Elevator control device

Abstract

To mitigate prolongation of riding time of a user which may occur when the user and a robot ride together in a car.SOLUTION: When allocation of a landing call for a user and allocation of a landing call for a robot are performed for the same one car, a control device determines whether the two landing calls satisfy respectively (1) a condition that directions from a departure floor to a destination floor are the same direction, and (2) a condition that the destination floor of the robot is present between the departure floor of the user and the destination floor of the user. Then, when the control device determines that the conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied, the control device stops the car at the destination floor in a direction opposite to a forward direction in which the robot moves from the departure floor to the destination floor, and causes the robot to get off the car moving in the opposite direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] There are elevators that allocate a hall call to a car for a user every time the user registers a destination floor in a destination floor registration device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-55976 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, robots have increasingly been used in buildings to perform various tasks that were previously performed by humans (cleaning, monitoring, transportation, etc.). As a result, elevators are increasingly being used to move robots between floors within buildings, and there are an increasing number of cases where both users and robots use elevators.

[0005] On the other hand, robots take longer to board and disembark than users. Therefore, in an environment where a robot uses an elevator together with a user, if the robot boards at an intermediate floor while the user is being transported, or if the robot disembarks at an intermediate floor while the user is being transported, the user will be forced to wait in the elevator car until the robot has finished boarding and disembarking. In this way, when a user and a robot ride in the elevator together, the user may be forced to spend a longer time riding the elevator until they reach their destination floor.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to alleviate the possibility of a user's riding time being prolonged when the user and the robot ride in the same car. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The control device according to the present invention is a control device that assigns hall calls to cars in an elevator, and performs the following control processing (Aspect 1). When the control device assigns a hall call for a user and a hall call for a robot to the same car, it determines whether the following conditions are met for the two hall calls: (1) the directions from the departure floor to the destination floor are the same, and (2) the destination floor of the robot is between the departure floor of the user and the destination floor of the user. If the control device determines that conditions (1) and (2) are met, it stops the car at the destination floor in the opposite direction to the forward direction of the robot from the departure floor to the destination floor, and causes the robot to disembark from the car going in the opposite direction.

[0008] In elevators, control is generally performed to stop a car in the forward direction from the departure floor to the destination floor at either the departure floor or the destination floor indicated by the hall call assigned to the car. In such a normal control, a robot would exit the car before the passenger exits the car (in a case where the passenger's ride time would be extended due to the robot exiting at an intermediate floor). However, according to the above-described first aspect, the car can be stopped in the reverse direction at the robot's destination floor, not when the car approaches the robot's destination floor in the forward direction, but when the car moves in the reverse direction at a later stage. By having the robot exit the car in the reverse direction, the robot can exit the car after the passenger. This eliminates the passenger's experience of the robot exiting the car while traveling in the car. As a result, it is possible to alleviate the lengthening of the passenger's ride time.

[0009] The control device according to the above aspect 1 may further determine whether the condition (3) that the robot's departure floor is between the user's departure floor and the user's destination floor is satisfied for the above two hall calls, and if it determines that this condition (3) is also satisfied, may stop the elevator in the opposite direction at the robot's destination floor (aspect 2).

[0010] According to the above-mentioned aspect 2, in a case where a robot gets on a car after a user has gotten on that car under normal control, and the robot gets off before the user (a case where the user's ride time would be significantly extended due to the robot both getting on and off at intermediate floors), it becomes possible to have the robot get off from a car heading in the opposite direction, thereby making it possible for the robot to get off after the user. This means that the user does not have to experience the robot getting off while traveling in the car. As a result, it becomes possible to alleviate the significant lengthening of the user's ride time.

[0011] Furthermore, according to the above-mentioned aspect 2, the robot can be made to disembark from a car going in the opposite direction to the forward direction from the departure floor to the destination floor, so the burden on users of the longer ride time due to the robot getting on or off can be distributed and borne not only by users moving in the forward direction, but also by other users moving in the opposite direction.

[0012] When the control device according to the above-mentioned aspect 1 or 2 stops the elevator at the departure floor of the robot, it may temporarily hold the destination floor of the robot as a car call for the elevator without registering it in the elevator, and when the direction of movement of the elevator reverses from the forward direction to the reverse direction at the destination floor of the user or a floor on the opposite side of the departure floor of the user from the destination floor, it may execute the registration of the held car call (aspect 3).

[0013] According to the third aspect, while a car carrying a robot is moving forward, the car can be stopped at the destination floor of the user, but can pass through the destination floor of the robot without stopping. This allows the user to disembark before the robot. In this case, the car reverses its direction of movement from forward to reverse at the departure floor of the user, or continues moving forward and then reverses its direction of movement at some floor (a floor on the opposite side of the user's destination floor from the departure floor of the user). When the car reverses its direction of movement at such a floor, the pending registration of the car call can be executed, allowing the car to stop in the reverse direction at the destination floor of the robot. As a result, the robot can be disembarked at the destination floor after the user has disembarked. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to alleviate the lengthening of the user's riding time that can occur when a user and a robot ride in the same car. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an elevator according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are conceptual diagrams illustrating device management data Dp and robot management data Dr used in an embodiment. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart showing a control process performed by a group management control device in the embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a first command process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a second command process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a third command process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a third command process executed in a second modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] [1] Implementation [1-1] Overall structure of the elevator FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an elevator according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, the elevator is used not only by users but also by a robot H that performs various tasks (cleaning, monitoring, transport, etc.) within the building in which the elevator is installed. The elevator according to this embodiment includes a car G, a destination floor registration device 1, an elevator control device 2, a group management control device 3, and a robot control device 4. The configuration of each part will be specifically described below.

[0017] <Destination floor registration device> The destination floor registration device 1 is a device for an elevator user to register a destination floor Fd, and is installed at each floor where the elevator stops.

[0018] When a user registers a destination floor Fd in the destination floor registration device 1, the destination floor Fd is transmitted to the group management control device 3. As a result, a call registration for the user (assignment of a hall call for the user to a car G) is requested of the group management control device 3. At this time, the destination floor registration device 1 transmits its own device information Pd to the group management control device 3 together with the destination floor Fd so that the group management control device 3 can recognize that the source of the destination floor Fd is the destination floor registration device 1, not the robot H, and which destination floor registration device 1 it is.

[0019] <Elevator control device> The elevator control device 2 is provided for each car G, and controls the operation of the car G associated with it.

[0020] <Group management control device> The group management control device 3 is a device that centrally manages the cars G through the elevator control devices 2, and includes a storage unit 31 and a control unit 32 (see FIG. 1). In this embodiment, the group management control device 3 executes control processing to alleviate the possibility of a user's riding time being prolonged when the user and the robot H ride in the car G together. Details of the control processing performed by the group management control device 3 will be described later.

[0021] The storage unit 31 is a part configured with storage devices such as ROM and RAM, and stores information necessary for the control processing performed by the group management control device 3. In this embodiment, device management data Dp is stored in the storage unit 31 as such information. The device management data Dp is a database for managing, for each destination floor registration device 1, multiple pieces of information related to that destination floor registration device 1 by linking them together.

[0022] 2(A) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the device management data Dp used in this embodiment. In the device management data Dp illustrated in this figure, for each destination floor registration device 1, device information Pd for distinguishing the destination floor registration device 1 from other devices and the floor Fs on which the destination floor registration device 1 is installed are recorded in a mutually associated state.

[0023] As a result, when the group management control device 3 receives the device information Pd together with the destination floor Fd from each destination floor registration device 1, it becomes possible to identify the floor Fs on which the destination floor registration device 1 (the destination floor registration device 1 on which the destination floor Fd has been registered) is installed from the device information Pd. In this embodiment, the floor Fs on which the destination floor registration device 1 is installed is used as the departure floor Fc (boarding floor) of the user who has registered the destination floor Fd with the destination floor registration device 1.

[0024] The control unit 32 is a part that realizes the control processing performed by the group management control device 3. In this embodiment, the control unit 32 is configured with a processing device such as a CPU or MPU. The control unit 32 executes a program, thereby realizing the above control processing in software.

[0025] Here, the above-mentioned program is installed in the group management control device 3, and before installation, it may be stored in a readable state on a portable storage medium (for example, a flash memory, etc.), or may be stored in a downloadable state on another server, etc. The control processing performed by the group management control device 3 is not limited to being realized by software through the execution of a program, but may also be realized by hardware using a processing circuit (control unit 32) built into the group management control device 3.

[0026] <Robot management device> The robot management device 4 is a device that centrally manages the robots H used in the building where the elevator of this embodiment is installed, and includes a storage unit 41 and a control unit 42 (see FIG. 1).

[0027] The storage unit 41 is a part configured with storage devices such as ROM and RAM, and stores information necessary for the control processing performed by the robot management device 4. In this embodiment, robot management data Dr is stored in the storage unit 41 as such information. The robot management data Dr is a database for managing, for each robot H, multiple pieces of information related to that robot H by linking them together.

[0028] 2(B) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the robot management data Dr used in this embodiment. In the robot management data Dr illustrated in this figure, for each robot H, robot information Ph for distinguishing the robot H from other robots H and the current floor Fp of the robot H are recorded in a mutually associated state. Here, the current floor Fp associated with each robot H is the floor on which the robot H is located, and is updated each time the robot H moves between floors.

[0029] The control unit 42 is a part that realizes the control processing performed by the robot management device 4. In this embodiment, the control unit 42 realizes the following processing as one of the control processing performed by the robot management device 4.

[0030] When each robot H needs to move between floors, it transmits the destination floor Fd to the robot control device 4. At this time, the robot H transmits its own robot information Ph to the robot control device 4 along with the destination floor Fd so that the robot control device 4 can recognize which robot H has transmitted the destination floor Fd.

[0031] Furthermore, when each robot H needs to move between floors, it boards a car G from the current floor Fp and moves to the destination floor Fd. In other words, the current floor Fp of each robot H becomes the departure floor Fc (boarding floor) when the robot H moves between floors.

[0032] Therefore, when the robot management device 4 receives the destination floor Fd and robot information Ph from each robot H, the robot management device 4 uses the robot management data Dr to extract the current floor Fp associated with the received robot information Ph in order to identify the departure floor Fc (boarding floor) of that robot H.

[0033] Then, the robot management device 4 transmits the extracted current floor Fp to the group management control device 3 as the departure floor Fc (=Fp) of the robot H for the current floor Fp, together with the destination floor Fd and robot information Ph received from the robot H. This requests the group management control device 3 to register a call for the robot H (assign a hall call to the car G for the robot H).

[0034] In this embodiment, the control unit 42 that realizes such control processing is configured with a processing device such as a CPU, an MPU, etc. The control unit 42 executes a program, thereby realizing the above-mentioned control processing in software.

[0035] Here, the above-mentioned program is installed in the robot management device 4, and before installation, it may be stored in a readable state on a portable storage medium (for example, a flash memory, etc.), or may be stored in a downloadable state on another server, etc. Note that the control processing performed by the robot management device 4 is not limited to being realized by software through the execution of a program, but may also be realized by hardware using a processing circuit (control unit 42) built in the robot management device 4.

[0036] [1-2] Control processing performed by the group management control device 3 is a flowchart showing the control process performed by the group management control device 3 in this embodiment. This control process is started when the destination floor registration device 1 or the robot management device 4 requests the group management control device 3 to register a call.

[0037] Hereinafter, the information received by the group management control device 3 each time a call registration request is made will be collectively referred to as “received information Pr.” Specifically, if the call registration request is from the destination floor registration device 1 (a request to register a call for a user), this received information Pr will include the destination floor Fd and device information Pd, and if the call registration request is from the robot management device 4 (a request to register a call for robot H), the received information Pr will include the departure floor Fc, destination floor Fd, and robot information Ph.

[0038] When the control process begins, the group management control device 3 determines whether the received call registration request is from the destination floor registration device 1 or the robot management device 4 by determining whether the device information Pd or the robot information Ph is included in the received information Pr (step S10).

[0039] If the group management control device 3 determines in step S10 that "device information Pd" is included, it can use that determination to determine that the received call registration request is a request from the destination floor registration device 1. In this case, the group management control device 3 uses the device management data Dp to extract the installation floor Fs associated with the device information Pd in ​​the received information Pr, sets it as the departure floor Fc of the user, and then assigns the departure floor Fc and the destination floor Fd in the received information Pr (the user's destination floor Fd) as one hall call (hereinafter referred to as "target hall call Cg1") to one of the cars G (hereinafter referred to as "target car Gk") (assignment for the user; step S11).

[0040] Thereafter, the group management control device 3 executes a first command process described below as a process for stopping the target car Gk at the departure floor Fc and the destination floor Fd indicated by the target hall call Cg1.

[0041] 4 is a flowchart showing the first command processing executed in this embodiment. In the first command processing, the group management control device 3 transmits a command to the target car Gk to stop the target car Gk in the forward direction Ks at the departure floor Fc indicated by the target hall call Cg1 (the departure floor Fc of the user) (step S101). Here, the forward direction Ks is the direction from the departure floor Fc indicated by the target hall call Cg1 to the destination floor Fd indicated by the target hall call Cg1.

[0042] After step S101, the group management control device 3 determines whether the target car Gk has arrived at the departure floor Fc indicated by the target hall call Cg1 (step S102). Furthermore, the group management control device 3 repeatedly executes step S102 until it can determine "arrived (Yes)" in step S102.

[0043] If the group management control device 3 determines that the car has arrived (Yes) in step S102, it uses the destination floor Fd (the destination floor Fd of the user) indicated by the target hall call Cg1 to register the destination floor Fd in the target car Gk as a car call (hereinafter referred to as the target car call Cg2) (step S103). On the other hand, the target hall call Cg1 completes its role by using the destination floor Fd indicated by the target hall call Cg1 to register a car call in the target car Gk. Therefore, the group management control device 3 deletes the target hall call Cg1 that has completed its role from the target car Gk.

[0044] After step S103, the group supervisory control device 3 transmits a command to the target car Gk to cause the target car Gk to depart in the forward direction Ks from the departure floor Fc of the user (step S104).

[0045] Thereafter, the group supervisory control device 3 transmits a command to the target car Gk to stop the target car Gk in the forward direction Ks at the destination floor Fd indicated by the target car call Cg2 (step S105).

[0046] After step S105, the group management control device 3 determines whether the target car Gk has arrived at the destination floor Fd indicated by the target car call Cg2 (step S106). Furthermore, the group management control device 3 repeatedly executes step S106 until it can determine "arrived (Yes)" in step S106.

[0047] If the group management control device 3 determines that the car call Cg2 of interest has arrived (Yes) in step S106, the car call Cg2 of interest has completed its role due to the arrival, and therefore the group management control device 3 deletes the car call Cg2 of interest from the target car Gk (step S107). Thereafter, the group management control device 3 ends the control processing.

[0048] According to the first command processing, the car G can be stopped in the forward direction Ks from the departure floor Fc to the destination floor Fd at either the departure floor Fc or the destination floor Fd indicated by the hall call (target hall call Cg1) of the user assigned to the car G. Note that such control is generally performed when the user registers the destination floor Fd in the destination floor registration device 1.

[0049] On the other hand, if the group management control device 3 determines in step S10 (see FIG. 3) that "robot information Ph" is included, it can determine that the received call registration request is a request from the robot control device 4. In this case, the group management control device 3 assigns the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd in the received information Pr as one hall call (hereinafter referred to as "target hall call Ch1") to one of the cars G (hereinafter referred to as "target car Gk") (assignment for robot H; step S12). Note that, for simplicity of explanation, it is assumed below that at most one assignment for robot H is made to each car G.

[0050] After step S12, the group management control device 3 determines whether to execute the second command process (see FIG. 5) or the third command process (see FIG. 6) as a process for stopping the target car Gk at the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd indicated by the target hall call Ch1, and then executes either one of the command processes. The second command process and the third command process will be described in detail later.

[0051] Specifically, the group management control device 3 first determines whether or not there is another hall call (a hall call different from the hall call for the robot H) among the hall calls that have already been assigned to the target car Gk (step S21). Here, since it is assumed that at most one allocation for the robot H is made to each car G, if there is another hall call, it means that it is a hall call for a user. Therefore, in step S21, the group management control device 3 determines whether or not there is another hall call, thereby determining whether or not a hall call for a user and a hall call for the robot H have been assigned to the same single car G (target car Gk). In other words, the group management control device 3 can determine whether or not there is a user who is likely to ride with the robot H in the target car Gk.

[0052] If the group management control device 3 determines "Yes" in step S21, it can determine that there is a user in the target car Gk who may be riding with the robot H. In this case, the group management control device 3 determines whether or not the following conditions (1) and (2) are both satisfied for the two hall calls for the user who may be riding with the robot H (step S22).

[0053] Condition (1): The direction from the departure floor Fc to the destination floor Fd is the same. Condition (2): The destination floor Fd of the robot H is between the user's departure floor Fc and the user's destination floor Fd.

[0054] If at least one of the conditions (1) and (2) is not satisfied, after a user boards the target car Gk at the departure floor Fc, even if a robot H is on board, the robot H will not get off until the target car Gk arrives at the user's destination floor Fd, and the user will not have to experience the robot H getting off at an intermediate floor. Also, if there is no other hall call (a hall call different from the hall call for robot H) among the hall calls already assigned to the target car Gk, there will be no user who is likely to board the target car Gk with robot H at that time.

[0055] Therefore, if the group management control device 3 determines "No" in step S21, or if it determines "No" that at least one of the conditions is "not satisfied" in step S22, it executes a second command process. Note that this second command process is a modification of the above-mentioned first command process (see FIG. 4) for robot H. Hereinafter, the first command process and the second command process will be collectively referred to as "normal control."

[0056] On the other hand, if conditions (1) and (2) are both satisfied, under normal control (first command processing and second command processing), before the user disembarks from the target car Gk at the destination floor Fd, the robot H will disembark at an intermediate floor (robot H's departure floor Fc) on the way to the target car Gk's arrival at the user's destination floor Fd. In this case, the user will be forced to wait in the target car Gk until the robot H has disembarked at the intermediate floor. In this way, when the user and the robot H ride in the target car Gk together, the user may be forced to wait a longer time until the user arrives at his or her destination floor Fd due to the robot H disembarking at an intermediate floor.

[0057] Therefore, if the group management control device 3 determines in step S22 that all of the conditions (1) and (2) are "satisfied (Yes)", it executes a third command process to mitigate the lengthening of the user's riding time that may occur when the user and the robot H ride together in the target car Gk.

[0058] The second command processing and the third command processing will be described in detail below.

[0059] 5 is a flowchart showing the second command processing executed in this embodiment. In the second command processing, the group management control device 3 transmits a command to the target car Gk to stop the target car Gk in the forward direction Ks at the departure floor Fc indicated by the target hall call Ch1 (the departure floor Fc of the robot H) (step S201).

[0060] After step S201, the group management control device 3 determines whether the target car Gk has arrived at the departure floor Fc indicated by the target hall call Ch1 (step S202). Furthermore, the group management control device 3 repeatedly executes step S202 until it can determine "arrived (Yes)" in step S202.

[0061] If the group management control device 3 determines that the robot has arrived (Yes) in step S202, it sends a boarding start signal Sx1 to the robot management device 4 along with the robot information Ph of the robot H (robot information Ph in the received information Pr) to start the robot H boarding the arrived target cage Gk (step S203).

[0062] When the robot management device 4 receives the boarding start signal Sx1 from the group management control device 3, it causes the robot H identified by the robot information Ph received together with the signal to start boarding into the target cage Gk. After that, when the robot H has completed boarding, it notifies the robot management device 4 that boarding into the target cage Gk has been completed. Then, when the robot management device 4 receives a boarding completion notification from the robot H, it replies to the group management control device 3 with the robot information Ph of that robot H to notify that the robot H has completed boarding.

[0063] Thereafter, the group management control device 3 determines whether or not it has received a boarding completion signal Sx2 from the robot control device 4 (step S204). The group management control device 3 also repeatedly executes step S204 until it can determine "received (Yes)" in step S204. At this time, some kind of trouble (such as a power system failure or a battery power shortage) may occur in the robot H, preventing the robot H from completing boarding into the target car Gk. Therefore, if the group management control device 3 is unable to receive the boarding completion signal Sx2 (is unable to determine "received (Yes)" in step S204) and a predetermined time has elapsed, it may delete the target hall call Ch1 from the target car Gk and terminate the control processing.

[0064] Then, when the group management control device 3 determines "received (Yes)" in step S204, it uses the destination floor Fd indicated by the target hall call Ch1 (destination floor Fd of the robot H) to register the destination floor Fd in the target car Gk as a car call (hereinafter referred to as "target car call Ch2") (step S205). Meanwhile, the target hall call Ch1 completes its role by using the destination floor Fd indicated by the target hall call Ch1 to register a car call in the target car Gk. Therefore, the group management control device 3 deletes the target hall call Ch1 that has completed its role from the target car Gk.

[0065] After step S205, the group management control device 3 transmits a command to the target car Gk to cause the target car Gk to depart in the forward direction Ks from the departure floor Fc of the robot H (step S206). In addition, the group management control device 3 transmits a command to the target car Gk to stop in the forward direction Ks at the destination floor Fd indicated by the target car call Ch2 (step S207).

[0066] Therefore, after step S207, the group management control device 3 determines whether the target car Gk has arrived at the destination floor Fd indicated by the target car call Ch2 (step S208). Furthermore, the group management control device 3 repeatedly executes step S208 until it can determine "arrived (Yes)" in step S208.

[0067] If the group management control device 3 determines that the robot has arrived (Yes) in step S208, it sends a disembarkation start signal Sy1 to the robot management device 4 along with the robot information Ph of the robot H (robot information Ph in the received information Pr) and the arrival floor of the target car Gk at that time (the floor at which the robot H disembarks) in order to cause the robot H to start disembarking from the arrived target car Gk (step S209).

[0068] When the robot management device 4 receives the dismounting start signal Sy1 from the group management control device 3, it causes the robot H identified by the robot information Ph received together with the signal to start dismounting from the target car Gk. Thereafter, when the robot H has completed dismounting, it notifies the robot management device 4 of the completion of dismounting from the target car Gk. Then, when the robot management device 4 receives a dismounting completion notification from the robot H, it replies to the group management control device 3 with the robot information Ph of that robot H and a dismounting completion signal Sy2 notifying the completion of dismounting of the robot H. In addition, the robot management device 4 updates the current floor Fp of the robot H recorded in the robot management data Dr using the arrival floor of the target car Gk (the floor where the robot H dismounts) received from the group management control device 3.

[0069] Since the role of the target car call Ch2 is completed when the target car Gk arrives at the destination floor Fd of the robot H, the group supervisory control device 3 deletes the target car call Ch2 from the target car Gk (step S210).

[0070] Thereafter, it is determined whether or not a dismounting completion signal Sy2 has been received from the robot management device 4 (step S211). Furthermore, the group management control device 3 repeatedly executes step S211 until it can determine "received (Yes)" in step S211. Then, when it determines "received (Yes)" in step S211, the group management control device 3 ends the control processing.

[0071] According to the second command processing, the elevator G can be stopped in the forward direction Ks from the departure floor Fc to the destination floor Fd at either the departure floor Fc or the destination floor Fd indicated by the hall call (target hall call Ch1) of the robot H assigned to the elevator G.

[0072] 6 is a flowchart showing the third command processing executed in this embodiment. In the third command processing, the group management control device 3 transmits a command to the target car Gk to stop the target car Gk in the forward direction Ks at the departure floor Fc indicated by the target hall call Ch1 (the departure floor Fc of the robot H) (step S301). Here, the forward direction Ks is the direction from the departure floor Fc indicated by the target hall call Ch1 to the destination floor Fd indicated by the target hall call Ch1.

[0073] After step S301, the group management control device 3 determines whether the target car Gk has arrived at the departure floor Fc indicated by the target hall call Ch1 (step S302). Furthermore, the group management control device 3 repeatedly executes step S302 until it can determine "arrived (Yes)" in step S302.

[0074] If the group management control device 3 determines that the robot has arrived (Yes) in step S302, it sends a boarding start signal Sx1 to the robot management device 4 to instruct the robot H to start boarding the arrived target cage Gk, along with the robot information Ph of the robot H (robot information Ph in the received information Pr) (step S303).

[0075] When the robot management device 4 receives the boarding start signal Sx1 from the group management control device 3, it causes the robot H identified by the robot information Ph received together with the signal to start boarding into the target cage Gk. After that, when the robot H has completed boarding, it notifies the robot management device 4 that boarding into the target cage Gk has been completed. Then, when the robot management device 4 receives a boarding completion notification from the robot H, it replies to the group management control device 3 with the robot information Ph of that robot H to notify that the robot H has completed boarding.

[0076] Thereafter, the group management control device 3 determines whether or not it has received a boarding completion signal Sx2 from the robot control device 4 (step S304). The group management control device 3 also repeatedly executes step S304 until it can determine "received (Yes)" in step S304. At this time, some kind of trouble (such as a power system failure or a battery power shortage) may occur in the robot H, preventing the robot H from completing boarding into the target car Gk. Therefore, if the group management control device 3 is unable to receive the boarding completion signal Sx2 (is unable to determine "received (Yes)" in step S304) and a predetermined time has elapsed, it may delete the target hall call Ch1 from the target car Gk and terminate the control processing.

[0077] Then, when the group management control device 3 determines that the call has been received (Yes) in step S304, it does not register the destination floor Fd indicated by the target hall call Ch1 (the destination floor Fd of the robot H) as a car call in the target car Gk, but temporarily puts it on hold (step S305), unlike normal control. Specifically, the group management control device 3 does not register the destination floor Fd indicated by the target hall call Ch1 as a car call in the target car Gk at this point, but assigns it to the variable Z. As a result, the group management control device 3 creates a state in which the registration of a car call for the robot H is put on hold. Meanwhile, the target hall call Ch1 for the robot H completes its role by having the data of the destination floor Fd indicated by the target hall call Ch1 taken over by the variable Z. Therefore, the group management control device 3 deletes the target hall call Ch1 that has completed its role from the target car Gk.

[0078] After step S305, the group management control device 3 transmits a command to the target car Gk to cause the target car Gk to depart in the forward direction Ks from the departure floor Fc of the robot H (step S306).

[0079] According to this processing, while the target car Gk is moving in the forward direction Ks, it can be stopped at the destination floor Fd of the user, while passing through the destination floor Fd of the robot H without stopping. This makes it possible for the user to disembark before the robot H. In this case, the target car Gk reverses its movement direction from the forward direction Ks to the reverse direction Kt at the destination floor Fd of the user, or continues to move in the forward direction Ks and then reverses its movement direction from the forward direction Ks to the reverse direction Kt at some floor (a floor on the opposite side of the user's departure floor Fc from the user's destination floor Fd). In this embodiment, the following processing is executed to allow the robot H to disembark at the destination floor Fd after the user has disembarked.

[0080] After step S306, the group management control device 3 determines whether the moving direction of the target car Gk has reversed from the forward direction Ks to the reverse direction Kt (step S307). The group management control device 3 also repeatedly executes step S307 until it determines "reversed (Yes)" in step S307. Here, the reverse direction Kt is the direction opposite to the forward direction Ks.

[0081] Then, when the group management control device 3 determines in step S307 that the destination floor Fd is "reversed (Yes)", it uses the destination floor Fd indicated by the value of variable Z to register the destination floor Fd in the target car Gk as a car call for robot H (hereinafter referred to as "target car call Ch3") (step S308). As a result, the registration of the car call for robot H that was on hold is executed in the target car Gk.

[0082] According to step S308, it is possible to stop the target car Gk in the reverse direction Kt at the departure floor Fc of the robot H, and to have the robot H disembark from the target car Gk heading in the reverse direction Kt.

[0083] After step S308, the group management control device 3 sends a command to the target car Gk to stop it in the reverse direction Kt at the destination floor Fd indicated by the target car call Ch3 (the destination floor Fd indicated by the value of variable Z) (step S309).

[0084] After step S309, the group management control device 3 determines whether the target car Gk has arrived at the destination floor Fd indicated by the target car call Ch3 (the destination floor Fd indicated by the value of variable Z) (step S310). Furthermore, the group management control device 3 repeatedly executes step S310 until it can determine "arrived (Yes)" in step S310.

[0085] If the group management control device 3 determines in step S310 that the robot has arrived (Yes), it sends a disembarkation start signal Sy1 to the robot management device 4 to instruct the robot H to begin disembarking from the arrived target car Gk, along with the robot information Ph of the robot H (robot information Ph in the received information Pr) and the arrival floor of the target car Gk at that time (floor where the robot H disembarks) (step S311).

[0086] When the robot management device 4 receives the dismounting start signal Sy1 from the group management control device 3, it causes the robot H identified by the robot information Ph received together with the signal to start dismounting from the target car Gk. Thereafter, when the robot H has completed dismounting, it notifies the robot management device 4 of the completion of dismounting from the target car Gk. Then, when the robot management device 4 receives a dismounting completion notification from the robot H, it replies to the group management control device 3 with the robot information Ph of that robot H and a dismounting completion signal Sy2 notifying the completion of dismounting of the robot H. In addition, the robot management device 4 updates the current floor Fp of the robot H recorded in the robot management data Dr using the arrival floor of the target car Gk (the floor where the robot H dismounts) received from the group management control device 3.

[0087] Furthermore, since the car call Ch3 of interest completes its role when the target car Gk arrives at the destination floor Fd of the robot H, the group management control device 3 deletes the car call Ch3 of interest from the target car Gk (step S312).

[0088] Thereafter, the group management control device 3 determines whether or not a dismounting completion signal Sy2 has been received from the robot control device 4 (step S313). The group management control device 3 also repeatedly executes step S313 until it determines "received (Yes)" in step S313. Then, when it determines "received (Yes)" in step S313, the group management control device 3 ends the control processing.

[0089] According to the third command processing, in a case where the robot H disembarks from the car G before the user disembarks from the car G under normal control (the first command processing and the second command processing) (a case where the user's ride time would be extended due to the robot H disembarking at an intermediate floor), the car G can be stopped in the reverse direction Kt at the destination floor Fd of the robot H, not when the car G approaches the destination floor Fd of the robot H in the forward direction Ks, but when the car G moves in the reverse direction Kt at a subsequent stage (after the movement direction is reversed from the forward direction Ks to the reverse direction Kt). Then, by disembarking the robot H from the car G heading in the reverse direction Kt, it becomes possible for the robot H to disembark after the user. This eliminates the user's experience of the robot H disembarking while traveling in the car G. As a result, it is possible to alleviate the lengthening of the user's ride time.

[0090] [2] Variation [2-1] First modified example The first modification is a modification of the above-described embodiment. In this modification, in step S22 (see FIG. 3), the group management control device 3 adds the following condition (3) to conditions (1) and (2), and then determines whether all of these conditions are met.

[0091] Condition (3): The departure floor Fc of the robot H is between the user's departure floor Fc and the user's destination floor Fd.

[0092] When all of conditions (1) to (3) are satisfied, under normal control (first command processing and second command processing), after a user boards the target car Gk at the departure floor Fc, robot H boards at an intermediate floor (robot H's departure floor Fc) before the target car Gk arrives at the user's destination floor Fd, and robot H disembarks at another intermediate floor (robot H's destination floor Fd). In this case, the user not only has to wait in the target car Gk until robot H has disembarked at the intermediate floor, but also has to wait in the target car Gk until robot H has boarded at an earlier floor. In this way, when the user and robot H board the target car Gk together, the user may be forced to wait a significantly longer ride time to reach his or her destination floor Fd due to robot H boarding and disembarking at two intermediate floors.

[0093] Therefore, in this modified example, the group management control device 3 executes the third command process (see FIG. 6) only when there is a risk that the riding time will be significantly longer. Specifically, the group management control device 3 executes the third command process (see FIG. 6) when it determines in step S22 that all of the conditions (1) to (3) are "satisfied (Yes)."

[0094] According to the first modified example, under normal control (first command processing and second command processing), in a case where the robot H gets on to the car G after the user has gotten on that car G and the robot H gets off before the user (a case where the user's riding time would be significantly longer due to the robot H both getting on and off at intermediate floors), it becomes possible to make the robot H get off from the car G heading in the opposite direction Kt, thereby making it possible for the robot H to get off after the user. This means that the user does not have to experience the robot H getting off while traveling in the car G. As a result, it becomes possible to alleviate the significant lengthening of the user's riding time.

[0095] Furthermore, according to the first variant, the robot H can be disembarked from a car G heading in the opposite direction Kt, so the burden on users of the longer ride time due to the robot H getting on or off can be distributed and borne not only by users moving in the forward direction Ks, but also by other users moving in the opposite direction Kt.

[0096] [2-2] Second variant The second modified example is a further modified example of the first modified example (when all of the conditions (1) to (3) are satisfied). Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the third command processing executed in the second modified example.

[0097] In the third command processing of this modified example, instead of step S301 (see Figure 6), the group management control device 3 sends a command to the target car Gk to stop it in the reverse direction Kt at the departure floor Fc (departure floor Fc of the robot H) indicated by the target hall call Ch1 (step S331).

[0098] Thereafter, the group management control device 3 executes steps S332 to S335 (the same processes as steps S302 to S305 described above). In this modified example, after step S335, the group management control device 3 transmits a command to the target car Gk to depart from the departure floor Fc of the robot H in the reverse direction Kt (step S336).

[0099] Here, if the target car Gk is stopped in the reverse direction Kt at the departure floor Fc of the robot H, in order to move the target car Gk to the destination floor Fd of the robot H (the destination floor Fd indicated by the value of the variable Z), after the target car Gk departs in the reverse direction Kt from the departure floor Fc of the robot H, the target car Gk must be moved in the reverse direction Kt and the direction of movement must be reversed to the forward direction Ks at the user's departure floor Fc, or it must be moved further in the reverse direction Kt and then the direction of movement must be reversed to the forward direction Ks at some floor (a floor on the opposite side of the user's destination floor Fd from the user's departure floor Fc).

[0100] On the other hand, in an elevator, when the moving direction of a car G is reversed, a control (hereinafter referred to as "reset control") is generally performed to erase the car call that remains registered in the car G. For this reason, when a target car Gk arrives at the departure floor Fc of a robot H in the opposite direction Kt, if the destination floor Fd of the robot H is registered as a car call at that timing, the car call will remain registered until the target car Gk reverses its moving direction, and will be erased (reset) when the moving direction of the target car Gk is reversed.

[0101] In addition, in order to stop the target car Gk in the reverse direction Kt at the destination floor Fd of the robot H, it is necessary to move the target car Gk in the forward direction Ks and then reverse its direction of movement to the reverse direction Kt at the user's destination floor Fd, or to continue moving in the forward direction Ks and then reverse its direction of movement to the reverse direction Kt at some floor (a floor on the opposite side of the user's departure floor Fc from the user's destination floor Fd).

[0102] Therefore, in this modified example, in order to prevent the car call for the robot H from being erased (reset) in the above-described manner and to stop the target car Gk in the reverse direction Kt at the destination floor Fd of the robot H, the registration of the car call is temporarily suspended by executing step S334, and thereafter, when the moving direction of the target car Gk reverses from the reverse direction Kt to the forward direction Ks and then reverses again from the forward direction Ks to the reverse direction Kt, the registration of the suspended car call is executed. Specifically, the following processing is executed.

[0103] After step S336, the group management control device 3 determines whether the moving direction of the target car Gk has reversed to the forward direction Ks (step S337). Furthermore, the group management control device 3 repeatedly executes step S337 until it can determine "reversed (Yes)" in step S337.

[0104] If the group management control device 3 determines in step S337 that the moving direction of the target car Gk has "reversed (Yes)" to the forward direction Ks, it further determines whether the moving direction of the target car Gk has re-reversed to the reverse direction Kt (step S338). Furthermore, the group management control device 3 repeatedly executes step S338 until it can determine in step S338 that "the moving direction has re-reversed (Yes)."

[0105] Then, when the group management control device 3 determines in step S338 that "re-reversal has occurred (Yes)", it registers the destination floor Fd indicated by the value of variable Z in the target car Gk as a car call (target car call Ch3) for robot H (step S339). As a result, the registration of the car call for robot H that was on hold is executed in the target car Gk.

[0106] Thereafter, the group management control device 3 executes steps S340 to S344 (the same processes as steps S309 to S313 described above), and ends the control process if it determines in step S344 that the disembarking completion signal Sy2 has been "received (Yes)."

[0107] According to this processing, even if the target car Gk stops at the departure floor Fc of the robot H, the car call of the robot H is temporarily suspended from being registered as a car call (target car call Ch3) to the target car Gk. After that, the target car Gk completes a reversal of its direction of movement (reversal to the forward direction Ks) and then a reversal of its direction of movement (reversal to the reverse direction Kt) before registration to the target car Gk is performed. Therefore, even when reset control is performed, the car call of the robot H remains suspended even when the target car Gk reverses its direction of movement and even when it reverses again. Therefore, the car call of the robot H remains unregistered at those times, and is therefore prevented from being deleted upon reversal. The car call of the robot H is then registered after the target car Gk completes a reversal of its direction of movement (i.e., after two processes for deleting the car call are completed). Therefore, even when reset control is performed, the target car Gk that has been stopped in the reverse direction Kt at the departure floor Fc of the robot H can be stopped again in the reverse direction Kt at the destination floor Fd of the robot H without being affected by the control.

[0108] According to the second modification, in the case where a robot H boards a car G after a user boards the car G under normal control (first command processing and second command processing) (where the user's riding time would be extended due to the robot H boarding at an intermediate floor), when the car G is moving in the reverse direction Kt, the car G can be stopped in the reverse direction Kt at the departure floor Fc of the robot H. Then, by having the robot H board the car G heading in the reverse direction Kt, it becomes possible for the robot H to board before the user. This not only saves the user the experience of the robot H getting off, but also saves the user the experience of the robot H boarding while the user is traveling in the car G. As a result, the user's riding time can be shortened to the same extent as when the robot H is not riding along with the user.

[0109] The above-described embodiments and modifications should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined not by the above-described embodiments and modifications, but by the claims. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications that are equivalent to the scope of the claims and fall within the scope thereof.

[0110] Furthermore, from the above-described embodiments and modifications, the subject matter of the invention is not limited to the group management control device 3, but may also be extracted individually or partially from the control processes and programs executed by the group management control device 3. Furthermore, some or all of the elevators equipped with the group management control device 3 may also be extracted as the subject matter of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 1. Destination floor registration device 2. Elevator control device 3 Group management control device 4. Robot Management Device G car H Robot 31, 41 Storage section 32, 42 Control section Dp Equipment Management Data Dr. Robot Management Data Fc Departure Floor Fd Destination floor Fp Current Floor Fs Installation floor GK target basket Ks forward Kt reverse direction Pd device information Ph Robot Information Pr Reception Information Cg1, Ch1 Focused platform call Cg2, Ch2, Ch3 Target car call Sx1 Boarding start signal Sx2 ride completion signal Sy1 Start of disembarkation signal Sy2 exit completion signal

Claims

1. A control device that executes allocation of hall calls to elevator cars in an elevator, When assigning hall calls for users and hall calls for robots to the same car, the following two hall calls are assigned: (1) The conditions are that the direction from the departure floor to the destination floor is the same, and (2) A condition that the destination floor of the robot is between the departure floor of the user and the destination floor of the user; and Determine whether each of the following is satisfied, If it is determined that the conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied, the elevator car is stopped at the destination floor in a direction opposite to the forward direction in which the robot travels from the departure floor to the destination floor, and the robot is allowed to disembark from the elevator car traveling in the opposite direction; When it is determined that at least one of the conditions (1) and (2) is not satisfied, the elevator control device stops the car in the forward direction at the destination floor of the robot and causes the robot to disembark from the car heading in the forward direction.

2. For the two hall calls, further: (3) A condition that the departure floor of the robot is between the departure floor of the user and the destination floor of the user; Determine whether or not is satisfied, If it is determined that the condition (3) is also satisfied, the elevator car is stopped in the reverse direction at the destination floor of the robot; 2. The elevator control device according to claim 1, wherein, when it is determined that at least one of the conditions (1) to (3) is not satisfied, the elevator car is stopped in the forward direction at the destination floor of the robot.

3. When the elevator car is stopped at the departure floor of the robot, the destination floor of the robot is temporarily reserved without being registered in the elevator car as an elevator call, 3. An elevator control device according to claim 1, wherein when the direction of movement of the elevator car is reversed from the forward direction to the reverse direction at the destination floor of the user or at a floor on the opposite side of the destination floor from the departure floor of the user, the elevator control device executes registration of the reserved car call.

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