Elevator system

Abstract

To easily detect and efficiently transport a specific user who has failed to board a car.SOLUTION: This elevator system comprises a camera, detection means, and operation control means. The camera is installed in a car. The detection means detects a case where a specific user has been left behind at a landing of a floor where the car has responded to a call, based on an image from the camera. When the detection means detects that the specific user has been left behind, the operation control means switches to exclusive operation at a timing when the car reverses, and directly moves the car to the floor where the specific user has been left.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 commercial facilities, etc., many people use elevators, so sometimes users in wheelchairs, strollers, carts, etc. (hereafter referred to as "special users") cannot board the elevator. In such cases, regular users can move to the desired floor using stairs or escalators, but special users must wait for the next elevator. Furthermore, depending on how crowded the next elevator is, they may not be able to board again.

[0003] In light of this situation, a system has been devised in which a mechanism for detecting specific users is installed at the boarding area of ​​each floor, and when a specific user is detected, the elevator is switched to dedicated operation after all passengers alight at their respective destination floors, and the elevator is directed to the detected floor for the specific user. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-173825 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the above system requires the installation of a mechanism for detecting specific users at the landings on each floor, which requires large-scale landing facilities, making it difficult to apply to, for example, high-rise buildings with many floors. Also, every time a specific user is detected at a landing on each floor, the car switches to dedicated operation (emptying the car and operating directly to the floor where the specific user was detected), which significantly reduces operation efficiency.

[0006] Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an elevator system that can easily detect a specific user who is unable to board the elevator car and transport him / her efficiently. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An elevator system according to one embodiment includes a camera, a detection means, and an operation control means. The camera is installed in a car. The detection means detects whether a specific user has been left behind at a landing of a floor where the car has responded to a call, based on an image from the camera. When the detection means detects that the specific user has been left behind, the operation control means switches to a dedicated operation mode at the timing when the car turns around, and causes the car to go directly to the floor where the specific user has been left behind. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an elevator system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a portion around an entrance in a car according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an image captured by the camera according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the elevator system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the elevator system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of the elevator system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of the entire elevator system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the elevator system according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detection area according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an elevator system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an elevator system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an elevator system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an elevator system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in the elevator system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in the elevator system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an elevator system according to a modified example of the second embodiment. In FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an elevator system according to a modified example of the second embodiment. In FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an elevator system according to a modified example of the second embodiment. In FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in an elevator system according to a modified example of the second embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a process flow of an elevator system according to a modified example of the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Each embodiment will be described below 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 correspond to 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 the drawings. In multiple drawings, corresponding elements may be given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations may be omitted.

[0010] (First embodiment) First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an elevator system according to the first embodiment.

[0011] A camera 12 is installed above the entrance of the car 11. Specifically, the camera 12 is installed in a fascia 16 that covers the upper part of the entrance of the car 11, with the lens portion tilted directly downward or toward the landing 15 at a predetermined angle.

[0012] Camera 12 is, for example, a small surveillance camera such as an in-vehicle camera, has a wide-angle lens or a fisheye lens, and captures a predetermined range L1 of hall 15. Camera 12 is capable of continuously capturing images at several frames per second (for example, 30 frames / second).

[0013] A car operation panel 45 having various operation buttons including a destination floor button, a door open button, a door close button, etc. is installed inside the car 11. Signals from these buttons are transmitted to the control device 20.

[0014] At the landing 15 of each floor, a landing door 14 is installed at the arrival entrance of the car 11 so as to be freely opened and closed. The landing door 14 engages with the car door 13 when the car 11 arrives to open and close. The power source (door motor) is on the car 11 side, and the landing door 14 simply opens and closes following the car door 13. In the following description, it is assumed that when the car door 13 is open, the landing door 14 is also open, and when the car door 13 is closed, the landing door 14 is also closed. It is also assumed that the car door 13 and the landing door 14 are two-leaf double-leaf doors, but are not limited thereto, and the car door 13 and the landing door 14 may be other types of doors (for example, two-leaf single-leaf doors, etc.).

[0015] A hall call button 17 is installed at the hall 15 of each floor. The hall call button 17 is composed of an up button 17-1 and a down button 17-2, and is configured to press the up button 17-1 or the down button 17-2 depending on the destination direction of the user (upward / downward). The signals of these buttons 17-1 and 17-2 are transmitted to the control device 20.

[0016] The control device 20 controls the entire elevator including the car 11, and includes a memory unit 21, a detection unit 22, and an operation control unit 23. The storage unit 21 sequentially stores images captured by the camera 12. Note that the storage unit 21 may store images that have been subjected to pre-processing such as distortion correction, enlargement / reduction, and partial cropping as pre-processing of the captured images.

[0017] The memory unit 21 also stores a call management table 211 that manages information on platform calls and car calls from users. A "platform call" is a call signal registered by operating a platform call button 17 installed at the platform 15 on each floor, and includes information on the registered floor (the floor where the platform call is registered) and the destination direction (upward or downward). A "car call" is a call signal registered by operating a destination floor button on a car operation panel 45 installed in the car 11, and includes information on the destination floor.

[0018] The detection unit 22 detects whether a specific user has been left behind at the landing 15 of the floor where the car 11 responded to the landing call. In this embodiment, the "specific user" refers to a user who has difficulty moving to another floor using stairs or an escalator. In other words, it refers to a user who needs to use an elevator to move to another floor, such as a wheelchair user or a user using a stroller or cart.

[0019] When the car 11 departs in response to a hall call at any floor, the detection unit 22 detects a state (left behind) in which the specific user described above is unable to board the car 11 and is left at the hall 15, using an image captured by the camera 12 installed in the car 11. Specifically, the detection unit 22 obtains an image of the car 11 when it starts to close its doors from the storage unit 21, and detects the specific user present in the detection area E (see FIG. 3) of the hall 15 by analyzing the image.

[0020] The detection method at this time includes a method (pattern matching method) of detecting a specific user from the similarity between a predetermined pattern image (template image) of a specific user and an image of the user in the detection area E. Another method includes a method (feature extraction method) of extracting features of an image of a user in the detection area E and detecting a specific user based on the agreement between the features of the user and features previously learned as a specific user. The detection unit 22 stores (sets) in the storage unit 21 as a "leftover floor" the floor on which it has detected a specific user left behind (a specific user who is in the detection area E when the door starts closing).

[0021] The operation control unit 23 controls the operation of the elevator 11 based on the calls (car calls and hall calls) stored in the call management table 211, and when the detection unit 22 detects that a specific user has been left behind, the operation control unit 23 switches to dedicated operation at the time when the elevator 11 turns around, and makes the elevator 11 go directly to the floor where the user has been left behind.

[0022] "The timing when the car 11 reverses direction" refers to the time when the car 11 responds to all currently registered car calls in one-way operation and no hall calls are registered for floors beyond the current position. "Exclusive operation" refers to operation for specific users. At this time, the car 11 is empty (unmanned). Although not shown, the control device 20 is equipped with a door opening / closing control unit that controls the opening and closing of the car door 13, and the like.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a portion around an entrance in the car 11 according to the first embodiment. A car door 13 is provided at the entrance of the car 11 so as to be able to be opened and closed freely. In the example of Fig. 2, a two-door double-leaf car door 13 is shown, and two door panels 13a, 13b constituting the car door 13 open and close in opposite directions along the width direction (horizontal direction). Note that the "width" is the same as the entrance of the car 11.

[0024] A car operation panel 45 on which a display 43, destination floor buttons 44, etc. are arranged, and a speaker 46 are installed on one or both of the front pillars 41a and 41b. In the example of Fig. 2, the speaker 46 is installed on the front pillar 41a, and the display 43 and the car operation panel 45 are installed on the front pillar 41b.

[0025] Here, a camera 12 having a wide-angle lens such as a fisheye lens is installed in the center of a fascia board 16 above the entrance of the car 11. The camera 12 is installed facing downward from the lower part of the fascia board 16 so as to be able to photograph a predetermined range L1 (see FIG. 1 ) including a landing 15 near the entrance of the car 11.

[0026] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an image captured by the camera 12. Fig. 3 shows an image captured downward from above the entrance of the car 11 with the car door 13 (door panels 13a, 13b) and the hall door 14 (door panels 14a, 14b) fully open. In Fig. 3, the upper side shows the hall 15, and the lower side shows the inside of the car 11.

[0027] Here, a detection area E is set on the floor surface near the entrance of the landing 15 on the image. The detection area E is set excluding the blind spots of the three-sided frames 19a and 19b, as shown by the diagonal lines in FIG. 3. In the real space, the detection area E has a distance of L2 from the center of the entrance (frontage) toward the landing (L2≦shooting range L1 on the landing side). The width W1 of the detection area E is set to a distance equal to or greater than the width W0 of the entrance (frontage). The distance L2 and width W1 of the detection area E are set to values ​​taking into consideration the width of the landing 15, the length of the frontage, and the like. By setting the detection area E in this way, it is possible to detect only users (including specific users) waiting for the car 11 at the landing 15, excluding users who have simply passed through the landing 15. The size of the detection area E in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) may be changed according to the opening and closing operation of the car door 13.

[0028] Next, an overview of the elevator system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the specific examples in Figures 4 and 5. In the figures, 1 indicates a specific user, and U1 and U2 indicate general users. "General users" refer to users other than the specific users, that is, users who do not use wheelchairs or carts. Also, the arrows in the figures indicate the direction of movement of the car 11.

[0029] In Fig. 4, it is assumed that specific user 1 presses up button 17-1 at platform 15-1 on the 5th floor, but is unable to board because many users U1 are in car 11, and is left behind at platform 15-1 on the 5th floor. Since specific user 1's only means of transportation to each floor is by elevator, he or she must wait for the next car 11. Furthermore, depending on how crowded the next car 11 is, he or she may not be able to board again.

[0030] To avoid such a situation, in this embodiment, images from the camera 12 are used to detect whether a specific user 1 has been left behind, and when the elevator 11 turns around, the elevator switches to dedicated operation and sends the elevator 11 directly to the floor where the user has been left behind.

[0031] In the example of Fig. 4, the car 11 departs from the boarding hall 15-1 on the 5th floor, leaving the specific user 1 behind, and moves upward while dropping off the user U1 at the destination floor registered as the car call. If a boarding hall call is registered for a floor above the 5th floor, the car 11 stops at the registered floor of the boarding hall call, picks up a new user, and departs. The new user at this time may be a general user or a specific user. For the sake of simplicity, it is assumed here that no new passengers board the car 11 until all passengers U1 aboard the car 11 have disembarked.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 5, for example, when a user U1 who was in the car 11 gets off at the 8th floor, the car 11 becomes empty (i.e., there are no unanswered car calls). At this time, if no hall call is registered at a floor above the 8th floor, the driving direction of the car 11 is reversed to the downward direction. At the timing of this reversal, the car 11 switches to dedicated operation. When the car switches to dedicated operation, even if another user U2 presses the downward button 17-2 at the 7th floor, for example, the car 11 does not respond to the hall call registered by the hall call button 17-2, maintains an empty state, and goes directly to the left-behind floor (here, 5th floor) where the specific user 1 is. As a result, the car 11 can pick up the specific user 1 in an empty state, and the specific user 1 can smoothly board the car 11 when it arrives at the left-behind floor.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 5, the hall call registered by operating the up button 17-1 at the 5F floor where the passenger is left behind is held from the time the specific user is detected as being left behind until the elevator car 11 returns to the 5F in a direct run. The up button 17-1, which indicates that the hall call has been registered, also remains lit. Therefore, the specific user 1 does not need to press the up button 17-1 again to register the hall call.

[0034] Next, the flow of processing in the elevator system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. When the car 11 responds to a hall call registered at any floor and arrives at the hall 15 at that floor (YES in step S11), the control device 20 opens the door of the car 11 and allows users waiting at the hall 15 to board (step S12). When a preset time has elapsed (YES in step S13), the control device 20 closes the door of the car 11 (step S14).

[0035] Here, from when the door of the car 11 opens to when it closes, the camera 12 inside the car 11 photographs the landing 15 near the entrance / exit of the car 11, and the photographed images are stored in chronological order in a memory unit 21 provided in the control device 20.

[0036] The detection unit 22 acquires from the storage unit 21 an image captured by the camera 12 when the door closing process starts (step S15), and executes a left-behind detection process using the image (step S16).

[0037] The "left-behind detection process" refers to a process for detecting users who were unable to board the car 11, that is, users who are left behind at the hall 15. In this embodiment, the left-behind detection process is executed for specific users. Specifically, an image immediately after the door starts to close is analyzed, and specific users present in the detection area E (see FIG. 3) set at the hall 15 are detected using the above-mentioned pattern matching method, feature extraction method, or the like.

[0038] Here, the left-behind detection process is performed using an image taken immediately after the door closing has started, but the left-behind detection process may also be performed continuously using multiple images taken from when the door closing has started until the door is fully closed, or from when the door opening has started until the door is fully closed.

[0039] When the left-behind detection process detects that a specific user has been left behind (YES in step S17), the detection unit 22 sets the current floor as the left-behind floor (step S18). After the door of the car 11 is closed, the operation control unit 23 starts the car 11 in the driving direction when the hall call was responded to in the above step S11 (step S19), controls the operation of the car 11 based on the information of the car call and the hall call currently registered in the call management table 211, and allows the user to get on or off at each floor (step S20).

[0040] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the car 11 responds to a hall call for the 5th floor while traveling upward, it departs in the upward direction after closing the doors, lets passengers disembark at the destination floor registered as the car call, and moves upward while letting passengers board at the registered floor for the hall call.

[0041] Here, at the timing when the car 11 reverses its driving direction (YES in step S21), the operation control unit 23 switches the car 11 to dedicated driving (step S22). In the example of Fig. 5, since all calls have been answered at the 8th floor, the driving direction of the car 11 is reversed at the 8th floor and the car 11 is switched to dedicated driving.

[0042] When the elevator 11 reverses (i.e., when it switches to dedicated operation), an announcement that the operation will switch to dedicated operation for specific users may be output from a speaker 46 (see FIG. 2) in the elevator 11 to prohibit boarding the elevator 11. Furthermore, the destination floor button 44 in the elevator 11 may be locked to prevent registration of an elevator call (destination floor). Alternatively, when a user (including a specific user) gets on the elevator 11, an announcement may be made to encourage the user to get off, and the elevator 11 may not depart until the user gets off. The presence or absence of a user in the elevator 11 can be detected by analyzing and processing an image of the interior of the elevator 11 taken by the camera 12.

[0043] After switching to the dedicated operation, the operation control unit 23 makes the car 11 go directly to the left-behind floor set in the above step S18 without responding to the hall call newly registered at each floor (step S23). At this time, the operation control unit 23 may make the car 11 go directly to the left-behind floor at a driving speed faster than normal in order to shorten the waiting time of the specific user waiting at the left-behind floor. When the car 11 arrives at the left-behind floor, the operation control unit 23 cancels the dedicated operation of the car 11 (step S24). In the example of FIG. 5, the car 11 switches to the dedicated operation at the 8th floor and goes directly to the 5th floor where the specific user 1 is waiting.

[0044] When the car 11 switches to dedicated operation and goes directly to the 5th floor (floor where passengers are not loaded), an announcement to that effect may be made at the boarding area 15 on the 5th floor. This announcement allows the specific user 1 to know that the car 11 will arrive soon as a dedicated car, and the specific user 1 can wait at the 5th floor with peace of mind. When the car 11 arrives at the 5th floor, the dedicated operation is cancelled. Therefore, after the specific user 1 gets on the car 11, the car 11 will head to the destination floor of the specific user 1 as a normal operation, responding to newly registered boarding calls at each floor.

[0045] In addition, the exclusive operation may be cancelled when a specific user gets on the car 11 after the car 11 arrives at the remaining floor. The fact that a specific user has got on the car 11 can be detected by analyzing the image of the inside of the car 11 taken by the camera 12. In addition, the car 11 may not be allowed to depart until it is detected that a specific user has got on the car 11.

[0046] On the other hand, if no specific user is detected to be left behind in step S16 (NO in step S17), the operation control unit 23 closes the doors of the elevator car 11 and departs (step S25), and controls the operation of the elevator car 11 based on the elevator calls and hall calls currently registered in the call management table 211 (step S26).

[0047] Thus, according to the first embodiment, a specific user left behind at the platform 15 is detected using the camera 12 installed in the car 11. When a specific user is detected, the car 11 switches to a dedicated operation at the timing when it turns around and goes directly to the floor where the user is left behind. At this time, the car 11 arrives at the floor where the user is left behind empty (unmanned), so that the specific user waiting at the platform 15 of the floor where the user is left behind can be surely allowed to board. In this case, from the perspective of the specific user, even if he or she has to miss the car 11 once, he or she can be sure to board the next car 11, so that the specific user can wait with peace of mind.

[0048] There is a known method of detecting a specific user at a platform on any floor and switching to a dedicated operation. In this method, the system frequently switches to a dedicated operation every time a specific user is detected, which impairs the operation service for other general users and significantly reduces operation efficiency. Moreover, a mechanism for detecting specific users is required at the platform on each floor, which requires a large-scale facility.

[0049] In contrast, in this embodiment, when the car 11 arrives at a floor that responds to hall calls, it detects specific users left behind at the hall 15 of that floor, and switches to dedicated operation at the timing when the car 11 turns around. Therefore, it is possible to reliably allow specific users to board without impairing the operation service for other general users, that is, by suppressing a decrease in operation efficiency. In addition, since the camera 12 inside the car 11 is used to detect specific users left behind, no large-scale equipment is required.

[0050] Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of the entire elevator system according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, there are three cars 11a to 11c designated as cars A, B, and C, and these cars 11a to 11c are managed in groups. Note that the number of cars is not limited to three, and may be two, or four or more.

[0051] The group management control device 30 exists as a main control device, and controls the entire group management system, such as allocation control for allocating a call registered at any hall to one of the cars of each car. The car A control device 20a controls the operation of the car 11a under the control of the group management control device 30. Similarly, the car B control device 20b and the car C control device 20c control the operation of the corresponding cars 11b and 11c under the group management control device 30. The functional configurations of the group management control device 30, the car control devices 20a to 20c, and the cars 11a to 11c will be described later with reference to FIG. 8.

[0052] At the landing of each floor, landing call buttons 17a to 17c are installed. The landing call button 17a is composed of an up button 17-1a and a down button 17-2a. The signal of the landing call button 17a is transmitted to the group management control device 30 via the A-unit control device 20a. Similarly, the landing call buttons 17b and 17c are composed of an up button 17-1b (17-1c) and a down button 17-2b (17-2c), and are transmitted to the group management control device 30 via the corresponding B-unit control device 20b and C-unit control device 20c, respectively. In the example of FIG. 7, the landing call buttons 17a to 17c are installed for each unit, but it is sufficient that at least one landing call button is installed at the landing of each floor. Also, the signals of the landing call buttons 17a to 17c may be configured to be transmitted directly to the group management control device 30.

[0053] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the elevator system according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. As in the first embodiment, the camera 12a is installed above the entrance of the car 11a and captures a predetermined range L1 of the platform 15. In addition, a car operation panel 45a having various operation buttons including a destination floor button, a door open button, a door close button, etc. is installed inside the car 11a. The button signals of the car operation panel 45a are transmitted to the group management control device 30 via the control device 20. Note that, although only the car 11a is shown in FIG. 8, the other cars 11b and 11c are also equipped with cameras and car operation panels like the car 11a. In the following description, the camera installed in the car 11b is referred to as the camera 12b, and the camera installed in the car 11c is referred to as the camera 12c.

[0054] As described above, the car A control device 20a controls the operation of the car 11a (such as lifting and lowering operations and opening and closing of the car door 13) under the control of the group management control device 30. The car A control device 20a includes a storage unit 21a, a detection unit 22a, and an operation control unit 23a. Images captured by the camera 12 are sequentially stored in the storage unit 21a.

[0055] The detection unit 22a corresponds to the detection unit 22 in the first embodiment, and detects a specific user being left behind. At this time, the detection unit 22a acquires an image when the elevator car 11a starts to close its door from the storage unit 21a, and detects the specific user present in the detection area Ea (see FIG. 9). When the detection unit 22a detects that a specific user has been left behind, it transmits (notifies) that fact and the current floor (left-behind floor) where the left-behind has been detected to the group management control device 30.

[0056] The operation control unit 23a controls the operation of the car 11a based on the control of the group management control device 30, and when the selection unit 32 of the group management control device 30 selects car A as the target car, it switches to dedicated operation at the time when the car 11a turns around and causes the car 11a to go directly to the remaining floor.

[0057] The B-machine control device 20b and the C-machine control device 20c are similar to the A-machine control device 20a and are provided with a memory unit, a detection unit, an operation control unit, etc. In the B-machine, a specific user's remaining luggage is detected in the detection area Eb corresponding to the B-machine, and in the C-machine, a specific user's remaining luggage is detected in the detection area Ec corresponding to the C-machine (see FIG. 9).

[0058] The group management control device 30 includes a storage unit 31 and a selection unit 32 . The storage unit 31 is provided with a call management table 311 for managing information on hall calls registered by users at each floor and car calls registered as destination floors of users in the cars 11a to 11c of each car. The call management table 311 also includes allocation information indicating to which of the cars 11a to 11c the hall calls registered at each floor are assigned.

[0059] When a specific user is detected to be left behind in any one of the cars 11a to 11c, the selection unit 32 selects a car for exclusive operation from among the cars 11a to 11c including the car, based on the calls registered in the car. In detail, the selection unit 32 compares the number of registered calls of the car that left the specific user behind with a preset threshold, and selects the car or another car as a car for exclusive operation according to the comparison result.

[0060] The term "call" here includes both car calls registered as destination floors in the car and hall calls for each floor assigned to the car, but may also include at least car calls. The term "cars subject to exclusive operation" refers to cars that switch to exclusive operation when reversing and go directly to the floors where passengers are not loaded.

[0061] When the target car is selected by the selection unit 32, the car is switched to dedicated operation by the car controller corresponding to the target car among the car controllers 20a to 20c at the timing when the target car reverses direction.

[0062] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a detection area according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the camera images obtained for each vehicle are used to set the corresponding detection areas Ea to Ec. Detection area Ea is an area for detecting users waiting for vehicle A, and has a distance of L2 from the center of the entrance (frontage) of vehicle A toward the hall. In addition, the width W1a of detection area Ea is set to be equal to or greater than the width W0a of the entrance (frontage) of vehicle A.

[0063] Detection area Eb is an area for detecting passengers waiting for Unit B, and like detection area Ea, has a distance of L2 from the center of the entrance (frontage) toward the boarding area. The width W1b of detection area Eb is set to be longer than the width W0b of the entrance (frontage) of Unit B.

[0064] Detection area Ec is an area for detecting passengers waiting for Unit C, and like detection areas Ea and Eb, has a distance of L2 from the center of the entrance (frontage) toward the hall. The width W1c of detection area Ec is set to be equal to or greater than the width W0c of the entrance (frontage) of Unit C.

[0065] It is preferable that the detection areas Ea to Ec are set so as not to overlap. This is because, for example, if the detection area Ea and the detection area Eb overlap, there is a possibility that leftover luggage will be detected in both the car A and the car B depending on the position of the user waiting for the car A or the car B at the hall 15. The same applies when the detection area Eb and the detection area Ec overlap.

[0066] Next, an overview of an elevator system according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to the specific examples in Fig. 10 to Fig. 13. In the figures, 2 indicates a specific user, and U3 to U7 indicate general users. Also, the arrows in the figures indicate the directions of movement of the cars 11a to 11c.

[0067] As shown in Fig. 10, it is assumed that a specific user 2 presses the up button 17-1c at the platform 15-1 on the 5th floor, but is unable to board the car 11c of the C-vehicle because many users U3 are in the car, and is left behind at the platform 15-1 on the 5th floor. In this case, the fact that the specific user 2 has been left behind is detected using an image from a camera 12c installed in the car 11c.

[0068] In the first embodiment, the car 11c that left the specific user 2 behind switched to dedicated operation when it turned around and headed toward the 5th floor where the specific user 2 was waiting. However, there are cases where the waiting time of the specific user 2 can be shortened by sending another car (car 11a or car 11b) to the 5th floor instead of car 11c. Therefore, in the second embodiment, depending on the number of registered calls (at least car calls) for car 11c that left the specific user 2 behind, car 11c or a car other than car 11c is selected as a car for dedicated operation and is sent to the 5th floor.

[0069] Specifically, the number of registered calls for the car 11c is compared with a predetermined threshold. If the number of registered calls for the car 11c is equal to or less than the threshold, the car 11c has fewer floors to stop at before turning around, so there is a possibility that the car 11c can go directly to the floor where the remaining load is left earlier than the other cars 11a and 11b. Therefore, the car 11c is selected as a target car for exclusive operation and goes directly to the floor where the remaining load is left.

[0070] On the other hand, when the number of registered calls for the car 11c is greater than the threshold, there are many floors that the car 11c stops at before it turns around, so it may be faster to have the car 11a or the car 11b head to the floor where the load is left behind than to have the car 11c head to the floor. Therefore, of the cars 11a and 11b, the car that can go directly to the floor where the load is left behind the earliest when it turns around is selected as the car to be operated exclusively, and is made to go directly to the floor where the load is left behind.

[0071] Here, the "threshold" is set arbitrarily according to the number of floors of the building. Specifically, the threshold is set within a range of 20% to 50% of the total number of floors.

[0072] If the threshold is set high, the car 11c that left the specific user 2 behind is likely to be selected as a car for exclusive operation and to head to the floor where the specific user 2 was left behind. In this case, the specific user 2 waiting in front of the C-type car can board the car 11c without moving from his / her current location. On the other hand, if the threshold is set low, the operation efficiency is prioritized, and the car (car 11a or car 11b) that can reach the floor where the specific user 2 was left behind the earliest among the other cars is likely to be selected as a car for exclusive operation. In this case, the waiting time of the specific user 2 is shortened, but the specific user 2 must move to the boarding location of the other car. Therefore, it is preferable that the threshold is set to an optimal value taking into consideration the movement and waiting time of the specific user at the boarding area. The threshold is stored in the storage unit 31 shown in FIG. 8, and is read out by the selection unit 32 when selecting a car for exclusive operation.

[0073] FIG. 10 assumes a case where the number of registered calls of the car 11c is equal to or less than the threshold value and the car 11c is selected as the target car.

[0074] The car 11c leaves the designated user 2 at the boarding place 15-1 on the 5th floor, and moves upward while dropping off the user U3 at the destination floor registered as the car call. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the car 11 switches to dedicated operation at the timing when the user U3 who was in the car 11c gets off at, for example, the 8th floor, and the driving direction of the car 11c reverses to the downward direction. When the car 11c switches to dedicated operation, even if another user U4 presses the down button 17-2c at, for example, the 7th floor, the car 11c does not respond to the boarding place call registered by the down button 17-2c, maintains an empty state, and goes directly to the left-behind floor where the designated user 2 is (here, the 5th floor). In this case, the car 11c arrives at the boarding place of the C car, so that the designated user 2 can board the car 11c after arriving without moving to another place.

[0075] On the other hand, FIG. 12 assumes a case where the number of registered calls for the car 11c is greater than the threshold value and the car 11a is selected as the car for exclusive operation.

[0076] The car 11a moves upward while dropping off the user U5 at the destination floor registered as the car call. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, for example, at the 8th floor, the user U5 who was in the car 11a gets off and the driving direction of the car 11a reverses to the downward direction, and the car 11a switches to the dedicated operation. When the car 11a switches to the dedicated operation, even if another user U7 presses the down button 17-1a at the 7th floor, for example, the car 11a does not respond to the hall call registered by the down button 17-1a, keeps the empty state, and goes directly to the left-behind floor (here, 5th floor) where the specific user 2 is. When the car 11a arrives at the left-behind floor, the specific user 2 moves to the boarding place of the A car and gets on the car 11a.

[0077] Next, a process flow of the elevator system according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. Now, in the example of Fig. 10, attention is focused on the car 11c of car C. Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing the processing of the car C control device 20c. Note that the same processing is also performed for the car A control device 20a and the car B control device 20b.

[0078] When the car 11c responds to a hall call registered at any floor and arrives at the hall 15 of that floor (YES in step A11), the C-unit control device 20c opens the door of the car 11c and allows the passengers waiting at the hall 15 to board (step A12). When a preset time has elapsed (YES in step A13), the C-unit control device 20c closes the door of the car 11c (step A14).

[0079] Here, between the time when the doors of the elevator 11c open and the time when they close, the camera 12c inside the elevator 11c photographs the platform 15 near the entrance and exit of the elevator 11c, and the photographed images are stored in chronological order in a memory unit (not shown) inside the C-unit control device 20c.

[0080] A detection unit (not shown) provided in the unit C control device 20c acquires an image when the door starts to close from the storage unit (step A15), and executes a left-behind detection process using the image (step A16). This left-behind detection process is performed by analyzing the image of the detection area Ec (see FIG. 9) corresponding to unit C.

[0081] Here, if a specific user is detected as being left behind within the detection area Ec (YES in step A17), a left-behind detection signal indicating that a specific user has been left behind on the floor in question is sent from the C-unit control device 20c to the group management control device 30 (step A18).

[0082] After the doors are closed, the car 11c departs from the floor (step A19) and moves while responding to registered calls (car calls and hall calls).

[0083] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing by the group management control device 30. When the group management control device 30 receives a left-behind detection signal from the car C control device 20c (YES in step A20), it selects a car for exclusive operation via the selection unit 32. In detail, the selection unit 32 obtains the number of registered calls (unanswered calls) for the car 11c of car C in the call management table 311, and compares this with a preset threshold value (step A21). As described above, the "calls" referred to here refer to car calls and hall calls, but it is also possible to obtain at least the number of registered car calls only.

[0084] When the number of registered calls for the car 11c is equal to or less than the threshold (YES in step A21), the selection unit 32 judges that the car 11c has few floors to stop at before it turns around and can head to the left-behind floor earlier, and selects the car 11c as a target car for exclusive operation (step A22). On the other hand, when the number of registered calls is greater than the threshold (NO in step A21), the selection unit 32 judges that a car other than the car 11c can head to the left-behind floor earlier, and selects the car 11a or the car 11b as a target car for exclusive operation (step A23). In this case, the selection unit 32 considers the current positions, driving directions, and registered calls of the cars 11a and 11b, and selects the car that can go directly to the left-behind floor the earliest as a target car for exclusive operation.

[0085] Thus, according to the second embodiment, in a group management system having a plurality of cars 11a-11c, the leaving of a specific user is detected for each car 11a-11c. When the leaving of a specific user is detected in any car among the cars 11a-11c, a car for exclusive operation is selected from the cars 11a-11c including the selected car, and goes directly to the floor where the user was left when reversing. Therefore, if the specific user waits at the landing, he or she can board any car and travel to the destination floor.

[0086] Here, the car to be used for the exclusive operation is selected according to the number of registered calls of the car that left the specific user behind. If the number of registered calls of the car is small (below a threshold) and the car can head to the floor where the specific user left behind early, the car is selected as the car to be used for the exclusive operation. In this case, the car will arrive at the location where the specific user is waiting, so the specific user can board the car without moving from their current location.

[0087] On the other hand, if the number of calls registered for the car is large (greater than the threshold value) and it is more efficient to have other cars head to the floor where passengers are left behind, the car that can reach the floor where passengers are left behind the fastest among the other cars excluding the car in question is selected as the car to be operated exclusively. In this case, the specific users must move to another boarding location when the car arrives, but the waiting time is shorter than if they had to wait for the car in question.

[0088] In the second embodiment, when the number of registered calls for a car that left a specific user behind was large, a car for exclusive operation was selected from among the cars other than the car that left the specific user behind, but a configuration may be adopted in which cars for exclusive operation are selected including the car that left the specific user behind. In this case, too, by selecting a car for exclusive operation that can reach the floor where the specific user left behind the car the fastest, the specific user can board the car without having to wait as long as possible.

[0089] In addition, until the car selected as the target car for the exclusive operation turns around, the allocation of new hall calls to the car may be prohibited. Alternatively, hall calls already assigned to the car may be reassigned to another car. In this way, the car selected as the target car for the exclusive operation can turn around after responding only to car calls that have already been registered, so that it can head to the remaining floor more quickly.

[0090] Furthermore, as in the first embodiment, when a car selected as a car for dedicated operation reverses, an announcement that the operation will switch to dedicated operation for a specific user may be output from speaker 46 (see Figure 2) inside the car, thereby prohibiting other users from boarding the car.

[0091] For example, if another specific user is waiting at a floor where the car's driving direction is reversed (reversing floor), he or she may hear the announcement and board the car. Therefore, when another specific user boards the car, the car may select another car as a target car for exclusive driving and direct it to the floor where passengers are not loaded.

[0092] Specifically, when a car (e.g., car 11a) that is the target car of the exclusive operation reverses, the A-unit control device 20a detects, based on the image captured by the camera 12a, that another specific user who was waiting at the reverse floor has boarded the car 11a, and notifies the group management control device 30 of that fact. The group management control device 30 that has received the notification cancels the exclusive operation of the car 11a, and reselects, based on the operation status of the other cars 11b and 11c, the car that can arrive at the remaining floor the earliest as the target car of the exclusive operation. This allows the other specific user who has boarded the car 11a at the reverse floor to be transported without getting off, and allows the specific user who was waiting at the remaining floor to be transported by boarding another car.

[0093] (Modification) Next, an elevator system according to a modified example of the second embodiment will be described. First, an overview of an elevator system according to a modified example of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 16 to 18. In the figures, 3 and 4 indicate specific users, and U3 to U5 indicate general users. Also, the arrows in the figures indicate the directions of movement of each of the cars 11a to 11c.

[0094] Fig. 16 shows a state where the elevator 11c leaves a specific user 3 behind at the landing 15-1 on the 5th floor. At this time, the number of registered calls for the elevator 11c is greater than a predetermined threshold, and the elevator 11a is selected as an elevator for exclusive operation among the elevators other than the elevator 11c. As shown in Fig. 17, for example, at the 8th floor, when the operation direction of the elevator 11a is reversed downward, the elevator 11a switches to exclusive operation and goes directly to the left floor (5th floor) where the specific user 3 is present while empty.

[0095] Here, assume that car 11c leaves specific user 4 behind at platform 15-2 on the 3rd floor between when car 11a switches to dedicated operation and when it arrives at the floor where the passenger is left behind (5th floor). In such a case, a new car is selected as the target of dedicated operation for specific user 4, so there is a possibility that two cars will be in dedicated operation. However, car 11a, which was initially in dedicated operation, is moving downward, and both specific user 3 waiting on the 5th floor and specific user 4 waiting on the 3rd floor have registered the same downward platform call, so it is more efficient to operate the car by using only car 11a, without selecting a new car as the target of dedicated operation.

[0096] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 18, first, the elevator 11a goes directly to the 5th floor (the floor where specific user 3 is left behind), and after specific user 3 boards, it goes directly to the 3rd floor (the floor where specific user 4 is left behind).

[0097] When the elevator car 11a departs from the 5th floor with the specific user 3 on board, even if a downward hall call is registered by another user at the 4th floor, the elevator car will not respond to the hall call and will go directly to the 3rd floor. However, if the destination floor of the specific user 3 is the 4th floor, for example, the elevator car will have the specific user 3 disembark at the 4th floor and then go directly to the floor (3rd floor) where the specific user 4 is still remaining. At this time, It is preferable to announce from the 4th floor that the car 11a is in a reserved mode so that other passengers do not board the car.

[0098] As another example, assume that after the elevator 11a switches to dedicated operation on the 8th floor, it is detected that a specific user has been left behind on the 6th floor. In such a case, the elevator 11a is first stopped on the 6th floor to pick up the specific user, and then the elevator 11a is made to go directly to the floor (5th floor) where the specific user 3 has been left behind.

[0099] Next, an example of the processing flow of the elevator system as a modified example will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 19 and 20. Note that the processing of each of the elevator control devices 20a to 20c is the same as that of Figure 14, so the description will be omitted here.

[0100] FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing by the group management control device 30. When the group management control device 30 receives a left-behind detection signal indicating that a specific user has been left behind on any floor from any of the car control devices 20a to 20c (YES in step B11), it determines whether or not there is a car currently in exclusive operation (step B12). Here, it is assumed that the left-behind detection signal has been received from the car C control device 20c.

[0101] If there is a car currently in dedicated operation (YES in step B12), the selection unit 32 provided in the group management control device 30 sets the left-behind floor detected in step B11 above to that car in accordance with the following conditions. The destination direction of a specific user waiting at the left-behind floor (hereinafter referred to as the first left-behind floor) set in a car during dedicated operation, the destination direction of a specific user waiting at another left-behind floor (hereinafter referred to as the second left-behind floor) detected during dedicated operation, and the driving direction of the car during dedicated operation are the same. -There is a second floor where passengers have not loaded their luggage ahead of the car in the direction of travel during the special service.

[0102] That is, after the elevator car in the exclusive operation arrives at the first left-behind floor or the second left-behind floor, it is determined whether or not it can arrive at the remaining left-behind floor without turning around (step B13).

[0103] When the condition of step B13 is satisfied (YES in step B13), the selection unit 32 sets the second remaining floor in the car in exclusive operation (step B14).

[0104] If there is no car in exclusive operation (NO in step B12) or if the conditions in step B13 are not met (NO in step B13), a new car for exclusive operation is selected (step B15). Specifically, similar to the second embodiment described using Fig. 15, a car for exclusive operation is selected based on the number of calls registered for cars that have left a specific user behind.

[0105] Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing by the car A controller 20a when the car 11a is selected as a target car for exclusive operation. The processing of this flowchart is executed when a notification is received from the group management controller 30 that the car 11a has been selected as a target car for exclusive operation. Note that, when the cars 11b and 11c are selected as target cars for exclusive operation, the same processing is also performed by the car B controller 20b and the car C controller 20c.

[0106] The car A control device 20a operates the car 11a based on a hall call or a car call (step B20), and switches to dedicated operation when the car 11a reverses direction (YES in step B21) (step B22).

[0107] Here, it is assumed that a specific user is detected to be left behind at another floor during the period from when the elevator 11a is switched to the dedicated operation until it arrives at the first left-behind floor. At this time, it is assumed that the elevator 11a satisfies the condition of step B13 in Fig. 19, and the second left-behind floor is set by the group management control device 30. Note that information on the first left-behind floor and the second left-behind floor is stored in the memory unit 21a of the A-unit control device 20a.

[0108] The operation control unit 23a makes the car 11a go directly to the left-behind floor that is closer to the current position of the car 11a among the first left-behind floor and the second left-behind floor (step B23). Here, it is assumed that the first left-behind floor is closer to the car 11a than the second left-behind floor.

[0109] When the elevator car 11a arrives at the first left-behind floor and lets the specific user board, the operation control unit 23a judges whether or not the elevator car 11a has responded to the hall call of the second left-behind floor (step B24). If the elevator car 11a has not responded to the hall call of the second left-behind floor (NO in step B24), the operation control unit 23a compares the destination floor of the specific user who boarded from the first left-behind floor with the second left-behind floor, and makes the elevator car 11a go directly to the floor closest to the current position of the elevator car 11a (step B25).

[0110] In this case, if the destination floor of the specific user who boarded from the first left-behind floor is close to the car 11a, the operation control unit 23 makes the car 11a go directly to the destination floor of the specific user, and then, while maintaining the exclusive operation, makes the car 11a go to the second left-behind floor (steps B24 to B25). Conversely, if the second left-behind floor is close to the car 11a, the operation control unit 23 makes the car 11a go directly to the second left-behind floor, and then, cancels the exclusive operation and makes the car 11a go to the destination floor of the specific user who boarded from the first left-behind floor (step B26).

[0111] In the above example, when there are a first floor and a second floor, the elevator responds in order of the floor closest to the elevator, but the elevator may respond in the order in which the specific users are detected. This can prevent a situation in which a specific user detected earlier is made to wait longer than a specific user detected later.

[0112] In this way, according to the modified example of the second embodiment, if a specific user is detected to have been left behind and there is a car in dedicated operation, under a predetermined condition, the car in dedicated operation will further add floors where passengers have been left behind. By having the car in dedicated operation respond to hall calls for multiple floors where passengers have been left behind, specific users can be transported efficiently and a decrease in operation efficiency can be prevented.

[0113] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, it is possible to provide an elevator system that can easily detect a specific user who is unable to board the elevator car and transport the user efficiently.

[0114] Although some 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 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 of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims, as well as in the scope and spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0115] 11...car, 12...camera, 13...car door, 14...landing door, 15...landing, 16...front panel, 17...landing call button, 17-1...up button, 17-2...down button, 20...control device, 20a...unit A control device, 20b...unit B control device, 20c...unit C control device, 21...memory unit, 22...detection unit, 23...operation control unit, 30...group management control device, 31...memory unit, 32...selection unit, 43...display, 44...destination floor button, 45...car operation panel, 46...speaker, 211, 311...call management table.

Claims

1. A camera installed in the car, a detection means for detecting whether a specific user has been left behind at a landing of a floor where the elevator car has responded to a call, based on an image captured by the camera; an operation control means for switching to a dedicated operation at the timing when the elevator car turns around, when the detection means detects that the specific user has been left behind, and causing the elevator car to go directly to the floor where the specific user has been left behind; An elevator system comprising:

2. The detection means is An image of the elevator car when the door starts to close is acquired from the camera, and the specific user left behind at the elevator is detected from the image.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

3. a selection means for selecting a car for the exclusive operation from among a plurality of cars including the car based on call information registered in the car when the specific user is detected to be left behind; The operation control means causes the elevator car selected as the object elevator of the dedicated operation to go directly to the floor where the specific user is left behind.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

4. The selection means is When the number of calls registered in the car is equal to or less than a preset threshold, the car is selected as a target car for the dedicated operation.

4. The elevator system of claim 3.

5. The selection means is When the number of calls registered in the elevator is greater than the threshold value, the elevator is excluded, and a elevator that can go directly to the floor where the specific user is left behind the fastest when reversing is selected from among the plurality of elevators as a target elevator for the dedicated operation.

5. The elevator system of claim 4.

6. The selection means is Among a plurality of cars including the car, a car that can go directly to the floor where the specific user has not loaded the car at the earliest possible time when reversing is selected as a car to be subjected to the exclusive operation.

4. The elevator system of claim 3.

7. The operation control means includes: When a car selected as a target car for the dedicated operation is heading toward a floor where the specific user has left his / her luggage and another specific user has left his / her luggage, the floor where the car is to be directed is included in the floors where the car is to be directed.

4. The elevator system of claim 3.

8. The selection means is When another specific user gets on the car selected as the target car for the dedicated operation at a floor where the car reverses, the dedicated operation of the car is cancelled, and another car is reselected as the target car for the dedicated operation.

4. The elevator system of claim 3.

9. The operation control means includes: When the car arrives at the floor where the specific user is left behind, the dedicated operation of the car is cancelled.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

10. The operation control means includes: When the elevator car arrives at the floor where the specific user is left behind and the specific user gets on the elevator car, the dedicated operation of the elevator car is released.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

11. The operation control means includes: After the elevator arrives at the floor where the specific user is left behind, the elevator is not allowed to depart until the specific user gets on the elevator.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

12. The operation control means includes: When switching to the dedicated operation, the operation of the destination floor button installed in the car is locked.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

13. When the dedicated operation is switched to, a notification means is provided for announcing the switch to the dedicated operation to the specific user.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

14. When the vehicle is switched to the dedicated operation, if a user other than the specific user gets on the vehicle, a notification means is provided to make an announcement encouraging the user other than the specific user to get off the vehicle.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

15. The operation control means includes: When the vehicle is switched to the dedicated operation and a user other than the specified user gets on, the elevator will not be allowed to depart until the user other than the specified user gets off.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

Images