Group control system

Abstract

This will prevent passengers who refuse to ride from being allowed to ride with robots, and will also prevent a decrease in the robot's transport efficiency. [Solution] The group control device according to this embodiment comprises a camera, an action determination means, an identification means, and an assignment control means. The action determination means determines, based on an image captured by the camera, whether or not a user who registered a boarding call has performed a ride-refusal action to avoid riding in the same car as the robot. The identification means identifies whether or not a user is a ride-refusal user who avoids riding in the same car as the robot, based on information indicating at least the number of times the user has performed a ride-refusal action. When a user identified as a ride-refusal user by the identification means registers a new boarding call, the assignment control means assigns the boarding call registered by that user to a car that the robot will not be riding in.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a group management control device.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a system in which a robot rides in an elevator car and moves between multiple floors is known. However, due to reasons such as malfunction of the robot or the time taken when the robot gets on and off, there are users who avoid riding in the same car as the robot (hereinafter referred to as "co-riding refusal users"). Considering such co-riding refusal users, for example, a system that prioritizes user calls over robot calls has been devised, but there is a problem that the transport efficiency of the robot is significantly reduced.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a group management control device that can prevent co-riding of co-riding refusal users and robots and prevent a decrease in the transport efficiency of the robot.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The group control device according to the embodiment controls a plurality of elevator cars. The group control device comprises a camera, an action determination means, an identification means, and an assignment control means. The camera photographs the robots using the plurality of elevator cars and the users using the plurality of elevator cars. The action determination means determines, based on the images captured by the camera, whether the user who registered the boarding call has performed a ride-refusal action to avoid riding in the same elevator car as the robot. The identification means identifies whether the user is a ride-refusal user who avoids riding in the same elevator car as the robot, based on information indicating at least the number of times the user has performed the ride-refusal action. When a user identified as a ride-refusal user by the identification means registers a new boarding call, the assignment control means assigns the boarding call registered by that user to an elevator car that the robot will not be riding in. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0006] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a group control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of a passenger refusal information management table used in the group control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the overall processing flow of the group control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the action determination process performed by the action determination unit in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the action determination process performed by the action determination unit in the first embodiment, following Figure 4. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the storage process for passenger refusal information performed by the storage unit in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the process for identifying a passenger who refuses to ride, as performed by the identification unit in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of a passenger behavior management table used in the group control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of a group control device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of when the user's attributes are removed by the specific unit in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an elevator system including a group control device according to the third embodiment. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an elevator system including a group control device according to the third embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] The embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the disclosure is merely an example, and the invention is not limited by the contents described in the embodiments below. Modifications that a person skilled in the art can easily replicate are naturally included within the scope of the disclosure. For clarity, the size, shape, etc., of each part may be schematically represented in the drawings, modified from those of the actual embodiments. In some cases, the same reference numerals are used for corresponding elements in multiple drawings, and detailed explanations are omitted.

[0008] (First Embodiment) First, the first embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the group control device 20 according to the first embodiment. The group control device 20 manages multiple elevator cars as a group. Figure 1 illustrates a configuration in which three elevator cars 12a, 12b, and 12c are managed as a group.

[0009] In the diagram, 11a, 11b, and 11c represent elevator control devices (also called car control devices). Elevator control device 11a controls the operation of elevator car 12a. Specifically, elevator control device 11a controls a motor (hoisting machine) not shown in the diagram to raise and lower elevator car 12a, and controls the opening and closing of the doors. The elevator control devices 11b for elevator car 12b and elevator control devices 11c for elevator car 12c perform the same function. These elevator control devices 11a, 11b, and 11c consist of a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. In addition, elevator control devices 11a, 11b, and 11c notify the group control device 20 of the current position of elevator cars 12a, 12b, and 12c, as well as the status of door opening and closing, etc.

[0010] Elevator cars 12a, 12b, and 12c move up and down within the hoistway driven by a motor (hoisting machine). Inside elevator cars 12a, 12b, and 12c, there are destination call buttons and displays for users to register their destination floor.

[0011] Each floor's landing 13 (elevator hall) is equipped with a landing call button 14, a landing camera 15, an audio output device 16, and a landing display device 17.

[0012] The landing call button 14 is a button used by users to register landing calls. A "landing call" is a call signal registered by operating the landing call button 14 installed at the landing of each floor, and includes information on the registered floor and destination direction. In contrast, a "car call" is a call signal registered by operating destination call buttons (not shown) located inside the elevator cars 12a, 12b, and 12c, and includes information on the destination floor. The landing call information registered by the landing call button 14 and the car call information registered by the destination call buttons are sent to the group control device 20.

[0013] Note that in this embodiment, it may be configured such that the boarding call buttons 14 and the destination call buttons are not provided, and each user can register a boarding call using the mobile terminal each user possesses. Alternatively, it may be configured such that a boarding destination floor registration device capable of registering the destination floor is provided at the boarding area 13 on each floor. In these cases, the boarding calls registered by the user operating their own mobile terminal or the boarding destination floor registration device include the information of the registration floor and the destination floor.

[0014] The boarding camera 15 photographs the users using the elevators 12a, 12b, 12c and the robot R. Specifically, it photographs the users boarding the elevators 12a, 12b, 12c and the users alighting from the elevators 12a, 12b, 12c. Similarly, the boarding camera 15 photographs the robot R boarding the elevators 12a, 12b, 12c and the robot R alighting from the elevators 12a, 12b, 12c. The installation position of the boarding camera 15 may be anywhere as long as it can photograph the users and the robot R boarding the elevators 12a, 12b, 12c from the boarding area 13 and the users and the robot R alighting from the elevators 12a, 12b, 12c to the boarding area 13, for example, near the car door.

[0015] The voice output device 16 is a speaker for giving various notifications to the users in the boarding area 13. The voice output device 16 outputs a predetermined voice based on the control of the group management control device 20. In this embodiment, the predetermined voice output by the voice output device 16 includes a voice notifying the user that the elevator is to be directed to an elevator that the robot R does not board.

[0016] The boarding display device 17 is a monitor for notifying the users in the boarding area 13 of the current floor and the like of the elevators 12a, 12b, 12c. The boarding display device 17 outputs a predetermined character string based on the control of the group management control device 20. In this embodiment, the image output by the boarding display device 17 includes a character string notifying the user that the elevator is to be directed to an elevator that the robot R does not board.

[0017] Note that in the example shown in Figure 1, for convenience only, one landing call button 14, one landing camera 15, one voice output device 16, and one landing display device 17 are shown. However, in reality, similar landing call buttons 14, landing cameras 15, voice output devices 16, and landing display devices 17 are installed at each landing on each floor.

[0018] In this embodiment, not only users but also multiple robots move between multiple floors using the elevator cars 12a, 12b, and 12c. The multiple robots include, for example, a luggage transport robot, a security robot, a cleaning robot, an inspection robot, etc. Robot R shown in Figure 1 is one of the above multiple robots. Robot R includes, for example, a control unit, sensors, a communication device, an operating unit, a memory unit, and a drive unit.

[0019] The control unit, for example by activating a predetermined program, works in conjunction with the group management control unit to control the robot R to move autonomously within a predetermined area, including each floor of a building. Sensors include, for example, laser range finders, ultrasonic range sensors, dual cameras, and LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging). The robot R moves while avoiding obstacles using these sensors, and detects and boards empty spaces in the elevator car.

[0020] The communication device communicates wirelessly with the group control device 20 via a network. The operation unit is, for example, an interface for the administrator of robot R to input various data such as destinations. The storage unit stores programs necessary for controlling robot R, as well as map information including the robot's movement path. The drive unit includes motors for driving the wheels installed on the bottom of the robot.

[0021] When robot R moves to each floor using elevator cars 12a, 12b, and 12c, it transmits a landing call signal to the group control device 20 at the landing. The landing call signal includes identification information to identify robot R among multiple robots, as well as information on the boarding floor and destination floor. Hereinafter, calls registered by landing call signals transmitted by robot R will be referred to as "robot calls".

[0022] The group control device 20 is a device for controlling the operation of each elevator car 12a, 12b, and 12c as a group, and, like the elevator control devices 11a, 11b, and 11c, is composed of a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc.

[0023] The group management control device 20 includes an action determination unit 21, a storage unit 22, a specification unit 23, a user determination unit 24, an allocation control unit 25, a notification control unit 26, and a congestion level measurement unit 27. Some or all of these components, including the storage unit 22, the action determination unit 21, the specification unit 23, the user determination unit 24, the allocation control unit 25, the notification control unit 26, and the congestion level measurement unit 27, may be implemented by software, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0024] The behavior determination unit 21 determines, based on the image captured by the boarding camera 15, whether or not the user who registered the boarding call has engaged in a boarding refusal behavior. "Boarding refusal behavior" refers to the user's action of avoiding riding in the same car as robot R.

[0025] Specifically, a passenger refusing to board is, for example, when a ride car carrying robot R arrives at a boarding area 13 where a passenger is located, the passenger does not board the arriving ride car but registers a boarding call immediately after the ride car departs. Another example of a passenger refusing to board is when a ride car carrying a passenger arrives at the floor where robot R is located, and the passenger disembarks (gets off midway) after robot R boards the arriving ride car, and registers a boarding call immediately after the ride car departs. Furthermore, another example of a passenger refusing to board is when a passenger and robot R are at boarding area 13 on the same floor, and robot R boards before the passenger, so the passenger does not board the ride car but registers a boarding call immediately after the ride car departs, and when a passenger boards before robot R, the passenger disembarks after robot R boards and registers a boarding call immediately after the ride car departs.

[0026] The actions that the action determination unit 21 determines not to be a passenger refusal action are passenger riding actions and interruption actions. A "passenger riding action" is an action in which the user gets into the same car as robot R. An "interruption action" is an action in which the user interrupts getting into the car.

[0027] The memory unit 22 stores various information necessary for group management control. The information stored by the memory unit 22 includes images taken by the boarding camera 15, identification information of the robot R, identification information of users who refused to board, the call management table 221, and the boarding refusal information management table 222, etc.

[0028] The identification information for each robot R is predetermined for each robot R that moves within the property equipped with the group control device 20. For example, identification information is assigned to each robot R by performing a predetermined procedure to link with the group control device 20.

[0029] The identification information of a user who refused to ride is information used to identify a user who has been determined by the behavior determination unit 21 to have refused to ride. The identification information of a user who refused to ride is stored in association with, for example, the image of the user captured by the boarding camera 15, or the feature quantities of the image of the user. If the configuration allows each user to register a boarding call using their own mobile terminal, the user's identification information may be stored in association with, for example, the identification information of the mobile terminal (e.g., IP address). Alternatively, if an ID card or the like is read before registering a boarding call, the user's identification information may be stored in association with, for example, the identification information of the ID card.

[0030] The call management table 221 is a table for managing robot calls transmitted from robot R, landing calls registered by operating the landing call button 14, and car calls registered by operating the destination call button. At least for landing calls, the call management table 221 stores the time when the landing call was registered. It also stores information about the car to which these calls are assigned.

[0031] The Passenger Refusal Information Management Table 222 is a table for managing the identification information of users who have refused to ride a bus and the number of times they have refused to ride a bus. The number of times a user has refused to ride a bus is managed together with information indicating the circumstances at the time the user refused to ride a bus. "Information indicating the circumstances at the time the user refused to ride a bus" includes, for example, information on the time the user refused to ride a bus and information on the level of congestion inside the bus car at the time the user refused to ride a bus. For more details on the Passenger Refusal Information Management Table 222, please refer to Figure 2 below.

[0032] The identification unit 23 identifies passengers who have been refused a ride based on the information stored in the passenger refusal information management table 222. Specifically, for example, the identification unit 23 refers to the passenger refusal information management table 222 and identifies passengers who have refused a ride a predetermined number of times as passengers who have been refused a ride. When a passenger is identified as a passenger who has been refused a ride by the identification unit 23, the passenger refusal information management table 222 stores "passenger who has been refused a ride" as an attribute of the user.

[0033] When a new boarding call is registered, the user determination unit 24 determines whether the user who registered the new boarding call is a user identified by the identification unit 23 as a user who refuses to ride with passengers. Specifically, for example, if a user's identification information is stored in association with the user's image, the user determination unit 24 detects the user in the image captured by the boarding camera 15. The user determination unit 24 compares the feature quantities of the user's image stored in the storage unit 22 with the feature quantities of the user's image captured by the boarding camera 15 and determines whether the difference between the two feature quantities is less than or equal to a predetermined value (so-called facial recognition processing). If there is an image of a user for which the difference between the two feature quantities is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the user determination unit 24 refers to the passenger refusal information management table 222 and determines whether the user is a passenger who refuses to ride with passengers. If there is no image of a user for which the difference between the two feature quantities is less than or equal to a predetermined value, it means that the user has not yet performed a passenger refusal action. Therefore, the user determination unit 24 determines that the user is not a passenger who refuses to ride with passengers.

[0034] Furthermore, if the user identification information is stored in association with the identification information of the user's mobile terminal, the user identification unit 24 determines, based on the mobile terminal identification information included in the taxi stand call, whether the user who registered the new taxi stand call is a user identified as a user who is refused a ride. Also, if the user identification information is stored in association with the identification information of the user's ID card, the user identification unit 24 determines, based on the ID card identification information included in the taxi stand call, whether the user who registered the new taxi stand call is a user identified as a user who is refused a ride. In the following explanation, it will be assumed that the user identification information is stored in association with the user's image.

[0035] When a new robot call and landing call is registered, the assignment control unit 25 assigns the new robot call and landing call to one of the elevator cars 12a, 12b, or 12c using a predetermined formula. The predetermined formula is, for example, a formula for selecting the elevator car that can respond to the new landing call and robot call the fastest, based on the position of each elevator car 12a, 12b, and 12c and the calls that each elevator car 12a, 12b, and 12c is scheduled to respond to.

[0036] Furthermore, if a passenger who refuses to ride registers a new boarding call, the allocation control unit 25 assigns the boarding call registered by that user to a carriage that the robot R will not be riding in. Also, if a new robot call is registered, the allocation control unit 25 assigns the robot call to a carriage other than the one to which the boarding call registered by the passenger who refuses to ride has been assigned (i.e., a carriage that the passenger who refuses to ride is not riding in or is not scheduled to ride in).Hereinafter, the process of assigning carriages using a predetermined formula will be referred to as the "normal allocation process," and the process of assigning boarding calls registered by passengers who refuse to ride to carriages will be referred to as the "allocation process according to passengers who refuse to ride."

[0037] If a landing call registered by a user is assigned to a car that the robot will not be riding in, the notification control unit 26 will output a notification to the voice output device 16 and the landing display device 17 installed at the landing 13 on the floor where the user is located, indicating that the robot R will be directed to the car that the robot R will not be riding in.

[0038] The congestion level measurement unit 27 measures the level of congestion inside elevator cars 12a, 12b, and 12c. "Congestion level" refers to the degree of crowding in each elevator car 12a, 12b, and 12c, measured based on, for example, the number of passengers who can board each elevator car 12a, 12b, and 12c and the number of passengers currently riding in each elevator car 12a, 12b, and 12c. The congestion level measurement unit 27 obtains information on the load capacity of elevator cars 12a, 12b, and 12c from elevator control devices 11a, 11b, and 11c, and measures the level of congestion based on the load capacity. Alternatively, if an in-car camera is installed in the elevator cars 12a, 12b, or 12c, the congestion level measurement unit 27 may acquire information from the in-car camera in the elevator cars 12a, 12b, or 12c via the elevator control devices 11a, 11b, or 11c, compare the image from the camera with a reference image taken when the elevator cars 12a, 12b, or 12c are empty, and measure the congestion level based on the difference. In this case, a larger difference indicates a higher level of congestion, and a smaller difference indicates a lower level of congestion. Note that the method for measuring congestion level is not limited to the example described above, and other methods may be used.

[0039] Figure 2 shows an example of a passenger refusal information management table 222 used in the group control device 20 according to the first embodiment. The passenger refusal information management table 222 includes, for example, multiple rows corresponding to multiple users. Each of the multiple rows has fields indicating "User", "7:00-11:59", "12:00-15:59", "16:00-22:00", "22:01-06:59", "Flag", and "Attribute".

[0040] The "user" corresponding to a particular user indicates the identification information assigned to that user. In this case, six users are assigned the identification information A, B, C, D, and E, respectively.

[0041] "7:00-11:59" indicates the number of times the corresponding user refused to ride between 7:00 and 11:59. "12:00-15:59" indicates the number of times the corresponding user refused to ride between 12:00 and 15:59. "16:00-22:00" indicates the number of times the corresponding user refused to ride between 16:00 and 22:00. "22:01-06:59" indicates the number of times the corresponding user refused to ride between 22:01 and 6:59. Note that the ride refusal information management table 222 is not limited to the three time periods described above, and may have fields indicating two time periods, or four or more time periods. In the following, the fields representing "7:00-11:59", "12:00-15:59", "16:00-22:00", and "22:01-06:59" will sometimes be collectively referred to as "fields representing each time period".

[0042] Each time slot field has fields indicating the degree of congestion: "Quiet" and "Congested." "Quiet" indicates the number of times a user refused to board when the congestion level of the assigned car was below a certain value ("Quiet" state). "Congested" indicates the number of times a user refused to board when the congestion level of the assigned car was above a certain value ("Congested" state). Note that each of the time slots "7:00-11:59," "12:00-15:59," "16:00-22:00," and "22:01-06:59" may have three or more fields indicating the degree of congestion, rather than being limited to just the two fields "Quiet" and "Congested."

[0043] For example, the "Sparse" field within the "7:00-11:59" period indicates the number of times a user refused to board a taxi when the taxi assigned to their boarding location was "Sparse" between 7:00 and 11:59. Similarly, the "Crowded" field within the "7:00-11:59" period indicates the number of times a user refused to board a taxi when the taxi assigned to their boarding location was "Crowded" between 7:00 and 11:59. The same applies to the other time slots "12:00-15:59", "16:00-22:00", and "22:01-06:59".

[0044] The "flag" indicates whether the corresponding user will not refuse to ride with the robot when re-registering (when registering a second boarding location call) (i.e., will ride with the robot). "0" indicates that the flag is OFF (the default state). "1" indicates that the flag is ON, meaning that the user will not repeatedly refuse to ride with the robot. For example, if a user with the flag ON has refused to ride with the robot once as described above, and then responds to a second boarding location call (a re-registered boarding location call) and the same car is also occupied by robot R, it means that the user will give up on refusing to ride with robot R and will ride with robot R.

[0045] The "attribute" indicates whether the corresponding user is a "general user" who allows riding with robot R, or a "riding-refusal user" who avoids riding with robot R. In situations where information has not been collected for reasons such as the predetermined period not having elapsed, it is indicated as "general user" for convenience. The "attribute" is set by the identification unit 23.

[0046] "Users who refuse to ride (time period)" indicates that the corresponding user is a first-class user who avoids riding with robot R during that specific time period. For example, "Users who refuse to ride (16:00-22:00)" indicates that the corresponding user avoids riding with robot R during the time period from 16:00 to 22:00. An example of a first-class user who refuses to ride is a user who does not refuse to ride during the morning commute time of 7:00-11:59 because they are in a hurry, but avoids riding with robot R during the evening commute time of 16:00-22:00.

[0047] Furthermore, "Users who refuse to ride (level of congestion)" indicates that the corresponding user is a second-class user who avoids riding with robot R at that specific level of congestion. For example, "Users who refuse to ride (during congestion)" indicates that the corresponding user avoids riding with robot R when the train car is crowded. "Users who refuse to ride (during off-peak hours)" indicates that the corresponding user avoids riding with robot R when the train car is empty.

[0048] Furthermore, "Users who refuse to ride (time and congestion level)" indicates that the corresponding user is a first-class user who avoids riding with robot R during the time period in question, and a second-class user who avoids riding with robot R at the congestion level in question. For example, "Users who refuse to ride (12:00-22:00 and congestion)" indicates that the corresponding user is a user who avoids riding with robot R regardless of congestion level between 12:00 and 22:00, and is a user who avoids riding with robot R regardless of the time of day when the train car is crowded.

[0049] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the overall processing flow of the group control device 20 according to the first embodiment.

[0050] The allocation control unit 25 of the group management control device 20 determines whether both a landing call and a robot call are registered when a new landing call is registered (step S10). "When both a landing call and a robot call are registered" means, for example, when a robot call by robot R is registered, and a new landing call is registered before arriving at the destination floor included in that robot call.

[0051] If, in step S10, it is determined that only a landing call is registered (NO in step S10), then the situation in which a user and a robot ride together will not occur. Therefore, the allocation control unit 25 performs the normal allocation process and assigns the new landing call to the elevator car (step S11). After that, the group management control device 20 terminates the process shown in Figure 3.

[0052] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S10 that both a landing call and a robot call have been registered (YES in step S10), the user determination unit 24 determines, based on the image from the landing camera 15 installed on the boarding floor where the new landing call was registered, whether or not the user who registered the new landing call is a passenger who refuses to board (whether or not the new landing call was registered by a passenger who refuses to board) (step S12).

[0053] Furthermore, if the user determination unit 24 determines that the user who registered the new boarding call is a user designated as a "Passing Rejection User (Time Slot)" in the Passing Rejection Information Management Table 222, it refers to the time when the new boarding call was registered. If the above time does not fall within the time slot indicated for "Passing Rejection User (Time Slot)", the user determination unit 24 determines that the user who registered the new boarding call is not a Passing Rejection User (the new boarding call was not registered by a Passing Rejection User). Specifically, for example, if the "attribute" corresponding to the user who registered the new boarding call is "Passing Rejection User (16:00-22:00)" and the current time is 12:00, the user determination unit 24 determines that the user who registered the new boarding call is not a Passing Rejection User.

[0054] Furthermore, if the user determination unit 24 determines that the user who registered the new boarding call is a user who is set as "User who refuses to ride (crowded)" in the passenger refusal information management table 222, it obtains the congestion level of the elevator car that would have been assigned if the normal assignment process had been performed for the new boarding call from the congestion level measurement unit 27. If the above congestion level is not the state indicated for "User who refuses to ride (crowded)", the user determination unit 24 determines that the user who registered the new boarding call is not a passenger who refuses to ride (the new boarding call was not registered by a passenger who refuses to ride). Specifically, for example, if the "attribute" corresponding to the user who registered the new boarding call is "User who refuses to ride (crowded)", and the congestion level obtained from the congestion level measurement unit 27 is low (off-peak), the user determination unit 24 determines that the user who registered the new boarding call is not a passenger who refuses to ride.

[0055] Furthermore, if the user determination unit 24 determines that the user who registered the new boarding call is a user who is set as a "User who refuses to ride (time period and congestion level)" in the passenger refusal information management table 222, it refers to the time when the new boarding call was registered and obtains the congestion level of the elevator car that would be assigned if a normal assignment process were performed for the new boarding call from the congestion level measurement unit 27. If the above time is not included in the time period indicated for "User who refuses to ride (time period)", and the above congestion level is not in the state indicated for "User who refuses to ride (congestion level)", the user determination unit 24 determines that the user who registered the new boarding call is not a passenger who refuses to ride (the new boarding call was not registered by a passenger who refuses to ride). Specifically, for example, if the "attribute" of a user who registered a new boarding stop request is "User who refuses to ride with others (12:00-22:00 and during peak hours)", and the time the new boarding stop request was registered is 11:00, and the congestion level obtained from the congestion level measurement unit 27 is low (off-peak hours), then the user determination unit 24 determines that the user who registered the new boarding stop request is not a user who refuses to ride with others.

[0056] In step S12, if it is determined that the user who registered the boarding call is not a user who refuses to ride (NO in step S12), the allocation control unit 25 performs the normal allocation process for the new boarding call (step S13).

[0057] The allocation control unit 25 determines, as a result of performing the normal allocation process, whether the landing call and the robot call have been assigned to the same elevator car (step S14).

[0058] In step S14, if the landing call and the robot call are assigned to different elevator cars (NO in step S14), the situation where a user and a robot ride together will not occur. Therefore, the group control device 20 terminates the process shown in Figure 3.

[0059] On the other hand, in step S14, if both the boarding call and the robot call are assigned to the same elevator car (YES in step S14), the action determination unit 21 performs an action determination process to determine whether or not the user has refused to board (step S15). The action determination process will be described later with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

[0060] In the behavior determination process, if it is determined that the user has refused to ride along (YES in step S16), the storage unit 22 performs storage processing to store the number of times the user has refused to ride along, etc. (ride refusal information) in the ride refusal information management table 222 (step S17). The storage processing of ride refusal information will be described later with reference to Figure 6.

[0061] Subsequently, the identification unit 23 performs an identification process to determine whether the user who registered the boarding call is a passenger who is refused a ride, based on the information stored in the passenger refusal information management table 222 (step S18). The process for identifying passengers who are refused a ride will be described later with reference to Figure 7.

[0062] In step S18, if the user who registered the boarding call is identified as a user who is refused a ride (YES in step S19), the identification unit 23 stores the user as a user who is refused a ride in the storage unit 22 (step S20). Specifically, the "attribute" field corresponding to the user in the passenger refusal information management table 222 is set to one of the following appropriate values: "General user", "User who is refused a ride", "User who is refused a ride (time period)", "User who is refused a ride (congestion level)", and "User who is refused a ride (time period and congestion level)".

[0063] On the other hand, if the passenger is not identified as a passenger who has been refused a ride (NO in step S19), the group control device 20 terminates the process shown in Figure 3 without updating the "attributes" field in the passenger refusal information management table 222.

[0064] Furthermore, if a user initially refuses to ride with a robot, but then receives a second call to the elevator after re-registering, and the elevator car that responds also has a robot R on board, the user may give up and ride with robot R. In this embodiment, such a user is not treated as a user who refuses to ride with a robot, but rather, whether they are treated as a regular user or a user who refuses to ride with a robot is determined based on whether or not there is another elevator car that responds to the floor where the user is located.

[0065] Specifically, in the action determination process of step S15, if it is determined that the user has boarded the robot R (NO in step S16), the memory unit 22 determines whether or not the boarding refusal information storage process (processing in step S17) has been performed within a predetermined time (from before the predetermined time until the current time) (step S21). If the boarding refusal information storage process has been performed within the predetermined time, it means that immediately after the storage process was performed because the user had previously performed a boarding refusal action, the user took the action of boarding the robot R.

[0066] In step S21, if it is determined that the storage process for the passenger refusal information has not been completed within a predetermined time (NO in step S21), the group control device 20 terminates the process shown in Figure 2.

[0067] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S21 that the storage process for passenger refusal information has been completed within a predetermined time (YES in step S21), the storage unit 22 sets "1" in the field indicating the "flag" of the corresponding user in the passenger refusal information management table 222 (step S22). This allows the system to identify users who will give up and ride with robot R if robot R is also on board when a re-registered boarding call (second boarding call) is answered.

[0068] Here, we will explain the case where a user identified as a passenger who is refused a ride in step S20 registers a ride-hailing call. If a new ride-hailing call is registered by the above user, and a robot call is registered in addition to the ride-hailing call, the user determination unit 24 determines that the user who registered the ride-hailing call is a passenger who is refused a ride (YES in step S10 → YES in step S12). In this case, the assignment control unit 25 refers to the passenger refusal information management table 222 and determines whether the "flag" corresponding to the user identified as a passenger who is refused a ride is set to "1" (step S31).

[0069] In step S31, if it is determined that the "flag" is not "1" (i.e., "0") (NO in step S31), the allocation control unit 25 performs the allocation process for the new call according to the passenger who refused to ride (step S33).

[0070] Specifically, the allocation control unit 25 assigns the boarding call registered by the passenger refusing to ride to a boarding car that the robot R is not currently in or is not scheduled to board. In addition, if there is a new robot call, the allocation control unit 25 assigns the new robot call to a boarding car other than the one previously assigned to the boarding call registered by the passenger refusing to ride.

[0071] Furthermore, if a passenger who refuses to ride with the robot R requests a ride to be directed to a ride car that the robot R is not currently in or is not scheduled to ride in, the notification control unit 26 notifies the voice output device 16 and the ride car display device 17 installed at the ride car 13 on the floor (boarding floor) where the passenger is located that a ride car without the robot R is approaching (step S34). This allows the passenger who refuses to ride with the robot R to wait for a ride car at the ride car 13 without worrying about riding with the robot R.

[0072] On the other hand, if the "flag" is determined to be "1" in step S31 (YES in step S31), the allocation control unit 25 determines whether there is a train car that can respond to other boarding calls on the boarding floor (i.e., the floor where the user is located) (step S32). "Other boarding calls" refer to other boarding calls registered by users other than the user who registered the new call, where the boarding floor is the floor where the user who registered the new call is located, and robot calls registered by robot R, where the boarding floor is the floor where the user who registered the new call is located.

[0073] As mentioned above, a user with a "flag" of "1" will, after initially refusing to ride with Robot R, give up and ride with Robot R if the elevator car that responds to their second elevator call (a re-registered elevator call) also has Robot R on board. If there are elevator cars that respond to other elevator calls, from the perspective of a user with a flag of 1, the elevator car that responds to other elevator calls is the first elevator car that arrives, and the elevator car that responds to the new call is the second elevator car that arrives. For example, if Robot R is on board the first elevator car, a user with a flag of 1 will refuse to ride with that first elevator car, but is highly likely to ride with the second elevator car that arrives, even if Robot R is on board, without refusing to ride with Robot R. Also, if Robot R is not on board the first elevator car, a user with a flag of 1 will ride with the first elevator car and not with the second elevator car that arrives. In other words, the second elevator car that we will respond to does not need to be an elevator car that robot R is not riding in.

[0074] Therefore, in step S32, if it is determined that there is a elevator car that can respond to another landing call (YES in step S32), the allocation control unit 25 performs the normal allocation process (step S13).

[0075] On the other hand, in step S32, if it is determined that there are no elevators that respond to other boarding calls at the boarding floor included in the new call (NO in step S32), the system performs an assignment process according to the passenger who refused to ride (step S33). This is because if there are no elevators that respond to other boarding calls, the elevator to be assigned this time is the first elevator that the passenger who refused to ride (flag 1) will arrive at, and it is desirable to assign an elevator that the passenger will not ride in with robot R.

[0076] Furthermore, if a passenger who refuses to ride with the robot assigns a boarding station call to a bus car that the robot R is not currently in or is not scheduled to board, the notification control unit 26 notifies the voice output device 16 and boarding station display device 17 installed at boarding station 13 on the floor where the passenger who refuses to ride with the robot is located that a bus car that the robot R will not be in is approaching (step S34).

[0077] Through the above process, the group management control device 20 stores the names of users who have refused to ride with the robot R, and when the next time a user who has refused to ride with the robot R registers a boarding call, it can assign a boarding car so that the user does not ride with the robot R. Furthermore, for boarding calls registered by users who are able to ride with the robot R, such as users with a flag of 1, the normal assignment process can be performed to prevent a decrease in operational efficiency.

[0078] Figures 4 and 5 are flowcharts illustrating an example of the flow of the action determination process performed by the action determination unit 21. Here, it is assumed that a landing call by a user and a robot call by robot R are assigned to elevator car 12a. Furthermore, it is assumed that the user registered the landing call on the 3rd floor.

[0079] First, let's explain the flowchart in Figure 4. The action determination unit 21 acquires an image from the storage unit 22 of the landing camera 15 installed on the boarding floor (3rd floor) where a new landing call has been registered (step A11).

[0080] The behavior determination unit 21 starts tracking the user and robot R by analyzing the acquired images (step A12). Specifically, it detects the user in each frame image and tracks the detected user. One method of detecting a person is to use CoHOG (Co-Occurrence Histograms of Oriented Gradients) features. The behavior determination unit 21 also detects robot R in each frame image, and if robot R is detected, it tracks the detected robot.

[0081] Furthermore, the action determination unit 21 refers to the call management table 221 and determines whether the boarding floor for the user and the robot R are the same (step A13). The case where the boarding floor for the user and the robot R are different (NO in step A13) will be described later with reference to Figure 5.

[0082] In step A13, if it is determined that the boarding floor for the user and the robot R is the same (YES in step A13), the action determination unit 21 detects, based on the image acquired by the landing camera 15, whether the robot R boarded the elevator car 12a before the user (first boarding) when the elevator car 12a arrives at the boarding floor (3rd floor) for both the robot R and the user (step A14) (step A15).

[0083] In step A15, if it is detected that the robot R boarded the elevator car 12a before the user (YES in step A15), the action determination unit 21 detects, based on the image acquired by the boarding camera 15, whether or not the user boarded the elevator car 12a before the elevator car 12a departed (step A16).

[0084] In step A16, if it is detected that the user boarded the elevator car 12a following the robot R (YES in step A16), the action determination unit 21 determines that the user performed the act of riding together with the robot R by boarding the same elevator car 12a (step A17).

[0085] On the other hand, in step A16, if it is not detected that a user has boarded the elevator car 12a before the elevator car 12a departs (NO in step A16), the behavior determination unit 21 detects whether a boarding call from the user's boarding floor (in this case, the 3rd floor) has been registered immediately after the elevator car 12a departs (step A18). In other words, the behavior determination unit 21 detects whether the user has re-registered a boarding call without boarding the elevator car 12a that the robot R is riding in.

[0086] In step A18, if a passenger's boarding floor makes a boarding call immediately after the elevator car 12a departs (YES in step A18), the behavior determination unit 21 determines that the passenger has refused to board (step A19).

[0087] On the other hand, in step A18, if no boarding call from the user's boarding floor is registered immediately after the elevator car 12a departs (NO in step A18), the behavior determination unit 21 determines that the user has interrupted their use of the elevator car (interruption behavior) (step A20).

[0088] Furthermore, if step A15 detects that the user boarded the elevator car 12a before the robot R (NO in step A15), the behavior determination unit 21 detects, based on the image from the landing camera 15 installed on the floor where the robot R boarded, whether or not the user disembarked from the elevator car when the robot R boarded (step A21).

[0089] If it is not detected in step A21 that the user has disembarked (NO in step A21), the action determination unit 21 determines that the user has performed a co-ride action by boarding the same elevator car 12a as robot R (step A22).

[0090] On the other hand, if it is detected in step A21 that a passenger has disembarked (YES in step A21), the action determination unit 21 detects whether or not a boarding call from the boarding floor has been registered immediately after the elevator car 12a departs (step A18).

[0091] In step A18, if a passenger's boarding floor makes a boarding call immediately after the elevator car 12a departs (YES in step A18), the behavior determination unit 21 determines that the passenger has refused to board (step A19).

[0092] On the other hand, in step A18, if no boarding call from the user's boarding floor is registered immediately after the elevator car 12a departs (NO in step A18), the behavior determination unit 21 determines that the user has interrupted their use of the elevator car (interruption behavior) (step A20).

[0093] Next, let's explain the flowchart in Figure 5. Figure 5 is the flowchart that follows the case in step A13 of the flowchart in Figure 4 where the boarding floor of the user and the robot R are different (step A13 NO).

[0094] In this case, the action determination unit 21 refers to the call management table 221 and detects whether the elevator car 12a will arrive at the robot's boarding floor before the user's boarding floor (step A23).

[0095] If the elevator car 12a arrives first at the robot's boarding floor (YES in step A23), it arrives at the robot R's boarding floor (step A24), boards robot R, closes its doors, and departs (step A25).

[0096] Subsequently, if the robot R arrives at the passenger's boarding floor before disembarking (step A26), the behavior determination unit 21 detects, through the tracking process described above, whether or not the passenger has boarded the elevator car 12a in which the robot R is riding (step A27). The behavior determination unit 21 can also determine whether or not the passenger will arrive at the passenger's boarding floor before the robot arrives at its disembarking floor (before the robot R disembarks) by referring to the call management table 221.

[0097] In step A27, if it is detected that the user has boarded the elevator car 12a (YES in step A27), the action determination unit 21 determines that the user has performed a co-boarding action by boarding the same elevator car 12a as the robot R (step A28).

[0098] On the other hand, if it is not detected in step A27 that the user has boarded the elevator car 12a (NO in step A27), the behavior determination unit 21 proceeds to the process in step A18 (Figure 4). That is, as described above, if a boarding call is registered from the user's boarding floor (in this case, the 3rd floor), the behavior determination unit 21 determines that the user has refused to board (YES in step A18 → step A19). On the other hand, if a boarding call is not registered from the user's boarding floor immediately after the elevator car 12a departs, the behavior determination unit 21 determines that the user has interrupted their use of the elevator (interruption behavior) (NO in step A18 → step A20).

[0099] If the elevator car 12a arrives at the passenger's boarding floor first (step A23 NO), it will arrive at the passenger's boarding floor (step A29), board the passenger, close its doors, and depart (step A30).

[0100] Subsequently, if the robot R arrives at the boarding floor before the user disembarks (step A31), the action determination unit 21 detects whether the user will disembark as a result of the robot R boarding (step A32). Whether the robot R arrives at the boarding floor before the user disembarks can be determined by acquiring images from the boarding camera 15 installed on the robot R's boarding floor and analyzing those images. Alternatively, if an in-car camera is installed inside the elevator car 12a, this can be determined by analyzing images from that in-car camera. Or, if users register boarding calls using their own mobile terminals, or if a destination floor registration device is installed at boarding 13, the boarding call information includes destination floor information. Therefore, the action determination unit 21 may detect whether the robot R arrives at the boarding floor before the user arrives at their destination floor (before the user disembarks) by referring to the call management table 221.

[0101] If it is not detected in step A32 that the user has disembarked (NO in step A32), the action determination unit 21 determines that the user has performed a co-ride action by boarding the same elevator car 12a as robot R (step A33).

[0102] On the other hand, if it is detected in step A32 that the user has disembarked (YES in step A32), the behavior determination unit 21 proceeds to the process in step A18 (Figure 4). That is, as described above, if a boarding call is registered from the user's boarding floor (in this case, the 3rd floor), the behavior determination unit 21 determines that the user has refused to board (YES in step A18 → step A19). On the other hand, if no boarding call is registered from the user's boarding floor immediately after the elevator car 12a departs, the behavior determination unit 21 determines that the user has interrupted their use of the elevator (interruption behavior) (NO in step A18 → step A20).

[0103] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the storage process for passenger refusal information performed by the storage unit 22. First, the storage unit 22 refers to the passenger refusal information management table 222 (step B11).

[0104] If the user who refused to ride with someone is not a user stored in the ride refusal information management table 222 (NO in step B12), the storage unit 22 adds a new row corresponding to that user to the ride refusal information management table 222 (step B13) and proceeds to the process in step B14.

[0105] On the other hand, if the user who refused to ride in step B12 is a user stored in the ride refusal information management table 222 (YES in step B12), the relevant row is referenced and the process proceeds to step B14.

[0106] The storage unit 22 stores the time when the user refused to ride in the passenger refusal information management table 222 (step B14). Specifically, for example, if the passenger refusal information management table 222 has the configuration shown in Figure 2, the storage unit 22 refers to the field in the passenger refusal information management table 222 that contains the time when the user refused to ride, among the fields indicating each time period corresponding to the user in question ("7:00-11:59", "12:00-15:59", "16:00-22:00", and "22:01-06:59").

[0107] Next, the storage unit 22 stores the degree of congestion inside the elevator car at the time the user refused to board in the passenger refusal information management table 222 (step B15). Specifically, for example, if the passenger refusal information management table 222 has the configuration shown in Figure 2, then 1 is added to the field corresponding to the congestion level of the elevator car to which the user's boarding call was assigned at the time the user refused to board, among the fields indicating the time period referenced in step B14. Note that congestion level information is obtained from the congestion level measurement unit 27.

[0108] The passenger refusal information storage process shown in Figure 6 allows the passenger refusal information management table 222 to store the number of times a user has refused to ride a passenger, along with the circumstances surrounding that refusal.

[0109] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the process for identifying users who refuse to ride with others, performed by the identification unit 23. The identification unit 23 determines whether the number of times a user has refused to ride with others during the same time period or with the same level of congestion is greater than or equal to a predetermined number (step C12). Specifically, for example, the identification unit 23 determines whether there is a field among several fields indicating the time period corresponding to the user who refused to ride with others that has a value set to a predetermined number or more, and whether there is a field among the fields indicating the level of congestion that has a value set to a predetermined number or more.

[0110] In step C12, if the number of times a passenger has refused to ride with someone, regardless of the time period or level of congestion, is less than a predetermined number (NO in step C12), the identification unit 23 determines that the passenger who refused to ride with someone is a regular passenger and not a passenger who refused to ride with someone (step C14). In this case, the "attribute" corresponding to the passenger who refused to ride with someone in the passenger refusal information management table 222 is set to "regular passenger".

[0111] On the other hand, in step C12, if the number of times a passenger has refused to ride with another passenger during the same time period or at the same level of congestion is greater than a predetermined number (YES in step C12), the identification unit 23 identifies the passenger who refused to ride with another passenger as a passenger who refused to ride with another passenger (step C13). In this case, the "attribute" corresponding to the passenger who refused to ride with another passenger in the passenger refusal information management table 222 is set to one of the following: "Passenger who refused to ride with another passenger (time period)", "Passenger who refused to ride with another passenger (level of congestion)", or "Passenger who refused to ride with another passenger (time period and level of congestion)".

[0112] Here, with reference to Figure 2, a specific example of the identification process by the identification unit 23 will be explained. Here, we will explain the case in which a user who has refused to ride with another passenger three times during the same time period or at the same level of congestion is identified as a passenger who refused to ride with another passenger. In the following explanation, a user to whom X is assigned as identification information will be referred to as "User X".

[0113] User A has refused to ride with anyone less than three times, regardless of the time of day or level of congestion. Therefore, the identification unit 23 identifies User A as a "general user."

[0114] User B refused to ride with robot R once during the "16:00-22:00" time slot when the congestion level was "crowded," and twice during the "16:00-22:00" time slot when the congestion level was "not crowded." In other words, User B refused to ride with robot R a total of three times during the "16:00-22:00" time slot. In this case, the identification unit 23 identifies User B as the first user who refuses to ride with robot R during a specific time slot (in this case, 16:00-22:00).

[0115] In other words, the identification unit 23 identifies a user who has refused to ride with another passenger as the first passenger who has refused to ride with another passenger more than a predetermined number of times within a certain time period. In this case, the "attribute" corresponding to the user who refused to ride with another passenger is set to "Passenger who refused to ride with another passenger (time period)".

[0116] User C refused to ride with robot R once during the "12:00-15:59" time slot when it was "crowded". Also, user C refused to ride with robot R twice during the "16:00-22:00" time slot when it was "crowded". In other words, user B refused to ride with robot R three times when it was "crowded". In this case, the identification unit 23 identifies user C as a second user who refuses to ride with robot R when the level of crowding inside the elevator car is in a specific situation (in this case, when it is crowded).

[0117] In other words, the identification unit 23 identifies a user who has refused to ride as a second passenger if that user has refused to ride more than a predetermined number of times at a certain level of congestion. In this case, the "attribute" corresponding to the user who refused to ride is set to "Passenger Refusal (Congestion Level)".

[0118] User D refused to ride with another passenger three times during peak hours between 16:00 and 22:00. In other words, User D refused to ride with another passenger three times during both peak hours between 16:00 and 22:00 and peak hours.

[0119] In this case, the identification unit 23 identifies user D as a first passenger who refuses to ride with robot R during a specific time period (here, 16:00-22:00), and as a second passenger who refuses to ride with robot R when the inside of the train car is in a specific situation (here, a crowded situation).

[0120] In other words, the identification unit 23 identifies a user who has refused to ride with another passenger as a first passenger and a second passenger if the user has refused to ride with another passenger more than a predetermined number of times during a certain time period and at a certain level of congestion. In this case, the "attribute" corresponding to the user who refused to ride with another passenger is set to "Passenger Refusal (Time Period and Congestion Level)".

[0121] User E refused to ride with the robot R twice during the "16:00-22:00" time slot when the congestion level was "crowded," and once during the "16:00-22:00" time slot when the congestion level was "not crowded." In other words, User E refused to ride with the robot R a total of three times during the "16:00-22:00" time slot. In this case, similar to User B, the identification unit 23 identifies User E as the first user who refuses to ride with the robot R during a specific time slot (in this case, 16:00-22:00).

[0122] Here, the "flag" corresponding to user E is set to "1". In other words, user E is a user who will not refuse to ride when re-registering (i.e., will ride with robot R when registering a boarding call for the second time). Therefore, when a boarding call is registered by user E, the allocation control unit 25 will treat user E as a regular user rather than a user who refuses to ride, and will perform the normal allocation process if there is a car that responds to other boarding calls, etc., on the boarding floor where user E is located.

[0123] According to the identification process shown in Figure 7, based on the information stored in the passenger refusal information management table 222, it is possible to identify whether or not a user who registered a passenger refusal request is a passenger refusal user.

[0124] In a system that allows a user and a robot to ride together in an elevator, a user who refuses to ride with robot R could, if the elevator car carrying the robot responds to the user's call to the elevator, not board the car, but register the call again immediately after the car departs. Alternatively, if a robot boards the elevator car in which the user is riding, the user could get off at that floor and register the call again immediately after the car departs. Thus, users who refuse to ride with robot R needed to register the call again to avoid riding together.

[0125] In contrast, this embodiment determines, based on images captured by the boarding camera 15, whether a user who registered a boarding call has taken a boarding refusal action to avoid riding in the same carriage as robot R, and identifies whether a user is a boarding refusal user who avoids riding in the same carriage as robot R, based on information indicating at least the number of times the user has taken a boarding refusal action. If a user identified as a boarding refusal user registers a new boarding call, the boarding call registered by that user is assigned to a carriage that robot R will not be riding in.

[0126] According to the first embodiment, a user who has been identified as a user who has refused to ride with the robot R can ride in a taxi without registering their taxi stand call again.

[0127] For example, a system could be conceivable that prioritizes user requests for boarding over robot requests in order to prevent robot R and users from riding together. However, this system would significantly reduce the robot's transport efficiency.

[0128] In contrast, this embodiment does not pre-set whether or not the user and robot R will ride together, but rather determines whether or not the user avoided riding with robot R (whether or not they performed a ride-refusal action) based on the user's behavior when the user's boarding call and robot R's boarding call are assigned to the same elevator car. Furthermore, if the user performs a ride-refusal action a predetermined number of times, they are identified as a ride-refusal user.

[0129] For boarding calls registered by users who can ride with Robot R, the normal allocation process is performed, and the user and Robot R are allowed to ride together. This allows for operation that takes into consideration users who refuse to ride, while preventing a decrease in Robot R's transport efficiency.

[0130] Furthermore, this embodiment identifies a first user who refuses to ride with the robot during a specific time period, and a second user who refuses to ride with the robot during a specific level of congestion, based on information (time period and congestion level) regarding the circumstances when a user refuses to ride with the robot. For boarding requests registered by the first user who refuses to ride, normal allocation processing is performed during times other than the specific time period. Similarly, for boarding requests registered by the second user who refuses to ride, normal allocation processing is performed during congestion levels other than the specific level of congestion. This makes it possible to operate the robot R with consideration for both the first and second users who refuse to ride, while preventing a decrease in the robot R's transport efficiency.

[0131] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described. Even users who have been identified as refusing to ride with the robot may become accustomed to robot R and be able to ride in the same elevator car as robot R. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment described above in that it detects when a user who has refused to ride with the robot R is able to ride with it and updates the refusal information. In the following description, components similar to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and their detailed descriptions are omitted.

[0132] The configuration of the group control device 20 according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the behavior determination unit 21 further determines whether the user who registered the boarding call has taken a ride, by the same behavior determination process as in the first embodiment.

[0133] Furthermore, in addition to the passenger refusal information management table 222, the storage unit 22 also stores a passenger behavior management table 223. The passenger behavior management table 223 is a table for managing the identification information of users who have engaged in passenger behavior and the number of times those users have engaged in passenger behavior. The number of times a user has engaged in passenger behavior is managed together with information indicating the circumstances at the time the user engaged in passenger behavior.

[0134] Figure 8 shows an example of a passenger behavior management table 223 used in a group management control device according to the second embodiment. The passenger behavior management table 223 includes, for example, multiple rows corresponding to multiple passengers who have refused to ride. Each of the multiple rows has fields indicating "User", "7:00-11:59", "12:00-15:59", "16:00-22:00", "22:01-06:59", "Current Attribute", and "Changed Attribute".

[0135] The "user" corresponding to a passenger who has been refused a ride indicates the identification information assigned to the user identified as the passenger who has been refused a ride. Here, we show a case where five users B, C, D, and E have been identified as passengers who have been refused a ride.

[0136] "7:00-11:59" indicates the number of times the corresponding passenger who refused to ride together took a ride between 7:00 and 11:59. "12:00-15:59" indicates the number of times the corresponding passenger who refused to ride together took a ride between 12:00 and 15:59. "16:00-22:00" indicates the number of times the corresponding passenger who refused to ride together took a ride between 16:00 and 22:00. "22:01-06:59" indicates the number of times the corresponding passenger took a ride between 22:01 and 6:59. Note that the passenger activity management table 223 has fields indicating time periods similar to the passenger refusal information management table 222.

[0137] Each time slot field has fields indicating the level of congestion: "Quiet" and "Congested." "Quiet" indicates the number of times a passenger who refused to ride together attempted to ride when the assigned carriage was in a "Quiet" state with low congestion. "Congested" indicates the number of times a passenger who refused to ride together attempted to ride when the assigned carriage was in a "Congested" state with high congestion. The passenger behavior management table 223 has fields indicating congestion levels similar to those in the passenger refusal information management table 222.

[0138] In other words, for example, the "Sparse" field within "7:00-11:59" indicates the number of times the user rode together with another user when the assigned elevator car was "Sparse" between 7:00 and 11:59. Similarly, the "Crowded" field within "7:00-11:59" indicates the number of times the user rode together with another user when the assigned elevator car was "Crowded" between 7:00 and 11:59. The same applies to the other time slots "12:00-15:59", "16:00-22:00", and "22:01-06:59".

[0139] "Current Attributes" will show the same value as the corresponding "Attributes" of the passenger who was refused a ride in the passenger refusal information management table 222 mentioned above (passenger refused passenger, first passenger refused passenger, or second passenger refused passenger).

[0140] "Modified Attributes" refers to the attributes after they have been changed based on the information shown in the passenger behavior management table 223. Note that "Modified Attributes" are shown for explanatory purposes only and do not necessarily have to be shown in the passenger behavior management table 223.

[0141] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow of the group control device 20 according to the second embodiment. The group control device 20 according to the second embodiment performs the processing steps S11 to S22 and S31 to S34 of the group control device 20 according to the first embodiment described above with reference to Figure 3, and also performs the processing steps S35 to S40 after step S34. Here, the processing steps S11 to S22 and S31 to S32 are the same as in the first embodiment, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0142] If a new boarding call is registered, and both the boarding call and the robot call are registered, and the user who registered the boarding call is determined to be a user identified as a passenger who has been refused boarding (YES in step S10 in Figure 3 → YES in step S12), the allocation control unit 25 determines whether the "flag" corresponding to the user is "1" (step S31 in Figure 3). If the user's flag is 0, or if the user's flag is 1 but there are no elevators responding to other boarding calls on the boarding floor (NO in step S31 in Figure 3, or NO in step S32 in Figure 3), the allocation control unit 25 performs the allocation process for the new call according to the passenger who has been refused boarding (step S33). The notification control unit 26 also notifies the voice output device 16 and boarding display device 17 installed at boarding 13 on the floor (boarding floor) where the passenger who has been refused boarding is located that an elevator that will not carry robot R is coming (step S34).

[0143] The behavior determination unit 21 tracks the user identified as a passenger who refused to ride and performs behavior determination processing (see Figures 4 and 5) (step S35). If a camera is installed inside the elevator car, the unit may determine whether the user identified as a passenger who refused to ride and the robot R are in the same elevator car based on the image from the camera.

[0144] If the behavior determination process determines that the passenger who refused to ride did not perform the ride-sharing action (NO in step S36), the group management control device 20 terminates the process without changing the information in the passenger refusal information management table 222.

[0145] On the other hand, if the behavior determination process determines that a passenger who refused to ride has performed a ride-sharing action (YES in step S36), the storage unit 22 performs storage processing to store the number of times the passenger who refused to ride has performed a ride-sharing action (ride-sharing information) in the ride-sharing action management table 223 (step S37). The storage processing of ride-sharing information will be described later with reference to Figure 11.

[0146] Subsequently, the identification unit 23 refers to the passenger behavior management table 223 and the passenger refusal information management table 222 (step S38). The identification unit 23 determines whether the number of times a passenger refusal user who registered a boarding call has ridden with robot R is greater than or equal to a predetermined number, during the same time period as the time period in which the passenger refusal action was taken (i.e., the time period during which the corresponding passenger refusal user avoided riding with robot R), or at the same level of congestion as the time period in which the passenger refusal action was taken (i.e., the level of congestion during which the corresponding passenger refusal user avoided riding with robot R), as stored in the passenger refusal information management table 222 (step S39). The above "predetermined number of times" may be the same value as, for example, the predetermined number of times (a certain number) that constitutes the condition for the identification unit 23 to identify the user as a passenger refusal user, or it may be a different value.

[0147] In step S39, if it is determined that the above number is less than a predetermined number (NO in step S39), the group control device 20 terminates the process without changing the information in the passenger refusal information management table 222.

[0148] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S39 that the above number is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (YES in step S39), the identification unit 23 updates the information (passenger refusal information) in the passenger refusal information management table 222 (step S40). Specifically, it updates the "attribute" corresponding to the passenger refusal user who registered the boarding call. If the "attribute" is changed to "general user", the identification unit 23 may reset the information indicated in the passenger refusal information management table 222 corresponding to the passenger refusal user, specifically in the fields indicating "off-peak" and "crowded" (more specifically, the fields indicating "off-peak" and "crowded" included in the fields indicating each time period), and the "flag".

[0149] Here, we will refer again to the passenger behavior management table 223 in Figure 8 and the passenger refusal information management table 222 in Figure 2 to explain a specific example of the processing of the specific unit 23 in the second embodiment. Here, we will assume the case where the "attributes" of a user who has performed the passenger behavior three times are updated.

[0150] User B is designated as a first-class user who refuses to ride with robot R between 4 PM and 10 PM. Furthermore, User B has ridden with robot R once during "crowded" periods within the "4 PM - 10 PM" timeframe, and twice during "off-peak" periods within the same timeframe. In this case, since User B has ridden with robot R a certain number of times (in this case, three times) or more during the time frame during which they were avoiding riding with robot R (4 PM - 10 PM), the identification unit 23 identifies User B as a general user. The identification unit 23 also updates the "attribute" corresponding to User B in the ride-refusal information management table 222 from "Ride-refusing user (4 PM - 10 PM)" to "General user."

[0151] User C is designated as a second-class user who refuses to ride with robot R during peak hours. Furthermore, User C rode with robot R once during off-peak hours between 12:00 and 15:59, and twice during off-peak hours between 16:00 and 22:00. In other words, User C rode with robot R three times during off-peak hours, but zero times during peak hours. In this case, since User C did not ride with robot R during peak hours when they were avoiding riding with robot R, the identification unit 23 identifies User C as a user who refuses to ride with robot R. For this reason, the attribute corresponding to User C in the ride-refusal information management table 222 remains set to "User who refuses to ride with robot R (during peak hours)".

[0152] User D is designated as a first-class user who refuses to ride with robot R between 4 PM and 10 PM, and also as a second-class user who refuses to ride with robot R during peak hours. Furthermore, User D has taken a ride with robot R three times during peak hours between 4 PM and 10 PM. In this case, since User D has taken a ride with robot R more than a certain number of times during the time period (4 PM to 10 PM) and the peak hours (peak), the identification unit 23 identifies User D as a general user. The identification unit 23 also updates the "attribute" corresponding to User D in the ride refusal information management table 222 from "Ride refusal user (4 PM to 10 PM and peak hours)" to "General user".

[0153] User E is designated as a first-class user who refuses to ride with robot R between 4 PM and 10 PM. Additionally, User B has ridden with robot R twice during peak hours (4 PM - 10 PM) and once during off-peak hours (4 PM - 10 PM). In this case, since User E has ridden with robot R a certain number of times (three times in this case) during the period when they were avoiding riding with robot R (4 PM - 10 PM), the identification unit 23 identifies User E as a general user. The identification unit 23 then updates the "attribute" corresponding to User E in the ride-refusal information management table 222 from "Ride-refusing user (4 PM - 10 PM)" to "General user."

[0154] Furthermore, if a user is both a first-class passenger who is denied boarding and a second-class passenger who is denied boarding, only one of these attributes may be removed.

[0155] The following will explain a specific example of when one of the attributes of a user, either the first or second passenger refusal user, is removed, with reference to Figure 10. Figure 10 shows a different example from Figure 8 in the section of the passenger behavior management table 223 relating to user D. As in the example described above, user D is set as both a first passenger refusal user who avoids riding with robot R between 16:00 and 22:00, and a second passenger refusal user who avoids riding with robot R during peak hours.

[0156] As shown in the upper part of Figure 10, User D rode with others during peak hours once during the "7:00-11:59" time slot, once during the "12:00-15:59" time slot, and once during the "16:00-22:00" time slot. In other words, User D rode with others during peak hours a total of three times.

[0157] In this case, the identification unit 23 identifies user D as a user who has agreed to ride with robot R when the congestion level is "congested" (i.e., is no longer a second-class user who is refused riding), but who continues to avoid riding with robot R during the "16:00-22:00" time period (i.e., a first-class user who is refused riding). Therefore, the identification unit 23 updates the "attribute" corresponding to user D in the ride refusal information management table 222 from "User who is refused riding (16:00-22:00 and during congestion)" to "User who is refused riding (16:00-22:00)".

[0158] Subsequently, as shown in the lower part of Figure 10, if user D takes a ride twice during the "off-peak" period of "16:00-22:00", the total number of times user D has taken a ride during the "16:00-22:00" period will be 3.

[0159] In this case, the identification unit 23 identifies user D as a general user because user D has ridden with robot R a certain number of times (in this case, 3 times) or more during the time period (16:00-22:00) when user D was avoiding riding with robot R. Therefore, the identification unit 23 updates the "attribute" corresponding to user D in the ride refusal information management table 222 from "Ride refusal user (16:00-22:00 and during peak hours)" to "General user".

[0160] As described above, the identification unit 23 can determine whether a user who has performed a ride-along action is no longer a user who refuses to ride, based on the ride-along action management table 223 and the ride-along refusal information management table 222. As a result, when a general user who is no longer a user who refuses to ride registers a new boarding call, the new boarding call is assigned to one of the boarding cars 12a, 12b, or 12c by the normal assignment process, regardless of whether or not the robot R is on board. Here, an example has been described in which a ride-along refusal action is detected after the assignment process corresponding to the user who refuses to ride has been performed. However, it is also possible to set a predetermined period for performing the normal assignment process for users who refuse to ride, and perform the processes in steps S35 to S40 during that period.

[0161] Figure 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the storage processing of passenger information performed by the storage unit 22.

[0162] First, the storage unit 22 refers to the passenger behavior management table 223 (step D11). Then, the storage unit 22 determines whether the passenger who performed the passenger behavior is a passenger who is stored in the passenger behavior management table 223 (step D12). Specifically, it determines whether the identification information of the passenger who performed the passenger behavior matches the identification information of passengers who are shown in the passenger behavior management table 223.

[0163] In step D12, if it is determined that the passenger who refused to ride is not a passenger who refused to ride stored in the passenger behavior management table 223 (NO in step D12), the storage unit 22 adds a new row (entry) corresponding to the passenger who refused to ride to the passenger behavior management table 223 (step D13), and proceeds to the processing in step D14.

[0164] On the other hand, if in step D12 it is determined that the passenger who refused to ride in the passenger ride is the same passenger who refused to ride in the passenger ride management table 223 (YES in step D12), then the process proceeds to step D14 by referring to that row.

[0165] The memory unit 22 stores the time when a passenger who refused to ride took a ride in the passenger behavior management table 223 (step D14). For example, if the passenger behavior management table 223 has the configuration shown in Figure 8, the memory unit 22 refers to the field in the passenger behavior management table 223 that contains the time when the passenger who refused to ride took a ride, among the fields indicating each time period corresponding to the passenger who refused to ride ("7:00-11:59", "12:00-15:59", "16:00-22:00", and "22:01-06:59").

[0166] Next, the memory unit 22 stores the degree of congestion inside the elevator car when the passenger who refused to ride took a ride in the passenger behavior management table 223 (step D15). For example, if the passenger behavior management table 223 has the configuration shown in Figure 8, then in step D14, 1 is added to the field corresponding to the degree of congestion in the elevator car in which the passenger who refused to ride took a ride when the passenger took a ride with the robot R, among the fields indicating the time period referenced. The congestion level information is obtained from the congestion level measurement unit 27.

[0167] The memory processing shown in Figure 10 allows the passenger behavior management table 223 to store the number of times a passenger who refused to ride along has engaged in passenger behavior, along with the circumstances under which the passenger engaged in passenger behavior.

[0168] As described above, according to the second embodiment, if a user identified as a passenger who refuses to ride performs a predetermined number of ride-sharing actions, that user is identified as no longer a passenger who refuses to ride. This allows passengers who have become accustomed to Robot R and are no longer passengers who refuse to ride to be assigned to the elevator car that Robot R is currently in. As a result, the decrease in Robot R's transport efficiency is reduced compared to the first embodiment, and operation that takes passengers who refuse to ride into consideration can be performed.

[0169] (Third embodiment) Next, a third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments described above in that the passenger refusal information management table 222 is managed on a cloud server instead of the group management control device 20. In the following description, components similar to those in the first and second embodiments described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed explanations are omitted.

[0170] Figure 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an elevator system including a group control device 20 according to the third embodiment. The elevator system includes the group control device 20 and a cloud server 30.

[0171] The cloud server 30 is a server computer installed at any location independently of the group management control device 20. The cloud server 30 may, for example, be a server computer that centrally manages the operating status of the group management control device for multiple properties. The cloud server 30 is composed of a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc.

[0172] The cloud server 30 comprises a storage unit 31, a specific unit 23, and a communication unit 32. Note that some or all of the storage unit 31, the specific unit 23, and the communication unit 32 may be implemented by software, or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0173] The storage unit 31 performs storage processing based on various information transmitted from the group control device 20. The information stored in the storage unit 31 includes the passenger refusal information management table 222. The configuration of the passenger refusal information management table 222 is the same as that of the first embodiment described above with reference to Figure 2.

[0174] The identification unit 23 performs the same processing as the identification unit 23 in the first embodiment (Figure 1). That is, it identifies the passenger who is refused a ride based on the information stored in the passenger refusal information management table 222.

[0175] The communication unit 32 controls communication between the group control device 20 and the cloud server 30. Specifically, the communication unit 32 outputs information from the group control device 20 to the storage unit 31 and transmits information from the storage unit 31 to the group control device 20 in response to a request from the group control device 20.

[0176] The group management control device 20 differs from the first embodiment in that the passenger refusal information management table 222 is not stored in the storage unit 22, it does not have a specific unit 23, and it has a communication unit 28.

[0177] Furthermore, the behavior determination unit 21 performs behavior determination processing in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and then transmits the determination result, along with the identification information of the user who was the subject of the behavior determination processing, to the cloud server 30 via the communication unit 28. As a result, the passenger refusal information management table 222 stored in the storage unit 31 of the cloud server 30 is updated.

[0178] When a new boarding call is registered, the user determination unit 24 determines whether the user who registered the new boarding call is a user identified as a passenger who has been refused a ride. Specifically, for example, when a new boarding call is registered, the user determination unit 24 sends the user's image, mobile device identification information, or ID card identification information to the cloud server 30 and requests the information corresponding to the user's identification information from the passenger refusal information management table 222. Based on the information sent from the cloud server 30 in response to the above request, the user determination unit 24 determines whether the detected user is a passenger who has been refused a ride. If the cloud server 30 receives information indicating that the information corresponding to the user's identification information is not stored, it means that the user has not yet committed a passenger refusal action. Therefore, the user determination unit 24 determines that the user who registered the new boarding call is not a passenger who has been refused a ride.

[0179] The allocation control unit 25, notification control unit 26, and congestion level measurement unit 27 are the same as those in the first embodiment described above.

[0180] In the example described above, the cloud server 30 has a specific unit 23, but the group management control device 20 may also have a specific unit 23. In this case, when the passenger refusal information management table 222 is updated, the specific unit 23 obtains the necessary information from the storage unit 31 via the communication unit 32 and the communication unit 28 and identifies the passenger who is refused boarding. The specific unit 23 also transmits the identification information of the identified passenger who is refused boarding to the cloud server 30 via the communication unit 32 and the communication unit 28, thereby setting the "attribute" corresponding to the passenger who is refused boarding as the passenger who is refused boarding.

[0181] Furthermore, some or all of the behavior determination unit 21, user determination unit 24, and notification control unit 26 of the group management control device 20 may be provided on the cloud server 30. In this case, the behavior determination unit 21, user determination unit 24, and notification control unit 26 each transmit and receive necessary information (for example, images from the boarding camera 15, call information, and user identification results, etc.) via the communication unit 32 and communication unit 28.

[0182] As described above, in the third embodiment, the cloud server 30 has a passenger refusal information management table 222. This reduces the amount of data that needs to be stored in the group management control device 20.

[0183] The third embodiment may be combined with the second embodiment. In this case, the storage unit 31 of the cloud server 30 further stores the passenger behavior management table 223.

[0184] Furthermore, if, for example, users register a ride request using their own mobile terminals, an application may be installed on each user's mobile terminal to manage the number of times that user has refused to ride. In this case, the user determination unit 24 is unnecessary. Specifically, for example, the application transmits to the group management control device 20 information indicating the number of times the user has refused to ride and the circumstances under which the user refused to ride, along with the information of the ride request set by the user. The identification unit 23 of the group management control device 20 determines whether the user who registered the ride request is a ride-refusing user by performing identification processing based on the transmitted information. The assignment control unit 25 performs assignment processing according to the ride-refusing user for users identified as ride-refusing users by the identification unit 23. The action determination unit 21 also transmits to the user's mobile terminal whether the user who registered the ride request from the mobile terminal has refused to ride, and if so, information indicating the circumstances under which the user refused to ride. With this configuration, similar to the first to third embodiments described above, it is possible to operate the robot R while considering passengers who refuse to ride without reducing its transport efficiency, and the amount of data that needs to be stored in the group control device 20 can be reduced.

[0185] According to at least one embodiment described above, it is possible to provide a group control device that prevents passengers who refuse to ride from riding with the robot, and also prevents a decrease in the transport efficiency of the robot.

[0186] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0187] 11a, 11b, 11c... Elevator control device, 12a, 12b, 12c... Elevator car, 13... Landing, 14... Landing call button, 15... Landing camera, 16... Voice output device, 17... Landing display device, 20... Group control device, 21... Behavior determination unit, 22... Memory unit, 23... Identification unit, 24... User determination unit, 25... Assignment control unit, 26... Notification control unit, 27... Congestion level measurement unit, 28... Communication unit, 221... Call management table, 222... Passenger refusal information management table, 223... Passenger behavior management table, R... Robot.

Claims

1. A group control device for controlling multiple elevator cars, A robot that uses the aforementioned multiple elevator cars and a camera that photographs the users using the aforementioned multiple elevator cars, A behavior determination means that determines, based on the image captured by the aforementioned camera, whether or not a user who registered a boarding call has taken a co-boarding refusal action to avoid boarding the same car as the robot, A means for identifying whether a user is a passenger who refuses to ride together with the robot, based on information indicating at least the number of times the user has performed the passenger refusal behavior, When a user identified as a user who refuses to ride by the aforementioned identification means registers a new boarding stop request, the assignment control means assigns the boarding stop request registered by the user to a cart that the robot will not be using. A group control device equipped with the following:

2. The allocation control means allocates the boarding call registered by the robot to a boarding car other than the one to which the boarding call registered by the user identified as the passenger who refused to ride was assigned. The group control device according to claim 1.

3. The behavior determination means determines that the user has committed the passenger refusal behavior when, in the case where the elevator car in which the robot is riding responds to a passenger boarding call on the floor where the user is located, the user does not board the responding elevator car, and another passenger boarding call is registered immediately after the responding elevator car departs. The group control device according to claim 1.

4. The behavior determination means determines that the user has committed the passenger refusal behavior when, in the case that the elevator car the user is riding in responds to a boarding call registered by the robot, the user has disembarked from the responding elevator car, and another boarding call is registered immediately after the responding elevator car departs. The group control device according to claim 1.

5. The behavior determination means determines that the user has committed the passenger refusal behavior when the floor where the user is located and the floor where the robot is located are the same, and the same elevator car responds to the elevator car calls registered by the user and the robot, respectively, and it is detected that the user did not board the elevator car and that another elevator car call was registered immediately after the elevator car departed. The group control device according to claim 1.

6. The behavior determination means determines that the user has performed the passenger refusal behavior when, in the case where the floor where the user is located and the floor where the robot is located are the same, and the same elevator car responds to the elevator car calls registered by the user and the robot respectively, the robot boards the elevator car, and the robot detects that the user has disembarked from the elevator car and that another elevator car call is registered immediately after the elevator car departs. The group control device according to claim 1.

7. The identification means identifies the user as the user who refuses to ride if the user has performed the ride-refusal behavior a predetermined number of times. The group control device according to claim 1.

8. The identification means determines whether or not the user is a user who has refused to ride with others, based on information regarding the circumstances under which the user performed the ride-refusal action. The group control device according to claim 1.

9. The information regarding the circumstances in which the passenger refused to ride includes information about the time when the passenger refused to ride. The identifying means identifies the user as a first user who avoids riding with the robot during the specified time period if the user does not perform the ride-refusal behavior outside of the specified time period. The allocation control means, when a boarding request is registered by the first passenger who refuses to ride during the specified time period, will assign the boarding request to a cart that will not be used by a robot. The group control device according to claim 8.

10. The information regarding the circumstances when the passenger refused to ride includes information on the degree of congestion inside the train car at the time the passenger refused to ride. The identification means identifies the user as a second user who refuses to ride with the robot when the level of congestion inside the elevator car is above a certain value, if the user does not perform the ride refusal action when the level of congestion inside the elevator car is below a certain value. When a passenger request is registered by the second passenger who refuses to ride, the allocation control means assigns the request to a ride car whose congestion level is below a certain value, or to a ride car that the robot will not be riding in. The group control device according to claim 8.

11. The behavior determination means further determines, based on the camera image, whether the user identified by the identification means as a user who refused to ride together performed the act of riding in the same carriage as the robot. The identification means identifies a user who has been identified as a user who refuses to ride as not being a user who has performed the ride-sharing action a predetermined number of times, and then identifies that the user is not a user who refuses to ride as not being a user who has performed the ride-sharing action a predetermined number of times. The group control device according to claim 1.

12. If a landing call registered by the user is assigned to a bus car that the robot will not be riding in, the system further provides a notification control means that causes at least one of the voice output device and the landing display device installed at the landing on the floor where the user is located to notify the user that a bus car that the robot will not be riding in is approaching. The group control device according to claim 1.

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