JP7618608B2 - Elevator system and elevator control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an elevator system and an elevator control method.

Conventionally, elevator cars have operation panels with stop floor registration buttons corresponding to floors where the elevator can stop, and users who get into the car press the stop floor registration button for their destination floor. For example, when the destination floor is the 10th floor, the user presses the stop floor registration button for the 10th floor from among the many stop floor registration buttons arranged corresponding to floors where the elevator can stop.
When the stop floor registration button for the 10th floor is pressed, the display color of the pressed stop floor registration button for the 10th floor changes to a conspicuous color, so that it is clear that the 10th floor has been registered as a stop floor.

As an advanced version of these conventional floor registration buttons, it has been proposed to place a touch panel with a display function inside the car as an operating panel. Also, as a measure against infectious diseases in recent years, it has been proposed to make the touch panel a non-contact panel. A non-contact panel is operated by the user bringing their finger close to a button displayed on the display panel.

Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which the control panel inside the elevator car is configured as a non-contact control panel, and non-contact operations are detected by multiple sensors equipped on the non-contact control panel, and when the sensor detects an operation continuously up to a first threshold time, the destination floor corresponding to the sensor is registered, and when the sensor detects an operation continuously up to a second threshold time, the registration of the destination floor is cancelled.

JP 2019-142686 A

In the case of typical elevator control panels in which destination floor registration buttons are arranged in a row, some allow users to unregister a destination floor by performing an unusual operation, such as pressing and holding the registration button for an already registered destination floor.
Furthermore, even in the case of an operating panel that allows contactless operation, it is known that a registered floor can be cancelled by continuously operating the destination floor button in a contactless manner for a longer period of time than usual, as described in Patent Document 1.

In conventional control panels, the registered destination floor (registered floor) is notified by lighting up the registration button for the corresponding floor itself, and in the non-contact operation type control panel described in Patent Document 1, the destination floor is also notified by lighting up a cutting line or the like adjacent to the number of the destination floor.

On the other hand, when the control panel in the elevator car is equipped with a display panel, the degree of freedom of display is improved, so that the operability and visibility can be improved by separating the area where the destination floor registration operation is performed from the display area of the registered destination floor, which is the registered destination floor. For example, the area where the destination floor registration operation is performed can have a button arrangement that improves operability, such as a so-called numeric keypad display with numbers from 0 to 9 lined up.
However, when the operability is improved by displaying a numeric keypad, there is no one-to-one correspondence between each button and each floor, so there is a problem that it is not possible to cancel the registered floor by pressing and holding the registered button. Also, when a registered floor is canceled, it is difficult to properly notify the operator.
As described above, in the conventional configuration where the destination floor registration operation is performed using a numeric keypad, it has been difficult for the operator to intuitively perform an operation to cancel the registered floor.

The present invention aims to provide an elevator system and elevator control method that can properly cancel a registered floor when the elevator system is equipped with an operation panel that allows the user to register a destination floor using a non-contact display panel.

In order to solve the above problems, for example, the configurations described in the claims are adopted.
The present application includes a number of means for solving the above problems. For example, the present application includes an operation panel that allows a user to register a destination floor on a display panel, and the user can register the destination floor by touching or non-touching the destination floor displayed on the display panel.
An elevator control device controls elevator operation by setting a destination floor registered as a registered floor, which is a floor for stopping, and allows a user to cancel the setting of the corresponding registered floor by touching or non-touching the display of the registered floor on a display panel ,
The operation panel is
an input determination unit that detects a non-contact operation when a user's finger approaches a destination floor or a registered floor displayed on the display panel;
an input information transmission unit that transmits information on the destination floor or the registered floor on which the non-contact operation was performed, which is detected by the input determination unit, to an elevator control device;
a registered floor display processing unit that displays the registered floor received from the elevator control device in a registered floor display area of the display panel,
When the input determination unit detects a selection made by a non-contact operation to cancel the registered floor displayed in the registered floor display area, the input information sending unit sends information to the elevator control device to cancel the setting of the registered floor, and the registered floor display processing unit stops updating the registered floor display while it detects the non-contact operation in the registered floor display area , and causes the display panel to continue to display an indication that the cancellation has been made .

According to the present invention, when a cancellation operation for a registered floor is performed by non-contact selection of a registered floor displayed in the registered floor display area, updating of the registered floor display is suppressed while the operation is being detected, so that the operator can clearly know that the cancellation operation for the registered floor has been accepted, enabling a display with improved operability and visibility.
Problems, configurations and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an elevator system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a destination floor registration device of an elevator system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display panel arrangement in a passenger car according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A to 1C are diagrams showing examples of displays and changes of the displays on a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a change in the display of a registered floor according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example (part 1) of a display change when a registered floor is canceled according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example (part 2) of a display change when a registered floor is canceled according to an embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an input process according to an embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart showing an example (first half) of a destination floor registration process according to an embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a flowchart showing an example (second half) of a destination floor registration process according to an embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a registered floor display process according to an embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a switching process for a registered floor display according to an embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a registered floor cancellation process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

An elevator system according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "this embodiment") will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[Elevator system configuration]
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an elevator system according to this embodiment.
As shown in Fig. 1, the elevator system of this example includes an elevator control device 10 and a destination floor registration device 20. The destination floor registration device 20 is installed in the car. The configuration of the elevator control device 10 shown in Fig. 1 only shows the configuration related to setting the destination floor and the registered floor, and other configurations such as the running control of the car are omitted.

The elevator control device 10 controls the running (raising and lowering) of the car using the hoist based on the operation of the car call button at the landing of each floor and the operation of registering the stopping floors inside the car.
The destination floor registration device 20 is disposed in the elevator car, and controls the display on a display panel 41 (FIG. 3) with a non-contact input function that is disposed on an operation panel installed in the elevator car. The destination floor registration device 20 also detects non-contact input by a finger or the like approaching the display panel 41, and sends an instruction to the elevator control device 10.
The non-contact input is detected by a non-contact sensor 42. The display panel 41 has a destination floor registration area 41a and a registered floor display area 41b. In the following description, the input operation basically refers to a non-contact input operation, but may also include an operation of directly touching the surface of the display panel 41 with a finger.

The destination floor indicates the destination floor where the user who boards the elevator car will get off, and the registered floor indicates the floor registered in the elevator control device 10 as the destination floor. In other words, the user inputs the destination floor on the operation panel in the car and performs an operation to set the destination floor, whereby the destination floor is registered in the elevator control device 10, the display panel 41 displays the registered floor, and the car stops at the registered floor. However, the car may stop at a floor other than the registered floor due to a car call at the boarding area, etc.

The configuration of the destination floor registration device 20 will be described. The destination floor registration device 20 includes an input processing unit 21, an input determination unit 22, an input information transmission unit 23, a registered floor display processing unit 24, a registered floor display area update unit 25, a screen mode determination unit 26, and a destination floor registration area update unit 27.

The input processing unit 21 processes the input of information on the state of detection of a finger or the like not in contact with the display panel 41 by the non-contact sensor 42 .
The input determination unit 22 acquires information on the detection state input processed by the input processing unit 21, and determines which display portion of the display panel 41 has been approached by a finger or the like to perform a non-touch operation.
The input information transmitting unit 23 performs an input information transmitting process of transmitting information about the non-contact operation determined by the input determining unit 22 to the elevator control device 10 .

The registered floor display processing unit 24 receives information about the registered floors set in the elevator control device 10, and performs registered floor display processing to display the registered floors in floor order.
The registered floor display area update unit 25 updates the display of the registered floor display area 41b on the display panel 41 based on the processing in the registered floor display processing unit 24.

The screen mode determination unit 26 determines whether the display screen mode of the destination floor registration area 41a of the display panel 41 is a floor selection mode or a numeric keypad input mode. Specific display examples of the floor selection mode and the numeric keypad input mode will be described later ( FIG. 4 ). The mode determination in this screen mode determination unit 26 is performed based on an instruction from the elevator control device 10 and an input determination by the input determination unit 22.
The destination floor registration area update unit 27 updates the display of the destination floor registration area 41 a on the display panel 41 to the mode determined by the screen mode determination unit 26 .

The elevator control device 10 includes an initial setting display information storage unit 11, a display information processing unit 12, a display information transmission unit 13, and a destination floor registration/cancellation processing unit 14.
The initial setting display information storage unit 11 stores initial setting information for the destination floor registration area 41 a of the display panel 41 .
The display information processing unit 12 performs display information processing to display the destination floor as a destination floor or a registered floor, based on the initial information about the destination floor stored in the initial setting display information storage unit 11 .

The display information obtained by the display information processing unit 12 is transmitted from the display information transmission unit 13 to the registered floor display processing unit 24 and the screen mode determination unit 26 of the destination floor registration device 20. Here, the display information transmission unit 13 is supplied with information on destination floor registration and cancellation from the destination floor registration/cancellation processing unit 14, and when a destination floor is registered or canceled, the display information transmitted by the display information transmission unit 13 reflects the corresponding registration or cancellation.
The destination floor registration/cancellation processing unit 14 receives information from the input information transmitting unit 23 of the destination floor registration device 20, and determines the operation of registering or canceling a destination floor in the elevator.

[Hardware configuration example of destination floor registration device]
FIG. 2 shows an example of a hardware configuration in the case where the destination floor registration device 20 is configured as a computer.
The destination floor registration device 20, which is configured as a computer device, includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 20a, a main memory unit 20b, a non-volatile storage 20c, a network interface 20d, an input unit 20e, and an output unit 20f, which are all connected to a bus.

The CPU 20a is an arithmetic processing unit that reads out program code of software that realizes the functions performed by the destination floor registration device 20 from the main storage unit 20b or the non-volatile storage 20c and executes it.
The CPU 20a reads out the program code from the main memory 20b or the non-volatile storage 20c and executes arithmetic processing in the work area of the main memory 20b, thereby configuring various processing function units in the main memory 20b. That is, the main memory 20b is configured with various processing units such as the registered floor display processing unit 24 and the screen mode determination unit 26 shown in FIG. 1.

For example, a large-capacity information storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a memory card is used for the non-volatile storage 20c. The non-volatile storage 20c stores software that realizes the functions of the destination floor registration device 20, data obtained by executing the program, and data required for display screen settings.

The network interface 20d may be, for example, a network interface card (NIC), and is used to transmit and receive data to and from other devices such as the elevator control device 10.
The input unit 20 e performs an input process for information regarding the detection state of the non-contact sensor 42 .
The output unit 20 f supplies display data to a destination floor registration area 41 a and a registered floor display area 41 b of the display panel 41 .

Note that the destination floor registration device 20 configured with the computer shown in FIG. 2 is just one example, and may be configured with other arithmetic processing devices other than a computer. For example, some or all of the functions performed by the destination floor registration device 20 may be realized by hardware such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[Example of display panel layout inside a car]
FIG. 3 shows an example in which a display panel 41 is installed inside a car 50 provided in the elevator system of this embodiment.
3 is a view of the vicinity of the door 51 of the car 50 as viewed from inside the car 50. Door side panels 52 and 53 are disposed on the left and right sides of the door 51. Here, the operation panel 40 is disposed on the door side panel 53 on the right side of the door 51.

A display panel 41 and a non-contact sensor 42 are arranged on the operation panel 40. The non-contact sensor 42 detects a finger approaching or touching the surface of the display panel 41. A card reader 32 is also arranged below the display panel 41 of the operation panel 40. This card reader 32 is used, for example, to authenticate a card held by a passenger and register a floor with security settings as a destination floor.

The display panel 41 is composed of a liquid crystal display panel or an organic electro-luminescence (EL) panel, and is arranged vertically with a size that fits within the width of the door side panel 53. The display panel 41 is capable of displaying letters, numbers, and various figures, as will be explained in the display examples described below. The non-contact sensor 42 is composed of, for example, an infrared sensor, and is arranged at the left end of the display panel 41 to detect when a finger or the like approaches the surface of the display panel 41.

In the example of FIG. 3, the non-contact sensor 42 is disposed so as to protrude slightly from the surface of the display panel 41, and is capable of scanning the surface of the display panel 41 with infrared rays or the like.
The non-contact sensor 42 detects when a finger approaches within, for example, several centimeters of the surface of the display panel 41. At this time, the non-contact sensor 42 also detects the coordinate position of which part of the display panel 41 the finger or the like approaches.

Note that using an infrared sensor as the non-contact sensor 42 is just one example, and other sensors may be used to detect an object such as a finger approaching the surface of the display panel 41. For example, the non-contact sensor 42 may detect the approach of a finger from a capacitance value. The non-contact sensor that detects the capacitance value is integrated into the display panel 41.

In the example of FIG. 3, a display panel 41 and a non-contact sensor 42 are shown installed as the operation panel 40, but for example, buttons for instructing to open or close the door and an emergency call button may be placed near the display panel 41. Alternatively, the buttons for instructing to open or close the door and an emergency call button may be displayed on the display panel 41.

Incidentally, arranging the operation panel 40 and the display panel 41 on the door side panel 53 on the right side of the door 51 is just an example, and the operation panel 40 and the display panel 41 may also be arranged on the door side panel 52 on the left side of the door 51. In this case, the operation panel 40 and the display panel 41 may be arranged on either the left or right door side panel 52 or 53, or the operation panel 40 and the display panel 41 may be arranged on both the left and right door side panels 52, 53. Furthermore, when the operation panel 40 and the display panel 41 are arranged on both the left and right door side panels 52, 53, one of the operation panels 40 may be provided with a touch panel or a push button that detects touch operations by passengers.
The operation panel 40 is also provided with a speaker (not shown) for outputting operation sounds, guidance voices, and the like.

[Display form of display panel]
Next, the display form of the display panel 41 will be described with reference to FIGS.
As already described, the display panel 41 has a destination floor registration area 41a and a registered floor display area 41b. As shown in Fig. 4, the destination floor registration area 41a is arranged in the right region of the display panel 41, and the registered floor display area 41b is arranged in the left region of the display panel 41. The registered floor display area 41b is a relatively narrow region capable of displaying the numerical values of registered floors in one vertical column (or two columns), and the remaining region is entirely the destination floor registration area 41a.
The sizes of the areas 41a and 41b may be variable. Various display modes will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

In this example, the destination floor input mode includes a floor selection mode and a numeric keypad input mode.
The displays shown in the upper left and upper right of Fig. 4 are examples of displays in the floor selection mode. In this floor selection mode, buttons of destination floor candidates indicating floors are directly displayed in the destination floor registration area 41a, and the registered floors are directly set by operating the buttons.

That is, in the destination floor registration area 41a, a destination floor button 107 indicating a main floor of the building, a screen switching button 106, and an input guide 105 are displayed.
5, only buttons for the first floor (entrance floor), second floor (lobby floor), first basement floor (fourth parking lot), second basement floor (third parking lot), third basement floor (second parking lot), and fourth basement floor (first parking lot), which are major floors where the vehicle frequently stops, are displayed as destination floor buttons 107. When an input operation is performed with a finger or the like approaching these destination floor buttons 107, the floor displayed on the operated button is directly confirmed as the registered floor without performing a confirmation operation or the like.

The screen switching button 106 displays "To all floors" in both Japanese and English, and inputting using this screen switching button 106 switches to a floor input mode display (lower part of Figure 4) showing buttons such as a numeric keypad.
The input guide 105 displays a message in Japanese urging the user to "Please enter the destination floor," and also displays a similar message in English, "Please select a destination floor."

In the registered floor display area 41b, the registered floor row 111 is displayed in a vertical line as shown in the lower left of Fig. 4. In the examples in the upper left and upper right of Fig. 4, nothing is displayed in the registered floor display area 41b, which indicates that no registered floors are registered.
In the registered floor column 111, registered floors with smaller numerical values are displayed in ascending order from the bottom based on the layout of floors in an actual building. Since the display of the registered floor column 111 is based on the layout of floors in an actual building, for basement floors, the numerical value of the floor increases the further down the floor goes.

The example at the bottom left of FIG. 4 shows a situation in which nine registered floors have been registered, and shows a registered floor row 111 displaying the nine floors, using almost the entire registered floor display area 41b.
In addition, when the number of registered floors is small, the registered floors are displayed from the bottom of the registered floor display area 41b. For example, when the registered floors are the "6th floor" and the "10th floor", the registered floor display area 41b displays "6" and "10" from the bottom.

Also, when the number of registered floors decreases as a result of the elevator stopping at each floor, the remaining registered floors are displayed in the registered floor display area 41b, filling up from the bottom.
However, displaying the registered floors in a packed manner from the bottom is just one example, and the registered floors may be displayed together in the approximate center, or may be displayed from the top. The example of Fig. 5 described later shows a case where the registered floors are displayed together in the approximate center.
The display of this registered floor display area 41b is the same in both the floor selection mode and the numeric keypad input mode.

The display examples at the bottom right and bottom left of FIG. 4 are display examples in the numeric keypad input mode.
The numeric keypad input mode is a mode in which the destination floor registration area 41a is displayed as a numeric keypad, and the user inputs a floor number using a numeric keypad.
That is, the destination floor registration area 41a displays a floor input button 101 consisting of ten number buttons 0, 1, 2, 3, ..., 9, a "B" button indicating the basement, a registration button 102, an input floor 103, a cancel button 104, an input guide 105, and a screen switching button 106.
The example at the bottom left of FIG. 4 shows a state in which a finger approaches "1" and then "9" on the floor input button 101, causing "19" to be displayed in the input floor column 103.

The input guide 105 displays a message in Japanese urging the user to "enter the destination floor," and also displays a similar message in English, "please select a destination floor."
The input floor number 103 displays the number entered using the floor input button 101 or "B." When the "B" button is pressed followed by a number button, a display indicating a basement floor such as "B1" is displayed.
Furthermore, even if a two-digit number or a number followed by the letter "B" is input, if a floor on which the elevator does not stop (a floor that does not exist in the building) is input, the corresponding operation becomes invalid and the input floor is not displayed in Input Floors 103.

The register button 102 is a button for confirming the floor displayed in the input floor 103 as the registered floor.
The cancel button 104 is a button for performing an operation to cancel the floor displayed in the input floor 103. This cancel button 104 may be displayed at all times, or may be displayed only when a floor has been input in the input floor 103 by operating the floor input button 101.
The screen switching button 106 displays "To main floors" in both Japanese and English, and pressing this button switches the display to a floor selection mode in which the buttons for the main floors are displayed.
The display in the registered floor display area 41b is the same as that in the floor selection mode.

Next, a description will be given of a display change in the destination floor registration area 41a shown in Fig. 4. The display change shown in Fig. 4 shows an example in which the screen mode is switched manually by an operator.
For example, when the default screen is the display M11 of the floor selection mode shown in the upper left of Fig. 4, the destination floor button 107 of the main floor is displayed on the default screen. This initial screen is a screen when the door 51 of the car is opened, for example, in a state where no registered floors have been set.

Here, assume that a finger or the like approaches the screen switching button 106 and the screen switching button 106 is selected on the default screen shown in display M11 on which destination floor buttons 107 for main floors are displayed as shown in the upper left of Fig. 4. At this time, the default screen changes to display M12 shown in the upper right of Fig. 4. In display M12, the display color of the screen switching button 106 that the finger or the like approaches changes, so that the user can know that the corresponding button has been operated.
In this change in display color, it is preferable to change to a color with high luminance, for example, so that the corresponding button appears to be lit up. Note that, although the state in which the screen switching button 106 is operated is shown here, the display form also changes in the same way when a finger or the like approaches a button other than the screen switching button 106.

When the screen switching button 106 is operated in the display M12 shown in the upper right of Figure 4, the destination floor registration area 41a changes to a numeric keypad input mode displaying the floor input button 101 and the registration button 102, as shown in the display M13 shown in the lower right of Figure 4.
By registering a destination floor in this numeric keypad input mode, the registered floor column 111 is displayed in the registered floor display area 41b, as in display M14 shown in the lower left of FIG.
Then, by operating the screen switching button 106 in the numeric keypad input mode, the destination floor registration area 41a changes to a floor selection mode of the display M11 shown in the upper left of FIG.

Fig. 5 shows an example of a change in the display of the registered floor in the registered floor display area 41b. In Fig. 5, the destination floor registration area 41a shows an example of a numeric keypad input mode, but in Fig. 4, the destination floor registration area 41a changes to a floor selection mode by the operation as described above.
First, the display M21 shown in the upper left of Fig. 5 shows a case where the number of registered floors is four, and the registered floor row 111 showing the four registered floors "3, 2, 1, B1" is arranged almost in the center of the registered floor display area 41b. Arranging it in the center like this increases visibility, and visibility can be ensured even when the display panel 41 is arranged inside the surface of the operation panel 40. Also, instead of arranging the registered floors "3, 2, 1, B1" in the center as in this display M21, they may be arranged below the registered floor display area 41b.

As the number of registered floors increases from display M21, it changes to display M22 shown in the upper right of Figure 5. Display M22 is for a case where there are 10 registered floors, and the registered floor column 111 showing the 10 registered floors "9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, B1" is arranged over almost the entire registered floor display area 41b.

In the example of Figure 5, the maximum number of registered floors that can be displayed in the registered floor display area 41b is 10, and when the number of registered floors exceeds 10, multiple screens are switched at regular intervals to display all registered floors.
That is, for example, when the number of registered floors is 20, the display M23 at the bottom left of Fig. 5 and the display M24 at the bottom right are switched every certain time (for example, 3 seconds). In the display M23 at the bottom left of Fig. 5, the registered floor display area 41b displays the registered floor sequence 111 indicating the 11th to 20th registered floors "19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10". In the display M24 at the bottom right of Fig. 5, the registered floor sequence 111 indicating the 1st to 10th registered floors "9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, B1" is displayed.

Note that the two displays M23, M24 shown in FIG. 5 each display 10 registered floors, but the form of each display M23, M24 changes depending on the total number of registered floors. For example, when the total number of registered floors is 11, the registered floor with the largest number is displayed on display M23, and the remaining 10 registered floors are displayed on display M24. Alternatively, the two displays M23, M24 may display an approximately equal number of registered floors.

6 and 7 show examples of display changes when canceling a part of the registered floors displayed in the registered floor display area 41b. In Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, the destination floor registration area 41a is in the numeric keypad input mode, which is an example, and may be in the floor selection mode.
Explaining the display in Fig. 6, for example, assume that the display M31 shown in the upper left of Fig. 6 is displayed as the display of the registered floors in the registered floor display area 41b. This display M31 displays the registered floor sequence 111 in which the registered floor display area 41b displays the ten registered floors "9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, B1".

In this state, when the user (passenger) wants to cancel, for example, one of the ten registered floors displayed, floor "5," the user brings finger h closer to registered floor "5," as shown in display M32 in the upper right corner of Figure 6.
At this time, the non-contact sensor 42 detects the approach of the finger h to the area where the registered floor number "5" is displayed, and the registered floor display area 41b highlights the number "5" of the registered floor. The highlighting is performed by displaying the number in a bold font or in a bright display color.
It should be noted that while the approach of a finger h or the like to the registered floor display area 41b is being detected, the display panel 41 does not switch the registered floor display at regular intervals as shown in displays M23 and M24 in FIG.

Then, when the finger h approaches the vicinity of the display location of the registered floor "5" for a predetermined time (e.g., 1 second) or more, the display M32 changes to the display M33 shown in the lower left of Fig. 6. In the display M33, the display of the registered floor "5" is deleted, and the display location of the registered floor "5" becomes blank. With the finger h approaching in this state, the display positions of the other registered floors "9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1, B1" do not change.
As shown in this display M33, when the display area for a specific registered floor becomes blank, the destination floor registration device 20 confirms the cancellation of the registration of the corresponding floor, and sends cancellation information of the registered floor to the elevator control device 10.

6. Then, when the finger h is moved away from the blank space in the state where the display M33 in the lower left of FIG. 6 is displayed, the registered floor display area 41b changes from the display M33 to the display M34 in the upper left of FIG.
In this display M34, the registered floor display area 41b displays the registered floor column 111 in which all registered floors currently being registered, excluding the canceled registered floors, are filled with no blank spaces.
That is, the display M34 shows the bottom ten registered floors, "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1, B1."
Although the change from display M33 to display M34 is made simultaneously with the removal of the finger h, the change to display M34 may be made with a slight delay, such as 0.5 seconds, after the removal of the finger h.

If there is a registered floor that is not displayed by display M34, display M34 is continued for a certain period of time, and then the registered floor display area 41b changes to display M35 in the upper left of Fig. 7. The certain period of time here is set to, for example, 3 seconds, which is equal to the certain period of time required for display M23 and display M24 in Fig. 5 to switch. By continuing display M34 in Fig. 7 for a certain period of time, it is possible to confirm that the selection has been cancelled even after finger h has been removed, providing a greater sense of security.
In the display M35 in the upper left of FIG. 7, the registered floor display area 41b displays the remaining nine registered floors "19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11".
6 and 7 show a case where the canceled registered floor is one of the bottom 10 registered floors out of 20 registered floors. Since the 5th floor is canceled in display M34, leaving 19 registered floors, the display after the cancellation operation shows the 9 registered floors at the top, as in display M35 in the upper right of FIG.

[Processing performed by the destination floor registration device]
Next, a process performed by the destination floor registration device 20 in order for the display panel 41 to perform the displays described above will be described.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the input determination process performed by the input determination unit 22 of the destination floor registration device 20.

The input determination unit 22 determines whether the non-contact sensor 42 in the input processing unit 21 has detected an object (finger) approaching the destination floor registration area 41a of the display panel 41 (step S101). When the non-contact sensor 42 does not detect an object approaching the destination floor registration area 41a in step S101 (No in step S101), the input determination unit 22 ends the determination process.

When an object is detected approaching the destination floor registration area 41a in step S101 (Yes in step S101), the input determination unit 22 determines whether the area in which the approach is detected is an operation button in the destination floor registration area (step S102). If the detected area in step S102 is not an operation button (No in step S102), the input determination unit 22 waits until it detects approach to an operation button.

If the detected area is an operation button in step S102 (Yes in step S102), the operation panel emits an operation sound (step S103), and the input determination unit 22 determines whether an object has been approaching for a predetermined time or more (step S104). The operation sound emitted in step S103 is a short-time sound output to notify the user that the operation has been accepted. If an object has not been approaching for a predetermined time or more in step S104 (No in step S104), the input determination unit 22 repeats the determination in step S104. The predetermined time here is set as a minimum expected duration when operating with a finger, for example, 0.3 seconds, in order to eliminate cases where an object such as a finger accidentally approaches the display panel 41.

When it is detected in step S104 that an object is approaching for a predetermined period of time or longer (Yes in step S104), the destination floor registration device 20 changes the light emission brightness or color of the corresponding button so that the button is illuminated (step S105).

Thereafter, the input determination unit 22 determines whether or not the removal of the object (finger) is detected (step S106). If the removal of the object is not detected in step S106 (No in step S106), the input determination unit 22 repeats the detection of the removal of the object.
Then, when the departure of the object is detected in step S106 (Yes in step S106), the destination floor registration device 20 returns the luminance or color of the corresponding button to its original state so that the corresponding button is turned off (step S107). However, in the case of a floor selection button, since the button is turned on when the button is registered, the button is turned off after a predetermined time has elapsed, so that the floor selection button can be continuously lit if the button is registered within the above-mentioned predetermined time.

After that, the input determination unit 22 determines whether the selected button that was lit in step S105 is other than the screen switching button (step S108). When the selected button that was lit in step S108 is other than the screen switching button (Yes in step S108), the input information transmission unit 23 transmits information on the selected button to the elevator control device 10 (step S109).
Furthermore, in step S108, when the selected and lit button is the screen switching button (No in step S108), the destination floor registration device 20 switches the display mode of the destination floor registration area 41a (step S110).
Note that the flowchart in Figure 8 shows the processing flow when a finger or the like approaches a displayed button, but when the registered floor cancellation operation described in Figure 6 is performed, the display area of the registered floor in the registered floor display area 41b detects the approach in the same way as a button, and information about the registered floor is transmitted in the same way as a button.

9 and 10 are flowcharts showing the flow of the destination floor registration process carried out in the destination floor registration area update unit 27. "A" in FIG. 9 connects to "A" in FIG.
First, the destination floor registration area update unit 27 judges whether the input destination floor is displayed (step S111). That is, the destination floor registration area update unit 27 judges whether the input floor 103 such as the display M14 in FIG. 4 is displayed.
When the inputted destination floor is displayed in step S111 (Yes in step S111), the destination floor registration area update unit 27 displays the cancel button 104 (FIG. 4) (step S112).
Then, in step S111, if the inputted destination floor is not displayed (No in step S111), and after displaying the cancel button 104 in step S112, the input judgment unit 22 judges whether or not it has detected the approach of an object (such as a finger) to the detection area within the destination floor registration area 41a (step S113).

When it is not detected that an object is approaching the detection area in step S113 (No in step S113), the destination floor registration device 20 ends the destination floor registration process.
Then, when the approach of an object to the detection area is detected in step S113 (Yes in step S113), the input determination unit 22 determines whether the area where the approach of the object is detected is an operation button of the destination floor registration area (step S114). When the area is not an operation button of the destination floor registration area in step S114 (No in step S114), the destination floor registration area update unit 27 waits until the operation button of the destination floor registration area is detected.

Then, in step S114, if the object detection area is the operation button of the destination floor registration area (Yes in step S114), the operation panel emits an operation sound (step S115), and the input determination unit 22 determines whether or not an object has been approaching for a predetermined time or more (step S116). In step S116, if an object has not been approaching for a predetermined time or more (No in step S116), the input determination unit 22 repeats the determination in step S116.

When it is determined in step S116 that an object has been approaching for a predetermined period of time or longer (Yes in step S116), the destination floor registration device 20 changes the light emission brightness or color of the corresponding button so that the button is illuminated (step S117).

10, the input determination unit 22 determines whether or not the removal of the object (finger) is detected (step S118). When the removal of the object is not detected in step S118 (No in step S118), the input determination unit 22 repeats the detection of the removal of the object.
Then, when the departure of the object is detected in step S118 (Yes in step S118), the destination floor registration device 20 restores the light emission brightness or light emission color of the corresponding button so that the button is turned off (step S119).

After that, the input determination unit 22 determines whether the selected button that was turned on in step S117 is other than the screen switching button (step S120). When the selected button is other than the screen switching button in step S120 (Yes in step S120), the destination floor registration device 20 displays the floor of the selected button on the input floor 103 (FIG. 4) (step S121).
Furthermore, in step S120, when the selected button is the screen switching button (No in step S120), the destination floor registration device 20 switches the display mode of the destination floor registration area 41a (step S126).

Furthermore, after displaying the floor corresponding to the button selected in step S121, the input determination unit 22 determines whether or not operation of the registration button 102 (FIG. 4) has been detected (step S122).
When the operation of the registration button 102 is detected in step S122 (Yes in step S122), the input information transmitting unit 23 transmits information of the selected button to the elevator control device 10 (step S123).
Thereafter, the destination floor registration device 20 erases the display of the input floor 103 (step S124).

If the operation of the register button 102 is not detected in step S122 (No in step S122), the input determination unit 22 determines whether the operation of the cancel button 104 (FIG. 4) is detected (step S125).
When the operation of the cancel button 104 is detected in step S125 (Yes in step S125), the process proceeds to step S124, where the destination floor registration device 20 erases the display of the input floor 103.
Furthermore, when the operation of the cancel button 104 is not detected in step S125 (No in step S125), the destination floor registration device 20 ends the process.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process of updating the display of a registered floor.
First, the registered floor display processing unit 24 receives information on a registered floor from the elevator control device 10 (step S131). At this time, the registered floor display area update unit 25 determines whether or not the registered floor received in step S131 has changed from the currently displayed registered floor (step S132).
When it is determined in step S132 that there is no change in the received registered floor information (No in step S132), the registered floor display area update unit 25 returns to the reception process of the registered floor data in the registered floor display processing unit 24.

Then, when it is determined in step S132 that there is a change in the received registered floor information (Yes in step S132), the registered floor display area update unit 25 rearranges the registered floors received by the registered floor display processing unit 24 in display order, and updates the display of the registered floor display area 41b (step S133).

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process of switching the display of registered floors.
First, the registered floor display area update unit 25 judges whether the number of currently registered floors is equal to or greater than a first predetermined number (step S141). The first predetermined number here is a number smaller than the maximum number of registered floors that can be displayed in the registered floor display area 41b. In this example, as explained in FIG. 5 and the like, the maximum number that can be displayed is 10, and the first predetermined number is 5.

In step S141, if the current number of registered floors is not equal to or greater than the first predetermined number (No in step S141), the registered floor display area update unit 25 sets the display start position, which is the display position of the lowest floor in the registered floor display area 41b, to a first predetermined position near the center of the area 41b (step S142). The registered floor display area update unit 25 displays registered floors that are less than the first predetermined number from this set position in the registered floor display area 41b. For example, when the number of registered floors is four, the four registered floors are displayed in an area approximately in the center of the registered floor display area 41b, as illustrated below step S142 in FIG. 12.

In addition, in step S141, if the number of currently registered floors is equal to or greater than the first predetermined number (Yes in step S141), the registered floor display area update unit 25 sets the display start position, which is the display position of the lowest floor in the registered floor display area 41b, to a second predetermined position (step S143). The second predetermined position is, for example, the bottom end of the registered floor display area 41b.
Furthermore, the registered floor display area update unit 25 judges whether the number of currently registered floors is equal to or greater than the second predetermined number (step S144). The second predetermined number here is one more than the number of registered floors that can be displayed in the registered floor display area 41b of one screen. For example, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 5, the number of registered floors that can be displayed in the registered floor display area 41b of one screen is 10, so the second predetermined number is 11.

In step S144, if the number of currently registered floors is not equal to or greater than the first predetermined number (No in step S144), the registered floor display area update unit 25 displays the registered floors using the display position of the lowest floor in the registered floor display area 41b set in step S143 as the display start position. For example, when there are 10 registered floors, the entire area of the registered floor display area 41b is used to display the 10 registered floors, as shown on the right side of step S144 in FIG. 12.

In step S144, if the number is equal to or greater than the second predetermined number (Yes in step S144), the registered floor display area update unit 25 displays the registered floors in two screens that switch the registered floors displayed in the registered floor display area 41b every predetermined time (e.g., 3 seconds) (step S145). For example, when the number of registered floors is 20, as shown on the right side of step S145 in FIG. 12, the registered floor display area update unit 25 switches the registered floor display area 41b to two, and displays 10 of the 20 registered floors each.
In the example shown on the right side of step S145 in Fig. 12, both screens are configured to display the registered floors in the entire registered floor display area 41b, but when the registered floor display area 41b displays the upper registered floors, if the number of registered floors is 9 or less, the registered floor display area update unit 25 displays from the bottom based on the setting in step S143, leaving a blank space on the top. Alternatively, the display may be centered, similar to the display in step S142.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of the cancellation process for a registered floor.
First, the input determination unit 22 determines whether or not an object (such as a finger) is detected approaching the registered floor display area 41b (step S151). If the object is not detected approaching the registered floor display area 41b in step S151 (No in step S151), the destination floor registration device 20 ends the cancellation process of the registered floor.
Then, when the approach of an object to the detection area is detected in step S151 (Yes in step S151), the registered floor display area update unit 25 stops updating the display of the registered floor in the registered floor display area 41b (step S152). Since the display update of the registered floor stops, the display M23 and the display M24 in FIG. 5 are not switched. Also, a new registered floor is not displayed.

Then, the input determination unit 22 determines whether the area where the approach of the object is detected is the area where the registered floor is displayed in the registered floor display area 41b (step S153). If the area is not the area where the registered floor is displayed (No in step S153), the input determination unit 22 waits until the approach of the object to the area where the registered floor is displayed is detected.
In step S153, if the registered floor is displayed (Yes in step S153), the operation panel 40 issues an operation sound indicating that acceptance of a cancellation operation has begun (step S154).

Thereafter, the input determination unit 22 determines whether or not the object has been approaching for a predetermined time or longer (step S155). The predetermined time is set to, for example, one second, which is slightly longer than the time required to determine a normal approach operation.
In step S155, when an object has not approached for a predetermined time or longer (No in step S155), the input determination unit 22 repeats the determination in step S155.

When it is detected in step S155 that an object has approached for a predetermined period of time or longer (Yes in step S155), the registered floor display area update unit 25 highlights the registered floor to which the object approached (step S156). Then, the input information transmission unit 23 transmits information to the elevator control device 10 to cancel the selected registered floor to which the object approached (step S157).

Then, the registered floor display processing unit 24 receives information from the elevator control device 10 to delete the selected registered floor (step S158). By receiving this information to delete the registered floor, the registered floor display area update unit 25 deletes the display of the selected registered floor (step S159). With this deletion of the registered floor display, the location of the registered floor to which the object approached becomes blank, as shown in display M33 in FIG. 6, for example. Here, the registered floor deletion information received in step S158 may be individual information indicating only the deleted floor, or the registered floor display information may be used to provide overall information, for example, in which the data bits of the registered floors are ON in the floor bit data for all floors and the data bits of unregistered floors and deleted floors are OFF.

Furthermore, the input determination unit 22 determines whether or not the hand (object) has left the registered floor display area 41b (step S160). If the hand (object) has not left the registered floor display area 41b (No in step S160), the display in step S159 is continued.
Also, in step S160, if a departure from the registered floor display area 41b is detected (Yes in step S160), the registered floor display area update unit 25 resumes updating the display of the registered floor (step S161). With this resumption of the display update of the registered floor, the registered floor display area 41b changes to a display in which the blanks of the deleted registered floors are filled. Also, when the registered floor display screen is a multi-screen, the current display continues from the resumption of the display update in step S161 until a predetermined time (e.g., 3 seconds) has elapsed.
In this manner, the cancellation process for the registered floor is carried out.

[Effects of the elevator system of this example]
According to the elevator system of this embodiment described above, the display panel 41 of the operation panel 40 can display appropriate information that can be operated without contact. In particular, in the elevator system of this embodiment, the destination floor registration area 41a and the registered floor display area 41b are set separately, and the registered floor can be easily canceled by moving a finger or the like toward the registered floor displayed in the registered floor display area 41b.
In addition, since the registered floor display does not change while a finger or the like is approaching the registered floor display area 41b, the display of the registered floor display area 41b does not change when a finger or the like is approaching a specific registered floor, etc., and the cancellation operation for the desired floor can be performed reliably. In particular, if the elevator serves a registered floor other than the one being operated during the cancellation operation and the registered floor is deleted, or if a registered floor is added or deleted by another passenger on another operation panel in the same car, for example, a wheelchair operation panel installed on a side panel inside the car, by not changing the registered floor display during the cancellation operation, the cancellation operation for the desired floor can be performed more reliably.

In addition, when canceling a registered floor, the display field for the corresponding registered floor becomes blank while the finger or the like continues to approach, and the display form is easy for the user to understand that the registration has been cancelled. Furthermore, when the finger is removed from the registered floor display area 41b, the display form changes to one in which the blanks are filled, and this change also makes it clear that the registration has been cancelled.
Furthermore, after a cancel operation, switching of the screen for the registered floor is suppressed for a certain period of time, so that the user can easily confirm that the registered floor for which the cancel operation was performed is not displayed.

[Modification]
It should be noted that the embodiment examples described so far have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easily understandable manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described.
Moreover, the display examples shown in each drawing are merely preferred examples, and the present invention is not limited to these examples.
For example, in the above embodiment, the default screen is set to display the buttons for the main floors, but the default screen may be set to the screen that displays the numeric keypad. Which of these screens is set to be the default screen may be changed depending on the floors where the elevator stops, the time of day, etc.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to an operation panel 40 equipped with a non-contact sensor 42 that allows non-contact operation, but it may also be applied to a device equipped with a so-called touch panel that allows operation by touching the surface of the display panel 41, in which the display described in each figure is displayed.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, an example was described in which the display panel was applied to an operation panel inside a car, but the same display may also be performed on a display panel located at a boarding area, for example.

In addition, in the configuration diagrams shown in Figures 1 and 2, only control lines and information lines that are considered necessary for explanation are shown, and not all control lines and information lines in the product are necessarily shown. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are connected to each other.
Furthermore, the process flows shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 8 to 13 are also examples, and as long as the process results are the same, the order of some of the processes may be changed or multiple processes may be executed simultaneously.

In addition, when the system described in this embodiment is configured with an information processing device such as a computer, the programs that realize each processing function may be stored in non-volatile storage or memory within the computer device, or may be stored on an external memory, IC card, SD card, optical disk, or other recording medium and transferred.

10...Elevator control device, 11...Initial setting display information storage unit, 12...Display information processing unit, 13...Display information transmission unit, 14...Destination floor registration/cancellation processing unit, 20...Destination floor registration device, 20a...CPU, 20b...Main memory unit, 20c...Non-volatile storage, 20d...Network interface, 20e...Input unit, 20f...Output unit, 21...Input processing unit, 22...Input determination unit, 23...Input information transmission unit, 24...Registered floor display processing unit, 25...Registered floor display area Update unit, 26...screen mode determination unit, 27...destination floor registration area update unit, 32...card reader, 40...operation panel, 41...display panel, 41a...destination floor registration area, 41b...registered floor display area, 42...non-contact sensor, 51...door, 52, 53...door side panel, 101...floor input button, 102...registration button, 103...entered floor, 104...cancel button, 105...input guide, 106...screen switching button, 107...destination floor button, 111...registered floor

Claims (4)

The device is provided with an operation panel that allows the user to register a destination floor on a display panel , and the user can register the destination floor by touching or non-touching the display area of the destination floor displayed on the display panel,
An elevator control device controls elevator operation by setting the floor where the destination floor has been registered as a registered floor where the elevator will stop, and a user can cancel the setting of the corresponding registered floor on the elevator control device by a touch operation or a non-contact operation on a display portion of the registered floor displayed on the display panel ,
The operation panel includes:
an input determination unit that detects a non-touch operation when a user's finger approaches the vicinity of the destination floor or the registered floor displayed on the display panel;
an input information transmission unit that transmits information on the destination floor or the registered floor on which the non-contact operation was performed, which is detected by the input determination unit, to the elevator control device;
a registered floor display processing unit that displays the registered floor received from the elevator control device in a registered floor display area of the display panel,
When the input determination unit detects a selection by a non-contact operation for canceling the registered floor displayed in the registered floor display area, the input information transmission unit transmits information for canceling the setting of the registered floor to the elevator control device, and the registered floor display processing unit stops updating the registered floor display while detecting the non-contact operation in the registered floor display area and causes the display panel to continue to display an indication that the registration floor has been cancelled.
Elevator system. The registered floor display processing unit deletes the display of the selected registered floor to be canceled and makes the field in which the deleted registered floor was displayed blank after the input determination unit detects a selection for canceling the registered floor displayed in the registered floor display area by a non-contact operation for a first predetermined time.
2. The elevator system of claim 1. The registered floor display processing unit updates the registered floor display so that the registered floor display area displays the latest registered floor and displays the registered floor without any blank space after the first predetermined time has elapsed and selection by a non-touch operation is no longer detected.
3. The elevator system of claim 2. An elevator control method in which a destination floor is registered by a user through a touch operation or a non-contact operation on an operation panel equipped with a non-contact display panel, and an elevator control device controls elevator operation by setting the floor where the destination floor is registered as a registered floor where the elevator will stop, and the user can cancel the setting of the corresponding registered floor through a touch operation or a non-contact operation on a display portion of the registered floor displayed on the display panel ,
an input determination process for detecting a non-touch operation by a user's finger approaching the vicinity of the destination floor or the registered floor displayed on the display panel;
an input information transmission process for transmitting information on the destination floor or the registered floor on which the non-contact operation was performed, which was detected in the input determination process, to an elevator control device;
A registered floor display process for displaying the registered floor received from the elevator control device in a registered floor display area of the display panel,
When the input determination process detects a selection by a non-contact operation for canceling the registered floor displayed in the registered floor display area, the input information transmission process transmits information for canceling the setting of the registered floor to the elevator control device, and the registered floor display process stops updating the registered floor display while the non-contact operation is detected in the registered floor display area, and continues to display on the display panel an indication that the registration floor has been cancelled.
Elevator control method.

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