Coordination device between elevator and self-propelled robot

Abstract

To provide a cooperation device for an elevator and an autonomous mobile robot, which allows the autonomous mobile robot to smoothly get on and off the elevator in an environment where the autonomous mobile robot and persons coexist.SOLUTION: A cooperation device 10 provides cooperation between an elevator 12 comprising a cage which passengers get on and off and an autonomous mobile robot 14 which autonomously moves on a floor surface and can get on and off the cage, and causes the autonomous mobile robot 14 to start a getting-on / off operation by transmitting an instruction to get on / off the cage to the autonomous mobile robot 14 and notifies peripheral persons of the getting-on / off operation by causing the autonomous mobile robot 14 to output information about the getting-on / off operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooperative device between an elevator and a self-propelled robot. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, technology has been developed to place service robots in elevators through system integration (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Service robots can enter elevators by themselves using autonomous driving technology.

[0003] Elevators generally have a user interface that passengers can operate, such as buttons for selecting the destination floor, and an HMI (human-machine interface) that displays the current floor and other information to passengers.

[0004] Robots generally have user interfaces such as touch panels for operation, and some are also equipped with eHMI (external human-machine interface) such as body displays and speakers for communication with people around them. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-113917 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As this cooperation between elevators and robots progresses, situations will arise in which humans and robots share elevators. When a robot gets on or off an elevator that is already occupied by people, it will be effective for the robot to communicate its status to people around it by displaying and speaking to alert people, helping them to share and share seats.

[0007] However, a robot alone can usually only grasp the robot's own motion control status, such as moving forward and backward. To display information and play audio on the robot's eHMI while taking into account the elevator's status (ascending and descending status, passing and stopping floors, door open / close status, etc.), information must be exchanged between the robot's control system and the elevator's control system. Furthermore, the floor at which the robot gets off is determined by destination and route information, but this information may not be stored inside the robot but may be held by a remote route control system.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a coordination device between an elevator and a self-propelled robot that allows the self-propelled robot to smoothly get on and off the elevator in an environment where people and self-propelled robots are mixed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device of the present invention is a coordination device that coordinates an elevator equipped with a car in which passengers get on and off, and a self-propelled robot that can get on and off the car by autonomously traveling on the floor, and is characterized in that the coordination device sends boarding and alighting instructions for the car to the self-propelled robot to start the boarding and alighting operation, and outputs information regarding the boarding and alighting operation from the self-propelled robot to notify those around it.

[0010] Another elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, the coordination device has a setting means for setting the departure floor and destination floor of the self-propelled robot, and the self-propelled robot has a control unit that controls the robot to enter the car after moving to the front of the elevator at the departure floor set by the setting means, and controls the robot to exit the car at the destination floor set by the setting means.

[0011] Another elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, it further includes a path setting unit that sets a movement path for the self-propelled robot. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device of the present invention is a coordination device that coordinates an elevator equipped with a car in which passengers get on and off, with a self-propelled robot that can get on and off the car by autonomously traveling on the floor. The coordination device sends boarding and alighting instructions for the car to the self-propelled robot to initiate the boarding and alighting operation, and also outputs information regarding the boarding and alighting operation from the self-propelled robot to notify those around it, thereby achieving the effect of enabling self-propelled robots to get on and off the elevator smoothly in an environment where people and self-propelled robots are mixed.

[0013] In addition, according to another elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device of the present invention, the coordination device has a setting means for setting the departure floor and destination floor of the self-propelled robot, and the self-propelled robot has a control unit that controls the self-propelled robot to get into the car after moving to the front of the elevator at the departure floor set by the setting means and to get out of the car at the destination floor set by the setting means, thereby achieving the effect of enabling the self-propelled robot to get on and off smoothly at the departure floor and destination floor that have been set in advance.

[0014] In addition, another elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device according to the present invention further includes a path setting unit that sets the movement path of the self-propelled robot, thereby achieving the effect of enabling more precise control of the self-propelled robot depending on the operating status of the elevator. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a cooperation device between an elevator and a self-propelled robot according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an operation flow diagram of this embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the getting-on and getting-off operation of the self-propelled robot according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the transition of display and audio along the travel path of the self-propelled robot in this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a cooperative device between an elevator and a self-propelled robot according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, a coordination device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention coordinates the operation of an elevator 12 installed in a building and a self-propelled robot 14 that travels with the elevator 12 along the hallways of the building to deliver luggage and the like. This coordination device 10 includes a communication unit 16, a route setting unit 18, and a control unit 20. The communication unit 16 transmits and receives coordination information between the elevator 12 and the self-propelled robot 14 via a network N. The network N may be either a public line network or a dedicated line network.

[0018] The route setting unit 18 is a setting means for setting the travel route of the self-propelled robot 14. This route is composed of the loading point, the departure floor of the self-propelled robot 14 relative to the elevator 12, the travel route up to that point, the destination floor, and the travel route from there to the unloading point. The route setting unit 18 sets these by referring to information input by the user or information such as the corridors in the building, the loading point, the unloading point, and the elevator positions that is registered in advance in a database (not shown).

[0019] Control unit 20 is a control means that controls the operation of elevator 12 and self-propelled robot 14. This control unit 20 generates information for controlling the operation of elevator 12 and self-propelled robot 14 based on the path set by path setting unit 18, and transmits the generated information to elevator 12 and self-propelled robot 14 via communication unit 16. Control unit 20 also transmits instructions to self-propelled robot 14 to get on and off elevator 12, causing it to start getting on and off, and causes self-propelled robot 14 to output operation information (information related to getting on and off operations). This notifies surrounding people and passengers of the operation information of self-propelled robot 14.

[0020] The elevator 12 has a communication unit 22, a control unit 24, an HMI unit 26, and a car unit 28. The communication unit 22 is communicatively connected to the communication unit 16 of the linked device 10 via a network N. The car unit 28 has a car through which passengers get on and off, a door provided on the front of the car, a door opening / closing function for opening and closing the door, and a lifting function for moving the car up and down along the hoistway. The control unit 24 controls the operation of the elevator 12, including the HMI unit 26 and the car unit 28.

[0021] The HMI unit 26 is a human-machine interface that outputs information to the user and allows the user to input instructions to the elevator 12. The HMI unit 26 is composed of a display unit with a display and a touch panel, and buttons. The HMI unit 26 is provided on a wall inside the car or on a wall in the corridor outside the car. The HMI unit 26 outputs and displays information on the display of the display unit in response to a control signal input from the control unit 24. On the other hand, when a user inputs an instruction to the HMI unit 26 via the touch panel or buttons on the display unit, the HMI unit 26 outputs a control signal in response to this input to the control unit 24. When a user in front of the elevator 12 calls the car, the user operates the touch panel or buttons on the wall in the corridor to move the car up or down to the departure floor and then open the door. When a user in the car wants to move to a desired floor, the user operates the touch panel or buttons on the wall inside the car to move the car up or down to the destination floor and then open the door.

[0022] In addition to or instead of the display and touch panel, a speaker for outputting voice and a microphone for inputting voice may be provided in the HMI unit 26. In this case, information about the elevator 12 is output to the user by voice output from the speaker in addition to or instead of displaying on the display, and instructions to the elevator 12 can be given by inputting voice uttered by the user through the microphone in addition to or instead of inputting on the touch panel.

[0023] The self-propelled robot 14 is a luggage delivery robot that can autonomously travel on a floor surface and get on and off the elevator 12. The self-propelled robot 14 has a communication unit 30, a control unit 32, an eHMI unit 34, and an autonomous driving unit 36. The communication unit 30 is communicatively connected to the communication unit 16 of the linked device 10 via a network N. The autonomous driving unit 36 ​​detects obstacles and causes the self-propelled robot 14 to travel autonomously, and has a self-position estimation function that estimates its own position within a building, a target position estimation function that estimates a target position to which the self-propelled robot should next move, a target path generation function that generates a path from the self-position to the target position, and a driving mechanism, a braking mechanism, and a steering mechanism that cause the self-propelled robot to travel.

[0024] The control unit 32 controls the operation of the self-propelled robot 14, including the eHMI unit 34 and the autonomous driving unit 36. The control unit 32 controls the autonomous driving unit 36 ​​so that the self-propelled robot 14 moves along the path set by the path setting unit 18 of the coordination device 10. For example, the control unit 32 controls the self-propelled robot 14 to move in front of the elevator 12 at the set departure floor, and then to get into the car. The control unit 32 also controls the self-propelled robot 14 to get off the car at the set destination floor. The control unit 32 also causes the eHMI unit 34 to output operation information based on command information from the control unit 20 of the coordination device 10.

[0025] The eHMI unit 34 is a human-machine interface that transmits operational information about the self-propelled robot 14 to people and passengers in the vicinity, and is composed of a display and a speaker. The display of the eHMI unit 34 is provided on the side or top of the self-propelled robot 14 so that it is visible to people and passengers in the vicinity. The speaker is provided on the side or top of the self-propelled robot 14 so that it can be heard by people and passengers in the vicinity.

[0026] The eHMI unit 34 outputs and displays current operation information of the self-propelled robot 14 on the display in response to a control signal input from the control unit 32. Also, in response to a control signal input from the control unit 32, the eHMI unit 34 outputs the current operation information of the self-propelled robot 14 as audio from a speaker. By displaying the current operation information on the display, nearby people and passengers can be visually notified of the current operating status of the self-propelled robot 14. Also, by outputting the current operation information as audio from the speaker, nearby people and passengers can be audibly notified of the current operating status of the self-propelled robot 14. Note that the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration including either a display or a speaker may be used. The eHMI unit 34 may also include a display unit with a display and touch panel for outputting information to the user and for the user to input instructions to the self-propelled robot 14, as well as buttons.

[0027] The operation and function of the above configuration will now be described. 2, first, the coordination device 10 appropriately references the operation status of the self-propelled robot 14 and the elevator 12. Then, based on the route set in advance by the route setting unit 18, it determines the next elevator 12 to use on the route (step S1). Furthermore, it determines the elevator 12 to be used, the boarding car floor (departure floor), the descending car floor (destination floor), and the timing of the operation of the elevator 12 and the operation of the self-propelled robot 14 (step S2), and notifies this information to the self-propelled robot 14 and the elevator 12, respectively.

[0028] Based on the information notified from the linkage device 10, the elevator 12 controls the elevator to call the car to the specified car floor (step E1), and when it arrives at the car floor, it opens the door (step E2) and sends a notification to the linkage device 10 that it has arrived at the car floor.

[0029] Meanwhile, the self-propelled robot 14 moves in front of the elevator 12 based on the information notified by the linkage device 10 (step R1). The control unit 32 determines whether there is a waiting time based on the notified timing of the elevator 12's operation (step R2). If there is a waiting time (Yes in step R2), the display and speaker of the eHMI unit 34 start displaying and playing audio indicating elevator waiting (current operation information) (step R3), and then proceeds to step R4. On the other hand, if there is no waiting time (No in step R2), the process proceeds to step R4.

[0030] Upon receiving a notification from the elevator 12 that the elevator has arrived at the car floor, the linking device 10 performs car start control (step S3) and sends a car start instruction to the self-propelled robot 14. In addition, until receiving a car completion notification from the self-propelled robot 14, the linking device 10 sends an instruction to the elevator 12 to extend the time the door is open.

[0031] When the self-propelled robot 14 receives a car boarding start instruction from the linking device 10, it starts displaying and playing audio indicating boarding cautions (current operation information) (step R4) and performs car boarding operation (step R5). When the car boarding operation is completed, it sends a car boarding completion notification to the linking device 10 and ends the display and audio indicating boarding cautions (step R6). Thereafter, it starts displaying the destination floor of the descending car (step R7).

[0032] The linkage device 10 receives the car completion notification from the self-propelled robot 14, performs car completion control (step S4), and sends the car completion notification to the elevator 12. Also, if an instruction to extend the door open time has been sent, the linkage device 10 sends an instruction to cancel this.

[0033] Upon receiving the car boarding completion notification from the linking device 10, the elevator 12 sets the destination floor (destination car floor) (step E3) and closes the door (step E4). After that, the elevator 12 performs the car raising and lowering operation (step E5), and when it arrives at the destination floor, it opens the door (step E6) and sends a notification to the linking device 10 that it has arrived at the destination floor.

[0034] Upon receiving a notification from the elevator 12 that it has arrived at the destination floor, the linkage device 10 performs descending car start control (step S5) and sends a descending car start instruction to the self-propelled robot 14. In addition, until receiving a descending car completion notification from the self-propelled robot 14, the linkage device 10 sends an instruction to the elevator 12 to extend the time the door is open.

[0035] When the self-propelled robot 14 receives a car unloading start command from the linking device 10, it starts displaying and playing audio indicating a car unloading warning (current operation information) (step R8) and performs the car unloading operation (step R9). When the car unloading operation is completed, it sends a car unloading completion notification to the linking device 10 and ends the display and audio indicating a car unloading warning (step R10). Thereafter, it moves to the next destination and starts displaying a message indicating that delivery is in progress (step R11).

[0036] The linkage device 10 receives the notification of completion of the descending car from the self-propelled robot 14, performs descending car termination control (step S6), and sends the notification of completion of the descending car to the elevator 12. Also, if an instruction to extend the door open time has been sent, the linkage device 10 sends an instruction to cancel this.

[0037] Upon receiving the notification of completion of the elevator descending from the linkage device 10, the elevator 12 closes the door (step E7).

[0038] As described above, in this embodiment, when self-propelled robot 14 gets on and off elevator 12, self-propelled robot 14 displays information and plays audio that takes into account the status and destination floor of elevator 12. This allows self-propelled robot 14 to get on and off elevator 12 smoothly in an environment where people and self-propelled robots 14 coexist.

[0039] (Example of getting on and off) Next, a specific example of the self-propelled robot 14 getting on and off the elevator 12 will be described. As shown in Figure 3(1), first, the self-propelled robot 14 autonomously travels to the elevator 12 at the set departure floor and waits there. While waiting, the eHMI unit 34 notifies those around it by displaying a message on the display and by voice from the speaker that it is in an operational state waiting for the elevator 12 to arrive.

[0040] As shown in Figure 3 (2), when the elevator 12 arrives and the doors open, the self-propelled robot 14 autonomously travels to get into the elevator 12 car and heads to the destination floor for delivery. When starting to board the elevator, the eHMI unit 34 displays a message such as "We are boarding the elevator. Please be careful" to inform those around it, and also notifies those around it by voice from the speaker.

[0041] As shown in Figure 3 (3), while the self-propelled robot 14 is in the car of the elevator 12, the display of the eHMI unit 34 of the self-propelled robot 14 is linked to the display of the HMI unit 36 ​​of the elevator 12, and the floor at which the robot is getting off (destination floor) is displayed and communicated to those around it.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 3(4), after the self-propelled robot 14 arrives at the destination floor and the elevator 12 doors open, the self-propelled robot 14 gets off the elevator 12 while warning people around it by voice.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 3(5), once the elevator 12 confirms that the self-propelled robot 14 has disembarked, it closes the doors.

[0044] As shown in Figure 3 (6), the self-propelled robot 14 moves toward a predetermined set location (unloading point or loading point), and the display of the eHMI unit 34 of the self-propelled robot 14 during operation displays the work content (e.g., "Delivery in progress").

[0045] (Example of display and audio output) Next, examples of what is displayed on the display of the eHMI unit 34 and what is output from the speaker when the self-propelled robot 14 delivers a package from the 10th floor to the 5th floor of a building in that order will be described.

[0046] FIG. 4 shows examples of displays and audio output during a movement route. The line in the figure indicates the movement route of the self-propelled robot 14, which moves from the bottom left to the right. The text below the line indicates the operation content on the route. The text above the line indicates the content displayed on the display of the eHMI unit 34 during that section. Also, the "♪" in the figure indicates that audio equivalent to the content displayed on the display will be output from the speaker.

[0047] As shown in this diagram, the self-propelled robot 14 starts moving from the first floor parking lot and simultaneously outputs a "Start moving" display and audio to alert the user. It then moves to the loading area while displaying "Moving". When it arrives at the loading area, it displays "Loading" and outputs an audio message. The loading lid on the self-propelled robot 14 opens and loads the cargo. After completion, it sends information to the control unit 20 of the linkage device 10 that the loading operation is complete. It then closes the loading lid and ends the "Loading" display and audio message. Next, as it starts moving, it simultaneously outputs a "Start moving" display and audio message to alert the user. The audio message then ends, the display switches to "Transporting", and the robot autonomously drives and passes through automatic doors, etc.

[0048] When it arrives in front of elevator 12, it stops and waits, outputting a display and voice message saying "Waiting for ELV." When the elevator car of elevator 12 arrives, it gets into the car of elevator 12 while outputting a display and voice message saying "Boarding ELV." After getting in, it ends the voice message, switches to a display saying "Getting off at the 10th floor," and waits. When it arrives at the 10th floor, it gets out of the car of elevator 12 while outputting a display and voice message saying "Getting off ELV."

[0049] The voice then ends, the display switches to "In transport", and the robot autonomously drives to the delivery destination. When it arrives at the delivery destination, it outputs a message and voice saying "Unloading". The loading lid on the self-propelled robot 14 opens and unloads the cargo. After completion, it sends information to the control unit 20 of the linkage device 10 that the unloading work has been completed. After unloading is confirmed, the loading lid is closed, and the message and voice saying "Unloading" end. Next, it starts driving, and at the same time, it outputs a message and voice saying "Start driving" to warn the user. The voice then ends, the display switches to "In transport", and the robot autonomously drives.

[0050] When it arrives in front of the elevator 12, it stops and waits, outputting a display and voice of "Waiting for ELV." When the elevator 12 car arrives, it gets into the car of the elevator 12 while outputting a display and voice of "Boarding the ELV." After getting in, it stops the voice and switches to a display of "Getting off at the 5th floor," and it waits. When it arrives at the 5th floor, it gets out of the car of the elevator 12 while outputting a display and voice of "Getting off the ELV." Thereafter, it performs the same control and returns to the parking lot on the first floor. In this way, smooth getting on and off the elevator becomes possible in situations where both people and robots are present. In the above embodiment, when the elevator is temporarily stopped, it may be possible to output a voice of "Temporarily stopped" and a voice of "Please go ahead."

[0051] As described above, the elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device of the present invention is a coordination device that coordinates an elevator equipped with a car in which passengers get on and off, and a self-propelled robot that can get on and off the car by autonomously traveling on the floor, and the coordination device sends boarding and alighting instructions for the car to the self-propelled robot to initiate the boarding and alighting operation, and also outputs information regarding the boarding and alighting operation from the self-propelled robot to notify those around it, thereby enabling the self-propelled robot to get on and off the elevator smoothly in an environment where people and self-propelled robots are mixed.

[0052] In addition, according to another elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device of the present invention, the coordination device has a setting means for setting the departure floor and destination floor of the self-propelled robot, and the self-propelled robot has a control unit that controls the self-propelled robot to enter the car after moving to the front of the elevator at the departure floor set by the setting means and to exit the car at the destination floor set by the setting means, thereby enabling the self-propelled robot to smoothly enter and exit the car at the departure floor and destination floor set in advance.

[0053] Another elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device according to the present invention not only includes a control unit that controls the operation of the elevator and the operation of the self-propelled robot, but also includes a path setting unit that sets the movement path of the self-propelled robot, making it possible to more precisely control the self-propelled robot according to the operating status of the elevator.

[0054] For example, it is possible to have a self-propelled robot use another available elevator instead of the nearest elevator, which requires a long wait. In addition, it is possible to prevent more than a certain number of self-propelled robots (e.g., multiple robots) from waiting in a specific elevator hall or in front of a specific elevator, and to set the number and combination of robots riding in an elevator car to a predetermined number. As a result, not only can the self-propelled robot be operated efficiently, but problems caused by self-propelled robots sharing an elevator with people can be reduced by having the self-propelled robot avoid using crowded elevators and having the self-propelled robot follow certain rules for waiting for or riding in an elevator. In addition to setting a route that specifically indicates the travel route of the self-propelled robot, route setting also includes setting a route to board an elevator in a specific elevator hall out of multiple elevator halls, and further including indicating a route to travel in one of multiple elevators. [Industrial Applicability]

[0055] As described above, the elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device of the present invention is useful in buildings where self-propelled robots use elevators to transport luggage, and is particularly suitable for enabling self-propelled robots to smoothly get on and off elevators in environments where people and self-propelled robots coexist. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 10. Coordination device between elevator and self-propelled robot 12 Elevator 14 Self-propelled robot 16, 22, 30 Communications Department 18 Route setting unit (setting means) 20, 24, 32 control unit (control means) 26 HMI section 28 Cage section (cage) 34 eHMI section 36 Autonomous Driving Unit N Network

Claims

1. A linking device that links an elevator having a car in which passengers get on and off, and a self-propelled robot that autonomously travels on a floor surface and can get on and off the car, by referring to the operation status of each of the elevator and the self-propelled robot, the coordination device includes a path setting unit that sets a movement path for the self-propelled robot, a control unit that controls the operation of the elevator and the operation of the self-propelled robot, and a communication unit that transmits and receives coordination information between the elevator and the self-propelled robot, the control unit determines the elevator to be used on the route based on the route set in advance by the route setting unit, generates operation control information for the elevator and the self-propelled robot by calculating the timing of the elevator operation and the self-propelled robot operation, transmits the generated operation control information to the elevator and the self-propelled robot via the communication unit, transmits boarding and alighting instructions for the elevator car to the self-propelled robot to start the boarding and alighting operations, displays information regarding the boarding and alighting operations on a display of a human-machine interface provided on the self-propelled robot, and outputs the information as audio from a speaker of the human-machine interface to alert those in the vicinity, and while the self-propelled robot is in the elevator car, the display on the display of the human-machine interface of the self-propelled robot is linked to the display of the human-machine interface provided on the elevator.

2. the coordination device has a setting means for setting a departure floor and a destination floor of the self-propelled robot, 2. The elevator and self-propelled robot cooperation device according to claim 1, wherein the self-propelled robot has a control unit that controls the robot to get into the car after moving to the front of the elevator at the departure floor set by the setting means, and controls the robot to get off the car at the destination floor set by the setting means.

Images