Elevator control system, elevator control device, and elevator control method

Abstract

To improve the operational efficiency of elevators without reducing the travel efficiency of both users and autonomous mobile bodies.SOLUTION: An elevator control system according to an embodiment is an elevator control system comprising: an elevator control device that controls an elevator in which people and an autonomous mobile body that can move autonomously can ride in multiple cars installed in a building; and an elevator server that is connected to the elevator control device via a network and controls the raising and lowering of the cars. The elevator control system further comprises an allocation unit that, when there is a destination floor call for the autonomous mobile body that includes a departure floor and a destination floor specified by the autonomous mobile body, assigns the car of a backyard elevator, which is an elevator provided in the backyard as an area of the building that is not accessible to general users, to the destination floor call for the autonomous mobile body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an elevator control system, an elevator control device, and an elevator control method. [Background technology]

[0002] Recent elevator control systems operate in conjunction with autonomous mobile objects, such as robots that perform various tasks such as delivery services, cleaning, and security, by having them board the elevator car and move to their destination floor (target floor).

[0003] Here, there are two types of autonomous mobile object linked operation: autonomous mobile object-exclusive operation, in which only autonomous mobile objects are allowed to ride in the elevator car without passengers (i.e., humans), and autonomous mobile object non-exclusive operation, in which passengers can ride in addition to the autonomous mobile objects.When autonomous mobile object linked operation is performed, either autonomous mobile object-exclusive operation or autonomous mobile object non-exclusive operation is selected based on the purpose and size of the building, movement efficiency, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7398913 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6687713 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-83144 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, as the number of autonomous mobile bodies in operation and the variety of specifications for the autonomous mobile bodies increase, the movement efficiency of both users and the autonomous mobile bodies decreases, resulting in a problem of a decrease in the overall operational efficiency of the elevator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An elevator control system according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises an elevator control device that controls an elevator in which people and autonomous mobile bodies that can move autonomously can ride in multiple cars installed within a building, and an elevator server that is connected to the elevator control device via a network and controls the raising and lowering of the cars.The system also comprises an allocation unit that, when there is a destination floor call for an autonomous mobile body that includes a departure floor and destination floor specified by the autonomous mobile body, assigns the car of a backyard elevator, which is an elevator installed in a backyard, an area of ​​the building that is not accessible to general users, to the destination floor call for the autonomous mobile body. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an elevator control system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a lobby floor of a building in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control panel according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server in the elevator cloud according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server in the robot cloud according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the robot according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the overall flow of the elevator control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of elevator allocation processing by the control panel according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control panel according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of the allocation process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the overall flow of elevator control processing according to the first modification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] (First embodiment) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an elevator control system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the elevator control system 1 of this embodiment mainly includes control panels 100A and 100B provided for each of a plurality of elevators 2A and 2B, controllers 150A and 150B provided for each of the plurality of elevators 2A and 2B, a control room 160, a server 210 in an elevator cloud 200, a server 310 in a robot cloud 300, and a monitoring center 400.

[0010] In this embodiment, a plurality of elevators 2A and 2B are installed in a building 3 (an example of a building) such as an office building, an apartment building, etc. In the example of Fig. 1, only two elevators 2A and 2B are shown, but in reality, three or more elevators are present.

[0011] Elevators 2A, 2B each have a car 50A, 50B in their respective hoistways 20A, 20B. Additionally, each hoistway 20A, 20B also has a hoisting machine and a counterweight (not shown). The cars 50A, 50B and the counterweight are supported so as to be able to rise and fall freely on a pair of guide rails (not shown) erected in each of the hoistways 20A, 20B, and move up and down via ropes.

[0012] In addition to the user 5A, robots 500A and 500B as autonomous moving bodies can also ride in the cars 50A and 50B.

[0013] The cars 50A and 50B are provided with operation panels 4A and 4B, cameras 7A and 7B, and load sensors 8A and 8B. The operation panels 4A, 4B receive various operations from users and issue various notifications to the elevator car 50. The operation panels 4A, 4B are provided with push buttons, non-contact sensors, speakers, LCD displays, etc. (none of which are shown) for specifying destination floors and opening and closing the doors of the elevator cars 50A, 50B. The operation panels 4A, 4B are also connected to the control panels 100A, 100B by wire or wirelessly. When users 5A, 5B press the destination floor push button or when a non-contact sensor detects the push button, a destination floor call is sent to the control panels 100A, 100B.

[0014] Here, the destination floor call is operation data that is performed by a user in the elevator car 50 to move the elevator car 50 to a desired destination floor. The destination floor call specifies a destination floor. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a destination floor call for the robot is transmitted from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the control panel 100 via the controller 150. The destination floor call for the robot is operation data in which the robot ID of the robot 500 that wishes to use the elevator 2, the departure floor, and the destination floor (also referred to as the target floor) are specified, and the car 50 is moved to the specified departure floor and directed from the departure floor to the specified destination floor.

[0015] A platform call is operation data that a platform user performs to make a car 50 heading in either the up or down direction arrive at the platform. The platform call specifies the destination direction and the floor where the platform call is made (i.e., the departure floor).

[0016] Cameras 7A and 7B photograph the interiors of cars 50A and 50B and send the captured images to control panels 100A and 100B. When the doors of cars 50A and 50B are open at the platform, cameras 7A and 7B are capable of capturing images of the platform and send the captured images to control panels 100A and 100B.

[0017] The load sensors 8A and 8B are provided on the bottom of the cars 50A and 50B and detect the weight of the car 50. When a user 5A or a robot 500A or 500B is inside the car 50A or 50B, the load sensors 8A and 8B detect the weight of the car 50 itself, as well as the weight of the user 5A and the robot 500A or 500B. The load sensors 8A and 8B send the detected weights as detection signals to the control panels 100A and 100B.

[0018] A landing is provided on each floor. The landing is a place where users and robot 500 wait for the arrival of elevator cars 50A and 50B of elevators 2A and 2B. A camera 9 is provided on the wall of the landing on each floor. Camera 9 captures an image of the landing and transmits the captured image to control panels 100A and 100B.

[0019] Control panels 100A and 100B and controllers 150A and 150B are provided inside the elevator shafts 20A and 20B, respectively. The control panels 100A and 100B are connected wirelessly or by wire to operation panels 4A and 4B provided on the cars 50A and 50B.

[0020] The control panels 100A and 100B control the operation of the cars 50A and 50B in the elevators 2A and 2B, respectively. The control panels 100A and 100B are connected to the controllers 150A and 150B, respectively, by wire or wirelessly. The control panels 100A and 100B will be described in detail later.

[0021] Each of the controllers 150A, 150B is connected to a server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 via a network. The controllers 150A, 150B are intermediary devices that control communication between the control panels 100A, 100B and the server 210 and have an interface function and a hub function for intermediating various signals exchanged between the control panels 100A, 100B and the server 210. Each of the controllers 150A, 150B is configured as a computer that includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc.

[0022] The manager of building 3 is present in control room 160 and issues various instructions to control panels 100A and 100B. The manager of control room 160 also receives various instructions from control panels 100A and 100B by email or the like via a PC or terminal device.

[0023] The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 issues various control instructions to the control panels 100A and 100B via the controllers 150A and 150B for the cars 50A and 50B of the elevators 2A and 2B, and receives various requests and data from the control panels 100A and 100B via the controllers 150A and 150B. The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 is connected to a monitoring center 400 (an in-house server) and a server 310 in the robot cloud 300 via a network.

[0024] An in-house server (not shown) is installed in the monitoring center 400. The in-house server is a server installed in an affiliated company of the elevator 11, and collects information necessary for maintenance management and remote monitoring of the elevator 2 from the elevators 2A and 2B. This allows maintenance personnel to deal with the malfunction by referring to the information necessary for maintenance management collected in the in-house server of the monitoring center 400. Furthermore, when functions or services are executed through the elevator cloud 200, the in-house server of the monitoring center 400 can be accessed as needed to refer to building and elevator information, or the maintenance personnel can obtain information necessary for elevator management.

[0025] The server 310 of the robot cloud 300 receives various requests and various data from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200. The server 310 of the robot cloud 300 is connected to multiple robots 500A, 500B, and 500C in the building 3 via a network, and transmits various instructions to each of the multiple robots 500A, 500B, and 500C. The server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 and the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 will be described in detail later.

[0026] The number of elevators is not limited, and three or more elevators are installed in building 3. Therefore, the number of elevator shafts 20A, 20B, cars 50A, 50B, control panels 100A, 100B, and controllers 150A, 150B also varies depending on the number of elevators 2A, 2B. Here, when the multiple elevators 2A, 2B, the multiple elevator shafts 20A, 20B, the multiple cars 50A, 50B, the multiple control panels 100A, 100B, and the multiple controllers 150A, 150B are not distinguished from one another, they will be referred to as elevator 2, hoistway 20, car 50, control panel 100, and controller 150. When the operation panels 4A, 4B, cameras 7A, 7B, and load sensors 8A, 8B are not distinguished from one another, they will be referred to as operation panel 4, camera 7, and load sensor 8.

[0027] In this embodiment, at least a general elevator, an emergency elevator, and a freight elevator are provided as the plurality of elevators 2. In this embodiment, at least a plurality of general elevators, one emergency elevator, and one freight elevator are provided.

[0028] Here, a general-use elevator is an elevator installed in an area of ​​building 3 that is accessible to general users. An emergency elevator is an elevator installed for use in emergencies, specifically for the purpose of fire brigades carrying out firefighting and rescue operations in emergencies such as disasters. A freight elevator is an elevator used to transport freight. Emergency elevators and freight elevators are installed in the back yard, which is an area of ​​building 3 that is not accessible to general users. Elevators installed in the back yard, such as emergency elevators and freight elevators, are called back-yard elevators. Elevators other than back-yard elevators are general-use elevators. In this embodiment, the emergency elevator and the freight elevator are considered to be backyard elevators, but elevators for other purposes may also be configured as backyard elevators.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the lobby floor of the building 3 in the first embodiment. In the example of FIG. 2, a waiting area 32 for the robot 500 is provided on the right side of the entrance 23 of the building 3 .

[0030] As shown in Fig. 2, the area to the left of the entrance 23 is an area accessible to general users of the building 3, and three general-use elevators 2B are provided in this area. In addition, a room 31 is located in the center of the lobby of the building 3, and behind it is a backyard, in which two backyard elevators 2A are installed. For example, one of the two backyard elevators 2A is an emergency elevator, and the other is a baggage elevator.

[0031] Hereinafter, the general elevator will be designated by the symbol 2B, and the car of the general elevator 2B will be designated by the symbol 50B. The backyard elevator will be designated by the symbol 2A, and the car of the backyard elevator 2A will be designated by the symbol 50A.

[0032] Next, the control panel 100 will be described. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the control panel 100 according to the embodiment. The control panel 100 is an example of an elevator control device. The control panel 100 has a typical computer configuration, and as shown in FIG. 3, mainly comprises a control unit 120, a communication unit 102, and a storage unit 110.

[0033] 2, the control panel 100 is connected by wire or wirelessly to a load sensor 8, a camera 7 inside the car 50, and a camera 9 at the landing. The load sensor 8 (8A, 8B) is provided in the car 50 as described above. The camera 7 is provided near the ceiling of the car 50 so as to be able to capture images of the inside of the car 50 and, when the door of the car 50 is open, the landing.

[0034] The storage unit 110 is a storage medium (that is, a memory device) such as a ROM or RAM, etc. The storage unit 110 stores a management database 111 (hereinafter referred to as "management DB 111").

[0035] The management DB 111 is a database in which various data for using the elevator 2 is registered. For example, the management DB 111 registers the robot IDs of the robots 500 that can ride the elevator 2 controlled by the control panel 100. Here, the robot ID is information for identifying the robot 500.

[0036] The communication unit 102 is made up of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the control panel 100 and the controller 150. That is, the communication unit 102 transmits and receives various data to and from other control panels 100 and the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150. The communication unit 102 also transmits and receives various instructions and notifications to and from the mobile terminal, PC, etc. of the manager of the control room 160.

[0037] The control unit 120 is made up of a hardware processor (CPU) and mainly includes a normal operation control unit 121, a robot-linked operation control unit 122, and an allocation unit 125, as shown in FIG.

[0038] When the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for the robot from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, the allocation unit 125, in cooperation with the control panels 100 of the other elevators 2, allocates the car 50A of the backyard elevator 2A to the destination floor call for the robot. Furthermore, when there is a hall call from a user, the allocation unit 125, through group management control in cooperation with the control panels 100 of the other elevators 2, allocates the car 50B of the general elevator 2B, which is an elevator other than the backyard elevator 2A, to the hall call.

[0039] Here, group management control refers to control for allocating the car 5 closest to a departure floor, such as a floor where a call for the car 50 is made. In this embodiment, the allocation unit 125 performs group management control in cooperation with the other control panels 100 by, for example, inquiring of the control panels 100 of other elevators 2 about the departure floor and the current position and elevation status of the car 5 and receiving the response.

[0040] The normal operation control unit 121 controls the normal operation. Normal operation is operation in which only people are on board the elevator 5, without any robots on board.

[0041] The robot interlocking operation control unit 122 controls the robot interlocking operation. Robot-linked driving is driving in which the robot 500 rides in the car 5. Robot-linked driving includes robot-only driving in which no person rides in the car 5, and non-robot-only driving in which a person can ride in the car 5. Robot-linked driving is sometimes referred to as robot driving.

[0042] Next, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 will be described. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the server 210 mainly includes a control unit 211, a communication unit 212, and a storage unit 220 as a general computer configuration.

[0043] The storage unit 220 is a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM, a RAM, etc. The storage unit 220 stores various programs.

[0044] The communication unit 212 is composed of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the server 210 and the controller 150 of the control panel 100, and communication processing between the server 210 and the server 310 in the robot cloud 300.

[0045] In this embodiment, the communication unit 212 receives information including the robot ID, departure floor, and destination floor specified by the robot 500 from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300. In addition, the communication unit 212 transmits the destination floor call generated by the control unit 211 to the control panel 100.

[0046] The control unit 211 is composed of a hardware processor (CPU). When the communication unit 212 receives information including the robot ID, departure floor, and destination floor specified by the robot 500 from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, the control unit 211 generates a destination floor call including the robot ID, departure floor, and destination floor.

[0047] Next, the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the server 310 mainly includes a control unit 311, a communication unit 312, and a storage unit 320, as a general computer configuration.

[0048] The storage unit 320 is a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM, a RAM, etc. The storage unit 320 stores various programs.

[0049] The communication unit 312 is made up of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the server 310 and the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 , and communication processing between the server 310 and the robot 500 .

[0050] In this embodiment, the communication unit 312 receives information from the robot 500, including the robot ID, departure floor, and destination floor specified by the robot 500, and transmits the information to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200.

[0051] The control unit 311 is made up of a hardware processor (CPU) and controls various processes relating to the elevator of the robot 500.

[0052] Next, the robot 500 will be described. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a robot 500 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the robot 500 mainly includes a camera 506, various sensors 505, a control unit 501, a communication unit 502, a driving unit 503, and a storage unit 510.

[0053] The camera 506 captures images of the surroundings of the robot 500 and transmits the captured images to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300. The robot 500 may be configured to further transmit the captured images to the control panel 100.

[0054] The various sensors 505 include, but are not limited to, a human sensor, an acceleration sensor, a load sensor, and the like.

[0055] The storage unit 510 is a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM, a RAM, etc. The storage unit 510 stores various programs.

[0056] The communication unit 502 is made up of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the robot 500 and the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 . In this embodiment, the communication unit 502 transmits information including the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor to the server 310 in the robot cloud 300. The communication unit 502 also receives instructions to wait at a platform or to stop operation from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300.

[0057] The driving unit 503 drives the robot 500 to move. The control unit 501 is made up of a hardware processor (CPU). During normal operation of the elevator 2, the control unit 501 reads and executes various programs from the storage unit 510, thereby performing various operations in the elevator 2.

[0058] In this embodiment, when the robot gets into the car 5 of the elevator 2, the control unit 501 generates information including the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor. In addition, the control unit 501 controls the driving of the driving unit 503 in response to an instruction from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 to perform travel control.

[0059] The above configuration of the robot 500 is an example, and the robot 500 may further include an audio output unit such as a speaker and an input unit such as a touch panel.

[0060] Next, an elevator control process performed by the elevator control system 1 of this embodiment configured as above will be described. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the overall flow of the elevator control process according to the first embodiment.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 7, when the robot 500 uses the elevator 2, the communication unit 502 of the robot 500 transmits information of its own robot ID, departure floor, and destination floor to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S11).

[0062] In the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, when the communication unit 312 receives the information regarding the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor from the robot 500, the communication unit 312 transmits the information to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 (S12).

[0063] In the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, when the communication unit 212 receives information regarding the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, the control unit 211 generates a destination floor call for the robot including the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor (S13). Then, the communication unit 212 of the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 transmits the destination floor call for the robot generated by the control unit 211 to the control panel 100 (S14).

[0064] In the control panel 100, when the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for the robot from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150, the allocation unit 125 executes the process of allocating a car 50 to the destination floor call for the robot (S15).

[0065] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of the allocation process according to the first embodiment. The communication unit 102 is in a state of waiting to receive a destination floor call for the robot from the server of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150 (S101). When the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for the robot (S101: Yes), the allocation unit 125 allocates a car 50A (referred to as car number) of the backyard elevator 2A to the received destination floor call for the robot. Specifically, the allocation unit 125 allocates, of the cars 50A of the two backyard elevators 2A, the car 50A of the backyard elevator 2A that is closest to the lobby floor, which is the departure floor (S102). Then, the allocation process ends.

[0066] 7, when the allocation process (S15) is completed, the communication unit 102 of the control panel 100 transmits, via the controller 150, to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, an instruction to move the allocated car 50A of the backyard elevator 2A to the location where the robot with the robot ID specified at the destination floor for the robot will arrive (S16). Then, the robot interlocking operation control unit 122 of the control panel 100 moves the allocated car 50 to the departure floor (S20).

[0067] In the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, when the communication unit 212 receives the movement instruction for the robot 500 from the control panel 100, the communication unit 212 transmits the received movement instruction to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S17).

[0068] In the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, when the communication unit 312 receives the movement instruction for the robot 500 from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, the communication unit 312 transmits the received movement instruction to the robot 500 (S18).

[0069] In the robot 500, when the communication unit 502 receives a movement instruction from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, the control unit 501 instructs the driving unit 503 to move to the location specified in the movement instruction where the car 50 of the backyard elevator 2A will arrive, and the robot 500 moves to the specified location (S19). Then, when the car 50 arrives at the location and the door opens, the robot 500 gets on the car 50 by being driven by the driving unit 503 (S21).

[0070] In this way, in the elevator control system 1 of this embodiment, when the communication unit 102 of the control panel 100 receives a destination floor call for the robot 500 from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, which includes the departure floor and destination floor specified by the robot 500, the control panel 100 is equipped with an allocation unit 125 that works in cooperation with the control panels 100 of other elevators 2 to assign the car 50A of the backyard elevator, which is an elevator installed in the backyard, an area of ​​the building 3 that is not accessible to general users, to the destination floor call for the robot.

[0071] Therefore, according to this embodiment, when the robot 500 uses the elevator 2, it uses a backyard elevator that is not normally used by general users in the building 3. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the movement efficiency of both the user and the robot 500 is not reduced, and the operational efficiency of the elevator can be improved.

[0072] (Second embodiment) In the first embodiment, when the control panel 100 receives a destination floor call for the robot, it unconditionally assigns the car 50A of the backyard elevator 2A. In this second embodiment, the control panel 100 determines the congestion status of the elevator 2, and if the elevator 2 is crowded, it assigns the car 50A of the backyard elevator 2A.

[0073] The configuration of the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, the configuration of the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, the configuration of the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, and the configuration of the robot 500 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0074] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control panel 1100 according to the second embodiment. The control panel 1100 according to this embodiment mainly includes a control unit 1120, a communication unit 102, and a memory unit 110. The control panel 1100 is connected to a load sensor 8, a camera 7 in the car 50, and a camera 9 at the platform by wire or wirelessly. The configurations and functions of the communication unit 102 and the memory unit 110 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0075] In the control panel 1100 of this embodiment, the control unit 1120 includes a normal operation control unit 121, a robot-linked operation control unit 122, an allocation unit 1125, and a congestion status determination unit 1127. The functions of the normal operation control unit 121 and the robot-linked operation control unit 122 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0076] The congestion status determination unit 1127 determines the congestion status of the elevator 2. The congestion status determination unit 1127 may determine the congestion status, for example, by the following methods.

[0077] The first determination method is a method of determining based on the total number of hall calls and destination floor calls. That is, the congestion status determination unit 1127 can be configured to determine that the elevator 2 is congested if the total number of hall calls and destination floor calls for each car 50 is equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio of the number of floors, and to determine that the elevator 2 is not congested if the total number is less than the predetermined ratio. An example of the predetermined ratio is 40%. For example, if there are 20 floors available for landing, and the destination floor call is the 4th floor and the hall call is the 3rd floor, the total number will be 7 floors, which is less than the predetermined ratio of 40% (8 floors), which is the determination criterion, so the congestion status determination unit 1127 determines that the elevator 2 is not congested. In this case, the traveling direction of the car 50 is not taken into consideration. The second method is a method that, in addition to the first method, takes into consideration the direction of travel of the elevator car 50 and determines the congestion state based on the total number of hall calls and destination floor calls.

[0078] The third method is a method of detecting the load inside the car 50 and making a judgment. If the load inside the car 50 detected by the load sensor 8 exceeds a predetermined percentage of the load when the car 50 is empty, the congestion status determination unit 1127 determines that the elevator 2 is crowded, and if the load is less than the predetermined percentage, it determines that the elevator 2 is not crowded. Here, the predetermined percentage can be, for example, 30%, but is not limited to this.

[0079] The fourth method is a method for determining the congestion state by further taking into consideration the traveling direction of the elevator car 50 in addition to the third method.

[0080] The fifth method is a method of determining the congestion state from an image captured by the camera 7 inside the car 50. For example, the congestion state determination unit 1127 determines that the elevator 2 is crowded if the image captured by the camera 7 shows that more than a predetermined percentage of the floor area of ​​the car 50 is occupied by people or non-human objects such as carts, and determines that the elevator 2 is not crowded if the percentage is less than the predetermined percentage. Here, the predetermined percentage can be 30%, for example, but is not limited to this.

[0081] The sixth method is a method of determining the degree of congestion by further taking into consideration the traveling direction of the elevator car 50 in addition to the fifth method.

[0082] The seventh method is to determine the congestion level based on the number of people present on each floor. For example, the congestion status determination unit 1127 counts, calculates, and estimates the number of people present on each floor based on the cameras 9 installed at the landings on each floor, human presence sensors, the number of PC communication connections, and the frequency of restroom use.The congestion status determination unit 1127 then determines that the floor is congested if the estimated result of seating exceeds a predetermined percentage of the total number of people present on each floor, and determines that the floor is not congested if the estimated result is less than the predetermined percentage.Here, the predetermined percentage can be, for example, 40%, but is not limited to this.

[0083] The eighth method is a method of aggregating the congestion and non-congestion data obtained by methods 1 to 7, setting congestion and non-congestion by day of the week and time, and using these set values ​​to determine congestion and non-congestion when using robot 500.

[0084] The ninth method is a method in which the results of the determinations made by the first to eighth methods are collected from all of the cars 50 of the general-use elevators 2 to determine whether the elevators are crowded or not. The congestion status determination unit 1127 may use any method other than the first to ninth methods to determine the congestion status.

[0085] In this embodiment, when the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for the robot and the congestion status determination unit 1127 determines that the elevator 2 is congested, the allocation unit 1125 works in cooperation with the control panel 1100 of another elevator 2 to allocate the car 50A of the backyard elevator 2A to the destination floor call for the robot.

[0086] In addition, when the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for the robot and the congestion status determination unit 1127 determines that the elevator 2 is not congested, the allocation unit 1125 works in cooperation with the control panels 1100 of the other elevators 2 to perform group management control and allocates the car 50B of the general elevator 2B, which is an elevator other than the backyard elevator 2A, to the destination floor call for the robot.

[0087] Next, an elevator control process performed by the elevator control system 1 of this embodiment configured as above will be described. The overall flow of the elevator control process according to this embodiment is the same as that of Embodiment 1. In this embodiment, the allocation process (S15) by the control panel 1100 is different from that of the first embodiment.

[0088] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of the allocation process according to the second embodiment. The communication unit 102 is in a state of waiting to receive a destination floor call for the robot from the server of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150 (S101). When the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for the robot (S101: Yes), the congestion status determination unit 1127 determines the congestion status of the elevator 2 using the method described above (S201).

[0089] Then, when it is determined that the elevator 2 is congested (S202: Yes), the allocation unit 125 allocates the car number 50A of the backyard elevator 2A to the received destination floor call for the robot. Specifically, the allocation unit 125 allocates, of the cars 50A of the two backyard elevators 2A, the car 50A of the backyard elevator 2A that is closest to the lobby floor, which is the departure floor (S102).

[0090] On the other hand, if it is determined in S201 that the elevator 2 is not crowded (S202: No), the allocation unit 125 allocates, by group management control, the elevator 50B of the general elevator 2B that is closest to the departure floor, i.e., the lobby floor, from among the elevators 2 other than the backyard elevator 2A, i.e., the elevators 50B of the general elevator 2B, in response to the received destination floor call for the robot (S203). Then, the allocation process ends.

[0091] In this manner, in the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, the control panel 1100 further includes a congestion status determination unit 1127 that determines the congestion status of the elevator 2 in cooperation with the control panel 1100 devices of the other elevators 2, and when the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for the robot from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 and the congestion status determination unit 1127 determines that the elevator 2 is congested, the allocation unit 1125 works in cooperation with the control panels 1100 of the other elevators 2 to allocate the car 50A of the backyard elevator 2A to the destination floor call for the robot.

[0092] Therefore, according to this embodiment, when the robot 500 uses the elevator 2 and the elevator 2 is crowded, the robot 500 uses a backyard elevator that is not normally used by general users in the building 3. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the movement efficiency of both the user and the robot 500 is not reduced, and the operational efficiency of the elevator can be further improved.

[0093] Furthermore, in the control panel 1100 of the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, when the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for a robot from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, and the congestion status determination unit 1127 determines that the elevator 2 is not congested, the allocation unit 1125 works in cooperation with the control panels 1100 of other elevators 2 to allocate an elevator other than the back-yard elevator, i.e., car 50B of the general elevator 2B, to the destination floor call for the robot.

[0094] Therefore, according to this embodiment, when the robot 500 uses the elevator 2, if the elevator 2 is not crowded, the robot 500 will use a general elevator that is normally used by general users in the building 3. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the movement efficiency of both the user and the robot 500 is not reduced, and the operational efficiency of the elevator can be further improved.

[0095] (Variation 1) Various modifications of the first and second embodiments are possible. In the first and second embodiments, the allocation process by the allocation unit 125 is performed by the control panel 100 in cooperation with the control panel 100 of another elevator 2, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0096] For example, the allocation unit 125 may be provided in the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, and the allocation process may be executed by the server 210. In this case, the server 210 may be configured to transmit instructions to the control panel 100 of each elevator 2 according to the results of each process. An elevator control process by the elevator control system 1 according to this modified example will be described. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the overall flow of elevator control processing according to the first modification.

[0097] In this variant 1, as in the first to third embodiments, the robot 500 using the elevator 2 transmits the robot ID, departure floor, and destination floor to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S11), and then transmits them to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 (S12).

[0098] When the communication unit 212 of the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 receives the robot ID, departure floor, and destination floor, the control unit 211 generates a destination floor call for the robot from the robot ID, departure floor, and destination floor, as in the first and second embodiments (S13).

[0099] Next, the allocation unit 125 provided in the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 according to this modification executes allocation processing for a destination floor call for a robot (S31). Here, details of the allocation processing are the same as the allocation processing executed on the control panel 100, 1100 side in the first and second embodiments. Then, a dispatch instruction for the allocated car 50 is transmitted to the control panel 100, 1100 that controls the car 50 allocated by the allocation processing (S32).

[0100] In the control panel 100, 1100, when the communication unit 102 receives a dispatch instruction from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, the robot-linked operation control unit 122 moves the elevator car 50 to the departure floor (S20). The subsequent processing is the same as in the first and second embodiments. According to this modification, such a configuration and processing can simplify the processing on the control panels 100, 1100 side.

[0101] (Other variations) The server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 may be configured to communicate robot operation information to the monitoring center 400 .

[0102] The robot 500 is configured to use cameras, microphones, vibration sensors (acceleration sensors), and pressure sensors to detect non-humans such as humans and carts and ensure safety before allowing passengers to board and disembark from the car 50, and the control panel 100 can be configured to change the result that it was determined not to be crowded to one that it is crowded if the sensor detection results indicate that passengers are unable to board or disembark, or if the travel time takes longer than expected.The change history can also be used the next time the crowded / non-congested setting value is set as change information.

[0103] The control panel 100 may be configured so that the movement status and congestion / uncrowded state of the robot 500 are displayed on a management system in a control room 160 located in a building such as the building 3 .

[0104] Currently, the control panel 100 can be configured so that whether the elevator 2 is crowded or not can be displayed on an information terminal that a person personally carries and can check the display.

[0105] The robot 500 may ride in the car 50 with or without a human.

[0106] The elevator control program executed by the control panels 100, 1100 according to the above-described embodiment and modifications is provided in a state that it is pre-installed in a ROM or the like.

[0107] The elevator control program executed by the control panels 100, 1100 according to the above embodiments and modifications may be configured to be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

[0108] Furthermore, the elevator control program executed by the control panels 100, 1100 according to the above embodiments and modifications may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network.

[0109] Furthermore, the elevator control programs executed by the control panels 100 and 1100 according to the above-described embodiments and modifications may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0110] The elevator control program executed by the control panels 100, 1100 in the above-mentioned embodiments and variants has a modular structure including each of the functional units mentioned above (communication unit 102, normal operation control unit 121, robot-linked operation control unit 122, allocation units 125, 1125, congestion status determination unit 1127), and in actual hardware, the CPU reads and executes the elevator control program from the above-mentioned ROM, thereby loading each of the above-mentioned units onto the main memory device, and each of the functional units is generated on the main memory device.

[0111] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0112] 1...Elevator control system, 2, 2A, 2B...Elevator, 3...Building, 4, 4A, 4B...Operation panel, 5A...User, 7, 7A, 7B...Camera, 8, 8A, 8B...Load sensor, 20, 20A, 20B...Hoistway, 50, 50A, 50B...Car, 100, 100A, 100B, 1100...Control panel (elevator control device), 120, 211, 311, 501, 1120...Control unit, 102, 212, 312, 502...Communication unit, 110, 220, 320, 510...memory unit, 111...management DB, 121...normal operation control unit, 122...robot linked operation control unit, 125, 1125...allocation unit, 150, 150A, 150B...controller, 160...control room, 200...elevator cloud, 210...server, 300...robot cloud, 310...server, 500, 500A, 500B, 500C...robot, 503...drive unit, 1127...congestion status determination unit.

Claims

1. An elevator control system comprising: an elevator control device that controls an elevator in which autonomous moving bodies that can move autonomously and people can ride in a plurality of cars installed in a building; and an elevator server that is connected to the elevator control device via a network and controls the elevation and descent of the cars; an allocation unit that, when there is a destination floor call for the autonomous moving body including a departure floor and a destination floor specified by the autonomous moving body, allocates a car of a backyard elevator, which is an elevator provided in a backyard, which is an area in the building where general users cannot enter, to the destination floor call for the autonomous moving body; An elevator control system comprising:

2. a congestion status determination unit that determines the congestion status of the elevator, when there is a destination floor call for the autonomous moving body and the congestion state determination unit determines that the elevator is congested, the allocation unit allocates a car of the backyard elevator to the destination floor call for the autonomous moving body.

10. The elevator control system of claim 1.

3. when there is a destination floor call for the autonomous moving body and the congestion state determination unit determines that the elevator is not congested, the allocation unit allocates a car of an elevator other than the backyard elevator to the destination floor call for the autonomous moving body; 3. The elevator control system of claim 2.

4. The backyard elevator includes at least one of a baggage elevator, which is an elevator for transporting baggage, and an emergency elevator, which is used in an emergency.

10. The elevator control system of claim 1.

5. The elevator server includes: connected via a network to an autonomous mobile object server that controls the autonomous mobile object; a receiving unit that receives a destination floor call for the autonomous mobile body from the autonomous mobile body server; the allocation unit; a transmitting unit that transmits a dispatch instruction for the assigned car to the elevator control device; Equipped with the elevator control device, when receiving the dispatch instruction from the elevator server, dispatches the assigned car; An elevator control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. An elevator control device that controls an elevator in which autonomous moving bodies that can move autonomously and people can ride in a plurality of cars installed in a building, Another elevator control device, an elevator server connected to the elevator control device via a network and controlling the elevation and descent of the elevator car, and a communication unit capable of communication; an allocation unit that, when the communication unit receives from the elevator server a destination floor call for the autonomous moving body including a departure floor and a destination floor specified by the autonomous moving body, cooperates with the other elevator control devices to allocate a car of a back-yard elevator, which is an elevator installed in a back-yard, which is an area of ​​the building that is not accessible to general users, to the destination floor call for the autonomous moving body; An elevator control device comprising:

7. a congestion status determination unit that determines an elevator congestion status in cooperation with the other elevator control device, when the communication unit receives a destination floor call for the autonomous moving body from the elevator server and when the congestion status determination unit determines that the elevator is congested, the allocation unit, in cooperation with the other elevator control devices, allocates a car of the backyard elevator to the destination floor call for the autonomous moving body; 7. The elevator control device according to claim 6.

8. when the communication unit receives a destination floor call for the autonomous moving body from the elevator server and when the congestion status determination unit determines that the elevator is not congested, the allocation unit, in cooperation with the other elevator control devices, allocates a car of an elevator other than the backyard elevator to the destination floor call for the autonomous moving body; The elevator control device according to claim 7.

9. The backyard elevator includes at least one of a baggage elevator, which is an elevator for transporting baggage, and an emergency elevator, which is used in an emergency. The elevator control device according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

10. An elevator control method executed in an elevator control system including an elevator control device that controls an elevator in which autonomous moving bodies that can move autonomously and people can ride in a plurality of cars installed in a building, and an elevator server that is connected to the elevator control device via a network and controls the elevation and descent of the cars, a step of assigning, when there is a destination floor call for the autonomous moving body including a departure floor and a destination floor specified by the autonomous moving body, a car of a backyard elevator, which is an elevator provided in a backyard, which is an area of ​​the building where general users cannot enter, to the destination floor call for the autonomous moving body; An elevator control method comprising:

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