Elevator management system and method

Abstract

To enable occupying operation not exclusive to a purpose of crime prevention and a VIP to be efficiently reserved and executed.SOLUTION: An elevator management system receives a reservation for occupying operation of one or a plurality of elevators provided in a building, and determines whether the received reservation should be approved or not, on the basis of reservation management data which are data showing a situation of approved reservation for the occupying operation. The elevator management system executes at least either of a determination of order of execution of the occupying operation corresponding to the reservation and a determination of to which elevator the reservation should be allocated, for each of a plurality of reservations approved in the same time zone, on the basis of operation situations of the one or the plurality of elevators and an order of users corresponding to the reservations for the occupying operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to elevator management. [Background technology]

[0002] Occupied operation, in which an elevator is occupied, is known. Types of occupied operation include security operation (for example, Patent Document 1) and VIP operation (for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-290585 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-11169 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There may be needs for exclusive operation for purposes other than security or for VIPs. In order to maintain elevator operation efficiency, it is desirable to reserve exclusive operation in advance.

[0005] However, users do not always arrive at the elevator at the scheduled time for exclusive operation. As a result, it may be a waste to have the elevator car arrive at the landing floor at the scheduled time for the user. Furthermore, although the length of an elevator ride depends on the height of the building and the type of elevator, it is generally short, on the order of several tens of seconds, making it difficult to accurately specify the scheduled time for exclusive operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An elevator management system accepts reservations for exclusive operation of one or more elevators installed in a building, and determines whether to approve the accepted reservation based on reservation management data, which is data indicating the status of approved reservations for exclusive operation. Based on the operating status of one or more elevators and the order of users corresponding to the reservations for exclusive operation, the system performs at least one of determining the order in which exclusive operation corresponding to the reservations will be performed and determining which elevator to assign the reservation to, for each of multiple approved reservations in the same time slot. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently reserve and carry out exclusive driving for purposes other than crime prevention or VIPs. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 shows an example of the configuration of an entire system including an elevator management system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2A] 3 shows an example of a screen transition according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2B] 3 shows an example of a screen transition according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 shows an example of the flow of a reservation control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 3 shows an example of the flow of a fleet management process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 shows an example of data stored in a reservation server according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 shows an example of a part of a reservation control process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 shows an example of a part of a traffic management process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 shows an example of the configuration of a content providing server in an elevator management system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] 13 shows an example of the flow of content-related processing according to the third embodiment. [Figure 10]10 shows an example of a screen transition according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] In the following description, a "communication interface apparatus" may refer to one or more communication interface devices. The one or more communication interface devices may be one or more homogeneous communication interface devices or two or more heterogeneous communication interface devices.

[0010] In the following description, "memory" refers to one or more memory devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices, and may typically be a primary storage device. At least one memory device in the memory may be a volatile memory device or a non-volatile memory device.

[0011] In the following description, a "persistent storage device" may refer to one or more persistent storage devices, which are an example of one or more storage devices. A persistent storage device may typically be a non-volatile storage device (e.g., an auxiliary storage device), and specifically may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a non-volatile memory express (NVME) drive, or a storage class memory (SCM).

[0012] In the following description, the term "storage device" may refer to at least one of memory and persistent storage device.

[0013] Furthermore, in the following description, a "processor" may refer to one or more processor devices. The at least one processor device may typically be a microprocessor device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also be another type of processor device such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The at least one processor device may be a single-core or multi-core. The at least one processor device may also be a processor core. The at least one processor device may also be a processor device in a broader sense, such as a circuit that is a collection of gate arrays written in a hardware description language that performs some or all of the processing (for example, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device), or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)).

[0014] In the following description, when elements of the same type are described without distinction, common reference symbols are used, and when elements of the same type are described with distinction, reference symbols are used.

[0015] Several embodiments will be described below. In the following description, operations other than the exclusive operation will be referred to as "normal operation" for convenience. [First embodiment]

[0016] FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of an entire system including an elevator management system according to a first embodiment.

[0017] The elevator management system may be a system including at least one of a reservation server 110, a management server 120, a communication device 191, a control device 192, an IO device 193, a user detection device 194, a communication device 131, and a control device 132. The reservation server 110 and the management server 120 may be physically separate servers as shown in the figure, or may be realized on the same physical computer system (one or more computers). At least one of the reservation server 110 and the management server 120 may be a physical computer system, or may be a logical system based on a physical computer system (for example, a virtual computer or a cloud computing service).

[0018] A plurality of (or one) elevators 133 are installed in the building 130. Also, a control device 132 and a communication device 131 for the elevator 133 are installed in the building 130 for each elevator 133. At least one of the control device 132 and the communication device 131 may be common to two or more elevators 133.

[0019] The elevator 133 has a car 160. The car 160 has a door 61, a sensor set 62, an in-car IO (Input / Output) device 63, and an operation panel 64.

[0020] The sensor set 62 may be one or more sensors, and may include, for example, a camera that takes pictures inside the car, a weight sensor that measures the weight of all users of the car 160, and an acceleration sensor that measures the acceleration of the car 160.

[0021] The car in-IO device 63 may include a display, a speaker, etc., provided on the inner wall surface of the car 160. The car in-IO device 63 may also include a device that performs short-range wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth communication) with the user terminal 100 of the user in the car 160 ("Bluetooth" is a registered trademark). The user terminal 100 is typically a mobile information processing terminal such as a smartphone. A dedicated terminal may be installed in the building 130 for reserving exclusive driving, and the reservation for exclusive driving may be made from the dedicated terminal. In this case, the dedicated terminal may be an example of a user terminal in a broad sense.

[0022] The operation panel 64 may include buttons for opening and closing the doors 61 and buttons for destination floors.

[0023] Furthermore, an IO device 161 may be provided in an elevator hall on at least one floor (for example, an entrance floor of the building 130) so as to be able to communicate with the control device 132 of the elevator 133. The IO device 161 may include a display, a speaker, etc. Furthermore, the IO device 161 may include a device that performs short-range wireless communication with the user terminal 100.

[0024] The control device 132 of the elevator 133 communicates with the management server 120 of the elevator 133 via the communication device 131 .

[0025] The building 130 may be provided with an IO device 193 , a user detection device 194 , a control device 192 and a communication device 191 .

[0026] The IO device 193 may include a display (e.g., a touch panel), a speaker, etc. The user detection device 194 is a device that detects and identifies a user. The user detection device 194 may be a device including a security system that automatically locks the entrances and exits (or other locations) of the building 130. The security system may be a system that accepts input of authentication information and permits entry into the building 130 (or entry into a predetermined area within the building 130) if the input authentication information matches the authentication information of any user. The authentication information may be input by communication with a contactless key or card, or may be input by operating a touch panel or buttons. The IO device 193 and the user detection device 194 may be provided on each floor.

[0027] The control device 192 may control the IO device 193 and the user detection device 194. The control device 192 may communicate with the management server 120 of the elevator 133 via the communication device 191.

[0028] The management server 120 includes a communication interface device 121, a storage device 122, and a processor 123 connected to these.

[0029] Communication with the communication devices 191 and 131 and the reservation server 110 is carried out via the communication interface device 121 .

[0030] The storage device 122 stores data such as elevator operation data 181. The elevator operation data 181 may represent past, present, and future operations of the elevator 133. The operation represented by the elevator operation data 181 may include, for each elevator 133, elements such as the time, the position of the car 160 (e.g., the stop floor and the destination floor), the number of passengers in the car, and the type of operation (e.g., whether it is an up-bound operation or a down-bound operation, and whether it is an occupied operation or a normal operation).

[0031] The processor 123 executes a computer program stored in the storage device 122. This realizes functions such as an operation management unit 151. The operation management unit 151 controls the elevator 133 by sending a control instruction to the control device 132 via the communication device 131. The operation management unit 151 may also control the display on the IO device 193 by sending a control instruction to the control device 132 via the communication device 131. The operation management unit 151 can also receive authentication information (e.g., a user ID) of a user identified by the user detection device 194.

[0032] The reservation server 110 comprises a communication interface unit 111, a storage unit 112, and a processor 113 connected thereto.

[0033] Communication with the management server 120 and the user terminal 100 is performed via the communication interface device 111. Communication with a communication device 191 may also be possible via the communication interface device 111.

[0034] The storage device 112 stores data such as user data 171, performance data 172, and reservation management data 173.

[0035] The user data 171 includes data representing the attributes of each user (for example, at least one of name, address, ID (for example, authentication information), gender, age, current location, movement history (location change history), and preferences).

[0036] The performance data 172 is data that represents, for each of a plurality of users, at least one of the performance of reservations for exclusive operation and the performance of use of the elevator 133. For example, the performance data 172 represents, for each user, the user ID, the history of reservations for exclusive operation (for example, the history of the executed reservation time), and the history of use of the elevator 133 (for example, the history including the time of use, the boarding floor, the destination floor, and whether the operation was exclusive or normal for each use).

[0037] The reservation management data 173 is data that represents the status of reservations that have been approved for exclusive operation. For example, the reservation management data 173 may include, for each approved reservation, a reservation ID, a user ID, an executed reservation time, a boarding floor, and a destination floor. The reservation management data 173 may include, for each approved reservation, data representing the elevator number that will be the subject of exclusive operation. If the elevator number that will be the subject of exclusive operation is undetermined at the time of approval of the reservation, a value representing "undetermined" may be included. Furthermore, the reservation ID (and other IDs) may be a combination of numbers and letters, and may instead or in addition include elements such as symbols such as stars and circles, or illustrations of animals.

[0038] The processor 113 executes a computer program stored in the storage device 112. This realizes functions such as a reservation control unit 141 and a UI (User Interface) unit 142. The reservation control unit 141 registers data representing an approved reservation for an exclusive driving operation in the reservation management data 173. The reservation control unit 141 can transmit at least a portion of the data stored in the storage device 112 to the operation management unit 151. The UI unit 142 accepts a reservation for an exclusive driving operation from the user terminal 100.

[0039] The reservation control unit 141 provides a UI (typically a GUI (Graphical User Interface)) to the user terminal 100 through the UI unit 142. The provided UI is displayed on the user terminal 100. The UI includes a reservation UI, which is a UI for accepting reservations for exclusive operation, and a result UI, which is a UI for indicating whether or not the reservation accepted through the reservation UI is approved.

[0040] 2A, the reservation UI 21A may be a UI that accepts the selection of a relatively long time (for example, a time slot in 30-minute increments). If the reservation for the selected time is approved by the reservation control unit 141, a result UI 22A indicating that the reservation is complete is provided and displayed. If the reservation for the selected time is not approved by the reservation control unit 141, a result UI 22B indicating that the reservation was unsuccessful is provided and displayed, similar to FIG. 2B described below.

[0041] 2B, reservation UI21B may be a UI that accepts the selection of a relatively short time (for example, a time in units of one minute). If the reservation for the selected time is not approved by the reservation control unit 141, a result UI22B indicating that the reservation was unsuccessful is provided and displayed. Note that if the reservation for the selected time is approved by the reservation control unit 141, a result UI22A indicating that the reservation was completed is provided and displayed, similar to FIG. 2A.

[0042] An example of processing performed in this embodiment will be described below. In this embodiment, data can be shared between the servers 110 and 120. For example, the management server 120 can acquire and refer to at least a portion of the data 171 to 173 in the reservation server 110, and similarly, the reservation server 110 can acquire and refer to at least a portion of the data 181 in the management server 120.

[0043] FIG. 3 shows an example of the flow of reservation control processing.

[0044] The reservation control unit 141 determines whether reservation recommendation conditions, which are conditions for recommending exclusive operation, are met (S301). The reservation recommendation conditions may include, for example, all of the following. Any of the following first time, second time, and overlap time may be a time period. Furthermore, at least the second time may be the start time of exclusive operation. At least one first time period is identified from the performance data 172. The first time period is a time period during which exclusive operation reservations or uses were frequent in a certain past period. At least one second time period is identified from the reservation management data 173. The second time period is a second time period that can be reserved as a time period for performing exclusive operation. There is at least one overlapping time. An overlapping time is a time when a first time overlaps a second time.

[0045] If the determination result of S301 is true (S301: YES), reservation recommendation for exclusive operation is implemented (S302). Specifically, a reservation UI 21 having at least one reservation option identified by the reservation control unit 141 is provided to the user terminal 100 by the UI unit 142. The reservation option includes information representing a time (time slot) having at least a part of the overlap time as information representing the reservation time of the exclusive operation.

[0046] If the determination result of S301 is false (S301: NO), or after S302, the reservation control unit 141 determines whether or not a reservation for exclusive operation has been accepted through the UI unit 142 (S303). A reservation for exclusive operation may be made by the user via the reservation UI 21 provided in S302, or may be made by the user via a UI different from the reservation UI 21 (for example, a calendar UI reflecting the reservation status represented by the reservation management data 173). Even if a reservation is made via the reservation UI 21, if a long time has passed since the reservation UI 21 was provided and the same reservation has been accepted by another user first, the reservation may be rejected.

[0047] If the determination result in S303 is true (S303: YES), the reservation control unit 141 approves the accepted reservation (S305). The reservation control unit 141 registers data indicating the approved reservation in the reservation management data 173.

[0048] If the determination result of S304 is false (S303: NO), the reservation control unit 141 identifies a time (time slot) that can be reserved as the time for performing the exclusive operation from the reservation management data 173, and notifies the user who made the reservation of information indicating the identified time via the UI unit 142 (S306). All of the identified times may be subject to notification, or, among the identified times, a time that has a predetermined relationship with a first time identified for the user from the performance data 172 (for example, a time that at least a part of which overlaps with at least a part of the first time) may be subject to notification.

[0049] The reservation control unit 141 determines whether or not there is a response of acceptance from the user within a certain time period after the notification in S306 (S307). If the determination result in S307 is true (S307: YES), the reservation control unit 141 approves the accepted reservation (S305).

[0050] FIG. 4 shows an example of the flow of the operation management process.

[0051] The operation management unit 151 determines whether the detected and identified user is a reserving user (a user who made an approved reservation) based on the reservation management data 173 (S401). The detection and identification of the user may be performed by the user detection device 194. Alternatively, the detection of the user may be performed by the user detection device 194, and the identification of the user may be performed by the operation management unit 151.

[0052] If the determination result in S401 is true (S401: YES), the operation management unit 151 causes the control device 132 to notify the user that exclusive operation is available through the IO device 161 in the elevator hall (S402). The reservation control unit 141 may be capable of accepting multiple reservations for the same time period. When multiple reservations for the same boarding floor are made for the same time period and another reservation user has already been identified before the identified reservation user, the operation management unit 151 may determine the order of the identified reservation user (for example, following the order of the other reservation user, according to a so-called first-come, first-served rule) and notify the user of the determined order and reservation ID through the IO device 161 in the elevator hall. The guidance through the IO device 161 may be displayed on a display or may be audio guidance through a speaker. The guidance in S402 may include information indicating the elevator car number of the reservation user in exclusive operation, in addition to the reservation ID and order of the reservation user. The guidance in S402 may also include opening the door 61 of the car 160 of the elevator subject to exclusive operation at the boarding floor.

[0053] If the determination result of S401 is false (S401: NO), the operation management unit 151 causes the control device 132 to notify the user that exclusive operation is unavailable through the IO device 161 in the elevator hall (S403). For example, the notification in S403 may include information indicating the elevator car number subject to exclusive operation and information indicating that exclusive operation is performed only for users who have made reservations. The notification in S403 may also include information to close the door 61 of the car 160 of the elevator subject to exclusive operation at the boarding floor.

[0054] After S402 or S403, the operation control unit 151 determines whether or not a user has been detected getting on the target elevator 133 in exclusive operation at the reservation time of the target reservation (e.g., the first reservation) (S404). This determination may be made based on data from the sensor set 62 (e.g., data from a weight sensor or a camera).

[0055] If the determination result of S404 is true (S404: YES), the operation management unit 151 causes the control device 132 to provide guidance about the exclusive operation through the car in-I / O device 63 (S405). The guidance in S405 may include guidance that the elevator 133 in which the car in-I / O device 63 is located is an elevator subject to exclusive operation, and the reservation ID of the target reservation. Furthermore, in S405, the operation management unit 151 determines whether the user who boarded the elevator is the reservation user for the target reservation. This determination may be made based on information obtained by short-range wireless communication between the car in-I / O device 63 and the user terminal 100 of the user who boarded the elevator. Alternatively, this determination may be made based on data from the sensor set 62 (for example, data from a camera).

[0056] After S405, S406 is performed. That is, if the user who boarded is the reservation user of the target reservation, the operation management unit 151 closes the door 61 of the car 160 and starts exclusive operation (causing the car 160 to go directly to the destination floor specified in the target reservation). On the other hand, if the user who boarded is not the reservation user of the target reservation, the operation management unit 151 maintains the stop of the car 160 by, for example, maintaining the open state of the door 61 of the car 160. Maintaining the stop of the car 160 may be an example of implicit disembarking guidance (guidance encouraging disembarking), and this guidance may further include audio guidance or a warning using a buzzer or the like to inform the user that the user is different from the reservation user of the exclusive operation.

[0057] If the determination result of S404 is false (S404: NO), the fleet management unit 151 waits for a predetermined time (S407) and then makes the same determination as S404 (S408). If the determination result of S408 is true (S408: YES), S405 is performed.

[0058] If the determination result of S408 is false (S408: NO), the operation management unit 151 cancels the target reservation (S409). For example, the operation management unit 151 causes the reservation control unit 141 to cancel the target reservation. The reservation control unit 141 identifies the reserving user corresponding to the target reservation from the reservation management data 173, and notifies the reserving user that the target reservation has been canceled (S410). That is, according to FIG. 4, even if the reserving user is identified once (for example, even if the reserving user is identified through a security system), the target reservation is automatically canceled if the reserving user's boarding is not detected at the reserved time.

[0059] The above is the first embodiment. The first embodiment can be summarized, for example, as follows. Note that the following summary may include supplementary explanations and explanations of modified examples of the first embodiment.

[0060] Exclusive driving, which is not limited to crime prevention purposes or VIPs, can provide users with benefits such as infection prevention and stress reduction. For this reason, it is thought that such exclusive driving is desired by many users.

[0061] Therefore, the elevator management system enables reservations for exclusive operation. This allows for exclusive operation for purposes other than security or VIP use while maintaining appropriate elevator operation management. For example, the elevator management system includes a UI unit 142 and a reservation control unit 141. The UI unit 142 provides a reservation UI 21 that accepts reservations from users for exclusive operation of one or more elevators 133 installed in a building 130. The reservation control unit 141 determines whether to approve the accepted reservation based on reservation management data 173 that indicates the status of approved reservations for exclusive operation.

[0062] The elevator 133 can usually be used without a reservation. Therefore, if reserving an exclusive elevator operation is a burden, using the exclusive elevator operation becomes a hassle for the user. Furthermore, the user may repeatedly use the elevator 133 for a certain period of time (for example, if the building 130 is a building where the user lives or has an office, the user may use the elevator 133 every day). Therefore, the reservation control unit 141 may determine a reservation recommendation for the user based on the reservation management data 173 and the performance data 172 (data representing at least one of the performance of exclusive elevator operation reservations and the performance of elevator use for each of multiple users). The UI unit 142 may provide the determined reservation recommendation to the user. The "reservation recommendation" is a recommendation for an exclusive elevator operation reservation that includes information indicating the timing of the recommended exclusive elevator operation for the user. This reduces the burden of reserving an exclusive elevator operation for the user. For example, the reservation UI 21 may include a UI component (e.g., a button) that receives the recommended performance timing from the user. In this case, the reservation can be completed by operating a UI widget (for example, pressing a button). Furthermore, the "implementation timing" may be the implementation time of the exclusive operation (for example, the time period) or the implementation start time.

[0063] The reservation control unit 141 may determine at least one of the timing of providing a reservation recommendation and the timing of implementing the recommendation based on the user's current location. This is expected to allow the user to reserve or use an exclusive driving service at a timing appropriate for the user's current location. The user's current location may be a location identified from a location measurement signal (e.g., a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal) received by the user terminal 100, or a location estimated from the location of an in-building terminal (not shown) that communicates with the user terminal 100. For example, a predetermined application program may be installed in the user terminal 100, and the application program may identify the location from the location measurement signal received by the user terminal 100. The application program may notify a predetermined notification destination (e.g., the reservation control unit 141) of the identified location. The reservation recommendation based on the user's current location may be performed one or more times until the user arrives at the building 130. For example, if the user's current location is the nearest station to building 130 (an example of a predetermined location), a first reservation recommendation may be implemented, and if the user's current location is between the nearest station and building 130 and within a certain distance from building 130, a second reservation recommendation may be implemented.

[0064] The reservation control unit 141 may estimate the timing (e.g., time period or time) when the user will use the elevator 133 based on the performance data 172 and the user's current location, and reserve an exclusive operation at the estimated timing. That is, after a reservation accepted via the reservation UI 21 is approved and an exclusive operation is performed according to the reservation, an automatic reservation of the exclusive operation may be made based on the performance data 172. Note that the performance data 172 may include, for each user, in addition to the reservation and usage history, a history of the user's movements leading up to the exclusive operation (e.g., a data set including the location and time, or a time series of the data set). From such performance data 172, the reservation control unit 141 can estimate the timing of the exclusive operation based on the user's current location.

[0065] The reservation control unit 141 may determine the recommended boarding floor and destination floor for exclusive operation based on the user's current location (and data corresponding to the user in the user data 171 (e.g., the user's home or office address)), and may include the determined boarding floor and destination floor in the reservation recommendation. For example, the recommended boarding floor and destination floor may be as follows: If the user's current location is outside the building 130, the boarding floor is set to the floor where the entrance to the building 130 is located, and the destination floor is set to the floor where the user's home or office is located. If the user's current location is inside the building 130, the boarding floor is set to the floor where the user is currently located (for example, the floor where the user's home or office is located), and the destination floor is set to the floor where the exit from the building 130 is located.

[0066] In accordance with the approved reservation, the operation management unit 151 performs exclusive operation of one of the elevators 133 (for example, the elevator 133 assigned to the reservation) for the user corresponding to the reservation. However, multiple reservations may be approved for the same time slot, resulting in conflicting usage times for exclusive operation. Furthermore, a user who has not made a reservation for exclusive operation may intentionally attempt to use an exclusive operation reserved by another user. Furthermore, a user other than the user who made the reservation may mistakenly use the elevator 133 that is the target of exclusive operation (note that a reservation may be made by an administrator instead of or in addition to being made by a user (for example, instead of or in addition to being made from the user terminal 100 through an application on the user terminal 100 or a predetermined website)).

[0067] Therefore, the elevator management system includes a control unit and a guidance unit. The control unit identifies a reservation made by a first user (an example of a reserving user) based on the reservation management data 173 and causes the car 160 of the elevator 133 subject to exclusive operation to arrive at the first user's boarding floor in accordance with the reservation. The guidance unit explicitly or implicitly notifies the user from at least one of the inside and outside of the car 160 that the elevator 133 containing the car 160 is subject to exclusive operation. This enables exclusive operation not limited to security purposes or VIPs. The control unit and the guidance unit may be implemented as functions based on at least one of the functions of the operation management unit 151, the function of the control device 132, the function of the IO device 161, and the function of the in-car IO device 163. The "explicit guidance" may be direct guidance such as a display or audio output. The "implicit guidance" may be indirect guidance such as the opening and closing of the door 61.

[0068] The reservation management data 173 may include a reservation ID for each reservation, and the reservation ID of the approved reservation may be provided to the first user (for example, the reservation ID of the approved reservation may be displayed on the result UI 22A). The guidance unit may provide the reservation ID of the first user for the elevator that is the subject of the exclusive operation. This reduces the possibility that a user other than the first user will mistakenly use the elevator that is the subject of the exclusive operation. The guidance may be provided, for example, through at least one of the IO device 161 and the in-car IO device 63. Furthermore, the guidance provided through the IO device 161 may include the elevator number of the elevator that is the subject of the exclusive operation.

[0069] The elevator management system may include a user detection unit. The user detection unit may detect a user and identify which of multiple users the detected user is. The user detection unit may be realized as a function based on at least one of the functions of the user detection device 194, the function of the control device 192, the function of the operation management unit 151, the function of the IO device 161, and the function of the in-car IO device 63. When the identified user is a second user, the guidance unit may explicitly or implicitly guide the user that the elevator subject to exclusive operation is the subject of exclusive operation for the first user. This reduces the possibility that the second user will use the elevator subject to exclusive operation.

[0070] The guidance to the second user may be at least one of the following: This reduces the possibility that the second user will use the elevator that is the subject of the exclusive operation. Keeping the door 61 of the car 160 closed when it arrives at the boarding floor. - Invalidating operations on the operation panel 64 inside the car 160 that has arrived at the boarding floor (for example, the guidance unit does not validate the pressing of the destination floor button on the operation panel 64). A second user who has boarded the car 160 that has arrived at the boarding floor is prompted to get off the car 160 by display or sound (through the in-car IO device 63). - Covering off at least a portion of the predetermined area (e.g., closing a gate) when it is detected that a first user has entered the predetermined area (e.g., when this detection is made via the user detection device 194). Opening the door 61 of the car 160 that has arrived at the boarding floor when it is detected that the first user has entered a predetermined area.

[0071] When the number of people in the car 160 that has arrived at the boarding floor is different from the number of first users, the guidance unit may keep the car 160 stopped (for example, may keep the car 160 in an open state). This encourages users other than the first user to get off. Note that the "user" is typically an individual user, but may also be a group of users. Any measurement method may be adopted as a method for measuring the number of people in the car 160. For example, the number of people in the car 160 may be estimated based on detection of the load inside the car 160, may be measured based on images from a camera inside the car 160, may be estimated based on the number of user terminals 100 inside (or outside) the car 160 that communicate with the car 160, or may be measured based on a combination of these.

[0072] A user does not always arrive at the elevator 133 at the scheduled time for exclusive operation. For this reason, it may be a waste to have the car 160 of the elevator 133 arrive at the boarding floor at the scheduled time for the user. Furthermore, the length of an elevator ride depends on the height of the building and the type of elevator, but is generally short, on the order of several tens of seconds, making it difficult to accurately specify the scheduled time for exclusive operation.

[0073] Therefore, the elevator management system includes a reservation reception unit, a reservation control unit 141, and an operation management unit 151. The reservation reception unit, which is, for example, the UI unit 142, accepts reservations for exclusive operation. When the reservation control unit 141 approves the reservation and the reservation is completed, a message such as "If there are multiple reservations for the same time slot, they will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis" may be displayed on the UI 22A. The operation management unit 151 performs at least one of the following for each of the approved reservations for the same time slot: determining the order in which exclusive operation corresponding to the reservation should be performed and determining which elevator to assign the reservation to, based on the operation status of one or more elevators 133 (e.g., the status represented by the elevator operation data 181) and the order of users corresponding to the exclusive operation reservations. This enables efficient reservation and implementation of exclusive operation not limited to security purposes or VIPs. Specifically, because users do not always arrive at their reserved times, multiple reservations for the same time slot are approved. Therefore, even if one reserved user is late during that time slot, if another reserved user arrives on time, exclusive operation will be performed according to the reservation of the other reserved user. Furthermore, even if multiple users with reservations arrive at almost the same time, multiple reservations can be processed efficiently by adjusting the order of reservations and controlling the allocation of elevators to be used exclusively. For example, multiple reservations for the same time period may be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

[0074] The operation management unit 151 may perform at least one of determining the order of execution of the exclusive operation corresponding to each of multiple reservations in the same time period and determining which elevator to allocate each reservation to, based on whether each of one or more elevators 133 among one or more elevators 133 is in up or down operation and the identified order of users (user order identified by the user detection unit) for each of one or more landing floors (an example of the "order of users corresponding to reservations for exclusive operation" is the identified order of users). This makes it possible to efficiently process multiple reservations in the same time period. For example, at least one of the following may be performed in S402 of FIG. 4. For reservations made by multiple reservation users, if the boarding floor and operation type are the same (for example, all are upbound or all are downbound), those reservations may be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Alternatively, if there are multiple elevators 133, the number of elevators subject to exclusive operation may be controlled based on the operation status (for example, based on the occupancy rate of all or some of the elevators 133). For example, if the occupancy rate of all elevators 133 is below a certain value, the operation management unit 151 may increase the number of elevators subject to exclusive operation. Two or more reservations may be processed in parallel (two or more elevators 133 may be operated in exclusive operation in parallel). When there are two reservations in which the destination floor of the first reservation is the boarding floor of the second reservation, even if a different user is identified between the user corresponding to the first reservation and the user corresponding to the second reservation, the operation management unit 151 may process the second reservation after the first reservation as an exception to the implementation of exclusive operation on a first-come, first-served basis (in the order of user identification).

[0075] The operation management unit 151 may perform at least one of determining the order of execution of the exclusive operation corresponding to each of multiple reservations in the same time period and determining which elevator to allocate the reservation to, based on the user's current location (an example of the "order of users corresponding to reservations for exclusive operation" is the user order determined from the current locations of multiple users). For example, in an elevator management system that does not include a user detection unit, the operation management unit 151 may periodically identify the current location of each of multiple users and update the order of reservations each time the current locations of the multiple users are acquired (for example, the order may be set to the order of users closest to the building 130). This allows for efficient execution of reserved exclusive operations.

[0076] The user detection unit may include a security system installed in the building 130. If a user permitted to enter by the security system has a corresponding reservation and the reservation time for that reservation falls within the current time slot, the operation control unit 151 may assign an elevator to that user for exclusive operation. This makes it possible to dispatch a car 160 to the user's boarding floor for exclusive operation in response to detection by the security system.

[0077] The operation management unit 151 may transmit a notification regarding the exclusive operation of a user to at least one of the multiple users who have multiple reservations in the same time period, based on the current locations of each of the multiple users. For example, the operation management unit 151 may predict, for each user, whether the user will compete with other users for the exclusive operation time or elevator car, and / or the user's exclusive operation wait time, based on the current locations of the multiple users, and notify the user of a notification including information indicating the result of the reservation, for example, by email or push notification (notification via an application on the user terminal 100). [Second embodiment]

[0078] The second embodiment will be described, focusing mainly on the differences from the first embodiment, and explanations of the commonalities with the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

[0079] FIG. 5 shows an example of data stored in the reservation server according to the second embodiment.

[0080] The storage device 112 of the reservation server 110 stores reservation condition data 174 in addition to the data 171 to 173. The reservation condition data 174 is data that represents the conditions for a reservation that is approved or rejected for exclusive operation.

[0081] FIG. 6 shows an example of a part of the reservation control process according to the second embodiment.

[0082] The reservation control unit 141 identifies reservation conditions to be approved or rejected from the reservation condition data 174 (S601). Then, S301 and subsequent steps in Fig. 3 are performed. In S301, the reservation recommendation conditions include satisfying the identified reservation conditions for approval (or not satisfying the identified reservation conditions for rejection).

[0083] FIG. 7 shows an example of a part of the operation management process according to the second embodiment.

[0084] After S401: YES in FIG. 4, the operation management unit 151 determines whether the elevator operation status during the reservation time slot of the target reservation is busy (S701). This elevator operation status may be a status predicted based on the elevator operation data 181 (for example, the history of past elevator operation statuses). Furthermore, the definition of "busy" may be any definition (for example, the percentage of time during the reservation time slot when the occupancy rate is X% or more is Y% or more).

[0085] If the determination result in S701 is true (S701: YES), the operation management unit 151 cancels the target reservation (S702), and notifies the user corresponding to the target reservation of the cancellation of the target reservation (S703).

[0086] The second embodiment can be summarized, for example, as follows. Note that the following summary may include supplementary explanations and explanations of modified examples of the second embodiment. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the person who makes the reservation for exclusive operation may be the user as in the example described in the first embodiment, or may be a person other than the user.

[0087] Generally, the more passengers an elevator can carry in one trip, the more efficient its operation. Therefore, if all users are allowed to use the elevator exclusively, the efficiency of the elevator will decrease.

[0088] Therefore, in the elevator management system, the reservation control unit 114 determines whether to approve the received reservation based on the reservation condition data 174, which is data that indicates the conditions for reservations approved for exclusive operation. As a result, reservations that do not satisfy the reservation conditions for approval (or reservations that satisfy the reservation conditions for denial) are rejected by the reservation control unit 114, which makes it possible to prevent a decrease in elevator operation efficiency.

[0089] The reservation condition data 174 may represent at least one of the following conditions: This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in elevator operation efficiency. -Time periods when the implementation of exclusive operation is approved or denied. - The maximum number of elevators that can be operated exclusively during the same time period. · Maximum number of confirmed bookings belonging to the same time slot.

[0090] For example, by designating the morning or evening time periods as the denial time periods, it is possible to avoid using exclusive operation during times when elevator 133 is congested, thereby suppressing a decline in elevator operation efficiency. Also, for example, if the maximum number of elevators that can be subject to exclusive operation differs depending on the time period (for example, if the maximum number of elevators that can be subject to exclusive operation is small during times when elevator 133 is slightly congested), it is possible to suppress a decline in elevator operation efficiency while implementing exclusive operation. Also, for example, if the maximum number of elevators that can be subject to exclusive operation differs depending on the time period (for example, if the maximum number of elevators that can be subject to exclusive operation is small during times when elevator 133 is slightly congested), it is possible to suppress a decline in elevator operation efficiency while implementing exclusive operation.

[0091] The reservation control unit 114 may cancel a reservation if the frequency of normal operation exceeds a certain frequency during a reservation time slot represented by the reservation management data 173. This makes it possible to dynamically suppress a decrease in operation efficiency. Furthermore, the reservation control unit 114 may cancel a reservation if a user corresponding to the reservation is not detected during the reservation time slot represented by the reservation management data 173. This makes it possible to avoid a decrease in operation efficiency due to unnecessary exclusive operation. Furthermore, in the elevator management system, a notification unit (e.g., UI unit 142) may notify the user corresponding to the canceled reservation that the reservation has been canceled. This allows the user who made the reservation to know that the reservation has been canceled and to take action such as deciding whether or not to make another reservation for exclusive operation.

[0092] Furthermore, by setting reservation times as time periods rather than time slots, it is expected that elevators, which are generally vehicles with relatively short ride times, will be able to be operated exclusively for purposes other than security or VIP use, and that declines in operational efficiency will be reduced, for example, based on the elevator's operational status.

[0093] In addition, when a reservation is canceled, the operation management unit 151 may perform exclusive operation corresponding to the reservation next to the canceled reservation, or the operation management unit 151 may perform normal operation instead of exclusive operation corresponding to the canceled reservation.

[0094] In addition, the UI unit 142 may provide the user with a UI for canceling reservations (e.g., a list of reservations approved by the user), accept the user's designation of the reservation to be canceled via the UI displayed on the user terminal 100, and cancel the designated reservation.

[0095] Furthermore, the reservation control unit 114 may determine reservation conditions for approval or denial based on the performance data 172 (i.e., based on the user's performance of reservations or use), and register these in the reservation condition data 174. For example, the frequency of user reservations or the time period when elevator use is most frequent may be determined as the condition for approval.

[0096] Furthermore, the reservation control unit 114 may update at least one condition (condition for approval or denial) represented by the reservation condition data 174 based on the elevator operation status. This makes it possible to approve or deny a reservation depending on the operation status.

[0097] Furthermore, the reservation control unit 114 may determine whether to approve a reservation or the order of multiple reservations for the same time period based on the elevator operation status. This is expected to reduce the occurrence of inefficient operations (operations that require an empty car 160 to ascend or descend in order to start an exclusive operation) such as an up operation (exclusive operation or normal operation) from a certain boarding floor to a certain destination floor, followed by an exclusive operation for a boarding floor at a floor lower than the certain destination floor.

[0098] The reservation control unit 114 may also notify the user of the conditions represented by the reservation condition data 174. For example, the result UI 22B representing a failed reservation may display reservation conditions for approval. The reservation control unit 114 may also notify the user that the reservation may be automatically canceled. For example, the result UI 22A representing a completed reservation may display a message such as, "Your reservation may be canceled if there is no use at the reserved time or depending on the operation status." [Third embodiment]

[0099] The third embodiment will be described below, focusing mainly on the differences from the first or second embodiment, and explanations of the commonalities with the first or second embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

[0100] FIG. 8 shows an example of the configuration of a content providing server in an elevator management system according to the third embodiment.

[0101] The content providing server 810 may be a server physically separated from the reservation server 110 and the management server 120, or may be realized on the same physical computer system (one or more computers) as at least one of the servers 110 and 120. The content providing server 810 may be a physical computer system, or may be a logical system based on a physical computer system (for example, a virtual computer or a cloud computing service). The content providing server 810 can acquire or refer to at least a portion of the data 171 to 173 in the reservation server 110 and at least a portion of the data 181 in the management server 120.

[0102] The content providing server 810 is an example of at least a part of a content providing system. The content providing server 810 includes a communication interface device 811, a storage device 812, and a processor 813 connected thereto.

[0103] Communication with at least one of the communication device 131, the reservation control unit 141, the operation management unit 151, and the user terminal 100 is performed via the communication interface device 811. For example, communication with the communication device 131 is possible only through the operation management unit 151, and content output from the IO device 161 or the in-car IO device 63 may be provided to the operation management unit 151 and output from the operation management unit 151 via the communication device 131 and the control device 132.

[0104] The storage device 812 stores data such as environmental data 871, content data 872, and content history data 873.

[0105] The environmental data 871 is data that indicates the environment such as weather, temperature, etc. The environmental data 871 may include forecast data for weather and temperature.

[0106] Content data 872 is data representing multiple pieces of content. For example, content data 872 may include the content itself or a link to the content. "Content" is typically digital content such as video or audio. Digital content may be one-way content or two-way content.

[0107] The content history data 873 is data that represents the history of content provision and feedback. For example, the content history data 873 represents, for each content provision, the date and time of provision, the ID of the provided content, the ID of the user to whom the content was provided, and feedback obtained from the user regarding the content.

[0108] The processor 813 executes a computer program stored in the storage device 812. This realizes functions such as a content recommendation unit 840. The content recommendation unit 840 determines and provides content. The content recommendation unit 840 includes functions such as a user identification unit 81, a content determination unit 82, and a content provision unit 83. The user identification unit 81 identifies a user. The content determination unit 82 determines content from the content data 872 based on at least one of the following: attributes such as the user's preferences (determined, for example, from the user data 171); whether the exclusive driving is an upbound or downbound driving (determined, for example, from the reservation management data 173 or the user's current location); the weather at the current time or the reserved time for the exclusive driving; the temperature at the current time or the reserved time for the exclusive driving; the reserved time for the exclusive driving; and the current time. The content provision unit 83 provides the determined content and registers the content provision history and feedback on the content in the content history data 873.

[0109] Fig. 10 shows an example of the flow of content-related processing. For simplicity of explanation, the "user" in the explanation with reference to Fig. 10 is assumed to be a user who has made a reservation for exclusive operation.

[0110] The user identification unit 81 acquires the current location of the user terminal 100 of the user (S901). The content determination unit 82 determines whether the acquired current location satisfies a condition (S902). This condition may be, for example, that the current location is inside the building 130, or that if the current location is outside the building 130, the current location is within a certain distance range from the building 130.

[0111] If the determination result of S902 is true (S902: YES), the content determination unit 82 determines content from the content data 872, and the content providing unit 83 provides the content to the user terminal 100 (S903). The content determined and provided here is the content output through the user terminal 100.

[0112] The user identification unit 81 detects, for example, from the user detection device 194 via the operation management unit 151, that the user has arrived at the elevator hall or will arrive within a certain time period (S904).

[0113] Eventually, the user identification unit 81 detects that the user has boarded the car 160, for example, from the sensor set 62 in the car 160 or the in-car IO device 63 via the operation control unit 151 (S905).

[0114] At the time of S904 or S905, the content for the user to be output through the in-car IO device 63 of the car 160 that is being operated exclusively is determined by the content determination unit 82. The content providing unit 83 provides the determined content to the in-car IO device 63 through the operation management unit 151 (S906).

[0115] The user identification unit 81 detects, for example, from the sensor set 62 in the car 160 via the operation management unit 151, that the user has disembarked from the car 160 (or that the car 160 has arrived at the destination floor for exclusive operation) (S907).

[0116] Thereafter, the user identification unit 81 transmits an input request for feedback on the content provided in S903 or S906 to the user terminal 100 (S908). For example, the user identification unit 81 provides a feedback input UI. The input UI (input request) may be associated with the ID of the provided content.

[0117] If feedback has been input (S909: YES), S910 is performed. That is, the content determination unit 82 identifies which content the input feedback is for, and registers the input feedback for the identified content in the content history data 873. That is, the content history data 873 is updated. Furthermore, content determination may be performed on a rule basis or using a machine learning model (for example, a neural network), and the content determination rules or machine learning model may be learned by, for example, the content determination unit 82 based on the input feedback.

[0118] The third embodiment can be summarized, for example, as follows. Note that the following summary may include supplementary explanations and explanations of modified examples of the third embodiment. Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the person who makes the reservation for exclusive operation may be the user as in the example described in the first embodiment, or may be a person other than the user.

[0119] The content providing system includes a user identification unit 81, a content determination unit 82, and a content providing unit 83. The user identification unit 81 identifies a user who actually receives the exclusive driving service from among multiple users who may receive the exclusive driving service (e.g., identifies a user detected using at least one of the user detection device 194, the IO device 161, the sensor set 62, and the in-car IO device 63). The content determination unit 82 determines content to provide to the identified user. The content providing unit 83 provides the determined content so that the content is output through at least one of a first output device (e.g., at least a part of the IO device 161) provided in the elevator hall of the boarding floor for the exclusive driving and a second output device (e.g., at least a part of the in-car IO device 63) provided in the car 160 of the elevator 133 that is the target of the exclusive driving (e.g., provides the content to the control device 132, and the content is output by the control device 132 through the IO device 161 or the in-car IO device 63). This allows content intended for a user to be provided without causing discomfort to other users.

[0120] The content determination unit 82 may identify whether the exclusive operation to be performed by the identified user is an upbound operation or an downbound operation (for example, based on the reservation management data 173 or the elevator operation data 181), and determine the content based on whether the identified operation is an upbound operation or an downbound operation. This is expected to provide content suitable for the user's estimated behavior from among content for the user (for example, content suitable for the user's attributes). For example, for the exclusive operation to be performed on an upbound route, content introducing a television program that the user likes or content suitable for the user's work schedule at the office may be determined. For the exclusive operation to be performed on an downbound route, sales information for a supermarket that the user frequently visits may be determined.

[0121] The content determination unit 82 may determine the content based on at least one of the time of the exclusive driving, the weather, and the temperature, in addition to whether the identified driving is an uphill driving or an downhill driving. This is expected to provide content that is more suitable for the user's estimated behavior.

[0122] The content providing system may include an operation control unit. The operation control unit may be at least a part of the functions of the operation management unit 151. The operation control unit may control at least one of the following: the ascending / descending speed of the car 160 of the elevator 133 subject to exclusive operation; the timing of opening and closing the door 61 of the car 160; the opening and closing speed of the door 61 of the car 160; the lighting inside the car 160 (which may be part of the in-car IO device 63); and the output of the provided content, in accordance with at least one of the determined content and the identified user attributes. This is expected to enable content for the user to be output to the user. For example, in accordance with the time required to output all or a predetermined part of the content, or the part of the content being output, at least one of the ascending / descending speed of the car 160; the timing of opening and closing the door 61 of the car 160; the lighting inside the car 160; and the opening and closing speed of the door 61 of the car 160 may be controlled.

[0123] For example, the operation control unit may control at least one of the ascending and descending speed of the car 160 of the elevator 133 subject to exclusive operation, the timing at which the door of the car 160 starts to open, the door opening speed of the car 160, the lighting inside the car 160, and the output of the provided content through the first output device, based on the content viewing situation of the user in the elevator hall of the boarding floor where the exclusive operation is performed (for example, a situation estimated based on data from a camera or the like installed in the elevator hall) and the provided content. This is expected to allow content intended for the user to be appropriately provided to the user in the elevator hall.

[0124] Furthermore, for example, the operation control unit may control at least one of the ascending / descending speed of the car 160, the timing at which the door of the car 160 starts to open, the door opening speed of the car 160, the lighting inside the car 160, and the output of the provided content through the second output device, based on the content viewing situation of the user in the car 160 of the elevator 133 that is the subject of exclusive operation (for example, a situation estimated based on data from a camera or the like inside the car 160) and the provided content. This is expected to allow the content intended for the user to be appropriately provided to the user in the car 160.

[0125] Based on feedback regarding the content provided for the user (for example, using rules or machine learning models learned based on the feedback), the content determination unit 82 may determine content for the user, which is expected to provide more appropriate content for the user.

[0126] The user can receive and view content on the user terminal 100 when outside the elevator (outside the car 160). However, it is difficult for radio waves to enter the elevator, making it difficult for the user to continue receiving and viewing content from outside the elevator on the user terminal 100. In other words, during the series of movements from outside the elevator to inside the elevator, the device that outputs the content is physically separated into the user terminal 100 and the in-car IO device 63.

[0127] Therefore, the determined content may be a first content intended for outside the elevator (for example, output before getting into the car of the elevator that is the subject of exclusive operation) and a second content intended for inside the elevator (for example, output inside the car). The first content may be provided to the user terminal 100. The first content may be output by a dedicated application of the user terminal 100 or may be output by a general-purpose web browser. The content providing unit 83 may provide content according to the current location of a user who has made a reservation for exclusive operation to the user.

[0128] This allows a user who is planning to use the exclusive driving service to be provided with the output of the first content that leads to viewing of the second content before the user boards the car 160, before the second content is output in the car 160, thereby making it possible to provide content more appropriately to the user as a whole. The first and second contents may be determined simultaneously, or the second content may be determined after the first content is determined.

[0129] For example, suppose that a user has an attribute of "favorite movie: horror movie." Also, suppose that the user's current location is detected to be outside an elevator (for example, detected from a signal indicating the current location from the user terminal 100). In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 10 , as an example of the first content, guide content 1110 for upcoming horror movies is provided by the content providing unit 83 and displayed on the user terminal 100.

[0130] Assume that the YES button is pressed for the guidance content 1110. Assume also that it is detected that a user has boarded the car 160 of an elevator that is the subject of exclusive operation (for example, it is assumed that information indicating this detection is notified to the content providing unit 83 from the operations management unit 151). The content providing unit 83 may provide, as the second content, content 1120 (for example, a promotional video) related to a horror movie that will soon be released, and the content 1120 may be displayed on the in-car IO device 63 via the control device 132. Furthermore, the operations control unit may control the lighting in the car 160 (for example, blinking or turning off the lights) in accordance with the second content. Furthermore, the operations control unit may control the lifting speed of the car 160 and the timing and speed at which the doors 61 open and close based on the content 1120.

[0131] Assume that it is detected that the exclusive driving has ended and the user has disembarked from the car 160 (for example, it is assumed that information indicating this detection is notified from the operation control unit 151 to the content providing unit 83). The user identification unit 81 transmits an input request for feedback on the content 1110 or 1120 to the user terminal 100. For example, an input UI 1130 displaying a query associated with the input request is displayed on the user terminal 100. When feedback is input via the input UI 1130, a message UI 1140 is displayed, and the content determination unit 82 may learn the above-mentioned rules and machine learning model based on the feedback.

[0132] The link between the first content and the second content is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 10. For example, the first content may be a quiz, and the second content may be the answers to the quiz. Furthermore, the second content may include a list of topics, etc. (topics, etc. determined from the user's attributes) that are determined to be highly likely to affect the user's behavior after getting off the car 160, regardless of the first content.

[0133] Although several embodiments have been described above, these are merely illustrative examples for explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to these embodiments. The present invention can also be implemented in various other forms. For example, each of the first to third embodiments may include at least some elements of other embodiments. Furthermore, the building 130 may be a building including residential or office space (e.g., an apartment building or an office building), or may be a commercial facility or an accommodation facility. In at least one embodiment, the operation control unit 151 may change the number of elevators in exclusive operation among the elevators 133 based on the frequency of normal operation of the elevators 133 (e.g., the percentage of the total length of normal operation in a time period). For example, if the frequency of normal operation is higher than a first frequency (or exceeds a predetermined frequency increase), the number of elevators in exclusive operation may be reduced. If the frequency of normal operation is lower than a second frequency (or exceeds a predetermined frequency decrease), the number of elevators in exclusive operation may be increased. If the number of elevators subject to exclusive operation is reduced, the reservation control unit 141 may receive notification of the new number of elevators subject to exclusive operation from the operation management unit 151, automatically cancel some of the reservations for exclusive operation according to the new number, and notify the user who made the reservation that the reservation has been canceled. [Explanation of symbols]

[0134] 110: reservation server, 120: management server, 910: content providing server

Claims

1. A reservation reception unit that receives reservations for exclusive operation of one or more elevators installed in a building; a reservation control unit that determines whether to approve the accepted reservation based on reservation management data that is data representing the status of the approved reservation for exclusive operation; an operation control unit that, based on the operation status of the one or more elevators and the order of users corresponding to the reservations for exclusive operation, performs at least one of determining the order of execution of exclusive operation corresponding to the reservations and determining to which elevator the reservations should be assigned for each of the multiple approved reservations for the same time period; a user detection unit that detects a user and identifies which of a plurality of users the detected user is; Equipped with the operation control unit performs at least one of determining an order of execution of exclusive operation corresponding to each of the multiple reservations in the same time period and determining to which elevator the reservation should be assigned, based on whether each of one or more elevators among the one or more elevators is in up operation or down operation and the order of users identified for each of the one or more landing floors; Elevator management system.

2. A reservation reception unit that receives reservations for exclusive operation of one or more elevators installed in a building; a reservation control unit that determines whether to approve the accepted reservation based on reservation management data that is data representing the status of the approved reservation for exclusive operation; an operation control unit that performs at least one of determining the order of execution of the exclusive operation corresponding to each of the plurality of approved reservations in the same time period and determining to which elevator the reservation should be assigned, based on the operation status of the one or more elevators and the order of users corresponding to the reservations for exclusive operation; Equipped with the operation management unit performs at least one of determining an order of execution of exclusive operation corresponding to each of the plurality of reservations for the same time period and determining to which elevator each reservation should be assigned, based on the user's current location; Elevator management system.

3. A reservation reception unit that receives reservations for exclusive operation of one or more elevators installed in a building; a reservation control unit that determines whether to approve the accepted reservation based on reservation management data that is data representing the status of the approved reservation for exclusive operation; an operation control unit that, based on the operation status of the one or more elevators and the order of users corresponding to the reservations for exclusive operation, performs at least one of determining the order of execution of exclusive operation corresponding to the reservations and determining to which elevator the reservations should be assigned for each of the multiple approved reservations for the same time period; a user detection unit that detects a user and identifies which of a plurality of users the detected user is; Equipped with the user detection unit includes a security system installed in the building, the security system accepts input of authentication information, and when the input authentication information matches the authentication information of any user, permits entry into the building or a predetermined area within the building; When the user who is permitted to enter by the security system has a corresponding reservation and the reservation time corresponding to the reservation falls within the current time slot, the operation control unit assigns the elevator to the user for exclusive operation. Elevator management system.

4. 1. A method performed by an elevator management system, comprising: a reservation acceptance step of accepting a reservation for exclusive operation of one or more elevators provided in the building; a reservation control step of determining whether to approve the accepted reservation based on reservation management data, which is data representing the status of the approved reservation for exclusive operation; an operation management step of performing at least one of determining the order of execution of the exclusive operation corresponding to each of the plurality of approved reservations in the same time period and determining to which elevator the reservation should be assigned, based on the operation status of the one or more elevators and the order of users corresponding to the reservations for exclusive operation; a user detection step of detecting a user and identifying which of a plurality of users the detected user is; and In the operation management step, based on whether each of one or more elevators among the one or more elevators is in up or down operation and the order of users identified for each of the one or more landing floors, for each of the multiple reservations in the same time period, at least one of determining the order of execution of exclusive operation corresponding to the reservation and determining to which elevator the reservation should be assigned is performed. Elevator management methods.

5. A method performed by an elevator management system, a reservation acceptance step of accepting a reservation for exclusive operation of one or more elevators provided in the building; a reservation control step of determining whether to approve the accepted reservation based on reservation management data, which is data representing the status of the approved reservation for exclusive operation; an operation management step of performing at least one of determining the order of execution of the exclusive operation corresponding to each of the plurality of approved reservations in the same time period and determining to which elevator the reservation should be assigned, based on the operation status of the one or more elevators and the order of users corresponding to the reservations for exclusive operation; and In the operation management step, for each of the plurality of reservations in the same time period, at least one of determining an order of execution of exclusive operation corresponding to the reservation and determining to which elevator the reservation should be assigned is performed based on the user's current location. Elevator management methods.

6. A method performed by an elevator management system, a reservation acceptance step of accepting a reservation for exclusive operation of one or more elevators provided in the building; a reservation control step of determining whether to approve the accepted reservation based on reservation management data, which is data representing the status of the approved reservation for exclusive operation; an operation management step of performing at least one of determining the order of execution of the exclusive operation corresponding to each of the plurality of approved reservations in the same time period and determining to which elevator the reservation should be assigned, based on the operation status of the one or more elevators and the order of users corresponding to the reservations for exclusive operation; a user detection step of detecting a user and identifying which of a plurality of users the detected user is; and the user detection step is performed by a security system installed in the building; the security system accepts input of authentication information, and when the input authentication information matches the authentication information of any user, permits entry into the building or a predetermined area within the building; If the user who is permitted to enter by the security system has a corresponding reservation and the reservation time corresponding to the reservation falls within the current time slot, the operation management step allocates an elevator to the user for exclusive operation. Elevator management system.

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