Elevator control system, elevator control device, and elevator control method

Abstract

To improve the operation efficiency of the elevator without reducing the movement efficiency of both the user and the autonomous mobile device. 【Solution means】 The elevator control system according to the embodiment includes an elevator control device that controls an elevator in which an autonomous mobile device that can autonomously move and a person can ride in a plurality of carriages installed in a building, and the elevator control device is connected to a network. An elevator control system comprising a hoist server for controlling the ascending and descending of the car, wherein when there is a destination floor call for the autonomous mobile device including the departure floor and the destination floor designated by the autonomous mobile device, it is a region where general users in the building cannot enter. An allocation unit that allocates the car of the backyard elevator, which is an elevator provided in the backyard, to the destination floor call for the autonomous mobile device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an elevator control system, an elevator control device, and an elevator control method.

Background Art

[0002] In recent elevator control systems, an autonomous mobile body such as a robot that performs various operations such as delivery services, cleaning, and security is made to board an elevator car and is moved to a destination floor (target floor), etc., and an autonomous mobile body linked operation is performed.

[0003] Here, the autonomous mobile body linked operation includes two types: an autonomous mobile body dedicated operation in which only the autonomous mobile body is made to board the elevator car and no user (that is, a human) is made to board, and an autonomous mobile body non-dedicated operation in which a user can board in addition to the autonomous mobile body. And when performing the autonomous mobile body linked operation, either the autonomous mobile body dedicated operation or the autonomous mobile body non-dedicated operation is selected based on the use and scale of the building, or the movement efficiency, etc.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, when the number of operating autonomous mobile bodies or the types of specifications of the autonomous mobile bodies increase, the movement efficiency of both the users and the autonomous mobile bodies decreases, and as a result, there is a problem that the overall operation efficiency of the elevator is reduced.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The elevator control system according to the embodiment includes an elevator control device that controls an elevator in which an autonomous mobile body that can autonomously move and a person can ride in a plurality of cars installed in a building, and an elevator control device that is connected to the elevator control device via a network and controls the elevating of the car. An elevator control system comprising a hoist server, wherein when there is a destination floor call for the autonomous mobile body including the departure floor and the destination floor designated by the autonomous mobile body, the elevator is provided in a backyard which is an area where general users in the building cannot enter. An allocation unit that allocates the car of the backyard elevator to the destination floor call for the autonomous mobile body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 11

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an elevator control system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the elevator control system 1 of the present embodiment mainly includes control panels 100A and 100B provided for each of a plurality of elevators 2A and 2B, controllers 150A and 150B provided for each of the plurality of elevators 2A and 2B, a control room 160, a server 210 in an elevator hoistway 200, a server 310 in a robot hoistway 300, and a monitoring center 400.

[0010] In the present embodiment, a plurality of elevators 2A and 2B are installed in a building 3 (an example of a building) such as an office building or an apartment building. In the example of FIG. 1, only two elevators 2A and 2B are shown, but actually there are three or more elevators.

[0011] Each of the elevators 2A and 2B includes a car 50A and 50B in each hoistway 20A and 20B. In addition, each hoistway 20A and 20B includes a hoisting machine and a counterweight (not shown). The cars 50A and 50B and the counterweights are respectively supported so as to be movable up and down on a pair of guide rails (not shown) erected in the hoistways 20A and 20B, and move up and down via ropes.

[0012] In the cars 50A and 50B, in addition to the user 5A, robots 500A and 500B as autonomous mobile bodies can also board.

[0013] The cars 50A and 50B are provided with operation panels 4A and 4B, cameras 7A and 7B, and load sensors 8A and 8B. The operation panels 4A and 4B receive various operations from the user and perform various notifications to the car 50. The operation panels 4A and 4B are provided with push buttons, non-contact sensors, speakers, liquid crystal display units, etc. (all not shown) for designating the destination floor and opening and closing the doors of the cars 50A and 50B. Also, the operation panels 4A and 4B are connected to the control panels 100A and 100B by wire or wirelessly. When the user 5A or 5B presses the push button for the destination floor or the non-contact sensor detects, the destination floor call is sent to the control panels 100A and 100B.

[0014] Here, the destination floor call is operation data performed by the user in the car 50 to make the car 50 go to the desired destination floor. The destination floor is specified in the destination floor call. Also, in this embodiment, the destination floor call for the robot is transmitted from the server 210 of the elevator penthouse 200 to the control panel 100 via the controller 150. The destination floor call for the robot specifies the robot ID of the robot 500 that wishes to use the elevator 2, the departure floor, and the destination floor (also referred to as the target floor), and is operation data for moving the car 50 to the specified departure floor and making it go from the departure floor to the specified destination floor.

[0015] The landing call is operation data performed by the user at the landing to make the car 50 going in either the up or down direction arrive at that landing. The landing call specifies the direction of travel and the floor on which the landing call is made (i.e., the departure floor).

[0016] Cameras 7A and 7B capture images inside carriages 50A and 50B and send the captured images to control panels 100A and 100B. Also, at the landing, when the doors of carriages 50A and 50B are open, cameras 7A and 7B can capture images of the landing and send the captured images to control panels 100A and 100B.

[0017] Load sensors 8A and 8B are provided on the bottom surfaces of carriages 50A and 50B to detect the weight of carriage 50. When users 5A or robots 500A and 500B are riding in carriages 50A and 50B, load sensors 8A and 8B detect the weight of carriage 50 itself plus the weights of the riding users 5A and robots 500A and 500B. Load sensors 8A and 8B send the detected weight as a detection signal to control panels 100A and 100B.

[0018] Landings are provided on each floor. A landing is a place where users and robots 500 wait for the arrival of carriages 50A and 50B of elevators 2A and 2B. Cameras 9 are provided on the wall surfaces of the landings on each floor. Camera 9 captures images of the landing and transmits the captured images to control panels 100A and 100B.

[0019] Inside each of hoistways 20A and 20B, control panels 100A and 100B and controllers 150A and 150B are provided. Control panels 100A and 100B are connected to operation panels 4A and 4B provided on carriages 50A and 50B wirelessly or by wire.

[0020] Each of control panels 100A and 100B controls the operation of carriage 50A and 50B inside elevator 2A and 2B. Each of control panels 100A and 100B is connected to each of controllers 150A and 150B wirelessly or by wire. Details of control panels 100A and 100B will be described later.

[0021] Each of the controllers 150A and 150B is connected to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 via a network. The controllers 150A and 150B are mediation devices with an interface function and a hub function for controlling communication between the control panels 100A and 100B and the server 210 and mediating various signals exchanged between the control panels 100A and 100B and the server 210. Each of the controllers 150A and 150B has a computer configuration including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc.

[0022] In the control room 160, the manager of Building 3 is present and gives various instructions to the control panels 100A and 100B. Also, the manager in the control room 160 receives various instructions from the control panels 100A and 100B via email or the like through a PC or a terminal device.

[0023] The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 instructs the control panels 100A and 100B to perform various controls on the cabs 50A and 50B of the elevators 2A and 2B via the controllers 150A and 150B, and receives various requests and various data from the control panels 100A and 100B via the controllers 150A and 150B. The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 is connected to the monitoring center 400 (in-house server) and the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 via a network.

[0024] The monitoring center 400 is equipped with an in-house server (not shown). The in-house server is installed within the affiliated company of the elevator 11, and collects information necessary for the maintenance management and remote monitoring of the elevator 2 from the elevators 2A and 2B. According to this, when a malfunction occurs in the elevators 2A and 2B, the maintenance staff can refer to the information necessary for maintenance management collected by the in-house server of the monitoring center 400 to address the occurred malfunction. Also, when functions and services are executed through the elevator cloud 200, it is possible to access the in-house server of the monitoring center 400 as needed to refer to building and elevator information, or for the maintenance staff to obtain information necessary for elevator management.

[0025] The server 310 of the robot cloud 300 receives various requests and various data from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200. The server 310 of the robot cloud 300 is connected to a plurality of robots 500A, 500B, and 500C within the building 3 via a network, and transmits various instructions to each of the plurality of robots 500A, 500B, and 500C. Details of the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 and the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 will be described later.

[0026] Note that the number of elevators is not limited, and three or more are provided within the building 3. For this reason, the number of hoistways 20A and 20B, cars 50A and 50B, control panels 100A and 100B, and controllers 150A and 150B also changes according to the number of elevators 2A and 2B. Here, when not distinguishing each of the plurality of elevators 2A and 2B, the plurality of hoistways 20A and 20B, the plurality of cars 50A and 50B, the plurality of control panels 100A and 100B, and the plurality of controllers 150A and 150B, they are referred to as elevator 2, hoistway 20, car 50, control panel 100, and controller 150. When not distinguishing each of the operation panels 4A and 4B, cameras 7A and 7B, and load sensors 8A and 8B, they are referred to as operation panel 4, camera 7, and load sensor 8.

[0027] As the plurality of elevators 2 in this embodiment, at least a general-purpose elevator, an emergency elevator, and a freight elevator are provided. In this embodiment, at least a plurality of general-purpose elevators, one emergency elevator, and one freight elevator are provided.

[0028] Here, the general-purpose elevator is an elevator provided in an area accessible to general users in the building 3. The emergency elevator is an elevator installed for the purpose of being used in an emergency, specifically, for the purpose of allowing the fire department to carry out fire extinguishing operations and rescue activities in an emergency such as a disaster. The freight elevator is an elevator for the purpose of transporting freight. The emergency elevator and the freight elevator are installed in the backyard, which is an area where general users in the building 3 cannot enter. An elevator installed in the backyard like the emergency elevator and the freight elevator is referred to as a backyard elevator. An elevator other than the backyard elevator becomes a general-purpose elevator. In this embodiment, the emergency elevator and the freight elevator are used as backyard elevators, but an elevator for other purposes may also be configured as a backyard elevator.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the lobby floor of the building 3 in the first embodiment. In the example of FIG. 2, a waiting area 32 for the robot 500 is provided on the right side after entering the entrance 23 of the building 3.

[0030] Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the area on the left side after entering the entrance 23 is an area accessible to general users in the building 3, and three general-purpose elevators 2B are provided in this area. There is a living room 31 in the center of the lobby of the building 3, and the back of it is the backyard, and two backyard elevators 2A are installed in such an area. For example, one of the two backyard elevators 2A is an emergency elevator, and the other is a freight elevator.

[0031] Hereinafter, the general elevator is denoted by reference numeral 2B, and the car of the general elevator 2B is denoted by reference numeral 50B. Also, the backyard elevator is denoted by reference numeral 2A, and the car of the backyard elevator 2A is denoted by reference numeral 50A.

[0032] Next, the control panel 100 will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control panel 100 according to the embodiment. The control panel 100 is an example of an elevator control device. The control panel 100 has a general computer configuration and mainly includes a control unit 120, a communication unit 102, and a storage unit 110, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0033] Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the control panel 100 is connected to the load sensor 8, the camera 7 in the car 50, and the landing camera 9 by wire or wirelessly. The load sensors 8 (8A, 8B) are provided in the car 50 as described above. The camera 7 is provided near the ceiling of the car 50 so as to be able to image the inside of the car 50 and the landing when the door of the car 50 is open.

[0034] The storage unit 110 is a storage medium (i.e., a memory device) such as a ROM or a RAM, for example. A management database 111 (hereinafter referred to as "management DB111") is stored in the storage unit 110.

[0035] The management DB111 is a database in which various data for using the elevator 2 are registered. For example, the management DB111 registers the robot ID etc. of the robot 500 that can board the elevator 2 controlled by the control panel 100. Here, the robot ID is information for identifying the robot 500.

[0036] The communication unit 102 consists of a communication device with a predetermined communication protocol and performs communication processing between the control panel 100 and the controller 150. That is, the communication unit 102 transmits and receives various data to and from other control panels 100 and the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150. In addition, the communication unit 102 transmits and receives various instructions and notifications to and from the mobile terminals and PCs of the administrators in the control room 160.

[0037] The control unit 120 consists of a hardware processor (CPU). As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 120 mainly includes a normal operation control unit 121, a robot-linked operation control unit 122, and an allocation unit 125.

[0038] When the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for the robot from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, the allocation unit 125 cooperates with the control panel 100 of the other elevator 2 and allocates the car 50A of the back-yard elevator 2A to the destination floor call for the robot. In addition, when there is a landing call from a user, the allocation unit 125 allocates the car 50B of the general-purpose elevator 2B, which is an elevator other than the back-yard elevator 2A, to the landing call by group management control in cooperation with the control panel 100 of the other elevator 2.

[0039] Here, the group management control is a control that allocates the car 5 closest to the departure floor among the floors where the call for the car 50 is made. In the present embodiment, the allocation unit 125 cooperates with the control panel 100 of the other elevator 2, for example, by inquiring about the departure floor and the position and elevation status of the current car 5 to the control panel 100 of the other elevator 2 and receiving the response, and performs group management control.

[0040] The normal operation control unit 121 controls the normal operation. The normal operation is an operation in which only people are allowed to ride in the car 5 without a robot.

[0041] The robot-linked operation control unit 122 controls the robot-linked operation. Robot-linked operation refers to the operation of having the robot 500 board the car 5. Robot-linked operation includes a dedicated robot operation in which no person boards the car 5 and a non-dedicated robot operation in which a person can board the car 5. Robot-linked operation may also be referred to as robot operation.

[0042] Next, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the server 210 mainly includes a control unit 211, a communication unit 212, and a storage unit 220 as the configuration of a general computer.

[0043] The storage unit 220 is a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM or a RAM, for example. Various programs are stored in the storage unit 220.

[0044] The communication unit 212 is composed of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the server 210 and the controller 150 of the control panel 100 and communication processing between the server 210 and the server 310 in the robot cloud 300.

[0045] In the present embodiment, the communication unit 212 receives, from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, information including the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor specified by the robot 500. Further, the communication unit 212 transmits the destination floor call generated by the control unit 211 to the control panel 100.

[0046] The control unit 211 is composed of a hardware processor (CPU). When the communication unit 212 receives information including the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor specified by the robot 500 from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, the control unit 211 generates a destination floor call including the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor.

[0047] Next, the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the server 310 mainly includes a control unit 311, a communication unit 312, and a storage unit 320 as a general computer configuration.

[0048] The storage unit 320 is a storage medium (memory device) such as ROM or RAM. Various programs are stored in the storage unit 320.

[0049] The communication 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.

[0050] In the present embodiment, the communication unit 312 receives information including the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor specified by the robot 500 from the robot 500, and transmits the information to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200.

[0051] The control unit 311 is composed of a hardware processor (CPU). The control unit 311 controls various processes related to the elevator regarding the robot 500.

[0052] Next, the robot 500 will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the robot 500 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the robot 500 mainly includes a camera 506, various sensors 505, a control unit 501, a communication unit 502, a drive unit 503, and a storage unit 510.

[0053] The camera 506 images the surroundings of the robot 500 and transmits the captured image to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300. Further, the robot 500 may be configured to transmit the captured image to the control panel 100.

[0054] The various sensors 505 include, for example, a human presence sensor, an acceleration sensor, a load sensor, etc., but are not limited thereto.

[0055] The storage unit 510 is a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM or a RAM. Various programs are stored in the storage unit 510.

[0056] The communication unit 502 consists 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. In this embodiment, the communication unit 502 transmits information including the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor to the server 310 in the robot cloud 300. Also, the communication unit 502 receives an instruction to wait at the landing or an instruction to stop driving from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300.

[0057] The drive unit 503 drives the robot 500 to make it travel. The control unit 501 consists of a hardware processor (CPU). During the normal operation of the elevator 2, the control unit 501 reads and executes various programs in the storage unit 510 to execute various operations in the elevator 2.

[0058] In this embodiment, when boarding the car 5 of the elevator 2, the control unit 501 generates information including the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor. Also, the control unit 501 controls the driving of the drive unit 503 according to an instruction from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 to perform travel control.

[0059] Note that the above configuration of the robot 500 is an example, and in addition, it may further include a voice output unit such as a speaker and an input unit such as a touch panel.

[0060] Next, the elevator control process by the elevator control system 1 of this embodiment configured as described above will be described. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the overall flow of the elevator control process according to the first embodiment.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 7, when the robot 500 uses the elevator 2, the communication unit 502 of the robot 500 transmits information on its own robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S11).

[0062] In the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, when the communication unit 312 receives information on the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor from the robot 500, the communication unit 312 transmits the information to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 (S12).

[0063] In the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, when the communication unit 212 receives information on the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, the control unit 211 generates a destination floor call for the robot including the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor (S13). Then, the communication unit 212 of the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 transmits the destination floor call for the robot generated by the control unit 211 to the control panel 100 (S14).

[0064] In the control panel 100, when the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for the robot from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150, the allocation unit 125 executes allocation processing for the car 50 for the destination floor call for the robot (S15).

[0065] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the allocation process according to the first embodiment. The communication unit 102 waits to receive a destination floor call for the robot from the server of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150 (S101). When the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for the robot (S101: Yes), the allocation unit 125 allocates the car 50A (referred to as the unit number) of the backyard elevator 2A to the received destination floor call for the robot. Specifically, the allocation unit 125 allocates the car 50A of the backyard elevator 2A that is closest to the lobby floor, which is the departure floor, among the cars 50A of the two backyard elevators 2A (S102). Then, the allocation process ends.

[0066] Returning to FIG. 7, when the allocation process (S15) ends, the communication unit 102 of the control panel 100 transmits an instruction to move to the location where the allocated car 50A of the backyard elevator 2A for the robot with the robot ID specified at the destination floor for the robot arrives to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150 (S16). Then, the robot interlock operation control unit 122 of the control panel 100 moves the allocated car 50 to the departure floor (S20).

[0067] In the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, when the communication unit 212 receives an instruction to move for the robot 500 from the control panel 100, it transmits the received instruction to move to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S17).

[0068] In the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, when the communication unit 312 receives an instruction to move for the robot 500 from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, it transmits the received instruction to move to the robot 500 (S18).

[0069] In the robot 500, when the communication unit 502 receives a movement instruction from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, the control unit 501 instructs the drive unit 503 to move to the location where the car 50 of the backyard elevator 2A designated by the movement instruction arrives. Thus, the robot 500 moves to the designated location (S19). Then, when the car 50 arrives at the location and the door opens, the robot 500 rides on the car 50 by the drive of the drive unit 503 (S21).

[0070] As described above, in the elevator control system 1 according to the present embodiment, when the control panel 100 and the communication unit 102 receive a destination floor call for the robot including the departure floor and the destination floor designated by the robot 500 from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, they cooperate with the control panels 100 of the other elevators 2 and allocate the car 50A of the backyard elevator provided in the backyard, which is an area where general users in the building 3 cannot enter, to the destination floor call for the robot. The elevator control system 1 is provided with an allocation unit 125 for this purpose.

[0071] Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when the robot 500 uses the elevator 2, it uses the backyard elevator that is not normally used by general users in the building 3. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the movement efficiency of both the user and the robot 500 is not reduced, and thereby the operation efficiency of the elevator can be improved.

[0072] (Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, when the control panel 100 receives a destination floor call for the robot, it unconditionally allocates the car 50A of the backyard elevator 2A. In this second embodiment, the congestion situation of the elevator 2 is judged, and when the elevator 2 is congested, the car 50A of the backyard elevator 2A is allocated.

[0073] The configuration of the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, the configuration of the server 210 in the elevator hoistway 200, the configuration of the server 310 in the robot cloud 300, and the configuration of the robot 500 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0074] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control panel 1100 according to the second embodiment. The control panel 1100 according to this embodiment mainly includes a control unit 1120, a communication unit 102, and a storage unit 110. The control panel 1100 is connected to the load sensor 8, the camera 7 in the car 50, and the landing camera 9 by wire or wirelessly. Here, the configurations and functions of the communication unit 102 and the storage unit 110 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0075] In the control panel 1100 of this embodiment, the control unit 1120 includes a normal operation control unit 121, a robot interlock operation control unit 122, an allocation unit 1125, and a congestion situation determination unit 1127. The functions of the normal operation control unit 121 and the robot interlock operation control unit 122 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0076] The congestion situation determination unit 1127 determines the congestion situation of the elevator 2. As a method for determining the congestion situation by the congestion situation determination unit 1127, for example, the following methods can be considered.

[0077] The first determination method is a method of determining from the total number of landing calls and destination floor calls. That is, the congestion situation determination unit 1127 can be configured to determine that it is congested if the total number of landing calls and destination floor calls of each car 50 is equal to or more than a predetermined ratio of the number of floors, and determine that it is not congested if it is less than the predetermined ratio. As an example of the predetermined ratio, 40% etc. can be mentioned. For example, when the available floors for landing are 20 floors, if the destination floor call is 4 floors and the landing call is 3 floors, the total number is 7 floors, which is less than 8 floors which is 40% of the judgment criterion. Therefore, the congestion situation determination unit 1127 determines that the elevator 2 is not congested. In this case, the traveling direction of the car 50 is not considered. As a second method, based on the first method, considering the traveling direction of the car 50, a method of determining the congestion situation by the total number of landing calls and destination floor calls is adopted.

[0078] The third method is a method of detecting and determining the load inside the car 50. When the load inside the car 50 detected by the load sensor 8 exceeds a predetermined ratio compared to the load when the inside of the car 50 is empty, the congestion situation determination unit 1127 determines that the elevator 2 is congested. When it is less than the predetermined ratio, it is determined that there is no congestion. Here, as an example, the predetermined ratio can be 30%, but it is not limited to this.

[0079] The fourth method is a method of determining the congestion situation by further considering the traveling direction of the car 50 based on the third method.

[0080] The fifth method is a method of determining the congestion situation from the captured image by the camera 7 inside the car 50. For example, when the congestion situation determination unit 1127 determines that the floor area of the car 50 occupied by humans or non - humans such as carts exceeds a predetermined ratio in the captured image by the camera 7, it determines that the elevator 2 is congested. When it is less than the predetermined ratio, it determines that the elevator 2 is not congested. Here, as an example, the predetermined ratio can be 30%, but it is not limited to this.

[0081] The sixth method is a method of determining the congestion degree by further considering the traveling direction of the car 50 based on the fifth method.

[0082] The seventh method is a method of determining the congestion situation based on the number of occupants on each floor. For example, the congestion situation determination unit 1127 aggregates, calculates, and estimates the number of occupants on each floor based on a plurality of cameras 9, human presence sensors, the number of PC communication connections, and the toilet usage frequency provided at the landing on each floor. Then, if the occupancy estimation result exceeds a predetermined ratio of the total number of occupants on each floor, the congestion situation determination unit 1127 determines that it is congested, and if it is less than the predetermined ratio, it determines that it is not congested. Here, as an example, the predetermined ratio can be 40%, but it is not limited to this.

[0083] The eighth method is a method of aggregating the congestion and non-congestion data obtained by the first to seventh methods, setting congestion and non-congestion according to the day of the week and time, and determining congestion and non-congestion when using the robot 500 using the set values.

[0084] The ninth method is a method of collecting the judgment results by the first to eighth methods from the total number of all carriages 50 of the general elevator 2 and determining congestion / non-congestion. Note that the method for determining the congestion situation by the congestion situation determination unit 1127 is not limited to the first to ninth methods.

[0085] When the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for the robot and the congestion situation determination unit 1127 determines that the elevator 2 is congested, the allocation unit 1125 according to the present embodiment cooperates with the control panel 1100 of another elevator 2 and assigns the carriage 50A of the back yard elevator 2A to the destination floor call for the robot.

[0086] Also, when the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for the robot and the congestion situation determination unit 1127 determines that the elevator 2 is not congested, the allocation unit 1125 cooperates with the control panel 1100 of another elevator 2 to perform group management control and assigns the carriage 50B of the general elevator 2B, which is an elevator other than the back yard elevator 2A, to the destination floor call for the robot.

[0087] Next, the elevator control process by the elevator control system 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. The overall flow of the elevator control process according to this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the allocation process (S15) by the control panel 1100 is different from that of the first embodiment.

[0088] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the allocation process according to the second embodiment. The communication unit 102 waits for receiving a destination floor call for the robot from the server in the elevator penthouse 200 via the controller 150 in a state of waiting for reception (S101). When the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for the robot (S101: Yes), the congestion situation determination unit 1127 determines the congestion situation of the elevator 2 by the above-described method (S201).

[0089] When it is determined that the elevator 2 is congested (S202: Yes), the allocation unit 125 allocates the car number of the car 50A of the backyard elevator 2A to the received destination floor call for the robot. Specifically, the allocation unit 125 allocates the car 50A of the backyard elevator 2A that is closest to the lobby floor which is the departure floor among the cars 50A of the two backyard elevators 2A (S102).

[0090] On the other hand, when it is determined in S201 that the elevator 2 is not congested (S202: No), the allocation unit 125 allocates, by group management control, the car 50B of the general-purpose elevator 2B that is closest to the lobby floor which is the departure floor from among the car numbers of the cars 50B of the elevator 2 other than the backyard elevator 2A, that is, the general-purpose elevator 2B, to the received destination floor call for the robot (S203). Then, the allocation process ends.

[0091] Thus, in the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, the control panel 1100 further includes a congestion situation determination unit 1127 that determines the congestion situation of the elevator 2 in cooperation with the control panel 1100 device of another elevator 2. When the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for the robot from the server 210 in the elevator hoistway 200, and the congestion situation determination unit 1127 determines that the elevator 2 is congested, the allocation unit 1125 cooperates with the control panel 1100 of another elevator 2 and allocates the car 50A of the backyard elevator 2A to the destination floor call for the robot.

[0092] Therefore, according to this embodiment, when the robot 500 uses the elevator 2 and the elevator 2 is congested, the robot will use the backyard elevator that is not usually used by general users in the building 3. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the moving efficiency of both the user and the robot 500 is not further reduced, and thus the operation efficiency of the elevator can be further improved.

[0093] Also, in the control panel 1100 of the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, when the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call for the robot from the server 210 in the elevator hoistway 200, and the congestion situation determination unit 1127 determines that the elevator 2 is not congested, the allocation unit 1125 cooperates with the control panel 1100 of another elevator 2 and allocates the car 50B of the elevator other than the backyard elevator, that is, the general-purpose elevator 2B, to the destination floor call for the robot.

[0094] Therefore, according to this embodiment, when the robot 500 uses the elevator 2 and the elevator 2 is not congested, the robot will use the general-purpose elevator that is usually used by general users in the building 3. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the moving efficiency of both the user and the robot 500 is not further reduced, and thus the operation efficiency of the elevator can be further improved.

[0095] (Modification Example 1) In the above-described first and second embodiments, various modifications are conceivable. In the above-described first and second embodiments, the allocation process by the allocation unit 125 is performed in cooperation with the control panels 100 of other elevators 2 in the control panel 100, but it is not limited thereto.

[0096] For example, the allocation unit 125 can be provided in the server 210 of the elevator penthouse 200, and the allocation process can be configured to be executed by the server 210. In this case, instructions may be transmitted from the server 210 to the control panels 100 of the respective elevators 2 according to the results of the respective processes. The elevator control process by the elevator control system 1 according to such a modification will be described. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the overall flow of the elevator control process according to Modification 1.

[0097] In this Modification 1, as in the first to third embodiments, the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor are transmitted from the robot 500 using the elevator 2 to the server 310 of the robot penthouse 300 (S11), and further transmitted to the server 210 of the elevator penthouse 200 (S12).

[0098] When the communication unit 212 of the server 210 of the elevator penthouse 200 receives the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor, the control unit 211 generates a destination floor call for the robot from the robot ID, the departure floor, and the destination floor in the same manner as in the first and second embodiments (S13).

[0099] Next, the allocation unit 125 provided in the server 210 of the elevator penthouse 200 according to this modification executes an allocation process for the destination floor call for the robot (S31). Here, the details of the allocation process are the same as the allocation process executed on the control panels 100 and 1100 sides in the first and second embodiments. Then, a car dispatch instruction for the allocated car 50 is transmitted to the control panels 100 and 1100 that control the allocated car 50 (S32).

[0100] In the control panels 100 and 1100, when the communication unit 102 receives a car allocation instruction from the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200, the robot interlock operation control unit 122 moves the car 50 to the departure floor (S20). The subsequent processing is the same as that in the first and second embodiments. According to this modification example, such a configuration and processing enable simplification of the processing on the control panel 100, 1100 side.

[0101] (Other modification examples) The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 may be configured to communicate robot operation information to the monitoring center 400.

[0102] The control panel 100 may be configured to detect non - humans such as humans and carts using cameras, microphones, vibration sensors (acceleration sensors), and pressure sensors mounted on the robot 500 to ensure safety, and then board and alight from the car 50. According to the sensor detection results, when boarding and alighting are not possible, or when the moving time takes longer than the assumed time, the control panel 100 can be configured to change the result of determining that it is not crowded to crowded. And it is also possible to use the change history as change information of the crowded / non - crowded setting value at the next setting.

[0103] The control panel 100 may be configured to display the moving status of the robot 500 and the crowded / non - crowded state on the management system of the control room 160 in a building such as Building 3.

[0104] Currently, the control panel 100 can be configured to notify and confirm to the information terminal personally owned by a human whether the elevator 2 is crowded or not.

[0105] The robot 500 may either ride in the car 50 with a human or without a human.

[0106] The elevator control program executed by the control panels 100 and 1100 according to the above - mentioned embodiments and modification examples is provided by being pre - incorporated in a ROM or the like.

[0107] The elevator control programs executed by the control panels 100 and 1100 according to the above-described embodiments and modification examples may be configured to be recorded and provided 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 format or an executable format file.

[0108] Furthermore, the elevator control programs executed by the control panels 100 and 1100 according to the above-described embodiments and modification 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.

[0109] Also, the elevator control programs executed by the control panels 100 and 1100 according to the above-described embodiments and modification examples may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0110] The elevator control programs executed by the control panels 100 and 1100 according to the above-described embodiments and modification examples have a module configuration including each of the above-described functional units (communication unit 102, normal operation control unit 121, robot-linked operation control unit 122, allocation units 125 and 1125, congestion situation determination unit 1127). As actual hardware, the CPU reads the elevator control program from the above-described ROM and executes it, whereby each of the above units is loaded onto the main storage device, and each of the functional units is generated on the main storage device.

[0111] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention and are included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

Description of Signs

[0112] 1…Elevator control system, 2, 2A, 2B…Elevator, 3…Building, 4, 4A, 4B…Operation panel, 5A…User, 7, 7A, 7B…Camera, 8, 8A, 8B…Load sensor, 20, 20A, 20B…Hoistway, 50, 50A, 50B…Car, 100, 100A, 100B, 1100…Control panel (elevator control device), 120, 211, 311, 501, 1120…Control unit, 102, 212, 312, 502…Communication unit, 110, 220, 320, 510…Memory unit, 111…Management DB, 121…Normal operation control unit, 122…Robot interlock operation control unit, 125, 1125…Allocation unit, 150, 150A, 150B…Controller, 160…Control room, 200…Elevator penthouse, 210…Server, 300…Robot cloud, 310…Server, 500, 500A, 500B, 500C…Robot, 503…Drive unit, 1127…Congestion situation judgment unit.

Claims

1. An elevator control system comprising: an elevator control device that controls an elevator in which autonomous mobile objects capable of autonomously moving in a plurality of cars installed in a building and people can ride; and an elevator server that is connected to the elevator control device via a network and controls the elevation and descent of the cars, an allocation unit that, when there is a destination floor call for the autonomous moving body including a departure floor and a destination floor specified by the autonomous moving body, allocates a car of a backyard elevator, which is an elevator provided in a backyard, which is an area in the building where general users cannot enter, to the destination floor call for the autonomous moving body; An elevator control system comprising:

2. A congestion status determination unit that determines the congestion status of the elevator is further provided, the allocation unit, when there is a destination floor call for the autonomous moving body and when it is determined by the congestion state determination unit that the elevator is congested, allocates a car of the backyard elevator to the destination floor call for the autonomous moving body.

10. The elevator control system of claim 1.

3. when there is a destination floor call for the autonomous moving body and when the congestion state determination unit determines that the elevator is not congested, the allocation unit allocates a car of an elevator other than the backyard elevator to the destination floor call for the autonomous moving body.

3. The elevator control system of claim 2.

4. The backyard elevator includes at least one of a baggage elevator, which is an elevator for transporting baggage, and an emergency elevator, which is an elevator for use in an emergency.

10. The elevator control system of claim 1.

5. The elevator server includes: The autonomous mobile object server that controls the autonomous mobile object is connected via a network, a receiving unit that receives a destination floor call for the autonomous mobile body from the autonomous mobile body server; The allocation unit; A transmission unit that transmits a dispatch instruction for the assigned car to the elevator control device; Equipped with When the elevator control device receives the dispatch instruction from the elevator server, the elevator control device dispatches the assigned car. An elevator control system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. An elevator control device that controls an elevator in which autonomous moving bodies that can move autonomously and people can ride in a plurality of elevator cars installed in a building, Another elevator control device, an elevator server connected to the elevator control device via a network and controlling the elevation and descent of the elevator car, and a communication unit capable of communicating with the elevator control device, an allocation unit that, when the communication unit receives from the elevator server a destination floor call for the autonomous moving body including a departure floor and a destination floor specified by the autonomous moving body, allocates, in cooperation with the other elevator control devices, a car of a backyard elevator, which is an elevator provided in a backyard that is an area of ​​the building where general users cannot enter, to the destination floor call for the autonomous moving body; An elevator control device comprising:

7. A congestion status determination unit that determines an elevator congestion status in cooperation with the other elevator control device, When the communication unit receives a destination floor call for the autonomous moving body from the elevator server and the congestion state determination unit determines that the elevator is congested, the allocation unit cooperates with the other elevator control devices to allocate a car of the backyard elevator to the destination floor call for the autonomous moving body.

7. The elevator control device according to claim 6.

8. When the communication unit receives a destination floor call for the autonomous moving body from the elevator server, and when the congestion state determination unit determines that the elevator is not congested, the allocation unit cooperates with the other elevator control devices to allocate a car of an elevator other than the backyard elevator to the destination floor call for the autonomous moving body. The elevator control device according to claim 7.

9. The backyard elevator includes at least one of a baggage elevator, which is an elevator for transporting baggage, and an emergency elevator, which is an elevator for use in an emergency. The elevator control device according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

10. An elevator control method executed in an elevator control system including an elevator control device that controls an elevator in which autonomous moving bodies capable of moving autonomously and people can ride in a plurality of cars installed in a building, and an elevator server that is connected to the elevator control device via a network and controls the elevation and descent of the cars, when there is a destination floor call for the autonomous moving body including a departure floor and a destination floor specified by the autonomous moving body, assigning a car of a backyard elevator, which is an elevator provided in a backyard, which is an area in the building where general users cannot enter, to the destination floor call for the autonomous moving body; An elevator control method comprising:

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