Group control system

Abstract

While minimizing the decrease in operational efficiency, the system ensures that passengers are moved to the floor of the platform door even if a malfunction occurs at that door. [Solution] According to the embodiment, a group control device for controlling multiple elevator units is provided. The group control device comprises a call management means, a storage means, and an assignment control means. The call management means manages call information, including destination floor and departure floor information, transmitted from a destination floor registration device. The storage means stores information on the abnormal elevator unit corresponding to the landing door where the abnormality occurred, and information on the abnormal floor where the landing door is located. The assignment control means assigns an elevator unit other than the abnormal elevator unit corresponding to the landing door on the abnormal floor to first call information where the destination floor is an abnormal floor, and assigns one of the multiple elevator units to second call information where neither the destination floor nor the departure floor is an abnormal floor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a group management control device.

Background Art

[0002] In an elevator, when an abnormality such as a malfunction in the door opening operation of the landing door or a moving body such as a robot stopping in front of the landing door occurs, users cannot get off at that floor. For this reason, for example, in a group management elevator that controls a plurality of units, when a user who has boarded a certain unit registers a floor with an abnormality in the landing door of that unit as the destination floor, a system that directs the unit to the nearest floor to the destination floor has been considered. In this case, after getting off at the nearest floor, the user needs to transfer to another unit.

[0003] As described above, in the above system, since it stops at a floor unintended by the user, the convenience of the user is impaired and the operation efficiency of each unit decreases.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a group management control device that can move a user to the floor of the landing door even when an abnormality occurs in the landing door while suppressing a decrease in operation efficiency.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to the embodiment, a group control device for controlling multiple elevator units is provided. The group control device comprises a call management means, a storage means, and an assignment control means. The call management means manages call information transmitted from a destination floor registration device, including information on the destination floor and departure floor. The storage means stores information on the abnormal elevator unit corresponding to the landing door where the abnormality occurred, and information on the abnormal floor where the landing door is located. The assignment control means assigns an elevator unit other than the abnormal elevator unit corresponding to the landing door on the abnormal floor to a first call information where the destination floor is the abnormal floor, and assigns one of the multiple elevator units to a second call information where the destination floor and departure floor are not the abnormal floor. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a group control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the processing of the assignment control unit in the group management control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the processing of the assignment control unit in the group management control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of an assignment process performed by the assignment control unit of the group management control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the processing of the assignment control unit in a second modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the processing of the assignment control unit in a third modified example of the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the disclosure is merely an example, and the invention is not limited by the contents described in the embodiments below. Modifications that a person skilled in the art can easily replicate are naturally included within the scope of the disclosure. For clarity, the size, shape, etc., of each part may be schematically represented in the drawings, modified from those of the actual embodiments. In some cases, the same reference numerals are used for corresponding elements in multiple drawings, and detailed explanations are omitted.

[0009] Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of the group control device 20 according to this embodiment. The group control device 20 manages multiple elevators as a group. Here, "elevator" basically refers to the "elevator car". In the example in Figure 1, a configuration is shown in which three elevators (elevator cars 12a, 12b, and 12c), indicated as units A, B, and C, are managed as a group, but a configuration in which many more elevators are managed as a group is also possible.

[0010] In the diagram, 11a, 11b, and 11c represent elevator control devices (also called car control devices). Elevator control device 11a controls the operation of elevator car 12a. Specifically, elevator control device 11a controls a motor (hoisting machine) not shown in the diagram to raise and lower elevator car 12a, and controls the opening and closing of the doors. The elevator control devices 11b for elevator car 12b and elevator control devices 11c for elevator car 12c perform the same function. These elevator control devices 11a, 11b, and 11c consist of a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. In addition, elevator control devices 11a, 11b, and 11c notify the group control device 20 of the current position of elevator cars 12a, 12b, and 12c, as well as the status of door opening and closing, etc.

[0011] Elevator cars 12a to 12c move up and down within the hoistway driven by a motor (hoisting machine). Inside elevator cars 12a to 12c, there are floor buttons for users to register their destination floor, but it is also possible to have a configuration in which there are no floor buttons inside the elevator car.

[0012] The destination floor registration device 13 is a device for users to register their destination floor before boarding elevator cars 12a, 12b, or 12c. Examples of systems using the destination floor registration device 13 are the smartphone calling system and DCS.

[0013] The "Smartphone Call System" is a system that uses a mobile terminal 13a, each owned by the user, as the destination floor registration device 13. The mobile terminal 13a is, for example, a smartphone, and has call registration application software pre-installed. This call registration application software was developed by an elevator-related company and can be freely downloaded from a website that depends on the OS (Operating System) of the mobile terminal 13a. The user enters call information, including destination floor and departure floor information, on the call registration screen of this application software. Then, when the user arrives at the elevator landing, the call information is transmitted to the group control device 20. In the following explanation, transmitting the call information to the group control device 20 may also be referred to as "registering call information."

[0014] "DCS" refers to a system that uses a landing destination floor registration device (HDC) 13b installed at the landing of each floor as the destination floor registration device 13. Users register call information, including the departure floor (specifically, the floor on which the user operates the landing destination floor registration device 13b) and the destination floor, by operating the landing destination floor registration device 13b at the landing. The call information transmitted from the destination floor registration device 13 may also be transmitted to the group control control device 20 via elevator control devices 11a to 11c.

[0015] In this embodiment, it is sufficient if call information can be registered using at least one of the systems that utilize the destination floor registration device 13. In the following description, call information will be described as being able to be registered using both the smartphone call system and the DCS.

[0016] At each landing, in addition to the landing destination floor registration device 13b described above, a door abnormality detection device 14 is provided. The door abnormality detection device 14 detects an abnormality in the landing door at each floor landing.

[0017] "Abnormality of the landing door" means, for example, a state where the door cannot be opened or closed due to malfunction. For example, the door abnormality detection device 14 determines that a malfunction has occurred when the load applied during the opening and closing of the landing door is greater than normal. Alternatively, the door abnormality detection device 14 analyzes the image of the landing door captured by a camera installed at the landing to detect that there is a foreign object clogging the sill groove, that the landing door is not operating normally, etc.

[0018] Note that "abnormality of the landing door" may include a state where a moving body or the like stops at the entrance / exit and users cannot board the car. In this case, the door abnormality detection device 14 detects an abnormality in the landing door, for example, when it detects that a moving body has stopped or fallen near the entrance / exit of the landing door based on an image of the vicinity of the entrance / exit captured by a camera installed at the landing.

[0019] Also, "abnormality of the landing door" may include a state where it is unknown whether a malfunction has occurred. The state where it is unknown whether a malfunction has occurred means, for example, in the case where a function for automatic recovery of the door is installed during a disaster, and although automatic recovery has been performed, a state where a detailed inspection by an inspector is required. In such a case, the door abnormality detection device 14 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the landing door until a detailed inspection by an inspector is completed and safety is confirmed.

[0020] When there is an abnormality in the landing door, the door abnormality detection device 14 transmits the information of the floor where the landing door is located and the information of the car (machine number) corresponding to the landing door to the group management control device 20. Note that the information transmitted from the door abnormality detection device 14 may be transmitted to the group management control device 20 via the elevator control devices 11a to 11c. Further, the method of detecting an abnormality in the landing door is not limited to the door abnormality detection device 14 installed on each floor, and any method may be used. For example, when an abnormality is detected by an inspector who regularly inspects the landing door, the information of the floor where the landing door is located and the information of the car (machine number) corresponding to the landing door may be sent from the terminal of the inspector or the like.

[0021] The group management control device 20 is a device for performing group management control over the operation of the cars of each machine number, and is configured by a computer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., similar to the elevator control devices 11a to 11c.

[0022] The group management control device 20 includes a call management unit 21, a storage unit 22, and an allocation control unit 23. Note that these processing units are actually realized by software or a combination of software and hardware.

[0023] The call management unit 21 manages the call information transmitted from the destination floor registration device 13 and the information of the car (allocated car) to which the call information is allocated. Note that, as described above, the call information includes information regarding the destination floor and the departure floor.

[0024] The storage unit 22 stores information regarding the landing door in which an abnormality has occurred. The information regarding the landing door in which an abnormality has occurred includes the information of the car (machine number) corresponding to the landing door and the information of the floor where the landing door is located. Hereinafter, the car corresponding to the landing door in which an abnormality has occurred is referred to as an "abnormal machine number", and the floor where the landing door is located is referred to as an "abnormal floor". Specifically, for example, when an abnormality occurs in the landing door of Machine C on the 3rd floor, the abnormal machine number corresponding to the landing door is "Machine C", and the abnormal floor where the landing door is located is the "3rd floor".

[0025] When new call information is registered (transmitted), the allocation control unit 23 assigns one of units A, B, or C to the call information through a predetermined allocation evaluation process. The allocation evaluation process is, for example, a process that selects the unit that can respond to the newly registered call information the fastest from among units A, B, and C, based on the call information already assigned to units A, B, and C, and the current positions of units A, B, and C.

[0026] Here, the allocation control unit 23 assigns a bus number other than the abnormal bus number corresponding to. Furthermore, if neither the destination floor nor the departure floor included in the call information is an abnormal bus number, the allocation control unit 23 assigns one of bus numbers A, B, or C to the call information. Hereinafter, the bus number assigned to the call information will also be referred to as the "assigned bus number".

[0027] The following describes a specific example of the processing performed by the allocation control unit 23 with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figures 2 and 3 show a case where there are four floors in total, and multiple elevators (Elevator A, Elevator B, and Elevator C) are controlled by the group control device 20.

[0028] In Figures 2 and 3, 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a, 1b, 2b, 3b, 4b, 1c, 2c, 3c, and 4c represent landing doors. Landing doors 1a, 2a, 3a, and 4a are the landing doors for elevator A. Landing doors 1b, 2b, 3b, and 4b are the landing doors for elevator B. Landing doors 1c, 2c, 3c, and 4c are the landing doors for elevator C. Additionally, landing doors 1a, 1b, and 1c are located on the first floor. Landing doors 2a, 2b, and 2c are located on the second floor. Landing doors 3a, 3b, and 3c are located on the third floor. Landing doors 4a, 4b, and 4c are located on the fourth floor. Furthermore, "Abnormal Landing Door" in the figures refers to a landing door where an abnormality occurred. A "normal landing door" is a landing door that is functioning normally and has not experienced any malfunctions.

[0029] First, let's explain what happens when an abnormality occurs in the landing door 3c of elevator C on the 3rd floor, as shown in Figure 2. In this case, the memory unit 22 stores information that "Elevator C" is the abnormal elevator corresponding to the landing door 3c, and "3rd floor" is the abnormal floor where the landing door 3c is located.

[0030] Here, let's assume that user U registers a call information that includes the 1st floor as the departure floor and the 3rd floor (the abnormal floor with boarding door 3c) as the destination floor. Since there is an abnormality at boarding door 3c of bus C on the 3rd floor, if the call information is assigned to bus C, the user will not be able to disembark at the destination floor (3rd floor). On the other hand, there is no abnormality at boarding door 3a of bus A and boarding door 3b of bus B on the 3rd floor. Therefore, the call information will be assigned to either bus A or bus B.

[0031] Let's consider a scenario where another user registers a call that includes the 3rd floor (the abnormal floor with boarding door 3c) as the departure floor and the 1st floor as the destination floor. Since there is an abnormality at boarding door 3c of bus C on the 3rd floor, if this call is assigned to bus C, the user will not be able to board from the departure floor (3rd floor). On the other hand, as mentioned above, there is no abnormality at boarding door 3a of bus A and boarding door 3b of bus B on the 3rd floor. Therefore, the call will be assigned to either bus A or bus B.

[0032] Let's consider a scenario where user U registers a call that includes the 1st floor as the departure floor and the 4th floor as the destination floor. No abnormalities occurred at boarding doors 1a for bus A, 1b for bus B, and 1c for bus C on the 1st floor. Similarly, no abnormalities occurred at boarding doors 4a for bus A, 4b for bus B, and 4c for bus C on the 4th floor. Therefore, the call information will be assigned to either bus A, bus B, or bus C.

[0033] Next, as shown in Figure 3, we will explain the case where, in addition to the landing door 3c of elevator C on the 3rd floor, an abnormality also occurs in the landing door 4b of elevator B on the 4th floor. In this case, the memory unit 22 stores "Elevator C" as the abnormal elevator corresponding to landing door 3c, and "3rd floor" as the abnormal floor where landing door 3c is located. It also stores "Elevator B" as the abnormal elevator corresponding to landing door 4b, and "4th floor" as the abnormal floor where landing door 4b is located.

[0034] Here, let's assume that user U registers a call information that includes the 1st floor as the departure floor and the 4th floor (the abnormal floor with boarding door 4b) as the destination floor. Since there is an abnormality at boarding door 4b of bus B on the 4th floor, if the call information is assigned to bus B, the user will not be able to disembark at the destination floor (4th floor). On the other hand, there is no abnormality at boarding door 4a of bus A and boarding door 4c of bus C on the 4th floor. Therefore, the call information will be assigned to either bus A or bus C.

[0035] Furthermore, consider the case where another user registers a call information that includes the 4th floor (the abnormal floor with boarding door 4b) as the departure floor and the 1st floor as the destination floor. Since an abnormality has occurred at boarding door 4b of bus B on the 4th floor, if this call information is assigned to bus B, the user will not be able to board from the departure floor (4th floor). On the other hand, as mentioned above, no abnormalities have occurred at boarding door 4a of bus A and boarding door 4c of bus C on the 4th floor. Therefore, the call information will be assigned to either bus A or bus C.

[0036] Furthermore, let's consider a scenario where user U registers a call information that includes the 1st floor as the departure floor and the 2nd floor as the destination floor. No abnormalities occurred at boarding doors 1a for elevator A, 1b for elevator B, and 1c for elevator C on the 1st floor. Also, no abnormalities occurred at boarding doors 2a for elevator A, 2b for elevator B, and 2c for elevator C on the 2nd floor. Therefore, the call information will be assigned to either elevator A, B, or C.

[0037] Let's consider a scenario where another user registers a call that includes the 3rd floor (an abnormal floor with boarding door 3c) as the departure floor and the 4th floor (an abnormal floor with boarding door 4b) as the destination floor. Since there is an abnormality at boarding door 3c of bus C on the 3rd floor, if this call is assigned to bus C, the user will not be able to board at the departure floor (3rd floor). Also, since there is an abnormality at boarding door 4b of bus B on the 4th floor, if this call is assigned to bus B, the user will not be able to disembark at the destination floor (4th floor). On the other hand, both boarding door 3a of bus A on the 3rd floor and boarding door 4a of bus A on the 4th floor are normal. Therefore, the call is assigned to bus A.

[0038] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the allocation process performed by the allocation control unit 23 of the group control device 20 according to this embodiment. Here, we will explain assuming that there are abnormalities in the landing door 4b of elevator B on the 4th floor and the landing door 3c of elevator C on the 3rd floor.

[0039] When new call information is registered, the allocation control unit 23 determines whether the departure floor included in the new call information is the same as the abnormal floor information (in this case, the 3rd or 4th floor) stored in the storage unit 22 (step S11). In other words, it determines whether the new call information is set to an abnormal floor as the departure floor. If the storage unit 22 has information on multiple abnormal floors, the allocation control unit 23 determines whether the departure floor included in the new call information is the same as any of the information on multiple abnormal floors.

[0040] If the departure floor included in the new call information is the same as the abnormal floor information stored in the memory unit 22 (YES in step S11), the allocation control unit 23 selects an allocation candidate other than the abnormal elevator unit corresponding to the landing door where the abnormality occurred on the departure floor (the abnormal elevator unit on the departure floor) (step S12). For example, if the departure floor of the new call is the 3rd floor, the allocation candidate will be an allocation candidate other than elevator unit C, which corresponds to landing door 3c (i.e., elevators A and B).

[0041] On the other hand, if the departure floor included in the call information differs from the abnormal floor information stored in the memory unit 22 (NO in step S11), the allocation control unit 23 selects all units (units A, B, and C) as allocation candidates (step S13). When an assignment candidate is selected in step S12 or step S13, the assignment control unit 23 determines whether the destination floor included in the new call information is the same as the abnormal floor information (in this case, the 3rd or 4th floor) stored in the storage unit 22 (step S14). In other words, it determines whether the new call information is a call information in which the destination floor is set to an abnormal floor. If the storage unit 22 has information on multiple abnormal floors, the assignment control unit 23 determines whether the destination floor included in the new call information is the same as any of the information on multiple abnormal floors.

[0042] If the destination floor included in the new call information is the same as the abnormal floor information stored in the memory unit 22 (YES in step S14), the allocation control unit 23 determines the allocation unit to be assigned to the new call information from among the units included in the allocation candidates, excluding the abnormal unit corresponding to the landing door where the abnormality occurred on the destination floor (the abnormal unit on the destination floor) (step S15). Specifically, for example, if all units were selected as allocation candidates in step S13, and the destination floor of the new call information is the 4th floor, the allocation control unit 23 determines the allocation unit to be one of units A, B, and C, excluding unit B which corresponds to landing door 4b (i.e., unit A or unit C). Furthermore, if in step S12 both Unit A and Unit B were selected as assignment candidates, and the destination floor for the new call is the 4th floor, the assignment control unit 23 determines Unit A, excluding Unit B which corresponds to the landing door 4b, as the assigned unit.

[0043] On the other hand, if the destination floor included in the new call information differs from the abnormal floor information stored in the memory unit 22 (NO in step S14), the allocation control unit 23 determines the allocation unit from all units included in the allocation candidates (step S16). For example, if all units were selected as allocation candidates in step S13, and the destination floor of the new call information is the 2nd floor, that is, if neither the departure floor nor the destination floor is an abnormal floor, the allocation control unit 23 determines one of all units (units A, B, and C) as the allocation unit. Also, for example, if units A and B were selected as allocation candidates in step S12, and the destination floor of the new call is the 2nd floor, the allocation control unit 23 determines either unit A or unit B as the allocation unit.

[0044] Generally, if a registered destination floor for a particular bus is an abnormal floor, one possible solution is to stop the bus at the nearest floor to the abnormal floor. However, this would require passengers to disembark and transfer to another bus.

[0045] In contrast, in this embodiment, when a call information indicates that the destination floor is an abnormal floor, a bus number other than the abnormal one corresponding to the landing door on that abnormal floor is assigned. As a result, passengers can move directly to the floor where the abnormal landing door is located without having to disembark at an intermediate floor.

[0046] Furthermore, in group control, one could consider a method where a bus unit experiencing a malfunction at the landing door is not assigned to new call information. However, if one of multiple bus units becomes unresponsive, operational efficiency will decrease significantly.

[0047] In contrast, in this embodiment, any of the available elevators, including the abnormal elevator, is assigned to call information where the destination floor and departure floor are not abnormal floors. In other words, even if an abnormal elevator experiences a door malfunction on any floor, it will still respond to call information where the destination floor and departure floor are not abnormal floors. This helps to minimize the decrease in operational efficiency.

[0048] (First variation) Next, a first modified example of this embodiment will be described. A malfunctioning elevator with a faulty landing door on any floor cannot respond to calls specifying that floor as the destination or departure floor. Therefore, the number of calls that can be assigned to a malfunctioning elevator is fewer than that of other elevators. This can lead to a concentration of calls on elevators other than the malfunctioning one, potentially resulting in an uneven distribution of calls. Furthermore, a concentration of calls on elevators other than the malfunctioning one can increase the waiting time for users who have registered calls specifying the faulty floor as their destination or departure floor.

[0049] Therefore, in the first modified example, the malfunctioning unit is given priority in call information where the floor on which the malfunctioning unit can respond is the destination floor or departure floor.

[0050] Specifically, the allocation control unit 23 prioritizes assigning an abnormal elevator to call information where the destination and departure floors are not abnormal floors. For example, when the allocation control unit 23 performs an allocation evaluation process to select the elevator that can respond fastest to newly registered call information, it makes it easier to assign the abnormal elevator compared to other elevators by calculating a shorter predicted arrival time for the abnormal elevator. For example, if an abnormality occurs on floor M of the total number of floors N with respect to the landing door of a certain abnormal elevator, the allocation control unit 23 multiplies the predicted arrival time of that abnormal elevator by (NM) / N.

[0051] Furthermore, the allocation control unit 23 prioritizes assigning to call information where the destination floor is an abnormal floor a unit where an abnormality has not occurred at the landing door of the abnormal floor set for that destination floor, but an abnormality has occurred at the landing door of another floor (a unit corresponding to a landing door where an abnormality has occurred on a floor other than the abnormal floor set for that destination floor). Hereinafter, a unit where an abnormality has not occurred at the landing door of the abnormal floor set for the destination floor, but an abnormality has occurred at the landing door of another floor will be referred to as "another abnormal unit".

[0052] For example, when the allocation control unit 23 performs an allocation evaluation process to select the elevator that can respond to newly registered call information the fastest, it shortens the predicted arrival time of other malfunctioning elevators to make it easier to assign those other malfunctioning elevators compared to others. More specifically, for example, if a malfunction occurs on floor M' of the total number of floors N with respect to the landing door of one of the malfunctioning elevators, the allocation control unit 23 shortens the predicted arrival time of that malfunctioning elevator by multiplying it by (NM') / N.

[0053] While this explanation describes the assignment of call information where the destination floor is an abnormal floor, similarly, when assigning call information where the departure floor is an abnormal floor, priority may be given to assigning it to a unit where an abnormality has occurred at a landing door on another floor, even though no abnormality has occurred at the landing door on the abnormal floor set for that departure floor (a unit corresponding to a landing door on a floor other than the abnormal floor set for that departure floor where an abnormality has occurred).

[0054] The following describes a specific example of the first modification, referring again to Figure 3. As mentioned above, Figure 3 shows that in addition to the landing door 3c of elevator C on the 3rd floor, an abnormality has also occurred in the landing door 4b of elevator B on the 4th floor.

[0055] Here, we assume that user U registers a call information that includes the 1st floor as the departure floor and the 2nd floor as the destination floor. In this case, the call information will be preferentially assigned to either elevator C, which has a problem with landing door 3c on the 3rd floor, or elevator B, which has a problem with landing door 4b on the 4th floor, rather than elevator A, which has no problems with the landing doors on any floor.

[0056] Furthermore, consider a scenario where user U registers call information that includes the 1st floor as the departure floor and the 3rd floor (the abnormal floor with landing door 3c) as the destination floor. In this case, the call information will be preferentially assigned to elevator B, which has an abnormality at landing door 4b on the 4th floor, rather than elevator A, which has no abnormalities at any of its landing doors.

[0057] Similarly, consider a scenario where user U registers a call information that includes the 1st floor as the departure floor and the 4th floor (the abnormal floor with landing door 4b) as the destination floor. In this case, the call information will be preferentially assigned to elevator C, which has an abnormality at landing door 3c on the 3rd floor, rather than elevator A, which has no abnormalities at any of its landing doors.

[0058] Similarly, if the departure floor is an abnormal floor, the system will prioritize responding to other malfunctioning elevators. Specifically, consider a scenario where a user registers a call that includes the 3rd floor (an abnormal floor with landing door 3c) as the departure floor and the 1st floor as the destination floor. In this case, the call will be preferentially assigned to elevator B, which has a malfunction at landing door 4b on the 4th floor, rather than elevator A, which has no malfunctions at any of its landing doors.

[0059] As described above, according to the first modification, by prioritizing the assignment of abnormal elevators with fewer available floors to new call information, it is possible to prevent call information from concentrating on elevators other than the abnormal ones. Furthermore, according to the first modification, it is possible to reduce the amount of call information assigned to elevators other than the abnormal ones (e.g., elevator A in the example in Figure 3) that are capable of responding to call information for all floors. This allows for relatively quick response from elevators other than the abnormal ones, especially when call information is registered for both the destination and departure floors being abnormal. As a result, the waiting time for users who have registered call information for both the destination and departure floors being abnormal can be reduced.

[0060] (Second variation) Next, I will explain the second modified example. The number of elevators that can respond to a call where the destination or departure floor is an abnormal floor is less than the number of landing doors where the abnormality is occurring on that floor. Furthermore, if multiple abnormal floors are stored, the number of elevators that can respond to a call where both the destination and departure floors are abnormal floors is less than the number of abnormal elevators. Therefore, users who register a call where at least one of the destination or departure floors is an abnormal floor may experience longer waiting times. Hereafter, a call where at least one of the destination or departure floors is an abnormal floor will also be referred to as "a call containing an abnormal floor."

[0061] Therefore, in the second modification, the unit assigned to the call information including the abnormal floor is directed to the departure floor as quickly as possible. Specifically, the assignment control unit 23 does not assign newly registered call information to the unit assigned to the call information including the abnormal floor until the unit assigned to the call information arrives at the departure floor, unless there are no other units that can be assigned to the call information.

[0062] The following describes a specific example of the processing of the allocation control unit 23 in the second modified example, with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5, like Figures 2 and 3, shows a case where multiple elevators (Elevator A, Elevator B, and Elevator C) are controlled by the group control device 20 in a building with four floors. 12a, 12b, and 12c in the figure are elevator cars. Here, it shows the case where elevator car 12a of elevator A is on the 1st floor, elevator car 12b of elevator B is on the 3rd floor, and elevator car 12c of elevator C is on the 1st floor. It also shows the case where an abnormality occurs in the landing door 4b of elevator B and the landing door 3c of elevator C, both located on the 4th floor.

[0063] Here, if user U registers call information that includes the 4th floor (the abnormal floor where the landing door 4b is located) as the departure floor and the 2nd floor as the destination floor, the allocation control unit 23 assigns a bus other than bus number B, which corresponds to landing door 4b, to the call information. In this case, the allocation control unit 23 assigns bus number A to the call information.

[0064] In this case, even if new call information is registered that includes the 2nd or 3rd floor as the departure floor, the allocation control unit 23 will assign the new call information to a bus other than bus A unless there is no other bus available to assign it to. As a result, bus A will go directly from its current location to the 4th floor (departure floor) where user U is waiting, unless the 2nd or 3rd floor is registered as the destination floor.

[0065] Although this explanation describes the case where an abnormal floor is set as the departure floor, the same applies when the destination floor is an abnormal floor. That is, for example, if another user registers call information that includes the 1st floor as the departure floor and the 3rd floor (an abnormal floor with landing door 3c) as the destination floor, the allocation control unit 23 will assign a unit other than unit C, which corresponds to landing door 3c, to the call information. Here, we assume that the allocation control unit 23 has assigned unit B to the call information.

[0066] In this case, even if new call information is registered that includes the 2nd floor as the departure floor, the allocation control unit 23 will assign the new call information to a bus other than bus B unless there is no other bus available to assign it to. As a result, bus B will go directly from its current location to the 1st floor (departure floor) where user U is waiting, unless the 2nd floor is registered as the destination floor.

[0067] Furthermore, the same applies when abnormal floors are set as the destination and departure floors. That is, for example, if another user registers call information that includes the 3rd floor (an abnormal floor with landing door 3c) as the departure floor and the 4th floor (an abnormal floor with landing door 4b) as the destination floor, the allocation control unit 23 assigns bus A to that call information. In this case, even if new call information that includes the 2nd floor as the departure floor is registered, the allocation control unit 23 assigns the new call information to a bus other than A unless there is no other bus that can be assigned to it. As a result, bus A will go directly from its current location to the 4th floor (departure floor) where user U is waiting, unless the 2nd floor is registered as the destination floor.

[0068] As described above, according to the second modification, the unit to which call information including an abnormal floor is assigned can arrive at the departure floor included in the call information sooner by not having it respond to new call information. This reduces the waiting time for users who have registered call information in which at least one of the destination floor or departure floor is an abnormal floor.

[0069] (Third variation) Next, a third modified example will be described. The group control device 20 according to the third modified example has a function to set up multiple zones (distributed standby zones) for distributing and keeping the elevator cars 12a to 12c of each unit on standby. Each distributed standby zone consists of at least one floor.

[0070] Distributed standby is a control system that, for example, keeps at least one elevator car in each zone on standby when no call information is registered.

[0071] For example, consider a five-story building where the first floor is designated as "Zone 1," the second and third floors as "Zone 2," and the fourth and fifth floors as "Zone 3." If elevator car A finishes its service on the second floor within Zone 2, and there are no other elevator cars waiting in Zone 2, it will wait there. If there are other elevator cars waiting in Zone 2, elevator car A will move to a location where no other elevator cars are waiting, such as the first floor within Zone 1, and wait there. By distributing the elevator cars in this way, it is possible to respond quickly to calls from each floor.

[0072] In the third modified example, in a group control device 20 having the distributed standby function described above, when the allocation control unit 23 has an elevator car on standby in a zone that includes an abnormal floor with an abnormal landing door, it has an elevator car other than the one corresponding to the landing door (the abnormal elevator car) on standby on the abnormal floor, and the elevator car corresponding to the landing door (the abnormal elevator car) on a floor other than the abnormal floor.

[0073] The following describes a specific example of the processing of the allocation control unit in the third modified example, with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 shows a case where multiple elevators (Elevator A, Elevator B, and Elevator C) are controlled by a group control device 20 in a five-story building. 12a, 12b, and 12c in the figure are elevator cars. Also, 5a, 5b, and 5c in the figure represent landing doors on the fifth floor. Landing door 5a is the landing door for Elevator A. Landing door 5b is the landing door for Elevator B. Landing door 5c is the landing door for Elevator C. The first floor is set as "Zone 1", the second and third floors as "Zone 2", and the fourth and fifth floors as "Zone 3". Zone 2 includes the floor where the landing door 3c of Elevator C, which is experiencing an abnormality, is located (abnormal floor). Note that the number of distributed waiting zones and the number of floors within each zone can be arbitrarily set considering the number of elevator cars, the number of floors in the building, traffic demand, etc., and are not limited to the example in Figure 6.

[0074] In the third variation, for example, if the zone available when Unit B has finished its operational service is Zone 2, the allocation control unit 23 will have Unit B wait on the 3rd floor (the abnormal floor where the landing door 3c is located) instead of the 2nd floor. Similarly, although not shown in the diagram, if the zone available when Unit A has finished its operational service is Zone 2, the allocation control unit 23 will have Unit A wait on the 3rd floor.

[0075] Furthermore, if the zone that is available when Unit C (the malfunctioning unit corresponding to landing door 3c) has finished its operational service is Zone 2, the allocation control unit 23 will have Unit C wait on the 2nd floor where Unit C can respond.

[0076] In this third modification, when a unit capable of responding to an abnormal floor is to be stationed in a zone containing the abnormal floor, it is given priority to be stationed on the abnormal floor. This allows the units that have been stationed in a distributed standby position to quickly respond to a call information that includes an abnormal floor as the starting floor.

[0077] Furthermore, the malfunctioning elevator corresponding to the malfunctioning landing door may not be placed on standby in the distributed standby zone that includes the malfunctioning floor where the landing door is located. Specifically, for example in the example in Figure 6, elevator C may not be placed on standby in Zone 2, which includes the malfunctioning floor where landing door 3c is located. That is, either elevator A or B may be placed on standby on the malfunctioning floor (the 3rd floor in the example in Figure 6), and elevator C may be placed on standby in Zone 1 or Zone 3. In this case, when the allocation control unit 23 places elevator C on standby after completing its operational service, if Zone 2 is the only available zone, it will move either elevator A or B to Zone 2, and then place elevator C on standby in Zone 1 or Zone 3, which became available as a result of that move. This allows the departure floor to respond to the call information for the malfunctioning floor faster than if elevator C were placed on standby on a floor other than the malfunctioning floor in Zone 2.

[0078] Furthermore, this embodiment may be applied in combination to all or part of the first, second, and third modifications described above.

[0079] According to at least one embodiment described above, it is possible to provide a group control device that can move users to the floor of a landing door even if an abnormality occurs in the landing door, while suppressing a decrease in operational efficiency.

[0080] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0081] 1a-1c, 2a-2c, 3a-3c, 4a-4c, 5a-5c... Landing doors, 11a-11c... Elevator control device, 13... Destination floor registration device, 13a... Mobile terminal, 13b... Landing destination floor registration device, 14... Door abnormality detection device, 20... Group control device, 21... Call management unit, 22... Memory unit, 23... Assignment control unit.

Claims

1. A group control device that controls multiple units, A call management means for managing call information, including destination floor and departure floor information, transmitted from a destination floor registration device, A storage means for storing information about the abnormal landing door corresponding to the abnormal landing door, and information about the abnormal floor on which the said landing door is located. Assignment control means that assigns a unit other than the abnormal unit corresponding to the landing door on the abnormal floor to a first call information in which the destination floor is the abnormal floor, and assigns one of the plurality of units to a second call information in which the destination floor and departure floor are not the abnormal floor. A group control device equipped with the following:

2. The allocation control means assigns the abnormal unit to the second call information with priority. The group control device according to claim 1.

3. The allocation control means prioritizes assigning to the first call information the unit corresponding to the landing door where the abnormality has occurred on a floor other than the abnormal floor. The group control device according to claim 1.

4. When the allocation control means determines which unit to assign to the second call information based on the predicted arrival time of each unit, it sets the predicted arrival time of the abnormal unit to be shorter than that of the other units. The group control device according to claim 2.

5. When the allocation control means determines which unit to assign to the first call information based on the predicted arrival time of each unit, it sets the predicted arrival time of the unit corresponding to the landing door where the abnormality is occurring on a floor other than the abnormal floor to be shorter than that of the other units. The group control device according to claim 3.

6. The aforementioned allocation control means is A unit assigned to a call information where at least one of the destination floor or departure floor is the aforementioned abnormal floor will not be assigned to a newly registered call information until the unit assigned to that call information arrives at the departure floor included in that call information. The group control device according to claim 1.

7. The aforementioned allocation control means is If no call information is registered, at least one of the aforementioned units will be kept on standby in each of the multiple zones, which include at least one floor level. If a machine other than the malfunctioning machine is to be kept on standby in the zone that includes the malfunctioning floor among the multiple zones, it will be kept on standby on the malfunctioning floor. The group control device according to claim 1.

8. The landing door where the aforementioned abnormality occurred includes at least one of the landing doors where a malfunction occurred and the landing door where a moving object is stopped at the entrance / exit. The group control device according to claim 1.

9. The landing doors in which the aforementioned abnormality occurred include landing doors in which it is unclear whether or not a malfunction occurred. The group control device according to claim 1.

Images