WO2018055694A1

WO2018055694A1 - Elevator system

Info

Publication number: WO2018055694A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/077829
Authority: WO
Inventors: 光正森
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2016-09-21
Filing date: 2016-09-21
Publication date: 2018-03-29
Also published as: CN109789991A; CN109789991B; TWI643804B; TW201813910A

Abstract

Provided is an elevator system which, when a call is made between an elevator call device and a telephone installed at a location other than the elevator, is capable of starting, in a short time, a subsequent call after a call has once been made between the call device and the telephone. In order to do so, the elevator system comprises: a reporting device that connects, in a manner that allows voice communication, a call device disposed in an elevator to one of a plurality of reception devices; and a management device that manages the communication status of the plurality of reception devices. The reporting device comprises: a connection destination inquiry unit that queries the management device as to the reception device that is to become the voice communication connection destination; and a connection destination storage unit that stores the connection destination notified from the management device. The management device comprises a connection destination notification unit that, in response to an inquiry from the connection destination inquiry unit, makes a notification regarding the one reception device selected from among the plurality of reception devices as the connection destination. Then, the connection destination inquiry unit queries a reception device that is to become the next connection destination, during voice communication between the call device and the reception device.

Description

Elevator system

This invention relates to an elevator system.

A remote monitoring device connected to a communication network having a plurality of connection points, a remote monitoring device having a first telephone, and an earthquake detector for detecting an earthquake occurring at an elevator car installation location and generating an earthquake occurrence signal And an elevator controller that generates a communication path establishment command signal after receiving the earthquake occurrence signal generated by the earthquake detector, a second telephone set in the car, and a connection point of the communication network When connected, a transmitter / receiver that transmits and receives audio signals exchanged between the first and second telephones to and from the remote monitoring device, and a communication path establishment command signal generated by the elevator controller, Selection switching that repeatedly selects one of a plurality of connection points of the communication network until the communication path with the monitoring device is established, and causes the transceiver to attempt a connection with the connection point When, elevator systems with known (e.g., see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-063084

However, an elevator system such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 is repeated until a communication path is established between a telephone (calling device) provided in an elevator car and a telephone of a remote monitoring device. One of a plurality of connection points is selected and a connection with the connection point is attempted. For this reason, it takes time to start an emergency call. In addition, when a call is terminated due to abnormal disconnection or the like, and when the next call is started, by repeating the trial until the communication path is established again, the time required to start the call becomes longer.

The present invention has been made to solve such problems. The purpose is to make the next call after making a call between the call device and the telephone even once when making a call between the call device of the elevator and a telephone set in a different location from the elevator. It is to provide an elevator system that can be started in a short time.

In the elevator system according to the present invention, a notifying device for connecting a communication device provided in the elevator to any one of a plurality of receiving devices so that voice communication is possible, and a management device for managing communication states of the plurality of receiving devices The notification device includes a connection destination inquiry unit that inquires of the management device about a reception device that is a connection destination of the voice communication, a connection destination storage unit that stores the connection destination notified from the management device, and The management device includes a connection destination notifying unit that notifies one of the plurality of receiving devices as a connection destination in response to an inquiry from the connection destination inquiry unit, and the connection destination inquiry The communication unit and the receiving device make an inquiry about a receiving device as a next connection destination during voice communication.

In the elevator system according to the present invention, after a call is made between the call device and the telephone even when the call is made between the call device of the elevator and a telephone set at a location different from the elevator, The next call can be started in a short time.

1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an elevator system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the alerting | reporting apparatus of the elevator system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention, a receiver, and a management apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of the receiver status management table of the management apparatus with which the elevator system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention is provided. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of emergency call of the elevator system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the management apparatus with which the elevator system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention is provided. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of emergency call of the elevator system which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are simplified or omitted as appropriate. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIGS. 1 to 5 relate to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an elevator system, and FIG. 2 shows the internal configuration of an elevator system notification device, reception device, and management device. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a receiving device state management table of a management device provided in the elevator system, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation during an emergency call of the elevator system, and FIG. 5 is provided in the elevator system. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a management apparatus.

The elevator system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention includes an elevator 1 installed in a building as shown in FIG. And the said elevator system is a thing which can call (emergency call) between the inside of the cage | basket | car of the elevator 1 installed in the building, and a remote place. The elevator system may include a plurality of elevators 1. Here, the elevator system includes, for example, three elevators 1.

Each elevator 1 includes a call device 10 and a notification device 100, respectively. The communication device 10 and the notification device 100 are connected to be communicable. The communication device 10 is installed inside each elevator 1 car. The call device 10 is for a person inside the car of the elevator 1 to make a call with the outside. For this reason, each call device 10 is provided with a microphone and a speaker (not shown). Such a communication device 10 is specifically an interphone, for example. The reporting device 100 performs control related to reporting the abnormality of the elevator 1 to the outside and calling with the outside by the calling device 10.

Each elevator 1 is communicably connected to the information center 2 via the communication network 400. The communication network 400 is configured using, for example, a public line network.

Information center 2 is set up in a different place from the building where elevator 1 is installed. Each information center 2 is installed in each district where the building where the elevator 1 is installed is located, for example. Here, for example, an information center (area A) 2a, an information center (area B) 2b, and an information center (area C) 2c are provided. Hereinafter, these information center (district A) 2a, information center (district B) 2b, and information center (district C) 2c are collectively referred to as information center 2.

Each information center 2 monitors the buildings in the district that the information center 2 has jurisdiction over. In the information center 2, a supervisor and maintenance staff of the elevator 1 are resident. In the event of an emergency such as an abnormality occurring in the elevator 1 of a building in the district under the jurisdiction of the information center 2, necessary personnel such as maintenance personnel can be dispatched from the information center 2 to the building where the abnormality has occurred. .

Each information center 2 is provided with a telephone 20 and a receiving device 200, respectively. Here, each information center 2 has a plurality of sets of telephone sets 20 and receiving apparatuses 200. Each set of the telephone 20 and the receiving device 200 are connected to be communicable. The telephone 20 is for a person in the car using the telephone device 10 of the elevator 1 and a supervisor of the information center 2 to make a telephone call. The receiving apparatus 200 performs control related to reception of an abnormality report of the elevator 1 from the reporting apparatus 100 and communication between the calling apparatus 10 and the telephone 20.

Each information center 2 is connected to the management device 300 so as to be able to communicate with each other. Each elevator 1 is also connected to the management device 300 so as to be able to communicate with each other. The management device 300 is installed in a data center, for example. The data center manages information necessary for maintenance and management of the elevator 1, for example, across multiple districts. The data center is provided at a location different from both the building where the elevator 1 is installed and the information center 2. The management device 300 manages the communication state of the plurality of reception devices 200.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, each elevator 1 and the management device 300 are connected via a communication network 400, and each information center 2 and the management device 300 are connected via a dedicated communication line without going through the communication network 400. ing. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and each information center 2 and the management apparatus 300 may be connected via the communication network 400.

Next, the configuration of the reporting device 100, the receiving device 200, and the management device 300 will be further described with reference to FIG. As described above, the elevator 1, the information center 2, and the management device 300 are connected to the communication network 400. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the communication network 400 includes a telephone line network 401 and an IP communication network 402. The IP communication network 402 is a communication network using IP (Internet Protocol) as a communication protocol.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the reporting device 100 of the elevator 1 is connected to the IP communication network 402 via the telephone line network 401. For this reason, the reporting device 100 includes a telephone line communication unit 112. The telephone line communication unit 112 is an interface when the reporting device 100 communicates with the telephone line network 401.

The receiving device 200 and the management device 300 of the information center 2 are directly connected to the IP communication network 402, respectively. For this reason, the receiving apparatus 200 includes a receiving apparatus side IP communication unit 210. The management apparatus 300 includes a management apparatus side IP communication unit 301. The receiving device side IP communication unit 210 is an interface when the receiving device 200 communicates with the IP communication network 402. The management apparatus-side IP communication unit 301 is an interface when the management apparatus 300 communicates with the IP communication network 402.

The reporting device 100 connects the call device 10 to any one of the plurality of receiving devices 200 so that voice communication is possible. Via the reporting device 100 and the receiving device 200, a voice call can be made between the calling device 10 in the car of the elevator 1 and the telephone 20 of the information center 2. Since the voice communication at this time is via the IP communication network 402, for example, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) can be used.

In addition to the telephone line communication unit 112 described above, the notification device 100 includes a notification device side communication data processing unit 101, an elevator communication unit 102, a notification device side failure information processing unit 103, a call device communication unit 104, a calling unit 105, It further includes a reporting device side encoding unit 106, a reporting device side decoding unit 107, a reporting device side sound quality monitoring unit 108, a connection destination inquiry unit 109, a connection destination storage unit 110, and a parent-child communication control unit 111.

The notification device side communication data processing unit 101 performs processing such as calculation and processing on data related to communication between the notification device 100, the reception device 200, and the management device 300.

Each elevator 1 is provided with an elevator control device 11. The elevator control device 11 controls the operation of the elevator 1. The elevator control device 11 uses information regarding the state of the elevator 1 when controlling the operation of the elevator 1. Specifically, the information on the state of the elevator 1 includes, for example, whether the elevator 1 is running or stopped, the position of the elevator 1, the driving direction and the status of call registration, and whether or not there is a failure in the elevator 1. Contents of the failure (when there is a failure) are included.

The elevator communication unit 102 is communicably connected to the elevator control device 11. The elevator communication unit 102 is an interface when the reporting device 100 communicates with the elevator control device 11. The elevator communication unit 102 can acquire information about the content of the failure of the elevator 1 (hereinafter referred to as “failure information”) from the elevator control device 11.

The notification device side failure information processing unit 103 processes the failure information of the elevator 1 acquired by the elevator communication unit 102 and sends it to the notification device side communication data processing unit 101. The notification device side communication data processing unit 101 transmits the failure information of the elevator 1 from the telephone line communication unit 112 to the telephone line network 401. The transmitted failure information of the elevator 1 is received by the receiving device 200 via the IP communication network 402 from the telephone line network 401.

The call device communication unit 104 is communicably connected to the call device 10. The communication device communication unit 104 is an interface used when the reporting device 100 communicates with the communication device 10. The call device 10 and the notification device 100 exchange various signals including a voice signal during a call via the call device communication unit 104.

For example, when a person inside the car of the elevator 1 performs a predetermined call operation on the call device 10, a call operation signal is output from the call device 10. The call operation is, for example, an operation in which a person presses a call button provided on the call device 10. The call operation signal output from the communication device 10 is input to the communication device communication unit 104 of the notification device 100.

The calling unit 105 is for making a call from the reporting device 100 to the receiving device 200 of the information center 2 when a call operation is performed on the call device 10. When a call operation signal is input to the communication device communication unit 104, the calling unit 105 outputs a calling signal. The calling signal output from the calling unit 105 is input to the notification device side communication data processing unit 101. And the notification apparatus side communication data processing part 101 to which the call signal was input performs a call process.

In the calling process, the notification device side communication data processing unit 101 first confirms whether or not the receiving device 200 as the next connection destination is stored in the connection destination storage unit 110 described later. If the receiving device 200 as the next connection destination is stored in the connection destination storage unit 110, this receiving device 200 is set as the other party of the current call.

On the other hand, if the receiving device 200 as the next connection destination is not stored in the connection destination storage unit 110, the connection destination inquiry unit 109 described later inquires the management device 300 about the receiving device 200 as the connection destination. Then, the receiving device 200 notified from the management device 300 as the connection destination in response to this inquiry is set as the other party of the current call.

Then, the notification device side communication data processing unit 101 transmits a call signal from the telephone line communication unit 112 to the receiving device 200 of the other party of the call. The transmitted calling signal is received from the telephone line network 401 via the IP communication network 402 by the receiving device 200 of the other party.

The reporting device side encoding unit 106 converts the analog voice signal output from the calling device 10 into a digital voice signal during a call between the calling device 10 and the telephone 20 of the information center 2. Conversion from an analog audio signal to a digital audio signal is performed by digitally encoding the analog audio signal so as to be suitable for digital communication via the telephone line network 401 and the IP communication network 402.

That is, when a voice of a person in the car is input to the microphone of the call device 10 in a call state, the sound input to the microphone is output from the call device 10 as an analog voice signal. The analog audio signal output from the communication device 10 is input to the communication device communication unit 104. The reporting device side encoding unit 106 digitally encodes the analog voice signal input to the communication device communication unit 104 and converts it into a digital voice signal. The converted digital audio signal is sent to the notification device side communication data processing unit 101. Then, the notification device side communication data processing unit 101 transmits a digital voice signal from the telephone line communication unit 112 to the telephone line network 401. The transmitted digital audio signal is received from the telephone line network 401 via the IP communication network 402 by the receiving device 200 connected to the telephone 20 of the other party.

The reporting device side decoding unit 107 decodes the digital voice signal transmitted from the telephone set 20 and converts it into an analog voice signal during a call between the telephone set 10 and the telephone set 20 of the information center 2. That is, when the reporting device 100 receives the digital voice signal transmitted from the receiving device 200 connected to the telephone set 20 by the telephone line communication unit 112, the reporting device side communication data processing unit 101 first has the telephone line communication unit 112. The digital audio signal received in step S3 is sent to the reporting device side decoding unit 107. And the reporting apparatus side decoding part 107 decodes this digital audio | voice signal, and converts it into an analog audio | voice signal. The analog voice signal decoded by the reporting device side decoding unit 107 is sent from the communication device communication unit 104 to the communication device 10. Then, the analog audio signal is reproduced as audio on the speaker of the communication device 10.

The notification device-side sound quality monitoring unit 108 monitors the sound quality of voice communication between the call device 10 and the receiving device 200 to which the phone 20 is connected during a call between the call device 10 and the telephone 20 of the information center 2. At this time, for example, one or more of signal delay (ms), packet loss (%), S / N ratio (dB), and signal level (dB) is used as an index for evaluating the sound quality of voice communication. be able to. Hereinafter, an index for evaluating the sound quality of voice communication is referred to as a “sound quality evaluation index”.

The reporting device-side sound quality monitoring unit 108 first obtains a digital voice signal that has not been decoded by the reporting device-side decoding unit 107 and an analog voice signal that has been decoded by the reporting device-side decoding unit 107. Then, the notification device side sound quality monitoring unit 108 monitors the sound quality of the voice communication by obtaining the sound quality evaluation index for the voice communication described above for the acquired digital voice signal and analog voice signal. Of the sound quality evaluation indexes mentioned above, signal delay and packet loss are evaluated based on digital audio signals. Further, the S / N ratio and the signal level are evaluated based on the analog audio signal. Therefore, it is sufficient to acquire only necessary signals of the digital audio signal and the analog audio signal according to the sound quality evaluation index to be used.

The connection destination inquiry unit 109 makes an inquiry to the management device 300 about the receiving device 200 that is the connection destination of voice communication when performing voice communication between the telephone device 10 of the elevator 1 and the telephone 20 of the information center 2. . The connection destination inquiry unit 109 inquires of the management apparatus 300 about the reception device 200 that is the connection destination at a first timing and a second timing described below.

First, the first timing is when a call between the call device 10 and the telephone 20 is started or resumed. The time when the call between the call device 10 and the telephone 20 is started is, for example, when a call is made. The time when the call between the call device 10 and the telephone 20 is resumed is, for example, when the call is started again after the call between the call device 10 and the telephone 20 is abnormally disconnected.

However, when starting and resuming a call, if the receiving device 200 as the next connection destination is stored in the connection destination storage unit 110 described later, the connection destination inquiry unit 109 receives the receiving device 200 as the connection destination. Do not inquire. In this case, the notification device side communication data processing unit 101 starts or resumes a call with respect to the receiving device 200 that is the next connection destination stored in the connection destination storage unit 110.

Next, the second timing is when the communication device 10 and the receiving device 200 are performing voice communication. That is, the connection destination inquiry unit 109 makes an inquiry to the receiving device 200 that is the next connection destination during the voice communication between the telephone device 10 and the receiving device 200. In particular, in the first embodiment, the connection destination inquiry unit 109 is set in advance with the sound quality monitored by the notification device side sound quality monitoring unit 108 while the communication device 10 and the receiving device 200 are performing voice communication. If it falls below the standard, an inquiry is made about the receiving device that is the next connection destination. The reference at this time is set using the above-described sound quality evaluation index.

Also at the second timing, as in the case of the first timing described above, when the receiving device 200 as the next connection destination is stored in the connection destination storage unit 110 described later, the connection destination inquiry unit 109. Does not make an inquiry to the receiving apparatus 200 as a connection destination.

When the connection destination inquiry unit 109 inquires about the connection destination, the connection destination inquiry unit 109 sends a connection destination inquiry request to the notification device side communication data processing unit 101. Upon receiving the connection destination inquiry request, the reporting device side communication data processing unit 101 transmits a connection destination inquiry signal from the telephone line communication unit 112 to the telephone line network 401. Then, the connection destination inquiry signal transmitted from the telephone line communication unit 112 of the notification device 100 to the telephone line network 401 is transmitted to the management device 300 via the IP communication network 402.

The connection destination storage unit 110 stores the connection destination notified from the management device 300. When the connection destination inquiry unit 109 inquires the management device 300 about the reception device 200 that is the connection destination of the voice communication, the management device 300 selects from among the plurality of reception devices 200 in response to this inquiry, as will be described later. With one receiving device 200 as a connection destination, the notification device 100 that made the inquiry is notified.

The reporting device 100 that has made the inquiry receives the information of the receiving device 200 of the connection destination notified from the management device 300 by the telephone line communication unit 112. The information on the connection destination receiving device 200 received by the telephone line communication unit 112 is processed by the notification device side communication data processing unit 101 and then sent from the connection destination inquiry unit 109 to the connection destination storage unit 110. Then, the connection destination storage unit 110 stores information on the connection destination receiving device 200 notified from the management device 300.

In principle, the connection destination storage unit 110 stores only one connection destination receiving device 200. Therefore, if the notification device 100 receives the information of the connection destination receiving device 200 notified from the management device 300, the connection destination storage unit 110 has already stored the connection destination reception device 200. The destination storage unit 110 overwrites the information of the connection destination receiving device 200 that has been stored in the memory with the information of the newly notified connection destination receiving device 200, and the newly notified connection destination receiving device 200. Just remember.

The notification device side communication data processing unit 101 abnormally disconnects voice communication between the call device 10 and the receiving device 200 connected to the phone 20 while the call device 10 and the telephone 20 of the information center 2 are talking. I'm monitoring for it. When the voice communication between the call device 10 and the reception device 200 connected to the telephone 20 is abnormally disconnected, the notification device-side communication data processing unit 101 determines that the call device 10 and the reception device 200 are connected. Attempt to reconnect with At this time, if the receiving device 200 as the next connection destination is stored in the connection destination storage unit 110, the reporting device 100 reconnects to the receiving device 200 stored in the connection destination storage unit 110. That is, when the voice communication between the calling device 10 and the receiving device 200 is abnormally disconnected, the reporting device 100 displays the calling device 10 and the receiving device 200 that is the connection destination stored in the connection destination storage unit 110. Connect to enable voice communication.

The parent-child communication control unit 111 controls parent-child communication. The parent-child communication is communication in which one parent device and one or more child devices are set for a plurality of communication devices 10 and one telephone number is shared between the parent device and the child devices. By using parent-child communication, a plurality of communication devices 10 can be connected to the telephone line network 401 with a single telephone number.

However, when one of a plurality of communication devices 10 having a parent-child relationship has already made a call using a shared telephone number, the parent-child communication control unit 111 shares the other communication device 10 to be called. Wait for a call until the phone number is available. Then, when the call ends and the shared telephone number becomes available, the parent-child communication control unit 111 connects the call apparatus 10 waiting for the call to the telephone line network 401 using the shared telephone number.

In addition to the above-described receiving device-side IP communication unit 210, the receiving device 200 includes a receiving device-side communication data processing unit 201, a server communication unit 202, a receiving device-side failure information processing unit 203, a telephone communication unit 204, and an incoming call unit 205. , Receiving apparatus side encoding section 206, receiving apparatus side decoding section 207, receiving apparatus side sound quality monitoring section 208, and status data generation section 209.

The receiving device side communication data processing unit 201 performs processing such as calculation and processing on data related to communication between the receiving device 200, the reporting device 100, and the management device 300.

Each information center 2 has a monitoring server 21 installed. The monitoring server 21 stores information necessary for monitoring the state of each elevator 1 installed in the building. The server communication unit 202 is communicably connected to the monitoring server 21. The server communication unit 202 is an interface used when the receiving device 200 communicates with the monitoring server 21.

The reception device side failure information processing unit 203 processes the failure information of the elevator 1 transmitted from the notification device 100 and sends it to the server communication unit 202. That is, when the failure information of the elevator 1 transmitted from the notification device 100 is received by the reception device side IP communication unit 210, the reception device side communication data processing unit 201 receives the failure information received by the reception device side IP communication unit 210. And sent to the failure information processing unit 203 on the receiving device side. The failure information processing unit 203 on the reception device side processes the failure information of the elevator 1 sent from the communication data processing unit 201 on the reception device side and sends it to the server communication unit 202. Then, the server communication unit 202 stores the failure information of the elevator 1 in the monitoring server 21.

The telephone communication unit 204 is communicably connected to the telephone 20. The telephone communication unit 204 is an interface when the receiving device 200 communicates with the telephone 20. The telephone 20 and the receiving device 200 exchange various signals including a voice signal, an off-hook signal, an on-hook signal, and the like during a call via the telephone communication unit 204.

The incoming call unit 205 is for making an incoming call on the telephone 20 when the receiving device 200 receives a call signal from the notification device 100. When the receiving device side IP communication unit 210 of the receiving device 200 receives the call signal from the notification device 100, the receiving device side communication data processing unit 201 sends an incoming call instruction to the incoming call unit 205. Upon receiving this incoming call instruction, the incoming call unit 205 sends an incoming call signal to the telephone 20 via the telephone communication unit 204.

The telephone 20 that has received the incoming call signal performs a call operation. Specifically, the calling operation is, for example, one or both of ringing a ringing tone and lighting or blinking a calling light. When the telephone 20 is picked up in response to this calling operation, an off-hook signal is output from the telephone 20. An off-hook signal from the telephone 20 is input to the receiving device 200 via the telephone communication unit 204.

When an off-hook signal from the telephone 20 is input, the receiving device side communication data processing unit 201 transmits a response signal to the reporting device 100 that has transmitted the calling signal. Then, when the notification device 100 receives this response signal, voice communication is established between the call device 10 and the telephone set 20, and the call device 10 and the telephone set 20 enter a call state.

The reception device side encoding unit 206 converts the analog voice signal output from the telephone 20 into a digital voice signal during a call between the telephone 20 and the telephone 10 of the elevator 1. Conversion from an analog audio signal to a digital audio signal is performed by digitally encoding the analog audio signal so as to be suitable for digital communication via the telephone line network 401 and the IP communication network 402.

That is, when a supervisor's voice is input to the microphone of the telephone 20 in a call state, the voice input to the microphone is output from the telephone 20 as an analog voice signal. The analog audio signal output from the telephone 20 is input to the telephone communication unit 204. The receiving device side encoding unit 206 digitally encodes the analog audio signal input to the telephone communication unit 204 and converts it into a digital audio signal. The converted digital audio signal is sent to the communication data processing unit 201 on the receiving device side. Then, the reception device side communication data processing unit 201 transmits the digital audio signal from the reception device side IP communication unit 210 to the IP communication network 402. The transmitted digital audio signal is received from the IP communication network 402 via the telephone line network 401 by the notification device 100 connected to the call device 10 of the other party.

The reception device side decoding unit 207 decodes the digital audio signal transmitted from the call device 10 and converts it into an analog audio signal during a call between the telephone 20 and the call device 10 of the elevator 1. That is, when the receiving device 200 receives the digital audio signal transmitted from the notification device 100 connected to the call device 10 by the receiving device-side IP communication unit 210, first, the receiving device-side communication data processing unit 201 The digital audio signal received by the side IP communication unit 210 is sent to the reception device side decoding unit 207. Then, the receiving device side decoding unit 207 decodes the digital audio signal and converts it into an analog audio signal. The analog audio signal decoded by the receiving device side decoding unit 207 is sent from the telephone communication unit 204 to the telephone 20. Then, the analog audio signal is reproduced as audio on the telephone 20 speaker.

The reception device-side sound quality monitoring unit 208 monitors the sound quality of voice communication between the telephone device 20 and the notification device 100 to which the telephone device 10 is connected during a call between the telephone device 20 and the telephone device 10 of the elevator 1. At this time, similar to the notification device-side sound quality monitoring unit 108, the sound quality evaluation index described above can be used to evaluate the sound quality of voice communication. That is, for example, one or more of signal delay (ms), packet loss (%), S / N ratio (dB), and signal level (dB) can be used.

The reception device side sound quality monitoring unit 208 first obtains the digital audio signal before being decoded by the reception device side decoding unit 207 and the analog audio signal decoded by the reception device side decoding unit 207. Then, the reception device-side sound quality monitoring unit 208 monitors the sound quality of voice communication by obtaining the above-described sound quality evaluation index for the acquired digital audio signal and analog audio signal. Of the sound quality evaluation indexes mentioned above, signal delay and packet loss are evaluated based on digital audio signals. Further, the S / N ratio and the signal level are evaluated based on the analog audio signal. Therefore, it is sufficient to acquire only necessary signals of the digital audio signal and the analog audio signal according to the sound quality evaluation index to be used.

The state data generation unit 209 generates state data of the receiving device 200 in response to an inquiry from a state inquiry unit 303 (to be described later) of the management device 300. Then, the receiving device 200 transmits the generated state data of the receiving device 200 to the management device 300. The state data of the receiving device 200 includes data relating to the sound quality of voice communication between the receiving device 200 and the notification device 100 and data relating to the communication state of the receiving device 200.

The data relating to the sound quality of voice communication is specifically data of a sound quality evaluation index used by the receiving device-side sound quality monitoring unit 208 for monitoring sound quality. Further, there are four types of communication states of the receiving apparatus 200, for example, “busy”, “data communication”, “idle”, and “reserving”. “During a call” is a state in which voice communication is performed. “During data communication” is a state in which communication without voice communication is performed. “Idle” is a communication standby state in which neither voice communication nor data communication is performed. “Reserving” is an idle state, and a connection destination notification unit 304 (to be described later) of the management device 300 has already been notified to the notification device 100 as the next connection destination receiving device 200.

When the receiving device side IP communication unit 210 receives the state inquiry signal from the state inquiry unit 303 of the management device 300, the state data generation unit 209 receives the sound quality from the receiving device side sound quality monitoring unit 208 as data related to the sound quality of the voice communication. Get evaluation index data. Further, the state data generation unit 209 acquires data related to the communication state of the receiving device 200 from the receiving device side IP communication unit 210.

Then, the state data generation unit 209 generates the state data of the receiving device 200 by combining the acquired data regarding the sound quality of the voice communication and the data regarding the communication state. The status data of the receiving device 200 generated by the status data generating unit 209 is sent to the receiving device side communication data processing unit 201. The reception device side communication data processing unit 201 transmits the status data of the reception device 200 from the reception device side IP communication unit 210 to the IP communication network 402. The transmitted status data of the receiving device 200 is received by the management device 300 via the IP communication network 402.

The management device 300 further includes a reception device management unit 302, a status inquiry unit 303, and a connection destination notification unit 304 in addition to the management device side IP communication unit 301 described above. The receiving device management unit 302 is for managing the states of the plurality of receiving devices 200. Therefore, the reception device management unit 302 stores a reception device state management table indicating the states of the plurality of reception devices 200 that are the management targets. In the receiving device status management table, the status data of the receiving device 200 generated by the status data generating unit 209 of each receiving device 200 is stored.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the content of the reception device state management table stored in the reception device management unit 302. In this way, in the receiving device status management table, a plurality of receiving devices 200 to be managed are registered separately for each information center 2 in each district where each receiving device 200 is installed.

A plurality of receiving devices 200 are assigned serial numbers for each information center 2 in each district. In the example shown in FIG. 3, six sets of telephones 20 and a receiving device 200 are installed in the information center (area A) 2a. In addition, in the information center (area B) 2b, ten sets of telephones 20 and a receiving device 200 are installed. In the information center (district C) 2c, eight sets of telephones 20 and a receiving device 200 are installed.

The “status” column of the receiving device status management table includes the communication status of each receiving device 200. The communication status of the receiving device 200 is 4 in the same manner as the data related to the communication status of the receiving device 200 acquired by the status data generation unit 209 described above: “busy”, “data communication”, “idle”, and “reserved”. There are types.

The “delay” and “packet loss” columns in the receiving device state management table relate to the sound quality of each receiving device 200 during a call. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 3, two parameters of delay and packet loss are adopted as the sound quality evaluation index during the call of the receiving apparatus 200. Note that the “delay” and “packet loss” data are stored in the receiving device state management table only for the receiving device 200 whose “state” is “busy”.

The state inquiry unit 303 makes an inquiry about the state to each of the receiving devices 200 that are managed by the management device 300. For example, the state inquiry unit 303 periodically inquires of the reception device 200 about the state. That is, the state inquiry unit 303 transmits a state inquiry signal from the management apparatus side IP communication unit 301 to the IP communication network 402 at predetermined time intervals. The transmitted state inquiry signal is received by the receiving apparatus 200 via the IP communication network 402.

When the receiving device 200 receives the state inquiry signal, the state data generation unit 209 described above generates the state data of the receiving device 200, and the generated state data is transmitted from the receiving device 200 to the management device 300. When the management device 300 receives the status data from the receiving device 200, the status inquiry unit 303 updates the contents of the receiving device status management table stored in the receiving device management unit 302 with the received status data of the receiving device 200. To do. In this way, the contents of the receiving device state management table are kept up to date.

In response to an inquiry from the connection destination inquiry unit 109 of the notification device 100, the connection destination notification unit 304 selects one reception device 200 as a connection destination from among a plurality of reception devices 200, and selects the selected reception device 200 as a connection destination. To the reporting device 100. At this time, the connection destination notifying unit 304 is based on the contents of the receiving device status management table stored in the receiving device managing unit 302, that is, based on the status data of each receiving device 200. One receiving device 200 as a connection destination is selected from among them.

The receiving device 200 selected as the connection destination first needs to be in an idle state. When there are a plurality of receiving apparatuses 200 in the idle state, the connection destination notification unit 304 selects one receiving apparatus 200 as a connection destination from among the receiving apparatuses 200 in the idle state according to a predetermined selection criterion. .

A specific example of selection criteria at this time will be described next. First, the first selection criterion is to preferentially select from the receiving device 200 of the information center 2 in the same district or the closest distance to the district where the notification device 100 for which the connection destination inquiry has been made is located. For example, when there is an inquiry about the connection destination from the reporting device 100 in the district A, if the first selection criterion is applied, the receiving device 200 in the information center (district A) 2a of the same district A is preferentially selected. Will do.

Next, the second selection criterion has priority over the receiving devices 200 installed in the information center 2 having the largest number of receiving devices 200 in the idle state among the receiving devices 200 installed in the same information center 2. To choose. In the example shown in FIG. 3, when the second selection criterion is applied, the receiving apparatus 200 in the information center (area C) 2c is preferentially selected.

The third selection criterion is to preferentially select from the receiving device 200 installed in the information center 2 having the best average sound quality evaluation index of the receiving devices 200 installed in the same information center 2. is there. In the example shown in FIG. 3, when the third selection criterion is applied, the receiving apparatus 200 in the information center (district B) 2b is preferentially selected.

It should be noted that a plurality of these selection criteria may be used in combination. In this case, it is preferable to apply the first selection criterion with the highest priority, then apply the second selection criterion, and finally the third selection criterion.

In this way, when one receiving device 200 to be a connection destination is selected, the selected receiving device 200 is notified as a connection destination to the reporting device 100 that has inquired. Also, the management apparatus 300 changes the status of the receiving apparatus 200 notified as the connection destination to “reserving” for the contents of the receiving apparatus status management table stored in the receiving apparatus management unit 302.

The operation at the time of an emergency call between the call device 10 of the elevator 1 and the telephone 20 of the information center 2 in the elevator system configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. When a person is trapped inside the car of the elevator 1, for example, when the trapped person performs a calling operation in the communication device 10, first, in step S <b> 1, the connection destination inquiry unit 109 connects the connection destination to the management device 300. The receiving apparatus 200 is inquired. When the notification of the receiving device 200 that is the connection destination is received from the management device 300, the process proceeds to step S2. This step S1 corresponds to the first timing described above.

In step S2, the reporting device 100 connects to the receiving device 200 notified as the connection destination. Then, the process proceeds to step S3. In step S <b> 3, a call is started between the call device 10 connected to the notification device 100 and the telephone set 20 connected to the reception device 200. Then, the process proceeds to step S4.

In step S4, when the sound quality of the voice communication monitored by the notification device side sound quality monitoring unit 108 is lower than the reference, the process proceeds to step S5. In step S <b> 5, the connection destination inquiry unit 109 inquires of the management device 300 about the reception device 200 that is the next connection destination. When the notification of the receiving device 200 that is the next connection destination is received from the management device 300, the receiving device 200 that is the next connection destination is stored in the connection destination storage unit 110. This step S5 corresponds to the second timing described above.

After step S5, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S4, when the sound quality of the voice communication monitored by the notification device side sound quality monitoring unit 108 is not lower than the reference, the process proceeds to step S6 without passing through step S5. In step S6, when the notification device side communication data processing unit 101 detects that the communication between the notification device 100 and the reception device 200 is abnormally disconnected, the process proceeds to step S7.

In step S7, when the receiving device 200 as the next connection destination is stored in the connection destination storage unit 110, the process returns to step S2. In this case, the reporting device 100 connects to the receiving device 200 stored in the connection destination storage unit 110 as the next connection destination without making an inquiry by the connection destination inquiry unit 109.

On the other hand, when the receiving device 200 that is the next connection destination is not stored in the connection destination storage unit 110 in step S7, the process returns to step S1. Therefore, after making an inquiry by the connection destination inquiry unit 109 and receiving a notification of the receiving device 200 as the next connection destination, the notification device 100 and the receiving device 200 are connected.

In contrast, when the notification device side communication data processing unit 101 does not detect that the communication between the notification device 100 and the reception device 200 is abnormally disconnected in step S6, the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, when the receiving device 200 detects that an on-hook signal is output from the telephone set 20, the call is terminated. On the other hand, if the receiving device 200 does not detect that the on-hook signal is output from the telephone set 20 in step S8, the process returns to step S4 and the call is continued.

Next, the operation of the management apparatus 300 included in the elevator system configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. First, this operation flow starts from the initialization of the value of the counter variable N used for processing to 1. Here, the maximum value of the counter variable N is the number of management devices 300 to be managed by the management device 300. A serial number is assigned in advance to each management device 300 to be managed by the management device 300.

In step S11, the state inquiry unit 303 inquires of the N-th receiving device 200, that is, the serial number N, about the state. When the management apparatus 300 receives the state data transmitted from the Nth receiving apparatus 200, the state inquiry unit 303 records the received state data in the receiving apparatus state management table of the receiving apparatus management unit 302, and receives the receiving apparatus. Update the state management table. Then, the process proceeds to step S12.

In step S12, when an inquiry is received from the connection destination inquiry unit 109 of the reporting device 100, the process proceeds to step S13. In step S <b> 13, the connection destination notification unit 304 selects the reception device 200 that is the connection destination and notifies the notification device 100. That is, first, the connection destination notification unit 304 searches the reception device state management table of the reception device management unit 302 for the reception device 200 in the idle state. If only one idle receiving device 200 is found, this receiving device 200 is selected as a connection destination. If a plurality of idle receiving devices 200 are found, candidates are narrowed down to one receiving device 200 based on the selection criteria described above.

When one receiving device 200 is selected in this way, the management device 300 changes the status of the receiving device 200 selected as the connection destination in the receiving device status management table to “reserving”. Then, the connection destination notifying unit 304 notifies the selected receiving device 200 to the reporting device 100 that has made the inquiry as the connection destination. After step S13, the process proceeds to step S14.

On the other hand, if no inquiry is received from the connection destination inquiry unit 109 of the notification device 100 in step S12, the process proceeds to step S14 without passing through step S13. In step S14, the counter variable N is incremented, that is, a value obtained by adding 1 to the current counter variable N value is set as a new counter variable N value. At this time, if the value of the counter variable N exceeds the number of receiving devices 200 to be managed as a result of incrementing the counter variable N, the value of the counter variable N is set to 1. After step S14, the process returns to step S11, and the above processing is repeated.

Here, as described above, the information center 2 is installed in each district where the building where the elevator 1 is installed is located. In many cases, the information center 2 is basically installed in the same country as the building in the district under the jurisdiction of the information center 2.

On the other hand, the country where the relay station and the line equipment, etc. (hereinafter referred to as “relay station etc.”) of the telephone line network 401 are installed may be the same country where the building where the information center 2 and the elevator 1 are installed is located. May be in a different country. Similarly, the country in which the node of the IP communication network 402 and the line facilities (hereinafter referred to as “node etc.”) are installed may be the same country as the country in which the building where the information center 2 and the elevator 1 are installed is located or different. It may be a country. In addition, the country where the relay station of the telephone line network 401 is installed and the country where the node of the IP communication network 402 is installed may be the same country or different countries.

Furthermore, the number of countries in which the relay station of the telephone network 401 that is routed through a single communication is not limited to one country, and may be routed through relay stations in a plurality of countries. Similarly, the number of countries in which the nodes of the IP communication network 402 are routed through one communication is not limited to one country, and may be routed through nodes in a plurality of countries.

Thus, for example, communication between the information center 2 located in the same country and the building where the elevator 1 is installed is a telephone set in a country different from the country where the information center 2 and the building where the elevator 1 is installed. It may be performed via a relay station or the like of the circuit network 401, or a node of the IP communication network 402 installed in a country different from the country where the building where the information center 2 and the elevator 1 are installed. At this time, as described above, there may be a case where a plurality of countries are installed such as a relay station or a node through which the relay station passes.

As described above, the present invention is also applied to the case where communication between the building where the elevator 1 is installed and the information center 2 via the telephone line network 401 or the IP communication network 402 is performed across a plurality of countries. This is assumed in the elevator system according to the first embodiment.

In the elevator system configured as described above, the notification device 100 stores the connection destination inquiry unit 109 that inquires the management device 300 about the reception device 200 that is the connection destination of voice communication, and the connection destination notified from the management device 300. A connection destination storage unit 110. In addition, the management apparatus 300 includes a connection destination notification unit 304 that notifies one of the plurality of reception devices 200 as a connection destination in response to an inquiry from the connection destination inquiry unit 109. Then, the connection destination inquiry unit 109 makes an inquiry to the reception device 200 that is the next connection destination during the voice communication between the telephone device 10 and the reception device 200.

Therefore, the elevator system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention can secure the receiving apparatus 200 as the next connection destination in advance before starting the next call. For this reason, the elevator system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is configured such that when a call is made between an elevator call device and a telephone set at a location different from the elevator, the call device and the telephone are connected once. The next call after a call can be started in a short time.

In particular, the connection destination inquiry unit 109 performs the next connection when the sound quality monitored by the notification device-side sound quality monitoring unit 108 is lower than a preset reference during voice communication between the communication device 10 and the receiving device 200. Inquires about the receiving device. Then, when the voice communication between the calling device 10 and the receiving device 200 is abnormally disconnected, the reporting device 100 displays the calling device 10 and the receiving device 200 that is the connection destination stored in the connection destination storage unit 110. Connect to enable voice communication.

Therefore, in the elevator system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, when the sound quality is deteriorated in the current call, the receiving device 200 as a reconnection destination is secured in advance in preparation for occurrence of abnormal disconnection of the call. be able to. Therefore, the elevator system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention can resume a call in a short time when an abnormal disconnection of the call occurs.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 6 relates to Embodiment 2 of the present invention and is a flowchart showing the operation of the elevator system during an emergency call.

In the second embodiment described here, in the configuration of the first embodiment described above, the communication device 10 and the reception device 200 are performing voice communication, and therefore other communication devices 10 that are waiting for a call are In some cases, the connection destination inquiry unit 109 makes an inquiry to the management device 300 about the reception device 200 that is the connection destination of the other call device 10. Hereinafter, the elevator system according to the second embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

That is, also in the second embodiment, the connection destination inquiry unit 109 transfers the receiving device 200, which is a voice communication connection destination, to the management device 300 at the first timing and the second timing described in the first embodiment. Inquire. However, regarding the inquiry at the second timing, in the above-described first embodiment, the connection destination inquiry unit 109 is performing voice communication between the communication device 10 and the reception device 200 and monitoring the sound quality on the notification device side. When the sound quality monitored by the unit 108 is lower than a preset standard, an inquiry is made about the receiving device that is the next connection destination.

On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the connection destination inquiry unit 109 is also performed during voice communication between the call device 10 and the reception device 200. In particular, the call device 10 and the reception device 200 perform voice communication. When there is another call device 10 that is in the middle and waiting for the call, the management device 300 is inquired of the receiving device 200 that is the connection destination of the other call device 10. Note that whether or not there is another call device 10 waiting for a call can be confirmed by using the function of the parent-child communication control unit 111 of the notification device 100.

The receiving device 200 that is the connection destination of the other call device 10 notified from the management device 300 is stored in the connection destination storage unit 110. At this time, it is desirable to notify the receiving device 200 that is the connection destination of the other call device 10 to the notification device 100 connected to the other call device 10. In this way, the receiving device 200 that is the connection destination of the other call device 10 notified from the management device 300 is stored in the connection destination storage unit 110 of the notification device 100 connected to the other call device 10. Can be remembered. When the call of the call device 10 during a call is finished, the reporting device 100 of the other call device 10 connects to the receiving device 200 stored in the connection destination storage unit 110.
Other configurations and the operation of each part are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted here.

Next, the operation at the time of an emergency call between the call device 10 of the elevator 1 and the telephone 20 of the information center 2 in the elevator system configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. The flowchart shown in FIG. 6 is obtained by adding step S31 and step S32 surrounded by a broken line in the flowchart of FIG. 4 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, steps S21 to S28 in FIG. 6 are the same as steps S1 to S8 in the flowchart of FIG. 4 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, here, description of step S21 to step S28 is omitted, and the contents of step S31 and step S32 will be mainly described.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the elevator system according to Embodiment 2, after step S23, the process proceeds to step S31. Then, in step S31, when another call device 10, for example, the call device 10 of the elevator 1 of another car is waiting for a call, the process proceeds to step S32.

In step S32, the connection destination inquiry unit 109 inquires of the management device 300 about the reception device 200 that is the connection destination of the call device 10 of another unit. Then, when the notification of the receiving device 200 that is the connection destination of the call device 10 of the other unit is received from the management device 300, the notification device 100 inquired by the connection destination inquiry unit 109 receives the connection destination of the call device 10 of the other unit. Is notified to the reporting device 100 to which the other device's call device 10 is connected. Then, the reporting device 100 connection destination storage unit 110 to which the other device's call device 10 is connected stores the receiving device 200 that is the connection destination of the other device's call device 10. After step S32, the process proceeds to step S24.

On the other hand, if another call device 10 is not waiting for a call in step S31, the process proceeds directly to step S24 without passing through step S32.

In the second embodiment, the connection destination inquiry unit 109 is in voice communication between the communication device 10 and the reception device 200 and the notification device side sound quality monitoring unit 108 at the second timing described above. When the sound quality to be monitored is lower than a preset standard, it is not always necessary to make an inquiry about the receiving device as the next connection destination. That is, step S24 and step S25 in the flowchart of FIG. 6 may not be performed, and the process may proceed directly from step S31 or step S32 to step S26.

In the elevator system configured as described above, as in the first embodiment, when a call is made between an elevator call device and a telephone set at a location different from the elevator, the call device is even once. The next call after a call between the telephone and the telephone can be started in a short time. In particular, in the elevator system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, when the communication device 10 and the reception device 200 are in voice communication and there is another communication device 10 waiting for the call, After the current call is finished, before the next call of the other call device 10 waiting for the call is started, the receiving device 200 as a connection destination of the other call device 10 waiting for the call is secured in advance. Can be kept. For this reason, the elevator system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention can start a call of another call device 10 waiting for a call in a short time.

The present invention can be used for an elevator system that makes (emergency) calls between a telephone call device in an elevator car installed in a building and a telephone set in a place different from the building.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Elevator 2 Information center 10 Telephone apparatus 11 Elevator control apparatus 20 Telephone 21 Monitoring server 100 Notification apparatus 101 Notification apparatus side communication data processing part 102 Elevator communication part 103 Notification apparatus side failure information processing part 104 Communication apparatus communication part 105 Calling part 106 Reporting device side encoding unit 107 Reporting device side decoding unit 108 Reporting device side sound quality monitoring unit 109 Connection destination inquiry unit 110 Connection destination storage unit 111 Parent-child communication control unit 112 Telephone line communication unit 200 Reception device 201 Reception device side communication data processing unit 202 Server communication unit 203 Receiving device side failure information processing unit 204 Telephone communication unit 205 Incoming call unit 206 Receiving device side encoding unit 207 Receiving device side decoding unit 208 Receiving device side sound quality monitoring unit 209 Status data generating unit 210 Receiving device side IP Communication unit 300 management device 01 the management device side IP communication unit 302 receiving apparatus managing section 303 status inquiry unit 304 connection destination notifying unit 400 communication network 401 telephone network 402 IP network

Claims

A notifying device for connecting a communication device provided in an elevator to any one of a plurality of receiving devices so that voice communication is possible;
A management device that manages communication states of the plurality of receiving devices,
The reporting device is
A connection destination inquiry unit that inquires of the management device about a receiving device that is a connection destination of the voice communication;
A connection destination storage unit for storing the connection destination notified from the management device,
The management device includes a connection destination notification unit that notifies one of the plurality of reception devices selected as the connection destination in response to an inquiry from the connection destination inquiry unit,
The connection destination inquiry unit is an elevator system that inquires about a reception device that is the next connection destination during voice communication between the call device and the reception device.
The notification device further includes a sound quality monitoring unit that monitors the sound quality of the voice communication,
The connection destination inquiry unit inquires about a reception device as a next connection destination when the sound quality monitored by the sound quality monitoring unit is lower than a preset reference during voice communication between the call device and the reception device. Done
When the voice communication between the call device and the receiving device is abnormally disconnected, the reporting device can perform voice communication between the call device and the connection destination reception device stored in the connection destination storage unit. The elevator system according to claim 1 to be connected.
The call device is provided in each of the plurality of elevators,
The connection destination inquiry unit inquires about a receiving device as a connection destination of the other call device when there is another call device waiting for a call during voice communication between the call device and the receiving device. The elevator system according to claim 1 or 2.
The receiving device generates status data of the receiving device including the sound quality of the voice communication and transmits it to the management device,
The elevator system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connection destination notification unit selects one reception device as a connection destination from the plurality of reception devices based on the state data. .