Elevator control method and elevator control program

Abstract

To improve convenience for users while maintaining the operation efficiency of an elevator even when a user mistakenly boards a car different from the designated one.SOLUTION: An elevator control method includes: receiving input of a destination floor from a destination floor registration device that allows a user to input the destination floor before boarding an elevator to register a destination floor call; allocating a car responding to the destination floor call from among a plurality of cars equipped in the elevator; and when it is found that the user has mistakenly boarded a car not to be allocated based on detection results of user detection devices provided for a car to be allocated and the car not to be allocated, respectively, adding a destination floor designated by the destination floor call to a destination floor of the car not to be allocated which is a car reaching a floor of the destination floor call among the plurality of cars, and deleting the destination floor designated by the destination floor call from a destination floor of the car to be allocated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an elevator control method and an elevator control program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, technology has been developed that allows users to register a destination floor call from a destination floor registration device installed at the elevator hall or other location before boarding the elevator. After calling the destination floor, users can travel to their desired destination floor by boarding the car specified by the destination floor registration device. With this technology, if a user accidentally boards a car different from the one specified, they may be unable to reach their desired destination floor.

[0003] Patent Document 1 relates to a technology for changing or canceling a destination floor automatically registered by a personal authentication device. Patent Document 2 relates to a technology for making an announcement to a user in a car when the user mistakenly boards a car other than the one they specified. Patent Document 3 relates to a technology for lifting the prohibition on registering destination floor calls in a car only while the car doors are open, allowing the user to register a car call for the destination floor again even if the destination floor registered in the destination floor registration device is different from the user's destination floor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-524366 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-019602 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-292256 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, with the technology of Patent Document 1, after the personal authentication procedure, the user must change or cancel the destination floor again, forcing a cumbersome procedure on the user. Also, with the technology of Patent Document 2, the user must get off the car they have boarded and re-board the designated car. Also, with the technology of Patent Document 3, as with the technology of Patent Document 1, the user must re-register the destination floor.

[0006] As described above, the technologies of Patent Documents 1 to 3 have the problem that users have to go through complicated procedures such as changing to the correct car and re-registering the destination floor, which increases the time it takes for the user to reach the desired destination floor. Furthermore, allowing the re-registration of the destination floor results in multiple responses for each user, which reduces the efficiency of elevator operation.

[0007] The problem that this embodiment aims to solve is to provide an elevator control method and an elevator control program that can maintain elevator operation efficiency while increasing user convenience, even if a passenger accidentally boards a car other than the one designated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In one embodiment, an elevator control method receives input of a destination floor from a destination floor registration device that allows a user to input the destination floor before boarding the elevator, and registers a destination floor call; assigns a car from among a plurality of cars equipped in the elevator to respond to the destination floor call; and, if it is determined that the user has mistakenly boarded a non-allocated car among the plurality of cars that has arrived at the floor where the destination floor call was made, based on the detection results of user detection devices provided for the allocated car and the non-allocated car, adds the destination floor specified in the destination floor call to the destination floors of the non-allocated car, and deletes the destination floor specified in the destination floor call from the destination floors of the allocated car. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an elevator system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an elevator control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the elevator control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the elevator system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the elevator system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a car allocation process performed by the elevator control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a car allocation process performed by the elevator control device according to the first modification of the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an elevator control device according to the second modification of the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the elevator system according to the second modification of the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the elevator system according to the second modification of the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the operation of the elevator system according to the second modification of the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the operation of the elevator system according to the second modification of the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a car allocation process performed by the elevator control device according to the second modification of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (Example of elevator system configuration) 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an elevator system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the elevator system 1 according to the embodiment includes an elevator control device 10, a plurality of cars 50, a plurality of halls 60, and a hoistway 70.

[0011] The elevator shaft 70 is provided across multiple floors inside a building or the like where the elevator system 1 is installed. The multiple cars 50 are configured to allow passengers to board and travel between different floors by ascending and descending in the elevator shaft 70. On each floor of the building or the like, a landing 60 is provided where passengers board and alight from the cars 50.

[0012] Within the elevator shaft 70, a rope 71, a counterweight 72, and a hoist 73 are provided for each of the cars 50.

[0013] Each car 50 is connected to a counterweight 72 via a rope 71. The rope 71 is stretched across a hoist 73, and the rope 71 is sent out by driving the hoist 73, causing the car 50 to ascend and descend within the hoistway 70 while balancing with the counterweight 72.

[0014] Each of the cars 50 is provided with a car door 52, a camera 53, and a load sensor 54.

[0015] The car door 52 is provided at the entrance of the car 50. The car door 52 is in a closed state while the car 50 is moving in the elevator shaft 70, and is in an open state when the car 50 arrives at the landing 60 on a predetermined floor, allowing passengers to get on and off the car 50.

[0016] The camera 53 is, for example, a surveillance camera that monitors the inside of the car 50. The camera 53 is provided in a position where it can capture an image of substantially the entire inside of the car 50, such as near the ceiling inside the car 50.

[0017] The load sensor 54 as a user detection device is provided, for example, on the underside of the outside of the car 50, and detects the weight of the entire car 50. Since the weight of the car 50 itself is known, the total weight of passengers and others inside the car 50 can be detected by detecting the weight of the entire car 50. This makes it possible to estimate the number of passengers inside the car 50 and the number of passengers getting on and off the car 50.

[0018] A destination floor registration device 61, a landing door 62, and a camera 63 are provided at each landing 60 on each floor.

[0019] The destination floor registration device 61 is configured to have buttons indicating destination floors, a monitor, etc. When a user at the landing 60 presses a predetermined destination floor button, the destination floor registration device 61 accepts the destination floor call and transmits it to the elevator control device 10, which will be described later, for registration. The destination floor registration device 61 also notifies the user of the car 50 assigned to respond to the destination floor call by, for example, displaying it on a monitor.

[0020] This allows the user to call the car 50 heading to the desired destination floor to the platform 60. Also, the user can travel to the desired destination floor by getting on the designated car 50.

[0021] As described above, the elevator system 1 of the embodiment employs a destination floor registration system (DCS: Destination Control System) that allows users to register their destination floor calls before boarding the elevator. This allows the elevator system 1 to know the number of users and their destination floors in advance, enabling efficient elevator operation. For example, by assigning different cars 50 to multiple users for different destination floors, the number of floors each car 50 stops at can be reduced, shortening the waiting time for users when using the elevator.

[0022] Furthermore, in an elevator system 1 or the like of an embodiment in which a DCS is adopted, for example, a destination floor call device that receives destination floor calls can be removed from inside the elevator car 50, making it possible to achieve a simpler system configuration.

[0023] The landing door 62 provided at the landing 60 is provided at the entrance to the car 50 within the landing 60. The landing door 62 is in a closed state until the car 50 arrives at the landing 60, and when the car 50 arrives, the landing door 62 opens in conjunction with the car door 52 of the car 50. This allows passengers to get on and off the car 50.

[0024] The camera 63 installed at the platform 60 is, for example, a surveillance camera that monitors the platform 60. The camera 63 is installed in a position where it can capture an image of substantially the entire platform 60, such as near the ceiling of the platform 60.

[0025] The elevator control device 10 controls the operation of an elevator including cars 50 and the like. As an example, when a destination floor registration device 61 at a specific hall 60 receives a destination floor call, the elevator control device 10 registers the destination floor call and assigns a car 50 from among multiple cars 50 to respond to the destination floor call, and causes that car 50 to respond to the destination floor call. The car number etc. of the assigned car 50 is notified to the destination floor registration device 61, which then displays it to the user.

[0026] The car 50 assigned to respond to a predetermined destination floor call moves to the landing 60 where the destination floor call was made under the control of the elevator control device 10, picks up the passenger and moves to the destination floor designated by the destination floor call.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the elevator control device 10 according to the embodiment.

[0028] 2, the elevator control device 10 is configured as a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 13. In addition, the elevator control device 10 includes a storage device 14, a communication I / F (interface) 15, etc.

[0029] The CPU 11 is a hardware processor that controls the entire elevator control device 10. The RAM 12 is, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory, and functions as a primary storage device, serving as a work area for the CPU 11. The ROM 13 functions as a storage area for the elevator control device 10, and stores, for example, an elevator control program 13p that is executed by the CPU 11 and realizes the functions of the elevator control device 10. Information stored in the ROM 13 is retained even when the power to the elevator control device 10 is turned off.

[0030] The elevator control program 13p executed by the elevator control device 10 can be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, FD, CD-R, or DVD. The elevator control program 13p may also be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0031] The storage device 14 is an HDD, an SSD, or the like, and functions as an auxiliary storage device for the CPU 11. The communication I / F 15 is a communication device or the like having a predetermined communication protocol. Through the communication I / F 15, the elevator control device 10 can transmit and receive information to and from, for example, a car door 52, a camera 53, and a load sensor 54 provided in the car 50, a hoist 73 in the hoistway 70, and a destination floor registration device 61, a landing door 62, and a camera 63 provided in the landing 60.

[0032] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the elevator control device 10 according to the embodiment.

[0033] 3, the elevator control device 10 includes, as functional units, a registration unit 101, an allocation unit 102, an operation control unit 103, an erroneous boarding detection unit 104, and a storage unit 105. These functional units are realized, for example, by a CPU 11 included in the elevator control device 10 expanding an elevator control program 13p stored in a ROM 13 or the like into a RAM 12 and executing the program.

[0034] However, some or all of the above-mentioned functional units of the elevator control device 10 may be configured by dedicated hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0035] The registration unit 101 registers a destination floor call from a user when it is received by the destination floor registration device 61. Information on the destination floor call registration is stored in the storage unit 105, for example.

[0036] When a destination floor call is registered, the allocation unit 102 allocates a car 50 to respond to the destination floor call based on the operation status of the multiple cars 50. The operation status of the multiple cars 50 is set in advance for each individual car 50 and includes the operation status stored in the memory unit 105, and real-time operation status obtained from each part of the elevator via the operation control unit 103, and an appropriate car 50 is allocated from among the multiple cars 50 according to these operation statuses.

[0037] Furthermore, when the erroneous boarding detection unit 104 described below detects that a user has mistakenly boarded a car 50 different from the one specified, the allocation unit 102 appropriately changes the allocation of the car 50. As an example, the allocation unit 102 deletes the destination floor of the user who erroneously boarded the car 50 from the destination floors of the originally allocated car 50, and adds the destination floor of the user to the destination floor of the car 50 that the user mistakenly boarded.

[0038] The operation control unit 103 controls each part of the elevator, such as the hoist 73, the car door 52, and the landing door 62. At this time, the operation control unit 103 performs various controls based on status information obtained from each part of the elevator, and the passenger status of each car 50 obtained from the load sensor 54 via the erroneous boarding detection unit 104. This allows the elevator to operate appropriately.

[0039] When a user who has called a destination floor from the destination floor registration device 61 mistakenly boards a car 50 different from the designated one, the erroneous boarding detection unit 104 detects the erroneous boarding of the car 50 based on the load of each car 50 obtained from the load sensor 54. The method for detecting erroneous boarding will be described in detail later.

[0040] The storage unit 105 stores the above-mentioned elevator control program 13p as well as control parameters and the like necessary for the operation of the elevator control device 10. The storage unit 105 also stores information on destination floor call registrations registered by the registration unit 101, operation statuses set for each car 50, and the like.

[0041] (Example of elevator system operation) Next, an example of the operation of the elevator system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the operation of the elevator system 1 according to the embodiment.

[0042] In the example shown in Figures 4 and 5, of the two cars 50 (50a, 50b), the car 50a on the left side of the page is designated as car No. 1. The car No. 1 50a is equipped with a car door 52a, a camera 53a, and a load sensor 54a. Also, of the two cars 50 (50a, 50b), the car 50b on the right side of the page is designated as car No. 2. The car No. 2 50b is equipped with a car door 52b, a camera 53b, and a load sensor 54b.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 4, initially, the first elevator car 50a is located on the first floor of the building with one user Ue on board. The second elevator car 50b is located on the second floor of the building with two users Ue on board. Under these circumstances, a user U at a platform 60 on the third floor inputs a destination floor call from a destination floor registration device 61 installed at the platform 60.

[0044] The elevator control device 10 of the embodiment registers this destination floor call and assigns the first car 50a of the two cars 50a, 50b as the car 50 that will respond to it. The elevator control device 10 also displays on the destination floor registration device 61 provided at the landing 60 on the third floor that the first car has been assigned.

[0045] As shown in Figure 5, the elevator control device 10 causes the first elevator car 50a assigned to the destination floor call from user U to arrive at the third floor where user U is located, and opens the first elevator car door 52 and the landing door 62 corresponding to the arrival position of the elevator car 50a.

[0046] It is assumed that around this time, car 50b of the second car also arrives at platform 60 on the third floor and opens its doors, regardless of the destination floor call from user U. Furthermore, it is assumed that user U mistakenly boards car 50b of car 2 instead of car 1 as specified.

[0047] In this case, if no other user Ue gets on or off the car 50a of the first car, the load sensor 54a of the first car will not detect an increase or decrease in the load of the car 50a of the first car. On the other hand, if no other user Ue gets on or off the car 50b of the second car, the load sensor 54b of the second car will detect that the load of the car 50b of the second car has increased by one person.

[0048] The erroneous boarding detection unit 104 of the elevator control device 10 detects the erroneous boarding of user U who made a destination floor call based on the detection results of these load sensors 54a, 54b. That is, the erroneous boarding detection unit 104 determines that user U, who was supposed to board car 50a of car No. 1, has erroneously boarded car 50b of car No. 2, because no one has boarded car No. 1 despite the elevator arriving at hall 60 on the third floor in response to the destination floor call, and because car 50b of car No. 2, which also arrived at hall 60 on the third floor, has experienced an increase in load equivalent to one person.

[0049] When the erroneous boarding detection unit 104 detects that user U has erroneously boarded a car, the allocation unit 102 of the elevator control device 10 reallocates the car 50 in response to the destination floor call from user U. That is, the allocation unit 102 adds the destination floor specified by user U to the destination floors of car 50b of the second car. In addition, the allocation unit 102 deletes the destination floor specified by user U from the destination floors of car 50a of the first car.

[0050] Thereafter, the operation control unit 103 of the elevator control device 10 controls each of the cars 50a, 50b in accordance with the new allocation by the allocation unit 102. That is, the operation control unit 103 appropriately stops the car No. 2 car 50b that the user U mistakenly boarded, together with the destination floors of other users Ue, at the destination floors specified by the user U. In addition, the operation control unit 103 appropriately stops the car No. 1 car 50a that the user U was originally supposed to board at the destination floors of other users Ue, without stopping it at the destination floor specified by the user U.

[0051] In this way, in the elevator system 1 of the embodiment, when it is detected that a user U has boarded the wrong car, such as when, among multiple cars 50 that have arrived at a floor where a destination floor call has been made, an increase in load is observed only in one car 50 that is not the car to be assigned, and no increase or decrease in load is observed in the other cars 50 including the car to be assigned, allocation is changed between multiple cars 50.

[0052] Therefore, the above-described reassignment control by the elevator system 1 of the embodiment is applicable not only to the examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 but also to other situations in which it is possible to identify that the user U has boarded a wrong elevator.

[0053] (Example of elevator system processing) Next, an example of processing by the elevator control device 10 of the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of the procedure of processing for allocating cars 50 by the elevator control device 10 according to the embodiment.

[0054] 6, when a destination floor call is received from the destination floor registration device 61, the registration unit 101 of the elevator control device 10 registers the destination floor call (step S101), and the allocation unit 102 allocates a car 50 from among the multiple cars 50 to respond to the destination floor call (step S102). The allocation unit 102 also transmits the car number of the allocated car 50 to the destination floor registration device 61 and causes it to be displayed on the destination floor registration device 61 (step S103).

[0055] The operation control unit 103 causes the assigned car 50 to respond to the platform 60 from which the destination floor call was made (step S104). In addition, the erroneous boarding detection unit 104 determines whether or not there has been a change in the load of the car 50 that has arrived at the platform 60, based on the detection result of the load sensor 54 of the car 50 (step S105).

[0056] If a change in load is detected in the elevator 50 that has arrived at the platform 60 in response to a destination floor call (step S105: Yes), the operation control unit 103 assumes that the user U who made the destination floor call has boarded the elevator 50 as specified, and causes the elevator 50 to travel to a floor that includes the destination floor specified in the destination floor call (step S106).

[0057] If no change in load is detected in the car 50 that has arrived at the landing 60 in response to the destination floor call (step S105: No), the erroneous boarding detection unit 104 determines whether or not another car 50 has arrived at the landing 60 (step S107). If another car 50 has arrived at the landing 60 (step S107: Yes), the erroneous boarding detection unit 104 determines whether or not a change in load has occurred in the car 50 based on the detection result of the load sensor 54 of the car 50 (step S108).

[0058] If a load change is found in another car 50 other than the car 50 to be allocated (step S108: Yes), the erroneous boarding detection unit 104 determines that the user U has mistakenly boarded that car 50, and the allocation unit 102 adds the destination floor specified in the destination floor call to the destination floors of the car 50 into which the user has mistakenly boarded (step S109). In response to the re-allocation by the allocation unit 102, the operation control unit 103 causes the car 50 into which the user has mistakenly boarded to run to a floor including the destination floor specified in the destination floor call (step S110).

[0059] Furthermore, the allocation unit 102 deletes the destination floor specified in the destination floor call from the destination floors of the car 50 that was initially to be allocated (step S111). Note that the processing of step S111 may be performed at any timing after the erroneous boarding of user U is detected by the erroneous boarding detection unit 104 in the processing of step S108 described above. That is, the processing of step S111 may be performed prior to the processing of step S109, or in parallel with the processing of step S109, or may be performed before the processing of step S110.

[0060] However, by performing the processing of step S110 to determine that there is no change in the load of the originally assigned car 50 until the other car 50 that is presumed to have been mistakenly boarded by user U starts traveling from that platform 60, the possibility of user U being left behind can be reduced, and these cars 50 can be operated more appropriately.

[0061] On the other hand, if no load change is observed in the elevator 50 that has arrived at the platform 60 in response to a destination floor call (step S105: No), if there are no other elevators 50 that have arrived at that platform 60 (step S107: No), or if there is no load change in the other elevators 50 (step S108: No), the erroneous boarding detection unit 104 determines, for example, whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the elevator 50 originally assigned to the elevator arrived at the platform 60 (step S112).

[0062] In this case, the processing from step S105 is repeated until a predetermined time has elapsed (step S112: No), and once the predetermined time has elapsed (step S112: Yes), the allocation unit 102 cancels the destination floor call of the originally allocated car 50 without re-allocating it to another car 50, etc. (step S111).

[0063] This completes the process of allocating the cars 50 by the elevator control device 10 of the embodiment.

[0064] (Overview) In recent years, elevator systems have begun to adopt DCS technology, which allows passengers to pre-register their destination floors on a destination floor registration device installed at the elevator hall. With DCS technology, when a passenger gets into a designated elevator car, the car automatically starts moving to the destination floor without the passenger having to call out the destination floor from inside the car.

[0065] However, if a passenger accidentally boards a car other than the one they specified, they must, for example, operate the destination floor call device inside the car to call their destination floor again.In elevator systems that use DCS, destination floor call devices are often not installed inside the car, and in such cases, passengers must first exit the car at a floor other than their destination floor and then re-register their destination floor.

[0066] In this way, if a passenger boards the wrong elevator, they will have to go through complicated procedures, which will delay their arrival at their destination floor. In terms of elevator operation, the response from the assigned elevator car will be wasted, and multiple responses will be required for one passenger, which is inefficient.

[0067] According to the elevator control method of the embodiment, when a car 50 among a plurality of cars 50 arrives at a floor for which a destination floor call has been made, and it is determined based on the detection results of load sensors 54a, 54b provided on the car 50a to be allocated and the car 50b not to be allocated, respectively, that a user U has mistakenly boarded the car 50b not to be allocated, the destination floor specified in the destination floor call is added to the destination floor of the car 50b not to be allocated, and the destination floor specified in the destination floor call is deleted from the destination floor of the car 50a to be allocated.

[0068] As a result, the car 50a to be assigned does not stop at the destination floor specified in the destination floor call, so the response of the car 50a to be assigned does not go to waste, and the elevator operation efficiency can be maintained.

[0069] Furthermore, even if the user U accidentally boards a car 50b other than the one designated, the user U does not have to go through the complicated procedures of changing cars 50 or re-registering the destination floor, thereby increasing the convenience for the user U.

[0070] According to the elevator control method of the embodiment, when the load sensor 54a, 54b provided on the assigned car 50a and the non-assigned car 50b does not detect the boarding of user U by the load sensor 54a provided on the assigned car 50a, and the boarding of user U is detected by the load sensor 54b provided on the non-assigned car 50b, it is determined that user U has mistakenly boarded the non-assigned car 50b.

[0071] In this way, by using the load sensor 54 to detect erroneous boarding by the user U, erroneous boarding can be easily detected from changes in the loads in the multiple cars 50a, 50b. In addition, since the determination is made by comparing the load changes in both the car 50a to be assigned and the car 50b not to be assigned, erroneous boarding can be detected with higher accuracy.

[0072] (Variation 1) Next, a processing example by the elevator control device of Modified Example 1 of the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. The elevator control device of Modified Example 1 differs from the above-described embodiment in that it does not assign a car to a destination floor registration when the operating status of the car satisfies a predetermined condition. Hereinafter, the same components as those of the above-described embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and their description may be omitted.

[0073] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a process for allocating the cars 50 by the elevator control device according to the first modification of the embodiment.

[0074] As shown in Fig. 7, the elevator control device of Modification 1 performs substantially the same processing as the elevator control device 10 of the above-described embodiment, except that it additionally performs the processing of steps S201a and S213. That is, the processing of steps S201 and S202 to S212 shown in Fig. 7 is performed in the same manner as the processing of steps S101 to S112 shown in Fig. 6 of the above-described embodiment.

[0075] Specifically, in the elevator control device of variant example 1, before the allocation unit 102 allocates the cars 50 to respond to the destination floor registration, it refers to the operation status that is pre-set for the multiple cars 50 of the elevator system and stored in the memory unit 105, and determines whether at least some of these cars 50 are set to operate between two floors including the floor where the destination floor call was made (step S201a).

[0076] If these cars 50 are set to operate between two floors, including the floor for which the destination floor call was made (step S201a: Yes), the car 50 that first arrives at the boarding point 60 for which the destination floor call was made is made to run to the other floor of the two floor inter-floor operation, which is the destination floor specified in the destination floor call (step S213).

[0077] If none of the elevator cars 50 is set to operate between two floors, including the floor for which the destination floor call was made (step S201a: No), the elevator control device of variant 1 executes the processing from step S202 onwards, similar to the elevator control device 10 of the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0078] This completes the process of allocating the cars 50 by the elevator control device of the first modified example.

[0079] According to the elevator control method of variant 1, when multiple cars 50 are set to operate between two floors, the destination floor specified in the destination floor call is added to the destination floor of the car 50 that has arrived at the floor where the destination floor call was made, without allocating a car 50 to respond to the destination floor call.

[0080] This simplifies control by the elevator control device, eliminating the need to assign a car 50 to respond to a destination floor call under specific conditions, such as when the car 50 is traveling back and forth between two floors. Also, since users can simply board the car 50 that has arrived at the landing 60 without worrying about whether it is the designated car 50 or not, it is possible to prevent users from boarding the wrong car.

[0081] According to the elevator control method of the first modification, other effects similar to those of the elevator control method of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0082] In the elevator control device of the above-described first modification, when multiple cars 50 arrive at the landing 60 where a user is waiting during a shuttle operation between two floors, the car 50 in which an increase in load is recognized may be caused to run to the destination floor of the user based on the detection results of the load sensors 54 provided in each of these cars 50. This makes it possible to identify the car 50 in which the user has boarded among the multiple cars 50 and move it to the destination floor, thereby preventing the other cars 50 from being operated unnecessarily.

[0083] (Variation 2) Next, an elevator system 2 according to a second modification of the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 13. The elevator system 2 according to the second modification is different from the above-described embodiment in that, when a user mistakenly boards a car, it is determined whether or not to reassign the car 50 depending on the running direction of the car 50 into which the user mistakenly boarded. In the following drawings, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description may be omitted.

[0084] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an elevator control device 20 according to the second modification of the embodiment.

[0085] As shown in FIG. 8, the elevator control device 20 of the second modification includes an allocation unit 202 and an operation control unit 203 instead of the allocation unit 102 and the operation control unit 103 included in the elevator control device 10 of the above-described embodiment.

[0086] In the case where a user boards a car by mistake, the allocation unit 202 of the second modified example determines whether the traveling direction of the car 50 that the user boarded by mistake matches the direction of the destination floor specified by the user in the destination floor call.

[0087] That is, when the car 50 where the mistaken boarding occurred is heading to an upper floor and the destination floor specified by the user is also on an upper floor, the allocation unit 202 determines that the running direction of the car 50 matches the direction of the destination floor specified by the user. On the other hand, when the car 50 where the mistaken boarding occurred is heading to an upper floor and the destination floor specified by the user is on a lower floor, the allocation unit 202 determines that the running direction of the car 50 does not match the direction of the destination floor specified by the user, that is, they are opposite directions.

[0088] Furthermore, if the running direction of the car 50 where the user boarded by mistake matches the direction of the destination floor specified by the user, the allocation unit 202 adds the user's destination floor to the destination floor of the car 50 where the user boarded by mistake, and deletes the user's destination floor from the destination floor of the car 50 that was originally allocated, as in the above-described embodiment.

[0089] Furthermore, the allocation unit 202 does not reallocate the car 50 if the traveling direction of the car 50 in which the passenger has erroneously boarded is opposite to the direction of the destination floor designated by the user.

[0090] The operation control unit 203 of the second modification, like the above-described embodiment, controls the hoist 73, the car door 52, and the landing door 62, as well as the notification device 55. In the elevator system 2 of the second modification (see FIG. 9 etc.), the notification device 55 is a speaker or the like provided in each car 50 and makes a predetermined announcement inside the car 50.

[0091] If the traveling direction of the car 50 in which the user has boarded by mistake is opposite to the direction of the destination floor specified by the user, the operation control unit 203 notifies the user in the car 50 in which the user has boarded by mistake using an alarm device 55.

[0092] 9 and 10 are explanatory diagrams showing an example of the operation of the elevator system 2 according to the second modification of the embodiment.

[0093] In the example shown in Figures 9 and 10, of the two cars 50 (50a, 50b), the car 50a on the left side of the paper is designated as car No. 1. The car No. 1 50a is equipped with a car door 52a, a camera 53a, a load sensor 54a, and an alarm device 55a. Also, of the two cars 50 (50a, 50b), the car 50b on the right side of the paper is designated as car No. 2. The car No. 2 50b is equipped with a car door 52b, a camera 53b, a load sensor 54b, and an alarm device 55b.

[0094] As shown in Figure 9, initially, car 50a of the first car is located on the first floor of the building with one user Ue on board and heading toward an upper floor. Also, car 50b of the second car is located on the third floor of the building with two users Ue on board and heading toward a lower floor. Under these circumstances, user U at platform 60 on the second floor inputs a destination floor call specifying the third floor as the destination floor from destination floor registration device 61 installed at platform 60.

[0095] The elevator control device 20 of the second modification registers this destination floor call and assigns the first car 50a of the two cars 50a, 50b as the car 50 that will respond to it. The elevator control device 20 also displays on the destination floor registration device 61 provided at the landing 60 on the second floor that the first car has been assigned.

[0096] As shown in Figure 10, the elevator control device 20 causes the first elevator car 50a assigned to the destination floor call from user U to arrive at the second floor where user U is located, and opens the first elevator car door 52 and the landing door 62 corresponding to the arrival position of the elevator car 50a.

[0097] It is assumed that around this time, car No. 2 50b also arrives at the second floor platform 60 and opens its doors, regardless of the destination floor call from user U. Furthermore, it is assumed that user U mistakenly boards car No. 2 50b instead of car No. 1 as specified.

[0098] The mistaken boarding detection unit 104 of the elevator control device 20 determines that user U, who was supposed to board car 50a of the first car, mistakenly boarded car 50b of the second car, because the load sensor 54a installed in car 50a, which is the allocation device, did not detect a change in load, and the load sensor 54b installed in car 50b, which is not the allocation device, detected an increase in load.

[0099] When the mistaken boarding detection unit 104 detects that user U has mistakenly boarded a car, the allocation unit 202 of modified example 2 determines whether the running direction of car 50b of the second car that user U mistakenly boarded matches the direction of the destination floor specified by user U. In this example, the running direction of car 50b of the second car is toward the lower floors, and the destination floor specified by user U is the third floor, an upper floor. Therefore, the allocation unit 202 determines that the running direction of car 50b of the second car is opposite to the direction of user U's destination floor.

[0100] In this case, the allocation unit 202 does not re-allocate the elevators 50, such as adding the user's destination floor to the elevator 50b of the second elevator and deleting the user's destination floor from the elevator 50a of the first elevator.

[0101] In the elevator control device 20 of the second modification, instead of reassigning the cars 50, the operation control unit 203 notifies the user U in the car 50b that he has boarded the wrong car by using the notification device 55b provided in the car 50b of the second car into which the user U has boarded the wrong car. This allows the user U to notice that he has boarded the wrong car, and can prompt the user U to transfer to the correct car 50a in accordance with the initial assignment.

[0102] Thereafter, the operation control unit 203 continues the travel of the No. 1 car 50a to the upper floor and the No. 2 car 50b to the lower floor. At this time, before the cars 50a and 50b start traveling, the elevator control device 20 may again compare the detection result of the load sensor 54a of the car 50a with the detection result of the load sensor 54b of the car 50b to confirm that the user U has transferred to the correct car 50a.

[0103] 11 and 12 are explanatory diagrams showing another example of the operation of the elevator system 2 according to the second modified example of the embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 11 and 12, of the two cars 50 (50a, 50b), the car 50a on the left side of the paper is designated as No. 1, and the car 50b on the right side of the paper is designated as No. 2.

[0104] As shown in Figure 11, initially, car 50a of the first car is located on the first floor of the building with one user Ue on board and heading toward an upper floor. Also, car 50b of the second car is located on the first floor of the building with two users Ue on board and heading toward an upper floor. Under these circumstances, user U at platform 60 on the second floor inputs a destination floor call specifying the third floor as the destination floor from destination floor registration device 61 installed at platform 60.

[0105] The elevator control device 20 of the second modification registers this destination floor call and assigns the first car 50a of the two cars 50a, 50b as the car 50 that will respond to it. The elevator control device 20 also displays on the destination floor registration device 61 provided at the landing 60 on the second floor that the first car has been assigned.

[0106] As shown in Figure 10, the elevator control device 20 causes the first elevator car 50a assigned to the destination floor call from user U to arrive at the second floor where user U is located, and opens the first elevator car door 52 and the landing door 62 corresponding to the arrival position of the elevator car 50a.

[0107] It is assumed that around this time, car No. 2 50b also arrives at the second floor platform 60 and opens its doors, regardless of the destination floor call from user U. Furthermore, it is assumed that user U mistakenly boards car No. 2 50b instead of car No. 1 as specified.

[0108] The mistaken boarding detection unit 104 of the elevator control device 20 determines that user U, who was supposed to board car 50a of the first car, mistakenly boarded car 50b of the second car, because the load sensor 54a installed in car 50a, which is the allocation device, did not detect a change in load, and the load sensor 54b installed in car 50b, which is not the allocation device, detected an increase in load.

[0109] When the mistaken boarding detection unit 104 detects that user U has mistakenly boarded a train, the allocation unit 202 of Modification 2 determines whether the running direction of the car 50b of the second train that user U mistakenly boarded matches the direction of the destination floor specified by user U. In this example, the running direction of the car 50b of the second train is toward the upper floors, and the destination floor specified by user U is also the third floor, which is an upper floor. Therefore, the allocation unit 202 determines that the running direction of the car 50b of the second train matches the direction of the destination floor of user U.

[0110] In this case, the allocation unit 202, as in the above-described embodiment, performs reallocation of the cars 50, such as adding the destination floor of the user to the car 50b of the second car and deleting the destination floor of the user from the car 50a of the first car. Therefore, the notification device 55a of the car 50b of the second car does not notify of the erroneous boarding.

[0111] The operation control unit 203 continues running the car 50a of the first car to upper floors and stops the car 50a at destination floors other than the destination floor of the user as appropriate. Also, the operation control unit 203 continues running the car 50b of the second car to upper floors and stops the car 50b at destination floors including the destination floor of the user as appropriate.

[0112] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a car 50 allocation process performed by the elevator control device 20 according to the second modification of the embodiment.

[0113] As shown in Fig. 13, the elevator control device 20 of the second modification additionally performs the processes of steps S308a, S308b, and S308c in addition to the processes shown in Fig. 6 of the above-described embodiment, to determine whether or not to reallocate the car 50 in response to the erroneous boarding. That is, the processes of steps S301 to S308 and S309 to S312 shown in Fig. 13 are performed in the same manner as the processes of steps S101 to S112 shown in Fig. 6 of the above-described embodiment.

[0114] Specifically, in the elevator control device 20 of variant example 2, when a destination floor is registered and it is recognized that a user has mistakenly boarded another car 50 instead of the assigned car 50 (steps S301 to S308), the allocation unit 202 determines whether the traveling direction of the car 50 that the user mistakenly boarded matches the direction of the user's destination floor (step S308a).

[0115] If the running direction of the car 50 where the passenger boarded by mistake matches the direction of the passenger's destination floor (step S308a: Yes), the allocation unit 202 executes the processing from step S309 onwards, as in the elevator control device 10 of the above-mentioned embodiment, and reallocates the car 50.

[0116] If the running direction of the car 50 where the erroneous boarding occurred is opposite to the direction of the destination floor of the user (step S308a: No), the allocation unit 202 determines whether or not another destination floor is registered for the car 50 where the erroneous boarding occurred (step S308b). Also, if another destination floor is not registered (step S308b: No), the allocation unit 202 executes the processing from step S309 onwards, as in the elevator control device 10 of the above-described embodiment, and reallocates the car 50. That is, in this case, the running direction of the car 50 is changed.

[0117] On the other hand, if another destination floor is registered for the car 50 where the passenger has boarded by mistake (step S308b: Yes), priority is given to maintaining the running direction of the car 50. That is, the allocation unit 202 does not re-allocate the car 50, and the car 50 continues to move in its original running direction. Prior to this, the operation control unit 203 notifies the passenger in the car 50 that they have boarded by mistake, using the notification device 55 of the car 50 (step S308c).

[0118] Thereafter, the operation control unit 203 causes the elevator car 50, which was initially assigned to the destination floor call of the user, to travel to the destination floor of the user (step S306).

[0119] This completes the process of allocating the cars 50 by the elevator control device 20 of the second modification.

[0120] According to the elevator control method of variant 2, when it is found that user U has mistakenly boarded a car 50b that is not to be assigned, it is determined whether or not other destination floors of the car 50b that is not to be assigned are in the same direction as the destination floor specified in the destination floor call, and then it is determined whether or not to add the destination floor specified in the destination floor call to the destination floor of the car 50b that is not to be assigned, and to delete the destination floor specified in the destination floor call from the destination floors of the car 50a that is to be assigned.

[0121] This prevents the original traveling direction of the erroneously boarded car 50a from being changed due to reassignment, thereby improving the operation efficiency of the elevator system 2.

[0122] According to the elevator control method of variant example 2, even if it is found that user U has mistakenly boarded a car 50b that is not to be assigned, if the other destination floor of the car 50b that is not to be assigned is in the opposite direction to the destination floor specified in the destination floor call, the destination floor specified in the destination floor call is not added to the destination floor of the car 50b that is not to be assigned, nor is the destination floor specified in the destination floor call removed from the destination floor of the car 50a that is to be assigned, and user U is notified of the mistaken boarding by an alarm device 55b installed in the car 50b that is not to be assigned.

[0123] This notifies the user U that he or she has boarded the wrong car, and encourages the user U to transfer to the correct car 50a. In addition, the original running direction of the car 50a where the user has boarded the wrong car can be maintained, which further improves the operating efficiency of the elevator system 2.

[0124] According to the elevator control method of the second modification, other effects similar to those of the elevator control method of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0125] In the above-described embodiment and modified examples 1 and 2, the load sensor 54 provided in each car 50 is used to detect a user getting on or off by mistake. However, the camera 53 provided in each car 50 and the camera 63 provided at the landing 60 may be used as a user detection device to detect a user getting on or off a predetermined car 50.

[0126] In this case, erroneous boarding may be detected by comparing images from both the camera 53 installed in the car 50 to be allocated and the camera 53 installed in the car 50 not to be allocated. Alternatively, erroneous boarding may be detected using the camera 63 at the platform 60 when a passenger is not permitted to board the car 50 to be allocated but is permitted to board the car 50 not to be allocated. Alternatively, erroneous boarding may be detected using both the camera 53 at the car 50 and the camera 63 at the platform 60.

[0127] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied 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 within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0128] 1,2...Elevator system, 10,20...Elevator control device, 13p...Elevator control program, 50...Cab, 53,63...Camera, 54...Load sensor, 55...Alarm device, 61...Destination floor registration device, 101...Registration unit, 102,202...Assignment unit, 103,203...Operation control unit, 104...Mis-boarding detection unit, 105...Memory unit.

Claims

1. a destination floor call is registered by receiving an input of the destination floor from a destination floor registration device that allows a user to input the destination floor before getting into the elevator; assigning a car to respond to the destination floor call from among a plurality of cars provided in the elevator; Among the plurality of cars, when it is determined that the user has mistakenly boarded the non-allocated car in a car that has arrived at the floor where the destination floor call was made, based on the detection results of user detection devices provided for the allocated car and the non-allocated car, respectively, the destination floor specified in the destination floor call is added to the destination floors of the non-allocated car, and the destination floor specified in the destination floor call is deleted from the destination floors of the allocated car. Elevator control method.

2. Among the user detection devices provided in the cars to be assigned and the cars not to be assigned, The first user detection device of the car to be allocated does not detect the boarding of the user, When the boarding of the user is detected by a second user detection device provided in the non-allocation target car, determining that the user has mistakenly boarded the car that is not to be allocated; 2. The elevator control method according to claim 1.

3. The user detection device a load sensor capable of detecting the load of the car to be assigned and the load of the car not to be assigned, 3. The elevator control method according to claim 2.

4. The user detection device A camera capable of capturing images of the users getting on and off the assigned car and the users getting on and off the non-assigned car.

3. The elevator control method according to claim 2.

5. The user detection device A camera provided in each of the assigned car and the non-assigned car; and a camera installed at a landing of the floor where the destination floor call was made, 3. The elevator control method according to claim 2.

6. When the plurality of cars are set to operate between two floors, the destination floor specified in the destination floor call is added to the destination floor of the car that has arrived at the floor where the destination floor call was made, without assigning a car to respond to the destination floor call.

2. The elevator control method according to claim 1.

7. When the plurality of cars are set to operate between two floors, if two or more cars arrive at the floor for which the destination floor call was made, the destination floor specified in the destination floor call is added to the destination floor of the car in which the boarding of the user is detected by the user detection device among the two or more cars.

7. The elevator control method according to claim 6.

8. When it is found that the user has mistakenly boarded the car not to be assigned, it is determined whether or not another destination floor of the car not to be assigned is in the same direction as the destination floor specified in the destination floor call, and then it is determined whether or not to add the destination floor specified in the destination floor call to the destination floors of the car not to be assigned, and to delete the destination floor specified in the destination floor call from the destination floors of the car to be assigned.

2. The elevator control method according to claim 1.

9. Even if it is found that the user has mistakenly boarded the non-allocated car, if the other destination floor of the non-allocated car is in the opposite direction to the destination floor specified in the destination floor call, the destination floor specified in the destination floor call is not added to the destination floors of the non-allocated car, nor is the destination floor specified in the destination floor call deleted from the destination floors of the allocated car, and an alarm device installed in the non-allocated car notifies the user that he or she has boarded the wrong car.

9. The elevator control method according to claim 8.

10. A program to be executed by a computer of an elevator control device, a process of receiving an input of a destination floor from a destination floor registration device that allows a user to input a destination floor before getting into the elevator, and registering a destination floor call; A process of assigning a car to respond to the destination floor call from among a plurality of cars provided in the elevator; and when it is determined that the user has mistakenly boarded a car that has arrived at the floor where the destination floor call was made among the plurality of cars and that has not been assigned based on the detection results of a user detection device provided for each of the assigned car and the non-assigned car, the computer is caused to execute a process of adding the destination floor specified in the destination floor call to the destination floors of the non-assigned car and deleting the destination floor specified in the destination floor call from the destination floors of the assigned car. Elevator control program.

Images