Verification device and verification method

Abstract

To provide a confirmation device and a confirmation method capable of ensuring manpower for performing proper correspondence to an elevator requiring earthquake recovery correspondence while confirming the safety of employees when an earthquake occurs.SOLUTION: A confirmation device 100 executes confirmation processing based on the occurrence of an earthquake. The confirmation device 100 is equipped with a processor 111, and a memory 112 that stores a program that can be executed by the processor 111. The processor 111, in the confirmation processing, executes processing for confirming safety by using employee terminals 300 used by employees 54, on the basis of the occurrent of an earthquake. The employees 54 include maintenance persons 53 maintaining elevators. The processor 111 decides a corresponding maintenance person performing the correspondence of a corresponding elevator requiring the correspondence due to the earthquake, among the employees 54 whose safety can be confirmed by safety confirmation in the confirmation processing. and the processor 111 instructs the correspondence of the corresponding elevator to the employee terminal 300 used by the corresponding maintenance person in the confirmation processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a confirmation device and a confirmation method for performing a confirmation process based on the occurrence of an earthquake. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, an increasing number of companies are using email to check the safety of their employees when an earthquake occurs. For example, when an earthquake with a seismic intensity of 5 occurs, emails are sent to all employees whose workplaces (branch offices, etc.) are in the area where the earthquake occurred to check their safety. Employees reply with information about whether they and their family members are safe (uninjured), whether they are able to come to work, etc., and the safety of employees is confirmed based on the results.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 (JP 2017-24871 A) discloses a technology for confirming the safety of maintenance personnel at a maintenance company that maintains elevators, in which a program is executed to confirm the safety of maintenance personnel based on the operation of a seismometer installed in the building. In addition to confirming the safety of personnel, the maintenance company must dispatch maintenance personnel to the site to carry out earthquake restoration work for the elevators. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-24871 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not consider a mechanism for checking the safety of employees in the event of an earthquake and then securing personnel to carry out appropriate earthquake recovery measures for elevators.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a confirmation device and confirmation method that can check the safety of employees when an earthquake occurs, while also ensuring personnel to take appropriate action for elevators that require earthquake recovery response. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The confirmation device according to the present disclosure is a device that executes a confirmation process based on the occurrence of an earthquake. The confirmation device includes a processor and a memory that stores a program executable by the processor. In the confirmation process, the processor executes a process for confirming the safety of employees using a terminal used by the employees based on the occurrence of an earthquake. The employees include maintenance personnel who perform elevator maintenance. In the confirmation process, the processor determines, from among the employees whose safety has been confirmed through the safety check, a corresponding maintenance personnel to handle an elevator that requires response due to the earthquake. In the confirmation process, the processor instructs the terminal used by the corresponding maintenance personnel to handle the elevator.

[0008] A confirmation method according to the present disclosure is a method for executing a confirmation process in response to the occurrence of an earthquake. The confirmation method includes a step of executing the confirmation process. The step of executing the confirmation process includes a step of executing a process for confirming the safety of employees using a terminal used by the employees in the area where the earthquake occurred. The employees include maintenance personnel who perform elevator maintenance. The step of executing the confirmation process further includes a step of determining, from among the employees whose safety has been confirmed through the safety confirmation, a maintenance personnel to handle an elevator that needs to be handled due to the earthquake, and a step of instructing the terminal used by the maintenance personnel to handle the elevator. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, when an earthquake occurs, it is possible to check the safety of employees while securing personnel to take appropriate measures for elevators that require earthquake recovery response. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a map screen according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of a confirmation system. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a confirmation process executed by the confirmation device. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart of a map generation process. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart of a safety information generation process. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a safety confirmation screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying evacuation information. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displaying route information. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart of a responder determination process. [Figure 10] 10 is a table showing an example of employee information. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the decision of a responder in the commercial area of ​​area E1. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of determining a responder in the commercial area of ​​area E1. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the decision of a responder in a residential area of ​​area E1. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of determining a responder in a residential area of ​​area E1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The names and functions of these components are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining a map screen 141 in this embodiment. The confirmation device 100 (see Fig. 2 below) in this embodiment is capable of displaying the map screen 141. The confirmation device 100 is a device that executes processing based on the occurrence of an earthquake. The map screen 141 displays building information and earthquake information in the area where the earthquake occurred.

[0013] When an earthquake occurs, elevators may need to undergo earthquake recovery measures (recovery work). When earthquake sensors installed in elevators detect shaking of a certain magnitude or greater, the elevator car will stop (land) at the nearest floor and then open the doors. This allows passengers to disembark, and the elevator will then cease operation.

[0014] In this case, a maintenance worker who maintains the elevator will go to the building where the elevator is installed and perform the elevator recovery work. After inspecting the elevator, the maintenance worker will return it to normal operation and reset the earthquake detector. The earthquake detector is installed, for example, in a pit (underground) or a machine room (rooftop). If the earthquake detector is installed in a machine room and the building has many floors, such as a high-rise building, it is necessary to climb the stairs to the rooftop to operate the earthquake detector. This takes time, and if the maintenance worker is elderly, he or she may not be suited to this type of work.

[0015] In the event of a larger earthquake, or if an elevator malfunctions or experiences a power outage as a result of the earthquake, passengers may become trapped inside the car, for example, because the car has stopped between floors. In this case, maintenance personnel must move the car to the nearest floor and rescue the passengers. This task takes time and requires a certain level of maintenance skill. Responding to high-risk situations such as those in hospitals, police stations, and fire stations, or responding to high-risk situations such as injuries, and operating high-speed elevators also require a certain level of skill.

[0016] The intensity of earthquakes varies by region, and there are cases where an employee's workplace is far from their residence (home address), or they happen to be far from home on a business trip, etc. In such cases, in order to accurately grasp the safety status of employees and their families, it is necessary to check the safety of employees based on the magnitude of the earthquake at their residence (home) or current location, rather than checking the safety of employees whose workplace (branch office, etc.) is in the earthquake area.

[0017] Furthermore, in this embodiment, personnel (maintenance personnel) are secured from among employees whose safety has been confirmed to take appropriate measures for elevators that require earthquake restoration (restoration work). In this configuration, highly skilled maintenance personnel who happen to be in the earthquake-stricken area on a business trip or the like can be effectively utilized without being restricted by the jurisdiction (area of ​​responsibility) of the workplace (branch office).

[0018] In the example of FIG. 1, it is assumed that an earthquake has occurred in areas E1 to E4. Areas E1 to E4 where the earthquake has occurred are displayed on the map screen 141. The map screen 141 displays seismic intensity information. It is shown that the seismic intensity in area E1 is M1, the seismic intensity in area E3 is M2, the seismic intensity in area E2 is M3, and the seismic intensity in area E4 is M4. Here, it is assumed that M1>M2>M3>M4.

[0019] The map on the map screen 141 displays buildings and their status. Buildings 152 and 153 indicate that elevator restoration work (earthquake restoration response) is required due to the occurrence of an earthquake. On the other hand, building 151 indicates that it was not affected by the earthquake and that the elevators are currently operating normally. Building 152 is in a state where restoration work is required because the elevators have stopped at the nearest floor after the occurrence of the earthquake and are currently out of service. Building 153 is in a state where restoration work is required because people were trapped inside due to the occurrence of the earthquake.

[0020] The confirmation device 100 assigns a maintenance worker 53 to perform the restoration work to each building that requires the restoration work. The map on the map screen 141 displays the current location information of each maintenance worker 53 and the route (path 71a to 71e) to the building 152, 153 where the restoration work is to be performed.

[0021] In area E1, one maintenance worker 53 is assigned three buildings 152, and is scheduled to travel along route 71a to perform restoration work (earthquake restoration response) in order. Another nearby maintenance worker 53 is assigned two buildings 152, and is scheduled to travel along route 71b to perform restoration work in order. Another maintenance worker 53 is also scheduled to travel along route 71c to perform restoration work in building 153 (rescuing passengers from trapped conditions).

[0022] Similarly, in area E3, it is shown that two maintenance personnel 53 are scheduled to travel along routes 71d and 71e, respectively, to perform restoration work on building 152. On the other hand, in areas E2 and E4, there are no buildings 152 and 153 requiring restoration work, so no maintenance personnel 53 have been assigned.

[0023] It is not necessary to display the position and routes 71a to 71e of the maintenance personnel 53 on the map screen 141. Moreover, instead of displaying the position and routes 71a to 71e of the maintenance personnel 53 on the map screen 141, information such as the estimated time of arrival of the maintenance personnel 53 at each building 152, 153 may be displayed.

[0024] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the confirmation system. The confirmation system includes a confirmation device 100, a monitoring device 200, an elevator system 10, an employee terminal 300, and a user terminal 400.

[0025] The confirmation device 100 is installed, for example, in an information center 90 of an elevator maintenance company. The information center 90 centrally manages information on elevators in various locations. The confirmation device 100 includes a processor 111, a memory 112, a communication interface 113, and a display unit 121. These are connected to each other via a bus so that they can communicate with each other.

[0026] The processor 111 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory 112 may be configured to include a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a storage unit. The storage unit is a non-volatile storage device. The storage unit may be, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0027] The processor 111 loads programs stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes them to realize various functions of the verification device 100. The ROM stores programs that describe the processing procedures of the verification device 100. The RAM serves as a working area when the processor 111 executes the programs, and temporarily stores the programs, data used to execute the programs, and the like.

[0028] The confirmation device 100 can be wirelessly connected to the monitoring device 200, employee terminal 300, and user terminal 400 via the communication interface 113. The confirmation device 100 may also communicate with the monitoring device 200 via a wired connection. The display unit 121 displays various types of information. The display unit 121 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or a display.

[0029] The monitoring device 200 is a device that monitors the elevator system 10. The monitoring device 200 is capable of transmitting (issuing an alert) various types of elevator information acquired from the elevator system 10 to the confirmation device 100. The monitoring device 200 includes a processor (CPU) 211, a memory 212, and a communication interface 213. These are connected to each other via a bus so that they can communicate with each other. Similarly, the memory 212 may be configured to include a ROM, a RAM, and a storage unit.

[0030] The processor 211 loads programs stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes them to realize various functions of the monitoring device 200. The ROM stores programs that describe the processing procedures of the monitoring device 200. The monitoring device 200 communicates with the verification device 100 via the communication interface 213.

[0031] The employee terminal 300 is a terminal used by the employee 54. The employee terminal 300 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone. The employee 54 is an employee 54 of an elevator maintenance company. The employees 54 include a maintenance worker 53 who maintains the elevator. In this embodiment, the employee terminal 300 is a terminal loaned from the maintenance company or personally owned by the employee 54.

[0032] The employee terminal 300 includes a processor (CPU) 311, a memory 312, a communication interface 313, an input unit 320, and a display unit 321. These are connected to each other via a bus so that they can communicate with each other. Similarly, the memory 312 may be configured to include a ROM, a RAM, and a storage unit.

[0033] The processor 311 loads programs stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes them to realize various functions of the employee terminal 300. The ROM stores programs that describe the processing procedures of the employee terminal 300. The employee terminal 300 can be connected to the verification device 100 via the communication interface 313.

[0034] The input unit 320 accepts input from a user. The input unit 320 is, for example, a touch panel, but may also be a keyboard or a mouse. The display unit 321 displays various types of information. The display unit 321 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or a display.

[0035] The user terminal 400 is a terminal used by a manager or owner of a building in which an elevator is installed, or by an elevator passenger (for example, a passenger trapped in the car). The user terminal 400 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

[0036] The user terminal 400 includes a processor (CPU) 411, a memory 412, a communication interface 413, an input unit 420, and a display unit 421. These are connected to each other via a bus so that they can communicate with each other. Similarly, the memory 412 may be configured to include a ROM, a RAM, and a storage unit.

[0037] The processor 411 loads programs stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes them to realize various functions of the user terminal 400. The ROM stores programs describing the processing procedures of the user terminal 400. The user terminal 400 can be connected to the verification device 100 via the communication interface 413.

[0038] The input unit 420 accepts input from the user. The input unit 420 is, for example, a touch panel, but may also be a keyboard or a mouse. The display unit 421 displays various types of information. The display unit 421 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or a display.

[0039] The elevator system 10 comprises a group management controller 20, an individual elevator management controller 30, a car device 40, an earthquake sensor 25, and a hall display device 26. The elevator system 10 comprises multiple elevators (two in this example), but may also comprise a single elevator. The elevator car is installed in a hoistway provided within the building. The car travels within the hoistway to move between multiple floors.

[0040] A machine room is located directly above the elevator shaft. The machine room contains a hoist and a control panel. The hoist is a motor that drives the car to raise and lower it. The control panel contains a group management controller 20 and an individual car management controller 30. The car device 40 is an electronic device located inside the car, and includes a display that shows the position and direction of the car.

[0041] The elevator system 10 is provided with a group management controller 20 and an individual elevator controller 30 as control units that control the elevators, such as controlling the operation of the cars. The group management controller 20 is a device that controls multiple elevators (two elevators in this example). The individual elevator controller 30 is a device that controls each elevator.

[0042] The group management controller 20 and the individual car management controller 30 communicate with each other and exchange various elevator-related data. The individual car management controller 30 acquires signal data from the car device 40 or issues control commands to the car device 40.

[0043] The group management control device 20 is connected to various hall equipment including a hall display device 26. The hall display device 26 is installed at the hall on each floor and displays various information to passengers.

[0044] The group management control device 20 is connected to an earthquake sensor 25. The earthquake sensor 25 is a device that detects earthquakes. The individual car management control device 30 acquires earthquake signals (for example, signals of P waves, S waves, etc.) from the earthquake sensor 25 via the group management control device 20. The individual car management control device 30 can cause the car to perform operations (earthquake control operations) based on the earthquake signals detected by the earthquake sensor 25. Specifically, the individual car management control device 30 pauses or stops the car after landing it at the nearest floor based on the earthquake signal.

[0045] The confirmation device 100 can also communicate with the elevator system 10 via the monitoring device 200. The monitoring device 200 can issue (transmit) various elevator signals, including earthquake signals detected by the earthquake detector 25, to the confirmation device 100.

[0046] This allows the confirmation device 100 to acquire various types of elevator information and to know that an earthquake has occurred in the building the elevator is installed in. The signals acquired by the confirmation device 100 are not limited to earthquake signals (P waves, S waves, etc.), but may also be signals indicating that the elevator is out of service due to an earthquake, signals that can identify the state of entrapment, etc.

[0047] The earthquake detector 25 is not limited to being connected to the group controller 20, but may be connected to each elevator car controller 30, or an earthquake detector 25 may be installed for each elevator. Also, the elevator system 10 may not include the group controller 20, and the elevator car controllers 30 may communicate with each other and each elevator car controller 30 may communicate directly with the monitoring device 200.

[0048] Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the confirmation process executed by the confirmation device 100. The confirmation device 100 executes the confirmation process based on the occurrence of an earthquake. The confirmation process is a series of processes explained in Fig. 3, and is initiated based on the detection of an earthquake by the earthquake sensor 25.

[0049] The confirmation device 100 can receive earthquake signals from multiple buildings (Building A, Building B, etc.) managed by the information center 90. Earthquake sensors 25 that detect earthquakes are installed in association with the elevators in these buildings. The confirmation device 100 can receive the detection results (earthquake signals) detected by the earthquake sensors 25.

[0050] When any of these buildings detects an earthquake, the confirmation device 100 receives an earthquake signal (for example, a P wave). Then, upon receiving this earthquake signal, the confirmation device 100 starts the system (confirmation process) of this embodiment.

[0051] When the confirmation process is started, the confirmation device 100 first acquires database information 161. The database information 161 is stored in the memory 112. The database information 161 includes information about the building in which the elevator is installed (building / elevator information) and maintenance staff information.

[0052] The building and elevator information includes information such as the building use, number of elevators installed, number of earthquake detectors25 installed, and location of each building. Building use includes hospital, fire department, police station, office building, commercial building, etc.

[0053] The employee information records information such as each employee's employee ID, affiliation, job, email address, home address (location), and maintenance-related skill information. The affiliation records information that can identify the location of the workplace, such as the name of the branch office to which the employee belongs. In this embodiment, each branch office has an area under its jurisdiction (responsibility). For example, if the area that branch office A is responsible for is area B, a maintenance worker 53 belonging to branch office A is responsible for maintaining elevators in buildings in area B.

[0054] The job category records the employee's job, such as a "maintenance worker" who maintains elevators, or an "office worker" who performs clerical work. The email address category records the email address of the employee terminal 300 used by the employee 54 (including the maintenance worker 53), and this email address is used to confirm the employee's safety in the event of an earthquake. The address category records the employee's place of residence (home address).

[0055] The skill information contains information indicating the skill level related to elevator maintenance. In this embodiment, the information indicating the skill level contains information such as skill level A, skill level B, and skill level C. The skill level A, skill level B, and skill level C indicate increasing skill levels (skills) related to elevator maintenance in this order.

[0056] Next, the confirmation device 100 acquires real-time information 162. The real-time information 162 includes information from the Japan Meteorological Agency, earthquake information, and responder information. The Japan Meteorological Agency information is information provided by the Japan Meteorological Agency and includes seismic intensity information for each region. The confirmation device 100 accesses the server of the Japan Meteorological Agency and acquires the seismic intensity information for each region of the earthquake.

[0057] The earthquake information is information about earthquakes managed by the information center 90. The earthquake information includes information received from the monitoring device 200 (detection results of the earthquake detector 25, etc.), telephone information from customers, whether or not there are people trapped inside, and whether or not there are people injured. The responder information includes location information (current location) of the maintenance personnel 53 and the results of confirmation of the safety of the maintenance personnel 53.

[0058] The database information 161, earthquake information, and responder information may be stored in the memory 112 of the confirmation device 100, or may be stored in a server device separate from the confirmation device 100. In the former case, the confirmation device 100 acquires the information from the memory 112. In the latter case, the confirmation device 100 requests data from the server device and acquires the data from the server device.

[0059] Hereinafter, an elevator that requires response (earthquake restoration response) due to an earthquake will also be referred to as a “responding elevator.” Furthermore, the maintenance worker 53 who performs earthquake restoration response for the responding elevator will also be referred to as a “responding maintenance worker.”

[0060] Next, the confirmation device 100 executes a map generation process. In the map generation process, the confirmation device 100 generates map information by superimposing the position information (location) of the building in which the elevator that required response due to the earthquake (responsive elevator) is installed, the detection results of the earthquake detector 25, and seismic intensity information for each location.

[0061] 4 is a flowchart of the map generation process. The verification device 100 executes the map generation process. Hereinafter, "step" may also be simply referred to as "S."

[0062] In the map generation process, a map screen 141 like that shown in Fig. 1 is generated. However, at this stage, this information is not displayed because the maintenance personnel 53 have not been assigned. In this example, recovery work is required in areas E1 and E2.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 4, when the map generation process starts, the verification device 100 acquires database information 161 and real-time information 162 in S101.

[0064] In S102, the confirmation device 100 sets the building information in the map information. In the example of Fig. 1, the map information is a map of areas E1 to E4. Also, in the example of Fig. 1, the building information is the location information of buildings 151 to 153, etc.

[0065] In S103, the confirmation device 100 sets the seismic intensity information in the map information. In the example of Fig. 1, the seismic intensity information (seismic intensities M1 to M4) for areas E1 to E4 is set.

[0066] In S104, the confirmation device 100 sets information about the earthquake detectors 25 in the map information. In the example of Fig. 1, the building information is information about the earthquake detectors 25 in buildings 152 and 153. In this example, the building information is information about whether recovery work is required because the car stopped (suspended) at the nearest floor, and information about whether recovery work is required because a person was trapped inside.

[0067] In S105, the confirmation device 100 sets the other information in the map information and ends the map generation process. The other information may be P-wave and S-wave information including seismic intensity, or various other signals acquired from the elevator via the monitoring device 200. The other information may also be telephone information from customers or elevator users or information from smartphones (whether there are any injured people, whether there are any trapped people, etc.), etc.

[0068] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, after a maintenance person 53 is assigned to an elevator that requires restoration work, the current location information of the maintenance person 53 and the route along which the maintenance person 53 will travel may be set in map information.

[0069] 3, the confirmation device 100 executes safety information generation processing. The safety information generation processing is processing for confirming the safety of employees using the employee terminal 300 in response to the occurrence of an earthquake, and is processing for confirming the safety of employees in the area where the earthquake occurred and generating data for transmitting evacuation information.

[0070] 5 is a flowchart of the safety information generation process. The confirmation device 100 executes the safety information generation process. As shown in FIG. 5, when the safety information generation process starts, the confirmation device 100 extracts "target areas" where the seismic intensity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, seismic intensity 5) in S201.

[0071] In S202, the confirmation device 100 extracts the database information 161 and the real-time information 162 for the target area. In S203, the confirmation device 100 extracts the employees 54 who reside or stay in the target area.

[0072] Specifically, the confirmation device 100 uses the "address" data in the employee information to extract employees 54 whose addresses are within a "target area" where the seismic intensity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (seismic intensity 5). The confirmation device 100 also acquires the "location information (current location)" of the employees 54 from the real-time information 162.

[0073] In this embodiment, the confirmation device 100 is configured to be able to acquire the location information of the employees 54 using the GPS information of the employee terminal 300. Then, the confirmation device 100 extracts employees 54 whose location information is within the "target area" (who are staying in the target area).

[0074] The confirmation device 100 may extract employees 54 of the branch office (affiliation) that has jurisdiction over the "target area" by using the "affiliation (branch office)" of the employee information in the database information 161. This may allow the configuration to allow the maintenance personnel 53 of the branch office (affiliation) that has jurisdiction over the "target area" to be assigned to the elevator that requires recovery work.

[0075] In S204, the confirmation device 100 generates safety confirmation data and evacuation information for the extracted employee 54, and ends the safety information generation process. The data generated in S204 is data for displaying the data in Figures 6 and 7, which will be described later.

[0076] Returning to FIG. 3, the confirmation device 100 confirms the safety of the target employee 54 (sends safety confirmation data) and also sends evacuation information to the employee's email address. The employee 54 receives the safety confirmation email on the employee terminal 300 used by the employee. The employee can confirm the safety by clicking on the URL written in the email. The employee 54 uses the employee terminal 300 to send the safety confirmation result to the confirmation device 100.

[0077] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a safety confirmation screen. The example in Fig. 6 shows an example of the display of a safety confirmation screen sent to employee 54 with employee ID "123" (maintenance worker 53c in the example in Fig. 3). The display unit 321 of employee terminal 300 shows that the employee ID is "123", the name of employee 54 is "ABC", the classification (job) of employee 54 is "maintenance worker", and the address (residence) of employee 54 is included in "area E1". It also shows that maintenance worker 53c is currently within "area E1".

[0078] At the bottom of the screen, items such as "safety confirmation" are displayed, such as whether "the person himself / herself is safe," whether "his / her family members are safe," and whether "earthquake recovery work is possible." When the relevant item is checked and the send button is clicked, the above information is transmitted to the confirmation device 100. In this example, the maintenance worker 53c replies that the person himself / herself and his / her family are safe and that earthquake recovery work is possible.

[0079] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen that displays evacuation information. When "Send" is clicked on the screen of FIG. 6, "Evacuation Information" is displayed as shown in FIG. 7. In this example, information is provided that the nearest evacuation site is "XXX Park." Along with this, a link to "Show Map" is displayed. When this link is clicked, map information for "XXX Park" is displayed. When "Next" is clicked, the screen changes.

[0080] In this way, during the confirmation process, the confirmation device 100 sends emails to the employee terminals 300 used by employees 54 who live or stay in the target area where the earthquake's seismic intensity is above a predetermined value to confirm their safety, and notifies the employee terminals 300 of information including nearby evacuation sites.

[0081] 3, the confirmation device 100 executes a responder determination process. In the responder determination process, the confirmation device 100 determines (assigns) a maintenance worker (responding maintenance worker: maintenance worker 53 capable of earthquake restoration response) who will respond to an elevator (responding elevator) that needs to be responded to due to the earthquake, from among the employees 54 whose safety has been confirmed by a safety check. In the responder determination process, the confirmation device 100 determines the responding maintenance worker based on the database information 161 and the real-time information 162.

[0082] 9 is a flowchart of the responder determination process. The confirmation device 100 executes the responder determination process. As shown in FIG. 9, when the responder determination process starts, the confirmation device 100 extracts information about buildings in the target area that require earthquake recovery response in S301. For example, buildings 152 and 153 shown in FIG. 1 correspond to buildings that require earthquake recovery response.

[0083] In S302, the confirmation device 100 extracts maintenance personnel 53 (job: maintenance personnel) who are capable of earthquake recovery efforts from among employees 54 who reside in a target area where the seismic intensity of the earthquake is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and whose safety has been confirmed. It is assumed that the number of maintenance personnel 53 extracted in this process is N1.

[0084] In S303, the confirmation device 100 estimates the number of maintenance staff 53 required for earthquake recovery response within the target area from the database information 161 and the real-time information 162. For example, in the example of FIG. 1, the number of buildings 152 and 153 can be counted and estimated as the number of maintenance staff 53 required for earthquake recovery response.

[0085] Alternatively, when the distance between buildings is short and there is a maintenance staff 53 in the vicinity, a plurality of buildings may be counted as being in charge of one maintenance staff. In the example of FIG. 1, three buildings on the route 71a are counted as being in charge of one maintenance staff 53, and two buildings on the route 71b are counted as being in charge of one maintenance staff 53. Also, the number of maintenance staff 53 in charge may be changed according to the scale of the building (for a high-rise building, a plurality of people may be assigned). For example, assume that the number of maintenance staff 53 extracted in this process is N2 people.

[0086] In S304, the confirmation device 100 determines whether the number of corresponding personnel is insufficient. When N1 < N2, it is determined that the number of corresponding personnel is insufficient.

[0087] If the confirmation device 100 determines that the number of corresponding personnel is insufficient (YES in S304), the process proceeds to S305. If the confirmation device 100 does not determine that the number of corresponding personnel is insufficient (NO in S304), the process proceeds to 306.

[0088] In S305, the confirmation device 100 extracts the highly skilled maintenance staff 53 (maintenance staff with skill level A) corresponding to the shortage number (N2 - N1) from the maintenance staff 53 staying within the target area and the maintenance staff 53 in the neighboring area. When extracting the maintenance staff 53 in the neighboring area, it may be extracted from outside the target area.

[0089] In S306, the confirmation device 100 assigns a building to which the maintenance personnel 53 will respond to the earthquake restoration work, based on the skills of the maintenance personnel 53 and the on-site situation, and then ends the responder selection process. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, it is sufficient to assign a maintenance personnel 53 who is near the buildings 152 and 153 (who has a short expected time of arrival at the buildings 152 and 153).

[0090] Furthermore, in the case of a building with a high level of urgency or a building requiring a high level of skill, or when a maintenance person 53 currently in the target area or a maintenance person 53 in a neighboring area is to be assigned, the assignment is made from among maintenance people 53 with skill level A (or skill level B). As described above, the assignment may be made so that one maintenance person is responsible for multiple buildings, or so that multiple maintenance people are responsible for one building depending on the size of the building.

[0091] Returning to the explanation of Figure 3, in the example of Figure 3, maintenance worker 53a is unable to respond to earthquake recovery efforts because he or his family are not safe. Maintenance workers 53b and 53c are able to respond to earthquake recovery efforts because they and their families are safe. The confirmation device 100 then instructs (assigns) maintenance worker 53c to respond to earthquake recovery efforts.

[0092] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen that displays route information. For example, this screen may be displayed by clicking "Next" on the screen shown in FIG. 7. In this example, earthquake restoration response has been determined (assigned) to maintenance worker 53c. As shown in FIG. 8, confirmation device 100 instructs maintenance worker 53c on route information to respond to building D and then to building E (the elevators assigned to maintenance worker 53c are building D and building E).

[0093] The information about Building D shows that the estimated time to get there is "T1 minutes," that there is "1" earthquake detector25 installed in Building D, and that there are two elevators that have stopped at the nearest floor and are out of service due to the earthquake (elevators that need to be restored).Clicking on the "Show more detailed information" link displays more detailed information about Building D, such as directions to Building D.

[0094] Additionally, information about Building E shows that the estimated time it will take to get to Building D is "T2 minutes," that there is "one" earthquake detector 25 installed in Building D, and that there is one elevator that has stopped at the nearest floor and is out of service due to the earthquake (an elevator that needs to be restored).Clicking on the "Show more detailed information" link displays more detailed information about Building E, such as directions to Building E.

[0095] In this way, in the confirmation process, the confirmation device 100 instructs the employee terminal 300 used by the corresponding maintenance worker to take action on the corresponding elevator. The maintenance worker 53c (corresponding maintenance worker) heads to the site to take action to restore the building elevator (corresponding elevator) instructed by the confirmation device 100.

[0096] The relationship between the skills of the maintenance technician 53 and the urgency level will be specifically described below with reference to Fig. 10 and subsequent figures. Fig. 10 is a table showing an example of employee information. As shown in Fig. 10, the employee information items include "employee ID," "affiliation," "job," "email address," "address," and "skill information."

[0097] For example, the employee information records that the employee 54 with employee ID "10023" belongs to "S1 branch office," his job is "maintenance worker," his email address is "xx1@xx.xx," his address is "S1 city, T1 prefecture," and his skill information is "skill level B." Note that all maintenance workers 53 shown in Fig. 10 are assumed to be able to respond to earthquake recovery efforts as a result of safety confirmation.

[0098] In this embodiment, the branch office that has jurisdiction over (is in charge of) earthquake occurrence area E1 (target area) is branch office S1. Branch office S1 employs a maintenance worker 53 with employee ID "10023" and skill level B, a maintenance worker 53 with employee ID "10024" and skill level A, a maintenance worker 53 with employee ID "10025" and skill level C, and a maintenance worker 53 with employee ID "10026" and skill level C. The employee with employee ID "10027" is an office worker.

[0099] Furthermore, the branch office that has jurisdiction over area E2, which is adjacent to earthquake-occurrence area E1 (target area), is branch office S2. Branch office S2 employs maintenance worker 53 with employee ID "20021" and skill level A, and maintenance worker 53 with employee ID "20022" and skill level C. In Figure 1, an earthquake with a seismic intensity of M3 has occurred in area E2, but maintenance worker 53 has not been assigned to the area.

[0100] In addition, two maintenance personnel 53 from the S3 branch office, which is located outside the earthquake-prone area (target area), are on a business trip to the earthquake-prone area E1. These two personnel have skill level B (employee ID "30021") and skill level A (employee ID "30022").

[0101] If the maintenance worker 53 does not belong to a department that is responsible for maintenance in the target area (earthquake-occurring area) and the location information of the maintenance worker is within the target area, the confirmation device 100 will not determine the maintenance worker as the corresponding maintenance worker if the maintenance worker's skill is at skill level B or C, but can determine the maintenance worker as the corresponding maintenance worker if the maintenance worker's skill is at skill level A.

[0102] In addition, if the response to the elevator is one that requires a high degree of urgency or skill, the confirmation device 100 determines that the maintenance personnel to respond are maintenance personnel 53 with a high proportion of skill level A among skill levels A to C.

[0103] An example of determining a responder in area E1 will be described below with reference to Figures 11 to 14. In this example, area E1 is assumed to be composed of a commercial area (Figures 11 and 12) and a residential area (Figures 13 and 14).

[0104] In commercial areas, there are many high-rise buildings, and it is desirable for maintenance personnel 53 to have high skills in order to respond to earthquake restoration in high-rise buildings equipped with high-speed elevators. On the other hand, in residential areas equipped with low-speed elevators, there are many multi-tenant buildings or apartment buildings with few floors, and it is assumed that maintenance personnel 53 with low skills can also respond.

[0105] 11 is a diagram for explaining the determination of a responder in the commercial area of ​​area E1. The commercial area of ​​area E1 has many high-rise buildings 155 and few multi-tenant buildings 156 (including apartment buildings). Here, mark 157 indicates that a monitoring device 200 is installed in the building and that a restoration response (earthquake restoration response) is required. Mark 158 indicates that a monitoring device 200 is installed in the building and that a restoration response (earthquake restoration response) is not required.

[0106] For the restoration of E1, a maintenance technician 53 who belongs to the S1 branch office that has jurisdiction over area E1 and has an address within area E1 may be assigned, or a maintenance technician 53 who simply has an address within area E1 may be assigned. However, it is more desirable to assign a maintenance technician 53 from the S1 branch office because the maintenance technician 53 is familiar with the site and is familiar with the surrounding geography. Furthermore, the confirmation device 100 is more likely to assign a highly skilled maintenance technician to a high-rise building 155 equipped with high-speed elevators than to a multi-tenant building 156 equipped with low-speed elevators.

[0107] For example, the verification device 100 may assign maintenance personnel 53d with skill levels A and B to a high-rise building 155 equipped with a high-speed elevator, and may assign maintenance personnel with skill level C to a multi-tenant building 156 equipped with a low-speed elevator.

[0108] As a result, if there is a shortage of maintenance personnel to be assigned to the commercial area of ​​area E1, the confirmation device 100 further assigns maintenance personnel 53e from a branch office adjacent to S1 branch office (in this example, S2 branch office) and maintenance personnel 53f whose current location is within area E1 (for example, a person on a business trip or someone who happens to be in the area on a holiday).

[0109] In this case, the confirmation device 100 assigns a maintenance technician with higher skills to a high-rise building 155 equipped with a high-speed elevator with a higher probability than to a multi-tenant building 156 equipped with a low-speed elevator. For example, the confirmation device 100 assigns maintenance technicians 53e and 53f with skill level A to a high-rise building 155 equipped with a high-speed elevator. In this case, since a maintenance technician from a different area will be in charge of the situation, only the maintenance technician with the highest skill level A is assigned.

[0110] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the confirmation device 100 assigns a highly skilled maintenance person to a building with a high level of urgency with a higher probability than to a building with a low level of urgency. For example, if the building is used for a hospital, fire department, or police department, the urgency level is set high. If the building is used for an office building, commercial building, or the like, the urgency level is set lower than the above.

[0111] For example, if the building is used as a hospital, fire department, or police department, the probability of assigning a maintenance worker 53 with skill level A is high, and if the building is used for other purposes, the probability of assigning a maintenance worker 53 with skill levels B or C is high. Similar assignments are also made in situations with a high degree of urgency (when someone is injured or trapped).

[0112] This will be explained using a specific example of employee information (FIG. 10). FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of determining a responder in the commercial area of ​​area E1.

[0113] First, of the maintenance personnel shown in Fig. 10, those whose addresses (residences) are within area E1 and whose skill levels are A and B (employee IDs: 10023 and 10024) are extracted. These maintenance personnel 54 belong to the S1 branch office. In this embodiment, a maintenance personnel 53 residing within the earthquake occurrence area is assigned, but it is also possible to assign a maintenance personnel 53 employed at a branch office that has jurisdiction over the earthquake occurrence area.

[0114] Then, the maintenance personnel with employee IDs 10023 and 10024 are assigned as "available." For example, in the example of FIG. 1, maintenance personnel 53 with employee ID 10024, who has skill level A, is assigned to building 153 (trapped) on route 71c, which requires a high level of skill.

[0115] Next, from among the maintenance personnel shown in Fig. 10, a maintenance personnel (employee ID: 20021) who belongs to the S2 branch office adjacent to the S1 branch office and has skill level A is extracted. Then, as shown in Fig. 12, the maintenance personnel with employee ID: 20021 is assigned as "available."

[0116] Next, from among the maintenance personnel shown in Fig. 10, a maintenance personnel (employee ID: 30022) who is on a business trip to earthquake-occurred area E1 (current location is within area E1) and has skill level A is extracted. Then, as shown in Fig. 12, the maintenance personnel with employee ID: 30022 is assigned as "available."

[0117] Next, the determination of a responder in the residential area of ​​area E1 will be explained. Fig. 13 is a diagram for explaining the determination of a responder in the residential area of ​​area E1. It is assumed that there are no high-rise buildings 155 in the residential area of ​​area E1, and only multi-tenant buildings 156 (including apartment buildings) with low-speed elevators.

[0118] As described above, the confirmation device 100 is more likely to assign a maintenance worker with higher skills to a high-rise building 155 equipped with a high-speed elevator than to a multi-tenant building 156 equipped with a low-speed elevator. For example, the confirmation device 100 may assign a maintenance worker 53g with skill level C to a multi-tenant building 156 (including an apartment building) equipped with a low-speed elevator.

[0119] If, as a result, there is a shortage of maintenance personnel to be assigned to the residential areas of area E1, maintenance personnel 53 with skill level B may be assigned. Alternatively, the confirmation device 100 may assign maintenance personnel 53 from a branch office adjacent to the S1 branch office and maintenance personnel 53 whose current location is within area E1. In this case, skill level does not matter.

[0120] This will be explained using a specific example of employee information (FIG. 10). FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of determining a person to respond in the residential area of ​​area E1. Of the maintenance personnel shown in FIG. 10, maintenance personnel (employee IDs: 10025, 10026) whose addresses (residences) are within area E1 and who have skill level C are extracted. These maintenance personnel 54 belong to the S1 branch office. Then, the maintenance personnel with employee IDs: 10025, 10026 are assigned as "available for response."

[0121] In addition, if skill information is not taken into consideration, employees 54 whose addresses or location information are within area E1 (target area) are extracted and their safety is checked, and maintenance personnel 53 whose addresses or location information are within area E1 (target area) and who are able to handle earthquake recovery as a result of the safety check are extracted and assigned regardless of skill information.

[0122] The main configuration and effects of this embodiment will be described below. The confirmation device 100 is a device that executes confirmation processing based on the occurrence of an earthquake. The confirmation device 100 includes a processor 111 and a memory 112 that stores programs executable by the processor 111. In the confirmation processing, the processor 111 executes processing for confirming the safety of employees 54 using employee terminals 300 used by the employees 54 based on the occurrence of an earthquake. The employees 54 include maintenance personnel 53 who perform elevator maintenance. In the confirmation processing, the processor 111 determines, from among the employees 54 whose safety has been confirmed through safety confirmation, a maintenance personnel to handle the elevator that needs to be handled due to the earthquake. In the confirmation processing, the processor 111 instructs the employee terminal 300 used by the maintenance personnel to handle the elevator.

[0123] This makes it possible to check the safety of employees 54 when an earthquake occurs, while also ensuring that personnel (maintenance personnel 53) are available to take appropriate measures for elevators that require earthquake restoration.

[0124] In the confirmation process, processor 111 sends emails to employee terminals 300 used by employees 54 who live or are staying in a target area where the seismic intensity of the earthquake is equal to or greater than a predetermined value to confirm their safety, and notifies employee terminals 300 of information including nearby evacuation sites. This makes it possible to reliably confirm the safety of not only employees 54 who live in a target area where an earthquake with a seismic intensity equal to or greater than a predetermined value has occurred, but also employees 54 who happen to be staying in the target area on a business trip, for example, and send necessary information.

[0125] Earthquake sensors 25 that detect earthquakes are installed in association with the elevators. Processor 111 can receive the detection results detected by earthquake sensors 25. When processor 111 receives the detection results, it starts a confirmation process. As a result, if any one of earthquake sensors 25 installed in the earthquake occurrence area detects an earthquake, the confirmation process is started, so that maintenance personnel 53 can be secured to reliably and quickly confirm the safety of employees 54 and respond to earthquake recovery efforts.

[0126] In the confirmation process, the processor 111 acquires seismic intensity information for each region of the earthquake. In the confirmation process, the processor 111 generates map information that overlays the location information of the building in which the corresponding elevator is installed, the detection results of the earthquake detector 25, and the seismic intensity information for each region. This makes it easy to grasp the seismic intensity for each region as well as the elevators that require earthquake restoration measures.

[0127] Memory 112 stores database information 161 including information about the building in which the elevator is installed and maintenance staff information including the location, email address, and maintenance skill information of maintenance staff 53. In the confirmation process, processor 111 acquires real-time information 162 including seismic intensity information for various locations, detection results from earthquake sensors 25, location information of maintenance staff 53, and results of confirmation of the safety of maintenance staff 53. In the confirmation process, processor 111 determines the corresponding maintenance staff based on database information 161 and real-time information 162. This makes it possible to assign an elevator close to maintenance staff 53 based on building information, the location and current location (location information) of maintenance staff 53, etc., and to assign an elevator according to the skills of maintenance staff 53.

[0128] The skill information includes a first skill (skill level C) and a second skill (skill level A, B) that is a higher maintenance skill than the first skill. Responses to elevators include a first response and a second response that requires a higher level of urgency when responding to an elevator (such as in a hospital) or a higher level of skill when responding to an elevator (such as in a high-speed elevator). When the response to an elevator is the second response, the processor 111 determines the maintenance personnel 53 with a higher percentage of the second skill out of the first skill and the second skill as the maintenance personnel to respond. This makes it possible to assign a maintenance personnel 53 with high skills to an elevator with a high level of urgency or an elevator that requires a high level of skill to respond to. In this way, personnel (maintenance personnel 53) who can appropriately respond to elevators that require earthquake restoration response can be secured.

[0129] The maintenance personnel information further includes the affiliation (branch) of the maintenance personnel 53. If the affiliation of the maintenance personnel 53 is not responsible for maintenance in the target area and the location information of the maintenance personnel is within the target area, the processor 111 does not determine the maintenance personnel as the corresponding maintenance personnel if the maintenance personnel's skill is a first skill (skill level B or C), but can determine the maintenance personnel as the corresponding maintenance personnel if the maintenance personnel's skill is a second skill (skill level A). This allows for earthquake restoration work to be carried out by utilizing highly skilled maintenance personnel 53 who happen to be in the target area, even if there are insufficient maintenance personnel 53 belonging to the target area. In other words, regardless of whether the maintenance personnel 53 are from a branch that has jurisdiction over (responsible for) the target area, highly skilled personnel from other branches can also be effectively utilized. In this way, personnel (maintenance personnel 53) can be secured to appropriately respond to elevators that require earthquake restoration work.

[0130] The embodiments disclosed herein are merely examples and are not limited to the above. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0131] 10 elevator system, 20 group management control device, 25 earthquake detector, 26 hall display device, 30 individual car management control device, 40 car device, 53, 53a-f maintenance staff, 54 employee, 71a-e route, 90 information center, 100 confirmation device, 111, 211, 311, 411 processor, 112, 212, 312, 412 memory, 113, 213, 313, 413 communication interface, 121, 321, 421 display unit, 141 map screen, 151-153 building, 155 high-rise building, 156 multi-tenant building, 157, 158 mark, 161 database information, 162 real-time information, 200 monitoring device, 300 employee terminal, 320, 420 input unit, 400 user terminal.

Claims

1. A confirmation device that executes a confirmation process based on the occurrence of an earthquake, a processor; a memory that stores a program executable by the processor; In the confirmation process, the processor executes a process for confirming the safety of employees using terminals used by the employees based on the occurrence of the earthquake, The employees include maintenance workers who perform elevator maintenance; an earthquake sensor that detects the earthquake is installed in correspondence with the elevator; The processor: A detection result detected by the earthquake sensor can be received, When the detection result is received, the confirmation process is initiated; In the confirmation process, the processor Obtaining seismic intensity information for each region of the earthquake; generating map information by superimposing the location information of the building in which the elevator that needs to be responded to due to the earthquake is installed, the detection results of the earthquake detector, and the seismic intensity information of each location; determining a maintenance worker to handle the elevator from among the employees whose safety has been confirmed by the safety confirmation; a confirmation device that instructs the terminal used by the maintenance worker to take action on the elevator in question;

2. The confirmation device of claim 1, wherein the processor, in the confirmation process, sends an email to the terminal used by the employee who lives or stays in an area where the seismic intensity of the earthquake is above a predetermined value to confirm the safety of the employee, and notifies the terminal of information including nearby evacuation sites.

3. the memory stores database information including information on the building in which the elevator is installed and maintenance staff information including the location, email address, and skill information related to the maintenance of the maintenance staff; In the confirmation process, the processor Acquire real-time information including seismic intensity information for each location, the detection results of the earthquake sensors, location information of the maintenance personnel, and the results of the safety confirmation of the maintenance personnel; 3. The confirmation device according to claim 2, wherein the on-call maintenance person is determined based on the database information and the real-time information.

4. the skill information includes a first skill and a second skill that is a skill for the maintenance that is higher than the first skill; The response to the elevator includes a first response and a second response that is more urgent than the first response when responding to the elevator or that requires more skill when responding to the elevator, The confirmation device described in claim 3, wherein when the response to the elevator is the second response, the processor determines the maintenance worker who has a higher proportion of the second skill than the first skill as the corresponding maintenance worker.

5. The maintenance staff information further includes the affiliation of the maintenance staff, 5. The confirmation device according to claim 4, wherein, when the maintenance worker's affiliation is not responsible for the maintenance in the area and the location information of the maintenance worker is within the area, the processor does not determine the maintenance worker as the corresponding maintenance worker if the maintenance worker's skill is the first skill, but can determine the maintenance worker as the corresponding maintenance worker if the maintenance worker's skill is the second skill.

6. A confirmation method for executing a confirmation process based on the occurrence of an earthquake, The confirmation process includes a step of executing a process for confirming the safety of employees using terminals used by the employees based on the occurrence of the earthquake, The employees include maintenance workers who perform elevator maintenance; an earthquake sensor that detects the earthquake is installed in correspondence with the elevator; A step of starting the confirmation process when receiving a detection result detected by the earthquake sensor; In the confirmation process, a step of acquiring seismic intensity information of each region of the earthquake; In the confirmation process, a step of generating map information by superimposing location information of the building in which the elevator that needs to be responded to due to the earthquake is installed, the detection result of the earthquake detector, and seismic intensity information of each location; a step of determining a maintenance worker to handle the elevator from among the employees whose safety has been confirmed by the safety confirmation in the confirmation process; The confirmation method further comprises a step of instructing the terminal used by the maintenance worker to take action on the elevator in question in the confirmation process.

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