Destination floor registration system and control method

Abstract

To improve user convenience. [Solution] The destination floor registration system (100) includes a storage unit (421) that stores reservation information relating to a reservation for the use of a facility located in a building where an elevator (3) is installed, which includes floor information indicating the floor on which the reserved facility is located, and identification information for identifying the reservation; a reception unit (512) that receives input of identification information; an extraction unit (411) that extracts the reservation information including the identification information received by the reception unit from the storage unit; and a registration unit (513) that registers a destination floor call where the floor indicated by the floor information included in the extracted reservation information is the destination floor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a destination floor registration system for an elevator and a control method for the destination floor registration system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a destination floor registration system is known in which a user using an elevator registers a destination floor call and the elevator is operated based on the registered destination floor call (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] A user who uses a facility existing in a building of an elevator may not know the floor where the target facility exists. When the user does not know the floor where the target facility exists, the user needs to check the floor where the facility exists in order to specify the destination floor, and it takes time to input the destination floor. Thus, in the conventional destination floor registration system, the convenience of the user may be reduced.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention aims to improve the convenience of users in a destination floor registration system.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a destination floor registration system according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a storage unit that stores reservation information relating to a reservation for the use of a facility located in a building where an elevator is installed, the reservation information including floor information indicating the floor on which the reserved facility is located, and identification information for identifying the reservation; a reception unit that receives input of the identification information; an extraction unit that extracts the reservation information including the identification information received by the reception unit from the storage unit; and a registration unit that registers a destination floor call where the floor indicated by the floor information included in the extracted reservation information is the destination floor.

[0007] To solve the above problems, a control method according to one aspect of the present invention is a control method for controlling a destination floor registration system, comprising: a reception step of receiving input of identification information by an elevator user for identifying a reservation of a facility located in a building where the elevator is installed; an extraction step of extracting the user's reservation information from a storage unit that stores reservation information relating to a facility reservation, which includes floor information indicating the floor on which the reserved facility is located, and identification information for identifying the reservation, based on the identification information received in the reception step; and a registration step of registering a destination floor call with the floor indicated by the floor information included in the identified reservation information as the destination floor.

[0008] Each aspect of the present invention may be implemented by a computer, in which case a control program for the destination floor registration system that implements the destination floor registration system by operating the computer as each part (software element) of the destination floor registration system, and a computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded, also fall within the scope of the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, user convenience in a destination floor registration system can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the destination floor registration system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of a reservation information database. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the default screen. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of a reservation input screen. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the assignment results screen. [Figure 6] This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the processing flow performed by the destination floor registration system. [Figure 7] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the destination floor registration system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. [Figure 8] This figure shows another example of a reservation information database. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] [Embodiment 1] One embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the destination floor registration system 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the destination floor registration system 100 comprises a group control device 1, an elevator control device 2, an elevator 3, a reservation management device 4, and a destination floor registration device 5.

[0012] The destination floor registration system 100 is a system that assigns elevator unit 3 to users of elevator 3 when they request a destination floor and controls the operation of elevator 3 based on the assignment result. Furthermore, the destination floor registration system 100 according to the present invention registers the destination floor request based on the reservation of a user who has made a reservation to use a facility located in the building where elevator 3 is installed.

[0013] The facility is a facility existing in a building where the elevator 3 is installed and is a facility available for users. The facility may be, for example, but not limited to, facilities such as stores, hospitals, companies, and offices that occupy the building. Hereinafter, a case where the building is a commercial facility and the facility is a store that occupies the commercial facility, such as a restaurant, a retail store, and a gym, will be taken as an example for explanation.

[0014] In the destination floor registration system 100, when acquiring identification information for specifying a reservation to use the facility, the elevator number of the elevator 3 is assigned based on the identification information, and a destination floor call with the floor where the facility exists as the destination floor is registered. Therefore, when a user who has reserved the use of the facility registers a destination floor call for the elevator 3, the user can register the destination floor call simply by inputting the identification information.

[0015] <Group management control device 1> The group management control device 1 registers a destination floor call based on a call request for the destination floor call from the destination floor registration device 5. As shown in FIG. 1, the group management control device 1 includes a control unit 11 and a storage unit 12.

[0016] The storage unit 12 stores information indicating the allocation result by the allocation unit 111. In the storage unit 12, as information indicating the allocation result, information indicating the departure floor and the destination floor of the user, information indicating the allocated elevator number for the destination floor call of the user, and information indicating the number of people in the group for the destination floor call of the user are associated with each other. The number of people in the group indicates the number of people using the elevator 3 in the destination floor call of the user. When only the user who has registered the destination floor call uses the elevator 3 based on the destination floor call of the user, the number of people in the group in the destination floor call of the user is 1. When the user who has registered the destination floor call and four accompanying persons use the elevator 3 based on the destination floor call of the user, the number of people in the group in the destination floor call of the user is 5.

[0017] The control unit 11 includes an allocation unit 111. When the allocation unit 111 receives a call request including the identification information of the destination floor registration device 5 and information indicating the destination floor from the destination floor registration device 5, it specifies the floor where the destination floor registration device 5 is installed based on the identification information of the destination floor registration device 5. The allocation unit 111 specifies the specified floor as the departure floor of the user. The allocation unit 111 allocates the optimal elevator number 3 for the user's destination floor call based on the specified departure floor, the information included in the call request, the allocation result in the storage unit 12, and the operation status of the elevator 3.

[0018] For a group call, the allocation unit 111 allocates an elevator number having a car 31 capable of accommodating the number of people indicated by the reservation number information extracted by the extraction unit 411 of the reservation management device 4. A group call is a destination floor call where the number of people indicated by the reservation number information is two or more, that is, a destination floor call when the user uses the elevator 3 with companions.

[0019] The allocation unit 111 specifies the number of people indicated by the reservation number information as the group size. When the group size is two or more, the allocation unit 111 allocates an elevator number having a car 31 capable of accommodating the group size to the user's destination floor call. According to the above configuration, since an elevator number having a car 31 capable of accommodating the number of people indicated by the reservation number information is allocated for a group call, all members of the group can use the same car 31 with a high probability. If there is no elevator number having a car 31 capable of accommodating the group size, the allocation unit 111 may allocate a plurality of elevator numbers for the user's group call.

[0020] The allocation of elevators to group calls by the allocation unit 111 will be explained using the example of a case where each elevator car 31 has a capacity of 15 people and the group size is 5 people. In this case, the allocation unit 111 will allocate elevator cars 31 with a capacity of 10 people or less between the user's departure floor and destination floor to the user's group call. However, if the number of people in all elevator cars 31 exceeds 10 in at least a portion of the route between the user's departure floor and destination floor, there are no elevator cars 31 that can accommodate the group size. In this case, the allocation unit 111 will allocate multiple elevator cars to the user's group call.

[0021] The allocation unit 111 transmits information indicating the allocation result to the destination floor registration device 5, which is the source of the call request. The allocation unit 111 also transmits information regarding the registered destination floor call, specifically information indicating the user's departure floor and destination floor, to the elevator control device 2, which controls the elevator assigned to the destination floor call.

[0022] <Elevator control device 2 and elevator 3> The elevator control device 2 comprises a control unit 21 (elevator control unit) and a storage unit 22. The storage unit 22 stores a call registration DB (database) 221 containing information about destination floor calls received from the group control device 1. When the control unit 21 receives information about destination floor calls from the group control device 1, it registers this information in the call registration DB 221 of the storage unit 22 and controls the operation of the elevator 3 based on the information registered in the call registration DB 221. The control unit 21 of the elevator control device 2 also transmits information indicating the operating status of the elevator 3 to the group control device 1. The elevator 3 moves between floors and opens and closes its doors based on the control of the elevator control device 2. A building may have multiple elevator units 3 and multiple elevator control devices 2 that control each unit.

[0023] <Reservation Management Device 4> The reservation management device 4 is a device that manages reservation information made by users. The reservation management device 4 may be a server device such as a cloud server that is communicatively connected to the destination floor registration device 5. As shown in Figure 1, the reservation management device 4 comprises a control unit 41 and a storage unit 42.

[0024] The memory unit 42 stores the reservation information DB (database) 421. Figure 2 shows an example of the reservation information DB 421. The reservation information DB 421 is a database in which user reservation information is registered for each reservation.

[0025] Reservation information refers to information relating to a reservation for the use of a facility, and includes floor information indicating the floor on which the reserved facility is located, and identification information for identifying the reservation. Identification information is information for identifying a reservation. Identification information is information that can identify a reservation, such as a reservation number assigned to each reservation. In addition, reservation information may also be associated with reservation number information. Reservation number information is information indicating the number of people in the group using the facility corresponding to the user's reservation. The number of people in the group may include the user who made the reservation.

[0026] The control unit 41 includes an extraction unit 411. The extraction unit 411 extracts reservation information, including identification information received by the reception unit 512, from the storage unit 42. When the reception unit 512 of the destination floor registration device 5 receives identification information input from a user, the extraction unit 411 receives the identification information input by the user from the destination floor registration device 5. Upon receiving the identification information, the extraction unit 411 refers to the reservation information DB 421 and extracts reservation information, including the identification information received by the reception unit 512, i.e., the user's reservation information. The extraction unit 411 transmits the extracted user's reservation information to the destination floor registration device 5, which is the source of the identification information.

[0027] <Destination Floor Registration Device 5> The destination floor registration device 5 is a device used by users to register their destination floor. The destination floor registration device 5 may be installed at the landing of each floor. In addition, multiple destination floor registration devices 5 may be installed on a single floor. As shown in Figure 1, the destination floor registration device 5 comprises a control unit 51, an input unit 52, a display unit 53, and a reading unit 54.

[0028] The input unit 52 receives input operations from the user and outputs a signal to the control unit 11 indicating the content of the received input operation. The display unit 53 displays a predetermined screen based on the control of the display control unit 511 (described later). The input unit 52 and the display unit 53 may be an integrated device or separate devices. In the following example, the configuration in which the input unit 52 and the display unit 53 are an integrated device such as a touch panel will be used as an example. The reading unit 54 is a reader for reading identification information indicated by a QR code (registered trademark) or barcode, etc. The reading unit 54 outputs the read identification information to the control unit 51.

[0029] (Display control unit 511) The display control unit 511 controls the screen display on the display unit 53. When the reception unit 512 is not receiving input, the display control unit 511 displays a default screen on the display unit 53. Figure 3 shows an example of the default screen. The default screen is a screen for receiving a first input to specify the destination floor and a second input to transition screens. As shown in Figure 3, the default screen includes a numeric keypad (reference numeral 301) for receiving the first input and icons (reference numeral 302) indicating buttons for receiving the second input.

[0030] When the reception unit 512 receives a second input, the display control unit 511 obtains information from the reception unit 512 indicating the content of the received input. Upon receiving this information, the display control unit 511 transitions the screen to be displayed on the display unit 53 based on the received information. For example, if the reception unit 512 receives a second input to instruct the display of the reservation input screen, the display control unit 511 obtains information indicating that the second input has been received. The second input to instruct the display of the reservation input screen is, for example, the input to select the icon labeled "reservation" on the default screen shown in Figure 3. Upon obtaining this information from the reception unit 512, the display control unit 511 displays the reservation input screen on the display unit 53.

[0031] The reservation input screen is a screen for receiving a third input, which is used to input identification information to identify the reservation information. Figure 4 shows an example of the reservation input screen. If the identification information is a number, the reservation input screen includes a numeric keypad (code 401) for entering the reservation number as the identification information, as shown in Figure 4. If the identification information includes characters, the reservation input screen may also include character keys for entering characters. Furthermore, if the reception unit 512 can accept input of identification information based on a QR code (registered trademark), the reservation input screen may include a message prompting the user to hold the QR code (registered trademark) over the reader unit 54. Also, as shown in Figure 4, the reservation input screen may include a delete key for deleting entered numbers or characters, and an enter key for confirming the entered content.

[0032] In the group control device 1, when elevator unit 3 is assigned to a user's destination floor call, the display control unit 511 receives information indicating the assignment result from the group control device 1. Upon receiving this information, the display control unit 511 displays the assignment result screen on the display unit 53. The assignment result screen is a screen that includes information indicating the assignment result. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of the assignment result screen. As shown in Figure 5, the assignment result screen includes information indicating the assigned elevator unit for the user's destination floor call and the user's destination floor.

[0033] (Reception Desk 512) The reception unit 512 accepts input from the user. When the display unit 53 is displaying the default screen, it can accept either the first or second input. The first input is for specifying the destination floor. When the reception unit 512 receives the first input, it outputs information indicating the entered destination floor to the registration unit 513.

[0034] The second input is an input for transitioning the screen displayed on the display unit 53. Specifically, the second input may be an input for selecting one of the icons shown by reference numeral 302 in Figure 3. When the reception unit 512 receives the second input, it outputs information indicating the content of the received second input to the display control unit 511. For example, if the input for the second input is to select the icon labeled "reservation" on the default screen shown in Figure 3, the reception unit 512 outputs information indicating that the said icon has been selected to the display control unit 511. As a result, the reservation input screen is displayed on the display unit 53 under the control of the display control unit 511.

[0035] Note that the second input is not limited to selecting an icon. For example, the second input may be a swipe operation on the screen of the display unit 53. The reception unit 512 may output information indicating the direction of the swipe operation to the display control unit 511, and the display control unit 511 may display a screen corresponding to the direction of the swipe. For example, when the default screen shown in Figure 3 is displayed, if the reception unit 512 receives a swipe operation from right to left, the display control unit 511 may transition the screen displayed on the display unit 53 from the default screen to the reservation input screen shown in Figure 4.

[0036] Furthermore, the reception unit 512 can accept a third input. The third input is the input of identification information to identify the reservation. The reception unit 512 can accept either the second or third input when the display unit 53 is displaying the reservation input screen. The user can make the third input by performing an operation to input identification information to the input unit 52, or by having the reading unit 54 read the identification information.

[0037] If a numeric keypad is displayed as the reservation input screen, the reception unit 512 can receive a third input via the input unit 52. Also, if a QR code (registered trademark) reading screen is displayed as the reservation input screen, the reception unit 512 can receive a third input via the reading unit 54. When the reception unit 512 receives a third input, it transmits the identification information entered in that third input to the reservation management device 4. As a result, the reservation management device 4 extracts the user's reservation information.

[0038] Furthermore, if the user selects an icon labeled "QR" on the default screen shown in Figure 3 as a second input, the reception unit 512 may output information to the display control unit 511 indicating that the icon has been selected. In this case, the display control unit 511 may display a screen for reading QR codes (registered trademark) as the reservation input screen. While the reception unit 512 is displaying the screen, it may be able to acquire the identification information contained in the QR code (registered trademark) read by the reading unit 54.

[0039] Furthermore, while the reservation input screen is displayed on the display unit 53, the reception unit 512 may be able to accept not only the third input but also the second input, and the display control unit 511 may display a screen based on the content of the second input received by the reception unit 512.

[0040] (Registration Section 513) When the reception unit 512 receives the first input, the registration unit 513 obtains information indicating the destination floor from the reception unit 512. Upon obtaining this information, the registration unit 513 registers the destination floor call. Specifically, the registration unit 513 generates a call request that includes the identification information of the destination floor registration device 5 and the information indicating the destination floor, and transmits the generated call request to the group control device 1. As a result, the group control device 1 assigns a unit number to the user's destination floor call.

[0041] Furthermore, the registration unit 513 registers a destination floor call where the destination floor is the floor indicated by the floor information included in the reservation information extracted by the extraction unit 411 of the reservation management device 4. When the reception unit 512 receives the third input, the reservation management device 4 extracts the reservation information corresponding to the identification information and transmits the reservation information to the destination floor registration device 5. The reservation information includes floor information indicating the floor on which the facility reserved by the user is located, and reservation number information indicating the number of people using the facility.

[0042] When the registration unit 513 receives the extracted reservation information from the reservation management device 4, it identifies the floor indicated by the floor information included in the reservation information as the user's destination floor. The registration unit 513 generates a call request that includes the identification information of the destination floor registration device 5 and the information indicating the identified destination floor, and transmits the generated call request to the group control device 1. As a result, the group control device 1 assigns a machine number to the user's destination floor call.

[0043] According to the above configuration, when a user who has reserved a facility registers a destination floor for elevator 3, entering identification information will register a destination floor call to the floor where the reserved facility is located. As a result, even if the user does not know which floor the facility they intend to use is on, they can go to the floor where the facility is located simply by entering identification information, thus improving the convenience of elevator 3.

[0044] Furthermore, the registration unit 513 can register group calls, which are destination floor calls that specify the number of people. The registration unit 513 further associates the call request transmitted to the group management control device 1 with the reservation number information included in the user's reservation information. As a result, the group management control device 1 assigns a machine based on the reservation number information. Specifically, at least one machine capable of accommodating the number of people indicated by the reservation number information included in the reservation information extracted by the extraction unit 411 is assigned to the user's destination floor call.

[0045] According to the above configuration, if a user's reservation is for a group of people to use the facility, one user can enter their identification information to register the destination floor requests for the entire group. This improves convenience because when a group of people use elevator 3, each person does not need to register their destination floor request.

[0046] <An example of the processing flow performed by the destination floor registration system 100> Figure 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing flow performed by the destination floor registration system 100. The processing flow performed by the destination floor registration system 100 will be explained below using Figure 6.

[0047] First, when the reception unit 512 is not accepting input, the display control unit 511 of the destination floor registration device 5 displays the default screen on the display unit 53 (S1). While the display unit 53 is displaying the default screen, the reception unit 512 can accept either the first or second input.

[0048] If the reception unit 512 has not received the first input (NO in S2) but has received the second input (YES in S3), the reception unit 512 outputs information indicating the content of the received second input to the display control unit 511. For example, if the input is to select an icon labeled "reservation" on the default screen shown in Figure 3 as the second input, the reception unit 512 outputs information indicating that the said icon has been selected to the display control unit 511.

[0049] When the display control unit 511 receives the information, it transitions the screen to be displayed on the display unit 53 based on the received information. For example, if the reception unit 512 receives a second input to instruct the display of the reservation input screen, the display control unit 511 displays the reservation input screen on the display unit 53 (S4).

[0050] While the display unit 53 is displaying the reservation input screen, the reception unit 512 waits for the input of the third input. When the reception unit 512 receives the input of identification information (third input) from an elevator user to identify a reservation for a facility located in the building where the elevator is installed (YES in S5: reception step), it transmits the identification information entered in the third input to the reservation management device 4.

[0051] When the extraction unit 411 of the reservation management device 4 receives the identification information received by the reception unit 512 (YES in S11), it extracts the user's reservation information from the reservation information DB 421 of the storage unit 42 based on the identification information received in the reception step (S12: extraction step). The extraction unit 411 transmits the extracted user's reservation information to the destination floor registration device 5, which is the source of the identification information. When the registration unit 513 of the destination floor registration device 5 receives the extracted reservation information (YES in S6), it identifies the floor indicated by the floor information included in the reservation information as the user's destination floor.

[0052] In S2, if the reception unit 512 receives the first input (YES in S2: reception step), the reception unit 512 outputs information indicating the destination floor to the registration unit 513. The registration unit 513 then identifies the user's destination floor.

[0053] If the answer is YES in S2 or YES in S6, the registration unit 513 identifies the user's destination floor. Then, based on the identified destination floor, the registration unit 513 registers a destination floor call (S7: registration step). Specifically, the registration unit 513 generates a call request that includes the identification information of the destination floor registration device 5 and information indicating the destination floor, and transmits the generated call request to the group control device 1. If the reservation information includes reservation number information, the registration unit 513 also includes the reservation number information in the call request before transmitting it.

[0054] When the allocation unit 111 of the group control device 1 receives a call request (YES in S21), it assigns an elevator unit to the user's destination floor call (S22). When the allocation unit 111 receives a call request from the destination floor registration device 5, it identifies the floor where the destination floor registration device 5 is installed based on the identification information of the destination floor registration device 5 included in the call request, and identifies the identified floor as the user's departure floor. Based on the identified departure floor, the information included in the call request, the allocation results stored in the storage unit 12, and the operating status of the elevator 3, the allocation unit 111 assigns the optimal elevator unit 3 to the user's destination floor call.

[0055] If the request includes reservation number information, the allocation unit 111 identifies the number of people indicated in the reservation number information as the group size. If the group size is two or more people, the allocation unit 111 registers the group request. The allocation unit 111 assigns a carriage 31 capable of accommodating the group size to the user's destination floor request.

[0056] The allocation unit 111 transmits information indicating the allocation result to the destination floor registration device 5, which is the source of the call request. The allocation unit 111 also transmits information indicating the departure floor and destination floor based on the registered destination floor call to the elevator control device 2, which controls the elevator assigned to the destination floor call. The elevator control device 2 controls the operation of the elevator 3 based on the information received from the group control device 1.

[0057] In the group control device 1, when elevator unit 3 is assigned to a user's destination floor call, the display control unit 511 receives information indicating the assignment result from the group control device 1. When the display control unit 511 receives information indicating the assignment result (YES in S8), it displays the assignment result screen on the display unit 53 (S9). This allows the user to understand the assignment result for their destination floor call.

[0058] [Embodiment 2] Other embodiments of the present invention are described below. For the sake of clarity, components having the same function as those described in the above embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will not be repeated.

[0059] Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the destination floor registration system 100A according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. As shown in Figure 7, the destination floor registration system 100A comprises a group control device 1A, an elevator control device 2A, an elevator 3, a reservation management device 4A, and a destination floor registration device 5A.

[0060] The group control device 1A differs from the group control device 1 in that it includes a control unit 11A which includes an allocation unit 111A. The elevator control device 2A differs from the elevator control device 2 in that it includes a control unit 21A (elevator control unit) and a storage unit 22A which stores the call registration DB 221A. The reservation management device 4A differs from the reservation management device 4 in that it includes a storage unit 42A which stores the reservation information DB 421A. The destination floor registration device 5A differs from the destination floor registration device 5 in that it includes a control unit 51A which includes a registration unit 513A instead of a registration unit 513.

[0061] Figure 8 shows an example of the reservation information DB 421A. As shown in Figure 8, the reservation information DB 421A stored in the storage unit 42A of the reservation management device 4A includes reservation identification information and floor information, as well as information indicating the scheduled start time when the facility will be used. The extraction unit 411 extracts reservation information including the information indicating the scheduled start time based on the identification information and transmits it to the destination floor registration device 5A.

[0062] The registration unit 513A of the destination floor registration device 5A generates a call request and transmits it to the group control device 1A. Here, the call request includes information indicating the destination floor identified based on the identification information and floor information of the destination floor registration device 5, as well as information indicating the scheduled start time of use.

[0063] The allocation unit 111A of the group control device 1A makes an allocation based on the received call request and transmits information about the registered destination floor call to the elevator control device 2 which controls the elevator assigned to the destination floor call. If the call request includes information including the planned start time of use, the allocation unit 111 transmits information indicating the departure floor and destination floor based on the registered destination floor call, as well as information indicating the planned start time of use.

[0064] The control unit 21A of the elevator control device 2A controls the operation of the elevator car 31 based on the information indicating the scheduled start time of use included in the reservation information extracted by the extraction unit 411. If the information regarding the destination floor call received from the group control device 1A includes information indicating the scheduled start time of use, the control unit 21A controls the operation of the elevator 3 based on that information.

[0065] If there is insufficient time before the scheduled start time corresponding to a user's reservation, the control unit 21A prioritizes responding to destination floor calls based on that user's reservation. For example, the control unit 21A determines whether the time from when the reception unit 512 receives the input of identification information until the scheduled start time included in the reservation information extracted by the extraction unit 411 is less than or equal to a predetermined time. If it is less than or equal to the predetermined time, the control unit 21A controls the operation of the elevator 3 to prioritize responding to destination floor calls based on reservation information over other registered destination floor calls.

[0066] The predetermined time can be set to the estimated time it takes for a user to depart from the departure floor and arrive at the facility using elevator 3, for example, it may be 5 minutes. In this case, if the time from when the reception unit 512 receives the input of identification information until the scheduled start time of use included in the reservation information extracted by the extraction unit 411 is 5 minutes or less, the control unit 21A will prioritize the response of elevator 3 to the destination floor call based on the reservation information.

[0067] Prioritizing elevator 3 in response means, for example, not stopping car 31 at the departure floor for other destination floor calls until car 31 arrives at the destination floor for the destination floor call based on the reservation information. Also, if a landing call button is installed at the landing, prioritizing elevator 3 in response means not allowing car 31 to respond to a landing call made by operating that button.

[0068] The time it takes for a user to depart from the departure floor and arrive at the facility using elevator 3 varies from floor to floor and from facility to facility. Therefore, the designated time may vary from floor to floor or from facility to facility. For example, if the facility to be booked is on the 3rd floor, the designated time may be 5 minutes, and if the facility to be booked is on the 20th floor, the designated time may be 8 minutes.

[0069] Furthermore, the control unit 21A may predict the estimated time of arrival at the destination floor of a user who has reserved the use of the facility, when performing control based on so-called selective collective operation. If the estimated time is later than the user's scheduled start time, the control unit 21A may perform control to prioritize responding to the user's call for the destination floor.

[0070] According to the above configuration, if the time between the input of identification information and the time when the user begins using the facility is short, the system is controlled to prioritize responding to the user's request for their destination floor. This reduces the possibility that the user may not arrive on time for their reservation. Thus, according to the above configuration, the elevator 3 is controlled taking the reservation time into consideration, improving convenience.

[0071] Furthermore, if there is sufficient time before the scheduled start time corresponding to the user's reservation, the control unit 21A may perform control to postpone the destination floor call based on the user's reservation. For example, the control unit 21A may determine whether the time from when the reception unit 512 receives the input of identification information until the scheduled start time included in the reservation information exceeds a second predetermined time set in advance. If it exceeds this time, the control unit 21A may perform control to postpone the destination floor call based on the reservation information until after other registered destination floor calls. For example, if the time from when the reception unit 512 receives the input of identification information until the scheduled start time corresponding to the user's reservation exceeds 20 minutes, the control unit 21A may postpone responding to the user's destination floor call. Postponing means, for example, moving the elevator car 31 to the user's departure floor after it has been made to respond to other registered destination floor calls.

[0072] [Variation] <Example 1> In the embodiments described above, a configuration in which the group control device 1 assigns elevator unit 3 based on a call request was given as an example, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the destination floor registration system 100 may not include the group control device 1, and the destination floor registration device 5 may directly transmit a call request to the elevator control device 2. The elevator control device 2 may register the user's destination floor call based on the received call request and control the operation of the elevator 3 based on the registered destination floor call.

[0073] <Modification 2> In the embodiments described above, the example given was that the identification information for identifying the reservation information is a reservation number, but the invention is not limited to this. The identification information can be any information that can identify the reservation information and that the user can input into the destination floor registration device 5. Furthermore, the identification information is not limited to numbers and may include letters such as the alphabet, hiragana, or katakana, or symbols. For example, the identification information may be the user's telephone number or the user's name. When the identification information includes characters, the reservation input screen includes character keys for inputting characters. In the display unit 53, the numeric keypad for inputting numbers and the character keys for inputting characters may be displayed on the same screen, or the display state of the numeric keypad and the display state of the character keys may be switched by a predetermined operation.

[0074] <Variation 3> In the embodiments described above, a configuration in which reservation information is uniquely identified based on identification information was given as an example, but the invention is not limited to this. The reservation management device 4 may not uniquely identify the user's reservation information, but may only identify whether or not a reservation has been registered for the store corresponding to the identification information. In this case, the reservation information DB 421 may associate the identification information of the store where the reservation is registered with floor information indicating the floor on which the store is located, for each store where a reservation is registered.

[0075] When the reception unit 512 receives the third input, the extraction unit 411 refers to the reservation information DB 421 and identifies the store reservation corresponding to the identification information entered by the third input. If the store reservation is registered in the reservation information DB 421, the extraction unit 411 extracts the floor information of the store and transmits it to the destination floor registration device 5. As a result, the destination floor registration device 5 can register a destination floor call with the floor on which the store is located as the destination floor.

[0076] <Modification 4> In the embodiments described above, the destination floor registration system 100 is provided with a reservation management device 4 that manages reservation information, and the destination floor registration device 5 queries the reservation management device 4 for reservation information. However, the system is not limited to this configuration. For example, the destination floor registration system 100 may not have a reservation management device 4, and the destination floor registration device 5 may store the reservation information DB 421. In this case, the destination floor registration device 5 is provided with an extraction unit 411 that extracts the user's reservation information based on the identification information received by the reception unit 512 and outputs the extracted reservation information to the registration unit 513.

[0077] <Modification 5> Alternatively, the destination floor registration system 100 may be configured to query the reservation management device 4 for reservation information from the group control device 1. In this case, the group control device 1 and the reservation management device 4 are connected in a communicative manner. When the reception unit 512 receives the third input, the registration unit 513 of the destination floor registration device 5 transmits the identification information of the destination floor registration device 5 and the identification information received by the reception unit 512 to the group control device 1 as a call request. The allocation unit 111 of the group control device 1 transmits the identification information received by the reception unit 512 to the reservation management device 4. The allocation unit 111 receives the reservation information extracted by the extraction unit 411 and may assign elevator number 3 to the user's destination floor call based on the user's departure floor based on the identification information of the destination floor registration device 5 and the user's destination floor based on the reservation information.

[0078] <Variation 6> Alternatively, the destination floor registration system 100 may not include a reservation management device 4, and the group control device 1 may store the reservation information DB 421. In this case, the group control device 1 includes an extraction unit 411. When the reception unit 512 receives a third input, the extraction unit 411 of the destination floor registration device 5 extracts the user's reservation information based on the identification information received by the reception unit 512 and outputs the extracted reservation information to the assignment unit 111. When the assignment unit 111 obtains the reservation information extracted by the extraction unit 411, it may assign an elevator 3 to the user's destination floor call based on the user's departure floor based on the identification information of the destination floor registration device 5 and the user's destination floor based on the reservation information.

[0079] [Examples of implementation using software] The functions of the destination floor registration systems 100 and 100A (hereinafter referred to as "the system") are programs that cause a computer to function as the system, and can be realized by programs that cause a computer to function as each control block of the system (particularly each part included in the control units 11, 11A, 21, 21A, 41, 51, and 51A).

[0080] In this case, the system includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., memory) as hardware for executing the program. By executing the program using this control device and storage device, the functions described in each of the embodiments are realized.

[0081] The above program may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media, not temporary ones. These recording media may or may not be provided by the system. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the system via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0082] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of each of the above control blocks can also be realized by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which logic circuits functioning as each of the above control blocks are formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, it is also possible to realize the functions of each of the above control blocks by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0083] Furthermore, each process described in the above embodiments may be performed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI ​​may operate on the control device described above, or it may operate on other devices (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[0084] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0085] 〔summary〕 A destination floor registration system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention comprises: a storage unit for storing reservation information relating to a reservation for the use of a facility located in a building equipped with an elevator, the reservation information including floor information indicating the floor on which the reserved facility is located, and identification information for identifying the reservation; a reception unit for receiving input of the identification information; an extraction unit for extracting the reservation information including the identification information received by the reception unit from the storage unit; and a registration unit for registering a destination floor call where the floor indicated by the floor information included in the extracted reservation information is the destination floor.

[0086] In the destination floor registration system according to aspect 2 of the present invention, in aspect 1 above, the registration unit is capable of registering a group call which is a destination floor call with the specification of a number of people, the reservation information includes reservation number information indicating the number of people using the facility, and if the number of people indicated by the reservation number information included in the reservation information extracted by the extraction unit is a number of people, the registration unit may register the group call based on the number of people indicated by the reservation number information.

[0087] The destination floor registration system according to embodiment 3 of the present invention may further include, in embodiment 2 above, an allocation unit that assigns to a group call an elevator unit having a car capable of accommodating the number of people indicated in the reservation number information included in the reservation information extracted by the extraction unit.

[0088] The destination floor registration system according to embodiment 4 of the present invention, in any of embodiments 1 to 3 above, further comprises an elevator control unit that controls the operation of the elevator car based on the information indicating the scheduled start time of use included in the reservation information extracted by the extraction unit, wherein the reservation information includes information indicating the scheduled start time of use when the facility is to be used.

[0089] In the destination floor registration system according to aspect 5 of the present invention, in aspect 4 above, the elevator control unit may control the operation of the elevator so as to respond to the destination floor call based on the reservation information with priority over other registered destination floor calls if the time from when the reception unit receives the input of the identification information until the scheduled start time of use included in the reservation information extracted by the extraction unit is less than or equal to a predetermined time.

[0090] A control method according to aspect 5 of the present invention is a control method for controlling a destination floor registration system, comprising: a reception step of receiving input of identification information by an elevator user for identifying a reservation of a facility located in a building where the elevator is installed; an extraction step of extracting the user's reservation information from a storage unit that stores reservation information relating to a facility reservation, which includes floor information indicating the floor on which the reserved facility is located, and identification information for identifying the reservation, based on the identification information received in the reception step; and a registration step of registering a destination floor call with the floor indicated by the floor information included in the identified reservation information as the destination floor. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 100, 100A Destination Floor Registration System 111, 111A Assignment Department 21, 21A Control Unit (Elevator Control Unit) 3 Elevator 31 baskets 42, 42A storage section 411 Extraction part 512 Reception Department 513, 513A Registration Section S5 Reception Step S7 Registration Steps S12 Extraction Step

Claims

1. A storage unit that stores reservation information relating to a reservation for the use of a facility located in a building equipped with an elevator, the reservation information including floor information indicating the floor on which the reserved facility is located, and identification information for identifying the reservation. A reception unit that receives the aforementioned identification information input, An extraction unit extracts the reservation information, including the identification information, received by the reception unit from the storage unit, The system includes a registration unit that registers a destination floor call where the floor indicated by the floor information included in the extracted reservation information is the destination floor, Destination floor registration system.

2. The registration unit is capable of registering group calls, which are destination floor calls that include the specification of multiple people. The aforementioned reservation information includes reservation number information indicating the number of people using the facility, If the number of people indicated by the reservation number information included in the reservation information extracted by the extraction unit is multiple people, the registration unit registers the group call based on the number of people indicated by the reservation number information. The destination floor registration system according to claim 1.

3. The elevator comprises multiple elevator units, The system further includes an allocation unit that assigns, to the group call, the machine having a cage capable of accommodating the number of people indicated in the reservation number information included in the reservation information extracted by the extraction unit, The destination floor registration system according to claim 2.

4. The aforementioned reservation information includes information indicating the scheduled start time when the facility will be used, The destination floor registration system according to claim 1, further comprising an elevator control unit that controls the operation of the elevator car based on information indicating the scheduled start time of use included in the reservation information extracted by the extraction unit.

5. The elevator control unit controls the operation of the elevator so as to respond to the destination floor call based on the reservation information with priority over other registered destination floor calls if the time from when the reception unit receives the input of the identification information until the scheduled start time of use included in the reservation information extracted by the extraction unit is less than or equal to a predetermined time. The destination floor registration system according to claim 4.

6. A control method for controlling a destination floor registration system, A reception step that accepts input of identification information from elevator users to identify reservations for facilities located in the building where the elevator is installed, An extraction step is performed from a storage unit that stores reservation information relating to a facility reservation, which includes floor information indicating the floor on which the reserved facility is located, and identification information for identifying the reservation, based on the identification information received in the reception step, The registration step includes registering a destination floor call for which the floor indicated by the floor information included in the identified reservation information is the destination floor, Control method.

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