Destination floor registration device and control method

Abstract

To provide a destination floor registration device capable of displaying an improved screen. [Solution] The destination floor registration device (1) comprises a reception unit (111) that receives input from users of the elevator (3), and a display control unit (112) that displays a screen related to the registration of the elevator destination floor call on a display unit (14). When the reception unit is not receiving input, the display control unit displays a first screen on the display unit that includes a numeric keypad with numeric buttons indicating single digits. When the reception unit receives input to select one of the numeric buttons, the display control unit displays a second screen on the display unit that includes the number of the selected numeric button as the first digit and includes floor buttons indicating service floors that can be selected as destination floors.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a destination floor registration device and a control method for the destination floor registration device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a building where an elevator is installed, a destination floor registration device for making a call to the destination floor of the elevator may be installed. In a conventional destination floor registration device, as a display method of a screen for inputting the destination floor, two display methods, a numeric keypad method for displaying a numeric keypad or a destination floor registration method for directly selecting the destination floor, have been adopted (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] There is still room for improvement in the display of the screen for inputting the destination floor in the destination floor registration device.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention aims to provide a destination floor registration device capable of displaying a more improved screen.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a destination floor registration device according to one aspect of the present invention is a destination floor registration device that registers a destination floor call to a control device that controls an elevator, comprising: a reception unit that receives input from a user using the elevator; and a display control unit that displays a screen relating to the registration of the elevator's destination floor call on a display unit, wherein when the reception unit has not received the input, the display control unit displays a first screen including a numeric keypad with numeric buttons indicating single digits on the display unit, and when the reception unit receives input to select one of the numeric buttons while the first screen is displayed on the display unit, the display control unit displays a second screen on the display unit that includes the number of the selected numeric button as the leading digit and includes floor buttons indicating service floors which are floors that can be selected as destination floors.

[0007] To solve the above problems, a control method according to one aspect of the present invention is a control method for a destination floor registration device that registers a destination floor call to a control device that controls an elevator, comprising: a reception step of receiving input from a user using the elevator; and a display control step of displaying a screen relating to the registration of a destination floor call for the elevator on a display unit, wherein in the display control step, when the reception step has not been performed, a first screen including a numeric keypad with numeric buttons indicating single digits is displayed on the display unit; and when the reception step receives input to select one of the numeric buttons while the first screen is displayed, a second screen including a floor button indicating a service floor which is a floor that can be selected as a destination floor is displayed on the display unit, with the number of the selected numeric button as the leading digit.

[0008] Each aspect of the present invention may be implemented by a computer. In this case, a control program for the destination floor registration device that enables the computer to implement the destination floor registration device by operating the computer as each part (software element) of the destination floor registration device, and a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded, also fall within the scope of the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, a destination floor registration device capable of displaying an improved screen can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This block diagram shows an example of the configuration of a destination floor registration system equipped with a destination floor registration device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a diagram showing an example of the first screen. [Figure 3] This figure shows another example of the first screen. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of the second screen. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the third screen. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the fourth screen. [Figure 7] This figure shows yet another example of the first screen. [Figure 8] This figure shows yet another example of the second screen. [Figure 9] This figure shows yet another example of the second screen. [Figure 10] This figure shows yet another example of the second screen. [Figure 11] This figure shows yet another example of the second screen. [Figure 12] This figure shows yet another example of the first screen. [Figure 13] This figure shows yet another example of the first screen. [Figure 14] This figure shows yet another example of the second screen. [Figure 15] This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow performed by the destination floor registration device 1. [Figure 16] This flowchart shows the processing flow that occurs when an input is received to select a different floor button. [Figure 17] This flowchart shows the processing flow that occurs when the user selects the basement floor button. [Figure 18] It is a diagram showing yet another example of the first screen.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] 〔Embodiment 1〕 Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a destination floor registration system 100 including a destination floor registration device 1 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the destination floor registration system 100 includes a destination floor registration device 1, an elevator control device 2 (control device), and an elevator 3.

[0012] The destination floor registration device 1 is a device used by a user to register a destination floor call, and transmits a call request for requesting registration of the user's destination floor call to the elevator control device 2 based on the user's input. Details of the destination floor registration device 1 will be described later.

[0013] The elevator control device 2 is a device that controls the operation of the elevator 3. When the elevator control device 2 receives a call request from the destination floor registration device 1, it registers the user's destination floor call based on the call request, and controls the operation of the elevator 3 based on the registered destination floor call. The elevator 3 moves between floors and opens and closes doors according to the control of the elevator control device 2. Note that the destination floor registration device 1 according to the present invention may be applied to a system including a group management control device. In this case, the destination floor registration device 1 transmits a call request to the group management control device, and the group management control device assigns the user's destination floor call based on the call request.

[0014] <Destination floor registration device 1> The destination floor registration device 1 is a device used by a user to register a destination floor call. The destination floor registration device 1 requests the elevator control device 2 to register a destination floor call in response to an input by the user. The destination floor registration device 1 may be installed at the landings of a plurality of floors respectively. Also, a plurality of destination floor registration devices 1 may be installed on one floor.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the destination floor registration device 1 comprises a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an input unit 13, and a display unit 14. The control unit 11 comprises a reception unit 111, a display control unit 112, and a specification unit 113. The storage unit 12 stores information indicating the service floors, which are floors on which the elevator 3 provided by the destination floor registration system 100 can stop.

[0016] The input unit 13 receives input operations from the user and outputs a signal indicating the content of the received input operation to the control unit 11. The display unit 14 is a device such as a display that can display various screens based on the control of the display control unit 112. The input unit 13 and the display unit 14 may be an integrated device or separate devices. In the following example, the configuration in which the input unit 13 and the display unit 14 are an integrated device such as a touch panel will be used as an example.

[0017] (Reception desk 111) The reception unit 111 receives input operations performed on the input unit 13. The reception unit 111 outputs information indicating the content of the received input operation to the display control unit 112 and the identification unit 113. For example, if the reception unit 111 receives input to select one of the various buttons displayed on the display unit 14, it outputs information indicating the selected button to the display control unit 112 and the identification unit 113.

[0018] (Display control unit 112) The display control unit 112 displays various screens related to the registration of destination floor calls for elevator 3 on the display unit 14.

[0019] The display control unit 112 displays a first screen, including a numeric keypad with single-digit number buttons, on the display unit 14 when the reception unit 111 is not accepting input. Figure 2 shows an example of the first screen. Figure 2 shows an example of the first screen displayed in the destination floor registration device 1 installed on the first floor. As shown in Figure 2, the first screen is a screen displayed using a numeric keypad and includes numeric number buttons (reference numeral 201) that indicate single-digit numbers. The first screen may also include a specific floor button (reference numeral 202), which is a button for selecting a specific floor as the destination floor. The specific floor may be, for example, an evacuation floor or a lobby floor of the building. When the reception unit 111 receives input to select a specific floor button, the identification unit 113 identifies the floor indicated by the specific floor button as the user's destination floor.

[0020] If the floor on which the destination floor registration device 1 is installed is a single-digit floor number, the first screen does not include a number button corresponding to the floor number. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the first screen displayed on the destination floor registration device 1 installed on the 1st floor does not include a number button indicating the number 1. Figure 3 shows another example of the first screen. Figure 3 shows an example of the first screen displayed on the destination floor registration device 1 installed on the 2nd floor. As shown in Figure 3, the first screen displayed on the destination floor registration device 1 installed on the 2nd floor includes a number button indicating the number 1, but does not include a number button indicating the number 2.

[0021] The installation floor of the destination floor registration device 1 becomes the departure floor when calling for a destination floor; therefore, even if the installation floor is a service floor, it will not become the destination floor when calling for a destination floor. With the above configuration, the number buttons or floor buttons indicating the installation floor of the destination floor registration device 1 are not displayed. Therefore, users will not mistakenly select the installation floor as the destination floor. In this way, the above configuration reduces the possibility of user input errors.

[0022] Furthermore, when selecting a destination floor, 0 is never the leading digit. Therefore, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the first screen does not need to include a number button indicating 0. By reducing the number of buttons displayed on the first screen in this way, the display unit 14 can be miniaturized while reducing the occurrence of user input errors.

[0023] If there are two-digit or more service floors whose first digit includes the number corresponding to the installation floor, the display control unit 112 further displays a different floor button on the first screen or the second screen (described later). The different floor button is a button for selecting a two-digit or more floor that includes the number corresponding to the installation floor as the first digit as the destination floor. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the display control unit 112 of the destination floor registration device 1 installed on the first floor displays the different floor button (reference numeral 203) along with the number buttons on the first screen.

[0024] According to the above configuration, a "Different Floor" button is displayed on the first or second screen. When the "Different Floor" button is selected, a third screen is displayed that includes floor buttons indicating service floors of two or more digits, with the number corresponding to the installation floor as the first digit. By selecting the "Different Floor" button, the user can select a number of two or more digits, with the number corresponding to the installation floor as the first digit.

[0025] When each screen is displayed, if the reception unit 111 receives input to select one of the buttons, the display control unit 112 determines which button to display based on the content of the input and displays the screen containing the determined button on the display unit 14. If there is no button to display, the display control unit 112 outputs information to the identification unit 113 indicating that there is no button to display.

[0026] When the display control unit 112 is displaying the first screen on the display unit 14 and the reception unit 111 receives input to select one of the number buttons, the display control unit 112 displays a second screen on the display unit 14 that includes floor buttons indicating floors that include the number of the selected number button as the first digit and that correspond to service floors that can be selected as destination floors.

[0027] Figure 4 shows an example of the second screen. Figure 4 shows an example of the second screen displayed when the number button indicating the number 3, which is included in the first screen shown in Figure 2, is selected, when the service floors of elevator 3 include floors 30 to 35. As shown in Figure 4, the second screen is a screen displayed using the destination floor registration method and includes floor buttons (symbol 401) indicating floors and a screen (symbol 402) indicating a temporary destination floor. As shown in Figure 4, in the second screen displayed after the first screen, the floor buttons indicate floors 30 to 35, which are two-digit service floors with 3 as the first digit, as indicated by the number button selected on the first screen.

[0028] When the reception unit 111 receives input to select a different floor button, the display control unit 112 displays a third screen on the display unit 14 that includes floor buttons indicating two or more service floors, with the number corresponding to the installation floor as the first digit. If a different floor button is selected, the display control unit 112 identifies a service floor with the number of digits of the installation floor plus one digit, with the installation floor as the first digit, and displays a third screen on the display unit 14 that includes floor buttons indicating the identified floor. The third screen is a screen displayed using the destination floor registration method.

[0029] Figure 5 shows an example of the third screen. Figure 5 shows an example of the third screen that is displayed when the different floor button indicated by reference numeral 203 is selected on the first screen shown in Figure 2. When the different floor button is selected on the first screen shown in Figure 2, that is, the first screen displayed on the destination floor registration device 1 installed on the first floor, the display control unit 112 identifies a service floor of two or more digits, with 1 as the leading digit. For example, if the service floors of elevator 3 include floors 10 to 30, the display control unit 112 identifies floors 10 to 19 as the service floors as described above, and displays the third screen (Figure 5) on the display unit 14, which includes floor buttons indicating the identified floors 10 to 19.

[0030] When the user's destination floor is identified in the identification unit 113, the display control unit 112 obtains information indicating the user's destination floor from the identification unit 113. Upon obtaining this information, the display control unit 112 displays the fourth screen on the display unit 14.

[0031] Figure 6 shows an example of the fourth screen. The fourth screen is a screen that includes information indicating the user's destination floor. Figure 6 shows an example of the fourth screen that is displayed when the floor button (reference numeral 403) indicating the 32nd floor is selected on the second screen shown in Figure 4. When the floor button indicating the 32nd floor is selected on the second screen shown in Figure 4, the display control unit 112 obtains information from the identification unit 113 indicating that the 32nd floor has been identified as the user's destination floor. Upon obtaining this information, the display control unit 112 displays the fourth screen, which includes the number 32, indicating the user's destination floor, on the display unit 14, as shown by reference numeral 601 in Figure 6.

[0032] Figure 7 shows yet another example of the first screen. Figure 8 shows yet another example of the second screen. Figure 7 shows the first screen displayed in the destination floor registration device 1 installed on the 21st floor, and Figure 8 shows an example of the second screen displayed when the number button indicating 2 is selected on the first screen shown in Figure 7. As shown in Figure 7, in the destination floor registration device 1 installed on floors with two or more digits, the display control unit 112 displays the first screen, which includes number buttons indicating 1 to 9, on the display unit 14. When the reception unit 111 receives input in which the number button indicating 2 is selected while the first screen shown in Figure 7 is displayed, the display control unit 112 identifies a two-digit service floor that includes 2 as the first digit. If the service floors of elevator 3 include floors 20 to 30, the two-digit service floors that include 2 as the first digit are floors 20 to 29. Therefore, as shown in Figure 8, the display control unit 112 causes the display unit 14 to display a second screen that includes floor buttons indicating the 20th floor and floors 22-29, excluding the 21st floor which is the installation floor of the destination floor registration device 1 among the identified service floors.

[0033] Figure 9 shows yet another example of the second screen. Figure 10 shows yet another example of the second screen. Figure 9 shows an example of the second screen displayed when the number button indicating 1 is selected on the first screen of the destination floor registration device 1 installed in a building with three-digit floor numbers. Figure 10 shows an example of the second screen displayed when the floor button indicated by reference numeral 902 is selected on the second screen shown in Figure 9.

[0034] When the first screen is displayed, if the reception unit 111 receives input to select a number button, the display control unit 112 identifies a service floor with two or more digits that includes the selected number as the first digit. In this case, there are no three-digit floor numbers that include 13 to 19 as the first digit. Therefore, as shown by reference numeral 901 in Figure 9, the second screen includes floor buttons corresponding to the 13th to 19th floors, respectively.

[0035] If there are many specified service floors, the display control unit 112 may display a second screen on the display unit 14 that includes floor buttons indicating multiple floors. For example, in a destination floor registration device 1 installed in a 125-story building, if the number button indicating 1 is selected, the service floors with two or more digits that include 1 as the first digit are floors 10-19 and floors 100-125. If floor buttons indicating each of these floors are to be displayed on a single screen, it becomes necessary to reduce the size of each button or increase the size of the display unit 14.

[0036] In this case, the display control unit 112 displays a second screen on the display unit 14 that includes floor buttons indicating one floor and floor buttons indicating multiple floors. For example, the display control unit 112 may associate a two-digit floor number that includes the selected number as the first digit, and a three-digit floor number that includes the number indicating that floor as the first digit, with a single floor button. Specifically, as shown by reference numeral 902 in Figure 9, the second screen may include floor buttons indicating the 10th floor and floors 100-109, floor buttons indicating the 11th floor and floors 110-119, and floor buttons indicating the 12th floor and floors 120-125. By displaying in this way, the number of buttons to be displayed at once can be reduced even when there are many candidate floors that can be selected.

[0037] In the second screen shown in Figure 9, if a floor button indicating multiple floors is selected, the display control unit 112 displays a second screen on the display unit 14 that includes floor buttons corresponding to each of the floors indicated by the selected floor button, excluding the lowest floor. For example, in the second screen shown in Figure 9, if the floor button indicated by reference numeral 902 is selected, as shown in Figure 10, the display unit 14 will display a second screen that includes floor buttons indicating floors 120 to 125, excluding the lowest floor, the 12th floor, from the floors indicated by the selected floor button.

[0038] Figure 11 shows yet another example of the second screen. Figure 11 shows an example of the second screen displayed in a destination floor registration device 1 installed on the 10th floor of a building with three-digit floor numbers. When the first screen is displayed and the number button indicating 1 is selected, the display control unit 112 displays the second screen on the display unit 14, which includes floor buttons indicating two or more floor numbers with 1 as the leading digit. If the destination floor registration device 1 is installed on the 10th floor, the display control unit 112 displays the second screen without including the floor button indicating the 10th floor. Here, if the building in which the elevator 3 is installed has three-digit floor numbers, the destination floor desired by the user may be one of the three-digit floor numbers with 10 as the leading digit, specifically from the 100th to the 109th floor.

[0039] Therefore, if there are service floors with three or more digits that include the number corresponding to the installation floor as the first digit, the display control unit 112 further displays a different floor button on the second screen. For example, as shown in Figure 11, the display control unit 112 of the destination floor registration device 1 installed on the 10th floor displays a different floor button (reference numeral 1101) on the second screen, along with the floor button, for selecting a three-digit service floor that includes 10 as the first digit. When this different floor button is selected, the display control unit 112 displays a third screen on the display unit 14 that includes floor buttons indicating three-digit floors that include 10 as the first digit, specifically floors 100 to 109. This allows the user to select a three-digit floor that includes 10 as the first digit as their destination floor.

[0040] Figures 12 and 13 show yet another example of the first screen. Figure 14 shows yet another example of the second screen. Figures 12 and 13 show examples of the first screen displayed in a destination floor registration device 1 installed in a building with a basement floor. Figure 14 shows an example of the second screen displayed when the basement floor button indicated by reference numeral 1201 or reference numeral 1301 is selected on the first screen shown in Figure 12 or Figure 13. As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the display control unit 112 further displays a basement floor button indicating a basement floor on the first screen. When the reception unit 111 receives input to select a basement floor button, as shown in Figure 14, the display control unit 112 displays a screen on the display unit 14 that includes a floor button (reference numeral 1401) indicating a service floor which is a basement floor.

[0041] According to the above configuration, when the basement floor button is selected, a screen including a floor button indicating the basement floor service level is displayed on the display unit 14. By selecting the basement floor button, the user can specify the basement floor as their destination floor.

[0042] Furthermore, if the reception unit 111 receives input to select the basement floor button, the display control unit 112 may display floor buttons on the display unit 14 that indicate floors other than the top floor of the service floor which is the basement, as shown by reference numeral 1401 in Figure 14. With the above configuration, the amount of information to be displayed on the display unit 14 can be further reduced.

[0043] A destination floor registration device for registering elevator destination floor calls displays a screen for users to input their destination floor. Conventional destination floor registration devices have two display methods: a numeric keypad method and a destination floor registration method. The numeric keypad method displays a numeric keypad on the device's screen. This method has the advantage of requiring less information on the screen and allowing for a smaller display unit, as it only needs to display the numeric keypad and a few symbols.

[0044] However, the numeric keypad method had the drawback of potentially causing input errors, such as users entering incorrect numbers that do not correspond to their destination floor, or entering floors that are not service floors. On the other hand, the destination floor registration method has the advantage of displaying selectable floors, thus reducing the likelihood of input errors, but it has the drawback of requiring a larger screen size depending on the number of floors. When the destination floor registration method is displayed when the user is not making any input, all service floors are displayed. To display all service floors, each button must be made smaller or the screen size must be increased. In such a configuration, it is difficult for users to find the button they should select, reducing usability.

[0045] In contrast, the display control unit 112 of the destination floor registration device 1 according to the present invention displays a first screen including a numeric keypad with number buttons indicating a single digit on the display unit 14 when the reception unit 111 is not accepting input. With this configuration, a user of the destination floor registration device 1 can input a single digit number indicating the destination floor, or a number indicating the first digit of a destination floor with two or more digits, in their first operation. The user only needs to find the desired number on the numeric keypad on the first screen, thus reducing the possibility of decreased convenience.

[0046] Furthermore, when the reception unit 111 receives input from the destination floor registration device 1 according to the present invention, the display control unit 112 displays a second screen on the display unit 14 that includes floor buttons indicating service floors, which are selectable floors as destination floors, with the number of the selected number button as the leading digit. With this configuration, in the second operation, the user of the destination floor registration device 1 only needs to find the desired floor from among the floor buttons indicating service floors that include the selected number as the leading digit, thus improving convenience. In addition, the floor buttons on the second screen only include floors indicating service floors. This eliminates the possibility that a floor other than a service floor may be selected by the user.

[0047] Furthermore, the display unit 14 only needs to display the numeric keypad when displaying the first screen, and the service floor that includes the selected number as the first digit when displaying the second screen. This reduces the number of floors that can be displayed on the display unit 14 at once, making it possible to reduce the size of the display unit 14.

[0048] As described above, in the destination floor registration device 1 according to the present invention, the display control unit 112 controls the display by switching between the numeric keypad method and the destination floor registration method as needed. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the display unit 14 in the destination floor registration device 1 while improving the convenience for the user when making inputs. In addition, on each screen displayed on the display unit 14, number buttons and floor buttons corresponding to floors that cannot be selected as destination floors are not displayed. Therefore, it is possible to identify the user's destination floor from the input operations on all selectable buttons displayed on the display unit 14.

[0049] (Specific Section 113) The identification unit 113 identifies information related to the user's destination floor request. Based on the content of the input operation received by the reception unit 111, the identification unit 113 identifies a temporary destination floor. Once the identification unit 113 identifies a temporary destination floor, it outputs information indicating the identified temporary destination floor to the display control unit 112. When predetermined conditions are met, the identification unit 113 identifies the temporary destination floor as the destination floor in the user's destination floor request.

[0050] When the reception unit 111 receives input to select a floor button, the identification unit 113 identifies the floor indicated by the selected floor button as the temporary destination floor. If the floor button indicates a single floor, the identification unit 113 identifies that temporary destination floor as the user's destination floor.

[0051] When the reception unit 111 receives input to select a number button, the identification unit 113 identifies the floor corresponding to the number indicated by the number button as the temporary destination floor. If the reception unit 111 does not receive any additional input within a predetermined period after receiving input to select a number button, the identification unit 113 identifies the temporary destination floor as the destination floor. Alternatively, if the identification unit 113 has identified a temporary destination floor based on the input for the number button, and receives information from the display control unit 112 indicating that there are no new buttons to display, the identification unit 113 identifies the temporary destination floor as the user's destination floor.

[0052] For example, if the number button indicating 2 is selected, the identification unit 113 identifies the 2nd floor as the temporary destination floor. Here, if the building where the elevator 3 is installed is 30 stories tall, the display unit 14 displays a screen that includes buttons for selecting a floor number with two or more digits, starting with 2. If the reception unit 111 does not accept any additional input while this screen is displayed, the identification unit 113 identifies the 2nd floor as the user's destination floor. On the other hand, if the building where the elevator 3 is installed is 10 stories tall, there are no floor numbers with two or more digits starting with 2, so a floor number with two or more digits starting with 2 will not be selected as the user's destination floor. Therefore, in this case, there are no buttons for the display control unit 112 to display. In this case, the identification unit 113 obtains information from the display control unit 112 indicating that there are no buttons to display. Upon obtaining this information, the identification unit 113 identifies the 2nd floor, which is the temporary destination floor, as the user's destination floor without waiting for a predetermined period of time to elapse.

[0053] If the reception unit 111 receives input in which a floor button indicating multiple floors is selected, the identification unit 113 identifies the lowest floor among the floors indicated by the floor button as the temporary destination floor. If the reception unit 111 does not receive any additional input within a predetermined period after receiving input in which a floor button indicating multiple floors is selected, the identification unit 113 identifies the temporary destination floor as the destination floor.

[0054] For example, if the reception unit 111 receives input to select floor buttons indicating the 10th floor and floors 100 through 109, the identification unit 113 identifies the 10th floor as the temporary destination floor. After the floor button is selected, the display unit 14 displays floor buttons corresponding to each of the floors from 100 to 109. If the reception unit 111 does not receive any further input, the identification unit 113 identifies the 10th floor as the destination floor. On the other hand, if the reception unit 111 receives input to select a floor button indicating any of the floors, the identification unit 113 identifies the selected floor as the new temporary destination floor.

[0055] With the above configuration, users whose destination floor is the lowest floor among the floor buttons indicating multiple floor levels can complete the input of their destination floor simply by selecting that floor button, thus improving convenience.

[0056] When the reception unit 111 receives input to select a different floor button, the identification unit 113 identifies the lowest floor among the floors other than the installation floor, with the installation floor of the destination floor registration device 1 as the first digit, as the temporary destination floor. If the reception unit 111 does not receive any additional input within a predetermined period after receiving input to select a different floor button, the identification unit 113 identifies the temporary destination floor as the destination floor. For example, in a destination floor registration device 1 installed on the 1st floor, if the reception unit 111 receives input to select a different floor button, the identification unit 113 identifies the 10th floor as the temporary destination floor.

[0057] With the above configuration, users whose destination floor is the lowest floor among the floors other than the installation floor, with the installation floor of the destination floor registration device 1 as the first digit, can complete the input of the destination floor simply by selecting the "different floor" button, thus improving convenience.

[0058] When the reception unit 111 receives input selecting the basement floor button, the identification unit 113 identifies the uppermost floor among the basement service floors as the temporary destination floor. If the reception unit 111 does not receive any additional input within a predetermined period after receiving input selecting the basement floor button, the identification unit 113 may identify the uppermost floor among the basement service floors as the user's destination floor. This improves convenience, as users whose destination floor is the uppermost floor among the basement service floors can complete the destination floor input simply by selecting the basement floor button.

[0059] When the identification unit 113 identifies the user's destination floor, it outputs information indicating the identified user's destination floor to the display control unit 112. Furthermore, when the identification unit 113 identifies the user's destination floor, it requests the elevator control device 2 to register the user's destination floor call. The identification unit 113 generates a call request to register the user's destination floor call and transmits the generated call request to the elevator control device 2. The call request includes identification information for the destination floor registration device 1 and information indicating the user's destination floor. As a result, the elevator control device 2 registers the user's destination floor call, and the operation of the elevator 3 is controlled based on the registered destination floor call.

[0060] <An example of the processing flow performed by the destination floor registration device 1> Figures 15 to 17 are flowcharts illustrating an example of the processing flow performed by the destination floor registration device 1. The processing flow performed by the destination floor registration device 1 will be explained below using Figures 15 to 17.

[0061] First, when the reception unit 111 is not accepting input, the display control unit 112 identifies the buttons to be displayed on the first screen. The display control unit 112 then displays the first screen, including the identified buttons, on the display unit 14 (S1: display control step).

[0062] The first screen includes number buttons indicating the destination floor or the number of numbers that can be selected as the first digit of the destination floor. The first screen does not include a button indicating 0. Also, if the floor on which the destination floor registration device 1 is installed is a single-digit floor number, the number buttons do not include a button indicating the floor number. The first screen may also include a specific floor button. Also, if the service floors of elevator 3 include basement floors, the first screen includes a basement floor button. Also, if the floor on which the destination floor registration device 1 is installed is a single-digit floor number that includes the number of the temporary destination floor as the first digit, and there are floor numbers of two digits or more that include the floor number that includes

[0063] When the first screen is displayed, if the reception unit 111 receives input to select a number button (YES in S2: reception step), the reception unit 111 outputs information indicating the selected number button to the identification unit 113 and the display control unit 112. Upon receiving this information, the identification unit 113 identifies the temporary destination floor (S3). The identification unit 113 identifies the floor indicated by the number indicated by the selected number button as the temporary destination floor. The identification unit 113 outputs information indicating the identified temporary destination floor to the display control unit 112.

[0064] If, while the first screen is displayed, the reception unit 111 does not accept input to select a number button (NO in S2) but accepts input to select a different floor button (YES in S4: reception step), the process proceeds as shown in Figure 16. The process shown in Figure 16 will be described later.

[0065] Furthermore, if, while the first screen is displayed, the reception unit 111 does not accept input to select a number button or a different floor button (NO in S2 and S4), but accepts input to select a basement floor button (YES in S5: reception step), the process shown in Figure 17 will be described later. The process shown in Figure 17 will be described later. If NO in S5, the process returns to S2.

[0066] After S3, the display control unit 112 determines whether there are any more buttons that can be displayed. The display control unit 112 determines whether there is a service floor whose first digit contains the number of the temporary destination floor (S6). If there is no service floor whose first digit contains the number of the temporary destination floor (NO in S6), the display control unit 112 outputs information to the identification unit 113 indicating that there are no new buttons to display. Upon receiving this information, the identification unit 113 identifies the temporary destination floor as the user's destination floor (S13).

[0067] On the other hand, if there is a service floor whose first digit includes the number of the temporary destination floor (YES in S6), the display control unit 112 identifies the information to be displayed on the second screen. Based on the identified information, the display control unit 112 displays the second screen on the display unit 14 (S7: display control step). The second screen includes floor buttons that indicate two-digit floor numbers whose first digit includes the number of the temporary destination floor. The second screen may also include other buttons as needed, such as specific floor buttons.

[0068] If there is a two-digit floor number whose first digit includes the number of the temporary destination floor, and there is no three-digit floor number whose first digit includes the number of that floor, the floor button representing that two-digit floor will indicate one floor. For example, if the temporary destination floor is the 1st floor, and the service floors include floors 13-19 but not floors 130-199, then, as shown in Figure 9, the second screen will display floor buttons for each of the floors from 13 to 19.

[0069] If there are two-digit floor numbers that include the number of the temporary destination floor as the first digit, and three-digit floor numbers that include the number of that floor as the first digit, these floor numbers may be displayed as a single floor button on the second screen. For example, if the temporary destination floor is the 1st floor and the service floors include the 10th floor and floors 100-109, then, as shown by reference numeral 902 in Figure 9, buttons indicating the 10th floor and floors 100-109 may be displayed as a single floor button on the second screen.

[0070] If the installation floor is a two-digit floor number that includes the number of the temporary destination floor as the first digit, and there is a three-digit floor number that includes the number of the installation floor as the first digit, the second screen will include buttons for other floors. For example, if the installation floor is the 10th floor and the temporary destination floor is the 1st floor, the floor button for the 10th floor will not be displayed on the second screen. However, if the service floor includes at least one of the floors from 100 to 109, buttons for other floors to select floors 100 or higher may be displayed on the second screen.

[0071] When the second screen, which includes a button for a different floor, is displayed, and the reception unit 111 receives input to select the button for that different floor (YES in S8: reception step), the process proceeds as shown in Figure 16.

[0072] If the second screen is displayed and the reception unit 111 does not accept input to select a different floor button or a floor button (NO in S8 and S9), and a predetermined time has elapsed (YES in S11), the identification unit 113 identifies it as the user's destination floor (S13). The identification unit 113 identifies the temporary destination floor at the time of the YES determination in S11 as the user's destination floor. If NO is determined in S11, the process returns to S8.

[0073] For example, if the number button indicating 3 is selected on the first screen and the reception unit 111 does not accept any further operations until a predetermined time has elapsed, the identification unit 113 identifies the 3rd floor as the user's destination floor. As another example, if the service floors include floors 100 to 109, and the floor button indicating 10th floor is selected on the second screen, the provisional destination floor becomes the 10th floor, and the second screen, which includes floor buttons indicating floors 100 to 109, is displayed. In such a case, if none of the floor buttons indicating floors 100 to 109 are selected and a predetermined time has elapsed, the identification unit 113 identifies the 10th floor as the user's destination floor.

[0074] When the second screen is displayed, if the reception unit 111 does not accept input to select a different floor button (NO in S8) but accepts input to select a floor button (YES in S9: reception step), the identification unit 113 identifies a new temporary destination floor (S10). Here, if the selected floor button indicates a single floor, the identification unit 113 identifies that floor as the temporary destination floor. On the other hand, if the selected floor button indicates multiple floors, the identification unit 113 identifies the lowest floor among the floors indicated by the selected floor buttons as the temporary destination floor.

[0075] If the selected floor button indicates multiple floors (NO in S12), the process returns to S7. If NO in S12, the display control unit 112 displays a second screen on the display unit 14 in S7, which includes floor buttons indicating each of the floors indicated by the floor button selected in S9.

[0076] If the floor button indicates a single floor (YES in S12), the identification unit 113 identifies the identified temporary destination floor as the user's destination floor (S13). Once the identification unit 113 has identified the destination floor, it outputs information indicating the user's destination floor to the display control unit 112. Upon receiving this information, the display unit 14 displays a fourth screen containing the information indicating the user's destination floor (S14).

[0077] After S14, the identification unit 113 generates a call request and transmits the generated call request to the elevator control device 2. This registers the user's destination floor call in the elevator control device 2. The display control unit 112 may receive information from the elevator control device 2 indicating that the registration of the destination floor call has been completed. Upon receiving this information, the display control unit 112 may display a message on the display unit 14 indicating that the registration of the destination floor call has been completed. Furthermore, if the destination floor registration system 100 is configured to include a group control device, the identification unit 113 may transmit the call request to the group control device, and the display control unit 112 may receive information indicating the assigned elevator number from the group control device. Upon receiving this information, the display control unit 112 displays the information indicating the assigned elevator number on the display unit 14.

[0078] The following describes the process performed when an input to select a different floor button is received, using Figure 16. Figure 16 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing that takes place when the input to select a different floor button is received by the reception unit 111 in the case of YES in S4 or S8 of the process shown in Figure 15.

[0079] When the reception unit 111 receives input to select a different floor button, the identification unit 113 identifies the temporary destination floor (S21). Here, the identification unit 113 identifies the lowest of the two-digit or longer service floors other than the installation floor, which have the installation floor number as the first digit, as the temporary destination floor.

[0080] Next, the display control unit 112 identifies the information to be displayed on the third screen. The display control unit 112 identifies service floors of two digits or more other than the installation floor, with the installation floor number as the first digit (S22). For example, if the installation floor is the 1st floor and the service floors of elevator 3 are from the 1st to the 20th floor, the display control unit 112 identifies the 10th to the 19th floor as service floors of two digits or more other than the installation floor, with the installation floor number as the first digit.

[0081] The display control unit 112 displays a third screen (S23) which includes floor buttons for selecting each of the floors identified in S22. After S23, the process proceeds to S9 as shown in Figure 15. Through the process shown in Figure 16, the user can select a floor that includes the floor on which the destination floor registration device 1 is installed as the first girder as the destination floor.

[0082] Next, we will explain the process that takes place when an input to select the basement floor button is received, using Figure 17. Figure 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing that takes place when the case is YES in S5 of the process shown in Figure 15, that is, when the reception unit 111 receives an input to select the basement floor button.

[0083] When the reception unit 111 receives input to select the basement floor button, the identification unit 113 identifies the temporary destination floor (S31). Here, the identification unit 113 identifies the uppermost floor of the basement service floors as the temporary destination floor. Next, the display control unit 112 identifies the information to be displayed on the second screen. The display control unit 112 identifies the service floor of the basement (S32).

[0084] The display control unit 112 displays a second screen (S33) which includes floor buttons for selecting each of the floors identified in S32. After S33, the process proceeds to S8 as shown in Figure 15. This allows the user to select the basement floor as their destination floor.

[0085] [Variation] The alternate floor buttons displayed on the first screen only need to indicate that destination floors including the installation floor of the destination floor registration device 1 in the first digit can be entered, and are not limited to those shown in Figure 2. Figure 18 shows yet another example of the first screen. Figure 18 shows another example of the first screen displayed on the destination floor registration device 1 installed on the first floor. As shown by reference numeral 1801 in Figure 18, the alternate floor buttons are marked with a number indicating the installation floor of the destination floor registration device 1, and the alternate floor buttons and number buttons may be arranged so that the numbers marked on each button are in ascending or descending order. With this configuration, the arrangement of numbers on the first screen becomes closer to the arrangement of numbers on a typical numeric keypad, making it easier for the user to find the desired button, thus improving convenience.

[0086] [Examples of implementation using software] The function of the destination floor registration device 1 (hereinafter referred to as "the device") is a program that causes a computer to function as the device, and can be realized by a program that causes a computer to function as each control block of the device (in particular, each part included in the control unit 11).

[0087] In this case, the device includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., memory) as hardware for executing the program. By executing the program using this control device and storage device, the functions described in each of the embodiments are realized.

[0088] The above program may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media, not temporary ones. These recording media may or may not be provided by the above device. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the above device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0089] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of each of the above control blocks can also be realized by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which logic circuits functioning as each of the above control blocks are formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, it is also possible to realize the functions of each of the above control blocks by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0090] Furthermore, each process described in the above embodiments may be performed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI ​​may operate on the control device described above, or it may operate on other devices (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[0091] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0092] 〔summary〕 A destination floor registration device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is a destination floor registration device that registers a destination floor call to a control device that controls an elevator, comprising: a reception unit that receives input from a user using the elevator; and a display control unit that displays a screen relating to the registration of the elevator's destination floor call on a display unit, wherein the display control unit displays a first screen including a numeric keypad with numeric buttons indicating single digits on the display unit when the reception unit has not received the input, and when the reception unit receives input to select one of the numeric buttons while the first screen is displayed on the display unit, it displays a second screen on the display unit that includes the number of the selected numeric button as the leading digit and includes floor buttons indicating service floors that can be selected as destination floors.

[0093] In the destination floor registration device according to embodiment 2 of the present invention, in embodiment 1 above, if the floor on which the destination floor registration device is installed is a single-digit floor number, the first screen does not include the number buttons corresponding to the number indicating the installation floor, and if the installation floor is a two-digit or more floor number, the second screen does not need to include the floor buttons indicating the installation floor.

[0094] In the destination floor registration device according to embodiment 3 of the present invention, in embodiment 2 above, if there are two or more service floors that include the number corresponding to the installation floor as the first digit, the display control unit may further display a different floor button on the first screen or the second screen, and if the reception unit receives input to select the different floor button, the display control unit may display a third screen on the display unit that includes a floor button indicating a two or more service floor that includes the number corresponding to the installation floor as the first digit.

[0095] In the destination floor registration device according to embodiment 4 of the present invention, in any of embodiments 1 to 3 above, the display control unit may further display a basement floor button indicating a basement floor on the first screen, and when the reception unit receives input to select the basement floor button, the display control unit may display a screen including the floor button indicating the service floor which is a basement floor on the display unit.

[0096] The destination floor registration device according to aspect 5 of the present invention, in aspect 4 above, is further comprising a specification unit for identifying the user's destination floor, and when the reception unit receives input to select the basement floor button, the display control unit causes the display unit to display floor buttons indicating floors other than the uppermost floor of the service floor which is a basement floor, and if no additional input is received within a predetermined period after the reception unit receives input to select the basement floor button, the specification unit may identify the uppermost floor of the service floor which is a basement floor as the destination floor.

[0097] In the destination floor registration device according to embodiment 6 of the present invention, in any of embodiments 1 to 5 above, the first screen does not need to include the number button indicating 0.

[0098] A control method according to aspect 7 of the present invention is a control method for a destination floor registration device that registers a destination floor call to a control device that controls an elevator, comprising: a reception step of receiving input from a user using the elevator; and a display control step of displaying a screen relating to the registration of a destination floor call for the elevator on a display unit, wherein in the display control step, when the reception step has not been performed, a first screen including a numeric keypad with numeric buttons indicating single digits is displayed on the display unit; and when the reception step receives input to select one of the numeric buttons while the first screen is displayed, a second screen including a floor button indicating a service floor which is a floor that can be selected as a destination floor is displayed on the display unit, which includes the number of the selected numeric button as the leading digit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 1. Destination Floor Registration Device 111 Reception Department 112 Display Control Unit 113 Specific section 14 Display section 2. Elevator control device (control device) 3 Elevator S2, S4, S5, S8, S9 Registration Steps S1, S7 Display control steps

Claims

1. A destination floor registration device that registers destination floor requests to a control device that controls an elevator, A reception area that accepts input from users of the elevator, It comprises a display control unit that displays a screen related to the registration of elevator destination floor calls on the display unit, The display control unit, When the reception unit is not accepting the input, the display unit displays a first screen including a numeric keypad with number buttons indicating single digits. When the reception unit receives input to select one of the number buttons while the first screen is displayed on the display unit, the reception unit displays a second screen on the display unit that includes the number of the selected number button as the first digit and includes floor buttons indicating service floors that can be selected as destination floors. If the installation floor of the destination floor registration device is a single-digit floor number, the first screen does not include the number buttons corresponding to the number indicating the installation floor. If the installation floor is two digits or more, the second screen does not include the floor button indicating the installation floor. Destination floor registration device.

2. If there is a service floor with two or more digits that includes the number corresponding to the installation floor as the first digit, the display control unit further displays a different floor button on the first screen or the second screen. When the reception unit receives input to select the aforementioned different floor button, the display control unit causes the display unit to display a third screen including floor buttons indicating the service floor, with two or more digits including the number corresponding to the installation floor as the first digit. The destination floor registration device according to claim 1.

3. A destination floor registration device that registers destination floor requests to a control device that controls an elevator, A reception area that accepts input from users of the elevator, It comprises a display control unit that displays a screen related to the registration of elevator destination floor calls on the display unit, The display control unit, When the reception unit is not accepting the input, the display unit displays a first screen including a numeric keypad with number buttons indicating single digits. When the reception unit receives input to select one of the number buttons while the first screen is displayed on the display unit, the reception unit displays a second screen on the display unit that includes the number of the selected number button as the first digit and includes floor buttons indicating service floors that can be selected as destination floors. In the first screen, a button indicating the basement floor is further displayed. When the reception unit receives input to select the basement floor button, it displays a screen on the display unit that includes the floor button indicating the service floor which is the basement floor. Destination floor registration device.

4. The system includes a unit that identifies the destination floor of the user, When the reception unit receives input to select the basement floor button, the display control unit causes the display unit to display the floor buttons indicating floors other than the uppermost floor of the service floor which is the basement floor. If the reception unit does not receive any additional input within a predetermined period after receiving the input to select the basement floor button, the identification unit identifies the uppermost floor of the service floors, which are basement floors, as the destination floor. The destination floor registration device according to claim 3.

5. A destination floor registration device that registers destination floor requests to a control device that controls an elevator, A reception area that accepts input from users of the elevator, It comprises a display control unit that displays a screen related to the registration of elevator destination floor calls on the display unit, The display control unit, When the reception unit is not accepting the input, the display unit displays a first screen including a numeric keypad with number buttons indicating single digits. When the reception unit receives input to select one of the number buttons while the first screen is displayed on the display unit, the reception unit displays a second screen on the display unit that includes the number of the selected number button as the first digit and includes floor buttons indicating service floors that can be selected as destination floors. The first screen does not include the number button indicating 0. Destination floor registration device.

6. A control method for a destination floor registration device that registers destination floor requests to a control device that controls an elevator, A reception step for receiving input from users of the elevator, The process includes a display control step that causes a screen related to the registration of elevator destination floor calls to be displayed on the display unit, In the display control step, When the aforementioned reception step has not been performed, a first screen including a numeric keypad with number buttons indicating single digits is displayed on the display unit. When the first screen is displayed, if the input to select one of the aforementioned number buttons is received in the reception step, the display unit will display a second screen that includes the number of the selected number button as the first digit and includes floor buttons indicating service floors that can be selected as destination floors. If the installation floor of the destination floor registration device is a single-digit floor number, the first screen does not include the number buttons corresponding to the number indicating the installation floor. If the installation floor is two digits or more, the second screen does not include the floor button indicating the installation floor. Control method.

7. A control method for a destination floor registration device that registers destination floor requests to a control device that controls an elevator, A reception step for receiving input from users of the elevator, The process includes a display control step that causes a screen related to the registration of elevator destination floor calls to be displayed on the display unit, In the display control step, When the aforementioned reception step has not been performed, a first screen including a numeric keypad with number buttons indicating single digits is displayed on the display unit. When the first screen is displayed, if the input to select one of the aforementioned number buttons is received in the reception step, the display unit will display a second screen that includes the number of the selected number button as the first digit and includes floor buttons indicating service floors that can be selected as destination floors. On the first screen, a button indicating the basement floor is displayed. If the input to select the basement floor button is received in the reception step, the display unit will display a screen including the floor button indicating the service floor which is the basement floor. Control method.

8. A control method for a destination floor registration device that registers destination floor requests to a control device that controls an elevator, A reception step for receiving input from users of the elevator, The process includes a display control step that causes a screen related to the registration of elevator destination floor calls to be displayed on the display unit, In the display control step, When the aforementioned reception step has not been performed, a first screen including a numeric keypad with number buttons indicating single digits is displayed on the display unit. When the first screen is displayed, if the input to select one of the aforementioned number buttons is received in the reception step, the display unit will display a second screen that includes the number of the selected number button as the first digit and includes floor buttons indicating service floors that can be selected as destination floors. The first screen does not include the number button indicating 0. Control method.

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