Elevator car cleaning

Abstract

A method is provided for controlling cleaning of an elevator car (110) of an elevator system (100), executed by a control system (150), the method including receiving (210) data indicating that a cleaning robot (180) has been tasked with cleaning the elevator car (110), generating (220) control signals to move the elevator car (110) to a floor where the cleaning robot (180) is located, and setting (230) the elevator system (100) to a cleaning mode when the elevator car (110) arrives at the floor where the cleaning robot (180) is located. Also provided is a control system and a computer program for controlling cleaning of the elevator car (110) of the elevator system (100).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to the technical field of elevator systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to performing cleaning operations on elevator cars.

[0002] Recently, technological developments have led to the automation of various tasks related to building maintenance. In particular, various types of robots have been introduced to serve buildings and their tenants and visitors in various situations. At least some of the robots are capable of moving around within the building and thus performing various tasks. Examples of such robots include guide robots, delivery robots, and cleaning robots.

[0003] Elevator systems, and in particular the elevator cars, require regular maintenance, one area of ​​maintenance that includes regular cleaning of the elevator cars. In many buildings, cleaning of corridors, halls, etc. is already performed by cleaning robots, and it may be desirable to have cleaning of the elevator cars performed by cleaning robots as well. The problem with such an approach is that the elevator system is in continuous use, and it is necessary to schedule the cleaning of the elevator cars to minimize the time that the elevator cars are reserved for cleaning, and to perform the cleaning in a manner that does not disrupt people in the building.

[0004] In order to efficiently connect various systems, it is necessary to introduce a solution that provides a means of connecting them.

[0005] The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of various embodiments of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention and is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description of example embodiments of the invention.

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a method, a control system and a computer program for controlling the cleaning of elevator cars in an elevator system.

[0007] The object of the invention is achieved by a method, a control system and a computer program for controlling the cleaning of an elevator car of an elevator system as defined by the respective independent patent claims.

[0008] According to a first aspect, there is provided a method for controlling cleaning of an elevator car of an elevator system, the method being executed by a control system, comprising: receiving data indicating that the cleaning robot has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car; generating a control signal to move the elevator car to a floor where the cleaning robot is located; When the elevator car reaches the floor where the cleaning robot is located, the elevator system is set to a cleaning mode.

[0009] The data indicating that the cleaning robot is assigned the task of cleaning an elevator car may include data indicating that the cleaning robot is located in a predetermined vicinity to an elevator door area of ​​a floor. For example, the data indicating that the cleaning robot is located in a predetermined vicinity to an elevator door area may correspond to location data generated by a cleaning control system that controls at least a portion of the operation of the cleaning robot. Alternatively or additionally, the data indicating that the cleaning robot is located in a predetermined vicinity to an elevator door area may correspond to location data generated by an indoor positioning system configured to monitor the location of the cleaning robot. Furthermore, the data indicating that the cleaning robot is located in a predetermined vicinity to an elevator door area may correspond to data generated by a sensor system configured to monitor the elevator door area of ​​the floor. For example, the sensor system may include at least one of at least one image capture device and at least one receiver communicatively connectable to the cleaning robot via a short-range wireless communication technology.

[0010] The data indicating that the cleaning robot has been assigned the task of cleaning elevator cars may include at least one of data describing a cleaning program to be set in the cleaning robot and data confirming that the cleaning robot has been assigned the task of cleaning elevator cars.

[0011] The method may further include a step of avoiding assigning the call to an elevator system for which the cleaning robot is assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car before generating a control signal to move the elevator car to a floor where the cleaning robot is located.

[0012] Additionally, the method further includes, before generating a control signal to move the elevator car to a floor where the cleaning robot is located: determining a response status of the elevator system; and generating a control signal requesting a change in the elevator car cleaning schedule when the corresponding condition is detected to be preventing the elevator car from moving to the floor where the cleaning robot is located.

[0013] For example, a control signal requesting a change in schedule may include data indicating when to clean.

[0014] Also, the method may further include generating a control signal to deactivate the cleaning mode of the elevator system. For example, generating the control signal to deactivate the cleaning mode may be performed in response to at least one of receiving a signal indicating that the cleaning task of the elevator car is completed and detecting that the cleaning robot is not located in the elevator car. Furthermore, detecting that the cleaning robot is not located in the elevator car may be performed based on position data received from at least one of the cleaning control system and the indoor positioning system. Alternatively or additionally, detecting that the cleaning robot is not located in the elevator car may be performed based on at least one of image data received from an image capture device configured to generate image data from within the elevator car and a communication connection established between the cleaning robot and an access sensor disposed in the elevator car.

[0015] In addition, the method further comprises: This may include generating a control signal to cause one or more signaling devices of the elevator system to indicate that the elevator car is being cleaned.

[0016] The method may also include generating a control signal to one of: close the elevator doors when the cleaning robot enters the elevator car; open the elevator doors when an indication that the cleaning job is complete is received; and move the elevator car to a floor where cleaning is to be performed when the cleaning robot enters the elevator car.

[0017] According to a second aspect, there is provided a control system for controlling cleaning of an elevator car of an elevator system, the control system comprising: receiving data indicating that the cleaning robot has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car; generating a control signal to move the elevator car to a floor where the cleaning robot is located; The elevator system is configured to set a cleaning mode when the elevator car reaches a floor where the cleaning robot is located.

[0018] The data indicating that the cleaning robot is assigned the task of cleaning an elevator car may include data indicating that the cleaning robot is located in a predetermined vicinity of an elevator door zone of a floor. For example, the data indicating that the cleaning robot is located in a predetermined vicinity of an elevator door zone may correspond to location data generated by a cleaning control system that controls at least a portion of the operation of the cleaning robot. Alternatively or additionally, the data indicating that the cleaning robot is located in a predetermined vicinity of an elevator door zone may correspond to location data generated by an indoor positioning system configured to monitor the location of the cleaning robot. Furthermore, the data indicating that the cleaning robot is located in a predetermined vicinity of an elevator door zone may correspond to data generated by a sensor system configured to monitor the elevator door zone of the floor. For example, the sensor system may include at least one of at least one image capture device and at least one receiver communicatively coupled to the cleaning robot via a short-range wireless communication technology.

[0019] In addition, the data indicating that the cleaning robot has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car may include at least one of data describing a cleaning program to be set in the cleaning robot and data confirming that the cleaning robot has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car.

[0020] The control system may be further configured to avoid assigning a call to an elevator system for which the cleaning robot is assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car before generating a control signal to move the elevator car to a floor where the cleaning robot is located.

[0021] Additionally, the control system further includes, before generating a control signal to move the elevator car to the floor where the cleaning robot is located: Determine the status of the elevator system; When the response detects that the elevator car is prevented from moving to the floor where the cleaning robot is located, the cleaning robot may be configured to generate a control signal requesting a change in the elevator car cleaning schedule.

[0022] For example, the control system may be configured to include data indicating when to clean in a control signal requesting a change in schedule.

[0023] The control system may further be configured to generate a control signal to deactivate the cleaning mode of the elevator system. For example, the control system may be configured to perform the generation of the control signal to deactivate the cleaning mode in response to at least one of receiving a signal indicating that the cleaning task of the elevator car is completed and detecting that the cleaning robot is not located in the elevator car. Furthermore, the control system may be configured to perform the detection of the cleaning robot being not located in the elevator car based on position data received from at least one of the cleaning control system and the indoor positioning system. Alternatively or additionally, the control system may be configured to perform the detection of the cleaning robot being not located in the elevator car based on at least one of image data received from an image capture device configured to generate image data from within the elevator car and a communication connection established between the cleaning robot and an access sensor disposed in the elevator car.

[0024] The control system may also be configured to generate a control signal to cause one or more signaling devices of the elevator system to indicate that the elevator car is being cleaned.

[0025] The control system may also be configured to generate a control signal to cause one of the following to occur: close the elevator doors when the cleaning robot enters the elevator car; open the elevator doors when an indication is received that the cleaning job is complete; and move the elevator car to a floor where the cleaning robot will be engaged when the cleaning robot enters the elevator car.

[0026] According to a third aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising computer readable program code configured to cause one or more computing devices to perform a method according to the first aspect defined above when the computer readable program code is executed on one or more computing devices.

[0027] In this application, the term "the number of" refers to any positive integer starting with 1, e.g., 1, 2, or 3.

[0028] In this application, the term "plurality" refers to any positive integer starting with two, for example, two, three, or four.

[0029] Various exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, both as to structure and method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific exemplary and non-limiting embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

[0030] In this specification, the verbs "comprise" and "include" are used as open limitations and do not exclude or require the presence of features not recited. The features recited in the dependent claims may be combined in any combination unless otherwise specified. It is also to be understood that the use of "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality throughout this specification. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0031] Embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a schematic representation of an implementation according to an example. [Diagram 2] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a method according to an example. [Diagram 3] 2 illustrates, in a simplified manner, another aspect of a method according to an example; [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an apparatus according to an example. Description of exemplary embodiments

[0032] The specific examples provided in the following description should not be construed as limiting the scope and / or applicability of the appended claims. The lists and groups of examples provided in the following description are not all-inclusive unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0033] The present invention provides a solution for coordinating cleaning tasks in a building with the operation of the elevator system located in the building so as to also perform the cleaning of the elevator cars, which is performed using a cleaning robot according to the present invention, as described below.

[0034] An example of an environment in which the invention can be implemented is shown in Fig. 1. The environment is a building 1000 in which an elevator system 100 is installed. For simplicity, the elevator system 100 in Fig. 1 includes only one elevator, but the application of the invention is not limited to such an elevator system 100, but may also be applied to an elevator system 100 including multiple elevators. The elevator system 100 in Fig. 1 includes an elevator car 110 and a counterweight 120 arranged to move up and down in an elevator shaft 130. The elevator car 100 and the counterweight 120 are suspended by a hoisting rope 115, which is arranged to run on a traction sheave of a hoisting machine 140, which includes an electric motor in addition to the traction sheave. The hoisting machine 140 may be considered as belonging to an elevator drive system, which also includes a frequency converter 145 arranged to supply an input current to the electric motor in a known manner. The operation of the frequency controller 145, and therefore the operation of the hoist 140, is controlled by an elevator control unit 150, which can control the overall operation of the elevator system 100. As is well known, the elevator system 100 can include many other entities, such as call and signaling devices that provide interfaces to communicate with passengers and other tenants in the building 1000 in which the elevator system 100 is located. According to some embodiments of the invention, the elevator car 110 can be provided with one or more sensor devices, such as image capture devices 112 or access sensors 114, which are configured to detect nearby devices via communication between the access sensors 114 and the nearby devices. Also shown in FIG. 1 is an elevator door, designated by reference numeral 125.

[0035] Depending on the implementation of the invention, as described below, the building 1000 may further include various additional devices, such as image capture devices 155 configured to monitor at least predetermined locations on each floor or level. The building may also include sensors 160, which may be, for example, access sensors operating similarly to the access sensors 114 of the elevator cars 110. These entities may be part of the elevator system 100, or at least accessible by the elevator system 100, such that the data obtained from each sensor 155, 160 may be accessible by the elevator control 150.

[0036] The building 1000 may also be provided with devices suitable for forming a communication network within the building, for example a wireless communication network. For example, such devices may be base stations 170 arranged, for example, on each floor of the building, which base stations 170 form a service area of ​​the wireless network on each floor. The wireless communication technology may for example be Wi-Fi. The wireless communication network may in fact be a public or private network, i.e. accessible by the public or by a predetermined group of devices. Of course, both public and private networks may be made available. The wireless communication network arranged in the building may make the respective services accessible via a communication network 175, such as a data network like the Internet. Furthermore, the building may be provided with additional devices for establishing a system for indoor positioning of the respective devices in the building 1000. The indoor positioning system may be based on the use of a wireless communication network arranged in the building together with the base stations 170, which may for example be arranged to carry out signal measurements and generate data directly or indirectly indicating their own position based on the signal measurement results. The indoor positioning system may also be based on beacon devices disposed in the building, or may be any other known indoor positioning system.

[0037] As mentioned above, at least a part of the building 1000 is arranged to be cleaned by the cleaning robot 180. The cleaning robot 180 is a device that can move around the building 1000 and perform cleaning tasks according to its capabilities. For example, cleaning tasks refer to vacuuming and floor washing, as non-limiting examples of the robot's capabilities. The cleaning robot 180 is a device that includes a system required to move within a given range. The robot 180 may also include a number of sensors, which are used to obtain information about the surrounding situation and to adjust its course in addition to its movements accordingly. Of course, the cleaning robot 180 may also include a system for performing cleaning tasks, which may include, for example, a vacuum cleaner system and, if applicable, a floor washing tool with a water tank.

[0038] The cleaning robot 180 may be controlled during the cleaning operation through a cleaning control system 187, for example, running on a server device 185 in the communication network 175, which may be communicatively connected to the cleaning robot 180. The cleaning control system 187 running on the server device 185 may refer to, for example, a computer program that may be used to define a cleaning program for the cleaning robot 180. The cleaning program may take into account the floor plan and any additional definition of the cleaning area, such as restricted areas or areas requiring special attention. According to some example embodiments, at least a portion of the cleaning program stored in the cleaning control system 187 may be defined by an operator of the cleaning control system 187 using a user device 190, such as a laptop computer, PC, tablet computer, mobile device, etc. It should be further mentioned that the cleaning program may be transferred to and stored in the cleaning robot 180, and the invocation of a particular cleaning program may be performed from or at least via the server device 185.

[0039] In some embodiments, the cleaning control system 187 operated by the server device 185 and the elevator system 100 may be provided with applicable interfaces, such as application programming interfaces (APIs), to enable communication between the aforementioned entities. For example, the cleaning control system 187 operated by the server device 185 and the elevator control 150 may be communicatively connected to the interfaces. Alternatively or additionally, each of the aforementioned entities may be communicatively connected by yet another system, such as a control system configured to act as an intermediary system between the two entities. The cleaning robot 180 may also have access to at least some local systems within the building, such as an indoor positioning system and at least some of the sensors provided in the building 1000 and / or the elevator system 100, in a manner as described below in the description of at least some embodiments of the present invention.

[0040] Further aspects related to the present invention will now be described with reference to Fig. 2, which illustrates in a schematic manner at least some steps of a method according to an example. The method provides a solution for controlling the cleaning operation of an elevator car 110 of an elevator system 100 using at least one cleaning robot 180. The control may be performed by a control system, which in the present application is represented as an elevator control unit 150 according to an embodiment, although other entities communicatively connected to the required entities may be adapted to perform the operations of the control system described herein.

[0041] In step 210, the elevator controller 150 receives 210 data indicating that the cleaning robot 180 has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car 110. In other words, each controller 150 can detect based on the received data that the cleaning robot 180 has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car 110 of the elevator system 100. The received data may be various types of data and may be received 210 from various sources, as described below.

[0042] According to some exemplary embodiments, the detection that the cleaning robot 180 is assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car 110 may be based on data indicating the location of the cleaning robot 180, which may be determined by various methods. In particular, the cleaning robot 180 may be detected to be located in a predetermined vicinity of the elevator door 125 area on a certain floor. For example, the elevator door area may be defined as the elevator door 125 itself, and the cleaning robot 180 may be defined from the received 210 data if it is located within a predetermined distance from the elevator door 125. In such a method, the distance from the elevator door 125 to the cleaning robot 180 may be less than a predetermined standard, or the cleaning robot 180 may be defined to be located in a predetermined area from the elevator door 125, such as a waiting area that is divided on the floor. The location information of the cleaning robot 180 may be received from various sources. According to an exemplary embodiment, the cleaning control system 187 provides the data indicating the location of the cleaning robot 180 to the elevator control unit 150. Depending on the implementation, the location data may be transmitted continuously during the operation of the cleaning robot 180, or may be configured to be transmitted at predetermined intervals, for example, triggered by a predetermined criterion. For example, the location data may be transmitted when the cleaning control system 187 detects that the cleaning robot 180 is located at a predetermined location, such as the waiting area defined in the cleaning control system. The location data received by the elevator control unit 150 from the cleaning control system 187 may be in a format applicable to the elevator control unit 150's determination to perform detection. In other words, the elevator control unit 150 may map the received data to information regarding the floor layout, thereby determining whether to perform task detection. Of course, if the cleaning control system 187 sends out location data only when the cleaning robot 180 is located at a predetermined location, the elevator control unit 150 may perform detection based on the reception of such data.Although the above description is based on a method of receiving position data of the cleaning robot 180 from the cleaning control system, the same method may be applied when the cleaning robot 180 is configured to communicate with the elevator control unit 150 without using the cleaning control system 187.

[0043] In some other embodiments, data indicative of the location of the cleaning robot 180 used in detecting whether the cleaning robot 180 is in a predetermined vicinity to the area of ​​the elevator doors 125 may be completed based on location data generated by an indoor positioning system. The indoor positioning system may be any known system configured to monitor the location of the cleaning robot 180 and provide said data to the elevator control 150 directly or via other entities, such as through the cleaning robot 180 if the cleaning robot 180 is configured to communicate with the elevator system 100 and the elevator control 150 in the system, or may be any respective control system configured to implement at least a part of the present invention.

[0044] According to further embodiments, the detection that the cleaning robot 180 is assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car 110 may be performed based on the detection that the cleaning robot 180 is located in a predetermined vicinity of the elevator door area of ​​a certain floor, and the detection that the cleaning robot 180 is located in a predetermined vicinity of the elevator door area of ​​the certain floor may be performed based on data generated by a sensor system arranged at the certain floor. The sensor system advantageously generates data that allows monitoring of the elevator door area of ​​the certain floor. For example, the sensor system may include at least one of at least one image capture device 155 and at least one receiver communicatively connected to the cleaning robot 180 by short-range wireless communication technology. An example of a receiver communicatively connected to the cleaning robot 180 may be an access sensor 160 arranged in the vicinity of the elevator door 125, and the access sensor 160 is configured to communicate with the cleaning robot 180 when the cleaning robot 180 is located in the elevator door area, for example. Data obtained from the above detections may be transmitted to a control system 150 configured to carry out the method.

[0045] In the above description, the term elevator door zone is mentioned. This zone should be understood as any predefined area where the cleaning robot 180 can be detected to have been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car 110. In other words, the elevator door zone can be defined by coordinates defining the respective area of ​​a floor, but in some other implementations, it can also be defined by the operating area of ​​some physical element, such as a sensor. If the sensor is an image capture device, the door zone can be defined by the focal area of ​​the image capture device. On the other hand, if the sensor is a receiver or transmitter of a wireless signal, the effective range of such sensor can define the elevator door zone. In a preferred embodiment, the elevator door zone is an area bounded in at least one direction by the elevator door 125 and extends outward from the elevator door 125 of a floor.

[0046] According to yet another exemplary embodiment, the detection that the cleaning robot 180 is assigned to clean the elevator car 110 is performed based on data including a description of a cleaning program set for the cleaning robot 180. By configuring such an approach, the cleaning control system 187 may be configured to communicate with the elevator control 150 and generate and transmit data indicating that the cleaning robot 180 is assigned to clean the elevator car 110. Correspondingly, the elevator control 150 may be configured to retrieve such data from the received data and execute as described below. The data indicative of the cleaning program may include, for example, an indication that the elevator car 110 is to be cleaned, the time when the cleaning is to be performed, and / or the floor on which the cleaning is to be performed. These information are non-limiting examples and may be applied alone or in combination with others, or may be applied to other data not described in this application. The important thing here is to receive data indicating that the elevator car 110 is to be cleaned by the cleaning robot 180.

[0047] Furthermore, the data indicating that the cleaning robot 180 has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car 110 may be detected based on data confirming that the cleaning robot 180 has been assigned to clean the elevator car 110. For example, the cleaning robot 180 may be configured to generate a confirmation to the cleaning control system 187 when the cleaning robot 180 starts cleaning the elevator car 110, which may be interpreted as an assignment to clean the elevator car 110. This has the advantage that the system receives updates on the progress of the cleaning task. According to some exemplary embodiments, information on the confirmation may also be sent to other entities, such as the elevator control 150. Also, the confirmation may be configured to be sent directly from the cleaning robot 180 to the elevator control 150 and / or other entities. Correspondingly, the cleaning robot 180 may be configured to send each confirmation at a different stage, for example when the time of the cleaning task is set internally if the cleaning task is to be performed at a certain point in the future. An entity such as the elevator control 150 may receive a portion of the data and take it into account when performing the steps of the method described in the following description. In this way, it is also possible to notify the relevant entity of the confirmation that the cleaning robot 180 is assigned to clean the elevator car 110 at a particular time.

[0048] According to yet another embodiment, the cleaning robot may be configured to receive data indicating that the cleaning task of the elevator car 110 has been given from an entity configured to monitor the state of the elevator car 110 at least in terms of cleanliness. At least one sensor, for example an image capture device, may be configured to acquire data including a description of the cleanliness of the elevator car 110, and by analyzing the acquired data the entity may generate an indication that the elevator car 110 needs cleaning. Such an indication is transmitted directly or indirectly to a control system configured to control the generation of tasks of the cleaning robot 180. Such a control system may be a cleaning control system 187. The entity receiving the data indicating the cleanliness of the elevator car 110 may be an elevator system, comprising an image capture device for capturing images of the interior of the elevator car 110, or a building control system configured to monitor the cleanliness of the building and also the cleanliness of the elevator car 110. In other words, when it is detected that the cleanliness of the elevator car 110 falls below a reference level based on the data measured by any of the above-mentioned methods, the cleaning robot 180 is assigned to clean the elevator car 110, and the portion of the data relating to the assignment is transmitted to each control entity element, such as a control system executing the method, as data indicating that the cleaning robot 180 has been given the task of cleaning the elevator car 110.

[0049] In the above description, various considerations are described. These considerations can be used to receive data indicating that the cleaning robot 180 is assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car 110, and thus the detection can be performed. The various considerations can be applied alone or in combination, unless otherwise specified. According to the present invention, a control signal can be generated to move the elevator car 110 to the floor where the cleaning robot 180 is located. The floor where the cleaning robot 180 is located can be stored in a data storage accessible by the elevator control unit 150, and the elevator control unit 150 retrieves the information from the data storage when performing the detection. Alternatively or additionally, information regarding the floor where the cleaning robot 180 is located can be received as data, and the detection of the cleaning task of the elevator car 110 can be based on this information. For example, the information can be related to location information or other data received by the elevator control unit 150 or can be accessed by the elevator control unit 150.

[0050] When the elevator car 110 arrives at a floor where the cleaning robot 180 is located, the elevator system 100 is set 230 to a cleaning mode. The arrival of the elevator car 110 at that floor may be detected based on a signaling received by the elevator control 150, for example based on sensor data indicating that the elevator car 110 is not moving. Alternatively or additionally, the arrival may be detected based on data indicating the state of the elevator doors 125, i.e., that the elevator doors 125 are open. Such information may be obtained, for example, from the motor of the elevator doors 125 or from a safety circuit of the elevator system 100 that opens in response to the elevator doors 125 opening. Setting 230 the elevator system 100 to a cleaning mode means that the operation of the elevator system 100 is limited at least to the extent that cleaning can be performed. For example, setting the cleaning mode may include opening the elevator doors 125 to allow the cleaning robot 180 to enter therein, and may also include not allocating calls to the elevator system 100, if possible. According to some exemplary embodiments, the elevator control 150 is configured to generate a control signal to cause one or more signaling devices of the elevator system 100 to indicate that the elevator car 110 is being cleaned. The signaling device may refer to a hall lantern installed at each floor, but may also refer to an audio device suitable for providing an audio signal indicating that cleaning is in progress. Of course, the cleaning mode may also be indicated by other user interfaces, such as a car operating panel of the elevator car 110.

[0051] As mentioned above, in order to perform the cleaning task, the elevator car 110 is commanded to move to the floor where the cleaning robot 180 is located. This means that the elevator 110 is not available to passengers during the cleaning task. For this reason, and in order to perform the cleaning task of the cleaning robot 180 as efficiently as possible, further measures may be taken in consideration of further exemplary embodiments of the present invention, as described below. That is, according to an example of an embodiment, the elevator to which the elevator car 110 belongs may be disabled by not assigning a call to the elevator system 100 to which the cleaning robot 180 is assigned the cleaning task of the elevator car 110. Such an operation may be performed by configuring the elevator control unit 150, prior to the generation 220, to generate a control signal for moving the elevator car 110 to the floor where the cleaning robot 180 is located and to set the elevator system 100 in a mode in which the elevator system 100 cannot be assigned a call.

[0052] According to another exemplary embodiment, the method includes a step of determining the availability of the elevator system 100, performed by the elevator control 150 or a control system executing the method, prior to the generation of a control signal for moving the elevator car 110 to the floor where the cleaning robot 180 is located, and generating a control signal requesting a rescheduling of the elevator car 110 upon detection that the availability prevents the elevator car 110 from moving to the floor where the cleaning robot 180 is located. In other words, the elevator control 150 may be configured to determine the number of calls already assigned to the elevator system 100, for example to determine the time it will take to serve the outstanding calls, and to generate a control signal accordingly, i.e. to indicate the need to reschedule the cleaning operation. Such a signal may be transmitted from the elevator control 150 to the cleaning control system 187. For example, the control signal requesting a rescheduling may include data indicating an appropriate time for cleaning in terms of the elevator system 100 taking into account the aforementioned outstanding calls. The data may include, for example, an indication of the time it will take to service an outstanding call before the elevator car 110 moves to the floor where the cleaning robot 180 is located, and the cleaning control system 187 may take the service time into account and control the cleaning robot 180 accordingly.

[0053] At some point, cleaning of the elevator car 110 will be completed and the elevator system 100 will be returned to a normal response mode. This is done by configuring the elevator control 150 to generate a control signal to take the elevator system 100 out of the cleaning mode and return the system to the normal mode. This is illustrated in FIG. 3 as a step of a method according to an example embodiment of the present invention. That is, in step 310, a control is generated 310 to take the elevator system 100 out of the cleaning mode. This can be achieved, for example, by setting the elevator system 100 to the normal mode when cleaning is completed. For example, the generation 310 of the control signal to take the cleaning mode out may be performed upon receiving a signal indicating that the cleaning task of the elevator car 110 is completed. Alternatively or additionally, the control signal to take the cleaning mode out may be generated upon detecting that the cleaning robot 180 is not located in the elevator car 180. For example, detecting that the cleaning robot 180 is not located in the elevator car 110 may be performed based on position data obtained from at least one of the cleaning control system 187 and an indoor positioning system. In other words, each system may generate data indicative of the location of the cleaning robot 180 and, based on the generated data, may detect, for example, when the cleaning robot 180 enters and works in the elevator car 110, and in particular when the cleaning robot 180 exits the elevator car 110, e.g. due to the completion of a cleaning task. This detection may be achieved by defining the area of ​​the elevator car 110 in an area map applied to the method for detecting the location of the cleaning robot 180. According to another exemplary embodiment, the detection of the absence of the cleaning robot 180 in the elevator car 110 may be performed based on image data received from an image capture device 112 configured to generate image data from within the elevator car 110. In other words, the image capture device 112 may be configured to capture an image of the elevator car 110, thereby being able to detect objects in the elevator car 110.Known pattern recognition algorithms may then be applied to the image data to detect whether the cleaning robot is in the elevator car 110 and when it has exited the car 110. Each of the elevator cars 110 may be equipped with the above-mentioned so-called access sensors 114, which may be arranged to provide short-range wireless communication with other physical elements such as the cleaning robot 180 and may detect when the cleaning robot 180 is in the elevator car 110 based on a communication connection established between the cleaning robot 180 and the access sensors 114.

[0054] Considering the various aspects of the present invention in which the cleaning robot 180 is used to clean the elevator car 110, it is clear that the cleaning operation itself may be disruptive to users of the elevator system 100, for example because the elevator system 100 is not available even when the elevator car is located at a certain floor. To avoid such confusion, further measures may be taken within the framework of the present invention according to some exemplary embodiments. For example, the elevator control 150 may be configured to generate a control signal to close the elevator door 125 when the cleaning robot 180 enters the elevator car 110, thereby preventing passengers from entering the elevator car 110 during cleaning. Correspondingly, upon receiving an indication that the cleaning job is completed, another control signal may be generated to open the elevator door 125 of the floor where the elevator car 110 is located. According to yet another embodiment, a specific location in the elevator shaft 130 corresponding to a given floor may be defined for the cleaning operation. Thus, upon detecting that the cleaning robot 180 has entered the elevator car 110, the elevator controller 150 may generate a control signal to move the elevator car 110 to a floor where the cleaning will be performed or to another location, such as a floor that is statistically less busy than other floors or a floor that is not available for public use.

[0055] As mentioned above, the present application describes aspects of the present invention with reference to an implementation in which the elevator control 150 is configured to act as a control system for carrying out the method according to the present invention. However, as mentioned above, the control system may be any other device configured to communicate with the above-mentioned entities, for example the elevator control 150 and the server 185 are configured to execute the cleaning control system 187 to enable the above-mentioned method to be carried out. A control system such as the elevator control 150 suitable for carrying out the method according to the present invention may be, for example, the device illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 4. In other words, the device shown in FIG. 4 may be configured to carry out the function of controlling the cleaning of the elevator car 110 of the elevator system 100, for example. For the sake of clarity, it should be mentioned that the block diagram in FIG. 4 shows several components of entities applicable for carrying out the functions of the present device. The present device comprises a processing unit 410 and a memory unit 420. The memory unit 420 may store, in addition to the various data mentioned above, a computer program code 425 for controlling the cleaning of the elevator car 110 of the elevator system 100 in the above-mentioned manner. The device may further include a communication interface 430 for communicating with the other entities mentioned above, such as a wireless communication interface and / or a communication interface for wired communication. Thus, the communication interface 430 may include one or more modems, antennas, and other hardware and software capable of effecting communications, such as under the control of the processor 410. Furthermore, I / O (input / output) components may be arranged in conjunction with the processor 410 and portions of the computer program code 425 to provide a user interface for receiving input from a user, such as a technician, and for providing output to a user of the device, as desired. In particular, the user I / O components may include user input means, such as one or more keys or buttons, a keyboard, a touch screen or touch pad, and the like. The user I / O components may include output means, such as a loudspeaker, a display or a touch screen, and the like.The components of the device may be communicatively coupled to one another via a data bus that enables the transfer of data and control information between the components.

[0056] The memory 420 and portions of the computer program code 425 stored therein may further be configured to cause the processor 410 to execute at least some of the methods described herein. The processor 410 may be configured to read from and write to the memory 420. Although each of the processors 410 is illustrated as a single component, each may be implemented as one or more separate processing components. Similarly, while each of the memory 420 is illustrated as a single component, each of the memory 420 may be implemented as one or more separate components, some or all of which may be integral or removable and / or may provide persistent, semi-persistent, dynamic or cached storage.

[0057] The computer program code 425 may include computer executable instructions which, when loaded into the processor 410 of a respective control system such as the elevator control 150, perform functions corresponding to steps performed in controlling the cleaning of the elevator car 110 of the elevator system 100. As an example, the computer program code 425 may include a computer program consisting of one or more sequences of one or more instructions. The processor 410 may load and execute the computer program by reading the one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained therein from the storage unit 420. The one or more sequences of one or more instructions may be configured, when executed by the processor 410, to cause the apparatus to perform the method described above. Thus, the apparatus may comprise at least one processor 410 and at least one memory unit 420 including computer program code 425 for one or more programs, the at least one memory unit 420 and the computer program code 425 being configured to cause the apparatus to perform the method using the at least one processor 410.

[0058] The computer program code 425 may be, for example, a computer program product comprising at least one computer readable non-transitory medium having the computer program code 425 stored thereon, which when executed by the processor 410 causes the apparatus to perform the method. The computer readable non-transitory medium may include a storage device or recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, a Blu-ray disc, or other product embodying a computer program. As another example, the computer program may be provided as a signal configured to reliably transfer the computer program.

[0059] Further, the computer program code 425 may include computer program code for causing unique applications, for example the methods to be carried out in the manner described herein.

[0060] Any of the programmed functions described above may be implemented in firmware or hardware configured or programmed to perform the necessary tasks.

[0061] For the sake of completeness, it should be mentioned that the entity performing the method as a part of the control system may be implemented using multiple devices as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 4 as a distributed computing environment corresponding to the control system. For example, one of the devices may be communicatively connected to other devices, for example to share data of the method and cause another device to perform at least another part of the method. The method performed in the distributed computing environment thus generates the detection result as described above. For example, some steps of the method may be shared between the elevator control 150 and the cleaning control system 187 operated by the server 185.

[0062] Some aspects of the invention may relate to a system, such as an elevator system, comprising the above-mentioned entities and configured to carry out the methods described hereinabove.

[0063] The advantage of the present invention is that the various entities are arranged to share and utilize information as described above, thereby enabling efficient cleaning of the elevator car 110. Furthermore, the installation according to the present invention allows various existing components, such as sensors and the like, to be used in the present invention, thereby reducing the implementation costs of the present invention.

[0064] The specific examples provided in the above description should not be construed as limiting the applicability and / or interpretation of the appended claims. The lists and groups of examples provided in the above description are not exhaustive unless expressly stated otherwise.

Claims

1. 1. A method for controlling cleaning of an elevator car (110) of an elevator system (100), performed by a control system (150), comprising: receiving (210) data indicating that the cleaning robot (180) has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car (110); generating (220) a control signal to move the elevator car (110) to a floor where the cleaning robot (180) is located; placing (230) the elevator system (100) in a cleaning mode when the elevator car (110) reaches a floor where the cleaning robot (180) is located.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data indicating that the cleaning robot (180) has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car (110) includes data indicating that the cleaning robot (180) is in a predetermined proximity to an elevator door zone of a floor.

3. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data indicating that the cleaning robot (180) is in the predetermined vicinity of the elevator door zone corresponds to location data generated by a cleaning control system (187) that controls at least a portion of the operation of the cleaning robot (180).

4. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data indicating that the cleaning robot (180) is in the predetermined vicinity of the elevator door zone corresponds to location data generated by an indoor positioning system configured to monitor the location of the cleaning robot (180).

5. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data indicating that the cleaning robot (180) is within the predetermined proximity to the elevator door zone corresponds to data generated by a sensor system configured to monitor the elevator door zone at the floor.

6. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor system includes at least one of at least one image capture device and at least one receiver communicatively connectable to the cleaning robot by short-range wireless communication technology.

7. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data indicating that the cleaning robot (180) has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car (110) comprises at least one of data describing a cleaning program to be set in the cleaning robot and data confirming that the cleaning robot (180) has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car (110).

8. 13. The method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising the steps of: before generating (220) the control signal for moving the elevator car (110) to a floor where the cleaning robot (180) is located, The method includes the step of not assigning calls to an elevator system (100) for which the cleaning robot (180) has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car (110).

9. 13. The method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising the steps of: before generating (220) the control signal for moving the elevator car (110) to a floor where the cleaning robot (180) is located, determining a response status of the elevator system (100); and upon detecting that the corresponding condition prevents the elevator car (110) from moving to a floor where the cleaning robot (180) is located, generating a control signal requesting a change in the cleaning schedule of the elevator car (110).

10. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the control signal requesting a change in schedule includes data indicating when to clean.

11. 13. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising: generating (310) a control signal to exit the cleaning mode of the elevator system (100).

12. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein generating (310) the control signal to exit the cleaning mode is performed in response to at least one of receiving a signal indicating that a cleaning operation of the elevator car (110) has been completed and detecting that the cleaning robot (180) is no longer present in the elevator car (110).

13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein detecting that the cleaning robot (180) is not present in the elevator car (110) is performed based on the position data received from at least one of the cleaning control system and the indoor positioning system.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein detecting that the cleaning robot (180) is not present within the elevator car (110) is performed based on at least one of image data received from an image capture device (112) configured to create image data from within the elevator car (110) and a communication connection established between the cleaning robot (180) and an access sensor (114) disposed in the elevator car (110).

15. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating a control signal to cause one or more signaling devices of the elevator system (100) to indicate that the elevator car (110) is being cleaned.

16. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising generating a control signal to perform one of the following: closing an elevator door (125) when the cleaning robot (180) enters the elevator car (110); opening the elevator door (125) when an indication that the cleaning job is completed is received; and moving the elevator car (110) to a floor where the cleaning job is to be performed when the cleaning robot (180) enters the elevator car (110).

17. A control system (150) for controlling cleaning of an elevator car (110) of an elevator system (100), comprising: receiving (210) data indicating that the cleaning robot (180) has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car (110); generating (220) a control signal to move the elevator car (110) to a floor where the cleaning robot (180) is located; A control system configured to set (230) the elevator system (100) to a cleaning mode when the elevator car (110) reaches a floor where the cleaning robot (180) is located.

18. 20. The control system (150) of claim 17, wherein the data indicating that the cleaning robot (180) has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car (110) includes data indicating that the cleaning robot (180) is in a predetermined vicinity of an elevator door zone of a certain floor.

19. 20. The control system (150) of claim 18, wherein the data indicating that the cleaning robot (180) is within the predetermined proximity of the elevator door zone corresponds to location data generated by a cleaning control system (187) that controls at least a portion of the operation of the cleaning robot (180).

20. 20. The control system (150) of claim 18, wherein the data indicating that the cleaning robot (180) is within the predetermined proximity to the elevator door zone corresponds to location data generated by an indoor positioning system configured to monitor the location of the cleaning robot (180).

21. 20. The control system (150) of claim 18, wherein the data indicating that the cleaning robot (180) is within the predetermined proximity to the elevator door zone corresponds to data generated by a sensor system configured to monitor the elevator door zone at the floor.

22. 22. The control system (150) of claim 21, wherein the sensor system includes at least one of at least one image capture device and at least one receiver communicatively connectable to the cleaning robot via short-range wireless communication technology.

23. 18. The control system (150) of claim 17, wherein the data indicating that the cleaning robot (180) has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car (110) includes at least one of data describing a cleaning program to be set in the cleaning robot and data confirming that the cleaning robot (180) has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car (110).

24. 24. The control system (150) of any one of claims 17 to 23, further comprising, before generating (220) the control signal for moving the elevator car (110) to a floor where the cleaning robot (180) is located, A control system configured to avoid assigning calls to an elevator system (100) for which the cleaning robot (180) has been assigned the task of cleaning the elevator car (110).

25. 25. The control system (150) of any one of claims 17 to 24, further comprising, before generating (220) the control signal for moving the elevator car (110) to a floor where the cleaning robot (180) is located, determining a response status of the elevator system (100); A control system configured to generate a control signal requesting a change in the cleaning schedule of the elevator car (110) upon detecting that the corresponding condition prevents the elevator car (110) from moving to the floor where the cleaning robot (180) is located.

26. 26. The control system (150) of claim 25, wherein the control system (150) is configured to include data indicative of when to clean in a control signal requesting a change in the schedule.

27. 27. The control system (150) of any of claims 17 to 26, further configured to generate (310) a control signal to exit the cleaning mode of the elevator system (100).

28. 28. The control system (150) of claim 27, configured to generate (310) the control signal for canceling the cleaning mode in response to at least one of receiving a signal indicating that a cleaning task for the elevator car (110) has been completed and detecting that the cleaning robot (180) is no longer present within the elevator car (110).

29. 29. The control system (150) of claim 28, wherein the control system (150) is configured to perform detection that the cleaning robot (180) is not located within the elevator car (110) based on the position data received from at least one of the cleaning control system and the indoor positioning system.

30. 29. The control system (150) of claim 28, wherein the control system (150) is configured to perform detection that the cleaning robot (180) is not present within the elevator car (110) based on at least one of image data received from an image capture device (112) configured to create image data from within the elevator car (110) and a communication connection established between the cleaning robot (180) and an access sensor (114) disposed in the elevator car (110).

31. 31. The control system (150) of any of claims 17 to 30, further configured to generate a control signal to cause one or more signaling devices of the elevator system (100) to indicate that the elevator car (110) is being cleaned.

32. 32. The control system (150) of any one of claims 17 to 31, further configured to generate a control signal to perform one of the following: closing an elevator door (125) when the cleaning robot (180) enters the elevator car (110), opening the elevator door (125) when an indication that the cleaning job is completed is received, and moving the elevator car (110) to a floor where the cleaning job is to be performed when the cleaning robot (180) enters the elevator car (110).

33. 17. A computer program comprising computer readable program code configured to cause one or more computing devices to perform a method according to any of claims 1 to 16 when the computer readable program code is executed on the one or more computing devices.

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