Elevator charging system, elevator management server, moving body, moving body server, elevator charging method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12330905-B2
Application number	US-202017918332-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2020
Priority date	Apr 17, 2020
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

Provided are an elevator charging system, a management server, a moving body, a moving body server, a charging method, and a storage medium storing program that make it possible to charge usage fees reflecting the demand of moving bodies. In a charging system ( 1 ), cars ( 5 ) transport moving bodies ( 11 ) between a plurality of floors. A communication unit ( 7 a ) receives usage requests each corresponding to one of the moving bodies ( 11 ). Each of the requests includes information about a call requesting assignment to one of the cars ( 5 ), and information about a desired price for a usage fee. An assignment unit ( 8 ) assigns each call to one of the cars ( 5 ) while prioritizing calls in requests having higher priority, based on information including the desired prices. A storage unit ( 9 a ) stores therein the fees charged for the requests of which the calls have been assigned.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

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

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Takai Manato

Classifications

• G05D1/00

  Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots (drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00) · CPC title

• G06Q20/389

  Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction · CPC title

• G06Q20/145

  Payments according to the detected use or quantity · CPC title

• B66B2201/4692

  for payment for use · CPC title

• B66B2201/4676

  for checking authorization of the passengers · CPC title