Autonomous flying object, elevator inspection system, elevator inspection method and program

Abstract

To perform efficient inspection work by using an autonomous flying object without stopping the operation of an elevator. [Solution] An autonomous air vehicle in an embodiment is equipped with an inspection unit that performs inspection work within a hoistway in an elevator where a car that users can board can move up and down, and a control unit that, when it receives a notice of a platform call and the current position of the car from the autonomous air vehicle management server, moves the autonomous air vehicle evacuated to a floor to which the car will not move based on the current position of the car, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, the floor where the platform call was made, and the destination direction in the platform call, and when it receives a notice of a destination floor call and the current position of the car from the autonomous air vehicle management server, moves the autonomous air vehicle evacuated to a floor to which the car will not move based on the current position of the car, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, and the destination floor in the destination floor call.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an autonomous flying vehicle, an elevator inspection system, and an elevator inspection method and program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, elevator inspection work has been carried out by inspection workers visiting the elevator on-site, but for visual inspection items, an alternative method has been considered, using imaging devices such as cameras fixed inside the elevator. When installing cameras above and below the elevator car or inside the elevator shaft to inspect the inside of the elevator shaft, there are cases where it is difficult to inspect places that are difficult to see due to the large number of blind spots. As an alternative method for inspecting places that are difficult to see due to such blind spots, an inspection method using an autonomous flying object such as a drone has been considered.

[0003] In the inspection method using an autonomous flying object, there is a concern that the autonomous flying object may come into contact with an obstacle during flight, but there are two ways to avoid the contact: by equipping the autonomous flying object with a sensor to detect the object, or by detecting a marker installed on the movement path to avoid the object. However, both technologies are based on the premise that the surrounding objects are stationary. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6494701 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2023-70120 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in order to use such an inspection technology using an autonomous flying vehicle for elevator inspection work, it is difficult to fly the autonomous flying vehicle during elevator service hours, so the elevator operation needs to be stopped for maintenance and inspection. For this reason, it is desirable to perform efficient inspection work using an autonomous flying vehicle without stopping the elevator operation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An autonomous air vehicle of an embodiment is an autonomous air vehicle capable of inspecting an elevator, and includes an imaging unit, a communication unit capable of wireless communication with an autonomous air vehicle management server that manages the autonomous air vehicle, and an inspection unit that performs inspection work within a hoistway in the elevator in which a car that a user can board can move up and down. When the communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice of a platform call, which is an operation performed to cause the car heading in either an up or down direction to arrive at the platform from the user at the platform where the car is waiting to arrive, and a current position of the car, the communication unit displays the current position of the car and a previous a control unit that, when the communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice of a destination floor call, which is an operation performed by a user in the car to direct the car to a desired destination floor, and the current position of the car, causes the autonomous air vehicle to evacuate to a floor to which the car will not move, based on the current position of the car, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, and the destination floor in the destination floor call. When the communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a message that the elevator car that a user can board is on the top floor, the inspection unit inspects from the lowest floor in the hoistway in which the elevator car can move up and down to a floor one floor below the top floor, and when the communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a message that a platform call has been made, the control unit evacuates the autonomous air vehicle to a floor at least two floors below the floor where the platform call was made if the destination direction of the platform call is downward. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of an elevator inspection system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2]FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control panel according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server in the elevator cloud according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a server in a drone cloud in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the drone according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of an elevator inspection process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a detailed procedure of the inspection process by the drone according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a detailed procedure of the evacuation movement processing of the drone according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of how inspection item markers and evacuation markers are attached in a hoistway according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of drone movement based on inspection item markers and evacuation markers in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a detailed procedure of the return process of the drone according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the movement of the drone in the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the movement of the drone in the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of an elevator inspection process by a drone according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a detailed procedure of the evacuation movement processing of the drone according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of setting the evacuation marker according to the second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of evacuation and return of a drone in the second embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which the drone according to the second embodiment has been evacuated. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example in which the drone according to the second embodiment retreats to an area off the moving path of the car and returns to the moving path of the car after the car has passed. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a detailed procedure of the drone return process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of installation of evacuation markers according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. (First embodiment) 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an elevator inspection system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the elevator inspection system 1 of this embodiment mainly includes a control panel 100 provided in an elevator 600, a controller 150 provided in the elevator 600, a control room 160 provided in the elevator 600, a server 210 in an elevator cloud 200, a server 510 in a drone cloud 500, and a monitoring center 400.

[0009] In this embodiment, one elevator 600 is installed in a building 7 such as an office building or an apartment building. The elevator 600 includes a car 50 in each hoistway 20. In addition, a hoist 2 and a counterweight 3 are also included in the hoistway 20. The car 50 and the counterweight 3 are each supported so as to be able to rise and fall on a pair of guide rails (not shown) that are erected in the hoistway 20, and move up and down via a rope.

[0010] The car 50 is capable of carrying users (including robots, etc.). The elevator shaft 20 is a space in which the car 50 can move up and down.

[0011] An operation panel 4A is provided on the inner wall surface of the car 50. The operation panel 4A receives various operations from users and issues various notifications to the car 50. The operation panel 4A is provided with push buttons, non-contact sensors, speakers, liquid crystal display units, and the like (none of which are shown) for specifying a destination floor and opening and closing the door of the car 50. The operation panel 4A is also connected to the control panel 100 by wire or wirelessly. A destination floor call is sent to the control panel 100 when a user presses a destination floor push button or when detected by a non-contact sensor.

[0012] Here, the destination floor call is an operation performed by a user in the elevator 50 to move the elevator 50 to a desired destination floor. The destination floor call includes the destination floor. The operation panel 4A is an example of a second operation panel. The car 50 may also be provided with a camera, a load sensor, and the like.

[0013] 1 shows an example of an elevator 600 in which a car 50 can move up and down a hoistway 20 from the first floor to the fifth floor. However, the number of floors is not limited to this. Each floor is provided with a landing where users can wait for the car to arrive.

[0014] An operation panel 4B is provided on the wall where the elevator doors are located at each floor. The operation panel 4B receives various operations from users and issues various notifications to the car 50. The operation panel 4B is provided with push buttons, non-contact sensors, speakers, liquid crystal display units, and the like (none of which are shown) for specifying the destination direction (upward or downward) and for opening and closing the door of the car 50. The operation panel 4B is also connected to the control panel 100 by wire or wirelessly. A platform call is sent to the control panel 100 when a user presses a destination direction push button or when a non-contact sensor detects a destination.

[0015] Here, the platform call is an operation performed by a user at a platform to make a car 50 heading in either the up or down direction arrive at the platform. The platform call includes the destination direction and the floor at which the platform call was made. The operation panel 4B is an example of a first operation panel.

[0016] A control panel 100 and a controller 150 are provided inside the elevator shaft 20. The control panel 100 is connected wirelessly or by wire to an operation panel 4A provided in the car 50 and an operation panel 4B provided at the landing.

[0017] The control panel 100 controls the operation of the car 50 in the elevator 600. The control panel 100 is connected to the controller 150 by wire or wirelessly.

[0018] The controller 150 is connected to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 via a network. The controller 150 is an intermediary device that controls communication between the control panel 100 and the server 210 and has an interface function and a hub function for intermediating various signals exchanged between the control panel 100 and the server 210. The control panel 100 will be described in detail later.

[0019] A drone antenna 21 is provided at the top of the elevator shaft 20. The drone antenna 21 is a device that transmits and receives radio waves via wireless communication with the server of the drone cloud 500 and with the drone 300 flying inside the elevator shaft 20.

[0020] Inspection item markers 45 and evacuation markers 23 are affixed to multiple locations in the elevator shaft 20. The inspection item marker 45 indicates information about an inspection item in the inspection work of the elevator 600 by the drone 300. Specifically, the inspection item marker 45 is composed of a two-dimensional barcode, and the two-dimensional barcode includes information on the current position of the drone 300 (i.e., the position where the inspection item marker 45 is affixed), the content of the inspection item, and the moving direction and distance to the next inspection item marker 45. The inspection item marker 45 is an example of inspection item information.

[0021] The inspection item markers 45 are affixed to the following locations: hoist 2, brake, main rope 5, main sheave, control panel 100, governor, limit switch, hall door, guide rail, bracket, guide shoe, roller, oiler, floor landing switch, car sheave, car upper area, counterweight 3, tail cord, emergency stop device, tensioner, pit, and buffer, which are the main inspection items of elevator 600. The inspection item markers 45 are affixed to the main inspection items, but if affixing is difficult, they should be affixed near each inspection item.

[0022] The drone 300 described below searches for these inspection item markers 45 while flying, and the two-dimensional barcodes of the searched inspection item markers 45 are scanned and analyzed, making it possible to carry out the inspection items.

[0023] The evacuation marker 23 indicates information regarding the evacuation location of the drone 300 when the car 50 moves. Specifically, the evacuation marker 23 is configured as a two-dimensional barcode, and the two-dimensional barcode includes information on the current position of the drone 300 (i.e., the position where the evacuation marker 23 is affixed), the moving direction and distance to the next evacuation marker 23, and the moving direction and distance to the inspection item marker 45. The evacuation marker 23 is an example of evacuation information.

[0024] The evacuation markers 23 are affixed to the car 50 on its travel path and on the travel path of the counterweight 3b. The evacuation markers 23 are affixed to the car 50 on its travel path at a position slightly below the floor level at the top of the elevator shaft 20 in order to avoid contact between the drone 300 and the car 50 due to the car 50 moving up and down, and to minimize the distance traveled up and down by the drone 300 when it is evacuated.

[0025] The drone 300 searches for these evacuation markers 23 while flying, and then scans and analyzes the two-dimensional barcodes of the found evacuation markers 23, enabling evacuation movement.

[0026] A charger 22 is provided at the bottom inside the elevator shaft 20. The charger 22 is connected to a charging unit 305 (see FIG. 5 ) of the drone 300, which will be described later, and charges the drone 300.

[0027] The manager of the building 7 is seated in the control room 160 and issues various instructions to the control panel 100. The manager of the control room 160 also receives various instructions by e-mail or the like from the control panel 100 via a PC or terminal device.

[0028] The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 instructs the control panel 100 to perform various controls on the car 50 of the elevator 600 via the controller 150, and receives various requests and various data from the control panel 100 via the controller 150. The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 is connected to a monitoring center 400 (an in-house server) and a server 510 in the drone cloud 500 via a network. The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 is an example of an elevator management device.

[0029] An in-house server (not shown) is installed in the monitoring center 400. The in-house server is a server installed in an affiliated company of the elevator 600, and collects information required for maintenance management and remote monitoring of the elevator 600 from the elevator 600. With this, when a malfunction occurs in the elevator 600, a maintenance person can deal with the malfunction by referring to the information required for maintenance management collected in the in-house server of the monitoring center 400. In addition, when a function or service is executed through the elevator cloud 200, the in-house server of the monitoring center 400 can be accessed as necessary to refer to building and elevator information, or the maintenance person can obtain information required for elevator management.

[0030] In addition, the in-house server of the monitoring center 400 transmits various instructions to the drone 300 via wireless communication.

[0031] The server 510 of the drone cloud 500 receives various requests and various data from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200. The server 510 of the drone cloud 500 is connected to multiple drones 300 in the elevator 600 via a network, and transmits various instructions to each of the multiple drones 300. The server 510 of the drone cloud 500 is an example of an autonomous air vehicle management server. The server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 and the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 will be described in detail later.

[0032] The drone 300 is a radio-controlled aircraft, and includes various types and sizes of drones for entertainment, aerial photography, transporting luggage, etc. The drone 300 also includes drones that perform visual flight (manual flight) based on images acquired from an on-board imaging unit 306, and drones that automatically fly to a destination according to a program. The drone 300 is an example of a Shiratsu flying vehicle. Details of the drone 300 will be described later.

[0033] The number of elevators is not limited to one, and multiple elevators may be installed in the building 7. Therefore, the number of elevator shafts 20, cars 50, control panels 100, and controllers 150 also changes depending on the number of elevators 600.

[0034] Next, the control panel 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the control board 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0035] The control panel 100 is an example of an elevator control device. The control panel 100 has a typical computer configuration, and mainly includes a control unit 101, a communication unit 102, and a storage unit 110, as shown in FIG.

[0036] The storage unit 110 is a storage medium (that is, a memory device) such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage unit 110 stores various control programs and the like.

[0037] The control unit 101 is composed of a hardware processor (CPU: Central Processing Unit). The control unit 101 reads out and executes various control programs from the storage unit 110, thereby controlling the operation of the elevator 600. Here, major functions required for the operation control of the elevator 600 include, for example, a function for registering hall calls and destination floor calls, a function for controlling the drive of the hoist 2 and controlling the up and down movement of the car 50 based on hall calls and destination floor calls, a safety function for controlling the speed of the car 50, a function for controlling the opening and closing of the doors of the car 50, a function for controlling the lighting of the car 50, and the like.

[0038] The communication unit 102 is made up of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the control panel 100 and the controller 150. In addition, the communication unit 102 transmits and receives various instructions and notifications to and from a mobile terminal or PC of the manager of the control room 160.

[0039] In this embodiment, when a platform call is made to the operating panel 4B installed at the platform, the communication unit 102 receives the platform call and transmits the received platform call and the current position of the car 50 to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150.

[0040] In addition, when a destination floor call is made by a user to the operation panel 4A installed in the elevator 50, the communication unit 102 receives the destination floor call and transmits the received destination floor call and the current position of the elevator 50 to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200. The communication unit 102 is an example of a first communication unit.

[0041] Next, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 will be described. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 according to the first embodiment. The server 210 mainly includes a control unit 211, a communication unit 212, and a storage unit 220 as a typical computer configuration.

[0042] The storage unit 220 is a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM, a RAM, etc. The storage unit 220 stores various control programs.

[0043] The control unit 211 is composed of a hardware processor (CPU). The control unit 211 issues various control instructions to the control board 100 via the controller 150.

[0044] The communication unit 212 consists of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the server 210 and the control panel 100 via the controller 150, as well as communication processing between the server 210 and the server 510 in the drone cloud 500.

[0045] In this embodiment, when a hall call is made at the hall of the elevator 600 from the control panel 100 via the controller 150, the communication unit 212 receives the hall call and the current position of the car 50. When the communication unit 212 receives the hall call and the current position of the car 50, it transmits the received hall call and the current position of the car 50 to the server 510 of the drone cloud 500.

[0046] In addition, when a destination floor call is made in the car 50 of the elevator 600 from the control panel 100 via the controller 150, the communication unit 212 receives the destination floor call and the current position of the car 50. When the communication unit 212 receives the destination floor call and the current position of the car 50, it transmits the received destination floor call and the current position of the car 50 to the server 510 of the drone cloud 500.

[0047] Next, the server 510 in the drone cloud 500 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server 510 in the drone cloud 500 in the first embodiment. Server 510 mainly includes a control unit 511, a communication unit 512, and a storage unit 520 as a typical computer configuration.

[0048] The storage unit 520 is a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM, a RAM, etc. In the storage unit 520, various control programs 325 are stored. The control unit 511 is configured with a hardware processor (CPU). The control unit 511 controls various processes related to the drone 300.

[0049] The communication unit 512 is composed of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the server 510 and the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200, and communication processing between the server 510 and the drone 300.

[0050] In this embodiment, the communication unit 512 receives a platform call and a current position of the car from the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200. When the communication unit 512 receives the platform call and the current position of the car, the communication unit 512 transmits to the drone 300 a notice that there is a platform call and the current position of the car 50.

[0051] In addition, the communication unit 512 receives a destination floor call and a current position of the elevator from the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200. When the communication unit 512 receives the destination floor call and the current position of the elevator, the communication unit 512 transmits to the drone 300 a message indicating that there is a destination floor call and the current position of the elevator 50.

[0052] Next, the drone 300 will be described. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the drone 300 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the drone 300 mainly includes an imaging unit 306, a sound collecting unit 307, a temperature detecting unit 308, an antenna 301, a communication unit 312, an inspection unit 302, a control unit 311, a driving unit 303, a storage unit 320, a battery 304, and a charging unit 305.

[0053] The imaging unit 306 is a camera or the like that captures images of the surroundings of the drone 300, and stores the captured images in the storage unit 320. The sound collection unit 307 is a microphone or the like that collects sounds from the surroundings of the drone 300, and stores the collected sound data in the storage unit 320. The temperature detection unit 308 is a temperature sensor or thermometer that detects the temperature around the drone 300, and stores the detected temperature in the storage unit 320.

[0054] The antenna 301 is a device that is responsible for transmitting and receiving radio waves via wireless communication with the drone antenna 21 inside the elevator 600.

[0055] The communication unit 312 is composed of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing with the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 via the antenna 301 and the drone antenna 21 in the elevator 600. The communication unit 312 of this embodiment receives from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 information on the elevator 600 that there has been a call for a landing, a call for a destination floor, and the current position of the elevator car 50.

[0056] The storage unit 320 is a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM, a RAM, etc. The storage unit 220 stores various control programs.

[0057] The drive unit 303 is controlled by the control unit 311 and drives the flight of the drone 300. The battery 304 is a storage battery. The charging unit 305 is a terminal that can be connected to the charger 22 in the elevator 20. When the battery 304 is connected to the charger 22, the battery 304 is charged.

[0058] The inspection unit 302 performs inspection work in the elevator shaft where the car that users can ride in can move up and down in the elevator 600. In this embodiment, the inspection unit 302 inspects the elevator shaft 20 from the lowest floor to the floor one floor below the top floor when the communication unit 312 receives from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 that the current position of the car 50 is on the top floor.

[0059] Examples of inspection processes performed by the inspection unit 302 include inspection of the hoist 2, brakes, main ropes 5, main sheaves, control panel 100, governors, limit switches, hall doors, guide rails, brackets, guide shoes, rollers, oilers, floor-landing switches, car sheaves, car upper sections, counterweights 3, tail cords, emergency stop devices, tensioners, pits, buffers, etc. However, the inspection items are not limited to these.

[0060] Here, the inspection unit 302 searches for inspection item markers 45 provided at multiple locations within the hoistway 20 using the imaging unit 306, and performs the inspection work based on information about the searched inspection item markers 45.

[0061] When the communication unit 312 receives from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 a notice that there has been a platform call and the current location of the car 50, the control unit 311 controls the drive unit 303 based on the current location of the car 50, the current location of the drone 300, the floor where the platform call was made, and the destination direction of the platform call, to evacuate the drone 300 to a floor to which the car 50 will not move.

[0062] When the communication unit 312 receives from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 a notification that there has been a destination floor call and the current position of the elevator 50, the control unit 311 controls the drive unit 303 based on the current position of the elevator 50, the current position of the drone 300, and the destination floor in the destination floor call, and causes the drone 300 to evacuate to a floor to which the elevator 50 will not move.

[0063] When the communication unit 312 receives from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 a notice that there has been a platform call and the current location of the car 50, if the destination direction of the platform call is downward, the control unit 311 controls the drive unit 303 to evacuate the drone 300 to a floor at least two floors below the floor where the platform call was made.

[0064] The control unit 311 further controls the drive unit 303 to evacuate the drone 300 to a floor at least one floor lower than the destination floor when the communication unit 312 receives from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 a notice of a downward platform call and then receives a notice of a destination floor call, and the destination floor is a floor lower than the floor where the platform call was made (i.e., the current floor of the car 50).

[0065] When the communication unit 312 receives from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 a notice that there has been a platform call and the current location of the car 50, if the destination direction of the platform call is an upward direction, the control unit 311 controls the drive unit 303 to evacuate the drone 300 to a floor at least one floor below the floor where the platform call was made.

[0066] When the communication unit 312 receives from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 a notice of an upward platform call and then receives a notice of a destination floor call, the control unit 311 does not evacuate the drone if the destination floor is a floor higher than the floor where the platform call was made (i.e., the current floor of the car 50).

[0067] Here, the control unit 311 searches for evacuation markers 23 provided at multiple locations within the elevator shaft 20 using the imaging unit 306, and causes the drone 300 to move evacuation based on the information of the searched evacuation markers 23.

[0068] Next, the elevator inspection process according to the present embodiment configured as above will be described.

[0069] Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of an elevator inspection process according to the first embodiment. In Fig. 6, the operation of the car 50 is also explained.

[0070] First, the drone 300 moves to the bottom of the elevator shaft 20 and starts inspecting the elevator 600 (S11). Then, in the drone 300, the communication unit 312 receives the current position of the elevator car 50 from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500, and the control unit 311 confirms the current position of the elevator car 50 (S12).

[0071] If the current location of the elevator 50 is on any floor between the first floor and the (top floor-1) floor (S12: waiting at 1~(top floor-1)), the drone 300 waits until the elevator 50 moves to the top floor (S13).

[0072] In S12, if the current position of the car 50 is the top floor (SS12: wait at the top floor), the communication unit 312 receives a flight command from the monitoring center 400 (S14). Then, in the drone 300, the control unit 311 controls the drive unit 303 to start flying (S15). Then, the inspection unit 302 starts inspecting the bottom of the elevator shaft 20 (S16).

[0073] When the inspection of the bottom is completed (S17), the drone 300 moves upward by one floor under the control of the drive unit 303 by the control unit 311 (S18). Then, the inspection unit 302 starts the inspection of the first floor. The drone 300 repeatedly performs such an inspection work while ascending one floor at a time. Then, during the inspection, for example, after the inspection of the top floor to the first floor (S19), the control unit 311 determines whether the communication unit 312 has received a call from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 to inform the user that there has been a call for a boarding area (S20). If no call for a boarding area has been received (S21: No), the process proceeds to S36.

[0074] In S36, the inspection unit 302 completes the inspection of the top floor to the first floor (S36). Then, the drone 300 controls the driving unit 303 by the control unit 311 to return to the bottom (S37), and the process ends.

[0075] In S20, when the communication unit 312 receives a notice that there is a hall call (S21: Yes), the following two cases are considered.

[0076] In the first case, when a call for a platform is made on the Nth floor (where N is an integer equal to or greater than 1) and the destination direction is downward (S20: Nth floor, downward), the drone 300 retreats to the N-2th floor (S22). Then, the car 50 moves to the Nth floor (S23). Next, the control unit 311 of the drone 300 determines whether the communication unit 312 has received a destination floor call from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 (S24). If a destination floor call has not been received (S24: No), the drone 300 waits for a destination floor call to be received.

[0077] When a destination floor call is received and the destination floor is the N-1 floor, that is, when the floor is to be descended by one floor (S24: N-1 floor (1 floor descent)), the drone 300 waits on the N-2 floor (S25). Then, the elevator 50 moves to the N-1 floor (S26). Then, the process proceeds to S27.

[0078] In S24, when a destination floor call is received and the destination floor is the N-2 floor, that is, when the floor is to be descended by two floors (S24: N-2 floor (descend two floors)), the drone 300 moves to the N-3 floor and waits (S29). Then, the elevator 50 moves to the N-2 floor (S30). Then, the process proceeds to S27.

[0079] In S27, when the use of the elevator 600 is completed (S27), the car 50 moves to the top floor (S28). Then, the drone 30 moves to the top floor - 1 floor and resumes the inspection (S29). Then, the process proceeds to S36.

[0080] In S20, when the communication unit 312 receives a notice that there has been a platform call (S21: Yes), the second case is when the platform call is made on the Nth floor (where N is an integer greater than or equal to 1) and the destination direction is upward (S20: Nth floor, upward), the drone 300 retreats to the N-1th floor (S31).

[0081] Then, the elevator car 50 moves to the Nth floor (S32). Next, the control unit 311 of the drone 300 determines whether the communication unit 312 has received a destination floor call from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 (S33). If the communication unit 312 has not received a destination floor call (S33: No), the control unit 311 waits for a destination floor call.

[0082] When a destination floor call is received and the destination floor is the N+1 floor, that is, when the floor is to be raised by one floor (S33: N+1 floor (1 floor down)), the drone 300 waits at the current position, the N-1 floor (S34). Then, the elevator 50 moves to the N+1 floor (S235). Then, the process proceeds to S27.

[0083] Next, the inspection process in S16 will be described in detail. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a detailed procedure of the inspection process by the drone 300 according to the first embodiment.

[0084] First, the inspection unit 302 of the drone 300 receives an instruction to start inspection from the monitoring center 400 (S51). In the drone 300, the imaging unit 306 searches for the inspection item marker 45 in the hoistway 20 (S52).

[0085] 9 is a diagram showing an example of affixing the inspection item marker 45 and the evacuation marker 23 in the elevator shaft 20 according to the first embodiment. The drone 300 searches for the inspection item marker 45 shown in the example of FIG.

[0086] Then, when the imaging unit 306 detects the inspection item marker 45 (S53), the drone 300 controls the driving unit 303 by the control unit 311 to move toward the inspection item marker 45 (S54). Then, the inspection unit 302 starts the inspection (S55).

[0087] When the inspection is completed (S56), the drone 300 searches for the next inspection item marker 45 in the hoistway 20 using the imaging unit 306 (S57). Then, when the imaging unit 306 detects an inspection item marker 45 (S58), the above-mentioned processes of S54 to S56 are repeatedly executed each time an inspection item marker 45 is detected. Then, when the processes for all inspection item markers 45 are completed (S59), the process returns to the call source.

[0088] Next, the details of the save movement process in S22 of FIG. 6 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a detailed procedure of the evacuation movement processing of the drone 300 according to the first embodiment.

[0089] In the drone 300, the imaging unit 306 searches for the evacuation marker 23 on the N-1 floor (S72). Then, when the imaging unit 306 detects the evacuation marker 23 on the N-1 floor (S73), the drone 300 controls the driving unit 303 by the control unit 311 to start moving toward the evacuation marker 23 on the N-1 floor (S74).

[0090] When the drone 300 completes moving to the N-1 floor (S75), the imaging unit 306 searches for the evacuation marker 23 on the N-2 floor (S76). The drone 300 searches for the evacuation marker 23 shown in the example of FIG.

[0091] Then, when the imaging unit 306 detects the evacuation marker 23 on the N-2 floor (S77), the drone 300 controls the drive unit 303 via the control unit 311 to start moving toward the evacuation marker 23 on the N-2 floor (S78).

[0092] Then, when the drone 300 completes its movement to the N-2 floor (S79), it returns to the caller. It should be noted that evacuation movement is also performed in S31 of Fig. 6, and this processing is also performed in the same procedure as in Fig. 8. However, in this case, the processing returns after evacuation movement from the Nth floor to the N-1th floor.

[0093] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the movement of the drone 300 based on the inspection item markers 45 and the evacuation markers 23 in the first embodiment. Fig. 10(a) shows an example of the installation of the inspection item markers 45 and the evacuation markers 23 in the hoistway 20. Fig. 10(b) shows the movement path of the drone 300 based on the inspection item markers 45 and the evacuation markers 23 in the hoistway 20.

[0094] 10(a), the inspection item markers 45 are affixed from the bottom to the top of the elevator shaft 20, and the evacuation marker 23 is affixed to the bottom. In this case, the drone 300 moves from the bottom to the top according to the inspection item markers 45 as shown in FIG. 10(b), and inspects the elevator shaft 20, and finally evacuates to the bottom based on the evacuation marker 23.

[0095] Next, the recovery process of the drone 300 in S29 of FIG. 6 will be described in detail. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a detailed procedure of the return process of the drone 300 according to the first embodiment.

[0096] In the drone 300, the imaging unit 306 searches for the evacuation marker 23 on the second to top floor (S92). Then, when the imaging unit 306 detects the evacuation marker 23 on the second to top floor (S93), the drone 300 controls the driving unit 303 by the control unit 311 to start moving toward the evacuation marker 23 on the second to top floor (S94).

[0097] When the drone 300 completes its movement from the top floor to the second floor (S95), the imaging unit 306 searches for the evacuation marker 23 on the top floor to the first floor (S96).

[0098] Then, when the imaging unit 306 detects the evacuation marker 23 on the top floor - 1st floor (S97), the drone 300 controls the drive unit 303 via the control unit 311 to start moving toward the evacuation marker 23 on the top floor - 1st floor (S98).

[0099] Then, when the drone 300 completes its movement from the top floor to the first floor (S99), it returns to the caller.

[0100] Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the movement of the drone 300 in the first embodiment. In Fig. 12, a case is considered in which the top floor is the fifth floor and the initial position of the car 50 is on the fifth floor.

[0101] In such a case, the drone 300 ascends after inspecting from the first floor to the fourth floor. Then, consider a case where a call for a platform with a destination direction of downward is made at the fourth floor. In this case, the drone 300 descends to the second floor, and then the elevator car 50 lands on the fourth floor.

[0102] After that, suppose that a destination floor call is made for the car 50 that the user boarded on the 4th floor, with the destination floor being the 3rd floor. In this case, the drone 300 remains on standby on the 2nd floor, and the car 50 moves to the 3rd floor. After the user gets off on the 3rd floor and finishes using the elevator 600, the car 50 moves to the top floor, the 5th floor, and the drone 300 rises to the 4th floor and resumes the inspection. The above is due to the execution of the processes in S21, S21 to S29 in FIG. 6.

[0103] Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the movement of the drone 300 in the first embodiment. In Fig. 13, a case is considered in which the top floor is the fifth floor and the initial position of the car 50 is on the fifth floor.

[0104] In such a case, the drone 300 ascends after inspecting from the first floor to the fourth floor. Then, consider a case where a call for a platform with an upward destination is made at the fourth floor. In this case, the drone 300 descends to the third floor, and then the elevator car 50 lands on the fourth floor.

[0105] After that, suppose that a destination floor call is made for the fifth floor in the car 50 in which the user boarded on the fourth floor. In this case, the drone 300 waits on the third floor, and the car 50 moves to the fifth floor, which is the destination floor. After the user gets off on the fifth floor and finishes using the elevator 600, the drone 300 rises to the fourth floor and resumes the inspection. The above is due to the execution of the processes from S21, and S31 to S35 in FIG. 6.

[0106] Thus, in this embodiment, when the communication unit 312 of the control unit 311 of the drone 300 of the elevator inspection system 1 receives from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 a notice of a floor call and the current position of the car 50, the control unit 311 controls the drive unit 303 based on the current position of the car 50, the current position of the drone 300, the floor where the floor call was made, and the destination direction in the floor call to move the drone 300 to a floor where the car 50 does not move. Also, in this embodiment, when the communication unit 312 of the control unit 311 of the drone 300 of the elevator inspection system 1 receives from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 a notice of a floor call and the current position of the car 50, the control unit 303 controls the drive unit 303 based on the current position of the car 50, the current position of the drone 300, and the destination floor in the destination floor call to move the drone 300 to a floor where the car 50 does not move.

[0107] Therefore, according to this embodiment, when the car 50 moves up and down within the elevator shaft 20 in response to a hall call or a destination floor call, the drone 300 performing inspection processing within the elevator shaft 20 is evacuated to a floor to which the car 50 is not moving, so that efficient inspection work can be performed using the drone 300 without stopping the operation of the elevator 600.

[0108] In addition, in this embodiment, when the communication unit 312 of the drone 300 of the elevator inspection system 1 receives from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 a notice that there has been a platform call and the current position of the car 50, if the destination direction of the platform call is downward, the control unit 311 controls the drive unit 303 to evacuate the drone 300 to a floor at least two floors below the floor where the platform call was made.

[0109] Therefore, according to this embodiment, when the car 50 moves downward within the elevator shaft 20 from the floor where the hall call was made in response to a hall call whose destination floor direction is downward, the drone 300 performing the inspection process within the elevator shaft 20 is evacuated to a floor at least two floors below the floor where the hall call was made, as this is a floor to which the car 50 will not move. Therefore, efficient inspection work can be performed using the drone 300 without stopping the operation of the elevator 600.

[0110] In addition, in this embodiment, when the communication unit 312 of the drone 300 of the elevator inspection system 1 receives from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 a notice that there has been a downward platform call and then receives a notice that there has been a destination floor call, if the destination floor is a floor lower than the floor where the platform call was made (i.e., the current floor of the car 500), the control unit 311 controls the drive unit 303 to evacuate the drone 300 to a floor at least one floor lower than the destination floor.

[0111] Therefore, according to this embodiment, if, after a downward platform call, there is a destination floor call from the car 50 at the platform whose destination floor is lower than the current floor of the car 50, the drone 300 undergoing inspection processing in the elevator shaft 20 is evacuated and moved to a floor at least one floor lower than the destination floor, as this is a floor to which the car 50 will not move, so that efficient inspection work can be performed using the drone 300 without stopping the operation of the elevator 600.

[0112] In addition, in this embodiment, when the communication unit 312 of the drone 300 of the elevator inspection system 1 receives from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 a notice that there has been a platform call and the current position of the car 50, if the destination direction of the platform call is an upward direction, the control unit 311 of the drone 300 controls the drive unit 303 to evacuate the drone 300 to a floor at least one floor below the floor where the platform call was made.

[0113] Therefore, according to this embodiment, when the car 50 moves upward within the elevator shaft 20 from the floor where the hall call was made in response to a hall call whose destination floor direction is upward, the drone 300 performing the inspection process within the elevator shaft 20 is evacuated to a floor at least one floor below the floor where the hall call was made, as this is a floor to which the car 50 will not move, so that efficient inspection work can be performed using the drone 300 without stopping the operation of the elevator 600.

[0114] In addition, in this embodiment, when the communication unit 312 of the drone 300 of the elevator inspection system 1 receives from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 a notice that there has been an upward platform call and then receives a notice that there has been a destination floor call, if the destination floor is a floor higher than the floor where the platform call was made (i.e., the current floor of the car 500), the control unit 311 of the drone 300 of the elevator inspection system 1 does not evacuate the drone.

[0115] Therefore, according to this embodiment, if, after an upward platform call, there is a destination floor call from the car 50 at the platform whose destination floor is higher than the current floor of the car 50, the drone 300 performing inspection processing in the elevator shaft 20 will not evacuate because the current floor is not a floor to which the car 50 will move, and therefore efficient inspection work can be performed using the drone 300 without stopping the operation of the elevator 600.

[0116] Furthermore, in this embodiment, inspection item markers 45 indicating inspection items are provided at multiple locations within the hoistway 20 of the elevator 600 of the elevator inspection system 1, and the inspection unit 302 of the drone 300 searches for the inspection item markers 45 using the imaging unit 306 and performs the inspection work based on the searched inspection item markers 45. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the drone 300 only needs to perform the inspection work according to the inspection item markers 45, so that the drone 300 can be used to perform more efficient inspection work without stopping the operation of the elevator 600.

[0117] In this embodiment, an evacuation marker 23 indicating an evacuation location is provided in the hoistway 20 of the elevator 600 of the elevator inspection system 1, and the control unit 311 of the drone 300 searches for the evacuation marker 23 using the imaging unit 306 and causes the autonomous air vehicle to evacuate based on the evacuation information searched for. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the drone 300 only needs to evacuate according to the evacuation marker 23, so that more efficient inspection work can be performed using the drone 300 without stopping the operation of the elevator 600.

[0118] Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, when the elevator car 50 moves, the drone 300 is evacuated to a floor where the elevator car 50 is not moving, but in this second embodiment, the drone 300 is evacuated to an area outside the movement path of the elevator car 50.

[0119] The configurations of the elevator inspection system 1, control panel 100, server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, server 510 of the drone cloud 500, and drone 300 in this embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0120] The drone 300 of this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the following points. The inspection unit 302 is capable of inspecting the elevator shaft 20 from the lowest floor to the top floor. When the communication unit 312 receives from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 a notice that there has been a platform call or a destination floor call, the control unit 311 moves the drone 300 to an area outside the movement path of the car 50 within the elevator shaft 20 based on the current position of the car 50, the current position of the drone 300, the floor where the platform call was made, and the destination direction in the platform call, or the current position of the car, the current position of the drone 300, and the destination floor in the destination floor call.

[0121] In this embodiment, the evacuation marker 23 is installed in an area outside the moving path of the car 50. Specifically, the evacuation marker 23 is affixed on the counterweight 3 or in the vicinity of the counterweight 3 that is in the area outside the moving path.

[0122] Next, the elevator inspection process in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for an elevator inspection process by the drone 300 according to the second embodiment.

[0123] First, the drone 300 moves to the bottom of the elevator shaft 20 and starts inspecting the elevator 600 (S101), and then, in the drone 300, the inspection unit 302 starts inspecting the top floor to the first floor (S102). When the inspection of the top floor to the first floor is completed (S103), the drone 300 drives the drive unit 303 by the control unit 311, and retreats to a position off the moving path of the car 50 (S104).

[0124] When the car 50 descends from the top floor to the second floor below the top floor (S105), the drone 300 returns to the moving path of the car 50 (S106). Then, the drone 300 rises one floor (S107). Next, in the drone 300, the inspection unit 302 starts inspecting the top floor (S108). When the inspection of the top floor is completed (S109), the drone 300 returns to the bottom of the elevator shaft 20 in the reverse order to the above, and ends the inspection process (S110).

[0125] Next, the save process in S104 of FIG. 14 will be described. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a detailed procedure of the evacuation movement processing of the drone 300 according to the second embodiment.

[0126] In the drone 300, the imaging unit 306 searches for the evacuation marker 23 on the counterweight 3 (S121). Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of installation of the evacuation marker 23 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 16, in this embodiment, the evacuation marker 23 is affixed on the counterweight 3 and in the vicinity of the counterweight 3. In this embodiment, the imaging unit 306 searches for the evacuation marker 23 shown in the example of Fig. 16.

[0127] When the imaging unit 306 detects the evacuation marker 23 on the counterweight 3 (S122), the drone 300 controls the driving unit 303 by the control unit 311 to start moving toward the evacuation marker 23 on the counterweight 3 (S123). When the movement is completed (S124), the process returns to the source of the readout.

[0128] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of the evacuation and return of the drone 300 in the second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the drone 300 according to the second embodiment has been evacuated.

[0129] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example in which the drone 300 in the second embodiment retreats to an area off the moving path of the car 50, and returns to the moving path of the car 50 after the car 50 has passed.

[0130] 15, as shown in the left side of FIG. 17 and the left side of FIG. 19, the drone 300 moves to evacuate according to the evacuation marker 23 of the counterweight 3 set in an area outside the moving path of the car 50. Then, the drone 300 hovers and waits on the path of the counterweight 3 as shown in FIG. 18.

[0131] Next, the return process of the drone 300 in S106 of FIG. 14 will be described. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of a detailed procedure of the return process of the drone 300 according to the second embodiment.

[0132] In the drone 300, the imaging unit 306 searches for the inspection item marker 45 on the top floor - 1st floor (S131). When the imaging unit 306 detects the inspection item marker 45 on the top floor - 1st floor (S132), the drone 300 controls the driving unit 303 by the control unit 311 to start moving toward the inspection item marker 45 on the top floor - 1st floor (S133). When the movement is completed (S134), the process returns to the readout source.

[0133] By this return process of Figure 19, as shown on the right side of Figure 17 and the right side of Figure 19, the drone 300 will return to the movement path of the elevator 50 in accordance with the inspection item marker 45 set on the movement path of the elevator 50.

[0134] Thus, in this embodiment, the inspection unit 302 of the drone 300 of the elevator inspection system 1 inspects from the lowest floor to the highest floor in the elevator shaft 20, and when the communication unit 312 receives a notice of a landing call or a destination floor call from the server 510 of the drone cloud 500, the control unit 311 moves the drone 300 to an area outside the moving path of the elevator car 50 in the elevator shaft 20 based on the current position of the elevator car 50, the current position of the drone 300, the floor where the landing call was made, the destination direction in the landing call, or the current position of the elevator car 50, the current position of the drone 300, and the destination floor in the destination floor call. Specifically, the control unit 311 moves the drone 300 to an area outside the moving path of the elevator car 50 in the elevator shaft 20, on the counterweight 3 or near the counterweight 3. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the drone 300 is evacuated to an area outside the movement path of the car 50, so that inspection work can be performed more efficiently using the drone 300 without stopping the operation of the elevator 600.

[0135] (Modification) In the second embodiment, the evacuation marker 23 was set on or near the counterweight 3, but the evacuation marker 23 may be placed anywhere in an area outside the movement path of the car 50.

[0136] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of installation of the evacuation marker 23 according to a modified example. As shown in Fig. 21, the evacuation marker 23 can be installed on a rail bracket 47 provided in an area off the moving path of the car 50. This makes it possible for the drone 300 to land on the rail bracket 47, which is an area off the moving path of the car 50, and evacuate.

[0137] According to this modification, the same effects as those of the second embodiment are achieved.

[0138] The control panel 100, the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, and the server 510 of the drone cloud 500 in the above embodiments and variations are equipped with a control device such as a CPU, a storage device such as a ROM or RAM, an external storage device such as a hard disc drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD) or a CD drive device, a display device such as a display device, and input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and are configured as hardware using a conventional computer.

[0139] The drone 300 according to the above embodiment and modified example has a hardware configuration including a control device such as a CPU, a storage device such as a ROM or RAM, an external storage device such as an HDD, SSD, or CD drive device, a display device such as a display device, and an input device such as an operation button.

[0140] The elevator inspection program executed by the drone 300 according to the above embodiment and modified example is provided in a state that it is pre-installed in a ROM or the like.

[0141] The elevator inspection program executed by the drone 300 in the above embodiments and modified examples may be configured to be provided by recording it on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) in an installable or executable format file.

[0142] Furthermore, the elevator inspection program executed by the drone 300 according to the above embodiment and modified examples may be configured to be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Also, the elevator inspection program executed by the drone 300 according to the above embodiment and modified examples may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0143] The elevator inspection program executed by the drone 300 in the above-mentioned embodiment and modified example has a modular structure including each of the above-mentioned units (communication unit 312, inspection unit 302, control unit 311), and in terms of actual hardware, the CPU (processor) reads out the elevator inspection program from the above-mentioned ROM and executes it, thereby loading each of the above-mentioned units onto the main memory device, and the communication unit 312, inspection unit 302, and control unit 311 are generated on the main memory device.

[0144] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0145] 1...Elevator inspection system, 2...Hoist, 3...Counterweight, 4A, 4B...Operation panel, 5...Rope, 7...Building, 20...Hoistway, 22...Charger, 23...Evacuation marker (evacuation information), 45...Inspection item marker (inspection item information), 47...Rail bracket, 50...Car, 100...Control panel (elevator control device), 101, 211, 311, 511...Control unit, 102, 212, 3 12,512...Communication unit, 110,220,320,520...Memory unit, 160...Control room, 200...Elevator cloud, 210,310...Server, 300...Drone (autonomous flying object), 301...Antenna, 302...Inspection unit, 303...Drive unit, 304...Battery, 305...Charging unit, 306...Imaging unit, 307...Sound collection unit, 308...Temperature detection unit, 500...Drone cloud, 600...Elevator.

Claims

1. An autonomous flying object capable of inspecting an elevator, An imaging unit; A communication unit capable of wireless communication with an autonomous air vehicle management server that manages the autonomous air vehicle; An inspection unit that performs an inspection work in a hoistway in which a car in which a user can ride can move up and down in the elevator; a control unit that, when the communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice of a platform call, which is an operation performed by a user at a platform where the elevator is waiting for the arrival of the platform to cause the platform to arrive at the platform, based on the current position of the platform, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, the floor where the platform call was made, and the destination direction in the platform call, when the communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice of a platform call, which is an operation performed by a user in the platform to cause the platform to arrive at the platform, based on the current position of the platform, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, and the destination floor in the destination floor call, when the communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice of a platform call, which is an operation performed by a user in the platform to cause the platform to arrive at the platform, based on the current position of the platform, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, and the destination floor in the destination floor call, when the communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice of a platform call, which is an operation performed by a user in the platform to cause the platform to arrive at the platform, based on the current position of the platform, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, and the destination floor in the destination floor call, When the communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server information that a car in the elevator that a user can board is on the top floor, the inspection unit inspects from the bottom floor to a floor one floor below the top floor in a hoistway in which the car of the elevator can move up and down; When the communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice that the platform call has been made, if the destination direction of the platform call is a downward direction, the control unit causes the autonomous air vehicle to evacuate to a floor at least two floors below the floor where the platform call was made. Autonomous flying vehicle.

2. The control unit further causes the autonomous air vehicle to retreat to a floor at least one floor lower than the destination floor when the communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notification that the destination floor call has been made and the destination floor is a floor lower than the floor at which the hall call was made. The autonomous air vehicle of claim 1 .

3. When the communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server information that a car in the elevator that a user can board is on the top floor, the inspection unit inspects from the bottom floor to a floor one floor below the top floor in a hoistway in which the car of the elevator can move up and down; When the communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice that the platform call has been made, if the destination direction of the platform call is an upward direction, the control unit causes the autonomous air vehicle to evacuate to a floor at least one floor lower than the floor where the platform call was made. The autonomous air vehicle of claim 1 .

4. The control unit further includes, when the communication unit receives from the autonomous aircraft management server a notification that the destination floor call has been made, if the destination floor is a floor higher than the floor at which the hall call was made, not causing the autonomous aircraft to evacuate. The autonomous air vehicle of claim 3.

5. The inspection unit inspects the elevator shaft from the lowest floor to the highest floor, When the communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice that the hall call or the destination floor call has been made, the control unit causes the autonomous air vehicle to retreat to an area in the elevator shaft that is off the path of movement of the car based on the current position of the car, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, the floor where the hall call was made, and the destination direction in the hall call, or based on the current position of the car, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, and the destination floor in the destination floor call. The autonomous air vehicle of claim 1 .

6. The inspection unit searches for inspection item information indicating inspection items provided at a plurality of locations in the elevator shaft by the imaging unit, and performs inspection work based on the searched inspection item information. An autonomous flying object according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The control unit searches for evacuation information indicating evacuation locations provided at a plurality of locations in the elevator shaft using the imaging unit, and causes the autonomous flying vehicle to evacuate based on the searched evacuation information. The autonomous air vehicle of claim 6.

8. An elevator inspection system comprising: an elevator control device that controls an elevator; an elevator management server that is connected to the elevator control device via a network and manages the elevator; an autonomous air vehicle capable of inspecting the elevator; and an autonomous air vehicle management server that is connected to the elevator management server via a network, is capable of wireless communication with the autonomous air vehicle, and manages the autonomous air vehicle; The elevator control device includes: a first communication unit which, when a hall call is made to a first operation panel provided at a hall where the elevator waits for the arrival of a car that the user can board, in order to cause the car heading in either an up or down direction to arrive at the hall, receives the hall call and transmits the received hall call and the current position of the car to the elevator management server, and which, when a destination floor call is made to a second operation panel provided in the car, in order to cause the car to head to a desired destination floor, receives the destination floor call and transmits the received destination floor call and the current position of the car to the elevator management server, The elevator control server includes: a second communication unit that, when receiving the hall call and the current position of the car from the elevator control device, transmits the received hall call and the current position of the car to the autonomous air vehicle management server, and, when receiving the destination floor call and the current position of the car from the elevator control device, transmits the received destination floor call and the current position of the car to the autonomous air vehicle management server; The autonomous air vehicle management server includes: a third communication unit that, when receiving the hall call and the current position of the car from the elevator management server, transmits to the autonomous air vehicle a notice of the presence of the hall call and the current position of the car, and, when receiving the destination floor call and the current position of the car from the elevator management server, transmits to the autonomous air vehicle a notice of the presence of the destination floor call and the current position of the car; The autonomous flying vehicle, An imaging unit; A fourth communication unit capable of wireless communication with an autonomous air vehicle management server that manages the autonomous air vehicle; An inspection unit that performs an inspection work in a hoistway in which a car in which a user can ride can move up and down in the elevator; a control unit that, when the fourth communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice of the presence of the platform call and the current position of the elevator, evacuates the autonomous air vehicle to a floor to which the elevator will not move based on the current position of the elevator, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, the floor where the platform call was made, and the destination direction in the platform call, and when the fourth communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice of the presence of the platform call and the current position of the elevator, evacuates the autonomous air vehicle to a floor to which the elevator will not move based on the current position of the elevator, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, and the destination floor in the destination floor call, When the fourth communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server information that a car in the elevator that a user can board is on the top floor, the inspection unit inspects from the bottom floor to a floor one floor below the top floor in a hoistway in which the car of the elevator can move up and down; When the fourth communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice that the platform call has been made, if the destination direction of the platform call is a downward direction, the control unit causes the autonomous air vehicle to evacuate to a floor at least two floors below the floor where the platform call was made. Elevator inspection system.

9. When the fourth communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice of a downward hall call and then a notice of a destination floor call, if the destination floor is a floor lower than the floor where the hall call was made, the control unit causes the autonomous air vehicle to evacuate to a floor at least one floor lower than the destination floor.

9. The elevator inspection system of claim 8.

10. When the fourth communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server information that a car in the elevator that a user can board is on the top floor, the inspection unit inspects from the bottom floor to a floor one floor below the top floor in a hoistway in which the car of the elevator can move up and down; When the fourth communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice that the platform call has been made, if the destination direction of the platform call is an upward direction, the control unit causes the autonomous air vehicle to evacuate to a floor at least one floor lower than the floor where the platform call was made.

9. The elevator inspection system of claim 8.

11. The control unit, when the fourth communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice of an upward hall call and then a notice of a destination floor call, does not evacuate the autonomous air vehicle if the destination floor is a floor higher than the floor at which the hall call was made. The elevator inspection system of claim 10.

12. The inspection unit inspects the elevator shaft from the lowest floor to the highest floor, When the fourth communication unit receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice that the hall call or the destination floor call has been made, the control unit moves the autonomous air vehicle to an area in the elevator shaft that is off the path of movement of the car based on the current position of the car, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, the floor where the hall call was made, and the destination direction in the hall call, or based on the current position of the car, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, and the destination floor in the destination floor call.

9. The elevator inspection system of claim 8.

13. Inspection item information indicating inspection items is provided at a plurality of locations within the elevator shaft, The inspection unit searches for the inspection item information by the imaging unit, and performs an inspection work based on the searched inspection item information. An elevator inspection system according to any one of claims 8 to 12.

14. In the elevator, evacuation information indicating an evacuation location is provided, The control unit searches for the evacuation information using the imaging unit, and causes the autonomous flying object to evacuate based on the searched evacuation information.

14. The elevator inspection system of claim 13.

15. An elevator inspection method executed in an elevator inspection system including an elevator control device that controls an elevator, an elevator management server that is connected to the elevator control device via a network and manages the elevator, an autonomous air vehicle capable of inspecting the elevator, and an autonomous air vehicle management server that is connected to the elevator management server via a network, is capable of wireless communication with the autonomous air vehicle, and manages the autonomous air vehicle, the elevator control device, when a hall call is made, which is an operation performed by the user on a first operation panel provided at a hall where the elevator waits for the arrival of a car that the user can board in order to cause the car heading in either an up or down direction to arrive at the hall, receiving the hall call and transmitting the received hall call and the current position of the car to the elevator management server, and when a destination floor call is made, which is an operation performed by the user on a second operation panel provided in the car in order to cause the car to head to a desired destination floor, receiving the destination floor call and transmitting the received destination floor call and the current position of the car to the elevator management server; a step in which, when the elevator management server receives the hall call and the current position of the car from the elevator control device, the elevator management server transmits the received hall call and the current position of the car to the autonomous air vehicle management server, and, when the elevator management server receives the destination floor call and the current position of the car from the elevator control device, the elevator management server transmits the received destination floor call and the current position of the car to the autonomous air vehicle management server; a step in which, when the autonomous air vehicle management server receives the hall call and the current position of the car from the elevator management server, the autonomous air vehicle management server transmits to the autonomous air vehicle information about the received hall call and the current position of the car, and, when the autonomous air vehicle management server receives the destination floor call and the current position of the car from the elevator management server, the autonomous air vehicle information about the received destination floor call and the current position of the car; The autonomous air vehicle wirelessly communicates with the autonomous air vehicle management server; an inspection step in which the autonomous flying object performs an inspection operation within a hoistway in the elevator, in which a car in which a user can ride can move up and down; a control step of, when the autonomous air vehicle receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice of the presence of the hall call and the current position of the car, evacuating the autonomous air vehicle to a floor to which the car will not move based on the current position of the car, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, the floor where the hall call was made, and the destination direction in the hall call; and, when the autonomous air vehicle receives from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice of the presence of the hall call and the current position of the car, evacuating the autonomous air vehicle to a floor to which the car will not move based on the current position of the car, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, and the destination floor in the destination floor call, the inspection step, when receiving from the autonomous air vehicle management server information that a car in which a user can board in the elevator is on the top floor, inspects a hoistway in which the car of the elevator can move up and down from the bottom floor to a floor one floor below the top floor, The control step includes, when receiving a notice of the presence of the platform call from the autonomous air vehicle management server, and when the destination direction of the platform call is a downward direction, moving the autonomous air vehicle to a floor at least two floors below the floor where the platform call was made. Elevator inspection methods.

16. A program to be executed by a computer of an autonomous flying object capable of inspecting an elevator, The autonomous flying object includes an imaging unit, wirelessly communicating with an autonomous air vehicle management server that manages the autonomous air vehicle; An inspection step of performing an inspection work in a hoistway in which a car in which a user can ride can move up and down in the elevator; a control step of, when receiving from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice of a platform call, which is an operation performed by a user at a platform where the elevator is waiting for the arrival of the platform, to cause the platform to arrive at the platform with the platform being headed in either an up or down direction, and the current position of the platform call, moving the autonomous air vehicle evacuated to a floor to which the platform will not move, based on the current position of the platform, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, the floor where the platform call was made, and the destination direction in the platform call; and, when receiving from the autonomous air vehicle management server a notice of a destination floor call, which is an operation performed by a user in the platform to cause the platform to head the platform to a desired destination floor, and the current position of the platform call, moving the autonomous air vehicle evacuated to a floor to which the platform will not move, based on the current position of the platform, the current position of the autonomous air vehicle, and the destination floor in the destination floor call, the inspection step, when receiving from the autonomous air vehicle management server information that a car in which a user can board in the elevator is on the top floor, inspects a hoistway in which the car of the elevator can move up and down from the bottom floor to a floor one floor below the top floor, The control step includes, when receiving a notice of the presence of the platform call from the autonomous air vehicle management server, and when the destination direction of the platform call is a downward direction, moving the autonomous air vehicle to a floor at least two floors below the floor where the platform call was made. program.

Images