JP2008143680A - Leading and guiding system for elevator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce congestion by urging to move according to a congestion degree of each elevator landing. <P>SOLUTION: The leading and guiding system for elevators of an elevator system with a plurality of elevators 2a, 2b installed in a building 2 is provided with congestion detecting sensors 11 for detecting a congestion state of the landing 4 of each elevator 2a, 2b, a congestion state control table 14a for regulating leading and guiding information corresponding to a plurality of congestion degree ranges for representing congestion states of the landings 4, a leading and guiding display part 13 provided near each entry of the building and the like and a congestion state judgement processing part 12 for displaying the leading and guiding information on the leading and guiding display part 13 for urging to move to the landing of another elevator 2b when the landing 4 of the elevator 2b is judged to be uncrowded based on the detection signal of the congestion detection sensor 11 about the elevator 2a itself and the detection signal of the congestion state sensor 11 for detecting the congestion state of the landing of the elevator 2b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an elevator system in which a plurality of elevators are installed in a building, and more particularly to an elevator guidance system that determines the congestion status of an elevator hall and facilitates the movement of another elevator to the hall.

  In department stores and shopping centers, a plurality of elevators are installed to alleviate the congestion of users.

  Usually, users such as department stores and shopping centers tend to use an elevator installed near a building entrance or near a store that sells an item to be purchased. For this reason, the hall in front of a specific elevator is often crowded with users, and many waiting users often board the same elevator from the crowded hall. As a result, a specific elevator is constantly congested, always stops at each floor, and it takes a long time to return to the same floor. Therefore, in a crowded hall, there is a problem that the waiting time of the user becomes longer and the service is deteriorated.

  Also, in a high-rise building, a plurality of elevators are similarly installed. However, depending on the time zone and the place where the elevator is installed, the congestion situation of the user varies greatly and the waiting time of the user becomes longer.

Therefore, conventionally, a system for detecting the congestion level of the hall has been proposed.
This system is equipped with an illuminance sensor that measures illuminance from the light reaching each landing floor, and a congestion degree detection device that estimates the number of people waiting at each landing from the illuminance measured by each illuminance sensor. In this configuration, the number of users estimated by the apparatus is transmitted to the group management apparatus and reflected (Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-274713 (see FIG. 1)

  However, the congestion level detection system as described above is a method in which the group management device preferentially assigns elevators to specific halls based on the estimated number of people waiting at each hall and predetermined priority rules. As a result, the following problems occur.

  Congested hall elevators must always be operated at full load and with an excessive load, which causes failure and shortens the service life.

  Further, the group management apparatus is a method for preferentially assigning elevators according to the congestion situation. Therefore, the elevator user does not know at all that there is an elevator in another place and the degree of congestion at the installation hall of another elevator. As a result, the elevator users have to wait for a long time at the crowded hall, and as mentioned above, many users get into the same elevator from the crowded hall, so that each floor stops driving to the destination floor. Must move.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and determines the congestion status of each elevator hall and prompts the elevator to move to another elevator hall, thereby guiding the elevator to reduce the congestion of the elevator hall. An object is to provide a guidance system.

In order to solve the above-described problem, an elevator guidance system in an elevator system in which a plurality of elevators are installed in a building includes a congestion detection sensor that detects a congestion state of a landing of each elevator, and a plurality of that represents the congestion state of the landing A congestion status management table that defines guidance information according to the congestion degree range, guidance guidance display means provided in the vicinity of each building entrance,
When it is determined that the other elevator hall is vacant based on the detection signal of the congestion detection sensor and the detection signal of the congestion situation sensor that detects the congestion situation of the other elevator hall, to the other elevator hall A congestion state determination processing unit that displays the guidance information for prompting the user to move on the guidance guidance display means.

  According to the present invention, the congestion situation of each elevator hall is determined, and when one elevator hall is crowded with a user and the other elevator hall is vacant, the elevator hall is encouraged to move to the other elevator hall. By displaying the guidance, it is possible to alleviate congestion at the elevator hall.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 are configuration diagrams showing an embodiment of an elevator guidance system according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the guidance system, and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of, for example, the first floor in a building.

  In an elevator system installed in a building 1, such as a department store, a shopping center, or a high-rise building, there are at least one elevator machine (for example, three elevator machines in FIG. 2) in different places, for example, a predetermined area on the east side of the building 1. An elevator 2a composed of at least one elevator (for example, two elevators in FIG. 2) is installed in a predetermined area on the west side of the same building 1 so as to be movable up and down. Reference numeral 3 denotes a product display case arranged in the building 1 on the first floor, for example.

  The elevator guidance system according to the present invention is applied to an elevator system in which a plurality of elevators 2a and 2b are installed in the same building 1 as described above.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the elevator guidance and guidance system includes a congestion detection sensor 11 that detects the congestion state of the landing 4 where users of the elevators 2 a and 2 b get on and off, and a CPU (for example, an information terminal). The congestion status determination processing unit 12 and a guidance display unit 13 provided near the entrance of each building.

As the congestion detection sensor 11, an imaging camera, an infrared sensor, or the like is used.
The congestion detection sensor 11 is attached to the landing wall surface 6 or the landing ceiling 7 for each landing 4 or for each landing door 5 as shown in FIG. 8 is a hall call button.

  Each congestion state determination processing unit 12 is provided in the elevator control panel that controls the operation of one elevator or the group management device 9 that controls the operation of a plurality of elevators, and is detected by the congestion detection sensor 11. Based on the signal, the congestion status of each corresponding hall 4 is determined.

  Both congestion status determination processing units 12 and 12 are connected by a wireless or wired communication line, and are configured to transmit and receive actual congestion level information representing the congestion status of the elevators 2a and 2b to each other at predetermined intervals.

  Each congestion status determination processing unit 12 is provided with a storage device 14. Each storage device 14 is formed with a detection information storage area 14b for storing at least a congestion status management table 14a and a detection signal of the congestion detection sensor 11.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the congestion status management table 14a is divided into, for example, five levels of congestion degree ranges (human body existing area ratios), and a congestion display level that is one type of guidance guidance information for each of these levels of congestion level ranges. Are associated. The congestion degree range represents the ratio of the total detection area by the congestion detection sensor 11 to the human body existence area detected by the congestion detection sensor, for example, 2a, that is, the range of the area ratio occupied by the human body existence area with respect to the entire detection area. .

  In addition, in the congestion status management table 14a, message data and color data indicating the congestion status are associated with each congestion degree range as necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 4, each congestion situation determination processing unit 12 functionally includes a self-arrival situation determination means 121 that determines a user's congestion situation in the landing 4 of each of the own elevators 2 a and 2 b, and each landing situation determination. It comprises means 122 and display control means 123.

  The own hall situation determination means 121 takes in a detection signal from the congestion detection sensor 11 provided in the hall 4 of each of the own elevators 2a and 2b, and the congestion detection sensor predetermined as a human body presence area obtained from the acquired detection signal. The actual congestion degree (for example, the human body existing area ratio) is obtained based on all the 11 detection areas (entire visual field range).

  Each hall status judging means 122 receives the actual congestion degree information sent from the congestion situation judgment processing unit 12 on the other elevator 2b side, and the received actual crowd degree of the other elevator 2b is the hall of the own elevator 2a. When it is less than the actual congestion degree, it has a function of judging that the hall 4 of the other elevator 2a is empty.

  When the display control unit 123 determines from the determination result of the landing state determination unit 122 that the hall 4 of the other elevator 2a is vacant, the display control unit 123 responds to the actual congestion degree information of the hall 4 of the other elevator 2a from the congestion state management table 14a. It has a function of searching for the congestion display level and controlling the lighting or blinking of, for example, the indicator lamp of the guidance guide display unit 13 according to the searched congestion display level to prompt the user to move to another landing. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 5, each guidance guidance display unit 13 is provided with a time display area (A) on the upper side, another elevator usage status area (B) on the middle side, and a guidance guidance display area (C) on the lower side. It has been. In the time display area (A), the actual congestion degree determination time is displayed. The display format varies depending on the number of elevators in the other elevator usage status area (b). For example, in an example in which two elevators 2a and 2b are installed, the guidance information display unit 13 belonging to the own elevator, for example, 2a explicitly describes in advance as “another elevator use situation”. Is a format for displaying elevator usage status data with the least actual congestion obtained from the determination result of the landing status determination means 122. Further, the guidance guidance display area (c) is provided with a number of indicator lights corresponding to the number of congestion display levels, and the two indicator lights from the left side according to the searched congestion display level described above being “2”. Is displayed.

Next, the operation of the elevator guidance system configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.
When the operation starts, the congestion state determination processing unit 12 determines whether or not a predetermined period (for example, every 5 minutes) has been reached (S1). Here, when the congestion state determination processing unit 12 determines that the predetermined period has been reached, the congestion state determination unit 121 executes the own landing state determination unit 121.

  The own landing situation determination means 121 captures a detection signal from the congestion detection sensor 11 such as an imaging camera or an infrared sensor installed in the own elevator, for example, the landing 4 of 2a (S2), and then determines the actual congestion situation of the landing 4. Get the actual congestion level. That is, the self-spotting situation determination unit 121 obtains a human body existence region corresponding to, for example, “1” data of binarized data in which a human body appears in the detection signal captured from the congestion detection sensor 11. Then, the self-situation situation determination means 121 is based on the human body existence area and the entire detection area (full visual field range) of the congestion detection sensor 11 that is determined in advance, and is the actual congestion that is the human body existence area ratio of the human body existence area to the whole detection area. The degree of actual congestion (for example, 47%) is stored in an appropriate storage means (S4).

  At this time, also in the congestion status determination processing unit 12 on the other elevator 2b side, after determining the actual congestion level (for example, 17%), the congestion status determination processing unit on the own elevator 2a side through a communication line such as wireless or wired 12 to send.

  The congestion state determination processing unit 12 of the own elevator 2 a executes each landing state determination unit 122 after the processing of the own landing state determination unit 121 is completed.

  Each landing state determination means 122 determines whether or not actual congestion degree information is received from the congestion state determination processing unit 12 on the other elevator 2b side (S5). When it is determined that each hall status determination unit 122 has received the actual congestion level information from the congestion status determination processing unit 12 on the other elevator 2b side, the actual congestion level (for example, 47%) on the own elevator 2a side and the other elevator The actual congestion degree on the 2b side (for example, 17%) is compared, and it is determined whether or not the actual congestion degree of the hall 4 on the other elevator 2b side is less than the actual congestion degree of the hall 4 on the own elevator 2a side (S6). ). Here, when the actual congestion degree of the hall 4 on the other elevator 2b side is small, it is determined that the hall 4 of the other elevator 2a is empty, and the display control means 123 is executed.

  When the hall condition determining means 122 determines that the hall 4 of the other elevator 2a is vacant, the display control means 123 determines the actual congestion degree 17 from the congestion situation management table 14a based on the actual congestion degree of 17%. It is searched that it belongs to the congestion degree range within 20%. The display control means 123 specifies the congestion display level as “2” based on the congestion degree range within 20%. Then, the display control means 123 displays the congestion judgment time in the time display area (A) of the guidance display section 13 and is provided in the guidance display area (C) according to the congestion setting level “2”. The guidance information is displayed by turning on or blinking the two indicator lamps from the left side of the five indicator lamps because of the low congestion (S7).

  Therefore, according to the embodiment as described above, the user of the hall 4 of the own elevator 2a clearly indicates the guidance information by turning on or blinking the indicator light of the guidance information display unit 13 and the other elevator usage status area (b). It can be easily recognized that there are few users of any elevator, for example, 2b, based on the usage situation of the west elevator 2a. Therefore, when the user on the side of the elevator 2a moves to the vacant hall 4 on the side of the elevator 2b, congestion of the hall 4 on the side of the elevator 2a can be alleviated.

(Other embodiments)
(1) Although an example in which two elevators 2a and 2b are installed in the same building 1 has been described, for example, even when elevators are installed in three or more different locations of the same building 1, the same applies.

  In this case, each hall status determination means 122 of each congestion status determination processing unit 12 selects the actual congestion level of the least crowded hall 4 from the halls 4 of the other plurality of elevators, and the actual congestion And the actual congestion degree of the hall 4 of the own elevator 2a are compared, and the actual congestion degree of the hall 4 of the other vacant elevator is notified to the display control means 123. The display control means 123 is the most vacant in the other elevator usage status area (b) in addition to the lighting or blinking of the number of indicator lights according to the congestion display level according to the actual congestion degree of the hall 4 of the other vacant elevator. Display the presence of other elevators.

(2) In the above embodiment, the congestion detection sensor 11 such as an imaging camera or an infrared sensor is installed in the vicinity of the landing 4. As the congestion detection sensor 11, for example, a car loading weight installed under the floor of an elevator car is measured. A conventionally known load sensor or a conventionally known imaging camera installed in an elevator car may be used.

  In this example, if each congestion state determination processing unit 12 receives the net load weight (total load weight−car weight) and image information from the corresponding elevator control panel or group management device 9, the congestion of the elevator car will be received. The congestion situation level of the corresponding hall 4 can be predicted indirectly from the situation. If the net load weight and image information of a plurality of times are taken from the load sensor and the imaging camera and the average with respect to the sum is obtained, the congestion state level of the hall 4 can be predicted more accurately.

  Thereby, even if it is an existing elevator system, the guidance and guidance system according to the present invention can be incorporated.

(3) In the above embodiment, each landing situation determination means 122 compares the actual congestion degree of the own elevator 2a with the actual congestion degree of the other elevator 2b, and when the actual congestion degree of the other elevator 2b is small, the other elevator It is the structure which displays guidance information so that the movement to the hall 4 of 2b may be urged.

  However, if there is no large congestion level difference between the actual congestion level of the own elevator 2a and the actual congestion level of the other elevator 2b, even if the guidance information for prompting the user to move to the vacant hall 4 is displayed, the user On the contrary, it is conceivable that the hall 4 of the other elevator 2b is congested due to the movement of.

  Therefore, as another example, the actual congestion degree of the hall 4 of the own elevator 2a is set in advance so that the congestion degree range is 45% or more and within 60%, and both actual congestion degrees are 20% or more. When each landing state determination means 122 determines that the landing 4 of the other elevator 2b is vacant, the actual congestion degree (for example, 47%) of the landing 4 of the own elevator 2a is within a congestion degree range of 45% to 60%. Only when the actual congestion level is 20% or more (for example, 47% -17% = 30% in the above embodiment), the other elevator 2b moves to the landing 4 It may be configured to display guide guidance information for prompting.

  Thereby, even if the user of the crowded hall 4 moves to the empty hall 4, the problem that the empty hall 4 is crowded can be solved.

(4) The congestion status management table 14a is divided into, for example, five stages as shown in FIG. 3, but may be four stages or less or five stages or more.

In the above embodiment, the congestion display level is selected as the guidance information from the congestion status management table 14a. Instead of displaying the congestion display level, message data is displayed in the guidance information display area (c), or The five indicator lights in the guide guidance display area (c) are provided with blue, green, yellow, orange, and red indicator lights from the left side, and are sequentially turned on from the left side indicator lamp according to the color data corresponding to the actual congestion level. There may be.

  Thereby, the user can easily recognize the fluctuation state of the congestion at the hall 4 of the other elevator.

(5) Furthermore, the time zone when the building 1 is crowded may be determined depending on the usage of the building 1 or the like. For example, at department stores, it is 11: 00-13: 00, 17: 30-20: 00.

  Therefore, only when the predetermined time zone is entered, each congestion status determination processing unit 12 may execute a series of processes shown in FIG.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of an elevator guidance system according to the present invention. The conceptual diagram which shows the positional relationship of a building and an installation elevator. FIG. 3 is a data array example diagram of a congestion status management table shown in FIG. 1. The functional block diagram of the congestion condition judgment process part shown in FIG. The figure explaining the display state of the guidance guidance display part shown in FIG. The flowchart explaining operation | movement of the guidance system of the elevator which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Building, 2a, 2b ... Elevator, 4 ... landing, 5 ... landing door, 6 ... landing wall surface, 7 ... landing ceiling, 8 ... landing call button, 9 ... group management device, 11 ... congestion detection sensor, 12 ... congestion Situation determination processing unit, 13 ... guidance guidance display unit, 14 ... storage device, 14a ... congestion state management table, 121 ... own landing state determination means, 122 ... each landing state determination means, 123 ... display control means.

Claims (5)

In an elevator system where multiple elevators are installed in a building,
A congestion detection sensor for detecting the congestion situation of the hall of each elevator,
A congestion status management table that defines guidance information according to a plurality of congestion level ranges indicating the congestion status of the hall;
Guidance guidance display means provided near the entrance of each building;
When it is determined that the other elevator hall is vacant based on the detection signal of the congestion detection sensor and the detection signal of the congestion situation sensor that detects the congestion situation of the other elevator hall, to the other elevator hall An elevator guidance and guidance system, comprising: a congestion state determination processing unit that displays the guidance guidance information for urging the user to move on the guidance guidance display means.   The elevator guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the congestion detection sensor is one of an imaging camera, an infrared sensor, and a load sensor installed in an elevator car.   The elevator guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the guidance information defined in the congestion status management table is at least one of a congestion display level, message data, and color data.   The congestion state determination processing unit includes a self-departure state determination unit that obtains an actual congestion degree from a detection signal of a congestion detection sensor that detects a congestion state of a landing of the own elevator, the actual congestion degree obtained by the determination unit, and the other Compared with the actual congestion level obtained from the detection signal of the congestion status sensor of the elevator hall, each landing situation judgment means for judging whether or not the other elevator hall is empty, and the other elevator hall is empty And a display control means for reading the guidance guidance information corresponding to the actual congestion level of the other elevator from the congestion status management table and displaying the guidance guidance display means on the guidance guidance display means. The elevator guidance system according to Item 1.   5. The elevator according to claim 1, wherein the actual congestion degree is obtained from a human body existing area ratio of a human body existing area detected by the congestion detection sensor with respect to all detection areas by the congestion detection sensor. User guidance system.

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