Elevator system

Abstract

To reduce the effort required of users while minimizing the loss of opportunities to ride the train. [Solution] An elevator system according to one embodiment includes an elevator control device that controls the operation of the elevator car based on call information indicating the floor used and the destination floor, and a cloud server that is communicatively connected to the elevator control device and also communicatively connected to a user's mobile terminal on which an elevator application for registering call information with the elevator control device is installed. The cloud server stores a call management table that manages call information registered with the elevator control device in real time, and when it receives a notification that the elevator application has been activated, it reads call information registered by other users that meets predetermined conditions from the call management table and displays this on the mobile terminal as call information that the user can register.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an elevator system.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, as one method of registering a call using a mobile terminal, a method has been devised in which a user manually inputs and registers the usage floor and the destination floor on an elevator application installed on the mobile terminal. However, this method has a problem that the user needs to manually input the usage floor and the destination floor every time the user uses the elevator, which is troublesome. In addition, with this method, while the user is inputting the usage floor and the destination floor, a car that could have been boarded may pass the usage floor, and there is a possibility that the boarding opportunity is lost.

[0003] For this reason, as another method for registering a call using a mobile terminal, a method has been devised in which frequently used usage floors and destination floors are pre-registered as favorites in the elevator application installed on the mobile terminal, and when a user uses the elevator, the pre-registered favorite usage floor and destination floor are registered as the call of the user.

[0004] However, when registering the favorite usage floor and destination floor, the user needs to manually input the usage floor and the destination floor, so the above-described loss of boarding opportunity may occur at the time of registering the favorites. In addition, after the registration of the favorite usage floor and destination floor, although the occurrence of the above-described loss of boarding opportunity can be suppressed, this method has a problem that when registering a call other than the favorite usage floor and destination floor, the user eventually needs to manually input and register the usage floor and the destination floor.

[0005] For this reason, realization of a new technology capable of suppressing the loss of boarding opportunity while reducing the labor required for the user who registers a call using a mobile terminal is desired.

Prior Art Documents

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7167261 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7452754 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide an elevator system that can reduce the effort required of users to register their requests using a mobile terminal, while also suppressing the loss of opportunities for passengers to ride the elevator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An elevator system according to one embodiment includes an elevator control device that controls the operation of the elevator car based on call information indicating the floor on which the user boards the elevator car and the destination floor on which the user alights from the elevator car; and a cloud server that is communicably connected to the elevator control device and communicably connected to the user's mobile terminal, which has an elevator application installed for registering the call information with the elevator control device. The cloud server includes a storage unit that stores a call management table for managing the call information registered with the elevator control device in real time, and a processing unit that, upon receiving notification from the mobile terminal that the elevator application has been started, reads call information from the call management table that has been registered with the elevator control device by a user other than the user and that satisfies predetermined conditions, and displays the read call information on the mobile terminal as call information that the user can register. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1]Figure 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an elevator system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of a call management table included in the elevator control device according to the same embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of a call management table in the cloud server according to the same embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of an installation location management table that the cloud server according to the same embodiment has. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of a call registration screen according to the same embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of a manual call registration screen according to the same embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of a call registration screen according to the same embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of a ride-sharing request screen according to the same embodiment. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows an example of a ride-sharing registration completion screen according to the same embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the elevator system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the elevator system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows an example of a call registration screen related to the first modified example. [Figure 13] Figure 13 shows an example of a call registration screen related to the second modified example. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an elevator system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] Figure 15 shows an example of a call management table in a cloud server according to the third embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present disclosure is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited by the contents described in the following embodiments. Modifications that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art are naturally included in the scope of the present disclosure. In order to make the description clearer, in the drawings, the size, shape, etc. of each part may be schematically represented by being modified relative to the actual implementation. In a plurality of drawings, corresponding elements may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof may be omitted.

[0011] (First Embodiment) Figure 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of an elevator system 1 according to the first embodiment. The elevator system 1 is a system including configurations related to an elevator 10 described later, and includes the elevator 10, hall operating panels 22 installed at a hall 20 on each floor, a mobile terminal 30, a cloud server 40, and the like.

[0012] For example, the elevator 10 is installed in buildings such as office buildings and condominiums. The elevator 10 includes a car 11 and an elevator control system 12. The car 11 is supported so as to be able to move up and down by a pair of guide rails erected in the hoistway, and moves between floors in response to a hall call or a car call.

[0013] The "hall call" refers to a call signal registered at the hall on each floor, and includes information on the use floor (registration floor, boarding floor) and the destination direction. The "car call" refers to a call signal registered inside the car room, and includes information on the destination floor (destination floor, alighting floor).

[0014] Note that the "use floor" refers to the floor where a user using the car has registered a hall call at the landing, and indicates the floor where the car that has responded to the hall call arrives (in other words, the floor where the user gets on the car). The "destination floor" refers to the floor registered by the user as a car call inside the car, and indicates the floor that the car travels to after departing from the above-mentioned use floor (in other words, the floor where the user gets off the car). However, in this system, as will be described later, it is possible to register hall calls and car calls using the user's mobile terminal 30, and button operations at the landing or inside the car (operations of the landing button 23 and the destination floor button 16) are unnecessary.

[0015] A car door 13 is attached to the entrance of the car 11 so as to be openable and closable, and a car operation panel 14 is provided in the vicinity of the car door 13. The car operation panel 14 is provided with various operation buttons including, in addition to a display 15 for displaying the current position, traveling direction, etc. of the car 11, destination floor buttons 16 corresponding to each floor of the building, a door open button 17a, a door close button 17b, and the like.

[0016] The elevator control system 12 includes an elevator control device 12a and a controller 12b. The elevator control device 12a is also referred to as a "control panel", and is installed in a machine room (not shown) provided at the uppermost part of the building or in the upper part of the hoistway. The elevator control device 12a is composed of, for example, a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and performs various controls related to the elevator including operation control of the car 11. The elevator control device 12a is communicably connected to a cloud server 40 to be described later via the controller 12b.

[0017] The elevator control device 12a has a call management table t1 for managing information on calls registered by users. The call information is information indicating the use floor and the destination floor.

[0018] Here, the call management table t1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. As shown in Figure 2, the call management table t1 stores call management information in which call information and time information indicating the time (registration time) when the information of the call was registered in the elevator control device 12a are associated.

[0019] For example, the call management table t1 shown in Figure 2 stores call management information where the floor used ("1F"), the destination floor ("4F"), and the registration time ("15:00:00") are associated with each other. According to this call management information, an upward call from "1F" to "4F" was registered at "15:00:00".

[0020] Furthermore, the call management table t1 shown in Figure 2 stores call management information where the floor used ("2F"), the destination floor ("3F"), and the registration time ("15:00:30") are associated with each other. According to this call management information, an upward call from "2F" to "3F" was registered at "15:00:30".

[0021] Furthermore, the call management table t1 shown in Figure 2 stores call management information where the floor used ("4F"), the destination floor ("1F"), and the registration time ("15:01:00") are associated with each other. According to this call management information, a downward call from "4F" to "1F" was registered at "15:01:00".

[0022] The call management table t1 stores call management information, including information on calls that are being answered or are scheduled to be answered. Call management information, including information on calls that have been answered, is deleted from the call management table t1. The call management information stored in the call management table t1, along with identification information to uniquely identify the elevator control device 12a, is transmitted and shared in real time to the cloud server 40, which will be described later.

[0023] Let's return to the explanation of Figure 1. Controller 12b is an intermediary device equipped with interface and hub functions for controlling communication between the elevator control device 12a and the cloud server 40, and for mediating various signals transmitted and received between the elevator control device 12a and the cloud server 40. Controller 12b is installed together with the elevator control device 12a in the machine room at the top of the building or in the upper part of the elevator shaft.

[0024] In this embodiment, the elevator control device 12a and the controller 12b are shown as separate devices, but the system is not limited to this configuration. The elevator control device 12a and the controller 12b may be provided as a single device, that is, an elevator control device 12a equipped with the functions of the controller 12b may be provided.

[0025] At each floor's landing 20, a landing door 21 is installed at the arrival point of the elevator car 11 so as to be able to open and close, and a landing control panel 22 is provided near the landing door 21. The landing door 21 opens and closes together with the elevator car door 13 when the elevator car 11 arrives. The drive source (door motor) is located on the elevator car door 13 side, and the landing door 21 opens and closes by engaging with the elevator car door 13. The landing control panel 22 is equipped with landing buttons 23 to make the elevator car 11 respond to the landing 20. The landing buttons 23 consist of an up button and a down button to specify the user's destination direction (only an up button is available on the lowest floor, and only a down button is available on the top floor). In addition to the landing buttons 23 described above, the landing control panel 22 may also be equipped with displays and the like.

[0026] The mobile device 30 possessed by the user is a typical mobile phone, smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, etc. This mobile device 30 has an elevator application 31 (hereinafter referred to as "elevator application 31") pre-installed. The elevator application 31 was developed by a company affiliated with elevator 10 and can be freely downloaded from a website dependent on the operating system (OS) of the mobile device 30.

[0027] When the user activates the elevator application 31, the mobile terminal 30 transmits location information determined by the GPS (Global Positioning System) installed in the terminal to the cloud server 40.

[0028] Users can use the elevator application 31 to send a registration request to the cloud server 40 to register a landing call corresponding to the floor they are using and a car call corresponding to their destination floor. The registration request includes at least information on the floor they are using and their destination floor, and location information determined by the GPS installed in the mobile terminal 30.

[0029] The cloud server 40 is a server built by an affiliate of the elevator 10 and is communicated with the elevator control device 12a via the controller 12b.

[0030] Furthermore, the cloud server 40 is connected to the user's mobile terminal 30 in a communication-enabled manner. When the cloud server 40 receives a registration request from the mobile terminal 30, it sends a call registration command to the elevator control device 12a to register the landing call and car call in accordance with the received registration request.

[0031] As shown in Figure 1, the cloud server 40 includes a communication unit 41, a storage unit 42, and a processing unit 43.

[0032] The communication unit 41 is a communication interface for communicating with external devices (for example, the elevator control device 12a, the mobile terminal 30, etc.).

[0033] The memory unit 42 stores the call management table 42a and the installation location management table 42b.

[0034] Here, the call management table 42a and the installation location management table 42b will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4.

[0035] The call management table 42a is a table that manages call information registered in the elevator control device 12a in real time, and as shown in Figure 3, it stores call management information transmitted and shared from the elevator control device 12a along with identification information. In addition, the call management table 42a stores number information indicating the number of people expected to board the elevator car 11 when the elevator car 11 responds to the call information contained in the call management information, in association with the above-mentioned identification information and call management information. For example, by default, the number of people expected to board is set to "1 person" for each call. As will be described in detail later, the number of people expected to board is increased when a ride-sharing request is received.

[0036] For example, the call management table 42a shown in Figure 3 stores information where identification information "id001", floor used "1F", destination floor "4F", registration time "15:00:00", and number of passengers "1 person" are associated with each other. According to this information, there is an upward call from "1F" to "4F" registered at "15:00:00" as a call managed in real time by the elevator control device 12a for "id001", and it is indicated that the number of passengers when the elevator car 11 responds to the call is "1 person".

[0037] The other information stored in the call management table 42a shown in Figure 3 can be explained in a similar manner, so a detailed explanation of that information will be omitted here.

[0038] As shown in Figure 4, the installation location management table 42b stores identification information for uniquely identifying the elevator control device 12a and location information indicating the installation location of the elevator control device 12a in association with each other.

[0039] For example, the installation location management table 42b shown in Figure 4 stores information where identification information "id001" and location information "p1" are associated with each other. According to this information, the elevator control device 12a with "id001" is installed at location "p1".

[0040] Let's return to the explanation of Figure 1. The processing unit 43 has functions to enable users to register calls using the mobile terminal 30. A detailed explanation of the processing unit 43's functions will be described later, so a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0041] The cloud server 40 may be installed together with the elevator control system 12 in the machine room at the top of the building or at the top of the elevator shaft, or it may be installed in a different location away from the building.

[0042] Incidentally, one method of registering a call using a mobile device is to manually enter the destination floor and the floor to be used on an elevator application installed on the mobile device. However, this method has the problem that it is time-consuming for the user to manually enter the destination floor and the floor to be used each time they use the elevator. In addition, with this method, while the user is entering the destination floor and the floor to be used, the elevator car that could have been used may pass by that floor, resulting in a lost opportunity to board.

[0043] Therefore, as an alternative method for registering elevator calls using a mobile device, a method has been devised in which frequently used floors and destination floors are pre-registered as favorites in an elevator application installed on the mobile device. When a user uses the elevator, these pre-registered favorite floors and destination floors are then registered as the user's call. With this method, users no longer need to input their floors and destination floors when using the elevator, thus reducing the effort required of the user as described above.

[0044] However, when registering favorite floors for use and destination, users must manually enter these floors, which may result in the aforementioned loss of boarding opportunities. Furthermore, while this method can mitigate the loss of boarding opportunities after registering favorite floors, it still has the problem that users will ultimately have to manually enter floors for use and destination if they wish to register floors other than their favorites.

[0045] Therefore, the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment is a new method for registering a call using a mobile terminal 30, and provides a new method that can reduce the effort required of the user while suppressing the loss of riding opportunities. Specifically, the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment makes it possible for the user to share an elevator car 11 that is responding to or scheduled to respond to an already registered call, if there is a call already registered by another user at the time the user attempts to register a call. In other words, the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment makes it possible to virtually register the same call as one already registered by another user as one's own call.

[0046] Below, we will first describe examples of various screens of the elevator application 31 installed on the mobile terminal 30.

[0047] Figure 5 shows one of the screens displayed when the elevator application 31 is activated by a user, and is an example of the call registration screen 100 that is displayed when there are no calls registered by other users. The call registration screen 100 shown in Figure 5 includes, for example, a call display field 101 that displays call information registered by other users, and a new registration button 102.

[0048] In Figure 5, it is assumed that there are no calls registered by other users when the elevator application 31 is launched, so the message "No calls registered" is displayed in the call display field 101.

[0049] The new registration button 102 is a button that allows users to transition to a manual call registration screen (see Figure 6, described later) where they can manually enter the floor they are using and their destination floor, and register the landing call corresponding to that floor and the elevator car call corresponding to that destination floor.

[0050] Figure 6 shows an example of the manual call registration screen 200, which is the destination screen when the new registration button 102 shown in Figure 5 is pressed by the user. The manual call registration screen 200 shown in Figure 6 includes, for example, a floor input field 201, a destination floor input field 202, and a new registration button 203.

[0051] The floor input field 201 is an input field for users to enter their floor of use, and the floor entered by the user (i.e., the floor on which the user boards elevator car 11) is displayed.

[0052] The destination floor input field 202 is an input field for users to enter their destination floor, and the destination floor entered by the user (i.e., the floor on which the user will alight from elevator car 11) is displayed.

[0053] The new registration button 203 is used to register the landing call corresponding to the floor used, entered in the floor used input field 201, and the car call corresponding to the destination floor, entered in the destination floor input field 202.

[0054] When the user enters the floor to be used and the destination floor, and the new registration button 203 is pressed, a registration request is sent from the mobile terminal 30 to the cloud server 40 to register the landing call corresponding to the floor to be used and the car call corresponding to the destination floor.

[0055] Figure 7 shows one of the screens displayed when the elevator application 31 is activated by a user. Unlike the case in Figure 5, it shows an example of the call registration screen 100 that is displayed when there is a call registered by another user. The call registration screen 100 shown in Figure 7 includes a call display field 101 and a new registration button 102, similar to the screen shown in Figure 5.

[0056] Figure 7 assumes that when the elevator application 31 is activated, there are calls registered by other users, and the call display field 101 shows the call information registered by other users, • "Floor used: 1F, Destination floor: 4F" (i.e., a designation for the upward direction from 1F to 4F) • "Floor used: 2F, Destination floor: 3F" (i.e., an upward designation from the 2nd floor to the 3rd floor) • "Floor used: 4F, ​​Destination floor: 1F" (i.e., a downward designation from 4F to 1F) The following is displayed. The call display column 101 displays call information that meets a predetermined condition (information on calls that can be shared) from the call information managed in the call management table 42a. The predetermined condition is that the call has not yet been answered, or, if it is being answered, that the elevator car 11 has not yet started to decelerate in order to land on the destination floor. In short, the predetermined condition is that the elevator car 11, which has started to decelerate, does not include the floor it is scheduled to land on next as its destination floor.

[0057] When a user selects one of the call information displayed in the call display area 101 shown in Figure 7, the screen displayed on the mobile terminal 30 transitions to a ride-sharing request screen (see Figure 8, described later) for requesting to share a ride with the elevator car 11 that responds to the selected call information.

[0058] Figure 8 shows an example of the ride-sharing request screen 300, which is the destination screen when one of the call information items shown in Figure 7 is selected by the user. The ride-sharing request screen 300 shown in Figure 8 includes, for example, a call display field 301 and a ride-sharing request button 302.

[0059] The call display field 301 displays the call information selected by the user on the call registration screen 100 shown in Figure 7. Figure 8 shows a scenario where the call information corresponding to "Usage Floor: 4F, ​​Destination Floor: 1F" displayed in the call display field 101 of the call registration screen 100 shown in Figure 7 is selected by the user.

[0060] The ride-sharing request button 302 is a button for sending a ride-sharing request to a train car 11 that is responding to the call information displayed in the call display field 301, and includes the message "Do you want to ride-sharing?" to confirm with the user whether they want to ride in a train car 11 that is responding to or scheduled to respond to the call information, as well as a "YES" button and a "NO" button.

[0061] If the user presses the "YES" button, the mobile terminal 30 sends a ride-sharing request to the cloud server 40 indicating that the user wishes to share a ride with the elevator car 11 that is currently responding to or scheduled to respond to a call displayed in the call display field 301. Once the cloud server 40 completes the ride-sharing registration in response to the above-mentioned ride-sharing request, the mobile terminal 30 displays a ride-sharing registration completion screen 400 (see Figure 9) indicating that the ride-sharing registration has been completed. On the other hand, if the user presses the "NO" button, the screen of the mobile terminal 30 transitions to the manual call registration screen 200 shown in Figure 6.

[0062] Next, an example of the operation of the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 10. Figure 10 mainly describes the operation when a user attempts to register a call but another user has already registered a call (i.e., the operation when there is information about a call that can be shared).

[0063] First, when the elevator application 31 installed on the mobile terminal 30 is activated by the user (step S1), the mobile terminal 30 sends location information determined by the GPS installed in the terminal to the cloud server 40 as a notification that the elevator application 31 has been activated (step S2).

[0064] When the processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 receives location information (in other words, a notification that the elevator application 31 has been activated) from the mobile terminal 30 via the communication unit 41, it identifies the elevator control device 12a installed near the location indicated by the location information (i.e., near the mobile terminal 30) based on the received location information and the installation location management table 42b stored in the storage unit 42 (step S3).

[0065] Subsequently, the processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 refers to the call management table 42a stored in the memory unit 42 and determines whether or not there is call information managed in real time by the elevator control device 12a identified in the processing of step S3 (in other words, call information already registered with the elevator control device 12a by other users) (step S4).

[0066] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S4 that there is no call information registered in the elevator control device 12a (No. in step S4), the processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 executes the process of step S21 shown in Figure 11.

[0067] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S4 that there is call information already registered in the elevator control device 12a (Yes in step S4), the processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 reads a predetermined number (for example, 3) of call information from the call management table 42a that were identified in step S3 as being information for calls made before the elevator car 11 slowed down to reach the destination floor, and that were registered in the elevator control device 12a at an earlier time (step S5). Subsequently, the processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 transmits the predetermined number of call information read in step S5 to the mobile terminal 30 via the communication unit 41 (step S6).

[0068] When the mobile terminal 30 receives a predetermined number of call information from the cloud server 40, it displays a call registration screen 100 (see Figure 7) that includes the received call information in the call display field 101 (step S7). Here, an example is given where the cloud server 40 transmits a predetermined number of call information, but the cloud server 40 may transmit all the call information to the mobile terminal 30 before the elevator car 11 slows down to reach the destination floor. In this case, the user can sequentially check all the call information received from the cloud server 40 by moving the scroll bar displayed in the call display field 101.

[0069] Next, the mobile terminal 30 determines whether or not the user has performed an operation to request a ride-sharing (step S8). An operation to request a ride-sharing is an operation in which one of the call information displayed in the call display field 101 of the call registration screen 100 is selected and the "YES" button included in the ride-sharing request button 302 of the ride-sharing request screen 300 is pressed.

[0070] If, in step S8, it is determined that the user did not perform an action indicating a desire to share a ride (No in step S8), the mobile terminal 30 executes the process of step S23 shown in Figure 11. If the user did not perform an action indicating a desire to share a ride, this includes cases where the new registration button 102 on the call registration screen 100 is pressed, and cases where the "NO" button included in the ride-sharing request button 302 on the ride-sharing request screen 300 is pressed.

[0071] In step S8, if it is determined that an operation indicating a desire to share a ride has been performed (Yes in step S8), the mobile terminal 30 sends a ride-sharing request to the cloud server 40 indicating a desire to share a ride with a car 11 that is currently responding to or scheduled to respond to a call displayed in the call display field 301 of the ride-sharing request screen 300 (step S9).

[0072] When the processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 receives a ride-sharing request from the mobile terminal 30 via the communication unit 41, it adds 1 to the value of the number of passengers (expected number of passengers) stored in the call management table 42a, which is associated with the call information indicated by the received ride-sharing request (step S10), and sends ride-sharing registration completion information to the mobile terminal 30 via the communication unit 41 to notify that ride-sharing registration has been completed (step S11).

[0073] When the mobile terminal 30 receives ride-sharing registration completion information from the cloud server 40, it displays a ride-sharing registration completion screen 400 indicating that ride-sharing registration in response to the ride-sharing request sent in step S9 has been completed (step S12), and the elevator system 1 terminates this series of operations.

[0074] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 11 mainly describes the operation when there are no calls already registered by other users at the time a user attempts to register a call (i.e., the operation when there is information about a call that can be shared).

[0075] In the process of step S4 shown in Figure 10, if it is determined that there is no registered call information in the elevator control device 12a (No. in step S4), the processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 sends information to the mobile terminal 30 via the communication unit 41 to notify the elevator control device 12a that there is no registered call information (step S21).

[0076] When the mobile terminal 30 receives information from the cloud server 40 indicating that there is no registered call information, it displays a call registration screen 100 (see Figure 5) in the call display field 101 that includes a message indicating that there is no call information available for ride-sharing (step S22).

[0077] Subsequently, when the user presses the new registration button 102 included in the call registration screen 100, the mobile terminal 30 displays the manual call registration screen 200 (see Figure 6) (step S23). Note that the process in step S23 is also executed if it is determined in the process of step S8 in Figure 10 that the user did not perform an operation to request a ride-sharing (No. in step S8).

[0078] When the user enters the floor to be used in the floor to be used input field 201 and the destination floor in the destination floor input field 202, and then presses the new registration button 203, the mobile terminal 30 sends a registration request to the cloud server 40 (step S24). The registration request includes the floor to be used and the destination floor information entered in the floor to be used input field 201 and the destination floor input field 202, as well as location information determined by the GPS installed in the mobile terminal 30.

[0079] When the processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 receives a registration request from the mobile terminal 30 via the communication unit 41, it identifies the elevator control device 12a installed near the location indicated by the location information (i.e., near the mobile terminal 30) based on the received location information and the installation location management table 42b stored in the storage unit 42 (step S25). Subsequently, the processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 sends a call registration command to the elevator control device 12a identified in step S25 to register the landing call corresponding to the floor used and the car call corresponding to the destination floor included in the received registration request (step S26).

[0080] When the elevator control device 12a receives a call registration command from the cloud server 40 via the controller 12b, it registers a new landing call and car call indicated by the received call registration command (step S27). Specifically, the elevator control device 12a registers the call information for the floor used and the destination floor indicated by the received call registration command in the call management table t1, in association with the current time, thereby registering a new landing call corresponding to the floor used and a new car call corresponding to the destination floor. Once the registration of the landing call and car call is complete, the elevator car 11 begins moving to the floor used, indicated by the newly registered landing call, under the control of the elevator control device 12a.

[0081] Next, the elevator control device 12a transmits call management information, including the call information registered in the call management table t1 during the processing of step S27, along with its own device identification information, to the cloud server 40 via the controller 12b (in other words, it shares the information of the call management table t1 with the cloud server 40) (step S28).

[0082] When the processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 receives call management information and identification information from the elevator control device 12a via the communication unit 41, it associates the received call management information and identification information with the number of people information indicating a default value (for example, 1) and registers it in the call management table 42a (in other words, it updates the information in the call management table 42a based on the information in the received call management table t1) (step S29).

[0083] Note that the processing in step S29 may be performed after the processing in step S26. In this case, the cloud server 40 can perform the same processing as in step S29 by obtaining the identification information of the elevator control device 12a identified in the processing of step S25 from the installation location management table 42b, obtaining the information of the floor used and the destination floor indicated by the call registration command as call information, and obtaining the current time instead of the registration time of the call information.

[0084] Subsequently, the processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 transmits call registration completion information to the mobile terminal 30 via the communication unit 41 to notify that the registration of the landing call and car call in response to the registration request received in step S25 has been completed (step S30).

[0085] Subsequently, when the mobile terminal 30 receives call registration completion information from the cloud server 40, it displays a screen indicating that the registration of the landing call and car call corresponding to the registration request sent in step S25 has been completed (step S31), and the elevator system 1 terminates this series of operations.

[0086] In the elevator system 1 according to the first embodiment described above, the cloud server 40 presents to a user who intends to register a call using a mobile terminal 30 information about a call already registered by another user as information about a call that can be shared (in other words, the cloud server 40 displays information about a call already registered by another user on the mobile terminal 30 as information about a call that the user can register). Furthermore, if a user selects one of the call information presented as information about a call that can be shared, and wishes to share an elevator car 11 that responds to the selected call information, the cloud server 40 virtually registers the selected call information as the user's call information.

[0087] According to this, users do not need to manually input their floor of choice or destination floor, nor do they need to pre-register frequently used floors as favorites. In other words, the elevator system 1 according to this embodiment reduces the effort required of users who try to register a call using a mobile terminal 30, while suppressing the loss of riding opportunities that occurred in the past.

[0088] [First variation] A first modified example will now be described. The elevator system 1 according to the first modified example differs from the first embodiment described above in that it has multiple elevator cars 11 (for example, three cars) instead of just one, and it is possible to display call information for each car number.

[0089] The elevator system 1 according to the first modified example manages call information for each elevator unit and displays the call information for each elevator unit on the call registration screen 100.

[0090] Figure 12 shows an example of the call registration screen 100 in the first modified example. In addition to the call display field 101 and new registration button 102 described above, the call registration screen 100 in the first modified example includes machine number display buttons 103a, 103b, and 103c.

[0091] The elevator unit display buttons 103a, 103b, and 103c are buttons for displaying information about calls that the selected elevator unit is currently answering or scheduled to answer (more specifically, information about calls that meet predetermined conditions from the call information registered in the elevator control device 12a that controls the operation of the selected elevator unit) in the call display field 101. Figure 12 illustrates the case where the elevator unit display button 103a corresponding to "Elevator Unit 1" is selected by the user, and information about calls that elevator car 11 of elevator unit 1 is currently answering or scheduled to answer is displayed in the call display field 101.

[0092] The procedures for registering a ride-sharing service and registering a new ride are the same as those shown in Figures 10 and 11, so a detailed explanation will be omitted here.

[0093] According to the elevator system 1 of the first modified example described above, users can select information on elevators that can be shared from the call information for the elevator they wish to ride, thereby improving convenience for the user.

[0094] [Second variation] A second modified example will now be described. The elevator system 1 according to the second modified example differs from the first embodiment described above in that it is possible to display call information for each type of floor where landing calls are registered.

[0095] The elevator system 1 according to the second modified example displays call information for each type of floor where landing calls are registered on the call registration screen 100. The types of floors where landing calls are registered include, for example, intermediate floors, lowest floors, top floors, etc.

[0096] Figure 13 shows an example of the call registration screen 100 in the second modified example. In addition to the call display field 101 and new registration button 102 described above, the call registration screen 100 in the second modified example includes an intermediate floor button 104a, a lowest floor button 104b, and a top floor button 104c.

[0097] The lowest floor button 104b is a button that displays call information that includes the lowest floor as the floor being used in the call display area 101. Specifically, the lowest floor button 104b is a button that displays only the information of upward calls that include the lowest floor as the floor being used and are available for shared rides in the call display area 101. Here, we assume that the lowest floor is 1F, so when the lowest floor button 104b is selected, as shown in Figure 13(a), only the information of upward calls that include "1F" as the floor being used and are available for shared rides will be displayed in the call display area 101.

[0098] The top floor button 104c is a button used to display call information that includes the top floor as the floor being used in the call display area 101. Specifically, the top floor button 104c is a button used to display only the information of downward calls that include the top floor as the floor being used and are eligible for shared rides in the call display area 101. Here, we assume that the top floor is the 4th floor, so when the top floor button 104c is selected, as shown in Figure 13(b), only the information of downward calls that include "4F" as the floor being used and are eligible for shared rides will be displayed in the call display area 101.

[0099] The intermediate floor button 104a is a button used to display call information in the call display area 101 that includes intermediate floors, that is, floors other than the lowest and highest floors, as usable floors. When the intermediate floor button 104a is selected, the call display area 101 displays calls for both upward and downward directions that can be shared.

[0100] In this modified example, the case in which the call registration screen 100 includes buttons 104a, 104b, and 104c corresponding to the type of floor where the landing call is registered has been described. However, for example, the call registration screen 100 may also include buttons corresponding to the type of direction of the landing call. Specifically, the call registration screen 100 may include a button for displaying only information on upward calls that can be shared in the call display field 101, a button for displaying only information on downward calls that can be shared in the call display field 101, and a button for displaying information on both upward and downward calls that can be shared in the call display field 101.

[0101] Furthermore, since the procedures for registering a shared ride and registering a new ride are the same as those shown in Figures 10 and 11, a detailed explanation will be omitted here.

[0102] According to the elevator system 1 of the second modified example described above, users can select ride-sharing information from among the call information that suits their purpose, thereby improving convenience for the user.

[0103] (Second Embodiment) A second embodiment will now be described. The elevator system 1 according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above in that, as shown in Figure 14, it further includes an in-car camera 18 installed inside the elevator car 11 and landing cameras 24 installed at the landings 20 on each floor.

[0104] The in-car camera 18 has the function of taking pictures inside the elevator car 11 and sending the captured images to the elevator control device 12a. The elevator control device 12a calculates the number of passengers (i.e., the number of passengers) in the elevator car 11 based on the images obtained from the in-car camera 18.

[0105] Each landing camera 24 has the function of photographing the landing 20 on each floor and sending the captured images to the elevator control device 12a. The elevator control device 12a calculates the number of users waiting at the landing 20 on each floor (i.e., the number of people waiting) based on the images obtained from the landing cameras 24.

[0106] Information indicating the calculated number of passengers and waiting passengers is transmitted from the elevator control device 12a to the cloud server 40.

[0107] The processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 receives information on the number of passengers and the number of people waiting via the communication unit 41. Based on this received information, it calculates the number of passengers who can board the elevator car 11 at each floor's landing 20 (i.e., the number of passengers that can board on each floor). Any known method can be used to calculate the number of passengers that can board on each floor.

[0108] The process of calculating the number of passengers that can be accommodated on each floor is executed, for example, in step S4 shown in Figure 10, when it is determined that there is registered call information in the elevator control device 12a (i.e., when the answer to step S4 is Yes).

[0109] The processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 calculates the number of passengers that can be accommodated on each floor, and then extracts call information from the call information registered in the elevator control device 12a identified in step S3 shown in Figure 10, which includes floors where the calculated number of passengers can be accommodated is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Subsequently, the processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 executes a process to read a predetermined number of call information from the call management table 42a that are call information from before the elevator car 11 slows down to reach the destination floor, and that were registered in the elevator control device 12a at an earlier time.

[0110] As an example, let's consider a scenario where the passenger capacity on the 1st floor is 2 people, the passenger capacity on the 2nd floor is 0 people, the passenger capacity on the 3rd floor is 2 people, the passenger capacity on the 4th floor is 5 people, and the predetermined threshold for the passenger capacity is 1 person.

[0111] In this case, since the number of passengers who can board on the 1st, 3rd, and 4th floors is above a predetermined threshold, call information that includes the 1st, 3rd, and 4th floors as the floors used is extracted by the process described above. For example, if the state of the call management table 42a stored in the memory unit 42 is as shown in Figure 3, then call information corresponding to "floor used: 1st floor, destination floor: 4th floor" and call information corresponding to "floor used: 4th floor, destination floor: 1st floor" are extracted as call information that can be shared.

[0112] On the other hand, since the number of passengers who can board on the 2nd floor is below a predetermined threshold, call information that includes the 2nd floor as the floor of use is not extracted by the above-described process. For example, if the state of the call management table 42a stored in the memory unit 42 is as shown in Figure 3, the call information corresponding to "Floor of use: 2nd floor, Destination floor: 3rd floor" is not extracted as information for calls that can be shared.

[0113] According to the elevator system 1 of the second embodiment described above, it is possible to prevent information about calls that cannot be shared from being displayed on the mobile terminal 30, in terms of the number of passengers that can be accommodated, thereby improving convenience for users.

[0114] (Third embodiment) A third embodiment will now be described. The elevator system 1 according to the third embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments described above in that, among the call information registered in the elevator control device 12a, information on calls that are registered frequently within a predetermined time period (predetermined time zone) is preferentially presented to the user as information on calls that can be shared.

[0115] In this embodiment, the processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 counts the number of times call information corresponding to the floor of use and destination indicated by the new call information has been registered within a predetermined time, each time new call information is registered in the call management table 42a. The number of times various call information has been registered within a predetermined time is buffered in memory (not shown), and the call management table 42a stores a value obtained by adding 1 to the number of registrations buffered in the memory as the number of registrations for that call information.

[0116] Figure 15 shows an example of a call management table 42a in the third embodiment. As shown in Figure 15, the call management table 42a in the third embodiment differs from the call management table 42a shown in Figure 3 in that it further includes registration count information indicating the number of times the associated call information was registered within a predetermined time (number of registrations).

[0117] For example, the call management table 42a shown in Figure 15 stores information where identification information "id001", floor used "1F", destination floor "4F", registration time "08:01:00", number of passengers "1", and number of registrations "6" are associated with each other. According to this information, there is an upward call from "1F" to "4F" registered at "08:01:00" as a call managed in real time by the elevator control device 12a for "id001", the number of passengers when the elevator car 11 responds to the call is "1", and it is indicated that upward calls from "1F" to "4F" were registered "6 times" within a predetermined time.

[0118] Furthermore, the call management table 42a shown in Figure 15 stores information where the identification information "id001", the floor used "2F", the destination floor "3F", the registration time "08:00:30", the number of passengers expected to ride "1", and the number of registrations "1" are associated with each other. According to this information, the call managed in real time by the elevator control device 12a for "id001" is an upward call from "2F" to "3F" registered at "08:00:30", the number of passengers expected to ride when the elevator car 11 responds to the call is "1", and an upward call from "2F" to "3F" was registered "1" within a predetermined time.

[0119] When the call management table 42a is in the state shown in Figure 15, in the elevator system 1 according to the first and second embodiments described above, the processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 focuses on the registration time and preferentially reads out call information associated with an earlier registration time of "08:00:30" as information for calls that can be shared. However, in the elevator system 1 according to the third embodiment, the processing unit 43 of the cloud server 40 focuses on the number of registrations and preferentially reads out call information associated with a higher number of registrations of "6 times" as information for calls that can be shared.

[0120] According to the elevator system 1 of the third embodiment described above, for example, when information on a specific call is registered more frequently than information on other calls, such as during the morning commute, it becomes possible to prioritize the presentation of information on calls that are considered more useful to the user as information on calls that can be shared, thereby improving convenience for the user.

[0121] According to at least one embodiment described above, it is possible to provide an elevator system that reduces the effort required of users to register their calls using a mobile terminal while suppressing the loss of riding opportunities.

[0122] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0123] 10...Elevator, 11...Car, 12...Elevator control system, 12a...Elevator control device, 12b...Controller, 13...Car door, 14...Car control panel, 15...Display, 16...Destination floor button, 17a...Door open button, 17b...Door close button, 18...In-car camera, 20...Landing, 21...Landing door, 22...Landing control panel, 23...Landing button, 24...Landing camera, 30...Mobile terminal, 31...Elevator application, 40...Cloud server, 41...Communication unit, 42...Storage unit, 42a...Call management table, 42b...Installation location management table, 43...Processing unit, t1...Call management table.

Claims

1. An elevator control device that controls the operation of the elevator car based on call information indicating the floor on which the user boards the elevator car and the floor on which the user alights from the elevator car. An elevator system comprising: a cloud server which is communicatively connected to the elevator control device and a user's mobile terminal on which an elevator application for registering the call information to the elevator control device is installed; The aforementioned cloud server is A storage unit that stores a call management table for managing call information registered in the elevator control device in real time, The system includes a processing unit that, upon receiving notification from the mobile terminal that the elevator application has been launched, reads call information registered in the elevator control device by a user other than the user, which satisfies predetermined conditions, from the call management table, and displays the read call information on the mobile terminal as call information that the user can register. Elevator system.

2. The aforementioned predetermined condition is that the elevator car, which has begun to decelerate, does not include the floor to which it is scheduled to next land as its destination floor. The elevator system according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned processing unit, If one of the call information displayed on the mobile terminal is selected by the user, the selected call information is virtually registered in the elevator control device as the user's call information, and the user and the other user are allowed to ride together in the elevator car. The elevator system according to claim 1.

4. The aforementioned processing unit, If the call information displayed on the mobile terminal is not selected by the user, a screen will be displayed on the mobile terminal that allows the user to manually specify the floor to be used and the destination floor. The elevator system according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned processing unit, When the mobile terminal receives notification that the elevator application has been launched, and there is no call information in the call management table that satisfies the predetermined conditions, the mobile terminal displays a screen to notify the user that there is no call information registered in the elevator control device. The elevator system according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned predetermined condition is that the floors used include floors where the number of passengers that can be accommodated on each floor, calculated based on the number of passengers waiting at the landing on each floor and the number of passengers currently in the elevator car, is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The elevator system according to claim 2.

7. The aforementioned processing unit, Among the call information that satisfies the predetermined conditions, the call information that is frequently registered in the elevator control device is preferentially displayed on the mobile terminal as call information that the user can register. The elevator system according to claim 1.

8. The aforementioned processing unit, When multiple elevators, including the aforementioned elevator, are installed in a building, call information that satisfies the predetermined conditions, and the call information for each elevator is displayed separately on the mobile terminal. The elevator system according to claim 1.

9. The aforementioned processing unit, Call information that satisfies the aforementioned predetermined conditions, wherein call information that includes the top floor as the floor used, call information that includes the bottom floor as the floor used, and call information that includes floors other than the top floor and the bottom floor as the floor used are displayed separately on the mobile terminal. The elevator system according to claim 1.

10. The notification that the elevator application has been launched includes location information indicating the current location of the mobile terminal. The aforementioned processing unit, Identify an elevator control device installed near the location indicated by the location information, and read call information that satisfies the predetermined conditions from the call management table corresponding to the identified elevator control device. The elevator system according to claim 1.

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