Elevator control system, control device, autonomous mobile body, and elevator control method

Abstract

To prevent troubles from occurring when an autonomous mobile body uses an elevator by enabling a control device or a server side to determine that a robot has boarded an elevator car without installing equipment such as a router or a two-dimensional barcode. [Solution] In the control device, the door control unit closes the doors to close them even if a boarding completion notification has not been received from the autonomous moving body after a certain time has passed since the sending of the boarding preparation completion notification, and turns off or reduces the illuminance of the first lighting device.When a boarding completion notification is received from the autonomous moving body, the control unit is equipped with a first judgment unit that judges that the autonomous moving body has boarded the car when a first illuminance sensor inside the car detects that the illuminance inside the car is greater than a first threshold value.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD Embodiments of the present invention relate to an elevator control system, a control device, an autonomous moving body, and an elevator control method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent elevator control systems, autonomous mobile objects such as robots are placed in elevator cars and operated to perform various tasks, such as moving the autonomous mobile object to a destination floor (target floor).

[0003] In conventional technology, if the communication environment inside the elevator car is not good, it becomes difficult for the autonomous mobile body in the car to communicate with the control device that controls the elevator or the server for the autonomous mobile body, which causes a problem in that it becomes difficult to receive a notification from the autonomous mobile body to the control device or server that boarding is complete, and a notification from the control device or server that disembarkation is complete to the autonomous mobile body.

[0004] To solve such problems, there are known conventional technologies that install a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) router inside the elevator car to change the communication path inside and outside the elevator car, and technologies that install a two-dimensional barcode on the top surface of the threshold of the hall door, read the two-dimensional barcode with an autonomous mobile body, and allow passengers to board or disembark at the appropriate time from the autonomous mobile body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-210414 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-98549 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 5449952 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, such conventional technology requires the installation of a router, a two-dimensional barcode, and the like, which makes the installation and maintenance work complicated and increases the installation and maintenance costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An elevator control system according to an embodiment is an elevator control system provided for each elevator having a car that can be raised and lowered in a building, the elevator control system comprising: a control device that controls the elevator; and an autonomous moving body that can travel autonomously and board the car, wherein the control device comprises: a first communication unit that receives from the autonomous moving body a movement request that specifies a departure floor from which the car will board and a destination floor that is a destination floor to which the car will travel; a control unit that, when receiving the movement request, moves the car to the departure floor specified in the movement request; a door control unit that opens the doors of the car when the car arrives at the departure floor; and a first lighting control unit that controls lighting of a first lighting device that can illuminate the inside of the car, wherein after opening the doors, the first communication unit transmits a boarding readiness completion notification to the autonomous moving body that made the movement request, and the door control unit receives a boarding completion notification from the autonomous moving body after a certain time has elapsed since the transmission of the boarding readiness completion notification. Even if the notification is not received, the door of the car is closed, and the first lighting control unit further turns off or reduces the illuminance of the first lighting device after a certain time has elapsed since the transmission of the boarding preparation completion notification. When the control unit receives the boarding completion notification from the autonomous moving body or when a first illuminance sensor that is provided inside the car and detects illuminance detects that the illuminance inside the car is greater than a first threshold, the control unit detects that the autonomous moving body has boarded the car. The autonomous moving body further comprises a second lighting device capable of illuminating the surroundings, a travel control unit that boards the elevator whose doors have been opened at the departure floor, a second communication unit that sends the movement request to the control device before boarding the elevator and, when boarding into the elevator is completed, sends the boarding completion notification to the control device, and a second lighting control unit that turns on the second lighting device or increases the illuminance when boarding into the elevator is completed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of an elevator control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a control panel according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server in the elevator cloud according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server in a robot cloud according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the robot according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure of an elevator control process according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the procedure (continued) of the elevator control process according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] (Embodiment) 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an elevator control system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the elevator control system 1 of this embodiment mainly includes control panels 100A and 100B provided for each of a plurality of elevators 2A and 2B, controllers 150A and 150B provided for each of the plurality of elevators 2A and 2B, a server 210 in an elevator cloud 200, a server 310 in a robot cloud 300, a monitoring center 400, and an elevator company 700.

[0011] In this embodiment, a plurality of elevators 2A and 2B are installed in a building 3 (an example of a building) such as an apartment building. In the example of Fig. 1, two elevators 2A and 2B are shown, but the system may be configured with only one elevator or three or more elevators.

[0012] Elevators 2A, 2B each include a car 50A, 50B in a respective hoistway 20A, 20B. Additionally, each hoistway 20A, 20B also includes a hoisting machine and a counterweight (not shown). Cars 50A, 50B and counterweights are supported so as to be able to rise and fall freely on a pair of guide rails (not shown) erected in each hoistway 20A, 20B, and move up and down via ropes.

[0013] In addition to the user 5A, robots 500A, 500B, and 500C serving as autonomous moving bodies can also ride in the cars 50A and 50B.

[0014] The cars 50A and 50B are provided with operation panels 4A and 4B, cameras 7A and 7B, load sensors 8A and 8B, illuminance sensors 12A and 12B, and lighting devices 13A and 13B. The cameras 7A and 7B, the illuminance sensors 12A and 12B, and the lighting devices 13A and 13B are installed on the ceilings of the cars 50A and 50B.

[0015] The operation panels 4A, 4B accept various operations from users in the cars 50A, 50B and issue various notifications to the cars 50. The operation panels 4A, 4B are connected to the control panels 100A, 100B by wire or wirelessly. The operation panels 4A, 4B are provided with a plurality of push buttons and a plurality of non-contact sensors (neither of which are shown). When the user 5A, 5B presses any of the push buttons or brings a finger close to any of the non-contact sensors to be detected, a destination floor call is sent from the operation panels 4A, 4B to the control panels 100A, 100B, with the floor corresponding to the push button or non-contact sensor as the destination floor.

[0016] Here, the destination floor call is a request (operation data) made by a user in the car 50 to direct the car 50 to a desired destination floor. The destination floor call specifies the destination floor to which the car 50 is to travel.

[0017] In addition, in this embodiment, a destination floor call for the robot is transmitted from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the control panel 100 via the controller 150. The destination floor call for the robot is operation data in which the robot ID of the robot 500 that wishes to use the elevator 2, the departure floor, and the destination floor (also referred to as the target floor) are specified, and the car 50 is moved to the specified departure floor and then proceeds from the departure floor to the specified destination floor. Here, the departure floor is the floor at which the car 50 boards. The destination floor call for the robot is an example of a movement request. The destination floor call for the robot may also be referred to as a movement request.

[0018] In addition, the operation panels 4A, 4B are provided with push buttons and non-contact sensors (neither of which is shown) for opening or closing the doors of the cars 50A, 50B. When the users 5A, 5B press the push buttons or when the non-contact sensors detect their fingers approaching each other, the control panels 100A, 100B open or close the doors. Here, opening the doors is referred to as "door open," and closing the doors is referred to as "door close."

[0019] The lighting devices 13A and 13B in the cars 50A and 50B are turned on or have their illuminance increased by the control of the control panels 100A and 100B to illuminate the insides of the cars 50A and 50B. The lighting devices 13A and 13B are examples of first lighting devices.

[0020] The illuminance sensors 12A and 12B in the cars 50A and 50B detect the illuminance inside the cars 50A and 50B and transmit detection signals to the control panels 100A and 100B. The illuminance sensors 12A and 12B are examples of first illuminance sensors.

[0021] Cameras 7A and 7B in cars 50A and 50B photograph the interior of cars 50A and 50B and send the captured images to control panels 100A and 100B. When the doors of cars 50A and 50B are open at hall 25, cameras 7A and 7B are capable of capturing images of the hall and send the captured images to control panels 100A and 100B.

[0022] The load sensors 8A and 8B are provided on the bottom of the cars 50A and 50B and detect the weight of the car 50. When a user 5A or a robot 500A or 500B is inside the car 50A or 50B, the load sensors 8A and 8B detect the weight of the car 50 itself, as well as the weight of the user 5A and the robot 500A or 500B. The load sensors 8A and 8B send the detected weights as detection signals to the control panels 100A and 100B.

[0023] In addition, a human presence sensor (not shown) may be provided inside the cars 50A and 50B. In this case, the human presence sensor can be configured to be provided on the ceiling of the cars 50A and 50B, detect the presence of a user (person) inside the cars 50A and 50B, and send a detection signal to the control panels 100A and 100B.

[0024] A landing 25 is provided on each floor. The landing 25 is a place where users and the robot 500 wait for the arrival of the elevator cars 50A and 50B of the elevators 2A and 2B. As shown in Fig. 1, a camera 9 is provided at the platform 25. The camera 9 is provided on the wall next to a hall door (not shown) that serves as the entrance and exit for the elevator car 50, and captures images of the situation at the platform 25, such as passengers waiting at the platform 25.

[0025] In addition, lighting devices (not shown) can be installed on the ceiling of the landing 25 on each floor to illuminate the landing 25. A control panel (not shown) is also provided at the landing 25. Users can call for the landing from the control panel.

[0026] Here, a platform call is a request (operation data) made by a platform user to have a car 50 heading in either the up or down direction arrive at the platform. The platform call specifies the destination direction and the floor where the platform call was made (i.e., the departure floor). The camera 9, the lighting device, and the operation panel are connected to the control panels 100A and 100B by wire or wirelessly.

[0027] Control panels 100A and 100B and controllers 150A and 150B are provided inside the elevator shafts 20A and 20B, respectively. The control panels 100A and 100B are connected wirelessly or by wire to operation panels 4A and 4B provided on the cars 50A and 50B.

[0028] The control panels 100A and 100B control the operation of the cars 50A and 50B in the elevators 2A and 2B, respectively. The control panels 100A and 100B are connected to the controllers 150A and 150B, respectively, by wire or wirelessly. The control panels 100A and 100B will be described in detail later.

[0029] Each of the controllers 150A, 150B is connected via a network to a server 210 in the elevator cloud 200. The controllers 150A, 150B are intermediary devices that control communication between the control panels 100A, 100B and the server 210 and have an interface function and a hub function for intermediating various signals exchanged between the control panels 100A, 100B and the server 210. Each of the controllers 150A, 150B is configured as a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc.

[0030] The control room 160 is occupied by the manager of Building 3 and other related parties. The manager of building 3 and other related parties in the control room 160 give various instructions to the control panels 100A and 100B. The manager of the control room 160 also receives various instructions from the control panels 100A and 100B by email or the like via a PC or terminal device.

[0031] The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 issues various control instructions for the cars 50A and 50B of the elevators 2A and 2B to the control panels 100A and 100B via the controllers 150A and 150B, and also receives various instructions and data from the control panels 100A and 100B via the controllers 150A and 150B. The server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 is connected to a monitoring center 400 (an in-house server) and a server 310 in the robot cloud 300 via a network.

[0032] An in-house server (not shown) is installed in the monitoring center 400. The in-house server is a server installed in an affiliated company of the elevator 11, and collects information necessary for maintenance management and remote monitoring of the elevator 2 from the elevators 2A and 2B. This allows maintenance personnel to deal with the malfunction by referring to the information necessary for maintenance management collected in the in-house server of the monitoring center 400. Furthermore, when functions or services are executed through the elevator cloud 200, the in-house server of the monitoring center 400 can be accessed as needed to refer to building and elevator information, or the maintenance personnel can obtain information necessary for elevator management.

[0033] The server 310 of the robot cloud 300 receives various instructions and various data from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200. The server 310 of the robot cloud 300 is connected to multiple robots 500A, 500B, and 500C in the building 3 via a network, and transmits various instructions to each of the multiple robots 500A, 500B, and 500C. The server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 and the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 will be described in detail later.

[0034] The elevator company 700 is a company that provides the elevator 2, and a server 710 is provided within the elevator company 700.

[0035] The server 710 stores the exchange of signals between the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, between the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 and the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, between the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 and the control panel 100, and between the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 and the security system 161 or monitoring center 400 of the control room 160 that manages the building 3. In other words, the server 710 behaves like a mirror server of the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200. The server 710 also has a function of storing error reports between these devices.

[0036] The number of elevators is not limited, and three or more elevators are installed in building 3. Therefore, the number of elevator shafts 20A, 20B, cars 50A, 50B, control panels 100A, 100B, and controllers 150A, 150B also varies depending on the number of elevators 2A, 2B. Here, when there is no need to distinguish between the multiple elevators 2A, 2B, the multiple elevator shafts 20A, 20B, the multiple cars 50A, 50B, the multiple control panels 100A, 100B, and the multiple controllers 150A, 150B, they will be referred to as elevator 2, elevator shaft 20, car 50, control panel 100, and controller 150. When the operation panels 4A, 4B, cameras 7A, 7B, load sensors 8A, 8B, illuminance sensors 12A, 12B, and lighting devices 13A, 13B are not distinguished from one another, they will be referred to as the operation panel 4, camera 7, load sensor 8, illuminance sensor 12, and lighting device 13.

[0037] Next, the control panel 100 will be described in detail. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the control panel 100 according to the embodiment. The control panel 100 is an example of a control device.

[0038] The control panel 100 has a typical computer configuration, and as shown in FIG. 2, mainly comprises a control unit 120, a communication unit 102, and a storage unit 110.

[0039] In addition, as shown in Figure 2, the control panel 100 is connected by wire or wirelessly to a load sensor 8, a camera 7 in the elevator car 50, a camera 9 at the landing 25, an illuminance sensor 12 in the elevator car 50, and a lighting device 13 in the elevator car 50.

[0040] The storage unit 110 is a storage medium (that is, a memory device) such as a ROM or RAM, etc. The storage unit 110 stores a management database 111 (hereinafter referred to as "management DB 111").

[0041] The management DB 111 is a database in which various data for using the elevator 2 is registered. For example, the management DB 111 registers the robot IDs of the robots 500 that can ride the elevator 2 controlled by the control panel 100. Here, the robot ID is information for identifying the robot 500.

[0042] The communication unit 102 is made up of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the control panel 100 and the controller 150. That is, the communication unit 102 transmits and receives various data to and from other control panels 100 and the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150. The communication unit 102 also transmits and receives various instructions and notifications to and from the mobile terminal, PC, etc. of the manager of the control room 160.

[0043] In this embodiment, the communication unit 102 receives a destination floor call from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150. The communication unit 102 also receives a movement request (i.e., a destination floor call for the robot) specifying the departure floor from which the robot 50 boards the elevator car 50 and the destination floor to which the robot 50 travels via the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 and the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200.

[0044] After the door is opened, the communication unit 101 transmits a notification that the robot 500 that requested movement has completed preparation for boarding via the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 and the server 310 of the robot cloud 300. When the door is opened, the communication unit 101 transmits a notification that the robot 500 has completed preparation for disembarking via the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 and the server 310 of the robot cloud 300. Note that the communication unit 101 may be configured to transmit a notification that the robot 500 has completed preparation for disembarking when the door is opened and the lighting device 13 is turned on. The communication unit 101 is an example of a first communication unit.

[0045] The control unit 120 is made up of a hardware processor (CPU). As shown in Fig. 2, the control unit 120 mainly includes a normal operation control unit 121, a robot-linked operation control unit 122, a lighting control unit 123, a determination unit 124, and a door control unit 125.

[0046] The normal operation control unit 121 controls the normal operation. Normal operation is an operation in which no robot is on board and only people are on board the elevator 50. The normal operation control unit 121 performs group management control of the elevator 50.

[0047] Here, group management control refers to control for allocating the car 50 that is closest to a departure floor, such as a floor where a call for the car 50 is made. In this embodiment, the normal operation control unit 121 performs group management control in cooperation with the other control panels 100 by, for example, inquiring of the control panels 100 of other elevators 2 about the departure floor and the current position and elevation status of the car 50 and receiving the response.

[0048] The robot linked operation control unit 122 controls the robot linked operation. The robot linked operation control unit 122 is an example of a control unit. Robot-linked driving is driving in which the robot 500 rides in the car 50. Robot-linked driving includes robot-only driving in which no person rides in the car 50, and non-robot-only driving in which a person can ride in the car 50. Robot-linked driving is sometimes referred to as robot driving.

[0049] In this embodiment, the robot-linked operation control unit 122 moves the car 50 to the departure floor specified in the movement request when the communication unit 101 receives the movement request. In addition, when the determination unit 124 described later determines that the robot 500 has completed boarding the car 50, the robot-linked operation control unit 122 moves the car 50 to the destination floor specified in the movement request.

[0050] The determination unit 124 determines that the robot 500 has boarded the car 50 when it receives a boarding completion notification from the robot 500 or when the illuminance sensor 12 detects that the illuminance inside the car 50 is greater than a first threshold. Here, when the illuminance is greater than the first threshold, this also includes when the illuminance is equal to or greater than the first threshold. The determination unit 124 is an example of a first determination unit.

[0051] The door control unit 125 controls the opening and closing of the doors of the car 50. The door control unit 125 of this embodiment opens the doors of the car 50 when the car 50 arrives at the departure floor. The door control unit 125 closes the doors of the car 50 even if a boarding completion notification has not been received from the robot 500 after a certain time has elapsed since the boarding preparation completion notification was sent. The door control unit 125 closes the doors when the judgment unit 124 judges that the robot 500 has completed boarding the car 50. The door control unit 125 opens the doors when the car 50 arrives at the destination floor.

[0052] The lighting control unit 123 also controls the lighting of the lighting device 13 inside the elevator car 50. The lighting control unit 123 turns off the lighting device 13 or reduces the illuminance after a certain time has elapsed since the boarding preparation completion notification was sent. When the elevator car 50 arrives at the departure floor, the lighting control unit 123 turns on the lighting device 13 or increases the illuminance. When the determination unit 124 determines that the robot 500 has completed boarding the elevator car 50, the lighting control unit 123 turns off the lighting device 13 or reduces the illuminance. When the elevator car 50 arrives at the destination floor, the lighting control unit 123 turns on the lighting device 13 or increases the illuminance. The illumination control unit 123 is an example of a first illumination control unit.

[0053] Next, the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 will be described in detail. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the server 210 mainly includes a control unit 211, a communication unit 212, and a storage unit 220 as a general computer configuration.

[0054] The storage unit 220 is a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM, a RAM, etc. The storage unit 220 stores various programs.

[0055] The communication unit 212 is composed of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the server 210 and the controller 150 of the control panel 100, and communication processing between the server 210 and the server 310 in the robot cloud 300.

[0056] The communication unit 212 of this embodiment receives a destination floor call (movement request) for the robot from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300. The communication unit 212 also transmits to the control panel 100 a destination floor call generated by the control unit 211 (described later), a destination floor call (movement request) for the robot, and a hall call including the destination floor.

[0057] The control unit 211 is made up of a hardware processor (CPU).

[0058] Next, the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the server 310 mainly includes a control unit 311, a communication unit 312, and a storage unit 320, as a general computer configuration.

[0059] The storage unit 320 is a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM, a RAM, etc. The storage unit 320 stores various programs.

[0060] The communication unit 312 is made up of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the server 310 and the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 , and communication processing between the server 310 and the robot 500 .

[0061] The communication unit 312 in this embodiment receives a movement request (destination floor call) for the robot 500 together with the robot ID from the robot 500, and transmits the received movement request for the robot 500 to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200.

[0062] The control unit 311 is made up of a hardware processor (CPU) and controls various processes related to the robot 500.

[0063] Next, the robot 500 will be described in detail. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a robot 500 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the robot 500 mainly includes a camera 506, an illuminance sensor 507, a lighting device 522, various sensors 505, a control unit 501, a lighting control unit 508, a determination unit 511, a communication unit 502, a travel control unit 509, a drive unit 503, and a storage unit 510.

[0064] The camera 506 captures images of the surroundings of the robot 500 and transmits the captured images to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300. The robot 500 may be configured to further transmit the captured images to the control panel 100.

[0065] The illuminance sensor 507 detects the illuminance around the robot 500. The illuminance sensor 507 is an example of a second illuminance sensor. The lighting device 522 is a device that lights up to illuminate the surroundings of the robot 500. The lighting device 522 is an example of a second lighting device.

[0066] The various sensors 505 include, but are not limited to, a human sensor, an acceleration sensor, a load sensor, and the like.

[0067] The storage unit 510 is a storage medium (memory device) such as a ROM, a RAM, etc. The storage unit 510 stores various programs.

[0068] The communication unit 502 is made up of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol, and performs communication processing between the robot 500 and the server 310 in the robot cloud 300. This is an example of a second communication unit.

[0069] In this embodiment, before boarding the car 50 (when about to board the car 50), the communication unit 502 transmits a destination floor call for the robot specifying the departure floor and destination floor, i.e., a movement request, to the control panel 100 via the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 and the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200. Furthermore, when boarding the car 50 is complete, the communication unit 502 transmits a boarding completion notification indicating the completion of boarding to the control panel 100 via the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 and the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200.

[0070] The control unit 501 is made up of a hardware processor (CPU). When the elevator 2 is in operation, the control unit 501 reads and executes various programs from the storage unit 510, thereby executing various operations in the elevator 2.

[0071] The lighting control unit 508 controls the lighting of the lighting device 522. In this embodiment, when the robot 500 has completed boarding the car 50, the lighting control unit 508 turns on the lighting device 522 or increases the illuminance. The lighting control unit 508 is an example of a second lighting control unit.

[0072] The determination unit 511 determines that the car 50 has started moving toward the destination floor when the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 507 becomes smaller than the second threshold. Furthermore, the determination unit 511 determines that the car has arrived at the destination floor when the communication unit 502 receives a notification that disembarkation preparation is complete from the control panel 100 via the server of the elevator cloud 200 and the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, or when the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 507 becomes larger than the second threshold.

[0073] Here, when the illuminance becomes smaller than the second threshold, it includes the case where the illuminance is equal to or smaller than the second threshold. In this case, when the illuminance becomes larger than the second threshold, it does not include the case where the illuminance is equal to the second threshold.

[0074] Furthermore, when the illuminance becomes greater than the second threshold, it also includes the case where the illuminance is equal to or greater than the second threshold. In this case, when the illuminance becomes less than the second threshold, it means that the illuminance is less than the second threshold. Determining unit 511 is an example of a second determining unit.

[0075] The driving unit 503 is a motor or the like that drives the robot 500 to move. The travel control unit 509 controls the drive unit 503 to control the travel of the robot 500. In this embodiment, the travel control unit 509 controls the drive unit 503 to cause the robot 500 to board the car 50 whose door has been opened at the departure floor.

[0076] Furthermore, when the determination unit 511 determines that the car 50 has arrived at the destination floor, the travel control unit 509 controls the drive unit 503 to cause the robot 500 to disembark from the car 50.

[0077] The above configuration of the robot 500 is an example, and the robot 500 may further include an audio output unit such as a speaker and an input unit such as a touch panel.

[0078] Next, an elevator control process performed by the elevator control system 1 of this embodiment configured as above will be described. 6 and 7 are sequence diagrams showing an example of a procedure of an elevator control process according to the embodiment. First, when the robot 500 starts using the elevator 2, the communication unit 502 transmits elevator use registration to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S11a). The elevator use registration is transmitted from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 (S11b), and further transmitted from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the control panel 100 via the controller 150 (S11c).

[0079] Next, in the control panel 100, the communication unit 102 transmits the robot usage permission to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150 (S14a). This robot usage permission is transmitted from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S14b), and further transmitted from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 to the robot 500 that transmitted the elevator usage registration (S14c).

[0080] Next, in the robot 500 that has received permission to use the robot, the communication unit 502 sends a request to move to another floor (i.e., a destination floor call for the robot) to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S17a), and this request to move to another floor is sent from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 (S17b), and further sent from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the control panel 100 via the controller 150 (S17c).

[0081] In the control panel 100, when the communication unit 102 receives the movement request, the robot interlocking operation control unit 122 moves the car 50 to the departure floor specified in the movement request, and when the car 50 arrives at the departure floor, the door control unit 125 opens the door (S21). Next, the communication unit 102 transmits a boarding preparation completion notice indicating that preparation for boarding the car 50 is complete to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 (S22a). This boarding preparation completion notice is transmitted from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S22b), and further transmitted from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 to the robot 500 waiting at the landing 25 (S22c).

[0082] Upon receiving the notification that preparation for boarding is complete, the robot 500 starts boarding the car 50 whose door has been opened by the travel control unit 509 (S25). When the robot 500 completes boarding the car 50 (S26), the communication unit 502 transmits a boarding completion notification to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S27).

[0083] Here, it is assumed that the communication environment inside the car 50 is poor, causing an abnormality in the transmission of S27 and resulting in failure, and therefore the control panel 100 is unable to receive the boarding completion notification.

[0084] In the robot 500, after transmitting the boarding completion notification, the determination unit 511 monitors the illuminance inside the car 50 (S28).

[0085] On the other hand, the control panel 100 starts closing the doors even if a boarding completion notification has not been received after a certain time has elapsed since the boarding preparation completion notification was sent (S29). Then, when the doors are all closed (i.e., the door closing is completed) (S30), the lighting control unit 123 in the control panel 100 turns off the lighting device 13 of the car 50 (S32).

[0086] At this time, the determination unit 511 of the robot 500 detects that the illuminance of the car 50 has become smaller than the second threshold value, and determines that the car 50 will start moving to the destination floor (S31).

[0087] Then, in the control panel 100, the determination unit 124 monitors the illuminance inside the car 50 (S33).

[0088] In the robot 500, the lighting control unit 508 turns on the lighting device 522 (S34). In the control panel 100, the determination unit 124 detects a change in illuminance inside the car 50 due to the illumination of the lighting device 522 by the robot 500 (S35). As a result, the determination unit 124 determines that the robot 500 has completed boarding the car 50 even if it has not received a boarding completion notification (S36).

[0089] Next, the car 50 moves to the destination floor, and when it arrives at the destination floor, in the control panel 100, the lighting control unit 123 turns on the lighting device 13 in the car 50 (S37). Then, the door control unit 125 opens the door (S42). Next, the communication unit 102 transmits a disembarkation completion notification indicating that disembarkation preparation is complete to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 (S43s). The disembarkation completion notification is transmitted from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S43b), and further transmitted from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 to the robot 500 (S43c). Here, it is assumed that the communication environment in the car 50 is poor, and the transmission of S43c failed due to an abnormality. Therefore, the robot 500 cannot receive the disembarkation preparation completion notification.

[0090] However, in the robot 500, the determination unit 511 detects a change in illuminance, i.e., the illuminance has become greater than the second threshold value, due to the lighting of the lighting device 13 in the car 50 by the control panel 100 in S36 (S38). As a result, the determination unit 511 of the robot 500 determines that the robot is ready to disembark (S40) even if it does not receive a notification that the robot is ready to disembark.

[0091] Next, the robot 500 waits for several seconds (S41). During that time, if the door of the car 50 opens, the robot 500 starts disembarking from the car 50 via the travel control unit 509 (S45).

[0092] When the robot 500 completes dismounting (S46), the communication unit 502 transmits a dismounting completion notification indicating that dismounting has been completed to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S47a). The dismounting completion notification is transmitted from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 (S47b), and is further transmitted from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the control panel 100 via the controller 150 (S47c).

[0093] In the control panel 100, when the communication unit 102 receives the disembarkation completion notification, the door control unit 125 closes the door of the car 50 (S50).

[0094] After the robot 500 has completed disembarking, the communication unit 502 sends a message to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 that the elevator use has been discontinued (S51a). The message to the effect that the elevator use has been discontinued is then sent from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 (S51b), and is then sent from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the control panel 100 via the controller 150 (S51c).

[0095] In the control panel 100 that has received the notice to stop elevator use, the communication unit 102 transmits permission to stop robot use to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150 (S54a). The permission to stop robot use is transmitted from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S54b), and further transmitted from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 to the robot 500 that transmitted the notice to stop elevator use (S54c). This completes a series of elevator control processes.

[0096] As described above, in the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, the control panel 100 receives from the robot 500 a movement request (a destination floor call for the robot) specifying the departure floor from which the car 50 will board and the destination floor to which the car 50 will travel, moves the car 50 to the departure floor specified in the movement request, and when the car 50 arrives at the departure floor, opens the door of the car 50, and after opening the door, transmits a boarding preparation completion notification to the robot 500 that made the movement request, and closes the door of the car 50 even if a boarding completion notification has not been received from the robot 500 after a certain time has elapsed since the transmission of the boarding preparation completion notification, and turns off or reduces the illuminance of the lighting device 13 after a certain time has elapsed since the transmission of the boarding preparation completion notification. The control panel 100 determines that the robot 500 has boarded the car 50 when it receives a boarding completion notification from the robot 500 or when the illuminance inside the car 50 is greater than a first threshold value using the illuminance sensor 12. In addition, the robot 500 gets on the elevator 50 whose door has been opened at the departure floor, and before getting on the elevator 50, it transmits a movement request to the control panel 100, and when getting on the elevator 50 is complete, it transmits a boarding completion notification to the control panel 100, and when getting on the elevator 50 is complete, it turns on the lighting device 13 or increases the illuminance.

[0097] For this reason, according to this embodiment, the elevator 2 detects by multiple means that the robot 500 has boarded, so even if a boarding completion notification cannot be received from the robot 500 in the car 50 due to a poor communication environment, the control panel 100 can determine that the robot has boarded the car 50 and move the car 50 of the elevator 2 to the destination floor. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the control panel 100 and servers 210, 310 can determine that the robot 500 has boarded the car 50 without installing equipment such as a router or a two-dimensional barcode, and problems with the robot 500 when using the elevator can be prevented in advance.

[0098] Furthermore, in the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, when the control panel 100 determines that the robot 500 has completed boarding the car 50, it closes the door, when the robot 500 determines that boarding the car 50 has completed, it turns off the lighting device 13 or reduces the illuminance, and when the robot 500 determines that boarding the car 50 has completed, it moves the car 50 to the destination floor specified in the movement request. When the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 507 becomes smaller than a second threshold, the robot 500 determines that the car 50 has started moving toward the destination floor.

[0099] Therefore, according to this embodiment, when the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 507 becomes smaller than the second threshold value, the robot 500 determines that the car 50 has started moving toward the destination floor. Therefore, even if the communication environment inside the car 50 is poor, the robot 500 can recognize the movement status of the car 50, and can prevent problems when the robot 500 uses the elevator.

[0100] Furthermore, in the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, the control panel 100 opens the door when the car 50 arrives at the destination floor, turns on the lighting device 13 when the car 50 arrives at the destination floor, and transmits a disembarkation preparation completion notification to the robot 500 when the door is opened. When the robot 500 receives the disembarkation preparation completion notification from the control panel 100 or when the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 507 becomes greater than a second threshold, the robot 500 determines that the car 50 has arrived at the destination floor, and disembarks from the car 50 when it is determined that the car 50 has arrived at the destination floor.

[0101] For this reason, according to this embodiment, by detecting by multiple means on the robot 500 side that the car 50 has arrived at the destination floor and the door has opened, even if the robot 500 in the car 50 in a poor communication environment cannot receive a notification that disembarking preparations are complete (disembarkation instruction) from the control panel 100, the robot 500 can determine that disembarking preparations are complete and disembark at the destination floor. Therefore, according to this embodiment, even without installing equipment such as a router or a two-dimensional barcode, it is possible to determine that the robot 500 in the car 50 is ready to disembark, and problems when the robot 500 uses the elevator can be prevented in advance.

[0102] In addition, in the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, the control panel 100 communicates with the robot 500 via the server of the elevator cloud 200 and the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, and the robot 500 communicates with the control panel 100 via the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 and the server of the elevator cloud 200.

[0103] Therefore, according to this embodiment, while the server 210 is managing the elevator 2 and the server 310 is managing the robot 500, communication between the control panel 100 and the robot 500 can be realized.

[0104] (Variation) Various modifications of the above embodiment are possible. For example, the judgment unit 124 can be configured to determine whether the robot 500 has completed boarding by using a change in the weight of the car 50 detected by a load sensor 8 (e.g., a load cell) installed in the car 50, the opening and closing of a door detected by a door sensor (e.g., a multi-axis sensor) not shown, or the analysis results of an image captured by a camera 7 installed inside the car 50.

[0105] Furthermore, the determination unit 124 may be configured to output a sound from the speaker of the robot 500 when the robot 500 has completed boarding, and detect the sound on the control panel 100 side to determine whether boarding has been completed.

[0106] The judgment unit 511 may be configured to output a sound from the speaker on the control panel 4 inside the car 50 when the car 50 arrives at the destination floor or when preparations for disembarking are complete, and the robot 500 detects the sound and determines whether preparations for disembarking are complete.

[0107] The judgment unit 511 may be configured so that the robot 500 detects the current position of the car 50 from information that can determine the position of the car 59, such as an indicator on the car 50, and thereby completes preparations for disembarking the elevator 2.

[0108] In addition, in the above embodiment, the control panel 100 and the robot 500 communicate with each other via the server of the elevator cloud 200 and the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, but this is not limited to this. For example, the control panel 100 and the robot 500 can also be configured to communicate with each other directly without going through the server of the elevator cloud 200 and the server 310 of the robot cloud 300.

[0109] The control programs executed by the control panel 100, the servers 210 and 310, and the robot 500 according to the above-described embodiment and modifications are provided in advance in a ROM or the like.

[0110] Each control program executed by the control panel 100, the servers 210, 310, and the robot 500 according to the above-described embodiments and modifications may be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

[0111] Furthermore, the control programs executed by the control panel 100, the servers 210, 310, and the robot 500 according to the above embodiments and modifications may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network.

[0112] Furthermore, the control programs executed by the control panel 100, the servers 210, 310, and the robot 500 according to the above-described embodiment and modifications may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0113] Each control program executed by the control panel 100, servers 210, 310, and robot 500 according to the above-described embodiment and modified example has a modular structure including each of the functional units described above. In actual hardware, the CPU reads and executes the control program from the ROM, loading each of the above-described units onto the main memory, and generating each of the functional units onto the main memory.

[0114] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0115] 1...Elevator control system, 2, 2A, 2B...Elevator, 3...Building, 4, 4A, 4B...Operation panel, 5A...User, 7, 7A, 7B, 9, 506...Camera, 8, 8A, 8B...Load sensor, 12, 12A, 12B, 507...Illuminance sensor, 13, 522...Lighting device, 20, 20A, 20B...Hoistway, 25...Landing platform, 50, 50A, 50B...Cab, 100, 100A, 100B...Control panel (control device), 120, 211, 311, 501...Control unit, 102, 212, 312, 502...Communication unit, 110, 220, 320, 510...memory unit, 111...management DB, 121...normal operation control unit, 122...robot linked operation control unit, 123, 508...lighting control unit, 124, 511...judgment unit, 125...door control unit, 150, 150A, 150B...controller, 160...control room, 200...elevator cloud, 210...server (elevator server), 300...robot cloud, 310...server (autonomous mobile body server), 500...robot (autonomous mobile body), 503...drive unit, 509...travel control unit.

Claims

1. An elevator control system including a control device provided for each elevator having a car that can be raised and lowered and installed in a building, the control device controlling the elevator, and an autonomous mobile body that can travel autonomously and board the car, The control device a first communication unit that receives, from the autonomous moving body, a movement request that specifies a departure floor at which the passenger boards the elevator and a destination floor that is a destination floor to which the passenger will travel in the elevator; a control unit that, when receiving the movement request, moves the elevator car to the departure floor specified in the movement request; a door control unit that opens a door of the elevator car when the elevator car arrives at the departure floor; a first lighting control unit that controls lighting of a first lighting device that can illuminate the inside of the elevator car, After opening the door, the first communication unit transmits a boarding preparation completion notification to the autonomous moving body that has made the movement request, the door control unit closes the doors of the elevator car even if a boarding completion notification has not been received from the autonomous moving body after a certain time has elapsed since the transmission of the boarding preparation completion notification, The first lighting control unit further turns off or reduces the illuminance of the first lighting device after a certain time has elapsed since the transmission of the boarding preparation completion notification, The control device a first determination unit that determines that the autonomous moving body has boarded the car when the boarding completion notification is received from the autonomous moving body, or when a first illuminance sensor that is provided inside the car and detects illuminance detects that the illuminance inside the car is greater than a first threshold, The autonomous moving body is a second lighting device capable of illuminating the surroundings; A travel control unit that boards the elevator car whose door has been opened at the departure floor; a second communication unit that transmits the movement request to the control device before boarding the elevator car, and transmits the boarding completion notification to the control device when boarding the elevator car is completed; a second lighting control unit that turns on the second lighting device or increases illuminance when boarding into the elevator is completed; An elevator control system comprising:

2. the door control unit closes the door when the first determination unit determines that the autonomous moving body has completed boarding the elevator car, the first lighting control unit turns off or reduces the illuminance of the first lighting device when the first determination unit determines that the autonomous moving body has completed boarding the elevator car; When the first determination unit determines that the autonomous moving body has completed boarding the elevator car, the control unit moves the elevator car to the destination floor specified in the movement request, The autonomous moving body is a second illuminance sensor that detects ambient illuminance; a second determination unit that determines that the elevator car has started moving toward the destination floor when the illuminance detected by the second illuminance sensor becomes smaller than a second threshold; The elevator control system of claim 1 further comprising:

3. The door control unit opens the door when the elevator car arrives at the destination floor, the first lighting control unit turns on the first lighting device or increases illuminance when the elevator car arrives at the destination floor, the first communication unit transmits a disembarkation preparation completion notification to the autonomous moving body when the door is opened; The second determination unit further determines that the elevator car has arrived at the destination floor when the elevator car has received the disembarkation preparation completion notification from the control device or when the illuminance detected by the second illuminance sensor has become greater than the second threshold value, The travel control unit causes the passenger to disembark from the elevator when the second determination unit determines that the elevator has arrived at the destination floor.

3. The elevator control system of claim 2.

4. an elevator server connected to the control device via a network and controlling all elevators in the building; an autonomous moving body server connected to the elevator server and the autonomous moving body via a network and controlling the autonomous moving body; the first communication unit communicates with the autonomous moving body via the elevator server and the autonomous moving body server; the second communication unit communicates with the control device via the autonomous moving body server and the elevator server; 3. An elevator control system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. A control device that is provided for each elevator having a car that can be raised and lowered and installed in a building, and controls the elevator, a communication unit that receives, from an autonomous moving body that can autonomously travel and board the car, a movement request that specifies a departure floor at which the car will be boarded and a destination floor that is a destination floor to which the car will be moved; a control unit that, when receiving the movement request, moves the elevator car to the departure floor specified in the movement request; a door control unit that opens a door of the elevator car when the elevator car arrives at the departure floor; a lighting control unit that controls lighting of a lighting device that can illuminate the inside of the elevator car, After opening the door, the communication unit transmits a boarding preparation completion notification to the autonomous moving body that has made the movement request, the door control unit closes the doors of the elevator car even if a boarding completion notification has not been received from the autonomous moving body after a certain time has elapsed since the transmission of the boarding preparation completion notification, The lighting control unit further turns off or reduces the illuminance of the lighting device after a certain time has elapsed since the transmission of the boarding preparation completion notification, The control device a determination unit that determines that the autonomous moving body has boarded the car when the boarding completion notification is received from the autonomous moving body or when an illuminance sensor that is provided inside the car and detects illuminance detects that the illuminance inside the car is greater than a first threshold; The control device further comprises:

6. the door control unit closes the door when the determination unit determines that the autonomous moving body has completed boarding the elevator car, the lighting control unit turns off the lighting device or reduces illuminance when the determination unit determines that the autonomous moving body has completed boarding the elevator car, When the determination unit determines that the autonomous moving body has completed boarding the elevator car, the control unit moves the elevator car to the destination floor specified in the movement request. The control device according to claim 5 .

7. The door control unit opens the door when the elevator car arrives at the destination floor, the lighting control unit turns on the lighting device or increases illuminance when the elevator car arrives at the destination floor, the communication unit transmits a disembarkation preparation completion notification to the autonomous moving body when the door is opened; The control device according to claim 6.

8. An autonomous moving body that can autonomously travel to and board an elevator car of an elevator installed in a building, the elevator car having a movable car, A lighting device capable of illuminating the surroundings; a communication unit that transmits a movement request specifying a departure floor from which the passenger will board the elevator and a destination floor to which the passenger will travel in the elevator to a control device that is provided for each elevator and controls the elevator before the passenger boards the elevator; A travel control unit that boards the elevator car whose door has been opened at the departure floor, The communication unit further transmits a boarding completion notification to the control device when boarding into the elevator is completed, The autonomous moving body is an illumination control unit that turns on the illumination device or increases illuminance when boarding into the elevator is completed; The autonomous moving body further comprises:

9. an illuminance sensor that detects the ambient illuminance; a determination unit that determines that the elevator car has started moving toward the destination floor when the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor becomes smaller than a second threshold value; The autonomous moving body according to claim 8 , further comprising:

10. The determination unit further determines that the elevator car has arrived at the destination floor when a notification of completion of disembarkation preparation is received from the control device or when the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor is greater than the second threshold value, The travel control unit causes the passenger to disembark from the elevator when the determination unit determines that the elevator has arrived at the destination floor. The autonomous moving body according to claim 9 .

11. An elevator control method executed in an elevator control system including a control device provided for each elevator having a car that can be raised and lowered and installed in a building, and controlling the elevator, and an autonomous mobile body that can travel autonomously and board the car, a step in which the autonomous moving body transmits to the control device a movement request specifying a departure floor from which the autonomous moving body will board the car and a destination floor to which the autonomous moving body will travel in the car before boarding the car; a step in which the control device receives, from the autonomous moving body, a movement request specifying a departure floor at which the passenger boards the elevator and a destination floor to which the passenger will travel in the elevator; When the control device receives the movement request, the control device moves the elevator car to the departure floor specified in the movement request; a door opening step of opening a door of the car when the car arrives at the departure floor; controlling the illumination of a first illumination device capable of illuminating the interior of the elevator car; a step in which the control device, after opening the door, transmits a boarding preparation completion notification to the autonomous moving body that has made the movement request; a step in which the autonomous moving body gets into the elevator whose door has been opened at the departure floor; When the autonomous moving body has completed boarding into the elevator car, the autonomous moving body transmits a boarding completion notification to the control device; When boarding the elevator car is completed, turning on or increasing the illuminance of a second lighting device capable of illuminating the surroundings; a step of closing the doors of the car by the control device even if the control device has not received a boarding completion notification from the autonomous moving body after a certain time has elapsed since the transmission of the boarding preparation completion notification; a step of the control device turning off or reducing the illuminance of the first lighting device after a predetermined time has elapsed since the transmission of the boarding preparation completion notification; a step of determining that the autonomous moving body has boarded the car when the control device receives the boarding completion notification from the autonomous moving body, or when a first illuminance sensor that is provided inside the car and detects illuminance detects that the illuminance inside the car is greater than a first threshold; An elevator control method comprising:

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