JP7578050B2 - Elevator external communication device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an external communication device for an elevator.

Patent Document 1 discloses an example of an elevator intercom. The intercom is installed adjacent to the control panel at the landing.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-172719

However, the intercom in Patent Document 1 is attached directly to the wall of the landing. Therefore, when adding or relocating an intercom to an existing elevator, processing such as drilling mounting holes in the wall of the landing is required. Furthermore, the installation of the intercom may affect the design of the landing.

This disclosure has been made to solve the problems described above, and aims to provide an external communication device for an elevator that allows calls from inside the car to be answered from the landing without the need to install a dedicated communication device at the landing.

The elevator external communication device disclosed herein comprises an emergency call device provided in the elevator car, and a relay device connected to the emergency call device and provided on the elevator hall operating panel. The emergency call device includes a call button for requesting a call outside the car. The relay device comprises a ringing device that emits a ringing sound around the hall operating panel, a communication device that performs inter-wireless communication with an external terminal located around the hall operating panel, and a control device that controls the ringing device and the communication device. The control device is configured to execute a ringing process that emits a ringing sound from the ringing device in response to pressing the call button, and a communication connection process that receives a communication connection request from any one of one or more external terminals and establishes inter-wireless communication.

According to the elevator external communication device disclosed herein, in response to pressing a call button to request an emergency call outside the car, wireless communication is established between the communication device and an external terminal located near the hall operating panel. This makes it possible to respond to a call from inside the car from the hall without installing a dedicated communication device at the hall.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an elevator according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of an external communication device. 11 is a flowchart of a routine executed when a user inside the car makes an emergency call to the outside. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the hardware resources of the control device.

The following describes the embodiment with reference to the drawings. Note that elements common to each drawing are given the same reference numerals and duplicated explanations are omitted.

Embodiment
1. Configuration of an elevator according to an embodiment Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of an elevator according to an embodiment. An elevator 1 is provided in a building 2. The building 2 has a plurality of floors. In the elevator 1, a hoistway 3 passes through each of the plurality of floors of the building 2. In the elevator 1, each of a plurality of halls 4 is provided on each of the plurality of floors of the building 2.

The elevator 1 includes a hoist 5, a main rope 6, a car 7, and a counterweight 8. The hoist 5 includes a motor and a sheave. The motor of the hoist 5 is a device that generates a driving force. The sheave of the hoist 5 is a device that rotates by the driving force generated by the motor. The main rope 6 is wound around the sheave of the hoist 5. The main rope 6 is a member that moves following the rotation of the sheave of the hoist 5. One end of the main rope 6 is attached to, for example, the car 7. The other end of the main rope 6 is attached to, for example, the counterweight 8. The car 7 is a device that transports users and the like between multiple floors of the building 2 by traveling vertically inside the hoistway 3 following the movement of the main rope 6. The car 7 includes a car door 9. The car door 9 is a device that opens and closes when the car 7 is stopped at one of the floors so that passengers can get on and off the car 7. The counterweight 8 is provided in the elevator 3. The counterweight 8 is a device that balances the load applied to both sides of the sheave of the hoisting machine 5 through the main rope 6 between the car 7 and the counterweight 8.

The elevator 1 includes multiple hall doors 10 and multiple hall operating panels 11. Each of the multiple hall doors 10 is provided at each of the multiple halls 4. Each of the multiple hall doors 10 is a device that opens and closes in conjunction with the car door 9 when the car 7 is stopped at the floor where the hall door 10 is provided. Each of the multiple hall operating panels 11 is provided on the wall 12 of each of the multiple halls 4. Each of the multiple hall operating panels 11 is a device that accepts hall call operations from users.

A car operation panel 14 is provided inside the car. On the car operation panel 14, various buttons are arranged for opening and closing the car door 9 and for specifying the destination floor. In addition, the car operation panel 14 is provided with an emergency communication device 20. The emergency communication device 20 is a device that allows users inside the car 7 to communicate with the outside of the car 7.

Now, for example, in an existing elevator 1, consider installing a communication device to which the emergency communication device 20 will be connected in the hall 4 on the first floor, which is a common area. In this case, processing such as drilling mounting holes in the wall 12 of the hall 4 will be required. Also, the installation of the communication device may affect the design of the hall. In this way, installing a communication device in the wall 12 of the hall 4 is not necessarily desirable.

The elevator 1 of this embodiment is characterized by the configuration of the external communication device that enables calls to be made from the emergency call device 20 to the outside without the need for the installation of a new call device. The configuration of the external communication device of this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 2.

2. Configuration of the external communication device according to the embodiment Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the external communication device. The external communication device 100 is a device that enables a call between the emergency call device 20 and the external terminal 40 located in the vicinity of the hall 4 by short-range wireless communication with the external terminal 40. The external communication device 100 has the emergency call device 20 provided inside the car 7 and a relay device 30 incorporated in the hall operating panel 11. The emergency call device 20 and the relay device 30 are connected by a cable 15.

The emergency communication device 20 includes a call button 21 and an in-car communication device 22. The call button 21 and the in-car communication device 22 are installed on the car operation panel 14. The call button 21 is a button that a user inside the car 7 presses to call the intended party. There are no limitations on the shape or structure of the call button 21, so long as it is configured to allow the user to input the intention to make an emergency call. The in-car communication device 22 is a communication device equipped with a microphone and a speaker. A signal indicating that the call button 21 has been pressed and an audio signal from the in-car communication device 22 are sent to the relay device 30 via the cable 15.

The relay device 30 includes a control device 31, a ringing device 32, a display device 33, and a communication device 34. The ringing device 32 is a device that emits a ringing sound to the outside when the call button 21 is pressed. The ringing sound here is set, for example, to a volume that can be heard by people located around the hall 4. The ringing device 32 may use the ringing function provided in the existing hall operating panel 11.

The display device 33 is a device capable of displaying specific images, and is installed on the hall operating panel 11. Typically, the display device 33 is a small liquid crystal display. The display device 33 displays information to people in the vicinity to request a connection for short-range wireless communication, which will be described later.

The communication device 34 communicates with the external terminal 40 using a short-distance communication line 50, the communication distance of which is, for example, several meters to several tens of meters. The short-distance communication line 50 includes, for example, a WiFi communication line or a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication line.

The external terminal 40 is a mobile terminal carried by a person located in the vicinity of the platform 4. Typically, the external terminal 40 is a smartphone, a tablet, or the like. The external terminal 40 has a function for reading a two-dimensional code, which will be described later. The external terminal 40 also has a communication function that allows mutual communication with the communication device 34 using at least a short-distance communication line 50. The communication device 34 detects a communication connection request from the external terminal 40 that has received connection request information, which will be described later, and performs processing to establish mutual communication. This establishes a state in which mutual communication by voice is possible between the emergency call device 20 and the external terminal 40. The external terminal 40 also has a function for reading a two-dimensional code, which will be described later.

The control device 31 controls the ringing device 32, the display device 33, and the communication device 34. Typically, the control device 31 is equipped with a processing circuit including, as hardware resources, one or more processors 31a (hereinafter simply referred to as processor 31a) and one or more memories 31b (hereinafter simply referred to as memory 31b) coupled to the processor 31a. The memory 31b stores one or more programs 31c (hereinafter simply referred to as program 31c) executable by the processor 31a and various information related thereto.

By processor 31a executing program 31c, various processes are realized by processor 31a. The processes here include ringing process, connection request process, display process, communication connection process, and information transmission process, which will be described later.

3. Operation of the external communication device according to the embodiment Next, the operation of the external communication device 100 according to the embodiment will be described. Fig. 3 is a flow chart of a routine executed when a user in the car makes an emergency call to the outside. This routine is executed by the control device 31 of the relay device 30.

In step S100, the control device 31 determines whether or not a call signal has been received from the emergency call device. A call signal is a signal that is sent in response to a user inside the car pressing the call button 21. If the control device 31 does not receive a call signal, it is determined that no emergency call request has been made, and this routine is terminated. On the other hand, if the control device 31 receives a call signal, processing proceeds to step S102.

In step S102, the control device 31 drives the sounding device 32 to start sounding. This process is hereinafter referred to as "sounding process." The sound is transmitted from the hall operating panel 11 to people located around the hall 4. When the sounding process is started, the process proceeds to step S104.

In step S104, the control device 31 requests an unspecified number of people who have the external terminal 40 to communicate with the communication device 34 via the short-distance communication line 50. This process is hereinafter referred to as a "connection request process." Typically, in the connection request process, the control device 31 displays connection request information required for mutual communication with the communication device 34 on the display device 33. This process is hereinafter referred to as a "display process." The connection request information here includes, for example, a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) as identification information of the communication device 34. The memory 31b of the control device 31 stores a two-dimensional code in which the connection request information is converted into binary code cell information and the converted cell information is arranged as a pattern on a two-dimensional matrix. Typically, the two-dimensional code is exemplified by a QR code (registered trademark). In the connection request process, the control device 31 reads out the two-dimensional code stored in the memory 31b and displays it on the display device 33 together with a message requesting a communication connection.

When the ringing process is performed, it is believed that the general public around the hall 4 will recognize that some kind of emergency has occurred and turn their attention to the source of the ringing sound, that is, the hall operating panel 11. A message requesting a communication connection is displayed on the display device 33 of the hall operating panel 11. Therefore, one of the general public who sees this message will use his or her external terminal 40 to read the displayed two-dimensional code. The external terminal 40 of the helper will specify the read UUID and execute advertising. Here, the external terminal 40 broadcasts a communication connection request including the UUID. Typically, the communication connection request is exemplified by an advertising packet that stores the UUID.

In step S106, the control device 31 scans for a communication connection request sent from the external terminal 40 and determines whether or not it has been detected. If the result is that a communication connection request is not detected, the process of step S106 is repeatedly executed until a communication connection request is detected.

When a communication connection request is detected in the processing of step S106, the processing proceeds to step S108. In step S108, the control device 31 ends the ringing processing and establishes mutual communication in accordance with the specifications with the external terminal 40 that sent the communication connection request. The series of processing from step S104 to step S108 is hereinafter referred to as the "communication connection processing." This enables mutual voice communication between the external terminal 40 and the emergency call device 20.

In step S110, the control device 31 determines whether the mutual voice communication has been disconnected. If the mutual voice communication has been disconnected, this routine is terminated.

In this way, the external communication device 100 can establish mutual communication from the emergency call device 20 inside the car 7 to any of the many unspecified external terminals 40 located around the landing 4. This makes it possible to configure the external communication device 100 that can make emergency calls from the emergency call device 20 without carrying out construction work on the wall 12 of the landing 4.

In addition, the external communication device 100 can use the ringing process to widely appeal to an unspecified number of people located around the hall 4 to take action in the event of an emergency. In addition, in the connection request process, the control device 31 does not broadcast the connection request information, but instead displays a two-dimensional code of the connection request information on the display device 33. This makes it possible to prevent unintended connections to external terminals.

4. Modifications The external communication device 100 of the present embodiment may be modified as follows.

4-1. Connection request process The connection request process may be configured to provide a message requesting a communication connection or guidance on the procedure for making a communication connection as voice information for requesting a connection for intercommunication. With this configuration, it is easy to recruit volunteers from an unspecified number of people located around the platform 4.

The connection request process may be configured to execute an information transmission process in which the control device 31 broadcasts connection request information instead of displaying a two-dimensional code. In the information transmission process, any one of the external terminals 40 located in the vicinity of the landing 4 receives the connection request information and transmits a communication connection request, thereby establishing mutual wireless communication. In this case, the external terminal 40 does not need to have a function for reading two-dimensional codes. Also, if the external terminal 40 has an application compatible with receiving connection request information, it is also possible to pop up a connection request message, ring, or the like, for the external terminal 40.
4-2. Display device

The display device 33 is not essential. If the hall operating panel 11 does not have the display device 33, a label on which connection request information such as a two-dimensional code and a connection method is described as information for requesting a connection for mutual wireless communication may be attached to the hall operating panel.
4-3. Control device

Figure 4 is a diagram showing modified examples of the hardware resources of the control device 31. In the example shown in Figure 4, the control device 31 includes a processing circuit 310 including, for example, a processor 31a, a memory 31b, and dedicated hardware 31d. Figure 4 shows an example in which some of the functions of the control device 31 are realized by the dedicated hardware 31d. All of the functions of the control device 31 may be realized by the dedicated hardware 31d. As the dedicated hardware 31d, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination of these can be used.

1 elevator, 2 building, 3 hoistway, 4 landing, 5 hoisting machine, 6 main rope, 7 car, 8 counterweight, 9 car door, 10 landing door, 11 landing operation panel, 12 wall, 14 car operation panel, 15 cable, 20 emergency communication device, 21 call button, 22 car communication device, 30 relay device, 31 control device, 31a processor, 31b memory, 31c program, 31d dedicated hardware, 32 ringing device, 33 display device, 34 communication device, 40 external terminal, 50 short-distance communication line, 100 external communication device, 310 processing circuit

Claims (6)

An emergency call device installed in the elevator car,
a relay device connected to the emergency call device and provided on a hall operating panel of the elevator;
The emergency call device includes:
a call button for requesting a call to an outside of the car;
The relay device is
A ringing device that emits a ringing sound around the hall operating panel;
A communication device that performs wireless communication between the hall operating panel and an external terminal located in the vicinity of the hall operating panel;
a control device for controlling the ringing device and the communication device,
The control device includes:
a ringing process for generating a ringing sound from the ringing device in response to pressing of the call button;
a communication connection process for receiving a communication connection request from any one of the one or more external terminals and establishing the mutual wireless communication;
An elevator external communication device configured to perform the above. The control device, in the communication connection process,
The elevator external communication device according to claim 1, configured to execute a connection request process for requesting the one or more external terminals to establish a connection for the mutual wireless communication with the communication device. The landing operating panel is equipped with a display device,
The control device, in the connection request process,
The elevator external communication device according to claim 2, characterized in that it is configured to execute a display process that converts the information necessary for the communication connection request into binary code cell information and displays on the display device a two-dimensional code in which the converted cell information is arranged as a pattern on a two-dimensional matrix. The elevator external communication device according to claim 3, characterized in that the two-dimensional code is a QR code (registered trademark). The control device, in the connection request process,
The elevator external communication device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, configured to provide information for requesting a connection for the mutual wireless communication by voice. The control device, in the connection request process,
The elevator external communication device according to claim 2, configured to execute an information transmission process for transmitting information necessary for connecting the mutual wireless communication to the external terminal.

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