Robot management device, robot, and program

Abstract

To mitigate prolongation of a user's riding time that may occur when the user and a robot share an elevator car.SOLUTION: A robot management device determines, with respect to a current floor and a destination floor of a robot, and a departure floor and a traveling direction of a user, whether or not each of the following conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied: (1) a forward direction with respect to the robot coincides with the traveling direction of the user; (2) an elevator car arrives at the robot's current floor before arriving at the user's departure floor; (3) the user's departure floor is located between the robot's current floor and the robot's destination floor; and (4) the robot's destination floor is a floor different from an end floor located in the forward direction relative to the current floor. Upon determining that all of the above-mentioned conditions are satisfied, the robot management device makes a request to assign, as a first hall call, a hall call whose departure floor is the robot's current floor and whose destination floor is an end floor located opposite to the forward direction with respect to the current floor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control technology for a robot that uses an elevator. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, robots have been increasingly used for various tasks within buildings (cleaning, monitoring, transportation, etc.) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Accordingly, elevators are increasingly being used to move robots between floors within buildings, and there are an increasing number of cases where both users and robots use elevators. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7380793 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] On the other hand, robots take longer to board and disembark than users. Therefore, in an environment where a robot uses an elevator together with a user, if the robot boards at an intermediate floor while the user is being transported, or if the robot disembarks at an intermediate floor while the user is being transported, the user will be forced to wait in the elevator car until the robot has finished boarding and disembarking. In this way, when a user and a robot ride in the elevator together, the user may be forced to spend a longer time riding the elevator until they reach their destination floor.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to alleviate the possibility of a user's riding time being prolonged when the user and the robot ride in the same car. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The robot management device according to the present invention is a device for managing robots used in buildings equipped with elevators, and performs the following control processing (Aspect 1). When a robot travels from a current floor to a destination floor using an elevator car, and when a hall call for a user is assigned by the elevator control device, the robot management device determines whether the following conditions are satisfied with respect to the robot's current floor and destination floor, and the departure floor and destination direction indicated by the hall call for the user: (1) the forward direction from the robot's current floor to its destination floor is the same as the destination direction of the user, (2) the car arrives at the robot's current floor before arriving at the departure floor of the user, (3) the departure floor of the user is between the robot's current floor and its destination floor, and (4) the destination floor of the robot is different from the terminal floor located in the forward direction of the robot's current floor. Then, when the robot management device determines that all of the conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied, it requests the elevator control device to assign a first hall call for the robot, with the robot's current floor as the departure floor and the terminal floor located in the forward direction from the current floor as the destination floor.

[0007] In a typical hall call request for a robot, the request is for a single hall call with the robot's current floor and destination floor as the departure floor and destination floor, respectively. If conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied, a situation may arise in which, after boarding the car, the user must experience the robot disembarking at a floor along the way, depending on the relative positions of the user's disembarking floor and the robot's disembarking floor (i.e., destination floor). In such a situation, according to the first aspect, assuming that condition (4) is satisfied, the car can be moved to an end floor, allowing the car to pass through the robot's destination floor while still carrying the robot. Therefore, it is possible for the user to disembark before the robot before reaching the end floor. This eliminates the need for the user to experience the robot disembarking while traveling in the car. As a result, it is possible to alleviate the length of the user's ride time.

[0008] Furthermore, according to the above-mentioned aspect 1, by setting the first hall call as the destination floor to be an end floor where the direction of movement of the elevator car will necessarily be reversed, it becomes possible to avoid unnecessary control such as stopping the elevator car at an intermediate floor where no one is getting on or off just to allow the robot to pass through the destination floor.

[0009] When the robot management device according to the above aspect 1 determines that all of the above conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied, it may further request the elevator control device to assign a second hall call for the robot, with the end floor as the departure floor and the robot's destination floor as the destination floor (aspect 2).

[0010] According to the above-mentioned aspect 2, by making a request to allocate a second hall call for such a robot, even after the car has passed the robot's destination floor, when the car moves in the reverse direction (opposite the forward direction) from an end floor, the car can be stopped in the reverse direction at the robot's destination floor, and as a result, it becomes possible to have the robot disembark at the destination floor.

[0011] The robot management device according to the above-mentioned aspect 2 may simultaneously request the elevator control device to allocate both the first hall call and the second hall call to the robot (aspect 3).

[0012] According to the above-mentioned aspect 3, it becomes easier to allocate the first and second hall calls for the robot to the car so that the car can respond to those hall calls in order while the car makes one revolution around the operating section (in other words, so that the car can respond to the second hall call immediately after responding to the first hall call). Conversely, if the request for allocation of the second hall call is made later than the timing of requesting allocation of the first hall call, depending on the allocation status of other hall calls to the car at that time, it becomes easier for a situation to occur in which allocation cannot be performed so that the first and second hall calls can be responded to in order while the car makes one revolution.

[0013] The robot management device according to the above-mentioned aspect 2 or 3 may have the following configuration (aspect 4). First, in relation to the robot management device, when the elevator control device receives a request from the robot management device and assigns both a first hall call and a second hall call to a car for the robot, and when the car arrives at a destination floor indicated by one of the hall calls, the elevator control device may transmit a dismount start signal to the robot management device to cause the robot to dismount from the car. When the robot management device receives the dismount start signal from the elevator control device as a result, the robot management device may determine whether the car's current stopping floor matches the robot's destination floor. Then, when the robot management device determines that the destination floor "matches" the robot's destination floor, the robot management device may instruct the robot to dismount from the car, and then, when the robot has completed dismounting, return a dismount completion signal to the elevator control device. On the other hand, if the robot management device determines that the destination floor of the robot does not match, it may return a disembarkation completion signal to the elevator control device as a dummy signal without instructing the robot to disembark from the elevator car.

[0014] In the above-mentioned embodiment 4, since the car responds to two hall calls for the robot (the first hall call and the second hall call), a dismounting start signal is sent to the robot management device each time the car arrives at the destination floor indicated by those hall calls. On the other hand, when the car arrives at the destination floor indicated by the first hall call, that destination floor is a floor on the way to the robot's destination floor, and there is no need for the robot to dismount from that car. Therefore, in the above-mentioned embodiment 4, a dismounting completion signal is sent as a dummy signal in response to the dismounting start signal sent when responding to the first hall call. This makes it possible to keep the robot aboard the car without stalling elevator control.

[0015] The robot management device according to any one of the above aspects 2 to 4 may have the following configuration (aspect 5). First, in relation to the robot management device, when the elevator control device receives a request from the robot management device and assigns both a first hall call and a second hall call to a car for the robot, and when the car arrives at the departure floor indicated by one of the hall calls, the elevator control device may transmit a boarding start signal to the robot management device to have the robot board the car. When the robot management device receives the boarding start signal from the elevator control device as a result, the robot management device may determine whether the robot has already boarded the car. Then, if the robot management device determines that the robot has not boarded the car, the robot management device may instruct the robot to board the car, and then, when the robot has boarded the car, return a boarding completion signal to the elevator control device. On the other hand, if the robot management device determines that the robot has boarded the car, the robot management device may return a boarding completion signal as a dummy signal to the elevator control device without instructing the robot to board the car.

[0016] In the above-mentioned aspect 5, since the car responds to two hall calls for the robot (the first hall call and the second hall call), a boarding start signal is sent to the robot management device each time the car arrives at the departure floor indicated by those hall calls. On the other hand, since the car arrives at the departure floor indicated by the second hall call with the robot already on board, there is no need to board the robot again. Therefore, in the above-mentioned aspect 5, a boarding completion signal is sent as a dummy signal in response to the boarding start signal sent when responding to the second hall call. This makes it possible to keep the robot in the car without stalling the elevator control.

[0017] The robot according to the present invention is a robot used in a building where an elevator is installed, and performs the following control processing (Mode 6). When the robot itself travels from a current floor to a destination floor using an elevator car, and when a hall call for a user is assigned by the elevator control device, the robot determines whether the following conditions are satisfied with respect to its current floor and destination floor, and the departure floor and destination direction indicated by the hall call for the user: (1) the forward direction from its current floor to the destination floor is the same as the destination direction of the user, (2) the car arrives at its current floor before arriving at the departure floor of the user, (3) the departure floor of the user is between its departure floor and the destination floor, and (4) its destination floor is different from the terminal floor located in the forward direction of the current floor. Then, when the robot determines that all of the conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied, it requests the elevator control device to assign a first hall call for itself, with its current floor as the departure floor and an end floor located in the forward direction from the current floor as the destination floor.

[0018] A program according to the present invention is a program that causes a robot used in a building where an elevator is installed, or a robot management device that manages the robot, to execute a determination step and a request step (Aspect 7). In the determination step, when the robot uses an elevator car to move from a current floor to a destination floor, and when a hall call for a user has been assigned by the elevator control device, the program causes the robot or the robot management device to determine whether the following conditions are satisfied with respect to the robot's current floor and destination floor and the departure floor and destination direction indicated by the hall call for the user: (1) the forward direction from the robot's current floor to the robot's destination floor is the same as the destination direction of the user, (2) the car arrives at the robot's current floor before arriving at the departure floor of the user, (3) the departure floor of the user is between the robot's current floor and the robot's destination floor, and (4) the destination floor of the robot is different from an end floor located in the forward direction of the robot's current floor. In the request step, if the program determines in the judgment step that all of the conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied, it causes the robot or the robot management device to request the elevator control device to assign a first hall call for the robot, with the robot's current floor as the departure floor and the terminal floor located in the forward direction from the current floor as the destination floor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to alleviate the lengthening of the user's riding time that can occur when a user and a robot ride in the same car. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an elevator according to an embodiment. [Figure 2]1A and 1B are conceptual diagrams illustrating (A) device management data, (B) hall call management data and car call management data for users, and (C) hall call management data and car call management data for robots, which are used in an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating robot management data used in the embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing allocation request processing executed in the embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an allocation process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a response process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a first response process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing a second response process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a third response process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a part of the third response process. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing a boarding command process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing a dismount command process executed in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] [1] Implementation [1-1] Overall structure of the elevator FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an elevator according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, the elevator is equipped with one car G, and the car G is used not only by passengers but also by a robot H that performs various tasks (cleaning, monitoring, transport, etc.) within the building in which the elevator is installed. In addition, in this elevator, destination direction buttons 1 are installed at the landings of each floor so that passengers can specify a destination direction Kc, and destination floor buttons 2 are installed within the car G so that passengers can specify a destination floor Fd. In addition to these components, the elevator of this embodiment further includes an elevator control device 3 and a robot management device 4. The configuration of each part will be described in detail below.

[0022] <Destination direction button> On floors other than the terminal floor Fy, which is the top floor or the bottom floor, the destination direction button 1 includes an up button for specifying an up direction as the destination direction Kc and a down button for specifying a down direction as the destination direction Kc. On the other hand, on the top floor, the destination direction button 1 includes only the down button, and on the bottom floor, the destination direction button 1 includes only the up button.

[0023] When a user presses a destination direction button 1 at a hall to specify a destination direction Kc, the destination direction Kc is transmitted to the elevator control device 3. As a result, the elevator control device 3 is requested to allocate a hall call Rg for the user (allocation of the hall call Rg to the car G) (allocation request from the user). At this time, the destination direction button 1 transmits to the elevator control device 3 device information Pd for identifying itself from other buttons, devices, etc., along with the destination direction Kc, so that the elevator control device 3 can recognize which destination direction button 1 is the source of the destination direction Kc.

[0024] <Destination floor button> The destination floor button 2 is provided for each stop floor that can be guided by the elevator car G, and is a button for registering the stop floor as a destination floor Fd.

[0025] When a user presses the destination floor button 2 in the car G to register a destination floor Fd, the destination floor Fd is transmitted to the elevator control device 3. As a result, the elevator control device 3 is requested to register a car call Vg for the user (registering a car call Vg in the car G).

[0026] <Elevator control device> The elevator control device 3 is a device that controls the operation of the car G. Specifically, the elevator control device 3 assigns a hall call Rg to the car G in response to an assignment request from a user at a hall (an assignment request from the destination direction button 1 in which the user specifies a destination direction Kc) (assignment process, see FIG. 5), and causes the car G to perform an operation to respond to the hall call Rg (response process, see FIGS. 6 to 10). In this embodiment, the elevator control device 3 not only assigns a hall call Rh to the car G in response to an assignment request from a user at a hall, but also assigns a hall call Rh to the car G in response to an assignment request from a robot management device 4 (assignment process, see FIG. 5), and causes the car G to perform an operation to respond to the hall call Rh (response process, see FIGS. 6 to 10). Details of these processes will be described later.

[0027] Specifically, the elevator control device 3 includes a storage unit 31 and a control unit 32 (see FIG. 1).

[0028] The storage unit 31 is a part configured with storage devices such as ROM and RAM, and stores information necessary for the control processing performed by the elevator control device 3. In this embodiment, the information stored in the storage unit 31 includes device management data Dp, hall call management data Dq1G and car call management data Dq2G for users, and hall call management data Dq1H and car call management data Dq2H for the robot H.

[0029] Here, the device management data Dp is a database for managing, for each destination direction button 1, multiple pieces of information related to that destination direction button 1 by linking them together. The hall call management data Dq1G and the car call management data Dq2G are data for managing information on hall calls Rg and car calls Vg for users, respectively. The hall call management data Dq1H and the car call management data Dq2H are data for managing information on hall calls Rh and car calls Vh for robot H, respectively. Specifically, they are as follows.

[0030] 2A is a conceptual diagram illustrating the device management data Dp used in this embodiment. In the device management data Dp illustrated in this figure, the device information Pd and the installation floor Fs are recorded for each destination direction button 1 in a mutually associated state.

[0031] As a result, when the elevator control device 3 receives the device information Pd together with the destination direction Kc from each destination direction button 1, it becomes possible to identify the floor Fs on which the destination direction button 1 (the destination direction button 1 for which the user has specified the destination direction Kc) is located from the device information Pd. In this embodiment, the floor Fs on which the destination direction button 1 is located is used as the departure floor Fc (boarding floor) for the user who specified the destination direction Kc using the destination direction button 1.

[0032] FIG. 2(B) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the hall call management data Dq1G and car call management data Dq2G for users used in this embodiment.

[0033] In the hall call management data Dq1G, for each stopping floor that can be guided by the car G, and further for each direction that can be traveled from that stopping floor, an allocation status is associated which indicates whether or not a hall call Rg for a user whose stopping floor is the departure floor Fc and whose direction is the destination direction Kc has been allocated to the car G (in other words, whether or not the button (up button or down button) for specifying that direction as the destination direction Kc on the destination direction buttons 1 provided at that stopping floor has been pressed). The example in FIG. 2(B) shows a case where the allocation status for each direction from each stopping floor is updated to "ON" when a hall call Rg whose stopping floor is the departure floor Fc and whose direction is the destination direction Kc has been allocated, and is updated to "OFF" when that hall call Rg is deleted.

[0034] Furthermore, in the car call management data Dq2G, each stop floor that can be guided by car G is associated with a registration status that indicates whether or not a car call Vg for a user whose destination floor is that stop floor Fd has been registered in car G (in other words, whether or not the destination floor button 2 for registering that stop floor as the destination floor Fd has been pressed). The example in FIG. 2(B) shows a case in which the registration status for each stop floor is updated to "ON" when a car call Vg whose destination floor is that stop floor Fd is registered, and is updated to "OFF" when that car call Vg is deleted.

[0035] FIG. 2(C) is a conceptual diagram illustrating hall call management data Dq1H and car call management data Dq2H for robot H used in this embodiment.

[0036] In the hall call management data Dq1H, each time a hall call Rh for each robot H is assigned to a car G, the robot information Ph of that robot H and the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd indicated by that hall call Rg are recorded in a mutually associated state. When that hall call Rh is deleted, that information is deleted from the hall call management data Dq1H.

[0037] Furthermore, in the car call management data Dq2H, each time a car call Vh for each robot H is registered in a car G, the robot information Ph of that robot H and the destination floor Fd indicated by that car call Vh are recorded in a mutually associated state. Then, when that car call Vh is deleted, this information is deleted from the car call management data Dq2H.

[0038] The control unit 32 is a part that is responsible for executing the control processes (including assignment processes and response processes) performed by the elevator control device 3. Specifically, the control unit 32 is composed of a processing device such as a CPU or an MPU, and executes a control program installed in the elevator control device 3 to realize the execution of its own control processes in software. Note that, before being installed in the elevator control device 3, this control program may be stored in a readable state on a portable storage medium (e.g., a flash memory, etc.), or may be stored in a downloadable state on another server, etc. Furthermore, the control processes performed by the elevator control device 3 are not limited to being realized in software by executing a program, but may also be realized in hardware by a processing circuit (control unit 32) built in the elevator control device 3.

[0039] <Robot management device> The robot management device 4 is a device that centrally manages the robots H used in the building where the elevator of this embodiment is installed.

[0040] In this embodiment, when each robot H needs to move between floors, it transmits the destination floor Fx to the robot management device 4. At this time, the robot H transmits to the robot management device 4 the destination floor Fx as well as robot information Ph for identifying itself from other robots H, so that the robot management device 4 can recognize which robot H has transmitted the destination floor Fx.

[0041] When the robot management device 4 receives the destination floor Fx and the robot information Ph from each robot H, the robot management device 4 executes a control process to move the robot H between floors, in order to mitigate the lengthening of the user's riding time that may occur when the user and the robot H ride together in the elevator G. Specifically, the robot management device 4 executes an allocation request process (see FIG. 4), a boarding command process (see FIG. 11), and a disembarking command process (see FIG. 12). Details of these processes will be described later.

[0042] Specifically, the robot management device 4 includes a storage unit 41 and a control unit 42 (see FIG. 1).

[0043] The storage unit 41 is a part configured with storage devices such as ROM and RAM, and stores information necessary for the control processing performed by the robot management device 4. In this embodiment, robot management data Dr is stored in the storage unit 41 as such information. Here, the robot management data Dr is a database for managing, for each robot H, multiple pieces of information related to that robot H by linking them together. Specifically, it is as follows.

[0044] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the robot management data Dr used in this embodiment. In the robot management data Dr illustrated in this figure, for each robot H, its robot information Ph and current floor Ft are recorded in a correlated manner, along with the destination of the robot H when it moves between floors and the usage status of the car G. Here, the current floor Ft associated with each robot H is the floor where the robot H is located and is updated each time the robot H moves between floors. Furthermore, the destination associated with each robot H is recorded as the destination floor Fx transmitted by the robot H for its movement between floors, and the destination floor Fx is deleted when the robot H has dismounted from that floor. Furthermore, the example of FIG. 3 illustrates a case in which the usage status associated with each robot H is updated to "riding" when the robot H has boarded the car G and updated to "not in use" when the robot H has dismounted from the car G.

[0045] As a result, when the robot management device 4 receives robot information Ph from each robot H together with the destination floor Fx, it becomes possible to identify the current floor Ft of that robot H from that robot information Ph. In this embodiment, the current floor Ft of that robot H is used as the departure floor Fc (boarding floor) when that robot H moves between floors using an elevator car G. Furthermore, the robot management device 4 can determine whether or not the robot H is "boarding" the car G by referring to the usage status associated with the robot information Ph of each robot H.

[0046] The control unit 42 is a part that is responsible for executing the control processes (including allocation request processing, boarding command processing, and disembarking command processing) performed by the robot management device 4. Specifically, the control unit 42 is composed of a processing device such as a CPU or an MPU, and executes a control program installed in the robot management device 4 to realize the execution of its own control processes in software. Note that, before being installed in the robot management device 4, this control program may be stored in a readable state on a portable storage medium (for example, a flash memory, etc.), or may be stored in a downloadable state on another server, etc. Furthermore, the control processes performed by the robot management device 4 are not limited to being realized in software by executing a program, but may also be realized in hardware by a processing circuit (control unit 42) built in the robot management device 4.

[0047] [1-2] Control process executed by elevator [1-2-1] Allocation request processing performed by the robot management device 4 is a flowchart showing the allocation request process executed in this embodiment. This allocation request process is started each time the robot management device 4 receives a destination floor Fx and robot information Ph from any robot H. In the allocation request process, the robot H that has transmitted this information will be referred to as the "target robot Hk." Furthermore, the information received by the robot management device 4 at that time (including the destination floor Fx and robot information Ph) will be collectively referred to as the "received information Pr1."

[0048] When the allocation request process is started, the robot management device 4 records the destination floor Fx in the received information Pr1 as the destination associated with the robot information Ph in the received information Pr1 in the robot management data Dr (step S100). This allows the robot management device 4 to know the destination of the target robot Hk even in the dismount command process described later.

[0049] In this allocation request process, the robot management device 4 uses the current elevator information Pe (including information indicating the operating status of the elevator car G and the user's usage status, etc.) to determine whether the target robot Hk and the user will ride in the elevator car G together, and whether the extension of the user's riding time that may occur if they do so can be mitigated, and requests the elevator control device 3 to allocate a hall call Rh (allocation of a hall call Rh for the target robot Hk) based on the result of the determination.

[0050] Therefore, the robot management device 4 first obtains the current elevator information Pe from the elevator control device 3 (step S101). Specifically, the robot management device 4 requests the elevator control device 3 to return the elevator information Pe at that time. The robot management device 4 then obtains the necessary information by receiving the elevator information Pe returned from the elevator control device 3 in response to its own request. At this time, the robot management device 4 obtains information on the current position Qt and movement direction of the car G as information indicating the operating status of the car G, and obtains information on the hall call Rg for the user assigned to the car G as information indicating the usage status of the user.

[0051] Next, the robot management device 4 makes the following determination using the elevator information Pe acquired in step S101.

[0052] The robot management device 4 first determines whether or not information about the hall call Rg for the user is included in the elevator information Pe (step S102). If the robot management device 4 determines "included (Yes)" in step S102, it can determine that there is a user who will board the car G, and further determine that if the target robot Hk is allowed to board the car G at that time, the user may end up riding with the target robot Hk.

[0053] In this case, the robot management device 4 uses the robot management data Dr to extract the current floor Ft associated with the robot information Ph in the received information Pr1. Then, the robot management device 4 determines whether or not all of the following conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied for the current floor Ft, the destination floor Fx in the received information Pr1 (the current floor Ft and destination floor Fx of the target robot Hk), and the information on the hall call Rg for a user who may be riding with the target robot Hk (the departure floor Fc and destination direction Kc of the user indicated by the hall call Rg) (step S103).

[0054] Condition (1): The forward direction Ks from the current floor Ft of the target robot Hk to the destination floor Fx of the target robot Hk is the same as the destination direction Kc of the user. Condition (2): The elevator G must arrive at the current floor Ft of the target robot Hk before arriving at the departure floor Fc of the user. Condition (3): The user's departure floor Fc is between the current floor Ft of the target robot Hk and the destination floor Fx of the target robot Hk. Condition (4): The target floor Fx of the target robot Hk is a floor different from the end floor Fy located in the forward direction Ks relative to the current floor Ft of the target robot Hk.

[0055] If conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied and a normal hall call (hall call with the target robot Hk's current floor Ft as the departure floor Fc and the target robot Hk's destination floor Fd) is assigned as the hall call Rh for the target robot Hk, after boarding the car G, depending on the relative positions of the user's disembarking floor and the target robot Hk's disembarking floor (= destination floor Fx), a situation may arise in which the user must experience the target robot Hk disembarking at an intermediate floor before disembarking. If such a situation occurs, the user will be forced to wait in the car G until the target robot Hk has disembarked at an intermediate floor. In this way, when the user and the target robot Hk ride in the car G together, the user may be forced to spend a longer time on the car before disembarking due to the target robot Hk disembarking at an intermediate floor.

[0056] Therefore, if the robot management device 4 determines in step S103 that all of the conditions (1) to (4) are "satisfied (Yes)", it makes the following two allocation requests that are different from the usual ones (steps S110A and 110B) in order to mitigate the lengthening of the user's riding time that may occur when the user and the target robot Hk ride in the elevator G together.

[0057] In the first allocation request, the robot management device 4 requests the elevator control device 3 to allocate a first hall call Rh (first hall call) for the target robot Hk, with the current floor Ft of the target robot Hk set as the departure floor Fc and an end floor Fy (an end floor on the same side as the destination floor Fx of the target robot Hk) located in the forward direction Ks from the current floor Ft set as the destination floor Fd (step S110A). Specifically, the robot management device 4 sets the current floor Ft of the target robot Hk as the departure floor Fc and the end floor Fy as the destination floor Fd, and transmits this information together with the robot information Ph of the target robot Hk to the elevator control device 3.

[0058] By making such a first allocation request (first hall call allocation request), assuming that condition (4) is satisfied, the car G can be moved to the terminal floor Fy, and the car G can pass through the destination floor Fx of the target robot Hk while the target robot Hk is still aboard. Therefore, it becomes possible for the passenger to disembark before the target robot Hk before reaching the terminal floor Fy. Furthermore, by setting the first hall call as the destination floor Fd to be the terminal floor Fy, where the direction of movement of the car G is necessarily reversed, it becomes possible to avoid unnecessary control such as stopping the car G at an intermediate floor where no one is getting on or off just to allow the target robot Hk to pass through the destination floor Fx.

[0059] In the second allocation request, the robot management device 4 requests the elevator control device 3 to allocate a second hall call Rh (second hall call) for the target robot Hk, with the terminal floor Fy set as the departure floor Fc and the target floor Fx of the target robot Hk set as the destination floor Fd (step S110B). Specifically, the robot management device 4 sets the terminal floor Fy as the departure floor Fc and the target floor Fx of the target robot Hk as the destination floor Fd, and transmits this information together with the robot information Ph of the target robot Hk to the elevator control device 3. After step S110B, the robot management device 4 terminates the allocation request process.

[0060] By making such a second allocation request (allocation request for a second hall call), even after the car G has passed the destination floor Fx of the target robot Hk, when the car G moves in the reverse direction Kt (opposite the forward direction Ks) from the end floor Fy, the car G can be stopped in the reverse direction Kt at the destination floor Fx of the target robot Hk, and as a result, it becomes possible to have the target robot Hk disembark at the destination floor Fx.

[0061] In this embodiment, the robot management device 4 simultaneously performs steps S110A and S110B (including the case where step S110B is performed almost immediately after step S110A). In other words, the robot management device 4 simultaneously requests the elevator control device 3 to allocate both the first hall call and the second hall call to the target robot Hk.

[0062] By performing steps S110A and S110B simultaneously in this way, in the assignment process performed by the elevator control device 3 described later, the first hall call and the second hall call for the target robot Hk can be more easily assigned to the car G so that the car G can respond to those hall calls in order while making one circuit of the operating area (in other words, so that the car G can respond to the second hall call immediately after responding to the first hall call). Note that if such assignment can be performed reliably, step S110B may be executed after step S110A.

[0063] Regarding the above-mentioned conditions (1) to (4), if at least one of the conditions (1) to (3) is not satisfied, even if a normal hall call is assigned as the hall call Rh for the target robot Hk, a situation may arise in which the user does not experience any riding with the target robot at all from the time they board the elevator G at the departure floor Fc until they move in the destination direction Kc and get off the elevator.

[0064] Furthermore, when condition (4) is not satisfied, it is when the destination floor Fx of the target robot Hk is an end floor Fy. In this case, the user of the car G moving in the forward direction Ks will either get off before the car G arrives at the destination floor Fx (= end floor Fy) of the target robot Hk, or will get off together with the target robot Hk at the destination floor Fx. In other words, when condition (4) is not satisfied, a situation does not arise in which the user experiences the target robot Hk getting off at an intermediate floor. Therefore, in such a case, it is sufficient to assign a normal hall call as the hall call Rh for the target robot Hk.

[0065] Furthermore, if the elevator information Pe does not include information about the hall call Rg for the user, it means that there are no users who may be riding with the target robot Hk at that time. In this case, a normal hall call can be assigned as the hall call Rh for the target robot Hk without affecting the users in any way.

[0066] Therefore, if the robot management device 4 determines in step S103 that at least one of the conditions is "not satisfied (No)," or if the robot management device 4 determines in step S102 that the condition is "not included (No)," it makes a normal allocation request to the elevator control device 3 (step S120). Specifically, the robot management device 4 requests the elevator control device 3 to allocate a normal hall call Rh for the target robot Hk, in which the current floor Ft of the target robot Hk is set as the departure floor Fc and the destination floor Fx of the target robot Hk is set as the destination floor Fd. More specifically, the robot management device 4 sets the current floor Ft and destination floor Fx of the target robot Hk as the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd of the target robot Hk, respectively, and transmits this information together with the robot information Ph of the target robot Hk to the elevator control device 3. After step S120, the robot management device 4 terminates the allocation request process.

[0067] [1-2-2] Allocation process performed by elevator control device Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the allocation process executed in this embodiment. This allocation process is started when a hall call allocation request is made to the elevator control device 3 from the destination direction button 1 or the robot management device 4. In this embodiment, even if requests for allocation of a first hall call and a second hall call for robot H (steps S110A and S110B in Fig. 4) are made simultaneously, the allocation process in Fig. 5 is executed for each of them individually.

[0068] Hereinafter, the information received by the elevator control device 3 for each allocation request will be collectively referred to as "received information Pr2." Specifically, if the allocation request is a request from the destination direction button 1 (a request to allocate a hall call Rg for a user), this received information Pr2 will be a set of information including the destination direction Kc and device information Pd, and if the allocation request is a request from the robot management device 4 (a request to allocate a hall call Rh for robot H), it will be a set of information including the departure floor Fc, destination floor Fd, and robot information Ph.

[0069] When the allocation process begins, the elevator control device 3 determines whether the received allocation request is from the destination direction button 1 or the robot management device 4 by determining whether the device information Pd or the robot information Ph is included in the received information Pr2 (step S200).

[0070] If the elevator control device 3 determines in step S200 that the device information Pd is included, it can determine that the received allocation request is a request from the destination direction button 1. In this case, the elevator control device 3 uses the device management data Dp to extract the installation floor Fs associated with the device information Pd in ​​the received information Pr2 and sets it as the user's departure floor Fc. Then, the elevator control device 3 assigns the departure floor Fc and the destination direction Kc in the received information Pr2 (the user's destination direction Kc) to a car G as a single hall call Rg (allocation for the user; step S201). After that, the elevator control device 3 terminates the allocation process.

[0071] On the other hand, if the elevator control device 3 determines in step S200 that "robot information Ph" is included, it can determine that the received allocation request is a request from the robot management device 4. In this case, the elevator control device 3 assigns the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd in the received information Pr2 as one hall call Rh to the car G (assignment for robot H; step S202). Thereafter, the elevator control device 3 terminates the allocation process.

[0072] [1-2-3] Response processing by elevator control device Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the response processing executed in this embodiment. This response processing is a normal response processing executed by the elevator control device 3, and the hall calls and car calls to be responded to are not limited to the hall calls and car calls for the user and robot H that are the subject of judgment when it is judged that all of the conditions (1) to (4) are "satisfied (Yes)" in step S103 of the above-mentioned allocation request processing (see Fig. 4), but also include hall calls and car calls for other users and robots H. This response processing is started when the next stopping floor of the elevator car G is determined.

[0073] When the response process is started, the elevator control device 3 determines what kind of calls are included in the response targets to be responded to in the response process (step S30X). Specifically, the elevator control device 3 determines whether the response targets include only hall calls (either or both of a hall call Rg of a user and a hall call Rh of the robot H), only car calls (either or both of a car call Vg of a user and a car call Vh of the robot H), or both hall calls and car calls.

[0074] Then, the elevator control device 3 executes a first response process if it determines in step S30X that the call is "only a hall call," executes a second response process if it determines in step S30X that the call is "only a car call," and executes a third response process if it determines in step S30X that the call is "both a hall call and a car call." These processes will be explained in detail below.

[0075] <First response process> 7 is a flowchart showing the first response process executed in this embodiment. In this first response process, the elevator control device 3 first determines whether or not the response targets include a hall call Rh of the robot H (step S300).

[0076] If the elevator control device 3 determines "not included (No)" in step S300, it can determine that only the user's hall call Rg is included in the response targets. In this case, the elevator control device 3 transmits a command to the car G to stop the car G at the departure floor Fc indicated by the hall call Rg (the user's departure floor Fc) in the same direction as the destination direction Kc indicated by the hall call Rg (step S301).

[0077] After step S301, the elevator control device 3 determines whether the car G has arrived at the departure floor Fc indicated by the hall call Rg (step S302). Furthermore, the elevator control device 3 repeatedly executes step S302 until it can determine "arrived (Yes)" in step S302.

[0078] Then, when the elevator control device 3 determines that the elevator has arrived (Yes) in step S302, it deletes the hall call Rg that has completed its role upon arrival (step S303).

[0079] Thereafter, the user boards the arriving car G and then registers his / her destination floor Fd by pressing the destination floor button 2 inside the car G. At this time, if the destination floor button 2 corresponding to the user's destination floor Fd has already been registered by another user, the user only boards the car G.

[0080] Therefore, after step S303, the elevator control device 3 determines whether or not an unregistered destination floor Fd has been pressed on the destination floor button 2 in the car G (step S304).

[0081] If the elevator control device 3 determines that the button is pressed (Yes) in step S304, it registers the pressed destination floor Fd as a car call Vg for the user in the car G (step S305). This makes it possible to stop the car G at the destination floor Fd registered by the user in the car G. Thereafter, the elevator control device 3 ends the first response process.

[0082] On the other hand, if the elevator control device 3 determines that the button was not pressed (No) in step S304, it ends the first response process without performing step S305.

[0083] If the elevator control device 3 determines in step S300 that the hall call Rh of the robot H is "included (Yes)" in the response targets, it responds to the hall call Rh, and if the response targets further include the hall call Rg of the user, it also processes the hall call Rg of the user. Specifically, it is as follows.

[0084] The elevator control device 3 sends a command to the elevator G to stop the elevator G at the departure floor Fc indicated by the hall call Rh (the departure floor Fc of the robot H) in the direction toward the destination floor Fd indicated by the hall call Rh (step S401).

[0085] After step S401, the elevator control device 3 determines whether the car G has arrived at the departure floor Fc indicated by the hall call Rh (step S402). Furthermore, the elevator control device 3 repeatedly executes step S402 until it can determine "arrived (Yes)" in step S402.

[0086] If the elevator control device 3 determines "arrived (Yes)" in step S402, it transmits a boarding start signal Sx1 to the robot management device 4 to have the robot H start boarding the car G (step S403). At this time, the elevator control device 3 extracts the robot information Ph corresponding to the currently responded hall call Rh from the hall call management data Dq1H, and transmits the robot information Ph together with the boarding start signal Sx1 to the robot management device 4, so that the robot management device 4 can recognize which robot H should board.

[0087] Here, if the hall call Rh to be responded to is one (first hall call) that has been assigned to the car G in response to the first assignment request (step S110A in FIG. 4) from the robot management device 4, or one that has been assigned to the car G in response to a normal assignment request (step S120 in FIG. 4), at the time step S403 is executed, the robot H has not yet boarded the car G and is waiting at the current floor Ft for a command to board the car G. Therefore, in this case, in step S403, a boarding start signal Sx1 is sent to the robot management device 4 when the robot H should board.

[0088] On the other hand, if the hall call Rh to be responded to is the second hall call that has been assigned to the car G in response to the second assignment request from the robot management device 4 (step S110B in FIG. 4), the elevator control device 3 is in a state where, after completing the response process for the first hall call to be responded to (in other words, after the robot H has boarded the car G), it is further executing the response process for the second hall call to be responded to. In this case, at the time of executing step S403, the robot H has already boarded the car G. Therefore, in this case, in step S403, the boarding start signal Sx1 is transmitted to the robot management device 4 even though it is not necessary for the robot H to board.

[0089] Therefore, when the robot management device 4 receives the boarding start signal Sx1 from the elevator control device 3, it executes the boarding command process shown in Fig. 11 for the robot H identified by the robot information Ph received together with the signal Sx1. The details of the boarding command process will be described later.

[0090] After step S403, the elevator control device 3 determines whether or not the boarding completion signal Sx2 has been received from the robot management device 4 (step S404). Furthermore, the elevator control device 3 repeatedly executes step S404 until it can determine "received (Yes)" in step S404.

[0091] It should be noted that when the robot H gets on the car G, some kind of trouble (such as a power system failure or insufficient battery power) may occur, and the robot H may not be able to complete its ride on the car G. Therefore, if the elevator control device 3 is unable to receive the boarding completion signal Sx2 (is unable to determine "received (Yes)" in step S404) after a predetermined time has elapsed, the elevator control device 3 may delete the hall call Rh and proceed to step S406.

[0092] If the elevator control device 3 determines "received (Yes)" in step S404, it registers the destination floor Fd indicated by the hall call Rh (the destination floor Fd of the robot H) in the car G as a car call Vh for the robot H (step S405). This makes it possible to stop the car G at the destination floor Fd indicated by the hall call Rh. Meanwhile, with the registration of the car call Vh in the car G, the hall call Rh has completed its role. Therefore, the elevator control device 3 deletes the hall call Rh that has completed its role.

[0093] Thereafter, the elevator control device 3 determines whether the hall call Rg of the user is further included in the response targets in this first response process (step S406). If the elevator control device 3 determines "included (Yes)" in step S406, it executes the processes of steps S303 to S305 (deleting the hall call Rg to registering the car call Vg) as the process for the hall call Rg. Thereafter, the elevator control device 3 ends the first response process. On the other hand, if the elevator control device 3 determines "not included (No)" in step S406, it ends the first response process without executing the processes of steps S303 to S305.

[0094] <Second response process> 8 is a flowchart showing the second response process executed in this embodiment. In this second response process, the elevator control device 3 first determines whether or not the response targets include the car call Vh of the robot H (step S310).

[0095] If the elevator control device 3 determines "not included (No)" in step S310, it can determine that only the user's car call Vg is included in the response targets. In this case, the elevator control device 3 transmits a command to the car G to stop the car G at the destination floor Fd indicated by the car call Vg (the user's destination floor Fd) (step S311).

[0096] After step S311, the elevator control device 3 determines whether the car G has arrived at the destination floor Fd indicated by the car call Vg (step S312). Furthermore, the elevator control device 3 repeatedly executes step S312 until it can determine "arrived (Yes)" in step S312.

[0097] If the elevator control device 3 determines that the car has arrived (Yes) in step S312, it deletes the car call Vg whose role has been completed upon the arrival (step S313). After that, the elevator control device 3 ends the second response process.

[0098] If the elevator control device 3 determines in step S310 that the car call Vh of the robot H is included in the response targets (Yes), it responds to the car call Vh, and if the response targets also include a car call Vg of a user, it also processes the car call Vg of the user. Specifically, it is as follows.

[0099] The elevator control device 3 transmits a command to the car G to stop the car G at the destination floor Fd indicated by the car call Vh (the destination floor Fd of the robot H) (step S411).

[0100] After step S411, the elevator control device 3 determines whether the car G has arrived at the destination floor Fd indicated by the car call Vh (step S412). Furthermore, the elevator control device 3 repeatedly executes step S412 until it can determine "arrived (Yes)" in step S412.

[0101] If the elevator control device 3 determines "arrived (Yes)" in step S412, it deletes the car call Vh that has completed its role upon arrival (step S413). The elevator control device 3 also transmits a dismounting start signal Sy1 to the robot management device 4 to cause the robot H to start dismounting from the car G (step S414). At this time, the elevator control device 3 extracts the robot information Ph corresponding to the car call Vh that is responding from the car call management data Dq2H, and transmits the robot information Ph together with the dismounting start signal Sy1 to the robot management device 4 so that the robot management device 4 can recognize which robot H is to dismount.

[0102] Here, if the car call Vh to be responded to has been registered in the car G through a hall call Rh (second hall call) corresponding to the second allocation request (step S110B in FIG. 4) from the robot management device 4, or has been registered in the car G through a hall call Rh corresponding to a normal allocation request (step S120 in FIG. 4), the destination floor Fd indicated by the car call Vh is the destination floor Fx of the robot H, and at the time of execution of step S414, the car G has arrived at the destination floor Fx of the robot H (in other words, the floor where the robot H should dismount). Therefore, in this case, in step S414, when the robot H should dismount, a dismount start signal Sy1 is sent to the robot management device 4.

[0103] On the other hand, if the car call Vh to be responded to has been registered to the car G through the hall call Rh (first hall call) corresponding to the first allocation request (step S110A in FIG. 4) from the robot management device 4, the destination floor Fd indicated by the car call Vh is a floor (here, the terminal floor Fy) on the way to the destination floor Fx of the robot H as the car G moves around, and at the time step S414 is executed, the car G has merely arrived at a floor on the way (in other words, a floor where the robot H does not need to disembark). Therefore, in this case, in step S414, the disembarkation start signal Sy1 is sent to the robot management device 4 even though it is not necessary for the robot H to disembark.

[0104] Therefore, when the robot management device 4 receives the dismounting start signal Sy1 from the elevator control device 3, it executes the dismounting command process shown in Fig. 12 for the robot H identified by the robot information Ph received together with the signal Sy1. The details of the dismounting command process will be described later.

[0105] After step S414, the elevator control device 3 determines whether or not a disembarkation completion signal Sy2 has been received from the robot management device 4 (step S415). Furthermore, the elevator control device 3 repeatedly executes step S415 until it can determine "received (Yes)" in step S415.

[0106] If the elevator control device 3 determines "received (Yes)" in step S415, it determines whether or not the user's car call Vg is further included in the response targets in this second response process (step S416). If the elevator control device 3 determines "included (Yes)" in step S416, it executes the process of step S313 (delete car call Vg) as the process for that car call Vg. Thereafter, the elevator control device 3 ends the second response process. On the other hand, if the elevator control device 3 determines "not included (No)" in step S416, it ends the second response process without executing the process of step S313.

[0107] <Third response process> 9 and 10 are flowcharts showing the third response process executed in this embodiment. In this third response process, the elevator control device 3 first determines whether the response targets include a hall call Rh of the robot H (step S320).

[0108] If the elevator control device 3 determines "not included (No)" in step S320, it can determine that the response target includes the user's hall call Rg. In this case, the elevator control device 3 executes the same processes as steps S301 to S305 described in the first response process (steps S321 to S325).

[0109] On the other hand, if the elevator control device 3 determines that the information is included (Yes) in step S320, it executes the same processes as steps S401 and S402 described in the first response process (steps S421 and S422; see FIG. 10).

[0110] Here, if another robot H is riding in the car G and the floor at which the car G arrives is the destination floor Fx of the other robot H, it is necessary to have the robot H dismount from the car G. Also, in order to smoothly board the robot H from the platform and dismount the other robot H from the car G, it is necessary to first have the robot H in the car G dismount, and then have the robot H at the platform board.

[0111] Therefore, the elevator control device 3 first determines whether or not the response targets in this third response process further include a car call Vh of another robot H (step S423).

[0112] If the elevator control device 3 determines that the car call Vh is included (Yes) in step S423, it can determine that it is necessary to have another robot H in the car G disembark at the stopping floor where the car G has arrived. In this case, the elevator control device 3 executes the same processing as steps S413 to S415 (deletion of car call Vh to determination of whether or not the disembarkation completion signal Sy2 has been received) described in the second response processing as processing to have the other robot H disembark (steps S431 to S433).

[0113] If the elevator control device 3 determines in step S433 that the signal has been received (Yes), or if it determines in step S423 that the signal has not been included (No), it executes the same processing as steps S403 to S405 (sending the boarding start signal Sx1 to registering the car call Vh) described in the first response processing as processing for allowing the robot H at the landing to board the car G (steps S441 to S443).

[0114] Thereafter, the elevator control device 3 determines whether the hall call Rg of the user is further included in the response targets in this third response process (step S451; see FIG. 9). If the elevator control device 3 determines "included (Yes)" in step S451, it executes steps S323 to S325 (deleting the hall call Rg to registering the car call Vg) as the process for the hall call Rg. Thereafter, the elevator control device 3 proceeds to step S452. On the other hand, if the elevator control device 3 determines "not included (No)" in step S451, it proceeds to step S452 without performing the processes of steps S323 to S325.

[0115] In step S452, the elevator control device 3 determines whether or not a user's car call Vg is further included in the response targets in this third response process. If the user's car call Vg is included in the response targets, the arrival of the car G will mark the end of the car call Vg's role. Therefore, if the elevator control device 3 determines "included (Yes)" in step S452, it also deletes the car call Vg that has completed its role (step S453). Thereafter, the elevator control device 3 ends the third response process. On the other hand, if the elevator control device 3 determines "not included (No)" in step S452, it ends the third response process without performing the process of step S453.

[0116] [1-2-4] Boarding command processing by the robot management device 11 is a flowchart showing the boarding command processing executed in this embodiment. This boarding command processing is started each time the robot management device 4 receives a boarding start signal Sx1 and robot information Ph from the elevator control device 3. Hereinafter, the information received by the robot management device 4 at that time (including the boarding start signal Sx1 and robot information Ph) will be collectively referred to as "received information Pr3."

[0117] When the boarding command process is started, the robot management device 4 determines whether or not the robot H identified by the robot information Ph in the received information Pr3 (in the boarding command process, this robot H will be referred to as the "target robot Hk") has already boarded the car G (step S500). Specifically, the robot management device 4 refers to the usage status associated with the robot information Ph in the received information Pr4 in the robot management data Dr, determines whether or not the usage status is "boarding", and determines whether or not the robot has already boarded based on the result.

[0118] If the robot management device 4 determines in step S500 that the target robot Hk has not boarded (No), it transmits a command to the target robot Hk to board the car G (step S501). As a result, the target robot Hk starts boarding the car G in response to the command from the robot management device 4, and when boarding is complete, it notifies the robot management device 4 that boarding has been completed.

[0119] Therefore, after step S501, the robot management device 4 determines whether or not the target robot Hk has completed boarding into the car G by determining whether or not it has received a notification of boarding completion from the target robot Hk (step S502). Furthermore, the robot management device 4 repeatedly executes step S502 until it can determine "completed (Yes)" in step S502.

[0120] If the robot management device 4 determines that the boarding is completed (Yes) in step S502, it sends a boarding completion signal Sx2 to the elevator control device 3 along with the robot information Ph of the target robot Hk to notify the elevator control device 3 that the boarding of the target robot Hk has been completed (step S510).

[0121] Then, the robot management device 4 updates the usage status of the target robot Hk recorded in the robot management data Dr from "not in use" to "riding" (step S511). After that, the robot management device 4 ends the riding command process.

[0122] On the other hand, if the robot management device 4 determines in step S500 that the target robot Hk has boarded (Yes), it does not command the target robot Hk to board the car G, but sends a boarding completion signal Sx2 as a dummy signal together with the robot information Ph of the target robot Hk to the elevator control device 3 (step S520). After that, the robot management device 4 ends the boarding command processing.

[0123] In this embodiment, when all of the above conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied, the car G must respond to the two hall calls Rh (the first hall call and the second hall call) assigned to the target robot Hk. Therefore, a boarding start signal Sx1 is transmitted to the robot management device 4 each time the car G arrives at the departure floor Fc indicated by the hall calls Rh. On the other hand, since the car G arrives at the departure floor Fc indicated by the second hall call with the target robot Hk already aboard, there is no need to board the target robot Hk anew in the car G. Therefore, in the boarding command process, a boarding completion signal Sx2 is transmitted as a dummy signal in response to the boarding start signal Sx1 transmitted when responding to the second hall call. This allows the target robot Hk to remain aboard the car G without stalling the execution of the response process (see FIGS. 6 to 10) in the elevator control device 3.

[0124] [1-2-5] Disembarkation command processing by the robot management device 12 is a flowchart showing the dismounting command processing executed in this embodiment. This dismounting command processing is started each time the robot management device 4 receives a dismounting start signal Sy1 and robot information Ph from the elevator control device 3. Hereinafter, the information received by the robot management device 4 at that time (including the dismounting start signal Sy1 and robot information Ph) will be collectively referred to as "received information Pr4."

[0125] When the disembarkation command processing is started, the robot management device 4 first acquires the current position Qt of the car G from the elevator control device 3 (step S600A). Specifically, the robot management device 4 requests the elevator control device 3 to return the current position Qt of the car G. Then, the robot management device 4 receives the current position Qt of the car G returned from the elevator control device 3 in response to its own request, thereby acquiring the necessary information.

[0126] Next, the robot management device 4 uses the current position Qt of the elevator G obtained in step S600A and the destination (the destination floor Fx of the robot H identified by the robot information Ph) associated with the robot information Ph in the received information Pr4 in the robot management data Dr to determine whether the stopping floor of the elevator G at that time matches the destination floor Fx of the robot H (in the disembarking command processing, this robot H will be called the "target robot Hk") identified by the robot information Ph in the received information Pr4 (step S600B).

[0127] If the robot management device 4 determines that there is a match (Yes) in step S600B, it transmits a command to the target robot Hk to have the target robot Hk dismount from the car G (step S601). As a result, the target robot Hk starts dismounting from the car G in response to the command from the robot management device 4, and when dismounting is complete, it notifies the robot management device 4 of the dismounting completion.

[0128] Therefore, after step S601, the robot management device 4 determines whether or not a notification of dismounting completion has been received from the target robot Hk, thereby determining whether or not dismounting of the target robot Hk from the car G has been completed (step S602). Furthermore, the robot management device 4 repeatedly executes step S602 until it can determine "completed (Yes)" in step S602.

[0129] If the robot management device 4 determines that the process is completed (Yes) in step S602, it returns a dismounting completion signal Sy2 to the elevator control device 3 along with the robot information Ph of the target robot Hk to notify the elevator control device 3 that the target robot Hk has dismounted (step S610).

[0130] Then, the robot management device 4 updates the current floor Ft recorded in the robot management data Dr for the target robot Hk to the stop floor of the car G used in the determination in step S600B (the floor where the target robot Hk disembarks) (step S611). The robot management device 4 also updates the usage status recorded in the robot management data Dr for the target robot Hk from "on board" to "not in use". Furthermore, the robot management device 4 erases the destination floor Fx recorded as the movement destination of the target robot Hk in the robot management data Dr. Thereafter, the robot management device 4 ends the disembarkation command processing.

[0131] On the other hand, if the robot management device 4 determines that there is a "mismatch (No)" in step S600B, it does not command the target robot Hk to dismount from the car G, but instead returns a dismount completion signal Sy2 as a dummy signal together with the robot information Ph of the target robot Hk to the elevator control device 3 (step S620). Thereafter, the robot management device 4 ends the dismount command processing.

[0132] In this embodiment, when all of the above conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied, the car G must respond to the two hall calls Rh (the first hall call and the second hall call) assigned to the target robot Hk. Therefore, each time the car G arrives at the destination floor Fd indicated by the hall calls Rh (specifically, the destination floor Fd indicated by the corresponding car call Vh), a dismounting start signal Sy1 is transmitted to the robot management device 4. On the other hand, when the car G arrives at the destination floor Fd indicated by the first hall call, the destination floor Fd is a floor on the way to the destination floor Fx for the target robot Hk, and the target robot Hk does not need to dismount from the car G. Therefore, in the dismounting command process, a dismounting completion signal Sy2 is transmitted as a dummy signal in response to the dismounting start signal Sy1 transmitted when responding to the first hall call. This makes it possible to keep the target robot Hk in the car G without stalling the execution of the response process (see FIGS. 6 to 10) in the elevator control device 3 described above.

[0133] According to this control process, if a normal allocation request is made for the target robot Hk, a situation may arise in which the user must experience the target robot Hk disembarking before disembarking (in which the user's ride time would be extended due to the target robot Hk disembarking). By moving the car G to the terminal floor Fy, assuming that condition (4) is satisfied, the car G can be made to pass through the destination floor Fx of the target robot Hk while still carrying the target robot Hk. Therefore, it is possible for the user to disembark before the target robot Hk before reaching the terminal floor Fy. This prevents the user from experiencing the target robot Hk disembarking while traveling in the car G. As a result, it is possible to alleviate the lengthening of the user's ride time.

[0134] Furthermore, according to the above control process, by setting the first hall call to the terminal floor Fy, where the direction of movement of the elevator car G will necessarily be reversed, as the destination floor Fd, it becomes possible to avoid unnecessary control such as stopping the elevator car G at an intermediate floor where no one is getting on or off, just to allow the target robot Hk to pass through the destination floor Fx.

[0135] [2] Variation [2-1] First modified example In the above-described embodiment, the request for allocation of a hall call Rg for a user may be appropriately changed to one requested from a destination floor registration device installed on each floor by the user registering a destination floor Fd in the destination floor registration device. In this case, the destination floor registration device transmits the destination floor Fd registered by the user and its own device information Pd to the elevator control device 3 as a request for allocation of a hall call Rg for the user.

[0136] When the elevator control device 3 receives an allocation request from a destination floor registration device, it determines in step S200 of Figure 5 that it is "device information Pd", and then in the subsequent step S201, it sets the floor where the destination floor registration device (the destination floor registration device identified by the received device information Pd; see Figure 2(A)) is installed as the departure floor Fc, and then assigns the departure floor Fc and the received destination floor Fd (the destination floor Fd registered by the user in the destination floor registration device) to the elevator car G as one hall call Rg.

[0137] In this configuration, the condition (1) determined in step S103 is changed to a condition that the forward direction Ks from the current floor Ft of the target robot Hk to the destination floor Fx of the target robot Hk is the same as the direction from the user's departure floor Fc to the user's destination floor Fd. Also, the condition (3) determined in step S103 is changed to a condition that the user's departure floor Fc and the target robot Hk's destination floor Fx are located, in that order, between the current floor Ft of the target robot Hk and the user's destination floor Fd.

[0138] Furthermore, when responding to a hall call Rg for a user in the first response processing of Fig. 7, the elevator control device 3 will register the destination floor Fd indicated by the hall call Rg (the destination floor Fd of the user) as a car call Vg for the user in the car G in step S303, instead of executing steps S304 and S305. Then, the elevator control device 3 will delete the hall call Rg that has completed its purpose, and then end the first response processing. Furthermore, when responding to a hall call Rg for a user in the third response processing of Fig. 9, the elevator control device 3 will perform the same processing, instead of executing steps S324 and S325.

[0139] [2-2] Second variant In any of the above-described embodiments and modifications, each robot H may be modified as appropriate to execute the control processes (including allocation request processing, boarding command processing, and disembarking command processing) performed by the robot management device 4 on behalf of the robot management device 4. In this case, each robot H will communicate with the elevator control device 3 without going through the robot management device 4. This allows each robot H to use the elevator car G autonomously.

[0140] The above-described embodiments and modifications should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined not by the above-described embodiments and modifications, but by the claims. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications that are equivalent to the scope of the claims and fall within the scope thereof.

[0141] Furthermore, from the above-described embodiments and modifications, the subject matter of the invention is not limited to the robot management device 4 or the robot H, but the control processes and programs executed by the robot management device 4 or the robot H may be extracted individually, or some of them may be extracted partially. Also, some or all of an elevator equipped with the robot management device 4 or the robot H may be extracted as the subject matter of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0142] 1 Destination button 2 Destination floor button 3 Elevator control device 4. Robot Management Device G car H Robot 31, 41 Storage section 32, 42 Control section Dp Equipment Management Data Dr. Robot Management Data Fc Departure Floor Fd Destination floor Fs Installation floor Ft Current Floor Fx destination floor Fy end floor Hk Target Robot Kc destination direction Ks forward Kt reverse direction Pd device information Pe Elevator Information Ph Robot Information Qt current position Rg, Rh platform call Vg, Vh cage call Dq1G, Dq1H Hall call management data Dq2G, Dq2H cage call management data Pr1, Pr2, Pr3, Pr4 received information Sx1 Boarding start signal Sx2 ride completion signal Sy1 Start of disembarkation signal Sy2 exit completion signal

Claims

1. A device that manages robots used in buildings where elevators are installed, When the robot moves from the current floor to the destination floor using the elevator car, and when a hall call for a user is assigned by the elevator control device, the current floor and destination floor of the robot and the departure floor and destination direction indicated by the hall call for the user are determined as follows: (1) A condition that the forward direction from the current floor of the robot to the destination floor of the robot is the same as the destination direction of the user; (2) a condition that the elevator car arrives at the robot's current floor before arriving at the user's departure floor; and (3) A condition that the departure floor of the user is between the current floor of the robot and the destination floor of the robot; and (4) A condition that the destination floor of the robot is a floor different from an end floor located in the forward direction relative to the current floor of the robot; and Determine whether each of the following is satisfied, When it is determined that all of the conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied, the robot management device requests the elevator control device to assign, as a first hall call for the robot, a hall call in which the current floor of the robot is set as a departure floor and the end floor located in the forward direction from the current floor is set as a destination floor.

2. 2. The robot management device according to claim 1, wherein, when it is determined that all of the conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied, the robot management device further requests the elevator control device to assign a second hall call for the robot, with the end floor as a departure floor and the robot's destination floor as a destination floor.

3. The robot management device according to claim 2 , wherein the robot management device simultaneously requests the elevator control device to allocate both the first hall call and the second hall call to the robot.

4. When the elevator control device receives a request from the robot management device and assigns both the first hall call and the second hall call for the robot to the car, when the car arrives at a destination floor indicated by either of the hall calls, the elevator control device transmits a disembarkation start signal to the robot management device to cause the robot to disembark from the car; As a result, when the dismount start signal is received from the elevator control device, it is determined whether the stopping floor of the elevator car at that time coincides with the destination floor of the robot; If it is determined that the destination floor of the robot matches, the robot is instructed to dismount from the elevator car, and then, when the robot has dismounted, a dismount completion signal is sent back to the elevator control device; 3. The robot management device of claim 2, wherein if it determines that the destination floor of the robot does not match, the dismounting completion signal is returned to the elevator control device as a dummy signal without instructing the robot to dismount from the elevator car.

5. When the elevator control device receives a request from the robot management device and assigns both the first hall call and the second hall call for the robot to the car, when the car arrives at a departure floor indicated by either of the hall calls, the elevator control device transmits a boarding start signal to the robot management device to board the robot into the car; As a result, when the boarding start signal is received from the elevator control device, it is determined whether the robot has already boarded the elevator car; If it is determined that the user has not yet boarded the elevator car, it instructs the robot to board the elevator car, and then, when the robot has completed boarding, it returns a boarding completion signal to the elevator control device; A robot management device as described in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein when it is determined that the robot has already boarded the elevator car, the boarding completion signal is returned to the elevator control device as a dummy signal without instructing the robot to board the elevator car.

6. This robot is used in buildings with elevators. When a user travels from a current floor to a destination floor using the elevator car, and a hall call for the user is assigned by the elevator control device, the user's current floor and destination floor, and the departure floor and destination direction indicated by the hall call for the user are as follows: (1) A condition that the forward direction from the current floor to the destination floor is the same as the destination direction of the user; (2) the elevator car arrives at its current floor before arriving at the departure floor of the user; and (3) A condition that the departure floor of the user is between the departure floor of the user and the destination floor; and (4) A condition that the destination floor is a floor different from an end floor located in the forward direction relative to the current floor; Determine whether each of the following is satisfied, When it is determined that all of the conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied, the robot requests the elevator control device to assign, as a first hall call for itself, a hall call in which the current floor of the robot is set as a departure floor and the end floor located in the forward direction from the current floor is set as a destination floor.

7. a program that causes a robot used in a building in which an elevator is installed, or a robot management device that manages the robot, to execute a determination step and a request step; In the determining step, When the robot moves from a current floor to a destination floor using the elevator car, and when a hall call for a user is assigned by the elevator control device, the current floor and the destination floor of the robot and the departure floor and destination direction indicated by the hall call for the user are determined as follows: (1) A condition that the forward direction from the current floor of the robot to the destination floor of the robot is the same as the destination direction of the user; (2) a condition that the elevator car arrives at the robot's current floor before arriving at the user's departure floor; and (3) A condition that the departure floor of the user is between the current floor of the robot and the destination floor of the robot; and (4) A condition that the destination floor of the robot is a floor different from an end floor located in the forward direction relative to the current floor of the robot; and Determine whether each of the following is satisfied, In the request step, When it is determined in the determination step that all of the conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied, the program executes the following: requesting the elevator control device to assign, as a first hall call for the robot, a hall call in which the current floor of the robot is set as the departure floor and the end floor located in the forward direction from the current floor is set as the destination floor.

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