JP7451580B2 - elevator system - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to elevator systems, particularly elevator systems that operate in conjunction with automatic doors.

Conventional elevators are known as systems that transport people and goods vertically within a building, and there are two methods: controlling each car number independently, and group management, which controls multiple cars at once. There are ways to do it. Large buildings and commercial facilities often use group management systems that collectively manage multiple cars to improve transportation efficiency. In group management, waiting positions for cars may be set on different floors in order to smoothly respond to hall calls.

In addition, the door security system installed between the building entrance and the landing area links the unlocking of the door with the elevator landing call, and controls the operation of the car by understanding the user's attributes and destination. There are also systems that measure the number of people using a gate installed between the entrance of a building and a boarding area and allocate them to a car.

Special Publication No. 7-115804 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-203402 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-002351

However, although such conventional systems ensure security by restricting the number of people who can use the elevator, they are not suitable when an unspecified number of users are using the elevator, and the usability is reduced. It ends up.

In addition, even if a gate, etc. is required in place of a security system for the door itself, it is not practical to install a new one on the standard floor of a residential condominium considering the flow of users and the installation cost. isn't it. Furthermore, the gates have to be installed over a wide area, and there is a concern that the speed of entry for users will decrease.

Therefore, in this embodiment, we propose an interlocking system that can reduce the waiting time of users at the landing based on the operation status of elevators and automatic doors without requiring judgment of the user's attributes. In particular, in buildings with automatic doors such as condominiums and commercial facilities, it is possible to estimate the number of people passing through based on the operation of the automatic door and arrange the appropriate number of baskets for the number of people. The purpose is to construct a system that enables efficient operation of elevators without limiting the number of elevators. Furthermore, the estimation accuracy is improved by learning the estimated number of people passing by and the number of people actually boarding the car.

In addition, in this embodiment, if the building already has automatic doors, there is no need to newly install large-scale equipment, and by providing a simple mechanism such as a control program, an elevator system that is linked to automatic doors can be constructed. It is possible to do so.

In order to solve the above problems, an elevator system according to an embodiment is provided with a first area facing an elevator landing and a second area located further from the elevator than the first area in an elevator system having a plurality of cars. Estimating the number of people passing through the automatic door moving from the second area to the first area based on an automatic door installed at the boundary between the second area and the automatic door that opens and closes based on object detection and the opening time of the automatic door. a hall call registration device that compares the estimated number of people passing by with the capacity of the car and determines the number of cars to be called, and an operation control device that dispatches the determined number of cars;
Equipped with.

It is a schematic diagram of an elevator and an automatic door. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of the system. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between the door opening time and the estimated number of people passing by before machine learning. This is an example of a correspondence table between initial values before learning and after learning regarding door opening time and estimated number of people passing through. It is a schematic diagram of a general automatic door. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the elapsed time and the degree of opening/closing of the automatic door when detected by the sensor of the automatic door. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the elapsed time and the degree of opening/closing of the automatic door when the sensor detects the automatic door again while the automatic door is in the open state. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the elapsed time and the degree of opening/closing of the automatic door when the sensor detects the automatic door again after the automatic door starts its closing operation. It is a flowchart which shows the operation|movement which measures the door opening time of an automatic door. It is a flowchart showing the operation of estimating the number of people passing through the automatic door (A: estimation of the number of people passing, B: learning). It is a flowchart which shows the count of the number of people waiting in a boarding hall. It is a flowchart which shows operation of vehicle allocation processing. It is a schematic diagram of an elevator and an automatic door concerning a second embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of a system according to a second embodiment.

<First embodiment>
Hereinafter, the structure and operation of the elevator and its surroundings of this embodiment will be explained with reference to the drawings. In the following description, substantially or substantially the same functions and components are given the same reference numerals, and will be explained as necessary.

A system according to an embodiment will be described using FIGS. 1 to 5.

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of an elevator and an automatic door according to an embodiment, and shows connection relationships for each software.

In FIG. 1, the elevator has two cars 1. A landing 2 and an automatic door 3 are provided, and the standard floor consists of a first area on the landing 2 side and a second area away from the landing 2. An automatic door 3 is provided at the boundary between the first area and the second area. The car 1 and automatic door 3 are connected to a control device 4 to enable signal exchange. The user can pass through the automatic door 3 from the second area, move to the first area where the landing area 2 is located, and board the car 1. The user here refers to a person or the like whose purpose is to move to an arbitrary floor.

A user can board the car 1 from the landing 2 through the entrance/exit 21. The landing 2 is provided with a landing door 22 that can be opened and closed to restrict passage through the entrance/exit 21. When the car door 11 of the car 1 starts to move, the landing door 22 opens in conjunction with the car door 11. Start. The car door 11 is operated by power from a door motor (not shown), and is interlocked with the interlock of the landing door 22 to be opened. The car 1 also has an in-car operation panel 12 for registering the desired destination floor, etc., a load detection device (sensor) 13 at the bottom for detecting the load including the weight of the car 1 body, and an upper part for detecting the load. The car 1 is equipped with an imaging device 14 for acquiring visual information such as images and videos inside the car 1.

Although the load detection device 13 is provided at the bottom of the car 1 in the embodiment, it may also be placed above the hoistway and connected to the rope from which the car 1 is suspended. The mounting position of the imaging device 14 is not limited to the inside of the car 1, but may be a location overlooking the landing area 2.

Although FIG. 1 shows a case where two cars 1 are provided, the number of cars 1 is not limited to two, and more may be provided. Among the plurality of cars 1, at least one car 1 waits on a reference floor.

Further, a hall operation panel 23 is provided at the hall 2, so that when a car call is registered, it can be visually recognized. For example, when a car call is registered, the hall operation panel 23 is turned on to visually notify the user.

The automatic door 3 includes a door control section 31 that controls the opening and closing of the door. The door control section 31 controls the opening and closing operations of the door, and also controls the opening and closing operations such as the door opening time and the door opening and closing operation. Get information indicating the status. Note that the mechanism of the automatic door 3 will be described later.

The control device 4 is, for example, a control panel in a machine room, which is provided as a device for controlling the present system. The control device 4 has an operation control section 41 that controls the operation of the car. Further, the in-car operation panel 12, the load detection section 13, the imaging device 14, the hall operation panel 23, and the door control section 31 are connected to the control device 4 to control the operation of the elevator.

Further, in the system related to the operation of the automatic door 3 and the elevator, software within the system works in conjunction with the operation control section 41 of the car 1 and the door control section 31 of the automatic door 3 to control each device. Therefore, the control and peripheral mechanisms will be explained using FIG. 2 below.

This system includes a door opening time measurement section 32, a passing number estimation section (number of people estimator) 42, a waiting number estimation section 43, a capacity information holding section 44, a vehicle allocation number determination section (hall call registration device) 45, It is composed of an operation control section (operation control device) 41, a passenger number calculation section (passenger number calculation means) 46, a learning means 47, and a table/storage section (storage means) 48.

The door opening time measurement section 32 measures the door opening time among the information acquired by the door control section 31, outputs it as a door opening time signal a, and transmits it to the number of people passing through estimation section 42 and the learning means 47. Every time the automatic door 3 is operated and the door opening time occurs, information on the door opening time is transmitted to the number of people passing through estimating section 42 each time. The door opening time measuring section 32 is provided on the automatic door 3 side, and may be provided integrally with the door control section 31 of the automatic door 3 as shown.

The number-of-passers estimator 42 uses information about the door-opening time of the automatic door 3 (door-opening time signal a) received from the door-opening time measuring section 32 and information (about the signal h) stored in the table (storage unit) 48. will be described later), the number of people passing through the automatic door 3 is estimated with reference to the table (storage unit) 48, and the estimated number of people passing through the signal b is output and transmitted to the waiting number predicting unit 43. Information stored in the table (storage unit) 48 will be described later. The door opening time measurement unit 32 generates and transmits door opening time information (door opening time signal a) each time the automatic door 3 opens and closes. The number of people passing through estimating unit 42 estimates the number of people passing through automatic door 3 every time it receives the door opening time information (door opening time signal a) from door opening time measuring unit 32, and sends the estimated number of people passing through to waiting number predicting unit 43. information (estimated number of people passing through signal b), and the information on the estimated number of people passing through is reset each time. An example of estimating the number of people passing through from the opening time of the automatic door 3 will be described later together with the mechanism of the automatic door 3. Note that the estimated number of people passing the signal b may be transmitted to the learning means 47 and linked to the information to be learned (not shown).

A waiting number predicting unit 43 predicts the number of people waiting to use the car 1 at the landing 2. Based on the information on the estimated number of people passing through (estimated number of people passing signal b) received from the number of people passing through estimating section 42, the number of people waiting in the hall is calculated by adding the information and is used as the predicted value of the number of people waiting. Every time the waiting number prediction unit 43 receives the estimated number of people passing signal b, it adds the number of people passing through the automatic door 3 to update and calculate the number of people waiting at the landing 2. In addition, information on the number of people boarding the allocated car (signal f will be described later) is received from a passenger number calculation unit 46 (described later), and the number of passengers waiting in the hall is updated by subtracting the number of boarding passengers. The latest updated predicted value of the number of people waiting at the hall (waiting number) is always stored in a readable manner.

Note that if the number of people passing through estimated by the number of people passing through estimating section 42 is not an integer and includes a value below the decimal point, the number of people passing through estimating the number of people passing through is not an integer but is sent to the number of people waiting for prediction section 43 while including that information, and the number of people waiting for waiting prediction section 43 performs addition and subtraction. When calculating the number of people waiting in the hall (the number of people waiting), the number of people waiting in the hall is rounded off to the first decimal place, and the number of people waiting in the hall (the number of people waiting) is updated. The handling of numbers below the decimal point shall be determined arbitrarily, and may be rounded up or rounded up.

The allocated number of vehicles determination section 45 periodically reads the latest information on the number of people waiting at the hall (the number of people waiting) that has been updated and stored in the waiting number prediction section 43. The frequency of reading may be arbitrarily set, for example, every 3 seconds, every 1 second, every 0.5 seconds, etc. Further, the reading frequency may be changed depending on the day of the week or the time of day, such as increasing the reading frequency (for example, 3 seconds) during off-peak hours and decreasing the reading frequency (for example, 1 second) during busy times. Note that the information on the latest number of people waiting at the boarding point (the number of people waiting) held by the waiting number predicting unit 43 may be transmitted to the number of vehicles allocated determining unit 45 periodically or when there is a change in the number of waiting people. .

When the vehicle allocation number determining unit 45 reads out the number of people waiting at the hall (waiting number), it compares the latest number of people waiting at the hall (waiting number) with the capacity per car, and determines the number of cars to be allocated based on the comparison result. The number of vehicles is determined and an operation control instruction is issued to the operation control section 41. Note that the allocated vehicle number determining unit 45 has the role of registering a hall call, as a hall call registration device, even if a user who has entered the hall does not give an instruction such as pressing a button. The capacity of each car is held in the capacity information holding section 44, and is transmitted to the allocation number determining section 45 as an in-car capacity signal c.

In this way, the allocated vehicle number determining unit 45 compares the number of people waiting at the landing (the number of people waiting) and the estimated number of people in the car in the system, and determines whether the number of people waiting at the landing (the number of people waiting) is smaller than the number of people waiting in the car per car. Determine whether or not. If the number of people waiting at the landing (waiting number) and the car capacity are the same, or if the number of people waiting at the landing (waiting number) is smaller than the car capacity, the allocated vehicle number determining unit 45 needs to call the departure floor. The number of cars is determined to be one, and a one car response signal d is output. If the number of people waiting at the landing (the number of people waiting) is greater than the car capacity and is less than the total number of people in the cars for two cars, the operation control unit 41 determines that the number of cars that need to be called to the departure floor is two. , the two units output a response signal e. If the number of people waiting at the landing (the number of people waiting) is greater than the capacity for two cars, a signal is output to allocate the appropriate number of cars.

The operation control unit 41 controls the operation of the car 1 in accordance with instructions received from the allocated number determining unit 45.

The number of passengers calculating section 46 detects the boarding of passengers into the car 1 from either or both of the load detection device 13 and the imaging device 14, and calculates the number of passengers. If the load detection device 13 is used, the presence or absence of boarding is determined from changes in the load, or if the imaging device 14 is used, the presence or absence of boarding is determined from object detection, etc., and then the approximate number of passengers is determined from the amount of change in the load, image pattern recognition, etc. calculate. Information regarding the calculated number of passengers is output as a number of passengers signal f and transmitted to the waiting number predicting section 43 and the learning means 47.

Further, when the number of passengers signal f is received from the number of passengers calculation unit 46, the number of passengers waiting in line prediction unit 43 calculates the number of passengers remaining on board based on the estimated number of passengers passing signal b and the number of passengers signal f, and outputs the number as the waiting number signal c. The information is transmitted to the vehicle arrangement number determination unit 45.

Upon receiving the number of passengers signal f, the learning means 47 calculates the actual number of passengers calculated by the number of passengers calculating section 46 (number of passengers signal f) and the information on the door opening time received so far (door opening time signal a). ), machine learning is performed by calculating the difference between the estimated number of passing passengers for one car call and the actual number of passengers, and the number of passing passengers corresponding to the opening time of the automatic door 3 is determined. section) 48. In addition, correlations with days of the week and time zones may be stored. The latest information stored in the table (storage unit) 48 is sent to the number-of-passage estimation unit 42 as a new time-number correspondence signal g, and is used when estimating the number of people passing through the automatic door 3.

However, before the learning means 47 performs machine learning on the door opening time, the estimated number of people passing through, and the number of passengers, it is assumed that the initial relationship between the door opening time of the automatic door 3 and the estimated number of people passing through is temporarily set. , which will be discussed later. It should be noted that while it has been described that the hourly number of people correspondence signal g is transmitted to the number of people passing through estimating section 42 when there is information stored in the table (storage section) 48, the present invention is not limited thereto. It is also possible to transmit a signal based on the correlation between the value of the door opening time and the estimation. In this case, the signal based on the correlation between the door opening time and the estimated number of people passing through is set to the initial value before learning, and after the information on the new number of passengers is updated, it is set to the updated information (signal g corresponding to time number of passengers).

Further, for example, the learning means 47 may specifically perform machine learning using regression analysis. General machine learning is a method of repeatedly learning from given information and data, grasping rules and patterns, and formulating them into laws. Among these, regression analysis is a method of learning numerical values and calculating numerical values from unknown data. This is a method to predict. At least the opening time of the automatic door 3 and the number of passengers in the car 1 are stored as coordinate point data. By collecting multiple pieces of data, it becomes possible to create a linear or curved equation model, and use this equation to calculate a new estimated number of people passing through. Furthermore, it is desirable to add the day of the week and time of day as separate parameters, and in this way it becomes possible to appropriately predict changes in the flow of people.

If past information has been stored in the table (storage unit) 48 and regression analysis has already been performed, the number of people estimating the number of people passing through the table 48 extracts data for calculating the estimated number of people passing through from the analysis results obtained so far, A signal g corresponding to time and number of people based on the updated data is transmitted, and the number of people passing through can be estimated.

Here, the relationship between the opening time of the automatic door 3 and the estimated number of people passing through will be shown using FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the initial values for the door opening time and the estimated number of people passing through are set using equations, and FIG. This is an example of a table set for each range of a fixed number of seconds.

In either case of Fig. 3 or Fig. 4, data is not accumulated in the system from the beginning, so when estimating the number of people passing by before learning by the learning means 47, it is necessary to open the door in advance. It is necessary to define the relationship between time and the estimated number of people passing through using equations and conditions. As shown in FIG. 4, the initial value is, for example, if the door open time is between 0 seconds and 2 seconds, the number of people is estimated to be 1, and if the door open time is between 2 seconds and 4 seconds, the number of people is estimated to be 1. For example, the number of people is estimated to be two.

As for the initial value, you can set it separately for other time periods.For example, in the case of office buildings, etc., it is especially crowded during commuting hours and lunch breaks on weekdays, so for example, from 8:00 to 9:00 It may be assumed that two people pass between 0 seconds and 2 seconds, and one person passes between 0 seconds and 2 seconds between 9:00 and 12:00.

Further, it is desirable to change the settings based on the scale of the building where the automatic door 3 is installed, the size of the automatic door 3, and the user group. If a wide automatic door 3 is installed in a commercial facility, etc., it is quite possible that multiple people will pass through at the same time, but if the building is primarily used for offices, the accuracy may vary depending on the time of day when the system starts operating. Sometimes it is low. Therefore, accuracy can be further improved by setting the number of people in consideration of information such as the flow of people. Furthermore, it is better to take into consideration the purpose of the facility, time of day, day of the week, etc.

Further, in the learning by the learning means 47, the actual number of passengers corresponding to the door opening time is stored in conjunction with each other, and the average of the patterns is taken. For example, when the door is open for a period of time between 0 seconds and 2 seconds, the actual number of passengers is 1 person 7 times, 2 times is 2 people, and 4 times is 1 time. Suppose there was. In this case, after learning, the average is taken, and the estimated number of people passing by when the door is open for 0 to 2 seconds is estimated to be 1.5 (see FIG. 4). From 2 seconds to 4 seconds, from 4 seconds to 6 seconds, from 6 seconds to 8 seconds, and for other times, averages were obtained corresponding to the range of door opening times and the corresponding number of times information on the actual number of passengers was obtained. By doing so, it can be expected that the accuracy of estimating the number of people passing by the number of people estimating section 42 will be further improved. Note that the interval of seconds, etc. when calculating the average value of the number of passengers from the door opening time and using it as the estimated number of people passing through is set arbitrarily.

Values below the decimal point are handled as they are, except for the waiting number predicting unit 43. Note that the number-of-waiting prediction unit 43 calculates an approximate value so that the number of people waiting at the hall (the number of people waiting) referred to when determining the number of vehicles to be allocated based on the car capacity is an integer.

The number-of-passers estimating unit 42 converts the information from the table (storage unit) 48 into the estimated number of people passing by corresponding to the door-opening time. (Storage unit) 48 and utilize it to improve the accuracy of estimating the number of people. Therefore, the relationship between the door opening time and the estimated number of people passing through in FIG. 8 changes every time it is updated. Each relationship can be arbitrarily changed depending on the situation, and is learned each time by a learning means 47 and stored in a table (storage unit) 48 to improve accuracy.

In this way, based on the update results of the table (storage unit) 48, more accurate estimation can be performed from accumulated past data such as the opening time of the automatic door 3 and the number of passengers. In other words, it becomes possible to determine the number of cars for the current car call with reference to the extracted new information, and by repeating the storage in the table (storage unit) 48 and the extraction and comparison of data, the system of this embodiment can be If you use it, it will make your learning more practical.

In addition, regarding machine learning in the table (storage unit) 48, specifically, the number of passengers is collected at intervals of a certain number of seconds, and if there is a value that is estimated to be an abnormal value, it is excluded. A method of calculating an average value may also be used. For example, if the door opening time is between 0 seconds and 2 seconds, the actual number of passengers is 1 person 14 times, 2 people 6 times, and 6 people 1 time. , 6 passengers are excluded as an abnormal value and the average is calculated. When the automatic door 3 is opened for 0 seconds or more and less than 2 seconds, approximately 1.3 passengers are calculated per time. In this way, several patterns such as 2 seconds or more and less than 4 seconds, 4 seconds or more and less than 6 seconds, etc. are derived for the average values from which abnormal values are determined and excluded.

Up to this point, we have explained the flow of estimating the number of people passing through from the door opening time of the automatic door 3. Here, we will explain the basic mechanism of the automatic door 3 based on the door opening time signal a and the measurement of the door opening time from FIG. This will be explained using 8.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the automatic door 3, viewed from the second area side opposite to the landing area 2 side. The automatic door 3 in the embodiment is equipment that opens and closes the door 33 using power. Generally, a sensor 34 attached to a blind or ceiling detects the approach of a person or object, sends a signal to a door control section 31, and the door 33 moves in response to the signal. When a person enters the detection range of the sensor 34, the door 33 starts to open, and after a certain period of time has passed, the door 33 immediately starts to close. Sensor 34 represents an activation sensor and an auxiliary sensor. The activation sensor detects a passerby and sends an activation signal when the door 33 is closed. For example, a detection method using light reflection or radio waves, a touch method using a plate attached to the door, etc. are available. exist. The auxiliary sensor increases safety by inverting the door 33 when it is detected during the closing operation to prevent it from being pinched, and includes, for example, a light reflection type or a photoelectric type attached to a mullion. Note that the automatic door 3 is not limited to the above-mentioned specification in which the door starts closing after a certain period of time has elapsed, but may have a specification in which the door starts closing after the object leaves the detection range of the sensor. Generally, the opening/closing speed is about 40 cm/s, and the door open holding time is about 1.5 to 3 seconds.

6 to 8 show the relationship between the elapsed time of the automatic door 3 and the degree of opening and closing of the automatic door.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the elapsed time and the degree of opening/closing of the automatic door when detected by the sensor 34 of the automatic door 3. The automatic door 3, which was in a fully closed state (door opening/closing degree 0%), performs an opening operation at approximately a constant speed and becomes a fully open state (door opening/closing degree 100%). When the automatic door 3 is fully opened, it remains open for a certain period of time (q). After that, the closing operation starts and the fully closed state is achieved.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the elapsed time and the degree of opening/closing of the automatic door when the sensor 34 detects it again while the automatic door 3 is in the open state. The fully closed state (door opening/closing degree 0%) changes from the fully open state (door opening/closing degree 100%). When the automatic door 3 is fully opened and it is determined that the sensor has detected it again at a time point (r) earlier than a certain period of time, the automatic door 3 remains open for a certain period of time (q) from the time of re-detection (r<q). Thereafter, as in FIG. 6, the closing operation is started and the fully closed state is achieved.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the elapsed time and the degree of opening/closing of the automatic door when the sensor 34 detects it again after the automatic door 3 starts its closing operation. The flow from operating from a fully closed state (door opening/closing degree 0%) to a fully open state (door opening/closing degree 100%) and maintaining the open state for a certain period of time is similar to that shown in FIG. After maintaining the open state and starting the closing operation, when an auxiliary sensor detects the automatic door 3, the operation of the automatic door 3 in the closing direction is reversed and the automatic door 3 operates to the fully open state. Thereafter, as long as there is no detection by the sensor again, the automatic door 3 is maintained in the open state for a certain period of time (q) as in FIG. 6, and then the closing operation is started and the automatic door 3 is fully closed.

Note that FIGS. 7 and 8 can also work in combination. In any of the cases shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 and others, the time required for opening/closing and the time for maintaining the fully open state vary depending on the model, and may be set arbitrarily depending on the installation location and usage conditions. Further, the operating speeds of the opening operation and the closing operation do not have to be the same. In this way, the automatic door 3 performs a series of opening and closing operations.

In this embodiment, the "door opening time" measured by the door opening time measurement unit 32 refers to the time from starting the door opening operation from the fully closed state to returning to the fully closed state. Note that the fully open time shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 may be arbitrarily set as the door open time. In this case, the total time in the fully open state is the time from when the door opens to when it returns to the fully closed state. Note that, as described above, the door open time signal a is output after the door is closed, and the vehicle allocation process when the door continues to be open will be described later.

The above describes the system configuration and the exchange of signals such as the door opening time signal a based on the door opening time measurement after the automatic door 3 starts operating.

Next, the flow of processing from the start of operation of the automatic door 3 to the operation of the elevator will be shown using FIGS. 9 to 12.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of processing related to the operation of the automatic door. The door control section and the door opening time measurement section 32 are operated in conjunction with each other.

First, the presence or absence of user detection is determined based on the presence or absence of detection by the sensor 31 of the automatic door 3 (step S101). If there is a detection by the sensor 31 and a user is detected (step S101: Yes), the door opening operation starts (step S102). If there is no detection by the user (step S101: No), the operation is repeated until there is detection by the user.

Proceeding to step S102, the door opening operation is started, and measurement of the door opening time of the automatic door 3 is started (step S103). When the opening of the automatic door 3 is completed (step S104), the automatic door 3 maintains the open state, and it is determined whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed (step S105). If it is determined that the predetermined period of time has elapsed since the door was left open (step S105: Yes), closing of the automatic door 3 is started (step S106). It is determined whether or not the automatic door 3 has been closed (step S107), and if it is determined that the door has been closed (step S107: Yes), the measurement of the door opening time that started from step S103 is ended ( Step S108). Information on the door opening time measured between step S103 and step S108 (door opening time signal a) is transmitted to the number of people passing through the estimation section 42 and the learning means 47 (step S109), and the flowchart for measuring the door opening time ends. . Continuing with the flowchart for estimating the number of people passing by.

In step S107, when the door has not been completely closed (step S107: No), it is determined whether or not a user has been detected by an auxiliary sensor or the like (step S110). If a user is detected between the time the door starts closing and the door closes completely (step S110: Yes), the automatic door 3 reverses its operation and reopens the door (step S111). , continues to step S104. If the user is not detected again until the door is closed (step S110: No), the process continues to step S107.

In step S105, when the predetermined time has not elapsed with the door open (step S105: No), it is determined whether or not a user has been detected by an auxiliary sensor or the like (step S112).

If a user is detected while the door is open (step S112: Yes), the door open time is extended (step S113). It is determined whether a predetermined time that can be arbitrarily set including the extended door open time has elapsed (step S114), and if it is determined that the door open state has elapsed for a predetermined time (step S114: Yes), the process proceeds to step S106. Continue.

In step S114, when the predetermined time has not elapsed with the door open (step S114: No), it is determined whether or not a user has been detected by an auxiliary sensor or the like (step S115). If there is a user detection (step S115: Yes), the process continues to step S113, and if there is no user detection (step S115: No), the process continues to step S114.

In step S112, if the user is not detected again within the predetermined time period (step S112: No), the process continues to step S105.

In this way, the opening time of the automatic door 3 is measured according to the flow shown in FIG. 9, and the door opening time signal a is transmitted to a predetermined device.

Next, a process for estimating the number of people passing through the automatic door 3 will be described using FIG. 10. The flow of estimating the number of people passing by by the number of people estimating section 42 and the flow of machine learning by the learning means 47 will be explained. In particular, FIG. 10(B) corresponds to the signal exchange shown in FIG. 3(B).

As shown in FIG. 10(A), when the flow starts, it is determined whether the door opening time signal a has been received from the door opening time measuring section 32 (step S201). If the door open time signal a is not received (step S201: No), step S201 is repeated until the door open time signal a is received, and if the door open time signal is received in step S201 (step S201: Yes) refers to the table (storage unit) 48 (step S202) and estimates the number of people passing through. In step S202, information on the estimated number of people passing through (estimated number of people passing signal b) corresponding to the door opening time is read from the table (storage unit) 48, and transmitted to the waiting number predicting unit 43 (step S203).

The results of learning by the learning means 47 are stored in the table (storage unit) 48 referred to in step S202. The learning means 47 performs machine learning in the following manner by linking the estimated number of passengers and the actual number of passengers (FIG. 10(B)).

In the learning means 47, first, as shown in FIG. 8, an initial value is set for the relationship between the door opening time and the estimated number of people passing through (step S301). Next, the door opening time signal a is received from the number of people estimating unit 42 one or more times (step S302).

Thereafter, the process proceeds to a step of determining whether or not the number of passengers signal f has been received from the number of passengers calculating section 46 (step S303).

If the number of passengers signal f is not received (step S303: No), step S303 is repeated until the number of passengers signal f is received, and if the number of passengers signal f is received in step S303 (step S303: Yes), Learning is performed in conjunction with the door opening time and the actual number of passengers (step S304).

Note that if the estimated number of passengers passing signal b is received between step S302 and step S303 (not shown), the estimated number of passengers may be linked in addition to the door opening time and the actual number of passengers.

The learning means 47 determines whether learning has been completed (step S305), and if the allocation of vehicles to the landing has not been completed or reception of a signal is confirmed again on the way, it is determined that the learning has not been completed and the process proceeds to step S302. Continue (Step S305: No). If the learning by the learning means 47 is completed in step S305 (step S305: Yes), the table (storage unit) 48 is updated based on the learned content (step S306), and the process continues to step S302.

This allows the table to store the correspondence between the door opening time, the estimated number of people passing by, and the actual number of passengers.

Next, a process for calculating a predicted value of the number of people waiting at the landing hall 2 (the number of people waiting) will be described using FIG. 11.

The waiting number predicting unit 43 starts calculating the waiting number (W) by setting the waiting number (W) at the start of the process to 0, as shown in Equation 1 (step S401).

[Math 1] W=0...(1)

The waiting number predicting unit 43 determines whether it has received either the estimated number of passing passengers signal b or the number of passengers signal f (step S402).

If the estimated number of people passing through signal b is received (step S402: Yes, upper part), the estimated number of people passing through B is added to the current number of people waiting (W) based on the following formula 2, and this is calculated as the latest number of people waiting (W). ) is updated and saved (step S403).

[Math 2] W=W+B...(2)

B in Equation 2 is the number of people (persons) estimated by the number of people estimating the number of people passing through, and is added every time the estimated number of people passing signal b is received. After step S403, the operation of step S402 is repeated.

When receiving the number of passengers signal f (step S402: Yes, lower part), the number of passengers F is subtracted from the current number of people waiting (W) based on the following formula 3, and this is set as the latest number of people waiting (W). , update and save (step S404).

[Math 3] W=WF...(3)

F in Equation 3 is the number of passengers (persons) calculated by the number of passengers calculation unit 46, and when the number of passengers signal f is received, F of the users passing through the automatic door 3 and waiting at the landing are placed in the car. 1, so that amount is subtracted. After step S404, the operation of step S402 is repeated.

If neither the estimated number of passengers signal b nor the number of passengers signal f is received (step S402: No), step S402 is repeated. In this way, the number of people waiting (W) is updated each time and stored in a readable manner in the number-of-waiting prediction unit 43.

Next, the dispatching process for the car 1 will be explained using FIG. 12.

When the process starts, the allocated vehicle number determination unit 45 periodically reads the number of people waiting (W) in the number of waiting people prediction unit 43 (step S501), and determines whether the latest number of people waiting (W) read out is 1 or more. Determination is made (step S502). If the number of people waiting (W) is less than 1 (step S502: No), step S501 and step S502 are repeated, and if the number of people waiting (W) is 1 or more (step S502: Yes), the number of vehicles to be allocated is determined by the number of vehicles determining unit 45. The number of people waiting at the hall (the number of people waiting) is compared with the capacity per car, and the allocated number determining unit 45 calculates the necessary number of allocated cars (N) based on the following formula 4 (step S503).

[Number 4] N=W/(capacity per car) ...(4)

If N calculated using Formula 4 is a natural number, N vehicles are allocated, and if N is not a natural number, [N]+1 vehicles are allocated. Note that [N] is the integer part of N in the real number N (the largest integer less than or equal to N).

The number of cars to be allocated (N) calculated in step S503 is instructed to the operation control unit 41, and a predetermined number of cars are allocated (step S504). The number of people waiting (W) at the landing 2 is checked again (step S505), and if there is a difference from the number of people waiting (W) at step S502, steps S503 and S504 are repeated.

The car 1 lands on the platform 2, and it is determined whether the user has boarded the car 1, whether the door of the car 1 has been closed, or whether the car has departed (step S506). If it cannot be confirmed that the user has boarded car 1, closed the door of car 1, and departed (step S506: No), step S506 is repeated until it is determined that a predetermined action has been performed. In the case (step S506: Yes), the number of passengers signal f is detected in the number of passengers calculation unit 46 based on the information obtained through the load detection unit 16 or the imaging device 17 (step S507), and the number of passengers signal f is detected by the number of people waiting in line prediction unit. 43 and the learning means 47 (step S508). After confirming the transmission of the signal, it is assumed that one vehicle out of the number of assigned vehicles (N) calculated by the assigned vehicle number determination unit 45 has departed (step S509), and it is determined whether the remaining number of assigned vehicles (N-1) has become 0. (Step S510).

If multiple cars are allocated and all the predetermined number of cars have been allocated, or if only one car has been allocated, the remaining number of allocated cars (N-1) is determined to be 0. (Step S510: Yes), the process returns to step S501 and predetermined operations are performed. At this time, the updated number of people waiting (W) is confirmed. If the remaining number of allocated cars (N-1) is not 0 (step S510: No), that is, if multiple cars are allocated and all the predetermined number of cars have not been allocated, each car The operations from step S505 to step S507 are repeated for .

In this way, the vehicle allocation flow operates every time the number of people waiting at the hall 2 is received from the number of people waiting prediction unit 43, and it becomes possible to allocate an appropriate number of cars 1.

10 to 13, the flow of estimating the number of people passing through from the opening time of the automatic door 3, calculating the number of people waiting at the landing 2, and allocating an appropriate number of cars 1 has been explained. These processes are performed, for example, in an elevator in which a plurality of cars 1 each with a capacity of 5 people are installed, and before the car 1 leaves the automatic door 3 installed immediately before, 7 people board the car. This indicates that two cars 1 will be allocated when a desired person passes through. If a total of 7 people pass in the order of 2 people in the first group, 2 people in the second group, and 3 people in the third group, one car will be called and registered once the first group has passed, and one car will be registered on the way. By calculating the total number of people in the first to third groups, that is, the estimated cumulative situation, it is possible to prevent any unpacking from occurring.

In addition, in the allocated car number determination unit 45, the capacity per car to be compared may be set to an arbitrary percentage, for example, 80% of the capacity, instead of the maximum capacity, in order to suppress the number of passengers. In this case, the "capacity per car" in Equation 4 above is changed to an arbitrary ratio.

If the sensor of the automatic door 3 detects the detection again after the operation instruction is output and before the predetermined number of cars arrive at the landing 2, the number of people passing through is calculated from the opening time of the automatic door 3 as before. By estimating and adding it to the number of people waiting at the landing 2, the total number of passengers who will pass through the automatic door 3 later and wait at the landing 2 is estimated. If it is determined that transportation is not possible with the number of cars under the original control, taking into account the number of newly passing passengers, new instructions regarding vehicle allocation are output.

While operation control is being performed, that is, while the car 1 is being dispatched, the car call button on the hall operation panel 23 in the hall 2 lights up. In particular, when a plurality of cars are arranged at the landing 2, the car call button remains lit even after the first car leaves until the second car arrives. Blinking or the like may be used instead of lighting as long as it is visible to the user. Regarding the car call buttons, especially the button in the direction of travel should be lit or blinking.

Up to this point, the arrangement of the appropriate number of cars for the system linking the automatic door 3 and the elevator has been explained. In the embodiment, it has been explained that the control content to be instructed to the operation control unit 41 is to determine the number of vehicles to be dispatched. Control such as disabling the function may be performed. In these cases, the allocated vehicle number determination unit 45 determines the number of allocated vehicles and determines the operation for controlling the door opening time and button functions.

Regarding door-opening time adjustment, the car door opening time will be extended if the estimated number of passengers is greater than the capacity after comparing the number of people waiting at the landing with the car capacity. At this time, the allocated vehicle number determination unit 45 outputs a one vehicle response signal d, and then outputs an instruction to extend the door opening time of the arrived car. In this way, it is possible to improve safety when passengers board the vehicle.

Regarding the disabling of the button function, after comparing the number of people waiting at the landing with the car capacity, if the estimated number of passengers is greater than the capacity, the door close button on the control panel of the car that has landed will be temporarily disabled. We will create a system to do so. In addition to disabling the door close button, a voice announcement or the like is made to inform the car 1 of this fact. At this time, as in the case of adjusting the door opening time, the dispatched car number determining unit 45 outputs the one car response signal d, and temporarily disables the door close button while the door of the arriving car is being opened. Outputs an instruction and automatically starts closing operation after a certain period of time. In this way, it is possible to improve safety when passengers board the vehicle.

In this embodiment, the automatic door 3 operates and the door opening time signal a is output after the door has been closed, thereby starting the vehicle dispatch system. We will explain the vehicle dispatching process when this continues for a certain period of time.

If the door continues to remain closed, it can be assumed that users are constantly passing by, and in this case, it is necessary to allocate multiple cars. After the automatic door 3 starts opening, if the door remains open for a certain period of time, the automatic door will determine which cars can be called and all or any proportion of the cars that can be called will be sent to the automatic door. The vehicle will be dispatched to the floor occupied by 3. The certain period of time is, for example, one minute, and information on keeping the door open is periodically transmitted to the number of vehicles to be assigned to the determining unit 45 or the operation control unit 41. Furthermore, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, it is determined whether to continue or terminate vehicle allocation control based on whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed. By setting an upper limit for the automatic door opening time, it is possible to continue dispatching vehicles even during busy times, improving convenience.

As described above, according to the embodiment, the number of passengers at the departure floor landing is estimated from the door opening time of the automatic door 3, and control is performed based on the estimation, thereby re-operating the landing operation panel 23 of the landing 2. User convenience can be improved without having to Since the structure requires the user to pass through the automatic door 3 before boarding the elevator, there is no need for the system to constantly monitor whether the hall operation panel 23 is operating or not until the automatic door 3 operates. can remain inactive. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the standby power in the hall 2 including the display of indicators, etc., and the lifespan of components etc. can be extended. Note that the hall operation panel 23 can respond only when the automatic door 3 is operated for a certain period of time from the time of operation. In addition, when there are a plurality of hall operation panels 23 provided in the hall 2, only a certain number of hall operation panels 23 among the plurality of hall operation panels 23 may be controlled to be responsive.

In addition, if a wheelchair button (not shown) is pressed at the landing 2 after passing through the automatic door 3, the car 1 Determine the number of vehicles to be allocated. For example, in an elevator with a capacity of eight people, if it is estimated that there is one person in addition to the wheelchair user who passed through the automatic door 3, it is OK to have one car call, but if there is one person in addition to the wheelchair user, If it is estimated that six people have passed through, two car calls will be required, so the appropriate number of cars will be allocated depending on the operating situation.

Note that the embodiment is preferably applied to a standard floor that includes an entrance and the like. After passing through the automatic door 3, the car call is carried out without the user operating a button himself/herself, and while the operation is being controlled, the general button (landing operation panel 23) at the landing 2 is lit, etc. However, the wheelchair button is not limited to this, and can be pressed by a necessary user when necessary.

<Second embodiment>

Next, a second embodiment will be described using FIGS. 13 and 14. Hereinafter, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanation will be omitted. In the first embodiment described above, the number of passengers on the platform is estimated based on the cumulative time that the automatic door 3 remained open, and updated past information is referred to. The accuracy of grasping the number of people has been improved by installing the system.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of an elevator and automatic door 3 according to the second embodiment. A count sensor 51 is provided near the door so that it is possible to count the number of users who have passed through after the automatic door 3 is operated. Note that when the count sensor 51 is provided, the load detection device 16 and the imaging device 17 as shown in FIG. 1 may not be provided. In the first embodiment, the number of passengers is calculated by the load detection device 16 or the imaging device 17 when boarding the car 1, but in the second embodiment, it is possible to calculate the number of passengers before dispatching the car, improving the accuracy of grasping the number of people. At the same time, appropriate hall call registration and arrangement of the car 1 can be performed.

The count sensor 51 utilizes, for example, a mechanism that determines whether a person enters or leaves a room based on the detection position and direction of a person using multiple photoelectric sensors, or a mechanism that determines the number of people passing through and their attributes through multidimensional depth detection obtained by a 3D visual sensor. do. By sharing the calculated count information, it becomes possible to integrally manage the elevator car 1 and the automatic door 3. The count sensor 51 calculates the direction of the user and the number of users based on the timing shift detected by the plurality of built-in sensors within the detection range.

Next, the mechanism of the system according to the second embodiment will be explained using FIG. 14.

This system includes a door opening time measuring section 32, a passing number estimating section 42 that calculates the number of people passing through the automatic door 3 from information obtained from a count sensor 51, a waiting number predicting section 43, and a capacity information holding section 44. , an allocation number determining section 45, and an operation control section 41.

The door opening time measuring section 32 measures the door opening time, outputs it as a door opening time signal a, and transmits it to the number of people passing through the vehicle estimating section 42 . Further, the count sensor 51 calculates the number of people passing by, outputs it as a sensor detection signal h, and transmits it to the number of people estimating the number of people passing by 42 . The passing number estimating unit which has received the door open time signal a and the sensor detection signal h transmits the sensor detection signal h to the vehicle arrangement number determining unit 45 as the estimated passing number signal b. In addition to using the sensor detection signal h as the estimated number of people passing signal b, it may also be stored in conjunction with the sensor detection signal h.

The waiting number predicting unit 43 sets the number of people passing through to be the same as the number of people waiting at the landing (waiting number) when the automatic door 3 operates once, and when at least one of the door control unit 35 and the count sensor 51 operates multiple times. , the counted number of people passing by is added each time as the number of people waiting in the hall (the number of people waiting), which is updated and saved each time.

The allocated vehicle number determining unit 45 periodically reads the updated number of people waiting at the landing hall (waiting number), and uses the read information on the number of people waiting at the hall (waiting number) and the car capacity signal c acquired from the capacity information holding unit 44. Based on this, the number of people waiting in the hall is compared with the estimated number of passengers in the car, and it is determined whether the number of people waiting in the hall is smaller than the number of passengers in the car. Based on the determination result, a response signal indicating the appropriate number of cars (one car response signal d, two car response signal e, or a signal specifying the number of cars) is output and transmitted to the operation control section 41. The operation control unit 41 controls the operation of the car 1 in accordance with instructions received from the allocated number determining unit 45.

In this way, in the second embodiment, by having the above configuration, the number of people waiting at the landing 2 is estimated with higher accuracy, and an appropriate number of cars 1 are allocated. It is better to have the learning means 47 and the table (storage unit) 48, and by storing the calculation result of the number of people passing by the count sensor 51 in conjunction with the door opening time, the automatic door 3 or the count sensor 51 abnormalities can be detected promptly.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the count sensor 51 for measuring the number of people passing through is provided near the automatic door 3, and each time the automatic door 3 and the count sensor 51 operate after starting sensor detection. To control the distribution of an appropriate number of cars 1 for the purpose. According to this, it is possible to reduce the waiting time of users at the landing 2 and to perform appropriate operation control without waste, with improved accuracy, before boarding the car 1.

Although embodiments and some modifications of the invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples 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 changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and gist of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

1... Car (car), 11... Car door, 12... In-car operation panel, 13... Load detection device, 14... Imaging device, 2... Landing area, 21... Entrance/exit, 22... Landing door, 23... Hall operating panel, 3... Automatic door, 31... Door control unit, 32... Door opening time measuring unit, 33... Door, 34... Sensor, 4... Control device, 41... Operation control unit (operation control device), 42... Passing person estimation unit ( 43... Waiting number prediction section, 44... Capacity information holding section, 45... Number of vehicles to be allocated determining section (hall call registration device), 46... Passenger number calculation section (passenger number calculation means), 47... Learning means, 48...Table/storage unit (storage means), 51...Count sensor,
a...Door opening time signal, b...Estimated number of people passing through signal, c...Car capacity signal, d...One car response signal, e...Two car response signal, f...Number of passengers signal, g...Signal corresponding to time number of people, h... Sensor detection signal, B...Estimated number of people passing by, F...Number of passengers, N...Number of allocated vehicles, W...Number of people waiting

Claims (12)

In an elevator system with multiple cars,
an automatic door that opens and closes by detecting an object, and is provided at a boundary between a first area facing an elevator landing and a second area located further from the elevator than the first area;
a door opening time measurement unit that measures the door opening time of the automatic door;
a number of people estimator that estimates the number of people passing through the automatic door moving from the second area to the first area based on the door opening time measured by the door opening time measurement unit;
a hall call registration device that compares the estimated number of passing passengers with the capacity of the car and determines the number of hall calls to be carried out;
an operation control device that allocates the determined number of cars;
Elevator system equipped with a load detection device that detects the load in the car;
A number of passengers calculating means for calculating the actual number of passengers in the car from the load acquired by the load detection device;
learning means for learning the relationship between the opening time of the automatic door and the number of passengers;
storage means for updating and saving the set value each time the learning means learns;
The elevator system according to claim 1, further comprising: an imaging device that acquires image information in the car;
A number of passengers calculating means for calculating the actual number of passengers in the car from the image acquired by the imaging device;
learning means for learning the relationship between the opening time of the automatic door and the number of passengers;
storage means for updating and saving the set value each time the learning means learns;
The elevator system according to claim 1, further comprising: Before updating the storage means, the number of people estimator calculates the number of people passing through based on the cumulative time during which the automatic door remains fully open from the time the automatic door starts operating until the car departs. 4. The elevator according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the number of people passing through the elevator is estimated based on the data extracted from the storage means together with the opening time of the automatic door after the storage means is updated. system. Before updating the storage means, the number of people estimator determines that, in addition to the door opening time, the automatic door remains fully open for a certain period of time from when the automatic door starts operating until the car departs. The number of people passing through is estimated based on the number of times of a series of opening/closing operations in which the door starts opening again after the door starts closing, and after updating the storage means, data extracted from the storage means together with the door opening time of the automatic door. The elevator system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the number of people passing through is estimated based on. The series of opening/closing operations is performed when the automatic door maintains a fully open state for a certain period of time, and then starts opening again after the automatic door starts closing and before it completes closing, or when the automatic door fully opens. 6. The elevator system according to claim 5, wherein the condition is maintained for a certain period of time and the automatic door starts opening again within a certain period of time after the automatic door closes. The storage means is characterized in that, in addition to the door opening time and the number of passengers, the estimated number of people passing by accumulates and stores the correlation with the day of the week and the time of day, and derives a numerical value from the stored data. The elevator system according to any one of claims 2 to 6. In an elevator system with multiple cars,
an automatic door that opens and closes by detecting an object, and is provided at a boundary between a first area facing an elevator landing and a second area located further from the elevator than the first area;
a count sensor that measures the number of people passing through the automatic door moving from the second area to the first area;
a number of people estimator that obtains information from the counting sensor;
a hall call registration device that compares the estimated number of passing passengers with the capacity of the car and determines the number of hall calls to be carried out;
an operation control device that allocates the determined number of cars;
Elevator system equipped with The capacity of the car can be set arbitrarily below the maximum loading capacity of the car,
The hall call registration device performs a car call for one car when the number of people passing by is less than the capacity of one car, based on a comparison result between the number of people passing by and the capacity of the car, and The elevator system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein when the number of cars exceeds the capacity of one car, a call is made for two or more cars. The landing call registration device is configured to extend the opening time of the car door while one of the cars arrives at the landing and the door is opened, when the number of passing passengers is greater than or equal to the capacity of the car. An elevator system according to any one of claims 1 to 9. Any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the hall call registration device disables a door close button while the door of one of the cars is open and the user is getting into the car. The elevator system according to paragraph 1. 12. The elevator system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a hall operation panel that partially lights up or blinks while the operation control device is dispatching the car.

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