Elevator system and control method thereof

Abstract

An elevator system is disclosed. The elevator system includes: an imaging unit configured to distinguish, detect, and track objects in an elevator car; and a controller configured to control and manage an operation of the elevator based on information on whether an object is in the elevator car, the information being received from the imaging unit, and when the object tracked by the imaging unit is occluded and cannot be detected in the image, the image is captured by the imaging unit. The determination as to whether the object is in the elevator car is corrected based on the additional information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an elevator system and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] An elevator includes an elevator car, a hoist machine, and a power transmission member, wherein the elevator car is configured to move in a vertical direction along a hoistway formed inside a building, the hoist machine is configured to generate power to lift the elevator car, and the power transmission member transmits the power of the hoist machine to the elevator car.

[0003] The elevator car travels along a hoistway formed inside a building in a vertical direction. A motor, a crane, and similar components for generating power are installed to raise or lower the elevator car. One or more elevators installed inside a building can be controlled and managed as a whole.

[0004] Such elevators enable non-robotic and / or robotic objects, such as people, cargo, animals, plants, and the like, to be moved vertically within a building.

[0005] In recent years, robots have been used to provide various services. However, since commercially available robots can move horizontally but are not designed to move in the vertical direction, means for moving between floors in a building are required.

[0006] Therefore, various technologies for interlocking control between the robot and the elevator are developed to allow the robot to enter the elevator and travel between floors in the building.

[0007] In particular, in order to control an object (eg, a robot and the like) to move smoothly between floors using an elevator in a building, information about whether the object is in the elevator car is important.

[0008] (Prior art reference)

[0009] Korean Patent Early Publication No. 10-2022-0139528 Summary of the invention

[0010] Technical issues

[0011] One aspect of the present invention provides an elevator system that can improve the reliability of information on whether an object is in an elevator car.

[0012] Technical Solutions

[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elevator system, comprising: an imaging unit configured to distinguish, detect and track objects in an elevator car; and a controller configured to control and manage the operation of the elevator based on information about whether the object is in the elevator car, the information being received from the imaging unit, wherein when the object tracked by the imaging unit is obscured in the image and cannot be detected, the judgment about whether the object is in the elevator car is corrected based on additional information.

[0014] The additional information may include at least one of the following information: information about whether the door of the elevator car is open, weight changes within the elevator car, short-range signals sent from the object, position signals sent from the object, monitoring information about the travel path of the object, and destination information of the object.

[0015] The objects may include robotics or non-robotics.

[0016] Image information may be given priority when the object tracked by the imaging unit in the elevator car is not obscured by another object in the image or is only obscured for a short period of time within a preset value such that it is determined that the imaging unit continues to track the object.

[0017] In the case where it is determined that the object is in the elevator car, when the door of the elevator car has never been opened, it can be determined that the object is in the elevator car even when the object is obscured in the image and cannot be detected.

[0018] The elevator system may further include at least one weight sensor, which is arranged in a plurality of partitions into which the floor of the elevator car is divided, wherein a judgment as to whether the object is in the elevator car is made based on an increase or decrease in weight in each partition by designating a partition in which the object already exists ("designated partition").

[0019] When the weight of the designated zone decreases within a tolerance preset as a value of the weight of the object and there is no corresponding weight increase in another zone, it may be determined that the object has descended from the elevator car.

[0020] When the position signal transmitted from the object continues for a preset period of time or longer, the position signal transmitted from the object may be used alone or in combination with other additional information to determine whether the object is in the elevator car.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling an elevator system, the method comprising: determining whether an object is blocked in an image; and using additional information to improve the reliability of the determination.

[0022] The additional information may include information about whether a door of the elevator car is open, and the method may further include: determining whether the object was in the elevator car before being blocked in the image; and determining whether the door of the elevator car was ever opened.

[0023] The additional information may include weight changes within the elevator car, and the method may further include determining whether there is a weight reduction in a designated zone; and determining whether there is a corresponding weight increase in a zone other than the designated zone.

[0024] The additional information may include a position signal sent from the object, and the method may further include: determining whether the object was in the elevator car before being obscured in the image; and determining whether the position signal sent from the object continues in the elevator car for a preset time period or longer.

[0025] Beneficial Effects

[0026] According to the present invention, even when the object is blocked in the image and cannot be detected, the elevator system can still improve the reliability of the judgment as to whether the object is in the elevator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of robots and non-robotics in an elevator car.

[0028] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an elevator system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 3 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an interior image of an elevator car recognized by the image recognition device.

[0030] Figure 4 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of another example of an interior image of an elevator car recognized by the image recognition device.

[0031] Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart showing a method for controlling an elevator system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figures 6 to 8 is a schematic flow chart showing an example of steps embodying “using additional information to improve the reliability of judgment”. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention can be applied to the fields of robot control and elevator control in various ways. In addition, it should be understood that the following embodiments can be modified into various forms and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 1 An elevator car (10) is schematically shown, with a robot (20) and a non-robot (30) (eg, a human) in the elevator car (10).

[0035] Reference Figure 1 The elevator system according to the present invention may include an elevator car (10) that allows not only a robot (20) but also non-robots (30) (e.g., humans, goods, animals, or plants) to enter the elevator car (10). The robot (20) may include a service robot configured to provide service to at least one floor in a building.

[0036] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of an elevator system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 According to this embodiment, the elevator system includes an imaging unit (100) and a controller (200).

[0037] The imaging unit (100) may include an image recognition device configured to photograph the interior of the elevator car (10), such as a camera, a closed circuit television (CCTV), and similar image recognition devices. The imaging unit (100) may be configured to distinguish, detect, and identify one or more objects (300) in the elevator car (10) by calculating image information about the interior of the elevator car (10) recognized by the image recognition device. The object (300) may include a robot (20) and a non-robot (30), such as a person, cargo, animal, plant, and similar objects. The imaging unit (100) may improve its ability to distinguish and detect the object (300) through machine learning.

[0038] The imaging unit (100) can track at least one object identified by the imaging unit (100). The object under tracking by the imaging unit can be visually displayed in an image. A manager (human) can identify the object under tracking by the imaging unit through visual indications in the image. The imaging unit (100) can send identification and tracking information about the object (300) to the controller (200) in real time.

[0039] When the object (300) is a mechanical device (e.g., a robot), the object (300) may send a short-range signal, such as a radio signal or the like, to an image recognition device in the elevator car (10). The imaging unit (100) may be configured to determine whether the object (300) is in the elevator car (10) based on the short-range signal received by the image recognition device.

[0040] The controller (200) may be configured to control and manage the overall operation of one or more elevators installed in a building. The controller (200) may send control signals to the imaging unit (100) and the object (300) (e.g., a robot and the like). The controller (200) may perform group management of the elevators. The controller (200) may include a terminal, a monitoring panel, and the like that perform monitoring of the elevators.

[0041] When the object (300) is a mechanical device (such as a robot and the like), the object (300) may send a position signal to the controller (200). The controller (200) may monitor the travel path of the object (300) based on the position signal sent from the object (300). The controller (200) may determine whether the object (300) is in the elevator. In addition, when the object (300) is a mechanical device (such as a robot and the like), the destination information of the object (300) may be sent to the controller (200).

[0042] The controller (200) can receive information sent from the imaging unit (100) regarding whether an object has entered, and can control and manage the operation of the elevator based on the received information. Specifically, the controller (200) can use the information to determine whether the door of the elevator car (10) is open or closed.

[0043] The controller (200) can determine whether the object (300) is in the elevator based on information about the position of the object (300) (hereinafter referred to as "position signal information") and information about whether the object (300) has entered (hereinafter referred to as "image information") sent from the imaging unit (100), wherein the information about the position of the object (300) is basically determined by the position signal sent from the object (300).

[0044] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an example of an interior image of an elevator car recognized by an image recognition device, and Figure 4 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of another example of an interior image of an elevator car recognized by the image recognition device.

[0045] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4, the objects (300) tracked by the imaging unit (100) include four persons (30) and a robot (20). Figure 3 In the above, since all non-robots (30) and robots (20) present in the elevator car are detected in the image, high reliability can be given to the image information. However, if some of the objects (300) such as Figure 4 If the robot (20) is generally obscured in the image, it may be unclear whether the robot (20) is in the elevator car but is obscured by the person (30), or it may be unclear whether the robot (20) cannot be detected in the image because the robot (20) has come down from the elevator car.

[0046] Therefore, in some cases, the priority of the image information may be determined to determine whether the object (300) is in the elevator car, or the additional information may be used to correct the judgment result to improve the reliability of the judgment on whether the object (300) is in the elevator car. Next, this configuration will be discussed in more detail.

[0047] Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of a method for controlling an elevator system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] Reference Figure 5 According to this embodiment, the control method includes the following steps: determining whether the object (300) is blocked in the image (S110); determining that the object (300) is in the elevator car (10) (S120); using additional information to improve the reliability of the determination (S130); determining whether the additional information enables determination of whether the object (300) is in the elevator car (10) (S140); determining that the object (300) is in the elevator car (10) (S150); and determining that the object (300) is not in the elevator car (10) (S160).

[0049] (1) Step (S110) of determining whether the object (300) is blocked in the image

[0050] When it can be determined that the imaging unit (100) continues to track the object (300) (the first case), the image information can be given a high reliability. Here, the first case may include, for example, a situation where the object (300) tracked by the imaging unit (100) in the elevator car (10) is not blocked by another object in the image or is only blocked for a short period of time within a preset value, such as Figure 3 as shown in .

[0051] In the first case, the image information is prioritized to determine that the object (300) is in the elevator car (10) based on the image information even if the position signal information of the object (300) is not captured or is captured outside the corresponding elevator (S120).

[0052] When it is determined that the object (300) tracked by the imaging unit (100) is not detected in the image (second case), it may be unclear whether the object (300) is in the elevator car (10). Here, the second case may include, for example, a situation in which the object (300) tracked by the imaging unit (100) in the elevator car (10) is blocked by another object in the image for a period of time exceeding a preset value, such as Figure 4 as shown in .

[0053] In the second case, it may be uncertain whether the object (300) is in the elevator car (10) but is blocked by another object, or whether the object (300) has come down from the elevator car and is not present in the elevator car. Therefore, in this case, the judgment reliability can be improved by correcting using additional information (S130).

[0054] When the additional information does not allow the determination of whether the object (300) is in the elevator car (10) (S140), the operation of improving the reliability of the determination is repeated using the additional information. When the additional information enables the determination of whether the object (300) is in the elevator car (10) (S140), the determination of whether the object (300) is in the elevator car (10) is performed (S150).

[0055] Additional information for improving the reliability of the judgment may include at least one of the following information: 1) information on whether the door of the elevator car (10) is open, 2) weight changes within the elevator car (10), 3) short-range signals sent from the object (300), 4) position signals sent from the object (300), 5) monitoring information on the travel path of the object (300), and 6) destination information of the object (300).

[0056] 1) Is the door of the corresponding elevator car (10) open?

[0057] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of an example of the step of "using additional information to improve the reliability of judgment (S130)". Figure 6 When the additional information relates to "whether the door of the elevator car (10) is open", the method according to the embodiment of the present invention may also include a step (S210) of determining whether the object (300) was in the elevator car (10) before being obscured in the image and a step (S220) of determining whether the door of the elevator car (10) has been opened.

[0058] When it is determined based on the position signal information and the image information that the object (300) was in the elevator car (10) before being obscured in the image (S210), and when it is determined that the door of the elevator car (10) has never been opened (S220), it is possible to determine that the object (300) is in the elevator car (10) (S120) even when the object (300) is obscured in the image and cannot be detected.

[0059] When it is not possible to determine based on the position signal information and the image information that the object (300) was in the elevator car (10) before being blocked in the image (S210), other additional information can be used to improve the reliability of the determination (S130).

[0060] In the case where it is determined based on the position signal information and the image information that the object (300) was in the elevator car (10) before being blocked in the image (S210), when it is determined that the door of the elevator car (10) is opened (S220), there is a possibility that the object (300) has already gotten off the elevator car (10). In addition, when the door of the elevator car (10) is in an open state, the object (300) may continue to be in the elevator car (10), or may be in a state of getting off the elevator car (10) or having already gotten off the elevator car (10).

[0061] Therefore, when it is determined based on the position signal information and the image information that the object (300) was in the elevator car (10) before being obscured in the image (S210), when it is determined that the door of the elevator car (10) is open or in an open state (S220), additional information is required to determine whether the object (300) is in the elevator car (10) and the current state of the object (300) (S220).

[0062] 2) Corresponding to the weight change in the elevator car (10)

[0063] When the object (300) has come down from the object (300), the weight in the elevator car (10) can be reduced by the weight of the object (300). Therefore, it can be judged based on this result whether the object (300) is in the elevator car.

[0064] Generally speaking, when an object (300) is occluded by another object, since the object (300) is almost motionless due to the presence of a large number of people, robots, and similar objects in the elevator car, there is a high probability that the object (300) is still in the partition where the object (300) was located before it was occluded in the image.

[0065] The floor of an elevator car (10) may be divided into a plurality of partitions. Each of the plurality of partitions may be provided with at least one weight sensor. By means of the weight sensor provided in each partition, the controller (200) may specify a partition in which an object (300) was located before being blocked in an image (hereinafter referred to as a "specified partition"). Then, the controller (200) may determine whether the object (300) is in the elevator car (10) based on an increase or decrease in weight in each partition.

[0066] Specifically, if the object (300) tracked by the imaging unit is a mechanical device (e.g., a robot and the like), the weight of the object (300) can be known in advance. Therefore, when the weight of the designated partition decreases within a tolerance preset as the value of the weight of the object (300), it can be determined that the object (300) has moved from the designated partition, and when there is no corresponding weight increase in another partition, it can be determined that the object (300) has descended from the corresponding elevator car (10).

[0067] A pre-installed load cell may also be used to measure the internal weight of the elevator car (10).

[0068] Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart of an example of the step of "using additional information to improve the reliability of judgment (S130)". Figure 7 When the additional information relates to "weight change in the corresponding elevator car (10)", the method according to the embodiment of the present invention may also include a step of determining whether there is a weight reduction in the "specified partition" (S310) and a step of determining whether there is a corresponding weight increase in a partition other than the "specified partition" (S320).

[0069] When it is determined that there is a weight reduction in the "specified partition" (S310) and there is no corresponding weight increase in partitions other than the "specified partition" (S320), it can be determined that the object (300) is not in the elevator car (10) (S160).

[0070] When it is determined that there is a weight reduction in the "specified partition" (S310) and a corresponding weight increase in a partition other than the "specified partition" (S320), since it is not known whether the object (300) has only changed its position in the elevator car (10) or has come down from the elevator car (10), the reliability of the judgment can be improved by using additional information (S130).

[0071] If there is no weight reduction in the "specified partition" (S310), the judgment reliability may be improved by additional information (S130).

[0072] 3) Short range signal from object (300).

[0073] When the object (300) is a mechanical device (such as a robot and the like), the object (300) can send a short-range signal, such as a radio signal and the like. The short-range signal sent from the object (300) can be received by an image recognition device installed inside the elevator car (10) to determine whether the object (300) is in the elevator car (10).

[0074] 4) Position signal sent from object (300)

[0075] Figure 8 is a schematic flow chart of an example of the step of "using additional information to improve the reliability of judgment (S130)". Figure 8 When the additional information is a position signal sent from the object (300), the method according to the embodiment of the present invention may also include a step (S210) of determining whether the object (300) was in the elevator car (10) before being blocked in the image, and a step (S510) of determining whether the position signal sent from the object (300) has been in the elevator car (10) for a preset time period or longer.

[0076] In a case where it is determined based on the position signal information and the image information that the object (300) was already in the elevator car (10) before being obscured in the image (S210), when the controller (200) recognizes that the position signal sent from the object (300) continues in the elevator car (10) for a preset time period or longer time period (S510), even when the object (300) is obscured in the image and cannot be detected, it can still be determined that the object (300) is in the corresponding elevator car (10) (S120).

[0077] When it is determined based on the position signal information and the image information that the object (300) was in the elevator car (10) before being obscured in the image (S210), when the controller (200) recognizes that the position signal sent from the object (300) has not been in the elevator car (10) for a preset time period or longer time period (S510), other additional information can be used to improve the reliability of the judgment (S130).

[0078] When it is determined based on the position signal information and the image information that the object (300) was not in the elevator car (10) before being blocked in the image (S210), other additional information can be used to improve the reliability of the determination (S130).

[0079] Even when the object (300) is blocked and cannot be detected in the image of the elevator car (10) with the door open, the position signal sent from the object (300) can still indicate that the object (300) is getting off the elevator car (10). Then, the possibility that the object (300) is getting off the corresponding elevator car (10) is high.

[0080] Therefore, when the position signal sent from the object (300) continues for a preset period of time or longer, the position signal sent from the object (300) can be used alone or in combination with other additional information to determine whether the object (300) is in the elevator car.

[0081] 5) Monitoring information about the path of the object (300)

[0082] The controller (200) can monitor the travel path of the object (300) based on the position signal sent from the object (300). With reference to the monitoring information about the travel path of the object (300) generated by the controller (200), it can be determined whether the object (300) has come down from the corresponding elevator car (10) or is still in the elevator car (10).

[0083] 6) Destination information of the object (300)

[0084] When the object (300) is a mechanical device (such as a robot or the like), the destination information of the object (300) can be sent to the controller (200). With reference to the destination information of the object (300), it can be determined whether the object (300) has come down from the corresponding elevator car (10) or is still in the elevator car (10).

[0085] According to the present invention, when an object (300) tracked by an imaging unit (100) is blocked in an image and cannot be detected, a controller (200) can correct an error in providing information that determines that the object (300) is not in the elevator car (10) even if the object (300) is actually in the elevator car (10). Even when an object (300) tracked by an imaging unit (100) is blocked in an image and cannot be detected, the elevator system can still improve the reliability of the judgment on whether the object (300) is in the elevator car (10).

[0086] Although certain embodiments have been described herein, it will be apparent that these embodiments have been presented by way of example only and that various modifications, changes, and alterations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0087] [Explanation of Symbols]

[0088] 10: Elevator car 20: Robot

[0089] 30: Non-Robotic 100: Imaging Unit

[0090] 200: Controller 300: Object

Claims

1. An elevator system, comprising: an imaging unit configured to distinguish, detect and track objects in the elevator car; as well as a controller configured to control and manage the operation of the elevator based on information regarding whether the object is in the elevator car, the information being received from the imaging unit, Wherein when the object tracked by the imaging unit is obscured in the image and cannot be detected, the determination as to whether the object is in the elevator car is corrected based on additional information.

2. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein the additional information includes at least one of the following information: information about whether the door of the elevator car is open, weight changes in the elevator car, a short-range signal sent from the object, a position signal sent from the object, monitoring information about the travel path of the object, and destination information of the object.

3. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a robot or a non-robot.

4. An elevator system according to claim 1, wherein image information is given priority when the object tracked by the imaging unit in the elevator car is not obscured by another object in the image or is only obscured for a short period of time within a preset value so that it is determined that the imaging unit continues to track the object.

5. An elevator system according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where it has been determined that the object is in the elevator car, when the door of the elevator car has never been opened, the object is still determined to be in the elevator car even when the object is obscured in the image and cannot be detected.

6. The elevator system according to claim 1, further comprising: at least one weight sensor is disposed in a plurality of partitions divided on the floor of the elevator car, Wherein a judgment as to whether the object is in the elevator car is made based on an increase or decrease in weight in each of the plurality of partitions by specifying a partition in which the object already exists among the plurality of partitions ("specified partition").

7. An elevator system according to claim 6, wherein when the weight of the designated zone decreases within a tolerance preset as the value of the weight of the object and there is no corresponding weight increase in another zone among the multiple zones, it is determined that the object has descended from the elevator car.

8. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein when the position signal sent from the object continues for a preset time period or longer, the position signal sent from the object is used alone or in combination with other additional information to determine whether the object is in the elevator car.

9. A method for controlling an elevator system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising: Determine whether the object is occluded in the image; as well as Use additional information to improve judgment reliability.

10. The method for controlling the elevator system according to claim 9, further comprising: determining whether the object was already in the elevator car before being obscured in the image; as well as determining whether the door of the elevator car is open, The additional information includes information on whether the door of the elevator car is open.

11. The method for controlling the elevator system according to claim 9, further comprising: determining whether there is a weight reduction in the specified partition; as well as determining whether there is a corresponding weight increase in a partition other than the specified partition, The additional information includes weight changes within the elevator car.

12. The method for controlling the elevator system according to claim 9, further comprising: determining whether the object was already in the elevator car before being obscured in the image; as well as determining whether the position signal sent from the object continues in the elevator car for a preset period of time or longer, The additional information includes the position signal sent from the object.

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