Elevator control device and control method

Abstract

Even when robots are allowed to ride elevators alongside passengers, the system will maintain a high level of convenience for users. [Solution] When assigning a landing call for a target user, all or some of the elevator cars are designated as target cars. For each target car, the number of times the robot boards or alights at any floor from the target user's departure floor to the floor immediately preceding the target user's destination floor is counted. Then, a selection process is performed to select the target cars whose number of boarding and alighting is less than or equal to a predetermined number as candidates for assigning a landing call for the target user.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] There are elevators in which destination floor registration devices are installed on each floor (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such an elevator, each time a user registers their destination floor at the destination floor registration device on any floor, the assignment of the landing call for that user is made to the car.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent years, robots have been increasingly used in various operations (cleaning, monitoring, transportation, etc.) in buildings (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Along with this, the cases where elevators are used for the inter-floor movement of robots in buildings have been increasing. Also, in such cases, it has become more common for robots to be allowed to ride with users in the car. 1]

[0005] [ On the other hand, in elevators where robots are permitted to ride alongside passengers, passengers may encounter robots boarding or alighting at intermediate floors between their arrival and departure. In such elevators, it is possible that a passenger may experience robots boarding or alighting multiple times during a single ride. The more times a passenger experiences robots boarding or alighting, the longer they will have to wait inside the elevator, resulting in a longer overall elevator usage time (ride time). Therefore, allowing robots to ride alongside passengers in elevators may reduce the convenience of the elevator for passengers.

[0006] Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to maintain a high level of elevator convenience for users even when robots are allowed to ride in elevators together with users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The control device according to the present invention is a control device that assigns landing calls to elevator cars, and has the following configuration (Aspect 1). When assigning landing calls for a target user, the control device uses all or some of the multiple elevator cars provided by the elevator as target cars, and for each target car, it counts the number of times a robot boards or alights at any floor from the target user's departure floor to the floor immediately preceding the target user's destination floor, and then performs a selection process to select the target cars whose number of boarding and alighting is less than or equal to a predetermined number as candidates for assigning landing calls for the target user.

[0008] According to the above embodiment 1, the assignment of elevator calls for a target user can be limited to elevator cars in which the number of times the target user will experience the robot getting on and off in a single ride will be at most a predetermined number. As a result, even if the target user has to experience the robot getting on and off, it is possible to minimize the amount of time the target user needs to use the elevator at that time. Therefore, even when the robot is allowed to ride the elevator with the target user, the convenience of the elevator for the target user can be maintained at a high level.

[0009] Furthermore, by setting the condition for selecting a candidate elevator car for assignment to be that the number of boarding and alighting cycles is less than or equal to a predetermined number, the selection of candidates can be broadened. As a result, although the candidates are limited to a certain number of elevator cars depending on the condition, it becomes easier to extract multiple elevator cars as candidates. Therefore, in the process of assigning elevator car calls to target users, the assignment destination can be determined from among multiple candidates while considering transportation efficiency, and as a result, high transportation efficiency can be maintained.

[0010] The control device according to the above embodiment 1 may have the following configuration (embodiment 2). In the selection process, the control device extracts the departure floor and destination floor of the robot assigned to the boarding / alighting of each target elevator car as boarding / alighting floors, and for each boarding / alighting floor, it determines whether it matches any of the floors from the target user's departure floor to the floor immediately preceding the target user's destination floor, and if it determines that they match, it may count the number of boarding / alightings.

[0011] According to the above embodiment 2, the number of times a target user will get on and off the robot can be counted in a simple way by comparing the extracted boarding and alighting floors of the robot with the target user's travel section (the section from the target user's departure floor to the floor immediately preceding the target user's destination floor).

[0012] The control device according to the above embodiment 2 may have the following configuration (embodiment 3). When the control device extracts the departure floor and destination floor of the robot for each target cage, those that are on the same floor may be extracted together as a single boarding / alighting floor.

[0013] According to the above embodiment 3, on floors where multiple robots board and alight, the number of boarding and alighting can be counted as one. This makes it possible to create a situation where elevator cars with fewer than a predetermined number of boarding and alighting times are more likely to appear, by taking advantage of the fact that even if the number of robots increases, the opportunities for multiple robots to board and alight on the same floor also increase. Therefore, even if the number of robots increases, the allocation of landing calls for target users can be prevented from being hindered by the use of robots, and as a result, the transport efficiency of the elevator can be maintained at a high level.

[0014] The control device according to the above embodiment 2 may have the following configuration (embodiment 4). When the control device extracts the departure floor and destination floor of the robot for each target cage, it may extract all of those floors as separate boarding and alighting floors, rather than grouping those on the same floor together.

[0015] According to the above embodiment 4, on floors where multiple robots board and alight, the number of boarding and alighting counts can be the same as the number of robots. In other words, it becomes possible to reflect the number of robots boarding and alighting on the same floor in the number of boarding and alighting counts. As a result, elevator cars that would require the target user to experience multiple robots boarding and alighting on the same floor can be excluded from the allocation, and as a result, the elevator usage time required for the target user can be shortened as much as possible. Therefore, the convenience of the elevator for the target user can be maintained at a high level.

[0016] A control device according to any of the above embodiments 1 to 4 may have the following configuration (embodiment 5). If, as a result of performing the sorting process on all of the target carts, the control device is unable to find any carts among the target carts that have a predetermined number of boarding and alighting times or less, the predetermined number may be relaxed and the sorting process may be performed again for each target cart.

[0017] If the number of robots using the elevator increases, or if the number of elevator cars is small, the opportunities for users and robots to ride together increase, which can easily cause the number of boarding and alighting cycles for all cars to exceed the predetermined limit. Even in such cases, according to embodiment 5 described above, by relaxing the predetermined limit, it becomes possible to reliably find the appropriate elevator car for the target user.

[0018] The control method according to the present invention is a control method for assigning landing calls to elevator cars, and has the following configuration (Aspect 6). In this control method, when assigning landing calls for a target user, all or some of the multiple elevator cars provided by the elevator are designated as target cars, and for each target car, the number of times a robot boards or alights at any floor from the target user's departure floor to the floor immediately preceding the target user's destination floor is counted, and a selection process is performed to select the target cars whose number of boarding and alighting is less than or equal to a predetermined number as candidates for assigning landing calls for the target user. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, even when a robot is allowed to ride in an elevator with a user, the convenience of the elevator for the user can be maintained at a high level. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0020] [Figure 1] This is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of the elevator according to the embodiment. [Figure 2]It is a conceptual diagram exemplifying (A) robot management data and (B) allocation request management data used in the embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a conceptual diagram exemplifying (A) device management data and (B) allocation management data used in the embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a flowchart showing the allocation request process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a flowchart showing the allocation process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a flowchart showing the first screening process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart showing a part of the second screening process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a flowchart showing a continuation part of FIG. 7 for the second screening process. [Figure 9] It is a flowchart showing a continuation part of FIG. 8 for the second screening process. [Figure 10] It is a flowchart showing a part of the second screening process executed in the third modification example. [Figure 11] It is a flowchart showing a continuation part of FIG. 10 for the second screening process.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] [1] Embodiment [1-1] Overall Configuration of Elevator FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an elevator according to the embodiment. In this embodiment, a destination floor registration device 1 is installed on each floor of the elevator. When a user uses the elevator, it is necessary to pre-register their destination floor Fd at the destination floor registration device 1 installed on the boarding floor. Further, this elevator is used not only by users but also by a robot H that performs various operations (cleaning, monitoring, transportation, etc.) in the building where the elevator is installed. In other words, the robot H can also move between floors using the elevator.

[0022] In this embodiment, robot H is centrally managed by robot management device 2. The elevator has multiple elevator cars G, and these elevator cars G are centrally managed by group management control device 3. Furthermore, in this embodiment, robot H is permitted to ride in the elevator cars G with users. Even when robot H is permitted to ride with users in this way, the group management control device 3 executes control processing to ensure that the convenience of the elevator for users is maintained at a high level. The configuration of each part will be described in detail below.

[0023] <Destination Floor Registration Device> The destination floor registration device 1 is equipped with a device that combines the functions of both an input unit and a display unit, such as a touch panel, and through this device, users can register their destination floor Fd and receive various information. The destination floor registration device 1 may also have separate input and display units. For example, the input unit may consist of mechanical buttons (such as a numeric keypad), and the display unit may consist of a dedicated monitor.

[0024] Then, when a user operates the destination floor registration device 1 on any floor and registers their destination floor Fd, that destination floor Fd is transmitted to the group control device 3. This sends a request to the group control device 3 for the allocation of a landing call X (hereinafter referred to as "landing call Xg") for that user. At this time, in order for the group control device 3 to recognize which registration device the operated destination floor registration device 1 is, device information Pd to distinguish that destination floor registration device 1 from other registration devices is also transmitted to the group control device 3.

[0025] <Robot Management Device> Robot management device 2 is a device that centrally manages robot H (see Figure 1). Note that robot management device 2 is not limited to being installed in the same building as the elevator; it may also be a server or program that manages robot H on the cloud.

[0026] In this embodiment, the robot management device 2 is aware of the floor Fx where each robot H is deployed. When a robot H needs to move between floors, it transmits the destination floor Fy to the robot management device 2. At this time, the robot H also transmits its own robot information Ph to the robot management device 2 to enable identification from other robots H, so that the robot management device 2 can recognize which robot H sent the destination floor Fy.

[0027] When the robot management device 2 receives the destination floor Fy and robot information Ph from any robot H, it sends the deployment floor Fx and destination floor Fy of that robot H to the group control device 3 as the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd, respectively, thereby requesting the group control device 3 to assign a landing call X (hereinafter referred to as "landing call Xh") for that robot H (assignment request processing; see Figure 4). At this time, the robot management device 2 also sends the robot information Ph of that robot H to the group control device 3 so that the group control device 3 recognizes which robot H the transmitted assignment request is for. Details of this assignment request processing will be described later.

[0028] Subsequently, when elevator car G arrives at the robot H's deployment floor Fx in response to the landing call Xh, the robot management device 2 instructs robot H to board elevator car G (boarding command processing). In this case, at an appropriate timing after robot H has boarded elevator car G (for example, when robot H has finished boarding), the group management device 3 registers the destination floor Fd indicated by robot H's landing call Xh as the elevator car call Y for robot H (hereinafter referred to as "elevator call Yh"). Then, when elevator car G arrives at robot H's destination floor Fy in response to the elevator car call Yh, the robot management device 2 instructs robot H to disembark from elevator car G (disembarking command processing).

[0029] Specifically, the robot management device 2 comprises a storage unit 21 and a control unit 22 (see Figure 1).

[0030] The memory unit 21 is a part composed of memory devices such as ROM and RAM, and stores information necessary for the control processing performed by the robot management device 2. In this embodiment, robot management data Dp and assignment request management data Dq are stored in the memory unit 21 as such information.

[0031] Here, the robot management data Dp is a database for managing multiple pieces of information related to each robot H, linking them together (see Figure 2(A)). The assignment request management data Dq is data for managing assignment request information for robot H (see Figure 2(B)).

[0032] Figure 2(A) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the robot management data Dp used in this embodiment. In the robot management data Dp, for each robot H, the robot information Ph and deployment floor Fx of that robot H, and the destination when the robot H moves between floors are recorded in a manner that is associated with each other. Here, the deployment floor Fx associated with each robot H is the current floor where the robot H is deployed, and is updated each time the robot H moves between floors. In addition, the destination associated with each robot H records the target floor Fy that the robot H has transmitted for inter-floor movement, and this target floor Fy is deleted when the robot H has finished disembarking at that floor.

[0033] As a result, when the robot management device 2 receives robot information Ph along with the destination floor Fy from any robot H, it can identify the deployment floor Fx of that robot H from the robot information Ph. In this embodiment, the deployment floor Fx of that robot H is used as the departure floor Fc when the robot H moves between floors using the elevator. Furthermore, by referring to the destination associated with the robot information Ph of each robot H, the robot management device 2 can determine that the robot H is moving between floors if the destination floor Fy is recorded as the destination, and can also determine which floor that destination is. On the other hand, if the destination floor Fy is not recorded as the destination, the robot management device 2 can determine that the robot H is deployed on the deployment floor Fx (working).

[0034] Figure 2(B) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the assignment request management data Dq used in this embodiment. In the assignment request management data Dq, each time an assignment request for robot H is made to the group control device 3, the robot information Ph of robot H and the information transmitted to the group control device 3 in the assignment request (in this embodiment, the departure floor Fc and the destination floor Fd) are recorded in a corresponding manner. Then, the set of information for that assignment request is deleted from the assignment request management data Dq when robot H has completed disembarking at the destination floor Fd (=target floor Fy) transmitted in the assignment request.

[0035] The control unit 22 is responsible for executing the control processing (including assignment request processing, boarding command processing, and disembarking command processing) performed by the robot management device 2. Specifically, the control unit 22 is composed of processing devices such as a CPU and an MPU, and executes the control processing it is responsible for using software by running the control program installed in the robot management device 2. This control program may be stored in a readable state on a portable storage medium (e.g., flash memory) before being installed in the robot management device 2, or it may be stored in a downloadable state on another server. Furthermore, the control processing performed by the robot management device 2 is not limited to being implemented in software by executing a program, but may also be implemented in hardware by processing circuits built into the robot management device 2.

[0036] <Group Control System> The group control device 3 is a device that centrally manages the multiple elevator cars G of the elevator in this embodiment through elevator control devices provided for each elevator car G (see Figure 1).

[0037] Specifically, each time the group control device 3 receives an assignment request from the destination floor registration device 1 or the robot management device 2, it selects an elevator car G from among several elevator cars G to be assigned to that elevator car G in accordance with the request, and assigns the landing call X to that elevator car G (assignment process; see Figure 5). Then, the group control device 3 causes the elevator car G to perform a response operation to the landing call X (response process). In this embodiment, the group control device 3 performs processing within the assignment process to ensure that the convenience of the elevator for users is maintained to a high degree even when the robot H is allowed to ride in the elevator with a user. Details of this assignment process will be described later.

[0038] Furthermore, when the group control device 3 responds to a user's landing call Xg, it registers the destination floor Fd indicated by the landing call Xg as a car call Y for the user (hereinafter referred to as "car call Yg") for the car G at an appropriate timing after the car G arrives at the departure floor Fc indicated by the landing call Xg (for example, when the doors begin to open or when the sensor on the door detects the user boarding) (registration process). Also, when the group control device 3 responds to a robot H's landing call Xh, it registers the destination floor Fd indicated by the robot H's landing call Xh as a car call Yh for the car G at an appropriate timing after the robot H has finished boarding the car G (for example, when the robot H has finished boarding) (registration process). Then, the group control device 3 causes the car G to perform response operations to those car calls Y (response process).

[0039] In terms of its specific configuration, the group control device 3 comprises a storage unit 31 and a control unit 32 (see Figure 1).

[0040] The storage unit 31 is a part composed of storage devices such as ROM and RAM, and stores information necessary for control processing performed by the group management control device 3. In this embodiment, such information stored in the storage unit 31 includes device management data Dr and assignment management data Dt.

[0041] Here, the device management data Dr is a database for managing multiple pieces of information related to each destination floor registration device 1, linking them together (see Figure 3(A)). The assignment management data Dt is data for managing information about the landing call X for the user and robot H (see Figure 3(B)).

[0042] Figure 3(A) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the device management data Dr used in this embodiment. In the device management data Dr, for each destination floor registration device 1, the device information Pd and installation floor Fs of that registration device are recorded in a manner that is associated with each other.

[0043] As a result, when the group control device 3 receives device information Pd along with the destination floor Fd from any of the destination floor registration devices 1, it can identify the installation floor Fs of the destination floor registration device 1 (the registration device on which the destination floor Fd was registered) from the device information Pd. In this embodiment, the installation floor Fs of the destination floor registration device 1 is used as the departure floor Fc of the user who operated the registration device to register the destination floor Fd.

[0044] Figure 3(B) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the allocation management data Dt used in this embodiment. In the allocation management data Dt, each time a landing call X is assigned to a user or robot H by the group control device 3, the following are recorded in association with each other: identification information Pi and attribute information Pj to identify the target of the assignment, information about the landing call X (departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd), destination direction Kz, and car information Pg to identify the elevator car G to which the landing call X was assigned as one of the other cars. The information about each landing call X and the information associated with it are deleted from the allocation management data Dt when the elevator car G reverses its direction of movement after the landing call X has finished its job (for example, after the elevator car G arrives at the destination floor Fd indicated by the landing call X).

[0045] Here, the identification information Pi records a number (such as a serial number) assigned to the user for each assignment if the recipient of the assignment is a user, and the robot information Ph of robot H is recorded if the recipient of the assignment is robot H. The attribute information Pj records information to distinguish whether the recipient of the assignment is a user or robot H (in the example of Figure 3(B), it is either "user" or "robot"). The destination direction Kz records the direction from the departure floor Fc to the destination floor Fd (in the example of Figure 3(B), it is either "up" or "down").

[0046] The control unit 32 is responsible for executing the control processing (including allocation processing, registration processing, and response processing) performed by the group management control device 3. Specifically, the control unit 32 is composed of processing devices such as a CPU and an MPU, and executes the control processing it is responsible for using software by running the control program installed in the group management control device 3. This control program may be stored in a readable state on a portable storage medium (e.g., flash memory) before being installed in the group management control device 3, or it may be stored in a downloadable state on another server. Furthermore, the control processing performed by the group management control device 3 is not limited to being implemented in software by executing a program, but may also be implemented in hardware by processing circuits built into the group management control device 3.

[0047] [1-2] Control processes performed in the elevator [1-2-1] Assignment request processing performed by the robot management device Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the assignment request process performed in this embodiment. This assignment request process is initiated each time the robot management device 2 receives the target floor Fy and robot information Ph from any robot H. Here, the robot H that sent this information (the robot H identified by the transmitted robot information Ph) is referred to as the "target robot Hk". The information received by the robot management device 2 at that time (including the target floor Fy and robot information Ph) is collectively referred to as "received information Pr1".

[0048] When the assignment request process begins, the robot management device 2 uses the robot management data Dp (see Figure 2(A)) to find a robot information Ph that matches the robot information Ph in the received information Pr1, and then extracts the corresponding deployment floor Fx (step S101). Furthermore, the robot management device 2 records the target floor Fy in the received information Pr1 as the destination in the robot management data Dp, corresponding to the found robot information Ph. This records in the robot management data Dp that the target robot Hk is moving between floors toward the target floor Fy. In the example in Figure 2(A), it is shown that for two robots H whose robot information Ph is "H-01" and "H-02" respectively, the target floors Fy for those robots H, "8th floor" and "12th floor," are recorded as destinations.

[0049] Subsequently, the robot management device 2 sends an assignment request for the landing call Xh for the target robot Hk to the group control device 3, using the target robot Hk's deployment floor Fx and destination floor Fy as the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd, respectively, and transmitting this information (departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd) to the group control device 3 (step S102). At this time, the robot management device 2 also transmits the robot information Ph of the target robot Hk to the group control device 3 so that the group control device 3 recognizes which robot H the transmitted assignment request is for.

[0050] Furthermore, the robot management device 2 records the information transmitted to the group management control device 3 (robot information Ph, departure floor Fc, destination floor Fd) in the assignment request management data Dq, as assignment request information for the target robot Hk, in a corresponding manner (see Figure 2(B)). The example in Figure 2(B) shows the case where assignment request information for robot H that needs to move from the 5th floor to the 8th floor (Ph="H-01", Fc="5th floor", Fd="8th floor") and assignment request information for robot H that needs to move from the 3rd floor to the 12th floor (Ph="H-02", Fc="3rd floor", Fd="12th floor") are recorded. After step S102, the robot management device 2 terminates the assignment request processing.

[0051] [1-2-2] Assignment process performed by the group control unit Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the assignment process performed in this embodiment. This assignment process is initiated each time the group management control device 3 receives an assignment request from the destination floor registration device 1 or the robot management device 2.

[0052] In the following, the information received by the group control device 3 each time an allocation request is made will be collectively referred to as "received information Pr2". Specifically, if the allocation request is from the destination floor registration device 1 (allocation request for landing call Xg for a user), this received information Pr2 will be a set of information including the departure floor Fc, destination floor Fd, and device information Pd. If the allocation request is from the robot management device 2 (allocation request for landing call Xh for robot H), this received information Pr2 will be a set of information including the departure floor Fc, destination floor Fd, and robot information Ph.

[0053] When the assignment process begins, the group management control device 3 first determines whether the received assignment request originated from the destination floor registration device 1 or the robot management device 2 by determining whether the device information Pd or the robot information Ph is included in the received information Pr2 (step S200).

[0054] If the group control device 3 determines in step S200 that "device information Pd" is included, it can determine that the received assignment request originated from the destination floor registration device 1. In this case, the group control device 3 first determines the landing call Xg of the user who made the request (i.e., the user who registered the destination floor Fd; hereafter, this user will be referred to as the "target user") (step S210).

[0055] Specifically, the group control device 3 uses the device management data Dr (see Figure 3(A)) to find the device information Pd recorded therein that matches the device information Pd in ​​the received information Pr2, and then extracts the corresponding installation floor Fs. The group control device 3 then uses the extracted installation floor Fs and the destination floor Fd in the received information Pr2 as the departure floor Fcs and destination floor Fds of the target user, respectively, and determines these floors (departure floor Fcs and destination floor Fds) as one landing call Xg for the target user. Hereafter, this landing call Xg for the target user will be referred to as the "target call Xgs".

[0056] After step S210, the group control device 3 takes all elevator cars G as target cars Gk and performs a first selection process for each target car Gk to select a candidate to which the target call Xgs will be assigned (step S211). Hereinafter, the candidate to which the target will be assigned will be referred to as "assignment candidate". Details of this first selection process will be described later.

[0057] After step S211, the group management control device 3 determines whether or not it was able to find an assignment candidate by executing step S211 (step S212).

[0058] Here, if the group control device 3 is unable to select any of the target baskets Gk as an assignment candidate in the first selection process, it will end step S211 with the error "Unable to find an assignment candidate". In this case, the group control device 3 will determine in step S212 that it "could not be done (No)" and return to step S211 to execute the first selection process again for each of the target baskets Gk.

[0059] If the group management control device 3 determines "Yes" in step S212, it selects the optimal elevator car G from the assignment candidates found in step S211 and assigns the target call Xgs to that elevator car G (step S213).

[0060] Subsequently, the group management control device 3 assigns identification information Pi (such as a serial number) to the target user, sets attribute information Pj to "user," and sets the direction in which the target user moves from the departure floor Fcs to the destination floor Fds as the destination direction Kz. Then, it records this information, along with the target call Xgs information (departure floor Fcs, destination floor Fds) and the assignment destination information (cargo information Pg), in the assignment management data Dt in a manner that is associated with each other (step S214; see Figure 3(B)). After that, the group management control device 3 terminates the assignment process.

[0061] On the other hand, if the group control device 3 determines in step S200 that "robot information Ph" is included, it can determine that the received assignment request is a request from the robot management device 2. In this case, the group control device 3 first determines the landing call Xh of the robot H that generated the request (i.e., the robot H that needed to move between floors and sent the destination floor Fy to the robot management device 2. Hereinafter, this robot H will be referred to as "target robot Hk") (step S220).

[0062] Specifically, the group control device 3 determines the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd in the received information Pr2 as the departure floor Fct and destination floor Fdt of the target robot Hk, respectively, and then determines these floors (departure floor Fct, destination floor Fdt) as a single landing call Xh for the target robot Hk. Hereinafter, this landing call Xh for the target robot Hk will be referred to as "target call Xht".

[0063] After step S220, the group control device 3 takes all elevator cars G as target cars Gk and performs a second selection process for each of the target cars Gk to select an assignment candidate for the target call Xht (step S221). Details of this second selection process will be described later.

[0064] After step S221, the group management control device 3 determines whether or not it was able to find an assignment candidate by executing step S221 (step S222).

[0065] Here, if the group control device 3 is unable to select any of the target baskets Gk as an assignment candidate in the second selection process, it will end step S221 with the error "Unable to find an assignment candidate". In this case, the group control device 3 will determine in step S222 that it "could not be done (No)" and return to step S221 to execute the second selection process again for each of the target baskets Gk.

[0066] If the group management control device 3 determines "Yes" in step S222, it selects the optimal elevator car G from the assignment candidates found in step S221 and assigns the target call Xht to that elevator car G (step S223).

[0067] Subsequently, the group control device 3 uses the robot information Ph of the target robot Hk as identification information Pi, the attribute information Pj as "robot", and the direction in which the target robot Hk moves from the departure floor Fct to the destination floor Fdt as the destination direction Kz. Then, it records this information, along with the information of the target call Xht (departure floor Fct, destination floor Fdt) and the information of the assigned robot (cage information Pg), in the assignment management data Dt in a manner that is associated with each other (step S224; see Figure 3(B)). After that, the group control device 3 terminates the assignment process.

[0068] [1-2-3] First sorting process performed by the group control device Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the first sorting process performed in this embodiment. This first sorting process is performed for each target car Gk (all elevator cars G in this embodiment). Specifically, the group control device 3 performs the first sorting process for each target car Gk (hereinafter referred to as "target car Gkw").

[0069] In the first selection process, the group control device 3 first extracts from the landing calls X already assigned to the car Gkw of interest that satisfy both of the following conditions: [1a] that the landing call X is the landing call Xh of robot H, and [1b] that the destination direction Kz from the departure floor Fc to the destination floor Fd indicated by the landing call X matches the destination direction Kz of the target user (the direction in which the target user travels from the departure floor Fcs to the destination floor Fds). (Step S301)

[0070] Specifically, the group management control device 3 searches among the car information Pg recorded in the allocation management data Dt (see Figure 3(B)) for a car information Pg that matches the car information Pg of the car Gkw of interest, whose attribute information Pj is "robot", and whose destination direction Kz matches the destination direction Kz of the target user. Then, it extracts the landing call X information (departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd) associated with that car information Pg.

[0071] After step S301, the group control device 3 determines whether or not a landing call X that satisfies both of the above conditions [1a] and [1b] has been extracted (step S302).

[0072] If the group control device 3 determines in step S302 that "no robots were extracted (No)", it can use that determination to conclude that there are no robots H that could potentially ride with the target user in the car Gkw of interest. In this case, if the landing call Xg (target call Xgs) for the target user is assigned to the car Gkw of interest, the target user will be able to travel from the departure floor Fcs to the destination floor Fds without experiencing the boarding or alighting of robot H. In other words, the convenience of the elevator for that target user can be maintained at a high level.

[0073] Therefore, if the group control device 3 determines in step S302 that "no basket was extracted (No)", it adds the basket of interest Gkw to the list of assignment candidates for the target call Xgs (step S310). After that, the group control device 3 terminates the first selection process for the basket of interest Gkw.

[0074] On the other hand, if the group control device 3 determines in step S302 that "it has been extracted (Yes)", it can determine that there is a robot H that may be riding with the target user in the car Gkw of interest. In this case, if the landing call Xg (target call Xgs) for the target user is assigned to the car Gkw of interest, the target user may have to experience robot H getting on and off while traveling from the departure floor Fcs to the destination floor Fds. In other words, the convenience of the elevator for the target user may decrease. Therefore, in order to maintain a high level of convenience for the elevator for the target user, the group control device 3 performs the following processing.

[0075] If the group control device 3 determines in step S302 that "extracted (Yes)", it lists the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd indicated by the landing call Xh of robot H extracted in step S301 as boarding / alighting floor Fe1(I) (step S303). Here, the list number I is a number starting from 1.

[0076] In this embodiment, when the group control device 3 lists the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd of robot H in step S303, it groups floors that are the same into a single boarding / alighting floor Fe1(I). Then, the group control device 3 assigns the total number of boarding / alighting floors Fe1(I) (here, the last value of list number I) to the variable Mh1.

[0077] After step S303, the group control device 3 sets the variable Ix for reading the boarding and alighting floors Fe1(I) in list order to Ix=1 (step S320). The group control device 3 also sets the number of times robot H will board or alight during a single ride on the target elevator car Gkw N1 (the number of times robot H boards or alights at any floor from the target user's departure floor Fcs to the floor immediately preceding the target user's destination floor Fds) to N1=0.

[0078] After step S320, the group control device 3 counts the number of times N1 that the target user will experience getting on and off the robot H during a single ride in the target cage Gkw.

[0079] Specifically, the group control device 3 determines whether the boarding / alighting floor Fe1(Ix) matches any of the floors from the target user's departure floor Fcs to the floor immediately preceding the target user's destination floor Fds (step S321).

[0080] If the group control device 3 determines in step S321 that there is a "match (Yes)", it can then determine that the target user will experience boarding or alighting from robot H at boarding / alighting floor Fe1(Ix). In this case, the group control device 3 counts one boarding / alighting as the number of boarding / alighting N1 (step S322), and then proceeds to step S323.

[0081] Here, if the boarding / alighting floor Fe1(Ix) matches the destination floor Fds of the target user, that floor is the target user's disembarking floor, and therefore, even if robot H boards or alights at that floor, it will have little effect on the user's convenience. Accordingly, in steps S321 and S322, if the boarding / alighting floor Fe1(Ix) matches the destination floor Fds of the target user, it is excluded from counting the number of boarding / alighting N1.

[0082] On the other hand, if the group control device 3 determines in step S321 that there is a "no match," it can determine that the target user will not experience boarding or alighting from robot H at boarding / alighting floor Fe1(Ix). In this case, the group control device 3 proceeds to step S323 without counting the number of boarding / alighting N1.

[0083] In step S323, the group control device 3 increments the value of the variable Ix by one in order to advance the boarding / alighting floor Fe1(Ix) that should be the subject of the decision in step S321 to the next one in the list. Then, in order to determine whether the decision in step S321 has been made for all the boarding / alighting floors Fe1(I) listed, the group control device 3 determines whether the variable Ix satisfies Ix > Mh1 (step S324).

[0084] If the group management control device 3 determines in step S324 that the condition is "not met (No)", it repeatedly executes the processes in steps S321 to S324 until it can determine in step S324 that the condition is "met (Yes)". This counts the number of times N1 that the target user will experience getting on and off robot H during one trip on the target elevator Gkw.

[0085] By following the processing in steps S321 to S324, the number of times N1 that the target user will experience getting on and off robot H can be counted in a simple way by comparing the extracted boarding and alighting floors Fe1(I) of robot H with the target user's travel section (the section from the target user's departure floor Fcs to the floor immediately preceding the target user's destination floor Fds).

[0086] Subsequently, if the group control device 3 determines in step S324 that the condition is met (No), it then determines whether the counted number of boarding and alighting times N1 is less than or equal to a predetermined number Nt (step S325). As an example, the predetermined number Nt is set to Nt=1.

[0087] Then, if the group control device 3 determines in step S325 that "the predetermined number of times Nt is less than or equal to (Yes)", it can determine that even if it assigns the landing call Xg (target call Xgs) for the target user to the car Gkw, the maximum number of times N1 the target user will get on and off the robot H in one trip to the car Gkw will be at most the predetermined number Nt. In other words, the group control device 3 can determine that it is possible to maintain a high level of convenience for the target user of the elevator. Therefore, if the group control device 3 determines in step S325 that "the predetermined number of times Nt is less than or equal to (Yes)", it adds the car Gkw to the list of candidates for assignment for the target call Xgs (step S326). After that, the group control device 3 completes the first selection process for the car Gkw.

[0088] On the other hand, if the group control device 3 determines in step S325 that the number of calls is not less than or equal to the predetermined number Nt (No), it can determine that assigning the landing call Xg (target call Xgs) for the target user to the car Gkw based on that determination would reduce the convenience of the elevator for that user. In this case, the group control device 3 terminates the first selection process for the car Gkw without performing step S326 (i.e., without making the car Gkw a candidate for assignment). In other words, if the group control device 3 determines in step S325 that the number of calls is not less than or equal to the predetermined number Nt (No), it decides not to select the car Gkw as a candidate for assignment.

[0089] This first selection process allows the allocation of landing calls Xg (target calls Xgs) for target users to be limited to elevator cars G where the number of times N1 the target user will experience getting on and off robot H in a single trip will be at most a predetermined number of times Nt. This makes it possible to minimize the elevator usage time required for the target user, even if the target user has to experience getting on and off robot H. Therefore, even if robot H is allowed to ride the elevator with the target user, the convenience of the elevator for that user can be maintained at a high level.

[0090] Furthermore, by setting the condition for the elevator car G when selecting an assignment candidate to the condition that the number of boarding and alighting passengers N1 is less than or equal to a predetermined number Nt, the selection of candidates can be broadened (for example, if Nt=1, both elevator car Gs that satisfy N1=0 and elevator car Gs that satisfy N1=1 will be selected as assignment candidates). As a result, although the candidates are limited to a subset of elevator car Gs by the condition, it becomes easier to extract multiple elevator car Gs as candidates. Therefore, in the process of assigning a boarding call Xg (target call Xgs) for a target user (step S213 in Figure 5), the assignment destination can be determined from among multiple candidates while considering transportation efficiency, and as a result, high transportation efficiency can be maintained.

[0091] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, when the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd of robot H are listed in step S303, those on the same floor are grouped into a single boarding / alighting floor Fe1(I). With this processing, on floors where multiple robot H board or alight, the number of boarding / alighting N1 can be counted as one. This makes it possible to take advantage of the fact that even if the number of robot H increases, the opportunities for multiple robot H to board or alight on the same floor also increase, thereby creating a situation where elevator cars G with a boarding / alighting number N1 of less than or equal to a predetermined number Nt are more likely to appear. Therefore, even if the number of robot H increases, the allocation of landing calls Xg (target calls Xgs) for target users can be prevented from being hindered by the use of robot H, and as a result, the transport efficiency of the elevator can be maintained at a high level.

[0092] [1-2-4] Second sorting process performed by the group control system Figures 7 to 9 are flowcharts showing the second sorting process performed in this embodiment. This second sorting process is performed for each target car Gk (all elevator cars G in this embodiment). Specifically, the group control device 3 performs the second sorting process for each target car Gk (hereinafter referred to as "target car Gkw").

[0093] In the second selection process, the group control device 3 first extracts from the number of landing calls X already assigned to the number of car Gkw that satisfy both of the following conditions: [2a] that the landing call X is a user's landing call Xg, and [2b] that the destination direction Kz from the departure floor Fc to the destination floor Fd indicated by the landing call X matches the destination direction Kz of the target robot Hk (the direction in which the target robot Hk moves from the departure floor Fct to the destination floor Fdt).

[0094] Specifically, the group control device 3 searches among the car information Pg recorded in the allocation management data Dt (see Figure 3(B)) for a car information Pg that matches the car information Pg of the car Gkw of interest, whose attribute information Pj is "user", and whose destination direction Kz matches the destination direction Kz of the target robot Hk. Then, it extracts the landing call X information (departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd) associated with that car information Pg.

[0095] After step S401, the group control device 3 determines whether or not a landing call X that satisfies both of the above conditions [2a] and [2b] has been extracted (step S402).

[0096] If the group control device 3 determines in step S402 that "no results were extracted (No)", it can determine that there are no users who may be riding in the target car Gkw with the target robot Hk. In this case, even if a landing call Xh (target call Xht) for the target robot Hk is assigned to the target car Gkw, this assignment will not result in users experiencing the boarding or alighting of the target robot Hk in that target car Gkw.

[0097] Therefore, if the group management control device 3 determines in step S402 that "no selection was made (No)", it adds the target basket Gkw to the list of assignment candidates for the target call Xht (step S410). After that, the group management control device 3 terminates the second selection process for the target basket Gkw.

[0098] On the other hand, if the group control device 3 determines in step S402 that "it has been extracted (Yes)", it can determine that there is a user who may be riding in the car Gkw with the target robot Hk. In this case, if the landing call Xh (target call Xht) for the target robot Hk is assigned to the car Gkw, the user may have to experience the boarding and alighting of the target robot Hk while traveling from the departure floor Fc to the destination floor Fd. In other words, the convenience of the elevator for the user may decrease. Therefore, in order to maintain a high level of elevator convenience for the user, the group control device 3 performs the following processing.

[0099] If the group control device 3 determines in step S402 that "extracted (Yes)", it lists the user's landing call Xg extracted in step S401 as user call Xe(J) (step S403). Here, the list number J is a number starting from 1. Then, the group control device 3 assigns the total number of user calls Xe(J) (in this case, the last value of list number J) to the variable Mg.

[0100] After step S403, the group control device 3 obtains information on the landing call Xh of other robots H that may ride with the user in the car of interest Gkw, so that it can count the number of times the user will experience boarding or alighting from other robots H (robots H other than the target robot Hk) that have already been scheduled to board the car of interest Gkw. Specifically, the group control device 3 extracts from the landing calls X already assigned to the car of interest Gkw that satisfy both the condition that the landing call X is the landing call Xh of robot H [2c] and the condition that the destination direction Kz from the departure floor Fc to the destination floor Fd indicated by the landing call X matches the destination direction Kz of the target robot Hk (the direction in which the target robot Hk travels from the departure floor Fct to the destination floor Fdt) [2d] (step S421).

[0101] More specifically, the group management control device 3 searches among the car information Pg recorded in the allocation management data Dt (see Figure 3(B)) for a car information Pg that matches the car information Pg of the car Gkw of interest, whose attribute information Pj is "robot", and whose destination direction Kz matches the destination direction Kz of the target robot Hk. Then, it extracts the landing call X information (departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd) associated with that car information Pg.

[0102] After step S421, the group control device 3 determines whether or not a landing call X that satisfies both of the above conditions [2c] and [2d] has been extracted (step S422).

[0103] If the group control device 3 determines in step S422 that "extracted (Yes)", it can then determine that a user who may ride the car Gkw with the target robot Hk may also ride with other robots H that have already been assigned to ride the car Gkw. In this case, if the landing call Xh (target call Xht) for the target robot Hk is assigned to the car Gkw, the user may have to experience the boarding and alighting of the target robot Hk in addition to the boarding and alighting of other robots H while traveling from the departure floor Fcs to the destination floor Fds. In other words, the convenience of the elevator for the user may be significantly reduced. Therefore, in this embodiment, as described below, the convenience of the elevator for the user is maintained at a high level, even taking into account the possibility of riding with other robots H.

[0104] If the group control device 3 determines in step S422 that the information has been extracted (Yes), it lists the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd indicated by the landing call Xh of robot H extracted in step S421 as boarding / alighting floors Fe2(K) (step S423). Here, the list number K is a number starting from 1.

[0105] In this embodiment, when the group control device 3 lists the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd of other robots H in step S423, it groups those that are on the same floor into a single boarding / alighting floor Fe2(K). Then, the group control device 3 assigns the total number of boarding / alighting floors Fe2(K) (here, the last value of list number K) to the variable Mh2. After that, the group control device 3 proceeds to step S430A (see Figure 8).

[0106] On the other hand, if the group control device 3 determines in step S422 that "no results were extracted (No)", it can use that determination to conclude that a user who may ride in the target robot Hk with the focus cage Gkw will not be able to ride in the same robot H as another robot H. In this case, the group control device 3 sets the variable Mh2 to Mh2=0 (step S424), and then proceeds to step S430A (see Figure 8).

[0107] In step S430A, the group control device 3 sets the variable Jx, which reads user calls Xe(J) in list order, to Jx=1. The group control device 3 also sets the number of times robot H boards or alights during a single trip on the target elevator Gkw by the user to whom the user call Xe(Jx) has been assigned (hereinafter referred to as the "target user") to N2=0 (the number of times the target robot Hk or another robot H boards or alights at any floor from the target user's departure floor Fc to the floor immediately preceding the target user's destination floor Fd) (step S430B).

[0108] After step S430B, the group control device 3 first counts the number of times the user will experience boarding or alighting from the target robot Hk, assuming that a landing call Xh (target call Xht) for the target robot Hk has been assigned to the target car Gkw, as the number of times the user will experience boarding or alighting from the target robot Hk during one trip N2 (first process).

[0109] Specifically, the group control device 3 determines whether the user of interest will experience riding the target robot Hk by determining whether the departure floor Fct of the target robot Hk matches any floor from the user of interest's departure floor Fc (the departure floor Fc indicated by the user call Xe(Jx)) to the floor immediately preceding the user of interest's destination floor Fd (the destination floor Fd indicated by the user call Xe(Jx)) (step S431).

[0110] If the group control device 3 determines in step S431 that there is a "match (Yes)", it can determine that the user of interest will experience riding the target robot Hk. In this case, the group control device 3 counts one ride as the number of rides N2 (step S432), and then proceeds to step S433.

[0111] Here, if the departure floor Fct of the target robot Hk matches the destination floor Fd of the user of interest, that floor is the user's disembarking floor, and therefore, even if the target robot Hk boards at that floor, it will have little impact on the user's convenience. Accordingly, in steps S431 and S432, if the departure floor Fct matches the destination floor Fd of the user of interest, this case is excluded from counting the number of boarding and alighting N2.

[0112] On the other hand, if the group control device 3 determines in step S431 that there is "no match," it can determine that the user of interest will not experience riding the target robot Hk. In this case, the group control device 3 proceeds to step S433 without counting the number of times the user gets on and off N2.

[0113] In step S433, the group control device 3 determines whether the user of interest will experience disembarking from the target robot Hk, and determines whether the destination floor Fdt of the target robot Hk matches any floor from the user of interest's departure floor Fc (the departure floor Fc indicated by the user call Xe(Jx)) to the floor immediately preceding the user of interest's destination floor Fd (the destination floor Fd indicated by the user call Xe(Jx)).

[0114] If the group control device 3 determines in step S433 that there is a "match (Yes)", it can determine that the user of interest will experience disembarking from the target robot Hk. In this case, the group control device 3 counts one instance as the number of boarding and disembarking N2 (step S434), and then proceeds to step S435.

[0115] Here, if the destination floor Fdt of the target robot Hk matches the destination floor Fd of the user of interest, that floor is the disembarking floor of the user of interest, and therefore, even if the target robot Hk disembarks at that floor, it will have little effect on the convenience of the user of interest. Accordingly, in steps S433 and S434, if the destination floor Fdt matches the destination floor Fd of the user of interest, it is excluded from counting the number of boarding and alighting N2.

[0116] On the other hand, if the group control device 3 determines in step S433 that there is a "no match," it can determine that the user of interest will not experience disembarking from the target robot Hk. In this case, the group control device 3 proceeds to step S435 without counting the number of boarding and disembarking cycles N2.

[0117] In this way, the group control device 3 determines whether the departure floor Fct of the target robot Hk matches any floor from the departure floor Fc of the target user (departure floor Fc indicated by the user call Xe(Jx)) to the floor immediately preceding the destination floor Fd of the target user (destination floor Fd indicated by the user call Xe(Jx)) (step S431), and whether the destination floor Fdt of the target robot Hk matches (step S433). Each time it is determined that they match, the number of boarding and alighting sessions N2 is counted (steps S432, S434). As a result, the number of times the target user will experience boarding or alighting from the target robot Hk is counted as the number of boarding and alighting sessions N2 that the target user will experience during one trip on the target elevator Gkw.

[0118] In step S435, the group control device 3 determines whether the number of boarding and alighting times N2 counted in steps S431 to S434 (first process) is less than or equal to a predetermined number Nt (determination (A)). As an example, the predetermined number Nt is set to Nt=1.

[0119] Then, if the group control device 3 determines in step S435 that "the predetermined number of times Nt is less than or equal to (Yes)", it proceeds to step S436 to perform a process (second process) to additionally count, if necessary (if there is a possibility that the user will experience boarding or alighting from other robots H), as the number of times the user will experience boarding or alighting from robot H during one trip in the target cage Gkw, which is determined as the number of times N2 the user will experience boarding or alighting from robot H.

[0120] On the other hand, if the group control device 3 determines in step S435 that "the number of calls is not less than or equal to the predetermined number Nt (No)", it can determine that assigning the landing call Xh (target call Xht) for the target robot Hk to the car Gkw of interest based on that determination would reduce the convenience of the elevator for the user of interest. In this case, the group control device 3 terminates the second selection process for the car Gkw of interest without proceeding to step S436 (i.e., without performing the second process). In other words, if the group control device 3 determines in step S435 that "the number of calls is not less than or equal to the predetermined number Nt (No)", it decides not to select the car Gkw of interest as an assignment candidate without performing the second process.

[0121] As described above, by the process in step S435, which is performed immediately after the processes in steps S431 to S434 (first process), if the number of times N2 (i.e., the number of times the user of interest experiences boarding or alighting from the target robot Hk) obtained in the first process exceeds a predetermined number Nt, the second selection process for the target car Gk at that time can be terminated without performing the second process, and the process can be moved on to the second selection process for another target car Gk. Therefore, unnecessary processing is reduced, and as a result, the processing speed when performing the second selection process for all target car Gk can be improved.

[0122] In step S436, the group control device 3 first determines whether the user of interest may experience boarding or alighting from other robots H, by checking whether the variable Mh2, which contains the total number of boarding and alighting floors Fe2(K) for those other robots H, satisfies Mh2 > 0.

[0123] If the group control device 3 determines that the condition is met (Yes) in step S436, it can determine that the user of interest may experience boarding or alighting from other robots H. In this case, the group control device 3 additionally counts the number of times the user of interest will experience boarding or alighting from other robots H (robots H other than the target robot Hk) as the number of times N2 the user of interest will experience boarding or alighting from robots H during one trip in the target cage Gkw (second process; see Figure 9).

[0124] Specifically, the group control device 3 first sets the variable Kx, which reads out the boarding / alighting floors Fe2(K) in list order, to Kx=1 (step S440).

[0125] After step S440, the group control device 3 determines whether the boarding / alighting floor Fe2(Kx) matches any of the floors from the departure floor Fc of the user of interest (the departure floor Fc indicated by the user call Xe(Jx)) to the floor immediately preceding the destination floor Fd of the user of interest (the destination floor Fd indicated by the user call Xe(Jx)) (step S441).

[0126] If the group control device 3 determines in step S441 that there is a "match (Yes)", it can then determine that the user of interest will experience boarding or alighting from robot H at boarding / alighting floor Fe2 (Kx). In this case, the group control device 3 counts one boarding / alighting as the number of boarding / alighting N2 (step S442), and then proceeds to step S443.

[0127] Here, if the boarding / alighting floor Fe2(Kx) matches the destination floor Fd of the user of interest, that floor is the user's disembarking floor, and therefore, even if robot H boards or alights at that floor, it will have little effect on the user's convenience. Accordingly, in steps S441 and S442, if the boarding / alighting floor Fe2(Kx) matches the destination floor Fd of the user of interest, it is excluded from counting the number of boarding / alighting N2.

[0128] On the other hand, if the group control device 3 determines in step S441 that there is a "no match," it can determine that the user of interest will not experience either boarding or alighting from robot H at boarding / alighting floor Fe2 (Kx). In this case, the group control device 3 proceeds to step S443 without counting the number of boarding / alighting N2.

[0129] In step S443, the group control device 3 increments the value of the variable Kx by one in order to advance the boarding / alighting floor Fe2(Kx) that should be the subject of the decision in step S441 to the next one in the list. Then, in order to determine whether the decision in step S441 has been made for all the boarding / alighting floors Fe2(K) listed, the group control device 3 determines whether the variable Kx satisfies Kx > Mh2 (step S444).

[0130] If the group management control device 3 determines in step S444 that the condition is "not met (No)", it repeatedly executes the processes in steps S441 to S444 (second process) until it can determine in step S444 that the condition is "met (Yes)". As a result, the number of times the user of interest gets on or off robot H (robot H other than the target robot Hk) is added to the count of the number of times the user of interest gets on or off robot H during one trip on the target cage Gkw, N2.

[0131] This series of processes allows the counting of the number of times a user of interest will board or alight robot H in the target elevator car Gkw to be divided into two processes: a first process (steps S431-S434) that counts the number of times the user of interest will experience boarding or alighting from the target robot Hk, and a second process (steps S441-S444) that counts the number of times the user of interest will experience boarding or alighting from other robots H. Furthermore, in the second process, the number of times the user of interest will experience boarding or alighting from other robots H in the target elevator car Gkw can be counted in a simple way by comparing the extracted boarding / alighting floor Fe2(K) of the robot H with the user of interest's travel section (the section from the user of interest's departure floor Fc to the floor immediately preceding the user's destination floor Fd).

[0132] Subsequently, if the group control device 3 determines in step S444 that the condition is met (No), it then determines whether the final number of boarding and alighting passengers N2 obtained by the processing in steps S441 to S444 (second processing) (i.e., the number of boarding and alighting passengers N2 obtained by the execution of the first and second processing) is less than or equal to a predetermined number Nt (step S445, determination (B)).

[0133] Then, if the group control device 3 determines in step S445 that "the predetermined number of times Nt is less than or equal to (Yes)", it can determine that even if it assigns a landing call Xh (target call Xht) for the target robot Hk to the car Gkw of interest, the maximum number of times N2 that the user of interest will experience getting on and off robot H (including both the target robot Hk and other robots H) in one ride in the car Gkw of interest will be at most the predetermined number Nt. In other words, the group control device 3 can determine that it is possible to maintain a high level of convenience for that user of interest. On the other hand, for other users riding in the same car Gkw of interest, the number of times N2 gets on and off is not necessarily less than or equal to the predetermined number Nt. Therefore, if the group control device 3 determines in step S445 that "the predetermined number of times Nt is less than or equal to (Yes)", it proceeds to step S437 to make the same determination for other users.

[0134] Furthermore, if the group control device 3 determines in step S436 that the condition is "not met (No)", it can determine that the user of interest will not experience boarding or alighting by other robots H. In other words, the group control device 3 can determine that it is possible to maintain a high level of convenience for that user of interest. On the other hand, even in this case, the number of boarding and alighting cycles N2 for other users riding in the same car Gkw of interest will not necessarily be less than or equal to the predetermined number Nt. Therefore, if the group control device 3 determines in step S436 that the condition is "not met (No)", it proceeds to step S437 without performing the processing in steps S440 to S445 (second processing).

[0135] On the other hand, if the group control device 3 determines in step S445 that "the number of calls is not less than or equal to the predetermined number Nt (No)", it can determine that assigning the landing call Xh (target call Xht) for the target robot Hk to the car Gkw of interest based on that determination would reduce the convenience of the elevator for at least the user of interest. In this case, the group control device 3 terminates the second selection process for the car Gkw of interest without making the same determination for other users as it did for the user of interest (i.e., without proceeding to step S437). In other words, if the group control device 3 determines in step S445 that "the number of calls is not less than or equal to the predetermined number Nt (No)", it decides not to select the car Gkw of interest as an assignment candidate.

[0136] In step S437, the group control device 3 increments the value of the variable Jx by one in order to advance the list of passenger boarding calls Xg (passenger calls Xe(Jx)) that should be counted for the number of boarding and alighting N2. Then, in order to determine whether the number of boarding and alighting N2 has been counted for all the passenger calls Xe(J) listed, the group control device 3 checks whether the variable Jx satisfies Jx > Mg (step S438).

[0137] If the group control device 3 determines in step S438 that the condition is "not met (No)", it repeatedly executes the process from step S430B until it determines in step S438 that the condition is "met (Yes)", or until it determines in step S435 or step S445 that the number of times is not less than or equal to the predetermined number (No).

[0138] Then, if the group control device 3 determines that "Yes" is met in step S438, it can determine that the number of times N2 boarding and alighting for any user in the car Gkw of interest was less than or equal to a predetermined number Nt. In other words, even if the group control device 3 assigns a landing call Xh (target call Xht) for the target robot Hk to the car Gkw of interest, it can determine that for any user in that car Gkw of interest, the maximum number of times N2 boarding and alighting for robot H (including both the target robot Hk and other robots H) that the user will experience in one trip will be at most a predetermined number Nt. For this reason, it can determine that the convenience of the elevator can be maintained at a high level for any user in that car Gkw of interest. Therefore, if the group control device 3 determines in step S438 that the condition is met (Yes), it adds the target cage Gkw to the list of assignment candidates for the target call Xht (step S439). After that, the group control device 3 terminates the second selection process for the target cage Gkw.

[0139] This second selection process allows the assignment of landing calls Xh (target calls Xht) for the target robot Hk to elevator cars G where the number of times N2 that any user will experience getting on and off robot H (including both the target robot Hk and other robots H) in a single ride will be at most a predetermined number of times Nt. This makes it possible to minimize the elevator usage time required for the user, even if the user has to experience getting on and off robot H. Therefore, even when robot H is allowed to ride the elevator with users, the convenience of the elevator for users can be maintained at a high level.

[0140] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, when the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd of other robots H are listed in step S423, those that are the same floor are grouped into a single boarding / alighting floor Fe2(K). With this processing, on floors where multiple robots H board or alight, the number of boarding / alighting sessions N2 can be counted as 1. This makes it possible to take advantage of the fact that even if the number of robots H increases, the opportunities for multiple robots H to board or alight on the same floor also increase, thereby creating a situation where elevator cars G with a boarding / alighting session N2 of less than or equal to a predetermined number Nt are more likely to appear.

[0141] [2] Variant [2-1] First variation In the embodiment described above, when the group control device 3 lists the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd of robot H in step S303 of the first sorting process (see Figure 6), it may not group together floors that are the same, but instead treat all of those floors as separate boarding / alighting floors Fe1(I). Also, when the group control device 3 lists the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd of robot H in step S423 of the second sorting process (see Figure 7), it may not group together floors that are the same, but instead treat all of those floors as separate boarding / alighting floors Fe2(K).

[0142] According to the first modification, on floors where multiple robots H board and alight, the number of boarding / alighting counts N1 or N2 can be the same as the number of robots H. In other words, it becomes possible to reflect the number of robots H boarding and alighting on the same floor in the boarding / alighting count N1 or N2. As a result, elevator cars G that would require users (target users in the first selection process) to experience multiple robots H boarding and alighting on the same floor can be excluded from the allocation, and as a result, the elevator usage time required for users (target users in the first selection process) can be shortened as much as possible. Therefore, the convenience of the elevator for those users (target users in the first selection process) can be maintained at a high level.

[0143] [2-2] Second variation In both the above-described embodiment and the first modified example, if the group control device 3 has performed the first selection process on all of the target cars Gk and has not found any car Gk whose number of boarding and alighting N1 is less than or equal to a predetermined number Nt, it may relax the predetermined number Nt and perform the first selection process again for each target car Gk. Specifically, if the group control device 3 determines in step S212 of the assignment process (see Figure 5) that it "could not be done (No)" and returns to step S211, it may relax the predetermined number Nt (for example, by adding "1" to the predetermined number Nt to make it the new predetermined number Nt) so that it can find an assignment candidate in the next step S211, and then return to step S211.

[0144] Furthermore, if the group control device 3 has performed the second selection process on all of the target cars Gk and has not found any car Gk whose number of boarding and alighting passengers N2 is less than or equal to a predetermined number Nt, it may relax the predetermined number Nt and perform the second selection process again for each target car Gk. Specifically, if the group control device 3 determines in step S222 of the assignment process (see Figure 5) that it "could not be done (No)" and returns to step S221, it may relax the predetermined number Nt (for example, by adding "1" to the predetermined number Nt to make it the new predetermined number Nt) so that it can find an assignment candidate in the next step S221, and then return to step S221.

[0145] If the number of robots H using the elevator increases, or if the number of elevator cars G equipped with the elevator is small, the opportunities for users and robots H to ride together increase, which can easily cause the number of boarding and alighting N1 and N2 for all elevator cars G to exceed a predetermined number Nt. Even in such cases, according to the second modification, by relaxing the predetermined number Nt, it becomes possible to reliably find the destination of the landing call X (in the first selection process, the destination of the landing call Xg (target call Xgs) for the target user, and in the second selection process, the destination of the landing call Xh (target call Xht) for the target robot Hk).

[0146] [2-3] Third variation In any of the embodiments, the first modification, and the second modification described above, when the group control device 3 assigns a landing call Xh (target call Xht) for the target robot Hk (see steps S220 to S224 in Figure 5), in step S221, it may extract as target car Gk any elevator car G from among the multiple elevator cars G that have not been assigned a landing call Xh for any robot H other than the target robot Hk (specifically, robot H that moves in the same direction as the target robot Hk), and then perform a second selection process for each of the target car Gk.

[0147] Specifically, the group control device 3 first extracts from among the elevator cars G that do not satisfy both of the following conditions: [3a] all of the landing calls X assigned to the elevator car G are landing calls Xh of robot H, and [3b] the destination direction Kz from the departure floor Fc to the destination floor Fd indicated by the landing call X matches the destination direction Kz of the target robot Hk (the direction in which the target robot Hk moves from the departure floor Fct to the destination floor Fdt). Then, for each extracted target car Gk, the group control device 3 performs a second selection process on that target car Gk (hereinafter referred to as "target car Gkw"). The details of the second selection process performed in this modified example will be explained below.

[0148] Figures 10 and 11 are flowcharts showing the second sorting process performed in the third modified example. In the third modified example, the group control device 3 also performs steps S401 to S403 and S410 in the same way as in the embodiment (see Figure 7) (see Figure 10). Subsequently, the group control device 3 sets the variable Jx for reading user calls Xe(J) in list order to Jx=1 (step S510A in Figure 11). The group control device 3 also sets the number of times N2 the user to whom the user call Xe(Jx) has been assigned (hereinafter referred to as the "target user") will experience getting on and off the robot H in one movement on the target cage Gkw to N2=0 (step S510B).

[0149] In this modified example, the target elevator car Gk is selected from elevator cars G that have not been assigned a boarding call Xh for robot H that moves in the same direction as the target robot Hk. Therefore, in this target elevator car Gk, the user of interest will not experience boarding or alighting from any robot H other than the target robot Hk.

[0150] Therefore, in this modified example, after step S510B, the group control device 3 counts only the number of times the user will experience boarding or alighting from the target robot Hk, assuming that a landing call Xh (target call Xht) for the target robot Hk has been assigned to the target car Gkw, as the number of times the user will experience boarding or alighting from the target robot Hk during one trip N2 in the target car Gkw. Specifically, the group control device 3 executes steps S431 to S434 in the same manner as in the embodiment (see Figure 8) (steps S521 to S524 in Figure 11).

[0151] Subsequently, the group control device 3 determines whether the number of boarding and alighting cycles N2 counted in steps S521 to S524 is less than or equal to a predetermined number Nt (step S525). As an example, the predetermined number Nt is set to Nt=1.

[0152] Then, if the group control device 3 determines in step S525 that "the predetermined number of times Nt is less than or equal to (Yes)", it can determine that even if it assigns a landing call Xh (target call Xht) for the target robot Hk to the car Gkw of interest, the maximum number of times N2 that the user of interest will experience getting on and off robot H (in this case, only the target robot Hk) in one ride in the car Gkw of interest will be at most the predetermined number Nt. In other words, the group control device 3 can determine that it is possible to maintain a high level of convenience for that user of interest. On the other hand, for other users riding in the same car Gkw of interest, the number of times N2 gets on and off will not necessarily be less than or equal to the predetermined number Nt. Therefore, if the group control device 3 determines in step S525 that "the predetermined number of times Nt is less than or equal to (Yes)", it proceeds to step S526 to make the same determination for other users.

[0153] In step S526, the group control device 3 increments the value of the variable Jx by one in order to advance the list of passenger boarding calls Xg (passenger calls Xe(Jx)) that should be counted for the number of boarding and alighting N2. Then, in order to determine whether the number of boarding and alighting N2 has been counted for all the passenger calls Xe(J) listed, the group control device 3 checks whether the variable Jx satisfies Jx > Mg (step S527).

[0154] If the group control device 3 determines in step S527 that the condition is "not met (No)", it repeatedly executes the process from step S510B until it determines in step S527 that the condition is "met (Yes)", or until it determines in step S525 that the number of times is not less than or equal to the predetermined number of times (No)".

[0155] Then, if the group control device 3 determines in step S527 that the condition is met (Yes), it can determine that for any user of interest in the car Gkw, the number of times N2 boarding and alighting was less than or equal to a predetermined number Nt. In other words, even if the group control device 3 assigns the landing call Xh (target call Xht) for the target robot Hk to the car Gkw, it can determine that for any user of interest in that car Gkw, the number of times N2 boarding and alighting of robot H (in this case, only the target robot Hk) that the user will experience in one trip will be at most a predetermined number Nt. For this reason, it can determine that the convenience of the elevator can be maintained at a high level for any user of interest in that car Gkw. Therefore, the group control device 3 adds the car Gkw to the list of candidates for assignment of target call Xht (step S528). Subsequently, the group control device 3 terminates the second sorting process for the target cage Gkw.

[0156] On the other hand, if the group control device 3 determines in step S525 that "the number of calls is not less than or equal to the predetermined number Nt (No)", it can determine that assigning the landing call Xh (target call Xht) for the target robot Hk to the car Gkw of interest based on that determination would reduce the convenience of the elevator for at least the user of interest. In this case, the group control device 3 terminates the second selection process for the car Gkw of interest without making the same determination for other users as it did for the user of interest (i.e., without proceeding to step S526). In other words, if the group control device 3 determines in step S525 that "the number of calls is not less than or equal to the predetermined number Nt (No)", it decides not to select the car Gkw of interest as an assignment candidate.

[0157] According to the third modification, it becomes possible to distribute the allocation of landing calls Xh for robots H to the elevator cars G while maintaining a high level of convenience for users. In other words, when multiple robots H use the elevator at the same time, it becomes possible to maintain a high level of convenience for users while preventing the imbalance of multiple robots H riding in the same elevator car G.

[0158] Furthermore, the number of times the robot H gets on or off, N2, only needs to be counted, which is the number of times the user of interest will experience getting on or off the target robot Hk. In other words, the process of counting the number of times the robot H gets on or off, N2, only needs to be performed as described in the first process (steps S431 to S434).

[0159] Furthermore, the second selection process of this modified example (Figures 10 and 11) can also be applied to the second selection process (see step S221 in Figure 5) when there is only one robot H using the elevator and the landing call Xh is assigned to that robot H as the target robot Hk.

[0160] [2-4] Other variations In the embodiments described above and the first to third modifications, the predetermined number of cycles Nt is not limited to being set to Nt=1, but may also be set to a value greater than 1, or to Nt=0. Furthermore, the value of the predetermined number of cycles Nt may be changed depending on the time of day or the frequency of elevator use (congestion level). For example, the predetermined number of cycles Nt may be set to Nt=0 during off-peak hours, and to Nt=1 during peak hours.

[0161] The above-described embodiments and modifications should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, rather than by the above-described embodiments and modifications. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0162] From the embodiments and modifications described above, the subject matter of the invention may not be limited to the group control device 3, but may also be individually extracted from control processes (including control methods corresponding to said control processes) or programs executed by the group control device 3. Furthermore, the subject matter of the invention may also be individually extracted from the elevator described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0163] 1. Destination Floor Registration Device 2. Robot management device 3. Group Control System G Car H Robot I, J, K List Numbers X boarding area call Y Calling 21, 31 Storage section 22, 32 Control Unit Dp Robot Management Data Dq Assignment Request Management Data Dr. Device Management Data Dt Assignment Management Data FC Departure Floor Fd Destination Floor Fs installation floor Fx Deployment Floor Fy Destination Floor Gk Target Basket Hk Target Robot Kz destination direction Number of boarding and alighting for N1 and N2 Nt predetermined number of times Pd device information Pg Shopping Cart Information Ph Robot Information Pi identification information Pj attribute information Xe User Call Xg, Xh boarding area call Yg, Yh, call Fcs, Fct Departure Floor Fds, Fdt Destination Floor Fe1, Fe2 boarding / alighting floors Gkw Focus Basket Pr1, Pr2 Received Information Xgs, Xht target call

Claims

1. This is a control device that assigns landing calls to elevator cars. An elevator control device that, when assigning a landing call for a target user, selects all or some of the multiple elevator cars equipped with the elevator as target cars, counts the number of times a robot boards or alights at any floor from the target user's departure floor to the floor immediately preceding the target user's destination floor for each target car, and then performs a selection process to select the target cars whose number of boarding and alighting counts is less than or equal to a predetermined number as candidates for assigning a landing call for the target user.

2. The elevator control device according to claim 1, wherein the selection process extracts the departure floor and destination floor of the robot assigned to the landing call for that target car as the boarding and alighting floors for each target car, and for each boarding and alighting floor, it is determined whether it matches any of the floors from the target user's departure floor to the floor immediately preceding the target user's destination floor, and if it is determined that they match, the number of boarding and alighting is counted.

3. The elevator control device according to claim 2, wherein when extracting the departure floor and destination floor of the robot for each of the aforementioned target elevator cars, those that are the same floor are extracted together as a single boarding / alighting floor.

4. The elevator control device according to claim 2, wherein when extracting the departure floor and destination floor of the robot for each of the aforementioned target elevator cars, floors that are the same are not grouped together, but all of those floors are extracted as separate boarding and alighting floors.

5. An elevator control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, as a result of performing the sorting process on all of the target cars, if it is not possible to find any of the target cars whose number of boarding and alighting is less than or equal to the predetermined number, the predetermined number is relaxed and the sorting process is performed again for each of the target cars.

6. This is a control method for assigning landing calls to elevator cars. An elevator control method for assigning a landing call to a target user, wherein all or some of the multiple elevator cars provided by the elevator are designated as target cars, and for each target car, the number of times a robot boards or alights at any floor from the target user's departure floor to the floor immediately preceding the target user's destination floor is counted, and a selection process is performed to select the target cars whose number of boarding and alighting is less than or equal to a predetermined number as candidates for assigning a landing call to the target user.

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