Elevator control system, robot management method, and robot

Abstract

To always keep deviation of a congestion state between banks small even when a robot is moved between floors in an elevator having a plurality of banks.SOLUTION: In an elevator including a plurality of banks, when use of the elevator is requested from a robot, congestion information of all the banks is acquired by requesting a group management control device of each bank to provide the congestion information of the bank, a bank to be used by the robot is selected as a use bank from all the banks based on the congestion information, and the robot is instructed to move to the use bank. Thereafter, when the robot arrives at the use bank, the assignment request of the landing call for the robot is made to the group management control device of the use bank.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control technique for moving a robot between floors using an elevator. [Background technology]

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

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

[0004] On the other hand, robots take longer to get on and off than users, which means that when a robot uses an elevator, it can cause congestion in the elevator, or if the elevator is already crowded, it can make the congestion worse.

[0005] In recent years, as buildings have become larger, elevators with multiple banks are increasingly being installed in buildings. In such elevators, congestion is likely to occur in the bank used by a robot, or if the bank is already congested, the congestion situation in that bank is likely to worsen. Therefore, when a robot needs to move between floors, if the robot is moved between floors using the bank closest to its current location, there is a risk that the congestion situation will be significantly uneven between the banks, significantly reducing the overall transport efficiency of the elevator.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to always keep the imbalance in the congestion situation between banks small even when a robot is moved between floors in an elevator with multiple banks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The control system according to the present invention is applicable to an elevator with multiple banks and has the following configuration (Aspect 1). The control system includes a group management control device provided for each of the multiple banks, and a robot management device that uses the elevator to move a robot between floors. When a robot requests to use an elevator, the robot management device requests the group management control device of each bank to provide congestion information for that bank. When a request for congestion information is received from a robot management device, the group management control device of each bank replies with congestion information for its own bank to the robot management device. When congestion information is received from the group management control devices of all banks, the robot management device selects a bank from all banks that the robot should use as the current bank based on the congestion information, and then commands the robot to move to that current bank. Thereafter, when the robot arrives at the current bank, the robot management device requests the group management control device of the current bank to assign a hall call to the robot.

[0008] According to the above-mentioned first aspect, every time a robot needs to move between floors, the robot can be made to use the least crowded bank among a plurality of banks available at that time.

[0009] The control system according to the above-mentioned aspect 1 may have the following configuration (aspect 2): When the group management control device of each bank receives a request for congestion information from the robot management device, it counts the number of hall call allocations in that bank as congestion information for its own bank and calculates the congestion degree according to the count obtained, and at that time, if a hall call allocation for a robot other than the robot described above is being made in that bank and this is counted, it may be weighted and counted so that the count number for one allocation is greater than 1.

[0010] According to the above-mentioned aspect 2, in a bank used by a robot, the use of that robot can be reflected to a greater extent in the congestion level of that bank by weighting the count number for that robot. As a result, the impact that a robot has on the congestion status of each bank can be reflected in the congestion information for that bank.

[0011] The control system according to the above-mentioned aspect 1 may have the following configuration (aspect 3). When a group management control device of a used bank receives an allocation request from a robot management device, the group management control device may temporarily designate one of the cars belonging to its own bank as a robot-dedicated car and allocate hall calls for the robot to that robot-dedicated car. Thereafter, when the group management control device of the used bank receives a further request for congestion information from the robot management device during the period when one of the cars belonging to its own bank is designated as a robot-dedicated car, the group management control device of the used bank may calculate a congestion degree by counting the number of allocated hall calls in its own bank and dividing the count by the number of cars in the bank excluding the robot-dedicated cars, and may use the congestion degree as the congestion information for the bank.

[0012] According to the above-mentioned aspect 3, by reducing the number of cages used as the denominator when calculating the congestion level in a bank used by a robot by the number of cages dedicated to the robot, the use of the robot can be reflected more significantly in the congestion level of the bank, and as a result, the impact that the robot has on the congestion situation of each bank can be reflected in the congestion information of that bank.

[0013] A robot management method according to the present invention is a robot management method for moving a robot between floors using an elevator, and has the following configuration (Aspect 4). Here, the elevator is equipped with multiple banks, and a group management control device is installed corresponding to each of the multiple banks. In the robot management method, when a robot requests to use an elevator, the method acquires congestion information for all banks by requesting the group management control device of each bank to provide congestion information for that bank. Furthermore, based on the congestion information, the method selects a bank from all banks that the robot should use as a bank to be used, and then commands the robot to move to that bank. Thereafter, when the robot arrives at the bank to be used, the method requests the group management control device of the bank to assign a hall call to the robot.

[0014] A robot according to the present invention is a robot capable of moving between floors using an elevator, and has the following configuration (Aspect 5). Here, the elevator is equipped with multiple banks, and a group management control device is installed corresponding to each of the multiple banks. When the robot uses the elevator, it acquires congestion information for all banks by requesting the group management control device of each bank to provide congestion information for that bank, and then selects a bank to use from all of the banks based on the congestion information, and then moves to that bank. Thereafter, when the robot arrives at the bank to be used, it requests the group management control device of that bank to assign a hall call to itself. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, even when a robot is moved between floors in an elevator having a plurality of banks, it is possible to keep the imbalance in the congestion state between the banks small at all times. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an elevator according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1A to 1C are conceptual diagrams illustrating (A) device management data, (B) hall call management data for users, and (C) hall call management data for robots, which are used in an embodiment. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are conceptual diagrams illustrating examples of robot management data and assignment request management data used in an embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a bank selection process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing allocation request processing executed in the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an allocation process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a bank selection process executed in a first modified example. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing an allocation request process executed in a first modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] [1] Implementation [1-1] Overall structure of the elevator FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an elevator according to an embodiment. The elevator of this embodiment has multiple banks, each of which is provided with a destination floor registration device 1 installed at the landing of each floor, multiple cars G, and a group management control device 2 that centrally manages the cars G. In the example of FIG. 1, two banks are provided, and these banks are distinguished by the letters "A" and "B." Such an elevator is used not only by passengers but also by a robot H that performs various tasks (cleaning, monitoring, transportation, etc.) in the building in which the elevator is installed.

[0018] In this embodiment, the robot H is managed in a centralized manner by a robot management device 3. Furthermore, the control of this robot management device 3 enables the robot H to move between floors using an elevator. In order to maintain high transport efficiency of the entire elevator even when the robot H is moved between floors using the elevator in this manner, a control system is constructed that uses the group management control devices 2 provided so as to correspond to each of a plurality of banks (two banks "A" and "B" in the example of FIG. 1) and the robot management device 3 to always keep the imbalance in congestion status between the banks small. The configuration of each part will be specifically described below.

[0019] <Destination floor registration device> The destination floor registration device 1 of each bank is a device with which a user registers a destination floor Fd at that bank. When a user registers a destination floor Fd at the destination floor registration device 1 of each bank, that destination floor Fd is transmitted to the group management control device 2 of that bank. As a result, a request is made to the group management control device 2 to allocate a hall call X for the user (allocation to a car G) (allocation request from the user). At this time, device information Pd for distinguishing that destination floor registration device 1 from other devices is also transmitted to the group management control device 2 so that the group management control device 2 can recognize which destination floor registration device 1 has registered the destination floor Fd.

[0020] <Group management control device> In this embodiment, requests for allocation of hall call X are made to the group management control device 2 not only from users at the halls of each bank, but also from the robot management device 3, as will be described later. When an allocation request is made from either a user at the hall or the robot management device 3, the group management control device 2 of each bank extracts an allocation candidate from among the cars G belonging to its own bank, and allocates the hall call X to that allocation candidate (if there are multiple candidates, to one of them) (allocation process; see FIG. 6). Details of this allocation process will be described later.

[0021] Furthermore, the group management control device 2 of each bank causes each car G belonging to its own bank to execute a response operation to the hall call X assigned to that car through the elevator control device (response processing).

[0022] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the group management control device 2 of each bank grasps the congestion status of the bank based on accumulated information it holds (including information indicating the operation status and usage status of each car G within its own bank), and can return congestion information Pj indicating that status in response to a request for provision from the robot management device 3 (see step S101 in FIG. 4) (reply processing). At this time, the group management control device 2 of each bank counts the number of hall calls X assigned to its own bank, calculates a congestion degree Yj according to the count number Mx obtained thereby, and can use the congestion degree Yj as the congestion information Pj of the bank. Here, the hall calls X to be counted may be those actually assigned to any car G at that time (specifically, hall calls X recorded in hall call management data Dx1 or Dx2 described later), or may be those assigned within a predetermined period (for example, the most recent five minutes) (including hall calls X that have already been answered). More specifically, the group management control device 2 of each bank can calculate the congestion degree Yj by dividing the count number Mx by the number of elevator cars G (number of cars Ng) in that bank, and then use that congestion degree Yj as the congestion information Pj for that bank.

[0023] Specifically, the group management control device 2 of each bank includes a storage unit 21 and a control unit 22 (see FIG. 1).

[0024] The storage unit 21 is a part configured with storage devices such as ROM and RAM, and stores information necessary for the control processing performed by the group management control device 2 of each bank. In this embodiment, as such information, device management data Dp and hall call management data Dx are stored in the storage unit 21. Furthermore, the hall call management data Dx includes hall call management data Dx1 for users and hall call management data Dx2 for the robot H (not shown in FIG. 1).

[0025] Here, the device management data Dp of each bank is a database for managing, for each destination floor registration device 1 in the bank, a plurality of pieces of information related to the destination floor registration device 1 by linking them together (see FIG. 2(A)). The hall call management data Dx1 of each bank is data for managing the hall call X of a user assigned in the bank and information related thereto (see FIG. 2(B)). The hall call management data Dx2 of each bank is data for managing the hall call X of a robot H assigned in the bank and information related thereto (see FIG. 2(C)). Specifically, it is as follows.

[0026] 2(A) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the device management data Dp used in this embodiment. In the device management data Dp of each bank, for each destination floor registration device 1 in the bank, the device information Pd of the destination floor registration device 1 and the installation floor Fs are recorded in a mutually associated state.

[0027] As a result, when the group management control device 2 of each bank receives device information Pd together with the destination floor Fd from each destination floor registration device 1 in its own bank, it becomes possible to identify, from the device information Pd, the floor Fs where the destination floor registration device 1 (the destination floor registration device 1 where the destination floor Fd has been registered by the user) is installed. In this embodiment, the floor Fs where the destination floor registration device 1 is installed is used as the departure floor Fc (boarding floor) of the user who has registered the destination floor Fd with the destination floor registration device 1.

[0028] 2(B) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the hall call management data Dx1 for users used in this embodiment. In the hall call management data Dx1 for each bank, each time a hall call X is assigned to a user in that bank, the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd indicated by the hall call X are recorded in association with assignment destination information Py. Here, the assignment destination information Py records car information Pg of the assigned car G. Then, when each hall call X for a user has completed its role, the series of information about that hall call X is deleted from the hall call management data Dx1, thereby deleting it.

[0029] FIG. 2(C) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the hall call management data Dx2 for the robot H used in this embodiment. In the hall call management data Dx2 for each bank, each time a hall call X is assigned to a robot H in that bank, the robot information Ph of that robot H, the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd indicated by the hall call X, and assignment destination information Py are recorded in a mutually associated state. Here, the assignment destination information Py records the car information Pg of the assigned car G. Then, when each hall call X for the robot H has completed its role, a series of information about that hall call X is deleted from the hall call management data Dx2, thereby deleting it.

[0030] The control unit 22 is a part that is responsible for executing the control processes (including allocation processes, response processes, and reply processes) performed by the group management control device 2. Specifically, the control unit 22 is composed of processing devices such as a CPU or MPU, and executes a control program installed in the group management control device 2 to realize the execution of its own control processes in software. Note that, before being installed in the group management control device 2 of each bank, this control program may be stored in a readable state on a portable storage medium (for example, a flash memory, etc.), or may be stored in a downloadable state on another server, etc. Furthermore, the control processes performed by the group management control device 2 of each bank are not limited to being realized in software by executing a program, but may also be realized in hardware by a processing circuit (control unit 22) built into the group management control device 2.

[0031] <Robot management device> In this embodiment, when each robot H needs to move between floors, it transmits a use request signal Sx to request the use of an elevator to the robot control device 3. At this time, the robot H includes robot information Ph, which enables the robot H to be distinguished from other robots H, as additional information in the use request signal Sx so that the robot control device 3 can recognize which robot H has transmitted the use request signal Sx.

[0032] When the robot management device 3 receives a use request signal Sx from any robot H, it executes the following bank selection process (see FIG. 4). Hereinafter, the robot H that has transmitted the use request signal Sx will be referred to as the "target robot Hk."

[0033] The robot management device 3 first requests the group management control device 2 of each bank to provide congestion information Pj for that bank. After that, when the robot management device 3 receives congestion information Pj from the group management control devices 2 of all banks, it selects a bank to be used by the target robot Hk from all of those banks as the bank to be used Zk based on the congestion information Pj, and then commands the target robot Hk to move to the boarding area of ​​the bank to be used Zk. Details of the bank selection process will be described later.

[0034] The target robot Hk moves to the boarding area of ​​the bank Zk to be used in response to a command from the robot management device 3, and when it arrives at the boarding area of ​​the bank Zk to be used, it transmits the destination floor Fx to the robot management device 3. At this time, the target robot Hk also transmits its own robot information Ph to the robot management device 3 so that the robot management device 3 can recognize which robot H has transmitted the destination floor Fx.

[0035] When the robot management device 3 receives the destination floor Fx and robot information Ph from the target robot Hk, it requests the group management control device 2 of the bank Zk (the bank that has been instructed to the target robot Hk as its destination) to allocate a hall call X for the target robot Hk (allocation request process; see FIG. 5). Details of the allocation request process will be described later.

[0036] Specifically, the robot management device 3 includes a storage unit 31 and a control unit 32 (see FIG. 1).

[0037] The storage unit 31 is a part configured with storage devices such as ROM and RAM, and stores information necessary for the control processing performed by the robot management device 3. In this embodiment, the storage unit 31 stores robot management data Dq and assignment request management data Dr as such information.

[0038] Here, the robot management data Dq is a database for managing, for each robot H, multiple pieces of information related to that robot H by linking them together (see FIG. 3(A)). The allocation request management data Dr is data for managing information on allocation requests (allocation requests for robot H) made by the robot management device 3 (see FIG. 3(B)). Specifically, it is as follows.

[0039] 3(A) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the robot management data Dq used in this embodiment. In the robot management data Dq, for each robot H, its robot information Ph and boarding floor Ft, and the destination of the robot H when it moves between floors are recorded in a mutually associated state. Here, the boarding floor Ft associated with each robot H is the floor on which the robot H is located, and is updated each time the robot H moves between floors. In addition, the destination associated with each robot H records the destination floor Fx transmitted by the robot H for moving between floors, and the destination floor Fx is deleted from the destination list when the robot H has finished disembarking at that floor.

[0040] As a result, when the robot management device 3 receives robot information Ph together with the destination floor Fx from each robot H, it becomes possible to identify the boarding floor Ft of that robot H from the robot information Ph. In this embodiment, the boarding floor Ft of that robot H is used as the departure floor Fc when that robot H moves between floors using an elevator car G. Furthermore, by referring to the movement destination associated with the robot information Ph of each robot H, if the movement destination has the destination floor Fx recorded, the robot management device 3 can determine that the robot H is moving between floors, and on the other hand, if the movement destination has no destination floor Fx recorded, it can determine that the robot H is deployed at the boarding floor Ft.

[0041] FIG. 3(B) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the allocation request management data Dr used in this embodiment. In the allocation request management data Dr, for each robot H that has requested elevator use (the robot H that has transmitted the use request signal Sx), the robot information Ph of that robot H, bank selection information Pz, a departure floor Fc, a destination floor Fd, and allocation destination information Py are recorded in a mutually associated state. Here, when a bank Zk to be used for the robot H is selected, bank information (in this embodiment, the bank name "A" or "B") for distinguishing the bank Zk to be used from other banks is recorded in the bank selection information Pz. When an allocation request for the robot H is made to the group management control device 2, the departure floor Fc and the destination floor Fd transmitted in the allocation request are recorded in the departure floor Fc and the destination floor Fd. When an allocation is actually performed at the bank to which the allocation request was transmitted, the allocation destination information Py records car information Pg of the assigned car G.

[0042] In this embodiment, when the robot management device 3 receives a use request signal Sx from a robot H, a storage location (storage location in the allocation request management data Dr) for a series of information about each allocation request is created in the allocation request management data Dr so that various information can be entered later in association with the robot information Ph of that robot H. In the example of FIG. 3(B), for a target robot Hk whose robot information Ph is "H-01", a state in which various information has been recorded in all storage locations is shown, and for a target robot Hk whose robot information Ph is "H-**", a state immediately after the storage locations are created in step S100 (a state in which no information has been entered yet) is shown. Thereafter, the series of information about each allocation request is deleted from the allocation request management data Dr when the car G (the car G that has been assigned) arrives at the destination floor Fx of the robot H that is the target of that allocation request.

[0043] The control unit 32 is a part that is responsible for executing the control processes (including bank selection process and allocation request process) performed by the robot management device 3. Specifically, the control unit 32 is composed of processing devices such as a CPU and an MPU, and executes a control program installed in the robot management device 3 to realize the execution of its own control processes in software. Note that, before being installed in the robot management device 3, this control program may be stored in a readable state on a portable storage medium (for example, a flash memory, etc.), or may be stored in a downloadable state on another server, etc. Furthermore, the control processes performed by the robot management device 3 are not limited to being realized in software by executing a program, but may also be realized in hardware by a processing circuit (control unit 32) built in the robot management device 3.

[0044] [1-2] Control process executed by elevator [1-2-1] Bank selection process performed by the robot management device 4 is a flowchart showing the bank selection process executed in this embodiment. This bank selection process is started every time the robot management device 3 receives a use request signal Sx from any robot H.

[0045] When the bank selection process begins, the robot management device 3 first uses the robot information Ph, which is additional information of the received use request signal Sx, to create a storage location in the allocation request management data Dr in association with the robot information Ph so that various information (bank selection information Pz, departure floor Fc, destination floor Fd, allocation destination information Py) about the robot H identified by that information (hereinafter, this robot H will be referred to as the "target robot Hk") can be input later (step S100, see Figure 3(B)). The example in Figure 3(B) shows the state (state where no information has been input yet) immediately after the storage location was created in step S100 for the target robot Hk whose robot information Ph is "H-**".

[0046] Thereafter, the robot management device 3 requests the group management control device 2 of each bank to provide congestion information Pj of that bank (step S101). When the group management control device 2 of each bank receives a request for congestion information Pj from the robot management device 3, it calculates the congestion degree Yj of that bank at that time as congestion information Pj of its own bank and returns it to the robot management device 3.

[0047] After step S101, the robot management device 3 determines whether congestion information Pj has been returned from the group management control devices 2 of all banks (step S102). The robot management device 3 repeats step S102 until it determines in step S102 that "a reply has been received (Yes)." If it determines in step S102 that "a reply has been received (Yes)," the robot management device 3 selects a bank to be used by the target robot Hk from all the banks based on the congestion information Pj of all the banks that has been returned (step S103). As an example, the robot management device 3 can select the bank to be used Zk from all the banks with the smallest congestion degree Yj, which is the congestion information Pj, as the bank to be used Zk.

[0048] Furthermore, in step S103, the robot management device 3 records the bank information of the selected available bank Zk in the allocation request management data Dr as bank selection information Pz for the target robot Hk (see FIG. 3(B)).

[0049] After step S103, the robot management device 3 commands the target robot Hk to move to the landing of the bank Zk selected in step S103 (step S104). After that, the robot management device 3 ends the bank selection process.

[0050] As a result, the target robot Hk starts moving to the boarding area of ​​the bank Zk in response to a command from the robot management device 3. After that, when the target robot Hk arrives at the boarding area of ​​the bank Zk, it transmits the destination floor Fx to the robot management device 3. At this time, the target robot Hk also transmits its own robot information Ph to the robot management device 3 so that the robot management device 3 can recognize which robot H has transmitted the destination floor Fx.

[0051] According to this bank selection process, each time the robot H needs to move between floors, the robot H (here, the target robot Hk) can be made to use the emptiest bank among the multiple banks available at that time.

[0052] [1-2-2] Allocation request processing performed by the robot management device 5 is a flowchart showing the allocation request process executed in this embodiment. This allocation request process is started each time the robot management device 3 receives a destination floor Fx and robot information Ph from any robot H. In the allocation request process, the information received by the robot management device 3 at that time (including the destination floor Fx and robot information Ph) will be collectively referred to as "received information Pr1."

[0053] When the allocation request process is initiated, the robot management device 3 records the destination floor Fx in the received information Pr1 in the robot management data Dq as the movement destination for the robot H identified by the robot information Ph in the received information Pr1 (hereinafter, this robot H will be referred to as the "target robot Hk") (step S201; see FIG. 3(A)). The example in FIG. 3(A) shows a case in which the destination floor Fx, "floor 7," is recorded for the target robot Hk whose robot information Ph is "H-01," and the destination floor Fx, "floor 5," is recorded for the target robot Hk whose robot information Ph is "H-**." This allows the robot management device 3 to determine which robot H is moving between floors and, further, the movement destination of that robot H.

[0054] Furthermore, the robot management device 3 uses the robot information Ph in the received information Pr1 to extract the boarding floor Ft associated with the robot information Ph from the robot management data Dq (step S202). Also, the robot management device 3 uses the robot information Ph in the received information Pr1 to extract the bank selection information Pz (bank information of the bank to be used Zk) associated with the robot information Ph from the allocation request management data Dr.

[0055] After step S202, the robot management device 3 requests the group management control device 2 of the used bank Zk specified by the bank selection information Pz to allocate a hall call X for the target robot Hk, with the boarding floor Ft of the target robot Hk as the departure floor Fc and the destination floor Fx of the target robot Hk as the destination floor Fd (step S203). Specifically, the robot management device 3 sets the boarding floor Ft and destination floor Fx of the target robot Hk as the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd of the target robot Hk, respectively, and transmits this information together with the robot information Ph of the target robot Hk to the group management control device 2 of the used bank Zk.

[0056] Furthermore, in step S203, the robot management device 3 records the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd of the target robot Hk transmitted to the group management control device 2 in the allocation request management data Dr (see FIG. 3(B)). After that, the robot management device 3 ends the allocation request process.

[0057] [1-2-3] Allocation process performed by the group management control device 6 is a flowchart showing the allocation process executed in this embodiment. This allocation process is started when the destination floor registration device 1 or the robot management device 3 requests the group management control device 2 of the utilization bank Zk to allocate the hall call X.

[0058] Hereinafter, the information received by the group management control device 2 each time there is an allocation request will be collectively referred to as "received information Pr2." Specifically, if the allocation request is a request from the destination floor registration device 1 (a request to allocate hall call X for a user), this received information Pr2 will be a set of information including the destination floor Fd and device information Pd, and if the allocation request is a request from the robot management device 3 (a request to allocate hall call X for robot H), it will be a set of information including the departure floor Fc, destination floor Fd, and robot information Ph.

[0059] When the allocation process begins, the group management control device 2 determines whether the received allocation request is from the destination floor registration device 1 or the robot management device 3, by determining whether the device information Pd or the robot information Ph is included in the received information Pr2 (step S300).

[0060] If the group management control device 2 determines in step S300 that "device information Pd" is included, it can determine that the received allocation request is a request from the destination floor registration device 1. In this case, the group management control device 2 uses the device management data Dp to extract the installation floor Fs associated with the device information Pd in ​​the received information Pr2, and sets this as the user's departure floor Fc. Then, the group management control device 2 sets the departure floor Fc and the destination floor Fd in the received information Pr2 (the user's destination floor Fd) as one hall call X, and executes allocation to the elevator car G, which is an allocation candidate (step S310).

[0061] Furthermore, in step S310, the group management control device 2 records the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd indicated by the hall call X of the assigned user and the car information Pg of the assigned car G in the hall call management data Dx1 in a mutually associated state (see FIG. 2(B)). Thereafter, the group management control device 2 ends the allocation process.

[0062] On the other hand, if the group management control device 2 determines in step S300 that the "robot information Ph" is included, it can determine that the received allocation request is a request from the robot management device 3. In this case, the group management control device 2 assigns the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd in the received information Pr2 to one hall call X and assigns it to the elevator car G, which is a candidate for allocation (step S320).

[0063] Furthermore, in step S320, the group management control device 2 records the robot information Ph of the robot H to which the allocation was made (robot information Ph in the received information Pr2), the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd indicated by the hall call X of the robot H at that time, and the car information Pg of the car G to which it is assigned, in the hall call management data Dx2 for the robot H, in a state in which they are associated with each other (see Figure 2(C)).

[0064] After step S320, the group management control device 2 returns the car information Pg of the car G to which the car was assigned in step S320 together with the robot information Ph in the received information Pr2 to the robot management device 3 (step S321). Then, the group management control device 2 ends the assignment process.

[0065] When the robot management device 3 receives car information Pg and robot information Ph from the group management control device 2, it records the car information Pg in the allocation request management data Dr as allocation destination information Py for the robot H identified by the robot information Ph (see FIG. 3(B)). This allows the robot management device 3 to know which car G in which bank the robot H moving between floors will use to move to the destination floor Fx. Then, when the robot H disembarks at the destination floor Fx, the robot management device 3 updates the boarding floor Ft recorded in the robot management data Dq for the robot H to the same floor as the destination floor Fx (the disembarking floor at that time) recorded as the destination, and further deletes the destination floor Fx from the destination list.

[0066] According to the control process of this embodiment described above, each time the robot H needs to move between floors, the robot H (here, the target robot Hk) can be made to use the least crowded bank among the multiple banks available at that time. Therefore, even when the robot H is moved between floors in an elevator with multiple banks, it is possible to keep the congestion level between the banks small at all times, and as a result, it is possible to maintain high transport efficiency for the entire elevator. Furthermore, it is possible to expect the robot H to arrive at the destination floor Fx quickly.

[0067] [2] Variation [2-1] First modified example In the above-described embodiment, each robot H may include the destination floor Fx as additional information along with the robot information Ph in the use request signal Sx when transmitting the use request signal Sx to the robot management device 3. In this case, the robot management device 3 can execute the following processes as the bank selection process and allocation request process.

[0068] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the bank selection process executed in Modification 1. In this bank selection process, the robot management device 3 first uses the robot information Ph and the destination floor Fx, which are additional information of the received use request signal Sx, to record the destination floor Fx in the robot management data Dq as the movement destination for the robot H identified by the robot information Ph (hereinafter, this robot H will be referred to as the "target robot Hk") (step S110; see Fig. 3(A)).

[0069] In addition, similar to step S100 in Figure 4, the robot management device 3 creates a recording location for various information about the target robot Hk (bank selection information Pz, departure floor Fc, destination floor Fd, allocation destination information Py) in the allocation request management data Dr (step S111. See Figure 3(B)).

[0070] Furthermore, the robot management device 3 uses the robot information Ph to extract the boarding floor Ft associated with the robot information Ph from the robot management data Dq (step S112).The robot management device 3 then records this boarding floor Ft and the destination floor Fx in the assignment request management data Dr as the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd for the target robot Hk.

[0071] Thereafter, the robot management device 3 executes the process from step S101 in the same manner as the bank selection process in FIG.

[0072] As a result, the target robot Hk will start moving to the landing of the bank Zk in response to a command from the robot management device 3. In this modified example, when the target robot Hk arrives at the landing of the bank Zk, it transmits an arrival signal to the robot management device 3 to notify the robot of this fact. At this time, the target robot Hk includes its own robot information Ph as additional information in the arrival signal so that the robot management device 3 can recognize which robot H is the sender of the destination floor Fx.

[0073] 8 is a flowchart showing the allocation request process executed in the first modified example. This allocation request process is started every time the robot management device 3 receives an arrival signal from any robot H.

[0074] When the allocation request process begins, the robot management device 3 uses the robot information Ph, which is additional information of the arrival signal, to extract the bank selection information Pz (bank information of the bank Zk to be used), departure floor Fc, and destination floor Fd associated with the robot information Ph from the allocation request management data Dr (step S211).

[0075] After step S211, the robot management device 3 transmits the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd extracted in step S211 together with the robot information Ph to the group management control device 2 of the above-mentioned utilization bank Zk as a request for allocation of the hall call X for the robot H identified by the above-mentioned robot information Ph (the robot H that transmitted the arrival signal) (step S212). Thereafter, the robot management device 3 terminates the allocation request process.

[0076] [2-2] Second variant In the first modified example described above, when the robot management device 3 makes a request for providing congestion information Pj in step S101 of Fig. 7, it may transmit the movement direction Kh of the target robot Hk (the direction from the departure floor Fc (= boarding floor Ft) to the destination floor Fd (= destination floor Fx)) to the group management control device 2 of each bank. Then, when the group management control device 2 of each bank receives the movement direction Kh of the target robot Hk together with the request for providing congestion information Pj from the robot management device 3, it may extract only those hall calls X in its own bank whose movement direction Kx (the direction from the departure floor Fc to the destination floor Fd) matches the movement direction Kh of the target robot Hk, count the number of allocations, and calculate the congestion degree Yj using the count number Mx obtained thereby.

[0077] Here, even if each bank is congested due to a large number of allocated hall calls X, if there is a bias in the allocated numbers depending on the movement direction Kx (upward and downward), it may happen that the direction of movement Kx that coincides with the movement direction Kh of the target robot Hk is empty. In such a case, according to the second modification, it is possible to select the emptiest bank in consideration of the movement direction Kh of the target robot Hk.

[0078] [2-3] Third variant In the above-described embodiment, first modification, or second modification, when the group management control device 2 of each bank calculates the congestion degree Yj according to the count number Mx obtained by counting the number of hall calls X assigned to that bank as congestion information Pj for that bank, if an assignment of a hall call X to a robot H other than the target robot Hk is being performed in that bank at that time and this is to be counted, the count may be weighted so that the count number Mx for one assignment is greater than 1. As an example, the group management control device 2 can weight the count number Mx for the robot H by using a value obtained by converting the size of the robot H into the number of users.

[0079] According to the third variant, in a bank used by a robot H, the count number Mx for that robot H is weighted, so that the use by that robot H can be reflected more significantly in the congestion level Yj of that bank, and as a result, the impact that robot H has on the congestion situation of each bank can be reflected in the congestion information Pj of that bank.

[0080] [2-4] Fourth Variation In the above-described embodiment, first variant, or second variant, when the group management control device 2 of each bank receives an allocation request for a robot H from the robot management device 3, it may temporarily make one of the elevator cars G belonging to its own bank a robot-only elevator, and allocate the hall call X for the robot H to that robot-only elevator.

[0081] In addition, when the group management control device 2 of each bank receives a request from the robot management device 3 to provide congestion information Pj, it may calculate the congestion degree Yj (=Mx / Ng) by counting the number of hall calls X allocated to its own bank at that time and dividing the count number Mx by the number of elevator cars G (number of cars Ng) in the bank, and then use the congestion degree Yj as the congestion information Pj of the bank.

[0082] In such a configuration, when the group management control device 2 of each bank receives a request from the robot management device 3 to provide congestion information Pj during a period in which one of the cars G belonging to its own bank is designated as a robot-only car, it calculates the congestion degree Yj by counting the number of hall calls X allocated to its own bank at that time, and dividing the count number Mx by the number of cars Ng in the bank excluding the robot-only cars from the cars G, and then uses the congestion degree Yj as the congestion information Pj for that bank.

[0083] According to the fourth variant, by reducing the number of cages Ng, which is the denominator when calculating the congestion degree Yj in a bank used by a robot H, by the number of cages dedicated to the robot, the use of the robot H can be reflected more significantly in the congestion degree Yj of the bank, and as a result, the impact that the robot H has on the congestion situation of each bank can be reflected in the congestion information Pj of that bank.

[0084] [2-5] Fifth variant The control systems of the above embodiment and the first modified example can also be applied to an elevator in which destination direction buttons are installed at the landings of each floor of each bank, and when a user presses a destination direction button at any floor of any bank, a request for allocation of a hall call X for that user is made to the group management control device 2 of the bank where the button was pressed. In this case, the group management control device 2 of each bank can calculate the average hall call intervals at each floor of its own bank, and the largest of these can be used as the congestion information Pj for that bank. Here, the hall call interval is the time from when a car G arrives at a floor of each bank and the destination direction button goes out until the next destination direction button is pressed at that floor and turns back on. Furthermore, the group management control device 2 of each bank can calculate the above average value based on the hall call intervals that occurred at each floor of its own bank within a predetermined period (e.g., the last five minutes).

[0085] Alternatively, regardless of the method by which the request for allocation of a hall call X for a user is made (request method from the destination floor registration device 1, request method from the destination direction button), the group management control device 2 of each bank may calculate the average value per car of the load in the car G that occurred within a predetermined period (for example, the last 5 minutes) for all cars G belonging to its own bank, and use this average value as the congestion information Pj for that bank.

[0086] Also in this modified example, when the robot management device 3 requests the provision of congestion information Pj in step S101 of Fig. 7, it may transmit the movement direction Kh of the target robot Hk to the group management control device 2 of each bank. Then, when the group management control device 2 of each bank calculates the average value of the hall call generation intervals on each floor of its own bank or the average value of the load per car G belonging to its own bank, it may calculate the average value by taking into account only those robots whose movement direction coincides with the movement direction Kh of the target robot Hk.

[0087] [2-6] Sixth Variation In any of the above-described embodiments and modifications, each robot H may be modified as appropriate to execute the control processes (including bank selection process and allocation request process) performed by the robot management device 3 on behalf of the robot management device 3. In this case, each robot H will communicate with the group management control device 2 of each bank without going through the robot management device 3. This allows each robot H to use the elevator autonomously while cooperating with the group management control device 2 of each bank.

[0088] The above-described embodiments and modifications should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined not by the above-described embodiments and modifications, but by the claims. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications that are equivalent to the scope of the claims and fall within the scope thereof.

[0089] Furthermore, from the above-described embodiments and modifications, the subject matter of the invention is not limited to the elevator control system, but may also include the control processes executed by the control system (including the corresponding control methods), the devices constituting the control system (robot management device 3, group management control device 2, etc.), and even the control processes executed by each device (including the corresponding control methods) and programs, etc. Furthermore, part or all of the configuration of an elevator to which a control system is applied may also be extracted as the subject matter of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 1. Destination floor registration device 2 Group management control device 3. Robot Management Device G car H Robot X Platform call 21, 31 Storage section 22, 32 Control section Dp Equipment Management Data Dq Robot Management Data Dr. Allocation Request Management Data Dx Hall call management data Fc Departure Floor Fd Destination floor Fs Installation floor Ft boarding floor Fx destination floor Hk Target Robot Kh, Kx direction of movement Mx count number Ng Number of cages Pd device information Pg Basket Information Ph Robot Information Pj crowd information Py assignee information Pz Bank Selection Information Sx usage request signal Yj Congestion level Zk bank Dx1, Dx2 hall call management data Pr1, Pr2 received information

Claims

1. A control system applicable to elevators with multiple banks, a group management control device provided in correspondence with each of the plurality of banks; a robot management device that uses the elevator to move the robot between floors; Equipped with When the robot requests to use the elevator, the robot management device requests the group management control device of each bank to provide congestion information of the bank, When the group management control device of each bank receives the request from the robot management device, the group management control device returns congestion information of its own bank to the robot management device, The robot management device When the congestion information is received from the group management control devices of all the banks, a bank to be used by the robot is selected from among all the banks based on the congestion information, and then a command is given to the robot to move to the selected bank; Thereafter, when the robot arrives at the bank in use, the elevator control system makes a request to the group management control device of the bank in use to allocate a hall call to the robot.

2. 2. The elevator control system according to claim 1, wherein, when the request for provision is received from the robot management device, the group management control device of each bank counts the number of hall calls assigned to that bank as congestion information for its own bank and calculates a congestion degree according to the count obtained by counting the number of hall calls assigned to that bank, and when a hall call assignment for a robot other than the robot is being made in that bank and this is counted, the count is weighted so that the count for one assignment is greater than 1.

3. The group management control device of the utilization bank When the robot management device makes the allocation request, it temporarily sets one of the cars belonging to its own bank as a car dedicated to the robot, and allocates hall calls for the robot to the car dedicated to the robot, 2. The elevator control system of claim 1, wherein if there is a further request for provision from the robot management device during a period in which one of the elevator cars belonging to its own bank is designated as the robot-dedicated car, the system calculates the degree of congestion by counting the number of hall calls allocated to its own bank and dividing the count by the number of elevator cars in that bank excluding the robot-dedicated car, and then uses the degree of congestion as the congestion information for that bank.

4. A robot management method in which a robot is moved between floors using an elevator, The elevator is provided with a plurality of banks, and a group management control device is installed corresponding to each of the plurality of banks, When the robot requests to use the elevator, the system acquires congestion information for all banks by requesting the group management control device of each bank to provide congestion information for that bank, and further selects a bank to be used by the robot from among all the banks based on the congestion information, and then commands the robot to move to the selected bank; Thereafter, when the robot arrives at the bank in use, a request for allocation of a hall call to the robot is made to the group management control device of the bank in use.

5. This robot can move between floors using elevators. The elevator is provided with a plurality of banks, and a group management control device is installed corresponding to each of the plurality of banks, When using the elevator, the congestion information of all banks is acquired by requesting the group management control device of each bank to provide congestion information of that bank, and further, based on the congestion information, the bank to be used is selected from all the banks as the bank to be used, and then the passenger moves to the bank to be used; Thereafter, when the robot arrives at the bank in use, it makes a request to the group management control device of the bank in use to assign a hall call to itself.

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