Elevator inspection work support method and inspection work support device

Abstract

The present invention provides an elevator inspection work support method and an inspection work support device that improves worker safety and work efficiency by displaying items that are normally invisible as AR images. [Solution] A method for supporting elevator inspection work using AR technology, in which 3D model information of the components of each elevator and elevator information including at least elevator number information and floor information are registered, and when inspecting an elevator, position information of the car on the floor where the worker is working is obtained, and based on the elevator information, car position information, and 3D model information of the components of each elevator, a 3D AR image of the car on the floor where the worker will get on is displayed on the display unit of a terminal device carried by the worker.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an elevator inspection work support method and an inspection work support device. [Background technology]

[0002] In elevator inspections, workers often climb aboard the elevator car. To begin, the elevator control panel first operates the car to move to the designated floor in inspection mode. The elevator doors then open, allowing the worker to climb aboard the car and begin work. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-228072 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-073740 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the position of the elevator cannot be confirmed until the landing door is opened, and problems can occur such as the elevator being missing when the landing door is opened, or it stopping at a high position, making it impossible to get in. In addition, when opening the landing door, it is necessary to unlock the door with a special tool, but because the unlocking position cannot be seen, it takes time to unlock, which reduces work efficiency.

[0005] On the other hand, AR (Augmented Reality) technology is known, which adds information by overlaying various content onto the real world seen through a display terminal, and it is desirable to apply AR technology to elevator inspection work as well.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide an elevator inspection work support method and an inspection work support device that improves worker safety and work efficiency by displaying items that are normally invisible as AR images. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] It is expected that future elevator inspection methods will involve workers using wearable devices (equipment that can be worn like glasses) to carry out inspection work by following instructions provided by the device's voice and on its display, such as the work content, work procedures, and automatic identification of abnormalities in the inspection target.This proposal proposes an efficient and safe inspection method for elevator inspections by displaying items that are normally invisible as AR images on the display.

[0008] An embodiment for achieving the above object is a method for supporting elevator inspection work using AR technology, in which 3D model information of the components of each elevator and elevator information including at least elevator number information and floor information are registered, and when inspecting an elevator, position information of the car on the floor where the worker is working is obtained, and based on the elevator information, the position information of the car, and the 3D model information of the components of each elevator, a 3D AR image of the car on the floor where the worker gets on is displayed on the display unit of a terminal device carried by the worker. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a state during work on the elevator system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the elevator system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a wearable device worn by a worker. [Figure 4] 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating a state before work on the elevator system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an AR image of a car position in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an AR image of a locking portion position in the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a control system of the elevator system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an AR image of a car position in the second embodiment. [Figure 10A] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10B] 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] First Embodiment Configuration of the First Embodiment Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of an elevator system. In the elevator 1 shown in Figure 1, a rope 5 is stretched across a traction machine 4 located in a machine room 3 above a hoistway 2. A car 6 is hung from one end of the rope 5, and a counterweight 7 is hung from the other end in a bucket-like fashion. In addition to the traction machine 4, the machine room 3 also contains an elevator control panel 8 connected to the car 6 via a tail cord (not shown).

[0011] Meanwhile, landing doors 10a, 10b, ..., 10n are provided for each landing 9a, 9b, ..., 9n on each floor. During inspection work, worker 11 operates elevator control panel 8, moves car 6 to any position in inspection operation, and unlocks landing doors 10a, 10b, ..., 10n from landings 9a, 9b, ..., 9n to enter hoistway 2 and perform inspection work on car 6.

[0012] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the first embodiment. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a wearable device worn by an operator. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the elevator system according to the first embodiment.

[0013] 2, the elevator control panel 8 includes a control panel side communication unit 81 and an elevator information storage unit 82. The elevator information storage unit 82 stores elevator number information 821 and 3D model information 822 of components of each elevator model.

[0014] The terminal device 20 includes a terminal device side communication unit 21, an AR control unit 22, a wearable device 23, a position information unit 24, and an abnormality determination unit 25.

[0015] The AR control unit 22 includes an image processing unit 221 , a position determining unit 222 , and an output unit 223 .

[0016] The wearable device 23 includes an image display unit 231. The wearable device 23 is a glasses-like device worn by the worker 11, and can display a three-dimensional model image on the image display unit 231. The AR marker information reading unit 232 in the figure will be described in the second embodiment.

[0017] <<Processing Procedure of the First Embodiment>> In the flowchart of FIG. 4, during inspection work, the elevator control panel 8 is operated to move the car 6 to an arbitrary position during inspection operation (S1).

[0018] In the elevator control panel 8, elevator information for each car is recorded in an elevator information storage unit 82, and car information 821 and multiple pieces of 3D model information 822 used in the embodiment are registered. The car information 821 includes floor height position information of the car 6 when the elevator control panel 8 is operated during inspection work and the car 6 is moved to an arbitrary position during inspection operation. The terminal device side communication unit 21 and the control panel side communication unit 81 communicate, and the elevator information recorded in the elevator information storage unit 82 is input to the AR control unit 22 of the terminal device 20.

[0019] The position determination unit 222 of the AR control unit 22 determines the position at which to display the 3D image based on the inputted unit number information 821 and the position information of the position information unit 24 of the terminal device 20 (S2). The image processing unit 221 performs processing to display the 3D model information 822 as a 3D image. The output unit 223 outputs the 3D model information 822 to be displayed to the video display unit 231 when the worker 11 operates the terminal device 20. As a result, a 3D image of the selected item is displayed on the screen of the terminal device 20 (S3).

[0020] Furthermore, when a three-dimensional image is output to the video display unit 231, if the item displaying the three-dimensional image is a car 6, and if the abnormality determination unit 25 finds that the floor height position information of the car 6 from the elevator information 15 input and the position information from the position information unit 24 of the terminal device 20 differ in level from the position of the landing 9a, 9b, ..., 9n where the worker 11 is located by a level difference of a certain threshold value or more (for example, 100 to 200 mm), the terminal device 20 has a function of issuing an alert to the video display unit 231 of the terminal device 20 and calling attention to correct the floor height position of the car 6 (S4 to S6).

[0021] 5 shows the state in which the elevator control panel 8 has moved the car 6 to the boarding position and the worker 11 has not yet boarded the car 6. The terminal device 20 is a device such as a smartphone or a wearable device 23 that the worker 11 always carries with him or her, and displays the inspection procedure and reports on the inspection.

[0022] 6 shows, with a dashed line, a three-dimensional image display of the elevator car 6 displayed on the video display unit 231 of the terminal device 20 when viewed in the direction of arrow X from the position of the worker 11 shown in FIG. 6. As can be seen from FIG. 6, the worker 11 can visually confirm the position of the elevator car 6 by checking the three-dimensional image displayed on the smartphone or wearable device 23.

[0023] 7 shows, by dashed lines, a three-dimensional image display of the lock section video 31 of the landing doors 10a, 10b, ..., 10n displayed on the video display unit 231 of the terminal device 20 when viewed in the direction of arrow X from the position of the worker 11 shown in FIG. 5.

[0024] In elevator inspection work, the lock units 26 of the landing doors 10a, 10b, ..., 10n can be unlocked from the landings 9a, 9b, ..., 9n by inserting an unlock key 32 between the landing door 10a, 10b, ..., 10n and the jamb 30 and lifting the lock unit (shown by a lock unit image 31). However, the lock units cannot be seen from the landings 9a, 9b, ..., 9n, so it is necessary to unlock them while searching for their location with the unlock key 32. As can be seen from FIG. 7 , in this embodiment, the lock unit images 31 showing the lock units that lock the landing doors 10a, 10b, ..., 10n can be seen from the landings 9a, 9b, ..., 9n, making it easy to identify the unlocking location.

[0025] In this way, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to identify the work object based on the location information and display the work procedure. Therefore, by displaying the normally invisible items as AR images, it is possible to improve the safety and work efficiency of elevator inspection work.

[0026] Configuration of the Second Embodiment FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the second embodiment.

[0027] AR (Augmented Reality) technology adds information by overlaying various content onto the real world seen through a display device. In order to display AR content seamlessly in the real world, it is necessary to accurately recognize the display position and size. AR markers are a necessary tool for this purpose.

[0028] The configuration of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, and further includes the following: As shown in FIG. 3, the wearable device 23 worn by the worker 11 includes an image display unit 231 and an AR marker information reading unit 232 that reads information of an AR marker.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 9, the AR marker 40 is installed near the landing button. The AR marker 50 is installed above the landing door 108. The AR marker 40 has recorded therein floor information 41 and elevator information 42 for displaying an AR image having elevator car information and floor information. The AR marker 50 also has recorded therein floor information and elevator car information. The AR control unit 22 of the terminal device 20 processes the AR information based on the read elevator information and the position of the recognized AR marker, and determines the content and display position of the AR image.

[0030] <<Processing Procedure of the Second Embodiment>> During inspection, information is read from the elevator into the terminal device, and the elevator information is read by the wearable device 23.

[0031] When wearable device 23 recognizes AR marker 40 installed at the landing of each floor, it analyzes the current landing floor from AR marker 40 at the landing, and based on car position information (pulse value) indicating the current car position, the car position in elevator shaft 2 from the landing floor where AR marker 40 was read through wearable device 23 is displayed as an AR image. If the car position in the AR image is not a normal boarding position, a warning is displayed on video display unit 231. After confirming that the car position is normal using the AR image, for example, by reading AR marker 50 installed above the landing doors, the AR image displays at which positions landing doors 10a, 10b, ..., 10n can be unlocked, and landing doors 10a, 10b, ..., 10n can be easily unlocked using unlock key 32.

[0032] 10, during inspection operation, the car is first moved to the boarding position of the floor where the worker will board (S11). At this time, the terminal device 20 reads car position information from the elevator control panel 8 (S12). Based on the read car position information, the AR marker information reader 232 recognizes the AR marker 40 (S13, S14).

[0033] When the AR marker 40 is recognized, the floor on which the AR marker 40 is installed is analyzed (S15). If it is the first floor, an AR image of the car position from the first floor boarding position is displayed on the video display unit 231 (S16, S17). If it is the second floor, an AR image of the car position from the second floor boarding position is displayed on the video display unit 231 (S24, S25). If it is the Nth floor, an AR image of the car position from the Nth floor boarding position is displayed on the video display unit 231 (S26, S27).

[0034] Next, it is determined whether the car position in the displayed AR image is a normal boarding position (S18). If normal, the process ends.

[0035] If the car position is not normal, a warning is displayed to prompt the user to correct the car position (S19). After the position is corrected, the terminal device 20 reads the car position information from the elevator control panel 8 (S20, S21). Based on the read car position information, the display position of the AR image of the car 6 is updated (S22, S23).

[0036] Meanwhile, the AR marker information reading unit 232 recognizes the AR marker 50 installed on the landing door 108, and analyzes the floor on which the AR marker 50 is installed. Then, as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 7 , the video display unit 231 displays a 3D image of the lock section video 31 of the displayed landing door 10a, 10b, ..., 10n.

[0037] As described above, according to the second embodiment, components that are normally invisible can be displayed as AR images on the video display unit 231. For example, the car 6 in the elevator shaft 2 can be visualized from the landings 9a, 9b, ..., 9n, and the location of the car 6 can be known before opening the landing doors 10a, 10b, ..., 10n, so that if the boarding position is incorrect, a warning can be displayed on the video display unit 231. Furthermore, the locations of the unlock keys 32 for the landing doors 10a, 10b, ..., 10n can be displayed as AR images, making it possible to easily unlock the doors, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0038] Furthermore, if the elevator information includes component data and building information for each property in advance, it will be possible to display AR images of the car shape, unlocking part shape, replacement parts, and faulty parts in conjunction with remote inspection.

[0039] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Elevator, 2...Hoistway, 3...Machine room, 4...Hoisting machine, 5...Rope, 6...Cab, 7...Counterweight, 8...Elevator control panel, 81...Control panel side communication unit, 82...Elevator information storage unit, 821...Elevator number information, 822...3D model information, 9a, 9b, 9n...Landing, 10a, 10b, 10n, 108...Landing door, 11...Worker, 20...Terminal device, 21...Terminal device side communication unit, 22...AR control unit, 23...Wearable device, 24...Position information unit, 222...Position determination unit, 221...Image processing unit, 223...Output unit, 231...Video display unit, 232...AR marker information reading unit, 25...Abnormality determination unit, 30...Three-sided jamb, 31...Lock unit image, 32...Unlock key, 40, 50...AR marker, 61...Cab position image

Claims

1. An elevator inspection work support method using AR technology, Three-dimensional model information of components of each elevator and elevator information including at least elevator number information and floor information are registered; When inspecting an elevator, the terminal device carried by the worker acquires the position information of the elevator car at the floor where the worker is working, This is an elevator inspection work support method in which a 3D AR image of the elevator car at the floor where the worker gets on is displayed on the display unit of a terminal device carried by the worker, based on the elevator information, elevator car position information, and 3D model information of the components of each elevator.

2. 2. The elevator inspection work support method according to claim 1, wherein a display unit of the terminal device displays a three-dimensional AR image of a locking portion of a landing door at a floor where an operator gets into the elevator car.

3. 3. The elevator inspection work support method according to claim 1, wherein the elevator information is recorded in an elevator control panel, and the terminal device acquires the elevator information by communicating with the elevator control panel.

4. An AR marker is installed at a predetermined position on the floor where the elevator inspection work is performed, an elevator information storage unit in which floor information and three-dimensional model information of components of each elevator model are stored as elevator information; a wearable device worn by a worker, which reads the elevator information by reading the AR marker when starting work; An inspection work support device comprising: a display unit provided in the wearable device that displays a 3D AR image of the elevator car at the floor where the worker will board the elevator car based on the elevator information and elevator car position information at the start of work.

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