Control device, basket position determination method, and elevator

Abstract

To determine a basket position using an UWB (Ultra-Wide Band) radio communication.SOLUTION: A monitoring device 203 cannot surely grasp a basket position because there is a case in which no information is obtained from a control board 104 when an elevator is relatively old. The basket position is determined using an UWB (ULTRA-Wide Band) radio communication in such case. Specifically, a communication instrument with the illustration not shown is installed on the uppers side in a hoistway, the distance from the communication instrument to the basket is measured using the frequency bandwidth of an ultra-wideband, and the basket position is determined based on the measured distance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device that controls operations performed by an elevator occupant in the elevator car by remote control instructions, and also to a car position specifying method for specifying the car position, and an elevator. [Background technology]

[0002] In the elevator car, a user (passenger) can operate the car, such as moving the car or opening and closing the doors, by operating, i.e., pressing or touching, operation buttons provided inside the car.

[0003] Specifically, the car can be moved to the desired floor by pressing or touching the button with the desired floor number inside the car. In this way, to move the car to the desired floor, the passenger must enter the car and operate the operation button inside the car. In addition, the door opening can be extended by pressing or touching the "open" button. In addition, the door can be closed by pressing or touching the "close" button.

[0004] Recently, there is a technique for using a self-propelled robot to transport luggage or the like by having the robot get into an elevator together with a passenger and move between floors of a building (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 4 below). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-83144 A [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2022-95724 [Patent Document 3] International Publication No. 2019 / 193718 [Patent Document 4] International Publication No. 2019 / 193718 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, since it is difficult for a robot to operate the operation buttons, in order to move the robot to the desired floor, it is necessary to replace the conventional elevator control panel with a control panel compatible with the robot or to improve the control panel to be compatible with the robot. Then, the replaced or improved robot control panel receives the movement request from the robot and controls the movement of the car.

[0007] This posed a problem in that it required a lot of time and money to carry out work such as replacing and upgrading the control panels for each elevator that the robot would enter.

[0008] In order to solve the problems associated with the prior art described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a control device that can more simply and inexpensively realize an elevator that enables the use of a self-propelled robot. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the control device of the present invention is a control device that controls operations performed by a user inside an elevator car by remote operation instructions, and is characterized in that a branch wiring is connected to each existing wiring between each operation button provided in the car and an operation panel that receives the operation signals of each operation button, and based on information regarding the operation instruction of the operation button received by a receiving unit of the elevator from an external device via wireless communication, it transmits an operation signal to the operation panel using the branch wiring corresponding to the operation instruction.

[0010] In addition, the control device of the present invention is a control device that controls operations performed by a user inside an elevator car by remote operation instructions, and has a connector provided between each operation button provided inside the car and an operation panel that receives operation signals from each operation button, and is characterized in that, based on information regarding an operation instruction for the operation button received by a receiving unit of the elevator from an external device via wireless communication, the control device uses the connector to transmit an operation signal for the operation button corresponding to the operation instruction to the operation panel.

[0011] In addition, the control device of the present invention is a control device that controls operations performed by a user in an elevator car by remote operation instructions, and is characterized in that it has a pressing mechanism that individually presses each operation button provided near each operation button provided in the car, and based on information regarding an operation instruction for one of the operation buttons received by a receiving unit of the elevator from an external device via wireless communication, the pressing mechanism presses the operation button corresponding to the operation instruction.

[0012] In addition, the control device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the external device is a server provided at a location remote from the elevator. In addition, the control device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the external device is a monitoring device provided in the vicinity of the elevator and monitoring the elevator. In addition, the control device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the external device is an autonomously traveling robot that utilizes the elevator.

[0013] In addition, the car position identification method of the present invention is characterized in that it utilizes the ultra-wideband frequency bandwidth of radio waves emitted from a communication device that performs UWB (Ultra-Wide Band) wireless communication installed in the elevator shaft to measure the distance from the communication device to the car, and identifies the position of the car in the shaft based on the measured distance. In addition, the elevator of the present invention is characterized in that a communication device that performs UWB (Ultra-Wide Band) wireless communication is installed within the elevator shaft, and the distance from the communication device to the car is measured using the ultra-wideband frequency bandwidth of the radio waves emitted from the communication device, and the position of the car in the elevator shaft is identified based on the measured distance.

[0014] In the case of a relatively new elevator, the monitoring device can obtain information from the control panel, and the monitoring device 203 can grasp the car position, i.e., where the car is located in the elevator shaft, based on the obtained information. However, in the case of a relatively old elevator, there are cases where information cannot be obtained from the control panel, and the monitoring device cannot reliably grasp the car position. In such cases, the car position can be identified using UWB (Ultra-Wide Band) wireless communication. Specifically, a communication device (not shown) is installed at the top of the elevator shaft, and the distance from the communication device to the car is measured by using an ultra-wideband frequency bandwidth, and the car position can be identified based on the measured distance. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the control device of the present invention, an elevator that enables the use of a self-propelled robot can be realized more simply and inexpensively with minimal improvements to existing elevator systems. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of elevator car movement control. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an elevator car movement control system including the on-car control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a robot. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the robot. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a server in the elevator car movement control system. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a monitoring device in the elevator car movement control system. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of the on-car control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a partial configuration of an elevator car movement control system including an on-car control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a control device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of elevator car movement control. In Fig. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes an operation button provided in the elevator car where passengers get on, reference numeral 102 denotes an in-car operation panel provided in the car, reference numeral 103 denotes a car control board provided on the car, and reference numeral 104 denotes a control panel provided in the elevator machine room or the like.

[0019] Operation buttons 101 are usually provided on both sides of the door inside the elevator car or on the wall of the car at a predetermined height where an occupant of the car can operate them. Operation buttons 101 are composed of buttons indicating the number of a floor (desired floor) to which the passenger wishes to move (go up or down). In FIG. 1, a five-story building is assumed, and five buttons "1" to "5" corresponding to each floor (first floor to fifth floor) are provided as operation buttons 101. Although not shown in the figure, in addition to the five buttons "1" to "5", buttons such as an "open" button and a "close" button for opening and closing the door may also be provided.

[0020] Each of buttons "1" to "5" is connected to the car-mounted operation panel 102 via signal lines 111 to 115, respectively, and when each button is operated (for example, touched or pressed), the button operation signal (car call signal) is input in parallel to the car-mounted operation panel 102 via one of the signal lines 111 to 115 corresponding to each button.

[0021] The car internal operation panel 102 is provided in the elevator car. Specifically, for example, it is provided at a position outside the car from the inner wall surface of the car, such as behind the operation buttons 101, and not visible to users. The car internal operation panel 102 receives operation signals of each button of the operation buttons 101 via signal lines 111-115.

[0022] The car internal operation panel 102 and the car control board 103 are connected by a wired signal line 116. Signal exchange between the car internal operation panel 102 and the car control board 103 is not limited to wired (signal line 116) and may be by wireless communication (for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark)).

[0023] Based on the operation signal received via signal lines 111-115, the car internal operation panel 102 determines which of signal lines 111-115 the operation signal comes from, and based on the result of the determination, transmits an operation signal (car call signal) for the corresponding floor to the car control board 103 via signal line 116.

[0024] The car control board 103 is provided, for example, on the car and performs centralized control of car-related devices. Specifically, the car control board 103 performs controls within the car, such as, for example, displaying on a display in the car which of the operation buttons 101 has been pressed, showing floors and directional arrows, controlling the motors that open and close the doors, and grasping the status of safety switches.

[0025] The control panel 104 is connected to the car control board 103 by a wired signal line (for example, a tail cord 117), and transmits and receives signals between the car control board 103. The car control board 103 receives an operation signal (car call signal) from the car internal operation panel 102 via a signal line 116, and transmits the operation signal to the control panel 107 via the tail cord 117.

[0026] The control panel 104 drives and controls each part of the elevator. For example, the control panel 104 drives and controls the hoist to move (raise and lower) the car. Although not shown, the control panel 104 may be connected to a management server computer installed in a remote location of the elevator via a network. In this case, the management server computer can monitor and remotely control the operation of the elevator via the control panel 104 by wirelessly or wired communication with the control panel 104.

[0027] The control panel 104, which receives an operation signal (car call signal) via the tail cord 117, drives and controls the hoist based on the operation signal, and moves (raises or lowers) the car to the corresponding floor. In this way, the car occupant can move the car to the desired floor by operating the operation button 101.

[0028] Next, the flow of elevator car movement control will be explained in more detail. For example, when a passenger presses button "5" of operation buttons 101 inside the car, the signal is input to car internal operation panel 102 via signal line 115. Car internal operation panel 102 sends a car call signal for "5" (fifth floor) to car control board 103 via wired signal line 116. Car control board 103 transmits a car call signal for the fifth floor to control panel 104 via tail cord 117. Control panel 104 receives the car call signal for the fifth floor and controls the elevation of the car, thereby moving it to the fifth floor.

[0029] When button "4" of operation buttons 101 is pressed, the signal is input to car internal operation panel 102 via signal line 114, and similarly, the raising and lowering of the car to the fourth floor is controlled. When button "3" is pressed, the signal is input to car internal operation panel 102 via signal line 113, when button "2" is pressed, the signal is input to car internal operation panel 102 via signal line 112, and when button "1" is pressed, the car call signal is input to car internal operation panel 102 via signal line 111 and sent to control panel 104 via car control board 103, and control panel 104 controls the raising and lowering of the car to the third, second, and first floors, respectively.

[0030] In this way, the movement of the car to the desired floor is executed by the passenger in the car operating the operation button 101. Since the buttons "1" to "5" of the operation button 101 and the car internal operation panel 102 are connected in parallel with signal lines 111 to 115, when two or more of the buttons "1" to "5" of the operation button 101 are operated, for example, when "2" and "4" are operated, operation signals are inputted to the car internal operation panel 102 from the signal lines 112 and 114, respectively, and the car internal operation panel 102 sends a car call signal for "2" (second floor) and a car call signal for "4" (fourth floor) to the car control board 103 via the signal line 116.

[0031] (Embodiment 1) Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of an elevator car movement control system including an on-car control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Note that components that are the same as those shown in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.

[0032] In Figure 2, reference numeral 201 denotes a robot that can enter an elevator, reference numeral 202 denotes a server that remotely controls and manages multiple elevators, reference numeral 203 denotes a monitoring device installed near the elevator for monitoring the elevator, reference numeral 204 denotes an on-car control device installed on the car, reference numeral 205 denotes a communication unit provided in the on-car control device 204, and reference numeral 206 denotes a control unit provided in the on-car device 204.

[0033] The robot 201 is, for example, a self-propelled autonomous transport robot that can move by itself without relying on human hands, actually get into an elevator car, and move between floors of a building. A detailed description of the robot 201 will be given later with reference to FIG. 3.

[0034] The server 202 is an information processing device that is usually installed in a remote location away from the building in which the elevator is installed, and that remotely monitors the operation of the elevator and distributes and collects various information. The server 202 may be the above-mentioned management server computer, or may be another information processing device.

[0035] In addition, the server 202 may be provided separately from a server for remote monitoring of elevator operation, and may be a robot management server that controls and manages the robot 201 and exchanges information between the robot 201 and the elevator.

[0036] The server 202 is connected to the robot 201 via a wireless communication method such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), and can transmit and receive various information to and from the robot 201. The wireless communication method between the server 202 and the robot 201 is not limited to LTE, and may be wireless communication using other communication methods.

[0037] The monitoring device 203 can be realized by a so-called remote monitoring device that is attached near the elevator, for example, to a housing that houses the elevator control panel 104, or to the wall of the elevator shaft.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 2, the monitoring device 203 is connected to the control panel 104, acquires signals (control signals) output from the control panel 104 to each part of the elevator, generates notification information (including information about the elevator status and identification information of the elevator that is the sender of the notification information) based on the acquired control signals, and transmits the generated notification information to a management server computer (not shown in the figure) (the management server computer may be the server 202).

[0039] In this way, in the case of a relatively new elevator, the monitoring device 203 can obtain information from the control panel 104, and based on the obtained information, the monitoring device 203 can determine the car position, i.e., where the car is located in the elevator shaft.

[0040] However, in the case of a relatively old elevator, there are cases where information cannot be obtained from the control panel 104, and therefore the monitoring device 203 cannot reliably grasp the car position. In such cases, for example, the car position can be identified using UWB (Ultra-Wide Band) wireless communication. Specifically, a communication device (not shown) is installed at the top of the elevator shaft, and the distance from the communication device to the car is measured by using an ultra-wideband frequency bandwidth, and the car position is identified based on the measured distance.

[0041] The monitoring device 203 has a wireless communication function, is connected to the server 202 by a wireless communication method such as LTE, and can transmit and receive various information such as operation signals and cage position information between the monitoring device 203 and the server 202. The wireless communication method between the monitoring device 203 and the server 202 is not limited to LTE, and may be wireless communication by another communication method.

[0042] The on-car control device 204 is provided on the car, for example, near the car control board 103. Alternatively, the on-car control device 204 may be provided integrally with the car control board 103. The on-car control device 204 has a communication unit 205 and a control unit 206.

[0043] The car-mounted control device 204 can transmit and receive various information to and from the monitoring device 203 by a short-distance wireless communication method such as Wi-Fi using the communication unit 205. The communication between the communication unit 205 and the monitoring device communication unit 203 is not limited to Wi-Fi, and other wireless communication methods may be used, or the communication may be performed by wire.

[0044] The control unit 206 is connected to the communication unit 205 in the on-car control device 204 by a wired signal line or the like, and a signal received by the communication unit 205 is input via the communication line. The control unit 206 and the communication unit 205 may be formed as an integrated device (single housing) as the on-car control device 204, or the communication unit 205 may be provided as a communication device separately from the on-car control device 204.

[0045] The control unit 206 connects signal lines 211-215 individually to the middle of the signal lines 111-115 between the operation button 101 and the car internal operation panel 102, for example, by means of crimp terminals. In this way, branch wiring (signal lines 211-215) are connected to the existing wiring (signal lines 111-115) between the operation panel that receives the operation signals of each operation button. The control unit 206 can then transmit signals similar to the operation signals (car call signals) of the buttons transmitted when each button of the operation button 101 is operated, to each signal line 111-115 via each signal line 211-215.

[0046] In this way, for example, when an operation signal is sent (output) from the control unit 206 to the signal line 211, the operation signal is input to the car internal operation panel 102 via the signal line 111 from the contact point between the signal line 211 and the signal line 111. When the signal is input, the car internal operation panel 102 determines that an operation to call a car for the first floor has been performed and sends a signal to that effect via the communication line 116 to the car control board 103, and the car control board 103, which has received the signal, sends a signal related to the car call operation for the first floor to the control panel 104 via the tail code 117. This enables the control panel 104 to perform the operation of moving the car to the first floor.

[0047] Therefore, by simply sending an operation signal from the control unit 206 of the on-car control device 204 to the signal line 211, the car can be moved to the first floor in the same manner as if a passenger inside the car had operated button "1" of the operation button 101, even if the passenger inside the car does not operate button "1" of the operation button 101. Even when the control unit 206 sends operation signals to the signal lines 212 to 215, the car can be moved to each floor (the second floor to the fifth floor) in the same manner.

[0048] Next, the flow of the operation of the robot 201 will be described. It is assumed that the robot 201, which is on the first floor, moves to the desired floor, the fourth floor. First, information about the floor on which the robot 201 is currently located, i.e., the floor on which the user wishes to board (the first floor), is input to the robot 201. The information about the floor on which the user wishes to board may be input to the robot 201 manually by an operator directly using a touch panel, which will be described later, or may be input remotely by wireless communication. Information about the floor on which the robot 201 is currently located may be input to the robot 201 in advance, or the robot 201 itself may acquire information about the floor on which the robot is currently located.

[0049] When information regarding the desired floor (first floor) to board is input, the robot 201 transmits request information requesting the movement of the car to the floor (first floor) to the server 202. This request information includes information regarding the desired floor (first floor) to board, as well as ID information of the robot 201 itself and ID information of the elevator (cage) to board.

[0050] When the server 202 receives request information from the robot 201, it identifies the corresponding elevator based on the request information, and transmits operation command information including information about the desired floor (first floor) and the ID information of the robot 201 to a monitoring device 203 installed near the identified elevator.

[0051] When the monitoring device 203 receives the operation command information, it transmits information regarding the desired boarding floor (1st floor) to the communication unit 205 of the on-car control device 204. The communication unit 205, which has received the information regarding the desired boarding floor (1st floor), passes the information regarding the desired boarding floor (1st floor) to the control unit 206. The control unit 206 then transmits an operation signal to the signal line 211 based on the information regarding the desired boarding floor (1st floor).

[0052] This allows the cage to be moved to the first floor, so that the robot 201 can get into the cage on the first floor without manually operating the "1" button of the operation button 101 in the cage or operating the call button at the boarding area on the first floor.

[0053] Next, after getting into the elevator car, the robot 201 transmits request information requesting movement to a desired floor (fourth floor) to the server 202. This request information includes information about the desired floor (fourth floor), as well as ID information of the robot 201 and ID information of the elevator that moves the car.

[0054] When the server 202 receives request information from the robot 201, it identifies the corresponding elevator based on the request information, and transmits operation command information including information about the desired floor (fourth floor) and the ID information of the robot 201 to a monitoring device 203 installed near the identified elevator.

[0055] When the monitoring device 203 receives the operation command information, it transmits information about the desired floor (4th floor) to the communication unit 205 of the on-car control device 204. The communication unit 205, which has received the information about the desired floor (4th floor), passes the information about the desired floor (4th floor) to the control unit 206. The control unit 206 then sends an operation signal to the signal line 214 based on the information about the desired floor (4th floor).

[0056] As a result, the robot 201 that gets into the cage on the first floor can move up to the fourth floor in the cage and then get off at the fourth floor, so that the robot can move from the first floor to the fourth floor without manually operating an operation button.

[0057] (Configuration of Robot 201) Next, the configuration of the robot 201 will be described. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the robot. In Fig. 3, reference numeral 301 denotes a robot body (housing), reference numeral 302 denotes a luggage placement space, reference numeral 303 denotes wheels, and reference numeral 304 denotes a display screen (touch panel).

[0058] Also, reference numeral 305 denotes a display control unit, reference numeral 306 denotes an information input unit, reference numeral 307 denotes a communication unit, reference numeral 308 denotes an imaging unit, reference numeral 309 denotes a driving control unit, reference numeral 310 denotes a wheel drive unit, and reference numeral 311 denotes a storage battery.

[0059] The robot body (casing) 301 is provided with a luggage placement space 302, where luggage, food, etc. can be placed and transported. Specifically, this robot 201 can be used in a hotel, for example, where the robot 201 can transport guests' luggage to the guest rooms on each floor and deliver room service meals. In addition, even if the robot is used in a building other than a hotel, it can be used to transport items between different floors of the building.

[0060] For this purpose, a robot body (chassis) 301 is provided with a plurality of wheels 303, which enable the robot to move independently in any desired direction over 360 degrees, including changing direction.

[0061] A lid member may be provided in the luggage placement space 302. This lid member may be provided with a locking mechanism to prevent theft or vandalism of luggage, etc., and may be designed so that only the owner of the luggage can unlock it using a PIN number or the like.

[0062] The robot body (housing) 301 is also provided with a display screen 304. The robot body (housing) 301 is also provided with a camera that captures images of the surroundings of the robot 201, various sensors for grasping the situation around the robot 201, a speaker that outputs sound, and the like, all of which are omitted from the illustration.

[0063] The dimensions of the robot 201 are not particularly limited, but the size must be such that the robot can pass through the entrance of the car when the elevator door is open. In addition, since the robot gets into the elevator together with the passenger, it is desirable that the size of the robot does not impede the passenger from getting into the elevator. The dimensions of the robot 201 can be optimized according to the type and size of the luggage to be transported. Also, the luggage placement space 302 can be made variable according to the type and size of the luggage.

[0064] The robot 201 includes hardware such as a CPU, memory, a communication interface, and an input / output interface, and realizes various functions such as a display control unit 305, an information input unit 306, a communication unit 307, an image capture unit 308, and a driving control unit 309.

[0065] The display control unit 305 can display various information using the display screen 304. The information input unit 306 realizes its function by an input / output interface, and can receive information related to movement commands and various information input by an operator touching the surface of the display screen 304 using the touch panel function of the display screen 304, for example.

[0066] The communication unit 307 realizes its function by a communication interface and can transmit information about the floor to which the elevator moves to an external device. It can also receive information about a movement command for the robot 201 transmitted by wireless communication from an external device, and information about the position of the elevator car that the robot 201 is to get on.

[0067] The imaging unit 308 controls a camera (not shown) to capture images of the surroundings, and transmits the captured information to the outside via the communication unit 307, or to the traveling control unit 309. The traveling control unit 309 controls the wheel drive unit 310 to move (travel) the robot main body 301 based on a movement command received by the information input unit 306 or the communication unit 307. At that time, the robot 201 can be safely traveled by avoiding obstacles based on information from the imaging unit 308 and various sensors (not shown).

[0068] The wheel driving unit 310 realizes its function by a motor or the like. The wheel driving unit 310 can rotate the motor based on a control signal from the travel control unit 309 and transmit the rotation to the wheel 303. This allows the robot 301 to move.

[0069] The storage battery 311 is a rechargeable battery such as a lithium battery, and supplies power to each component of the robot 201. Although not shown, a charging station is provided and the robot 201 is moved there to charge the storage battery 311. The storage battery 311 may be a fuel cell that generates electricity using hydrogen, instead of a lithium battery.

[0070] 3, the robot 201 is self-propelled using wheels 303, but is not limited to this as long as it is self-propelled. Specifically, for example, it may be a bipedal humanoid robot or a quadrupedal walking animal robot.

[0071] (Robot 201's processing procedure) Next, the processing procedure of the robot 201 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the robot. In the flowchart of FIG. 4, the robot 201 judges whether or not a movement instruction to another floor has been input (step S401). Here, the robot 201 waits for the movement instruction to be input (step S401: No), and if the movement instruction has been input (step S401: Yes), it transmits information (current floor information) relating to the desired boarding floor, i.e., the floor where the robot itself is currently located, to the server 202 (step S402).

[0072] The current floor information includes identification information of the device itself (device itself ID) and identification information of the elevator (car) to be moved (elevator ID). It may also include information indicating that the elevator is moving to the current floor. It may also include information regarding the desired boarding time (desired time=current time, desired time=yymmdd, hhmmss (year / month / day / hour / minute / second), or "7 minutes 30 seconds from now", etc.).

[0073] Next, the robot 201 receives information (car position information) regarding which floor the car of the elevator to be boarded is located from the server 202 (step S403), and determines whether the car has arrived at the current floor (the floor where the robot 201 is located) based on the received car position information (step S404).

[0074] Here, the robot waits for the car to arrive at the current floor (step S404: No), and if it is determined that the car has arrived at the current floor (step S404: Yes), the robot moves by itself, performs an operation for boarding the car (step S405), and transmits information about the desired floor to which the robot wishes to move (desired floor information) to the server 202 (step S406). This causes the door of the car to close, and the car carrying the robot 201 starts moving.

[0075] The desired floor information includes the identification information of the own device (own device ID) and the identification information of the elevator to be moved (elevator ID). It may also include information indicating a move to the desired floor (car call).

[0076] Then, the robot 201 receives information (car position information) regarding which floor the car of the elevator the robot 201 has boarded is located on from the server 202 (step S407), and determines whether the car has arrived at the desired floor (the floor to which the robot 201 wishes to move) based on the received car position information (step S408).

[0077] Here, the robot 201 waits for the car to arrive at the desired floor (step S408: No), and if it determines that the car has arrived at the desired floor (step S408: Yes), the robot 201 confirms that the door is open (by using a camera, various sensors, etc.), and then moves by itself to dismount from the car (step S409), thereby completing the series of processes of the robot 201.

[0078] (Processing procedure of server 202) Next, the processing procedure of the server 202 will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the server in the elevator car movement control system. In the flowchart of Fig. 5, the server 202 judges whether or not it has received movement floor information from the robot 201 (step S501).

[0079] The moving floor information is either the current floor information transmitted in step S402 or the desired floor information transmitted in step S406 shown in the flowchart of Fig. 4. In step S501, the server 202 treats the current floor information and the desired floor information transmitted from the robot 201 as moving floor information without distinguishing between them, but the transmitted information may be distinguished and treated as either the current floor information or the desired floor information. To be able to distinguish between the two, the information transmitted by the robot 201 may include information for identifying whether it is the current floor information or the desired floor information.

[0080] In step S501, the server 202 waits to receive moving floor information (step S501: No), and if the moving floor information is received (step S501: Yes), it identifies the target elevator (step S502). The target elevator can be identified based on the elevator ID included in the received information.

[0081] Then, the server 202 transmits moving floor information (current floor information or desired floor information) to the monitoring device 203 of the identified elevator (step S503).

[0082] Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the basket position information has been received from the monitoring device 203 (step S504). Here, the server 202 waits for reception of the basket position information (step S504: No), and if the basket position information has been received (step S504: Yes), the server 202 transmits the received basket position information to the robot 201 (step S505). This ends the series of processes of the server 202.

[0083] (Processing procedure of monitoring device 203) Next, the processing procedure of the monitoring device 203 will be described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the monitoring device in the elevator car movement control system. In the flowchart of Fig. 6, the monitoring device 203 judges whether or not it has received moving floor information from the server 202 (step S601). The moving floor information is information that the server 202 transmitted to the monitoring device 203 in step S503 of the flowchart of Fig. 5.

[0084] In step S601, the monitoring device 203 waits to receive the moved floor information (step S601: No), and if the moved floor information is received (step S601: Yes), it transmits the moved floor information to the on-car control device 204 (step S602).

[0085] Thereafter, the monitoring device 203 acquires the position information of the car (step S603). Specifically, for example, information on the car position (information on where the car is located) can be acquired from the control panel 104 of the elevator.

[0086] Depending on the type of elevator, the monitoring device 203 may not be able to acquire car position information from the elevator control panel 104. In that case, the monitoring device 203 identifies the car position using UWB wireless communication as described above.

[0087] Then, the monitoring device 203 transmits the acquired cage position information to the server 202 (step S604). The cage position information may be, for example, information on the current cage position, or information indicating that the cage has arrived at the cage floor to which the robot 201 is to move (or will soon arrive at the cage floor to which the robot 201 is to move). The cage position information may be any information that allows the robot 201 to recognize that the cage has arrived at the cage floor to which the robot 201 is to move when the robot 201 receives the cage position information. This completes the series of processes of the monitoring device 203.

[0088] (Processing procedure of on-car control device 204) Next, the processing procedure of the on-car control device 204 will be explained. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the on-car control device of embodiment 1 according to the present invention. In the flowchart of Fig. 7, the on-car control device 204 judges whether the communication unit 205 has received moving floor information from the monitoring device 203 (step S701). The moving floor information is information transmitted by the monitoring device 203 to the on-car control device 204 in step S602 of the flowchart in Fig. 6.

[0089] In step S701, the car on-board control device 204 waits to receive moving floor information (step S701: No), and when it has received the moving floor information (step S701: Yes), it identifies a signal line from among the signal lines 211-215 through which the control unit 206 will transmit an operation signal based on the received moving floor information (step S702), and transmits the operation signal from the identified signal line (step S703). This ends the series of processes of the car on-board control device 204.

[0090] As described above, the control device (on-car control device 204) of embodiment 1 of the present invention is a control device 204 that controls operations performed by a user in an elevator car by remote operation instructions, and is characterized in that branch wiring (signal lines 211-215) are connected to existing wiring (signal lines 111-115) between each operation button 101 provided in the car and an operation panel (in-car operation panel 102) that receives operation signals from each operation button 101, and that a receiving unit (communication unit 205) of the elevator transmits an operation signal to the operation panel (in-car operation panel 102) using the branch wiring (signal lines 211-215) corresponding to the operation instruction based on information related to the operation instruction of the operation button 101 received by wireless communication from an external device (such as the monitoring device 203, the server 202, the robot 201, or other communication terminal devices).

[0091] According to the control device (on-car control device 204) of embodiment 1 of the present invention, a call operation can be performed by the robot 201 without making any changes to the elevator configuration (operation button 101, in-car operation panel 102, car control board 103, control panel 104, etc.), and the robot 201 can be caused to enter the car and the car can be moved to the desired floor.

[0092] This makes it possible to realize an elevator that enables the use of a self-propelled robot more simply and inexpensively, with minimal modifications to existing elevator systems.

[0093] In the flowcharts shown in Figures 2 and 4 to 7, the car-mounted control device 204 is connected to the monitoring device 203, the monitoring device 203 is connected to the server 202, and the server 202 is connected to the robot, and they communicate with each other, but the configuration is not limited to this.

[0094] Specifically, for example, the car-mounted control device 204 may be configured to be directly connected to the server 202 or the robot 201, instead of being connected to the monitoring device 203. The communication method may be a wireless communication method such as LTE, or other communication method. By configuring in this way, the moving floor information from the robot 201 can be transmitted to the car-mounted control device 204 more quickly.

[0095] 2 and 4 to 7, the basket position information acquired by the monitoring device 203 is transmitted to the server 202, but this is not limiting. Specifically, the monitoring device 203 can transmit the acquired basket position information directly to the robot 201 without going through the server 202. This allows the robot 201 to acquire the basket position information more quickly.

[0096] In addition, in the flowcharts shown in Figures 2 and 4 to 7, the robot 201 transmits the movement floor information, but this is not limited to the robot 201, and a personal computer or smartphone with a communication function may be used instead of the robot 201.

[0097] Specifically, when the moving floor information is transmitted using a computer or a smartphone, the on-car control device 204 receives the moving floor information via the server 202 and the monitoring device 203, or directly, and the control unit 206 outputs an operation signal to a predetermined signal line 211-215, so that the car can be moved to the desired floor. This allows the elevator to be remotely controlled to move to a destination floor depending on the time, such as a floor with many users.

[0098] In addition, by transmitting moving floor information using a server or the like, it becomes possible to more easily perform group management of elevator car movements by installing an on-car control device 204 or the like, even if there are multiple types of elevators made by different manufacturers.

[0099] (Embodiment 2) Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a partial configuration of an elevator car movement control system including an on-car control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Components that are the same as those shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted. Fig. 8 also includes the same components (reference numerals 201 to 205) as Fig. 2, but these are not shown.

[0100] In FIG. 8, reference numerals 801 to 805 denote connectors, reference numerals 811 to 815 denote signal lines between the control unit 206 and the connectors 801 to 805, and reference numerals 821 to 825 denote signal lines between the connectors 801 to 805 and the car internal operating panel 102.

[0101] Signal lines (existing wiring) 111-115 are connected by wire between each of operation buttons "1"-"5" and connectors 801-805, respectively, and signal lines 821-825 corresponding to each of the signal lines 111-115 are connected between the connectors 801-805 and the car internal operation panel 102. Therefore, when each button is operated (for example, touched or pressed), the button operation signal (car call signal) is input in parallel to the car internal operation panel 102 through each of the signal lines 111-115 corresponding to each button → connectors 801-805 → each of the signal lines 821-825.

[0102] Also, signal lines 811-815 are connected by wire between the control unit 206 of the on-car control device 204 (not shown in FIG. 8) and each of the connectors 801-805. Therefore, when an operation signal is output from the control unit 206 to each of the signal lines 811-815, the operation signal passes through each of the signal lines 811-815 → the connectors 801-805 → each of the signal lines 821-825, and is input in parallel to the car operation panel 102.

[0103] In this way, in the first embodiment, instead of the control unit 206 individually connecting the signal lines 211-215 with crimp terminals or the like to the signal lines 111-115 between the operation button 101 and the car internal operation panel 102, the control unit 206 can use the connectors 801-805 and the signal lines 811-815 similar to the signal lines 211-215 to send the operation signal from the control unit 206 to the car internal operation panel 102. Note that the connectors 801-805 may be, for example, branch harnesses.

[0104] In this way, for example, when an operation signal is sent (output) from the control unit 206 to the signal line 811, the operation signal is input from the connector 801 through the signal line 821 to the car internal operation panel 102. When the signal is input, the car internal operation panel 102 determines that an operation to call a car for the first floor has been performed and sends a signal to that effect through the communication line 116 to the car control board 103, and the car control board 103 sends a signal related to the car call operation for the first floor to the control panel 104 through the tail code 117. This enables the control panel 104 to perform the operation of moving the car to the first floor.

[0105] Therefore, when the control unit 206 of the on-car control device 204 merely sends an operation signal to the signal line 811, the car can be moved to the first floor in the same manner as when a passenger inside the car operates button "1" of the operation button 101, even if the passenger does not operate button "1" of the operation button 101 inside the car. Similarly, when the control unit 206 sends operation signals to the signal lines 812 to 815, the car can be moved to each floor (2nd floor to 5th floor).

[0106] The other configuration is similar to that of the above-mentioned first embodiment, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0107] As described above, the control device 204 of the second embodiment of the present invention is a control device 204 that controls operations performed by a user in an elevator car by remote operation instructions, and is characterized in that it has connectors 801-805 provided between each operation button 101 provided in the car and an operation panel that receives operation signals from each operation button 101, and uses the connectors 801-805 to transmit an operation signal of the operation button corresponding to the operation instruction to the operation panel (in-car operation panel 102) based on information regarding the operation instruction of the operation button 101 received by a receiving unit (communication unit 205) of the elevator from an external device (such as a monitoring device 203, a server 202, a robot 201, or other communication terminal device) by wireless communication.

[0108] According to the control device 204 of the second embodiment of the present invention, as with the control device of the first embodiment, it is possible to perform a call operation using the robot 201, have the robot 201 get into the car, and move the car to a desired floor, without making any changes to the elevator configuration (operation button 101, car inner operation panel 102, car control board 103, control panel 104, etc.). This makes it possible to realize an elevator that allows the use of a self-propelled robot more simply and inexpensively, with minimal improvements to existing elevator systems. Furthermore, by using the connectors 801 to 805, it becomes possible to easily install the device by simply plugging and unplugging it.

[0109] (Embodiment 3) Although not shown in the figure, the control unit 206 may be provided with a pressing mechanism provided near each operation button 101 provided inside the car, which presses each operation button 101 individually.

[0110] Specifically, this pressing mechanism includes, for example, an electromagnetic solenoid arm, and in response to an operation signal from the control unit 206, the electromagnetic solenoid arm is driven and the tip of the arm presses each of the operation buttons 101, thereby generating a car call signal.

[0111] Multiple electromagnetic solenoid arms (the same number as the buttons) may be provided for each of the operation buttons 101, and a moving mechanism for moving one or more electromagnetic solenoid arms may be further provided, so that after the electromagnetic solenoid arm is moved to the position of the desired button, the button is pressed by the tip of the arm.

[0112] As described above, the control device 204 of the third embodiment of the present invention is a control device 204 that controls operations performed by a user in an elevator car by remote operation instructions, and is characterized in that it has a pressing mechanism that individually presses each operation button 101 provided near each operation button 101 provided in the car, and based on information regarding an operation instruction for the operation button 101 received by a receiving unit (communication unit 205) of the elevator from an external device (such as a monitoring device 203, a server 202, a robot 201, or other communication terminal device) by wireless communication, the pressing mechanism presses the operation button 101 corresponding to the operation instruction.

[0113] As a result, by simply installing the pressing mechanism near the operation button 101, there is no need to perform branch wiring as in the first embodiment. Also, there is no need to use a connector as in the second embodiment. Therefore, such construction is not required. Also, since each button can be physically pressed or contacted with the tip of the electromagnetic solenoid arm, the car call signal can be generated more reliably.

[0114] (Embodiment 4) Although not shown in the figure, the control unit 206 may be provided with a capacitance switch provided near each operation button 101 provided inside the car, which changes the individual capacitance of each operation button 101.

[0115] Specifically, for example, when each operation button 101 is an electrostatic touch switch, this capacitance switch may be a circuit that is adjusted to react to the electrostatic switch and attached to the electrostatic touch button, and the capacitance can be changed by sending a signal to the circuit, thereby operating each operation button 101.

[0116] As described above, the control device 204 of embodiment 4 of the present invention is a control device 204 that controls operations performed by a user in an elevator car by remote operation instructions, and is characterized in that it has a capacitance switch attached to each operation button 101 provided in the car, and changes the capacitance of the capacitance switch attached to the operation button 101 corresponding to the operation instruction based on information regarding the operation instruction of the operation button 101 received by a receiving unit (communication unit 205) of the elevator from an external device (such as a monitoring device 203, a server 202, a robot 201, or other communication terminal device) by wireless communication.

[0117] This eliminates the need for branch wiring as in embodiment 1. It also eliminates the need to use connectors as in embodiment 2. In addition, since the capacitance switch can perform the same function as pressing or touching each button, when each operation button 101 is an electrostatic touch switch, it is possible to more reliably generate a car call signal. [Industrial Applicability]

[0118] As described above, the control device of the present invention is useful as a control device that controls operations performed by a user inside an elevator car via remote operation instructions, and is suitable as a control device that controls the movement of a car in an elevator used by a self-propelled robot. [Explanation of symbols]

[0119] 101 Operation button 102 In-basket operation panel 103 Cage control board 104 Control Panel 111 Signal line (call signal line for operation button "1" (1st floor)) 112 Signal line (call signal line for operation button "2" (2nd floor)) 113 Signal line (call signal line for operation button "3" (3rd floor)) 114 Signal line (call signal line for operation button "4" (4th floor)) 115 Signal line (call signal line for operation button "5" (5th floor)) 116 Signal line (signal line between car operation panel and car control board) 117 Signal line (tail cord between car control board and control panel) 201 Robot 202 Server 203 Monitoring equipment (remote monitoring equipment) 204 Cage-mounted control device 205 Communications Department 206 Control Unit 211 Signal line (branch wiring of signal line 111) 212 signal line (branch wiring of signal line 112) 213 Signal line (branch wiring of signal line 113) 214 Signal line (branch wiring of signal line 114) 215 Signal line (branch wiring of signal line 115) 301 Robot body (chassis) 302 Luggage space 303 wheels 304 Display screen (touch panel) 305 Display control section 306 Information Input Section 307 Communications Department 308 Imaging unit 309 Driving control unit 310 Wheel drive unit 311 Storage battery 801~805 Connectors 811~815 Signal lines (signal lines between the control unit and the connector) 821~825 Signal line (signal line between connector and car operation panel)

Claims

1. The system measures the distance from a UWB (Ultra-Wide Band) wireless communication device installed in the elevator shaft to the car by using the ultra-wideband frequency bandwidth of radio waves emitted from the device. A car position identification method, comprising: identifying a position of the car in the elevator shaft based on the measured distance.

2. A communication device that performs UWB (Ultra-Wide Band) wireless communication is installed in the elevator. Measure the distance from the communication device to the cage by utilizing the ultra-wideband frequency bandwidth of the radio waves transmitted from the communication device; An elevator, characterized in that the position of the car in the hoistway is determined based on the measured distance.

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