Elevator group management control device, elevator group management control method, and program

Abstract

To shorten a waiting time of passengers and a service time at a floor to improve the satisfaction of users.SOLUTION: An elevator group management control device includes a unit for acquiring the number of persons staying at a hall, which acquires information about the number of persons waiting for a car at a hall of each floor, a car information acquisition unit for acquiring information about the allowable number of passengers, which indicates the number of persons who can newly get on each of a plurality of cars, and a car allocation arithmetic processing unit for determining the allocation of each car to each floor by performing predetermined arithmetic processing with the use of the information about the number of persons at the hall and the information about the allowable number of passengers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an elevator group supervisory control device, an elevator group supervisory control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] The elevator group control system performs car allocation control, which generally involves assigning a car from multiple cars to a car call (hall call) from the hall on each floor of a building in a way that shortens passenger waiting time and service time (waiting time + boarding time). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4690799 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6880291 [Patent Document 3] International Publication No. 2019 / 087242 [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Next-generation Allocation Control Method for Elevator Group Management Systems Considering Future Traffic Demand," Toshiba Review, Vol. 65, No. 11 (2010) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] With conventional car allocation control, for example, if there are many people waiting on a floor for a car to arrive (those waiting on the floor), it may happen that not all of them can board the car. Also, there are cases where a full car is allocated to a floor with a hall call. When this happens, it hinders the shortening of passenger waiting times and service times.

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an elevator group management control device, an elevator group management control method, and a program that make it possible to shorten passenger waiting times and service times on floors and improve user satisfaction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The elevator group management control device of the embodiment includes a hall number of passengers acquisition unit that acquires hall number of passengers information indicating the number of people waiting for a car in the hall of each floor, a car information acquisition unit that acquires information on the number of passengers that can board each of a plurality of cars, and a car information acquisition unit that performs a predetermined calculation process using the hall number of passengers information and the information on the number of passengers that can board each car, thereby determining the allocation of each car to each floor. and decide whether or not the same car should be assigned to the same floor multiple times. and a car assignment calculation processing unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an elevator group management system including an elevator group management control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a main part related to car assignment control of an elevator group management control device 10 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] A table showing the variables used in the calculations. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how hall call priorities are determined using a calculated priority table. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the concept of an algorithm for determining car allocation. [Figure 6] As an example, the figure shows the results of various allocations when the number of people waiting on the floor is 8, the number of people that can board car A is 3, the number of people that can board car B is 4, and the number of people that can board car C is 5. [Figure 7A]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a list of car allocation patterns in the case where allocation of multiple cars to the same floor is permitted and allocation of the same car to the same floor multiple times is prohibited. [Figure 7B] A diagram showing an example of a list of car allocation patterns when multiple cars are allowed to be allocated to the same floor and the same car is also allowed to be allocated to the same floor multiple times (however, the same car is allowed to be allocated up to two times). [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a car allocation operation according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] 9 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed operations of step S2 (determining the calculation priority order) shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 9 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed operations of step S3 (search calculation processing) shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 11] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of detailed operations of step S25 (evaluation value calculation processing) shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] (System Configuration) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an elevator group control system including an elevator group control device according to an embodiment.

[0011] The elevator group control system shown in Figure 1 includes an elevator group management controller 10, hall call buttons 21,...,2M installed in the hall of each floor, at least two elevator cars (hereinafter referred to as "cars") 211,...,21N, and car control units 111,...,1N1 that control the operation of each car. Each car also has car call buttons 112,...,1N2 that allow passengers to input their destinations.

[0012] The elevator group management control device 10 has a car assignment calculation processing unit 1, a hall call assignment information storage unit 2, a hall call information acquisition unit 3, a car information acquisition unit 4, and a car call information acquisition unit 5.

[0013] The car assignment calculation processing unit 1 comprises a search calculation processing unit 11, a calculation priority determination unit 12, a search calculation data storage unit 13, and an evaluation model unit 14. The search calculation processing unit 11 and the calculation priority determination unit 12 will be described later. The search calculation data storage unit 13 stores information such as car provisional assignment patterns and calculation results created in the search calculation processing unit 11. The evaluation model unit 14 is used in the course of search processing by the search calculation processing unit 11, and has the function of calculating evaluation values, which will be described later.

[0014] The hall call allocation information storage unit 2 stores car allocation information for hall calls that have already been allocated but to which a car has not yet responded.

[0015] The hall call information acquisition unit 3 detects and acquires information from the hall call buttons 21, ..., 2M on each floor, and includes a hall call assignment waiting queue 30 for buffering information on hall calls that have already occurred but not yet been assigned. The elevator group management control device 10 also includes a hall occupancy number acquisition unit 31 connected to the hall call information acquisition unit 3. The hall occupancy number acquisition unit 31 may be provided within the elevator group management control device 10, or may be provided within the hall call information acquisition unit 3, for example. The hall occupancy number acquisition unit 31 may also be directly connected to the car assignment calculation processing unit 1.

[0016] The car information acquisition unit 4 includes an in-car number of passengers acquisition unit 32 that acquires information on the number of passengers in the car.

[0017] The car control units 111,...,1N1 determine the patrol order of each car and control the operation of the cars in accordance with instructions from the car allocation calculation processing unit 1. In addition to operation control, the car control units 111,...,1N1 also acquire car information such as car speed and car position.

[0018] The above components can be implemented as computer software or a combination of computer software and hardware. The computer and the actual elevator are connected via a control panel and a communication interface for sending and receiving electrical signals required for control.

[0019] The general operation of the elevator group control system configured as above will now be described. In the hall of each floor in the building, a passenger wishing to board an elevator car presses a hall call button 21,...,2M to request the elevator group supervisory control device 10 to dispatch a car 211,...,21N. In this specification, "dispatch" means dispatching a car in response to a hall call. The car dispatch request is transmitted to the car assignment calculation processing unit 1 via the hall call information acquisition unit 3 in the form of the occurrence of a new hall call. At this time, the hall call information is buffered in the hall call assignment waiting queue 30 in the hall call information acquisition unit 3.

[0020] The car allocation calculation processing unit 1 receives information about hall calls in the hall call allocation waiting queue from the hall call information acquisition unit 3 at a timing when calculation is possible (for example, after the calculation is completed if hall call information is received during calculation), and executes calculation processing to determine car allocation for the generated hall call using the information held by the components of the hall call allocation information storage unit 2, car information acquisition unit 4, and car call information acquisition unit 5. Then, it determines a car to allocate to the hall call and instructs car control units 111,..., 1N1.

[0021] The car control units 111, . . . , 1N1 follow instructions from the car allocation calculation processing unit 1 to determine the order of travel of each car and operate the cars.

[0022] Hall call allocation information and car call generation information, such as the floor where the call occurred, the direction of the call, and the time of the call, are temporarily stored in the hall call allocation information storage unit 2, and when an unanswered call is processed, the information about the processed call is deleted from the hall call allocation information storage unit 2. However, depending on the group control processing system, for example, a car other than the one originally assigned to the hall call may arrive first due to a car call, causing a passenger waiting at the floor to board, resulting in a so-called car call first-arrival. In such cases, the call information may not be deleted.

[0023] (Configuration of main parts related to car assignment control of elevator group management control device 10) FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the main parts related to car assignment control of the elevator group management control device 10 according to this embodiment.

[0024] The elevator group management control device 10 has various functions such as the above-mentioned car assignment calculation processing unit 1, hall call information acquisition unit 3, car information acquisition unit 4, car call information acquisition unit 5, and hall passenger count acquisition unit 31. The car assignment calculation processing unit 1 includes a search calculation processing unit 11 and a calculation priority determination unit 12. The calculation priority determination unit 12 is a function that determines calculation priorities based on the information acquired from the hall passenger count acquisition unit 31 and the car information acquisition unit 4. The search calculation processing unit 11 is a function that performs car assignment in accordance with the calculation priorities determined by the calculation priority determination unit 12. The various functions shown in FIG. 2 are constructed as programs to be implemented by a computer.

[0025] In particular, the functions of the hall number of passengers acquisition unit 31, the car information acquisition unit 4, and the car allocation calculation processing unit 1 contribute to shortening passenger waiting times and service times on the floor and improving user satisfaction.

[0026] The hall number of people acquisition unit 31 has a function of acquiring information on the "hall number of people" for each floor, which indicates the number of people waiting for a car in the hall on each floor.

[0027] The car information acquisition unit 4 has a function of acquiring information on the "number of passengers that can board" (or "available space") for each of a plurality of cars, which indicates the number of passengers that can newly board each of the cars.

[0028] The car allocation calculation processing unit 1 has a function of determining the allocation of each car to each floor by performing a predetermined calculation process using the information on the "number of people in the hall" and the information on the "number of people that can board."

[0029] Each of the above functions will be described in detail below.

[0030] (Function to calculate "number of people in the hall") The hall number of people acquisition unit 31 has the function of obtaining information on the number of people in the hall using at least one of the following: i) information indicating the number of people obtained by image analysis of images taken by an imaging device (not shown) installed in the hall on each floor; ii) information indicating the number of people detected at gates (not shown) installed on each floor on the way users to the hall (gate passage information); iii) access status to specific devices (e.g., base stations, repeaters, etc.) of terminals (e.g., mobile phones such as smartphones and personal digital assistants) used by users on each floor (e.g., usage status of communication methods such as RFID, Ethernet (registered trademark), wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), WiFi, GPS, 5th generation (5G), etc.); iv) information detected by environmental sensors (e.g., CO2 concentration sensors, temperature sensors, etc.); v) information detected by human presence sensors (e.g., infrared sensors, etc.); and vi) information detected by weight sensors.

[0031] (Function to calculate "number of passengers" (or "available space")) The car information acquisition unit 4 has a function to obtain the current number of passengers in each car using the car passenger number acquisition unit 32, and to obtain the number of passengers that can ride in that car (or the "available space") from the difference between the obtained number of passengers and the car's capacity. Furthermore, the car allocation calculation processing unit 1 has a function to determine not to assign a car to any floor if the number of passengers that can ride in that car is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. The threshold is determined in advance using, for example, past data. For example, the threshold may be determined from the maximum number of passengers indicated in the past data. Furthermore, the car information acquisition unit 4 and the car allocation calculation processing unit 1 have a function to determine not to assign a car to any floor if a car is full.

[0032] (A function that determines whether multiple cars should be assigned to the same floor) The car allocation calculation processing unit 1 has a function to determine whether multiple cars should be allocated to the same floor. Specifically, the car allocation calculation processing unit 1 has a function to determine whether multiple cars should be allocated to a floor when all of the people waiting for cars in the hall on a certain floor cannot fit into one car. The hall number of people acquisition unit 31 also has a function to estimate the number of people who will be waiting for cars in the future in the hall on each floor, and the car allocation calculation processing unit 1 also has a function to determine whether multiple cars should be allocated to the floor when all of the people waiting for cars in the future in the hall on a certain floor cannot fit into one car. The above estimation may be realized, for example, by using data showing past performance, or by using a prediction method using a linear regression model or a nonlinear regression model including deep learning.

[0033] (A function that determines whether the same car should be assigned to the same floor multiple times) The car allocation calculation processing unit 1 has a function to determine whether the same car should be allocated to the same floor multiple times. Specifically, the car allocation calculation processing unit 1 has a function to determine that the same car should be allocated to the same floor multiple times when all of the people waiting for a car in the hall on a certain floor cannot fit into one car. The hall number of people acquisition unit 31 also has a function to estimate the number of people who will be waiting for a car in the future in the hall on each floor, and the car allocation calculation processing unit 1 also has a function to determine that multiple cars should be allocated to the floor when all of the people waiting for a car in the future in the hall on a certain floor cannot fit into one car.

[0034] (Details of processing by each function) In this embodiment, car allocation to hall calls is determined using the number of people waiting on the floor and the number of people in the car. An existing method generally called the A* algorithm or A search algorithm (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 1) may be used as the algorithm for determining car allocation. The following will mainly explain the differences from existing methods.

[0035] As explained below, group management control consists of three steps: (1) hall and car information acquisition, (2) calculation priority determination, and (3) search calculation processing. The timing for performing these steps is assumed to be when a hall call occurs in one of the halls, but is not limited to this. The above-mentioned series of steps may be performed when there is a change in the number of people waiting in one of the halls, or may be performed periodically at regular intervals. In the following explanation, the individual variables shown in the table in Figure 3 will be used as needed.

[0036] (1) Acquisition of hall and car information The hall number of passengers acquisition unit 31 and the car information acquisition unit 4 acquire information on the number of people waiting on the floor when a hall call occurs, and the number of passengers that can board the car (or the available space in the car), which indicates the number of people who can board the car.

[0037] As described above, methods for estimating the number of people waiting on a floor may include at least one of the following: i) a method using information indicating the number of people obtained by image analysis of images taken by an imaging device (not shown) installed in the hall of each floor; ii) a method using information indicating the number of people detected at gates (not shown) installed on each floor as users head to the hall (gate passage information); iii) a method using the access status (e.g., usage status of communication methods such as RFID, Ethernet (registered trademark), wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), WiFi, GPS, and fifth generation (5G)) of terminals (e.g., mobile phones such as smartphones and personal digital assistants) used by users on each floor to specific devices (e.g., base stations and repeaters); iv) a method using information detected by an environmental sensor (e.g., a CO2 concentration sensor, a temperature sensor); v) a method using information detected by a human presence sensor (e.g., an infrared sensor); and vi) a method using information detected by a weight sensor. In addition, various communication means can be used to transmit the acquired information to the elevator group management control device 10, including Ethernet (registered trademark), wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), WiFi, GPS, fifth generation (5G), and other communication networks of various carriers.

[0038] (2) Calculation priority determination The calculation priority determination unit 12 determines the calculation priority based on the information acquired by the hall number acquisition unit 31 and the car information acquisition unit 4. Here, the priority of hall calls to be assigned to cars is determined from hall calls generated within a certain time period (for example, 30 seconds or 1 minute), and in particular, the priority is determined by giving top priority to information on the number of people newly added waiting on floors. This allows cars to be assigned most quickly to halls with a large number of people waiting on floors. However, this priority is variable and may be adjusted so that, for example, calls from VIPs (Very Important Persons) or people with disabilities are given priority.

[0039] FIG. 4 shows how hall call priorities are determined using the calculated priority table.

[0040] Information on hall calls that have already occurred but not yet been assigned is buffered in hall call assignment waiting queue 30. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4(a), for example, information on hall calls [0], [1], [2], [3], and [4] that occurred within a predetermined time is stored in order of occurrence in hall call assignment waiting queue 30. Information on each hall call includes the time of occurrence, floor on which it occurred, direction of occurrence (DOWN or UP), type of hall call ("normal call," "VIP call," "disabled call" (False or True)), call to the basement (False or True), number of transmissions, and number of people waiting on the floor.

[0041] Here, if the priority is determined by giving top priority to the newly added information on the number of people waiting on the floor, the information on each hall call will be rearranged in descending order of the number of people waiting on the floor (i.e., hall calls [0], [2], [4], [1], [3]), as shown in Figure 4(b). Finally, the calculation priority table shown in Figure 4(b) is completed.

[0042] (3) Search calculation process In the search calculation processing unit 11, car allocation is performed in accordance with the order determined in the calculation priority determination process.

[0043] FIG. 5 shows the concept of the algorithm for determining car allocation.

[0044] The search calculation process of this embodiment differs from conventional methods in that it allows allocation of a plurality of cars.

[0045] As shown in Figure 5, multiple provisional assignments are made for each of multiple hall calls, for example, hall call 1 and hall call 2. Among the multiple provisional assignments, some assign a single car and some assign multiple cars. That is, a tree consisting of multiple paths is formed, including branch patterns in which one car is assigned to one hall call as well as branch patterns in which multiple cars are assigned. An evaluation value, which will be described later, is then calculated for each provisional assignment node, and a path (minimum path) connecting the car assignments with the smallest evaluation value for each hall call is determined. In the example of Figure 5, the minimum path R1 is determined, connecting the node for "car A, car B," which has the smallest evaluation value of 18 for hall call 1, with the node for "car A," which has the smallest evaluation value of 32 for hall call 2, which is subordinate to that node.

[0046] Figure 5 shows an example of solving the optimal car assignment problem from three types of cars A, B, and C for hall calls 1 and 2. The maximum number of cars to be assigned to one hall call can be determined based on the number of hall calls and the number of passengers that can be accommodated in the car, or the maximum number of cars to be assigned can be set in advance as a parameter and determined within that range.

[0047] FIG. 5 also shows an example in which five car allocation patterns are applied to hall call 1: "car A," "car A, car B," "car A, car B, car C," "car B, car A," and "car A, car A." Here, it is assumed that six or more car allocations are not performed. Note that "car B, car A" indicates, for example, that car B arrives at the floor of the hall call before car A. Furthermore, "car A, car A" indicates, for example, that the same car A arrives at the same floor twice.

[0048] The five car allocation patterns shown in FIG. 5 are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0049] Figure 6 shows an example of the results of various allocations when the number of people waiting on the floor is 8, the number of people that can ride in car A is 3, the number of people that can ride in car B is 4, and the number of people that can ride in car C is 5.

[0050] In the example of FIG. 6, in most cases (10 out of 12) when multiple cars are allocated, the number of people waiting on the floor is 0, and no passengers are left behind.

[0051] When allocating multiple cars, the order of allocation is important. Basically, it is designed with a policy that the first car allocated will be filled with the number of people equal to the number of empty spaces. For example, in Figure 6, if the cars are allocated in the order (B, C, A), the number of people that can ride in each car will be (A, B, C) = (3 people, 0 people, 1 person), whereas if they are allocated in the order (C, B, A), the number of people that can ride in each car will be (A, B, C) = (3 people, 1 person, 0 people), which shows that there will be a difference in the number of people that can ride in any of the cars.

[0052] The search calculation process includes "(3-1) Processing for determining whether multiple car allocation is necessary" and "(3-2) Processing for calculating evaluation value," which will be described later. Each of these will be explained in turn.

[0053] (3-1) Multiple car allocation necessity determination process Whether or not multiple cars should be allocated is determined by performing a multiple car allocation necessity determination process. Here, the determination is made from the perspective of whether or not there will be any leftovers in the hall. This determination process can be formulated as follows, using the variables listed in the table in Figure 3.

[0054]

number

[0055] For example, hall call h i Number of people N hiIf the difference between the number of people assigned to each car is greater than 0, it is determined that there are passengers left behind in the hall, and an additional car is assigned. On the other hand, if the difference is 0 or less, no additional car is assigned. One of the parameters, ε, is defined as an error parameter. The value of the parameter ε is normally set to 0, but if an error occurs in the number of people estimation, the value of this parameter is adjusted.

[0056] 7A and 7B show examples of car allocation patterns when there are two cars.

[0057] 7A shows an example of a list of car assignment patterns in which multiple car assignments to the same floor are permitted and multiple assignments of the same car to the same floor are prohibited. According to this example, four types of car assignment patterns are generated.

[0058] 7B shows an example of a list of car allocation patterns when multiple cars are allowed to be assigned to the same floor and the same car can be assigned to the same floor multiple times (however, the same car can be assigned up to two times). According to this example, 10 types of car allocation patterns are generated.

[0059] In this way, the types and number of car allocation patterns change depending on the conditions of car allocation.

[0060] The results of the allocation of one or more cars to each hall call by the above-mentioned process for determining whether or not multiple car allocation is necessary are compiled as a hall call list and used in the evaluation value calculation process described later.

[0061] (3-1-1) Exclusion from allocation of full cars In the above "(3-1) Process for determining whether multiple car allocation is necessary," a full car may be excluded from the allocation targets.

[0062] This approach has the benefit for users of avoiding full cars arriving at the floor in question, making it easier to obtain a more practical solution and potentially shortening waiting times. Also, when using a method such as the A* algorithm mentioned above, it is possible to avoid calculating unnecessary paths when searching for the path with the smallest evaluation value, which leads to shorter calculation times.

[0063] (3-1-2) Multiple allocation of the same car to the same floor In the above "(3-1) Process for determining whether multiple car allocation is necessary," the same car may be allocated to the same floor multiple times.

[0064] For example, when a downward car call occurs on the 10th floor, car A can be assigned to the 10th floor once to allow the passenger to board, then move to the destination floor, and then return to the 10th floor to assign the same car A to any remaining passengers. At this time, an upper limit can be set on the number of times the same car can be assigned, or on the number of times all cars can be assigned to the same floor. For example, it may be possible to allow the same car to be assigned a maximum of two times, or a maximum of five times overall. By setting such upper limits, it becomes possible to limit the search space for optimal solutions.

[0065] By allowing multiple assignments to the same car in this way, the options for car assignment are expanded, and a more optimal solution can be found.

[0066] (3-1-3) Predicting future attendance In the above "(3-1) Process for determining whether or not multiple car allocation is necessary," the number of people in the hall in the future may be predicted, and car allocation may be performed taking the predicted number of people into consideration.

[0067] For example, the future number of people waiting in the hall is predicted from the number of people waiting on the floor at the same time in the past. For example, if past data shows that hall call 1 at 8:00 AM is expressed as a normal distribution with an average of 5 people and a variance of 1 person, even if the number of people waiting for hall call 1 at 8:00 AM is 3 people, cars are assigned assuming that 5 people are waiting. The method for predicting the number of people in the hall in this case is not limited to the method described above. Prediction methods using linear regression models or nonlinear regression models including deep learning may also be used.

[0068] In this way, car allocation that takes into account the number of people waiting for future hall calls will lead to shorter waiting times for users.

[0069] (3-2) Evaluation value calculation process After the provisional allocation is performed, the evaluation value G hi The following is an example of the calculation formula using the variables listed in Table 1 as the evaluation function.

[0070]

number

[0071] The above evaluation function is i Hall call h i The hole where the hole occurred ("Hole h i The time of arrival (estimated arrival time) and the hall call i It represents the difference between the time when the elevator first arrived and the time when the elevator first arrived (i.e., waiting time) multiplied by the number of people who were able to board the assigned elevator (i.e., the total waiting time for each person). More precisely, it represents the result of multiplying the waiting time of the person who first called the elevator by the number of people who boarded the elevator.

[0072] Once the evaluation value up to the node in question on the tree has been calculated, the evaluation value H from that node to the final node is calculated. hi Calculate.

[0073] H hi =T (Ave) ×DLH (hi) The final node corresponds to the node corresponding to the last hall call in the hall call list. For calculation purposes, it is not necessary to actually specify the node, and the number of hall calls (number of nodes) D up to the last hall call in the hall call list is used. LH (hi) and the average waiting time T (Ave) From the evaluation value H hi Calculate the average waiting time T (Ave) is determined in advance using past data, etc.

[0074] From the above, the evaluation value at each node is the evaluation value up to that node G hi and the evaluation value H hi The sum of these, i.e., the evaluation value F hi is calculated using the following formula:

[0075] F hi =G hi +H hi In the above explanation, an example in which "waiting time" is used as the evaluation value is shown, but this is not limiting. Instead, "service time" (i.e., the time it takes to board from the hall call time to arrival at the destination floor) may be used as the evaluation value.

[0076] (Example of operation) Next, an example of the car allocation operation according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 8. The series of processes shown below may be executed when a hall call occurs in any hall, when there is a change in the number of people waiting in any hall, or periodically at regular time intervals.

[0077] First, the hall number of passengers acquisition unit 31 and the car information acquisition unit 4 acquire information on the number of people waiting on the floor when a hall call occurs and the number of passengers that can board the car (or the available space in the car), which indicates the number of people who can board the car (step S1).

[0078] Next, the calculation priority order determining unit 12 determines the calculation priority order based on the information acquired by the hall player count acquiring unit 31 and the car information acquiring unit 4 (step S2).

[0079] Finally, the search calculation processing unit 11 performs car allocation in accordance with the order determined in the calculation priority determination process (step S3).

[0080] Next, an example of the detailed operation of step S2 (determining the calculation priority order) shown in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0081] As explained in Figure 4, the calculation priority table used by the calculation priority determination unit 12 includes information for each hall call, such as the time of occurrence, floor on which the call occurred, direction of occurrence (DOWN or UP), type of hall call ("normal call," "VIP call," "disabled call" (False or True)), call to the basement (False or True), number of transmissions, and number of people waiting on the floor.

[0082] Here, for example, the priority is determined by giving top priority to the newly added information on the number of people waiting on a floor.

[0083] For example, first, as sort 1, sorting is performed in the order of priority: number of people waiting on floor>number of transmissions>calls for disabled people>VIP calls>normal calls>calls to basement floor (step S11).

[0084] If there is no call of the same type (such as "normal call," "VIP call," or "call for the disabled") (NO in step S12), proceed to step S18; if there is a call of the same type (YES in step S12), sorting is performed in order of occurrence time as sort 2 (step S13).

[0085] If there are no calls with the same occurrence time (NO in step S14), the process proceeds to step S18, and if there are calls with the same type of call (YES in step S14), sorting is performed in order of priority: ground floor > basement (step S15) as sort 3. However, in the case of ground floors, the priority is given to lower floors, and in the case of basement floors, the priority is given to floors closer to the first floor.

[0086] If there is no call from the same floor (NO in step S16), proceed to step S18, and if there is a call of the same type (YES in step S16), sorting is performed in order of priority, UP > DOWN, as sort 4 (step S17).

[0087] Finally, the calculation priority obtained through the series of processes is output (step S18).

[0088] The calculation priority information thus output is used in the search calculation processing unit 11.

[0089] Next, an example of the detailed operation of step S3 (search calculation process) shown in FIG. 8 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 10. In the following description, the search range is limited by a threshold value. i ' may be obtained in multiple cages.

[0090] In the search calculation processing unit 11, when performing car allocation according to the calculation priority determined by the calculation priority determination unit 12, first, a dummy car c having an evaluation value of 0 is assigned as an initial state. i The information is added to a prepared open list, and a prepared closed list is initialized (step S21).

[0091] Thereafter, the loop process of steps S22 to S30 is repeated until the open list is empty.

[0092] First, the first cart c in the open list iThe information of "'" (information to be used for provisional allocation to hall calls and for calculating evaluation values) is extracted and added to the closed list (step S23).

[0093] Next, if the number of searches is not less than the threshold value (No in step S24), the process proceeds to step S31. On the other hand, if the number of searches is less than the threshold value (Yes in step S24), the process proceeds to step S32. i All cages under c i The evaluation value of ' is calculated (step S25).

[0094] Next, the target basket c i It is determined whether the information of ' exists in the open list or the closed list (step S26). If it does not exist (No in step S26), the car c i ' is added to the open list (step S28). If it exists (Yes in step S26), the calculated evaluation value is added to the car c in the open list or the closed list. i If the evaluation value of ' is smaller than the value of the corresponding car c in the list, i ' information is deleted and the evaluation value is calculated this time. i Then, a process is performed to add the information of "' (including the information of the evaluation value) to the open list (step S27).

[0095] Then, the information of each car in the open list is sorted in ascending order of evaluation value (step S29).

[0096] After the loop processing of steps S22 to S30 is performed until the open list becomes empty, the optimally allocated car is determined by tracing the path from the information (node) of the last car in the closed list to the information (node) of the initial state car (step S31).

[0097] Next, an example of the detailed operation of step S25 (evaluation value calculation process) shown in FIG. 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 11. iWhen determining whether it is necessary to calculate the evaluation value of ', cars with a passenger capacity below a predetermined threshold or cars that are full are excluded from allocation and no evaluation value calculation is performed.

[0098] In the search calculation processing unit 11, the car c i Individual cages under i The loop process of steps S41 to S44 is performed until the information of "1" is extracted in order and all the information is gone.

[0099] First, the target basket c i The necessity of calculation for ' is determined (step S42).

[0100] Here, the target basket c i If the number of passengers in the car c' is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, or if the car is full, it is determined that there is no need to calculate the evaluation value (No in step S42), and the process proceeds to step S41, and the next target car c' is calculated. i Processing for ' is performed.

[0101] In step S42, the necessity of allocating multiple cages is also determined. For example, if it is determined that the allocation of multiple cages is necessary, it is decided to allocate multiple cages to the same floor, or to allocate the same cage to the same floor multiple times, and then an evaluation value for the case where multiple cages are allocated is calculated, and the calculated result is saved. An evaluation value is also calculated when a single cage is allocated, and the calculated result is saved (step S43).

[0102] When the loop process of steps S41 to S44 is completed, the evaluation value calculation process ends.

[0103] According to the embodiment, for example, it is possible to realize an allocation method that minimizes the occurrence of left-behind passengers, and at the same time, even if a left-behind passenger occurs, it is possible to reduce waiting time and service time by allocating the next car.

[0104] As described above in detail, according to the embodiment, it is possible to reduce waiting times and service times for passengers on the floor, thereby improving user satisfaction.

[0105] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 1...car assignment calculation processing unit, 2...hall call assignment information storage unit, 3...hall call information acquisition unit, 4...car information acquisition unit, 5...car call information acquisition unit, 10...elevator group management control device, 11...search calculation processing unit, 12...calculation priority determination unit, 13...search calculation data storage unit, 14...evaluation model unit, 21,...,2M...hall call button, 211,...,21N...car, 30...hall call assignment waiting queue, 31...hall number of people acquisition unit, 32...number of people in car acquisition unit, 112,...,1N2...car call button, 211,...,2N1...car control unit.

Claims

1. a hall number acquisition unit that acquires hall number information indicating the number of people waiting for a car in the hall on each floor; a car information acquisition unit that acquires information about the number of passengers that can newly board each of a plurality of cars; a car allocation calculation processing unit that performs predetermined calculation processing using the information on the number of people in the hall and the information on the number of people that can board, thereby determining the allocation of each car to each floor and determining whether or not the same car should be allocated to the same floor multiple times; An elevator group management control device comprising:

2. The hall number of people acquisition unit The number of people in the hall is calculated using at least one of the following: i) information indicating the number of people obtained from images captured by imaging devices installed in the halls of each floor; ii) information indicating the number of people detected at gates installed on each floor on the way users make their way to the halls; iii) information indicating the number of people obtained from the access status of terminals used by users on each floor to specific devices; iv) information detected by environmental sensors; v) information detected by human presence sensors; and vi) information detected by weight sensors. The elevator group management control device according to claim 1.

3. The car information acquisition unit For each car, the current number of passengers in that car is calculated, and the number of passengers that can be accommodated in that car is calculated from the difference between the calculated number of passengers and the capacity of that car. The elevator group management control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The car assignment calculation processing unit If there is a car whose capacity is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, it is determined not to allocate the car to any floor. The elevator group management control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The car assignment calculation processing unit Determine whether multiple cars should be assigned to the same floor; The elevator group management control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The car assignment calculation processing unit If all the people waiting for cars in the hall of a certain floor cannot fit into one car, it is determined that multiple cars should be allocated to that floor. The elevator group management control device according to claim 5.

7. The hall headcount acquisition unit further The number of people waiting for a car in the future in the hall on each floor is estimated, The car assignment calculation processing unit further If all of the people waiting for the future car in the hall of a certain floor cannot board one car, it is determined to allocate multiple cars to the floor. The elevator group management control device according to claim 6.

8. The car assignment calculation processing unit If all passengers waiting for a car in the hall of a certain floor cannot ride in one car, it is decided to allocate the same car to the same floor multiple times. The elevator group management control device according to claim 1.

9. The hall headcount acquisition unit further The number of people waiting for a car in the future in the hall on each floor is estimated, The car assignment calculation processing unit further If all of the people waiting for the future car in the hall of a certain floor cannot board one car, it is determined to allocate multiple cars to the floor. The elevator group management control device according to claim 8.

10. A hall number acquisition unit acquires hall number information indicating the number of people waiting for a car in the hall on each floor; acquiring, by a car information acquisition unit, information on the number of passengers that can newly board each of the plurality of cars; A car allocation calculation processing unit performs predetermined calculation processing using the information on the number of people in the hall and the information on the number of people that can board, thereby determining the allocation of each car to each floor and determining whether or not the same car should be allocated to the same floor multiple times. An elevator group management control method, comprising:

11. On the computer, A function to obtain information on the number of people waiting in the hall on each floor, which indicates the number of people waiting in the cart. A function to acquire information on the number of passengers that can board each of multiple cars, the number of passengers that can board each car; A function of determining the allocation of each car to each floor by performing a predetermined calculation process using the information on the number of people in the hall and the information on the number of people that can board, and determining whether or not the same car should be allocated to the same floor multiple times; A program to achieve this.

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