Communication system and communication method

Abstract

To provide a communication system capable of automatically judging the necessity for a maintenance worker dispatch request.SOLUTION: A communication system 1 that performs maintenance for an elevating machine 10 comprises a line control device 20 that receives a signal from the elevating machine 10, a reception management server 30 that judges whether or not the signal is a failure signal, and a customer information management server 40 that registers in an automatic response list 41 the reception of the signal by the line control device 20 and judges the necessity for a dispatch request of a maintenance worker who maintains the elevating machine 10 on the basis of information registered in the automatic response list 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication system and a communication method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a communication system has been constructed in which a control center receives signals transmitted from an elevator, and a passenger in the elevator and an operator in the control center communicate with each other. When the elevator car stops due to a failure or the like, a failure signal is transmitted from the elevator to the control center. By receiving the failure signal, the control center grasps that the elevator has stopped and dispatches a maintenance worker to the building where the elevator is installed. In addition, a passenger may press a call button in the car to communicate with an operator (controller) in the control center.

[0003] At the time of a disaster such as an earthquake, a large number of failure signals and call requests are sent from elevators installed in the disaster area to the control center. However, call requests are also sent from elevators installed outside the disaster area to the control center. If the response to the elevators in the disaster area is not carried out promptly, the chaos will not subside.

[0004] Therefore, in order to be able to respond to the reporting of call requests transmitted from elevators at the time of a disaster, the conventional communication system checks the following items. (1) Whether the installation location of the elevator as the reporting source is included in the disaster area. (2) Whether a failure signal has been received. (3) Whether it is the first call request.

[0005] When the installation location of the elevator is not included in the disaster area, no failure signal has been reported, and it is the first call request, the control center transmits voice data obtained by converting fixed-form text data into voice to the elevator. In the elevator car that has received the voice data, an announcement voice flows based on the voice data. Therefore, at the time of a disaster, the operator can reduce the burden of call handling operations for call requests generated in places other than the disaster area.

[0006] Patent Document 1 describes a technology related to a remote monitoring system for building facilities that "when repeated reporting is detected, it is determined whether a monitor has already been assigned to the repeated reporting of the monitoring device, and if a monitor has already been assigned to the repeated reporting, the newly generated repeated reporting is assigned to the monitor."

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0007]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] By the way, at the time of a disaster in the affected area, it is expected that there is a high possibility of the occurrence of entrapment and a large number of call requests will occur. For this reason, if call requests transmitted from elevators are received without distinguishing between the affected area and outside the affected area, there is a risk that the response to elevators in the affected area will be delayed. Also, even if the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used, the operator handling the call requests cannot concentrate on the task of assigning repeated reports to the monitors. For this reason, the delay in the response to elevators in the affected area could not be eliminated. Therefore, it has been required to automatically determine the necessity of requesting the dispatch of maintenance personnel so that the elevators in the affected area can be prioritized for response by the maintenance personnel.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to automatically determine the necessity of requesting the dispatch of maintenance personnel.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The communication system according to the present invention performs maintenance on an elevator, and includes a line control unit that receives a signal from the elevator, a reception management unit that determines whether the signal is a failure signal, and a line control unit that registers the reception of the signal in an automatic response list, and an information management unit that determines whether it is necessary to request the dispatch of a maintenance worker who maintains the elevator based on the information registered in the automatic response list.

Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to automatically determine whether it is necessary to request the dispatch of a maintenance worker. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the description of the following embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same function or configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0014] [One Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a communication system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The communication system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a system for maintaining the elevator 10. This communication system 1 enables a passenger using the elevator 10 to talk to an operator. In FIG. 1, an example in which the elevator 10 is an elevator is shown, but the elevator 10 may be an escalator.

[0015] The communication system 1 includes, for example, a line control device 20, a reception management server 30, a customer information management server 40, a dispatch management server 50, and a plurality of control desks 60 connected by a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0016] A plurality of elevators 10 are installed in various locations, and each elevator 10 can communicate with a line control device 20 via a public line. Among the elevators installed in various locations, assume that there are elevators 10 installed in the disaster area when a wide-area disaster such as an earthquake or flood occurs, and elevators 10 installed outside the disaster area. In the elevators 10 installed in the disaster area, abnormalities such as entrapment may occur, and since the urgency is high, maintenance personnel need to respond immediately. On the other hand, for the elevators 10 installed outside the disaster area, for some reason, passengers may request to talk to the operator, but the urgency is lower compared to the disaster area.

[0017] The line control device 20 (an example of a line control unit) has a function of controlling communication with each server and the control console 60. For this reason, the line control device 20 has a function of managing calls with the operator for each elevator 10 and a function of receiving various signals including a failure signal from the elevator 10. For example, the line control device 20 connects the line between the elevator 10 for which a call request has been made and the control console 60 where the operator is located so that the operator can talk to the passengers in the elevator 10. When the call ends, the line control device 20 disconnects the line. Note that the line control device 20 may also output an announcement of a fixed phrase as voice and then disconnect the line in response to a call request from the elevator 10 based on the processing described later.

[0018] The reception management server 30 (an example of a reception management unit) manages the reception date and time of the failure signal received by the line control device 20 from the elevator 10. The reception management server 30 has an operator status management table 110 shown in FIG. 3 and a call request reception status table 120 shown in FIG. 4, which will be described later. In addition, the reception management server 30 determines whether the signal received by the line control device 20 is a failure signal. In this specification, when an operator in the control center talks directly to a passenger in the elevator 10, it is called a "call".

[0019] The customer information management server 40 (an example of the information management department) manages the customer information of the elevator 10. The customer information includes, for example, the name of the customer, the location of the customer, and the information of the elevator 10 owned by the customer. In addition, the customer information management server 40 registers in the automatic response list 41 that the line control device 20 has received a signal, and determines whether it is necessary to request the dispatch of a maintenance worker to maintain the elevator 10 based on the information registered in the automatic response list 41.

[0020] The dispatch management server 50 (an example of the dispatch management department) automatically requests the dispatch of a maintenance worker due to a failure of the elevator 10, or in response to being trapped, etc. For this reason, the dispatch management server 50 manages the information of the maintenance worker who requested the dispatch and the information of the dispatched maintenance worker. For example, when the dispatch management server 50 determines that the signal from the reception management server 30 is a failure signal and the customer information management server 40 determines that it is necessary to request the dispatch of a maintenance worker, the dispatch management server 50 sends a dispatch request to the elevator 10 to the portable terminal 70 for maintenance workers operated by the maintenance worker. The dispatch management server 50 can communicate with the portable terminal 70 for maintenance workers via a public line, and the dispatch request from the dispatch management server 50 is sent to the portable terminal 70 for maintenance workers via the public line. In addition, the dispatch management server 50 receives and records the dispatch information input by the maintenance worker via the public line.

[0021] A PC is installed for each control console 60, and an operator is waiting. When there is a call request from the elevator 10, the operator operates the PC to respond to the passengers in the elevator 10 and give instructions to the passengers. The operator can know that a disaster has occurred and the affected area of the disaster through an earthquake response system (not shown) separate from the communication system 1 or an email that conveys emergency information, etc. When the line between the elevator 10 and the control console 60 is connected by the line control device 20, the operator can talk to the elevator 10 while operating the PC.

[0022] The communication system 1 includes a plurality of maintenance staff portable terminals 70 operated by maintenance staff. The plurality of maintenance staff portable terminals 70 are connected to the dispatch management server 50 via a public line. As the maintenance staff portable terminal 70, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like is used.

[0023] <Example of computer hardware configuration> Next, the hardware configuration of the computer 80 that constitutes each device of the communication system 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the computer 80. The computer 80 is an example of hardware used as a computer that can operate as the line control device 20, the reception management server 30, the customer information management server 40, and the dispatch management server 50 according to the present embodiment. The line control device 20, the reception management server 30, the customer information management server 40, and the dispatch management server 50 according to the present embodiment are such that when the computer 80 (computer) executes a program, the respective functional blocks shown in FIG. 1 cooperate to realize the call methods shown in FIGS. 8 to 12 described later.

[0024] The computer 80 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 81, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 82, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 83, which are respectively connected to a bus 84. Further, the computer 80 includes a display device 85, an input device 86, a non-volatile storage 87, and a network interface 88.

[0025] The CPU 81 reads the program code of the software that realizes each function according to the present embodiment from the ROM 82, loads it into the RAM 83, and executes it. In the RAM 83, variables, parameters, etc. generated during the arithmetic processing of the CPU 81 are temporarily written, and these variables, parameters, etc. are appropriately read by the CPU 81.

[0026] The display device 85 is, for example, a liquid crystal display monitor, and displays the results of processing performed by the computer 80 and the like for the user. As the input device 86, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, etc. are used, and the user can perform predetermined operation inputs and instructions.

[0027] As the non-volatile storage 87, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), a flexible disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a magnetic tape, or a non-volatile memory, etc. are used. In this non-volatile storage 87, in addition to the OS (Operating System) and various parameters, a program for operating the computer 80 is recorded. The ROM 82 and the non-volatile storage 87 record programs, data, etc. necessary for the CPU 81 to operate, and are used as an example of a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing programs executed by the computer 80.

[0028] As the network interface 88, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) etc. are used, and various data can be transmitted and received between devices via a LAN, a dedicated line, etc. connected to the terminals of the NIC.

[0029] <Example of the operator and the elevator situation> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the operator status management table 110. That is, FIG. 3 is a table that manages the login status, call status, reception time, remaining time until available, and call target for each operator registered in the control center. FIG. 3 shows the operator status management table 110 at 10:08. The operator status management table 110 is managed by the reception management server 30 collecting information from each server, but it may be managed by other servers.

[0030] When a passenger in elevator 10 presses the call button in the car, a call request signal is sent to the control center. Sending a call request signal is called "call request". Here, it is assumed that there are six operators from Mr. A to Mr. F. Five operators except Mr. B are sitting at their respective control desks 60 and are logged in to the communication system 1. Mr. B is absent and is in a state of not being logged in to the communication system 1 (referred to as "not logged in").

[0031] Among the logged-in operators, four operators, Mr. A, Mr. C, Mr. D, and Mr. E, are in a state of talking to the passengers of elevator 10 and others. Mr. F is in a standby state without talking. The reception time when Mr. A started the call is "10:01". Hereinafter, in order, the reception time of Mr. C is "10:02", the reception time of Mr. D is "10:04", and the reception time of Mr. E is "10:06".

[0032] The call response time for an operator to talk to the passengers of elevator 10 is assumed to be, for example, 20 minutes. Since the reception time of Mr. A is "10:01", at the time of 10:08 shown in the operator status management table 110, 7 minutes of call response time has elapsed. Therefore, the remaining time until Mr. A can respond is 13 minutes obtained by subtracting 7 minutes from 20 minutes. For Mr. C, Mr. D, and Mr. E, who are also in the call state, the remaining times are calculated to be 14 minutes, 16 minutes, and 18 minutes respectively. However, even if the call response time elapses 20 minutes, the call line is not immediately disconnected. Also, the call response time can be changed to 15 minutes, 10 minutes, etc., and the remaining time is calculated based on the changed call response time.

[0033] The call target of Mr. A is elevator A with a code for identifying elevator 10. Similarly, the call targets of Mr. C, Mr. D, and Mr. E are elevators B, C, and D respectively. Since Mr. F has not yet received a call, there is no record in any of the reception time, remaining time, and call target.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the call request reception status table 120. The call request reception status table 120 is managed by the reception management server 30 collecting and managing information from each server, but it may be managed by other servers.

[0035] For each elevator that is the call target, the call request reception status table 120 manages the reception time of the call request, the corresponding operator, and the call waiting time. FIG. 4 shows the call request reception status table 120 at 10:08. The call waiting time is used to determine whether to automatically respond by voice announcement rather than by an operator. If the call waiting time is greater than a specified time (for example, 10 minutes), the passengers in elevator 10 will be kept waiting, so the current situation, etc. will be automatically communicated by voice announcement.

[0036] In the call request reception status table 120, the symbols of elevator 10 that is the call target are recorded in the order of the reception time of the call request. For example, the first call request was made from elevator A. In the call request reception status table 120, the time when the call request from elevator A was received is "10:00", and it is shown that the corresponding operator is operator A. Note that in the item of the reception time, the time when the line control device 20 received the call request is recorded. Since the reception time in the operator status management table 110 in FIG. 3 is the time when the operator started call handling, the reception time in FIG. 4 is slightly earlier than the reception time in FIG. 3.

[0037] Similar to the call request reception status of elevator A, in the call request reception status table 120, the time when the call request from elevator B was received is "10:01", and it is shown that the corresponding operator is operator C. Also, the time when the call request from elevator C was received is "10:03", and it is shown that the corresponding operator is operator D. Also, the time when the call request from elevator D was received is "10:05", and it is shown that the corresponding operator is operator E.

[0038] Also, it is shown that the time when the call request from elevator E is received is "10:06". Since the operator in charge is Mr. F whose call status is on standby in the operator status management table 110 shown in FIG. 3, the call waiting time is 0 minutes. Therefore, when Mr. F starts to handle the call request, Mr. F is recorded in the item of the operator in charge, and the waiting time is recorded as none (represented by a hyphen).

[0039] Next, since the time when the call request from elevator F is received is "10:07", all operators are in the process of handling calls. In this case, Mr. A, who has the least remaining time until available as shown in the operator status management table 110 shown in FIG. 3, is highly likely to handle the call request from elevator F. Therefore, the call waiting time for elevator F is 13 minutes. That is, the passengers in elevator F cannot talk directly to Mr. A until 13 minutes later. If a call of another operator (for example, Mr. C) ends before Mr. A, another operator starts a call with elevator F, and the name of the other operator is recorded in the item of the operator in charge.

[0040] <Examples of three types of lists> Next, the three types of lists held by the customer information management server 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the automatic response list 41. The automatic response list 41 is a list that records that the communication system 1 automatically responded to a call request from elevator 10. The automatic response list 41 manages the reception time of call requests from the elevator for each elevator that is the call target. For example, if the call target is elevator A, the reception time is shown to be 10:00 on October 10, 2023. The reception times for other elevators are shown in the same way.

[0041] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the automatic dispatch list 42. The automatic dispatch list 42 is a table that manages the reception time of a call request from an elevator and the information of maintenance staff for whom dispatch has been requested, for each elevator that is the call target. For example, if the call target is elevator A, the reception time is shown as 10:00 on October 10, 2023, and the maintenance staff for whom dispatch has been requested are shown as maintenance staff A, B, and C. Similarly, the reception time and the maintenance staff for whom dispatch has been requested are shown for other elevators.

[0042] Figure 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the automatic response list 43. The automatic response list 43 is a list that records that a maintenance staff has been automatically selected and dispatched, that is, that the response has been completed. The automatic response list 43 is a list that did not exist conventionally when an operator manually selected the maintenance staff to be dispatched. The automatic response list 43 is a list for managing, for each elevator that is the call target, the reception time of a call request from the elevator, the dispatched maintenance staff, the dispatch registration time of the maintenance staff, and the time until the maintenance staff arrives at the elevator.

[0043] For example, if the call target is elevator A, the reception time is shown as 10:00 on October 10, 2023, the dispatched maintenance staff is shown as maintenance staff A, the dispatch registration time is shown as 10:05 on October 10, 2023, and the time until arrival is shown as 10 minutes later. Similarly, the reception time, the dispatched maintenance staff, the dispatch registration time, and the time until arrival are shown for other elevators.

[0044] The dispatch registration time is the time from when the maintenance staff's mobile terminal 70 receives a dispatch request until the maintenance staff registers whether they can be dispatched. The fact that the dispatch registration time has been registered means that the maintenance staff can be dispatched and has started to be dispatched. Note that it takes a little time for schedule adjustment, etc. from when the maintenance staff's mobile terminal 70 receives a dispatch request until the maintenance staff registers whether they can be dispatched. For this reason, the dispatch registration time is later than the reception time.

[0045] Note that a call request made for the first time on the day of the disaster occurrence date is the first call request. If the elevator 10 that made the call request is recorded in the automatic dispatch list 42, it is a call request after the second time. Similarly, when a maintenance staff member is dispatched for the first time on the day of the disaster occurrence date, the first dispatch is recorded in the automatic dispatch list 42. Also, when automatic response is made for the first time on the day of the disaster occurrence date, the first automatic response is recorded in the automatic response list 43. On the day following the disaster occurrence date, the records in the automatic response list 41, the automatic dispatch list 42, and the automatic response list 43 are cleared.

[0046] <Example of Processing of Communication System> Next, an example of the processing of the communication system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing of the communication system 1 up to the determination of the history of the received failure signal. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing after the automatic dispatch request in the processing of the communication system 1. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing examples of announcements 1 to 3 output in the processing of the communication system 1.

[0047] First, the line control device 20 shown in FIG. 1 receives a call request from the elevator 10 (S1). The call request received by the line control device 20 is sent to the reception management server 30, and the elevator 10 for which the call request was made and the reception date and time are recorded in the call request reception status table 120 (see FIG. 4).

[0048] Next, the customer information management server 40 determines whether the information of the elevator 10 that made the call request is the elevator 10 recorded in the automatic response list 41 (see FIG. 5) or the automatic dispatch list 42 (see FIG. 6) (S2). The process in step S2 is a process in which the customer information management server 40 determines whether it is the first call request based on the automatic response list 41 or the automatic dispatch list 42. If the elevator 10 that made the call request is not recorded in either the automatic response list 41 or the automatic dispatch list 42, the call request received in step S1 is the first call request.

[0049] If the elevator 10 that made the call request is recorded in the automatic response list 41 or the automatic dispatch list 42 (YES in S2), the customer information management server 40 proceeds to the normal call response flow (S3). In the normal call response flow, as shown in step S26 of FIG. 11 described later, the line between the control console 60 and the elevator 10 is connected, and the operator preferentially conducts a process of communicating with the passengers in the elevator 10.

[0050] On the other hand, if the elevator 10 that made the call request is not recorded in either the automatic response list 41 or the automatic dispatch list 42 (NO in S2), the reception management server 30 calculates the call waiting time (S4). Next, the customer information management server 40 determines whether the call waiting time is within the specified time (S5). Here, the specified time is a time calculated from the number of call requests and the number of operators who can handle them. The specified time is, for example, a time of 10 minutes or more. If the call waiting time is within the specified time (YES in S5), the customer information management server 40 proceeds to the normal call response flow (S3).

[0051] On the other hand, if the call waiting time exceeds the specified time (NO in S5), the customer information management server 40 determines whether there is a history of receiving a failure signal from the elevator 10 (S6). For example, if the reception time of the failure signal is recorded in the automatic response list 41 or the automatic dispatch list 42, it is determined that there is a history of receiving the failure signal.

[0052] If there is no history of receiving a failure signal (NO in S6), the elevator 10 is not malfunctioning, and it is not necessary to dispatch a maintenance worker. Therefore, the line control device 20 outputs the voice guidance of announcement 3 shown in FIG. 10 to the elevator 10. That is, the line control device 20 does not connect a call to the operator. Then, the passengers in the car (not shown) are informed by voice from the speaker that due to a disaster, it takes time until the operator responds, the call will be disconnected once, and if there is an urgent requirement, press the call button again.

[0053] Next, the line control device 20 disconnects the line of the call request (S8). Then, the customer information management server 40 adds the information of the elevator 10 (for example, the name of elevator A and the management number of elevator A) as the history of the automatic response to the automatic response list 41 shown in FIG. 5, and records the reception time of the elevator 10 (S9). Since the automatic response list 41 is displayed on the control console 60, the operator can check the reception time of each elevator 10.

[0054] In step S6, when it is determined that there is a source of the received failure signal (NO in S6), the customer information management server 40 proceeds to step S10 in FIG. 9 connected by the connector A, and requests the dispatch management server 50 for automatic dispatch (S10). After step S10, the two processes after steps S11 and S14 are performed in parallel.

[0055] In the first process performed after step S10, it is conveyed to the passengers in the elevator 10 by voice guidance that the dispatch of the maintenance staff has been requested. That is, the line control device 20 outputs, to the elevator 10, a voice guidance indicating that the dispatch has been requested by the announcement 1 shown in FIG. 10 without connecting a call to the operator (S11). That is, by the announcement 1, due to the occurrence of a disaster, it takes time until the operator responds, the maintenance staff is automatically arranged, the call is disconnected once, and if there is an urgent requirement, press the call button again. This is guided to the passengers by voice from the speaker (not shown) in the car.

[0056] Next, the line control device 20 disconnects the line of the call request (S12). At this time, the dispatch management server 50 automatically requests dispatch to the maintenance staff using the maintenance staff's mobile terminal 70. Therefore, the customer information management server 40 adds the elevator 10 to the automatic dispatch list 42 shown in FIG. 6, and records the reception time of the elevator 10 and the maintenance staff to whom the dispatch management server 50 has requested dispatch (S13). Since the automatic dispatch list 42 is displayed on the control console 60, the operator can check the reception time of each elevator 10 and the maintenance staff to whom the dispatch has been requested.

[0057] In the second process performed after step S10, the estimated arrival time until the maintenance staff arrives at the elevator 10 is communicated to the passengers of the elevator 10. For this reason, the maintenance staff's portable terminal 70 receives the dispatch request transmitted from the dispatch management server 50 (S14). After the line is disconnected in step S12 and after the dispatch request is received in step S14, the maintenance staff requested for dispatch inputs the dispatchability to the maintenance staff's portable terminal 70. If the maintenance staff is available, the estimated arrival time at the elevator 10 is input from the maintenance staff's portable terminal 70 (S15).

[0058] Next, the line control device 20 connects the line for the call request (S16) and outputs a voice guidance of the estimated arrival time by the announcement 2 shown in FIG. 10 to the elevator 10 (S17). That is, the line control device 20 performs voice guidance by the announcement 2 without connecting a call to the operator. The announcement 2 guides the passengers by voice from a speaker (not shown) in the car, for example, that the maintenance staff has been arranged, that the estimated arrival time is mm minutes, that the call will be disconnected once, and that if there is an urgent requirement, press the call button again.

[0059] Next, the line control device 20 disconnects the line for the call request (S18). Thereafter, the customer information management server 40 adds the elevator 10 to the automatic response list 43 shown in FIG. 7 and records the reception time of the elevator 10, the dispatched maintenance staff, the dispatch registration time, and the time until the maintenance staff arrives at the elevator 10 (S19). Since the automatic response list 43 is displayed on the control desk 60, the operator can check the reception time etc. of each elevator 10.

[0060] <Operation examples of each server and device in the communication system> Next, operation examples of each server and device will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIGS. 11 and 12 are sequence diagrams showing operation examples of each server and device constituting the communication system 1.

[0061] First, a call request is sent from the elevator 10 (S21). The call request is sent, for example, when a passenger in the car presses a call button. Next, the line control device 20 receives a signal of the call request from the elevator 10 (S22). Note that the signal received by the line control device 20 may include a failure signal as described later.

[0062] Next, the reception management server 30 registers the reception of the signal received by the line control device 20 (S23). For example, the reception time of the signal is registered in the automatic response list 41 shown in FIG. 5. Next, the customer information management server 40 checks the automatic response list 41 and the automatic dispatch list 42 (S24). The customer information management server 40 determines whether there is information on the elevator 10 that has received the signal in each list (S25).

[0063] If there is information on the elevator 10 that has received the signal in each list, the customer information management server 40 notifies the control desk 60 of the call and makes the operator wait for reception (S26). That is, when the customer information management server 40 determines that the information on the elevator 10 that is the signal transmission source is registered in the automatic response list 41 or the automatic dispatch list 42, the customer information management server 40 instructs the operator to talk to the passenger in the elevator 10.

[0064] On the other hand, if there is no information on the elevator 10 that has received the signal in each list, the reception management server 30 calculates a call waiting time (S27). Next, the reception management server 30 compares the calculated call waiting time with a specified time (S28). If the calculated call waiting time is within the specified time, the reception management server 30 notifies the control desk 60 of the call and makes the operator wait for reception (S26).

[0065] In this way, when the reception management server 30 determines, based on the customer information management server 40, that the information of the elevator 10, which is the signal transmission source, is not registered in the automatic response list 41 or the automatic dispatch list 42, the reception management server 30 calculates the waiting time until the passengers in the elevator 10 can directly talk to the operator. Then, if the waiting time is within the specified time, the reception management server 30 instructs the operator to talk to the passengers.

[0066] On the other hand, if the calculated call waiting time exceeds the specified time, the reception management server 30 proceeds to step S29 in FIG. 12 connected by the connector B and checks for a failure signal (S29). Next, the reception management server 30 determines whether the line control device 20 has received a failure signal (S30).

[0067] If it is determined that the line control device 20 has received a failure signal, the dispatch management server 50 performs an automatic dispatch process (S31) and sends a dispatch request to the maintenance staff's mobile terminal 70. That is, when the reception management server 30 determines that the waiting time exceeds the specified time and the signal is a failure signal, the dispatch management server 50 requests the maintenance staff's mobile terminal 70 to dispatch to the elevator 10. The maintenance staff's mobile terminal 70 receives a dispatch request from the dispatch management server 50 (S32). After the automatic dispatch process, the dispatch management server 50 makes an automatic dispatch response request (S33).

[0068] The customer information management server 40 registers the fact that an automatic dispatch response request has been made in the automatic dispatch list 42 (S34). As shown in FIG. 6, the automatic dispatch response request registered in the automatic dispatch list 42 includes information such as the call target, reception time, and information of the maintenance staff who requested the dispatch. That is, the customer information management server 40 registers the information requested by the dispatch management server 50 in the automatic dispatch list 42.

[0069] Next, the customer information management server 40 instructs the line control device 20 to make an automatic response, and the line control device 20 makes an automatic response (S35). In the automatic response in step S35, the line control device 20 connects the line with the elevator 10, and the announcement 1 is output as voice to the elevator 10. After that, the line control device 20 disconnects the line for the automatic response with the elevator 10 (S36). That is, the line control device 20 connects the line with the elevator 10, notifies the passengers that it takes time until the operator's response, that a maintenance staff has been arranged, and that the call will be disconnected once, by outputting the voice data of announcement 1 to the elevator 10, and then disconnects the line with the elevator 10.

[0070] After the dispatch request is sent to the maintenance staff's mobile terminal 70 in step S32, the maintenance staff inputs the availability and the estimated arrival time through the maintenance staff's mobile terminal 70 (S37). The maintenance staff's mobile terminal 70 transmits the input estimated arrival time to the dispatch management server 50. The dispatch management server 50 transmits the estimated arrival time received from the maintenance staff's mobile terminal 70 to the customer information management server 40 as a response request (S38).

[0071] The customer information management server 40 registers the fact that the estimated arrival time response request has been made in the automatic response list 43 (S39). That is, the customer information management server 40 registers in the automatic response list 43 that the maintenance staff input from the maintenance staff's mobile terminal 70 is available for dispatch and the estimated arrival time until the maintenance staff arrives at the elevator 10.

[0072] Next, the customer information management server 40 instructs the line control device 20 to perform an automatic response, and the line control device 20 performs the automatic response (S40). In the automatic response in step S40, the line control device 20 connects the line with the elevator 10, and announcement 2 is output as voice to the elevator 10. After that, the line control device 20 disconnects the line for the automatic response with the elevator 10 (S41). That is, the line control device 20 connects the line with the elevator 10, notifies the passengers that the maintenance staff has been arranged and the estimated arrival time, by outputting the voice data of announcement 2 to the elevator 10, and then disconnects the line with the elevator 10.

[0073] In step S30, when the reception management server 30 determines that the line control device 20 has not received a failure signal, the customer information management server 40 registers the reception time of the call request in the automatic response list 41 (S42). That is, when the reception management server 30 determines that the waiting time exceeds the specified time and the signal is not a failure signal, the customer information management server 40 registers in the automatic response list 41 that the line control device 20 has received a signal.

[0074] Next, the customer information management server 40 instructs the line control device 20 to perform an automatic response, and the line control device 20 performs an automatic response (S43). In the automatic response of step S43, the line control device 20 connects the line with the elevator 10, and announcement 3 is output as voice to the elevator 10.

[0075] Thereafter, the line control device 20 disconnects the automatic response line with the elevator 10 (S44). After step S44, when a passenger in the elevator 10 requests a call again, it is necessary to press the call button again. That is, after the line control device 20 connects the line with the elevator 10, outputs the voice data of announcement 3 notifying the passengers that it takes time until the operator responds and that the call is disconnected once, and then disconnects the line with the elevator 10.

[0076] In the communication system 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the fact that the line control device 20 has received a signal is registered in the automatic response list 41, and based on the information registered in the automatic response list 41, it is determined whether or not to request the maintenance staff who maintains the elevator to go out. Therefore, the customer information management server 40 can automatically determine whether or not to request the maintenance staff to go out.

[0077] Also, it is assumed that signals transmitted from the elevators 10 in the disaster area are often failure signals. When the signal is a failure signal, a request to go out is made to the maintenance staff's mobile terminal 70 and the request to go out is registered. Therefore, it is possible to give priority to sending out the maintenance staff for the elevators in the disaster area.

[0078] In addition, the communication system 1 calculates the call waiting time of a call request from the number of call requests and the number of operators, and if the waiting time exceeds a specified time, it responds with an automatic response. Here, when entrapment or the like occurs in the elevator 10 in the disaster area, a failure signal is transmitted. Therefore, when the reception management server 30 receives failure signals from many elevators 10, it automatically requests the maintenance staff to dispatch immediately, and the maintenance staff dispatches to maintain the elevator 10.

[0079] In addition, due to the automatic dispatch request, information such as the fact that the maintenance staff has been instructed to dispatch, and how long it will take for the maintenance staff to arrive at the elevator 10 is announced to the passengers in the elevator 10 that transmitted the failure signal. Therefore, it is possible to give a sense of security to the passengers who made the call request.

[0080] Also, while the dispatched maintenance staff registers whether they can dispatch and the estimated arrival time, once, the voice by the announcement 1 is output to the elevator 10. After that, when the dispatched maintenance staff registers whether they can dispatch and the estimated arrival time, the voice by the announcement 2 is output to the elevator 10. Therefore, the passengers in the elevator 10 can know the progress of the dispatched maintenance staff and can enhance their sense of security.

[0081] Conventionally, the operator responded to all call requests, but it is possible to prioritize the response to the passengers using the elevator 10 in the disaster area. In addition, for the passengers using the elevator 10 outside the disaster area, by automatically announcing the voice, the operator does not need to handle the call. Therefore, the call handling work of the operator can be reduced.

[0082] The announcements output as voice to the passengers in the elevator 10 are fixed-form texts, but when there is a maintenance staff whose dispatch has been arranged, the announcement includes guidance on the time until the maintenance staff arrives at the elevator 10. Therefore, instead of a uniform fixed-form text, guidance is provided by announcements that differ for each estimated arrival time, so that the passengers can know how long they need to wait for the maintenance staff to come.

[0083] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various other application examples and modification examples can be taken without departing from the gist of the present invention described in the claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have described the configuration of the system in detail and specifically in order to explain the present invention clearly, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Also, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of this embodiment with another configuration. In addition, the control lines and information lines show those considered necessary for explanation, and not necessarily all the control lines and information lines on the product are shown. In fact, it may be considered that almost all the components are interconnected.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0084] 1... Communication system, 10... Elevator, 20... Line control device, 30... Reception management server, 40... Customer information management server, 41... Automatic response list, 42... Automatic dispatch list, 43... Automatic response list, 50... Dispatch management server, 60... Control desk, 70... Portable terminal for maintenance staff, 110... Operator status management table, 120... Call request reception status table

Claims

1. A communication system for performing maintenance on an elevator, comprising: a line control unit that receives a signal from the elevator; a reception management unit that determines whether the signal is a failure signal; an information management unit that registers the fact that the line control unit has received the signal in an automatic response list, and determines whether it is necessary to request the dispatch of a maintenance worker to maintain the elevator based on the information registered in the automatic response list. The communication system.

2. When the reception management unit determines that the signal is the failure signal and the information management unit determines that it is necessary to request the dispatch of the maintenance worker, a dispatch management unit that transmits a request for dispatch to the elevator to a terminal for the maintenance worker operated by the maintenance worker. The communication system according to Claim 1.

3. When the reception management unit determines, based on the information management unit, that the information of the elevator that is the transmission source of the signal is not registered in the automatic response list or the automatic dispatch list, the reception management unit calculates the waiting time until the passengers of the elevator can directly talk to the operator, and if the waiting time is within a specified time, instructs the operator to talk to the passengers. The communication system according to Claim 2.

4. When the dispatch management unit determines, based on the reception management unit, that the waiting time exceeds the specified time and the signal is the failure signal, the dispatch management unit requests the dispatch to the elevator to the terminal for the maintenance worker, the information management unit registers the information requested by the dispatch management unit in the automatic dispatch list, the line control unit connects the line to the elevator, outputs to the elevator that it takes time until the response of the operator, that the maintenance worker has been arranged, and that the call is to be disconnected once, and then disconnects the line from the elevator. The communication system according to Claim 3.

5. The information management unit registers in the automatic response list that the maintenance worker is available and the estimated arrival time until the maintenance worker arrives at the elevator, which are input from the terminal for the maintenance worker, the line control unit connects the line to the elevator, outputs to the elevator that the maintenance worker has been arranged and the estimated arrival time, and then disconnects the line from the elevator. The communication system according to Claim 4.

6. When it is determined by the reception management unit that the waiting time exceeds the specified time and the signal is not a failure signal, the information management unit registers in the automatic response list that the line control unit has received the signal. The line control unit connects the line to the elevator, outputs to the elevator that it takes time until the operator responds and that the call will be disconnected once, and then disconnects the line from the elevator. The communication system according to claim 3.

7. When the information management unit determines that the information of the elevator, which is the transmission source of the signal, is registered in the automatic response list or the automatic dispatch list, it instructs the operator to communicate with the passengers of the elevator. The communication system according to claim 1.

8. A communication method for performing maintenance on an elevator, comprising: receiving a signal from the elevator; determining whether the signal is a failure signal; registering in an automatic response list that the signal has been received, and determining whether it is necessary to request the dispatch of a maintenance worker to maintain the elevator based on the information registered in the automatic response list. Communication method.

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