Elevator system, relay device, second relay device, relay method, and computer-readable recording medium

Abstract

The present invention reduces a burden on people participating in modernization or soft adaptation when providing an elevator system that achieves boarding and alighting of a robot by cooperation between an elevator and the robot.　This elevator system comprises a plurality of first relay devices that are each connected so as to be able to receive elevator information obtained from a car operation panel of a corresponding car and transmit an executable command from the car operation panel to each control device, and a second relay device that is connected so as to be able to communicate with each of the plurality of first relay devices. The second relay device receives a use request that includes information of a call to a destination floor from a boarding floor of a robot to be managed that moves through a facility, determines an assigned car to which to assign the call from the robot included in the use request, and transmits a registration request for the call from the robot to the first relay device that corresponds to the assigned car from among the plurality of first relay devices. A first reception unit having received the registration request transmits the received registration request for the call from the robot to each control device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an elevator system, a relay device, a second relay device, a relay method, and a computer-readable recording medium.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which an unmanned carrier performs floor movement by a button pressing assistance unit detachably attached to an elevator operation panel. The unmanned carrier of this technique includes a communication unit that communicates with a button pressing assistance unit installed as an afterthought. When the unmanned carrier transmits a signal to press the up button at the elevator landing, the up button is pressed by the button pressing assistance unit. Further, the button pressing assistance unit detects that the button has changed from being lit to being extinguished, and transmits the signal to the unmanned carrier.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technique of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to realize the boarding and alighting of the robot only with the information obtained from the elevator operation panel and the functions executable from the elevator operation panel. Under such constraints, in order to enable the robot to cooperate with the elevator highly, a great deal of human labor is required in the modernization or software modification of the elevator.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to save the burden on humans involved in modernization or software modification in providing an elevator system that realizes the boarding and alighting of a robot by cooperation between the elevator and the robot.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] The elevator system of the present disclosure includes a plurality of first relay devices each corresponding to one of a plurality of carriages of an elevator provided in a facility, receiving elevator information obtained from the car operation panel of the corresponding carriage, and each connected so as to be able to transmit commands executable from the car operation panel to each unit control device, and a second relay device connected so as to be able to communicate with each of the plurality of first relay devices. The second relay device includes a second receiving unit that receives a usage request including information on calls from the boarding floor to the destination floor of a robot moving in the facility, and a second transmitting unit that transmits a registration request for the robot call to the first relay device corresponding to the assigned car that assigns the robot call included in the usage request among the plurality of first relay devices. Each of the plurality of first relay devices includes a first receiving unit that receives the registration request for the robot call transmitted by the second transmitting unit, and a first transmitting unit that transmits the registration request for the robot call received by the first receiving unit to each unit control device.

[0007] The second relay device of the present disclosure is connected so as to be able to communicate with each of a plurality of first relay devices each corresponding to one of a plurality of carriages of an elevator provided in a facility, receiving elevator information obtained from the car operation panel of the corresponding carriage, and each connected so as to be able to transmit commands executable from the car operation panel to each unit control device. The second relay device includes a second receiving unit that receives a usage request including information on calls from the boarding floor to the destination floor of a robot moving in the facility, and a second transmitting unit that transmits a registration request for the robot call for transmission to each unit control device to the first relay device corresponding to the assigned car that assigns the robot call included in the usage request among the plurality of first relay devices.

[0008] The relay device of the present disclosure is connected so as to receive elevator information obtained from each car operation panel of a plurality of cars of an elevator provided in a facility and transmit commands executable from the car operation panel to each unit control device corresponding to each of the plurality of cars. The relay device includes a receiving unit that receives a usage request including call information from the boarding floor to the destination floor of a robot moving in the facility, and a transmitting unit that transmits a registration request for a robot call to each unit control device corresponding to the assigned car that assigns the robot call included in the usage request among the unit control devices corresponding to each of the plurality of cars. The relay device is configured separately from the group management device that is connected to each unit control device and assigns the user's landing call to one of a plurality of cars.

[0009] The relay method of the present disclosure receives elevator information obtained from each car operation panel of a plurality of cars of an elevator provided in a facility and transmits commands executable from the car operation panel to each unit control device corresponding to each of the plurality of cars. The relay method includes a step of receiving a usage request including call information from the boarding floor to the destination floor of a robot moving in the facility, a step of determining an assigned car that assigns the robot call included in the usage request based on the elevator information, and a step of transmitting a registration request for the robot call to each unit control device corresponding to the assigned car. It is configured to cause to execute on a relay device configured separately from the group management device that is connected to each unit control device and assigns the user's landing call to one of a plurality of cars. 。

[0010] The computer-readable recording medium of the present disclosure records a relay program that causes a computer to receive elevator information obtained from each car operation panel of a plurality of cars of an elevator provided in a facility and transmit commands executable from the car operation panel to each unit control device corresponding to each of the plurality of cars. The relay program is configured to cause a computer to receive a usage request including call information from the boarding floor to the destination floor of a robot moving in the facility, determine an assigned car that assigns the robot call included in the usage request based on the elevator information, and transmit a registration request for the robot call to each unit control device corresponding to the assigned car. Of the relay device configured separately from the group management device that is connected to each unit control device and assigns the user's landing call to one of a plurality of cars configured to be executed by a computer.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present disclosure, when providing an elevator system that realizes boarding and alighting of a robot through cooperation between an elevator and a robot, it is possible to reduce the burden on a person involved in modernization or software modification.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0012]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to common elements, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

[0014] Embodiment 1. 1-1. Configuration of the Building System of Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a building system according to Embodiment 1.

[0015] The building system is applied to a facility. The facility is, for example, an indoor facility or an outdoor facility, or a facility that combines these. The facility consists of, for example, one or more buildings. The facility may be, for example, a part of a building or the like. The building system applied to the facility includes a robot 1 that moves within the facility. In this example, the robot 1 operates based on control by a robot server 2. The robot 1 communicates wirelessly with the robot server 2. In the facility, a management room 3 is provided. The management room 3 is a place where the facility manager or the like conducts facility management. The robot server 2 is provided, for example, in the management room 3. The building system includes an elevator system as an internal system.

[0016] The elevator system includes an elevator. In the facility, an elevator shaft 4 is provided. The elevator shaft 4 is a space that extends over a plurality of floors with the vertical direction as the longitudinal direction. An elevator machine room 5 is provided above the elevator shaft 4. In the facility, a landing 6 is provided on each floor. The landing 6 is a place that communicates with the elevator shaft 4.

[0017] The elevator includes a plurality of units and a group management device 7. Each unit includes a hoist 8, a deflector sheave 9, a main rope 10, a car 11, a counterweight 12, and a unit controller 13. The group management device 7, the hoist 8, the deflector sheave 9, and the unit controller 13 of each unit are provided in the machine room 5. The car 11 and the counterweight 12 are provided in the hoistway 4. The hoist 8 includes a motor that generates a driving force and a sheave that rotates by the driving force generated by the motor. The main rope 10 is wound around the sheave of the hoist 8 and the deflector sheave 9. The main rope 10 supports the load of the car 11 on one side of the sheave of the hoist 8. The main rope 10 supports the load of the counterweight 12 on the other side of the sheave of the hoist 8. The car 11 and the counterweight 12 travel in opposite directions in the vertical direction of the hoistway via the sheave of the hoist 8 and the main rope 10 by the driving force generated by the motor of the hoist 8. The car 11 travels in the hoistway 4 to transport users or robots riding inside the car 11 between multiple floors of the facility.

[0018] The unit controller 13 of each unit corresponds to the car 11 of the same unit. Each unit controller 13 is electrically connected to the hoist 8 of the same unit. Each unit controller 13 is connected to the corresponding car 11 through the car transmission cable 16. Each unit controller 13 controls the travel of the car 11 through the control of the hoist 8. The unit controller 13 of each unit is electrically connected to the group management device 7 through the transmission cable 14. The group management device 7 receives information on the landing calls received by a landing operation panel (not shown) provided at the elevator landing 6. The group management device 7 assigns the landing calls to one of the cars 11.

[0019] The car 11 is provided with a car operation panel 15. The car operation panel 15 is an elevator operation panel that receives operations of car calls by elevator users. The information on the car calls received by the car operation panel 15 of the car 11 is transmitted to the unit controller 13 corresponding to the car 11 through the car transmission cable 16.

[0020] The elevator system includes a plurality of first relay devices 30 and a second relay device 40. The first relay device 30 is, for example, a protocol converter. Each first relay device 30 corresponds to one of the units. The first relay device 30 is electrically connected to each unit controller 13 of the corresponding unit via a relay cable 17. The relay cable 17 connected to the first relay device 30 is electrically connected to a car transmission cable 16 that connects the unit controller 13 and the car 11 in the unit to which the first relay device 30 corresponds. Each first relay device 30 is provided in the machine room 5.

[0021] The second relay device 40 is a device separate from the group management device 7. The second relay device 40 is provided in the management room 3. The second relay device 40 is electrically connected to the robot server 2 via a cable 18. The second relay device 40 may be wirelessly connected to the robot server 2. The second relay device 40 is electrically connected to each first relay device 30 via an elevator shaft transmission cable 19. The second relay device 40 is connected to each unit controller 13 via the first relay device 30. That is, each first relay device 30 is interposed between the corresponding unit controller 13 and the second relay device 40.

[0022] The second relay device 40 reads a relay program recorded on a computer-readable recording medium and executes each function by operating according to the relay program. The recording medium for recording the relay program may be, for example, one built into the second relay device 40 or one connected to the second relay device 40. The relay program may be installed in the second relay device 40 through a communication network such as the Internet, or may be installed in the second relay device 40 by being read from an external portable recording medium on which the relay program is recorded.

[0023] In a building system, robot 1 uses an elevator to move between multiple floors of a facility. When robot 1 uses the elevator, a usage request including call information is transmitted. The usage request is transmitted, for example, from robot server 2 that controls robot 1. Alternatively, the usage request may be transmitted from robot 1. The call information of robot 1 includes information on the boarding floor and the destination floor of robot 1. The usage request is transmitted to second relay device 40. Second relay device 40 performs a process of assigning the call of robot 1 to any one of cars 11.

[0024] The assignment of the call of robot 1 is performed, for example, based on elevator information. The elevator information is transmitted, for example, from each first relay device 30 to second relay device 40. In this example, group management device 7 does not perform a process of assigning the call of robot 1 to any one of cars 11. Second relay device 40 transmits a registration request including the call information to the first relay device 30 corresponding to the car 11 to which the call of robot 1 is assigned. Second relay device 40 transmits information identifying the car 11 to which the call of robot 1 is assigned to robot server 2 that controls the robot 1.

[0025] First relay device 30 that has received the call registration request from second relay device 40 impersonates the car operation panel 15 of the corresponding car 11 and transmits commands executable from the car operation panel 15 to each unit control device 13. Here, second relay device 40 transmits the call information as the car call of the car 11 to each unit control device 13 that controls the car 11.

[0026] 1-2. Functions of the elevator system according to Embodiment 1 FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of the elevator system according to Embodiment 1.

[0027] The robot server 2 includes a transmission unit 21 and a reception unit 22. The second relay device 40 includes a reception unit 401 as a second reception unit, a transmission unit 402 as a second transmission unit, a ranking setting unit 403, a selection unit 404, a transmission timing determination unit 405, and an elevator information storage unit 420. Each first relay device 30 includes a reception unit 301 as a first reception unit and a transmission unit 302 as a first transmission unit.

[0028] The transmission unit 21 of the robot server 2 has a function of transmitting a usage request including information on the call of the robot 1 to the reception unit 401 of the second relay device 40, and a function of transmitting a robot operation stop signal and a robot operation resume signal to the reception unit 401 of the second relay device 40. Here, the robot operation is the operation of the elevator in response to the call of the robot 1. Also, the robot operation stop signal is a signal requesting to stop the robot operation due to a robot-side factor such as a failure of the robot 1. Also, the robot operation resume signal is a signal requesting the resume of the robot operation during the suspension of the robot operation. The reception unit 22 of the robot server 2 has a function of receiving allocation car information for specifying the car 11 to which the call of the robot 1 is allocated from the transmission unit 402 of the second relay device 40.

[0029] The reception unit 401 of the second relay device 40 has a function of receiving the usage request and the robot operation stop signal from the transmission unit 21 of the robot server 2, and a function of receiving elevator information from the transmission unit 302 of the first relay device 30.

[0030] The elevator information storage unit 420 has a function of storing elevator information. The elevator information includes information obtained from the car operation panel 15 of each unit. The elevator information for each unit includes car position information of the car 11, car traveling direction information, lighting information of the door open button lamp, lighting information of the destination floor button inside the car, and information on whether the destination floor button inside the car can be registered.

[0031] The ranking setting unit 403 has a function of setting the ranking for each of a part or all of the plurality of cages 11 as a candidate cage to which the call of the robot 1 is assigned. The ranking setting unit 403 sets the ranking of each cage 11 based on the elevator information stored in the elevator information storage unit 420.

[0032] The selection unit 404 has a function of selecting an assignment cage to which the call of the robot 1 is assigned from the candidate cages for which the ranking setting unit 403 has set the ranking. The selection unit 404 selects the assignment cage based on the ranking set by the ranking setting unit 403. For example, the selection unit 404 selects the candidate cage with the set ranking of 1st as the assignment cage.

[0033] The transmission timing determination unit 405 has a function of determining the timing for transmitting the boarding floor car call to the assignment cage selected by the selection unit 404 based on the elevator information stored in the elevator information storage unit 420. For example, the transmission timing determination unit 405 determines the timing at which the boarding floor and the destination floor are located in this order ahead of the traveling direction of the cage 11 as the transmission timing of the boarding floor car call.

[0034] The transmission unit 402 of the second relay device 40 has a function of transmitting a registration request for the boarding floor car call to the assignment cage selected by the selection unit 404 and a registration request for the destination floor car call to the assignment cage to the reception unit 301 of the first relay device 30. Also, the transmission unit 402 of the second relay device 40 has a function of transmitting information specifying the assignment cage selected by the selection unit 404 to the reception unit 22 of the robot server 2.

[0035] The reception unit 301 of the first relay device 30 has a function of receiving a call registration request and the like from the transmission unit 402 of the second relay device 40. The reception unit 301 of the first relay device 30 has a function of receiving elevator information from each car controller 13 of the corresponding unit every time the elevator information for the corresponding unit changes.

[0036] The transmission unit 302 of the first relay device 30 has a function of transmitting the call registration request transmitted by the transmission unit 402 of the second relay device 40 to each unit controller 13 that controls the corresponding car 11 as a car call of the car 11 of the corresponding unit. The transmission unit 302 of the first relay device 30 has a function of transmitting elevator information to the reception unit 401 of the second relay device 40 every time the elevator information for the corresponding unit changes.

[0037] 1-3. Operation example of elevator system FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the elevator system according to the first embodiment. Here, a series of operations until the elevator system registers the car call of the boarding floor of the robot 1 will be described. Also, this flowchart also represents a part of the relay method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] In step S100, the second relay device 40 determines whether the reception unit 401 has received a usage request including information on the call of the robot 1 from the transmission unit 21 of the robot server 2. As a result, if the determination is established, the process proceeds to step S102, and if the determination is not established, the process returns to the process of step S100 again.

[0039] In step S102, the ranking setting unit 403 sets the rankings of a plurality of cars 11 as candidate cars based on the information stored in the elevator information storage unit 420. When the process of step S102 is performed, the process proceeds to step S104.

[0040] In step S104, the selection unit 404 selects the candidate car ranked first by the ranking setting unit 403 as the assigned car. When the process of step S104 is performed, the process proceeds to step S106.

[0041] In step S106, the transmission timing determination unit 405 determines, based on the elevator information, whether the condition that the boarding floor and the destination floor are located in this order ahead of the traveling direction of the assigned car is satisfied. As a result, if the satisfaction of the condition is not recognized, the process returns to step S106 again, and if the satisfaction of the condition is recognized, the process proceeds to step S108.

[0042] In step S108, the transmission unit 402 transmits a registration request for a car call to the boarding floor of the assigned car selected by the selection unit 404 to the reception unit 301 of the first relay device 30 corresponding to the assigned car. Further, the transmission unit 402 transmits car assignment information for specifying the assigned car selected by the selection unit 404 to the reception unit 22 of the robot server 2. Thereafter, the process of the second relay device 40 ends.

[0043] Subsequently, with reference to FIG. 4, an example of selection of an assigned car by the second relay device 40 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 shows an example of selection of an assigned car by the second relay device 40 according to the first embodiment.

[0044] In this example, the elevator includes eight units from Unit A to Unit H. The usage request of the robot 1 transmitted to the second relay device 40 through the robot server 2 or the like is transmitted when the robot 1 moves from the boarding floor to the destination floor. The ranking setting unit 403 acquires the elevator state for each unit based on the elevator information. The elevator state for each unit includes security restriction floor determination information, car position and traveling direction information, and information on the distance from the boarding floor of the robot 1 to the car 11. The security restriction floor determination information is information for specifying the security restriction floors where boarding and alighting are restricted from the viewpoint of security. The car position and traveling direction information is information indicating whether the boarding floor and the destination floor are located in this order ahead of the traveling direction of the car 11. When setting the ranking of the assignment candidates, priorities are set for the use of these pieces of information. In this example, the order of the security restriction floor determination information, the car position and traveling direction information, and the information on the distance from the boarding floor of the robot 1 to the car 11 is the order from the highest priority.

[0045] The ranking setting unit 403 first performs a determination process based on the security restriction level determination information with the highest priority. The ranking setting unit 403 determines whether the boarding floor or the destination floor is a security restriction level based on the information on whether the destination floor button in the car can be registered, which is stored in the elevator information storage unit 420. However, depending on the elevator system, there may be a specification that call registration is invalid for the back floor, which is the floor located on the side opposite to the traveling direction of the car. In such an elevator system, the back floor may be included in the floors where registration of the destination floor button in the car is not allowed, and it may not be possible to accurately identify the security restriction level.

[0046] Here, when the car 11 stops without direction, since no floor becomes the back floor, the security restriction level can be determined separately from the back floor. Therefore, the ranking setting unit 403 reads out the information on whether the destination floor button in the car obtained at the most recent stop of the car 11 without direction. Then, the ranking setting unit 403 determines whether the boarding floor or the destination floor of the robot 1 is included in the security restriction levels where registration is not allowed in the read information on whether the destination floor button in the car can be registered. Then, the ranking setting unit 403 excludes the car 11 of the machine number whose boarding floor or destination floor is included in the security restriction level from the candidate cars. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the ranking setting unit 403 tentatively sets the machines A to D, whose boarding floors and destination floors are service floors, to the first place with the same rate, and excludes the machines E to H, whose boarding floors or destination floors are security restriction levels, from the candidate cars. Note that the ranking setting unit 403 may omit the subsequent ranking setting process for the car 11 excluded from the candidate cars, for example.

[0047] Subsequently, the ranking setting unit 403 performs determination processing based on the car position and traveling direction information with the next highest priority. The ranking setting unit 403 determines whether the boarding floor and destination floor of the robot 1 are located in this order ahead of the traveling direction of the car 11. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the ranking setting unit 403 tentatively sets the Machine A and Machine B, whose boarding floor and destination floor are located in this order ahead of the traveling direction of the car 11, to the same rank 1, and tentatively sets the Machine C and Machine D, whose boarding floor and destination floor are not located in this order ahead of the traveling direction of the car 11, to the same rank 3.

[0048] Subsequently, the ranking setting unit 403 performs determination processing based on the distance from the boarding floor with the next highest priority. The ranking setting unit 403 sets the car 11 with a shorter distance from the boarding floor higher. For the Machine A and Machine B that are tentatively ranked 1st, for example, the ranking setting unit 403 sets the Machine A, whose distance from the boarding floor is one floor, to the 1st place, and sets the Machine B, whose distance from the boarding floor is three floors, to the 2nd place. Also, for the Machine C and Machine D that are tentatively ranked 3rd, for example, the ranking setting unit 403 sets the Machine C, whose distance from the boarding floor is one floor, to the 3rd place, and sets the Machine D, whose distance from the boarding floor is two floors, to the 4th place.

[0049] When there are candidate cars with the same rank after setting the rank based on the elevator state, the ranking setting unit 403 sets the car 11 with a younger unit number higher to ensure that there are no candidate cars with the same rank.

[0050] The selection unit 404 selects the Machine A ranked 1st by the ranking setting unit 403 as the assigned car.

[0051] 1-4. Effects of the Elevator System According to Embodiment 1 Subsequently, the effects of the elevator system according to Embodiment 1 will be described.

[0052] The second relay device 40 receives a usage request from the robot server 2 and selects an allocation basket that assigns a call included in the usage request. The second relay device 40 transmits a registration request for the call to the first relay device 30 connected to each car control device 13 that controls the allocation basket via the hoistway transmission cable 19. The first relay device 30 impersonates the car operation panel 15 of the allocation basket and transmits the registration request to each car control device 13 as a car call. In this way, since the group management device 7 does not need a function to communicate with the second relay device 40 or the like, the elevator and the robot 1 can be coordinated even for the group management device 7 that does not have a communication function. Also, when coordinating an old model elevator and the robot 1, modernization of the elevator and software modification of the group management device 7 are not required, so the burden on the cost and management work of an administrator who manages the elevator can be reduced.

[0053] In addition, the second relay device 40 can determine by separating the security restricted floor from the rear floor based on the information on whether the destination floor button in the car can be registered, which is obtained when the car 11 stops in the immediate vicinity without direction. As a result, the possibility of misjudging the rear floor as the security restricted floor can be reduced, so the rear floor can be included in the candidate cars. As a result, since the target of the candidate cars increases, an appropriate allocation basket for improving the operation efficiency can be selected.

[0054] In addition, the second relay device 40 can set, based on the elevator information, the machine number whose boarding floor and destination floor are located in this order ahead of the traveling direction of the car 11 to a higher rank than the other machine numbers. As a result, the car 11 that can move more smoothly from the boarding floor to the destination floor can be set to a higher rank, so the operation efficiency is improved.

[0055] Also, the ranking setting unit 403 sets the ranking as an allocation candidate based on the information stored in the elevator information storage unit 420. The selection unit 404 selects the candidate car set as the first rank by the ranking setting unit 403 as the allocated car. As a result, the second relay device 40 can achieve the effect of being able to allocate the car 11 that the robot 1 can board and arrives at the boarding floor earlier. Further, since the second relay device 40 selects the allocated car, an additional effect that the processing load of the group management device 7 can be reduced is obtained.

[0056] The second relay device 40 determines that it is the timing to transmit a car call to the boarding floor of the robot 1 when the condition that the boarding floor and the destination floor of the robot 1 are located in this order in the traveling direction of the allocated car is satisfied. When a car call is made to those floors when the boarding floor and the destination floor of the robot 1 are located, for example, on the rear floor, there is a possibility that the car call will disappear when the direction of the car 11 is reversed. The determination of the above conditions has the effect of avoiding such an event. Further, even after the robot 1 boards, the traveling direction of the car 11 does not reverse, and it is possible to smoothly move to the destination floor.

[0057] 1-5. Modification The elevator system of the first embodiment may adopt the following modified modes. Note that these modification examples can also be applied to the elevator systems of other embodiments described later.

[0058] The robot 1 may communicate with the second relay device 40 without going through the robot server 2.

[0059] In addition, part or all of the functions of the robot server 2 and the second relay device 40 may be mounted on a device provided outside the facility. Part or all of the functions of the robot server 2 and the second relay device 40 may be implemented across a plurality of hardware. At this time, each hardware is communicably connected to each other through a communication network such as the Internet. Further, part or all of the functions of the robot server 2 and the second relay device 40 may be implemented by processing and storage resources on a cloud service.

[0060] FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram of a main part of the elevator system according to the first embodiment. Each function of the elevator system can be realized by a processing circuit 100. The processing circuit 100 includes at least one processor 100a and at least one memory 100b. The processing circuit may include at least one dedicated hardware 100c together with the processor 100a and the memory 100b, or as a substitute therefor.

[0061] When the processing circuit includes the processor 100a and the memory 100b, each function of the building system is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. At least one of the software and the firmware is described as a program. The program is stored in the memory 100b. The processor 100a reads and executes the program stored in the memory 100b to realize each function of the elevator system.

[0062] The processor 100a is also referred to as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a processing device, an arithmetic device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a DSP. The memory 100b is composed of, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM, a ROM, a flash memory, an EPROM, or an EEPROM.

[0063] When the processing circuit includes dedicated hardware 100c, the processing circuit may be implemented, for example, by a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof.

[0064] Each function of the elevator system can be realized by the processing circuit respectively. Alternatively, each function of the elevator system can also be realized collectively by the processing circuit. For each function of the elevator system, a part can be realized by the dedicated hardware 100c, and the other part can be realized by software or firmware. In this way, the processing circuit realizes each function of the building system by the dedicated hardware 100c, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0065] Embodiment 2. In Embodiment 2, the points different from the example disclosed in Embodiment 1 will be described in particular detail. For the features not described in Embodiment 2, any features of the example disclosed in Embodiment 1 may be adopted.

[0066] 2-1. Functions of the elevator system according to Embodiment 2 FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functions of the elevator system according to Embodiment 2. The second relay device 40 in Embodiment 2 further includes a door opening determination unit 406 in addition to the functions of the second relay device 40 in Embodiment 1.

[0067] The door opening determination unit 406 has a function of determining whether the assigned car selected by the selection unit 404 has arrived at the boarding floor and the door is open based on the elevator information stored in the elevator information storage unit 420.

[0068] 2-2. Operation example of the elevator system according to Embodiment 2 FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the elevator system according to Embodiment 2. Here, a series of operations from when the elevator system executes the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 to register the car call for Robot 1 on the boarding floor until a boarding instruction is sent to Robot 1 will be described.

[0069] In step S200, the door opening determination unit 406 determines whether or not the door opening condition that the assigned car has its door opened on the boarding floor of Robot 1 is satisfied based on the elevator information stored in the elevator information storage unit 420. Here, the door opening determination unit 406 determines whether the car position of the current assigned car is the boarding floor based on the car position information, and determines whether the door opening button light is lit based on the lighting information of the door opening button for the assigned car. As a result, if the establishment of at least one of these determinations is not recognized, the process returns to step S200 again, and if the establishment of both of these determinations is recognized, the process proceeds to the next step S202.

[0070] In step S202, the transmission unit 402 transmits a registration request for the destination floor car call to the assigned car selected by the selection unit 404 to the reception unit 301 of the first relay device 30 corresponding to the assigned car. When the process of step S202 is executed, the process proceeds to step S204.

[0071] In step S204, the transmission unit 402 transmits a robot boarding instruction to the assigned car selected by the selection unit 404 to the reception unit 22 of the robot server 2.

[0072] 2-3. Effects of the Elevator System of Embodiment 2 Subsequently, the effects of the elevator system according to Embodiment 2 will be described.

[0073] When the door opening determination unit 406 of the second relay device 40 determines that the assigned car door is open on the boarding floor of the robot 1, it proceeds to the transmission process of registering the car call for the destination floor. As a result, the destination floor can be registered immediately before the robot 1 boards, thus reducing the risk of the destination floor being a false call.

[0074] Embodiment 3. In Embodiment 3, the points different from the examples disclosed in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 will be described in particular detail. For features not described in Embodiment 3, any features of the examples disclosed in Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2 may be adopted.

[0075] 3-1. Functions of the elevator system of Embodiment 3 FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the functions of the elevator system according to Embodiment 3. The robot server 2 of Embodiment 3 further includes a confinement determination unit 23 in addition to the functions of Embodiment 1-2. Also, the second relay device 40 of Embodiment 3 further includes a robot operation determination unit 407 and an evacuation floor selection unit 408 in addition to the functions of the second relay device 40 of Embodiment 1-2.

[0076] The confinement determination unit 23 has a function of determining that the robot 1 has been confined in the car 11 and notifying the building manager or the like. The configuration of the confinement determination unit 23 is not limited. For example, the reception unit 22 of the robot server 2 receives the elevator information transmitted from the transmission unit 402 of the second relay device 40. Then, the confinement determination unit 23 determines whether the robot 1 has been confined in the car 11 based on the received elevator information.

[0077] The robot operation determination unit 407 has a function of determining the suspension and resumption of the robot operation for transporting the robot 1 to the destination floor based on the elevator information stored in the elevator information storage unit 420. Specifically, the robot operation determination unit 407 reads out the information on whether the destination floor button in the car can be registered, which was obtained at the most recent non-directional stop of the car 11. Then, the robot operation determination unit 407 determines whether the condition is satisfied that the destination floor of the robot 1 is included in the security restricted floors where registration is not possible in the read information on whether the destination floor button in the car can be registered. And when the said condition is satisfied, the robot operation determination unit 407 determines to suspend the robot operation.

[0078] Also, when the said condition changes to not being satisfied during a predetermined waiting time after the suspension of the robot operation is determined, the robot operation determination unit 407 determines to resume the robot operation. Here, the time limit of the waiting time is provided to reduce the possibility that the robot 1 is trapped inside the car 11 due to the suspension of the robot operation caused by factors on the elevator side and continues to wait. The waiting time can be set as appropriate.

[0079] The evacuation floor selection unit 408 has a function of selecting the evacuation floor to which the robot 1 evacuates based on the elevator information stored in the elevator information storage unit 420. When the robot operation changes from suspension to resumption, it is required to quickly evacuate the robot inside the car 11 outside the car 11. The evacuation floor selection unit 408 selects the evacuation floor for evacuating the robot inside the car 11 when the robot operation changes from suspension to resumption.

[0080] FIG. 9 shows an example of the selection of the evacuation floor by the evacuation floor selection unit 408. In this example, the floors of the facility range from 1F to 7F, the boarding floor of the robot 1 is 2F, and the destination floor is 6F. And the car 11 on which the robot 1 has boarded is traveling from 2F towards 6F, and the current car position is 3F.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 9, the evacuation floor selection unit 408 acquires the elevator state of the unit corresponding to the assigned car in which the robot 1 has boarded, based on the elevator information stored in the elevator information storage unit 420. The elevator state here includes security restriction floor information and information on the distance from the current car position.

[0082] When selecting an evacuation floor, priorities are set for the use of this information. In this example, the order of the security restriction floor determination information and the information on the distance from the current car position is the order from the highest priority.

[0083] The evacuation floor selection unit 408 first performs a determination process based on the security restriction floor determination information with the highest priority. The evacuation floor selection unit 408 determines whether each floor is a security restriction floor, based on the car destination floor button registration availability information stored in the elevator information storage unit 420. Here, the evacuation floor selection unit 408 reads out the car destination floor button registration availability information acquired at the most recent non-directional stop of car 1, in the same manner as the setting operation by the ranking setting unit 403. Then, the evacuation floor selection unit 408 determines whether each floor is included in the security restriction floors that are not registrable in the read car destination floor button registration availability information. Then, the evacuation floor selection unit 408 excludes the security restriction floors from the evacuation floor candidates. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the evacuation floor selection unit 408 excludes the 4th floor and the 6th floor, which are security restriction floors, from the evacuation floor candidates, and tentatively sets the 1st to 3rd floors, the 5th floor, and the 7th floor, which are service floors, as the evacuation floor candidates.

[0084] When the evacuation floor candidates are not uniquely determined by the determination process based on the security restriction floor determination information, the evacuation floor selection unit 408 then performs a determination process based on the distance from the current car position, which has the next highest priority. The evacuation floor selection unit 408 selects, as the evacuation floor, the floor with the shortest distance from the current car position in the current traveling direction of the car, among the plurality of evacuation floor candidates.

[0085] 3-2. Operation Example of the Elevator System of Embodiment 3 FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the elevator system according to Embodiment 3. Here, a series of operations from when the elevator system transmits a boarding instruction to Robot 1 to when it transmits an alighting instruction to Robot 1 by executing the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 will be described.

[0086] In step S300, the second relay device 40 determines whether a request to stop the robot operation has been issued due to a factor on the robot side. Here, the second relay device 40 determines whether the reception unit 401 has received the robot operation stop signal transmitted by the robot server 2. As a result, if the determination is not established, the process proceeds to step S302, and if the determination is established, the process proceeds to step S304.

[0087] In step S302, the robot operation determination unit 407 of the second relay device 40 determines whether a determination to stop the robot operation has been made due to a factor on the elevator side. As a result, if the determination is not established, the process proceeds to step S306, and if the determination is established, the process proceeds to step S308.

[0088] In step S304, the second relay device 40 determines whether the robot operation has returned to being possible. Here, the second relay device 40 determines whether the reception unit 401 has received the robot operation return signal during a predetermined waiting time after receiving the robot operation stop signal. As a result, if the determination is not established, the process proceeds to step S310, and if the determination is established, the process proceeds to step S308.

[0089] In step S306, the door opening determination unit 406 of the second relay device 40 determines whether the car 11 is door open at the destination floor based on the elevator information. Here, the door opening determination unit 406 determines whether the condition that the current car position in the car position information is the destination floor and the lighting information of the door open button lamp is in the lit state is satisfied. As a result, if the determination is not established, the process returns to step S306 again, and if the determination is established, the process proceeds to step S318.

[0090] In step S308, the evacuation floor selection unit 408 of the second relay device 40 selects an evacuation floor. When the process of step S308 is completed, the process proceeds to step S312.

[0091] In step S310, the robot 1 is manually made to get off the car 11. Here, the confinement determination unit 23 determines that the robot 1 has been confined in the car 11 and notifies the building manager or the like.

[0092] In step S312, the evacuation floor selection unit 408 of the second relay device 40 determines whether a car call is possible to the evacuation floor. Here, the evacuation floor selection unit 408 determines whether the condition that the evacuation floor is located ahead in the traveling direction of the car from the current car position is satisfied. As a result, if the determination is not established, the process returns to step S312 again, and if the determination is established, the process proceeds to step S314.

[0093] In step S314, the transmission unit 402 of the second relay device 40 transmits a registration request for a car call to the evacuation floor selected by the evacuation floor selection unit 408 to the reception unit 301 of the first relay device 30. When the process of step S314 is completed, the process proceeds to step S316.

[0094] In step S316, the door opening determination unit 406 of the second relay device 40 determines whether the car 11 is door open at the evacuation floor based on the elevator information. Here, the door opening determination unit 406 determines whether the condition that the current car position in the car position information is the evacuation floor and the lighting information of the door open button lamp is in the lit state is satisfied. As a result, if the establishment of the determination is not recognized, the process returns to step S316 again, and if the establishment of the determination is recognized, the process proceeds to step S318.

[0095] In step S318, the transmission unit 402 of the second relay device transmits a robot getting-off instruction to the reception unit 22 of the robot server 2.

[0096] 3-3. Effects of the elevator system according to Embodiment 3 Subsequently, the effects of the elevator system according to Embodiment 3 will be described.

[0097] When the reception unit 401 of the second relay device 40 receives a robot operation resume signal during a predetermined standby time after receiving a robot operation stop signal, the evacuation floor selection unit 408 performs the selection process of the evacuation floor. Thereby, even if the robot operation is once stopped due to a failure or the like, the possibility of proceeding to the resume of the robot operation can be left. Thereby, the labor of manually lowering the robot 1 from the car can be reduced.

[0098] In addition, the second relay device 40 can determine by separating the security restricted floor from the back floor based on the car destination floor button registration availability information acquired at the most recent non-directional stop of the car 11. Thereby, the possibility of misjudging the back floor as the security restricted floor can be reduced, so that misjudgment in the selection process of the evacuation floor can be reduced.

[0099] In addition, since the evacuation floor selection unit 408 prioritizes the floor closest to the current car position in the selection process of the evacuation floor, the robot 1 can be evacuated quickly.

[0100] Embodiment 4 In Embodiment 4, the differences from the examples disclosed in Embodiments 1-3 will be described in particular detail. For features not described in Embodiment 4, any of the features of the examples disclosed in Embodiments 1-3 may be adopted.

[0101] 4-1. Functions of the Elevator System in Embodiment 4 FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the functions of the elevator system according to Embodiment 4. The second relay device 40 in Embodiment 4 further includes an elevator operation determination unit 409 and an error determination prevention unit 410 in addition to the functions of the second relay device 40 in Embodiment 3.

[0102] The elevator operation determination unit 409 has a function of determining whether the operation state of the car 11 of each unit is in operation or in a stopped state based on the elevator information stored in the elevator information storage unit 420.

[0103] The error determination prevention unit 410 has a function of preventing the elevator operation determination unit 409 from erroneously determining that the elevator is in a stopped state when the car position is at the terminal floor based on the elevator information stored in the elevator information storage unit 420.

[0104] 4-2. Operation Example of the Elevator System in Embodiment 4 FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the elevator system according to Embodiment 4. The routine shown in FIG. 12 is constantly executed for each unit in the elevator system.

[0105] In step S400 of the routine shown in FIG. 12, the elevator operation determination unit 409 determines whether the operation state of the car 11 of each unit is in operation or in a stopped state based on the elevator information stored in the elevator information storage unit 420. Here, the elevator operation determination unit 409 determines that the elevator is in a stopped state when the destination floor buttons inside the cars on all floors are not registered and the destination floor buttons inside the cars on all floors are not registrable. Otherwise, it is determined that the elevator is in operation. As a result, if the elevator is in operation, the process proceeds to step S402, and if the elevator is in a stopped state, the process proceeds to step S404.

[0106] In step S402, the transmission unit 402 of the second relay device 40 transmits a notification that the elevator is in operation to the reception unit 22 of the robot server 2. When the process of step S402 is completed, the process proceeds to step S406.

[0107] In step S404, the transmission unit 402 of the second relay device 40 transmits a notification that the elevator is in a stopped state to the reception unit 22 of the robot server 2. When the process of step S404 is completed, this routine process is terminated.

[0108] In step S406, the misjudgment prevention unit 410 determines whether the condition that the current car position is located at the terminal floor is satisfied based on the elevator information stored in the elevator information storage unit 420. As a result, if the satisfaction of the condition is not recognized, the process returns to step S406 again. On the other hand, if the satisfaction of the condition is recognized, the process proceeds to step S408.

[0109] In step S408, the misjudgment prevention unit 410 determines whether the car 11 has reversed direction or stopped without direction based on the elevator information stored in the elevator information storage unit 420. As a result, if the establishment of the determination is not recognized, the process returns to step S408 again. On the other hand, if the establishment of the determination is recognized, this routine is terminated.

[0110] 4-3. Operational Effects of the Elevator System According to Embodiment 4 Subsequently, the operational effects of the elevator system according to Embodiment 4 will be described.

[0111] The second relay device 40 can determine whether the elevator car is in operation or at rest in the elevator operation determination unit 409 and notify the robot server 2 of the determination result in real time. Further, the determination result in the elevator operation determination unit 409 can also be used as the elevator state used in the setting operation in the ranking setting unit 403. In this case, for example, candidate cars at rest may be excluded from the allocation candidates.

[0112] The misjudgment prevention unit 410 can hold the elevator operation determination unit 409 until the direction reversal or non-directional stop of the car is determined when the car position is at the terminal floor. Thereby, it is possible to prevent all floors from becoming the rear floors when the car position is at the terminal floor and the determination in the elevator operation determination unit 409 from becoming a misjudgment.

[0113] Embodiment 5. In Embodiment 5, the points different from the examples disclosed in Embodiments 1-4 will be described in particular detail. For features not described in Embodiment 5, any features of the examples disclosed in Embodiments 1-4 may be adopted.

[0114] 5-1. Configuration of the Building System According to Embodiment 5 FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of the building system according to Embodiment 5. The elevator system, which is an internal system of the building system in the present embodiment, combines the plurality of first relay devices 30 and second relay devices 40 in the elevator systems in Embodiments 1-4 into a relay device 50. Since the other configurations are the same as those of the building systems in the respective embodiments, detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0115] The relay device 50 is electrically connected to each car controller 13 of each car 11 via a relay cable 17. The relay cable 17 connected to the relay device 50 is electrically connected to the car transmission cable 16 that connects each car controller 13 of each car 11 and the car 11. The relay device 50 is provided in the machine room 5.

[0116] The relay device 50 is electrically connected to the robot server 2 via a cable 18. The relay device 50 may be connected to the robot server 2 wirelessly. Note that the relay device 50 may be provided in the management room 3.

[0117] 5-2. Functions of the Elevator System According to Embodiment 5 FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the functions of the elevator system according to Embodiment 5. The relay device 50 of Embodiment 5 includes a receiving unit 411 instead of the receiving unit 401 and a transmitting unit 312 instead of the transmitting unit 402 as compared with the functions of the second relay device 40 shown in FIG. 11. Other functions of the relay device 50 in FIG. 14 have the same configuration as the second relay device in FIG. 11.

[0118] The transmitting unit 21 of the robot server 2 has the function of transmitting a usage request including information on the call of the robot 1 to the receiving unit 411 of the relay device 50 and the function of transmitting a robot operation stop signal and a robot operation resume signal to the receiving unit 411 of the relay device 50. The receiving unit 22 of the robot server 2 has the function of receiving allocation car information for identifying the car 11 to which the call of the robot 1 is assigned from the transmitting unit 312 of the relay device 50.

[0119] The receiving unit 411 of the relay device 50 has the function of receiving a usage request and a robot operation stop signal from the transmitting unit 21 of the robot server 2 and the function of receiving elevator information from each car controller 13. The receiving unit 411 of the relay device 50 has the function of receiving elevator information from each car controller 13 of the corresponding unit every time the elevator information for the corresponding unit changes.

[0120] The transmission unit 312 of the relay device 50 has a function of transmitting to each car control device 13 of the corresponding car the registration request for the boarding floor car call to the assigned car selected by the selection unit 404 and the registration request for the destination floor car call to the assigned car. Further, the transmission unit 312 of the relay device 50 has a function of transmitting information specifying the assigned car selected by the selection unit 404 to the reception unit 22 of the robot server 2.

[0121] In addition, the functions of the transmission unit 21 and the reception unit 22 provided in the robot server 2 of Embodiments 1-5 may be provided in the robot 1. The second relay device 40 or the relay device 50 may communicate directly with the robot 1 without going through the robot server 2.

Explanation of Signs

[0122] 1 Robot, 2 Robot Server, 3 Management Room, 4 Hoistway, 5 Machine Room, 6 Landing, 7 Group Management Device, 8 Hoisting Machine, 9 Deflection Car, 10 Main Rope, 12 Counterweight, 13 Each Car Control Device, 14 Transmission Cable, 15 Car Operation Panel, 16 Car Transmission Cable, 17 Relay Cable, 18 Cable, 19 Hoistway Transmission Cable, 21 Transmission Unit, 22 Reception Unit, 23 Enclosure Judgment Unit, 30 First Relay Device, 40 Second Relay Device, 50 Relay Device, 100 Processing Circuit, 100a Processor, 100b Memory, 100c Dedicated Hardware, 301 Reception Unit, 302 Transmission Unit, 312, Transmission Unit 401 Reception Unit, 402 Transmission Unit, 403 Rank Setting Unit, 404 Selection Unit, 405 Transmission Timing Judgment Unit, 406 Door Open Judgment Unit, 407 Robot Operation Judgment Unit, 408 Evacuation Floor Selection Unit, 409 Elevator Operation Judgment Unit, 410 False Judgment Prevention Unit, 411 Reception Unit, 420 Elevator Information Storage Unit

Claims

1. A plurality of first relay devices, each corresponding to one of a plurality of cars of an elevator provided in a facility, receiving elevator information obtained from an operation panel of the corresponding car, and each being connected so as to be able to transmit a command executable from the operation panel of the car to each unit control device; A second relay device connected so as to be able to communicate with each of the plurality of first relay devices, The second relay device, A second receiving unit that receives a usage request including information on calls from the boarding floor to the destination floor of a robot moving in the facility; A second transmitting unit that transmits a registration request for the call of the robot to a first relay device corresponding to an assigned car that assigns the call of the robot included in the usage request among the plurality of first relay devices; Each of the plurality of first relay devices, A first receiving unit that receives the registration request for the call of the robot transmitted by the second transmitting unit; A first transmitting unit that transmits the registration request for the call of the robot received by the first receiving unit to each unit control device; An elevator system comprising.

2. The elevator information includes at least any one of car position information, car traveling direction information, lighting information of the door open button, lighting information of the destination floor button inside the car, and information on whether the destination floor button inside the car can be registered for the corresponding car, Each of the plurality of first relay devices, Is configured to transmit the elevator information to the second relay device, The second relay device, Receives the elevator information from each of the plurality of first relay devices, Based on the received elevator information, determines the assigned car The elevator system according to claim 1.

3. The second relay device, A ranking setting unit that sets a rank as a candidate car for assigning the call of the robot included in the usage request to at least one of the plurality of cars based on the received elevator information; A selection unit that selects the assigned car from the candidate cars for which the ranking setting unit has set the rank; The elevator system according to claim 2, further comprising.

4. The elevator information includes information on whether the destination floor button inside the car can be registered, The ranking setting unit, Among the received in-car destination floor button registration availability information, when excluding a car in which the floor determined to be non-registerable in the in-car destination floor button registration availability information acquired at the time of the most recent non-directional stop of the car includes the boarding floor or the destination floor from the candidates for the car The elevator system according to claim 3.

5. The elevator information includes the car position information and the car traveling direction information. The ranking setting unit Based on the received car position information and the car traveling direction information, it is determined whether the condition that the boarding floor and the destination floor are located in this order is satisfied from the current position of the car to the front in the traveling direction of the car, and based on whether or not the condition is satisfied, the ranking as the candidate car is set. The elevator system according to claim 3 or claim 4.

6. The elevator information includes the car position information and the car traveling direction information. The ranking setting unit Based on the distance from the current position of the car to the boarding floor calculated based on the received car position information and the car traveling direction information, the ranking as the candidate car is set. The elevator system according to claim 3 or claim 4.

7. The second relay device Based on the car position information and the car traveling direction information, it is determined whether the condition that the boarding floor and the destination floor are located in order is satisfied from the current position of the assigned car to the front in the traveling direction of the car, and when the condition is satisfied, it further includes a transmission timing determination unit that transmits a car call registration request to the assigned car. The elevator system according to claim 3 or claim 4.

8. The second relay device Further includes a door open determination unit that determines whether the door open condition that the assigned car has its door open at the boarding floor is satisfied. When the door open condition is satisfied, the second transmission unit is configured to transmit a registration request for a car call to the destination floor to the first relay device corresponding to the assigned car. The elevator system according to claim 3 or claim 4.

9. The second relay device When it is determined that the robot operation is aborted due to an elevator-side factor, it further includes a robot operation determination unit that determines whether the robot operation has returned to being possible during the waiting time from the determination of the abort. The elevator system according to claim 3 or claim 4.

10. The second relay device When it is determined by the robot operation determination unit that the robot operation has returned to being possible, it includes an evacuation floor selection unit that selects an evacuation floor to which the robot should evacuate. The elevator system according to claim 9.

11. The second relay device An elevator operation determination unit that determines whether the elevator is in operation, When the elevator is located at the terminal floor, an error determination prevention unit that holds the determination in the elevator operation determination unit until the elevator reverses direction or stops without direction. The elevator system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising:

12. Each is connected to each of a plurality of first relay devices that are respectively connected to any one of a plurality of car operation panels of elevators provided in a facility, receive elevator information obtained from the corresponding car operation panel, and can transmit commands executable from the car operation panel to each unit control device, and is connected so as to be able to communicate with each of the plurality of first relay devices. A second relay device, A second receiving unit that receives a usage request including information on calls from the boarding floor to the destination floor of a robot moving in the facility, A second transmitting unit that transmits a registration request for the robot's call to the first relay device corresponding to the assigned car that assigns the robot's call included in the usage request to the first relay device among the plurality of first relay devices for transmission to each unit control device. A second relay device comprising:

13. A relay device that receives elevator information obtained from each of a plurality of car operation panels of elevators provided in a facility and is connected so as to be able to transmit commands executable from the car operation panel to each unit control device corresponding to each of the plurality of cars, A receiving unit that receives a usage request including information on calls from the boarding floor to the destination floor of a robot moving in the facility, A transmitting unit that transmits a registration request for the robot's call to the unit control device corresponding to the assigned car that assigns the robot's call included in the usage request among the unit control devices corresponding to each of the plurality of cars. Comprising The relay device is configured separately from a group management device that is connected to each unit control device and assigns a user's landing call to any one of the plurality of cars.

14. An elevator system comprising the relay device according to claim 13.

15. A relay method for receiving elevator information obtained from each car operation panel of a plurality of cars of an elevator provided in a facility and transmitting a command executable from the car operation panel to each unit control device corresponding to each of the plurality of cars, comprising: Receiving a usage request including call information from the boarding floor to the destination floor of a robot moving in the facility; Determining an assigned car for assigning the call of the robot included in the usage request based on the elevator information; Transmitting a registration request for the call of the robot to each unit control device corresponding to the assigned car; A relay method for causing a relay device configured separately from a group management device that is connected to each unit control device and assigns a user landing call to any one of the plurality of cars to execute.

16. A computer-readable recording medium recording a relay program for causing a computer of a relay device configured separately from a group management device that is connected to each unit control device and assigns a user landing call to any one of the plurality of cars to receive elevator information obtained from each car operation panel of a plurality of cars of an elevator provided in a facility and transmit a command executable from the car operation panel to each unit control device corresponding to each of the plurality of cars, wherein: The relay program: Receives a usage request including call information from the boarding floor to the destination floor of a robot moving in the facility; Determines an assigned car for assigning the call of the robot included in the usage request based on the elevator information; Transmits a registration request for the call of the robot to each unit control device corresponding to the assigned car; Causes a computer to execute; A computer-readable recording medium configured as such.

Images