Elevator Autonomous Mobile Communication System

Abstract

To restore an autonomous moving body that has come off its wheels when a passenger gets on or off a car. [Solution] In an embodiment of the elevator autonomous mobile body interconnection system, when the control panel receives a call from the first server for an autonomous mobile body to use the elevator, it causes the car to respond to the call, and when the car arrives at the landing in response to the call, it opens the door, and if the autonomous mobile body fails to board or alight from the car, it creates a step between the floor of the car and the floor of the landing to restore the autonomous mobile body, and the second server has a memory unit that stores first information related to the structure of the autonomous mobile body, and if the autonomous mobile body is successfully restored, it links second information related to the restoration operation of the autonomous mobile body by the control panel to the first information related to the autonomous mobile body to be restored and stores it in the memory unit.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an elevator autonomous mobile body cooperation system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, in elevator systems, autonomous mobile bodies such as robots are moved to different floors in a building to perform various tasks. As a result, there are cases in which some kind of trouble occurs in the autonomous mobile bodies.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an elevator system that can detect the state of a cleaning robot that unmannedly cleans a designated floor by issuing an alarm when an abnormality occurs in the cleaning robot. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-137650 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the technology of Patent Document 1, after detecting an alarm, the autonomous moving body needs to be restored or removed by a worker or other person. As an example, when getting on or off the car, the wheels may get stuck in the gap between the floor of the car and the floor of the platform, causing the robot to derail. In such a case, it is desirable to be able to restore the autonomous moving body without the need for a worker's response.

[0006] The problem that this embodiment aims to solve is to provide an elevator-autonomous mobile body cooperation system that is capable of recovering an autonomous mobile body that has derailed when passengers get on or off the elevator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An elevator autonomous mobile body cooperation system according to an embodiment includes an autonomous mobile body capable of moving autonomously, a first server that manages the autonomous mobile body, a second server that manages an elevator and is capable of communicating with the first server, and a control panel that is configured to be able to control a car of the elevator and is capable of communicating with the first server via the second server. When the autonomous mobile body receives a call from the first server for using the elevator, the control panel causes the car to respond to the call, and opens the door of the car that has arrived at a landing in response to the call. If the autonomous mobile body fails to board or disembark from the car, the control panel creates a step between the floor of the car and the floor of the landing to restore the autonomous mobile body. The second server has a memory unit that stores first information related to a structure of the autonomous mobile body. When the autonomous mobile body is successfully restored, second information related to the restoration operation of the autonomous mobile body by the control panel is linked to the first information related to the autonomous mobile body to be restored and stored in the memory unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of an elevator / robot cooperation system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a detailed configuration of the elevator system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a detailed configuration of a server in a robot cloud according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a detailed configuration of the robot according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cooperative operation between the elevator system and the robot in the elevator / robot cooperative system according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cooperative operation between the elevator system and the robot in the elevator / robot cooperative system according to the embodiment. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cooperative operation between the elevator system and the robot in the elevator / robot cooperative system according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sequence of cooperative operations between the elevator system and the robot in the elevator / robot cooperative system according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cooperative operation between an elevator system and a robot in the elevator / robot cooperative system according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cooperative operation between the elevator system and the robot in the elevator / robot cooperative system according to the embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cooperative operation between an elevator system and a robot in the elevator / robot cooperative system according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a cooperative operation between the elevator system and the robot in the elevator / robot cooperative system according to the embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a procedure of a process for recovering from a runaway of a robot by the elevator system according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a process performed by the elevator system according to the first modification of the embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a process for recovering from a runaway of a robot by the elevator system according to the second modification of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] (Overall configuration of elevator / robot cooperation system) FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of an elevator / robot cooperation system 1 according to an embodiment.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, an elevator / robot cooperation system 1 of the embodiment includes an elevator system 2, a plurality of robot clouds 300 (300a, 300b, 300c, . . . ), and a robot 500.

[0011] The elevator system 2 includes cars 50 (50a, 50b), a control panel 100 (100a, 100b), a controller 150 (150a, 150b), and an elevator cloud 200. Although two cars 50 are shown in FIG. 1, the number of cars 50 is not limited to this, and the elevator system 2 may include, for example, three or more cars. In this case, the control panel 100 and the controller 150 are provided for each car 50.

[0012] The configuration including the control panel 100, the controller 150, and the elevator cloud 200 may be referred to as an elevator control system 2B.

[0013] An elevator system 2 according to the embodiment is installed in a building 3 having a plurality of floors, such as an office building or an apartment building. More specifically, the elevator system 2 includes corresponding cars 50, control panels 100, and controllers 150 in hoistways 30 (30a, 30b) provided in the building 3. In addition, a rope for driving the cars 50, a hoist, a counterweight, and the like are provided in the hoistway 30.

[0014] Each car 50 is provided with a door 53 that opens and closes in conjunction with a door 63 at the landing 60, and can accommodate elevator users as well as robots 500. The car 50 moves up and down in the elevator shaft 30, allowing the transport of users and robots 500 between different floors.

[0015] The control panel 100 is connected wirelessly or by wire to the rope, hoist, and counterweight that drive the car 50 to be controlled, as well as the door 53 provided on the car 50, and controls each of these parts to operate the car 50 to be controlled. The control panel 100 is also connected wirelessly or by wire to the controller 150.

[0016] The controller 150 is connected to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 via a network. As a result, the controller 150 controls communication between the corresponding control panel 100 and the server 210, and mediates various signals between the control panel 100 and the server 210. In this way, the controller 150 is an intermediary device having an interface function for mediating signals between the control panel 100 and the server 210, and a hub function.

[0017] The elevator cloud 200 is a computer system located on a cloud, including a server 210, etc. The elevator cloud 200 may include one or more computers having physical components such as a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM).

[0018] The server 210 instructs the corresponding control panel 100 to perform various controls on each part of the car 50 to be operated, and receives various requests and various data from the control panel 100. These exchanges between the server 210 and the control panel 100 are performed via the controller 150 corresponding to the control panel 100. The server 210 is also connected to each of the servers 310 of the multiple robot clouds 300 via a network.

[0019] Each of the robot clouds 300a, 300b, 300c, etc. is a computer system placed on a cloud, including the servers 310a, 310b, 310c, etc. Each of the robot clouds 300 may include one or more computers having physical components such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM.

[0020] Each of these robot clouds 300 manages and controls at least one or more robots 500. These robots 500 are grouped, for example, by different model, and one robot cloud 300 is assigned to each different model.

[0021] The server 310 receives various requests and various data from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200. The server 310 is connected to the corresponding robot 500 in the building 3 via a network, and transmits various instructions to the robot 500. When the robot 500 is to be moved to a different floor, the server 310 calls the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to have the robot 500 use an elevator.

[0022] The calls made by the server 310 to the server 210 include a platform call and a destination floor call. A platform call is an operation for calling the car 50 at the platform 60 at a specific floor, and in the case of a general user, the platform call is made by, for example, a platform call button (not shown) provided at the platform 60. A destination floor call is an operation for directing the car 50 carrying the robot 500 to a desired floor, and in the case of a general user, the destination floor call is made by, for example, a destination floor call button (not shown) provided in the car 50.

[0023] In this way, in the elevator / robot collaboration system 1, the servers 210, 310 provided in the elevator cloud 200 and the robot cloud 300, respectively, are connected via a network, making it possible to control the elevator system 2 and the robot 500 in collaboration with each other.

[0024] The elevator / robot cooperation system 1 is an example of an elevator autonomous mobile object cooperation system that cooperates with a robot 500 as an autonomous mobile object. The server 310 in the robot cloud 300 is an example of a first server that manages the robot 500, and the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 is an example of a second server that manages the elevator.

[0025] The robot 500 as an autonomous mobile body moves autonomously within the building 3 while receiving instructions from the server 310 of the corresponding robot cloud 300 among the multiple robot clouds 300, and performs various tasks within the building 3, such as deliveries or cleaning.

[0026] (Example of the components of an elevator / robot cooperation system) Next, a detailed configuration example of the elevator system 2, the server 310 in the robot cloud 300, and the robot 500 included in the elevator / robot cooperation system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a detailed configuration of the elevator system 2 according to the embodiment.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, the elevator system 2 includes a car 50 (50a, 50b), ropes 6 (6a, 6b), counterweights 7 (7a, 7b) attached to the ropes 6, and hoists 8 (8a, 8b) for winding up the ropes 6, located within a hoistway 30 (see FIG. 1).

[0029] Each car 50 is connected to a counterweight 7 via a rope 6. The rope 6 is fed by driving a hoist 8, so that the car 50 ascends and descends in the hoistway 30 while balancing with the counterweight 7. In addition, doors 53 (53a, 53b) are provided on the front side of each car 50, that is, on the boarding / alighting side of the car 50.

[0030] The control panel 100a included in the elevator control system 2B and used to operate the car 50a includes a control unit 101a, a transmission / reception unit 102a, and a storage unit 104a. The control panel 100b used to operate the car 50b also includes components corresponding to these. The following description will be given taking the components of the control panel 100a as an example.

[0031] The control unit 101a is a hardware processor such as a CPU. The control unit 101a reads out and executes a control program from the storage unit 104a to control the operation of the car 50a and cooperate with the robot 500. The cooperation between the control panel 100a and the robot 500 is performed, for example, via the controller 150a, the elevator cloud 200, and the above-mentioned robot cloud 300 (see FIG. 1).

[0032] The transmitting / receiving unit 102a is made up of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs processing for transmitting and receiving information between the control board 100a and the controller 150a.

[0033] The storage unit 104a is, for example, a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM or a RAM, etc. The storage unit 104a stores control parameters and control programs used for various functions of the control board 100a.

[0034] The controller 150a included in the elevator control system 2B and corresponding to the control panel 100a includes a control unit 151a, a transmission / reception unit 152a, and a storage unit 154a. The controller 150b corresponding to the control panel 100b also includes configurations corresponding to these. The following description will be given taking the configuration of the controller 150a as an example.

[0035] The control unit 151a is a hardware processor such as a CPU, and mainly controls the operation of the transmission / reception unit 152a.

[0036] The transmission / reception unit 152a is composed of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the control panel 100a and the controller 150a, and communication processing between the controller 150a and the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200. For example, when the transmission / reception unit 152a receives an operation signal transmitted from the control panel 100a, it transmits the operation signal to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200.

[0037] The storage unit 154a is, for example, a storage medium such as a ROM or a RAM, etc. The storage unit 154a stores control parameters and control programs used for various functions of the controller 150a.

[0038] As described above, the elevator cloud 200 included in the elevator control system 2B includes the server 210. The server 210 includes a control unit 211, transmission / reception units 212 (212a, 212b, 212c, . . .), 213, and a storage unit 214.

[0039] The control unit 211 is a hardware processor such as a CPU. The control unit 211 performs overall management of the elevator system 2 and cooperates with the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 by reading and executing a control program and the like from the storage unit 214.

[0040] As an example of such cooperation, the control unit 211 receives a call for the robot 500 to use an elevator from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300. The call is then transmitted from the control unit 211 to a corresponding control panel 100 via one of the controllers 150, and a response is made by the target car 50 under the control of the control panel 100.

[0041] As another example of the above-mentioned cooperation, when the control unit 211 receives a signal from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 indicating that the robot 500 has failed to get on or off the car 50, the control unit 211 instructs the control panel 100 corresponding to the car 50 to cause the car 50 to perform an operation for recovering the robot 500. The recovery operation of the robot 500 by the car 50 will be described in detail later.

[0042] Each of the transmission / reception units 212 (212a, 212b, 212c, . . .) is composed of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the server 210 and the servers 310 in each robot cloud 300.

[0043] The transmitting / receiving unit 212a corresponds to, for example, the robot cloud 300a, and performs communication processing with the robot cloud 300a. The transmitting / receiving unit 212b corresponds to, for example, the robot cloud 300b, and performs communication processing with the robot cloud 300b. The transmitting / receiving unit 212c corresponds to, for example, the robot cloud 300c, and performs communication processing with the robot cloud 300c.

[0044] In this way, by providing a transmission / reception unit 212 for each individual robot cloud 300, when access is made from a specific robot cloud 300, the elevator cloud 200 can determine which robot cloud 300 the access is coming from.

[0045] The transmitting / receiving unit 213 is made up of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the server 210 and each of the controllers 150 .

[0046] The storage units 214 and 215 are, for example, storage media (memory devices) such as ROM or RAM.

[0047] The storage unit 214 stores different robot information 224 (224a, 224b, 224c, etc.) for each model of the robot 500 managed by each robot cloud 300. The robot information 224 includes information on various specifications such as the wheel diameter, wheel width, and body weight of the robot 500, which differ for each model.

[0048] The robot information 224a is, for example, information on the robot 500 managed by the robot cloud 300a, the robot information 224b is, for example, information on the robot 500 managed by the robot cloud 300b, and the robot information 224c is, for example, information on the robot 500 managed by the robot cloud 300c.

[0049] The storage unit 215 stores recovery information 225 (225a, 225b, 225c,...) related to recovery operations previously performed by the elevator control system 2B when the robot 500 was successfully recovered. Each of the recovery information 225 is linked to the robot information 224 related to the robot 500 to be recovered, and includes detailed information of the recovery operation performed at that time.

[0050] In addition, at least one of the storage units 214, 215 stores control parameters, control programs, and the like used for various functions of the server 210. However, the storage units 214, 215 do not need to be provided separately, and the robot information 224 and the recovery information 225 may be stored in a single storage unit.

[0051] The robot information 224 related to the structure of the robot 500 is an example of the first information, and the recovery information 225 related to the recovery operation of the robot 500 by the control panel 100 is an example of the second information.

[0052] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a detailed configuration of a server 310 in a robot cloud 300 according to an embodiment. Fig. 3 shows a basic configuration of the robot cloud 300, and each robot cloud 300 may have the configuration shown in Fig. 3.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 3, a server 310 in the robot cloud 300 includes a control unit 311, a transmission / reception unit 312, and a storage unit 314.

[0054] The control unit 311 is a hardware processor such as a CPU. The control unit 311 controls various processes related to the corresponding robot 500 and various processes related to cooperation with the elevator system 2. More specifically, the control unit 311 comprehensively manages and controls the robot 500, and causes the robot 500 to move autonomously within the building 3 and perform tasks such as delivery or cleaning.

[0055] The movement of the robot 500 within the building 3 also includes movement between different floors using the car 50 of the elevator system 2. When it becomes necessary for the robot 500 to move between different floors, the control unit 311 moves the robot 500 to the landing 60 of the current floor and transmits a landing call to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200.

[0056] When the car 50 that responded to the hall call arrives at the hall 60 where the robot 500 is waiting, the robot 500 moves autonomously and gets into the car 50. The control unit 211 further transmits a destination floor call to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 to move the car 50 with the robot 500 in it to the desired floor.

[0057] The transmission / reception unit 312 is composed of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the server 310 and the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200, and communication processing between the server 310 and the robot 500.

[0058] The storage unit 314 is, for example, a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM or a RAM, etc. In the storage unit 314, control parameters and control programs used for various functions of the server 310 are stored.

[0059] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a detailed configuration of a robot 500 according to an embodiment. Fig. 4 shows a basic configuration of the robot 500, and each of the robots 500 may have the configuration shown in Fig. 4.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 4, the robot 500 includes a control unit 501, a transmitting / receiving unit 502, a driving unit 503, a memory unit 504, and various sensors 505.

[0061] The control unit 501 is a hardware processor such as a CPU. The control unit 501 reads and executes a control program, etc., from the storage unit 504, thereby executing various operations in the building 3. At this time, the control unit 501 follows instructions from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 and receives feedback from various sensors 505 to execute various operations.

[0062] The transmitting / receiving unit 502 is composed of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the robot 500 and the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 .

[0063] The driving unit 503 is a mechanism including wheels and the like, and the driving unit 503 drives the robot 500 to move. Note that the driving unit 503 is not limited to the above-mentioned mechanisms.

[0064] The storage unit 504 is, for example, a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM or a RAM, etc. In the storage unit 504, control parameters and control programs used for various functions of the robot 500 are stored.

[0065] The various sensors 505 are configured to be capable of detecting the state of the robot 500 itself and its surroundings, and may include, for example, at least one of an infrared sensor, an acceleration sensor, a camera, etc. Note that the various sensors 505 are not limited to those listed above.

[0066] (Coordination of elevator / robot systems) Next, a cooperative operation between the elevator system 2 and the robot 500 in the elevator / robot cooperation system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5 to Fig. 12. Fig. 5 to Fig. 12 are schematic diagrams sequentially illustrating the cooperative operation between the elevator system 2 and the robot 500 in the elevator / robot cooperation system 1 according to the embodiment.

[0067] 5 to 9 show the coordinated operation between the elevator system 2 and the robot 500 when the robot 500 gets on the car 50. Also, FIGS. 10 to 12 show the coordinated operation between the elevator system 2 and the robot 500 when the robot 500 gets off the car 50.

[0068] 5 to 12(a) show the state of the car 50 that has landed on a predetermined landing 60. 5 to 12(b) are views of the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60 as viewed from above. 5 to 12(b) are cross-sectional views of the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60 as viewed from the side.

[0069] When it becomes necessary to move the robot 500 to another floor in the building 3, the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 moves the robot 500 to the landing 60 of the current floor and sends a landing call to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200.

[0070] The hall call information transmitted from the server 310 is further transmitted from the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 to the control panel 100 via the controller 150. At this time, if the elevator system 2 has a plurality of cars 50, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 assigns an appropriate car 50 based on the operation status of each car 50, and transmits the hall call information to the control panel 100 that controls the car 50.

[0071] When the control panel 100 receives the information of the platform call transmitted from the server 310, the control panel 100 causes the car 50 to respond to the platform call. That is, the control panel 100 causes the car 50 to head to the platform 60 at the floor where the robot 500 is waiting to board the car 50.

[0072] As shown in Fig. 5(a), when the car 50 arrives at the platform 60 of the floor where the robot 500 is waiting to board, the control panel 100 opens the door of the car 50. In conjunction with this, the door 63 of the platform 60 is also opened. As a result, the door 53 of the car 50 and the door 63 of the platform 60 are opened, and the robot 500 is ready to board the car 50.

[0073] As shown in Fig. 5(c), when landing at the landing 60, the car 50 is controlled so that no step is generated between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60. As a result, the car 50 stops at a height position where the heights of these floors 51, 61 are approximately equal.

[0074] As shown in Fig. 5(b) and (c), a predetermined gap RC exists between the floor 51 of the car 50 that has landed on the landing 60 and the floor 61 of the landing 60. This makes it possible to suppress interference between the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60 when the car 50 is running. Such a gap RC is also called a running clearance.

[0075] The robot 500 starts boarding the car 50 when the door 53 of the car 50 and the door 63 of the platform 60 are opened.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 6(a), it is assumed here that the wheel 513 of the drive unit 503 (see FIG. 4) of the robot 500 has come off due to a gap RC between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the platform 60.

[0077] 6(b) and 6(c), the robot 500 becomes derailed when, for example, the wheel 513 gets caught on an edge of the floor 51 of the car 50. The wheel 513 caught on an edge of the floor 51 of the car 50 may cross the traveling direction of the robot 500 and face in the direction of the gap RC between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the platform 60, and may get stuck in the gap RC, causing the wheel to derail.

[0078] If the wheel 513 gets stuck in the gap RC deeper than a predetermined amount, it may be difficult for the robot 500 to autonomously recover from the derailed state. In this case, the robot 500 transmits a signal to the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 indicating that the robot 500 has failed to board the car 50. The server 310 transmits a signal from the robot 500 indicating that the robot 500 has failed to board the car 50 to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200.

[0079] When the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 receives the boarding failure signal, it refers to the robot information 224 stored in the memory unit 214 to acquire information on various specifications of the robot 500 to be restored. Which of the multiple robot information 224a, 224b, 224c, etc. to refer to can be determined based on which of the multiple robot clouds 300a, 300b, 300c, etc., the robot cloud 300 that was responding to a call was in progress.

[0080] Furthermore, the server 210 searches for information on recovery operations under similar circumstances, by referring to the recovery information 225 stored in the storage unit 215. Hereinafter, a case where the corresponding recovery information 225 does not exist in the storage unit 215 will be described, and an example where the corresponding recovery information 225 exists will be described later.

[0081] The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 instructs the control panel 100 via the controller 150 to perform an operation to restore the robot 500 from running off the wheels.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 7(a), upon receiving an instruction from the server 210, the control panel 100 moves the car 50 a small distance to create a slight step between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60.

[0083] At this time, the instruction from the server 210 includes an instruction as to how many steps should be created, that is, an instruction as to the moving distance of the car 50. The moving distance of the car 50 can be specified as, for example, the distance (wire stretch distance) of the rope 6 (see FIG. 2) wound up by the winch 8 (see FIG. 2) that moves the car 50.

[0084] The server 210 determines the size of the step to be created based on the diameter and width of the wheels 513 of the robot 500 to be restored, which are acquired from the robot information 224 in the storage unit 214, for example.

[0085] In other words, if the robot 500 has a large wheel diameter, the ascending and descending distance of the car 50 can be made larger accordingly, and if the robot 500 has a small wheel diameter, the ascending and descending distance of the car 50 can be made smaller accordingly.

[0086] As a result, even if the robot 500 has a large wheel diameter, the car 50 can be moved a sufficient distance, so that the wheel 513 caught in the gap RC can be easily removed. On the other hand, in the case of the robot 500 with a small wheel diameter, the car 50 does not need to be moved an unintentionally long distance, and the impact on users and the like can be further suppressed.

[0087] At this time, the instruction from the server 210 also includes an instruction as to whether to move the car 50 up or down. If it is assumed that the wheels have come off when the robot 500 gets on the car 50, the control panel 100, in response to the instruction from the server 210, lowers the car 50 by a specified small distance.

[0088] As shown in Figure 7 (c), this causes the height position of the floor 51 of the car 50 to be slightly lower than the floor 61 of the landing 60, and as the floor 51 of the car 50 moves downward, the gap RC between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60 also moves downward by the same amount.

[0089] However, the distance that the car 50 descends is extremely small, and the step between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60 is also extremely small. Therefore, such behavior of the car 50 does not affect the getting on and off of the car 50 by elevator users.

[0090] 8, by moving the car 50 as described above, the gap RC between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the platform 60 moves downward, and the wheels 513 facing in the direction along the gap RC can be directed toward the floor 51 of the car 50, which is the original traveling direction of the robot 500. As a result, the wheels 513 of the robot 500 come out of the gap RC between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the platform 60, and the derailed robot 500 can be restored.

[0091] In addition, when the wheel 513 of the robot 500 is deeply stuck in the gap RC, there is a possibility that the wheel 513 may not be removed from the gap RC by a single downward movement of the car 50. For this reason, the control panel 100 may repeat the up and down movement of the car 50 multiple times. This makes it easier for the wheel 513 to be removed from the gap RC.

[0092] In this case, the recovery operation instruction from the server 210 may include an instruction as to how many times to repeat the up and down movement of the car 50. The server 210 can determine the number of times to move the car 50 up and down based on the weight of the robot 500 to be recovered, which is acquired from the robot information 224 in the storage unit 214, for example.

[0093] That is, in the case of a heavy robot 500, the robot 500 is more likely to get stuck deeper in the gap RC, but by increasing the number of times the car 50 is moved up and down, the robot 500 can be more easily restored. On the other hand, in the case of a light robot 500, it is considered that the robot 500 can be easily restored even if the number of times the car 50 is moved up and down is reduced, and by reducing the number of times the car 50 is carelessly moved up and down, the impact on users, etc. can be further suppressed.

[0094] 9, after recovery from the wheel loss, the robot 500 ends the ride in the car 50. At this time, the robot 500 may transmit a signal indicating that the ride in the car 50 has been completed to the server 310 in the robot cloud 300. The server 310 may further transmit a ride completion signal from the robot 500 to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200.

[0095] When it becomes necessary to move the robot 500 to another floor in the building 3, in order to move the robot 500 loaded into the car 50 to the desired floor, the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 transmits a destination floor call to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 for the car 50 in which the robot 500 is loaded.

[0096] The destination floor call information transmitted from the server 310 is further transmitted from the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 to the control panel 100 via the controller 150 of the corresponding car 50 .

[0097] When receiving the destination floor call information transmitted from the server 310, the control panel 100 causes the car 50 carrying the robot 500 to respond to the destination floor call. In other words, the control panel 100 causes the car 50 to head to the floor designated by the destination floor call.

[0098] As shown in Fig. 10, when the car 50 carrying the robot 500 arrives at the platform 60 at the designated floor, the control panel 100 opens the door of the car 50. In conjunction with this, the door 63 of the platform 60 is also opened. As a result, the door 53 of the car 50 and the door 63 of the platform 60 are opened, and the robot 500 is ready to disembark from the car 50.

[0099] As shown in FIG. 11( a ), it is assumed here that the wheel 513 of the robot 500 has come off due to a gap RC between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the platform 60 .

[0100] 11(b) and (c), the robot 500 comes off the tracks when, for example, the wheels 513 get caught on the edge of the floor 61 of the platform 60. The wheels 513 caught on the edge of the floor 61 of the platform 60 may cross the traveling direction of the robot 500 and face in the direction of the gap RC between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the platform 60, and may get stuck in the gap RC, causing the wheels to come off the tracks.

[0101] In this case, it may be difficult for the robot 500 to autonomously recover from the state of being off the wheels. In this case, the robot 500 transmits a signal indicating that disembarking from the car 50 has failed to the server 310 in the robot cloud 300. The server 310 transmits a signal indicating that disembarking from the robot 500 has failed to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200.

[0102] When the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 receives the disembarkation failure signal, it refers to the robot information 224 stored in the memory unit 214 and acquires information related to various specifications of the robot 500 to be restored.

[0103] Furthermore, the server 210 searches for information on recovery operations under similar circumstances, by referring to the recovery information 225 stored in the storage unit 215. Hereinafter, a case where the corresponding recovery information 225 does not exist in the storage unit 215 will be described, and an example where the corresponding recovery information 225 exists will be described later.

[0104] The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 instructs the control panel 100 via the controller 150 to perform an operation to restore the robot 500 from running off the wheels.

[0105] As shown in FIG. 12(a), upon receiving an instruction from the server 210, the control panel 100 moves the car 50 a small distance to create a slight step between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60.

[0106] At this time, the instruction from the server 210 includes an instruction as to how large a step should be created, that is, an instruction as to the distance traveled by the car 50. The server 210 determines the size of the step to be created based on the diameter and width of the wheels 513 of the robot 500 to be restored, acquired from the robot information 224 in the storage unit 214, for example.

[0107] Also, at this time, if it is anticipated that the wheels will come off when the robot 500 dismounts from the car 50, the control panel 100, in response to instructions from the server 210, raises the car 50 by a specified small distance.

[0108] As shown in Figure 12 (c), this causes the height position of the floor 51 of the car 50 to be slightly higher than the floor 61 of the platform 60, and as the floor 51 of the car 50 moves upward, the wheels 513, together with the main body of the robot 500, rise up from the gap RC between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the platform 60.

[0109] However, the distance that the car 50 rises is very small, and the step between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60 is also very small. Therefore, such behavior of the car 50 does not affect the elevator users getting on and off the car 50.

[0110] By moving the car 50 as described above, the wheels 513 of the robot 500 rise from the gap RC between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60, and the wheels 513 that were facing in the direction along the gap RC can be directed toward the floor 61 of the landing 60, which is the original traveling direction of the robot 500. As a result, the wheels 513 of the robot 500 come out of the gap RC between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60, and the derailed robot 500 can be restored.

[0111] In addition, when the wheel 513 of the robot 500 is deeply stuck in the gap RC, there is a possibility that the wheel 513 cannot be removed from the gap RC by a single upward movement of the car 50. For this reason, the control panel 100 may repeat the up and down movement of the car 50 multiple times. This makes it easier for the wheel 513 to be removed from the gap RC.

[0112] In this case, the recovery operation instruction from the server 210 may include an instruction as to how many times to repeat the up and down movement of the car 50. The server 210 can determine the number of times to move the car 50 up and down based on the weight of the robot 500 to be recovered, which is acquired from the robot information 224 in the storage unit 214, for example.

[0113] After recovery from the wheel derailment, the robot 500 finishes disembarking from the car 50. At this time, the robot 500 may transmit a signal indicating that disembarking from the car 50 is completed to the server 310 in the robot cloud 300. The server 310 may further transmit a signal indicating that disembarking from the robot 500 is completed to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200.

[0114] A boarding / alighting failure signal, such as a signal indicating that the robot 500 has failed to board the car 50 and a signal indicating that the robot 500 has failed to alight, is an example of a first signal. A signal indicating that the robot 500 has completed boarding the car 50 and a boarding / alighting completion signal indicating that the robot 500 has completed alighting are examples of a second signal.

[0115] In addition to the signal of failure to board or alight from the car 50, the robot 500 may transmit a signal of recovery by the above-mentioned operation of the car 50 to the server 310 in the robot cloud 300. The server 310 may further transmit a recovery signal from the robot 500 to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200. In this way, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 may determine whether or not an additional recovery operation is required. Also, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 may notify users of the platform 60 of the recovery of the robot 500 by, for example, presenting information to the platform 60 informing the users of the platform 60 of the recovery of the robot 500.

[0116] Incidentally, in existing elevator systems, when a step occurs between the floor of the car that has landed at the landing and the floor of the landing, there is a technology for adjusting the heights of these floors to eliminate the step. As described above, the operation of intentionally creating a step by moving the car 50 that has landed at the landing 60 a small distance and recovering the robot 500 that has run off the tracks can be easily performed by repurposing such existing technology.

[0117] In addition, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 can determine whether the robot 500 has failed to board the car 50 or has failed to disembark based on whether the call received from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 was a boarding call or a destination floor call, etc.

[0118] That is, when the robot 500 receives a boarding / alighting failure signal after responding to a hall call from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300, it can be determined that the robot 500 has failed to board the car 50. Also, when the robot 500 receives a boarding / alighting failure signal after responding to a destination floor call from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300, it can be determined that the robot 500 has failed to alight from the car 50.

[0119] Alternatively, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 may be able to determine whether the robot 500 has failed to board the elevator car 50 or has failed to disembark from the elevator car 50 based on whether the signal received from the robot 500 is a boarding failure signal or a disembarking failure signal.

[0120] When the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 succeeds in restoring the robot 500, it links the robot information 224 related to the robot 500 that was the target of restoration and generates restoration information 225 including information on the restoration operation performed this time. The restoration information 225 is generated including information on whether the failure occurred when getting on or off the car 50, the size of the step that was created, i.e., the travel distance of the car 50, and the operation that created the step, i.e., the number of times the car 50 was moved up and down. The server 210 stores the generated restoration information 225 in the storage unit 215.

[0121] On the other hand, if the robot 500 still does not recover after continuing the recovery operation for a specified time, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 determines that recovery of the robot 500 has failed and sends a notification to a worker requesting recovery of the robot 500.

[0122] Next, an example will be described in which the server 210 receives a boarding failure signal or an alighting failure signal and detects, in the storage unit 215, recovery information 225 under the same circumstances as this time.

[0123] More specifically, the server 210 refers to the recovery information 225 stored in the memory unit 215 and searches for recovery information 225 in which the robot 500 to be recovered has specifications similar to those of the current robot, and in which the situation in which the failure occurred is similar to that of the current robot, such as when boarding or disembarking.

[0124] If the corresponding recovery information 225 exists in the memory unit 215, the server 210 instructs the control board 100 via the controller 150 to perform the same recovery operation as indicated by the corresponding recovery information 225.

[0125] Here, the recovery information 225 includes the robot information 224 of the robot 500 that was the target of recovery at that time, and information on whether the robot 500 derailed or otherwise occurred when boarding or disembarking, as well as information on the recovery action performed at that time, such as the distance the car 50 was moved to create the step and the number of times the car 50 was moved up and down.

[0126] Therefore, the server 210 instructs the robot 500 to perform a recovery operation, and transmits to the control panel 100 via the controller 150 instructions on the direction of movement of the elevator 50 based on whether the wheel loss or the like occurred when the passenger boarded or disembarked, as well as instructions on the distance the elevator 50 should move and the number of times it should be moved up and down, which are obtained from the recovery information 225.

[0127] In accordance with these instructions from the server 210, the control panel 100 moves the elevator 50 in the direction and by the distance instructed by the server 210 to create a step, and also causes the elevator 50 to repeat these actions the number of times instructed by the server 210.

[0128] In this way, by applying the same recovery operation as that executed under similar circumstances in the past, the robot 500 can be recovered more reliably and more quickly.

[0129] Note that application of past recovery operations by referring to the recovery information 225 may be applied to the same car 50, or may be applied to different cars 50 in the same building 3 (see FIG. 1). In this way, knowledge obtained from past cases can be applied horizontally to multiple cars 50 managed by the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 in response to failures of the robot 500 to board or disembark that may occur at various times.

[0130] (Example of elevator / robot cooperation system processing) Next, a processing example by the elevator system 2 of the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a flow diagram showing an example of a procedure of a recovery process for the robot 500 by the elevator system 2 according to the embodiment.

[0131] 13, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 receives a call such as a hall call or a destination floor call from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 (step S101). The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 instructs the control panel 100 via the controller 150, and the control panel 100 causes the elevator car 50 to respond to the call (step S102).

[0132] While the robot 500 is performing boarding and alighting operations on the elevator 50 that responded to the call, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 monitors whether or not a boarding or alighting failure signal, such as a boarding failure signal or an alighting failure signal, sent from the robot 500 is received via the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 (step S103).

[0133] When a boarding / alighting failure signal is received from the robot 500 (step S103: Yes), the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 determines whether the boarding / alighting failure of the robot 500 occurred when boarding or alighting from the elevator car 500 (step S104).

[0134] If the robot 500 has failed to board the car 50 (step S104: Yes), the server 210 searches whether or not recovery information 225 under a similar situation is stored in the storage unit 215 (step S105).

[0135] If there is corresponding recovery information 225 (step S105: Yes), the server 210 reads out the recovery information 225 (step S106) and issues a recovery instruction to the control panel 100 via the controller 150 along with an instruction to carry out recovery operations included in the recovery information, such as the moving distance of the car 50 to create the step, the number of times the step is to be created, etc. In this case, since boarding the car 50 has failed, the car 50 is lowered according to the read recovery information 225 (step S107).

[0136] If there is no corresponding recovery information 225 (step S105: No), the server 210 skips the processing of step S106 and instructs the control panel 100 via the controller 150, and the control panel 100 lowers the elevator 50 by a small distance (step S107).

[0137] Even if the robot 500 fails to disembark from the car 50 (step S104: No), the server 210 searches whether or not recovery information 225 under a similar situation is stored in the memory unit 215 (step S115).

[0138] If there is corresponding recovery information 225 (step S115: Yes), the server 210 reads out the recovery information 225 (step S116) and issues a recovery instruction to the control panel 100 via the controller 150 along with an instruction to carry out recovery operations included in the recovery information, such as the distance traveled by the car 50 to create the step, the number of times the step is to be created, etc. In this case, since disembarking from the car 50 has failed, the car 50 is raised in accordance with the read recovery information 225 (step S117).

[0139] If there is no corresponding recovery information 225 (step S115: No), the server 210 skips the processing of step S116 and instructs the control panel 100 via the controller 150, and the control panel 100 raises the car 50 by a small distance (step S117).

[0140] After performing the recovery operation of the robot 500, the server 210 judges whether or not the recovery of the robot 500 has been successful (step S108). In this case, the server 210 can judge that the recovery has been successful, for example, by receiving a recovery signal from the robot 500. Also, the server 210 can judge that the recovery has failed, for example, by not receiving a recovery signal even after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0141] If the robot 500 is successfully restored (step S108: Yes), the server 210 generates restoration information 225 including information on the restoration operation performed this time, links it to the robot information 224 regarding the robot 500 that was the target of restoration this time, and stores it in the memory unit 215 (step S109).

[0142] If the recovery of the robot 500 fails (step S108: No), the server 210 notifies an operator (step S110).

[0143] When the robot 500 does not receive a boarding / alighting failure signal while performing the boarding / alighting operation (step S103: No), the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 skips the processes in step S104 and thereafter. At this time, the server 210 may receive a boarding / alighting completion signal such as a boarding completion signal or a disembarking completion signal from the robot 500.

[0144] This completes the wheel run recovery process of the robot 500 by the elevator system 2 of the embodiment.

[0145] (Overview) In recent years, robots have been developed that can move autonomously within a building and perform various tasks such as deliveries and cleaning. In addition, a technology has been proposed in which a robot can move between different floors in a building with multiple floors using an elevator.

[0146] However, when a robot moves using an elevator, the robot may get off the wheels due to a gap between the floor of the elevator car and the floor of the hall, and fail to board or disembark from the elevator. In such a case, if the robot cannot recover autonomously, workers will need to physically visit the site to deal with the problem. This increases the burden on workers and may cause problems with the smooth operation of the elevator.

[0147] According to the embodiment of the elevator / robot cooperation system 1, if the robot 500 fails to board or alight from the car 50 after opening the door of the car 50 that has arrived at the landing 60 in response to a call, the control panel 100 creates a step between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60.

[0148] This makes it possible to recover the robot 500 that has come off the wheels when passengers get on and off the car 50. This reduces the burden on workers and enables the elevator to operate smoothly.

[0149] According to the embodiment of the elevator / robot cooperation system 1, when the recovery of the robot 500 is successful, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 stores the recovery information 225 related to the recovery operation of the robot 500 by the control panel 100 in the memory unit 215 in association with the robot information 224 related to the robot 500 to be restored.

[0150] As a result, the next time the robot 500 needs to be restored under similar circumstances, it is possible to refer to the restoration information 225. This makes it possible to increase the success rate of restoring the robot 500.

[0151] According to the embodiment of the elevator / robot cooperation system 1, when recovery information 225 linked to robot information 224 regarding the robot 500 that failed to board or disembark from the car 50 is stored in the memory unit 215, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 causes the control panel 100 to perform recovery operation based on the recovery information 225.

[0152] This makes it possible to reproduce recovery operations that have been proven to be successful in recovering the robot 500 in the past, and allows the robot 500 to be recovered quickly and more reliably without trial and error in recovering the robot 500.

[0153] According to the embodiment of the elevator / robot cooperation system 1, if the robot 500 fails to board the car 50, the control panel 100 lowers the car 50 a small distance, creating a step between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60.

[0154] This allows the height of the floor 51 of the car 50 on the side in the traveling direction of the robot 500 to be lower than the floor 61 of the landing 60 behind the traveling direction of the robot 500. This makes it easier for the wheels of the robot 500 that are stuck in the gap RC between the floors 51, 61 to come out, making it easier to recover the robot 500.

[0155] As described above, the operation of lowering the car 50 that has landed at the landing 60 by a small distance can be easily performed by reusing the technology for eliminating the step between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60. Since the distance that the car 50 is lowered is small, it does not affect other users getting on and off the car 50.

[0156] According to the embodiment of the elevator / robot cooperation system 1, if the robot 500 fails to disembark from the car 50, the control panel 100 raises the car 50 by a small distance, creating a step between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60.

[0157] This allows the height of the floor 51 of the car 50 at the rear of the traveling direction of the robot 500 to be higher than the floor 61 of the platform 60 on the traveling direction side of the robot 500. This makes it easier for the wheels of the robot 500 that are stuck in the gap RC between the floors 51, 61 to come out, making it easier to recover the robot 500.

[0158] As described above, the operation of lifting the car 50 that has landed on the platform 60 by a small distance can be easily performed by applying the technology for eliminating the step between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the platform 60. Since the lifting distance of the car 50 is small, it does not affect other users getting on and off the car 50.

[0159] According to the elevator / robot cooperation system 1 of the embodiment, the recovery information 225 includes information on whether the recovery operation was performed when the robot 500 entered or exited the car 50. This allows more appropriate recovery information 225 to be read out and used for the recovery operation of the robot 500.

[0160] According to the embodiment of the elevator / robot cooperation system 1, the recovery information 225 is linked to at least one of the information on the diameter or width of the wheels of the robot 500 included in the robot information 224, and includes information on the size of the step that was created between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60 during the recovery operation.

[0161] The size of the step suitable for the recovery of the robot 500 depends on, for example, the wheel diameter and wheel width of the robot 500. Therefore, by including information on the size of the step in the recovery information 225 in association with the wheel diameter and wheel width included in the robot information 224, it is possible to create a step of a more appropriate size during the next recovery operation.

[0162] According to the elevator / robot cooperation system 1 of the embodiment, when the robot 500 fails to board or alight from the car 50, the control panel 100 performs a process of moving the car 50 up and down a small distance a predetermined number of times to create a step between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60. In this way, by repeating the up and down movement of the car 50 one or more times, it becomes easier to restore the robot 500.

[0163] According to the embodiment of the elevator / robot cooperation system 1, the recovery information 225 is linked to the weight information of the robot 500 contained in the robot information 224, and includes information on the number of times a step occurred between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60 during the recovery operation.

[0164] The depth to which the wheels or the like get stuck in the gap RC between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the platform 60 depends on the weight of the robot 500, and it is considered that the greater the depth to which the wheels or the like get stuck, the higher the probability of successfully recovering the robot 500 by increasing the number of times the car 50 is raised and lowered. Therefore, by including information on the number of times steps have been created in the recovery information 225 in association with the weight of the robot 500 contained in the robot information 224, it is possible to create a more appropriate number of steps during the next recovery operation.

[0165] In the above embodiment, the robot 500 that has failed to get on or off the car 50 transmits a signal of the failure to get on or off, and the control panel 100 of the elevator system 2 causes the car 50 to perform an operation to restore the robot 500. However, the elevator system 2 may determine that the robot 500 has failed to get on or off the car 50 by a method other than the above.

[0166] For example, when boarding and alighting from the elevator 50 is completed, as described above, in the case where the robot 500 transmits a signal indicating completion of boarding and alighting, if the elevator 50, which has responded to a call from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300, opens its door at the platform 60 and a boarding completion signal is not received from the robot 500 even after a predetermined time has elapsed, the control panel 100 may cause the elevator 50 to perform an operation to restore the robot 500.

[0167] Even with this configuration, it is possible to detect that an abnormality has occurred in the robot 500 when a passenger gets on or off the car, and the above-mentioned recovery operation can be performed in the car 50 to recover the robot 500.

[0168] In the above embodiment, the description has been given on the assumption that both the robot 500 and the user use the same car 50. However, the elevator system 2 may include a car 50 exclusively for the robot 500, in addition to the car 50 used by the user.

[0169] Even in such a configuration, if the robot 500 derails from the cage 50 for the robot 500, the robot 500 can be restored by performing the same restoration operation as described above. As described above, the restoration operation can be performed safely not only for the user but also for the robot 500.

[0170] In the above embodiment, the recovery information 225 is linked to the robot information 224 to have information on the structure of the robot 500 to be recovered, and also includes information on when the robot 500 derailed or the like occurred when boarding or disembarking, as well as information on the distance the car 50 was moved to create a step, the number of times the step was created, and the like. However, the recovery information 225 may include information other than the above. As an example, the recovery information 225 may include at least any one of information on the date, time period, weather, or temperature when the robot 500 derailed or the like occurred.

[0171] From the information on the date and time when the robot 500 derailed, etc., it is possible to know the degree of congestion in the car 50 and the platform 60 at that time, as well as the number of operating robots 500, etc. Furthermore, from the information on the weather and temperature when the robot 500 derailed, etc., it is possible to know the slipperiness of the wheels of the robot 500, etc.

[0172] Therefore, by including the above information in the recovery information 225, the situation when the robot 500 derails or the like can be categorized in more detail, making it possible to further increase the success rate of recovery.

[0173] (Variation 1) Next, an elevator / robot cooperation system according to a first modified example of the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 14. The elevator / robot cooperation system according to the first modified example is different from the above-described embodiment in that the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 applies the recovery information 225 to the control of the car 50 without waiting for a boarding / alighting failure signal from the robot 500.

[0174] 14 is a flow chart showing an example of a procedure of a process by the elevator system according to the first modified example of the embodiment. In the following, a description will be given of a configuration similar to that of the above-described embodiment.

[0175] As shown in FIG. 14, when a call such as a hall call or a destination floor call is received from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 (step S201), the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 instructs the control panel 100 to respond to the call via the controller 150 (step S202).

[0176] In addition, in the first modification, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 determines whether the call from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 is a hall call or a destination floor call (step S204).

[0177] If the call from the server 310 is a platform call and the robot 500 is attempting to board the car 50 (step S204: Yes), the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 searches whether there is recovery information 225 regarding an instance in which the same type of robot 500 failed to board the car 50 (step S205).

[0178] If there is corresponding recovery information 225 (step S205: Yes), the server 210 reads out the recovery information 225 (step S206) and instructs the control panel 100 to land the elevator 50 on the designated floor with the size of the step in the recovery operation at that time. As a result, the elevator 50 stops at the landing 60 of the designated floor so that the floor 51 is positioned lower than the floor 61 of the landing 60 from the beginning (step S207).

[0179] If a recovery operation has been performed under a similar situation in the past, there is a possibility that the robot 500 may derail or the like when responding to the current hall call, requiring a recovery operation. Therefore, in the elevator system of the first modification, before the robot 500 starts boarding the car 50 and derailment or the like occurs, the car 50 is stopped at a position where a step occurs between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the hall 60 based on the recovery information 225 read in advance. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of the robot 500 derailing or the like itself.

[0180] If there is no corresponding recovery information 225 (step S205: No), the server 210 skips the processes from step S206 onwards.

[0181] If the call from the server 310 is a destination floor call and the robot 500 is trying to disembark from the car 50 (step S204: No), the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 searches whether there is recovery information 225 regarding a case in which the same type of robot 500 failed to disembark from the car 50 (step S215).

[0182] If there is the corresponding restoration information 225 (step S215: Yes), the server 210 reads out the restoration information 225 (step S216) and instructs the control panel 100 to land the elevator 50 on the designated floor with the size of the step in the restoration operation at that time. As a result, the elevator 50 stops at the landing 60 of the designated floor from the beginning so that the floor 51 is positioned higher than the floor 61 of the landing 60 (step S217).

[0183] In this way, by stopping the elevator 50 at the designated floor with a step in advance when passengers disembark, it is possible to prevent the robot 500 from slipping off the tracks, etc.

[0184] If there is no corresponding recovery information 225 (step S215: No), the server 210 skips the processes from step S216 onwards.

[0185] This completes the process by the elevator system of the first modification.

[0186] According to the elevator / robot cooperation system of variant example 1, when the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 receives a call from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300, if recovery information 225 linked to the robot information 224 related to the robot 500 that failed to board or alight from the car 50 is stored in the memory unit 215, when the car 50 responds to the call, it lands the car 50 on the responding floor so that a step of a size (height difference) and direction (height relationship between the floor 51 of the car 50 and the floor 61 of the landing 60) based on the recovery information 225 is created.

[0187] This makes it possible to prevent the robot 500 from running off the car 50 when passengers get on and off the car 50. This makes it possible to prevent the operation of the car 50 from being interrupted for a certain period of time due to a recovery operation or the like.

[0188] In addition, the elevator / robot cooperation system of the first modification provides the same effects as the elevator / robot cooperation system 1 of the above-described embodiment.

[0189] (Variation 2) Next, an elevator / robot cooperation system according to a second modification of the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 15. The elevator / robot cooperation system according to the second modification is different from the above-described embodiment in that the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 generates recovery information and stores it in the storage unit 215 even if recovery of the robot 500 fails.

[0190] 15 is a flow diagram showing an example of a procedure of a wheel-running recovery process of the robot 500 by the elevator system according to the second modified example of the embodiment. In the following, a description will be given of a configuration similar to that of the above-described embodiment.

[0191] As shown in Fig. 15, in the elevator system of the second modification, the recovery process of the robot 500 is performed in substantially the same manner as the float shown in Fig. 13 of the above-mentioned embodiment. However, in the second modification, when the robot 500 fails to get on or off the car 50, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 appropriately searches for recovery information related to cases where recovery failed and recovery information related to cases where recovery was successful from among the multiple pieces of recovery information.

[0192] That is, when a call such as a boarding call or a destination floor call is received from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 (step S301), and after the elevator car 50 responds to the call (step S302), a signal indicating that the robot 500 has failed to board or alight (step S303) is received, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 determines whether or not the robot 500 has failed to board or alight when boarding the elevator car 50 (step S304).

[0193] If the robot 500 fails to board the elevator 50 (step S304: Yes), the server 210 searches whether recovery information 225 regarding a case in which the robot 500 failed to be recovered under similar circumstances is stored in the memory unit 215 (step S305a).

[0194] If there is corresponding recovery information 225 (step S305a: Yes), it is considered that there is a high possibility that recovery of the robot 500 will fail this time as well. Therefore, the server 210 does not instruct the control panel 100 to perform a recovery operation, but notifies the operator (step S310).

[0195] If there is no corresponding recovery information 225 (step S305a: No), recovery processing from the following step S305 is performed, similar to the processing from step S105 shown in FIG. 13 in the above embodiment.

[0196] If the robot 500 fails to disembark from the elevator 50 (step S304: No), the server 210 searches whether recovery information 225 regarding a case in which the robot 500 failed to be recovered under similar circumstances is stored in the memory unit 215 (step S315a).

[0197] If there is corresponding recovery information 225 (step S315a: Yes), it is considered that there is a high possibility that recovery of the robot 500 will fail this time as well. Therefore, the server 210 does not instruct the control panel 100 to perform a recovery operation, but notifies the operator (step S310).

[0198] If there is no corresponding recovery information 225 (step S315a: No), recovery processing from the following step S315 is performed, similar to the processing from step S115 shown in FIG. 13 in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0199] After the recovery process is completed, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 judges whether or not the recovery of the robot 500 has been successful (step S308). If the recovery of the robot 500 has been successful (step S308: Yes), the server 210 stores the recovery information in the storage unit 215 as a success case (step S309), and if the recovery of the robot 500 has failed (step S308: No), the server 210 notifies an operator (step S310) and stores the recovery information in the storage unit 215 as a failure case (step S311).

[0200] This completes the process by the elevator system of the second modification.

[0201] As described above, the recovery information regarding cases where recovery was successful is an example of the second information, and the recovery information regarding cases where recovery was unsuccessful is an example of the third information.

[0202] According to the elevator / robot collaboration system of variant example 2, when the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 fails to recover the robot 500, the server 210 stores recovery information (failure case) relating to the recovery operation of the robot 500 by the control panel 100 in the memory unit 215 in association with the robot information 224 relating to the robot 500 that failed to be recovered.

[0203] This makes it possible to quickly determine whether or not the robot 500 can be restored the next time the robot 500 derails under similar circumstances.

[0204] According to the elevator / robot collaboration system of variant example 2, when recovery information (failure case) linked to the robot information 224 regarding the robot 500 that failed to get on or off the car 50 is stored in the memory unit 215, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 notifies an operator that the robot 500 has failed to get on or off the car 50, without causing the control panel 100 to perform a recovery operation.

[0205] This makes it possible to prevent time from being wasted by performing recovery operations in a situation where recovery is unlikely, and allows the operator to recover the robot 500 more quickly.

[0206] In addition, the elevator / robot cooperation system of the second modification provides the same effects as the elevator / robot cooperation system 1 of the above-described embodiment.

[0207] 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]

[0208] 1...elevator / robot collaboration system, 2...elevator system, 2B...elevator control system, 50...car, 51, 61...floor, 53, 63...door, 60...landing, 100...control panel, 150...controller, 200...elevator cloud, 210, 310...server, 214, 215...memory unit, 224...robot information, 225...recovery information, 300...robot cloud, 500...robot.

Claims

1. An autonomous moving body capable of moving autonomously; A first server that manages the autonomous moving object; a second server that manages elevators and is capable of communicating with the first server; a control panel configured to be able to control the elevator car and capable of communicating with the first server via the second server; The control panel includes: When the autonomous moving body receives a call for using the elevator from the first server, the elevator car responds to the call; After the door of the car that has arrived at the platform in response to the call is opened, if the autonomous moving body fails to get on or off the car, a step is created between the floor of the car and the floor of the platform to restore the autonomous moving body; The second server comprises: A storage unit that stores first information related to a structure of the autonomous moving body, When the autonomous moving body is successfully restored, second information related to a restoration operation of the autonomous moving body by the control panel is associated with the first information related to the autonomous moving body to be restored and stored in the storage unit. Elevator autonomous mobile unit coordination system.

2. The second server comprises: When the autonomous moving body fails to board or alight from the car, a search is performed to determine whether or not the second information associated with the first information regarding the autonomous moving body that failed to board or alight from the car is stored in the storage unit; If the corresponding second information is stored, causing the control panel to perform a recovery operation based on the second information. The elevator autonomous mobile body cooperation system according to claim 1 .

3. The second server comprises: When the restoration of the autonomous moving body fails, third information related to the restoration operation of the autonomous moving body by the control panel is associated with the first information related to the autonomous moving body that has failed to be restored and stored in the storage unit. The elevator autonomous mobile body cooperation system according to claim 1 .

4. The second server comprises: When the autonomous moving body fails to get on or off the car, a search is performed to determine whether or not the third information associated with the first information regarding the autonomous moving body that failed to get on or off the car is stored in the storage unit; When the corresponding third information is stored, the control panel is not caused to perform a recovery operation, and a worker is notified that the autonomous moving body has failed to board or disembark the elevator car. The elevator autonomous mobile body cooperation system according to claim 3 .

5. The control panel includes: If the autonomous moving body fails to board the car, the car is lowered by a small distance to create a step between a floor of the car and a floor of the platform; When the autonomous moving body fails to disembark from the car, the car is raised by a small distance to create a step between a floor of the car and a floor of the platform; The second information is The information includes information on whether the recovery operation is performed when the autonomous moving body gets on or off the elevator. The elevator autonomous mobile body cooperation system according to claim 1 .

6. When the autonomous moving body fails to board or alight from the car, the autonomous moving body derails due to a gap between the car and the platform when boarding or alighting from the car, The first information is The autonomous moving body includes dimensional information regarding at least one of a diameter or a width of a wheel, The second information is The information is linked to the dimensional information and includes information on the size of a step generated between the floor of the car and the floor of the landing during the restoration operation. The elevator autonomous mobile body cooperation system according to claim 1 .

7. The second server comprises: When the call from the first server is acquired, a search is performed to determine whether the second information associated with the first information regarding the autonomous moving body that has failed to board or disembark from the elevator is stored in the storage unit; When the corresponding second information is stored, when the elevator car responds to the call, the elevator car is landed on the response floor so that a step having a size and a direction based on the second information is generated. The elevator autonomous mobile body cooperation system according to claim 6.

8. The control panel includes: When the autonomous moving body fails to board or alight from the car, a process of moving the car up and down by a small distance to create a step between a floor of the car and a floor of the platform is performed a predetermined number of times. The elevator autonomous mobile body cooperation system according to claim 1 .

9. When the autonomous moving body fails to board or alight from the car, the autonomous moving body derails due to a gap between the car and the platform when boarding or alighting from the car, The first information is The information includes weight information of the autonomous moving body, The second information is The information is linked to the weight information and includes information on the number of times a step is generated between the floor of the elevator car and the floor of the landing during the restoration operation. The elevator autonomous mobile body cooperation system according to claim 1 .

10. The second server comprises: storing, in addition to the first information, the second information including at least any one of information on the date, time period, weather, and temperature when the recovery operation was performed, in the storage unit; The elevator autonomous mobile body cooperation system according to claim 1 .

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