CN117842804A - Elevator system - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an elevator system, and more particularly, to an overdetection countermeasure when a noncontact operation panel is used. An elevator system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a non-contact operation panel having a plurality of sensors for detecting registration of a target operation performed by a user in a non-contact manner; an imaging device that acquires an image of the vicinity of the non-contact operation panel; a user idea determination unit that detects the orientation and the motion of a user in a predetermined area within an image acquired by the imaging device, and determines an operation idea of the non-contact operation panel; a switching unit that determines whether or not the non-contact operation panel is detectable based on the information of the operation idea determined by the user idea determining unit, thereby determining that the sensor is valid or invalid; and a registration unit that decides processing based on the switching result of the switching unit and the action of the user.

Description

Elevator system

Related application

The present application enjoys priority of Japanese patent application No. 2022-162066 (application day: 10/7 of 2022). The present application incorporates the entire content of the basic application by reference to this basic application.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an elevator system, and more particularly, to an overdetection countermeasure when a noncontact operation panel is used.

Background

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for a system for performing destination floor registration, opening and closing operations, and the like in an elevator by a non-contact system. Conventionally, as a technique for performing non-contact registration without directly touching a device with a hand, a technique has been proposed in which a sensor for detecting an object is provided near each button of an operation panel in a car or is provided integrally with the button.

Since the sensor detection is usually performed based on the position of the extending hand or finger, the following methods are available as countermeasures against overdetection: when the reaction of the sensors is sequentially performed and the detected time varies, the floor at which the operation is stopped and the detection of the sensor is performed last is registered. Furthermore, the following methods are proposed: when a plurality of sensors are simultaneously detected on a vertically long operation panel, a floor corresponding to the uppermost button to be detected is registered. There is also a method of registering or releasing according to the sensor detection time.

On the other hand, there is a technique of determining the user's action idea by detecting the user's attribute and action.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the above problems, an elevator system according to an embodiment includes: a non-contact operation panel having a plurality of sensors for detecting registration of a target operation performed by a user in a non-contact manner; an imaging device that acquires an image of the vicinity of the non-contact operation panel; a user idea determination unit that detects an orientation and an action of a user in a predetermined area within an image acquired by the image pickup device, and determines an operation idea of the non-contact operation panel; a switching unit that decides whether or not the non-contact operation panel is detectable based on the information of the operation idea decided in the user idea deciding unit, thereby deciding that the sensor is valid or invalid; and a registration unit that decides a process based on a switching result of the switching unit and an action of a user.

According to the present embodiment, the following elevator system may be provided: the registered idea is determined based on information such as the operation of the user who has entered the elevator, and whether the operation of the operation panel in the car is valid or invalid is determined, and then a processing operation according to the situation is performed.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an elevator according to an embodiment as viewed from above.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of an elevator according to an embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a plan view (2) of the elevator according to the embodiment as viewed from above.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view (2) of an elevator according to an embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a plan view (3) of the elevator according to the embodiment as viewed from above.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view (3) of an elevator according to an embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the construction of an elevator system.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the overdetection countermeasure.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart (2) showing an operation of the overdetection countermeasure.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart (3) showing an operation of the overdetection countermeasure.

Detailed Description

Next, the configuration and operation of the elevator and the periphery of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, substantially or essentially the same functions and constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description is given as necessary.

Next, the basic structure of the elevator will be described. An elevator is provided with a car side guide rail and a counterweight side guide rail extending in the up-down direction in an elevator hoistway, and accommodates a car and a counterweight so as to be guided by the guide rails. The car and the counterweight are connected to the main rope, and when the driving force generated by the hoisting machine acts, the main rope moves to lift the car and the counterweight in the elevator shaft, respectively.

Here, an example of the configuration of the elevator system and the situation of the user according to the embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 6. Fig. 1, 3, and 5 are schematic diagrams of an elevator according to an embodiment seen from a top surface, and fig. 2, 4, and 6 are side views of fig. 1, 3, and 5 seen from another angle, respectively.

The direction of entry and exit of the user is referred to as the x-axis direction, the direction of opening and closing of the door is referred to as the y-axis direction, the longitudinal direction of the installation rail is referred to as the z-axis direction, and the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis are orthogonal to each other. The description will be made with reference to a coordinate system provided in the right lower part of each drawing.

A car door 2 is provided on the front surface of the car 1, and when the car 1 reaches a destination floor, power generated by a door motor acts, and the car door 2 starts to open.

The car 1 is provided with an imaging device 3, and can basically continuously acquire images or videos. Hereinafter, whether or not stationary, it is referred to as an image as a figure of acquired information. The imaging device 3 may be provided near the entrance and above the lintel plate, the roof plate, and the other side plates, as long as it is in the car 1. As long as the image information of the car 1 can be acquired, a pre-equipped crime prevention imaging device or an entrance detection imaging device can be used.

The car 1 is provided with an in-car operation panel (main operation panel/first in-car operation panel) 41 and an in-car operation panel (sub-operation panel/second in-car operation panel) 42. The in-car operation panels 41 and 42 have a plurality of sensors, for example, a distance sensor and a plurality of buttons corresponding to the sensors, which can be operated in a noncontact manner, and can be operated to perform destination floor registration and instruction of opening and closing operations. Regarding the noncontact operation, it is assumed that the operation panel is operated with a palm or a fingertip. The first in-car operation panel 41 and the second in-car operation panel 42 are typically provided on different wall surfaces (side plates) in the car 1, respectively.

The passenger who has entered the car 1 is referred to as a user U as a person who uses the system. The imaging device 3 captures an image of the inside of the car 1, and acquires image information such as the presence or absence of the user U.

It is desirable that the installation position of the imaging device 3 can be monitored in the vicinity of the in-car operation panels 41 and 42. Particularly, it is preferable that the hand motion of the user is observed when the user faces the operation panel. The imaging device 3 acquires images of the vicinity of the in-car operation panels 41 and 42.

Fig. 1 to 4 show the case where the standing position of the user U is in the vicinity of the in-car operation panel 41, and fig. 5 and 6 show the case where the standing position of the user U is in the vicinity of the in-car operation panel 42. Fig. 3 and 4 show that the user U is about to operate the in-car operation panel 41. Although the situation in the car 1 other than the user U is not illustrated, the degree of congestion in the car 1 and the standing position of other passengers are not limited, and the operation of the present embodiment and the like are performed according to the presence or absence of the user U in the vicinity of the operation panels 41 and 42 in the car.

The configuration of the elevator system according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram of fig. 7.

The system is composed of an imaging device 3, in-car operation panels 41 and 42, a user idea determination unit 51, a switching unit 52, and a registration unit 53.

The image pickup device 3 always monitors images in the car 1, particularly images in the vicinity of the operation panels 41 and 42 in the car, detects the presence or absence of the user U, and sends the acquired images to the user idea determination unit 51. The information of the image pickup device 3 may be acquired periodically at fixed intervals and the information may be transmitted periodically, regardless of the presence or absence of detection of the user U.

The in-car operation panels 41 and 42 are non-contact operation panels supporting non-contact operation and button pressing operation, and can perform destination operations such as destination floor registration and opening/closing operation instruction by any of the operations.

The user idea determining unit 51 that acquires image information including the presence or absence of the user U in the car monitors the orientation and operation of the body of the target user U in a predetermined area in which the idea of the user U can be assumed to be reflected. The learning function is fully utilized to identify a plurality of modes such as a form, an orientation, and a hand-extending operation toward the operation panel of the person in advance.

It can be inferred that the registered ideas are expressed everywhere, for example, the orientation of the feet or shoulders against the operation panel, and the state where the movement of a large part of the body is not confirmed but the movement of one arm or finger is detected, and the like. When the hand is extended to a predetermined position, it is determined that there is a registered idea, and a user-required operation process such as destination floor registration and instruction to open/close operation is performed based on the movement of the hand or finger. In contrast, an unregistered idea can be inferred for an unintentional motion such as a motion of bringing the body close to the sensor or an arm or hand motion for changing hands to hold luggage. If the pattern category does not match any of the pattern categories identified in advance, the presence or absence of the registered ideas is learned in association with the pattern according to the subsequent operation.

By recognizing the operation mode with the registered ideas and the operation mode without the registered ideas, the registered ideas are determined based on the user's actions. Alternatively, the method may be configured to determine that there is no registered idea when the operation mode does not match the operation mode having the registered idea.

Further, when a plurality of users other than one user are detected, each user is detected to perform motion. Then, whether or not an operation is to be performed is determined based on the operation information of the user U, and the information is sent to the switching unit 52. The judgment of the idea is based on pattern recognition, but the accuracy may be improved by updating the judgment according to the user's action.

The switching unit 52 determines whether or not the non-contact operation panels (the in-car operation panels 41, 42) are available for detection and the validity of the sensor used for the non-contact operation based on the presence or absence of the user's mind received from the user mind determining unit 51.

The switching means 52 is connected to the in-car operation panels 41 and 42, and can switch the sensor to be active or inactive. In the case where the idea of registration is not seen only in the proximity of the noncontact operation panel, the sensor is switched to be inactive.

The registration unit 53 recognizes the switching result of the switching unit and the operation of the user, determines the process, and outputs the instruction of control.

When the user has a registration idea and the sensor is activated, the user is not registered and is set to a detection state during a period when the user confirms that the hand is moving. When it is confirmed that the hand has stopped, the process proceeds to registration processing. By not registering when the finger of the user U is moving and registering when the stop is confirmed, detection can be prevented.

Alternatively, the registration unit 53 may be provided with a temporary registration function and a formal registration function, and temporary registration may be performed during operation, and formal registration may be performed after the stop.

With regard to the above-described user idea determining means 51, switching means 52, and registering means 53, it is desirable that these functions are provided in a part of the control device that performs control related to the operation of the car 1.

Further, in addition to these configurations, it is also possible to determine whether the operation of the user U is based on touch sensing or non-touch.

The determination of the operation based on the contact sensing is made based on the operation of the non-contact operation panel or the image acquired from the image pickup device. In the case of using the noncontact operation panel, the sensors of the in-car operation panels 41 and 42 are distance sensors, and the distance between the distance sensors and the object such as a finger is measured to determine whether the operation is the contact sensing or the noncontact operation. For example, if the distance between the operation panel and the finger is zero, it is determined that the touch is sensed. Further, it is determined whether the user U has hit the operation panel by using the in-car image acquired from the image pickup device.

Further, an attribute determination unit may be provided that performs attribute determination based on the form of the object including the user U or the carried object using the image acquired by the image pickup device. Can judge the attributes of common users (adults), common users (children), wheelchair users, users with bad eyesight, and the like.

Regarding the attribute determination, for example, whether or not it is an object attribute is determined using an image. In the present embodiment, the object attribute refers to a user with poor eyesight, such as a person with impaired eyesight. For example, when a person with vision impairment is detected, a judgment is made based on whether the person holds a walking stick, whether the person carries a guide dog, or the like. In addition to these shapes, particularly for a guide dog, the judgment can be made according to the wearing condition of a white or yellow traction belt or the canine species. Further, the judgment may be made based on whether or not the user certificate is held. When the user is visually impaired by performing the attribute determination in this manner, the touch sensing (button pressing) operation is more appropriate than the non-touch operation, and thus the processing of regarding the attribute as the object can be performed.

Next, a flow of processing from the start of the action to the completion is shown using fig. 8 to 10.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart of the operation processing of the present system as an overdetection countermeasure.

When the operation starts, it is determined whether or not the user U has entered the car (step S101). When the entrance of the user U is detected and the image given by the image pickup device 3 is acquired (step S101: yes), the idea of the user is determined based on the acquired image (step S102). If it is not determined that there is an entrance (step S101: NO), the operation is repeated until there is an entrance.

If it is determined that there is no idea (step S103), the sensors of the noncontact operation panel (in-car operation panels 41 and 42) are deactivated (step S104), and the process ends. Regarding the presence or absence of a registered idea, a determination is made by identifying whether or not the registered idea matches an operation mode of the registered idea or an operation mode of the non-registered idea. For example, the user may determine that the user is approaching or leaning near the sensor, and the like, that there is no registered idea.

When it is determined that there is an idea (yes in step S103), the sensors of the non-contact operation panels (in-car operation panels 41 and 42) are activated (step S105), the operation panel detection is confirmed (step S106), and registration/control such as destination floor registration and opening/closing operation is performed (step S107), whereby the process is smoothly performed and ended. A registered idea is determined for the body facing the operation panel, one arm moving toward the operation panel, and the like.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation processing, and the processing in the case where the operation of the in-car operation panels 41 and 42 is based on the touch sensing and/or the user matches the object attribute will be described.

After the start of the operation, steps S201 to S202 are the same as those described in fig. 8 (steps S101 to S102).

Whether or not an operation is detected on the in-car operation panels 41, 42, or whether or not the operation is a touch-sensitive or non-touch operation is determined in parallel (step S203). Further, the attribute is determined from the image acquired by the image pickup device based on the held baggage, the action, or the like (step S204). For the detection of the operation in step S203, it is determined whether or not a touch sensing operation is present (step S205), and if it is determined that a touch sensing operation is present (step S205: yes), it is checked whether or not the attribute determined in step S204 is the object attribute, that is, the user with poor eyesight in the present embodiment (step S206). When it is determined that the user is a person with visual impairment based on the held article or the like (yes in step S206), the sensor of the noncontact operation panel (in-car operation panel 41, 42) is deactivated (step S207), and only registration by button press is permitted instead of noncontact operation. When it is confirmed that the registration by the button press has been performed (step S208), the process ends. The determination of the operation based on the contact sensing is made based on the operation of the non-contact operation panel or the image acquired from the image pickup device.

If the contactless sensing operation is determined (no in step S205) or if the person is not determined to have vision impairment (no in step S206), the process proceeds to fig. 8 (a). The subsequent flow is identical to that described above.

As described above, in fig. 9, when the determination of invalidating the sensor is made, two elements of the operation panel detection based on the touch sensing and the attribute determination are combined, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the processing of invalidating the sensor may be performed according to any one of them. In addition, the following units may also be provided: when the sensor is not valid, the user is notified that registration is performed by touch sensing (button press) rather than a noncontact operation.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation processing, and illustrates processing in a case where a user has registered an idea but fails to confirm the detection of the sensor within a certain period of time.

After the start of the operation, steps S301 to S305 are the same as those described in fig. 8 (steps S101 to S105).

After the sensor of the non-contact operation panel (in-car operation panel 41, 42) is activated (step S305), the presence or absence of detection of the operation panel is confirmed (step S306). If it is determined that there is no detection for a certain period of time (yes in step S306), the user fails to correctly make the operation panel detection although there is a registered idea, and therefore, the detection is notified that there is no detection or no registration (step S307), and the flow returns to step S306. When it is determined that the detection is performed for a predetermined period of time (step S306: NO), the detection of the operation panel is confirmed (step S308), and registration/control such as destination floor registration and opening/closing operation is performed (step S309).

As described above, appropriate control is performed according to whether or not the user registers an idea. In the case of mind, the sensor of the non-contact operation panel is set to be active, and in the case of mind, the sensor of the non-contact operation panel is set to be inactive.

By detecting the user's registration ideas in the car 1 and registering the destination floor in this way, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of unexpected and accidental call registration. The user's unpleasant feeling is reduced while the decrease in running efficiency is effectively suppressed.

Further, in the case where it is determined that the user performs registration by touch sensing based on the image acquired by the image pickup device 3 in the attribute determination of the user as shown in fig. 9, it is possible to determine that the user is a visually impaired user, and it is possible to implement the idea of button registration without control requiring sensor detection, which is effective for preventing overdetection.

By acquiring image information in the car 1, particularly in the vicinity of the operation panel, and using image analysis or pattern recognition, the operational idea of the user can be determined from the actions of the fingers and the body orientation of the user entering the elevator. In addition to the normal user (adult), the normal user (child), a user with poor eyesight, a wheelchair user, and the like can realize appropriate motion control based on the image information in the car 1.

In addition, the user idea determination unit 51 can perform idea determination by detecting the body orientation or the line of sight even in a situation where the motion of the user's hand is not observed due to the position of the imaging device 3. When the line of sight is used as a material for the idea determination, the line of sight after the user has stepped for a certain period of time is detected using a line of sight detection technique. In this case, the determination is made based on whether or not a part or the whole of the in-car operation panels 41 and 42, which are objects to be observed, is being observed.

The mode of the idea determination may be arbitrarily set, that is, when the user does not have activity for a certain period of time after getting into the elevator, it is determined that no registered idea is performed, and thereafter, when the sensor detection of the operation panel is performed due to congestion or the like, the sensor is deactivated or the like.

The present invention has been described with reference to the destination floor registration button in the embodiment, but the present invention is also applicable to a call button provided in a hall. In this case, an imaging device is provided at a position where the hall operation panel can be monitored. In this case, the in-car operation panels 41 and 42 in fig. 5 are replaced with hall operation panels.

As described above, according to the embodiment, by providing the non-contact operation panel, the imaging device that performs imaging around the non-contact operation, the means for determining the operational idea of the user, and the means for performing registration based on the operation control of these devices, it is possible to effectively suppress the occurrence of unnecessary call registration and use the elevator comfortably.

While the embodiments and several modifications of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

Symbol description

1 … car, 2 … car door, 3 … camera, 41 … car interior operation panel (main operation panel/first car interior operation panel), 42 … car interior operation panel (sub operation panel/second car interior operation panel), 51 … user idea determining means, 52 … switching means, 53 … registering means, U … user.

Claims (9)

1. An elevator system, comprising:

a non-contact operation panel having a plurality of sensors for detecting registration of a target operation performed by a user in a non-contact manner;

an imaging device that acquires an image of the vicinity of the non-contact operation panel;

a user idea determination unit that detects an orientation and an action of a user in a predetermined area within an image acquired by the image pickup device, and determines an operation idea of the non-contact operation panel;

a switching unit that decides whether or not the non-contact operation panel is detectable based on the information of the operation idea decided in the user idea deciding unit, thereby deciding that the sensor is valid or invalid; and

and a registration unit for determining processing according to the switching result of the switching unit and the action of a user.

2. An elevator system according to claim 1, characterized in that,

the registration means performs control in accordance with the operation of the non-contact operation panel, does not register during a period in which the user who has a registered idea is performing the operation of the finger, and instructs the process in the form of a formal registration when the operation is stopped.

3. An elevator system according to claim 2, characterized in that,

has a means for determining the touch feeling of the non-touch operation panel,

in the case where it is determined that the user has performed the touch sensing operation, the switching unit sets the sensor to be inactive.

4. An elevator system according to claim 2, characterized in that,

further comprising an attribute determination unit that determines an attribute of the user using the image acquired from the image pickup device,

the switching unit sets the sensor to be invalid in a case where the attribute judged by the attribute judging unit is included in the object attribute having vision impairment.

5. An elevator system according to claim 2, characterized in that,

further comprising an attribute determination unit that determines an attribute of the user using the image acquired from the image pickup device,

the elevator system has a unit for determining a touch perception to the non-touch operation panel,

the switching unit sets the sensor to be inactive in a case where a touch sensing operation is performed by the user and the attribute judged by the attribute judging unit is included in the object attribute having vision impairment.

6. Elevator system according to claim 3 or 5, characterized in that,

the sensor of the non-contact operation panel is a distance sensor,

the means for determining contact sensing of the non-contact operation panel determines by measuring a distance from the distance sensor of the non-contact operation panel to a finger or the like of a user.

7. Elevator system according to claim 3 or 5, characterized in that,

the means for determining contact perception of the non-contact operation panel makes a determination using information obtained from an acquired image of the image pickup device.

8. Elevator system according to any of claims 2-5, characterized in that,

the user idea determining unit detects any one of an orientation and an action of the user in the vicinity of the non-contact operation panel in the image acquired from the image pickup device, and compares the detected orientation and action with a plurality of patterns registered in advance to determine the presence or absence of an idea.

9. The elevator system of claim 8, wherein,

when the sensor is activated, the registration means notifies the user that the operation of the non-contact operation panel has not been detected for a predetermined period of time.