CN115108425A

CN115108425A - User detection system of elevator

Info

Publication number: CN115108425A
Application number: CN202111599081.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 木村纱由美; 白仓邦彦
Original assignee: Toshiba Elevator Co Ltd
Current assignee: Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corp
Priority date: 2021-03-18
Filing date: 2021-12-24
Publication date: 2022-09-27
Anticipated expiration: 2041-12-24
Also published as: JP2022143963A; CN115108425B; JP7135144B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an elevator user detection system that prevents false detection of shadows in a car and accurately detects a user located near a door. A user detection system of an elevator of an embodiment comprises: a detection area setting unit that sets, on a captured image obtained from a camera provided in a car, a 1 st detection area for pull-in detection in the vicinity of a door in the car and a 2 nd detection area for boarding detection from the door toward a lobby; a detection processing unit that detects a user present in the 1 st detection area or the 2 nd detection area based on the captured image; and an adjusting unit that changes a target luminance value for the captured image between a fully closed state and a fully opened state of the door, and adjusts the target luminance value so that the target luminance value is lower than that of the fully opened state when the door is fully closed, thereby capturing the image of the interior of the car to be dark.

Description

User detection system of elevator

The present application is based on Japanese patent application No. 2021-044772 (application No.: 2021.3.18), and enjoys priority based on the application. This application is incorporated by reference into this application in its entirety.

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a user detection system for an elevator.

Background

When the car of the elevator is opened, a user's finger or the like located in the car may be pulled into the door dark box. Further, when a user located in a waiting hall enters the car, the user may hit the end of the door being closed. In order to prevent such an accident, there are the following systems: the 1 camera installed in the car is used to detect the user in the hall or the user in the car and reflect the detection to the open/close control of the door.

In the system described above, the pull-in detection of the door obscura is realized by detecting a change in brightness of an image in a detection area set in the vicinity of a door in the car. That is, if a change in the brightness of the image is detected in the detection area when the door is opened, it is determined that the user is located near the door, and the pull-in accident prevention is performed by, for example, slowing down the door opening operation or sounding a buzzer.

However, the shadow of the user enters the detection area due to the illumination light in the car, and a large change in brightness occurs with the movement of the shadow, and the shadow may be erroneously detected as the user. In this case, the user moves away from the door, but the door opening operation is slowed down, a buzzer sounds, and the like, which gives the user a sense of discomfort.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a user detection system of an elevator, which can prevent false detection of shadow in a passenger car and accurately detect a user near a door.

A user detection system of an elevator of an embodiment comprises: a detection area setting unit that sets, on a captured image acquired from a camera provided in a car, a 1 st detection area for pull-in detection in the vicinity of a door in the car and a 2 nd detection area for boarding detection from the door toward a lobby; a detection processing unit that detects a user present in the 1 st detection area or the 2 nd detection area based on the captured image; and an adjusting unit that changes a target luminance value for the captured image at the time of full-closing and full-opening of the door, and adjusts the target luminance value so as to be lower than that at the time of full-opening and to capture the image of the interior of the car so as to be dark at the time of full-closing.

According to the elevator user detection system with the structure, the shadow false detection in the passenger car can be prevented, and the user near the door can be accurately detected.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an elevator user detection system according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a portion around an entrance in the car in this embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an image captured by the camera in the present embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the boarding detection area in this embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining false detection of a shadow occurring in a pull-in detection area in the embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation of the user detection system in this embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining a coordinate system in real space in this embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which a captured image is divided in units of blocks in this embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a relationship between a target luminance value for a captured image and an opening/closing operation of the car door in the present embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a captured image when the car door is fully closed in the present embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a captured image when the car door is fully opened and closed in the present embodiment.

Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining an example in which the central 1/4 portion of the captured image is selected as the adjustment portion of the luminance value as a modification.

Fig. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example in which an upper side 1/2 portion of a captured image is selected as an adjustment portion of a luminance value as a modification.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration of a portion around an entrance in a car using a car door of a side-opening type as a modification.

Fig. 15 is a diagram for explaining the opening and closing operation of the bypass type car door.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

The disclosure is merely an example, and the invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiments. Variations that may be readily apparent to one skilled in the art are, of course, included within the scope of the present disclosure. In the drawings, the dimensions, shapes, and the like of the respective portions may be changed from those of the actual embodiment to show the same schematically. In the drawings, corresponding elements may be given the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof may be omitted.

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an elevator user detection system according to an embodiment. In addition, although one car is described as an example, the same configuration is applied to a plurality of cars.

A camera 12 is provided at an upper portion of an entrance of the car 11. Specifically, the camera 12 is provided in a door lintel plate 11a covering an upper portion of an entrance and an exit of the car 11 so that a lens portion thereof is inclined at a predetermined angle directly downward, toward the lobby 15 side or toward the inside of the car 11.

The camera 12 is a small-sized monitoring camera such as an in-vehicle camera, and has a wide-angle lens or a fisheye lens, and can continuously capture images of a plurality of frames (for example, 30 frames/second) per second. The camera 12 is activated when the car 11 reaches the lobby 15 at each floor, for example, and performs imaging so as to include the vicinity of the car door 13 and the lobby 15. The camera 12 may be constantly in operation while the car 11 is running.

The imaging range at this time is adjusted to L1+ L2(L1 > L2). L1 is a photographing range on the hall side, and has a predetermined distance from the car door 13 toward the hall 15. L2 is a car-side imaging range, and is a predetermined distance from the car door 13 toward the car back surface. L1 and L2 indicate the range in the depth direction, and the range in the width direction (direction orthogonal to the depth direction) is at least larger than the width of the car 11.

In the hall 15 at each floor, a hall door 14 is openably and closably provided at an arrival entrance of the car 11. The hoistway doors 14 engage with the car doors 13 to perform opening and closing operations when the car 11 arrives. The power source (door motor) is located on the car 11 side, and the hoistway doors 14 are opened and closed only following the car doors 13. In the following description, when the car doors 13 are opened, the hoistway doors 14 are also opened, and when the car doors 13 are closed, the hoistway doors 14 are also closed.

Each image (video) continuously captured by the camera 12 is analyzed and processed in real time by the image processing device 20. Note that, although the image processing device 20 is shown in fig. 1 as being taken out of the car 11 for convenience, the image processing device 20 is actually housed in the header plate 11a together with the camera 12.

The image processing apparatus 20 includes a storage unit 21 and a detection unit 22. The storage unit 21 is formed of a storage device such as a RAM. The storage unit 21 has a buffer area for sequentially storing the images captured by the camera 12 and temporarily storing data necessary for the processing by the detection unit 22. The storage unit 21 may store an image subjected to a process such as distortion correction, enlargement and reduction, and partial cropping as a pre-process of the captured image.

The detection unit 22 is constituted by, for example, a microprocessor, and detects a user located near the car door 13 using the captured image of the camera 12. The detection unit 22 is functionally divided into a detection region setting unit 22a, a detection processing unit 22b, and an adjustment unit 22 c. These elements may be implemented by software, may be implemented by hardware such as an Integrated Circuit (IC), or may be implemented by using a combination of software and hardware.

The detection area setting unit 22a sets at least one detection area for detecting the user on the captured image acquired from the camera 12. In the present embodiment, a detection area E1 for detecting a user in the hall 15 and detection areas E2 and E3 for detecting a user in the car 11 are set. The detection area E1 is used as a boarding detection area and is set from the doorway (car door 13) of the car 11 toward the lobby 15. The detection area E2 is used as a pull-in detection area and is set in the

entrance pillars

41a and 41b in the car 11. The detection area E3 is used as a pull-in detection area similarly to the detection area E2, and is set on the floor 19 on the doorway side in the car 11 (see fig. 3).

The detection processing unit 22b detects a user or an object present in the hall 15 based on a change in brightness of the image in the detection area E1 during the door closing operation of the car doors 13. The detection processor 22b detects the door closets 42a and 42b or the user or the object approaching the car door 13 based on the change in brightness of the images in the detection areas E2 and E3 during the door opening operation of the car door 13. The "object" includes a moving object such as clothes or luggage of a user, and a wheelchair. In the following description, when "detecting a user" is referred to, the "object" is also included.

The adjusting unit 22c changes the target luminance value for the captured image between when the car door 13 is fully closed and when the car door 13 is fully opened, and adjusts the captured image so that the target luminance value is lower than when the car door 13 is fully opened, thereby capturing the image of the interior of the car 11 darker. Specifically, the camera 12 has an exposure adjustment function, and automatically performs exposure adjustment based on a target brightness value set by the adjustment unit 22 c. Here, the adjusting unit 22c adjusts the shooting of the inside of the car 11 to be dark by lowering the target brightness value when the car doors 13 are fully closed than when fully opened. The adjusting unit 22c adjusts the brightness of the image taken in the hall 15 so that the target brightness value is increased when fully opened. In addition, the elevator control device 30 may have a part or all of the functions of the image processing device 20.

The elevator control device 30 is constituted by a computer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like. The elevator control device 30 controls the operation of the car 11. The elevator control device 30 includes a door opening/closing control unit 31 and a warning unit 32.

The door opening/closing control unit 31 controls opening/closing of the doors of the car doors 13 when the car 11 arrives at the waiting hall 15. Specifically, the door opening/closing control portion 31 opens the car doors 13 when the car 11 arrives at the hall 15, and closes the doors after a predetermined time has elapsed. However, when the detection processing unit 22b detects a user in the detection area E1 during the door closing operation of the car doors 13, the door opening/closing control unit 31 prohibits the door closing operation of the car doors 13 and re-opens the car doors 13 in the fully open direction to maintain the door open state.

When the detection processing unit 22b detects a user in the detection area E2 or E3 during the door opening operation of the car door 13, the door opening/closing control unit 31 performs door opening/closing control for avoiding a door accident (an accident of pulling in the door dark box). Specifically, the door opening/closing control unit 31 temporarily stops the door opening operation of the car doors 13, moves in the reverse direction (door closing direction), or slows down the door opening speed of the car doors 13.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a structure of a portion around an entrance in the car 11.

A car door 13 is openably and closably provided at an entrance of the car 11. In the example of fig. 2, a split type car door 13 is shown, and two

door panels

13a and 13b constituting the car door 13 are opened and closed in opposite directions to each other in a width direction (horizontal direction). The "width" is the same as the entrance and exit of the car 11.

Entrance pillars

41a and 41b are provided on both sides of the doorway of the car 11, and surround the doorway of the car 11 together with the lintel plate 11 a. The "entrance pillar" is also called a face pillar, and generally has a door box for receiving the car door 13 provided on the back side. In the example of fig. 2, when the car door 13 is opened, one door panel 13a is housed in a door box 42a provided on the back side of the entrance pillar 41a, and the other door panel 13b is housed in a door box 42b provided on the back side of the entrance pillar 41 b. One or both of the inlet posts 41a and 41b are provided with a display 43, an operation panel 45 on which a destination layer button 44 and the like are arranged, and a speaker 46. In the example of fig. 2, a speaker 46 is provided in the inlet column 41a, and a monitor 43 and an operation panel 45 are provided in the inlet column 41 b.

The camera 12 is installed in a lintel plate 11a disposed horizontally above an entrance of the car 11. Here, the camera 12 is attached in correspondence with the door-closed position of the car doors 13 in order to detect the user of the hall 15 immediately before the door is closed. Specifically, if the car door 13 is of a split type, the camera 12 is attached to the central portion of the lintel plate 11 a. In addition, a lighting device 48 using, for example, an LED is provided on the ceiling surface in the car 11.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the captured image by the camera 12. The upper side is a waiting hall 15, and the lower side is the interior of the car 11. In the figure, 16 denotes a floor of the

hall

15, and 19 denotes a floor of the car 11. E1, E2, and E3 denote detection regions.

The car door 13 has two

door panels

13a, 13b that move in opposite directions on a car threshold 47. As is the case with the hall door 14, the two

door panels

14a and 14b are moved in opposite directions to each other on the hall sills 18. The

door panels

14a and 14b of the hall door 14 move in the door opening and closing direction together with the

door panels

13a and 13b of the car door 13.

The camera 12 is installed at an upper portion of an entrance of the car 11. Therefore, as shown in fig. 1, when the car 11 has opened at the waiting hall 15, a predetermined range on the waiting hall side (L1) and a predetermined range in the car (L2) are photographed. A detection area E1 for detecting a user riding the car 11 is set in a predetermined range (L1) on the side of the hall.

In the actual space, the detection area E1 has a distance L3 from the center of the doorway (width of the face) toward the hall (L3 is equal to or less than the photographing range L1 on the hall side). The lateral width W1 of the detection region E1 at the time of full opening is set to a distance equal to or greater than the lateral width W0 of the doorway (face width). As indicated by oblique lines in fig. 3, the detection area E1 includes the

doorsills

18 and 47, and is set so as to exclude dead corners of the door pockets 17a and 17 b. The lateral dimension (X-axis direction) of the detection area E1 may be changed in accordance with the opening and closing operation of the car doors 13. The vertical dimension (Y-axis direction) of the detection area E1 may be changed according to the opening and closing operation of the car doors 13.

As shown in fig. 4, the detection area E1 serving as the boarding detection area is composed of a boarding intention estimation area E1a, an approach detection area E1b, and an on-threshold detection area E1 c. The boarding intention estimation region E1a is a region for estimating whether or not the user has a boarding intention and is heading for the car 11. The approach detection area E1b is an area for detecting that a user is approaching the doorway of the car 11. The on-threshold detection region E1c is a region for detecting passage of a user over the

thresholds

18, 47. The detection processing of these regions E1a, E1b, and E1c is not directly related to the present invention, and therefore, a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

Here, the present system includes detection areas E2 and E3 in addition to the detection area E1 for detecting boarding. The detection regions E2, E3 function as pull-in detection regions. The detection area E2 is set to have a predetermined width along the inner side surfaces 41a-1 and 41b-1 of the

entrance pillars

41a and 41b of the car 11. The detection area E2 may be set according to the width of the inner side surfaces 41a-1 and 41 b-1. The detection area E3 is set to have a predetermined width along the car threshold 47 of the floor 19 of the car 11.

When a user is detected in the detection area E2 or E3 during the door opening operation of the car doors 13, corresponding processing is performed such as temporarily stopping the door opening operation of the car doors 13, moving the car doors in the opposite direction (door closing direction), or slowing down the door opening speed of the car doors 13. In addition, a warning such as "please leave the door" is issued by sound broadcasting.

(problem of Pull-in detection)

The pull-in detection is based on the premise that the luminance change of the images in the detection regions E2 and E3, which are pull-in detection regions, accurately appears in response to the intrusion of the user. However, since the detection regions E2 and E3 are set in the car 11, they are strongly affected by the lighting environment in the car room. That is, as shown in fig. 5, even in a case where the user P1 rides in a position away from the car door 13, the shadow S1 of the user P1 enters the detection area E2 or E3 due to the relationship of the illumination light of the illumination device 48. If the shadow S1 enters the detection region E2 or E3, a large change in brightness occurs in the image with the movement of the shadow S1, and the shadow S1 may be erroneously detected as the user P1. In the present embodiment, the object is to prevent false detection of shadows caused by the lighting environment in the car 11 and to improve the accuracy of pull-in detection.

Next, the operation of the present system will be described.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the processing operation of the present system. In this flowchart, the "pull-in detection processing" executed in the door opening operation and the "boarding detection processing" executed in the door closing operation are included.

First, as the initial setting, the detection region setting unit 22a of the detection unit 22 provided in the image processing apparatus 20 executes the detection region setting process (step S100). This detection area setting process is executed, for example, when the camera 12 is installed or when the installation position of the camera 12 is adjusted, as follows.

That is, the detection area setting unit 22a sets the detection area E1 having a distance L3 from the doorway to the hall 15 in the state where the car doors 13 are fully opened. As shown in fig. 3, the detection area E1 includes the

doorsills

18 and 47, and is set so as to exclude dead corners of the door pockets 17a and 17 b. Here, in the fully opened state of the car doors 13, the detection area E1 has a lateral (X-axis) dimension W1 and a distance of W0 or more of the lateral width of the doorway (face width). The detection region setting unit 22a sets a detection region E2 having a predetermined width along the inner side surfaces 41a-1 and 41b-1 of the

entrance pillars

41a and 41b of the car 11, and sets a detection region E3 having a predetermined width along the car sill 47 of the floor 19 of the car 11.

Here, the car doors 13 are fully closed while the car 11 moves to each floor. At this time, exposure adjustment of the camera 12 is performed so that the image taken in the car 11 is dark (step S101). When the car 11 reaches the waiting hall 15 at any floor (yes in step S102), the elevator control device 30 starts the door opening operation of the car door 13 (step S103). In accordance with this door opening operation, the camera 12 captures images of a predetermined range (L1) on the hall side and a predetermined range (L2) in the car at a predetermined frame rate (e.g., 30 frames/second). As described later, the target luminance value for the captured image at this time is set to dark (see the 1 st range a in fig. 9).

The camera 12 may continuously take images from a state where the car 11 is closed. The image processing apparatus 20 acquires images captured by the camera 12 in time series, and executes pull-in detection processing as described below in real time while sequentially storing the images in the storage unit 21 (step S104) (step S105). Further, as the preprocessing for the captured image, distortion correction, enlargement and reduction, trimming of a part of the image, and the like may be performed.

As shown in fig. 7, the camera 12 captures an image in which a direction horizontal to the car door 13 provided at the doorway of the car 11 is an X axis, a direction from the center of the car door 13 to the lobby 15 (a direction perpendicular to the car door 13) is a Y axis, and a height direction of the car 11 is a Z axis. The images to be detected are compared in units of blocks among the images captured by the camera 12. In the door opening operation, images set in the detection areas E2 and E3 (pull-in detection areas) in the car 11 are to be detected.

Fig. 8 shows an example in which a captured image is divided into a matrix in units of predetermined blocks. An image obtained by dividing an original image into a grid with one side of Wblock is referred to as a "block". In the example of fig. 7, the vertical and horizontal lengths of the blocks are the same, but the vertical and horizontal lengths may be different. Further, the blocks may be set to have a uniform size over the entire area of the image, or may be set to have a non-uniform size such as a length in the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) that decreases as the image is closer to the top.

The detection processing unit 22b sequentially reads the images stored in the storage unit 21 in time series order, and calculates the average luminance value of the images for each block. At this time, the average luminance value for each block calculated when the first image is input is held as an initial value in the 1 st buffer area, not shown, in the storage unit 21.

When the 2 nd or later image is obtained, the detection processing section 22b compares the average luminance value of each block of the current image with the average luminance value of each block of the previous image stored in the 1 st buffer. As a result, when a block having a luminance difference of not less than a preset threshold value exists in the current image, the detection processing unit 22b determines that the block is a moving block. When the presence or absence of motion with respect to the current image is determined, the detection processing portion 22b holds the average luminance value of each block of the image in the 1 st buffer for comparison with the next image.

Similarly, the detection processing unit 22b repeatedly compares the luminance values of the respective images in units of blocks in time series, and determines the presence or absence of motion. As a result, if a moving block exists in the image, the detection processing unit 22b determines that a user or an object exists. For example, if a moving block is detected in the image in the detection area E2, the detection processing unit 22b determines that a user or an object is present near the car door 13 in the car 11.

When the presence of a user or an object is detected during the door opening operation (yes in step S106), a user detection signal is output from the image processing device 20 to the elevator control device 30. Upon receiving the user detection signal, the door opening/closing control unit 31 of the elevator control device 30 temporarily stops the door opening operation of the car door 13, and restarts the door opening operation from the stop position several seconds later (step S107).

When the user detection signal is received, the door opening speed of the car doors 13 may be made slower than normal, or the door opening operation may be restarted after the car doors 13 are moved slightly in the reverse direction (door closing direction). Further, the warning portion 32 of the elevator control device 30 may be activated to emit a warning sound by making an audio broadcast through the speaker 46 in the car 11 to call the user's attention to move the car away from the car door 13. The process is repeated during the detection of the presence of a user or object within the detection zone E2 or E3. This prevents the user from being drawn into the door bellows 42a or 42b when the user is located near the car door 13, for example.

When the car door 13 is fully opened (yes in step S108), exposure adjustment of the camera 12 is performed so that the interior of the car 11 and the hall 15 are imaged bright (step S109). Here, the full opening of the car doors 13 may be detected by using a signal of a full opening switch, not shown, provided in a drive mechanism of the car doors 13, or may be detected based on a time required for the car doors 13 to move from the fully closed position to the fully open position.

When the predetermined time has elapsed while the car door 13 is fully opened, the door closing operation is started (step S110). As described later, the target luminance value for the captured image at this time is set to bright (see range 2b in fig. 9). The image processing device 20 acquires images captured by the camera 12 in time series, and executes the following boarding detection process in real time while sequentially storing these images in the storage unit 21 (step S111) (step S112).

The boarding detection process targets an image in a detection area E1 set from the doorway (car door 13) of the car 11 toward the lobby 15. The detection processing unit 22b compares the images in the detection area E1 acquired in time series during the door closing operation on a block-by-block basis, and checks whether or not there is a moving block. As a result, if there is a moving block, the detection processing unit 22b determines that there is a person or an object in the detection area E1.

In this way, when the presence of a user or an object is detected in the detection area E1 during the door closing operation (yes in step S113), a user detection signal is output from the image processing device 20 to the elevator control device 30. The door opening/closing control unit 31 of the elevator control device 30 prohibits the door closing operation of the car doors 13 and maintains the door opened state by receiving the user detection signal (step S114).

When the presence of the user or the object is not detected in the detection area E1 (no in step S1113), the elevator control device 30 continues the door closing operation of the car doors 13 and starts the car 11 to the destination floor after the door closing is completed. When the car door 13 is fully closed (yes in step S115), the adjustment unit 22c adjusts the exposure of the camera 12 so as to photograph the inside of the car 11 dark (step S116). Here, the full closing of the car doors 13 may be detected by using a signal of a full closing switch, not shown, provided in a drive mechanism of the car doors 13, or may be detected based on a time required for the car doors 13 to move from the full open position to the full closed position.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a relationship between a target luminance value for a captured image and an opening/closing operation of the car door 13. The brightness value is represented by the gray scale of 0 to 255, the lowest value "0" is black, and the highest value "255" is white.

The pull-in detection process is premised on the luminance change of the images in the detection regions E2 and E3 as the pull-in detection regions being accurately expressed by intrusion of the user. In general, in order to increase the resolution of black, the target luminance value is set high, and the image is captured brightly. However, as described with reference to fig. 5, the shadow S1 of the user P1 is generated in the detection area E2 or the detection area E3 due to the relationship of the illumination light in the car 11. At this time, if the inside of the car 11 is photographed brightly, the black color of the shadow S1 is emphasized on the photographed image, and therefore, a large change in the brightness of the shadow S1 occurs in the detection area E2 or the detection area E3, which makes erroneous detection easy.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the target luminance value is set to be lower at the fully closed state than at the fully open state, and set in the 1 st range a. The target brightness value is set to the 1 st range a during the period from the fully closed to the fully opened of the car doors 13 (t 1-t2 in the figure). Therefore, the camera 12 photographs the inside of the car 11 dark. If the inside of the car 11 is photographed to be dark, as shown in fig. 10, the change in brightness due to the movement of the shadow S1 can be suppressed in the photographed image, and erroneous detection in the detection area E2 or E3 can be prevented.

On the other hand, the boarding detection process is premised on that the luminance change of the image in the detection area E1, which is the boarding detection area, is accurately expressed in accordance with the intrusion of the user. In this case, if the target brightness value is kept lowered in order to improve the accuracy of the pull-in detection, for example, when the user P2 wears black clothes as shown in fig. 11, the contrast between the user P2 and the floor 16 becomes small on the captured image, and the movement of the user P2 cannot be detected accurately in the detection area E1.

Therefore, when the car doors 13 are fully opened (t 2 in the figure), the target brightness value is set to be higher than when fully closed, and set in the 2 nd range b. The upper diagram of fig. 9 shows the transition of the luminance value of the captured image obtained as a result of exposure adjustment performed on the camera 12 side by setting the target luminance value. Therefore, at the time of full opening (t 2 in the figure), when the target luminance value is set to the 2 nd range b, the luminance value of the captured image enters the 2 nd range b slightly slower than that time by the exposure adjustment on the camera 12 side (t 3 in the figure). In addition, if the response characteristic of the camera 12 is good, the luminance value of the captured image may fall within the 2 nd range b substantially simultaneously with the timing of the full-open door. The 1 st range a and the 2 nd range b are set to have a predetermined gradation width according to the experimental results in consideration of the lighting environment, the camera performance, and the like, but specific numerical value disclosure is omitted here.

When a predetermined time has elapsed after the car doors 13 are fully opened, the door closing operation of the car doors 13 is started. The target brightness value is set to the 2 nd range b during a period before the car door 13 is fully closed (t 4-t5 in the figure). Therefore, the camera 12 photographs the hall 15 brightly. If the photographed hall 15 is photographed brightly, even if the user P2 in the hall 15 wears black clothes, the user P2 and the floor 16 can be distinguished from each other on the photographed image, and therefore the movement of the user P2 can be accurately detected in the detection area E1 and reflected in the door opening/closing control.

When the car door 13 is fully closed (t 5 in the figure), the target brightness value is switched to the 1 st range a. In this case as well, by performing exposure adjustment on the camera 12 side, the luminance value of the captured image enters the 1 st range a (t 6 in the figure) slightly slower than the timing of fully closing the door. In addition, if the response characteristic of the camera 12 is good, the luminance value of the captured image may enter the 2 nd range b substantially simultaneously with the timing of the full-door closing.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the target luminance value is changed between the fully closed state and the fully open state of the car door 13, and the target luminance value is reduced to be darker than that in the fully open state at the fully closed state, so that false detection of shadows can be prevented, a user near the door can be accurately detected, and a pull-in accident can be prevented. Further, by increasing the target brightness value at the time of full opening as compared with the time of full closing to make the shot bright, it is possible to accurately detect the user in the hall and reflect the detection result in the door opening/closing control.

(modification example)

(1) Adjustment part of brightness value

In general, exposure adjustment is performed so that the average luminance value of the entire captured image falls within the range of the target luminance value. However, the camera 12 has a function of selecting a portion corresponding to the target luminance value on the captured image. Even in the case of using such a camera 12, exposure adjustment can be performed so that the average luminance value of a part of the captured image, not the entire captured image, falls within the range of the target luminance value.

Specifically, the adjusting section 22c selects a portion to be subjected to adjustment of the luminance value on the captured image, and controls the exposure adjustment function of the camera 12 so that the luminance value of the portion falls within the range of the target luminance value. In the present embodiment, the doorway of the car 11 is projected at the center of the captured image, and detection areas E2 and E3 for pull-in detection are set therein. Therefore, as shown in fig. 12, for example, if the central 1/4 portion of the image of n × m pixels is selected as the adjustment target, the luminance value of the portion including the detection regions E2 and E3 can be made to correspond to the target luminance value, and pull-in detection can be performed with high accuracy.

Alternatively, a portion of the floor 19 in the car 11 may be selected as an adjustment target, and exposure adjustment may be performed so that the luminance value of the portion falls within the range of the target luminance value. Thus, since the exposure adjustment is performed only for the luminance value of the floor 19 in the car 11, the influence of the shadow appearing on the floor 19 can be reduced, and the accuracy of the pull-in detection can be further improved.

In the present embodiment, the floor surface 16 of the hall 15 is projected on the upper side 1/2 of the captured image, and a detection area E1 for detecting boarding is set here. Therefore, as shown in fig. 13, if the upper 1/2 portion of the image of n × m pixels is selected and exposure adjustment is performed so that the luminance value of this portion falls within the range of the target luminance value, the accuracy of the boarding detection can be further improved.

(2) Adjustment of shutter speed and gain

In the above embodiment, the description has been given assuming that the camera 12 has an exposure adjustment function and automatically performs exposure adjustment based on a target luminance value set from the outside, but when the camera 12 not having such an exposure adjustment function is used, the shutter speed and gain of the camera 12 may be directly adjusted.

In this case, when adjustment is made in a direction to increase the shutter speed, the time during which the imaging element provided in the camera 12 is exposed through the lens is shortened, and therefore a dark image can be obtained. When the adjustment is performed in the direction of reducing the shutter speed, the time for which the imaging element provided in the camera 12 is exposed through the lens becomes long, and therefore a bright image can be obtained. The "gain" is a coefficient for increasing or decreasing the output value of the camera 12. If the value of the gain is decreased, the output value of the camera 12 is also decreased, thereby obtaining a dark image. If the value of the gain is increased, the output value of the camera 12 is also increased, resulting in a bright image.

Both the shutter speed and the gain may be adjusted, or either one may be adjusted. However, when the gain is increased, noise contained in the image is also amplified, and therefore, it is preferable to adjust the shutter speed in consideration of the image quality.

Specifically, when the car door 13 is fully opened, the adjustment unit 22c outputs a control signal to the camera 12, and adjusts the shutter speed of the camera 12 in a direction of increasing or the gain in a direction of decreasing so that the luminance value of the captured image falls within the 1 st range a shown in fig. 9. Since a dark image is obtained, pull-in detection can be performed in the detection region E2 or E3 while preventing false detection of a shadow. When the car door 13 is fully closed, the adjustment unit 22c outputs a control signal to the camera 12, and adjusts the shutter speed of the camera 12 in a direction of decreasing the shutter speed or in a direction of increasing the gain so that the luminance value of the captured image falls within the 2 nd range b shown in fig. 9. Since a bright image can be obtained, the boarding of the user can be accurately detected in the detection area E1 and reflected in the door opening/closing control.

Further, the shutter speed or gain may be directly adjusted for the camera 12 having the exposure adjustment function based on the setting of the target brightness value. This makes it possible to switch the target brightness value between the fully open state and the fully closed state and perform imaging without depending on the exposure adjustment function of the camera 12.

(3) Side-open type

In the above-described embodiment, the split type car door is described as an example, but the same applies to the side-opening type car door.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration of a portion around an entrance in a car using a two-door-side-opening car door. In this example, a two-door-side opening type car door 13 is provided to be openable and closable at an entrance of the car 11. As shown in fig. 15, the car door 13 has two

door panels

13a and 13b that open and close in the same direction along the width direction.

When the car door 13 is of a side-opening type, a door box 42a is provided on one side of the doorway. In the example of fig. 14, a door box 42a is provided on the left side of the doorway, and the two

door panels

13a and 13b are housed in the door box 42a in a state of being overlapped in the door box 42a when the door is opened. A detection area E2 for pull-in detection is set on the inner side surface of the inlet column 41a that contacts the door black box 42 a.

Here, in the door closing operation of the car doors 13, it is necessary to detect a user who has arrived from the lobby 15 toward the car 11 immediately before the door is closed, and therefore the camera 12 is mounted at the door closing position on the upper portion of the car 11. In the example of fig. 14, a camera 12 is provided on the entrance pillar 41b side (right side) in the lintel plate 11 a.

Even in the case of the car door 13 of the side-opening type, as in the above-described embodiment, when the car door is fully closed, the target brightness value is lowered from that when the car door is fully opened, and the car door is imaged to be dark, so that false detection of shadows can be prevented, a user located near the door can be accurately detected, and a pull-in accident can be prevented. Further, by increasing the target brightness value at the fully open time as compared with the fully closed time to make the shot bright, the user in the hall can be accurately detected and reflected in the door opening/closing control.

According to at least one embodiment described above, it is possible to provide a user detection system for an elevator, which can prevent false detection of shadows in a car and accurately detect a user located near a door.

Several embodiments of the present invention have been described, but these embodiments are provided as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in other various ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Claims

1. A user detection system of an elevator, which is provided with a camera that is arranged in a passenger car and shoots a prescribed range including a door of the passenger car and a waiting hall, is characterized by comprising:

a detection area setting unit that sets, on a captured image obtained from the camera, a 1 st detection area for pull-in detection in the vicinity of the door in the car and a 2 nd detection area for boarding detection from the door toward the lobby;

a detection processing unit that detects a user present in the 1 st detection area or the 2 nd detection area based on the captured image; and

and an adjusting unit that changes a target luminance value for the captured image between a fully closed state and a fully opened state of the door, and adjusts the target luminance value so that the target luminance value is lower than that at the fully opened state to capture the image of the interior of the car so as to be dark.

2. The user detection system of an elevator according to claim 1,

the adjusting unit decreases the target luminance value from a full-open state during a period until the door is fully opened in the door opening operation of the door.

3. The user detection system of an elevator according to claim 2,

the adjusting unit increases the target brightness value when the door is fully opened than when the door is fully closed, and adjusts the target brightness value so that the image of the hall is bright.

4. The user detection system of an elevator according to claim 3,

the adjusting unit increases the target luminance value during a period until the door is fully closed in a door closing operation of the door, as compared with a full closing time.

5. The user detection system of an elevator according to claim 1,

the adjustment unit adjusts a luminance value of a part of the captured image so as to fall within a range set as the target luminance value.

6. The user detection system of an elevator according to claim 5,

a part of the captured image includes a part corresponding to the 1 st detection region.

7. The user detection system of an elevator according to claim 5,

a part of the captured image includes a part corresponding to the 2 nd detection region.

8. The user detection system of an elevator according to claim 5,

the captured image includes a portion corresponding to a floor of the car.

9. The user detection system of an elevator according to claim 1,

the adjusting unit changes a target brightness value for the captured image between a fully closed state and a fully opened state of the door by adjusting a shutter speed or a gain of the camera, and reduces the target brightness value from a fully opened state when the door is fully closed, thereby capturing the image of the interior of the car dark.

10. The user detection system of an elevator according to claim 1,

the door opening/closing control unit controls the opening/closing operation of the door based on the detection result of the detection processing unit.

11. The user detection system of an elevator according to claim 1,

the camera is provided at an upper portion in the car in correspondence with a door closing position of the door.