Elevator system

Abstract

To provide an elevator system capable of providing an external call service for calling a car of an elevator from a user terminal by predicting an operation status of the elevator when the elevator arrives at a boarding floor for an external call and providing the same in advance to a user making an external call.SOLUTION: An elevator system capable of providing external call services accepts external calls input to a user terminal, calculates a predicted time required for a car of each elevator to arrive at a boarding floor, generates operation status information including the predicted time for each elevator, and displays it on the user terminal. The elevator system accepts designation information for a designated elevator designated from one or more elevators from the user terminal, and assigns the designated elevator to the external call.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to elevator systems. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known elevators that can provide an external call service that allows users to call the elevator from their own user terminals. Patent Document 1 discloses technology related to an elevator group control device that can register external calls. The group control device of this technology assigns elevators to users' requests according to the congestion level of the elevators. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-72502 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The device in Patent Document 1 calculates the congestion level based on the current state of the car. However, when the elevator moves to a designated boarding floor in response to an external call, it is possible that the elevator may stop at an intermediate floor to allow other passengers to board or disembark. In this case, the congestion level may change before the elevator arrives at the boarding floor, and passengers may be forced to board an elevator in a condition different from what was expected.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an elevator system capable of providing an external call service for calling an elevator car from a user terminal, which can predict the operating conditions when the elevator will arrive at the boarding floor for the external call and provide this information in advance to the user making the external call. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure relates to an elevator system capable of providing an external call service in which an elevator car is called to a designated boarding floor from a user terminal carried by a user using one or more elevators installed in a building, the system comprising: a first reception unit that receives the external call input to the user terminal; a predicted time calculation unit that calculates the predicted time required for each of the one or more elevator cars to arrive at the boarding floor; an information generation unit that generates operation status information including the predicted time for each of the one or more elevators; a display control unit that displays the operation status information on the user terminal; a second reception unit that receives designation information for a designated elevator input to the user terminal and designated from among one or more elevators; and an allocation unit that assigns the designated elevator to the external call. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the elevator system of the present disclosure, it is possible to predict the operation status when the elevator will arrive at the boarding floor for the external call and provide the information to the user making the external call in advance, thereby enabling the user to specify the elevator with the desired operation status when making the external call. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of an elevator system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a control configuration diagram of an elevator system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an external call input screen of a user terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing functions realized by a processor of the management device executing a program. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a routine of a predicted time calculation process executed in a predicted time calculation unit of the management device. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a hall call passenger number DB. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a routine of a predicted congestion degree calculation process executed in a predicted congestion degree calculation unit of the management device. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a prediction information display screen displayed on a user terminal. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a forecast information display screen for a designated elevator displayed on a user terminal. [Figure 10] 3 is a flowchart of a routine executed in the elevator system according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 illustrates a modification of the hardware resources of the management device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Elements common to the various drawings are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0010] Embodiment 1. External configuration of the elevator system according to the embodiment FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an elevator system according to an embodiment.

[0011] The elevator system 100 includes multiple elevators 2. Each elevator 2 is installed in a building 12 having, for example, multiple floors. A hoistway 3 for each elevator 2 is provided in the building 12. The hoistway 3 is a vertically long space that spans multiple floors. A landing 4 adjacent to the hoistway 3 is provided on each floor.

[0012] Each elevator 2 includes a traction machine 5, a main rope 6, a car 7, a counterweight 8, and a control panel 10. The traction machine 5 is disposed, for example, at the upper or lower part of the hoistway 3. For example, if a machine room for the elevator 2 is provided above the hoistway 3, the traction machine 5 may be disposed in the machine room. The traction machine 5 includes a motor and a sheave. The motor of the traction machine 5 is a device that generates driving force. The sheave of the traction machine 5 is a device that rotates by the driving force generated by the motor of the traction machine 5.

[0013] The main ropes 6 are wound around the sheaves of the hoisting machine 5. The main ropes 6 support the load of the car 7 on one side of the sheaves of the hoisting machine 5. The main ropes 6 support the load of the counterweight 8 on the other side of the sheaves of the hoisting machine 5. The main ropes 6 move so as to be wound up onto the sheaves of the hoisting machine 5 or to be unwound from the sheaves of the hoisting machine 5 as the sheaves of the hoisting machine 5 rotate.

[0014] The car 7 is a device that transports passengers of the elevator 2 between multiple floors by traveling up and down the hoistway 3. The car 7 travels up and down the hoistway 3 in conjunction with the movement of the main rope 6 caused by the rotation of the sheave of the hoisting machine 5.

[0015] Counterweight 8 is a device that balances the loads acting on both sides of the sheave of hoisting machine 5 with car 7. Counterweight 8 travels up and down in the hoistway 3 in the opposite direction to the car 7 in response to the movement of the main rope 6 caused by the rotation of the sheave of hoisting machine 5.

[0016] The control panel 10 is a device that controls the operation of the elevator 2. The control panel 10 is disposed, for example, at the upper or lower part of the elevator shaft 3. For example, if a machine room for the elevator 2 is provided above the elevator shaft 3, the control panel 10 may be disposed in the machine room.

[0017] The elevator system 100 includes a remote monitoring device 14. The remote monitoring device 14 is a device used for remotely monitoring the status of each elevator 2. The remote monitoring device 14 is connected to a control panel 10 or the like so as to collect information on the status of each elevator 2. The information collected by the remote monitoring device 14 is transmitted to a management device 20 or the like provided in a monitoring center 200 via a communication network 13 such as the Internet or a telephone line. The monitoring center 200 is a base for collecting and managing information on the status of the elevators 2. The remote monitoring device 14 receives control signals for the elevators 2 from outside a building 12 in which multiple elevators 2 are installed, via the communication network 13. The control signals include signals representing operation instruction information, which will be described later. The remote monitoring device 14 relays the received control signals to the control panel 10.

[0018] The elevator system 100 includes a user terminal 30. The user terminal 30 is carried by an external call user who makes an external call to the elevator 2. Here, an "external call" refers to the action of calling a car 7 by specifying the boarding floor from the outside. The user terminal 30 is a portable information terminal device equipped with a wireless communication function, such as a smartphone. The user terminal 30 is connected to a communication network 13, such as the Internet or a telephone line.

[0019] The elevator system 100 includes a management device 20. The management device 20 is disposed in, for example, a monitoring center 200. The management device 20 is connected to a communication network 13. As a result, the user terminal 30 and the management device 20 are communicatively connected via the communication network 13. Similarly, the management device 20 and each control panel 10 are communicatively connected via the communication network 13 and a remote monitoring device 14.

[0020] 2. Functional configuration of the elevator system according to the embodiment FIG. 2 is a control configuration diagram of the elevator system according to the embodiment.

[0021] The user terminal 30 includes a touch panel display 32 having a display function for displaying information to the user and an input function for receiving input from the user, and a position sensor 40. A call registration application is installed on the user terminal 30, which enables an external call user to receive an external call registration service. An external call user inputs an external call including the boarding floor and the disembarking floor by starting the call registration application on the user terminal 30. The call registration of the external call input by the user is associated with the identification information of the user terminal 30 and then transmitted to the management device 20 via the communication network 13.

[0022] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an external call input screen of the user terminal 30. When the call registration application is started, for example, the external call input screen shown in Fig. 3 is displayed on the screen of the touch panel display 32. The user operates the screen of the touch panel display 32 to input the boarding floor and the disembarking floor.

[0023] The position sensor 40 is a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver that receives signals transmitted from multiple GPS satellites and calculates, based on the received signals, the position of the user terminal 30. The position information calculated by the position sensor 40 is transmitted to the management device 20 via the communication network 13.

[0024] The management device 20 is configured, for example, by one or more server devices. Some or all of the functions of the management device 20 may be implemented by processing and storage resources on a cloud service. The management device 20 includes a processor 22 and a storage device 24. The processor 22 executes various processes. The processor 22 is, for example, a microcomputer. Examples of the storage device 24 include a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory.

[0025] The storage device 24 stores at least one program executable by the processor 22 and various related data. The program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The processor 22 executes the program, thereby realizing various processes. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing functions realized by the processor of the management device executing the program. As shown in FIG. 4, the management device 20 includes, as functions of the processor 22 that realize various processes, a first reception unit 51, a predicted time calculation unit 52, a predicted congestion level calculation unit 53, an information generation unit 54, a display control unit 55, a second reception unit 56, and an allocation unit 57. The functions of the processor 22 of the management device 20 will be described in detail below.

[0026] Each control panel 10 includes a call management unit 101 and a travel control unit 102. The call management unit 101 manages call registration for the elevator 2. The call management unit 101 receives call information sent from the management device 20 and registers it as a call for each car 7. The call information here includes not only the external call information described above, but also hall call information and car call information. The hall call information is information about hall calls input from hall buttons at each hall 4, and includes the floor of each hall 4 as a boarding floor and the traveling direction of the car 7. The car call information is information about car calls input from buttons inside the car at each car 7, and includes information about the passenger's disembarking floor. The travel control unit 102 controls the travel of the car 7. The travel control unit 102 controls the travel of the car 7. The travel control unit 102 runs the car 7 between boarding floors and disembarking floors according to the call registration information registered in the call management unit 101.

[0027] 3. Functions of the processor 22 of the management device 20 Next, the function of the processor 22 of the management device 20 will be described. 3-1. First Reception Section 51 The first reception unit 51 is a functional block for receiving a call registration. This processing is hereinafter referred to as a “first reception processing.” Typically, in the first reception processing, the first reception unit 51 receives a call registration of an external call from the user terminal 30.

[0028] 3-2. Predicted time calculation unit 52 The predicted time calculation unit 52 is a functional block for calculating the predicted time required for the car 7 of each elevator 2 to arrive at the boarding floor included in the external call information. This process will be referred to as "predicted time calculation process" hereinafter.

[0029] 5 is a flowchart showing a routine of predicted time calculation processing executed in the predicted time calculation unit of the management device. The routine shown in FIG. 5 is executed for each of the plurality of elevators 2.

[0030] The processing from step S300 to step S314 corresponds to a "predicted boarding / alighting time calculation process" that calculates a predicted boarding / alighting time ET1 during which the car 7 will be stopped to allow passengers to board and alight from the current time until the time when the car 7 arrives at the boarding floor. Specifically, in step S300, the current position of the car 7 is calculated based on information on the status of the elevator 2 received from the remote monitoring device 14. Then, intermediate floors existing between the current position of the car 7 and the boarding floor are identified. When the car 7 is stopped, the stopping floors are included in the intermediate floors.

[0031] In step S302, a first cumulative number N1 is calculated based on the call registration information of the external call. Here, the "first cumulative number N1" is a value obtained by accumulating the number of external call users who are scheduled to board or alight at each intermediate floor due to the external call.

[0032] In step S304, it is determined whether there is a hall call at any of the intermediate floors. If the determination is not successful, the process proceeds to step S308, and if the determination is successful, the process proceeds to step S306.

[0033] In step S306, a second cumulative number N2 is calculated. Here, the "second cumulative number N2" is a value obtained by predicting and accumulating the number of passengers of hall call users at each intermediate floor where there are hall calls. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a hall call passenger number DB. The hall call passenger number DB is a database in which the predicted number of passengers who will board at each boarding floor for each day of the week and time period is determined based on past boarding records. The hall call passenger number DB as shown in this diagram is stored in the storage device 24 of the management device 20. Here, the predicted number of passengers of hall call users is calculated from the hall call passenger number DB at each intermediate floor where there are hall calls, and the second cumulative number N2 is calculated by accumulating these numbers.

[0034] In step S308, it is determined whether there is a car call at any of the intermediate floors. If the determination is not successful, the process proceeds to step S312, and if the determination is successful, the process proceeds to step S310.

[0035] In step S310, a third cumulative number N3 is calculated. Here, the "third cumulative number N3" is a value obtained by accumulating the number of hall call passengers who disembark at each intermediate floor where there is a car call. Here, the maximum value expected for the third cumulative number N3 is calculated. Typically, the total number of passengers currently in car 7 is predicted from the scale value of car 7, assuming 75 kg per passenger. Then, the current number of external call passengers currently in car 7 is calculated based on the external call registration information, and the number of passengers obtained by subtracting the number of external call passengers from the predicted total number of passengers is calculated as the current number of hall call passengers in car 7. Then, the number of passengers disembarking when all hall call passengers currently in car 7 and passengers boarding using hall calls at intermediate floors disembark, i.e., the sum of the number of hall call passengers and the second cumulative number N2, is calculated as the maximum value of the third cumulative number N3.

[0036] In step S312, the sum TTL of the number of passengers predicted to get on and off until arrival at the boarding floor is calculated using the following equation (1). TTL=N1+N2+N3 (1)

[0037] In step S314, the predicted boarding and alighting time ET1 [s] required for passengers to board and alight at each intermediate floor is calculated using the following formula (2): In the following formula (2), R is a preset value representing the time required per person to board or alight, and is set to, for example, 5 [s]. ET1[s]=TTL[person]×R[s / person] ···(2)

[0038] The processing of step S316 corresponds to a "predicted travel time calculation process" that calculates a predicted travel time ET2 for the car 7 to travel from the current time until the car 7 arrives at the boarding floor. Specifically, in step S316, the predicted travel time ET2 [s] required for the elevator 2 to travel from the current position to the boarding floor is calculated using the following equation (3). In the following equation (3), D is the travel distance from the current position of the car 7 to the boarding floor, and V is the average travel speed of the elevator 2 car. ET2 [s] = D [m] / V [m / s] (3)

[0039] The process of step S318 corresponds to the "calculation process" for calculating the predicted time ET. Specifically, in step S318, the predicted time ET required for the car 7 of the elevator 2 to arrive at the boarding floor from the current position is calculated using the following formula (4). ET[s]=ET1[s]+ET2[s] (4)

[0040] By performing the predicted time calculation process described above for each elevator 2, it becomes possible to calculate the predicted time until the car 7 of each elevator 2 arrives at the boarding floor.

[0041] As an example, the calculation result when the predicted time calculation process is executed based on the following example conditions will be shown. [Example of conditions] Boarding floor for external call: 5th floor Current elevator location: 3rd floor Average elevator speed: 1 [m / s] Elevator travel distance per floor: 3m Elevator capacity: 10 people Current number of external callers: 1 Number of passengers on the 3rd floor due to external calls: 4 Number of people disembarking due to external calls on the 4th floor: 5 Current basket weight: 200 kg Platform call registration floor (estimated number of passengers identified from platform call passenger number database): 3rd floor only (2 passengers) Registered floor for car calls: 4th floor only

[0042] [Calculation result] Intermediate floors: 3rd and 4th floors N1=4+5=9[people] N2 = 2 [people] (calculated from the hall call passenger count database) N3=(200 / 75-1)+2≒4[people](rounded off) TTL=9+2+4=15[people] ET1 = 15 × 5 = 75 [s] ET2 = 3 × 2 / 1 = 6 [s] ET = 75 + 6 = 81 ≒ 90 seconds (rounded up to the nearest 10 seconds)

[0043] 3-3. Predicted Congestion Degree Calculation Unit 53 The predicted congestion degree calculation unit 53 is a functional block for calculating the predicted congestion degree in each elevator car 7 when the car 7 of each elevator 2 arrives at the boarding floor included in the external call information. This process will be referred to as the "predicted congestion degree calculation process" below.

[0044] 7 is a flowchart showing a routine of predicted congestion degree calculation processing executed in a predicted congestion degree calculation unit of the management device. The routine shown in FIG. 7 is executed for each of the plurality of elevators 2.

[0045] In step S400, the current position of the car 7 is calculated based on the information on the state of the elevator 2 received from the remote monitoring device 14. Then, intermediate floors existing between the current position and the boarding floor are identified.

[0046] In step S402, a first number of users P1 is calculated based on the call registration information of the external call. Here, the "first number of users P1" is the predicted number of external call users in the car 7 at the boarding floor.

[0047] In step S404, a second number of users P2 is calculated. Here, the "second number of users P2" is the predicted number of hall call users currently in the car 7. Here, the total number of users currently in the car 7 is predicted based on the weighing value of the car 7. Then, the current number of external call users in the car 7 is calculated based on the call registration information for external calls, and the second number of users P2 is calculated by subtracting the current number of external call users from the predicted total number of users.

[0048] In step S406, it is determined whether there is a hall call at any of the intermediate floors. If the determination is not successful, the process proceeds to step S410, and if the determination is successful, the process proceeds to step S408.

[0049] In step S408, a third number of users P3 is calculated. Here, the "third number of users P3" is a value obtained by predicting and accumulating the number of hall call users at each of the intermediate floors where there are hall calls, and is the same value as the second accumulated number N2 described above. Here, as in step S306, the predicted number of hall call users is calculated from the hall call passenger number DB at each of the intermediate floors where there are hall calls, and the third number of users P3 is calculated by accumulating these numbers.

[0050] In step S410, it is determined whether there is a car call at any of the intermediate floors. If the determination is not successful, the process proceeds to step S414, and if the determination is successful, the process proceeds to step S412.

[0051] In step S412, a fourth number of users P4 is calculated. Here, the "fourth number of users" is a value obtained by accumulating the predicted number of users who will get off using car calls at each intermediate floor where there is a car call. Here, the minimum value expected for the fourth number of users P4 is calculated. Typically, the fourth number of users P4 is calculated assuming that at least one person will get off at each intermediate floor where there is a car call.

[0052] In step S414, the predicted number of passengers PIN riding in the car 7 arriving at the boarding floor is calculated using the following equation (5). PIN=P1+P2+P3-P4 (5)

[0053] In step S416, the predicted congestion degree EC [%] is calculated using the following formula (6): In the following formula (6), the capacity is the number of passengers that can ride in the car 7. EC[%]=PIN[person]×capacity[person]×100[%]...(6)

[0054] The predicted congestion level EC [%] is ranked according to the following criteria, for example. Predicted congestion level: High (EC>80%) Predicted congestion level: Medium (80≧EC>60%) Predicted congestion level: Medium to low (60≧EC>40%) Predicted congestion level: Low (40≧EC)

[0055] By performing the predicted congestion degree calculation process described above for each elevator 2, it becomes possible to calculate the predicted congestion degree when the car 7 of each elevator 2 arrives at the boarding floor.

[0056] As an example, the calculation result when the predicted congestion degree calculation process is executed based on the above example conditions will be shown. [Example conditions] Boarding floor for external call: 5th floor Current elevator location: 3rd floor Average elevator speed: 1 [m / s] Elevator travel distance per floor: 3m Current number of external callers: 1 Number of passengers on the 3rd floor due to external calls: 4 Number of people disembarking due to external calls on the 4th floor: 5 Current basket weight: 200 kg Platform call registration floor (estimated number of passengers identified from platform call passenger number database): 3rd floor only (2 passengers) Registered floor for car calls: 4th floor only

[0057] [Calculation result] Intermediate floors: 3rd and 4th floors P1=1+4-5=0[person] P2=(200 / 75-1)≒2[person](rounded off) P3 = 2 [people] (calculated from the hall call passenger count database) P4=1[person] PIN=0+2+2-1=3[person] EC = 3 / 10 x 100 ≒ 40% (rounded up to the nearest 10%)

[0058] 3-4. Information generation section 54 The information generation unit 54 is a functional block for generating operation status information including predicted operation status of each elevator 2. This process is hereinafter referred to as the "information generation process." The operation status information includes the current location of each elevator 2, the predicted time calculated by the predicted time calculation process, and the predicted congestion degree calculated by the predicted congestion degree calculation process. The predicted time is used as an index value for the waiting time of passengers waiting at the boarding floor, and the predicted congestion degree is used as an index value for the congestion degree of the car 7 arriving at the boarding floor. The information generation unit 54 updates the operation status information at specific timings. The specific timings here may be, for example, at predetermined time intervals or when the elevator 2 performs a specific operation, such as stopping or moving to an intermediate floor.

[0059] 3-5. Display control unit 55 The display control unit 55 is a functional block for displaying information on the touch-panel display 32 of the user terminal 30. This process is called the "display control process." In the display control process, the display control unit 55 transmits the operation status information generated by the information generation process to the user terminal 30 via the communication network 13 and displays it on the touch-panel display 32. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a predicted information display screen displayed on the user terminal. The predicted information display screen shown in FIG. 8 displays operation status information predicting the operation status of elevators A, B, and C as multiple elevators 2. Each operation status includes the current location, direction of travel, waiting time, and congestion level of each elevator. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the waiting time is displayed in seconds, and the congestion level is displayed as a level (high, medium, or low) and a color. The predicted information display screen also displays check boxes for specifying the elevator you wish to board from elevators A, B, or C, a call registration button for selecting the designated elevator to call for an external call, and the update date and time of the predicted information display screen. By referring to the operation status predictions for each elevator, the user can select the elevator they wish to dispatch using the check boxes. When the call registration button is pressed by a user, the designated elevator information designated by the check box is transmitted to the management device 20 via the communication network 13 .

[0060] Furthermore, when the second reception unit 56 (described later) receives designation information for a designated elevator, the display control unit 55 displays designated operation status information, which predicts the operation status of the designated elevator, on the touch panel display 32 in the display control process. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a predicted information display screen for a designated elevator displayed on a user terminal. The predicted information display screen shown in FIG. 9 displays designated operation status information for elevator A as the designated elevator. The predicted information display screen also displays a cancel button for canceling an external call to the designated elevator, and the update date and time of the predicted information display screen. When the cancel button is pressed by the user, cancellation information for the designated elevator is transmitted to the management device 20 via the communication network 13.

[0061] 3-6. Second Reception Section 56 The second reception unit 56 is a functional block for receiving, from the user terminal 30, the designation information of the designated elevator transmitted from the user terminal 30. This process is hereinafter referred to as the “second reception process.” The second reception unit 56 also receives, from the user terminal 30, cancellation information of the designated elevator transmitted from the user terminal 30.

[0062] 3-7. Allocation Section 57 The allocation unit 57 is a functional block for allocating an elevator that responds to a call registration accepted by the first reception process. This process is hereinafter referred to as the "allocation process." Typically, in the allocation process, the allocation unit 57 allocates a designated elevator accepted by the second reception process to a call registration of an external call accepted by the first reception process.

[0063] Furthermore, when the second reception unit 56 receives cancellation information for the designated elevator, or when the external call user gets on the designated elevator, the allocation unit 57 deletes the call registration of the external call to which the designated elevator was assigned. This process will be referred to as the "deletion process" hereinafter.

[0064] 4. Specific Processing Executed in the Elevator System 100 of the Embodiment A series of operations executed in the user terminal 30 and the management device 20 of the elevator system 100 will be described below with reference to a flowchart. Fig. 10 is a flowchart of a routine executed in the elevator system of the embodiment. In this flowchart, the processes executed in the user terminal 30 and the management device 20 are respectively partitioned and shown. Note that the process of the flowchart shown in Fig. 10 also represents a part of a service providing method for providing users with an external call registration service for the elevator 2.

[0065] In step S100, the user launches the call registration application of the user terminal 30. In the next step S102, the user inputs an external call including the boarding floor and the disembarking floor. The input external call is associated with identification information specified by the login information to the call registration application and then transmitted to the management device 20 via the communication network 13.

[0066] The processing of step S200 corresponds to a first reception processing performed in the management device 20. In the first reception processing, the first reception unit 51 receives a call registration of an external call from the user terminal 30. In the next step S202, the predicted time calculation processing described above is executed in the predicted time calculation unit 52. In the next step S204, the predicted congestion degree calculation processing described above is executed in the predicted congestion degree calculation unit 53.

[0067] In step S206, the information generation unit 54 executes information generation processing to generate operation status information. In the next step S208, the display control unit 55 executes display control processing. Typically, in the display control processing, the display control unit 55 transmits the generated operation status information together with a display command to the user terminal 30 via the communication network 13. In step S104, the user terminal 30, having received the display command, displays operation status information such as that shown in FIG. 8 on the touch panel display 32.

[0068] The user of the user terminal 30 refers to the operation status information and selects the elevator to which the user wishes to have a vehicle dispatched using a check box. In step S106, when the user selects the elevator, the information on the selected elevator is transmitted to the management device 20.

[0069] In step S210, the second reception unit 56 executes a second reception process to receive the designation information transmitted from the user terminal 30. In the next step S212, the allocation unit 57 executes an allocation process to allocate the designated elevator received in the second reception process to the call registration of the external call received in the first reception process.

[0070] In the next step S214, information generation processing is executed in the information generation unit 54, and designated operation status information for the designated elevator is generated. In the next step S216, display control processing is executed in the display control unit 55, and the designated operation status information for the designated elevator is transmitted together with a display command to the user terminal 30 via the communication network 13. In step S108, the user terminal 30, which has received the display command, displays the designated operation status information for the designated elevator as shown in Fig. 9 on the touch panel display 32.

[0071] In step S110, it is determined whether a request to cancel the external call has been input to the user terminal 30. If the determination is not successful, the process of step S110 is repeated. On the other hand, if the determination is successful, cancellation information is sent to the management device 20, and the process proceeds to step S220.

[0072] Upon completion of step S216, the process proceeds to step S218. In step S218, it is determined whether the external call user of the external call accepted by the first acceptance process has boarded the designated elevator. Here, the position of the external call user is measured based on position information obtained from the position sensor 40 of the user terminal 30 of the external call user. Then, after the designated elevator starts moving from the boarding floor, it is determined whether the measured position of the external call user has moved more than a specified vertical distance from the boarding floor. Here, the specified vertical distance is a threshold value for determining whether an external user waiting at a landing has boarded the elevator, and is, for example, 2.0 m. As a result, if the determination is found to be successful, it is determined that the user has boarded the designated elevator, and the process proceeds to step S220. On the other hand, if the determination is found to be unsuccessful, it is determined that the user has not boarded the designated elevator, and the process proceeds to step S222.

[0073] In step S220, the allocation unit 57 executes a deletion process to delete the registered external call. When the process in step S222 is completed, this routine is ended.

[0074] On the other hand, in step S222, the allocation unit 57 executes allocation processing and registers the external call with the elevator scheduled to arrive next at the boarding floor as the designated elevator. When the processing of step S222 is completed, the processing returns to step S214 again.

[0075] As described above, according to the elevator system 100 of the embodiment, an external call user can specify the elevator to be dispatched by referring to the predicted time of arrival of the elevator at the boarding floor and the predicted congestion level. This makes it possible to dispatch an elevator according to the desires of an external call user using the external call service, thereby improving the convenience of the external call service.

[0076] 5. Variations The elevator system 100 of the embodiment may be modified as follows. The following modifications may also be applied to elevator systems of other embodiments described later.

[0077] 5-1. Management device 20 Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a modified example of the hardware resources of a management device. In the example shown in Fig. 11, the management device 20 includes, for example, a processor 22, a storage device 24, and a processing circuit 28 including dedicated hardware 26. Fig. 11 shows an example in which some of the functions of the management device 20 are realized by the dedicated hardware 26. All of the functions of the management device 20 may also be realized by the dedicated hardware 26. The dedicated hardware 26 may be a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof.

[0078] There are no limitations on the functional arrangement of the management device 20. That is, some or all of the functions of the management device 20 may be arranged inside the user terminal 30, the remote monitoring device 14, or the control panel 10, or may be arranged on an external server. Note that when some of the functions of the management device 20 are arranged on an external server, the management device 20 may be connected to the external server via wired communication or wireless communication such as the Internet.

[0079] 5-2. Predicted time calculation unit 52 The predicted time calculation process executed by the predicted time calculation unit 52 is not limited to the method of the flowchart shown in Fig. 5. In other words, in the predicted time calculation process, the predicted time calculation unit 52 may use other known methods for calculating the predicted time required for the car 7 of each elevator 2 to arrive at the boarding floor.

[0080] 5-3. Predicted Congestion Degree Calculation Unit 53 The predicted congestion degree calculation process executed by the predicted congestion degree calculation unit 53 is not limited to the method of the flowchart shown in Fig. 7. In other words, in the predicted congestion degree calculation process, the predicted congestion degree calculation unit 53 may use other known methods for calculating the predicted congestion degree inside the car 7 of each elevator 2 when the car 7 arrives at the boarding floor.

[0081] Furthermore, the configuration of the predicted congestion level calculation unit 53 is not essential.

[0082] 5-4. Information generation section 54 As long as the operation status information generated in the information generation process includes the predicted time, other items are not necessarily required. For example, if the management device 20 does not have the function of the predicted congestion degree calculation unit 53, the operation status information generated by the configuration information generation process does not necessarily need to include the predicted congestion degree.

[0083] There is no limitation on the display format of the predicted congestion level included in the operation status information generated in the information generation process. That is, the predicted congestion level may be displayed using characters, numbers, colors, or graphics such as pictograms, etc., which change depending on the congestion level. Similarly, the predicted time included in the operation status information may be displayed using characters, numbers, colors, or graphics such as pictograms, etc., to indicate the length of the predicted time.

[0084] 5-5. Allocation Section 57 The deletion process does not necessarily have to be configured based on the cancel button.

[0085] 6.Other Although the preferred embodiments have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0086] Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0087] (Appendix 1) In an elevator system capable of providing an external call service in which a user using one or more elevators installed in a building can call an elevator car to a designated boarding floor from a user terminal carried by the user, a first reception unit that receives the external call input to the user terminal; a predicted time calculation unit that calculates a predicted time required for each of the one or more elevator cars to arrive at the boarding floor; an information generation unit that generates operation status information including the predicted time for each of the one or more elevators; a display control unit that displays the operation status information on the user terminal; a second reception unit that receives designation information of a designated elevator that is input to the user terminal and designated from the one or more elevators; an allocation unit that allocates the designated elevator to the external call; An elevator system comprising: (Appendix 2) Further provided is a predicted congestion degree calculation unit that calculates a predicted congestion degree when each of the one or more elevators arrives at the boarding floor, The information generation unit generates the operation status information further including the predicted congestion degree of each of the one or more elevators. 2. The elevator system of claim 1, configured as follows: (Appendix 3) When the second reception unit receives the designation information, the information generation unit generates designated operation status information including the predicted time of the designated elevator, The display control unit displays the designated operation status information on the user terminal. 3. The elevator system according to claim 1 or 2, configured as follows: (Appendix 4) The information generating unit updates the operation status information at a specific timing. The elevator system according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 3, configured as follows: (Appendix 5) The predicted time calculation unit A predicted travel time calculation process that calculates a predicted travel time for the car to travel until the car arrives at the boarding floor; a predicted boarding / alighting time calculation process for calculating a predicted boarding / alighting time during which the car will be stopped for passengers to board and alight until the car arrives at the boarding floor; a calculation process of calculating the predicted time by adding up the predicted travel time and the predicted boarding and alighting time; 5. The elevator system of claim 1, configured to: (Appendix 6) In the predicted travel time calculation process, the predicted time calculation unit: The predicted travel time is calculated based on the average travel speed of the elevator and the travel distance from the current position of the car to the boarding floor. 6. The elevator system of claim 5, configured as follows: (Appendix 7) In the predicted boarding and alighting time calculation process, the predicted time calculation unit: calculating a first integrated number obtained by predicting and accumulating the number of passengers getting on and off, which is the sum of the number of passengers getting on and off who have used the external call at each of one or more intermediate floors existing between the current position of the car and the boarding floor; calculating a second integrated number by accumulating the predicted number of users who will board using the hall call at each of the one or more intermediate floors where a hall call is registered; calculating a third integrated number by accumulating the predicted number of passengers who will get off using car calls at each of the one or more intermediate floors at which car calls are registered; Calculating the predicted boarding and alighting time based on the first integrated number, the second integrated number, and the third integrated number. 7. The elevator system according to claim 5 or 6, configured as follows: (Appendix 8) In the predicted boarding and alighting time calculation process, the predicted time calculation unit: The predicted number of passengers is calculated for each floor where the hall call is registered based on a database that defines the relationship between the day of the week, the time period, the hall, and the predicted number of passengers, and the second accumulated number is calculated by accumulating the calculated predicted number of passengers. 8. The elevator system of claim 7, configured as follows: (Appendix 9) In the predicted boarding and alighting time calculation process, the predicted time calculation unit: predicting the total number of passengers currently riding in the car based on the car's weighing value; A process of predicting the number of hall call users obtained by subtracting the number of external call users who have used the external call from the total number of users; A process of calculating a sum of the number of hall call users and the second cumulative number as the third cumulative number; 9. The elevator system of claim 7 or 8, configured to perform the steps of: (Appendix 10) The predicted congestion degree calculation unit A process of calculating a first number of users, which is a predicted number of people boarding at the boarding floor among the external call users who have used the external call; a process of predicting the total number of passengers currently riding in the car based on the weighing value of the car, and calculating a second number of passengers by subtracting the number of external call passengers who have made the external call from the total number of passengers; a process of calculating a third number of users by accumulating the predicted number of users who will board using hall calls at each of the one or more intermediate floors where hall calls are registered; a process of calculating a fourth number of users by accumulating a predicted number of users who will get off using car calls at each of the one or more intermediate floors at which car calls are registered; calculating the predicted congestion degree based on a number of people obtained by subtracting the fourth number of users from a total number of people obtained by adding the first number of users, the second number of users, and the third number of users; 3. The elevator system of claim 2, configured to perform the steps of: (Appendix 11) The information generating unit generates the operation status information in which the predicted congestion degree is represented by a pictogram. 3. The elevator system of claim 2, configured as follows: (Appendix 12) The information generation unit generates the operation status information further including a current location of the car for each of the one or more elevators. 12. The elevator system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, configured as follows: [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 2 elevator, 3 hoistway, 4 landing, 5 hoisting machine, 6 main rope, 8 counterweight, 10 control panel, 12 building, 13 communication network, 14 remote monitoring device, 20 management device, 22 processor, 24 storage device, 26 dedicated hardware, 28 processing circuit, 30 user terminal, 32 touch panel display, 40 position sensor, 51 first reception unit, 52 predicted time calculation unit, 53 predicted congestion calculation unit, 54 information generation unit, 55 display control unit, 56 second reception unit, 57 allocation unit, 100 elevator system, 101 call management unit, 102 travel control unit, 200 monitoring center

Claims

1. In an elevator system capable of providing an external call service in which a user using one or more elevators installed in a building can call an elevator car to a designated boarding floor from a user terminal carried by the user, a first reception unit that receives the external call input to the user terminal; a predicted time calculation unit that calculates a predicted time required for each of the one or more elevator cars to arrive at the boarding floor; an information generating unit that generates operation status information including the predicted time for each of the one or more elevators; a display control unit that displays the operation status information on the user terminal; a second reception unit that receives designation information of a designated elevator that is input to the user terminal and designated from the one or more elevators; an allocation unit that allocates the designated elevator to the external call; An elevator system comprising:

2. Further provided is a predicted congestion degree calculation unit that calculates a predicted congestion degree when each of the one or more elevators arrives at the boarding floor, The information generation unit generates the operation status information further including the predicted congestion degree of each of the one or more elevators.

2. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein the elevator system is configured as follows:

3. When the second reception unit receives the designation information, the information generation unit generates designated operation status information including the predicted time of the designated elevator, The display control unit displays the designated operation status information on the user terminal.

3. The elevator system according to claim 1 or 2, configured as follows:

4. The information generating unit updates the operation status information at a specific timing.

3. The elevator system according to claim 1 or 2, configured as follows:

5. The predicted time calculation unit A predicted travel time calculation process that calculates a predicted travel time for the car to travel until the car arrives at the boarding floor; a predicted boarding / alighting time calculation process for calculating a predicted boarding / alighting time during which the car will be stopped for passengers to board and alight until the car arrives at the boarding floor; a calculation process of calculating the predicted time by adding up the predicted travel time and the predicted boarding and alighting time; 3. The elevator system according to claim 1 or claim 2, configured to execute the following:

6. In the predicted travel time calculation process, the predicted time calculation unit: The predicted travel time is calculated based on the average travel speed of the elevator and the travel distance from the current position of the car to the boarding floor.

6. The elevator system according to claim 5, wherein the elevator system is configured as follows:

7. In the predicted boarding and alighting time calculation process, the predicted time calculation unit: calculating a first integrated number by predicting and accumulating the number of passengers getting on and off, which is the sum of the number of passengers getting on and off of the external call users who have used the external call at each of one or more intermediate floors existing between the current position of the car and the boarding floor; calculating a second integrated number by accumulating a predicted number of users who will board using the hall call at each of the one or more intermediate floors where a hall call is registered; calculating a third integrated number by accumulating the predicted number of passengers who will get off using car calls at each of the one or more intermediate floors at which car calls are registered; Calculating the predicted boarding and alighting time based on the first integrated number, the second integrated number, and the third integrated number.

6. The elevator system according to claim 5, wherein the elevator system is configured as follows:

8. In the predicted boarding and alighting time calculation process, the predicted time calculation unit: The predicted number of passengers is calculated for each floor where the hall call is registered based on a database that defines the relationship between the day of the week, the time period, the hall, and the predicted number of passengers, and the second accumulated number is calculated by accumulating the calculated predicted number of passengers.

8. The elevator system according to claim 7, wherein the elevator system is configured as follows:

9. In the predicted boarding and alighting time calculation process, the predicted time calculation unit: predicting the total number of passengers currently riding in the car based on the car's weighing value; A process of predicting the number of hall call users obtained by subtracting the number of external call users who have used the external call from the total number of users; A process of calculating a sum of the number of hall call users and the second cumulative number as the third cumulative number; 8. The elevator system of claim 7, configured to perform the following:

10. The predicted congestion degree calculation unit A process of calculating a first number of users, which is a predicted number of people boarding at the boarding floor among the external call users who have used the external call; a process of predicting the total number of passengers currently riding in the car based on the weighing value of the car, and calculating a second number of passengers by subtracting the number of external call passengers who have made the external call from the total number of passengers; a process of calculating a third number of users by accumulating a predicted number of users who will board using a hall call at each of the one or more intermediate floors where a hall call is registered; a process of calculating a fourth number of users by accumulating a predicted number of users who will get off using car calls at each of the one or more intermediate floors at which car calls are registered; calculating the predicted congestion degree based on a number of people obtained by subtracting the fourth number of users from a total number of people obtained by adding the first number of users, the second number of users, and the third number of users; 3. The elevator system of claim 2, configured to perform the following:

11. The information generating unit generates the operation status information in which the predicted congestion degree is represented by a pictogram.

3. The elevator system according to claim 2, wherein the elevator system is configured as follows:

12. The information generation unit generates the operation status information further including a current location of the car for each of the one or more elevators.

3. The elevator system according to claim 1 or 2, configured as follows:

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