Elevator hall management system

Abstract

To provide a management system for an elevator hall, which can reduce the stress of waiting time of a passenger for arrival of an elevator at the elevator hall.SOLUTION: A system manages a hall where passengers get on / off a plurality of elevators lifting-controlled based on group management, wherein at least a part of a door 20 of an entrance of each elevator at the elevator hall is a lighting control region 21 controllable to a transparent state and an opaque state in response to an electric signal. The system comprises a lighting control region control unit that, when waiting time exceeds reference waiting time set in advance, controls the lighting control region to the opaque state during the waiting time until elevator arrival, and controls the lighting control region to the opaque state also when the elevator passes without stopping.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for managing elevator halls where passengers board and disembark in an elevator system that manages a group of multiple elevators.

[0002] More specifically, the present invention relates to an elevator hall management system that alleviates the stress caused by waiting times for passengers waiting in the elevator hall for the elevator to arrive. [Background technology]

[0003] The stress caused by waiting for the elevator to arrive increases over time. For example, research has shown that after waiting for more than 30 seconds, approximately 60% of passengers feel stressed and unable to continue waiting. This type of stress caused by waiting is more likely to occur in high-rise buildings such as office buildings and tower apartments.

[0004] Therefore, in recent years, an increasing number of elevators are using group control systems that utilize image recognition, learning programs, etc. to predict waiting times and perform optimal elevator allocation operations (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6742962 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6583510 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] While these group control systems are expected to reduce waiting times, because they prioritize overall optimization, they do not necessarily operate optimally for individual passengers. For example, an elevator may pass in front of a passenger, or an elevator farther away may be called instead of an elevator closer to the floor where the elevator is being called, in order to give priority to passengers on other floors who have been waiting for a long time until the elevator arrives. This type of elevator behavior is unexpected for passengers and causes significant stress. To address this stress, some elevators do not have indicators or other displays that indicate the elevator's location, but instead use only signals such as lit lamps to prevent passengers from knowing the elevator's current location or whether it has passed in front of them.

[0007] On the other hand, there are elevators that have partially or entirely transparent doors made of glass windows or other materials that allow passengers inside and outside to see each other, thereby preventing collisions between passengers and preventing crime. There are also elevators, such as see-through elevators, that have a transparent hoistway that not only provides crime prevention and a sense of openness, but also provides a viewing function. In these elevators, the doors on the entrance side of the elevator hall at the arrival floor are transparent, so even if there is no display such as the indicator, it is possible to tell that the elevator has passed, which increases stress.

[0008] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an elevator hall management system that can alleviate the stress caused by waiting times for passengers waiting in an elevator hall for the elevator to arrive. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a system for managing an elevator hall where passengers can board and alight using a plurality of elevators controlled by group management, At least a part of the elevator door in the elevator hall is a dimming area that can be controlled between a transparent state and an opaque state by an electric signal; a passenger information acquisition unit that acquires information on whether there are passengers waiting for the arrival of the elevator in the elevator hall; a waiting time calculation unit that calculates a waiting time until the elevator arrives based on information from the passenger information acquisition unit; a passage determination unit that determines whether an elevator ascending or descending under group control passes through the elevator hall; a dimming area control unit that controls the dimming area to an opaque state until the elevator arrives at the elevator hall when the waiting time based on information from the waiting time calculation unit exceeds a predetermined reference waiting time, and that controls the dimming area to an opaque state while the elevator is passing through the elevator hall based on information from the passage determination unit; The present invention is an elevator hall management system characterized by having the following features.

[0010] Next, it is preferable that the light control region is configured with a light control film that is opaque when energized and transparent when de-energized.

[0011] Next, it is preferable that the waiting time is the time from when the up / down button in the elevator hall is pressed until the elevator arrives at the elevator hall.

[0012] Next, it is preferable that the dimming area is a display unit, and information is displayed by a projector installed in the elevator hall.

[0013] Next, it is preferable that the information displayed on the display unit includes information for guiding passengers to an elevator that is about to arrive among the plurality of elevators.

[0014] Next, it is preferable that information regarding elevator operation is not displayed on the display unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, when an elevator passes by without stopping, the dimming area of ​​the door on the entrance side is controlled to an opaque state, so that the person cannot see the elevator passing in front of them.

[0016] Furthermore, the dimming area of ​​the door on the boarding / exiting side becomes opaque not only when the elevator passes by without stopping, but also when the waiting time becomes long. Therefore, even when the dimming area becomes opaque, passengers cannot tell whether the elevator is passing by or whether the waiting time has simply become long, which has the effect of alleviating stress caused by waiting times. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an elevator hall when the dimming area is in a transparent state according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an elevator hall when the dimming area is in an opaque state according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 relates to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3(a) and FIG. 3(b) are explanatory diagrams of an elevator hall when operation information is displayed on the display unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an elevator hall when passengers are getting on and off according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. All of the drawings are explanatory diagrams of elevator halls according to embodiments of the present invention, with Fig. 1 showing the elevator hall when the dimming area is in a transparent state, and Fig. 2 showing the elevator hall when the dimming area is in an opaque state.

[0019] The entrance to an elevator 10 is generally provided with double doors. One of the doors is the door for the hall 100, and the other is the door for the elevator car 10. Passengers can enter and exit the elevator when both doors are open, and the car 10 can move when both doors are closed. Of the double doors, the door 20 for the hall 100 is provided with a light-adjusting area 21 that can be controlled between a transparent state and an opaque state by an electrical signal. The entire door 20 may be the light-adjusting area 21, or only a portion of the door 20 may be the light-adjusting area 21. If only a portion of the door 20 is the light-adjusting area 21, it is desirable that the remaining area be opaque. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the light-adjusting area 21 is located in the vertical center of the door 20 for the hall 100, and opaque areas 22 are located above and below it.

[0020] This door 20 has the following structure: a window made of a transparent substrate such as a glass plate or acrylic plate is provided in the vertical center of an opaque door substrate, and a light control film is laminated on top of this transparent substrate to form the light control area 21. This light control film can be controlled between a transparent state and an opaque state by an electrical signal.

[0021] Such light-controlling films are known and are described, for example, in JP 2019-45612 A. Specifically, this light-controlling film has a structure in which a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between two electrode films. The electrode film is a flexible transparent film with a transparent electrode laminated on one side thereof, with the transparent electrode facing the liquid crystal layer. Similarly, the other electrode film is a flexible transparent film with a transparent electrode laminated on one side thereof, with the transparent electrode also facing the liquid crystal layer. The optical properties of the liquid crystal layer change when a voltage is applied to both electrodes. For example, when a voltage is applied, the liquid crystal layer becomes opaque and blocks light rays. On the other hand, when the voltage application is stopped, the liquid crystal layer becomes transparent and transmits light rays. Depending on the type of liquid crystal, light-controlling films are also known in which the liquid crystal layer becomes transparent and transmits light rays when a voltage is applied, and becomes opaque and blocks light rays when the voltage application is stopped. Either type is acceptable, but a reverse-type light-control film that becomes opaque when power is applied and becomes transparent when power is not applied is preferably used. This is because power outages often occur in emergencies such as fires, and the film becomes transparent in such an emergency, allowing people inside and outside the elevator car 10 to observe each other and confirm their safety.

[0022] On the other hand, it is desirable that the doors of the elevator car 10 are transparent. The entire periphery of the car 10 may be transparent to allow a view of the surroundings.

[0023] In this way, when the light control area 21 is provided on the hall 100 door of the double door at the elevator entrance and the door of the car 10 is transparent, if the light control area 21 is set to a transparent state, the inside of the car 10 can be observed from the elevator hall 100, as shown in Figure 1. In Figure 1, reference numeral 41 denotes passengers waiting in the elevator hall 100 for the car 10 to arrive, and 42 denotes passengers inside the car 10.

[0024] In this way, by making part or all of the boarding and alighting doors transparent so that they can be seen from both inside and outside, it is possible to prevent collisions between passengers getting on and off and crimes inside the car 10.

[0025] On the other hand, when the dimming area 21 is in an opaque state, as shown in FIG. The passengers 41 of the elevator 100 cannot see whether the car 10 has arrived or passed by. Therefore, even if the car 10 passes in front of them, they cannot see it and do not feel any stress as a result.

[0026] Assuming that the door at the entrance of the elevator 10 in the elevator hall 100 has a dimming area 21, the present invention is a system that controls the transparent state and opaque state of the dimming area 21. The system is configured with a passenger information acquisition unit, a waiting time calculation unit, a passage detection unit, and a dimming area control unit.

[0027] The passenger information acquisition unit is a part that acquires information on the presence or absence of passengers waiting for the arrival of the elevator 10 in the elevator hall 100. Information that there are passengers waiting for the arrival of the elevator 10 can be acquired, for example, by pressing an up / down button installed in the elevator hall 100. If this button is not pressed, it is determined that there are no passengers waiting for the arrival of the elevator 10.

[0028] Next, based on the information from the passenger information acquisition unit on each floor, the group control system assigns an elevator car 10 to each floor and calculates the arrival time of this elevator 10. Then, the waiting time calculation unit calculates the waiting time by subtracting the time when the up / down button was pressed from the calculated elevator arrival time.

[0029] In addition, the passage detection unit uses the group control system to determine whether the ascending or descending elevator 10 will pass through the elevator hall, and if so, calculates the time of passage.

[0030] There are various reasons why the ascending or descending elevator 10 passes through without stopping.

[0031] For example, an elevator may pass through other floors without stopping in order to give priority to other passengers who have been waiting for a long time. Also, to improve the overall operational efficiency of multiple elevators, an elevator farther away from the floor being called may be called instead of the elevator closest to the floor being called, resulting in the elevator passing through without stopping at that floor. An elevator may also pass through without stopping at a floor because the car is at capacity and cannot accommodate any more passengers.

[0032] In addition, in the case of hospital elevators, a specific car from among the multiple elevator cars may be assigned as a dedicated car to transport emergency patients. Even if this is not the case, there may be cases where the owner is unable to allow ordinary passengers to ride in the car, such as special VIPs. In such cases, the assigned elevator car is used as a dedicated car, and it passes in front of passengers waiting for the elevator to arrive on floors other than the intended floor, without stopping.

[0033] Then, based on the waiting time and passage time calculated as above, the light control area control unit controls the transparent state and opaque state of the light control area 21.

[0034] That is, a waiting time that is theoretically considered to be the time when stress increases is set in advance as a reference waiting time, and if the calculated waiting time exceeds this reference waiting time, the light control area 21 is controlled to be opaque during the waiting time until the elevator arrives (see FIG. 2). For example, if the reference waiting time is 30 seconds, the light control area 21 is made opaque if the waiting time is expected to exceed this 30 seconds. Note that the light control area 21 may be made opaque for the entire waiting time from the current time until the elevator arrives, or for only a part of that time.

[0035] Also, when it is expected that the elevator 10 will pass through without stopping, the light control area 21 is made opaque from before the elevator 10 passes through until it passes through.

[0036] In this way, the light-adjusting area of ​​the door on the entrance / exit side becomes opaque not only when the elevator 10 passes by without stopping, but also when the waiting time becomes long. Therefore, even when the light-adjusting area becomes opaque, passengers cannot distinguish whether the elevator 10 is passing by or whether the waiting time has simply become long, and therefore stress caused by waiting time can be alleviated.

[0037] In this way, the stress-relieving effect of making the dimming area 21 opaque can be evaluated, and this can be fed back to the system to change the length of the standard waiting time and the length of time the opaque state is maintained.

[0038] Incidentally, in order to further reduce stress while waiting for the elevator 10 to arrive, it is desirable to provide a display unit in the elevator hall 100 that displays information that will not make passengers conscious of the wait.

[0039] The display unit may be, for example, the dimming area 21. Alternatively, the opaque area 22 around the dimming area 21 may be used as the display unit. Alternatively, the floor, wall, or ceiling of the elevator hall 100 may be used as the display unit.

[0040] FIG. 3(a) shows an example in which both the light-adjusting area 21 and the floor 30 of the elevator hall 100 are used as display units. In this example, weather forecast information 21a is displayed in the light-adjusting area 21. Furthermore, a guide arrow 30a is displayed on the floor 30 of the elevator hall 100, guiding the user to the elevator car 10 they will board after arriving. Other examples include landscapes, paintings, floor maps, product maps, etc. Furthermore, if information about the attributes of passengers can be obtained through pre-registration or a sensor such as a camera, information appropriate for the passengers may be displayed. For example, if a passenger has pre-registered to use a specific event venue, directions to the event venue may be displayed. Displaying information about elevator operation can make passengers aware of the need to wait, so it is preferable not to display such information.

[0041] As mentioned above, when a specific car is assigned as a dedicated car for use, it is desirable to display a sign indicating this in the elevator hall through which this car passes. Figure 3(b) shows a case in which, when a specific car among multiple elevator cars is assigned as a dedicated car for transporting emergency patients, a sign indicating this 21b is displayed in the dimming area 21 at the entrance through which the car passes.

[0042] When information is displayed on the display unit in this way, it is desirable to change the information to be displayed based on an evaluation of the stress-relieving effect of this information display, in addition to the stress-relieving effect of making the light-adjusting area 21 opaque. For example, it is possible to evaluate, based on the attention and gaze of passengers getting on and off, whether they are feeling stressed because the elevator is not coming, i.e., because of the waiting time, based on the attention and gaze of passengers getting on and off.

[0043] The information displayed on the display unit can be displayed, for example, by installing a projector above the elevator hall 100 and projecting the information from the projector onto the dimming area 21, the floor 30, or the like.

[0044] When the dimming area 21 is used as a display unit, when an elevator car that can be used for boarding or alighting arrives, It is preferable to make the dimming area 21 transparent before the elevator car arrives. It is also desirable to end the projection by the projector before an elevator car that is open to passengers to board or alight arrives. Ending the projection by the projector before an elevator car that is open to passengers to board or alight arrives prevents elevator passengers from feeling dazzled. Figure 1 shows the state in which the elevator car has arrived with the dimming area 21 made transparent. After the car stops, the door 20 of the hall 100 and the door of the car 10 open, allowing passengers to board or alight the elevator car 10. Figure 4 shows the state in which passengers board or alight the car 10 in this manner, and in this example, both the door 20 of the hall 100 and the door of the car 10 slide open left and right.

[0045] It is also possible to display a message on the display unit just before the car arrives. When the light-adjusting area 21 is used as the display unit, it is possible to make the light-adjusting area 21 opaque instead of transparent and display the message "Elevator is arriving" on the display unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 100: Elevator Hall 10: Elevator (cage) 20: Elevator hall door 21: Dimming area 21a, 21b: Information 22: Opaque area 30: Floor 30a: Information 41, 42: Passengers

Claims

1. A system for managing an elevator hall where passengers can board and alight from a plurality of elevators controlled by group management, At least a part of the elevator door in the elevator hall is a dimming area that can be controlled between a transparent state and an opaque state by an electric signal; a passenger information acquisition unit that acquires information on whether there are passengers waiting for the arrival of the elevator in the elevator hall; a waiting time calculation unit that calculates a waiting time until the elevator arrives based on information from the passenger information acquisition unit; a passage determination unit that determines whether an elevator ascending or descending under group control passes through the elevator hall; a light control area control unit that controls the light control area to an opaque state until the elevator arrives at the elevator hall when the waiting time based on information from the waiting time calculation unit exceeds a preset reference waiting time, and controls the light control area to an opaque state while the elevator is passing through the elevator hall based on information from the passage determination unit; An elevator hall management system comprising:

2. 2. The elevator hall management system according to claim 1, wherein the light-control area is made of a light-control film that is opaque when energized and transparent when de-energized.

3. 3. The elevator hall management system according to claim 1, wherein the waiting time is the time from when the up / down button in the elevator hall is pressed until the elevator arrives at the elevator hall.

4. 4. The elevator hall management system according to claim 1, wherein the dimming area is a display unit, and information is displayed by a projector installed in the elevator hall.

5. 5. The elevator hall management system according to claim 4, wherein the information displayed on the display unit includes information for guiding passengers to an arriving elevator among the plurality of elevators.

6. 6. The elevator hall management system according to claim 4, wherein information relating to elevator operation is not displayed on the display unit.

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