Granted Patent B2

US 12,330,905 · App. 17/918,332 · Granted Jun 17, 2025

Inventor: Manato Takai (Tokyo, JP)

Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION

B66B1/06B66B1/3461B66B1/468G05D1/0027G06Q20/145G06Q20/389B66B2201/215B66B2201/404B66B2201/4638B66B2201/4653B66B2201/4661B66B2201/4676B66B2201/4692

Abstract

Claims (63)

1. An elevator charging system comprising:

one or more cars each capable of transporting any one of a plurality of moving bodies, by running between a plurality of floors; and

processing circuitry

to receive one or more usage requests each of which includes information about a call requesting to be assigned to one of the one or more cars and information about a desired price for a usage fee of the car and each of which corresponds to a different one of the plurality of moving bodies;

to assign each of the calls to one of the one or more cars, while prioritizing calls in usage requests having higher priority among the one or more usage requests received by the processing circuitry, based on information including the desired prices; and

to store therein the usage fee to be charged for each of the usage requests of which the calls were assigned by the processing circuitry.

2. The elevator charging system according to claim 1 , wherein

the processing circuitry stores therein a blockchain shared among a plurality of nodes connected to one another via a network, and

the processing circuitry stores the usage fees therein by recording the usage fees in a block of the blockchain.

3. The elevator charging system according to claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry stores therein the usage requests of which the calls were assigned by the processing circuitry by recording the usage requests in the block of the blockchain.

4. The elevator charging system according to claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry shares the blockchain with at least one of the plurality of moving bodies.

5. The elevator charging system according to claim 2 , wherein the processing circuitry shares the blockchain with a moving body server that remotely controls moving of at least one of the plurality of moving bodies.

6. The elevator charging system according to claim 1 , wherein

each of the one or more usage requests received by the processing circuitry includes information about an attribute of a corresponding one of the moving bodies, and

the processing circuitry assigns each of the calls to one of the one or more cars, while prioritizing the calls in the usage requests having higher priority among the one or more usage requests received by the processing circuitry, based on information including the desired prices and the attributes.

7. The elevator charging system according to claim 1 , wherein

when one of the plurality of moving bodies boards a car to which the call in one of the usage requests has been assigned by the processing circuitry, the processing circuitry receives, from the moving body, an electronic signature indicating identity of the moving body with the moving body corresponding to the usage request, and

the car waits without running in response to the call until the identity of the moving body is confirmed by using the electronic signature.

8. The elevator charging system according to claim 7 , wherein the car to which the call in one of the usage requests has been assigned by the processing circuitry maintains a door closed after arriving at a departure floor of the call and waits without opening the door until the identity of the moving body is confirmed by using the electronic signature.

9. The elevator charging system according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry limits a transport capacity to be applied to transporting any one of the plurality of moving bodies to a part of a total transport capacity of the one or more cars.

10. An elevator management server comprising:

processing circuitry

to receive one or more usage requests each of which includes information about a call requesting to be assigned to one of one or more cars each capable of transporting any one of a plurality of moving bodies by running between a plurality of floors and information about a desired price for a usage fee of the car and each of which corresponds to a different one of the plurality of moving bodies;

to assign each of the calls to one of the one or more cars, while prioritizing calls in usage requests having higher priority among the one or more usage requests received by the processing circuitry, based on information including the desired prices; and

to store therein the usage fee to be charged for each of the usage requests of which the calls were assigned by the processing circuitry.

11. A moving body comprising:

processing circuitry

to generate a usage request including information about a call requesting to be assigned to one of one or more cars each running between a plurality of floors and information about a desired price for a usage fee of the car;

to transmit the usage request generated by the processing circuitry to a management server that assigns each call to one of the one or more cars, while prioritizing calls in usage requests having higher priority among one or more usage requests received, based on information including desired prices; and

to transmit, when receiving a notification from the management server about an assignment result indicating that the call in the usage request generated by the processing circuitry has been assigned to one of the one or more cars, an electronic signature to the management server indicating identity with the transmission source of the usage request before boarding the car to which the call was assigned.

12. A moving body comprising:

processing circuitry

to generate a usage request including information about a call requesting to be assigned to one of one or more cars each running between a plurality of floors and information about a desired price for a usage fee of the car;

to transmit the usage request to a management server that assigns each call to one of the one or more cars, while prioritizing calls in usage requests having higher priority among one or more usage requests received, based on information including desired prices; and

to wait, when receiving a notification from the management server about an assignment result indicating that the call in the usage request generated by the processing circuitry has been assigned to one of the one or more cars, without boarding the car to which the call in the usage request was assigned until the management server opens a door of the car.

13. A moving body server comprising:

processing circuitry

to remotely control moving of a moving body;

to generate a usage request which includes information about a call requesting to be assigned to one of one or more cars each running between a plurality of floors and information about a desired price for a usage fee of the car and which corresponds to the moving body; and

to transmit the usage request to a management server that assigns each call to one of the one or more cars, while prioritizing calls in usage requests having higher priority among one or more usage requests received, based on information including desired prices; wherein

when receiving a notification from the management server about an assignment result indicating that the call in the usage request generated by the processing circuitry has been assigned to one of the one or more cars, the processing circuitry remotely controls the moving body to board the car to which the call in the usage request was assigned,

when receiving a notification from the management server about an assignment result indicating that the call in the usage request generated by the processing circuitry has not been assigned to any one of the one or more cars, the processing circuitry generates the usage request which corresponds to the moving body again.

14. An elevator charging method comprising:

receiving one or more usage requests each of which includes information about a call requesting to be assigned to one of one or more cars each capable of transporting any one of a plurality of moving bodies by running between a plurality of floors and information about a desired price for a usage fee of the car and each of which corresponds to a different one of the plurality of moving bodies, each of the one or more usage requests includes information about attributes of the corresponding moving body;

assigning each of the calls to one of the one or more cars, while prioritizing calls in usage requests having higher priority among the one or more usage requests, based on information including the desired prices and the attributes; and

storing the usage fee to be charged for each of the usage requests of which the calls were assigned.

15. A storage medium storing an elevator charging program that causes a management server for an elevator, the elevator having one or more cars each capable of transporting any one of a plurality of moving bodies by running between a plurality of floors, to perform:

receiving one or more usage requests each of which includes information about a call requesting to be assigned to one of the one or more cars and information about a desired price for a usage fee of the car and each of which corresponds to a different one of the plurality of moving bodies;

assigning each of the calls to one of the one or more cars, while prioritizing calls in usage requests having higher priority among the one or more usage requests, based on information including the desired prices; and

storing the usage fee to be charged for each of the usage requests of which the calls were assigned.

16. A storage medium storing an elevator usage program that causes a moving body, the moving body being capable of moving between a plurality of floors, by using one of one or more cars of an elevator each running between the plurality of floors, to preform:

generating a usage request which includes information about a call requesting to be assigned to one of the one or more cars and information about a desired price for a usage fee of the car and which corresponds to the moving body;

transmitting the generated usage request to a management server that assigns each call to one of the one or more cars, while prioritizing calls in usage requests having higher priority among one or more usage requests received, based on information including desired prices; and

transmitting, when receiving a notification from the management server about an assignment result indicating that the call in the generated usage request has been assigned to one of the one or more cars, an electronic signature to the management server indicating identity with the transmission source of the generated usage request before boarding the car to which the call was assigned.

17. A storage medium storing an elevator usage program that causes a moving body, the moving body being capable of moving between a plurality of floors, by using one of one or more cars of an elevator each running between the plurality of floors, to preform:

generating a usage request which includes information about a call requesting to be assigned to one of the one or more cars and information about a desired price for a usage fee of the car and which corresponds to the moving body;

transmitting the generated usage request to a management server that assigns each call to one of the one or more cars, while prioritizing calls in usage requests having higher priority among one or more usage requests received, based on information including desired prices; and

waiting, when receiving a notification from the management server about an assignment result indicating that the call in the generated usage request has been assigned to one of the one or more cars, without boarding the car to which the call in the generated usage request was assigned until the management server opens a door of the car.

18. A storage medium storing an elevator usage program that causes a moving body server, the moving body server remotely controlling moving of a moving body capable of moving between a plurality of floors by using one of one or more cars of an elevator each running between the plurality of floors, to perform:

generating a usage request which includes information about a call requesting to be assigned to one of the one or more cars and information about a desired price for a usage fee of the car and which corresponds to the moving body;

transmitting the generated usage request to a management server that assigns each call to one of the one or more cars, while prioritizing calls in usage requests having higher priority among one or more usage requests received, based on information including desired prices;

remotely controlling, when receiving a notification from the management server about an assignment result indicating that the call in the generated usage request has been assigned to one of the one or more cars, the moving body to board the car to which the call in the generated usage request was assigned; and

generating again, when receiving a notification from the management server about an assignment result indicating that the call in the generated usage request has not been assigned to any one of the one or more cars, the usage request which corresponds to the moving body.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (15)