Robotic linked elevator system

Abstract

Disclosed is a robot-linked elevator system including a robot and an elevator including a unit configured to be able to serve the robot, the full load factor for the robot and the full load factor for a person being set differently when the full load factor of the elevator is set.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a robot-linked elevator system that operates in conjunction with a robot moving within a building and between floors. Background Technology

[0002] Elevators are installed in various buildings constructed for residential, business, or commercial purposes to allow passengers to move smoothly between floors. Generally, an elevator includes an elevator car that moves vertically along a lift path within the building, a motor that powers the elevator car, a mechanical unit consisting of a traction machine, and a control unit that controls the operation of the elevator.

[0003] Recently, with the rise of robotic services within buildings, the demand for using elevators to move robots between floors is increasing. For example, many service robots that move within buildings while performing tasks such as transporting goods, cleaning, and guiding customers have been developed and put into practical use.

[0004] At this time, when performing business on multiple floors, robots within the building need to move between floors. Currently, elevators are considered the optimal way for robots to move between floors, and various linkage control technologies between robots and elevator systems are being developed to effectively move robots to their destination floors. Summary of the Invention

[0005] (Technical issue)

[0006] In recent years, with the rapid growth of the robotics market, many service sectors are being replaced by robots, especially in buildings that provide customer service, such as hotels and residences, where the use of robots for unmanned operations is becoming a rapidly advancing trend. To expand the unmanned service capabilities of robots and enable them to move vertically within buildings (between floors), the integration of robots with the building's elevator system has become indispensable.

[0007] The robot-linked elevator system categorizes the operation modes of multiple elevators installed within a building into robot-only mode, passenger-only mode, and co-ride mode, based on the operational purpose or characteristics of each unit. Elevators in robot-only mode only provide call services to robots; elevators in passenger-only mode only provide call services to passengers; and elevators in co-ride mode provide call services to both robots and passengers.

[0008] However, the use of elevators by such robots may cause inconvenience to ordinary passengers. This is because, for safety reasons or technological limitations, the time it takes for robots to go up and down the elevator is longer than that of ordinary passengers. For example, a robot waiting for elevator service on the platform and an ordinary passenger departing from the same floor may experience a delay in boarding the elevator because of the robot, and a robot taking the same elevator and an ordinary passenger departing from the same floor may experience a delay in disembarking because of the robot.

[0009] Furthermore, as the time required for robots to ascend and descend the elevator is longer, the elevator travels more slowly, resulting in longer waiting times for ordinary passengers waiting for the corresponding elevator on other floors. Similarly, the arrival time for robots in the same elevator to reach their destination floors is slower than that for ordinary passengers whose destination floors are different.

[0010] In particular, when an elevator unit is configured to allow robots to use multiple robots, safety incidents such as conflicts between ordinary passengers and robots or between robots may occur on the lift or inside the elevator. Furthermore, due to the relatively slower boarding and alighting times of robots compared to ordinary passengers, the waiting time for ordinary passengers on the lift and the elevator ride time become longer, exacerbating the aforementioned service delay problem. As a result, the reduced efficiency of elevator traffic handling within the building can further increase the discomfort of ordinary passengers.

[0011] To prevent the aforementioned problems, this invention proposes a specific method for setting parameters related to robot use (occupancy rate, maximum number of robots allowed to serve, etc.) in elevator units that allow robot use. The aim is not only to provide more convenient and comfortable services to general passengers, but also to customers who utilize the robot services provided within the building, ultimately improving the overall operating efficiency of the elevator system that operates in conjunction with robots.

[0012] The technical problems addressed by this invention are not limited to those described above, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand from the following description other unmentioned technical problems.

[0013] (Technical Solution)

[0014] To achieve the objectives described above, according to one aspect of the present invention, a robot-linked elevator system is provided, comprising: a robot; and an elevator, including a unit configured to serve the robot, wherein when setting the occupancy rate of the elevator, the occupancy rate for the robot and the occupancy rate for people are set differently.

[0015] The occupancy rate for the robot is set to be lower than the occupancy rate for the human.

[0016] The elevators are configured as multiple units. Among these multiple elevators, a unit configured in robot-only mode, which serves only robot calls, is configured to have a occupancy rate for the robot. Among these multiple elevators, a unit configured in general passenger-only mode, which serves only human calls, is configured to have a occupancy rate for the human. Among these multiple elevators, a unit configured in co-riding mode, which serves both robot and human calls, is configured to have a occupancy rate for both robot and human calls.

[0017] In the case of an elevator unit configured in the shared-ride mode, calls to the robot are assigned based on the robot's occupancy rate, and calls to the person are assigned based on the person's occupancy rate.

[0018] When multiple elevators exceed the full capacity set for each unit, they switch to full capacity status while simultaneously suppressing or excluding new calls. Suppression refers to applying a penalty to the corresponding unit to lower its priority when executing the allocation algorithm for a new call; exclusion refers to completely removing the corresponding unit from the allocation for a new call.

[0019] The occupancy rate includes the load occupancy rate based on the passenger load in the elevator car and the space occupancy rate based on the space occupancy of the passengers in the elevator car. The load occupancy rate and the space occupancy rate are selectively applied to each unit or together for the multiple elevators.

[0020] Elevator units configured for both robot-dedicated mode and shared-ride mode are configured with a maximum number of robots that can be served per unit.

[0021] The maximum number of robots that can be served by an elevator unit set to the robot-dedicated mode is set to be greater than the maximum number of robots that can be served by an elevator unit set to the shared-ride mode.

[0022] According to one aspect of the present invention, the robot-linked elevator system further includes: a group management unit, which selects and assigns any one of the plurality of elevators to a robot's call request.

[0023] The group management unit collects and analyzes in real time the elevator specifications, including the rated capacity and internal area of ​​the elevator, the full occupancy rate set for each unit of the multiple elevators, the call request information registered for each unit of the multiple elevators, and the number of passengers currently riding or expected to ride for each unit of the multiple elevators. This allows the unit to derive information about the number of service robots, including the load capacity that can be added to each unit of the multiple elevators, the available space that can be occupied, and the number of service robots serving the corresponding unit.

[0024] When a call is made by the robot, the group management unit selects elevator units whose ride capacity and ride space meet the specifications of the robot requesting the call to initially form an allocatable candidate group. From the initial candidate group, it selects units whose number of service robots does not exceed the maximum number of service robots, and then forms another allocatable candidate group. An allocation algorithm is then applied to the re-formed candidate group to select any one of the units.

[0025] If, in any of the multiple elevators, the number of robots currently being served in a particular unit exceeds the maximum number of robots that can be served in that unit, then the unit will be excluded from the allocation process for newly initiated robot calls.

[0026] When two or more call inputs are for the same calling floor or the same destination floor, the number of robots assigned to the same elevator unit will be limited to a specified value and the robots will be distributed among multiple units.

[0027] (Invention Effects)

[0028] In an elevator system that operates in three modes—robot-only mode, general passenger-only mode, and shared-ride mode—this invention proposes a method for setting parameters related to robot elevator use, by setting different occupancy rates for robots and general passengers, and by limiting the maximum number of robots that can be served by setting elevator units that allow robots to use.

[0029] As described above, the present invention minimizes service delays caused by conflicts between robots and ordinary passengers or between robots, thereby providing more convenient and comfortable services not only to ordinary passengers but also to customers using the robot services provided within the building, ultimately significantly improving the overall operating efficiency of the elevator system linked to the robot control.

[0030] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand other unmentioned effects through the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention.

[0032] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating a method for setting the occupancy rate of a robot-linked elevator system according to an operating mode, based on the present invention.

[0033] Figure 3 This illustrates an elevator allocation method for robot calls in a robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The purpose and technical configuration of the invention, as well as the details of its function and related effects, will be more clearly understood through a detailed description based on the accompanying drawings.

[0035] The terminology used in this specification is for describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. For example, the terms "constituting" or "comprising" as used in this specification should not be construed as necessarily including all the various constituent elements or steps described in the invention, but should be interpreted as excluding certain constituent elements or steps, or possibly including additional constituent elements or steps. Furthermore, unless otherwise expressly stated, the singular expressions used in this specification include the plural expressions.

[0036] In the following description, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below are provided to enable those skilled in the art to readily understand the technical concept of the invention, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments of the invention provide various applications for those skilled in the art.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention. Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating a method for setting the occupancy rate of a robot-linked elevator system according to an operating mode, based on the present invention. Figure 3 This illustrates an elevator allocation method for robot calls in a robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention.

[0038] Reference Figures 1 to 3 According to the robot-linked elevator system of the present invention, robot system unit 10 is used to control and manage the operation of a robot that moves autonomously within a building; and elevator system unit 20 is used to control and manage the operation of an elevator installed within the building and to communicate with the robot.

[0039] Robot system unit 10 and elevator system unit 20 operate independently of each other, but can communicate with each other so that the elevator can be used when the robot needs to move between floors in the building.

[0040] The robot system unit 10 can control all robots that move autonomously within the building, and can communicate with each robot for this purpose. Furthermore, the robot system unit 10 receives robot service requests occurring within the building, and in response to a received request, can specify a particular robot to provide the corresponding service. Here, 'robot service' refers to a service performed by a robot, which can mean a service provided by a robot directly visiting a customer.

[0041] In this invention, "robot" can be a general term for any autonomous moving body capable of moving within a building without human intervention. For example, a robot may be a delivery robot that performs tasks such as carrying packages or other goods within a building, or a service robot that performs specific tasks such as cleaning or guiding customers, and is controlled by the robot system unit 10 to provide necessary services to customers within the building.

[0042] Robots can identify spaces within buildings and move autonomously based on information collected using LiDAR, short-range sensors, ultrasonic sensors, or cameras.

[0043] In addition, the robot can store information about the building's internal and external structure, as well as the location of elevators within the building, in its own database. Furthermore, it can use internal algorithms to calculate the optimal distance and path from its current location to the elevator in real time, based on real-time localization and map construction.

[0044] The robot can remotely request an elevator call. When a customer requests a robot service within the building, the robot system unit 10 designates a specific robot from among the multiple robots operating within the building to provide the corresponding service. If the designated robot is currently on a different floor than the floor requesting the service, it can send a 'ride request' signal to the elevator system unit 20 to move to the service floor.

[0045] The information included in the 'ride request' includes the robot's current departure floor and final destination floor, and may also include information such as the travel time required for the robot to reach the elevator, the robot's weight and volume, and the purpose of using the elevator. The travel time required for the robot to reach the elevator can be calculated based on its current position.

[0046] When a remote call is received from the robot, the group management unit 21 of the elevator system unit 20, described later, determines and assigns the best elevator unit to which the robot will provide the ride service.

[0047] The elevator system unit 20 may include a group management unit 21 that performs group management of multiple elevators installed in the building, and a control unit 22 that performs controls related to the operation of the elevators.

[0048] In order to operate multiple elevators installed in the building more efficiently, the group management unit 21 performs group control. Basically, for calls input by call buttons installed on the elevator platforms on each floor of the building or destination input buttons installed in the elevator car, calls input remotely by other systems or terminals such as the Destination Selecting System (DSS), or calls remotely by robots, it can perform the function of determining and allocating the best elevator unit.

[0049] For reference, a call that instructs an elevator unit to move to the floor where the passenger or robot is waiting for a request to reach its destination (destination floor) is called a hall call, and a call that instructs the elevator unit to move to the destination of the passenger or robot is called a car call.

[0050] Furthermore, the group management unit 21, upon receiving a robot call request, can determine and allocate the most efficient elevator unit by analyzing the correlation between traffic volume within the building and the location information of multiple available elevator units and the robot. More specifically, the group management unit 21 detects the occupancy rate or remaining capacity status information of multiple elevator units operating within the building, and extracts available elevator units that the robot can ride based on information such as the robot's weight and volume contained in the ride request information received from the robot. Considering the location of the extracted available elevator units and the robot's location, the optimal elevator unit can be allocated. When considering the robot's location, not only the floor location of the requested floor (departure floor) is considered, but also information about the time required for the robot to move from its current location to the elevator platform is taken into account.

[0051] The group management unit 21 can provide the allocated elevator units and the corresponding lifting platform information as a request call service robot and robot system unit 10.

[0052] The control unit 22 controls the overall operation and function of the elevator and can execute control to move the elevator unit assigned by the group management unit 21 to the floor where the call was received.

[0053] Control unit 22 may include a travel control unit for controlling the travel operation of the elevator car and a door control unit for controlling the opening and closing of the elevator doors that stop at a specific floor for the movement of passengers and robots.

[0054] The travel control unit can control the operation of the elevator car within the vertically formed lifting path inside the building. In order to start or stop the elevator car's movement by a specific command signal, it can execute drive control of the traction machine electrodes and brakes, etc.

[0055] The door control unit controls the overall opening and closing operation of the elevator doors, which include the hall door installed on the side of the elevator platform and the car door installed on the side of the elevator car, and can control the drive of the door motor for this purpose.

[0056] On the one hand, the robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention can distinguish the operating modes of elevators installed in buildings into 'robot-only mode', 'general passenger-only mode' and 'robot / general passenger co-riding mode' (hereinafter referred to as 'co-riding mode') and operate them.

[0057] The robot-only mode is a mode that only allows robots to ride in the elevator. Elevators set to robot-only mode can only call for services from robots.

[0058] The "General Passenger Mode" is a mode that allows only regular passengers to make calls. However, it's also possible for regular passengers to bring their belongings, items, or even animals into the elevator.

[0059] The co-riding mode allows robots and regular passengers (people) to ride together in the elevator. When an elevator is set to co-riding mode, both regular passengers and robots can be treated as objects to perform call services.

[0060] Multiple elevators installed within a building can have their operating modes set for each unit. Each unit's operating mode can be set to automatic or manual as needed. For example, the operating mode of an elevator unit can be set to reflect the traffic volume characteristics within the building. However, when traffic volume monitoring requires switching the operating mode, the system can automatically determine this, or the administrator can manually switch the operating mode of a specific unit.

[0061] In addition, the elevator unit's operating mode can be pre-planned based on a time schedule, reflecting the traffic volume characteristics within the building over different time periods.

[0062] On the other hand, as mentioned above, elevators that operate in different modes, such as robot-only mode, general passenger-only mode, and shared-ride mode, are preferably adapted to different operating characteristics depending on the user of each mode.

[0063] However, so far, general benchmarks have been applied regardless of the elevator's operating mode. As a result, the different operating characteristics of the elevator are not reflected in the control and operation of the elevator at all. Consequently, the operation of the elevator is disturbed in many situations and becomes a factor that hinders the effective operation of the elevator.

[0064] In particular, if multiple robots ride in an elevator unit that is set to allow robot use, safety accidents such as collisions between ordinary passengers and robots or between robots may occur on the lift or inside the elevator. Furthermore, due to the relatively later boarding and alighting times of robots compared to ordinary passengers, the waiting time of ordinary passengers on the lift and the elevator ride time increase, resulting in inconvenience to ordinary passengers and potentially extending to a reduction in elevator traffic handling efficiency and service delays within the building.

[0065] To prevent these problems, the present invention sets up and operates multiple elevators installed in the building in one of three modes: robot-only mode, general passenger-only mode, and passenger mode for each unit. In order to better reflect the other characteristics of the robot and general passenger (human) in the elevator according to the operating mode, a specific method for setting the robot riding-related parameters of the elevator unit is proposed as follows, thereby minimizing the inconvenience caused by the robot's use of the elevator and enabling the elevator to operate efficiently.

[0066] 1. Full capacity setting

[0067] First, the robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention can set different occupancy rates for the robot and for general passengers (people). This is based on the fact that the space occupied by each general passenger is less than the space occupied by one robot, and that the weight of a general passenger is lighter than that of a robot. Therefore, the robot's occupancy detection benchmark is set lower than that of general passengers, thereby aiming to distinguish and ensure the space occupied by passengers and the space occupied by the robot.

[0068] This invention takes into account the robot's weight, size, operating radius, and safety distance, allowing the robot's occupancy rate to be set lower than that of a typical passenger vehicle. Here, the occupancy rate can be based on load or space occupancy, which will be explained in more detail later. The robot's occupancy rate benchmark and the typical passenger occupancy rate benchmark are values ​​that can be changed based on the robot's specifications or the specifications of each elevator unit.

[0069] That is, the present invention can apply either 'robot occupancy rate' or 'general passenger occupancy rate' depending on the operating mode of each unit of the elevator installed in the building. Below, we examine the applicable occupancy rate benchmark based on the elevator's operating mode.

[0070] First, elevator units set to robot-only mode are limited to robots as their primary users, thus allowing operation based on a 'robot occupancy rate'. Elevator units in robot-only mode are assigned robot calls based on the robot occupancy rate. For example, when the robot occupancy rate is set to 60%, elevator units where the load or space occupancy of a robot exceeds 60% can suppress or exclude the assignment of newly generated robot calls. Furthermore, since the corresponding unit operates in robot-only mode, calls from general passengers are necessarily excluded from assignment.

[0071] For reference, the aforementioned 'allocation suppression' does not mean that newly generated calls are 100% excluded. Rather, when performing an allocation algorithm for new calls, the priority is reduced by imposing allocation suppression penalties on the corresponding units, thereby minimizing allocation.

[0072] Elevator units set to general passenger-only mode are limited to general passengers (people) and can therefore operate under a 'general passenger occupancy rate'. Elevator units in general passenger-only mode are assigned general passenger calls based on the general passenger occupancy rate. For example, when the general passenger occupancy rate is set to 80%, elevator units where the load or space occupancy of currently occupied general passengers exceeds 80% can suppress or exclude the assignment of newly generated general passenger calls. Furthermore, since the corresponding unit operates in general passenger-only mode, calls from robots will necessarily be excluded from assignment.

[0073] Finally, elevator units set to co-riding mode can serve both robots and regular passengers (people), thus allowing them to operate under both 'robot occupancy rate' and 'regular passenger occupancy rate'. In co-riding mode, elevator units assign robot calls based on the robot occupancy rate and regular passenger calls based on the regular passenger occupancy rate.

[0074] Furthermore, in this invention, the 'occupancy rate' of an elevator can include the concepts of 'load occupancy rate' based on load (weight) and 'space occupancy rate' based on the occupied space area. The load occupancy rate is a value used to limit the total load of passengers in an elevator unit from exceeding a certain level, and the space occupancy rate is a value used to limit the total space area occupied by passengers in an elevator unit from exceeding a certain level.

[0075] Information about the load of passengers inside the elevator can be detected by load cells installed in the elevator car, while information about the space occupied by passengers inside the elevator can be detected by vision devices installed inside the elevator car, such as cameras or CCTV.

[0076] For example, assuming the 'load occupancy rate' of an elevator unit is set to 60%, when the passenger load (total weight of passengers) measured in real time by the weighing sensor is detected to exceed 60% of the rated capacity (maximum design load), the corresponding unit becomes fully occupied, and new passenger rides are restricted until the passenger load of the corresponding unit falls below 60% again, and newly generated calls are distributed, suppressed, or excluded.

[0077] Similarly, assuming the 'space occupancy rate' of an elevator unit is set to 60%, when the space occupied area (the area occupied by the passengers) detected by the vision device is detected to exceed 60% of the total area inside the corresponding unit, the corresponding unit becomes full and new passengers are restricted until the space occupancy rate inside the corresponding unit falls below 60% again, and newly generated calls are allocated, suppressed, or excluded.

[0078] You can selectively apply either the 'load occupancy rate' or the 'space occupancy rate' mentioned above, or you can apply both together. If you apply both together, the corresponding unit will be in a full-occupancy state even if either the load occupancy rate or the space occupancy rate is exceeded.

[0079] The following describes the 'full occupancy rate setting' of the robot-linked elevator system of the present invention through a more specific embodiment.

[0080] First, assume an elevator system environment comprising five elevator units installed within a building and operating under group management. In this case, assume that units 2 and 4 out of units 1-5 are configured in a shared-ride mode, capable of serving both robot calls and regular passenger calls. Furthermore, the robot occupancy rate is set to 60%, and the regular passenger occupancy rate is set to 80%.

[0081] When the elevator is running, if the total load inside the car of Unit 2 (including robots and regular passengers) is detected to be 70%, and the corresponding unit still has 10% of its capacity available for regular passengers, while the robot capacity is exceeded, then the group management unit 21 can assign calls for regular passengers to Unit 2, but excludes the assignment of calls for robots. Since Unit 2 is still available for calls for regular passengers, full-capacity bypass is not applied. Furthermore, for newly generated robot calls, the unit with the highest service efficiency among Units 1, 3, 4, and 5 (excluding Unit 2) is selected for assignment.

[0082] That is, if the robot is at full capacity but the general passenger is not, the corresponding unit will no longer be assigned to the robot for a call, but the full capacity bypass will not be applied.

[0083] On one hand, when the total load (passenger load) in the car of Unit 4 is detected to be 81%, the corresponding unit is in a state exceeding the occupancy rate for both robots and general passengers. Therefore, the local floor command (elevator call) already assigned by the travel direction of Unit 4 is bypassed. In this case, if a new call occurs, among the units other than Unit 4, the unit that can provide the most efficient service is selected and assigned based on the input response subject (robot or general passenger) not exceeding the occupancy rate. Furthermore, the local floor command bypassed by Unit 4 can also be reassigned to other units according to options.

[0084] That is, based on the general passenger occupancy rate being at full capacity (in this case, the robot's occupancy rate is also considered full capacity), a full-capacity bypass is applied to the corresponding elevator. When applying the full-capacity bypass, the allocation suppression or exclusion of the corresponding elevator can be performed simultaneously.

[0085] As described above, the main technical point of this invention is to apply different full-occupancy detection criteria for robots and general passengers, thereby alleviating full-occupancy bypass for general passengers and preventing a decline in service efficiency.

[0086] 2. Limit the number of robots that can be served.

[0087] Furthermore, by limiting the number of robots that can be served by each elevator, this invention minimizes conflicts between ordinary passengers using elevators and robots, or between robots themselves, thereby preventing a decrease in the efficiency of elevator traffic handling and service delays within buildings.

[0088] Specifically, the present invention can consider manually or automatically detected traffic volume modes to set the maximum number of robots that can be served by each elevator. This maximum number can be requested and set from the robot system unit 10 to the group management unit 21, or it can be set automatically by the group management unit 21. In this case, the maximum number of robots that can be served in each mode can be set differently according to the elevator's operating mode.

[0089] Furthermore, the robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention presents a 'robot-only mode' and a 'shared ride mode' as an operating mode that can be used by robots. In this case, the limit on the number of robots in the robot-only mode can be set to be greater than the limit on the number of robots in the shared ride mode. That is, the elevator unit set in robot-only mode can be configured to accommodate (carry) more robots than the elevator unit set in shared ride mode.

[0090] As described above, with the maximum number of robots that can be served set for each unit of multiple elevators in the building, the group management unit 21 collects and analyzes in real time information such as elevator specifications (rated capacity and internal area), passenger load occupancy rate and / or space occupancy rate according to traffic volume detection modes (manual or automatic), robot load occupancy rate and / or space occupancy rate according to traffic volume detection modes (manual or automatic), floor instructions / car instructions registered in each elevator unit, number of robots and / or general passengers riding in each elevator unit, expected number of robots and / or general passengers riding according to the travel direction of each elevator unit, and specifications (volume, weight, etc.) of robots riding in or planned to ride in the elevator unit. This information allows the calculation of the 'rideable capacity', 'rideable space', and 'number of service robots' per floor along the travel path of the corresponding elevator unit.

[0091] Here, 'ride capacity' refers to the additional load that can be carried within an elevator unit, and 'ride space' refers to the additional space that can be occupied within an elevator unit. Furthermore, 'number of service robots' refers to the number of robots serving the elevator unit according to the current floor / car instructions, which can be calculated to include the number of robots riding in the corresponding unit and the number of robots waiting on the lift platform.

[0092] Furthermore, the aforementioned "based on traffic volume pattern" means that even under the same operating mode, the occupancy rate of elevator units can be set differently depending on the traffic volume pattern. For example, the specific traffic volume pattern within the building that varies according to time periods can be reflected in the elevator occupancy rate setting.

[0093] As a more specific example, passenger traffic volume varies depending on the time of day, such as rush hour, off-peak hours, and lunchtime. During rush hour, upward traffic is higher, while downward traffic is higher during off-peak hours. Traffic volume also varies depending on the direction of travel. As described above, this invention pre-knows and retains information on traffic volume patterns based on time period and direction of travel. Furthermore, it not only sets different occupancy rates for robots and general passengers, but also sets different occupancy rates according to traffic volume patterns, thereby enabling flexible operation of multiple elevators installed within a building.

[0094] As described above, the group management unit 21 of the present invention calculates the 'ride capacity', 'ride space' and 'number of service robots' of each floor on the travel path of the elevator unit operating in the building based on the above information, and can monitor them in real time.

[0095] In this state, when a robot request occurs, the group management unit 21 can select units that are configured in robot-only mode or shared-ride mode, and whose capacity and space in elevators serving the corresponding robot's departure and destination floors all meet the specifications of the requesting robot, thus initially forming an allocable candidate group. That is, considering the robot's specifications installed in multiple elevators within the building, a candidate group of units capable of accommodating the requesting robot is selected.

[0096] Furthermore, in the initially derived elevator unit candidate group, the group management unit 21 selects units whose expected number of service robots does not exceed the maximum number of robots that can be served according to the settings of each unit, one floor before the departure floor in the direction of travel of the robot currently requesting the call to its destination floor. This can then form an allocable elevator candidate group. Unlike ordinary passengers, robot calls are generated remotely through the system, so there is no need to worry about unexpected calls occurring midway. Therefore, the number of robots currently serving on the floor before the departure floor of the requesting robot can be predicted.

[0097] Furthermore, the group management unit 21 ultimately determines the most effective elevator in the reconstructed pool of allocable elevator units by executing its own established allocation algorithm, and assigns it to the robot that requests the call.

[0098] The group management unit 21 calculates the number of rideable robots by floor and by direction on the driving path based on the current status information, and can exclude the corresponding unit from the floor where the number of rideable robots is '0' and assign it to a new robot call.

[0099] As described above, the robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention can provide robot-linked elevator services. Each unit of multiple elevators installed in a building is configured with the maximum number of robots that can be served. The system knows the capacity, space available for riding, and number of service robots of each elevator unit operating in the building, and performs elevator allocation for robot calls based on this information. This allows for effective and flexible response to traffic patterns within the building without causing any inconvenience.

[0100] In addition, after initially extracting a candidate group of elevator units that meet the robot specifications, the present invention executes the corresponding algorithm on the units in which the number of robots in service does not exceed the maximum number of robots that can be served according to the unit settings. This has the advantage of being able to provide elevator services without error for a wide variety of robots with different specifications.

[0101] On the one hand, when the total number of robots currently in service in elevator units configured for robot use (i.e., elevator units configured for robot-only mode and shared-ride mode) is greater than or equal to a preset reference value, the corresponding elevator can exclude the allocation of newly generated robot calls. Here, 'currently in service' includes situations where services are being provided for floor / car commands called by robots; that is, it is interpreted as including not only situations where robots are already in the corresponding elevator unit, but also situations where elevator units are waiting to be allocated to a platform.

[0102] In addition, when the corresponding elevator unit completes a car instruction service for more than one floor or cancels a current floor instruction service request for more than one floor through a robot call, it can be set to be able to allocate newly entered robot calls.

[0103] That is, if the number of robots receiving services in a current elevator unit is detected, and the number of robots receiving instructions for this floor / car is detected to be above a preset value, the corresponding elevator unit will no longer be assigned to a new elevator unit.

[0104] Furthermore, when two or more robots receive calls for the same calling floor and / or destination floor, the number of robots assigned to the same elevator unit can be limited to a predetermined value, and the robots can be distributed among multiple units. In this case, considering the robot occupancy rate of each unit in the multiple elevators that can be assigned to the robot calls, priority can be assigned to units with lower occupancy rates, and the allocation can be implemented.

[0105] The robot-driven elevator system according to the present invention described above may include at least one processor capable of executing readable instructions on a computer. Furthermore, the present invention can be implemented as computer-readable code on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include all types of recording devices that store data readable by a computer system, such as ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage devices.

[0106] This invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, such modifications or variations should fall within the scope of the claims of this invention.

[0107] (Symbol Explanation)

[0108] 10: Robot System Unit

[0109] 20: Elevator System Unit

[0110] 21: Group Management Unit

[0111] 22: Control Unit

Claims

1. A robot-linked elevator system, comprising: robot; and An elevator, including units configured to serve the robot, When setting the elevator's occupancy rate, different occupancy rates are set for robots and for people. If the unit is set to robot-only mode, and can only serve calls made by the robot, then the robot's occupancy rate will be applied to the unit. If the unit is set to a general passenger-only mode, and can only serve the calls of the person, then the occupancy rate of the person will be applied to the unit; If the unit is set to a co-riding mode for both the robot and the person, and can serve calls from both the robot and the person, then the occupancy rate of the robot and the occupancy rate of the person will be applied to the unit simultaneously.

2. The robot-linked elevator system according to claim 1, wherein, The occupancy rate for the robot is set to be lower than the occupancy rate for the human.

3. The robot-linked elevator system according to claim 1, wherein, The elevators are configured in multiple ways. Among the multiple elevators, the unit set to the robot-specific mode is suitable for the robot's occupancy rate. Of the multiple elevators, the unit configured for the general passenger-only mode is suitable for the occupancy rate of the people. In the plurality of elevators, the unit configured for the shared ride mode is applicable to both the full occupancy rate for the robot and the full occupancy rate for the people.

4. The robot-linked elevator system according to claim 3, wherein, In the case of an elevator unit configured in the shared-ride mode, calls to the robot are assigned based on the robot's occupancy rate, and calls to the person are assigned based on the person's occupancy rate.

5. The robot-linked elevator system according to claim 1, wherein, When the elevator exceeds the full capacity set for each unit, it switches to full capacity and simultaneously allocates and suppresses or excludes newly occurring calls.

6. The robot-linked elevator system according to claim 3, wherein, The occupancy rate includes the load occupancy rate based on the passenger load inside the elevator car and the space occupancy rate based on the space occupancy rate of the passengers inside the elevator car. The load occupancy rate and the space occupancy rate are applied selectively or together to the multiple elevators.

7. The robot-linked elevator system according to claim 6, wherein, Elevator units configured for both robot-dedicated mode and shared-ride mode are configured with a maximum number of robots that can be served per unit.

8. The robot-linked elevator system according to claim 7, wherein, The maximum number of robots that can be served by an elevator unit set to the robot-dedicated mode is set to be greater than the maximum number of robots that can be served by an elevator unit set to the shared-ride mode.

9. The robot-linked elevator system according to claim 7 further includes: The group management unit selects and assigns any one of the multiple elevators to a robot's call request.

10. The robot-linked elevator system according to claim 9, wherein, The group management unit collects and analyzes in real time the elevator specifications, including the rated capacity and internal area of ​​the elevator, the full occupancy rate set for each unit of the multiple elevators, the call request information registered for each unit of the multiple elevators, and the number of passengers currently riding or expected to ride for each unit of the multiple elevators. This allows the unit to derive information about the number of service robots, including the load capacity that can be added to each unit of the multiple elevators, the available space that can be occupied, and the number of service robots serving the corresponding unit.

11. The robot-linked elevator system according to claim 10, wherein, When a call is made by the robot, the group management unit selects elevator units whose ride capacity and ride space meet the specifications of the robot requesting the call to initially form an allocatable candidate group. From the initial candidate group, it selects units whose number of service robots does not exceed the maximum number of service robots, and then forms another allocatable candidate group. An allocation algorithm is then applied to the re-formed candidate group to select any one of the units.

12. The robot-linked elevator system according to claim 7, wherein, If, in any of the multiple elevators, the number of robots currently being served in a particular unit exceeds the maximum number of robots that can be served in that unit, then the unit will be excluded from the allocation process for newly initiated robot calls.

13. The robot-linked elevator system according to claim 12, wherein, When two or more call inputs are for the same calling floor or the same destination floor, the number of robots assigned to the same elevator unit will be limited to a specified value and the robots will be distributed among multiple units.

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