Visitor assisting system

Abstract

To provide a visitor assisting system which is in conjunction with a reception system which enables a visitor of a building to smoothly arrive a visit destination using an authentication object received in advance.SOLUTION: A visitor assisting system 10 includes: a reception system 70 that includes a security gate 73 or a security automatic door 74; a transit managing server 30 that is connected to the security gate or the security automatic door; a portable terminal held by a visitor; and a network 50 that connects the reception system, the transit managing server, and the portable terminal. When the visitor passes through the security gate or the security automatic door by holding an authentication object displayed on the portable terminal, arrival information of the visitor is transmitted from the security gate or the security automatic door to the transit managing server. The transit managing server notifies the portable terminal of a boarding floor and a floor at which the visitor should get off for an elevator 41 that the visitor should utilize, and operates the elevator that the visitor should utilize between the predetermined boarding floor and the floor at which the visitor should get off.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a visitor support system in which a reception system equipped with security gates and the like cooperates with an operation management server that uses the security gates and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the automation of reception systems has progressed (see Non-Patent Document 1). For example, a QR Code (registered trademark)-compatible reception system uses QR Code (registered trademark) to manage visitor information, and is a system that streamlines reception work at offices and events. When a visitor arrives, they simply read the QR Code (registered trademark) at the reception terminal, or hold a pre-issued QR Code (registered trademark) over a reading sensor to complete the reception process. A QR Code (registered trademark)-compatible reception system can reduce the number of staff required for phone transfers and other tasks, and if the system can be linked to the issuance of entrance passes and the entrance gate, it can also automate and unmann the reception process.

[0003] Self-driving vehicles are increasingly being introduced for delivery, cleaning, security, guidance, etc. within buildings. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an autonomous vehicle, delivery system, and program that travels along a set route and is friendly to stores, delivery destinations, and people around it along the way.

[0004] Furthermore, there is also known an autonomous vehicle operation system in which, for example, in order to use the internal passages and elevators of a building equipped with elevators, map data including these internal passages and elevators is prepared, and the autonomous vehicle can refer to this map data to use the internal passages and elevators of the building (see Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] International Application Publication No. WO2020 / 145189 A1 [Patent Document 2] International Application Publication No. WO2023 / 085136 A1 [Non-patent literature]

[0006] [Non-Patent Document 1] https: / / www.aspicjapan.org / asu / article / 27139 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Security gate reception is becoming increasingly automated, and visitors can pass through the security gate using a QR code (registered trademark), but after passing through the security gate, visitors still have to find an elevator or other means to get to their desired meeting location.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a visitor support system that works in conjunction with a reception system and has a simple configuration, allowing visitors to a building to arrive at their destination smoothly using authentication items such as QR codes (registered trademark) that they have received in advance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The visitor support system of the present invention comprises: a reception system equipped with a security gate or an automatic security door; An operation management server equipped with a linking unit connected to a security gate or an automatic security door; Visitors' mobile devices and a network connecting the reception system, the operation management server, and the mobile terminal; Equipped with When a visitor passes through a security gate or automatic security door by holding up a QR code (registered trademark) displayed on a mobile device, the security gate or automatic security door notifies the operation management server of the visitor's arrival information, The control unit of the traffic management server receives this information, The boarding floor and alighting floor of the elevator to be used by the visitor are notified to the mobile terminal, and the control unit of the elevator to be used by the visitor is controlled to operate the elevator to be used by the visitor between the predetermined boarding floor and the alighting floor.

[0010] In the above configuration, the authentication item is preferably a QR code (registered trademark). The fleet management server preferably further includes a control unit and a memory unit that stores a database of connections with security gates or automatic security doors. The control unit of the operation management server preferably controls the boarding of elevators used by visitors. The mobile device preferably has an app stored therein for the visit. Preferably, the control unit of the traffic management server notifies the mobile terminal of the elevator that should be used when it receives a notification from the reception system that the visitor has passed authentication. The notification is preferably displayed on the display of the mobile device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, by linking a conventional reception system with an operation management server used to operate security gates, automatic security doors, elevators, etc. within a building, a visitor support system can be provided in which visitors who pass through the security gates or automatic security doors of the reception system are reliably and quickly transported by elevator to their desired floor by the operation management server. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a first embodiment of a visitor support system according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a mobile terminal carried by a visitor. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an elevator hall. [Figure 4]10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the visitor support system. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing elevator guidance displayed on a mobile terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] (First embodiment) The present invention will be described in detail below based on several embodiments shown in the drawings, but each embodiment is merely for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these. Buildings in which security gates or automatic security doors are installed are not limited to corporate buildings and commercial facilities, but may also be large, high-rise apartment buildings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a first embodiment of a visitor support system 10 according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a mobile terminal 130 carried by a visitor, and FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an elevator hall 46. The visitor support system 10 is configured to include a reception system 70 equipped with a security gate 73 or a security automatic door 74, an operation management server 30 that cooperates with the security gate 73 or the security automatic door 74, a mobile terminal 130 carried by the visitor, and a network 50 that connects the reception system 70, the operation management server 30, and the mobile terminal 130. Within the building 40, there are installed security gates 73 or automatic security doors 74 for restricting entry to each floor, and elevators 41 for moving up and down the building. For example, if the building 40 is a commercial building with companies located on multiple floors, there may be multiple security gates 73 installed at predetermined locations on each floor.

[0014] The building 40 may be provided with multiple elevators 41. The building 40 may also be made up of multiple buildings, and each building may be provided with multiple elevators rather than just one elevator. Each elevator 42i is connected to the traffic management server 30 via an elevator control unit 44, a gateway 45a, a management server 45, a gateway 45b, and a network 50.

[0015] The reception system 70 is composed of a security gate 73, a security gate opening / closing section 73a that opens and closes using a drive mechanism (not shown), a sensor 73c for various authentication methods that the visitor displays on their mobile terminal 130, and a security gate control section 73d that opens and closes the opening / closing section 73a by controlling the drive mechanism in accordance with the authentication results for the security information input from the sensor 73c.

[0016] The reception system 70 may be configured with an automatic security door 74 that opens automatically upon authentication, instead of the security gate 73. When the reception system 70 is equipped with the automatic security door 74, it is composed of an opening / closing unit 74a of the automatic security door 74 that opens and closes by a drive mechanism (not shown) upon authentication, a sensor 74c for various authentication methods that the visitor displays on the mobile terminal 130, and a control unit 74d of the automatic security door that opens and closes the opening / closing unit 74a by controlling the drive mechanism in accordance with the authentication result of the security information input from the sensor 74c.

[0017] Examples of authentication items include QR codes (registered trademark), bar codes, input of PIN numbers, authentication cards, biometric authentication, etc. As a sensor for authenticating a QR code (registered trademark) or bar code, a sensor such as a camera that reads an image, or a reading sensor or reader can be used.

[0018] A display device with a touch panel function can be used to input the PIN. The authentication card sensor may be equipped with a short-range wireless NFC (Near Field Communication) transceiver. Sensors such as a pressure sensor and a camera can be used for biometric authentication.

[0019] The security gate opening / closing unit 73a and / or the security automatic door opening / closing unit 74a are connected to a gateway 75, which is connected to a reception system 70 via a network 90. ​​The reception system 70 is further connected to an operation management server 30 which is connected to the security gate 73, the security automatic door 74, the elevator 41, etc. via a network 50. The operation management server 30 may be connected to autonomous vehicles 20 which are installed in a building 40 and used for delivery, cleaning, security, guidance, etc.

[0020] The operation management server 30 is installed in an appropriate location and is composed of a memory unit 32 that indicates the locations of security gates and / or security automatic doors 74 and elevators 41 used by visitors from outside and office workers working inside, and also registers map data within the building 40; a control unit 33 that reads and writes map data to the memory unit 32, manages the operation of the security gates and / or security automatic doors and elevators, and operates the autonomous vehicle 20 as needed; a coordination unit 37 that controls passage through security gates and boarding and disembarking elevators located within the building 40, and operates the autonomous vehicle 20 as needed; a remote monitoring unit and / or remote control unit 38; and an app for the visitor support system stored in the memory unit 32.

[0021] The fleet management server 30 is configured as a so-called server including a CPU, a GPU, a communication chip, a DRAM, and non-volatile memory such as an HDD or SSD.

[0022] Map data 31 is registered as a database in the storage unit 32 of the fleet management server 30, and map data 31 including the vicinity of location information can be read based on location information of a mobile terminal 130 carried by a visitor, which will be described later. Furthermore, in the case of a building 40 equipped with security gates 73, automatic security doors 74, and elevators 41, the map data 31 includes the location information of the security gates and / or automatic security doors 74 for movement within the same floor of the building 40, and the location information of elevators 41 that can be used to move to other floors. Note that the map data 31 may also be used to create a driving route for the autonomous vehicle 20.

[0023] The linking unit 37 connects the elevators 41 arranged in the building 40 with the security gates and / or automatic security doors 74, etc., using an API (Application Program Interface) stored in a connection database (not shown) in the memory unit 32. Furthermore, the linking unit 37 can link with various autonomous vehicles 20 arranged in the building 40 as necessary.

[0024] Taking elevators 41 as an example, the control unit 33 of the operation management server 30 connects to elevators 41 of each manufacturer via the linking unit 37 using APIs stored in the memory unit 32, so that the control of multiple elevators 41 installed in the building 40 can easily be controlled by the control unit of the operation management server 30.

[0025] Similarly, since the connection with the multiple security gates 73 and security automatic doors 74 installed in the building 40 is made by the linking unit 37 using the API stored in the memory unit, the control unit of the operation management server 30 can easily control the multiple security gates 73 and security automatic doors 74.

[0026] Electrical equipment such as security gates 73, elevators 41, and automatic security doors 74 within the building 40 can be controlled by the control unit 33 of the traffic management server 30 via the network 50. In the illustrated example, the elevator 41 is controlled by the elevator control unit 44 and connected to the management server 44 via a gateway 45a, and the management server 44 is further connected to the network 50 via a gateway 45b. As a result, information regarding authentication of the security gates 73 and / or automatic security doors 74 is notified from the security gates to the traffic management server 30 via the management server 44.

[0027] The network may be a wired or wireless network of any configuration, and may be a dedicated network, a public network, a wireless LAN such as Wi-Fi, a mobile phone network such as LTE, 3G, 4G, or 5G, etc.

[0028] In the visitor assistance system 10, each security gate 73 or security automatic door 74 in the building 40 is interconnected with the reception system 70.

[0029] The reception system 70 is composed of, for example, a server or cloud server for the reception system 70, and is capable of monitoring the open / closed status of each security gate 73 or security automatic door 74, as well as remotely controlling the opening and closing of each security gate 73 or security automatic door 74.

[0030] The security gate control unit 73d performs authentication of the QR code (registered trademark) read by the reader 73c or the PIN number entered from the operation panel 73b, and if it is confirmed that the correct information has been entered, it controls the drive mechanism to open the security gate opening / closing unit 73d, and then controls the drive mechanism to close the opening / closing unit 73d when a predetermined condition is met, such as the passage of a certain amount of time.

[0031] The control unit 74d of the security automatic door performs authentication of the QR code (registered trademark) read by the reader 73d or the PIN number entered from the operation panel 74b, and if it is confirmed that the correct information has been entered, it controls the drive mechanism to open the opening / closing unit 74d of the security automatic door, and then controls the drive mechanism to close the opening / closing unit 74d when a predetermined condition is met, such as the passage of a certain amount of time.

[0032] The security gate 73 and / or the security automatic door 74 and the elevator are also mutually connected to the traffic management server 30 via the network 50. Therefore, the security gate 73 and / or the security automatic door 74 and the elevator can remotely control the security gate 73 and / or the security automatic door 74 and the elevator 41 in response to a request from the traffic management server 30.

[0033] The security gate control unit 73d constantly or as needed sends information about the open / closed state of the opening / closing unit 73a (hereinafter also referred to as security gate open / close information) to the reception system via the gateway 75, and also sends it to the operation management server 30. As a result, the open / closed state of the security gate is constantly monitored by the reception system as well as the operation management server 30.

[0034] As with the security gate 73, when the reception system 70 uses the automatic security door 74, the control unit 74d of the automatic security door sends information about the open / close state of the opening / closing unit 74a of the automatic security door (hereinafter also referred to as security automatic door open / close information) to the reception system via the gateway 75, either constantly or as needed, and also sends it to the operations management server 30. As a result, the open / close state of the automatic security door 74 is constantly monitored not only by the reception system but also by the operations management server 30. In the following explanation, unless otherwise specified, the reception system 70 will be explained as using the security gate 73, but the explanation about the security gate 73 also applies to the automatic security door 74.

[0035] 2, the mobile terminal 130 is a mobile terminal of a known configuration, such as a smart device such as a smartphone or tablet, and is configured to be connectable to the wireless network 110. As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 130 is configured with a transmitting / receiving unit 131, a control unit 132, a storage unit 133, a display unit 134, an imaging unit 135, a detection unit 136, an audio input unit 137, an audio output unit 138, and a vibrator 139.

[0036] The transmitting / receiving unit 131 connects to the wireless network 110 and transmits and receives data. The control unit 132 controls the transmitting / receiving unit 131, the storage unit 133, the display unit 134, the imaging unit 135, the detection unit 136, the audio input unit 137, the audio output unit 138, and the vibrator 139 to perform predetermined operations.

[0037] The display unit 134 is configured as a so-called touch panel, and is driven and controlled by the control unit 132 to display a predetermined image, and also allows predetermined input to be made by operating the displayed screen with a finger.

[0038] The imaging unit 135 is made up of, for example, a still image camera or a TOF (Time of Flight) camera, and captures an image based on a predetermined operation, records an imaging signal 135a in the storage unit 133, and sends it to the control unit 32.

[0039] The detection unit 136 includes an attitude detection sensor 136a, a position sensor 136b, and an ambient sensor 136c, and may further include a height sensor 136e.

[0040] The voice input unit 137 is a microphone provided in the mobile terminal 130. The voice output unit 138 is a speaker provided in the mobile terminal 130.

[0041] Vibrator 139 is a vibration generating means provided in mobile terminal 130, and generates vibrations based on an activation signal from control unit 32. The function of vibrator 139 to generate vibrations is called a vibration function.

[0042] Furthermore, the mobile terminal 130 is connected to the operation management server 30 via the wireless network 110, and by downloading an app 150 for using the visitor support system of the present invention and installing it in the memory unit 133, the mobile terminal 130 can receive data necessary for the visit from the operation management server 30 via the wireless network 110.

[0043] (Elevator hall) 3 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an elevator hall 46. The elevator hall 46 is equipped with elevator doors 46a, a display unit 46b that indicates the movement of the elevator, push buttons 46c that indicate the up or down direction of the desired destination, a speaker 41a, a display 46e as a video output unit, and, if necessary, a monitoring camera. The video and audio output of the speaker 41a and the display 46e is controlled by the traffic management server 30 and / or the elevator control unit 44 based on the elevator usage information 61d.

[0044] (Linkage with reception system) This section explains how the reception system of a company located in a building whose security gates and elevators are linked to the operation management server 30 issues authentication items such as QR codes (registered trademark) to visitors to the company and manages the security gates 73 and / or automatic security doors 74. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the visitor support system. In step ST1, the visitor accesses the company's website using their mobile terminal 130, confirms the date and time of their visit, and then receives a QR code (registered trademark) that lists the visitor, the date and time of their visit, the security gate 73 or the security automatic door 74, etc.

[0045] In step ST2, the visitor displays a QR code (registered trademark) on the display of the mobile terminal 130 at the security gate 73 or the security automatic door 74 designated for the date and time of the visit, and holds the QR code (registered trademark) over a device that reads QR codes (registered trademark) installed at the security gate 73 or the security automatic door 74, i.e., the sensor 73c or the sensor 74c, thereby being authenticated and the security gate 73 or the security automatic door opens. Conventionally, after passing through the security gate 73 or the security automatic door 74, the visitor would travel by himself / herself using the elevator 41 or the like to the floor notified in advance, for example, the reception desk. In other words, after passing through the security gate, the visitor had to select an elevator (lower, middle, or upper floor) and press the button for the floor he / she wanted to visit.

[0046] In the visitor support system 10 of the present invention, when a visitor passes through the security gate 73 or the security automatic door 74 by holding up the QR code (registered trademark) displayed on the mobile terminal 130, that is, when the visitor is authenticated and passes through the security gate 73 or the security automatic door 74, in step ST3, the control unit of the security gate 73 or the security automatic door 74 notifies the operation management server 30 of the visitor's arrival information.

[0047] If an app for visiting is stored in the mobile terminal 130, the control unit 33 of the traffic management server 30, upon receiving a notification from the reception system 70 that the visitor has passed authentication, notifies the mobile terminal 130 of the elevator 41 that the visitor should use. This notification may be displayed on the display unit 134 of the mobile terminal 130, or may be sent to the visitor's mobile terminal 130 via email, SMS, or SNS. The notification displayed on the display unit 134 of the mobile terminal 130 or sent via SMS may be displayed as a pop-up display on the mobile terminal 130, a sound output from the audio output unit 138, or vibration by the vibrator 139.

[0048] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing elevator information displayed on the mobile terminal 130. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the display unit 134 of the mobile terminal 130 displays the name of the visitor and the name of the elevator that the visitor should board.

[0049] In step ST4, the control unit 33 of the operation management server 30 receives this and notifies the visitor's mobile terminal 130 of the boarding floor and disembarking floor of the elevator 41 that the visitor should use, and in step ST5, controls the control unit 44 of the elevator 41 that the visitor should use to operate the elevator 41 that the visitor should use between the specified boarding floor and the disembarking floor, and then terminates.

[0050] In step ST4, the control unit 33 of the traffic management server 30 extracts the boarding floor and disembarking floor of the elevator 41 that the visitor should use from the map data stored in the memory unit 32, and notifies the visitor's mobile terminal 130. Here, the map data is, for example, three-dimensional data including information about the surrounding area of ​​the building and the routes between each floor within the building.

[0051] In addition, elevator guidance for visitors may be provided in the elevator hall 46 by audio output from the control unit 33 of the operation management server 30 via the control unit 44 of the elevator 41 through the speaker 41 a in the elevator hall 46 .

[0052] According to the visitor support system 10 of the present invention, by linking a conventional reception system 70 with an operation management server 30 connected to security gates 73, automatic security doors 74, and elevators 41 within a building, it is possible to provide a visitor support system 10 in which visitors who pass through the security gates 73 or automatic security doors 74 of the reception system 70 are reliably transported by elevator 41 to their desired floor by the operation management server 30.

[0053] Specifically, in the past, after passing through security gate 73, visitors would select an elevator 41 or the like and travel to a floor notified in advance. In other words, after passing through the security gate, the visitor had to select an elevator and press the button for the floor they wanted to visit. In contrast, according to visitor support system 10 of the present invention, when control unit 33 of operation management server 30 receives notification from reception system 70 that the visitor has passed authentication, it notifies mobile terminal 130 of the elevator 41 they should use. As a result, if the visitor follows the elevator 41 guidance displayed on display unit 134 of mobile terminal 130 and boards the specified elevator, it will stop at the floor they want to visit, allowing them to travel to the specified floor reliably and smoothly.

[0054] The present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the reception system 70 has been described, but the conference system 100 shown in Fig. 1 may also be used. In the case of the conference system 100, the security gate 73 or the security automatic door 74 may be controlled to guide the conference participants to the conference room to be used. In this case, the conference system 100 may be connected to the network 50 and linked to the operation management server 30.

[0055] The mobile terminal 130 can be a smart device such as a smartphone or a tablet, but is not limited to this and may obviously be a mobile terminal such as a notebook computer. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 10 Visitor Support System 20 Self-driving vehicles 30 Traffic control server 31 Map Data 32 Storage section 33 Control Unit 37 Collaboration Department 38 Remote monitoring and / or remote control unit 40 Buildings 41 Elevator 41a Speaker (third audio output unit) 42 Migration Path 43 Elevator car 43a Speaker (second audio output unit) 43b Display (second video output unit) 43c Camera (Elevator Analysis Sensor) 43e crew information 44 Elevator control unit 45 Management Server 45a, 45b, 75 Gateway 46 Elevator Hall 46a Elevator Door 46b Elevator movement display 46c Push Button 46e Display (third video output unit) 48 Facility equipment control unit 50 Network 70 Reception System 73 Security Gate 73a Security gate opening and closing section 73c Sensor 73d Security gate control unit 74 Security Automatic Door 74a Automatic security door opening and closing section 74c sensor 74d Security automatic door control unit 100 Conference System 110 Wireless Network 130 Mobile Devices 131 Transmitter / Receiver 132,132a Control unit 133 Storage section 134 Display section 135 Imaging unit 135b Imaging signal 136 Detector 136a Attitude detection sensor 136b Position Sensor 136d Ambient Sensor 136e Height sensor 137 Audio input section 138 Audio output section 139 Vibrator

Claims

1. a reception system equipped with a security gate or an automatic security door; An operation management server having a linking unit connected to the security gate or the security automatic door; Visitors' mobile devices and a network connecting the reception system, the fleet management server, and the mobile terminal; Equipped with When the visitor passes through the security gate or the security automatic door by holding up the authentication item displayed on the mobile terminal, the security gate or the security automatic door notifies the traffic management server of the visitor's arrival information, The control unit of the fleet management server that receives this The visitor support system notifies the mobile terminal of the boarding floor and disembarking floor of the elevator that the visitor should use, and controls the control unit of the elevator that the visitor should use to operate the elevator that the visitor should use between the specified boarding floor and the disembarking floor.

2. The visitor assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein the authentication item is a QR code (registered trademark).

3. The visitor support system according to claim 1 , wherein the traffic management server further comprises a control unit and a memory unit that stores a database of connections with the security gates or automatic security doors.

4. The visitor support system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit of the operation management server controls the elevator boarding of the visitor.

5. The visitor support system according to claim 1 , wherein the mobile terminal stores an application for visiting.

6. The visitor support system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit of the operation management server notifies the mobile terminal of the elevator to be used when the control unit receives a notification from the reception system that the visitor has passed authentication.

7. The visitor support system according to claim 5 , wherein the notification is displayed on a display unit of the mobile terminal.

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