Elevator control system and elevator control method

Abstract

To enable advanced control on the basis of data obtained by detecting the number of passengers in a car.SOLUTION: A car terminal 20 installed in a car is communicatively connected to an elevator control device 100 and control is performed by the elevator control device 100 that has received data transmitted from the car terminal 20. The car terminal 20 acquires data regarding the number of passengers and / or the load in the car and transmits it to the elevator control device 100. The elevator control device 100 detects door opening of the car, and updates the display of landing display parts 33-1, 33-2, ... to the display according to the latest number of passengers or load when a change equal to or greater than a prescribed level is detected in the number of passengers or load transmitted from the car terminal 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an elevator control system and an elevator control method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, elevators communicate between the inside of the car and a control device, and transmit data detected in the car and image data captured by a camera to the control device. In addition, elevators may also transmit data from the inside of the car to external devices via the control device.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a technology for calculating the number of passengers getting on and off an elevator and the number of passengers on board, based on the load detected by a load sensor in the car. In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the detected data on the number of passengers getting on and off and the number of passengers on board are transmitted to an external central device via a terminal (control device), and an elevator operation schedule is set. Then, the elevator is operated to reduce passenger waiting time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-37344 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, data detected by the load sensor is transmitted to a control device or an external device to set an elevator operation schedule. Specifically, the elevator is dispatched to floors with a large number of waiting passengers according to the number of passengers in the elevator, thereby reducing passenger waiting time.

[0006] It has been known for some time that elevator operation itself can be controlled based on the number of passengers in the elevator, but with the recent advances in elevator control technology, there is a demand for more advanced control based on the number of passengers in the elevator and the number of passengers getting on and off. In addition, to perform advanced control, it is necessary to optimize the timing for detecting the number of passengers and the number of passengers getting on and off. However, in the past, the number of passengers was basically detected at all times, and control was performed based on the number of passengers detected at all times, which caused a problem of the configuration and processing for detecting the number of passengers and the like becoming complicated.

[0007] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an elevator control system and an elevator control method capable of performing advanced control based on data detected such as the number of passengers in the elevator car. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, for example, the configurations described in the claims are adopted. The present application includes multiple means for solving the above problems. One example is an elevator control system in which a car terminal installed in a car is communicatively connected to an elevator control device, and the elevator control device receives data transmitted from the car terminal and performs control. Here, the car terminal is equipped with an in-car management unit that acquires and manages data on the number of passengers and / or load in the car, and an in-car transmission unit that transmits the data on the number of passengers and / or load managed by the in-car management unit to the elevator control device. The elevator control device includes an elevator status management unit that acquires the door open state and the operating state of the car, and an elevator display management unit that controls the display of a landing display unit installed at the landing of the car. The elevator display management unit detects the door opening of the car, and when it detects a predetermined or greater change in the number of passengers or load transmitted from the in-car transmission unit of the car terminal, updates the display of the landing display unit to a display corresponding to the latest number of passengers or load. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, when the opening of the elevator door is detected and there is a change in the number of passengers or the load inside the elevator, the display on the platform display unit is updated to the latest display, thereby making it possible to update the display on the platform display unit at an appropriate time. Problems, configurations and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an elevator control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of each device of an elevator control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a car terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process performed when a hall call or destination floor call service is provided according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process during door-open standby according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process when a predetermined time has elapsed without a call according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed when a vehicle is deemed full according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process performed when no person is detected according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] An elevator control system and an elevator control method according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "this embodiment") will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] [Overall schematic configuration of elevator control system] First, the schematic configuration of the elevator control system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The elevator control system of this example includes a car 10 that travels (moves up and down) under the control of an elevator control device 100. The car 10 travels by being driven by a hoist (not shown) in the elevator control device 100. Note that a mechanism for traveling the car 10, such as a hoist, is omitted in Fig. 1 . The car 10 is equipped with doors 11 which open and close when the car arrives at a landing on each floor.

[0013] An in-car camera 12 is installed in the car 10. The in-car camera 12 is installed on the ceiling or wall of the car 10, and captures video or still images of the inside of the car 10. For example, the in-car camera 12 is installed on the ceiling or wall at the far end away from the door 11 of the car 10, and is capable of capturing images of not only the inside of the car 10, but also the door 11. Therefore, the in-car camera 12 captures images of almost the entire inside of the car 10 from the ceiling side, and also captures images of passengers getting into the car 10 through the door 11 (such as the faces of the passengers).

[0014] A door sensor (not shown) such as an infrared sensor is attached to the door 11 and detects that a passenger has passed through the door 11. In other words, the door sensor detects that a passenger has got on or off the car 10. The image captured by the in-car camera 12 is analyzed by a car terminal 20 installed in the car 10. The car terminal 20 is installed, for example, on the upper part of the car 10 (above the ceiling).

[0015] An in-car display unit 14 that displays information such as stopping floors is installed inside the car 10. Although not shown in the drawings, a lighting device and an audio output device are also installed in the car 10. Furthermore, car call buttons 31, 32 and a landing display unit 33 are provided at the landing of each elevator floor.

[0016] The results of the analysis by the car terminal 20 are transmitted to the elevator control device 100 together with the captured image. The elevator control device 100 judges the usage status of the car 10 based on the image analysis results by the car terminal 20. Then, the elevator control device 100 controls the operation of the elevator based on this judgment result. The results of the analysis by the car terminal 20 are also transmitted to the external linking device 200 together with the captured image. The external linking device 200 is connected to a plurality of external systems (a first external system 210, a second external system 220, and a third external system 230) via a network, and the results of the image analysis by the car terminal 20 are used in each of the external systems.

[0017] [Detailed configuration of elevator system] FIG. 2 shows a detailed configuration of the elevator control system of this example. The elevator control system of this example includes a car terminal 20, an elevator control device 100, and an external linkage device 200. The car terminal 20 is a device installed in the car 10 (FIG. 1), and acquires images from an in-car camera 12 installed in the car. The images captured by the car interior camera 12 are transmitted from the image management unit 13 provided in the car interior camera 12 to the image analysis processing unit 21 of the car terminal 20.

[0018] The car terminal 20 includes an image analysis processing unit 21, an image analysis result management unit 22, and an image analysis result transmission unit 23, and performs data collection processing and data transmission processing within the car. The image analysis processing unit 21 performs image analysis processing to detect the number of passengers in the car and the number of passengers getting on and off when the elevator stops at the landings on each floor from the images provided. The image analysis processing in the image analysis processing unit 21 is triggered by a command from the elevator status management unit 116 of the elevator control device 100, which will be described later.

[0019] The image analysis result management unit (car interior management unit) 22 acquires the number of passengers in the car detected by the analysis processing in the image analysis processing unit 21 and the number of passengers getting on and off when the car stops at the boarding area on each floor, and performs car interior management processing. The image analysis result transmission unit (in-car transmission unit) 23 transmits data on the number of passengers and the number of passengers getting on and off managed by the image analysis result management unit 22 to the elevator control device 100 and the external linkage device 200 in response to an instruction from the image analysis result management unit 22. In addition, the image analysis result transmission unit 23 transmits data on images captured by the in-car camera 12 to the elevator control device 100 and the external linkage device 200. This image data is transmitted simultaneously with the transmission of the data on the number of passengers and the number of passengers getting on and off. Alternatively, the image analysis result transmission unit 23 may constantly transmit image data at a fixed cycle.

[0020] Also, here, the car terminal 20 detects the number of passengers and the number of passengers getting on and off from the images captured by the in-car camera 12 and transmits them to the elevator control device 100, etc., but it may also detect the number of passengers and the number of passengers getting on and off from the values ​​of a load sensor installed in the car 10 and transmit them to the elevator control device 100, etc. When detecting from the load sensor, for example, an average weight per passenger is set and the weight detected from the load sensor is converted into the number of people. Either the number of detections from the camera image or the number of detections from the load sensor may be transmitted to the elevator control device 100, etc., or both may be transmitted to the elevator control device 100.

[0021] The elevator control device 100 includes an elevator control processing unit 111, an operation state acquisition unit 112, an operation state determination unit 113, a door opening state acquisition unit 114, a door opening state determination unit 115, an elevator state management unit 116, an elevator display management unit 121, and an elevator display update unit 122.

[0022] The elevator control processing unit 111 controls the operation of the car based on data from the car terminal 20 and data generated by the elevator control device 100 (not shown). The elevator control processing unit 111 also issues instructions to the operation execution unit 16 based on the control processing results. Data such as the number of passengers are supplied to this elevator control processing unit 111 from the image analysis result transmission unit 23 of the car terminal 20, and this data is reflected in the operation control of the car. In addition, the elevator control processing unit 111 may also control the opening and closing of the door 11 of the car 10.

[0023] The operating state acquisition unit 112 acquires data on the operating state (running, stopped, etc.) from the operating state detection unit 101 of the car 10. The operating state determination unit 113 determines the operating state of the car 10 based on the data acquired by the operating state acquisition unit 112. The door open state acquisition unit 114 acquires data on the door open state from the door 11 of the car. The door open state determination unit 115 determines the open state of the door 11 based on the data acquired by the door open state acquisition unit 114.

[0024] The elevator status management unit 116 acquires data on the operation status determined by the operation status determination unit 113 and data on the door open status determined by the door open status determination unit 115, manages the operation status of the elevator, and transmits necessary control commands to the elevator control processing unit 111. The elevator status management unit 116 also transmits the managed data on the operation status and door open / close status to the car terminal 20. All processing performed by the elevator status management unit 116 will be referred to as elevator status management processing. Here, the elevator status management unit 116 may include the value of the in-car load sensor captured in the elevator control device 100 as one of the pieces of information it handles and transmit it to the car terminal 20.

[0025] The elevator display management unit 121 manages the displays on the car interior display unit 14 in the car and the landing display units 33-1, 33-2, ... on each floor. The elevator display management unit 121 is supplied with data such as the number of passengers and the number of people getting on and off from the image analysis result transmission unit 23 of the car terminal 20 in the car. When the display content needs to be updated based on this data, the elevator display update unit 122 performs display update processing corresponding to the elevator display management unit 121.

[0026] The displays on the landing display units 33-1, 33-2, ... on each floor include the floor and direction of travel of the car 10, and the degree of congestion of the car 10. The degree of congestion may be displayed simply in two stages, indicating whether the car is crowded or not, or in multiple stages according to the number of passengers. As a multiple-stage display, for example, a three-stage display indicating a state in which there are only a few passengers, a state in which a certain number of passengers are on board, and a state in which the car is nearly full may be considered. Furthermore, the states may be displayed in a visually easy-to-understand manner using colors, marks, figures, etc., instead of letters.

[0027] The external collaboration device 200 includes a data management unit 201 and a data distribution unit 202 . The data management unit 201 acquires data output from the image analysis result transmission unit 23 of the car terminal 20 in the car, such as data on the number of passengers, the number of people getting on and off, and image data. The data management unit 201 also acquires data on the elevator management status in the elevator status management unit 116. These data are data to be transmitted to an external device. The external device here is a device that uses the data on the management status of the elevator, and in this example corresponds to the first external system (people flow detection device) 210, the second external system (image management device) 220, and the third external system (maintenance data management device) 230.

[0028] The data extracted by the data management unit 201 is sent to the data sorting unit 202 and sorted into data to be supplied to the people flow detection device 210, data to be supplied to the image management device 220, and data to be supplied to the maintenance data management device 230. The data distributed by the data distribution unit 202 is supplied individually to a people flow detection device 210, an image management device 220, and a security data management device 230.

[0029] [Example of hardware configuration for each device, such as in-car terminals] FIG. 3 shows an example of a hardware configuration in which the car terminal 20 installed in the car is configured as a computer. The car terminal 20, which is constituted by a computer device, includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 20a, a memory 20b, a storage 20c, an image input / output unit 20d, a data input / output unit 20e, and a network interface 20f, which are all connected to a bus.

[0030] The CPU 20a is an arithmetic processing unit that reads out program code of software for implementing the functions performed by the car terminal 20 from the memory 20b or the storage 20c and executes it. The CPU 20a reads out the program code from the memory 20b or the storage 20c and executes arithmetic processing in the work area of ​​the memory 20b, thereby configuring various processing function units in the memory 20b. That is, the memory 20b is configured with an image analysis processing unit 21, an image analysis result management unit 22, and an image analysis result transmission unit 23 shown in FIG.

[0031] The storage 20c may be, for example, a large-capacity information storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a memory card, etc. The storage 20c stores software that realizes the functions of the car terminal 20, data obtained by executing the program, and data required for display screen settings.

[0032] The image input / output unit 20d performs input processing of image data from the in-car camera 12, and also performs output processing of the image data to the elevator control device 100 or the like. The data input / output unit 20e performs input processing of instructions from the elevator control device 100 and output processing of data transmitted by the image analysis result transmission unit 23. The network interface 20f may be, for example, a network interface card (NIC), and is used to transmit and receive data to and from other devices.

[0033] Note that the car terminal 20 configured with the computer shown in Fig. 3 is just an example, and may be configured with an arithmetic processing device other than a computer. For example, some or all of the functions performed by the car terminal 20 may be realized by hardware such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Moreover, the elevator control device 100 and the external linkage device 200 shown in FIG. 2 are also configured by a computer having a hardware configuration similar to that of the car terminal 20, or by other arithmetic processing devices.

[0034] [Example of processing during call service] 4 is a flowchart showing a processing example when a car call is made by pressing a car call button at a landing or a destination floor call is made by pressing a destination floor button inside the car 10. In addition, the door opening and door closing described in the following processing refer to the door opening and door closing of the door 11 of the car 10. First, the elevator control device 100 judges whether communication with the car terminal 20 of the car 10 is normal or not (step S11). If communication is normal in step S11 (YES in step S11), the elevator control device 100 judges whether service due to a car call at a landing or a destination floor call in the car 10 has been completed (step S12). Completion of service here refers to the arrival of the car 10 due to a car call, or arrival at a destination floor due to a destination floor call. If service is not completed in step S12 (NO in step S12), the elevator control device 100 waits until the service is completed.

[0035] Then, when the service is completed in step S12 (YES in step S12), the elevator status management unit 116 of the elevator control device 100 judges whether or not the door opening of the car 10 has been detected (step S13). When the door opening is not detected in step S13 (NO in step S13), the elevator control device 100 waits until the door opening is detected. When detecting the door opening in step S13 (YES in step S13), the elevator control device 100 judges whether or not the door sensor attached to the door 11 detects the passenger getting on or off (step S14).

[0036] When boarding or disembarking is detected by the door sensor in step S14 (YES in step S14), the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether the change in the number of passengers in the car 10 or the change in the value of the load sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (step S15). The change in the predetermined value here may be an increase or decrease in the number of passengers or the number of passengers getting on and off. The predetermined value here is a value that corresponds to the case where several passengers are on board, for example. Alternatively, the elevator status management unit 116 may determine that there is a change in the number of passengers even if the predetermined value is one person.

[0037] When a change of a predetermined value or more is detected in step S15, the elevator display update unit 122 of the elevator control device 100 updates the display of the congestion degree on the landing display units 33-1, 33-2, ... of each floor to one based on the latest data (step S16).

[0038] After updating the landing display units 33-1, 33-2, ... in step S16, the elevator status management unit 116 of the elevator control device 100 judges whether or not the car 10 has started traveling (step S17). If the car 10 has not started traveling in step S17 (NO in step S17), the elevator status management unit 116 returns to the judgment in step S17. Then, when the elevator starts running in step S17 (YES in step S17), the elevator display update unit 122 updates the display of the congestion degree on the landing display units 33-1, 33-2, ... on each floor to the latest data based on the number of passengers after the elevator started running (step S18).

[0039] Furthermore, if the communication with the car terminal 20 is not normal in step S11 (NO in step S11), the elevator status management unit 116 of the elevator control device 100 determines whether or not a predetermined time (e.g., several minutes) has passed since the communication became abnormal (step S19). If the predetermined time has not passed in step S19 (NO in step S19), the elevator status management unit 116 returns to the determination in step S11.

[0040] When a predetermined time has elapsed in step S19 (YES in step S19), the elevator display management unit 121 of the elevator control device 100 displays on the landing display units 33-1, 33-2, ... of each floor that display is not possible due to a communication abnormality (step S20). At this time, the elevator display management unit 121 may also display on the car interior display unit 14 that display is not possible. The elevator display management unit 121 may also notify an external party, such as an elevator control center, of the communication abnormality.

[0041] Furthermore, if no boarding or disembarking is detected by the door sensor in step S14 (NO in step S14), and if no change of a predetermined value or more is detected in step S15 (NO in step S15), the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether or not a predetermined time (e.g., several minutes) has passed since the detection of this state (step S21). If the predetermined time has not passed in step S21 (NO in step S21), the elevator status management unit 116 returns to the judgment in step S14. After a predetermined time has elapsed in step S21 and a warning voice is output from a voice output unit (not shown) in the car 10 to notify that the doors will close, the elevator control processing unit 111 starts closing the doors of the car 10 (step S22). Here, one method for starting the door closing is to forcibly expire a timer for the door open duration, so that the door closing can be started after the announcement of "The doors are closing" in the same way as in normal elevator operation.

[0042] [Example of processing when waiting for the door to open] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the elevator control device 100 when the car 10 is waiting with the door open at a landing on any floor. First, the elevator status management unit 116 determines whether or not communication between the car terminal 20 of the car 10 and the elevator control device 100 is normal (step S31). When communication is normal in step S31 (YES in step S31), the elevator status management unit 116 determines whether or not the car 10 is waiting with the door open (step S32).

[0043] When the elevator is waiting with the door open in step S32 (YES in step S32), the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether boarding or alighting has been detected by the door sensor (step S33). Furthermore, when boarding or alighting is detected in step S31 (YES in step S33), the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether the change in the number of passengers in the car 10 or the change in the value of the load sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (step S34). The predetermined value here is, for example, the same as the predetermined value judged in step S15 of the flowchart in FIG. 4.

[0044] When the change in the number of passengers or the change in the value of the load sensor is equal to or greater than a predetermined value in step S34 (YES in step S34), the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether the car 10 has completed door closing (step S35). Here, the elevator status management unit 116 may determine that the car 10 has started traveling instead of completing door closing. When the door closing is completed (or the elevator starts moving) in step S35 (YES in step S35), the elevator state management unit 116 determines whether or not a destination floor call has been registered on the operation panel in the car 10 (step S36).

[0045] If a destination floor is registered in step S36 (YES in step S36), the elevator display update unit 122 updates the display of the congestion degree on the landing display units 33-1, 33-2, ... on each floor to the latest data based on the number of passengers after the elevator starts running (step S37).

[0046] If the elevator is not waiting for the doors to open in step S32 (NO in step S32) and if there is no detection by the door sensor in step S33 (NO in step S33), the elevator status management unit 116 returns to the determination in step S32. Similarly, if there is no change of a predetermined value or more in step S34 (NO in step S34) and if the doors have been closed (travel has started) in step S35 (NO in step S35), the elevator status management unit 116 also returns to the determination in step S32. Furthermore, if there is no destination floor registration in step S36 (NO in step S36), the elevator status management unit 116 also returns to the determination in step S32.

[0047] When the communication is not normal in step S31 (NO in step S31), the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed during which the communication is not normal (step S38). The predetermined time here is, for example, about one minute. When the predetermined time has not elapsed in step S38 (NO in step S38), the elevator status management unit 116 returns to the judgment in step S31. Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed in step S38 (YES in step S38), the elevator display management unit 121 of the elevator control device 100 causes the landing display units 33-1, 33-2, ... on each floor to display that display is impossible due to a communication abnormality (step S39). At this time, the car display unit 14 may also display a similar display that display is impossible. In addition, the communication abnormality may be notified to an external party such as an elevator control center.

[0048] [Processing when a certain period of time has elapsed without a car call] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the elevator control device 100 when a certain period of time has elapsed without any call registration at the hall or in the car. The certain period of time here is, for example, one minute, but may be three minutes or may be variable depending on the usage situation. First, the elevator status management unit 116 determines whether or not communication between the car terminal 20 of the car 10 and the elevator control device 100 is normal (step S41). When communication is normal in step S41 (YES in step S41), the elevator status management unit 116 determines whether or not the doors of the car 10 are closed (step S42).

[0049] If the doors are closed in step S42 (YES in step S42), the elevator status management unit 116 determines whether the no-call state, in which the car call button is not pressed at the landing on each floor, has lasted for less than a predetermined time (here, 1 minute or 3 minutes) (step S43). If the predetermined time has elapsed in step S43 (YES in step S43), the elevator status management unit 116 determines whether or not a destination floor call has been registered on the operation panel in the car 10 (step S44). If there is no destination floor call registration in step S44 (YES in step S44), the elevator display update unit 122 updates the display of the congestion degree on the landing display units 33-1, 33-2, ... of each floor to the latest data based on the number of passengers after the start of the run (step S45). Here, if the door closing is completed without a call registration, it can be determined that there are no elevator users, so the congestion degree display may be reset.

[0050] If the doors are not closed in step S42 (NO in step S42) and if the no-call state is within a predetermined time in step S43 (NO in step S43), the elevator status management unit 116 returns to the determination in step S42. Similarly, if a destination floor is registered in step S44 (NO in step S44), the elevator status management unit 116 also returns to the determination in step S42.

[0051] When the communication is not normal in step S41 (NO in step S41), the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed during which the communication is not normal (step S46). The predetermined time here is, for example, about one minute. When the predetermined time has not elapsed in step S46 (NO in step S46), the elevator status management unit 116 returns to the judgment in step S41.

[0052] Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed in step S46 (YES in step S46), the elevator display management unit 121 of the elevator control device 100 displays on the landing display units 33-1, 33-2, ... of each floor that display is not possible due to a communication abnormality (step S47). At this time, the elevator display management unit 121 may also display on the car interior display unit 14 that display is not possible. The elevator display management unit 121 may also notify an external party, such as an elevator control center, of the communication abnormality.

[0053] [Processing when deemed full capacity is detected] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the elevator control device 100 when it is detected that the number of passengers in the car 10 is deemed full. The elevator car 10 has a set capacity, and when the load equivalent to that number of passengers is exceeded, the capacity is exceeded, and processing is performed to set the number of passengers below the capacity. However, in reality, the elevator control device 100 performs processing to deem the car full when it detects a number of passengers that is about 80% of the capacity, or a load equivalent to that number of passengers.

[0054] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing performed by the elevator control device 100 when the elevator is deemed full. First, the elevator status management unit 116 determines whether or not communication between the car terminal 20 of the car 10 and the elevator control device 100 is normal (step S51). If communication is normal in step S51 (YES in step S51), the elevator status management unit 116 determines whether or not the number of passengers in the car 10 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value that corresponds to a deemed full occupancy (step S52).

[0055] When the number of passengers is equal to or greater than a predetermined value corresponding to a deemed full capacity in step S52 (YES in step S52), the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether or not there is a car call at the landing (step S53). When there is a car call in step S53 (YES in step S53), the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether or not the car 10 is traveling (step S54).

[0056] If the elevator is moving in step S54 (YES in step S53), the elevator display management unit 121 of the elevator control device 100 displays that the elevator is full on the landing display units 33-1, 33-2, ... on each floor in the direction of travel (step S55). At this time, the elevator display management unit 121 performs a process to allow the elevator to pass through floors other than the destination floor where there is a car call.

[0057] Furthermore, if the number of passengers is not equal to or greater than the predetermined value corresponding to the deemed full capacity in step S52 (NO in step S52) and if there is no car call in step S53 (NO in step S53), the elevator status management unit 116 returns to the determination in step S52. Similarly, if the elevator is not running in step S54 (NO in step S54), the elevator status management unit 116 also returns to the determination in step S52.

[0058] When the communication is not normal in step S51 (NO in step S51), the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed during which the communication is not normal (step S56). The predetermined time here is, for example, about one minute. When the predetermined time has not elapsed in step S56 (NO in step S56), the elevator status management unit 116 returns to the judgment in step S51.

[0059] Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed in step S56 (YES in step S56), the elevator display management unit 121 of the elevator control device 100 displays on the landing display units 33-1, 33-2, ... of each floor that display is not possible due to a communication abnormality (step S57). At this time, the elevator display management unit 121 may also display on the car interior display unit 14 that display is not possible. The elevator display management unit 121 may also notify an external party, such as an elevator control center, of the communication abnormality.

[0060] [Processing when no one is present] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the elevator control device 100 when it is detected that the car 10 is empty. First, the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether or not communication between the car terminal 20 of the car 10 and the elevator control device 100 is normal (step S61). When communication is normal in step S61 (YES in step S61), the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether or not the door closing time of the car 10 is equal to or longer than a predetermined value (step S62). The predetermined value here is, for example, about 10 minutes.

[0061] When the door closing time is equal to or longer than a predetermined value in step S62, the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether or not there is a car call at the landing (step S63). When there is no car call in step S63 (YES in step S63), the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether or not the car 10 is stopped (step S64). When the car 10 is stopped in step S64 (YES in step S64), the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether or not the detection value of the load sensor of the car 10 is within a predetermined value corresponding to no passengers (step S65). The predetermined value here is a value that can be regarded as almost zero load.

[0062] When the load is within the predetermined value in step S65 (YES in step S65), the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether the number of passengers determined from the camera image is within a predetermined value (step S66). The predetermined value here is a state in which the number of passengers is zero. When the number of passengers is within a predetermined value (zero) in step S66 (YES in step S66), the elevator control processing unit 111 transitions the operation mode of the elevator from the normal mode to the pause mode (step S67). With this transition to the pause mode, the lights in the car 10 are turned off, and the landing display units 33-1, 33-2, ... on each floor are turned off (step S66). However, while the lights are turned off in the car 10, the door open button on the operation panel is made to flash.

[0063] Also, if the door closing time is not equal to or longer than the predetermined value in step S62 (NO in step S62) and if there is a car call in step S63 (NO in step S63), the elevator status management unit 116 returns to the determination in step S62. Furthermore, if the elevator is not stopped in step S64 (NO in step S64) and if the detected value of the load sensor is not within the predetermined value in step S65 (NO in step S65), the elevator status management unit 116 also returns to the determination in step S62. Furthermore, if the number of passengers determined from the camera image in step S65 is not within the predetermined value (NO in step S66), the elevator status management unit 116 also returns to the determination in step S62.

[0064] Then, when the communication is not normal in step S61 (NO in step S61), the elevator status management unit 116 judges whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed during which the communication is not normal (step S69). The predetermined time here is, for example, about one minute. When the predetermined time has not elapsed in step S69 (NO in step S69), the elevator status management unit 116 returns to the judgment in step S61. Then, when a predetermined time has elapsed in step S69 (YES in step S69), the elevator display management unit 121 of the elevator control device 100 displays on the landing display units 33-1, 33-2, ... of each floor that display is impossible due to a communication abnormality (step S70). At this time, the elevator display management unit 121 may also cause the car interior display unit 14 to display a similar display impossible message. The elevator display management unit 121 may also notify an external party, such as an elevator control center, of the communication abnormality.

[0065] As described above, according to the system of this example, after detecting the opening of the elevator doors, when there is a change in the number of passengers or load inside the elevator, the display on the platform display unit is updated to the latest display, making it possible to update the display on the platform display unit at an appropriate time.

[0066] Here, a change in the number of passengers or load of more than a specified amount is detected when a door sensor installed on the door of the car 10 detects boarding or disembarking, making it possible to more reliably update the display on the platform display unit at an appropriate timing.

[0067] In addition, in the system of this example, after the elevator car starts moving, the display on the platform display unit is updated to a display according to the latest number of passengers or load. Therefore, according to the system of this example, the number of passengers does not change while the elevator car is moving, so that the display on the platform display unit can be appropriately performed.

[0068] Furthermore, in the system of this example, when the door closure of the car 10 is detected and there is no call registration in the car 10 for a predetermined time, and there is a destination floor call registration at the boarding area, the display on the boarding area display unit is updated to a display corresponding to the latest number of passengers or load. Therefore, according to the system of this example, it is possible to perform an appropriate display update according to the actual call registration.

[0069] Furthermore, in the system of this example, when the number of passengers or the load transmitted from the car terminal 20 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value close to the full passenger capacity, the display on the platform display unit is updated to show a deemed full passenger status. Therefore, according to the system of this example, the display when the train is full can also be updated at an appropriate time.

[0070] Furthermore, in the system of this example, when the car door is closed for a predetermined time or more and the number of passengers or the load is within a predetermined value corresponding to an unoccupied state, the elevator is put into pause mode and the lighting device in the car 10 is turned off. As a result, the system of this example makes it possible to pause the elevator appropriately when the elevator is not in use. However, as explained in step S68 of the flowchart in Fig. 8, by only flashing the door open button, it is possible to appropriately rescue a passenger in the car 10 in the unlikely event that such a passenger is present.

[0071] [Variations] It should be noted that the embodiment examples described so far have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easily understandable manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described.

[0072] For example, although no specific explanation has been given regarding the usage status of data such as the number of passengers boarding and alighting and the number of passengers transmitted by the car terminal 20 in the external systems 210, 220, 230, appropriate processing can also be performed in the external systems 210, 220, 230 that receive the data transmitted from the car terminal 20. For example, the first external system (people flow detection device) 210 can appropriately detect the flow of people on each floor of a building based on the number of people getting on and off and the number of people riding in vehicles. Moreover, the second external system (image management device) 220 can appropriately manage the elevator usage status based on the images. Furthermore, the third external system (maintenance data management device) 230 can analyze and monitor whether the elevator operation status is appropriate based on the number of passengers getting on and off and the number of passengers and the elevator operation status.

[0073] In the above-described embodiment, the display update by the elevator control device 100 is applied to the display of the congestion degree (full, vacant, etc.) on the landing display units 33-1, 33-2,... on each floor, but other display updates may be performed by a similar process. For example, the landing display units 33-1, 33-2,... on each floor may display "full" on the landing display unit with a car call in the corresponding running direction only when the landing is deemed full. Alternatively, instead of displaying the degree of congestion or full capacity, the platform display units 33-1, 33-2, ... on each floor may display messages such as "Arriving shortly" or "Please wait a moment until arrival", and these displays may be updated by the processes shown in each flowchart.

[0074] In addition, in the configuration diagrams shown in Figures 1 to 3, only control lines and information lines that are considered necessary for explanation are shown, and not all control lines and information lines in the product are necessarily shown. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are connected to each other. Furthermore, the process flows shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 to 8 are also examples, and so long as the process results are the same, the order of some processes may be changed or multiple processes may be executed simultaneously.

[0075] Furthermore, when the car terminal 20 and elevator control device 100 described in this embodiment are configured as an information processing device such as a computer, the programs that realize each processing function may be prepared in non-volatile storage or memory within the computer device, or may be stored and transferred on a recording medium such as an external memory, an IC card, an SD card, or an optical disk. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 10...car, 11...door, 12...in-car camera, 13...image management unit, 14...in-car display unit, 15...operation status detection unit, 16...operation execution unit, 20...car terminal, 20a...CPU, 20b...memory, 20c...storage, 20d...image input / output unit, 20e...data input / output unit, 20f...network interface, 21...image analysis processing unit, 22...image analysis result management unit, 23...image analysis result transmission unit, 31...call button, 33, 33-1, 33-2...landing display unit, 100...elevator control device, 101...operation status detection unit output unit, 111... elevator control processing unit, 112... operation state acquisition unit, 113... operation state determination unit, 114... door opening state acquisition unit, 115... door opening state determination unit, 116... elevator state management unit, 121... elevator display management unit, 122... elevator display update unit, 152... operation state detection unit, 200... external linkage device, 201... data management unit, 202... data distribution unit, 210... first external system (people flow detection device), 220... second external system (image management device), 230... third external system (maintenance data management device)

Claims

1. An elevator control system in which a car terminal installed in a passenger car and an elevator control device are communicatively connected, and the elevator control device performs control by receiving data transmitted from the car terminal, The car terminal includes: A car in-car management unit that acquires and manages data on the number of passengers and / or the load of the car; a car in-transmitting unit that transmits data on the number of passengers and / or the load managed by the car in-management unit to the elevator control device, The elevator control device includes: An elevator status management unit that acquires a door opening status and an operation status of the elevator car; and an elevator display management unit that controls the display of a landing display unit installed at the landing of the elevator car, The elevator display management unit detects the opening of the car door, and when a predetermined or greater change is detected in the number of passengers or the load transmitted from the car in-car transmission unit of the car terminal, updates the display of the landing display unit to a display corresponding to the latest number of passengers or the load. Elevator control system.

2. The detection of a predetermined or greater change in the number of passengers or load is performed when a sensor installed on the door of the car detects boarding or disembarking.

2. The elevator control system of claim 1.

3. Furthermore, the elevator display management unit updates the display of the landing display unit to a display corresponding to the latest number of passengers or load after the elevator car starts traveling.

3. The elevator control system of claim 2.

4. Furthermore, the elevator display management unit detects the closing of the car door, and when there is no call registration in the car and no call registration at the landing, updates the display of the landing display unit to a display according to the latest number of passengers or load.

2. The elevator control system of claim 1.

5. The elevator display management unit updates the display of the landing display unit to a display of a deemed full load when the number of passengers or the load transmitted from the in-car transmission unit of the car terminal is equal to or greater than a predetermined value close to a full load capacity.

2. The elevator control system of claim 1.

6. The elevator display management unit sets the elevator to a pause mode and turns off the lighting device in the elevator when the door closing time of the elevator car is equal to or longer than a predetermined time and the number of passengers or the load is within a predetermined value corresponding to an unoccupied state.

2. The elevator control system of claim 1.

7. An elevator control method in which a car terminal installed in a car and an elevator control device, each of which is configured by a computer, are communicatively connected, and the elevator control device receives data transmitted from the car terminal and performs control, The computer as the car terminal includes: A car interior management process for acquiring and managing data on the number of passengers and / or load of the car; a car in-transmission process for transmitting data on the number of passengers and / or the load obtained by the car in-management process to the elevator control device; The computer as the elevator control device includes: An elevator status management process for acquiring a door opening status and an operation status of the elevator car; and executing an elevator display management process for controlling the display of a hall display unit installed at the hall of the elevator car; Furthermore, in the elevator display management process, when the opening of the car door is detected and a predetermined or greater change is detected in the number of passengers or the load transmitted from the car terminal, the display of the landing display unit is updated to a display corresponding to the latest number of passengers or the load. Elevator control method.

Images