Elevator control device, elevator control method and program

Abstract

To improve the efficiency of elevator operations. [Solution] An elevator control device in an embodiment comprises a plurality of display units each displaying a destination floor of a car moving in a hoistway, a plurality of sensor units respectively corresponding to the plurality of display units and non-contact detecting operations performed by a user on a specific display unit, a wheelchair operation panel provided inside the car and arranged in a plurality of stages in which the plurality of display units and the plurality of sensor units are arranged at least horizontally, and a control unit which, when an operation is detected approximately simultaneously by a plurality of sensor units on a step in one row of the plurality of steps, invalidates the operation detected by the plurality of sensor units, and, when an operation is detected by a single sensor unit on a step in the one row or when an operation is detected by a single sensor unit on a step in a row other than the one row, outputs information regarding call registration based on the operation.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an elevator control device, an elevator control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a known technology for making contactless calls to destination floors in elevator cars. For example, there is a method in which multiple sensors that detect the user's fingers without contact are installed on the control panel in the elevator car, and the sensor units are used to make destination floor calls. In particular, to avoid coronavirus infection, this method of making calls by contactless detection is becoming widespread.

[0003] In addition to the main operation panel that is primarily used by passengers, a wheelchair operation panel is often provided inside the car at a lower position than the main operation panel to be operated by passengers in wheelchairs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7226907 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7400060 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, such conventional techniques have the following problems. Since the wheelchair operation panel is installed at a lower position than the main operation panel and multiple sensor units are arranged in multiple stages at least horizontally, the user may unintentionally lean against the wheelchair operation panel or baggage may approach the wheelchair operation panel. In such a situation, the sensor unit may detect the user's body or baggage, which may result in a false detection or overdetection, resulting in the wrong destination floor being called and registered.

[0006] As described above, in the conventional technology, there is a possibility that a floor not intended by the user may be registered due to erroneous detection or false detection by the sensor unit, resulting in a decrease in elevator operation efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An elevator control device in one embodiment comprises a plurality of display units each displaying a destination floor of a car moving in a hoistway, a plurality of sensor units respectively corresponding to the plurality of display units and non-contact detecting operations performed by a user on a specific display unit, a wheelchair operation panel provided inside the car and arranged in a plurality of stages in which the plurality of display units and the plurality of sensor units are arranged at least horizontally, and a control unit which, when an operation is detected approximately simultaneously by a plurality of sensor units on a stage in one row of the plurality of stages, invalidates the operation detected by the plurality of sensor units, and, when an operation is detected by a single sensor unit on a stage in the one row or when an operation is detected by a single sensor unit on a stage in a row other than the one row, outputs information regarding call registration based on the operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the inside of a passenger car according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the elevator control system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the wheelchair operation panel according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a sensor unit and a push button according to the embodiment as viewed from the side and a detection range of the sensor unit. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of an elevator control process according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of detection and valid / invalid state by the sensor units arranged in three stages in the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of detection and valid / invalid state by the sensor units arranged in three stages in the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of detection and valid / invalid state by the sensor units arranged in two stages in the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the wheelchair operation panel during calibration in the modified example. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the wheelchair operation panel during calibration in the modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, the components in the following embodiments include those that a person skilled in the art can easily imagine or are substantially the same.

[0010] (Embodiment) (Interior structure of the car) Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the inside of a car according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, a door 1401 for opening and closing the boarding / alighting entrance is provided on the front side of the car 1 according to this embodiment. A main operation panel 1318 is provided on the wall surface next to the door 1401. This main operation panel 1318 is mainly used by users to perform operations such as specifying a destination floor. An intercom (not shown) is also provided on the operation panel 318.

[0011] A mirror 340 is provided on a wall surface facing the door 1401 inside the car 1. A user inside the car 1 can see his or her own reflection in the mirror 340.

[0012] Further, a wheelchair operation panel 318 and a handrail 341 are provided in approximately the center of the side wall surface inside the car 1. The wheelchair operation panel 318 is provided at a lower height than the main operation panel 1318 so that a user in a wheelchair can mainly operate the destination floor and the like. The handrail 341 is provided below the wheelchair operation panel 318. In addition, a power failure light 6 that illuminates the inside of the car 1 in the event of a power failure is provided on the ceiling of the car 1.

[0013] Here, the height position of the wheelchair operation panel 318, which is lower than the main operation panel 1318, may be a height at which it partially overlaps with the main operation panel 1318. For example, the positions of push buttons 312, 315 and sensor units 311, 319 described below on the wheelchair operation panel 318B may be lower than the height positions of at least a part of the push buttons and sensor units of the main operation panel 1318.

[0014] (Example of elevator control system configuration) Next, an elevator control system 100 including the destination floor call device 30 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0015] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an elevator control system 100 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the elevator control system 100 includes a control panel 10 and a destination floor call device 30. An elevator controlled by the elevator control system 100 includes a car 1, a drive device 2, a counterweight 3, a rope 4, etc.

[0016] The car 1 ascends and descends in a hoistway (not shown) to transport passengers who board the car 1 at landings provided on each floor to other floors. The car 1 and counterweight 3 are connected by a rope 4. The rope 4 is stretched across a drive device 2. The drive device 2 is, for example, a hoist, and is driven to cause the car 1 to travel up and down in the hoistway.

[0017] The control panel 10 includes a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, and a storage unit 13, and controls the entire elevator. The control panel 10 is connected to the drive unit 2 by wire or wirelessly so as to be able to transmit and receive various signals. The control panel 10 is also connected to a destination floor call device 30 installed, for example, in the car 1, so as to be able to transmit and receive various signals. The control panel 10 and the destination floor call device 30 may be connected by a network such as wire or wireless. The control panel 10 is also connected to a hall call device (not shown) installed at the hall by wire or wirelessly so as to be able to transmit and receive various signals.

[0018] The control unit 11 performs call registration when a destination floor call is made by a user in the elevator 1, or when a platform call is made by a user at a platform, etc. The control unit 11 may store the contents of the call registration in the memory unit 13.

[0019] Here, a destination floor call is an operation performed by a user in the car 1 to move the car 1 to a desired destination floor. Also, a platform call is an operation performed by a user at a platform to make the car 1, heading in either the up or down direction, arrive at the platform.

[0020] Moreover, the destination floor call is a call registration request received from the destination floor call device 30 via the communication unit 12. The hall call is a call registration request received from a hall call device (not shown) via the communication unit 12.

[0021] The control unit 11 drives the drive unit 2 according to the contents of the call registration, and causes the car 1 to respond to a destination floor call or a hall call. In addition, when the car 1 arrives at a specified floor, the control unit 11 issues instructions to open and close the doors of the car 1 and the hall.

[0022] Furthermore, when the control unit 11 receives a destination floor call from the destination floor call device 30, it sends a command to brightly light the indicator light 313B to the destination floor call device 30 that sent the destination floor call via the communication unit 12, causing the indicator light 313B to be brightly lighted. Furthermore, when the control unit 11 receives a platform call from a platform call device, it sends a command to brightly light the indicator light to the platform call device via the communication unit 12, causing the indicator light to be brightly lighted.

[0023] When a user in the car 1 calls for a destination floor, or when a user at a platform calls for a platform, the communication unit 12 acquires the information from a destination floor call device and a platform call device (not shown), etc. Also, the communication unit 12 transmits various commands, etc. from the control unit 11 to the car 1, etc.

[0024] The storage unit 13 stores various programs for causing the control panel 10 to control the elevator. As described above, the storage unit 13 may store destination floor call registrations, hall call registrations, and the like.

[0025] Next, the destination floor call device 30 will be described. The destination floor call device 30 is a device that controls each part of the wheelchair operation panel 318 (see Figs. 1 and 2), accepts a destination floor call from a user, and processes the user's operation. The destination floor call device 30 also controls the opening and closing of the door 401 of the car 1 according to instructions from the control unit 11 of the control panel 10 and the wheelchair operation panel 318B. Here, opening the door 401 of the car 1 is referred to as door opening, and closing the door 401 of the car 1 is referred to as door closing. The destination floor call device 30 constitutes an elevator control device.

[0026] In addition, the elevator control system 100 also has another destination floor call device that controls each part of the main operation panel 1318, accepts destination floor calls from users, and processes the user's operations, but a description of this will be omitted here.

[0027] The destination floor call device 30 includes an object detection unit 31, sensor units 311 (311a, 311b, 311c...), 319 (319a, 319b), a press detection unit 32, push buttons 312 (312a, 312b, 312c...), 315 (315a, 315b), indicator lights 313 (313a, 313b, 313c...), 321 (321a, 321b), a liquid crystal display unit 317, a speaker 320, and a communication unit 34, and receives destination floor calls and instructions to open or close the door 1401 from users of the car 1. Of the destination floor call device 30, at least the sensor units 311, 319, push buttons 312, 315, and indicator lights 313, 321 are provided inside the car 1. The entire destination floor call device 30 may be provided inside the car 1.

[0028] The sensor units 311 (311a, 311b, 311c...) are non-contact sensors for indicating the destination floor. The sensor units 311 (311a, 311b, 311c...) are provided in the car 1 so as to correspond to each of the multiple destination floors of the car 1. When a user who wishes to make a call for a specific destination floor holds a finger or the like over the corresponding sensor unit 311, the sensor unit 311 detects an object such as the user's finger. The sensor unit 311 may be referred to as the sensor unit 311B for the destination floor.

[0029] The sensor units 319 (319a, 319b) are provided in the car 1 corresponding to the opening and closing of the door 1401 of the car 1, respectively. The sensor unit 319a is a non-contact sensor for instructing the opening of the door 1401. The sensor unit 319b is a non-contact sensor for instructing the closing of the door 1401. When a user holds a finger or the like over the sensor unit 319a corresponding to the opening and the sensor unit 319b corresponding to the closing, the sensor units 319a, 319b detect an object such as the user's finger. The sensor unit 319a may be referred to as the sensor unit 319a for opening the door, and the sensor unit 319b may be referred to as the sensor unit 319b for closing the door.

[0030] The push buttons 312 (312a, 312b, 312c...) are push buttons for indicating a destination floor when pressed. The push buttons 312 (312a, 312b, 312c...) are provided in the car 1 so as to correspond to a plurality of destination floors of the car 1, respectively. The push buttons 312 are configured so that a user who wishes to make a specific destination floor call can press the push button 312 corresponding to the destination floor.

[0031] Push buttons 315 (315a, 315b) are provided in the car 1 corresponding to the opening and closing of the door 1401 of the car 1, respectively. That is, the push button 315a is a push button for instructing the door 1401 to be opened. The push button 315b is a non-contact sensor for instructing the door 1401 to be closed. The push buttons 315 are configured so that a user can press the corresponding push button 315 for opening or closing.

[0032] Indicator lights 313 (313a, 313b, 313c,...) are provided in the car 1 corresponding to each of a plurality of destination floors of the car 1. When a user who wishes to make a call for a specific destination floor places a finger or the like over the corresponding sensor unit 311 or presses the corresponding push button 312, the indicator light 313 corresponding to that destination floor lights up in a specific manner.

[0033] Indicator lights 321 (321a, 321b, 313c) are provided in the car 1 corresponding to the opening and closing of the door 1401 of the car 1, respectively. When a user places a finger or the like over a sensor unit 319 corresponding to opening or closing, or presses a push button 315 corresponding to opening or closing, the indicator light 321 corresponding to the opening or closing lights up in a predetermined manner.

[0034] The speaker 320 outputs various sounds under the control of the control unit 31b of the object detection unit 31. The liquid crystal display unit 317 performs various displays under the control of the control unit 31b of the object detection unit 31.

[0035] The object detection unit 31 includes a clock unit 31a and a control unit 31b. The timekeeping unit 31Ba includes a timer that measures time. When the two sensor units 311 are detected substantially simultaneously, the timer starts measuring time from the point of detection.

[0036] When an operation is detected by a plurality of sensor units 311 at substantially the same time in a row of sensor units 311 provided on the wheelchair operation panel 318, the control unit 31b invalidates the operation detected by the plurality of sensor units 311. When an operation is detected by a single sensor unit 311 in a row of sensor units 311 provided on the wheelchair operation panel 318, or when an operation is detected by a single sensor unit 311 in a row of sensor units 311 other than the row of sensor units 311, the control unit 31b validates the operation. Then, the control unit 31b lights up the indicator light 313B in a predetermined manner, and transmits a destination floor call as information on the call registration based on the operation to the control panel 10 via the communication unit 34. Here, the information on the call registration includes the designated destination floor.

[0037] Here, an example of an output is to transmit the signal to the control panel 10 via the communication unit 34. In addition, when the control panel 10 receives a destination floor call, the control panel 10 performs a proper registration of the destination floor call corresponding to the detected sensor unit 311B.

[0038] When two sensor units 311 detect operations at substantially the same time in one row of the sensor units 311 in multiple rows provided on the wheelchair operation panel 318, and the two operations by the two sensor units 311 are no longer detected before a predetermined threshold time has elapsed from the time of detection, the control unit 31b validates the operations. Then, the control unit 31b turns on the indicator light 313B in a predetermined manner, and transmits a destination floor call as information regarding the call registration based on the operations to the control panel 10 via the communication unit 34.

[0039] On the other hand, when operations are detected at approximately the same time by the two sensor units 311, if the detection of the two operations by the two sensor units 311 continues even after a threshold time has elapsed from the time of detection, the control unit 31b invalidates the two operations detected by the two sensor units 311.

[0040] When operations are detected approximately simultaneously by three or more sensor units 311 in one row of multiple rows of sensor units 311 provided on the wheelchair operation panel 318, the control unit 31b invalidates the three or more operations detected by the three or more sensor units.

[0041] Here, the predetermined threshold time can be set arbitrarily. For example, the threshold time can be set to 10 seconds. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0042] The threshold time may be configured as configurable parameter data and adjusted for each device. For example, the threshold time can be adjusted by a dial in a box (not shown) provided at the bottom of the wheelchair operation panel 318 or the main operation panel 1318. The threshold time can be adjusted for each destination floor call device 30 by a volume knob provided on the control panel 10.

[0043] The press detection unit 32 includes a control unit 32b. When any of the push buttons 312 is pressed by a user, the control unit 32b determines that there is a call to the destination floor corresponding to the pressed push button 312. Then, when the control unit 32b determines that there is a call to the destination floor, it notifies the control panel 10 via the communication unit 34 of a destination floor call to the destination floor corresponding to the pressed push button 312. As a result, the control panel 10 officially registers the call to the destination floor corresponding to the pressed push button 312, and the indicator light 313 corresponding to the pressed push button 312 lights up.

[0044] The communication unit 34 is a communication interface (communication I / F), and when the object detection unit 31 or the press detection unit 32 determines that a call has been made to a specific destination floor, it transmits information about the destination floor registered call to the control panel 10.

[0045] In addition to the above, the destination floor call device 30 may be provided with various configurations for operation by the user of the car 1.

[0046] Next, a physical configuration of the elevator control system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described. The control panel 10 is configured as a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage device, and the like.

[0047] The ROM stores various programs related to elevator control, such as a control program and a call registration program. These programs stored in the ROM are read out and expanded in the RAM, and the CPU 101 executes these programs, thereby realizing the function of the control panel 10 as an elevator control device.

[0048] By executing this call registration program by the CPU, the above-mentioned control unit 11, communication unit 12, storage unit 13, etc. are realized.

[0049] The destination floor call device 30 is configured as a computer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a storage device, and the like.

[0050] The ROM stores various programs, such as a control program for making a call based on detection by the sensor unit 311B, a control program for making a call based on pressing the push button 312A, etc. The control programs stored in the ROM are read out and expanded in the RAM, and are executed by the CPU to realize the timer unit 31a and control unit 31b of the object detection unit 31, the control unit 32b of the press detection unit 32, etc.

[0051] Here, the call registration program, each control program, etc. are a computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable recording medium including a plurality of instructions related to elevator control that can be executed by a computer. The call registration program, each control program, etc. are, for example, modular, and these modules are loaded onto the main storage device.

[0052] The call registration program, each control program, etc. are provided by being stored in a recording medium, etc., so that they can be read by a computer. The recording medium is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a flash memory. The call registration program, each control program, etc. may be provided by various other methods, such as being distributed by a server, etc., placed on a network, or being configured to be downloadable. The call registration program, each control program, etc. may also be configured to be provided or distributed via a network, such as the Internet.

[0053] An elevator control program executed by the elevator control system 100 is mainly composed of a call registration program executed by the control panel 10 and each control program executed by the destination floor call device 30.

[0054] (Example of wheelchair control panel configuration) Next, the configuration of the wheelchair operation panel 318B of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wheelchair operation panel 318 according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the wheelchair operation panel 318 includes, for example, a destination floor display unit 310, sensor units 311 and 319, push buttons 312 and 315, indicator lights 313 and 321, an open / close display unit 314, an emergency button 316, a speaker 320, and a liquid crystal display unit 317.

[0055] The destination floor display units 310 are, for example, dials or the like showing the numbers of the destination floors of the car 1, and a plurality of them are arranged on the wheelchair operation panel 318 corresponding to the destination floors of the car 1. In the example of Fig. 3, they correspond to the 1st to 24th floors, which are the destination floors of the car 1. The 24 destination floor display units 310 are arranged in a total of three rows, with eight units arranged horizontally on each row.

[0056] The sensor units 311 (311a, 311c, 311d, 311e,...) are non-contact sensors as described above, and are arranged in a plurality of units in the vicinity of the corresponding destination floor display units 310, respectively corresponding to the plurality of destination floor display units 310. Therefore, in the example of Fig. 3, 24 sensor units 311 correspond to the 1st to 24th floors, which are the destination floors of the car 1, respectively, and are arranged in a total of three rows, with eight sensor units arranged horizontally on each row.

[0057] As described above, the push buttons 312 (312a, 312c, 312d, 312e, ...) are configured so that the user can press them with his / her fingers, etc., and are arranged in multiple numbers on the wheelchair operation panel 318 integrally with the multiple destination floor display units 310, respectively corresponding to the multiple destination floor display units 310. Therefore, in the example of Fig. 3, the 24 push buttons 312 correspond to the 1st to 24th floors, which are the destination floors of the car 1, and are arranged in a total of three rows, with eight buttons on each row arranged horizontally.

[0058] The indicator lights 313 (313a, 313c, 313d, 313e, ...) are configured to be able to emit light in a plurality of ways, and correspond to the plurality of destination floor display units 310, respectively, and are integrated into the wheelchair operation panel 318 integrally with the corresponding destination floor display units 310.

[0059] The open / close display unit 314 is, for example, a display panel that displays whether the door of the car 1 is open or closed, and is composed of an open / close display unit 314a that displays whether the door of the car 1 is open and an open / close display unit 314b that displays whether the door of the car 1 is closed. In the example of Fig. 3, two open / close display units 314 are arranged side by side on the wheelchair operation panel 318.

[0060] The sensor unit 319 (319a, 319b) is a non-contact sensor as described above. The sensor unit 319a corresponds to the open / closed display unit 314a that indicates the door open, and is arranged near the open / closed display unit 314a. The sensor unit 319b corresponds to the open / closed display unit 314b that indicates the door closed, and is arranged near the open / closed display unit 314b.

[0061] Push buttons 315 (315a, 315b) are configured so that a user can press them with a finger or the like. Push button 315a corresponds to open / close display unit 314a for opening the door, and is disposed integrally with open / close display unit 314a on wheelchair operation panel 318. Push button 315a corresponds to open / close display unit 314b for closing the door, and is disposed integrally with open / close display unit 314b on wheelchair operation panel 318. Two indicator lights 321a, 321b are built into wheelchair operation panel 318 integrally with the corresponding open / close display units 314a, 314b, corresponding to the two open / close display units 314a, 314b, respectively.

[0062] In this embodiment, the sensor unit 311 and the push button 312 are integrated together. Also, the sensor unit 319 and the push button 315 are integrated together.

[0063] 4 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of sensor units 311, 319 and push buttons 312, 315 according to the embodiment as viewed from the side, and the detection range of the sensor units 311, 319. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the sensor units 311, 319 are attached to the back surface 3122 side of the push buttons 312, 315.

[0064] As shown in Fig. 4, the sensor units 311, 319 have a detection range 410 that is a predetermined distance away from the front surfaces 3121 of the push buttons 312, 315. As shown in Fig. 4, the sensor units 311, 319 do not detect user operations in a first spatial region 405 from the sensor units 311, 319 and the front surfaces 3121 of the push buttons 312, 315 (i.e., the front surfaces 3121 of the destination floor display unit 310 and the open / close display unit 314) to a position that is a first distance away. The detection range 410 is a spatial region from a position that is a first distance away from the front surfaces 3121 of the push buttons 312, 315 to a position that is a second distance away, and the sensor units 311, 319 detect user operations in this spatial region. The first distance may be, for example, about 5 mm from the front surface 3121 of the push button 312, 315, and the second distance may be, for example, about 25 mm from the front surface 3121 of the push button 312, 315. However, the first distance and the second distance are not limited to these. As shown in FIG. 4, the detection range 410 is a mountain shape that narrows as it moves away from the front surface 3121 of the push button 312, 315. The entire detection range 410 is set at a position facing the front surface 3121 of the push button 312, 315. As shown in FIG. 4, the detection range 410 is set so as to be contained within the front surface 3121 of the push button 312 when viewed from a first direction D1 perpendicular to the front surface 3121, and so as to have its center overlap substantially with the center of the front surface 3121. As an example, the center of detection range 410 and the center of front surface 3121 coincide when viewed from first direction D1. In this manner, the entire detection range 410 is set at a position facing front surfaces 3121 of push buttons 312 and 315.

[0065] When registering a destination floor, the user advances his / her fingers 501 etc. toward the push buttons 312, 315, and at this time, the fingertip enters the detection range 410 of the sensor units 311, 319, causing the sensor units 311, 319 to enter a detection state, and when the fingertip leaves the detection range 410 and enters a first spatial region up to the front surface 3121, the sensor units 311, 319 enter a non-detection state. The user further advances the fingertip 501 and presses the push buttons 312, 315.

[0066] Returning to FIG. 3, the emergency button 316 is a button for notifying an external party such as a management center of an emergency when pressed.

[0067] The liquid crystal display unit 317 is configured as a liquid crystal panel, and displays the vicinity of which floor the car 1 is traveling in which direction. In the example of Fig. 3, an upward arrow and the character "3" are displayed. From this, it can be seen that the car 1 is traveling upward near the third floor. The liquid crystal display unit 317 is also capable of displaying warnings.

[0068] The speaker 320 is capable of outputting various sounds and warnings as described above, and is disposed below the liquid crystal display unit 317B of the wheelchair operation panel 318B, as shown in FIG. The configuration of the wheelchair operation panel 318B and the arrangement of the various components are not limited to the example shown in FIG.

[0069] (Elevator control processing) Next, an elevator control process by the destination floor call device 30 of the elevator control system 100 according to this embodiment configured as above will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of an elevator control process according to the embodiment.

[0070] First, the control unit 31b of the object detection unit 31 judges whether or not any of the sensor units 311 has been detected (S101). If none of the sensor units 311 has been detected (S101: No), the control unit 31b enters a state of waiting for the sensor units 311 to detect an object.

[0071] When any of the sensor units 311 is detected (S101: Yes), the control unit 31b judges whether the number of detections by the sensor units 311 in one row is one (S102). Then, when the number of detections by the sensor units 311 in one row is one (S102: Yes), the control unit 31b validates the operation based on the detection, and transmits a destination floor call based on the operation to the control panel 10 via the communication unit 34, thereby registering a call for the destination floor (S108). Here, even if the number of detections by the sensor units 311 in a row other than the one row is one, the control unit 31b validates the operation based on the detection, and transmits a destination floor call based on the operation to the control panel 10 via the communication unit 34, thereby registering a call for the destination floor. Then, the process ends.

[0072] On the other hand, in S102, if the number of detections by the sensor unit 311 in one row is not one (S102: No), the control unit 31b judges whether the number of detections by the sensor unit 311 in one row is two (S103). If the number of detections is not two, that is, if the number of detections by the sensor unit 311 in one row is three or more (S103: No), the control unit 31b judges that the detections by the three or more sensor units 311 are erroneous detections or overdetections due to a user leaning on them or approaching baggage, and invalidates and cancels all the detected operations (S104). Then, the process ends.

[0073] On the other hand, in S103, if the number of detections by the sensor units 311 in one row is two (S103: Yes), the timing unit 31a of the object detection unit 31 starts measuring the detection time by the two sensor units 311 from the time of detection (S105).

[0074] Next, the control unit 31b judges whether the detection time by the two sensor units 311 is equal to or longer than the threshold time (S106). If the detection time by the two sensor units 311 is equal to or longer than the threshold time (S105: Yes), the control unit 31b judges that the detection by the two sensor units 311 is a false detection or overdetection caused by the user leaning on it or approaching baggage, and invalidates and cancels all the detected operations (S109). Then, the process ends.

[0075] On the other hand, in S105, if the detection time by the two sensor units 311 is less than the threshold time (S105: No), the control unit 31b validates the operation based on the detection, and registers the destination floor call by transmitting the destination floor call based on the operation to the control panel 10 via the communication unit 34 (S108). Then, the process ends.

[0076] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of detection and valid / invalid by the sensor unit 311 arranged in three rows in the embodiment. In Fig. 6(a) to (c), the rows surrounded by dashed lines indicate invalid ranges. The same applies to Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 described later. 6(a), the child's head 502 is detected by all three sensor units 311 on the middle level for floors 9 to 11 and three sensor units 311 on the lower level for floors 1 to 3, but the number of detections on each level is 3. Therefore, in S104, the control unit 31b determines that the detections by the three sensor units 311 on the middle level for floors 9 to 11 and the three sensor units 311 on the lower level for floors 1 to 3 are due to leaning or the like, and invalidates all detections.

[0077] In the example of Fig. 6(a), the tip of the index finger of the user's finger 501 is detected by the sensor unit 311 for the 21st floor in the upper row, and the sensor unit 311 for the 12th to 14th floors in the middle row and the sensor unit 311 for the 4th to 6th floors in the lower row detect parts of the finger 501 other than the index finger. Since only the sensor unit 311 for the 21st floor is detected in the upper row, the control unit 31b validates the detection of the sensor unit 311 for the 21st floor in S108 and transmits a destination floor call for the 21st floor to the control panel 10. Meanwhile, the number of detections by the sensor unit 311 for the 12th to 14th floors in the middle row and the sensor unit 311 for the 4th to 6th floors in the lower row is three for each row. Therefore, in S104, the control unit 31b invalidates the detection by the three sensor units 311 on the middle level for the 12th to 14th floors and the detection by the three sensor units 311 on the lower level for the 4th to 6th floors.

[0078] In the example of Figure 6(b), the child's head 502 is detected by the three sensor units 311 on the lower level, the first to third floors, but similar to Figure 6(a), the control unit 31b disables the detection by the three sensor units 311 on the lower level, the first to third floors, in S104.

[0079] 6(b), the sensor unit 311 for the 13th floor in the middle row detects the tip of the index finger of the user's finger 501, and the sensor units 311 for the 4th to 6th floors in the lower row detect parts other than the index finger of the finger 501. The sensor unit 311 for the 14th floor in the middle row detects the tip of the index finger of another user's finger 501, and the sensor units 311 for the 21st to 23rd floors in the upper row detect parts other than the index finger of the finger 501. The control unit 31b, like the example of FIG. 6(a), disables the detection by the three sensor units 311 for the 4th to 6th floors in the lower row and the detection by the three sensor units 311 for the 21st to 23rd floors in the upper row in S104.

[0080] On the other hand, if the detection time by the two sensor units 311 on the middle row for the 13th and 14th floors is less than the threshold time because each user moves their fingers 501 away from the sensor units 311, the control unit 31b validates the detection by these two sensor units 311 in S109 and transmits destination floor calls for the 13th and 14th floors to the control panel 10 via the communication unit 34.

[0081] 6(c), the user's arm 503 is detected by two sensor units 311 on the lower level at the 4th and 5th floors, two sensor units 311 on the middle level at the 12th and 13th floors, and two sensor units 311 on the upper level at the 20th and 21st floors. If the detection time by the two sensor units 311 on each level is equal to or longer than the threshold time, the control unit 31b determines that the user is leaning, and in S107, disables the detection by the two sensor units 311 on each level.

[0082] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another example of detection and valid / invalid state by the sensor units 311 arranged in three stages in the embodiment. In the example of Fig. 7, only the sensor unit 311 for the 20th floor in the upper row is detected by the tip of the index finger of the user's finger 501, and the three sensor units 311 for the 12th to 14th floors in the middle row and the sensor units 311 for the 4th to 6th floors in the lower row are detected by parts of the finger 501 other than the index finger. Since only the sensor unit 311 for the 20th floor is detected in the upper row, the control unit 31b enables the detection of the sensor unit 311 for the 21st floor in S108 and transmits a destination floor call for the 21st floor to the control panel 10. Meanwhile, the control unit 31b disables the detection by the three sensor units 311 for the 12th to 14th floors in the middle row and the three sensor units 311 for the 4th to 6th floors in S104, as in the example of Fig. 6(a).

[0083] 6 and 7 show an example in which the sensor units 311 are arranged in three stages, but the same applies to the case in which the sensor units 311 are arranged in two stages. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing another example of detection and valid / invalid state by sensor units 311 arranged in two tiers in the embodiment. In the example of wheelchair operation panel 318 in Fig. 8, sensor units 311 for 1st to 7th floors are arranged in the lower tier, and sensor units 311 for 8th to 14th floors are arranged in the upper tier.

[0084] In the example of Figure 8(a), the child's head 502 is detected by the three sensor units 311 on the lower level, the first to third floors. However, similar to the example of Figure 6(a), the control unit 31b disables the detection by the three sensor units 311 on the lower level, the first to third floors, in S104.

[0085] 8(a), only the sensor unit 311 for the 12th floor on the upper row detects the tip of the index finger of the user's finger 501, and the three sensor units 311 for the 1st to 3rd floors on the lower row detect the parts of the finger 501 other than the index finger. As in the example of FIG. 6(a), the control unit 31b enables the detection of the sensor unit 311 for the 12th floor in S108 and transmits a destination floor call for the 12th floor to the control panel 10. Meanwhile, as in the example of FIG. 6(a), the control unit 31b disables the detection by the three sensor units 311 for the 1st to 3rd floors on the lower row in S104.

[0086] 8(b), the child's head 502 is detected by the three sensor units 311 on the upper level for floors 10 to 12 and the three sensor units 311 on the lower level for floors 3 to 5. As in the example of FIG. 6(a), in S104, the control unit 31b determines that the detections by the three sensor units 311 on the upper level for floors 10 to 12 and the detections by the three sensor units 311 on the lower level for floors 3 to 5 are due to leaning or the like, and invalidates all of the detections.

[0087] As described above, the destination floor call device 30 of this embodiment comprises a plurality of destination floor display units 310 each displaying a destination floor of the car 1 moving in the elevator shaft, a plurality of sensor units 311 provided corresponding to each of the plurality of destination floor display units 310 and non-contact detecting an operation by a user on a specific destination floor display unit 310, a wheelchair operation panel 318 provided inside the car 1 and provided in a plurality of stages in which the plurality of destination floor display units 310 and the plurality of sensor units 311 are arranged at least horizontally, and a control unit 31b which, when an operation is detected approximately simultaneously by the plurality of sensor units 311 on one row of the plurality of stages, invalidates the operation detected by the plurality of sensor units 311, and, when an operation is detected by a single sensor unit 311 on one row of stages or when an operation is detected by a single sensor unit on a row of stages other than the one row of stages, outputs information regarding the call registration based on the operation.

[0088] For this reason, in this embodiment, when operations are detected at approximately the same time by multiple sensor units 311 on one row of steps, the operations detected by the multiple sensor units 311 are invalidated, so that a call is not registered for detection by the sensor unit 311 due to the user leaning on it, etc., but a call is registered for detection by an operation by a single sensor unit 311 on one row of steps, thereby reliably preventing erroneous detection or overdetection by the sensor unit 311 of the wheelchair operation panel 318 and improving the operating efficiency of the elevator.

[0089] Furthermore, in the destination floor call device 30 according to this embodiment, when operations are detected at approximately the same time by two sensor units 311 on a row of steps, if the two operations by the two sensor units 311 are no longer detected before a predetermined threshold time has elapsed from the time of detection, the control unit 31b outputs information regarding the call registration based on the operations, and if the two operations by the two sensor units 311 continue to be detected even after the threshold time has elapsed, the control unit 31b invalidates the two operations detected by the two sensor units 311.

[0090] In the main operation panel 1318, the sensor units 311 are usually arranged vertically, so that the operation of specifying a floor on the main operation panel 1318 is often performed by one user at a time. In contrast, in the wheelchair operation panel 318, the sensor units 311 are arranged horizontally, that is, the sensor units 311 are arranged in multiple stages arranged horizontally. For this reason, it is considered that the operation of specifying a floor on the wheelchair operation panel 318 may be performed by two users approximately at the same time. For this reason, in this embodiment, if two sensor units 311 on one stage are detected approximately at the same time and the detection time does not exceed the threshold time, the control unit 31b determines that two users have specified different floors as destination floors approximately at the same time and registers the call. On the other hand, if the detection time of the two sensor units 311 exceeds the threshold time, the control unit 31b determines that the detection is based on leaning or the like, and does not register the call as invalid. Therefore, according to this embodiment, erroneous detection or overdetection by sensor unit 311 of wheelchair operation panel 318 can be more reliably prevented, and the operation efficiency of the elevator can be further improved.

[0091] Furthermore, in the destination floor call device 30 according to this embodiment, when operations are detected substantially simultaneously by three or more sensor units 311 in a row, the control unit 31b invalidates the three or more operations detected by the three or more sensor units 311.

[0092] For this reason, in this embodiment, when an operation is detected at approximately the same time by three or more sensor units 311 on one row of steps, the detection is determined to be due to leaning or the like, and the operation detected by three or more sensor units 311 is invalidated and a call is not registered. Therefore, according to this embodiment, erroneous detection and overdetection by sensor unit 311 of wheelchair operation panel 318 can be more reliably prevented, and the operation efficiency of the elevator can be further improved.

[0093] (Modification) Various modifications of the above embodiment are possible. For example, since the number of sensor units 311 and push buttons 312 determines the level at which the sensor units 311 and push buttons 312 are located on each floor, the wheelchair operation panel 318 can be configured so that the height of the level at which the sensor units 311 and push buttons 312 are located on each floor can be changed for each specification by setting data or by an administrator's operation.

[0094] Specifically, in the above embodiment, in the arrangement of sensor unit 311 and push button 312 on wheelchair operation panel 318, the range of upper, middle, and lower levels can be set by calibration by the operator.

[0095] 9 and 10 are diagrams showing an example of the wheelchair operation panel 318 during calibration in the modified example. Fig. 9 is an example of a two-stage case, and Fig. 10 is an example of a three-stage case.

[0096] During calibration, as shown in Fig. 9, Fig. 10(a) and (b), a message to press the top button of each step is output from the speaker 320 and the liquid crystal display unit 317. Therefore, when the operator presses the top push button 312 of each step or brings his / her finger close to the sensor unit 311, the top floor of each step is stored as setting data in the memory unit or the like, and the start and end floors of each step are registered.

[0097] In the above embodiment, the sensor unit 311 and the push button 312 are integrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present embodiment can be applied to the wheelchair operation panel 318 in which the sensor unit 311 and the push button 312 are provided separately, and in this case, the same effects as those of the above embodiment are achieved.

[0098] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 1...car, 2...drive device, 3...counterweight, 4...rope, 10...control panel, 11...control unit, 12...communication unit, 13...memory unit, 30...destination floor call device, 31...object detection unit, 31a...timekeeping unit, 31b...control unit, 32...push detection unit, 34...communication unit, 100...elevator control system, 310...destination floor display unit (display unit), 311, 311a to 311e...sensor unit, 318...wheelchair operation panel, 319a...sensor unit for opening doors, 319b...sensor unit for closing doors, 312...push button, 315a...push button for opening doors, 315b...push button for closing doors, 313, 313a to 313e, 321a, 321b...indicator light, 320...speaker, 317...liquid crystal display unit.

Claims

1. a plurality of display units each displaying a destination floor of a car moving through the elevator; a plurality of sensor units provided corresponding to the plurality of display units, respectively, for detecting operations on the display units by a user in a non-contact manner; A wheelchair operation panel is provided in the elevator car, and the display units and the sensor units are arranged in a plurality of stages at least in a horizontal direction; a control unit which, when an operation is detected substantially simultaneously by a plurality of sensor units in one row of the plurality of rows, invalidates the operation detected by the plurality of sensor units, and, when an operation is detected by a single sensor unit in one row of the plurality of rows or when an operation is detected by a single sensor unit in a row of a row other than the one row, outputs information related to the call registration based on the operation; An elevator control device comprising:

2. When operations are detected substantially simultaneously by two sensor units in one row, if the two operations by the two sensor units are no longer detected before a predetermined threshold time has elapsed from the time of detection, the control unit outputs information regarding call registration based on the operations, and if the detection of the two operations by the two sensor units continues even after the threshold time has elapsed, invalidates the two operations detected by the two sensor units.

2. The elevator control device according to claim 1.

3. The control unit further invalidates the three or more operations detected by the three or more sensor units when operations are detected by three or more sensor units at approximately the same time in the row of the columns. The elevator control device according to claim 2.

4. An elevator control method executed by an elevator control device, comprising: The elevator control device includes: a plurality of display units each displaying a destination floor of a car moving through the elevator; a plurality of sensor units provided corresponding to the plurality of display units, respectively, for detecting operations on the display units by a user in a non-contact manner; A wheelchair operation panel in which the plurality of display units and the plurality of sensor units are arranged in a plurality of stages at least in a horizontal direction, a control step of invalidating the operation detected by the plurality of sensor units when an operation is detected by a plurality of sensor units at substantially the same time in one row of the plurality of rows, and outputting information related to the call registration based on the operation when an operation is detected by a single sensor unit in the one row of the rows or when an operation is detected by a single sensor unit in a row of a row other than the one row of the rows; An elevator control method comprising:

5. A program to be executed by a computer of an elevator control device, The elevator control device includes: a plurality of display units each displaying a destination floor of a car moving through the elevator; a plurality of sensor units provided corresponding to the plurality of display units, respectively, for detecting operations on the display units by a user in a non-contact manner; A wheelchair operation panel in which the plurality of display units and the plurality of sensor units are arranged in a plurality of stages at least in a horizontal direction, a control step of invalidating the operation detected by the plurality of sensor units when an operation is detected by a plurality of sensor units at substantially the same time in one row of the plurality of rows, and outputting information related to the call registration based on the operation when an operation is detected by a single sensor unit in the one row of the rows or when an operation is detected by a single sensor unit in a row of a row other than the one row of the rows; A program for causing the computer to execute the above.

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