Elevator control device and control method

Abstract

When a user and a robot use an elevator at the same time, even if they are going from the same floor in the same direction, the system aims to efficiently get the robot into the elevator car while minimizing any impact on the user's transport efficiency. [Solution] When a landing button is pressed on any floor, the control device assigns a user to the first elevator car. On the other hand, when it receives a request to assign a robot, it assigns the robot to the second elevator car according to the request, and keeps the hall lantern corresponding to the second elevator car off on the floor where the robot is deployed. When the control device assigns landing calls for both a user and a robot, if the landing calls are for the same departure floor and the destination direction from that departure floor is also the same, it selects different elevator cars as the first and second elevator cars.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an elevator control technology used by both users and robots.

Background Art

[0002] In many elevators, landing buttons for specifying the destination direction (upward or downward) are installed on each floor, and destination buttons for specifying the destination floor are installed inside the car. In such an elevator, when a user presses a landing button on a certain floor, a landing call with that floor as the departure floor and the direction specified by the landing button as the destination direction is assigned to the car with the earliest expected arrival time. Also, on that departure floor, the car to which the landing call has been assigned and the hall lantern corresponding to its departure direction light up, so that the user on the landing can know which car to board.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] [[ID=3!5]]In recent years, robots have been increasingly used for various tasks (such as cleaning, monitoring, and transportation) in buildings. Along with this, the use of elevators for the inter-floor movement of robots in buildings has been increasing, and the cases where both users and robots use elevators have been increasing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] On the other hand, in an elevator with landing buttons installed on each floor, when both users and robots use the elevator, the following problems may occur.

[0006] Note: There seems to be a formatting issue in the original text where some of the numbers in the tags are separated by commas which might be an error. I've translated them as they are presented. Also, there is a "!" in the tag numbers in the translation which might need to be corrected depending on the actual correct formatting of the original text.When a user and a robot use the elevator at the same time, and they are both heading in the same direction from the same floor (same boarding floor), both the user and the robot will wait in front of the hall lantern that is lit at that moment for the elevator car to arrive. On the other hand, a user who arrives later will also look at the hall lanterns and, if the one corresponding to their direction of travel is lit, will wait in front of that hall lantern for the elevator car to arrive. Therefore, if many users board the elevator car before the robot when it arrives at that floor, the robot may not be able to board. Depending on the elevator usage, this situation may be repeated, and it may take a long time for the robot to be able to board the elevator car.

[0007] On the other hand, if one of the elevator cars were dedicated solely to robots, the number of elevator cars available for passenger transport would decrease, leading to problems such as reduced transport efficiency.

[0008] Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to efficiently get a robot into the elevator car without affecting the transport efficiency of the user as much as possible, even when a user and a robot use the elevator at the same time and are heading in the same direction from the same floor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The control device according to the present invention is an elevator control device and has the following configuration (Aspect 1). When a landing button is pressed on any floor, the control device assigns a landing call to a first elevator car, designating that floor as the departure floor and the direction specified by the landing button as the destination direction. Furthermore, at the departure floor, the control device illuminates the hall lantern of the first elevator car and the direction of departure. On the other hand, when the control device receives a request to assign a landing call to a robot, it assigns the robot to a second elevator car according to the request, and at the floor where the robot is deployed, it keeps the hall lantern of the second elevator car and the direction of departure off. When the control device assigns landing calls to both a user and a robot, if the landing calls are for the same departure floor and the destination direction from that departure floor is also the same, it selects different elevator cars as the first and second elevator cars.

[0010] According to the above embodiment 1, when a user and a robot use the elevator at the same time, and they are going in the same direction from the same floor (same boarding floor), they can select different elevator cars for the user's movement (first elevator car) and for the robot's movement (second elevator car).

[0011] Even if passengers can choose different elevator cars in this way, if the hall lantern corresponding to the second elevator car and its departure direction is lit at the boarding floor, when the second elevator car arrives at the boarding floor, passengers at that platform who are also heading in the same direction will try to board that second elevator car. If passengers board before the robot, the robot may not be able to board.

[0012] Therefore, in the above embodiment 1, by keeping the second elevator car and the hall lantern corresponding to its departure direction unlit, when the second elevator car arrives at the boarding floor, users at that boarding area are not informed of the direction in which the elevator car will depart next. This creates a deterrent effect, causing users to hesitate before boarding the elevator car. Consequently, by allowing a robot to board the second elevator car while such a deterrent effect is in place, it becomes possible to prioritize boarding the robot in the second elevator car.

[0013] The control device according to Embodiment 1 described above may have the following configuration (Embodiment 2). When the control device selects different cars as the first and second cars, and the second car arrives at the same boarding floor for the user and the robot before the first car, the control device may change the user's assignment to the first car to the second car, while canceling the robot's assignment to the second car. Furthermore, the control device may change the illumination of the hall lantern corresponding to the first car and its departure direction to illumination of the hall lantern corresponding to the second car and its departure direction.

[0014] According to the above embodiment 2, when a second elevator car different from the first elevator car is selected for the robot's movement, and the second elevator car arrives at the boarding floor before the first elevator car, it becomes possible to prioritize boarding the passenger in the second elevator car instead of the robot. This makes it possible to prioritize the movement of passengers over the robot.

[0015] The control device according to the above embodiment 1 or 2 may have the following configuration (embodiment 3): When the robot has boarded the second elevator car on the floor where the robot is deployed, the control device may, before the doors of the second elevator car begin to close, illuminate the second elevator car and the hall lantern corresponding to its departure direction when a landing button specifying the same direction as the direction the robot is heading is pressed.

[0016] According to the above embodiment 3, users at the boarding area who are heading in the same direction as the robot can be encouraged to board the second car together with the robot. As a result, if there is still space for a user to board the second car, that space can be used to board the user, thereby improving transportation efficiency.

[0017] The control device according to the above embodiment 1 or 2 may have the following configuration (embodiment 4): When the robot has finished boarding the second elevator car on the floor where the robot is deployed, the control device may illuminate the second elevator car and the hall lantern corresponding to its departure direction until the doors of the second elevator car begin to close, even if the landing button specifying the same direction as the direction the robot is heading is not pressed thereafter.

[0018] According to the above embodiment 4, it becomes possible to inform users approaching the elevator landing for other elevator users of the direction in which the second elevator car (the elevator car carrying the robot), which is currently stopped, is scheduled to depart. This allows users who are heading in the same direction as the robot to be encouraged to board the second elevator car with the robot. As a result, if a user realizes that the second elevator car is heading in the same direction as them, they can quickly board the second elevator car without pressing the landing button. On the other hand, if a user realizes that the second elevator car is heading in a different direction, they can proceed to the landing without panicking.

[0019] The control method according to the present invention is an elevator control method and has the following configuration (Aspect 5). In this control method, when a landing button is pressed on any floor, a landing call assignment for a user is made to the first elevator car, with that floor as the departure floor and the direction specified by the landing button as the destination direction. Furthermore, at the departure floor, the hall lanterns of the first elevator car and the direction of departure are turned on. On the other hand, when a request for a landing call assignment for a robot is received, an assignment is made to the second elevator car in accordance with the request, and at the floor where the robot is deployed, the hall lanterns of the second elevator car and the direction of departure are kept off. When assigning landing calls for both a user and a robot, if the landing calls have the same departure floor and the same destination direction from that departure floor, different elevator cars are selected as the first and second elevator cars. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the present invention, when a user and a robot use an elevator at the same time, even if they are going from the same floor in the same direction, it becomes possible to efficiently board the robot into the elevator car with minimal impact on the user's transport efficiency. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0021] [Figure 1] This is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of the elevator according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating (A) robot management data and (B) assignment request management data used in the embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a conceptual diagram illustrating examples of (A) device management data for the first control unit, (B) device management data for the second control unit, (C) landing call management data and elevator call management data for users, and (D) landing call management data and elevator call management data for the robot, as used in the embodiment. [Figure 4]It is a flowchart showing the allocation request process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a flowchart showing the allocation process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a flowchart showing a part of the process (process Z1) within the allocation process. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart showing a part of the process (process Z2) within the allocation process executed in the first modification example.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] [1] Embodiment [1-1] Overall Configuration of Elevator FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an elevator according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, the elevator includes a plurality of carriages G, and these carriages G are used not only by users but also by robots H that perform various operations (such as cleaning, monitoring, and transportation) in the building where the elevator is installed. The outline of the overall configuration is as follows.

[0023] On the landing of each floor of the elevator, a first operation unit 1 for the user to specify the destination direction Kc is installed. Further, corresponding to each carriage G, a hall lantern E for notifying the user that the carriage G has arrived is installed. Also, in each carriage G, a second operation unit 2 for the user to specify the destination floor Fd is installed. Further, in addition to these configurations, the elevator includes a robot management device 3 and a group management control device 4.

[0024] And in this embodiment, when the user and the robot H use the elevator at the same timing, even when they go in the same direction from the same floor, in order to efficiently let the robot H board the carriage G without affecting the transportation efficiency of the user as much as possible, the control process for enabling this is executed by the group management control device 4. Hereinafter, the configuration of each part will be specifically described.

[0025] <First Operation Unit> The first control unit 1 includes a landing button (up direction button) for specifying the destination direction Kc as upward, and a landing button (down direction button) for specifying the destination direction Kc as downward, on floors other than the end floors which are the top or bottom floors. On the other hand, the first control unit 1 includes only a landing button (down direction button) for specifying the downward direction on the top floor, and only an landing button (up direction button) for specifying the upward direction on the bottom floor.

[0026] When a user operates the first control unit 1 at the boarding area (by pressing the boarding button) to specify their destination direction Kc, that destination direction Kc is transmitted to the group control device 4. This sends a request to the group control device 4 for the assignment of a boarding call X (hereinafter referred to as "boarding call Xg") for the user (assignment request from the user). At this time, in order for the group control device 4 to recognize which control unit the operated first control unit 1 is, device information Pd1 for identifying the first control unit 1 from other control units or devices is also transmitted to the group control device 4.

[0027] <Hall Lantern> Hall lantern E includes, on floors other than the end floors (top floor or bottom floor), a lantern that lights up (including flashing) to signal the arrival of a train car G with a departure direction Kg pointing upwards (a train car G moving upwards), and a lantern that lights up (including flashing) to signal the arrival of a train car G with a departure direction Kg pointing downwards (a train car G moving downwards). On the other hand, hall lantern E includes only a lantern that signals the arrival of a train car G pointing downwards on the top floor, and only a lantern that signals the arrival of a train car G pointing upwards on the bottom floor.

[0028] <Second operation section> The second control unit 2 includes multiple destination buttons, each of which corresponds to one of the multiple floors that can be guided by the elevator of this embodiment.

[0029] When a user operates the second control unit 2 inside the elevator car G (by pressing any destination button) to specify their destination floor Fd, that destination floor Fd is transmitted to the group control device 4. This sends a registration request for the user's elevator call Yg (hereinafter referred to as "elevator call Yg") to the group control device 4 (registration request from the user). At this time, in order to allow the group control device 4 to recognize which control unit the operated second control unit 2 is, device information Pd2 for identifying the second control unit 2 from other control units or devices is also transmitted to the group control device 4.

[0030] <Robot Management Device> The robot management device 3 is a device that centrally manages the robot H used in the building where the elevator of this embodiment is installed (see Figure 1). Note that the robot management device 3 is not limited to being installed in the same building as the elevator; it may also be a server or program that manages (controls) the robot H on the cloud.

[0031] In this embodiment, the robot management device 3 is aware of the floor Fx where each robot H is deployed. When a robot H needs to move between floors, it transmits the destination floor Fy to the robot management device 3. At this time, the robot H also transmits its own robot information Ph to the robot management device 3 to enable identification from other robots H, so that the robot management device 3 can recognize which robot H sent the destination floor Fy.

[0032] When the robot management device 3 receives the destination floor Fy and robot information Ph from any robot H, it sends a landing call X (hereinafter referred to as "landing call Xh") for that robot H to the group management control device 4, with the robot H's deployment floor Fx and destination floor Fy as the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd, respectively (assignment request processing; see Figure 4). Details of this assignment request processing will be described later.

[0033] Subsequently, when elevator car G arrives at the deployment floor Fx of robot H in response to the landing call Xh, the robot management device 3 instructs robot H to board elevator car G (boarding command processing). The group management control device 4 also registers the destination floor Fd indicated by robot H's landing call Xh as elevator car G's elevator car call Y (hereinafter referred to as "elevator call Yh") at an appropriate time after robot H has boarded elevator car G (for example, when robot H has finished boarding). Then, when elevator car G arrives at robot H's destination floor Fy in response to elevator car call Yh, the robot management device 3 instructs robot H to disembark from elevator car G (disembarking command processing).

[0034] Specifically, the robot management device 3 comprises a storage unit 31 and a control unit 32 (see Figure 1).

[0035] The memory unit 31 is a part composed of memory devices such as ROM and RAM, and stores information necessary for the control processing performed by the robot management device 3. In this embodiment, robot management data Dp and assignment request management data Dq are stored in the memory unit 31 as such information.

[0036] Here, robot management data Dp is a database for managing multiple pieces of information related to each robot H, linking them together. Assignment request management data Dq is data for managing assignment request information for robot H.

[0037] Figure 2(A) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the robot management data Dp used in this embodiment. In the robot management data Dp, for each robot H, the robot information Ph and deployment floor Fx of that robot H, and the destination when the robot H moves between floors are recorded in a manner that is associated with each other. Here, the deployment floor Fx associated with each robot H is the current floor where the robot H is deployed, and is updated each time the robot H moves between floors. In addition, the destination associated with each robot H records the target floor Fy that the robot H has transmitted for inter-floor movement, and this target floor Fy is deleted when the robot H has finished disembarking at that floor.

[0038] As a result, when the robot management device 3 receives robot information Ph along with the destination floor Fy from any of the robots H, it can identify the deployment floor Fx of the robot H from that robot information Ph. In this embodiment, the deployment floor Fx of the robot H is used as the departure floor Fc (boarding floor Ft) when the robot H moves between floors using the elevator. Furthermore, by referring to the destination associated with the robot information Ph of each robot H, the robot management device 3 can determine that the robot H is moving between floors if the destination floor Fy is recorded in that destination, and can also determine which floor that destination is. On the other hand, if the destination floor Fy is not recorded in that destination, the robot management device 3 can determine that the robot H is deployed on the deployment floor Fx (working).

[0039] Figure 2(B) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the assignment request management data Dq used in this embodiment. In the assignment request management data Dq, each time an assignment request for robot H is made to the group control device 4, the robot information Ph of robot H and the information transmitted to the group control device 4 in that assignment request (in this embodiment, the departure floor Fc and the destination floor Fd) are recorded in a corresponding manner. Then, the set of information for that assignment request is deleted from the assignment request management data Dq when robot H has completed disembarking at the destination floor Fd (= target floor Fy) transmitted in that assignment request.

[0040] The control unit 32 is responsible for executing the control processing (including assignment request processing, boarding command processing, and disembarking command processing) 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 the control processing it is responsible for using software by running the control program installed in the robot management device 3. This control program may be stored in a readable state on a portable storage medium (e.g., flash memory) before being installed in the robot management device 3, or it may be stored in a downloadable state on another server. Furthermore, the control processing performed by the robot management device 3 is not limited to being implemented in software by executing a program, but may also be implemented in hardware by processing circuits built into the robot management device 3.

[0041] <Group Control System> The group control device 4 is a device that centrally manages the multiple elevator cars G of the elevator in this embodiment through elevator control devices provided for each elevator car G (see Figure 1).

[0042] Specifically, each time the group control device 4 receives an assignment request from a user (first operation unit 1) or robot management device 3 at the landing, it selects an elevator car G from among several elevator cars G to be assigned to that elevator car G in accordance with the request and assigns the landing call X to that elevator car G (assignment process; see Figures 5 and 6). Then, the group control device 4 causes the elevator car G to perform a response operation to those landing calls X (response process). In this embodiment, when a user and robot H use the elevator at the same time and are heading in the same direction from the same floor, the group control device 4 performs processing in the assignment process to enable robot H to board the elevator car G efficiently without affecting the user's transport efficiency as much as possible. Details of this assignment process will be described later.

[0043] Furthermore, each time the group control device 4 receives a registration request from a user (second operation unit 2) inside the elevator car G, it registers the elevator car G's elevator call Yg for that user (registration process). Also, when responding to a landing call Xh from robot H, the group control device 4 registers the destination floor Fd indicated by robot H's landing call Xh as the elevator car G's elevator call Yh at an appropriate time after robot H has finished boarding the elevator car G (for example, when robot H has finished boarding) (registration process). Then, the group control device 4 causes the elevator car G to perform a response operation to those elevator calls Y (response process).

[0044] In terms of its specific configuration, the group control device 4 comprises a storage unit 41 and a control unit 42 (see Figure 1).

[0045] The memory unit 41 is a part composed of memory devices such as ROM and RAM, and stores information necessary for control processing performed by the group control device 4. In this embodiment, such information stored in the memory unit 41 includes device management data Dr, landing call management data Dx, and car call management data Dy.

[0046] The device management data Dr includes device management data Dr1 for the first operation unit 1 and device management data Dr2 for the second operation unit 2. Here, device management data Dr1 is a database for managing multiple pieces of information related to each operation unit 1 by linking them together. Device management data Dr2 is a database for managing multiple pieces of information related to each operation unit 2 by linking them together.

[0047] The landing call management data Dx includes landing call management data DxG for users and landing call management data DxH for robot H. Similarly, the car call management data Dy includes car call management data DyG for users and car call management data DyH for robot H. Here, landing call management data DxG and car call management data DyG are data used to manage landing call Xg and car call Yg information for users for each elevator car G. Landing call management data DxH and car call management data DyH are data used to manage landing call Xh and car call Yh information for robot H for each elevator car G.

[0048] Figure 3(A) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the device management data Dr1 for the first operation unit 1 used in this embodiment. In the device management data Dr1, the device information Pd1 and installation floor Fs of the first operation unit 1 are recorded in a manner that is associated with each other.

[0049] As a result, when the group control device 4 receives device information Pd1 along with the destination direction Kc from any of the first operation units 1, it can identify the installation floor Fs of the said first operation unit 1 (the operation unit that specified the destination direction Kc) from the device information Pd1. In this embodiment, the installation floor Fs of the said first operation unit 1 is used as the departure floor Fc (boarding floor Ft) of the user who operated that operation unit to specify the destination direction Kc.

[0050] Figure 3(B) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the device management data Dr2 for the second operation unit 2 used in this embodiment. In the device management data Dr2, for each second operation unit 2, the device information Pd2 of that operation unit and the car information Pg of the elevator car G in which the operation unit is installed are recorded in a manner that is associated with each other.

[0051] As a result, when the group control device 4 receives device information Pd2 along with the destination floor Fd from the second operation unit 2, it can identify the elevator car G (the elevator car G for which the destination floor Fd was specified) where the second operation unit 2 is installed from the device information Pd2. Therefore, when the group control device 4 registers the destination floor Fd received from the second operation unit 2 as the elevator car call Yg, it can identify the elevator car G to which it should be registered.

[0052] Figure 3(C) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the user-use landing call management data DxG and car call management data DyG used in this embodiment.

[0053] In the landing call management data DxG (see the left diagram in Figure 3(C)), the assignment status of landing calls Xg for users of each elevator car G is associated with each elevator car G's car information Pg. Specifically, for each elevator floor, and for each direction in which the elevator car G can move from that floor, the assignment status indicates whether or not a landing call Xg has been assigned to that pair of floors and directions, with the departure floor Fc and destination direction Kc respectively (in other words, whether or not a user pressed the landing button for that direction on that floor). In the example in Figure 3(C), it is shown that the assignment status for each direction from each floor is updated to "ON" when a landing call Xg has been assigned to that pair of floors and directions, with the departure floor Fc and destination direction Kc respectively, and updated to "OFF" when that landing call Xg is deleted.

[0054] Furthermore, in the car call management data DyG (see the right diagram in Figure 3(C)), the registration status of car calls Yg for each elevator car G is associated with the car information Pg of that elevator car G. Specifically, for each elevator floor, the registration status is associated with whether or not a car call Yg with that floor as the destination floor Fd has been registered (in other words, whether or not the user pressed the destination button for that floor). In the example in Figure 3(C), it is shown that the registration status for each floor is updated to "ON" when a car call Yg with that floor as the destination floor Fd is registered, and updated to "OFF" when that car call Yg is deleted.

[0055] Figure 3(D) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the landing call management data DxH and the cage call management data DyH for the robot H used in this embodiment.

[0056] In the landing call management data DxH (see the left diagram in Figure 3(D)), the assignment status of landing calls Xh for robot H to each elevator car G is associated with the elevator car G's car information Pg. Specifically, each time a landing call Xh is assigned to robot H, the assignment status is recorded, with the robot information Ph of robot H and the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd indicated by the landing call Xh associated with each other. Then, the information for each landing call Xh is deleted from the landing call management data DxH (deletion of landing call Xh) when the landing call Xh has finished its role (when the destination floor Fd indicated by the landing call Xh is registered as car call Yh).

[0057] Furthermore, in the elevator car call management data DyH (see the right diagram in Figure 3(D)), the registration status of elevator car calls Yh for robot H is associated with each elevator car G's car information Pg. Specifically, each time an elevator car call Yh is registered for robot H, the registration status is recorded with the robot information Ph of robot H and the destination floor Fd indicated by that elevator car call Yh associated with each other. Then, the information for each elevator car call Yh is deleted from the elevator car call management data DyH (deletion of elevator car call Yh) when the elevator car call Yh has finished its role (when elevator car G arrives at the destination floor Fd indicated by that elevator car call Yh, or when robot H has finished disembarking at that destination floor Fd).

[0058] The control unit 42 is responsible for executing the control processing (including allocation processing, registration processing, and response processing) performed by the group management control device 4. Specifically, the control unit 42 is composed of processing devices such as a CPU and an MPU, and executes the control processing it is responsible for using software by running the control program installed in the group management control device 4. This control program may be stored in a readable state on a portable storage medium (e.g., flash memory) before being installed in the group management control device 4, or it may be stored in a downloadable state on another server. Furthermore, the control processing performed by the group management control device 4 is not limited to being implemented in software by executing a program, but may also be implemented in hardware by processing circuits built into the group management control device 4.

[0059] [1-2] Control processes performed in the elevator [1-2-1] Assignment request processing performed by the robot management device Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the assignment request process performed in this embodiment. This assignment request process is initiated each time the robot management device 3 receives the target floor Fy and robot information Ph from any robot H. Hereinafter, the robot H that sent this information (the robot H identified by the transmitted robot information Ph) will be referred to as the "target robot Hk". The information received by the robot management device 3 at that time (including the target floor Fy and robot information Ph) will be collectively referred to as "received information Pr1".

[0060] When the assignment request process begins, the robot management device 3 uses the robot management data Dp (see Figure 2(A)) to find a robot information Ph that matches the robot information Ph in the received information Pr1, and then extracts the corresponding deployment floor Fx (step S101). Furthermore, the robot management device 3 records the destination floor Fy in the received information Pr1 as the destination in the robot management data Dp, corresponding to the found robot information Ph. This records in the robot management data Dp that the target robot Hk is moving between floors toward the destination floor Fy. In the example in Figure 2(A), robot H, whose robot information Ph is "H-01", has sent a destination floor Fy, "8th floor", in order to move between floors from the deployment floor Fx, "2nd floor".

[0061] Subsequently, the robot management device 3 sends an assignment request for the landing call Xh for the target robot Hk to the group control device 4, using the target robot Hk's deployment floor Fx and destination floor Fy as the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd, respectively, and transmitting this information (departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd) to the group control device 4 (step S102). At this time, the robot management device 3 also transmits the robot information Ph of the target robot Hk to the group control device 4 so that the group control device 4 recognizes which robot H the transmitted assignment request is for.

[0062] Furthermore, the robot management device 3 records the information transmitted to the group management control device 4 (robot information Ph, departure floor Fc, destination floor Fd) in the assignment request management data Dq, as assignment request information for the target robot Hk, in a corresponding manner (see Figure 2(B)). The example in Figure 2(B) shows the case where assignment request information (Ph="H-01", Fc="2nd floor", Fd="8th floor") for the target robot Hk that needs to move from the 2nd floor to the 8th floor is recorded. After step S102, the robot management device 3 terminates the assignment request processing.

[0063] [1-2-2] Assignment process performed by the group control unit Figures 5 and 6 are flowcharts illustrating the assignment process performed in this embodiment. This assignment process is initiated each time the group control device 4 receives an assignment request from a user (first operation unit 1) or a robot management device 3.

[0064] In the following, the information received by the group control device 4 each time an allocation request is made will be collectively referred to as "received information Pr2". Specifically, if the allocation request is from a user (first operation unit 1) (allocation request for landing call Xg for the user), this received information Pr2 will be a set of information including the destination direction Kc and device information Pd1. If the allocation request is from a robot management device 3 (allocation request for landing call Xh for robot H), this received information Pr2 will be a set of information including the departure floor Fc, destination floor Fd, and robot information Ph.

[0065] When the allocation process begins, the group control device 4 determines whether the received allocation request is from the user (first operation unit 1) or the robot management device 3 by determining which information, device information Pd1 or robot information Ph, is included in the received information Pr2 (step S200).

[0066] If the group control device 4 determines in step S200 that "device information Pd1" is included, it can determine that the received assignment request is from a user (first operation unit 1). In this case, the group control device 4 executes the following process. Hereinafter, the user who made the request will be referred to as the "target user".

[0067] The group control device 4 first uses the device management data Dr1 (see Figure 3(A)) to find a device information Pd1 in the received information Pr2 that matches the device information Pd1 recorded therein, and then extracts the corresponding installation floor Fs (step S210). Then, the group control device 4 sets the installation floor Fs as the departure floor Fc of the target user.

[0068] Next, the group control device 4 determines whether there is a robot H that is trying to use the elevator at the same time as the target user, by determining whether there is a landing call Xh (in other words, a landing call Xh that remains assigned) for robot H that is currently assigned to one of the elevator cars G (step S211).

[0069] If the group control device 4 determines in step S211 that "Yes" exists, it then performs the following process to determine whether there is a robot H among the robots H that intend to use the elevator that is heading in the same direction from the same floor as the target user. The group control device 4 determines whether there is a landing call Xh among the landing calls Xh assigned to any of the elevator cars G in step S212 that sets the departure floor Fc of robot H to the same floor as the departure floor Fc (= installation floor Fs) of the target user set in step S210, and sets the destination direction Kh of robot H to the same direction as the destination direction Kc (destination direction Kc in the received information Pr2) (here, the direction from the departure floor Fc of robot H indicated by the landing call Xh to the destination floor Fd).

[0070] If the group control device 4 determines in step S212 that it "exists (Yes)", it selects the destination for the landing call Xg for the target user (first elevator car G1) from among the elevator cars G other than the elevator car G (second elevator car G2) to which the landing call Xhk has been assigned (step S213A). This ensures that when the target user and robot H use the elevator at the same time and are going from the same floor in the same direction, a different elevator car G can be selected as the elevator car G for the target user's movement (first elevator car G1) from the elevator car G (second elevator car G2) for robot H's movement.

[0071] After step S213A, the group control device 4 assigns the departure floor Fc and destination direction Kc of the target user as a single landing call Xg to the elevator car G (first elevator car G1) selected in step S213A (step S214A). The group control device 4 then reflects the information of that landing call Xg (departure floor Fc and destination direction Kc) in the portion of the landing call management data DxG corresponding to the first elevator car G1 (see the left diagram in Figure 3(C)).

[0072] Furthermore, the group control device 4 lights up the hall lantern E installed on the departure floor Fc (boarding floor Ft) of the target user, corresponding to the assigned elevator car G (first elevator car G1) and its departure direction Kg (step S215A). This informs the target user which elevator car G will arrive as the one they should board, and also informs other users at the same boarding area that the elevator car G heading in the direction indicated by the lit hall lantern E is scheduled to arrive. After step S215A, the group control device 4 completes the assignment process.

[0073] On the other hand, if the group control device 4 determines in step S211 or S212 that the target user does not exist (No), it selects the destination (first elevator car G1) for the elevator call Xg for the target user from among all elevator cars G (step S213B). Subsequently, the group control device 4 performs the same processing as in steps S214A and S215A for the elevator car G (first elevator car G1) selected in step S213B (steps S214B and S215B). After step S215B, the group control device 4 terminates the assignment process.

[0074] If the group control device 4 determines in step S200 that "robot information Ph" is included, it can determine that the received assignment request is from the robot management device 3. In this case, the group control device 4 executes process Z1 in Figure 6. Process Z1 will be explained in detail below. In the following, the robot H targeted by the request (robot H identified by robot information Ph in the received information Pr2) will be referred to as the "target robot Hk".

[0075] In process Z1, the group control device 4 first determines whether there are any users who intend to use the elevator at the same time as the target robot Hk, by determining whether there are any landing calls Xg (in other words, landing calls Xg that remain assigned) of users who are currently assigned to any of the elevator cars G (step S221).

[0076] If the group control device 4 determines in step S221 that "Yes" exists, it then performs the following process to determine whether there is a user among those who intend to use the elevator who is going from the same floor as the target robot Hk and in the same direction. The group control device 4 determines whether there is a landing call Xgk among the landing calls Xg assigned to any of the elevator cars G where the robot H's departure floor Fc (= deployment floor Fx; departure floor Fc in the received information Pr2) is the same floor as the target robot Hk's departure floor Fc, and the user's destination direction Kc is the same direction as the target robot Hk's destination direction Kh (here, the direction from the target robot Hk's departure floor Fc to the destination floor Fd) (step S222).

[0077] If the group control device 4 determines in step S222 that "Yes" exists, it selects the destination for the landing call Xh for the target robot Hk (second elevator car G2) from among the elevator cars G other than the elevator car G (first elevator car G1) to which the landing call Xgk has been assigned (step S223A). This ensures that when the target user and robot H use the elevator at the same time and are going from the same floor in the same direction, a different elevator car G can be selected as the elevator car G for the target robot Hk's movement (second elevator car G2) from the elevator car G (first elevator car G1) for the user's movement.

[0078] After step S223A, the group control device 4 assigns the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd of the target robot Hk (the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd in the received information Pr2) as a single landing call Xh to the elevator car G (second elevator car G2) selected in step S223A (step S224A). Then, the group control device 4 records the information of the landing call Xh (departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd) in association with the robot information Ph in the received information Pr2, in the portion of the landing call management data DxH corresponding to the second elevator car G2 (see the left diagram in Figure 3(D)).

[0079] At this time, the group control device 4 keeps the hall lanterns E installed on the departure floor Fc (boarding floor Ft) of the target robot Hk, which correspond to the assigned elevator car G (second elevator car G2) and its departure direction Kg, in an off state (step S225A). Here, even if the hall lantern E corresponding to the assigned elevator car G is not lit, robot H can be made to recognize which elevator car G it should board through communication with robot H. After step S225A, the group control device 4 terminates the assignment process.

[0080] On the other hand, if the group control device 4 determines in step S221 or S222 that there is "no" (No), it selects the destination (second elevator car G2) for the landing call Xh of the target robot Hk from among all elevator cars G (step S223B). Subsequently, the group control device 4 performs the same processing as in steps S224A and S225A for the elevator car G (second elevator car G2) selected in step S223B (steps S224B and S225B). After step S225B, the group control device 4 terminates the assignment process.

[0081] With this allocation process, when a user and robot H use the elevator at the same time, and they are going in the same direction from the same floor (same boarding floor Ft), different elevator cars G can be selected for the user's movement (first elevator car G1) and for robot H's movement (second elevator car G2).

[0082] Even if different elevator cars G are assigned to each other in this way, if the second elevator car G2 and the hall lantern E corresponding to its departure direction Kg are lit at the boarding floor Ft, then when the second elevator car G2 arrives at the boarding floor Ft, users who are also at the boarding area and are planning to go in the same direction will also try to board the second elevator car G2. If, at that time, users board before robot H, it is possible that robot H will be unable to board.

[0083] Therefore, in the above allocation process, by keeping the hall lantern E corresponding to the second elevator car G2 and its departure direction Kg off, when the second elevator car G2 arrives at the boarding floor Ft, users at that boarding area are not informed of the direction in which the second elevator car G2 will depart next. This creates a deterrent effect, causing users to hesitate before boarding the second elevator car G2. Consequently, by allowing robot H to board the second elevator car G2 while such a deterrent is in effect, it becomes possible to prioritize the boarding of robot H to the second elevator car G2.

[0084] [2] Variant [2-1] First variation Figure 7 is a flowchart showing some of the processing (process Z2) within the allocation process performed in the first modified example. When the group control device 4 executes step S215A, it has selected two different elevator cars G as the first elevator car G1 and the second elevator car G2. The same applies when the group control device 4 executes step S225A. In these cases, the group control device 4 may further execute process Z2 in Figure 7 without terminating the allocation process. Process Z2 will be described in detail below.

[0085] In process Z2, the group control device 4 first uses the elevator information Pe (such as the operating status of elevator car G and the usage status of the elevator) that it has grasped at that time to determine which of the first elevator car G1 or the second elevator car G2 will arrive first at the same boarding floor Ft for the user and robot H (step S230).

[0086] If the group control device 4 determines in step S230 that it is the "first elevator car G1", it then determines whether the next stopping floor for the first elevator car G1 has been determined to be the boarding floor Ft (step S231). On the other hand, if the group control device 4 determines in step S230 that it is the "second elevator car G2", it then determines whether the next stopping floor for the second elevator car G2 has been determined to be the boarding floor Ft (step S232). The group control device 4 then repeatedly executes steps S230 to S232 until it can determine in step S231 or S232 that it has been "determined (Yes)".

[0087] If the group control device 4 determines "Yes" in step S232, it can determine that the second elevator car G2 will arrive at the boarding floor Ft before the first elevator car G1. In this case, the group control device 4 changes the assignment of the user to the first elevator car G1 to the second elevator car G2 which will arrive first (assignment change, step S233). On the other hand, the group control device 4 cancels the assignment of robot H to the second elevator car G2 (assignment cancellation).

[0088] Furthermore, the group control device 4 changes the illumination of the hall lantern E corresponding to the first elevator car G1 and its departure direction Kg to the illumination of the hall lantern E corresponding to the second elevator car G2 that will arrive first and its departure direction Kg (step S234). After that, the group control device 4 returns to process Z1 (Figure 6) and executes the process from step S221 in order to reassign the canceled robot H.

[0089] On the other hand, if the group control device 4 determines "Decided (Yes)" in step S231, it can determine that the first elevator car G1 will arrive at the boarding floor Ft before the second elevator car G2. In this case, the group control device 4 terminates the assignment process without changing or canceling the assignment.

[0090] According to this first modification, when a second elevator car G2, different from the first elevator car G1, is selected for the robot H's movement, and the second elevator car G2 arrives at the boarding floor Ft before the first elevator car G1, it becomes possible to prioritize boarding the passenger in the second elevator car G2 instead of the robot H. This makes it possible to prioritize the passenger's movement over that of the robot H.

[0091] [2-2] Second variation In both the above-described embodiment and the first modification, the group control device 4 may, when the robot H has completed boarding the second elevator car G2 on the boarding floor Ft (=deployment floor Fx), and before the doors of the second elevator car G2 begin to close, light up the second elevator car G2 and the hall lantern E corresponding to its departure direction Kg when a landing button specifying the same direction as the direction the robot H is heading is pressed.

[0092] This second modification allows users at the boarding area who are heading in the same direction as robot H to be encouraged to board the second elevator car G2 together with robot H. As a result, if there is still passenger space remaining in the second elevator car G2, it becomes possible to have passengers board that space, thereby improving transportation efficiency.

[0093] [2-3] Third variation In both the above-described embodiment and the first modification, when the robot H has boarded the second elevator car G2 on the boarding floor Ft (=deployment floor Fx), the group control device 4 may illuminate the second elevator car G2 and the hall lantern E corresponding to its departure direction Kg until the doors of the second elevator car G2 begin to close, even if the landing button specifying the same direction as the direction the robot H is heading is not pressed thereafter.

[0094] This third modification allows users approaching the elevator landing to be informed of the direction in which the stationary second elevator car G2 (the elevator car G with robot H inside) is scheduled to depart. This allows users heading in the same direction as robot H to be encouraged to board the second elevator car G2 together with robot H. As a result, if a user realizes that the second elevator car G2 is heading in the same direction as them, they can quickly board the second elevator car G2 without pressing the landing button. On the other hand, if a user realizes that the second elevator car G2 is heading in a different direction, they can proceed to the landing without panicking.

[0095] [2-4] Fourth variation In any of the embodiments described above to the third modification, the robot management device 3 may, as an assignment request for a landing call Xh for robot H, send an assignment request for a landing call Xh where the deployment floor Fx is the departure floor Fc and the direction from the deployment floor Fx to the destination floor Fy is the destination direction Kh, by transmitting the information (departure floor Fc and destination direction Kh) to the group management control device 4 (assignment request processing). In this case, the robot management device 3 will, at an appropriate timing after robot H has completed boarding the second elevator car G2 (for example, when robot H has completed boarding), send an assignment request for a car call Yh where the destination floor Fy of robot H is the destination floor Fd, by transmitting the information (destination floor Fd) to the group management control device 4 (registration request processing).

[0096] The above-described embodiments and modifications should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, rather than by the above-described embodiments and modifications. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0097] From the embodiments and modifications described above, the subject matter of the invention may not be limited to the group control device 4, but may also be a part or all of the control processing (including the control method corresponding to the control processing) or program executed by the group control device 4. Furthermore, a part or all of the elevator described above may also be extracted as the subject matter of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0098] 1 1st operation section 2 2nd operation section 3. Robot management device 4 Group Management Control System E Hole Lantern G Car H Robot X boarding call Y Calling 31, 41 Storage section 32, 42 Control Unit Dp Robot Management Data Dq Assignment Request Management Data Dr. Device Management Data Dx boarding area call management data Dy Basket Call Management Data FC Departure Floor Fd Destination Floor Fs installation floor Ft boarding floor Fx Deployment Floor Fy Destination Floor G1 First car G2 Second car Hk Target Robot Kc, Kh Destination direction kg Departure direction PE Elevator Information Pg Shopping Cart Information Ph Robot Information Xg, Xgk, Xh, Xhk boarding call Yg, Yh, call Dr1, Dr2 Device Management Data DxG, DxH Landing Call Management Data DyG, DyH cage call management data Pd1, Pd2 Device Information Pr1, Pr2 Received Information

Claims

1. If a boarding button is pressed on any floor, a boarding call assignment will be made to the first elevator car, designating that floor as the departure floor and the direction specified by the boarding button as the destination. Furthermore, on the departure floor, the hall lanterns corresponding to the first elevator car and its departure direction will be illuminated. When a request for a robot to be assigned to a landing is received, the robot is assigned to the second elevator car in accordance with the request, and at the floor where the robot is deployed, the hall lanterns corresponding to the second elevator car and its departure direction are kept off without being illuminated. An elevator control device that, when assigning landing calls for both the user and the robot, selects different elevator cars as the first and second elevator cars if the landing calls are for the same departure floor and the destination direction from that departure floor is also the same.

2. The elevator control device according to claim 1, wherein, when different elevators are selected as the first elevator car and the second elevator car, if the second elevator car arrives at the same boarding floor for the user and the robot before the first elevator car, the user's assignment to the first elevator car is changed to an assignment to the second elevator car, while the robot's assignment to the second elevator car is canceled, and the illumination of the hall lantern corresponding to the first elevator car and its departure direction is changed to illumination of the hall lantern corresponding to the second elevator car and its departure direction.

3. The elevator control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, on the floor where the robot is deployed, once the robot has completed boarding the second elevator car, when a landing button specifying the same direction as the direction the robot is heading is pressed before the doors of the second elevator car begin to close, the second elevator car and the hall lantern corresponding to its departure direction are illuminated.

4. The elevator control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, on the floor where the robot is deployed, once the robot has completed boarding the second elevator car, even if no landing button specifying the same direction as the direction the robot is heading is pressed thereafter, the device illuminates the second elevator car and the hall lantern corresponding to its departure direction until the doors of the second elevator car begin to close.

5. If a boarding button is pressed on any floor, a boarding call assignment will be made to the first elevator car, designating that floor as the departure floor and the direction specified by the boarding button as the destination. Furthermore, on the departure floor, the hall lanterns corresponding to the first elevator car and its departure direction will be illuminated. When a request for a robot to be assigned to a landing is received, the robot is assigned to the second elevator car in accordance with the request, and at the floor where the robot is deployed, the hall lanterns corresponding to the second elevator car and its departure direction are kept off without being illuminated. An elevator control method in which, when assigning landing calls for both the user and the robot, if the landing calls are for the same departure floor and the destination direction from that departure floor is also the same, the first elevator car and the second elevator car are selected to be different from each other.

Images