Elevator system

Abstract

Provided is an elevator system that assists in guiding a user of an elevator to a target floor by a robot and efficiently implementing return of the robot. The elevator system is provided with an instruction unit that performs an instruction to cause the elevator to implement a robot-guiding dedicated operation for guiding the user to the target floor by the robot, and a control unit that performs control to move a car of the elevator to a boarding floor of the user and the robot in accordance with the instruction from the instruction unit, perform control to return the robot after the car reaches the target floor, and thereafter release the robot-guiding dedicated operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to elevator systems. Background Technology

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a system that uses a robot to guide elevator users to a target floor.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-162758

[0004] In the existing system described in Patent Document 1, the return of the robot after reaching the target layer is not considered. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure is intended to solve the aforementioned problems. The purpose of this disclosure is to assist in guiding elevator users to a target floor using a robot and to efficiently perform the robot's return journey.

[0006] The elevator system disclosed herein comprises: an instruction unit that instructs the elevator to perform a robot-guided dedicated operation, which guides the user of the elevator to a target floor via a robot; and a control unit that performs the following control: according to the instruction from the instruction unit, moves the elevator car to the floor where the user and the robot are boarding; after the car reaches the target floor, controls the return of the robot; and then cancels the robot-guided dedicated operation.

[0007] According to this disclosure, it is possible to assist in guiding elevator users to the target floor via a robot and to efficiently carry out the return of the robot. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing the structure of the elevator system according to Embodiment 1.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a hardware structure diagram showing a structural example of the main components of the elevator system according to Embodiment 1.

[0010] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of motion processing for robot-guided dedicated operation in Implementation 1.

[0011] Figure 4 It means Figure 3 The flowchart shows a specific example of the determination process in step S106.

[0012] Label Explanation

[0013] 101: Elevator control device; 101a: Robot-guided dedicated operation control unit; 102: Robot-guided dedicated operation indication unit; 101b: Robot-guided dedicated operation return car determination unit; 103: Elevator side server; 104: Robot control server; 105: Robot; 106: Car 1; 107: Car 2; 110a: Processor; 110b: Memory; 200: Dedicated hardware. Detailed Implementation

[0014] The embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, identical or equivalent parts are labeled with the same reference numerals. In this disclosure, repeated descriptions are appropriately simplified or omitted. Furthermore, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and variations thereof shown below. Any constituent elements described in the following embodiments and variations can be freely combined, modified, or omitted without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0015] Implementation Method 1

[0016] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the structure of the elevator system according to Embodiment 1. The elevator system of this embodiment guides users to their target floor using a robot 105. As an example, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the elevator system of this embodiment includes an elevator control device 101 and a robot-guided operation instruction unit 102. As an example, the elevator includes multiple cars, including a first car 106 and a second car 107.

[0017] The elevator control device 101 is a device for controlling the movement of the elevator. The robot-guided operation instruction unit 102 receives input from the user and instructs the elevator to perform robot-guided operation.

[0018] Robot-guided operation refers to the operation in which a robot 105 guides elevator users to a target floor. During robot-guided operation, the robot 105 accompanies the user in the elevator car. The robot-guided operation instruction unit 102 may consist of, for example, buttons installed at elevator landings, a dedicated terminal, or a portable terminal capable of communicating with the elevator. The robot-guided operation instruction unit 102 constitutes an example of the instruction unit of this disclosure.

[0019] In this embodiment, the elevator control device 101 includes a robot-guided dedicated operation control unit 101a. The robot-guided dedicated operation control unit 101a constitutes an example of the control unit of this disclosure. The robot-guided dedicated operation control unit 101a causes the elevator to perform robot-guided dedicated operation according to the instruction from the robot-guided dedicated operation instruction unit 102.

[0020] like Figure 1As shown, the elevator control device 101 may also include a robot-guided dedicated return car determination unit 101b. The robot-guided dedicated return car determination unit 101b performs determination processing for selecting the car to be used in the return of the robot 105, constituting an example of the determination unit of this disclosure. A detailed description of the determination processing of the robot-guided dedicated return car determination unit 101b will be given later.

[0021] The elevator control device 101 and the robot 105 can communicate with each other. Communication between the elevator control device 101 and the robot 105 can be direct, for example, or... Figure 1 As shown, this is done indirectly via the elevator-side server 103 and the robot control server 104. The elevator-side server 103 and the robot control server 104 are server devices used to collaboratively control the elevator and the robot 105.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a hardware structure diagram illustrating a structural example of the main components of the elevator system according to Embodiment 1. The functions of the elevator control device 101 and the robot-guided dedicated operation indicator 102, which are the main components of the elevator system, can be implemented by a processing circuit. The processing circuit includes at least one processor 110a and at least one memory 110b. The processing circuit may also include at least one dedicated hardware 200, either together with or as a replacement for the processor 110a and memory 110b. The processing circuit may be mounted, for example, on equipment or devices constituting the elevator system.

[0023] When the processing circuit includes a processor 110a and a memory 110b, the functions of the elevator control device 101 and the robot-guided dedicated operation instruction unit 102 are implemented by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. At least one of the software and firmware is described as a program. This program is stored in the memory 110b. The processor 110a implements the functions of the elevator system by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 110b. The program implementing the functions of the elevator system may also be a software package containing multiple software programs applied to multiple computers, etc.

[0024] The processor 110a is also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit), processing device, arithmetic device, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP. The memory 110b is composed of non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memories such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, and EEPROM.

[0025] When the processing circuit has dedicated hardware 200, the processing circuit is implemented, for example, by a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmable processor, a parallel programmable processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof.

[0026] Each function of the elevator system can be implemented separately through processing circuits. Alternatively, each function of the elevator system can also be implemented uniformly through processing circuits. Regarding the functions of the elevator system, some can be implemented by dedicated hardware 200, while others can be implemented by software or firmware. In this way, the processing circuits implement the functions of the elevator system through dedicated hardware 200, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0027] The elevator control device 101 and the robot-guided operation instruction unit 102 constituting the elevator system can be installed in the building where the elevator is installed, or at least part of them can be installed on the exterior of the building. At least part of the functions of the elevator control device 101 and the robot-guided operation instruction unit 102 can be located on a network, for example, they can be installed on a cloud server.

[0028] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of motion processing for robot-guided dedicated operation in Embodiment 1. First, it is determined whether an instruction to perform robot-guided dedicated operation has been issued by the robot-guided dedicated operation instruction unit 102 (step S101). The determination process in step S101 is continuously performed by the robot-guided dedicated operation control unit 101a.

[0029] When there is an instruction to implement robot-guided dedicated operation, the robot-guided dedicated operation control unit 101a switches the operation mode of the specified car, such as the first car 106, to the robot-guided dedicated operation mode (step S102).

[0030] The first car 106, switched to robot-guided dedicated operation mode, moves to the designated floor (the landing floor) for the user and robot 105 to take the elevator (step S103). Furthermore, at this time, it can be configured so that no new landing call registrations can be made to the first car 106, which has switched to robot-guided dedicated operation mode. For example, if the first car 106 has already been assigned landing calls by other users at the time it switched to robot-guided dedicated operation mode, the assignment of those landing calls can be immediately changed to another car. Alternatively, the first car 106 can move to the landing floor for the user and robot 105 after responding to all other users' calls.

[0031] In step S103, after the first car 106 arrives at the floor where the user and robot 105 are boarding, the user and robot 105 board the first car 106 (step S104). The robot 105 typically waits at a designated standby position near the elevator floor. When the elevator control device 101 begins a robot-guided operation, it outputs an instruction to the robot 105 to allow the user to accompany them. Upon receiving this instruction, the standby robot 105 moves to the floor and boards the first car 106 with the user. At this time, the robot 105 can also use its monitor or speaker to notify those around it that a robot-guided operation is in progress.

[0032] In step S104, after the user and robot 105 board the first elevator car 106, the first elevator car 106 moves to the target floor (step S105). When the target floor is reached, the user disembarks.

[0033] After the first elevator car 106, in which the user and robot 105 are riding, arrives at the target floor, the robot-guided dedicated operation control unit 101a controls the return of the robot 105. Then, after controlling the return of the robot 105, the robot-guided dedicated operation control unit 101a controls the cancellation of the dedicated robot-guided operation. By performing this control, the elevator system of this embodiment can assist in guiding the elevator user to the target floor via the robot 105 and efficiently performing the return of the robot 105.

[0034] Controls for the return robot 105 can include, for example, "moving the robot 105 to a designated standby floor while it is still in the first car 106", "moving the robot 105 to a standby position set as the target floor", "moving the robot 105 to a standby floor using a second car 107 different from the first car 106 used to move it to the target floor", and "moving the robot 105 to a standby position or standby floor using any other transfer unit".

[0035] exist Figure 3 In the example shown, the first control and the second control are selectively executed. In the first control, after the first car 106 carrying the user and robot 105 arrives at the target floor, the first car 106 is moved to the standby floor. In the second control, a second car 107, different from the first car 106 carrying the user and robot 105, is moved to the target floor, and the robot 105 is moved to the standby floor by riding in the second car 107. An example of the execution of these first and second controls will be described below.

[0036] When the first car 106 carrying the user and robot 105 arrives at the target floor, the robot-guided dedicated return car determination unit 101b described above performs a determination process to select the car for the return of robot 105. Specifically, it determines whether to use the first car 106 carrying robot 105 for the return or to use the second car 107, which is another car, for the return (step S106). A specific example of this determination process in step S106 will be described later with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] When the second car 107 is used for return travel, the robot-guided dedicated operation control unit 101a instructs the robot 105 to descend from the first car 106, switches the second car 107 to robot-guided dedicated operation mode, and calls the second car 107 to the floor where the robot 105 descended, i.e., the target floor (step S107). At this point, the robot-guided dedicated operation control unit 101a deactivates the robot-guided dedicated operation mode of the first car 106, and the first car 106 returns to its normal operation mode. Furthermore, as described above, the second car 107 in robot-guided dedicated operation mode can be configured to prevent new floor call registrations. If, at the time the second car 107 is switched to robot-guided dedicated operation mode, another user's floor call has already been assigned to the second car 107, the assignment of that user's floor call can be immediately changed to another car. Alternatively, after responding to all calls from other users, the second car 107 can be driven to the floor where the robot 105 is to be returned.

[0038] When the second car 107 arrives in step S107, the robot 105 rides in the second car 107 and moves to the designated floor, the waiting floor (step S108). Upon reaching the waiting floor, the robot 105 disembarks from the second car 107, the robot guidance dedicated operation control unit 101a is deactivated and the robot guidance dedicated operation ends, and the second car 107 returns to its normal operation mode (step S109). By using the second car 107, which is different from the first car 106 that the robot 105 rides to the target floor, for return trips, other users waiting at the target floor station can immediately ride in the first car 106, thus improving user convenience.

[0039] When the first car 106 is used for return travel, the robot guidance dedicated operation control unit 101a instructs the robot 105 to maintain its position in the first car 106, causing the first car 106 to move to the designated floor, i.e., the waiting floor (step S110). By directly using the first car 106, which the robot 105 is in on the target floor, for return travel, the robot 105 does not need to disembark, thus enabling efficient return travel. Upon reaching the waiting floor, the robot 105 disembarks from the first car 106, the robot guidance dedicated operation control unit 101a releases and terminates the robot guidance dedicated operation, and the first car 106 returns to its normal operation mode (step S109).

[0040] Figure 4 It means Figure 3 The flowchart shows a specific example of the determination process in step S106. When the first car 106 arrives at the target floor (step S201), the robot-guided dedicated return car determination unit 101b determines whether a call to use the target floor as the boarding floor has been registered (step S202). If a call to use the target floor has been registered, the second car 107, which is different from the first car 106 that the robot 105 is riding in, is determined as the return car, so that the user can directly use the already arrived first car 106 (step S203). If no call to use the target floor has been registered, the first car 106 that the robot 105 is riding in is determined as the return car, so that the robot 105 can return while still riding in the first car 106 (step S204). By automatically selecting the car for the robot 105's return based on whether a call to use the target floor has been registered, both the convenience of the user and the efficiency of the robot 105's return operation can be improved.

Claims

1. An elevator system comprising: An instruction unit that instructs the elevator to perform a robot-guided dedicated operation, which guides the elevator user to a target floor via a robot; and The control unit performs the following control: according to the instruction from the instruction unit, it moves the elevator car to the floor where the user and the robot are riding; after the car carrying the user and the robot reaches the target floor, it controls the return of the robot; and then it releases the robot guidance operation.

2. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein, As a control for returning the robot, the control unit performs the following control: after the car carrying the user and the robot arrives at the target floor, the car moves to the standby floor.

3. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein, As a control for returning the robot, the control unit performs the following control: moves a car different from the car in which the user and the robot are riding to the target floor, and then moves the robot, after arriving at the target floor, to the standby floor in the different car.

4. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein, As control for returning the robot, the control unit can selectively execute a first control and a second control. The first control is to move the elevator car carrying the user and the robot to a standby floor after the car arrives at the target floor. The second control is to move a different elevator car than the one carrying the user and the robot to the target floor, so that the robot, after arriving at the target floor, can use this different elevator car to move to the standby floor. The first control is executed if the user and the robot do not register a call for the elevator at the target floor when they arrive at the target floor. The second control is executed if the user and the robot have registered a call for the elevator with the target floor as the boarding floor when they arrive at the target floor.

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