[0117] This embodiment provides a method for determining passenger waiting time for elevators, characterized in that the method includes the following steps:

[0118] Step 1: Determine the number of passengers waiting in the current elevator queue, and take the moment when the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue is determined as the first moment;

[0119] Step 2: Predict the arrival time and number of passengers that the first elevator can carry based on the elevator operation information. The first elevator refers to the elevator that will arrive at the floor where the waiting passengers are located after the current time.

[0120] Step 3: Determine the second elevator based on the arrival time of the first elevator, its available passenger count, and the number of passengers currently waiting in the queue. The second elevator is the first elevator that arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located earliest among all first elevators that meet the first condition, which is that the number of first passengers is greater than or equal to the number of passengers currently waiting in the queue. The number of first passengers refers to the available passenger count of all first elevators and second elevators whose arrival time is earlier than the arrival time of the second elevator. The available passenger count refers to the number of passengers allowed to ride by the remaining resources in the elevator car.

[0121] Step 4: Calculate the time interval between the first moment and the arrival time of the second elevator;

[0122] Step 5: Use the time interval as the waiting time for passengers waiting for the elevator.

[0123] Step 3 determines the second elevator according to the following steps:

[0124] Step A: Based on the arrival time of the specific elevator to the floor where the waiting passengers are located, select the earliest arriving specific elevator from all the specific elevators that have not been selected before as the selected elevator;

[0125] Step B: Determine the specific elevator whose arrival time is earlier than the arrival time of the selected elevator based on the arrival time of the passengers waiting at the floor of the specific elevator.

[0126] Step C: Calculate the number of passengers that can be carried by the specific elevators whose arrival time is earlier than that of the selected elevator, and the total number of passengers that can be carried by the selected elevator.

[0127] Step D: Determine whether the total number of passengers that can be taken is greater than or equal to the number of passengers waiting in the current elevator queue. If so, select the elevator as the second elevator and end the process; otherwise, return to step A.

[0128] The present invention has been described in detail above through specific embodiments and examples, but these are not intended to limit the invention. Many modifications and improvements can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principles of the invention, and these should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for determining passenger waiting time for elevators, characterized in that, The passenger waiting time determination device includes: The first determining unit is used to determine the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue and to determine the first moment. The second determining unit is used to determine the number of passengers entering the specific elevator car when the specific elevator arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located. The specific elevator refers to the elevator that arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located after the first moment. The accumulation unit is used to accumulate the number of passengers entering each specific elevator in the order of arrival when the specific elevator arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located, and output the accumulation result. The third determining unit determines the second moment when the accumulated result changes from being less than the number of waiting passengers to being greater than or equal to the number of waiting passengers for the first time. The calculation unit is used to calculate the time interval between the first time point and the second time point; The output unit takes the time interval as the waiting time of the passenger at the end of the elevator queue at the first moment and outputs it.

2. The passenger waiting time determination device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first determining unit takes the moment when the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue is taken as the first moment.

3. The passenger waiting time determination device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first determining unit includes a camera and an image processing device. The camera's field of view covers the waiting queue of passengers waiting for the elevator. The image processing device processes the image captured by the camera that includes the waiting queue and outputs the number of passengers waiting in the queue.

4. The passenger waiting time determination device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first determining unit determines the length of the waiting queue and determines the number of waiting passengers based on the length of the waiting queue and the average distance between two adjacent waiting passengers.

5. The passenger waiting time determination device according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the queue for the elevator contains at least two passengers whose location information is available, a second distance between the two passengers is determined based on their location information. Then, the number of passengers between the two passengers is determined using the boarding detection signal when the passengers board the elevator car. Finally, the distance between adjacent passengers is calculated using the second distance and the number of passengers between the two passengers, and this distance between adjacent passengers is used as the average distance. The second distance or the number of passengers between the two passengers must be greater than a threshold.

6. The passenger waiting time determination device according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the floor where the waiting passengers are located is the terminal floor, the second determining unit uses the elevator's rated passenger capacity as the number of passengers boarding. When the floor where the waiting passengers are located is not the terminal floor, the second determining unit uses the passenger entry detection signal during the period when the specific elevator stops at the floor where the waiting passengers are located to determine the number of passengers who entered the specific elevator car during the stop.

7. The passenger waiting time determination device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second determining unit predicts a specific elevator that will stop at the floor where the waiting passengers are located based on the elevator operation information, and uses the number of passengers that can be carried in the specific elevator car as the number of passengers that specific elevator will take.

8. The passenger waiting time determination device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first determining unit periodically determines the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue according to a preset cycle.

9. The passenger waiting time determination device according to claim 8, characterized in that, If no passengers enter a specific elevator car within a preset period, or if no specific elevator stops at the floor where the waiting passengers are located and is in an open state, the preset period ensures that the change in the length of the waiting queue or the corresponding number of waiting passengers when determining the number of waiting passengers in two consecutive periods is less than a threshold; otherwise, the preset period ensures that the sum of the number of waiting passengers corresponding to the change in the length of the waiting queue when determining the number of waiting passengers in two consecutive periods and the number of waiting passengers in the specific elevator car is less than a threshold.

10. The passenger waiting time determination device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first determining unit determines the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue and the first moment according to the following steps: Step S1: Determine the current time as time k; Step S2: At time k, the first determining unit determines the number of passengers waiting for the elevator, m. Step S3: Predict the specific elevator that will arrive at the floor where the waiting passengers are located after time k, the number of passengers that can ride the specific elevator, and the arrival time of the specific elevator at the floor where the waiting passengers are located. Step S4: Predict the number of passengers entering the elevator lobby after time k to prepare to take the elevator, and obtain the curve of the change in the number of passengers waiting for the elevator relative to time. Step S5: Select the elevator from all elevators that have not been selected before as the elevator that arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located earliest. Step S6: Calculate the total number of passengers that can ride in all elevators that have been selected as a specific elevator. Step S7: Determine whether the selected specific elevator meets the following conditions: Condition A: The sum of the total number of passengers that can ride the elevator minus the number of passengers waiting for the last selected elevator plus 1 is greater than the number of passengers waiting for the elevator m determined in step S2. Condition B: The total number of passengers that can take the elevator is less than or equal to the number of waiting passengers m and the number of first waiting passengers. The first waiting passengers refer to the waiting passengers who enter the waiting hall between time k and the arrival time of the selected specific elevator to take the elevator. If the condition is met, proceed to the next step; otherwise, return to step S5. Step S8: Determine the times k1 and k2 when the first and last waiting passengers enter the last selected specific elevator car, respectively, and further determine the number of waiting passengers p1 from time k to time k1 and the number of waiting passengers p2 from time k to time k2. Step S9: Based on the change curves described in step S4 and p1, determine the special passengers who meet the following conditions: Condition a: Special passengers enter the elevator lobby after time k; Condition b: The first result obtained by summing the number of waiting passengers who enter the waiting hall after time k but before special passengers with the number of waiting passengers m+1 is equal to p1 and p2 respectively; Step S10: Determine the times t1 and t2 when the first special passenger and the second special passenger corresponding to p1 and p2 arrive at the end of the waiting passenger queue, respectively, and set t1 and t2 as the first times when the first and last passengers to board the selected elevator are the first and last passengers to board the selected elevator.

11. The passenger waiting time determination device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first determining unit determines the first moment according to the following steps: Step S1: Based on the elevator operation information, predict the arrival time of a specific elevator after the current time at the floor where the waiting passengers are located, as well as the number of passengers that can be carried in the car when the specific elevator arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are located. Step S2: Determine the second elevator based on the arrival time of the specific elevator and the number of passengers it can carry, and the number of passengers currently waiting in the elevator queue. The second elevator refers to the specific elevator that arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are earliest among all specific elevators that meet the first condition. The first condition is that the number of first passengers is greater than or equal to the number of passengers currently waiting in the elevator queue. The number of first passengers refers to the number of passengers that can carry all specific elevators whose arrival time is earlier than the arrival time of the second elevator and the number of passengers that can carry the second elevator. Step S3: Determine whether the number of the first passenger is equal to the number of passengers waiting in the current elevator queue. If so, determine the time when the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue is determined as the first moment and end the process. Otherwise, proceed to the next step. Step S4: Predict the subsequent passenger flow entering the elevator waiting hall to prepare to take the elevator; Step S5: Calculate the difference j between the number of the first passenger and the number of passengers currently waiting in the elevator queue; Step S6: Based on the passenger flow forecast results, determine the j-th passenger who will enter the elevator waiting hall to take the elevator after the current time; Step S7: Determine the time when the j-th passenger arrives at the end of the elevator queue and take it as the first time.

12. The passenger waiting time determination device according to claim 11, characterized in that, Step S2 determines the second elevator according to the following steps: Step A: Based on the arrival time of the specific elevator to the floor where the waiting passengers are located, select the earliest arriving specific elevator from all the specific elevators that have not been selected before as the selected elevator; Step B: Determine the specific elevator whose arrival time is earlier than the arrival time of the selected elevator based on the arrival time of the passengers waiting at the floor of the specific elevator. Step C: Calculate the number of passengers that can be carried by the specific elevators whose arrival time is earlier than that of the selected elevator, and the total number of passengers that can be carried by the selected elevator. Step D: Determine whether the total number of passengers that can be taken is greater than or equal to the number of passengers waiting in the current elevator queue. If so, select the elevator as the second elevator and end the process; otherwise, return to step A.

13. A method for determining passenger waiting time for elevators, characterized in that, The method for determining passenger waiting time includes the following steps: Step 1: Determine the number of passengers waiting in the current elevator queue, and take the moment when the number of passengers waiting in the elevator queue is determined as the first moment; Step 2: Predict the arrival time and number of passengers that can be carried by a specific elevator based on the elevator operation information. The specific elevator refers to the elevator that will arrive at the floor where the waiting passengers are located after the current time. Step 3: Determine the second elevator based on the arrival time of the specific elevator and the number of passengers it can carry, and the number of passengers currently waiting in the elevator queue. The second elevator refers to the specific elevator that arrives at the floor where the waiting passengers are earliest among all specific elevators that meet the first condition. The first condition is that the number of first passengers is greater than or equal to the number of passengers currently waiting in the elevator queue. The number of first passengers refers to the number of passengers that can carry all specific elevators whose arrival time is earlier than the arrival time of the second elevator and the number of passengers that can carry the second elevator. Step 4: Calculate the time interval between the first moment and the arrival time of the second elevator; Step 5: Use the time interval as the waiting time for passengers waiting for the elevator.

14. The method for determining passenger waiting time according to claim 13, characterized in that, Step 3 determines the second elevator according to the following steps: Step A: Based on the arrival time of the specific elevator to the floor where the waiting passengers are located, select the earliest arriving specific elevator from all the specific elevators that have not been selected before as the selected elevator; Step B: Determine the specific elevator whose arrival time is earlier than the arrival time of the selected elevator based on the arrival time of the passengers waiting at the floor of the specific elevator. Step C: Calculate the number of passengers that can be carried by the specific elevators whose arrival time is earlier than that of the selected elevator, and the total number of passengers that can be carried by the selected elevator. Step D: Determine whether the total number of passengers that can be taken is greater than or equal to the number of passengers waiting in the current elevator queue. If so, select the elevator as the second elevator and end the process; otherwise, return to step A.

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