JP7124181B1 - elevator system - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to ensure responsiveness of call registration while suppressing consumption of battery power by scanning beacon signals at appropriate timing. An elevator system according to one embodiment includes an elevator control device for controlling operation of a car, a first radio signal device installed at a landing of an arbitrary floor, and a radio signal device installed in the car. and a second radio signal device. A mobile terminal has a first scan mode in which a radio signal is scanned in a first cycle, and a second scan mode in which a radio signal is scanned in a second cycle set shorter than the first cycle. Then, the first scan mode or the second scan mode is set based on the registration modes of the hall call and the car call provided in the application software. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an elevator system that performs call registration using a user's mobile terminal.

In general, a hall call button for registering a hall call is installed at the hall on each floor of a building. When the user of the elevator operates the hall call button, the car responds to the registered floor of the hall call. When the user gets into the car and operates the destination floor button on the car operating panel, the destination floor is registered and the car moves to the destination floor.

Here, in recent years, an elevator system has been considered in which call registration is performed using a portable terminal owned by a user. This is done by installing application software for call registration on a mobile terminal in advance, and using radio waves emitted from a radio signal device called a "beacon" when a user arrives at a platform on any floor. Then, the application software is started, a car is called, and the destination floor of the user is registered in the car.

Japanese Patent No. 6321124 JP 2018-111606 A

In the elevator system described above, hands-free call registration is realized by the mobile terminal of the user receiving the radio signal of the beacon. However, if the operation (scanning) for searching for wireless signals is performed in a short period in order to emphasize the responsiveness of call registration, battery power consumption of the mobile terminal increases. On the other hand, if the scan cycle is lengthened in order to reduce battery power consumption, the responsiveness of call registration may be degraded, and the user may not be able to get on the elevator (car) immediately.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an elevator system capable of ensuring responsiveness of call registration while suppressing battery power consumption by scanning beacon signals at appropriate timing.

An elevator system according to one embodiment performs call registration using a mobile terminal owned by a user. The elevator system includes an elevator control device for controlling the operation of the car, and an application software for call registration installed in the hall of an arbitrary floor. A first radio signal device for transmitting a radio signal containing necessary information, and a second radio signal device installed in the car for transmitting a radio signal containing information necessary for car call registration. .

By starting the application software, the portable terminal wirelessly connects to the first radio signal device at the hall, performs registration processing of the hall call, and wirelessly communicates with the second radio signal device in the car. A control means is provided for connecting and performing registration processing of the car call. The control means selects between a first scan mode in which radio signals are scanned in a first cycle and a second scan mode in which radio signals are scanned in a second cycle set shorter than the first cycle. and setting the first scan mode or the second scan mode based on the hall call and car call registration modes provided in the application software.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an elevator system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an elevator control device provided in the elevator system. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a radio signal device provided in the elevator system. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of a portable terminal used in the elevator system. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the mobile terminal. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a property boarding table provided in the portable terminal. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining general call registration using a beacon. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the scan mode. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining call registration using a beacon in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between scan mode and call registration in the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing processing operations of the elevator system in the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining call registration using a beacon in the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between scan mode and call registration in the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing processing operations of the elevator system in the second embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining call registration using a beacon in the third embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the relationship between scan mode and call registration in the third embodiment. FIG. 17 is a flow chart showing processing operations of the elevator system in the third embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining call registration using a beacon in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the relationship between scan mode and call registration in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 20 is a flow chart showing processing operations of the elevator system in the fourth embodiment.

Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.
The disclosure is merely an example, and the 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 disclosure. In order to make the explanation clearer, in the drawings, the size, shape, etc. of each part may be changed from the actual embodiment and shown schematically. Corresponding elements in multiple drawings may be denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed descriptions thereof may be omitted.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an elevator system according to the first embodiment.
For example, an elevator 11 is installed in a building such as an office building. Elevator 11 comprises car 12 and elevator controller 13 . The car 12 is vertically supported by a pair of guide rails erected in the hoistway, and moves between floors in response to a hall call or a car call.

A "hall call" is a call signal registered at the hall of each floor, and includes information on the registered floor and destination direction. A "car call" is a call signal registered in a car and includes destination floor information. As will be described later, in this system, it is possible to register hall calls and car calls using the user's portable terminal 25, and button operations (operations of the hall button 23 and the destination floor button 17) in the hall and inside the car. becomes unnecessary. Note that "car call registration" is also called "destination floor registration".

A car door 14 is attached to the entrance of the car 12 so as to be openable and closable, and a car operating panel 15 is provided in the vicinity of the car door 14 . The car operation panel 15 has a display 16 for displaying the current position of the car 12 and the driving direction, as well as a destination floor button 17 corresponding to each floor of the building, a door open button 18a, a door close button 18b, and the like. Various operation buttons including

The elevator control device 13, also called a “control panel”, is installed in a machine room (not shown) provided at the top of the building or in the upper part of the hoistway, and controls the entire elevator including the operation control of the car 12. I do.

On the other hand, in the landing 20 of each floor, a landing door 21 is attached to the arrival gate of the car 12 so as to be able to open and close, and a landing operating panel 22 is provided near the landing door 21 . The landing door 21 opens and closes together with the car door 14 when the car 12 arrives. A drive source (door motor) is provided on the car door 14 side, and the landing door 21 engages with the car door 14 to open and close. The landing control panel 22 is provided with a landing button 23 for making the car 12 respond to the landing 20 . The hall button 23 consists of an upward button and a downward button for designating the user's destination direction (only the upward button on the bottom floor and only the downward button on the top floor).

Here, in this embodiment, a wireless signal device 27 made of, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) is installed at an arbitrary location in the hall 20 . The radio signal device 27 is used as a "hall beacon" and emits a radio signal in a predetermined frequency band. The place where the radio signal device 27 is installed is, for example, a wall near the hall door 21, but is not particularly limited, and is within a range where the radio signal reaches the portable terminal 25 held by the user (passenger) who has come to the hall 20. Anywhere is fine.

The radio signal device 27 is installed in the hall 20 of each floor including the reference floor. The radio signal device 27 is connected to the elevator control device 13 and the hall control panel 22 by wire or radio, and is always turned on during operation of the elevator 11 (car 12) to transmit information necessary for hall call registration. It has a function of transmitting radio waves in a predetermined frequency band. The information necessary for registering the hall call includes "property information" and "current floor".

A radio signal device 28 is also installed in the car 12 . The radio signal device 28 is used as an "in-car beacon" and has a function of transmitting information necessary for car call registration by radio waves in a predetermined frequency band. The location where the wireless signal device 28 is installed is, for example, the wall near the car door 14, but is not particularly limited, and is within the range where the wireless signal reaches the mobile terminal 25 held by the user (passenger) who has come to the landing 20. Anywhere is fine. The radio signal device 28 is connected to the elevator control device 13 and the car operation panel 15 by wire or radio, and is always turned on during operation of the elevator 11 (car 12) to transmit information necessary for car call registration. It has a function of transmitting radio waves in a predetermined frequency band. The information necessary for registering the car call includes "property information", "current floor", "destination direction", and the like.

The mobile terminal 25 owned by the user is a general mobile phone, smart phone, or the like. Application software 26 for call registration is pre-installed in the portable terminal 25 . This call registration application software 26 is developed by a company related to the elevator 11 and can be freely downloaded from a website that depends on the OS (Operating System) of the portable terminal 25 .

By using this application software 26, user boarding information can be set for each of a plurality of properties. The "property" referred to here is a building in which an elevator having this system is installed. As will be described later, the user's boarding information includes group name, boarding floor, and destination floor information for each property (see FIG. 6).

When the mobile terminal 25 receives the radio signal transmitted from the radio signal device 27 at the hall 20, the application software 26 is activated. As a result, the portable terminal 25 performs hall call registration processing via the radio signal device 27 installed at the hall 20 . When the hall call registration is completed, the mobile terminal 25 performs car call registration processing via the radio signal device 28 installed in the car 12 .

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the elevator control device 13. As shown in FIG.
The elevator control device 13 includes a control section 31 , a storage section 32 and a communication section 33 . The control unit 31 is a part that executes various processes necessary for operating the elevator 11 by starting a program, and has an operation control unit 31a, a car position detection unit 31b, and a door opening/closing control unit 31c.

The operation control unit 31 a controls the operation of the car 12 . More specifically, the operation control unit 31a drives the car 12 toward the user's destination floor after making the car 12 respond to the boarding floor of the user based on the hall call registered at the hall 20.例文帳に追加The car position detector 31 b detects the current position of the car 12 . As a detection method, for example, there is a method of calculating the current position of the car 12 from a value obtained by counting pulse signals of a pulse encoder output in synchronization with the rotation of the hoisting machine.

The door opening/closing control unit 31c controls opening/closing operation of the car door 14 when the car 12 arrives at the hall 20. FIG. Specifically, when the floor landing detection device (not shown) detects that the car 12 has landed on the landing 20, the door opening/closing control unit 31c moves the car door 14 in the door opening direction to fully open it. Then, after a predetermined time has passed, the door opening/closing control section 31c moves the car door 14 in the door closing direction to fully close it. The landing door 21 also moves in the same direction as the car door 14 moves.

The storage unit 32 stores information on hall calls and car calls sent from the mobile terminal 25 of the user. The control unit 31 controls the operation of the car 12 based on the information stored in the storage unit 32 . The communication unit 33 performs communication processing with the mobile terminal 25 and the elevator control device 13 .

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the radio signal devices 27 and 28. As shown in FIG.
The radio signal device 27 and the radio signal device 28 have basically the same configuration and include a control section 34 and a communication section 35 . The control unit 34 processes radio signals related to call registration. The communication unit 35 performs transmission/reception processing of radio signals in a preset frequency band.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of the mobile terminal 25. As shown in FIG.
The passenger's mobile terminal 25 is, for example, a mobile phone, a smart phone, or the like, and is a small terminal device with a communication function. Application software 26 for call registration described above is installed in the portable terminal 25 . 26a in the figure is an icon indicating that the application software 26 is installed. As described above, when the mobile terminal 25 receives a radio signal in a predetermined frequency band from the radio signal device (hall beacon) 27 installed at the hall 20, the application software 26 is activated.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the mobile terminal 25. As shown in FIG.
The mobile terminal 25 held by the user includes an input unit 41, a display unit 42, a control unit 43, an audio input/output unit 44, a storage unit 45, a GPS (Global Positioning System) module 46, a communication unit 47, a battery 48, and the like. It is

The input unit 41 is composed of various keys, buttons, etc., and performs data input and instructions. The display unit 42 is, for example, an LCD, and displays data. For example, a transparent touch panel may be used as the input unit 41, and data may be input/instructed on the screen of the display unit 42. FIG.

The control unit 43 is composed of a CPU, and executes various functions by starting a predetermined program. By starting the application software 26 for call registration, the control unit 43 performs registration processing of hall calls and car calls. Further, as will be described later, the control unit 43 has an energy-saving-oriented mode (first scan mode) and a responsiveness-oriented mode (second scan mode) as beacon scan functions. The energy-saving mode is a mode in which radio signals are scanned at the first period Ta. The responsiveness-oriented mode is a mode in which radio signals are scanned at a second period Tb set shorter than the first period Ta. Based on the call registration mode of the application software 26, the control unit 43 sets the energy-saving mode or the responsiveness-oriented mode.

The voice input/output unit 44 is composed of a microphone for inputting voice and a speaker for outputting voice. The storage unit 45 is composed of memory devices such as ROM and RAM, and stores various programs including the application software 26 . Further, the storage unit 45 is provided with a property boarding table T1.

As shown in FIG. 6, the property boarding table T1 stores user boarding information arbitrarily set for each property using the application software 26 in advance. The boarding information includes information on the user's boarding floor and destination floor. Properties a, b, and c in the figure are, for example, residential apartments, head office buildings, branch buildings, etc., and are properties equipped with elevators that users use on a daily basis. Furthermore, the boarding information may include a group name such as a bank, for example. For example, in a high-rise building, a plurality of cars may be divided into a low-rise bank and a high-rise bank. A user boardes a low-rise bank car or a high-rise bank car according to his or her destination floor. A bank and B bank in the figure are, for example, a low bank and a high bank.

A GPS module 46 is used to detect the current position. The communication unit 47 is a general-purpose interface for wireless communication with the outside, and enables long-distance wireless communication using a public line network and close proximity wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) and Wi-Fi. and The battery 48 is, for example, a lithium ion battery, has a predetermined capacity, and supplies power necessary for the operation of each section.

Hereinafter, the radio signal device 27 installed in the hall 20 is referred to as the "hall beacon 27", and the radio signal device 28 installed in the car 12 is referred to as the "car beacon 28". Also, "registration of hall call" is sometimes called "registration of destination direction", and "registration of car call" is sometimes called "registration of destination floor".

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining general call registration using a beacon, and FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a scan mode.

As shown in FIG. 7, it is now assumed that the user A has a portable terminal 25 and comes to the hall 20 on an arbitrary floor. Application software 26 for call registration is downloaded to the mobile terminal 25 in advance. A landing beacon 27 is installed in the landing 20, and an in-car beacon 28 is installed in the car 12.例文帳に追加Registration of hall calls is performed by wirelessly connecting the portable terminal 25 to the hall beacon 27 at the hall 20 . Car call registration is performed by wirelessly connecting the mobile terminal 25 to the hall beacon 27 in the car 12 .

When Bluetooth (registered trademark) is used as the landing beacon 27 and the in-car beacon 28, the effective range of radio waves is about 10 m. The effective range of the in-car beacons 28 installed in the car 12 is typically capable of covering the entire inside of the car. Therefore, the signal of the in-car beacon 28 can be received wherever the user A is in the car 12 . On the other hand, in the case of the hall beacon 27 installed in the hall 20, the signal of the hall beacon 27 cannot be received unless the user A approaches the place where the hall beacon 27 is installed.

"Scan" refers to the operation of periodically receiving radio signals. Scanning is realized by an application (application software 26) using the communication function of the mobile terminal 25 and executing a scan program. Therefore, power is consumed during the scanning operation. In the case of the portable terminal 25, the electric power of the battery 48 is consumed, which is inconvenient for the user A.

Here, if the scan cycle (the time interval for scanning the signal) is adjusted, it is possible to suppress the consumption of the battery 48, but the responsiveness of the call registration deteriorates. In other words, as shown in FIG. 8, shortening the scan period and performing scans frequently improves the responsiveness of call registration, but increases the power consumption of the battery 48 (scan timing -A). On the other hand, if the scan period is lengthened, the response performance will deteriorate, but the power consumption of the battery 48 can be suppressed (scan timing -B). In the example of FIG. 8, it becomes possible to respond two seconds after entering the effective range.

Scan timing-A is called energy saving mode, and scan timing-B is called responsiveness mode. Generally, the energy saving mode is used. Even if it takes a little time to connect to the hall beacon 27 when the user A is at the hall 20, once the connection is established, the hall call is automatically registered in the hall operating panel 22, and the car 12 is transferred to the hall. 20 can be called. However, in the car 12, responsiveness is required compared to the landing 20. FIG. This is because, for example, when a large number of users are on board, if it takes time to connect to the in-car beacon 28, the car 12 will move to the destination floor of another user before the destination floor of user A is registered. This is because there is a possibility of leaving for

Thus, in an elevator, it is necessary to establish separate wireless connections in the hall 20 and in the car 12, and different responsiveness is required in each place. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the balance between battery consumption and call registration responsiveness.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining call registration using a beacon in the first embodiment, and FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between scan mode and call registration in the same embodiment. The application software 26 has a "platform call registration mode" and a "car call registration mode" as call registration modes. In the initial state, the "platform call registration mode" is set, and after the platform call is registered, the "platform call registration mode" is switched to the "car call registration mode".

Here, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in this system, when the "hall call registration mode" is set, the signal of the hall beacon 27 is scanned in the energy saving mode. When the hall call is registered, the "hall call registration mode" is switched to the "car call registration mode". In the "car call registration mode", the responsiveness-oriented mode is set and the signal of the in-car beacon 28 is scanned.

In the example of FIG. 10, the scanning in the energy saving mode is performed at intervals of 3 seconds. Scanning in response-oriented mode is at intervals of 1 second. Therefore, when the user A enters the effective range of the hall beacon 27, scanning is performed at intervals of 3 seconds in the energy saving mode. After registering the hall call, it switches to the response-oriented mode. As a result, when user A enters the effective range of the in-car beacon 28, scanning is performed at intervals of one second in the response-oriented mode. When car call registration (destination floor registration) is completed in the "car call registration mode", the system returns to the "platform call registration mode" and enters the background state (standby state) in the energy saving mode.

Next, operation of the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the elevator system in the first embodiment, and mainly shows the processing of the user's portable terminal 25 (control section 43).
Suppose now that the user has brought the mobile terminal 25 and has come to the boarding floor set in advance for each property. Application software 26 for call registration is installed in the portable terminal 25 in advance. In the initial state, the "platform call registration mode" is set (step S11).

In the "hall call registration mode", the control unit 43 provided in the portable terminal 25 scans the signal of the hall beacon 27 in the energy saving mode (step S12). Specifically, the control unit 43 controls the scanning operation of the communication unit 47 so as to scan the radio signal generated from the hall beacon 27 at the first period Ta. The first period Ta is, for example, an interval of 3 seconds.

When the signal of the hall beacon 27 is received (Yes in step S13), the control unit 43 executes hall call registration processing through the hall beacon 27 (step S14). Specifically, based on the property information transmitted from the hall beacon 27, the control unit 43 retrieves the user's boarding information (group, boarding floor, destination floor) corresponding to the current property from the property boarding table T1 in FIG. read out. The control unit 43 sends the boarding information of the user to the elevator control device 13 via the hall beacon 27 or an access point (not shown). As a result, the elevator control device 13 registers the user's destination direction (upward or downward) in the hall operating panel 22 as a hall call.

When the hall call registration is completed, the "hall call registration mode" is switched to the "car call registration mode" (step S15). In the "car call registration mode", the control unit 43 scans the signal of the in-car beacon 28 in the response-oriented mode (step S16). Specifically, the control unit 43 controls the scanning operation of the communication unit 47 so as to scan the signal generated from the in-car beacon 28 at the second period Tb. The second period Tb is, for example, an interval of 1 second (Ta>Tb).

When the signal from the in-car beacon 28 is received (Yes in step S17), the control unit 43 executes car call registration processing through the in-car beacon 28 (step S18). Specifically, the beacon 28 in the car transmits the operation information including the current floor of the car 12 and the destination direction. In the destination floor registration mode, the portable terminal 25 compares the boarding information of the user set in the application with the driving information of the car 12 transmitted from the in-car beacon 28 . The user's boarding information set in the application is stored in the property boarding table T1 for each property, as shown in FIG. If both pieces of information match, the portable terminal 25 sends the destination floor of the user to the elevator control device 13 via the in-car beacon 28 or an access point (not shown). As a result, the destination floor of the user is registered in the car operating panel 15 of the car 12 as a car call.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, when in the "hall call registration mode", the radio signal of the hall beacon is scanned in the energy-saving mode, and when in the "car call registration mode", the radio signal in the car is scanned in the response-oriented mode. Scan for radio signals for beacons. As a result, the power consumption of the battery can be suppressed by the energy-saving mode until the user is at the hall and registers the hall call. On the other hand, after the hall call is registered, the responsiveness to the car call is improved by the responsiveness-oriented mode. Therefore, when the user gets into the car, the destination floor of the user can be reliably registered before the car closes and the car departs.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described.
In the above-described first embodiment, after the registration of the hall call, the mode is switched from the energy saving mode to the responsiveness mode on the assumption that the user is in the car. However, in reality, even if a hall call is registered, the car does not arrive at the hall immediately. For example, if the car is located away from the registered floor of the hall call, or if another call is registered in the middle of the floor, it takes time for the car to arrive. Therefore, if the mode is switched to the response-oriented mode immediately after the hall call is registered, the power consumption during that time is wasted. In view of this point, the second embodiment is configured to switch from the energy saving mode to the responsiveness mode when the car approaches the floor where the hall call is registered after the hall call is registered.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining call registration using a beacon in the second embodiment, and FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the relationship between scan mode and call registration in the same embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the beacon scanning for the "platform call registration mode" is performed in the energy-saving mode, and the beacon scanning for the "car call registration mode" is performed in the response-oriented mode.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the call registration application software 26 has a "car call standby mode" and a "car call registration mode" for car call registration. When the hall call is registered, the "hall call registration mode" is switched to the "car call standby mode". The "car call standby mode" is a mode for waiting for the registration of a car call according to the operating state of the car 12, and continues until the car 12 approaches the registered floor for the hall call. be.

When the car 12 approaches the registered floor for the hall call, the 'car call waiting mode' is canceled and switched to the 'car call registration mode'. “When the car 12 approaches the registered floor for the hall call” specifically means when an arrival forecast signal is transmitted from the hall beacon 27 in accordance with an instruction from the elevator control device 13 . The elevator control device 13 detects the current position of the car 12, lights a lantern (not shown), and transmits an arrival forecast signal from the hall beacon 27 when the elevator car 12 approaches the registered floor of the hall call. At this time, the beacon scanning function of the mobile terminal 25 is in the energy saving mode. Therefore, this arrival forecast signal is used as a trigger to switch to the "car call registration mode" and to set the responsiveness emphasis mode. As a result, the energy-saving emphasis mode can be maintained until the car 12 arrives, and wasteful power consumption can be suppressed. When car call registration (destination floor registration) is completed in the "car call registration mode", the system returns to the "platform call registration mode" and enters the background state (standby state) in the energy saving mode.

Next, operation of the second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the elevator system in the second embodiment, and mainly shows the processing of the user's portable terminal 25 (control section 43). In FIG. 14, the same steps as those in the flowchart of FIG. 10 are assigned the same steps, and different processing portions will be described here.

In the initial state, the "platform call registration mode" is set, and the control unit 43 provided in the mobile terminal 25 executes the platform call registration process when receiving the signal from the platform beacon 27 in the energy-saving mode. (steps S11 to S14).

Here, in the second embodiment, when the hall call registration is completed, the "hall call registration mode" is switched to the "car call standby mode" (step S21). As described above, the "car call standby mode" is a mode for waiting for registration of a car call according to the operating state of the car 12, until the car 12 approaches the registered floor for the hall call. is continued during When the car 12 approaches the registered floor for the hall call, an arrival forecast signal is transmitted from the hall beacon 27 along with lighting of a lantern (not shown). When the control unit 43 receives the arrival forecast signal in the energy-saving mode (Yes in step S22), it switches from the "car call standby mode" to the "car call registration mode" (step S16). is set (step S17).

The rest is the same as in the first embodiment, and the control unit 43 executes car call registration processing when receiving a signal from the in-car beacon 28 in the responsiveness emphasizing mode (steps S17 and S18).

As described above, according to the second embodiment, after the hall call is registered, the mode is switched from the energy-saving emphasis mode to the responsiveness emphasis mode when the car approaches the registered floor of the hall call. As a result, the consumption of battery power can be suppressed until the car arrives, and after the car arrives, the car call can be quickly registered by wirelessly connecting to the beacon in the car in the responsiveness emphasizing mode. can be done.

(Third Embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described.
In the third embodiment, another hall beacon is installed in front of the hall beacon as an additional beacon, and the signal of this additional beacon is used as a trigger to switch from the energy-saving mode to the response-oriented mode. is. In other words, the situation in which the user is heading to the car is detected by receiving the signal of the additional beacon, and the mode is quickly switched to the responsiveness-emphasis mode to register the hall call.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining call registration using a beacon in the third embodiment, and FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the relationship between scan mode and call registration in the same embodiment. A different point from the first embodiment is that another landing beacon is installed as an additional beacon 60 in front of the landing beacon 27 .

As shown in FIG. 15, when the effective range of the hall beacon 27 is E1, the additional beacon 60 is provided before the user A enters the effective range E1 (in the direction away from the car 12). The additional beacon 60 is a general beacon that does not have a reception function and simply transmits a signal. Therefore, it may be a battery type. Let the effective range of the additional beacon 60 be E2. The application software 26 has a "platform call registration mode" and a "car call registration mode" as call registration modes. The initial state is the "hall call registration mode", and the beacon scanning function of the mobile terminal 25 is set to the energy saving mode.

As shown in FIG. 16, when the user A enters the effective range E2 of the additional beacon 60 and the portable terminal 25 receives the signal of the additional beacon 60, the energy saving mode is switched to the responsiveness mode. At this time, it is in the "platform call registration mode". Therefore, when the user A enters the effective range E1 of the hall beacon 27, the portable terminal 25 receives the signal of the hall beacon 27 in the response-oriented mode and registers the hall call. It is assumed that the hall call registration is performed when only the signal from the hall beacon 27 is received.

Also, when the hall call registration is completed, the mode is switched to the "car call registration mode". The responsiveness-oriented mode is maintained even in the "car call registration mode". Therefore, when the user A gets into the car 12, the portable terminal 25 receives the signal of the in-car beacon 28 in the response-oriented mode and registers the car call. When the car call registration (destination floor registration) is completed in the "car call registration mode", the system returns to the "platform call registration mode" and enters the background state (standby state) in the energy saving mode.

Next, operation of the third embodiment will be described.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the elevator system in the third embodiment, and mainly shows the processing of the user's portable terminal 25 (control section 43). In FIG. 17, the same steps as those in the flowchart of FIG. 10 are assigned the same steps, and different processing portions will be described here.

In the initial state, the "platform call registration mode" is set (step S11). An additional beacon 60 is installed in front of the hall beacon 27. - 特許庁In the "hall call registration mode", the control unit 43 provided in the mobile terminal 25 scans the signal of the additional beacon 60 in the energy saving mode (step S31). Specifically, the control unit 43 controls the scanning operation of the communication unit 47 so as to scan the radio signal generated from the additional beacon 60 at the first period Ta. The first period Ta is, for example, an interval of 3 seconds.

When the signal from the additional beacon 60 is received (Yes in step S32), the control unit 43 determines that the user is heading toward the car 12, switches from the energy-saving mode to the responsiveness mode, and The signal of the beacon 27 is scanned (step S33). Specifically, the control unit 43 controls the scanning operation of the communication unit 47 so as to scan the radio signal generated from the hall beacon 27 at the second period Tb. The second period Tb is, for example, one second interval.

Here, when only the signal of the hall beacon 27 is received in the response-oriented mode (Yes in step S13), the control unit 43 registers the hall call through the hall beacon 27 (step S14). The rest is the same as in the first embodiment, and after the hall call is registered, the mode is switched to the "car call registration mode". At this time, since the responsiveness-oriented mode has already been set, the control unit 43 receives the signal from the in-car beacon 28 in the responsiveness-oriented mode and performs car call registration processing (steps S15 to S18).

As described above, according to the third embodiment, switching from the energy-saving mode to the responsiveness-focused mode is performed using the signal of the additional beacon installed in front of the hall beacon as a trigger. Therefore, when the user is heading to the car, it is possible to wirelessly connect to the hall beacon in the responsiveness emphasizing mode and quickly register the hall call. In this case, the portable terminal is set to the energy saving mode until it receives the signal of the additional beacon, so it is possible to reduce battery power consumption when the user is away from the hall.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a fourth embodiment will be described.
In the fourth embodiment, as in the third embodiment, in a configuration in which another hall beacon is installed as an additional beacon in front of the hall beacon, after the mobile terminal receives the signal of the additional beacon, the signal of the hall beacon is received, the energy saving mode is switched to the responsiveness mode.

FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining call registration using a beacon in the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the relationship between scan mode and call registration in the fourth embodiment. Another landing beacon is installed as an additional beacon 60 in front of the landing beacon 27 in the same manner as in the third embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 18, the additional beacon 60 is provided before the user A enters the effective range E1 (in the direction away from the car 12). The additional beacon 60 is a general beacon that simply emits a signal without a receiving function, and has an effective range E2. In the third embodiment, when the user A enters the effective range E2 of the additional beacon 60 and the mobile terminal 25 receives the signal of the additional beacon 60, the energy saving mode is switched to the responsiveness mode. However, since the installation location of the additional beacon 60 is away from the car 12 , the user A does not necessarily get into the car 12 when the signal of the additional beacon 60 is received. For example, it is conceivable that the user A turns back from the place where the additional beacon 60 is installed without going to the car 12 .

Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, when the mobile terminal 25 receives the signal of the original hall beacon 27 after receiving the signal of the additional beacon 60, the energy saving mode is switched to the responsiveness mode. As a result, as shown in FIG. 19, when the user A is in the area where the effective range E2 of the additional beacon 60 and the effective range E1 of the hall beacon 27 overlap and is surely heading to the car 12, the response-oriented mode is selected. You can switch to and register the hall call. It is assumed that the hall call registration is performed when only the signal from the hall beacon 27 is received.

Also, when the hall call registration is completed, the mode is switched to the "car call registration mode". The responsiveness-oriented mode is maintained even in the "car call registration mode". Therefore, when the user A gets into the car 12, the portable terminal 25 receives the signal of the in-car beacon 28 in the response-oriented mode and registers the car call. When the car call registration (destination floor registration) is completed in the "car call registration mode", the system returns to the "platform call registration mode" and enters the background state (standby state) in the energy saving mode.

Next, operation of the fourth embodiment will be described.
FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the elevator system in the fourth embodiment, and mainly shows the processing of the user's portable terminal 25 (control section 43). In FIG. 20, the same steps as those in the flowchart of FIG. 10 are assigned the same steps, and different processing portions will be described here.

In the initial state, the "platform call registration mode" is set (step S11). An additional beacon 60 is installed in front of the hall beacon 27. - 特許庁Here, in the fourth embodiment, in the "hall call registration mode", the control unit 43 provided in the mobile terminal 25 scans the signal of the additional beacon 60 in the energy saving mode (step S41). Specifically, the control unit 43 controls the scanning operation of the communication unit 47 so as to scan the radio signal generated from the additional beacon 60 at the first period Ta. The first period Ta is, for example, an interval of 3 seconds.

When the signal of the additional beacon 60 is received (Yes in step S42), the control unit 43 scans the signal of the hall beacon 27 in the energy saving mode (step S43). When the signal of the hall beacon 27 is received, that is, when the signal of the hall beacon 27 is received following the additional beacon 60 (Yes in step S44), the control unit 43 determines whether the user receives the additional beacon 60. It is determined that the vehicle 12 is headed toward the car 12 from the installation location, and the mode is switched from the energy saving mode to the responsiveness mode (step S45). Specifically, the control unit 43 controls the scanning operation of the communication unit 47 so as to scan the radio signal generated from the hall beacon 27 at the second period Tb. The second period Tb is, for example, one second interval.

Here, when only the signal of the hall beacon 27 is received in the response-oriented mode, the control unit 43 registers the hall call through the hall beacon 27 (step S14). The rest is the same as in the first embodiment, and after the hall call is registered, the mode is switched to the "car call registration mode". At this time, since the responsiveness-oriented mode has already been set, the control unit 43 receives the signal from the in-car beacon 28 in the responsiveness-oriented mode and performs car call registration processing (steps S15 to S18).

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, when the signal from the additional beacon installed in front of the hall beacon and the signal from the hall beacon can be received, the energy-saving mode is switched to the responsiveness-oriented mode. is done. Therefore, when the user is certainly heading to the car from the installation location of the additional beacon, the user can wirelessly connect to the hall beacon in the response-oriented mode and quickly register the hall call. In this case, until the mobile terminal receives both the additional beacon signal and the hall beacon signal, the energy-saving mode is set, so that the battery power consumption can be suppressed when the user is away from the hall. can be done.

According to at least one embodiment described above, it is possible to provide an elevator system capable of ensuring responsiveness of call registration while suppressing battery power consumption by scanning beacon signals at appropriate timing.

It should be noted that although several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Elevator 12... Car 13... Elevator control device 14... Car door 15... Car operating panel 16... Indicator 17... Destination floor button 18a... Door open button 18b... Door close button 20 Platform 21 Platform door 22 Platform operation panel 23 Platform button 25 Portable terminal 26 Application software for call registration 26a Icon 27 Radio signal device (platform beacon) 28 Wireless Signal device (beacon in car) 31... Control unit 32... Storage unit 33... Communication unit 34... Control unit 35... Communication unit 41... Input unit 42... Display unit 43... Control unit 44... Voice input/output unit 45 Storage unit 46 GPS module 47 Communication unit 48 Battery 60 Additional beacon.

Claims (5)

An elevator system that performs call registration using a mobile terminal owned by a user,
an elevator controller for controlling the operation of the car;
A first radio signal device installed at a hall on an arbitrary floor for activating call registration application software pre-installed in the mobile terminal and transmitting a radio signal containing information necessary for hall call registration; ,
a second radio signal device installed in the car and transmitting a radio signal containing information necessary for car call registration;
The above mobile terminal
By activating the application software, the first radio signal device is wirelessly connected at the hall to perform registration processing of the hall call, and the second radio signal device is wirelessly connected to the car in the car. Equipped with control means for performing call registration processing,
The control means are
Having a first scan mode for scanning radio signals in a first period and a second scan mode for scanning radio signals in a second period set shorter than the first period,
An elevator system, wherein the first scan mode or the second scan mode is set based on registration modes of the hall call and the car call provided in the application software. The control means are
When the hall call registration mode is set, the first scan mode is set, and the radio signal transmitted from the first radio signal device is scanned at the first period,
2. The second scan mode is set in the car call registration mode, and the radio signal transmitted from the second radio signal device is scanned at the second period. Elevator system as described. The first radio signal device,
Transmitting an arrival forecast signal when the car approaches the registered floor of the platform call,
The control means are
3. The elevator system according to claim 2, wherein after the hall call is registered, the mode is switched to the car call registration mode based on the arrival forecast signal, and the second scan mode is set. A third radio signal device installed in front of the effective range of the first radio signal device,
The control means are
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein when the hall call registration mode is set, the second scan mode is set based on a radio signal transmitted from the third radio signal device. elevator system. A third radio signal device installed in front of the effective range of the first radio signal device,
The control means are
characterized by setting the second scan mode based on radio signals from both the third radio signal device and the first radio signal device when the hall call registration mode is set. 3. The elevator system according to claim 2, wherein:

Images