Elevator system

Abstract

To provide an elevator system that enables even an individual to easily distribute video content such as advertisements to a signage installed in a car.SOLUTION: An elevator system according to one embodiment includes: a car in which a display device is installed; elevator control means for controlling the operation of the car in response to registration of call information by a user; history information storage means for storing history information indicating the usage history of the car by a user; distribution authority granting means for granting a user the distribution authority to distribute video content to the display device based on the history information; and distribution control means for delivering video content desired by a user who has been granted distribution authority to the display device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE An embodiment of the present invention relates to an elevator system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, elevators equipped with signage inside the elevator car have become widespread. The signage can deliver, for example, advertisements and news, and provide various information to passengers in the elevator car.

[0003] By the way, in order to distribute video content such as advertisements to such signage, it is necessary to purchase the right to distribute video content to the signage (distribution right). This distribution right is mainly purchased by companies, and advertisements to promote the products and services of the companies are often distributed to the signage.

[0004] As such, advertising delivery using signage has the problem that it is mostly used by companies and is not widely used by individuals. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4951656 [Patent Document 2] JP 2004-062419 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide an elevator system that allows even an individual to easily distribute video content such as advertisements to a signage installed inside the elevator car. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An elevator system according to one embodiment comprises an elevator control means for controlling the operation of a car in which a display device is installed and in response to registration of call information by a user, a history information storage means for storing history information indicating the user's usage history of the car, a distribution authority granting means for granting the user distribution authority to distribute video content to the display device based on the history information, and a distribution control means for delivering video content desired by the user to which the distribution authority has been granted, to the display device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an elevator system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of application information in the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of history information in the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a series of processes executed by the elevator system in the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining another process executed by the elevator system in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the disclosure is merely an example, and the invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiments. Modifications that a person skilled in the art can easily conceive are naturally included in the scope of the disclosure. In order to make the explanation clearer, the size, shape, etc. of each part may be changed from the actual embodiment and shown diagrammatically. In multiple drawings, corresponding elements may be given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations may be omitted.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an elevator system according to this embodiment. A camera 12 is installed above the entrance of the car 11. Specifically, the camera 12 is installed in a fascia 11a covering the upper part of the entrance of the car 11 with the lens portion facing directly downward. The camera 12 has an ultra-wide-angle lens such as a fisheye lens, and captures a wide range of the subject including the inside of the car 11 with a viewing angle of 180 degrees or more. The camera 12 can continuously capture several frames per second (e.g., 30 frames / second).

[0011] The location of the camera 12 does not have to be above the entrance of the car 11, so long as it is near the car door 13. For example, the camera 12 may be installed in any location, such as the ceiling surface near the entrance of the car 11, that can capture an image of the entire car interior including the entire floor area inside the car 11 and the landing 15 near the entrance when the door is open.

[0012] The car 11 is provided with an in-car display device 14 (e.g., signage). Although details will be described later, the in-car display device 14 can display video content that a user who has been granted distribution authority wishes to distribute. The in-car display device 14 may be a display device having a so-called touch panel function.

[0013] At the landing 15 on each floor, a landing door 16 is installed at the arrival gate of the car 11. The landing door 16 engages with the car door 13 when the car 11 arrives and opens and closes. The power source (door motor) is on the car 11 side, and the landing door 16 simply opens and closes following the car door 13.

[0014] The elevator control device 30 has a communication function for communicating with other devices (for example, a user detection device 20 and a cloud server 40 described later). The elevator control device 30 controls the operation of the car 11 in response to call information registered by a user.

[0015] In this embodiment, a user may use a hall button (not shown) installed at the hall 15 to register call information that causes the elevator 11 to respond to the floor where the hall button is installed, and may use a destination floor button (not shown) installed at the elevator 11 to register call information that causes the elevator 11 to respond (move) to the floor corresponding to the pressed destination floor button. Alternatively, a user may register call information including boarding information (boarding floor and destination floor) using a call registration application (hereinafter referred to as a call registration application) pre-installed on his / her mobile terminal 3 (for example, a smartphone or tablet terminal). Furthermore, a user may register call information including the above-mentioned boarding information using a hall destination floor registration device (HDC: Hall Destination Controller) (not shown) installed at the hall 15.

[0016] In addition to controlling the operation of the car 11, the elevator control device 30 also controls the opening and closing of the car door 13 when the car 11 arrives at the boarding floor or destination floor, and controls the lighting of the lighting equipment inside the car 11.

[0017] In this embodiment, a user can request the cloud server 40 to grant distribution authority (purchase distribution authority) necessary to distribute desired video content to the car interior display device 14. For example, the user uses his / her mobile terminal 3 to transmit application information to the cloud server 40 indicating a request for distribution authority. Although details will be described later, when a user indicated by the received application information satisfies desired conditions, the cloud server 40 grants the above-mentioned distribution authority to the user. Note that it is desirable for the above-mentioned application information to include at least the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 3 as a user ID for identifying the user who has requested the distribution authority to be granted.

[0018] The user detection device 20 has a communication function for communicating with other devices (e.g., the camera 12 and the elevator control device 30). The user detection device 20 executes a process of analyzing, in real time, each image (video) continuously captured by the camera 12. For this reason, the user detection device 20 may be referred to as an image processing device or an image analysis device. As shown in FIG. 1, the user detection device 20 includes a memory unit 21 and a user identification unit 22.

[0019] The storage unit 21 sequentially stores images captured by the camera 12. The storage unit 21 also stores (holds) in advance attribute information of a user who has requested to be granted distribution authority as data necessary for processing by the user identification unit 22. The attribute information is information indicating the characteristics of a user, such as the user's gender, the user's age, and a facial image of the user.

[0020] The user identification unit 22 executes a process of determining whether or not a user appearing in an image captured by the camera 12 is a user who has requested distribution authority to be granted. More specifically, the user identification unit 22 compares the image captured by the camera 12 with attribute information pre-stored in the storage unit 21, and determines whether or not the user appearing in the image is a user who has requested distribution authority to be granted, based on whether or not the characteristics of the user appearing in the image match the characteristics of the user who has requested distribution authority, which are indicated by the attribute information. The result of the above-mentioned process by the user identification unit 22 is notified to the cloud server 40 via the elevator control device 30.

[0021] The cloud server 40 is a server provided on a cloud constructed by a company related to the elevator system 1. The cloud server 40 executes a process of receiving the above-mentioned application information, a process of granting distribution authority to a user who has requested the granting of distribution authority, a process of delivering video content desired by a user who has been granted distribution authority to the in-car display device 14, and the like.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the cloud server 40 includes an application information storage unit 41, a history information storage unit 42, a number of rides counting unit 43, a distribution authority granting unit 44, a content distribution control unit 45, and the like.

[0023] The application information storage unit 41 stores application information transmitted from the user's mobile terminal 3. Here, an example of the data structure of the application information will be described with reference to FIG.

[0024] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of application information. As shown in Fig. 2, the application information is information including a user ID, a content to be distributed, and a distribution condition in association with each other. Note that the data structure of the application information is not limited to the data structure shown in Fig. 2, and other information may be associated with the application information, or some of the various information shown in Fig. 2 may be omitted.

[0025] The user ID is information for identifying the user who has requested the granting of distribution authority, and as described above, corresponds to the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 3 that has transmitted the application information.

[0026] The content desired to be distributed is video content that a user who wishes to be granted distribution rights wishes to distribute to the car interior display device 14. Note that, although it is assumed here that the content desired to be distributed is uploaded to the cloud server 40 as application information by the user who wishes to be granted distribution rights, the present invention is not limited to this, and the content desired to be distributed may be uploaded by the user who wishes to be granted distribution rights separately from the above-mentioned application information, or may be uploaded by a third party who has been entrusted by the user to upload the content desired to be distributed (for example, a copyright holder who holds the copyright to the video content that the user who wishes to be granted distribution rights wishes to distribute, or an organization (talent agency) that manages the video content that the user who wishes to be granted distribution rights wishes to distribute, etc.).

[0027] The distribution conditions are conditions related to the state of the car 11 when the content to be distributed is distributed to the in-car display device 14, and include, for example, conditions related to the destination floor registered by users other than the user to whom the distribution authority has been granted, and conditions related to whether the user to whom the distribution authority has been granted needs to ride with other users. Note that, here, it is assumed that the distribution conditions are set as application information by a user who wishes to be granted distribution authority, but this is not limited thereto, and the distribution conditions may be set separately from the above-mentioned application information. For example, the distribution conditions may be set in the form of a response by a user who has already requested distribution authority to an inquiry (for example, "Do you want to set the distribution conditions based on the conditions you just rode in?") sent from the cloud server 40 after the user has boarded the car 11.

[0028] For example, according to the application information d1 shown in Figure 2, a user identified by the user ID "U_id001" wishes to be granted distribution authority, and when the distribution authority is granted, it indicates that the user wishes to distribute "video content C1" to the in-car display device 14 when the "destination floor of the car 11 is the 5th floor."

[0029] In addition, according to the application information d2 shown in Figure 2, the user identified by the user ID "U_id002" wishes to be granted distribution authority, and when the distribution authority is granted, it indicates that the user would like to distribute "video content C2" to the car interior display device 14 when "he / she is riding in the car 11 with other users."

[0030] Returning to the explanation of FIG. The history information storage unit 42 stores history information indicating elevator usage history by users who have requested to be granted distribution authority. Here, an example of the data structure of the history information will be described with reference to FIG.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of history information. As shown in FIG. 3, the history information is information including a user ID and the number of times the user has boarded the car in association with each other. Note that the data structure of the history information is not limited to the data structure shown in FIG. 3, and other information may be associated with the history information. For example, the history information d3 shown in FIG. 3 indicates that the number of times the user who has requested to be granted distribution authority and who is identified by the user ID "U_id001" has boarded the car 11 is "10 times."

[0032] Returning to the explanation of FIG. The number of rides counting unit 43 counts the number of rides of a user who has requested the granting of distribution authority. Specifically, when a user who has requested the granting of distribution authority is detected by the user detection device 20, the number of rides counting unit 43 updates the history information of the user so as to count up the number of rides of the user (i.e., to increase the number of rides of the user by one).

[0033] The ride counting unit 43 may have an upper limit on the number of rides that can be counted up in one day. When the number of rides in one day of a user who desires to be granted distribution authority reaches the above-mentioned upper limit, the ride counting unit 43 may notify the user to that effect. This can prevent a user who desires to be granted distribution authority from getting on the car 11 multiple times just to obtain distribution authority, causing an excessive decrease in operation efficiency, and thus causing inconvenience to other users.

[0034] The distribution authority granting unit 44 grants distribution authority to a user who has requested distribution authority in accordance with the elevator usage history of the user. More specifically, the distribution authority granting unit 44 refers to history information of the user who has requested distribution authority, and grants distribution authority to the user when the number of rides of the user indicated by the history information is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value.

[0035] The above threshold value can be set to any value. Also, it is possible to set any type of distribution authority to be granted to a user who has requested the grant of distribution authority. For example, the above threshold value may be set to 10 times, and distribution authority to distribute the content desired to be distributed to the car interior display device 14 once each time the number of rides reaches 10 or more may be granted. Alternatively, the above threshold value may be set to 20 times, and distribution authority to distribute the content desired to be distributed to the car interior display device 14 three times may be granted when the number of rides reaches 20 or more in one month. Furthermore, the above threshold value may be set to 30 times, and distribution authority to distribute the content desired to be distributed to the car interior display device 14 for one week (however, the upper limit of the number of times that can be distributed in one day is three times) may be granted when the number of rides reaches 30 or more.

[0036] As described above, in this embodiment, as an example, the distribution authority is the authority to distribute the content desired to be distributed to the car interior display device 14 only a specified number of times or for a specified period of time.

[0037] The content distribution control unit 45 executes a process of distributing video content (content to be distributed) desired by a user who has been granted distribution authority to the car interior display device 14. More specifically, when the status of the car 11 satisfies a distribution condition preset by a user who has been granted distribution authority, the content distribution control unit 45 executes a process of distributing the video content desired by the user to the car interior display device 14.

[0038] Here, a series of processes executed by the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for counting the number of rides of a user who has requested to be granted distribution authority and granting distribution authority to the user.

[0039] First, the elevator control device 30 causes the car 11 to respond to a boarding floor indicated by the call information registered by a user (step S1).

[0040] When the elevator car 11 arrives at a boarding floor and the elevator car door 13 of the elevator car 11 opens, the camera 12 installed in the elevator car 11 takes an image including users in the elevator car 11 and at the landing 15. The user identification unit 22 of the user detection device 20 analyzes the image taken by the camera 12 and determines whether the user shown in the image is a user who has requested to be granted distribution authority.

[0041] More specifically, first, user identification unit 22 compares the image captured by camera 12 with the attribute information pre-stored in storage unit 21. Then, user identification unit 22 determines whether the user shown in the image is the user who has requested distribution authority based on whether the characteristics of the user shown in the image match the characteristics of the user who has requested distribution authority indicated by the attribute information (step S2).

[0042] In step S2, if it is determined that the user appearing in the image captured by the camera 12 is the user who has requested distribution authority to be granted (Yes in step S2), the user detection device 20 transmits a boarding notification to the elevator control device 30, as a result of step S2, notifying that the user who has requested distribution authority has boarded the car 11. Upon receiving the boarding notification transmitted from the user detection device 20, the elevator control device 30 transmits the boarding notification to the cloud server 40. Note that it is desirable for the boarding notification to include at least a user ID for identifying the user who has been detected as having boarded the car 11 and who has requested distribution authority to be granted.

[0043] When the boarding notification is received from the elevator control device 30, the boarding count counting unit 43 of the cloud server 40 updates the historical information including the user ID indicated by the boarding notification so as to count up the number of boardings by one (step S3).

[0044] Next, the distribution authority granting unit 44 refers to the history information updated in step S3, and determines whether or not the number of rides indicated by the history information is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value (step S4).

[0045] In step S4, if it is determined that the number of rides indicated by the historical information is equal to or greater than the threshold value (Yes in step S4), the distribution authority granting unit 44 grants distribution authority to the user identified by the user ID included in the historical information (step S5), and terminates this series of processes.

[0046] The above-mentioned distribution authority may be granted, for example, by setting a flag that can identify that distribution authority has been granted in application information including the user ID of the user who grants the distribution authority. In this way, the content distribution control unit 45 can check the distribution conditions previously set by the user who has been granted the distribution authority by referring to the application information with the above-mentioned flag set. In other words, the content distribution control unit 45 can determine whether or not to distribute the video content desired by the user who has been granted the distribution authority to the car in-room display device 14 by referring to the application information with the above-mentioned flag set.

[0047] In addition, in Figure 4, a case is shown in which the number of rides of a user who has requested to be granted distribution authority is counted based on images captured by camera 12, but the method of counting the number of rides of the user is not limited to this method.

[0048] For example, when a user who wishes to be granted distribution authority registers call information using a call registration app, the number of times the user has boarded the car may be counted based on the number of times the user has registered call information using the call registration app. In addition, the user may notify the cloud server 40 that he or she has boarded the car 11 by having an authentication device (not shown) installed in the car 11 read a QR code (registered trademark) or the like displayed on the user's mobile terminal 3, thereby counting up the number of times the user has boarded the car 11.

[0049] Next, another process executed by the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for distributing video content desired by a user who has been granted distribution authority to the car interior display device 14. For ease of explanation, it is assumed here that the call information is registered by a user other than the user who has been granted distribution authority.

[0050] First, the elevator control device 30 causes the car 11 to respond to a boarding floor indicated by the call information registered by another user (step S11).

[0051] When the car 11 arrives at a boarding floor and the car door 13 of the car 11 opens, the camera 12 installed in the car 11 captures an image including users in the car 11 and at the landing 15. The user identification unit 22 of the user detection device 20 analyzes the image captured by the camera 12 and detects the presence or absence of a user who wishes to be granted distribution authority and has been granted distribution authority. In other words, the user identification unit 22 detects whether a user who has been granted distribution authority is riding in the car 11 in which the above-mentioned other user is riding. Note that result information indicating the result of detection by the user identification unit 22 is transmitted to the elevator control device 30.

[0052] When the elevator control device 30 receives the result information transmitted from the user detection device 20, it transmits the result information and destination floor information regarding the destination floor of the elevator car 11 registered by other users to the cloud server 40 (step S12).

[0053] When the content distribution control unit 45 of the cloud server 40 receives the result information and destination floor information transmitted from the elevator control device 30, the content distribution control unit 45 determines whether the status of the car 11 satisfies the distribution conditions previously set by the user who has been granted distribution authority, based on this information. More specifically, the content distribution control unit 45 determines whether the status of the car 11 satisfies the above-mentioned distribution conditions, based on (1) the result information indicating whether the user who has been granted distribution authority is riding in the car 11 in which other users are riding, and (2) the destination floor information indicating the destination floor of the other users (step S13).

[0054] In step S13, if it is determined that the situation of the elevator 11 satisfies the distribution conditions (Yes in step S13), the content distribution control unit 45 distributes the video content desired by the user who has been granted distribution authority to the elevator interior display device 14 (step S14), and terminates this series of processes.

[0055] As described above, the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment grants distribution authority to a user who desires distribution authority to distribute video content to the car interior display device 14 based on the elevator usage history (e.g., the number of times the user has boarded the car 11), and distributes the video content desired by the user who has been granted distribution authority to the car interior display device 14. In this way, a user who desires distribution authority can obtain (purchase) distribution authority to distribute the desired video content to the car interior display device 14 simply by getting into the elevator.

[0056] In other words, according to the embodiment described above, an elevator system 1 can be provided that enables even an individual to easily deliver video content such as advertisements to an in-car display device 14 (e.g., signage) installed inside the elevator car 11.

[0057] For example, the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment is useful for users who are engaged in activities to support their favorite object (oshi) (hereinafter, referred to as "oshikatsu"). One type of oshikatsu is the activity of spreading the popularity of one's favorite object. This activity aims to spread the appeal of one's favorite object by using, for example, SNS (Social Networking Service) and to let others know about the appeal of the object, thereby acquiring new fans of the object.

[0058] The elevator system 1 according to this embodiment can provide such users (oshikatsu users) with a new means (new platform) for engaging in oshikatsu. The oshikatsu users can obtain distribution authority that is granted according to the number of times they ride the elevator car 11, and distribute video content related to their favorite to the display device 14 inside the elevator car, thereby promoting their favorite.

[0059] In the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment, a viewer who watches the video content distributed to the car interior display device 14 cannot identify who requested the video content to be distributed. In other words, according to the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment, the oshikatsu user can perform the above-mentioned oshikatsu while ensuring anonymity. In general oshikatsu using SNS, there are cases where a situation occurs in which users who oppose the oshikatsu (anti-users) are inundated with unexpected criticism (flaming), making it difficult to continue the oshikatsu. However, according to the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment, it is possible to perform the oshikatsu without the risk of such a flaming occurring.

[0060] Furthermore, with the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment, the user can set a distribution condition for distributing video content related to his / her favorite idol when the user is riding in the elevator car 11 with other people, thereby making it possible to see the reactions of viewers who watch the video content. For a favorite idol user who wants to spread the word about his / her favorite idol, being able to see the reactions of others can be a joy, and the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment can meet the needs of such favorite idol users.

[0061] Furthermore, by providing the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment in, for example, a commercial building that handles character goods that are the subject of oshikatsu, it is possible to connect oshikatsu users with business operators in the building that operate businesses related to the objects of the oshikatsu users' favorite characters, and it is expected to bring about the following effects for both the oshikatsu users and the business operators in the building: In the following, as an example, it is assumed that an oshikatsu user has a favorite character from a certain anime as the subject of his / her favorite character, and the business operator in the building is an anime shop that handles (sells) merchandise for the anime character.

[0062] In this case, the Oshikatsu user can do their Oshikatsu in a commercial building that has an anime shop that sells merchandise of their favorite character, so they are more likely to be able to do their Oshikatsu with people who are interested in anime, making it an effective way to do their Oshikatsu. Also, the business in the building (the anime shop in this case) can expect to attract customers based on the Oshikatsu users' Oshikatsu (for example, elevator users who watch video content requested or distributed by the Oshikatsu user will become interested in that video content and visit the anime shop).

[0063] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1...elevator system, 11...car, 11a...front panel, 12...camera, 13...car door, 14...car interior display device, 15...landing, 16...landing door, 20...user detection device, 21...memory unit, 22...user identification unit, 30...elevator control device, 40...cloud server, 41...application information memory unit, 42...history information memory unit, 43...number of rides counting unit, 44...distribution authority granting unit, 45...content distribution control unit.

Claims

1. A car equipped with a display device, an elevator control means for controlling the operation of the elevator car in response to registration of call information by a user; A history information storage means for storing history information indicating a usage history of the elevator by the user; a distribution authority granting means for granting to the user a distribution authority for distributing video content to the display device based on the history information; a distribution control means for distributing video content desired by a user to whom the distribution authority has been granted, to the display device; An elevator system comprising:

2. The history information indicates the number of times the user has boarded the elevator car, The distribution authorization means includes: When the number of rides by the user indicated by the history information is equal to or greater than a preset threshold, the distribution authority is granted to the user.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

3. A camera is further installed in the elevator, The history information is updated to count up the number of times the user has boarded the elevator car when it is detected that the user has boarded the elevator car based on an image captured by the camera.

3. The elevator system of claim 2.

4. The distribution authority is an authority for distributing the video content desired by the user to the display device a predetermined number of times or for a predetermined period of time.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

5. The distribution control means When the state of the car satisfies a distribution condition set by a user to whom the distribution authority is granted, a video content desired by the user is distributed to the display device.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

6. The distribution conditions include at least one of a condition regarding a destination floor registered by a user other than the user to whom the distribution authority has been granted, and a condition regarding whether or not the user to whom the distribution authority has been granted should ride together with the other user.

6. The elevator system of claim 5.

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