Destination floor registration device of elevator, having voice input

• US 8,678,142 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2008
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Nobukazu
• Primary Examiner(s): SALATA, ANTHONY J
• Application Number:
  US13/119,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20110168499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,999 Days
• Field of Search: 187/247, 187380-389, 187391-393, 187/396, 187/399
• US Class Current: 187/392
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 1/468 Call registering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/4623 Wherein the destination is registered after boarding
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/463 Wherein the call is registered through physical contact with the elevator system
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/4646 using voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 2201/4661 for priority users
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 3/00 Applications of devices for indicating or signalling operating conditions of elevators

Abstract

In a destination floor registration device 800, a boarding detection unit 804 detects a boarding of an elevator user; when no button operation by destination floor registration buttons 500 is performed after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since detection of the boarding, a voice destination floor registration unit 805 outputs from a voice output device 400 a message for prompting a passenger to pronounce a destination floor; a voice recognition unit 806 recognizes the destination floor pronounced by the passenger; and a voice destination floor registration unit 805 requests an elevator car control device 200 to register the destination floor recognized by the voice recognition unit 806.

Claims

1. A destination floor registration device of an elevator comprising:

a destination floor registration signal input unit that inputs a destination floor registration signal from a destination floor registration button placed in an elevator car;

a boarding detection unit that detects that a passenger has boarded the elevator car;

a voice output unit that outputs a voice message to the elevator car;

a voice input unit that inputs a voice message from the elevator car; and

a voice destination floor registration unit that determines whether a predetermined time limit has elapsed since the passenger was detected to board the elevator car by the boarding detection unit and, when it is determined that the destination floor registration signal input unit has not inputted the destination floor registration signal after the predetermined time limit has elapsed since the passenger was detected to board the elevator car by the boarding detection unit, outputs a destination floor pronouncing request voice message to the elevator car via the voice output unit for requesting the passenger to pronounce a destination floor, and, when a voice message responding to the voice destination floor pronouncing request voice message is input via the voice input unit, performs a voice recognition process on the voice message input and performs destination floor registration for the elevator car based on a result of the voice recognition process.

2. The destination floor registration device of the elevator of claim 1, wherein:

the boarding detection unit determines whether or not a passenger who has newly boarded the elevator car is alone in the elevator car; and

the voice destination floor registration unit, when the boarding detection unit has determined that the passenger who has newly boarded the elevator car is alone in the elevator car, outputs the destination floor pronouncing request voice message to the elevator car via the voice output unit.

3. The destination floor registration device of the elevator of claim 2,

wherein the boarding detection unit determines whether or not the passenger who has newly boarded the elevator car is alone in the elevator car, based on a sensing result of a sensor placed in a vicinity of a door of the elevator car.

4. The destination floor registration device of the elevator of claim 2,

wherein the boarding detection unit determines whether or not the passenger who has newly boarded the elevator car is alone in the elevator car, based on a weighing result of a scale for weighing a weight of the elevator car.

5. The destination floor registration device of the elevator of claim 1,

wherein the voice destination floor registration unit determines whether or not the destination floor recognized as a result of the voice recognition process exists in a direction of travel of the elevator car, and, when the destination floor recognized exists in the direction of travel of the elevator car, performs destination floor registration with the destination floor, and, when the destination floor recognized does not exist in the direction of travel of the elevator car, outputs a voice message to the elevator car via the voice output unit for requesting for pronouncing a destination floor again.

6. The destination floor registration device of the elevator of claim 1, further including:

a voice destination floor registration request information input unit that inputs voice destination floor registration request information for notifying that the passenger of the elevator car requests voice-operated destination floor registration; and

wherein;

the voice destination floor registration unit, when the voice destination floor registration request information input unit has input the voice destination floor registration request information, outputs the destination floor pronouncing request voice message to the elevator car via the voice output unit, regardless of whether or not the destination floor registration signal has been input, and, when the voice destination floor registration request information input unit has not input the voice destination floor registration request information, and when the destination floor registration signal input unit does not input the destination floor registration signal after the predetermined time limit has elapsed since the passenger was detected to board the elevator car by the boarding detection unit, outputs the destination floor pronouncing request voice message to the elevator car via the voice output unit.

7. The destination floor registration device of the elevator of claim 1,

wherein the voice destination floor registration unit, upon arrival at a floor for which destination floor registration has been performed based on the voice recognition process, outputs a voice message to the elevator car via the voice output unit for notifying the arrival at the destination floor.