Elevator Control System

Abstract

This will enable the construction of a highly robust bank, in the sense that operations can continue without interruption. [Solution] A plurality of group management control devices, each of which is installed in correspondence with a plurality of groups in a bank, are connected so as to enable mutual communication. In each group management control device, a distribution processing unit distributes a first alive status signal indicating that its own group management control device is operating normally to the other group management control devices. A determination processing unit determines, for each of the other group management control devices, whether the group management control device is operating normally or not based on the distribution status of the first alive status signal from the group management control device. When a hall call allocation request is received from a user, a first extraction processing unit targets its own group and other groups for which the group management control device is determined to be operating normally by the determination processing unit, and extracts allocation candidates from among the cars belonging to these groups.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control technique for an elevator having a bank. [Background technology]

[0002] In elevators with banks, it is common that one group management control device is installed for each bank, and each group management control device performs group management for all cars belonging to its own bank (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Also, as a control technology for such elevators, there is known a technology that enables switching to a backup group management control device for each bank so that the operation of the bank can continue even if the group management control device for that bank breaks down. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6585207 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, from the perspective of improving robustness in the sense of allowing each bank to continue operating without interruption, conventional technology is insufficient in dealing with problems that may arise when switching to a backup group management control device (such as failure of the changeover switch) or problems that may arise after the switchover (such as abnormal operation of the backup group management control device).

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to realize the construction of a bank that is highly robust in the sense that operation can be continued without interruption. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The control system according to the present invention is applicable to an elevator having a bank, and includes a plurality of group management control devices, each of which is installed in correspondence with one of the groups, and further includes the following configuration (mode 1). The plurality of group management control devices are connected so as to be capable of communicating with each other. Each group management control device includes a distribution processing unit, a determination processing unit, and a first extraction processing unit. When the group management control device is operating normally, the distribution processing unit distributes a first alive status signal indicating this to the other group management control devices. The determination processing unit determines whether or not each of the other group management control devices is operating normally based on the distribution status of the first alive status signal from the group management control device. When the first extraction processing unit receives a hall call allocation request from a user, the first extraction processing unit extracts allocation candidates from among the cars belonging to the group and the other groups determined by the determination processing unit that the group management control device is operating normally.

[0007] According to the above-mentioned aspect 1, each group management control device is able to extract allocation candidates in the first extraction process only for groups in which the group management control devices are operating normally, while grasping whether the other group management control devices are operating normally. Therefore, even if the group management control devices of some groups in one bank become unable to operate normally, the group management control devices of the other groups can continue the operation of the bank without interruption, except for the unavailable groups. This makes it possible to build a single bank with high robustness.

[0008] In the control system according to the above-mentioned aspect 1, each group management control device may have the following configuration (aspect 2). The distribution processing unit may further distribute, for each car belonging to its own group, a second alive status signal indicating that the car is operating normally to the other group management control devices when the car is operating normally. The judgment processing unit may further judge, for each car belonging to the other groups, whether the car is operating normally or not based on the distribution status of the second alive status signal from the other groups. Then, when the first extraction processing unit receives a request for allocation of a hall call from a user, the first extraction processing unit may extract allocation candidates from among cars in its own group that are operating normally and cars belonging to the other groups that are judged to be operating normally by the judgment processing unit.

[0009] According to the above aspect 2, each group management control device can determine whether the other group management control devices are operating normally based on the distribution state of the first alive status signal, and can also determine whether each car in a group in which the group management control device is operating normally is operating normally based on the distribution state of the second alive status signal. Therefore, each group management control device can extract allocation candidates in the first extraction processing unit by targeting only cars that are operating normally in one bank.

[0010] In the control system according to the above-mentioned aspect 1 or 2, each group management control device may have the following configuration (aspect 3). The distribution processing unit may further distribute operation data in its own group to other group management control devices. Then, the first extraction processing unit may extract the allocation candidates using operation data in its own group and operation data in other groups distributed by a group management control device among the other group management control devices that is determined to be operating normally by the determination processing unit. In such a configuration, each group management control device may further include a transfer processing unit, a second extraction processing unit, and an allocation processing unit. Here, when the allocation candidate extracted by the first extraction processing unit is a car belonging to another group, the transfer processing unit transfers an allocation request to the group management control device of the group to which the allocation candidate belongs. When the allocation candidate extracted by the first extraction processing unit is a car belonging to its own group, or when an allocation request is transferred from another group management control device, the second extraction processing unit extracts an allocation candidate from cars operating normally in its own group. The allocation processing unit executes allocation of hall calls to the allocation candidates extracted by the second extraction processing unit.

[0011] According to the above-mentioned aspect 3, it is possible to make a plurality of group management control devices cooperate with each other within one bank by distributing operation data and transferring allocation requests. Also, in the above-mentioned aspect 1, the group management control device of each group can be made to execute highly accurate processing using learning data for the extraction of allocation candidates in the second extraction processing unit, which targets only the cars that are operating normally among the cars that belong to the group, while it can be made to execute relatively simple processing for the extraction of allocation candidates in the first extraction processing unit, which targets all the cars that are operating normally among the cars that belong to the bank. This makes it possible for the group management control device of each group to realize the following processing while cooperating with other group management control devices within a realistic range according to its processing capacity.

[0012] First, when the group management control device of each group receives a request for allocation of a hall call from a user, it extracts allocation candidates in the first extraction processing unit with relatively simple processing, and can relatively easily predict a car suitable for the allocation of the requested hall call from among all cars that are operating normally. Then, the group management control device of the group to which the predicted car (allocation candidate extracted in the first extraction processing unit) belongs narrows it down to cars belonging to its own group and extracts allocation candidates in the second extraction processing unit with highly accurate processing, making it possible to determine with high accuracy a car suitable for allocation.

[0013] By linking multiple group management control devices together within a single bank in this way, it becomes possible to control all of the cars that make up that bank as if they were being managed by a single group management control device.

[0014] In the control system according to the above-mentioned aspect 3, each group management control device may have the following configuration (aspect 4). The second extraction processing unit may accumulate operation data within its own group as learning data, and use the learning data to learn in order to optimize allocation candidates within the group, and extract allocation candidates in the learned state. The first extraction processing unit may extract allocation candidates using a predetermined set value, without learning in order to optimize allocation candidates throughout the entire bank.

[0015] According to the above-mentioned fourth aspect, it is possible to perform extraction of allocation candidates in the second extraction processing section with high accuracy, while performing extraction of allocation candidates in the first extraction processing section with a relatively simple process.

[0016] The control system according to the above-mentioned aspect 3 or 4 may further include a plurality of destination floor registration devices belonging to the bank, and may have the following configuration (aspect 5). Each of the plurality of destination floor registration devices may be assigned to one of a plurality of groups, and may be connected to the group management control device of the group to which it is assigned. In such a configuration, when a user registers a destination floor in a destination floor registration device connected to the group management control device and the group management control device receives an allocation request from the destination floor registration device, the group management control device may execute extraction of allocation candidates in the first extraction processing unit. In addition, when an allocation request is transferred from another group management control device and the group management control device executes extraction of allocation candidates in the second extraction processing unit, the group management control device may return information on the allocation to the group management control device that transferred the allocation request after executing the allocation in the allocation processing unit. Then, when the group management control device receives information on the allocation from the group management control device after executing the transfer to the other group management control device in the transfer processing unit, the group management control device may inform the user of the information on the allocation through the destination floor registration device that initially requested the allocation.

[0017] According to the above-mentioned aspect 5, it becomes possible to distribute and associate the destination floor registration devices installed in one bank with multiple group management control devices, and thus it becomes possible to distribute and execute the extraction of allocation candidates (first extraction process) from all normally operating cars among the cars belonging to the one bank to multiple normally operating group management control devices. Therefore, even if one of the group management control devices breaks down and the destination floor registration device associated with that group management control device becomes unavailable, it becomes possible to register destination floors with other destination floor registration devices, and as a result, it becomes possible to continue the operation of the bank without interruption.

[0018] Furthermore, even if all of the cars in a certain group become unavailable, if the group management control device is operating normally, destination floors can be registered from the destination floor registration device connected to the group management control device, so that the destination floor registration device can remain available.

[0019] In this way, according to the above-mentioned aspect 5, it is possible to build a highly robust bank including the destination floor registration device. Furthermore, by configuring a group, which is the minimum structural unit, including the destination floor registration device, it is possible to build one highly robust bank including the destination floor registration device simply by combining a plurality of such groups.

[0020] The control system according to any one of the above aspects 1 to 4 may further include a plurality of destination floor registration devices belonging to a bank, and may have the following configuration (aspect 6). The plurality of destination floor registration devices may be assigned to one of a plurality of groups, and each destination floor registration device may be configured to be able to communicate not only with the group management control device of its own group, but also with other group management control devices without going through the group management control device. Then, when a destination floor is registered by a user at each destination floor registration device, each group management control device may distribute an allocation request to all of the plurality of group management control devices. In such a configuration, when each group management control device receives an allocation request, if the allocation request is distributed from the destination floor registration device associated with itself, the group management control device may execute extraction of allocation candidates in the first extraction processing unit. In addition, when each group management control device receives an allocation request, even if the allocation request is distributed from a destination floor registration device other than the destination floor registration device associated with the group management control device, if the allocation request is distributed from a destination floor registration device belonging to a group in which the group management control device has been determined by the judgment processing device to be not operating normally, the group management control device may perform extraction of allocation candidates in the first extraction processing device on behalf of the group's group.

[0021] According to the above-mentioned sixth aspect, even if the group management control device becomes unable to operate normally in some groups in one bank, it is possible to maintain all destination floor registration devices in the bank in an available state. Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to the present invention, a highly robust bank can be constructed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an elevator to which a control system according to an embodiment is applied. [Diagram 2] 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of each group management control device included in the control system according to the embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2A and 2B are conceptual diagrams illustrating first correspondence management data and second correspondence management data used in the embodiment. [Figure 4] 13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example in which a determination result when the operation of the group management control device is interrupted is reflected in the second correspondence management data. FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a call registration process performed by each group management control device in the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an elevator to which a control system according to a first modified example is applied. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing a call registration process performed by each group management control device in the first modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] [1] Implementation Example [1-1] Overall structure of elevator Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an elevator to which a control system according to an embodiment is applied. Fig. 1 shows an elevator having one bank composed of multiple cars G, to which the control system of this embodiment is applied. Note that the elevator may have multiple banks. In this case, the control system of this embodiment may be applied to any one of the banks, or the control system of this embodiment may be applied to some or all of the banks, one by one.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 1, in one bank to which the control system of this embodiment is applied (hereinafter, this bank is referred to as the "target bank"), a plurality of cars G constituting the target bank are divided into a plurality of groups (in Fig. 1, the groups are distinguished by the alphabets "A", "B", ...). Then, a group management control device 1 is installed corresponding to each of the groups, and the group management control devices 1 are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0026] Furthermore, in the target bank, a plurality of destination floor registration devices 2 are installed on each floor where passengers can board and disembark at the target bank. Here, the destination floor registration devices 2 are devices for users to register destination floors Fd at the target bank. Furthermore, each of the destination floor registration devices 2 on each floor is assigned to one of the above-mentioned plurality of groups, and is connected to the group management control device 1 of the group to which it is assigned (see FIG. 1).

[0027] When a user registers a destination floor Fd using each destination floor registration device 2, the destination floor Fd is transmitted to the group management control device 1 of the group to which the destination floor registration device 2 belongs (the group management control device 1 to which the destination floor registration device 2 is connected). As a result, a request for hall call allocation (a request for call registration) from the user is made to the group management control device 1. At this time, each destination floor registration device 2 transmits its own device information PdX together with the destination floor Fd to the group management control device 1 so that the group management control device 1 recognizes which destination floor registration device 2 is the source of the destination floor Fd.

[0028] [1-2] Configuration of group management control device Each group management control device 1 is a device that performs group management for the cars G that belong to its own group, and centrally manages these cars G through an elevator control device provided for each car G (see FIG. 1). In the target bank, each group management control device 1 executes call registration processing (control processing for allocating hall calls to cars G) in response to allocation requests from users in cooperation with other group management control devices 1. Details of the call registration processing will be described later.

[0029] In this embodiment, in order to enable cooperation with such other group management control devices 1, each group management control device 1 distributes operation data generated by group management within its own group (operation data within its own group) to the group management control devices 1 of the other groups (distribution process). Here, the operation data includes various data related to operation within the group, such as data related to allocation and operation data showing the movement of the car G (movement of the car G, opening and closing of the doors, etc.). This allows each group management control device 1 to grasp not only the operation status within its own group, but also the operation status within other groups.

[0030] In addition, each group management control device 1 sequentially accumulates operation data within its own group as learning data Dp, and uses the learning data Dp to learn to realize more optimal group management within the group (learning to optimize allocation candidates within the group). Here, the learning data Dp is obtained by statistically analyzing the operation data at any time, and includes analysis data on the operating status of the elevator car G (average door open time, average door close time, average running time between floors, average stop time at each floor, etc.) and analysis data on the usage status of the elevator (average number of hall calls in the past five minutes, average congestion level in the elevator car G in the past five minutes, etc.). Note that the analysis of the operation data is not limited to statistical analysis, and AI (neural network, etc.) may be used.

[0031] Furthermore, when each group management control device 1 is operating normally, it periodically distributes a first alive status signal Sx1 indicating this to the other group management control devices 1 (distribution processing). Also, when each group management control device 1 is operating normally and, for each car G belonging to its own group, the car G is operating normally, it distributes a second alive status signal Sx2 indicating this to the other group management control devices 1 (distribution processing).

[0032] On the other hand, if the operation of any of the group management control devices 1 is interrupted for some reason (such as a breakdown or maintenance), the distribution of both the first alive status signal Sx1 and the second alive status signal Sx2 from the group management control device 1 will be interrupted. Also, in any of the groups, if the group management control device 1 of that group operates normally while the operation of any of the cars G belonging to that group is interrupted, the group management control device 1 will distribute the first alive status signal Sx1 and the second alive status signal Sx2 of the car G that is operating normally, while the distribution of the second alive status signal Sx2 of the car G whose operation is interrupted will be interrupted.

[0033] Therefore, each group management control device 1 can grasp not only the operating state of the car G belonging to its own group, but also the operating states of the group management control devices 1 and cars G belonging to other groups based on the distribution states of the first alive state signal Sx1 and the second alive state signal Sx2 from the other group management control devices 1. Specifically, each group management control device 1 can grasp whether or not the other group management control devices 1 are operating normally based on the distribution state of the first alive state signal Sx1, and can also grasp whether or not each car G is operating normally in a group in which the group management control device 1 is operating normally based on the distribution state of the second alive state signal Sx2.

[0034] 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of each group management control device 1. As shown in this diagram, each group management control device 1 includes a storage unit 11 and a control unit 12.

[0035] The storage unit 11 is a portion configured with storage devices such as ROM and RAM, and stores information necessary for the control processing performed by the group management control device 1. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned learning data Dp is stored in the storage unit 11 as such information, and further, the first correspondence management data Dq1 and the second correspondence management data Dq2 are stored in the storage unit 11. Here, the first correspondence management data Dq1 is a database for managing, for each destination floor registration device 2, a plurality of pieces of information related to the destination floor registration device 2 in association with each other. The second correspondence management data Dq2 is a database for managing, for each group, a plurality of pieces of information related to the group management control device 1 and the elevator car G in the group in association with each other.

[0036] 3(A) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the first correspondence management data Dq1 used in this embodiment. In the first correspondence management data Dq1 illustrated in this figure, for each destination floor registration device 2, device information PdX for identifying the destination floor registration device 2 from other devices, the installation floor Fs of the destination floor registration device 2, and the group to which the destination floor registration device 2 belongs are recorded in a mutually associated state.

[0037] As a result, when each group management control device 1 receives device information PdX together with the destination floor Fd from each destination floor registration device 2 (each destination floor registration device 2 connected to itself) belonging to its own group (when receiving a hall call allocation request), it can identify the installation floor Fs of the destination floor registration device 2 (the destination floor registration device 2 in which the destination floor Fd has been registered) from the device information PdX by referring to the first response management data Dq1. In this embodiment, the installation floor Fs of the destination floor registration device 2 is used as the departure floor Fc (boarding floor) of the user who has registered the destination floor Fd in the destination floor registration device 2.

[0038] 3B is a conceptual diagram illustrating the second correspondence management data Dq2 used in this embodiment. In the second correspondence management data Dq2 illustrated in this figure, for each group, device information PdY for identifying the group management control device 1 of the group from other devices and car information PdZ for identifying each car G belonging to the group from other cars G are recorded in a mutually associated state.

[0039] Furthermore, in the second corresponding management data Dq2, the operation status of each group management control device 1 ("normal" or "interrupted") is recorded in association with the device information PdY of the group management control device 1, and the operation status of each car G ("normal" or "interrupted") is recorded in association with the car information PdZ of the car G. Here, the operation status is information indicating whether the group management control device 1 or the car G is operating normally. In the example of FIG. 3(B), the operation status is indicated as "normal" if it is operating normally, and indicated as "interrupted" if operation has been interrupted for some reason.

[0040] Specifically, each group management control device 1 periodically grasps the operation state of each car G belonging to its own group and reflects the operation state in the second correspondence management data Dq2. Furthermore, each group management control device 1 periodically judges the operation state of each of the other group management control devices 1 based on the distribution state of the first alive status signal Sx1 and the second alive status signal Sx2 from the other group management control devices 1, and also periodically judges the operation state of each of the cars G belonging to the other groups (judgment process). Then, each group management control device 1 reflects these judgment results in the second correspondence management data Dq2 as the operation state of the other groups at that time.

[0041] As an example, in FIG. 3(B), in group "B", the group management control device 1 of the group operates normally, while the determination result when the operation of the car G, of which the car information PdZ is "Z-05", among the cars G belonging to the group is interrupted, is reflected in the second correspondence management data Dq2. As another example, in FIG. 4, the determination result when the operation of the group management control device 1 of group "B" is interrupted is reflected in the second correspondence management data Dq2. In this case, not only the first alive status signal Sx1 is no longer distributed from the group management control device 1 of group "B", but also the second alive status signal Sx2 is no longer distributed, so that it is determined that the operation of all cars G belonging to group "B" (here, the three cars G, whose car information PdZ is "Z-04" to "Z-06") is interrupted.

[0042] The control unit 12 is a part responsible for executing the control processing performed by the group management control device 1, and is composed of processing devices such as a CPU and an MPU. Specifically, the control unit 12 is responsible for executing the above-mentioned distribution processing and judgment processing, and for executing the call registration processing (including the first extraction processing, the transfer processing, the second extraction processing, and the allocation processing) described in detail below. The parts (processing units) responsible for these processes are constructed in software within the control unit 12 by a group management program installed in the group management control device 1. In FIG. 2, a distribution processing unit 12A, a judgment processing unit 12B, and a call registration processing unit 12C (including the first extraction processing unit 121, the transfer processing unit 122, the second extraction processing unit 123, and the allocation processing unit 124) are constructed as such processing units.

[0043] Incidentally, the above-mentioned group management program may be stored in a readable state on a portable storage medium (e.g., a flash memory, etc.) before being installed in the group management control device 1, or may be stored in a downloadable state on another server, etc. Furthermore, the control processing performed by the group management control device 1 is not limited to being realized by software through execution of a program, but may also be realized by hardware by a processing circuit (control unit 12) constructed in the group management control device 1.

[0044] [1-3] Call registration process performed by the group management control device 5 is a flowchart showing the call registration process performed in this embodiment by each group management control device 1. This call registration process is started when each group management control device 1 receives a hall call allocation request.

[0045] Here, in this embodiment, there are two cases in which each group management control device 1 receives a hall call allocation request. The first case is when a user registers a destination floor Fd in a destination floor registration device 2 belonging to the group of the group management control device 1 (in this embodiment, the destination floor registration device 2 connected to the group management control device 1), and the group management control device 1 receives an allocation request from the destination floor registration device 2. In this case, each group management control device 1 receives, as an allocation request, the destination floor Fd registered by the user and the device information PdX of the destination floor registration device 2 used to register the destination floor Fd. The second case is when each group management control device 1 receives an allocation request transferred from another group management control device 1. In this case, each group management control device 1 receives, as an allocation request, the destination floor Fd and the device information PdX, as well as the device information PdY of the group management control device 1 that is the transfer source. In the following, in either case, the information received by each group management control device 1 as an allocation request will be collectively referred to as "received information Pr".

[0046] When the call registration process is started, the group management control device 1 determines whether the received allocation request is from a destination floor registration device 2 belonging to its own group or has been transferred from another group management control device 1, and determines whether the device information PdY is included in the received information Pr (step S100).

[0047] When the group management control device 1 judges that the destination floor registration device 2 is not included (No) in step S100, it can determine that it has received an allocation request from a destination floor registration device 2 belonging to its own group. In this case, the group management control device 1 uses the first correspondence management data Dq1 to extract the installation floor Fs associated with the device information PdX in the received information Pr, sets it as the departure floor Fc of the user, and then sets the departure floor Fc and the destination floor Fd in the received information Pr as one hall call. Hereinafter, this hall call will be referred to as the "focused hall call Ck."

[0048] Then, the group management control device 1 targets its own group and other groups for which the group management control device 1 has been determined to be operating normally through a determination process, and extracts allocation candidates Gc1 for the target hall call Ck from among the cars G that belong to these groups (step S110, first extraction process).At this time, the group management control device 1 extracts the allocation candidates Gc1 using operation data within its own group and operation data within other groups distributed by group management control devices 1 among the other group management control devices 1 that have been determined to be operating normally through a determination process.

[0049] Specifically, the group management control device 1 targets cars G in its own group that are operating normally and cars G that belong to other groups that have been determined to be operating normally through a determination process, and extracts allocation candidates Gc1 from these cars G. More specifically, the group management control device 1 targets only cars G whose operating status associated with the car information PdZ in the second correspondence management data Dq2 is "normal," and extracts allocation candidates Gc1 from these cars G. This first extraction process makes it possible to extract allocation candidates Gc1 from only cars G that are operating normally in one bank (target bank).

[0050] On the other hand, in step S110 (first extraction process), the group management control device 1 does not perform learning to optimize the allocation candidate Gc1 in the entire target bank, but extracts the allocation candidate Gc1 using a predetermined setting value. In this way, in the first extraction process, the allocation candidate Gc1 is extracted by a relatively simple process.

[0051] Next, the group management control device 1 judges whether the allocation candidate Gc1 extracted in step S110 (first extraction process) is a car G belonging to its own group (step S111). Specifically, the group management control device 1 judges whether the group associated with the car information PdZ of the allocation candidate Gc1 matches the group associated with its own device information PdY by referring to the second correspondence management data Dq2. If the group management control device 1 judges that there is a "match," it judges that the car G belongs to its own group (Yes), and if it judges that there is no match, it judges that the car G does not belong to its own group (No).

[0052] When the group management control device 1 determines in step S111 that "the car G belongs to its own group (Yes)", it again extracts an allocation candidate Gc2 for the target hall call Ck from among the cars G in its own group that are operating normally (step S112, second extraction process). Specifically, the group management control device 1 targets only the cars G identified by the car information PdZ associated with the same group as its own device information PdY in the second correspondence management data Dq2 (in other words, the car information PdZ associated with its own device information PdY) whose operating status associated with the car information PdZ is "normal", and extracts the allocation candidate Gc2 from among those cars G.

[0053] Furthermore, in step S112 (second extraction process), the group management control device 1 uses the learning data Dp to perform learning for optimizing the allocation candidate Gc2 within its own group, and extracts the allocation candidate Gc2 in the learned state. In this way, in the second extraction process, the allocation candidate Gc2 is extracted with high accuracy.

[0054] Thereafter, the group management control device 1 executes allocation of the target hall call Ck to the allocation candidate Gc2 extracted in step S112 (second extraction process) (step S113. Allocation process). Then, the group management control device 1 informs the user of the information of the allocation executed in step S113 (such as car information PdZ of the car G (allocation candidate Gc2) to which the target hall call Ck has been allocated) through the destination floor registration device 2 (the destination floor registration device 2 that has made the allocation request) identified by device information PdX in the received information Pr in the first correspondence management data Dq1 (step S114. Guidance process). After step S114, the group management control device 1 ends the call registration process.

[0055] On the other hand, if the group management control device 1 determines in step S111 that "the car G does not belong to its own group (No)," it transfers the allocation request to the group management control device 1 of the group to which the allocation candidate Gc1 belongs so that the group management control device 1 can perform the allocation (step S120. Transfer processing).

[0056] Specifically, the group management control device 1 transfers the allocation request to another group management control device 1 identified by the equipment information PdY associated with the same group as the car information PdZ of the allocation candidate Gc1 in the second correspondence management data Dq2 (in other words, the equipment information PdY associated with the car information PdZ of the allocation candidate Gc1). At this time, the group management control device 1 transmits the destination floor Fd and equipment information PdX in the received information Pr to the transfer destination group management control device 1, and also transmits its own equipment information PdY to the transfer destination group management control device 1 so that the transfer destination knows which group management control device 1 the allocation request was transferred from.

[0057] Then, when the transfer destination group management control device 1 receives the allocation request transferred from the transfer source group management control device 1, it determines in step S100 that the device information PdY is "included (Yes)". In this case, the transfer destination group management control device 1 uses the first correspondence management data Dq1 to extract the installation floor Fs associated with the device information PdX in the received information Pr, sets it as the departure floor Fc of the user, and sets the departure floor Fc and the destination floor Fd in the received information Pr as one hall call. Hereinafter, this hall call will be referred to as the "interesting hall call Cw".

[0058] Then, the group management control device 1 of the transfer destination extracts an allocation candidate GcW for the target hall call Cw from among the cars G in its own group that are operating normally (step S130, second extraction process). Specifically, the group management control device 1 targets only the cars G whose operating status associated with the car information PdZ is "normal" among the cars G identified by the car information PdZ associated with the same group as its own device information PdY in the second correspondence management data Dq2 (in other words, the car information PdZ associated with its own device information PdY), and extracts the allocation candidate GcW from among those cars G.

[0059] Also, in step S130 (second extraction process), the group management control device 1 uses the learning data Dp to learn to optimize the allocation candidate GcW in its own group, and extracts the allocation candidate GcW in the learned state. In this way, in the second extraction process of the transfer destination, the allocation candidate GcW is extracted with high accuracy.

[0060] Thereafter, the transfer destination group management control device 1 executes allocation of the target hall call Cw to the allocation candidate GcW extracted in step S130 (second extraction process) (step S131. Allocation process).

[0061] In this case, the destination group management control device 1 returns the allocation information executed in step S131 (such as car information PdZ of car G (allocation candidate GcW) to which the target hall call Cw is assigned) to the group management control device 1 that transferred the allocation request (the source group management control device 1) (step S132. Return process). Specifically, the group management control device 1 returns the above allocation information to the group management control device 1 identified by device information PdY in the received information Pr in the first corresponding management data Dq1. After step S132, the destination group management control device 1 ends the call registration process.

[0062] As a result, the group management control device 1 of the transfer source receives the above-mentioned allocation information from the group management control device 1 of the transfer destination after transferring the allocation request in step S120 of its own call registration process. Therefore, after step S120, the group management control device 1 of the transfer source determines whether or not the allocation information has been returned from the group management control device 1 of the transfer destination (step S121). At this time, the group management control device 1 repeats step S121 until it can determine in step S121 that "the information has been returned (Yes)."

[0063] Then, when the group management control device 1 of the transfer source judges in step S121 that "a reply has been received (Yes)", it notifies the user of the returned allocation information through the destination floor registration device 2 (the destination floor registration device 2 that has made the allocation request) identified by the device information PdX in the received information Pr in the first correspondence management data Dq1 (step S122, guidance process). After step S122, the group management control device 1 of the transfer source also ends the call registration process.

[0064] According to this embodiment, in the target bank, it is possible to make a plurality of group management control devices 1 cooperate with each other by distributing the first alive state signal Sx1 and the second alive state signal Sx2, distributing operation data, and transferring allocation requests. Then, each group management control device 1 can extract allocation candidates Gc1 in the first extraction process only for groups in which the group management control device 1 is operating normally, while grasping whether the other group management control devices 1 are operating normally. Therefore, even if the group management control device 1 cannot operate normally in some groups in the target bank, it is possible to continue the operation of the bank without interruption by the group management control devices 1 of the other groups, except for the groups that cannot be used. Therefore, it is possible to build a bank with high robustness.

[0065] In this embodiment, the group management control device 1 of each group is made to perform highly accurate processing using the learning data Dp to extract the allocation candidates Gc1 or GcW in the second extraction processing, which targets only the cars G that are operating normally among the cars G that belong to the group, while performing relatively simple processing to extract the allocation candidates Gc1 in the first extraction processing, which targets all the cars G that are operating normally among the cars G that belong to the target bank. This makes it possible for the group management control device 1 of each group to realize the following processing while cooperating with other group management control devices 1 within a realistic range according to its processing capacity.

[0066] First, when the group management control device 1 of each group receives a request for allocation of a hall call from the destination floor registration device 2 (i.e., a user), it extracts allocation candidates Gc1 by a relatively simple process (first extraction process), and relatively easily predicts a car G suitable for the allocation of the requested hall call from among all cars G that are operating normally. Then, the group management control device 1 of the group to which the predicted car G (allocation candidate Gc1 extracted by the first extraction process) belongs narrows down to the cars G belonging to its own group, and extracts allocation candidates Gc2 or GcW by a highly accurate process (second extraction process), thereby determining with high accuracy the car G suitable for allocation.

[0067] In this way, by linking multiple group management control devices 1 together within a target bank, it becomes possible to control all of the cars G that make up the bank as if they were being managed by a single group management control device 1. Therefore, it becomes possible to configure one bank with a large number of cars G that exceeds the number of cars G that can be managed by a single group management control device 1.

[0068] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the destination floor registration devices 2 installed in the target bank are each assigned to one of the above-mentioned multiple groups and connected to the group management control device 1 of the group to which they are assigned. With this configuration, it is possible to distribute and associate the destination floor registration devices 2 installed in the target bank with multiple group management control devices 1, and thereby it is possible to distribute and execute the extraction of allocation candidates Gc1 (first extraction process) from all normally operating cars G among the cars G belonging to the target bank to multiple normally operating group management control devices 1. Therefore, even if one of the group management control devices 1 breaks down and the destination floor registration device 2 associated with that group management control device 1 becomes unavailable, it is possible to register the destination floor Fd with another destination floor registration device 2, and as a result, it is possible to continue the operation of the target bank without interruption.

[0069] Furthermore, even if all of the cars G in a certain group become unavailable, if the group management control device 1 is operating normally, the destination floor Fd can be registered from the destination floor registration device 2 connected to the group management control device 1, so that the destination floor registration device 2 can remain available.

[0070] In this way, according to this embodiment, it is possible to build a highly robust bank including the destination floor registration device 2. Furthermore, by configuring a group, which is the smallest structural unit, including the destination floor registration device 2, it is possible to build one highly robust bank including the destination floor registration device 2 simply by combining a plurality of such groups.

[0071] [2] Variations [2-1] First modified example The first modification is a modification of the above-described embodiment.

[0072] FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an elevator to which a control system according to the first modification is applied. As shown in this figure, in this modification, the destination floor registration devices 2 installed in the target bank are each assigned to one of the above-mentioned multiple groups, while each destination floor registration device 2 is connected so as to be able to communicate not only with the group management control device 1 of its own group, but also with other group management control devices 1 without going through it. In other words, each destination floor registration device 2 is configured so that when a user registers a destination floor Fd there, the destination floor Fd and its own device information PdX can be distributed (broadcast) to all group management control devices 1 in the target bank. Therefore, when a user registers a destination floor Fd in each destination floor registration device 2, an allocation request is distributed to all group management control devices 1.

[0073] 7 is a flowchart showing the call registration process performed by each group management control device 1 in the first modified example. In this modified example, this call registration process is also started when the group management control device 1 of each group receives an allocation request distributed from a destination floor registration device 2 in another group. Therefore, when the group management control device 1 determines in step S100 that the device information PdY is "not included (No)" in the received information Pr, it can determine based on this determination that the allocation request has been received from a destination floor registration device 2 belonging to one of the groups in the target bank, rather than being transferred from another group management control device 1.

[0074] Therefore, when the group management control device 1 judges that the received allocation request is not included (No) in step S100, it judges whether or not the received allocation request is distributed from a destination floor registration device 2 belonging to its own group in order to judge whether or not it should perform the process from step S110 (first extraction process) (step S201). Specifically, the group management control device 1 uses the first correspondence management data Dq1 to extract a group associated with the device information PdX in the received information Pr, and judges whether or not the group matches the group associated with its own device information PdY in the second correspondence management data Dq2. Then, when the group management control device 1 judges that the group matches, it judges that the group is distributed from a destination floor registration device 2 belonging to its own group (Yes), and when it judges that the group does not match, it judges that the group is not distributed from a destination floor registration device 2 belonging to its own group (No).

[0075] Then, if the group management control device 1 determines in step S201 that "the information was distributed from a destination floor registration device 2 belonging to its own group (Yes)", it determines that it should perform the processing from step S110 onwards, and starts the processing from step S110.

[0076] On the other hand, if the group management control device 1 determines in step S201 that "the request was not distributed from a destination floor registration device 2 belonging to its own group (No)", even if that is the case (in other words, even if the allocation request was distributed from a destination floor registration device 2 other than a destination floor registration device 2 belonging to its own group), it further determines whether or not it should perform the processing from step S110.

[0077] Specifically, the group management control device 1 further determines whether the group management control device 1 is operating normally in the group to which the destination floor registration device 2 that transmitted the allocation request belongs (step S202). More specifically, the group management control device 1 determines whether the operating status associated with the device information PdY is "normal" in the same group as the group extracted using the first correspondence management data Dq1, among the groups in the second correspondence management data Dq2.

[0078] If the group management control device 1 determines in step S202 that the group management control device 1 of the above group is "operating normally (Yes)", then it can determine based on that determination that the group management control device 1 of that group will perform processing from step S110, and therefore ends the call registration processing without doing anything itself.

[0079] On the other hand, if the group management control device 1 determines in step S202 that the group management control device 1 of the above group is "not operating normally (No)", then it can determine that the group management control device 1 of that group cannot execute the process from step S110. In other words, it is determined that the allocation request has been distributed from a destination floor registration device 2 belonging to a group in the target bank in which the group management control device 1 is not operating normally. In this case, the group management control device 1 follows a predetermined priority order with other group management control devices 1 in the target bank, and if its own priority is the highest among them (if "Yes" in step S203), it executes the process from step S110 on behalf of the group management control device 1 that is not operating normally.

[0080] According to this first modified example, even if the group management control device 1 is no longer able to operate normally in some groups in the target bank, all destination floor registration devices 2 in the target bank can be maintained in an available state.

[0081] Furthermore, in this modified example, when the group management control device 1 determines in step S111 that the allocation candidate Gc1 is "not a car G belonging to its own group (No)" and transfers the allocation request to the group management control device 1 of the group to which the allocation candidate Gc1 belongs (step S120. Transfer processing), the group management control device 1 to which the request is transferred can perform the following processing.

[0082] After executing step S130 (second extraction process) and step S131 (allocation process), the transfer destination group management control device 1 can inform the user of the information on the allocation executed in step S131 through the destination floor registration device 2 that originally made the allocation request (step S140), without going through the transfer source group management control device 1 (in other words, without returning to the transfer source group management control device 1). Specifically, the transfer destination group management control device 1 can inform the user of the allocation information by directly communicating with the destination floor registration device 2 identified by device information PdX in the received information Pr in the first corresponding management data Dq1.

[0083] Therefore, after the transfer source group management control device 1 transfers the allocation request in step S120 of the call registration process that it performs, it can end the call registration process without performing the guidance process (step S122 in FIG. 5).

[0084] According to this first variant, when an allocation request is transferred, information on the allocation performed by the group management control device 1 to which the request is transferred can be provided to the user directly from the transfer destination (in other words, without going through the group management control device 1 from which the request is transferred) via the destination floor registration device 2 that originally made the allocation request.

[0085] [2-2] Second variant The second modification is a modification of the above-described embodiment.

[0086] In the target bank, instead of the destination floor registration device 2, a plurality of destination direction buttons may be provided for each floor, and a destination floor button may be provided in each car G. Here, the destination direction buttons include an up direction button for specifying an up direction as the destination direction, and a down direction button for specifying a down direction as the destination direction. In addition, the destination floor button is a button for a user to register a destination floor Fd in the car G, and is provided for each stopping floor at which the user can disembark in the target bank.

[0087] In this modified example, the destination direction buttons for each floor are assigned to one of a plurality of groups, and are connected to the group management control device 1 of the group to which they are assigned.

[0088] Furthermore, when a user presses a destination direction button to specify a destination direction, that destination direction is transmitted to the group management control device 1 of the group to which that destination direction button belongs (the group management control device 1 to which that destination direction button is connected). As a result, an assignment request (a call registration request) from the user is made to the group management control device 1. At this time, the destination direction button transmits device information PdX to identify itself from other buttons, devices, etc., along with the destination direction to the group management control device 1 so that the group management control device 1 recognizes which destination direction button is the source of the destination direction.

[0089] In this configuration, similarly to the above-described embodiment, by linking multiple group management control devices 1 together within a target bank, it becomes possible to control all of the cars G that make up the bank as if they were being managed by a single group management control device 1. Therefore, it becomes possible to configure one bank with a large number of cars G that exceeds the number of cars G that can be managed by a single group management control device 1.

[0090] The above-mentioned embodiments and the description of the modifications should be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0091] Furthermore, from the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications, the subject of the invention is not limited to the elevator control system, but may be extracted individually or partially from the devices constituting the control system, the control processes and programs executed by the control system, etc. Furthermore, a part or the whole of the configuration of the elevator to which the control system is applied may be extracted as the subject of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1 Group management control device 2. Destination floor registration device G Car 11 Storage section 12 Control section 12A Distribution Processing Unit 12B Judgment processing unit 12C Call registration processing unit Ck, Cw Call at the target platform Dp training data Fc Departure floor Fd Destination floor Fs Installation floor Pr Reception Information 121 First extraction processing section 122 Transfer Processing Unit 123 Second extraction processing section 124 Allocation processing unit Dq1 First response management data Dq2 2nd response management data Gc1, Gc2, GcW allocation candidates PdX, PdY Equipment Information PdZ Basket Information Sx1 First alive status signal Sx2 Second alive status signal

Claims

1. A control system applicable to an elevator having a bank, a plurality of group management control devices, each of which is connected to one of the groups so that the plurality of cars belonging to the bank are divided into a plurality of groups and each of which is associated with one of the groups and is capable of communicating with each other; Equipped with Each group management control device a distribution processing unit that distributes a first alive state signal indicating that the group management control device is operating normally to other group management control devices when the group management control device is operating normally; a determination processing unit that determines, for each of the other group management control devices, whether or not the group management control device is operating normally based on a distribution state of the first alive state signal from the group management control device; a first extraction processing unit that, when receiving a hall call allocation request from a user, extracts allocation candidates from among elevator cars belonging to the group itself and other groups for which the group management control device is determined to be operating normally by the determination processing unit; An elevator control system comprising:

2. In each group management control device, The distribution processing unit further distributes, for each car belonging to its own group, a second alive state signal indicating that the car is operating normally to other group management control devices; The determination processing unit further determines, for each car belonging to another group, whether or not the car is operating normally based on a distribution state of the second alive state signal from the other group; The elevator control system of claim 1, wherein when the first extraction processing unit receives a request for allocation of a hall call from a user, the first extraction processing unit extracts allocation candidates from among cars in its own group that are operating normally and cars belonging to other groups that are determined to be operating normally by the determination processing unit.

3. In each group management control device, The distribution processing unit further distributes the operation data within its own group to other group management control devices, 3. The elevator control system according to claim 2, wherein the first extraction processing unit extracts the allocation candidates using operation data within its own group and operation data within other groups distributed by a group management control device among the other group management control devices that is determined to be operating normally by the determination processing unit, Each group management control device a transfer processing unit that transfers the allocation request to a group management control device to which the allocation candidate belongs when the allocation candidate extracted by the first extraction processing unit is a car belonging to another group; a second extraction processing unit that extracts an allocation candidate from among elevators that are operating normally in the group of the first extraction processing unit when the allocation candidate extracted by the first extraction processing unit is an elevator that belongs to the group of the first extraction processing unit, or when an allocation request is transferred from another group management control device; an allocation processing unit that executes allocation of the hall calls to the allocation candidates extracted by the second extraction processing unit; The elevator control system further comprises:

4. A plurality of destination floor registration devices belonging to the bank; Further comprising: Each of the plurality of destination floor registration devices is assigned to one of the plurality of groups and is connected to a group management control device of the group to which it is assigned, Each group management control device When a user registers a destination floor using a destination floor registration device connected to the device, when the device receives the allocation request from the destination floor registration device, the device executes extraction of the allocation candidates in the first extraction processing unit; When the allocation request is transferred from another group management control device and the second extraction processing unit extracts the allocation candidates, after the allocation processing unit executes the allocation, information on the allocation is returned to the group management control device that transferred the allocation request; 4. The elevator control system according to claim 3, wherein after the transfer to another group management control device is executed by the transfer processing unit, when the allocation information is returned from the group management control device, the allocation information is provided to a user via the destination floor registration device that made the allocation request.

5. A plurality of destination floor registration devices belonging to the bank; Further comprising: The plurality of destination floor registration devices are each assigned to one of the plurality of groups, while each destination floor registration device can communicate not only with the group management control device of its own group, but also with other group management control devices without going through the group management control device, and when a destination floor is registered by a user, the allocation request is distributed to all of the plurality of group management control devices, Each group management control device When the allocation request is received, if the allocation request is distributed from a destination floor registration device associated with the device itself, extracting the allocation candidates in the first extraction processing unit; An elevator control system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the allocation request is received, even if the allocation request is distributed from a destination floor registration device other than the destination floor registration device associated with the elevator control system itself, if the allocation request is distributed from a destination floor registration device belonging to a group in which the group management control device has been determined by the judgment processing unit to be not operating normally, the first extraction processing unit executes extraction of the allocation candidates on behalf of the group management control device of that group.

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