Elevator system

Abstract

To provide an elevator system capable of performing groupings for executing split operation so that there is minimal bias in the number of passengers in each car.SOLUTION: An elevator system according to one embodiment comprises a group management control device that divides floors where each car can operate into multiple groups and executes split operation, a camera that is installed for each car, passenger detection means that detects passengers from an image taken by the camera, boarding and alighting information detection means that detects boarding and alighting information including boarding and alighting floors indicating a floor where the detected passenger boards the car and a floor where the passenger alights from the car, and a time required for the passenger to board and alight from the car, weighted number of passengers calculation means that calculates a weighted number of passengers corresponding to the number of passengers weighted by the required time on the basis of the detected boarding and alighting information, and grouping means that performs groupings suitable for split operation on the basis of the calculated weighted number of passengers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] During times when there are many elevator users and the majority of users board from the departure reference floor (for example, during rush hour), "divided operation" is implemented, in which each elevator car operates on at least two sets (groups) of floors that it can operate on.

[0003] In divided operation, the floors at which each car can operate (floors at which it can stop) are limited, which shortens the average time it takes for each car to make one revolution around the elevator shaft, thereby increasing the number of people that can be transported per hour. In this type of divided operation, it is necessary to group the number of passengers in each car so that there is little bias.

[0004] One method for grouping passengers so that there is little bias in the number of passengers in each car is to count the number of passengers at each floor and group them so that the difference in the number of passengers at each floor is small. However, with this method, for example, a passenger who takes 5 seconds to board or alight and a passenger who takes 15 seconds to board or alight are counted as one person, which can result in bias in the number of passengers in each car when the train is actually divided. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7284115 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an elevator system that is capable of grouping passengers for divided operation in a way that minimizes bias in the number of passengers in each car. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An elevator system according to one embodiment includes a group management control device that divides a plurality of cars and floors that each car can operate into a plurality of groups and performs divided operation by operating each of the cars; a camera installed in each of the cars; a passenger detection means that detects passengers from images captured by the camera; boarding and alighting information detection means that detects boarding and alighting information including boarding and alighting floors indicating the floors at which the detected passengers boarded the car and the floors at which the passengers disembarked from the car, and the time required for the passengers to board and alight from the car; a weighted number of people calculation means that calculates, based on the detected boarding and alighting information, a weighted number of people equivalent to the number of passengers weighted by the required time; and a grouping means that performs grouping appropriate for the divided operation based on the calculated weighted number of people. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an elevator system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the functions of the camera and an example of the schematic configuration of the information processing device in the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of the boarding and alighting information in the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the processing executed in the weighted number of people calculation unit in the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of weighted number-of-persons data in the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the processing executed in the grouping unit in the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the processing executed in the grouping unit in the embodiment. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the processing executed in the grouping unit in the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining an example of an operation executed in the elevator system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of an elevator system according to one embodiment, in which a configuration in which multiple elevators are group-managed is shown. Note that the term "elevator" here basically refers to a "car." The example in FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which two cars, designated as car A and car B, are group-managed, but the number of cars to be group-managed can be any number as long as it is two or more. Note that in this embodiment, the building in which the cars are installed is described as having five floors.

[0011] In the figure, 11a and 11b are elevator control devices (also called car control devices), and 12a and 12b are cars. The elevator control device 11a controls the operation of the car 12a. Specifically, the elevator control device 11a controls a motor (hoisting machine) (not shown) for raising and lowering the car 12a, and controls the opening and closing of doors. Similarly, the elevator control device 11b controls the operation of the car 12b. These elevator control devices 11a and 11b are configured by computers equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc.

[0012] The cars 12a and 12b are driven by motors to move up and down in the elevator shaft. Inside the car 12a, a car operation panel 13a is installed, which has various buttons including destination floor buttons, door open buttons, door close buttons, etc. Signals from these buttons are transmitted to the group management control device 30 via the elevator control device 11a of car A.

[0013] Similarly, a car control panel 13b having various buttons including a destination floor button, a door open button, a door close button, etc. is installed inside the car 12b. The signals of these buttons are transmitted to the group supervisory control device 30 via the elevator control device 11b of car B.

[0014] Although details will be described later, a camera 14a is installed inside the car 12a, and a camera 14b is installed inside the car 12b. The cameras 14a and 14b are connected to an information processing device 40 described later so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0015] Hall call buttons 21a, 21b are installed at the landing (elevator hall) as registration devices for passengers (users) to register hall calls. The number of hall call buttons is determined arbitrarily taking into consideration the number of cars, etc. In this embodiment, as in the example of FIG. 1, it is described that the same number of hall call buttons 21a, 21b as the number of cars are installed. In reality, the same number of hall call buttons 21a, 21b as the number of cars are installed at the landing on each floor.

[0016] The hall call buttons 21a and 21b consist of an up button and a down button, and are configured to press either the up button or the down button depending on the passenger's destination (up / down). Note that the lowest floor has only the up button, and the top floor has only the down button.

[0017] A "hall call" is a call signal registered by operating a hall call button installed at the landing of each floor, and includes information on the registered floor (the floor where the hall call is registered) and the destination direction (upward or downward). Also, a "car call" is a call signal registered by operating a destination floor button installed inside the car, and includes information on the destination floor.

[0018] In the following description, unless there is a need to particularly distinguish between the elevator control devices 11a, 11b, the cars 12a, 12b, the car operating panels 13a, 13b, the cameras 14a, 14b, and the hall call buttons 21a, 21b, the suffixes "a" and "b" will be omitted.

[0019] The group management control device 30 is a device for group management control of the operation of multiple cars 12, and, like the elevator control device 11, is composed of a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. When a hall call is registered, the group management control device 30 performs allocation control, selecting the most suitable car from the multiple cars 12 and having it respond to the registered floor of the hall call. Under specific conditions, the group management control device 30 also performs split operation, dividing the floors at which each car 12 can operate into at least two groups. Split operation limits the floors at which each car can operate (floors at which it can stop), thereby shortening the average time required for each car 12 to complete one revolution around the elevator shaft and increasing the number of passengers that can be transported per hour. In such split operation, it is necessary to group the cars 12 so that there is little bias in the number of passengers in each car 12.

[0020] The group management control device 30 specifies at least one of the conditions of date, time period, day of the week, etc., and transmits a grouping request to the information processing device 40, requesting suitable grouping when performing divided operation under the specified conditions. As will be described in detail later, upon receiving the grouping request from the group management control device 30, the information processing device 40 performs grouping suitable for performing divided operation under the conditions included in the grouping request (i.e., grouping with little imbalance in the number of passengers in each car 12). The group management control device 30 performs divided operation in accordance with the grouping results determined by the information processing device 40.

[0021] Next, the camera 14 installed in the car 12 and the information processing device 40 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0022] As shown in Fig. 2, a camera 14 is installed above the entrance / exit of the car 12. Specifically, the camera 14 is installed in a panel covering the upper part of the entrance / exit of the car 12, with the lens portion facing directly downward. The camera 14 has an ultra-wide-angle lens, such as a fisheye lens, and captures a wide range of subjects, including the interior of the car 12 and the hall 17, with a viewing angle of 180 degrees or more. The camera 14 can continuously capture several frames per second (e.g., 30 frames / second).

[0023] The camera 14 does not have to be installed above the entrance / exit of the car 12, as long as it is near the car door 15. For example, it may be installed on the ceiling surface near the entrance / exit of the car 12, or in any other location that can capture an image of the entire car interior including the entire floor area inside the car 12, and the landing 17 near the entrance / exit when the door is open.

[0024] At the landing 17 on each floor, a landing door 16 is installed at the arrival entrance of the car 12 so that it can be opened and closed freely. The landing door 16 engages with the car door 15 when the car 12 arrives and opens and closes. The power source (door motor) is located on the car 12 side, and the landing door 16 simply opens and closes following the car door 15.

[0025] The images (videos) continuously captured by the camera 14 are transmitted to the information processing device 40, and are analyzed and processed by the information processing device 40 in real time.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing device 40 includes a passenger detection unit 41, a boarding / alighting information detection unit 42, a storage unit 43, a weighted number-of-person calculation unit 44, and a grouping unit 45.

[0027] The passenger detection unit 41 detects passengers in the car 12 or at the landing 17 using images captured by the camera 14.

[0028] The boarding and alighting information detection unit 42 tracks the movements of passengers detected by the passenger detection unit 41, thereby detecting that the passenger has boarded the elevator 12, as well as detecting the floor from which the passenger boarded the elevator 12 (hereinafter referred to as the boarding floor) and the time it took for the passenger to board the elevator 12 (hereinafter referred to as the boarding time).

[0029] In addition, the boarding and alighting information detection unit 42 tracks the movements of passengers detected by the passenger detection unit 41 (more specifically, by tracking the movements of a specific passenger who has been detected to have boarded the elevator 12), and detects that the passenger has alighted from the elevator 12, as well as the floor from which the passenger alighted from the elevator 12 (hereinafter referred to as the alighting floor) and the time it took for the passenger to alight from the elevator 12 (hereinafter referred to as the alighting time).

[0030] Furthermore, the boarding and alighting information detection unit 42 calculates the average boarding time and alighting time of the predetermined passengers (hereinafter referred to as boarding and alighting time).

[0031] With respect to the above-mentioned specified passenger, the boarding floor, boarding time, disembarking floor and disembarking time detected by the boarding and disembarking information detection unit 42, and the boarding and disembarking time calculated by the boarding and disembarking information detection unit 42 are stored in the memory unit 43 in correspondence with the date and time when the specified passenger was detected by the passenger detection unit 41.

[0032] The storage unit 43 stores boarding and alighting information relating to passengers detected by the passenger detection unit 41. Here, the data structure of the boarding and alighting information stored in the storage unit 43 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0033] As shown in Fig. 3, the boarding and alighting information is information in which the date and time, the boarding floor, the alighting floor, and the required time are associated with each other. The required time includes the time required to board (i.e., boarding time), the time required to alight (i.e., alighting time), and the average time required to board and alight (i.e., boarding and alighting time).

[0034] For example, according to the boarding and alighting information i1 shown in Figure 3, it is shown that a passenger detected by the passenger detection unit 41 on "2023 / 9 / 28 15:01" took "5 seconds" to board the elevator 12 from the "1st floor," and took "6 seconds" to alight from the elevator 12 on the "5th floor," and the average time taken to board and alight from the elevator 12 (i.e., the boarding and alighting time) was "5.5 seconds (= (5 + 6) / 2)."

[0035] Furthermore, according to the boarding and alighting information i2 shown in Figure 3, it is shown that the passenger detected by the passenger detection unit 41 on "2023 / 9 / 29 15:01" took "4 seconds" to board the elevator 12 from the "5th floor", took "7 seconds" to alight from the elevator 12 on the "4th floor", and the average time required to board and alight from the elevator 12 (i.e., the boarding and alighting time) was "5.5 seconds (= (4 + 7) / 2)".

[0036] Here, the boarding and alighting information i1 and i2 have been specifically described, but the same applies to the boarding and alighting information i3 to i5. The boarding and alighting information may further be associated with the weather at the date and time when the passengers are detected by the passenger detection unit 41. This makes it possible to deal with the case where the group management control device 30 specifies weather as a condition included in the grouping request.

[0037] Returning to the explanation of Figure 2 again. The weighted number of people calculation unit 44 extracts (reads out) from the storage unit 43 boarding and alighting information that matches the conditions included in the grouping request received from the group management control device 30, from the boarding and alighting information stored in the storage unit 43. The weighted number of people calculation unit 44 identifies the most frequent value of boarding and alighting time based on the extracted boarding and alighting information.

[0038] The weighted number of passengers calculation unit 44 calculates the number of passengers weighted by the most frequent value of the boarding and alighting time for each piece of extracted boarding and alighting information (hereinafter referred to as the weighted number of passengers). More specifically, the weighted number of passengers calculation unit 44 divides the boarding and alighting time indicated by the boarding and alighting information by the most frequent value of the specified boarding and alighting time to calculate the number of passengers corresponding to the boarding and alighting time as the weighted number of passengers. The weighted number of passengers is calculated for each piece of extracted boarding and alighting information, and the calculated weighted number of passengers is summed up for each boarding and alighting floor to generate weighted number of passengers data indicating the weighted number of passengers for each boarding and alighting floor.

[0039] Here, the processing executed in the weighted number of passengers calculation unit 44 will be described in more detail with reference to Fig. 4. It is assumed here that the boarding and alighting information i1 to i5 shown in Fig. 3 is stored in the storage unit 43, and a grouping request including the time period "15:00-16:00" as a condition is received from the group management control device 30.

[0040] In this case, the weighted number of people calculation unit 44 extracts from the memory unit 43 boarding and alighting information i1 to i4, which indicate times within the range of "15:00-16:00" indicated by the date and time, as boarding and alighting information that meets the conditions included in the grouping request received from the group management control device 30.

[0041] As shown in Figure 4(a), the number of passengers boarding and alighting at each floor at this point is "1 person" for the passenger who boarded from the 1st floor and alighted on the 5th floor indicated by boarding and alighting information i1, "1 person" for the passenger who boarded from the 5th floor and alighted on the 4th floor indicated by boarding and alighting information i2, "1 person" for the passenger who boarded from the 2nd floor and alighted on the 1st floor indicated by boarding and alighting information i3, and "1 person" for the passenger who boarded from the 4th floor and alighted on the 2nd floor indicated by boarding and alighting information i4.

[0042] The weighted number of people calculation unit 44 identifies the most frequent value of the boarding and alighting time based on the extracted boarding and alighting information i1 to i4. In this case, the boarding and alighting time of boarding and alighting information i1 is "5.5 seconds," the boarding and alighting time of boarding and alighting information i2 is "5.5 seconds," the boarding and alighting time of boarding and alighting information i3 is "14.5 seconds," and the boarding and alighting time of boarding and alighting information i4 is "7.5 seconds," so the weighted number of people calculation unit 44 identifies the most frequent value of the boarding and alighting time as "5.5 seconds."

[0043] The weighted number of passengers calculation unit 44 calculates the weighted number of passengers described above for each of the extracted boarding and alighting information i1 to i4. Specifically, the weighted number of people calculation unit 44 divides the boarding and alighting time of "5.5 seconds" of the boarding and alighting information i1 by the most frequent value of the identified boarding and alighting time of "5.5 seconds" and calculates "1 person" as the weighted number of people for the boarding and alighting information i1.

[0044] In addition, the weighted number of people calculation unit 44 divides the boarding and alighting time "5.5 seconds" of the boarding and alighting information i2 by the most frequent value of the identified boarding and alighting time "5.5 seconds" to calculate "1 person" as the weighted number of people for the boarding and alighting information i2.

[0045] Furthermore, the weighted number of people calculation unit 44 divides the boarding and alighting time "14.5 seconds" of the boarding and alighting information i3 by the most frequent value of the identified boarding and alighting time "5.5 seconds" to calculate "2.63 people" as the weighted number of people for the boarding and alighting information i3.

[0046] In addition, the weighted number of people calculation unit 44 divides the boarding and alighting time of "7.5 seconds" of the boarding and alighting information i4 by the most frequent value of the identified boarding and alighting time of "5.5 seconds" to calculate "1.36 people" as the weighted number of people of the boarding and alighting information i4.

[0047] According to this, the weighted number of passengers data shown in Figure 4(b) is generated as weighted number of passengers data indicating the weighted number of passengers for each floor getting on and off. The weighted number of passengers data shown in Figure 4(b) indicates that between "15:00 and 16:00", the number of passengers who boarded from the first floor and alighted on the fifth floor was "1 person", the number of passengers who boarded from the fifth floor and alighted on the fourth floor was "1 person", the number of passengers who boarded from the second floor and alighted on the first floor was "2.63 people", and the number of passengers who boarded from the fourth floor and alighted on the second floor was "1.36 people".

[0048] For ease of explanation, it is assumed here that the boarding and alighting information stored in the storage unit 43 is only boarding and alighting information i1 to i5, and that the boarding and alighting information that meets the conditions included in the grouping request is only boarding and alighting information i1 to i4. However, in reality, more boarding and alighting information is stored in the storage unit 43, and the weighted number of passengers calculation unit 44 generates weighted number of passengers data as shown in Fig. 5 by adding up the weighted number of passengers of the calculated boarding and alighting information for each boarding and alighting floor. Note that when the weighted number of passengers for each boarding and alighting floor is a value that includes a decimal point, such as "2.63 passengers" or "1.36 passengers" in Fig. 4(b), the weighted number of passengers may be converted to an integer value by a method such as rounding off, rounding up, or rounding down.

[0049] Returning to the explanation of Figure 2 again. The grouping unit 45 performs grouping suited to the conditions included in the grouping request received from the group management control device 30, based on the weighted number of people data generated by the weighted number of people calculation unit 44.

[0050] Specifically, first, the grouping unit 45 generates a plurality of grouping candidates consisting of a plurality of groups (for example, the same number of groups as the number of cars) each including an operable floor. Note that the plurality of groups included in each of the plurality of grouping candidates includes a floor corresponding to the reference floor. In the following, a case will be described in which the grouping unit 45 generates grouping candidates such that each group includes a floor corresponding to the reference floor and includes the same number of floors, and covers all combinations of floors. However, this is not limited to this, and the grouping unit 45 may generate grouping candidates in which each group does not include the same number of floors. For example, if it is estimated from past data that the number of times that the car 12 stops at the first floor corresponding to the reference floor and at a certain floor, the fifth floor, is significantly higher than at other floors, the grouping unit 45 may generate grouping candidates including two groups, "first floor, fifth floor" and "first floor, second floor, third floor, fourth floor" (i.e., each group does not include the same number of floors).

[0051] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the number of cars 12 is two, the building in which these cars 12 are installed is five stories tall, and the reference floor is the first floor. For this reason, the grouping unit 45 generates a first grouping candidate including two groups of "1st floor, 2nd floor, 3rd floor" and "1st floor, 4th floor, 5th floor", a second grouping candidate including two groups of "1st floor, 2nd floor, 4th floor" and "1st floor, 3rd floor, 5th floor", and a third grouping candidate including two groups of "1st floor, 3rd floor, 4th floor" and "1st floor, 2nd floor, 5th floor".

[0052] The grouping unit 45 determines, from among the generated plurality of grouping candidates, the grouping candidate with the smallest difference in the weighted number of people in each group included in the grouping candidate, as the grouping suitable for the divided operation.

[0053] 6 to 8, the processing executed by the grouping unit 45 will be described in more detail. It is assumed here that the above-mentioned first grouping candidate, second grouping candidate, and third grouping candidate are generated as grouping candidates, and the weighted number-of-people data shown in FIG. 5 is generated by the weighted number-of-people calculation unit 44.

[0054] The grouping unit 45 calculates the weighted number of people for each of the two groups included in the first grouping candidates in order to calculate the difference in the weighted number of people for each of the two groups included in the first grouping candidates. Specifically, the weighted number of people for the "1st, 2nd, 3rd floor" set (i.e., the weighted number of passengers riding in cars 12 whose operable floors are "1st, 2nd, 3rd floors") corresponds to the sum of the weighted numbers marked with diagonal lines in Figure 6(a), and is calculated as "320 people." Note that passengers riding in cars 12 whose operable floors are "1st, 2nd, 3rd floors" are passengers who board the car 12 from any of the "1st, 2nd, 3rd floors" and disembark from the car 12 on any of the "1st, 2nd, 3rd floors."

[0055] Furthermore, the weighted number of people for the set of "1st floor, 4th floor, 5th floor" (i.e., the weighted number of passengers riding in cars 12 whose operable floors are "1st floor, 4th floor, 5th floor") corresponds to the sum of the weighted numbers marked with dots in Figure 6(a), and is calculated as "682 people." Note that passengers riding in cars 12 whose operable floors are "1st floor, 4th floor, 5th floor" are passengers who board the car 12 from any of the "1st floor, 4th floor, 5th floor" floors and disembark from the car 12 at any of the "1st floor, 4th floor, 5th floor" floors.

[0056] According to this, the grouping unit 45 calculates "362 people (=|320-682|)" as the difference in the weighted number of people between the two groups (Group 1 and Group 2) included in the first grouping candidate, as shown in Figure 6(b).

[0057] Similarly, the grouping unit 45 calculates the weighted number of people for each of the two groups included in the second grouping candidates in order to calculate the difference in the weighted number of people for each of the two groups included in the second grouping candidates. Specifically, the weighted number of passengers for the set of "1st floor, 2nd floor, 4th floor" (i.e., the weighted number of passengers riding in cars 12 whose operable floors are "1st floor, 2nd floor, 4th floor") corresponds to the sum of the weighted numbers marked with diagonal lines in Figure 7(a), and is calculated as "415 passengers." Note that passengers riding in cars 12 whose operable floors are "1st floor, 2nd floor, 4th floor" are passengers who board the car 12 from any of the "1st floor, 2nd floor, 4th floor" floors and disembark from the car 12 on any of the "1st floor, 2nd floor, 4th floor" floors.

[0058] Furthermore, the weighted number of people for the "1st, 3rd, 5th floor" set (i.e., the weighted number of passengers riding in cars 12 whose operable floors are "1st, 3rd, 5th floors") corresponds to the sum of the weighted numbers marked with dots in Figure 7(a), and is calculated as "636 people." Passengers riding in cars 12 whose operable floors are "1st, 3rd, 5th floors" are passengers who board the car 12 from any of the "1st, 3rd, 5th floors" and disembark from the car 12 on any of the "1st, 3rd, 5th floors."

[0059] According to this, the grouping unit 45 calculates the difference in the weighted number of people between the two groups (group 1 and group 2) included in the second grouping candidate as "221 people (=|415-636|)", as shown in Figure 7(b).

[0060] Furthermore, the grouping unit 45 calculates the weighted number of people for each of the two groups included in the third grouping candidates in order to calculate the difference in the weighted number of people for each of the two groups included in the third grouping candidates. Specifically, the weighted number of passengers for the set of "1st floor, 2nd floor, 5th floor" (i.e., the weighted number of passengers riding in cars 12 whose operable floors are "1st floor, 2nd floor, 5th floor") corresponds to the sum of the weighted number of passengers marked with diagonal lines in Figure 8(a), and is calculated as "545 passengers." Note that passengers riding in cars 12 whose operable floors are "1st floor, 2nd floor, 5th floor" are passengers who board the car 12 from any of the "1st floor, 2nd floor, 5th floor" floors and disembark from the car 12 on any of the "1st floor, 2nd floor, 5th floor" floors.

[0061] Furthermore, the weighted number of people for the "1st, 3rd, 4th floor" set (i.e., the weighted number of passengers riding in cars 12 whose operable floors are "1st, 3rd, 4th floors") corresponds to the sum of the weighted numbers marked with dots in Figure 8(a), and is calculated as "500 people." Note that passengers riding in cars 12 whose operable floors are "1st, 3rd, 4th floors" are passengers who board the car 12 from any of the "1st, 3rd, 4th floors" and disembark from the car 12 on any of the "1st, 3rd, 4th floors."

[0062] According to this, the grouping unit 45 calculates "45 people (=|545-500|)" as the difference in the weighted number of people between the two groups (group 1 and group 2) included in the third grouping candidate, as shown in Figure 8(b).

[0063] The grouping unit 45 determines, from among the generated plurality of grouping candidates, the grouping candidate with the smallest difference in the weighted number of people in each group included in the grouping candidate as the grouping suitable for the split operation, and therefore determines the above-mentioned third grouping candidate as the grouping suitable for the split operation. Grouping information indicating the determined grouping is transmitted from the information processing device 40 to the group management control device 30.

[0064] Here, the grouping unit 45 may add the weighted number of people that do not fall into either of the two groups included in the grouping candidates (i.e., the weighted number of people at boarding and alighting floors that are not hatched in Figures 6(a), 7(a), and 8(a)) to the weighted number of people for one of the groups.

[0065] For example, when calculating the weighted number of people for two groups included in the above-mentioned third grouping candidate, a passenger who boards from the second floor and gets off on the fourth floor cannot move directly from the second floor to the fourth floor even if he / she boards a car 12 whose operable floors are "first, second, and fifth floors" or a car 12 whose operable floors are "first, third, and fourth floors." Therefore, the passenger is expected to first travel by elevator from the departure floor (second floor) to the nearest floor (floor 5) to the destination floor, and then travel from the nearest floor to the destination floor (floor 4) using stairs or an escalator. In other words, since a passenger who boards from the second floor and gets off on the fourth floor is expected to board a car 12 whose operable floors are "first, second, and fifth floors," the grouping unit 45 may add the weighted number of people of passengers who board from the second floor and get off on the fourth floor to the weighted number of people of the group "first, second, and fifth floors." In this way, by adding (allocating) the weighted number of people who do not fall into either of the two groups included in the grouping candidates to the weighted number of people in one of the groups, it is possible to make groupings that take the actual situation into greater consideration.

[0066] However, the weighted number of passengers who do not fall into either of the two groups included in the grouping candidates and who travel between adjacent floors does not have to be assigned to either group. For example, when calculating the weighted number of passengers for the two groups included in the third grouping candidate described above, passengers traveling between adjacent floors, such as passengers who board from the second floor and get off on the third floor, are expected to use stairs or escalators instead of elevators if there is no elevator that can take them directly from the departure floor to the destination floor. This makes it possible to perform grouping that takes actual conditions into further consideration.

[0067] Next, an example of the operation executed in the elevator system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0068] The images captured by the camera 14 are constantly collected by the information processing device 40 (step S1). The passenger detection unit 41 of the information processing device 40 uses the images collected from the camera 14 to detect passengers in the car 12 or at the landing 17 (step S2).

[0069] The boarding and alighting information detection unit 42 of the information processing device 40 tracks the movement of the passenger detected in the processing of step S2 to detect the boarding floor, boarding time, disembarking floor, and disembarking time of the passenger, and calculates the boarding and alighting time based on the detected boarding time and disembarking time (step S3). Thereafter, the boarding and alighting information detection unit 42 stores in the storage unit 43 the boarding and alighting information in which the date and time when the passenger was detected in the processing of step S2, the boarding floor, boarding time, disembarking floor, and disembarking time detected in the processing of step S3, and the boarding and alighting time calculated in the processing of step S3 are associated with each other (step S4).

[0070] The above-mentioned processing of steps S1 to S4 is always executed. On the other hand, the processing shown below is executed when the information processing device 40 receives a grouping request from the group management control device 30.

[0071] When a grouping request is received from the group management control device 30 (step S5), the weighted number of passengers calculation unit 44 of the information processing device 40 extracts boarding and alighting information that meets the conditions included in the received grouping request from the memory unit 43 (step S6).

[0072] Next, the weighted number of passengers calculation unit 44 identifies the most frequent value of boarding and alighting time based on the boarding and alighting information extracted in the processing of step S6 (step S7). After that, the weighted number of passengers calculation unit 44 calculates a weighted number of passengers for each piece of extracted boarding and alighting information based on the boarding and alighting time indicated by the boarding and alighting information extracted in the processing of step S6 and the most frequent value of boarding and alighting time identified in the processing of step S7 (step S8). As a result, weighted number of passengers data indicating the weighted number of passengers for each boarding and alighting floor is generated.

[0073] Next, the grouping unit 45 of the information processing device 40 generates a plurality of grouping candidates each consisting of a plurality of groups each including operable floors (step S9). Thereafter, the grouping unit 45 calculates the weighted number of people for each of the grouping candidates generated in the processing of step S9, and calculates the difference between the weighted number of people for each group (step S10). Then, the grouping unit 45 determines the grouping candidate with the smallest difference calculated in the processing of step S10 as the grouping suitable for divided operation (step S11). Grouping information indicating the determined grouping is transmitted from the information processing device 40 to the group management control device 30.

[0074] Thereafter, the group management control device 30 carries out divided operation in accordance with the grouping indicated by the grouping information received from the information processing device 40 (step S12), and ends this series of operations.

[0075] In the elevator system according to the embodiment described above, the number of passengers at each floor is not simply counted to determine the grouping for split operation, but the number of passengers at each floor is weighted by the time required to board and alight from the elevator car (boarding and alighting time) (weighted number of passengers) and then the grouping for split operation is calculated, so that it is possible to determine the grouping for split operation taking into consideration the actual situation more.

[0076] For example, if the number of passengers at each floor for boarding and alighting is simply counted, a passenger who takes 5 seconds to board and a passenger who takes 15 seconds to board and alight are counted as one person, but in the elevator system according to this embodiment, a passenger who takes 5 seconds to board and alight is counted as a different number of people than a passenger who takes 15 seconds to board and alight (for example, if a passenger who takes 5 seconds is counted as one person, a passenger who takes 15 seconds is counted as three), so it is possible to perform grouping for split operation that takes actual conditions into consideration. In other words, according to the elevator system according to this embodiment, it is possible to perform grouping with less bias in the number of passengers in each car 12 compared to when grouping for split operation is performed by simply counting the number of passengers at each floor for boarding and alighting, and it is possible to reduce bias in waiting times for each car 12.

[0077] According to the embodiment described above, it is possible to provide an elevator system that can perform grouping for performing divided operation with little bias in the number of passengers in each car.

[0078] 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 inventions and their equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 12a, 12b...cars, 14a, 14b...cameras, 30...group management control device, 40...information processing device, 41...passenger detection unit, 42...boarding and alighting information detection unit, 43...memory unit, 44...weighted number of people calculation unit, 45...grouping unit.

Claims

1. Multiple carriages, A group management control device that divides the floors on which each car can operate into a plurality of groups and performs divided operation to operate each car; A camera installed in each of the cars; a passenger detection means for detecting passengers from the image captured by the camera; boarding and alighting information detection means for detecting boarding and alighting floors indicating the floors at which the detected passengers boarded the elevator car and the floors at which the passengers disembarked from the elevator car, and boarding and alighting information including the time required for the passengers to board and alight from the elevator car; a weighted number-of-people calculation means for calculating a weighted number of people corresponding to the number of passengers weighted by the required time based on the detected boarding and alighting information; a grouping means for performing grouping suitable for the divided operation based on the calculated weighted number of people; An elevator system comprising:

2. Further provided is a storage means for storing the boarding and alighting information, The weighted number of people calculation means When a grouping suitable for division operation to be performed under predetermined conditions is requested by the group management control device, boarding and alighting information that matches the conditions is extracted from the storage means, Identifying the most frequent value of the required time included in each of the extracted boarding and alighting information; Dividing the required time included in each of the extracted boarding and alighting information by the mode of the required time to calculate the weighted number of people; The calculated weighted number of passengers is summed for each floor to calculate the weighted number of passengers for each floor.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

3. The boarding and alighting information further includes a date and time when the passenger was detected by the passenger detection means, The predetermined condition includes at least one of a date, a time period, or a day of the week.

3. The elevator system of claim 2.

4. The grouping means generating a plurality of grouping candidates each consisting of a plurality of groups each including an operable floor; Among the generated plurality of grouping candidates, a grouping candidate having the smallest difference in the weighted number of people between the groups is determined as a grouping suitable for the divided operation; The weighted number of people in each group is the sum of the weighted number of people of the boarding and alighting floors corresponding to the floors included in each group.

3. The elevator system of claim 2.

5. The grouping means The weighted number of passengers at floors other than the floors corresponding to the floors included in each group is added to the weighted number of passengers of any of the groups.

5. The elevator system of claim 4.

6. The grouping means generating the grouping candidates so as to cover all combinations of floors, with each group including a floor corresponding to a reference floor and including the same number of floors; 5. The elevator system of claim 4.

7. The required time is the average of the time it takes for a passenger to board a car and the time it takes for the passenger to disembark from the car.

10. The elevator system of claim 1.

8. the group management control device performs the divided operation in accordance with the result of the grouping. An elevator system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images