JP7650840B2 - Elevator work support system and work support method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an elevator work support system and work support method that support elevator maintenance work.

Elevators are configured so that the main rope is hung on a hoist installed at the top or bottom of the elevator shaft, the car is hung on one end of the main rope, and a counterweight is hung on the other end. The hoist is driven to wind up the main rope, so that the car and counterweight rise and fall in the elevator shaft in a bucket-like fashion.

Elevators undergo regular maintenance work. Maintenance work on elevators requires workers to climb onto the car to access the equipment located at the top of the elevator shaft and the control panel located at the bottom. When workers climb onto the car, they must open the landing door and check the position of the car, attach a safety rope to prevent falling, and also record the usage history using a wearable camera. It is difficult to check the position of the car because it is dark inside the elevator shaft. If a worker climbs onto the car without carefully checking the position of the car, there is a risk of falling, so a means of warning the worker is required.

One example of a means for alerting workers is the technology described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that includes an electrical station monitoring device that collects open/closed states or operating/non-operating states of multiple pieces of electrical equipment and generates open/closed state/operating/non-operating state information, a server that generates charging/stopping information for the electrical equipment based on the open/closed state/operating/non-operating state information acquired from the electrical station monitoring device, and a camera, and generates a warning image showing the charging state of the electrical equipment captured by the camera based on the charging/stopping state information acquired from the server, and displays the warning image on a wearable device worn by the worker.

JP 2019-187146 A

Elevator maintenance work involves a process of opening the landing door from the elevator hall side when a worker enters the car, and a process of opening the landing door from the hoistway side when a worker descends from the car into the elevator hall.

When the camera captures the process of opening the landing doors from the elevator hall side, it will be taking pictures from a bright place to a dark place. On the other hand, when the camera captures the process of opening the landing doors from the hoistway side, it will be taking pictures from a dark place to a bright place. In this way, the environment captured by the camera changes during elevator maintenance work.

The technology described in Patent Document 1 processes image data captured by a camera to identify electrical equipment, but does not take into consideration the ability to process image data to identify objects in changing environments, such as when moving from a bright place to a dark place or from a dark place to a bright place.

For this reason, the technology described in Patent Document 1 makes it difficult to determine whether the landing door is open or closed, and is therefore not suitable for elevator maintenance work. In addition, no consideration is given to issuing a warning to the worker when the landing door is open.

The object of the present invention is to provide an elevator work support system and work support method that detects the open/closed state of elevator hall doors and issues a warning to workers.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an elevator work support system that supports elevator maintenance work, comprising an image capture device that is worn on a worker's head and captures images, and an information processing device that processes the images, wherein the information processing device analyzes the images captured by the image capture device, recognizes a landing door from the analyzed image data, and determines from upward and downward movements of the analyzed image data that a worker is inserting a key into a keyhole at the top of the landing door from the elevator hall side to unlock it, and then, when the brightness of the analyzed image data changes and the brightness decreases, it determines that the worker is opening the landing door from the elevator hall side and issues a warning.

The present invention provides an elevator work support system and work support method that detects the open/closed state of elevator hall doors and issues a warning to workers.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an elevator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an elevator work support system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the internal structure of FIG. 2 . This is a worker action flowchart showing the procedures for working on the car 2 of the elevator 1. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the elevator work support system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a worker 16 moves in front of the landing door 10 in the elevator hall 22. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a worker 16 approaches the landing door 10 and looks up to unlock the landing door 10 with a dedicated key. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which an operator 16 faces forward after the landing door 10 has been unlocked with a dedicated key. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which an operator 16 opens the landing door 10 and an audio alert 21 (warning) is issued from an audio unit 134. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the contents of automatic recording by the elevator work support system 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a worker 16 gets on top of the car 2. FIG. This shows a state in which a worker 16 moves from above the car 2 to the elevator hall.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Similar components are given similar reference numerals and similar descriptions will not be repeated.

The various components of the present invention do not necessarily have to be independent entities, and it is permissible for one component to be made up of multiple members, for multiple components to be made up of one member, for one component to be part of another component, or for part of one component to overlap with part of another component.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an elevator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The elevator 1 is composed of a car 2, a hoistway 3 along which the car 2 ascends and descends, a hoist 5 that drives a rope 4, a control panel 6 that controls the elevator, a counterweight 7 connected to the car 2 by the rope 4, a pit 9 in which a shock absorber 8 for the car 2 and the counterweight 7 is installed, landing doors 10 installed in the elevator hall on each floor, and top equipment 11 such as a pulley.

Next, we will explain an elevator work support system that supports elevator maintenance work performed by workers. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an elevator work support system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The elevator work support system 100 is composed of an image capture device 12 for capturing images, an information processing terminal 13 (information processing device) for processing and storing the images captured by the image capture device 12, and a data server 15 connected to the information processing terminal 13 via the Internet 14.

The image capture device 12 is, for example, a wearable camera or a smartphone, and is used by the worker 16 by wearing it on his/her head (helmet).

The information processing terminal 13 is connected to the image acquisition device 12 via a wired or wireless connection. The information processing terminal 13 is connected to the data server 15 via the Internet 14.

The data server 15 stores image data and judgment results that have been analyzed from previously recorded footage.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing the internal structure of Figure 2. The image acquisition device 12 is composed of an operation unit 121 operated by the worker, an image acquisition unit 122 for acquiring images, and a communication unit 123 for communicating with the information processing terminal 13. Although not shown, the image acquisition device 12 is equipped with a central processing unit and a storage device that stores programs for controlling each device, and in response to the operation of the operation unit 121, the central processing unit executes each process according to the programs stored in the storage device.

The information processing terminal 13 is composed of a communication unit 131 for connecting to the video acquisition device 12 and the Internet 14, an analysis unit 132 for analyzing the video constantly transmitted from the video acquisition device 12, a judgment unit 133 for judging the image data analyzed by the analysis unit 132, a voice unit 134 for issuing a warning based on the result of the judgment unit 133, and a control unit 135 for remotely operating the video acquisition device 12 based on the result of the judgment unit 133. The analysis unit 132, judgment unit 133, and control unit 135 are equipped with a central processing unit and a storage device that stores programs for controlling each device, and the central processing unit executes each process according to the programs stored in the storage device.

When the elevator work support system is powered on via the operation unit 121 and the image capture device 12 starts up, the information processing terminal 13 also starts up and continuous communication begins. The image captured by the image capture device 12 is sent to the information processing terminal 13 and analyzed by the analysis unit 132.

Next, the procedure for working on car 2 will be described. Figure 4 is a worker action flowchart showing the procedure for working on car 2 of elevator 1.

The worker 16 (see FIG. 6) goes to the site where the planned work will be performed and prepares the image acquisition device 12 and the information processing terminal 13 at the site. The worker 16 puts the image acquisition device 12 on his head (helmet) and attaches the information processing terminal 13 to the upper half of his body. The attachment method is to fix them with clips or the like (step S10).

After the installation is complete, the worker 16 turns on the power to the image capture device 12. When the power to the image capture device 12 is turned on, the information processing terminal 13 starts up at the same time and starts communication (step S11).

After turning on the power of the image capture device 12, the worker 16 moves in front of the landing door 10 of the elevator 1 where the work will be performed (step S12).

To unlock the landing door 10, the worker 16 inserts a special key into the keyhole at the top of the landing door 10 to unlock it (step S13).

After unlocking the landing door 10, the worker 16 checks whether the worker is in a position to board the car 2, and if so, fully opens the landing door 10, attaches a safety rope to any position above the car 2, and gets on top of the car 2 (step S14).

After the worker 16 has completely boarded the car 2, he/she locks the landing door 10 from above the car 2 (the elevator shaft 3 side) to prevent third parties from entering (step S15).

The worker 16 performs the work on the car 2 according to the plan (step S16).

The worker 16 completes the planned work on the car 2 (step S17).

After completing the work, the worker 16 unlocks the car 2 from above (the elevator shaft 3 side) and opens the landing door 10 (step S18).

The worker 16 moves from the top of the car 2 to the elevator hall (step S19).

The worker 16 closes the landing door 10 and locks it from the elevator hall side (step S20).

After completing the planned work, the worker 16 turns off the power to the image capture device 12 (step S21).

Following the above steps, worker 16 performs elevator maintenance work.

Next, the process for warning the worker 16 when the worker 16 performs elevator maintenance work will be explained using Figures 5 to 9.

Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the elevator work support system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the worker 16 moves in front of the landing door 10 in the elevator hall 22. Figure 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the worker 16 approaches the landing door 10 and looks up to unlock the landing door 10 with a special key. Figure 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the worker 16 faces forward after unlocking the landing door 10 with a special key. Figure 9 is a diagram showing a state in which the worker 16 opens the landing door 10 and issues a voice alert 21 (warning) from the audio unit 134.

When the worker 16 has completed preparation of the image capture device 12 and the information processing terminal 13 (step S10 in FIG. 4), the worker 16 turns on the power to the image capture device 12. When the power to the image capture device 12 is turned on, the information processing terminal 13 also starts up at the same time and starts communication (step S11).

The image capture device 12 constantly transmits the captured image to the information processing terminal 13 (step S102).

The analysis unit 132 of the information processing terminal 13 analyzes the saturation, brightness, and image elements from the received video (step S103). The analysis unit 132 transmits image data resulting from the analysis of the video to the determination unit 133.

The determination unit 133 compares the image data relating to the saturation, brightness, and image elements analyzed by the analysis unit 132 with the work plan stored in the data server 15 and the image data relating to the saturation, brightness, and image elements of the site, and estimates the location of the landing door 10 being photographed (where the worker 16 is located) (step S104). For example, the data server 15 stores a work plan indicating the contents of the maintenance work and the location of the building where the maintenance work is performed, and image data analyzed based on the saturation, brightness, and image elements of the site based on the image of the customer site that was previously photographed. When the worker 16 photographs the site, the determination unit 133 compares the image data analyzed by the analysis unit 132 with the image data stored in the data server 15, and estimates from the comparison result which location (which floor) of the building the worker 16 is in front of the landing door. By configuring in this way, the audio unit 134 does not issue a warning or the like in unnecessary places. The analysis unit 132 constantly transmits the analysis results (image data) to the determination unit 133.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the worker 16 wearing the image capturing device 12 and the information processing terminal 13 moves in front of the landing door 10 in the elevator hall 22, the determination unit 133 compares the image data captured by the image capturing device 12 and analyzed by the analysis unit 132 with the image data stored in the data server 15, and determines whether the landing door 10 has been recognized (step S105). Note that the landing door 10 here refers to the landing door installed at the specified location. If the landing door 10 has been recognized (Yes in step S105), the process proceeds to step S106. If the landing door 10 has not been recognized (No in step S105), the operation of step S105 is repeated.

Next, the determination unit 133 determines whether the worker 16 has looked up (step S106). As shown in FIG. 7, when the worker 16 approaches the landing door 10, the worker 16 looks up to unlock the landing door 10 with a special key. When the worker 16 looks up, the image captured by the image capture device 12 flows upward and the image data analyzed by the analysis unit 132 also flows downward. Therefore, the determination unit 133 detects that the image data has flowed upward, determines that the worker 16 has looked up (Yes in step S106), and proceeds to step S107. If the image data does not flow upward (No in step S106), the determination unit 133 repeats the operation of step S106.

When determining that the worker 16 has looked up, the image capture device 12 may be equipped with an inertial sensor (detection means) such as an acceleration sensor or gyro sensor, and the image capture device 12 may determine that the worker 16 has looked up based on the results of this inertial sensor. To improve detection accuracy, it is preferable to provide multiple inertial sensors such as acceleration sensors and gyro sensors in the image capture device 12, but it may also be equipped with only one.

Next, the determination unit 133 determines whether the worker 16 has faced forward (step S107). As shown in FIG. 8, after unlocking the landing door 10 with a dedicated key, the worker 16 faces forward. When the worker 16 faces forward, the image captured by the image capture device 12 flows downward, and the image data analyzed by the analysis unit 132 also flows downward. Therefore, the determination unit 133 detects that the image data has flowed downward, determines that the worker 16 has faced forward (Yes in step S107), and proceeds to step S108. In steps S106 and S107, the determination unit 133 analyzes the image data, and determines that the worker 16 has unlocked the landing door 10 from the elevator hall 22 side based on the movement of the image data (upward movement and downward movement).

When the landing door 10 is unlocked with a special key, a part of the landing door 10 opens. If the image data does not flow downward (No in step S107), the analysis unit 132 repeats the operation of step S107. Note that, when determining that the worker 16 is facing forward, the image acquisition device 12 may be provided with an inertial sensor (detection means) such as an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor, and it may be determined that the worker 16 is facing forward based on the results of this inertial sensor. It is preferable to provide multiple inertial sensors such as acceleration sensors and gyro sensors in the image acquisition device 12 to improve detection accuracy, but it may also be provided with only one.

Next, the determination unit 133 determines whether the image captured by the image capture device 12 has darkened and a portion of the brightness of the image data analyzed by the analysis unit 132 has decreased (become darker) (step S108). When the worker 16 opens the landing door 10, the inside of the elevator shaft 3 enters the image capture range 19, the image captured by the image capture device 12 has darkened, and a portion of the brightness of the image data analyzed by the analysis unit 132 has decreased (=become darker). If the determination unit 133 determines that a portion of the brightness of the image data has decreased (Yes in step S108), it proceeds to step S109. If the determination unit 133 determines that there has been no change in the brightness of the image data (No in step S108), it repeats the process of step S108.

Next, the determination unit 133 determines whether the image captured by the image capture device 12 gradually becomes darker and the brightness of the image data analyzed by the analysis unit 132 gradually decreases (the dark areas gradually become larger) (step S109). As shown in FIG. 9, when the worker 16 gradually opens the landing door 10, the image captured in the image capture range 19 gradually becomes darker.

When the image captured by the image capture device 12 gradually becomes darker and the brightness of the image data analyzed by the analysis unit 132 changes and gradually decreases (Yes in step S109), the determination unit 133 assumes that the worker 16 is opening the landing door 10 from the elevator hall (landing) side, and issues a voice alert 21 from the audio unit 134 to request the worker 16 to check for safety. The content of the warning may be, for example, a voice such as "Please check if the elevator has arrived" or a sound such as a buzzer.

It is preferable that the speed at which the worker 16 opens the landing door 10 is slow. If the worker 16 opens the landing door 10 too quickly, the determination unit 133 may issue a warning from the audio unit 134. The warning may be, for example, a voice message such as "Please open the door slowly" or a sound such as a buzzer.

If the determination unit 133 determines that there is no change in the brightness of the image data (No in step S109), it repeats the processing of step S109.

According to the first embodiment, whether the landing door 10 is open or not is determined based on the change in brightness of the image data acquired by the image acquisition device 12, and if the landing door 10 is open, a warning is given to the worker 16, thereby ensuring the safety of the worker 16 during elevator maintenance work.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 10 to 12. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the contents of automatic recording of an elevator operation support system 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

As explained in the first embodiment, the worker 16 wears the image capture device 12 on his head (helmet) and attaches the information processing terminal 13 to the upper half of his body. The elevator maintenance work needs to be recorded as recorded data, but if the worker 16 forgets to start recording on the image capture device 12, the contents of the maintenance work cannot be recorded. Also, if the worker forgets to stop recording, unnecessary recorded data will accumulate. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the start/stop operation of recording on the image capture device 12 is performed automatically.

When the worker 16 has completed preparation of the image capture device 12 and the information processing terminal 13 (step S10 in FIG. 4), the worker 16 turns on the power to the image capture device 12. When the power to the image capture device 12 is turned on, the information processing terminal 13 also starts up at the same time and starts communication (step S201).

The image capture device 12 constantly transmits the captured image to the information processing terminal 13 (step S202).

The analysis unit 132 of the information processing terminal 13 analyzes the saturation, brightness, and image elements from the received video (step S203). The analysis unit 132 transmits image data resulting from the analysis of the video to the determination unit 133.

The determination unit 133 compares the image data relating to saturation, brightness, and image elements analyzed by the analysis unit 132 with image data relating to saturation, brightness, and image elements of the work site corresponding to the work plan stored in the data server 15, and estimates the location of the worker 16 (step S204).

Note that the processes from step S201 to step S204 are similar to those from step S11 to step S104 in FIG. 5.

Next, the determination unit 133 determines whether the brightness of the entire image data has decreased and the number of straight line portions has increased (step S205). The determination in step S205 will be described with reference to FIG. 11.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing the state in which the worker 16 gets on the car 2. When the worker 16 starts to open the landing door 10 from the elevator hall 22 side, the brightness in the image acquisition range 19 of the image acquisition device 12 gradually decreases. Then, when the landing door 10 is fully opened, the entire image captured by the image acquisition device 12 becomes dark, and the overall brightness of the image data analyzed by the analysis unit 132 decreases. Furthermore, above the car 2, there are the rope 4 that holds the car 2, the safety fence 17 installed on the car 2 to prevent the worker from falling, and the guide rail (not shown) that guides the car 2 to rise and fall, and the image acquisition device 12 captures images of these. The rope 4, the safety fence 17, and the guide rail are installed linearly. The analysis unit 132 analyzes the images of the rope 4, the safety fence 17, and the guide rail to detect the linear component 23. When detecting the straight line component 23, it is not necessary to detect all straight line components of the rope 4, safety fence 17, and guide rail; it is sufficient to detect at least some of the straight line components.

When the determination unit 133 determines that the brightness of the entire image data has decreased and the detected linear components 23 have increased (Yes in step S205), it determines that the worker 16 is in the elevator 3 and sends a command to start recording to the control unit 135. The control unit 135 receives the command to start recording from the determination unit 133 and starts recording on the image acquisition device 12 via the operation unit 121 of the image acquisition device 12 (step S206). When the determination unit 133 determines that there has been no change in the brightness of the entire image data (No in step S205), it repeats the process of step S205.

When the elevator maintenance work is completed, the worker 16 moves from above the landing door 10 to the elevator hall 22. Figure 12 shows the worker 16 moving from above the car 2 to the elevator hall.

When the elevator maintenance work is completed, the worker 16 unlocks the key from the shaft 3 side and starts gradually opening the landing door 10, the brightness in the image acquisition range 19 of the image acquisition device 12 gradually increases. Then, when the landing door 10 is fully opened, the entire image captured by the image acquisition device 12 becomes brighter, and the overall brightness of the image data analyzed by the analysis unit 132 increases. Furthermore, the rope 4 holding the car 2, the safety fence 17 above the car 2 to prevent workers from falling, and the guide rail (not shown) that guides the car 2 as it ascends and descends move out of the image acquisition range 19 of the image acquisition device 12. The analysis unit 132 detects a decreasing amount of straight line components 23.

The analysis unit 132 analyzes the video captured by the video capture device 12, and when the brightness of the analyzed image data changes and the brightness increases, the determination unit 133 determines that the worker 16 is opening the landing door 10 from the hoistway 3 side. Furthermore, when the determination unit 133 determines that the brightness of the entire image data has increased and the linear component 23 has decreased (Yes in step S207), it determines that the worker 16 has moved from the hoistway 3 to the elevator hall 22, and sends an instruction to stop recording to the control unit 135. The control unit 135 receives the instruction to stop recording from the determination unit 133 and stops recording of the video capture device 12 via the operation unit 121 of the video capture device 12 (step S208). When the determination unit 133 determines that there is no change in the brightness of the entire image data (No in step S205), it repeats the process of step S207. That is, the video capture device 12 continues recording.

The images captured by the image capture device 12 are transferred to the data server 15 and registered as logs in the work plan database.

In the second embodiment, when the brightness of the image data changes from a bright state to a dark state, and when the brightness of the image data changes from a dark state to a bright state, the image capture device 12 starts and stops recording.

According to the second embodiment, the image capturing device 12 automatically starts recording in response to the actions of the worker 16, which makes it possible to prevent the elevator maintenance work from being forgotten to be recorded. In addition, the image capturing device 12 automatically stops recording in response to the actions of the worker 16, which makes it possible to prevent unnecessary recorded data from being accumulated.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail to make the present description easier to understand, and is not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described. As long as the gist of the invention is not altered, the configurations can be appropriately combined, the order of processing can be changed, certain processing can be omitted, or other modifications can be made as appropriate.

1...Elevator, 2...Car, 3...Hoistway, 4...Rope, 5...Hoisting machine, 6...Control panel, 7...Counterweight, 8...Buffer, 9...Pit, 10...Landing door, 11...Top equipment, 12...Image acquisition device, 13...Information processing terminal, 14...Internet, 15...Data server, 16...Worker, 17...Safety fence, 18...Cab top, 19...Image acquisition range, 21...Audio alert, 22...Elevator hall, 100...Elevator work support system, 121...Operation unit, 122...Image acquisition unit, 123...Communication unit, 131...Communication unit, 132...Analysis unit, 133...Determination unit, 134...Audio unit, 135...Control unit

Claims (6)

In an elevator maintenance support system,
The system includes an image capture device that is worn on the head of a worker and captures images, and an information processing device that processes the images,
The information processing device analyzes the image captured by the image acquisition device, recognizes a landing door from the analyzed image data, and determines from upward and downward movements of the analyzed image data that a worker is inserting a key into a keyhole at the top of the landing door from the elevator hall side to unlock it.If the brightness of the analyzed image data changes and the brightness decreases, the information processing device determines that a worker is opening the landing door from the elevator hall side and issues a warning. This is an elevator work support system. In claim 1,
The information processing device analyzes the image captured by the image capturing device, and when the brightness of the analyzed image data changes and the brightness increases, determines that a worker is opening the landing door from the elevator shaft side. In claim 2,
The information processing device analyzes the image captured by the image capturing device, and detects at least any straight line components of a safety fence installed above a car, a rope for hanging the car, and a guide rail for guiding the car to ascend and descend;
An elevator work support system characterized in that, when the brightness decreases and the detection amount of the straight line component increases, it is determined that a worker is in the elevator shaft, and a command to start recording is sent to the image acquisition device. In claim 3,
The elevator work support system is characterized in that, when the brightness increases and the detection amount of the straight line component decreases, the information processing device determines that the worker has moved from the elevator shaft to the elevator hall, and sends a command to the image acquisition device to stop recording. In claim 1,
Equipped with a data server that stores image data obtained by analyzing pre-recorded images,
The information processing device analyzes the image captured by the image capture device, compares the analyzed image data with image data stored in the data server, and estimates the location of the landing door being photographed from the comparison result. An elevator work support method for supporting elevator maintenance work, comprising:
An elevator work support method comprising: analyzing an image captured by an image capture device attached to the head of an operator ; recognizing a landing door from the analyzed image data; determining that the operator is inserting a key into a keyhole at the top of the landing door from the elevator hall side to unlock it from the upward and downward movements of the analyzed image data; and, if the brightness of the analyzed image data changes and the brightness decreases, determining that the operator is opening the landing door from the elevator hall side and issuing a warning.

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