Elevator system

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The elevator system differentiates visually impaired users' assistance needs through image processing, offering tailored support to enhance usability and safety for both independent and assisted users.

JP2026001918AActive Publication Date: 2026-01-08TOSHIBA ELEVATOR KK

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Patent Information

Application Number: JP2024099513
Authority / Receiving Office: JP · JP
Patent Type: Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date: 2024-06-20
Publication Date: 2026-01-08
Estimated Expiration: 2044-06-20

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing elevator systems do not differentiate between visually impaired individuals who require assistance and those who do not, often providing the same services which can be bothersome for those accustomed to independent mobility.

Method used

An elevator system equipped with a camera and image processing unit to detect visually impaired individuals, determining if they require assistance, and providing tailored support functions accordingly, including boarding, destination registration, and alighting assistance.

Benefits of technology

The system effectively provides differentiated support to visually impaired individuals, ensuring independent users are not inconvenienced while ensuring those needing assistance receive comprehensive aid, enhancing usability and safety.

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Abstract

To provide different services to a visually handicapped person who needs peripheral assistance and a visually handicapped person who does not need peripheral assistance.SOLUTION: An elevator system according to an embodiment includes a camera installed in a car, a visually impaired person detection unit configured to detect a visually impaired person at a landing based on an image captured by the camera, an assistance necessity determination unit configured to determine whether the detected visually impaired person is a first visually impaired person who is presumed not to require assistance in surroundings or a second visually impaired person who is presumed to require assistance in surroundings, and a support providing unit configured to provide different supports to the first visually impaired person and the second visually impaired person indicated by a result of the determination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

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Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In recent years, elevators have been equipped with a variety of functions to support the visually impaired. This allows even visually impaired people who have only recently lost their eyesight and are not used to going out (i.e., visually impaired people who require assistance from those around them) to use elevators with peace of mind.

[0003] On the other hand, the various functions described above may be bothersome for visually impaired persons who have had their eyesight deteriorate for a long time and are accustomed to going out (i.e., visually impaired persons who do not require assistance from others).For this reason, it is desirable to realize an elevator system that can provide different services to visually impaired persons who require assistance from others and visually impaired persons who do not require assistance from others, rather than providing the same services to all visually impaired persons. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 09-12232 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-188343 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-65837 [Patent Document 4] Patent No. 6517306 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide an elevator system that can provide different services to visually impaired people who require assistance from those around them and visually impaired people who do not require assistance from those around them. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An elevator system according to one embodiment comprises a camera installed inside the elevator car, a visually impaired person detection means for detecting a visually impaired person at the landing based on an image captured by the camera, an assistance requirement determination means for determining whether the detected visually impaired person is a first visually impaired person who is presumed not to require assistance from those around them, or a second visually impaired person who is presumed to require assistance from those around them, and a support provision means for providing different support to the first visually impaired person and the second visually impaired person indicated by the result of the determination. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an elevator system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows various types of white canes in this embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the area around the entrance and exit in the elevator car in the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the elevator system according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the elevator system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] 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.

[0009] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an elevator system according to one embodiment. Note that, although a single car will be described as an example here, the same configuration applies to multiple cars.

[0010] The elevator system of this embodiment detects a visually impaired person and determines whether the detected visually impaired person is a visually impaired person who is presumed not to require assistance from others (first visually impaired person) or a visually impaired person who is presumed to require assistance from others (person requiring assistance, second visually impaired person).If the detected visually impaired person is a visually impaired person who is presumed not to require assistance from others, only the minimum necessary support functions are enabled, and if the detected visually impaired person requires assistance, all support functions are enabled.

[0011] A camera 12 is installed above the entrance / exit of the car 11. Specifically, the camera 12 is installed in a panel 11a covering the upper part of the entrance / exit of the car 11, with the lens portion facing directly downward, or toward the platform or car. The camera 12 has, for example, a wide-angle lens or a fisheye lens, and continuously captures images at several frames per second (for example, 30 frames per second). The camera 12 is activated, for example, when the car 11 arrives at the platform 15 on each floor, and captures images of a predetermined range L1 including the platform side and the car side. Note that the installation location of the camera 12 does not have to be above the entrance / exit of the car 11, as long as it is near the car door 13.

[0012] At the landing 15 on each floor, a landing door 14 is installed at the arrival entrance of the car 11. The landing door 14 engages with the car door 13 when the car 11 arrives and opens and closes. The power source (door motor) is on the car 11 side, and the landing door 14 simply opens and closes following the car door 13.

[0013] Each image (video) continuously captured by the camera 12 is analyzed in real time by the image processing device 20. For convenience, the image processing device 20 is shown removed from the car 11 in Fig. 1, but in reality, the image processing device 20 is housed in the headboard 11a together with the camera 12.

[0014] The image processing device 20 includes a storage unit 21 and a control unit 22. The storage unit 21 is composed of a memory device such as a RAM. The storage unit 21 sequentially stores images captured by the camera 12. The storage unit 21 has a buffer area for temporarily storing data necessary for processing by the control unit 22. The storage unit 21 may store images that have been subjected to preprocessing such as distortion correction, enlargement / reduction, and partial cropping as preprocessing of the images captured by the camera 12.

[0015] The control unit 22 uses the images captured by the camera 12 to detect visually impaired persons at the boarding area 15, determines whether the detected visually impaired person is a visually impaired person who is presumed not to require assistance from those around them, or a visually impaired person who is presumed to require assistance from those around them (a person requiring assistance), and provides different support to visually impaired persons who require assistance and those who do not.

[0016] Note that the category of people requiring assistance includes, for example, visually impaired people whose eyesight has deteriorated for a short period of time and who are not used to going out, while the category of visually impaired people who are not expected to require assistance from others includes, for example, visually impaired people whose eyesight has deteriorated for a long period of time and who are used to going out.

[0017] 1, the control unit 22 includes a user detection unit 23 and a support providing unit 24. The user detection unit 23 and the support providing unit 24 included in the control unit 22 may be realized by a CPU (not shown) included in the image processing device 20 executing a program (i.e., software), or may be realized by hardware such as an integrated circuit (IC), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

[0018] The user detection unit 23 detects users in the car 11 or at the landing 15 using the image captured by the camera 12. Specifically, the user detection unit 23 divides the image captured by the camera 12 into a number of blocks, and performs a motion detection process to detect blocks with movement (moving blocks) from among the blocks by focusing on changes in color information of each block (for example, changes in brightness value). According to this motion detection process, users appearing in the image are detected as a collection of moving blocks.

[0019] Note that the user detection unit 23 may detect users not by the above-described motion detection process but by, for example, SSD (Single Shot Multibox Detector), which is one of the image recognition methods using supervised learning. In this case, the user detection unit 23 can efficiently detect users who are in the car 11 or the hall 15, including their positions, from newly captured images by learning images of users who are in the car 11 or the hall 15 in advance as training data.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the user detection unit 23 includes a visually impaired person detection unit 23a and an assistance necessity determination unit 23b. The visually impaired person detection unit 23a uses the image captured by the camera 12 to detect a visually impaired person among the users detected by the user detection unit 23. More specifically, if there is a user carrying a "white cane" among the users detected by the user detection unit 23, the visually impaired person detection unit 23a detects the user as being visually impaired.

[0021] White canes include, for example, a straight cane type as shown in Figure 2(a) and a type with a handle for supporting the body as shown in Figures 2(b) and (c), but may also include other types of white canes.

[0022] To detect a user holding a white cane, the visually impaired person detection unit 23a refers to an image in which the user is detected by the user detection unit 23, and detects the presence or absence of an object extending from the user's hand detected as a collection of movement blocks. When the presence of an object extending from the user's hand detected as a collection of movement blocks is detected, the visually impaired person detection unit 23a determines whether or not the object is a white cane based on the shape and color of the object.

[0023] The visually impaired person detection unit 23a determines that an object extending from the user's hand is a white cane if the object has the shape of a cane (excluding shapes that have a bulge of a certain size at a portion slightly away from the user's hand, such as an umbrella) and the object's main color is white or yellow. If the result of this determination is that the object extending from the user's hand is a white cane, the visually impaired person detection unit 23a detects the user as being visually impaired.

[0024] The visually impaired person detection unit 23a may detect a white cane using, for example, the SSD described above. In this case, the visually impaired person detection unit 23a can efficiently detect a white cane, including its position, from a newly captured image by learning in advance, for example, images showing various types of white canes as training data.

[0025] The assistance requirement determination unit 23b uses the image captured by the camera 12 to determine whether the visually impaired person detected by the visually impaired person detection unit 23a is a visually impaired person who is assumed not to require assistance from those around them, or whether the visually impaired person requires assistance.

[0026] Specifically, the assistance requirement determination unit 23b calculates the movement speed (walking speed) of the visually impaired person based on an image of the visually impaired person detected by the visually impaired person detection unit 23a, and if the calculated movement speed is equal to or greater than a preset threshold, it determines that the visually impaired person is accustomed to going out and is a visually impaired person who is presumed not to require assistance from those around them.

[0027] On the other hand, if the calculated moving speed is less than a preset threshold, the assistance need determination unit 23b determines that the visually impaired person is not accustomed to going out and is in need of assistance. Information indicating the result of the determination by the assistance need determination unit 23b is sent to the support providing unit 24.

[0028] The moving speed of the visually impaired person is calculated based on, for example, the moving distance per unit time of the visually impaired person detected by the visually impaired person detection unit 23a.

[0029] The support providing unit 24 executes processing for providing various types of support to visually impaired people. More specifically, the support providing unit 24 has, as functions for supporting visually impaired people, a boarding support function 24a, a destination floor registration support function 24b, a first alighting support function 24c, and a second alighting support function 24d, and executes processing corresponding to an enabled function among the functions 24a to 24d.

[0030] When the information received from the assistance necessity determination unit 23b indicates that the visually impaired person is a visually impaired person who is presumed not to require assistance from those around them, the support providing unit 24 enables only the destination floor registration support function 24b and the first alighting support function 24c among the above-mentioned functions 24a to 24d. On the other hand, when the information received from the assistance necessity determination unit 23b indicates that the visually impaired person requires assistance, the support providing unit 24 enables all of the above-mentioned functions 24a to 24d.

[0031] Each of the above functions 24a to 24d will be explained in more detail below. The boarding support function 24a is a function for supporting visually impaired people getting on the car 11. Specifically, the boarding support function 24a includes a function for changing the control method for opening and closing the car doors 13 from a control method based on the elapsed time from full opening to a control method based on image recognition, and a function for making an announcement inside the car 11 requesting consideration for the fact that it takes longer for the doors to close because a visually impaired person is getting on.

[0032] When the boarding support function 24a is enabled, the support providing unit 24 outputs a first request signal to the elevator control device 30 to request that the control method for opening and closing the car doors 13 be changed from a control method based on elapsed time to a control method based on image recognition.

[0033] In addition, if there is another user in the elevator car 11 (if another user is detected from inside the elevator car 11), the support providing unit 24 further outputs a second request signal to the elevator control device 30 to request that an announcement be made to ask other users to take into consideration the fact that it will take longer for the doors to close because a visually impaired person is boarding.

[0034] The destination floor registration support function 24b is a function for supporting the registration of destination floors by visually impaired persons. Specifically, the destination floor registration support function 24b includes a function for enabling a voice recognition function that enables the registration of destination floors by voice, and a function for making an announcement inside the car 11 requesting the visually impaired person to register the destination floor on their behalf.

[0035] When the destination floor registration support function 24b is enabled, the support providing unit 24 outputs a third request signal to the elevator control device 30 to request that the voice recognition function be enabled if the visually impaired person is a visually impaired person who is presumed not to require assistance from those around them.

[0036] On the other hand, if the visually impaired person requires assistance, the support providing unit 24 outputs to the elevator control device 30, depending on whether there are other users in the elevator car 11, either a third request signal to request that the voice recognition function be enabled, or a fourth request signal to request that an announcement be made to ask other users to register the destination floor on behalf of the visually impaired person.

[0037] The first alighting support function 24c is a function for supporting a visually impaired person alighting from the car 11. Specifically, the first alighting support function 24c includes a function for making an announcement inside the car 11 when the car 11 arrives at the destination floor of the visually impaired person that the car has arrived at the destination floor.

[0038] When the first disembarkation support function 24c is enabled, the support providing unit 24 outputs a fifth request signal to the elevator control device 30 to request that an announcement be made that the car 11 has arrived at the destination floor for the visually impaired person.

[0039] The second alighting support function 24d, like the first alighting support function 24c, is a function for supporting visually impaired persons alighting from the car 11. Specifically, the second alighting support function 24d includes a function of making an announcement inside the car 11 requesting that visually impaired persons move to make it easier for them to alight, a function of making an announcement inside the car 11 urging visually impaired persons to alight, and a function of making an announcement inside the car 11 requesting consideration for the fact that it takes a long time for the doors to close because visually impaired persons alight.

[0040] When the second disembarking support function 24d is enabled and there are no other passengers in the elevator 11 (when no other passengers are detected from inside the elevator 11), the support providing unit 24 outputs a sixth request signal to the elevator control device 30 to request that an announcement be made encouraging visually impaired passengers to disembark.

[0041] On the other hand, when the second disembarkation support function 24d is enabled and there is another user in the elevator 11 (when another user is detected from inside the elevator 11), the support providing unit 24 outputs a seventh request signal to the elevator control device 30 to request that an announcement be made to ask other users to move to make space in front of the door so that the visually impaired person can disembark easily.

[0042] In addition, when the second disembarking support function 24d is enabled and there are other users in the elevator car 11, the support providing unit 24 further outputs an eighth request signal to the elevator control device 30 to request that an announcement be made encouraging the visually impaired person to disembark and an announcement asking other users to be considerate of the fact that it will take longer for the doors to close because the visually impaired person is disembarking.

[0043] The elevator control device 30 is composed of a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. The elevator control device 30 controls the raising and lowering operation of the car 11 and the operation of various devices installed in the car 11. The elevator control device 30 includes a door opening / closing control unit 31, a registration control unit 32, and a notification control unit 33.

[0044] The door opening / closing control unit 31 controls the opening and closing of the car door 13 when the car 11 arrives at the landing 15. In detail, the door opening / closing control unit 31 opens the car door 13 when the car 11 arrives at the landing 15, and closes the door after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0045] However, when the door opening / closing control unit 31 receives a first request signal from the image processing device 20, it changes the control method for opening and closing the car doors 13 from the control method based on the elapsed time described above to a control method based on image recognition. In this case, when the door opening / closing control unit 31 receives from the image processing device 20 an entry signal indicating that a visually impaired person has boarded the car 11 or an exit signal indicating that a visually impaired person has disembarked from the car 11, it closes the car doors 13.

[0046] The registration control unit 32 registers the destination floor of a user. Specifically, the registration control unit 32 registers the destination floor of the user in response to the user's operation of a destination floor button 44 arranged on an operation panel 45. The destination floor button 44 may be a push button or a non-contact button. The registration control unit 32 also analyzes and processes the voice signal of the visually impaired person input via a voice input device 16 installed in the car 11, and registers the destination floor of the visually impaired person.

[0047] Hereinafter, analyzing and processing a voice signal to register a destination floor for a visually impaired person will be referred to as "registering a destination floor by voice." Registering a destination floor by voice is achieved using known voice recognition technology. For example, the registration control unit 32 compares the voice signal of the visually impaired person input via the voice input device 16 with a pre-stored voice signal indicating a floor, and if the two match under predetermined conditions, registers the floor corresponding to the voice signal as the destination floor for the visually impaired person.

[0048] The function that enables destination floors to be registered by voice (voice recognition function) is enabled only when a third request signal is received from the image processing device 20 (that is, when a visually impaired person who is assumed not to require assistance from those around them gets on the car 11, or when a person requiring assistance gets on the car 11 and there are no other passengers on board). If the voice recognition function is always enabled, there is a possibility that the destination floor will be registered incorrectly due to conversations between passengers or noise inside the car 11, but by enabling the voice recognition function only when the third request signal is received, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the destination floor being registered incorrectly.

[0049] The notification control unit 33 broadcasts various announcements inside the car 11 via a speaker 46 installed inside the car 11. For example, when the notification control unit 33 receives a second request signal from the image processing device 20, it broadcasts an announcement inside the elevator 11 saying, "A visually impaired person will be boarding, so it will take longer for the doors to close. Please cooperate." as an announcement asking other users to be considerate of the fact that it will take longer for the doors to close because a visually impaired person will be boarding.

[0050] In addition, when the notification control unit 33 receives the fourth request signal from the image processing device 20, it broadcasts an announcement inside the elevator 11 asking other users to register the destination floor on behalf of the visually impaired person, saying, "If you are a fellow passenger, please press the destination floor button for the visually impaired person instead."

[0051] Furthermore, when the notification control unit 33 receives a fifth request signal from the image processing device 20, it broadcasts an announcement inside the car 11 saying "You have arrived at floor X" when the car 11 has arrived at the destination floor for the visually impaired person. Note that the notification control unit 33 may broadcast a special buzzer sound inside the car 11 instead of the above announcement to notify the visually impaired person that they have arrived at the destination floor.

[0052] The special buzzer sound is preferably a buzzer sound that is different from the buzzer sound that is played when the load inside the car exceeds the maximum load, and is a specific buzzer sound that is played only when the car arrives at the destination floor for the visually impaired person. In this case, a notice (notice) may be attached to the wall inside the car 11, stating that a special buzzer sound will be played at the destination floor for the visually impaired person and that assistance for the visually impaired person is requested when the special buzzer sound is played.

[0053] In addition, when the notification control unit 33 receives the sixth request signal from the image processing device 20, it broadcasts an announcement inside the elevator 11 saying, "The doors are open. Please get off." to encourage visually impaired passengers to get off.

[0054] Furthermore, when the notification control unit 33 receives the seventh request signal from the image processing device 20, it broadcasts an announcement inside the elevator 11 requesting other passengers to move to make space in front of the door so that the visually impaired person can easily disembark, saying, "A visually impaired person is disembarking, so fellow passengers please make space in front of the door. Thank you for your cooperation."

[0055] In addition, when the notification control unit 33 receives the eighth request signal from the image processing device 20, it broadcasts the following announcements into the elevator 11: "There is now space until the door. Please get off," as an announcement to encourage visually impaired people to get off, and "As a visually impaired person is getting off, it will take longer for the doors to close. Please cooperate," as an announcement to ask other passengers to be considerate of the fact that it will take longer for the doors to close because the visually impaired person is getting off.

[0056] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the area around the entrance / exit in the car 11. A car door 13 is provided at the entrance of the car 11 so as to be able to open and close freely. In the example of Fig. 3, a two-door double-swing type car door 13 is shown, and two door panels 13a and 13b constituting the car door 13 open and close in opposite directions along the width direction (horizontal direction). Note that the "width" refers to the entrance of the car 11.

[0057] A display 43, an operation panel 45 including destination floor buttons 44, and a speaker 46 are installed on one or both of the front pillars 41a and 41b. In the example of Fig. 3, the speaker 46 is installed on the front pillar 41a, and the display 43 and the operation panel 45 are installed on the front pillar 41b.

[0058] A camera 12 having a wide-angle lens or a fisheye lens is installed in the center of a panel 11a above the entrance of the car 11, with the lens facing downward.

[0059] A voice input device 16 is installed on the operation panel 45. The voice input device 16 is installed with its input portion facing the inside of the car 11 so that a user can input voice. Note that the voice input device 16 may be installed in a position different from the operation panel 45 as long as it is in a position where it is easy for a user to input voice.

[0060] Next, an example of the operation of the elevator system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 4 and 5. Note that, in this description, the image processing device 20 acquires images taken by the camera 12 in time series and stores these acquired images in the storage unit 21 one by one.

[0061] When the car 11 arrives at an arbitrary floor (Yes in step S1), the door opening / closing control unit 31 of the elevator control device 30 opens the car door 13 (step S2).

[0062] When the car door 13 opens, the user detection unit 23 of the image processing device 20 detects the presence or absence of a user at the landing 15 based on the image captured by the camera 12. Note that here, it is assumed that the user detection unit 23 detects a group of moving blocks (that is, the presence of a user is detected from the landing 15).

[0063] Here, the visually impaired person detection unit 23a determines whether or not there is a visually impaired person among the users detected by the user detection unit 23 based on the image captured by the camera 12 (in other words, detects the presence or absence of a visually impaired person) (step S3).

[0064] If it is determined in the processing of step S3 that there is no visually impaired person (No in step S3), the elevator system operates the car 11 normally. Specifically, when the car doors 13 are fully closed in response to the elapsed time since they were fully opened or in response to pressing of a door close button provided on the operation panel 45, the elevator system causes the car 11 to depart for the destination floor (step S4), and ends the series of operations here.

[0065] On the other hand, if it is determined in the processing of step S3 that a visually impaired person is present (Yes in step S3), the assistance requirement determination unit 23b determines whether the visually impaired person detected by the visually impaired person detection unit 23a is a visually impaired person (person requiring assistance) who is presumed to require assistance from those around them (step S5).

[0066] If, in the processing of step S5, it is determined that the visually impaired person requires assistance (Yes in step S5), the processing of step S6 described below and the processing of step S10 described below are executed to support the person requiring assistance.

[0067] On the other hand, if the processing of step S5 determines that the visually impaired person is a visually impaired person who is not expected to require assistance from those around them (No in step S5), the processing of step S11 described below is executed to support the visually impaired person who is not expected to require assistance from those around them.

[0068] In addition, information indicating the result of the judgment in step S5 (specifically, information indicating that the visually impaired person requires assistance, or information indicating that the visually impaired person is a visually impaired person who is not expected to require assistance from those around them) is temporarily stored in a buffer area of memory unit 21.

[0069] In the process of step S5 described above, if it is determined that the visually impaired person requires assistance (Yes in step S5), the support providing unit 24 enables the boarding support function 24a and outputs the first request signal described above to the elevator control device 30. Upon receiving the first request signal from the image processing device 20, the door opening / closing control unit 31 of the elevator control device 30 changes the control method for opening and closing the car doors 13 from a control method based on elapsed time to a control method based on image recognition (step S6).

[0070] Next, the image processing device 20 (user detection unit 23) determines whether there are other users in the elevator 11 based on the image captured by the camera 12 (in other words, detects whether there are any users in the elevator 11) (step S7).

[0071] In addition, whether or not there are other users inside the elevator car 11 may be determined not based on an image taken by the camera 12, but based on the load inside the elevator car measured by a load sensor (not shown) installed at the bottom of the elevator car 11.

[0072] In the process of step S7, if it is determined that there is no other user in the elevator car 11 (No in step S7), the process of step S9, which will be described later, is executed.

[0073] On the other hand, if it is determined in the processing of step S7 that there is another user in the car 11 (Yes in step S7), the support providing unit 24 outputs the above-mentioned second request signal to the elevator control device 30. When the notification control unit 33 of the elevator control device 30 receives the second request signal from the image processing device 20, it broadcasts an announcement inside the car 11 requesting other users to take into consideration that it will take a longer time until the doors close because a visually impaired person is boarding (step S8).

[0074] Next, the image processing device 20 (user detection unit 23) determines whether or not the visually impaired person has boarded the car based on the image captured by the camera 12 (step S9). When the image processing device 20 confirms that the visually impaired person detected by the visually impaired person detection unit 23a is located at a certain distance from the front pillars 41a, 41b toward the car, the image processing device 20 determines that the visually impaired person has boarded the car.

[0075] In the process of step S9, if it is determined that the visually impaired person has not boarded the train (No in step S9), the process of step S8 is executed again. On the other hand, in the process of step S9, if it is determined that the visually impaired person has boarded the train (Yes in step S9), the destination floor of the visually impaired person is registered in the process of step S13, which will be described later, and then the process of step S14, which will be described later, is executed.

[0076] In the processing of step S5 described above, if it is determined that the visually impaired person requires assistance (Yes in step S5), the image processing device 20 (user detection unit 23) determines whether or not there are other users in the elevator 11 based on the image captured by the camera 12, as in the processing of step S7 described above (in other words, detects whether or not there are users in the elevator 11) (step S10).

[0077] If it is determined in the process of step S10 that there are no other users in the car 11 (No in step S10), or if it is determined in the process of step S5 described above that the visually impaired person is a visually impaired person who is presumed not to require assistance from those around them (No in step S5), the support providing unit 24 enables the destination floor registration support function 24b and outputs the above-mentioned third request signal to the elevator control device 30. Upon receiving the third request signal from the image processing device 20, the registration control unit 32 of the elevator control device 30 enables the voice recognition function (step S11), and then the process of step S13 described below is executed.

[0078] On the other hand, if it is determined in the processing of step S10 that there is another user in the car 11 (Yes in step S10), the support providing unit 24 enables the destination floor registration support function 24b and outputs the above-mentioned fourth request signal to the elevator control device 30. When the notification control unit 33 of the elevator control device 30 receives the fourth request signal from the image processing device 20, it broadcasts an announcement in the car 11 requesting another user to register the destination floor on behalf of the visually impaired person (step S12), and then the processing of step S13 described below is executed.

[0079] The registration control unit 32 analyzes and processes the voice signal of the visually impaired person input via the voice input device 16, or in response to the operation of another user on the destination floor button 44 arranged on the operation panel 45, and registers the destination floor of the visually impaired person (step S13). The destination floor registered by the processing of step S13 is temporarily stored, for example, in a memory (not shown) of the elevator control device 30 as the destination floor of the visually impaired person.

[0080] When the processing of step S9 above determines that the visually impaired person has boarded the train, and the processing of step S13 above registers the destination floor of the visually impaired person, the doors of the elevator 11 close and the elevator departs for the destination floor of the visually impaired person (step S14).

[0081] When the car 11 arrives at the destination floor of the visually impaired person (step S15), the elevator control device 30 outputs a notification that the car 11 has arrived at the destination floor of the visually impaired person to the image processing device 20. Note that the fact that the floor at which the car 11 has arrived is the destination floor of the visually impaired person is identified by referring to information indicating the destination floor of the visually impaired person that is stored in a memory (not shown) of the elevator control device 30.

[0082] When the support providing unit 24 of the image processing device 20 receives a notification from the elevator control device 30 that the visually impaired person has arrived at the destination floor, it enables the first disembarkation support function 24c and outputs the above-mentioned fifth request signal to the elevator control device 30. When the notification control unit 33 of the elevator control device 30 receives the fifth request signal from the image processing device 20, it broadcasts an announcement inside the car 11 that the car 11 has arrived at the destination floor of the visually impaired person (step S16).

[0083] Next, the support providing unit 24 of the image processing device 20 refers to the information indicating the result of the judgment in step S5 stored in the buffer area of the memory unit 21 and determines whether the visually impaired person riding in the elevator 11 is a visually impaired person (person requiring assistance) who is presumed to require assistance from those around them (step S17).

[0084] If, in the processing of step S17, it is determined that the visually impaired person is a visually impaired person who is not expected to require assistance from those around them (No in step S17), the elevator system ends this series of operations.

[0085] On the other hand, if the visually impaired person is determined to be in need of assistance in the processing of step S17 (Yes in step S17), the image processing device 20 (user detection unit 23) determines whether or not there are other users in the elevator 11 based on the image captured by the camera 12, similar to the processing of steps S7 and S10 described above (in other words, detects whether or not there are users in the elevator 11) (step S18).

[0086] In the processing of step S18, if it is determined that there are no other users in the car 11 (No in step S18), the support providing unit 24 enables the second alighting support function 24d and outputs the sixth request signal described above to the elevator control device 30. Upon receiving the sixth request signal from the image processing device 20, the notification control unit 33 of the elevator control device 30 broadcasts an announcement inside the car 11 urging visually impaired people in the car 11 to alight (step S19), and then the processing of step S23 described below is executed.

[0087] On the other hand, if it is determined in the processing of step S18 that there is another user in the car 11 (Yes in step S18), the support providing unit 24 enables the second alighting support function 24d and outputs the above-mentioned seventh request signal to the elevator control device 30. When the notification control unit 33 of the elevator control device 30 receives the seventh request signal from the image processing device 20, it broadcasts an announcement inside the car 11 requesting other users to move to make space in front of the door so that the visually impaired person can easily alight (step S20).

[0088] Thereafter, the image processing device 20 (user detection unit 23) determines whether or not the visually impaired person can disembark from the car 11 based on the image captured by the camera 12 (step S21). When the image processing device 20 confirms that there is an empty space in front of the car door 13, it determines that the visually impaired person can disembark from the car 11. On the other hand, when the image processing device 20 confirms that there is no empty space in front of the car door 13, it determines that the visually impaired person cannot disembark from the car 11 (No in step S21), and executes the processing of step S20 again.

[0089] If it is determined in the processing of step S21 that the visually impaired person can disembark (Yes in step S21), the support providing unit 24 outputs the above-mentioned eighth request signal to the elevator control device 30. When the notification control unit 33 of the elevator control device 30 receives the eighth request signal from the image processing device 20, it broadcasts an announcement inside the car 11 urging the visually impaired person in the car 11 to disembark, and an announcement requesting other users to be considerate of the fact that it will take a long time for the doors to close because the visually impaired person is disembarking (step S22).

[0090] Thereafter, the image processing device 20 (user detection unit 23) determines whether or not the visually impaired person has finished getting off the vehicle based on the image captured by the camera 12 (step S23). When the image processing device 20 confirms that the visually impaired person is at the platform 15 that is a certain distance away from the car 11, it determines that the visually impaired person has finished getting off the vehicle.

[0091] If it is determined in the process of step S23 that the visually impaired person has not yet disembarked (No in step S23), the process of step S23 is executed again. On the other hand, if it is determined in the process of step S23 that the visually impaired person has disembarked (Yes in step S23), the elevator system changes the control method for opening and closing the car doors 13 back from the control method based on image recognition to the control method based on elapsed time, and ends the series of operations here.

[0092] As described above, the elevator system of this embodiment detects a visually impaired person at the landing 15 based on images captured by the camera 12, determines whether the visually impaired person is a visually impaired person who is presumed not to need assistance from others, or a visually impaired person who is presumed to need assistance from others, and provides only the minimum necessary support to a visually impaired person who is presumed not to need assistance from others, and provides extensive support to a visually impaired person who is presumed to need assistance from others.

[0093] This makes it possible to meet the needs of both visually impaired people who are presumed not to need assistance from others and visually impaired people who are presumed to need assistance from others. In other words, it is possible to provide a service that allows visually impaired people who are presumed to need assistance from others to use elevators safely, while providing a service that does not cause inconvenience to visually impaired people who are presumed not to need assistance from others.

[0094] Furthermore, according to the elevator system of this embodiment, visually impaired people can register their destination floor by voice, or can have another user riding in the elevator car 11 register the destination floor on their behalf.

[0095] This reduces the time it takes for a visually impaired person to register a destination floor compared to when they press a destination floor button corresponding to the destination floor by relying on the Braille on the control panel. This prevents, for example, a situation in which a visually impaired person takes too long to register a destination floor, and the car 11 responds to another hall call before the visually impaired person has registered the destination floor, causing the car 11 to depart for a floor different from the destination floor of the visually impaired person.

[0096] Furthermore, with the elevator system according to this embodiment, visually impaired people can receive various types of support suited to them as long as they have a white cane. This means that visually impaired people can easily receive various types of support suited to them, as they do not need to perform any special actions or carry any special items (for example, a cane with a built-in operating device or transmitter) in order to receive the various types of support suited to them.

[0097] In this embodiment, the elevator system has been described as providing various types of support to a visually impaired person using a white cane. However, the elevator system may also provide similar support to, for example, an injured person using crutches. In this case, the elevator system detects an injured person using crutches and determines whether the detected injured person is not expected to require assistance from others or is expected to require assistance from others (a person requiring assistance). If the detected injured person is expected to not require assistance from others, only the minimum necessary support functions are enabled. If the detected injured person requires assistance, all support functions are enabled. This makes it possible to provide the same services to injured people using crutches as to visually impaired people.

[0098] Furthermore, the elevator system may provide similar support to elderly people who use canes. In this case, the elevator system detects an elderly person using a cane and determines whether the detected elderly person is an elderly person who is presumed not to require assistance from others or an elderly person who is presumed to require assistance from others (a person requiring assistance). If the detected elderly person is presumed not to require assistance from others, only the minimum necessary support functions are enabled, and if the detected elderly person requires assistance, all support functions are enabled. This makes it possible to provide elderly people who use canes with the same services as those provided to visually impaired people.

[0099] According to the embodiment described above, an elevator system can be provided that can provide different services to visually impaired people who require assistance from those around them and visually impaired people who do not require assistance from those around them.

[0100] 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]

[0101] 11...car, 12...camera, 13...car door, 14...landing door, 15...landing, 16...voice input device, 20...image processing device, 21...memory unit, 22...control unit, 23...user detection unit, 23a...visually impaired person detection unit, 23b...assistance requirement determination unit, 24...support provision unit, 24a...boarding support function, 24b...destination floor registration support function, 24c...first disembarking support function, 24d...second disembarking support function, 30...elevator control device, 31...door opening / closing control unit, 32...registration control unit, 33...notification control unit.

Claims

1. A camera installed inside the car, a visually impaired person detection means for detecting a visually impaired person at a platform based on an image captured by the camera; an assistance need determination means for determining whether the detected visually impaired person is a first visually impaired person who is presumed not to require assistance from those around them, or a second visually impaired person who is presumed to require assistance from those around them; and a support providing means for providing different supports to the first visually impaired person and the second visually impaired person indicated by the result of the determination. Elevator system.

2. The support providing means includes: If the detected visually impaired person is the first visually impaired person, a voice recognition function is enabled to enable the first visually impaired person to register a destination floor by voice when getting on the elevator.