Elevator system and mobile terminal

Abstract

To provide an elevator system capable of efficiently performing inspection of a camera which photographs the inside of a car.SOLUTION: An elevator system comprises a car 1, a camera 10, a recorder 11, a control apparatus 12, and a mobile terminal 13. A communication unit 23 of the mobile terminal 13 transmits an image request to the control apparatus 12 when a specific first condition is met. A communication unit 17 of the control apparatus 12 transmits a first image and a second image which are extracted by an extraction unit 16 to the mobile terminal 13 as a response to the image request. A display control unit 24 of the mobile terminal 13 displays, on a display device 21, the first image and the second image in parallel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an elevator system and a mobile terminal. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a video management system for an elevator. In the system described in Patent Document 1, a security camera is installed in the elevator car. The video captured by the security camera is stored in a video recording device. A maintenance worker can display the video stored in the video recording device on a mobile terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2002-326772 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the system described in Patent Document 1, the images stored in the video recording device can be displayed on a mobile terminal, but the maintenance personnel must check the images displayed on the mobile terminal one by one. This means that the camera inspection still requires a lot of time and effort.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. An object of the present disclosure is to provide an elevator system that allows inspection of a camera that photographs the inside of the car to be performed more efficiently. Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a mobile terminal for use in such an elevator system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The elevator system according to the present disclosure includes a car moving in a hoistway, a camera mounted on the car for capturing images of the interior of the car, a recorder for storing video captured by the camera, a control device for controlling the recorder, and a mobile terminal capable of wireless communication with the control device. The mobile terminal includes a display, a first communication means for transmitting an image request to the control device when a specific first condition is satisfied, and a display control means. The control device includes an extraction means for extracting a first image that is a part of the video stored in the recorder and a second image that is another part of the video stored in the recorder when the control device receives the image request from the first communication means, and a second communication means for transmitting the first image and the second image extracted by the extraction means to the mobile terminal as a response to the image request. When the display control means receives the first image and the second image as a response to the image request, the display control means displays the first image and the second image side by side on the display.

[0007] The mobile terminal according to the present disclosure is a mobile terminal capable of wireless communication with the control device at least inside the car or at a landing where the car stops, in an elevator system including a car moving in a hoistway, a camera mounted on the car for capturing images of the inside of the car, a recorder for storing video captured by the camera, and a control device for controlling the recorder. The mobile terminal includes a display, a first communication means for transmitting an image request to the control device when a specific first condition is satisfied, and a display control means for displaying the first image and the second image side by side on the display device when the mobile terminal receives from the control device a first image that is a part of the video stored in the recorder and a second image that is another part of the video stored in the recorder in response to the image request. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to more efficiently inspect a camera that photographs the inside of an elevator car. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an elevator system in a first embodiment. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining functions of a control device and a mobile terminal. [Diagram 3] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the mobile terminal. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of hardware resources of a mobile terminal. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of hardware resources of a mobile terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given with reference to the drawings. Duplicate descriptions will be appropriately simplified or omitted. In each drawing, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

[0011] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an elevator system in a first embodiment. The elevator system shown in FIG. 1 includes a car 1 and a counterweight 2. The car 1 moves up and down in a hoistway 3. The counterweight 2 moves up and down in the hoistway 3. The hoistway 3 is a space extending vertically in a building. The car 1 and the counterweight 2 are suspended in the hoistway 3 by a rope 4. FIG. 1 shows an example of a 1:1 roping type elevator system.

[0012] The rope 4 is wound around a hoisting machine 5. The car 1 is driven by the hoisting machine 5. A control panel 6 controls the hoisting machine 5. That is, the movement of the car 1 is controlled by the control panel 6. FIG. 1 shows an example in which the hoisting machine 5 and the control panel 6 are provided in a machine room 7 above the hoistway 3. The hoisting machine 5 and the control panel 6 may be provided in the hoistway 3. The hoisting machine 5 may be provided at the top of the hoistway 3 or in a pit of the hoistway 3.

[0013] The monitoring device 8 is connected to the control panel 6. The monitoring device 8 communicates with external devices via a network 9.

[0014] A camera 10, a recorder 11, and a control device 12 are provided in the car 1. The camera 10 captures images of the inside of the car 1. The recorder 11 stores the video captured by the camera 10. The control device 12 controls the recorder 11. When the capacity of the video stored in the recorder 11 reaches an upper limit, the oldest video is deleted and a new video is stored thereon.

[0015] Mobile terminal 13 is a terminal carried by an elevator maintenance worker. The maintenance worker brings mobile terminal 13 to the site when inspecting the elevator. The inspection of the elevator also includes inspection of camera 10. The maintenance worker inspects camera 10 using mobile terminal 13. Mobile terminal 13 is, for example, a smartphone. Mobile terminal 13 may also be a tablet-type terminal. Mobile terminal 13 may also be a dedicated terminal designed for elevator inspection.

[0016] 2 is a diagram for explaining functions of the control device 12 and the mobile terminal 13. The control device 12 includes a request determination unit 15, an extraction unit 16, and a communication unit 17. The mobile terminal 13 includes an input device 20 and a display unit 21. The input device 20 and the display unit 21 may be an integrated touch panel type device. The input device 20 may include a keyboard or a mouse.

[0017] The mobile terminal 13 further includes a condition determination unit 22, a communication unit 23, and a display control unit 24. The communication unit 23 is responsible for the communication function of the mobile terminal 13. The display control unit 24 controls the display 21. The functions of this elevator system will be described in detail below with reference to Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the mobile terminal 13.

[0018] The mobile terminal 13 determines whether it is connected to the control device 12 (S101). It is preferable that the mobile terminal 13 is capable of wireless communication with the control device 12 at least in the car 1 or at the hall 14 where the car 1 stops. When an elevator maintenance worker arrives at the hall 14, he or she first connects the mobile terminal 13 to the control device 12. That is, the maintenance worker establishes communication between the mobile terminal 13 and the control device 12. As an example, when connecting the mobile terminal 13 to the control device 12, authentication processing using a password is performed.

[0019] If the result of S101 is Yes, the condition determination unit 22 determines whether or not a specific start condition is satisfied (S102). The start condition is a condition for starting a process for inspecting the camera 10. The start condition is set in advance.

[0020] An application for inspecting the camera 10 is pre-installed in the mobile terminal 13. In the following description, this application will be referred to as "application A." As one example, the start condition is met when a maintenance person starts application A and then presses a start button displayed on the display 21 (Yes in S102). As another example, the start condition may be met when application A is started.

[0021] If the result of S102 is Yes, the communication unit 23 transmits an image request to the control device 12 (S103).

[0022] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control device 12. When communication between the control device 12 and the mobile terminal 13 is established, the request determination unit 15 determines whether or not an image request has been received from the mobile terminal 13 (S201). When the control device 12 receives the image request transmitted by the communication unit 23 in S103, the result of S201 is Yes.

[0023] If the result of S201 is Yes, the extraction unit 16 extracts images necessary for inspecting the camera 10 from the recorder 11 (S202). In S202, the extraction unit 16 extracts at least a first image and a second image different from the first image from the recorder 11. The first image is a part of a moving image stored in the recorder 11. The second image is another part of the moving image stored in the recorder 11. It is preferable that each of the first image and the second image is a moving image, that is, an image of a plurality of frames. Each of the first image and the second image may be only an image (still image) of one frame constituting a moving image.

[0024] The conditions under which the extracting unit 16 extracts images are set in advance. It is preferable that there is a certain interval between the date and time when the first image was captured and the date and time when the second image was captured. As an example, the extracting unit 16 extracts the first image such that the oldest still image among the still images constituting the moving image stored in the recorder 11 is included in the first image. The extracting unit 16 extracts the second image such that the latest still image among the still images constituting the moving image stored in the recorder 11 is included in the second image. The extracting unit 16 may extract the first image and the second image based on other conditions.

[0025] In the following, as a suitable example, an example will be described in which the extraction unit 16 extracts a third image from the recorder 11 in addition to the first and second images in S202. The third image is another part of the moving image stored in the recorder 11, and is an image different from the first and second images. As an example, the extraction unit 16 extracts the third image such that the third image includes a still image captured at a date and time exactly halfway between the dates and times when the first image and the second image were captured. The extraction unit 16 may extract the third image based on other conditions.

[0026] In S203, communication unit 17 transmits the images extracted by extraction unit 16 in S202 to mobile terminal 13 that transmitted the image request in S201 (S203). The images transmitted to mobile terminal 13 in S203 include at least the first image and the second image. In the example shown in the present embodiment, communication unit 17 transmits the first image, the second image, and the third image extracted by extraction unit 16 to mobile terminal 13 as a response to the image request received in S201.

[0027] 3, when an image request is transmitted to the control device 12 in S103, the mobile terminal 13 determines whether or not an image has been received from the control device 12 in response thereto (S104). When the mobile terminal 13 receives the image transmitted from the communication unit 17 of the control device 12 in S203, the determination in S104 is Yes.

[0028] If the result of S104 is Yes, the display control unit 24 displays the images received from the control device 12 side by side on the display 21. In the example shown in the present embodiment, the display control unit 24 displays the first image, the second image, and the third image side by side on the display 21. It is preferable that the first image, the second image, and the third image are arranged in the order of the dates and times when they were captured.

[0029] In this manner, in the example shown in the present embodiment, the images extracted by extraction unit 16 are displayed side by side on display 21 of mobile terminal 13. A maintenance worker can inspect camera 10 more efficiently by comparing the multiple images displayed on display 21.

[0030] In the specific example shown in this embodiment, a first image including the oldest still image, a second image including the newest still image, and a third image including an intermediate still image are displayed side by side on the display 21. The maintenance personnel compares these three images while also taking into account the passage of time, and checks the image quality, shooting angle, and the like. For example, if an image is slightly cloudy, it is difficult to notice that the image quality has deteriorated just by looking at the image. By comparing the old and new images, it becomes easier to notice such changes in image quality.

[0031] In addition, the recorder 11 is often owned by the owner of the building in which the elevator is installed. For this reason, it is not preferable for the maintenance personnel to see the image stored in the recorder 11 itself. For this reason, it is preferable that the image that the communication unit 17 of the control device 12 transmits to the mobile terminal 13 in S203 is an image that has been subjected to mosaic processing. In the specific example shown in the present embodiment, it is preferable that each of the first image, the second image, and the third image is an image that has been subjected to mosaic processing. In such a case, the display control unit 24 displays the multiple images that have been subjected to mosaic processing side by side on the display 21 in S105.

[0032] In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the control device 12 is provided on the car 1. As another example, the control device 12 may be provided as a part of the monitoring device 8. In such a case, when the maintenance worker arrives at the hall 14, he or she first connects the mobile terminal 13 to the monitoring device 8.

[0033] When the monitoring device 8 monitors multiple elevators, the maintenance worker may input an identification number for identifying the recorder 11 when connecting the mobile terminal 13 to the monitoring device 8. The identification number may be a combination of a building number and a unit number. This makes it possible to obtain an image required for inspecting the camera 10 from one of the multiple recorders 11 monitored by the monitoring device 8.

[0034] In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the conditions for extracting images by the extracting unit 16 are set in advance. That is, in the example shown in the present embodiment, the maintenance person does not need to select the images to be extracted by the extracting unit 16, and images required for inspecting the camera 10 are automatically displayed on the display 21 when the start conditions are met.

[0035] As another example, the mobile terminal 13 may further be provided with a function for manually setting conditions for the extraction unit 16 to extract images. For example, a maintenance person specifies a date and time from the input device 20. In such a case, the extraction unit 16 extracts images including still images whose photographed date and time is the specified date and time from the recorder 11. When a period is specified from the input device 20, the extraction unit 16 may extract all images whose photographed date and time is included in the specified period.

[0036] The function of manually setting the conditions for extracting images by the extracting unit 16 may be provided in another mobile terminal on which application A is installed. For example, the setting function may be provided in the mobile terminal of the building owner.

[0037] 5 is a diagram showing an example of hardware resources of the mobile terminal 13. The mobile terminal 13 includes, as hardware resources, a processing circuit 30 including a processor 31 and a memory 32. The processing circuit 30 may include a plurality of processors 31. The processing circuit 30 may include a plurality of memories 32.

[0038] In this embodiment, each unit indicated by the reference numerals 22 to 24 indicates a function possessed by the mobile terminal 13. The function of each unit indicated by the reference numerals 22 to 24 can be realized by software written as a program, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The program is stored in the memory 32. The mobile terminal 13 realizes the function of each unit indicated by the reference numerals 22 to 24 by executing the program stored in the memory 32 by the processor 31 (computer). A semiconductor memory or the like can be adopted as the memory 32.

[0039] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing another example of hardware resources of the mobile terminal 13. In the example shown in Fig. 6, the mobile terminal 13 includes a processing circuit 30 including a processor 31, a memory 32, and dedicated hardware 33. Fig. 6 shows an example in which some of the functions of the mobile terminal 13 are realized by the dedicated hardware 33. All of the functions of the mobile terminal 13 may be realized by the dedicated hardware 33. As the dedicated hardware 33, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination of these can be adopted.

[0040] The hardware resources of the control device 12 are similar to those in the example shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6. The control device 12 includes a processing circuit including a processor and a memory as the hardware resources. The control device 12 realizes the functions of the parts indicated by the reference numerals 15 to 17 by executing a program stored in the memory by the processor. The control device 12 may include a processing circuit including a processor, a memory, and dedicated hardware as the hardware resources. Some or all of the functions of the control device 12 may be realized by dedicated hardware. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1 car, 2 counterweight, 3 elevator shaft, 4 rope, 5 hoist, 6 control panel, 7 machine room, 8 monitoring device, 9 network, 10 camera, 11 recorder, 12 control device, 13 mobile terminal, 14 landing, 15 request determination unit, 16 extraction unit, 17 communication unit, 20 input device, 21 display, 22 condition determination unit, 23 communication unit, 24 display control unit, 30 processing circuit, 31 processor, 32 memory, 33 dedicated hardware

Claims

1. A car moving through the elevator, A camera provided in the car for photographing the inside of the car; a recorder for storing the video captured by the camera; A control device for controlling the recorder; A mobile terminal capable of wireless communication with the control device; Equipped with The mobile terminal includes: A display device; a first communication means for transmitting an image request to the control device when a specific first condition is satisfied; A display control means; Equipped with The control device includes: an extraction means for extracting, when receiving the image request from the first communication means, a first image that is a part of the moving image stored in the recorder and a second image that is another part of the moving image stored in the recorder; a second communication means for transmitting the first image and the second image extracted by the extraction means to the mobile terminal as a response to the image request; Equipped with An elevator system in which, when the display control means receives the first image and the second image in response to the image request, the display control means displays the first image and the second image side by side on the display.

2. the first image includes the oldest still image among still images constituting the moving image stored in the recorder; The elevator system according to claim 1 , wherein the second image includes a most recent still image among still images constituting the moving image stored in the recorder.

3. 3. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein each of the first image and the second image transmitted to the mobile terminal by the second communication means is an image subjected to mosaic processing.

4. when receiving the image request from the first communication means, the extraction means extracts, in addition to the first image and the second image, a third image that is another part of the moving image stored in the recorder; the second communication means transmits the first image, the second image, and the third image extracted by the extraction means to the mobile terminal as a response to the image request; 4. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein the display control means displays the first image, the second image, and the third image on the display device in order of the dates and times when the images were taken.

5. A car moving through the elevator, A camera provided in the car for photographing the inside of the car; a recorder for storing the video captured by the camera; A control device for controlling the recorder; In an elevator device comprising: a mobile terminal capable of wireless communication with the control device at least in the car or at one of the halls where the car stops; A display device; a first communication means for transmitting an image request to the control device when a specific first condition is satisfied; a display control means for, when receiving from the control device a first image that is a part of the video stored in the recorder and a second image that is another part of the video stored in the recorder in response to the image request, displaying the first image and the second image side by side on the display; A mobile terminal equipped with

Images