JP7656560B2 - 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 is a non-contact type control panel, and when a non-contact operation in which a finger or the like is brought close to a button is performed continuously for a certain period of time, the button that has been approached is lit up, the floor corresponding to the approached non-contact button is registered as the destination floor, and a registration sound is output.

JP 2019-142686 A

In the case of the technology described in Patent Document 1, when a finger or the like is continuously brought close to a button for a certain period of time (first threshold time), the button lights up and the floor assigned to the button is registered. By lighting up the button and registering it when a finger or the like is continuously brought close to the button for a certain period of time in this way, it is possible to prevent erroneous registration when an object such as a finger accidentally comes close to the button for a short period of time.

However, if it takes a long time for the button to light up after starting a non-contact operation, the user will not know whether the operation panel has detected the non-contact operation, and will end up continuing to bring their finger close to the button, increasing the possibility that the finger will touch the button. With a non-contact type operation panel, it is not desirable for fingers to touch buttons, etc.
In this manner, when a configuration is used in which non-contact operation is performed, it is difficult for the operator to intuitively determine how close to the panel the finger should be, which ultimately makes it difficult to perform non-contact operation.

The present invention aims to provide an elevator system and elevator control method that allows proper operation while preventing contact with the display panel by fingers or other objects when the elevator is equipped with an operation panel that allows destination floors to be registered 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 plurality of means for solving the above-mentioned problems. For example, a control panel capable of registering destination floors is provided , and destination floor registration is performed by a user's touch operation or non-contact operation of a destination floor button displayed on a display panel.
An elevator control device controls an elevator operation by setting a floor where a destination floor has been registered as a registered floor for stopping, and displays the registered floor in a registered floor display area of a display panel ,
The operation panel is
an input determination unit that detects a non-contact operation in which an object approaches a display panel;
an input information sending unit that sends information for destination floor registration based on the operation 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 on a display panel;
The operation panel outputs an operation sound from the audio device when the input judgment unit detects the approach of an object to the area where non-touch operation is possible , and when the input judgment unit detects the approach of an object to the area where non-touch operation is possible for a predetermined continuous period of time, changes the display format of the destination floor button displayed at the location where the approach of the object to the display panel was detected from before the approach was detected , and when the input judgment unit no longer detects the approach of an object to the area where non-touch operation is possible , the registered floor display processing unit displays the destination floor assigned to the destination floor button as a registered floor in the registered floor display area of the display panel when the input judgment unit no longer detects the approach of an object to the area where non-touch operation is possible.

According to the present invention, when an object of a predetermined size or less is detected as approaching during a non-contact operation to set a registered floor, an operation sound is output, so the operator is clearly notified that an approach of a finger or the like has been detected, and the button lights up and the registered floor is displayed, so that the operator can be sure that the destination floor has been registered. Therefore, it is possible to properly operate the destination floor registration while preventing contact with the display panel by fingers or the like.
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; 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating an example of a display change during a non-contact operation 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 illustrating an example of an operation sound output process according to an embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a button lighting 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, and the voice output from the voice device 43. In addition, the destination floor registration device 20 detects a 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 registered floor, whereby the registered 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 landing, 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, a destination floor registration area update unit 27, and an audio output determination unit 28.

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 voice output determination unit 28 determines whether or not it is time to output a voice, and when it determines that it is time to output a voice, outputs a voice from the voice device 43 arranged on the operation panel 40. The voices output by the voice device 43 include operation sounds indicating the detection of an operation, and various voice guidance for informing passengers in the car. The determination of the timing to output a voice by the voice output determination unit 28 is made based on information from the elevator control device 10 and the status of the destination floor registration device 20.
At least one of the frequency, volume, and tone of the notification sound such as the operation sound output by the audio device 43 can be changed, and these changes can be automatically performed according to preset conditions. For example, the audio device 43 can perform a process of changing at least one of the frequency, volume, and tone of the output operation sound depending on the time period.

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.

The operation panel 40 is provided with a display panel 41, a non-contact sensor 42, and an audio device 43. The non-contact sensor 42 detects a finger approaching or touching the surface of the display panel 41. A card reader 32 is also provided 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 the 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.

The audio device 43 is arranged, for example, above the display panel 41, and outputs operation sounds and various guidance voices from a built-in speaker. The arrangement of the audio device 43 on the operation panel 40 as shown in FIG. 3 is one example, and the audio device 43 may be arranged in other locations in the elevator car 50. For example, the audio device 43 may be arranged on the ceiling of the elevator car 50. In addition, as the audio device 43, a circuit unit that processes audio output and a speaker may be separated, and the circuit unit may be arranged on the operation panel 40, and only the speaker may be arranged at an arbitrary position in the elevator car. If there are no particular restrictions on installation space, it is desirable to install it around the position of the operator's face and set the volume at an appropriate level that the operator can hear. In order to achieve this at low cost, for example, when using a buzzer mounted on a printed circuit board, it is desirable to provide a sound hole or the like near the buzzer installation location.

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.

Note that 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 one 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 push button that detects touch operations by passengers.

[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 "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.

In addition, 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 center, or may be displayed packed from the top. The example of Fig. 5 described later shows a case where the registered floors are displayed in the 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, a 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 a specific example of a display change when a passenger operates the display panel 41 in a non-contact manner.
5, the destination floor registration area 41a is in floor selection mode, and the destination floor buttons 107 for four specific floors "B1, 10, 11, 12" are displayed. Also, since the display M21 displays the destination floors of the general floors, the screen switching button 106a displays the guidance "Switch to shared floor screen."
Note that the destination floor buttons 107 for the four floors "B1, 10, 11, 12" shown in display M21 are just an example, and destination floor buttons 107 for major floors such as display M11 in Figure 4 may be displayed, or a numeric keypad input mode may be displayed.

First, assume that a user (passenger) brings a finger h close to the display area of the destination floor button 107 for floor "10." When the tip of the finger h comes within a certain distance (e.g., 3 cm) from the surface of the display panel 41, the input determination unit 22 detects the approach of an object.
At the timing when the approach of the finger h is detected by the input determination unit 22, the audio device 43 outputs an approach operation sound 43a. As the operation sound 43a, for example, a short sound such as "ping" can be considered to be emitted.

Then, when a predetermined time (for example, 0.2 to 0.3 seconds) has elapsed while the tip of the finger h is approaching the destination floor button 107 for floor "10," the display panel 41 changes to the display M22 shown in the upper right of FIG.
In this display M22, the destination floor registration area update unit 27 changes the display brightness and display color of the destination floor button 107 for floor "10" that the finger h is close to, so that the destination floor button 107 for floor "10" appears to be lit. Note that the "lit" and "unlit" buttons displayed by the display panel 41 shown below also refer to a display mode in which the button appears to be lit or unlit.

In this example, even if the position where finger h is approaching is slightly away from the display coordinates of destination floor button 107 for floor "10," as long as the position where finger h is approaching is at least the coordinate position of the destination floor registration area 41a, destination floor button 107 for floor "10" will continue to light up.

When the user confirms that the destination floor button 107 for floor "10" is lit in this display M22, he or she recognizes that the button operation is complete and removes the finger h from the display panel 41.
A display M23 at the bottom left of FIG. 5 shows the state when the tip of the finger h is released from the destination floor button 107 for floor "10".
In this display M23, the floor "10" of the currently operated destination floor button 107 is confirmed as the registered floor, and the registered floor column 111 indicating the registered floor "10" is displayed approximately at the center of the registered floor display area 41b. Displaying the number of the registered floor column 111 approximately at the center of the registered floor display area 41b is just one example, and the number of the registered floor column 111 may be displayed at the top or bottom of the registered floor display area 41b.

In display M23 of Figure 5, since there is no registered floor before the operation, only "10" is displayed in registered floor example 111, but if another registered floor is displayed before the operation, "10" is added to the registered floor example 111 already displayed.
When a new registered floor is added to the registered floor example 111, the registered floor example 111 is displayed in floor order. The number indicating the registered floor newly added to the registered floor display area 41b may be highlighted for a predetermined period of time more than the numbers of other registered floors already displayed.
In addition, the destination floor button 107 for floor "10" from which the finger h has been released continues to be lit at the time of this display M23, and is turned off a short time after the start of display M23 (for example, about 0.5 to 1 second).

Even if the destination floor registration area 41a changes from display M23 to another screen such as a main floor display, as in display M24 shown in the lower right of Figure 5, the display of the registered floor example 111 in the registered floor display area 41b is maintained as it was before the change. However, the display of the registered floor example 111 in the registered floor display area 41b changes every time the elevator 50 arrives at the displayed floor.

[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. 6 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.

Then, in step S102, if the detected area is an operation button (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 is emitted in step S103 as a short-time sound output to notify the user that the operation has been accepted. The operation sound is output in step S103 at a stage where the operation has not yet been confirmed, and is executed before the input information transmission unit 23 transmits information on the operation based on the approach detection to the elevator control device 10. Here, regarding the emission of the operation sound, if an instruction is given from the elevator control device 10, the response is delayed. Therefore, by executing the instruction from the input determination unit 22 at the voice output determination unit 28 of the destination floor registration device 20, the response of the voice output can be improved and the approach of the operator's finger to the button can be further suppressed.
In step S104, when an object has not approached for a predetermined time or longer (No in step S104), the input determination unit 22 repeats the determination in step S104. The predetermined time here is set as a minimum time assumed to continue during an operation with a finger, for example, 0.3 seconds, in order to eliminate cases where an object such as a finger approaches the display panel 41 by mistake.

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 display 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).

7 and 8 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. 7 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).

8, 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. 9 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. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process of outputting an operation sound by the destination floor registration device 20 and the audio device 43.
First, the input determination unit 22 of the destination floor registration device 20 determines whether or not an object is approaching the surface of the display panel 41 (step S141). If an object is not approaching the surface of the display panel 41 in step S141 (No in step S141), the audio device 43 ends the operation sound output process.

If an object is detected approaching the surface of the display panel 41 in step S141 (Yes in step S141), the input determination unit 22 determines whether the area where the approach was detected is an operable area that displays buttons or the like (step S142). If it is determined in step S142 that the area is not an operable area (No in step S142), the audio device 43 ends the operation sound output process.

When it is determined in step S142 that the area is operable (Yes in step S142), the input determination unit 22 determines whether or not another operation in the same operation area is being detected (step S143). Here, "detecting another operation in the same operation area" refers to a situation in which, for example, when approaching the coordinate position of a certain button in the destination floor registration area 41a is detected, the coordinate position of another button in the destination floor registration area 41a is detected immediately before that.
When it is determined in step S143 that another operation in the same operation area is being detected (No in step S143), the sound device 43 ends the operation sound output process.
Here, the phrase "detecting another operation in the same operation area" is provided to prevent temporary erroneous detection, since there may be cases in which an area other than the operator's finger is temporarily detected while the operator is holding his/her finger over the area.

If another operation in the same operation area is not being detected in step S143 (Yes in step S143), the audio output determination unit 28 determines whether any sound is currently being output from the audio device 43 (step S144). If any sound is being output from the audio device 43 in step S144 (No in step S144), the audio device 43 ends the operation sound output process. This makes it possible to prevent unintended multiple output of operation sounds, such as multiple operation sounds being generated for one operation performed by the user, which often occurs when fingers are unsteady during non-contact detection, depending on the characteristics of the operation sound output device and the operation sound output processing method.

If no sound is being output from the audio device 43 in step S144 (Yes in step S144), the input determination unit 22 determines whether the amount of change in the coordinate position of the object whose approach has been detected is within a predetermined value (step S145). The determination of whether the amount of change in the coordinate position is within a predetermined value is made in order to consider that the state of operating the area approached in step S142 continues even if the position of the object (finger) that approached without contact changes slightly. In other words, this is a determination to consider that the same button is being operated even if the user's finger is slightly unsteady.

If the change in the coordinate position is not within the predetermined value in step S145 (No in step S145), the audio output determination unit 28 determines that the operation is not a button operation. Then, the audio device 43 ends the output process of the operation sound. This is because a finger may be unsteady in a non-contact operation, so the coordinate position of the held-up finger is always slightly changing, and it is desirable to provide a tolerance for the change in the coordinate position.
If the amount of change in the coordinate position is within a predetermined value (first threshold) in step S145 (Yes in step S145), the audio output determination unit 28 causes the audio device 43 to output a short operation sound such as a "ping" sound (step S146).

The operation sound output in step S146 is a sound in which at least one of the frequency, tone, and volume of the sound is variably set depending on the time period during which the elevator is in operation. For example, during nighttime hours, the volume of the operation sound is reduced or the tone of the sound is changed to prevent the operation sound from leaking into the vicinity of the elevator in the building. Conversely, during daytime hours, the volume of the operation sound is increased to ensure that the operation sound reaches passengers in the elevator even in relatively noisy situations. Any of the frequency, tone, and volume of the sound may be changed, or, for example, only the volume may be changed. For example, the volume may be reduced at night in accommodation facilities or residences, and increased during work and lunch hours when the elevator is crowded, as in office buildings.

11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a lighting process for the operation buttons displayed on the display panel 41. The lighting process here is a process for changing the display brightness and display color so that the operation buttons are lit up.
First, the input determination unit 22 of the destination floor registration device 20 determines whether or not it has detected an object approaching the surface of the display panel 41 (step S151). If it does not detect an object approaching the surface of the display panel 41 in step S151 (No in step S151), the destination floor registration device 20 does not perform the lighting process, and proceeds to displaying the light off in step S158.

If an object is detected approaching the surface of the display panel 41 in step S151 (Yes in step S151), the input determination unit 22 determines whether the area where the approach was detected is an operable area with a display of a button or the like (step S152). If it is determined in step S152 that the area is not an operable area (No in step S152), the destination floor registration device 20 does not perform the lighting process and proceeds to the off display in step S158.

When it is determined in step S152 that the area is operable (Yes in step S152), the audio output determination unit 28 determines whether or not an operation sound or the like is currently being output (step S153). When audio is being output in step S153 (Yes in step S153), the destination floor registration device 20 does not perform the lighting process, and proceeds to the display of the light being turned off in step S158.
If no sound is being output in step S153 (No in step S153), the input determination unit 22 determines whether proximity has been detected in the same operation area for a predetermined time or longer (for example, 0.2 to 0.3 seconds or longer) (step S154).

In step S154, if proximity is not detected in the same operation area for a predetermined period of time or longer (No in step S154), the input determination unit 22 determines whether the amount of change in the coordinates at which the proximity is detected is within a predetermined value (step S155).
In step S155, when the amount of change in the coordinates is within the predetermined value (Yes in step S155), the input determination unit 22 returns to the determination in step S154.
In step S155, if the change in coordinates is not within the predetermined value (No in step S155), the destination floor registration device 20 does not perform the lighting process, and proceeds to displaying the lights off in step S158. This makes it possible to prevent unintended detection by the operator, such as erroneous detection of a different button while the finger is approaching the desired button, when the change in coordinates is equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

In step S154, if proximity is detected in the same operation area for a predetermined period of time or longer (Yes in step S154), the destination floor registration area update unit 27 changes the display form of the button for which the proximity is detected and lights it up (step S156).
Thereafter, the input determination unit 22 determines whether or not the approach is no longer detected from the same operation area (that is, the area of the same button, etc.) (step S157).
When approach is detected in step S157 (No in step S157), the input determination unit 22 waits until approach is no longer detected.

When the input determination unit 22 no longer detects the approach in step S157 (Yes in step S157), the destination floor registration area update unit 27 changes the display form of the button for which the approach was detected to an off state (step S158). Here, by performing a process to confirm the selected button when the finger is released from the area of the selected button, that is, a process to display the selected button in the numeric keypad input mode, it is possible to prevent unsteady fingers or erroneous detection of a different part of the hand during selection.

[Effects of the elevator system of this example]
According to the elevator system of this embodiment described above, when the display panel 41 of the operation panel 40 can be operated in a non-contact manner, appropriate non-contact operation becomes possible.
That is, the destination floor registration device 20 immediately outputs an operation sound when it determines that an object such as a finger is approaching a button, so that the operator is clearly notified that the approach of a finger or the like has been detected. Therefore, the output of the operation sound lets the operator know that the finger or the like has been recognized, and the operator does not move the finger or the like any closer to the button, so that the finger or the like can be appropriately prevented from touching the display panel.
In addition, following the output of the operation sound, the button changes to a lit state and the registered floor is displayed in the registered floor display area 42b, which indicates that the destination floor registration has been properly accepted, and the user can be sure that the destination floor registration has been completed. Therefore, it is possible to properly perform the destination floor registration operation while preventing contact with the display panel by fingers or the like.

In this case, the output of the operation sound is executed before the input information transmitting unit 23 transmits information based on the detection of the approach of an object to the elevator control device 10, so that the output is performed simultaneously with the approach detection, enabling the output of a responsive and quick operation sound.
In addition, at least one of the frequency, volume and tone of the operation sound output by the audio device 43 can be changed depending on the time of day, so that the operation sound can be reliably conveyed to passengers in relatively noisy situations such as daytime, and the operation sound can be prevented from leaking to the surroundings of the elevator in quiet situations such as nighttime.

In this example, the timing at which the destination floor assigned to the button is displayed as a registered floor on the display panel 41 is synchronized with the timing at which the button at the location where the approach of the display panel 41 is detected is changed to a lit display, as described in Fig. 5. This allows the user to see that the display change and registration are linked, improving operability.
In addition, after the input determination unit 22 detects the approach of an object, if the amount of change in the coordinates at which the approach of the object to the display panel 41 is detected is within a first threshold value, the audio device 43 outputs an operation sound. This makes it possible to reliably know from the output of the operation sound that the operation has been accepted even if the finger is unsteady.

Furthermore, as explained in step S154 of FIG. 11, when the input determination unit 22 detects the approach of an object to an area of the display panel 41 where non-touch operation is possible for a predetermined continuous period of time or more, the button is changed to a lit display, thereby preventing the button from lighting up due to the temporary approach of a finger or the like, thereby appropriately preventing malfunction.
Furthermore, as explained in step S155 of FIG. 11, after the button is changed to display as lit, if the amount of change in the coordinates of the object whose approach is detected by input determination unit 22 is within a predetermined value, the button is kept displayed as lit, so that it is possible to know that the operation has been accepted even if the finger is unsteady.

[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-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. 6 to 11 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 judgment 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, 28...Audio output determination unit, 32...Card reader 40...Operation panel, 41...Display panel, 41a...Destination floor display area, 41b...Registered floor display area, 42...Non-contact sensor, 43...Audio device, 51...Door, 52, 53...Side panel next to door, 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 (8)

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 destination floor button displayed on the display panel,
an elevator control device controls an elevator operation by setting the floor where the destination floor registration has been performed as a registered floor which is a floor for stopping, and displays the registered floor in a registered floor display area of the display panel,
The operation panel includes:
an input determination unit that detects a non-contact operation in which an object approaches a display panel;
an input information sending unit that sends information for destination floor registration based on the operation 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 on the display panel,
the operation panel outputs an operation sound from an audio device when the input determination unit detects the approach of an object to the area where non-contact operation is possible, and when the input determination unit detects the approach of an object to the area where non-contact operation is possible for a predetermined continuous period of time, changes a display form of the destination floor button displayed at the location where the approach of the object to the display panel was detected from before the approach detection,
The registered floor display processing unit displays the destination floor assigned to the destination floor button as a registered floor in a registered floor display area of the display panel when the input determination unit no longer detects the approach of an object to the area where non-touch operation is possible. The elevator system according to claim 1 , wherein the output of the operation sound by the audio device is executed before the input information transmitting unit transmits information for registering a destination floor based on detection of an approaching object. The elevator system according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of a frequency, a volume, and a tone of the operation sound output by the audio device is changed depending on a time period during which the operation panel is operated. 3. The elevator system according to claim 2, wherein the timing at which the registered floor display processing unit displays the destination floor assigned to the destination floor button as a registered floor in the registered floor display area of the display panel is synchronized with the timing at which the input determination unit changes the display form of the destination floor button at a location where it detects the approach of an object to the display panel. 3. The elevator system according to claim 2, wherein after the input determination unit detects the approach of an object to the display panel in the area where non-touch operation is possible, the audio device outputs an operation sound when a change in coordinates at which the approach of the object is detected is within a first threshold value. 3. The elevator system according to claim 2, wherein the input determination unit changes the destination floor button to a lit display when the input determination unit detects an object approaching a non-touchable operation area of the display panel for a predetermined period of time or more. 3. The elevator system according to claim 2, wherein after the destination floor button is changed to a lit display, if a change in coordinates of an object, the approach of which is detected by the input determination unit, is within a predetermined value, the change in display of the destination floor button is continued. The destination floor is registered by the user by touching or non-touching the destination floor button displayed on the display panel on the operation panel.
an elevator control device controls an elevator operation by setting the floor where the destination floor has been registered as a registered floor for stopping, and displays the registered floor in a registered floor display area of the display panel,
an input determination process for detecting a non-contact operation in which an object approaches the display panel;
an input information transmission process for transmitting information for destination floor registration based on the operation 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 on the display panel,
The elevator control method includes: when the input determination process detects the approach of an object to the area where non-touch operation is possible, an operation sound is output from an audio device; when the input determination process detects the approach of an object to the area where non-touch operation is possible for a predetermined continuous period of time, a display form of the destination floor button displayed at the location where the approach of the object to the display panel was detected is changed from before the approach was detected; and when the input determination process no longer detects the approach of an object to the area where non-touch operation is possible, the registered floor display process displays the destination floor assigned to the destination floor button as a registered floor in a registered floor display area of the display panel.

Images