Elevator control device and control method

Abstract

To efficiently allow a robot to board an elevator car without affecting the transportation efficiency of a user as much as possible, even when the user and the robot use an elevator at the same time and head to the same direction from the same floor. [Solution] When a hall button is pressed at any floor, the control device assigns the user to a first car, and on the other hand, when an assignment request for a robot is received, the control device assigns the user to a second car in accordance with the request, and keeps the hall lantern corresponding to the second car turned off at the floor where the robot is deployed. When assigning hall calls for both the user and the robot, if the hall calls are from the same floor and have the same destination direction from the departure floor, the control device selects different cars as the first and second cars.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Many elevators have hall buttons installed on each floor for specifying the destination direction (upward or downward), and destination buttons for specifying the destination floor installed inside the car. In such elevators, when a user presses a hall button at any floor, a hall call with that floor as the departure floor and the direction specified by the hall button as the destination direction is assigned to the car with the earliest expected arrival time. Also, at that departure floor, a hall lantern corresponding to the car to which the hall call has been assigned and its departure direction lights up, allowing users at the hall to know which car they should board. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-114763 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, robots have been increasingly used for various tasks in buildings (cleaning, monitoring, transportation, etc.). Accordingly, elevators are increasingly being used to move robots between floors in buildings, and there are an increasing number of cases where both users and robots use elevators (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] On the other hand, in an elevator where hall buttons are installed on each floor, if the elevator is used by both a user and a robot, the following problems may arise.

[0006] If a user and a robot use the elevator at the same time, and they are heading in the same direction from the same floor (same boarding floor), both the user and the robot will wait in front of the hall lantern that is lit at that time for the car to arrive. On the other hand, if a later-arriving user looks at the hall lantern and sees that one that corresponds to the direction they are heading is lit, they will also wait in front of that hall lantern for the car to arrive. For this reason, if many users get on the car that has arrived at that boarding floor before the robot, a situation may arise in which the robot is unable to board. Depending on the elevator usage situation, this situation may be repeated, and it may take a long time for the robot to be able to board the car.

[0007] On the other hand, if one of the cars were dedicated to the robot, the number of cars available for transporting passengers would decrease, resulting in problems such as reduced transport efficiency.

[0008] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to efficiently allow the robot to board the elevator car without affecting the transport efficiency of the user as much as possible, even when a user and a robot use the elevator at the same time and they are heading in the same direction from the same floor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The control device according to the present invention is an elevator control device and has the following configuration (Aspect 1). When a hall button is pressed at a floor, the control device assigns a hall call for a user to a first car, with the floor as the departure floor and the direction specified by the hall button as the destination direction, and further, at the departure floor, lights up the hall lanterns corresponding to the first car and its departure direction. On the other hand, when the control device receives a hall call assignment request for a robot, the control device assigns a hall call according to the request to a second car, and at the floor where the robot is deployed, keeps the hall lanterns corresponding to the second car and its departure direction unlit. When assigning hall calls for both a user and a robot, if the hall calls are from the same departure floor and have the same destination direction from the departure floor, the control device selects different cars as the first car and the second car.

[0010] According to the above aspect 1, when a user and a robot use the elevator at the same time and they are heading in the same direction from the same floor (same boarding floor), different cars can be selected as the car for the user's transportation (first car) and the car for the robot's transportation (second car).

[0011] Even if different cars can be selected in this way, if the hall lantern corresponding to the second car and its departure direction is lit at the boarding floor, when the second car arrives at the boarding floor, passengers at the boarding hall who are planning to go in the same direction will also try to board the second car. If a passenger gets on before the robot does, the robot may not be able to board.

[0012] Therefore, in the above-mentioned aspect 1, by keeping the hall lanterns corresponding to the second car and its departure direction in an off state, when the second car arrives at the boarding floor, it is possible to prevent users at that landing from being informed of the direction in which the car will depart next, thereby acting as a deterrent to those users, making them hesitant to board the car. Therefore, by having the robot board the second car in a situation where such a deterrent is in effect, it is possible to give the robot priority in boarding the second car.

[0013] The control device according to the above-mentioned aspect 1 may have the following configuration (aspect 2): When different cars are selected as the first car and the second car, if the second car arrives at the same boarding floor for the user and the robot before the first car, the control device may change the allocation of the user to the first car to the second car, while canceling the allocation of the robot to the second car, and further change the illumination of the hall lantern corresponding to the first car and its departure direction to the illumination of the hall lantern corresponding to the second car and its departure direction.

[0014] According to the above-mentioned aspect 2, when a second car different from the first car is selected for the movement of the robot, and the second car arrives at the boarding floor before the first car, it is possible to give priority to the user boarding the second car instead of the robot. This makes it possible to give priority to the user's movement over the robot.

[0015] The control device according to the above-mentioned aspect 1 or 2 may have the following configuration (aspect 3): When the robot has completed boarding the second car at the floor where the robot is deployed, the control device may thereafter turn on the second car and the hall lantern corresponding to its departure direction when a hall button specifying the same direction as the direction in which the robot is heading is pressed before the doors of the second car start to close.

[0016] According to the above-mentioned aspect 3, it is possible to encourage users at the platform who are heading in the same direction as the robot to board the second car together with the robot. As a result, if there is space left for a user in the second car, it becomes possible to board the user in that space, and as a result, it is possible to improve transportation efficiency.

[0017] The control device according to the above-mentioned aspect 1 or 2 may have the following configuration (aspect 4): When the boarding of the robot into the second car is completed at the floor where the robot is deployed, the control device may light up the hall lantern corresponding to the second car and its departure direction until the doors of the second car start to close, even if a hall button specifying the same direction as the direction the robot is heading is not pressed thereafter.

[0018] According to the above-mentioned aspect 4, it is possible to inform users heading to the hall for elevator users of the direction in which the stopped second car (the car carrying the robot) is scheduled to depart. This makes it possible to encourage users heading in the same direction as the robot to board the second car together with the robot. As a result, if a user finds out that the second car is heading in the same direction as the user, the user can quickly board the second car without pressing the hall button. On the other hand, if a user finds out that the second car is heading in a different direction from the user, the user can calmly head to the hall.

[0019] The control method according to the present invention is an elevator control method and has the following configuration (Aspect 5). In this control method, when a hall button is pressed at any floor, a hall call for a user is assigned to a first car, with that floor as the departure floor and the direction specified by the hall button as the destination direction. Furthermore, at the departure floor, hall lanterns corresponding to the first car and its departure direction are turned on. On the other hand, when a hall call assignment request for a robot is received, an assignment according to the request is performed to a second car, and at the floor where the robot is deployed, hall lanterns corresponding to the second car and its departure direction are not turned on but are kept off. When assigning hall calls for both a user and a robot, if the hall calls are from the same departure floor and have the same destination direction from the departure floor, different cars are selected as the first car and the second car. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the present invention, when a user and a robot use an elevator at the same time, even if they are heading in the same direction from the same floor, the robot can be efficiently loaded into the elevator car without affecting the transport efficiency of the user as much as possible. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an elevator according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are conceptual diagrams illustrating examples of robot management data and assignment request management data used in an embodiment. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are conceptual diagrams illustrating examples of (A) device management data for the first operation unit, (B) device management data for the second operation unit, (C) hall call management data and car call management data for users, and (D) hall call management data and car call management data for robots, all of which are used in the embodiment. [Figure 4]10 is a flowchart showing allocation request processing executed in the embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an allocation process executed in the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a part of the process (process Z1) in the allocation process. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a part of the process (process Z2) in the allocation process executed in the first modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] [1] Implementation [1-1] Overall structure of the elevator Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the overall configuration of an elevator according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, the elevator is equipped with a plurality of cars G, which are used not only by passengers but also by robots H that perform various tasks (cleaning, monitoring, transport, etc.) in the building in which the elevator is installed. The outline of the overall configuration is as follows:

[0023] A first operating unit 1 is installed at the landing of each elevator floor, allowing users to specify the destination direction Kc, and a hall lantern E is also installed corresponding to each elevator car G to notify users of the arrival of that elevator car G. A second operating unit 2 is also installed inside each elevator car G, allowing users to specify the destination floor Fd. In addition to these components, the elevator also includes a robot management device 3 and a group management control device 4.

[0024] In this embodiment, when a user and a robot H use the elevator at the same time, even if they are heading in the same direction from the same floor, the group management control device 4 executes a control process to enable the robot H to efficiently board the car G without affecting the transport efficiency of the user as much as possible. The configuration of each part will be specifically described below.

[0025] <1st operation section> On floors other than the terminal floors, i.e., the top floor and the bottom floor, the first operation unit 1 includes a hall button (up button) for specifying an upward direction as the destination direction Kc, and a hall button (down button) for specifying a downward direction as the destination direction Kc. On the other hand, on the top floor, the first operation unit 1 includes only a hall button (down button) for specifying a downward direction, and on the bottom floor, it includes only a hall button (up button) for specifying an upward direction.

[0026] When a user operates the first operation unit 1 at a hall (by pressing the hall button) to specify their own destination direction Kc, the destination direction Kc is transmitted to the group management control device 4. As a result, a request for allocation of a hall call X (hereinafter referred to as "hall call Xg") for the user is made to the group management control device 4 (allocation request from the user). At this time, device information Pd1 for identifying the first operation unit 1 from other operation units, devices, etc. is also transmitted to the group management control device 4 so that the group management control device 4 can recognize which operation unit the operated first operation unit 1 is.

[0027] <Hall lantern> On floors other than the terminal floors, which are the top floor and the bottom floor, the hall lanterns E include lanterns that light up (including flashing) to indicate the arrival of a car G whose departure direction Kg is facing upward (a car G heading upward), and lanterns that light up (including flashing) to indicate the arrival of a car G whose departure direction Kg is facing downward (a car G heading downward).On the other hand, on the top floor, the hall lanterns E only include lanterns that indicate the arrival of a car G heading downward, and on the bottom floor, they only include lanterns that indicate the arrival of a car G heading upward.

[0028] <Second operation section> The second operation unit 2 includes a plurality of destination buttons, each of which corresponds to a plurality of floors to which the elevator of this embodiment can guide the user.

[0029] When a user operates the second operation unit 2 in the car G (by pressing any of the destination buttons) to specify their destination floor Fd, that destination floor Fd is transmitted to the group management control device 4. As a result, a registration request for a car call Yg for the user (hereinafter referred to as "car call Yg") is made to the group management control device 4 (registration request from the user). At this time, device information Pd2 for distinguishing the second operation unit 2 from other operation units or devices is also transmitted to the group management control device 4 so that the group management control device 4 can recognize which operation unit the operated second operation unit 2 is.

[0030] <Robot management device> The robot management device 3 is a device that centrally manages the robots H used in the building where the elevator of this embodiment is installed (see FIG. 1). Note that the robot management device 3 is not limited to being installed in the same building as the elevator, and may be a server or program that manages (controls) the robots H on the cloud.

[0031] In this embodiment, the robot management device 3 knows the deployment floor Fx of each robot H. When each robot H needs to move between floors, it transmits the destination floor Fy to the robot management device 3. At this time, the robot H also transmits its own robot information Ph to the robot management device 3 to enable it to be distinguished from other robots H, so that the robot management device 3 can recognize which robot H has transmitted the destination floor Fy.

[0032] When the robot management device 3 receives a destination floor Fy and robot information Ph from any robot H, it sends a hall call X (hereinafter referred to as "hall call Xh") for that robot H to the group management control device 4, with the deployment floor Fx and destination floor Fy of that robot H as the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd, respectively (allocation request process; see FIG. 4). Details of this allocation request process will be described later.

[0033] Thereafter, when the elevator car G arrives at the floor Fx where the robot H is deployed in response to the hall call Xh, the robot management device 3 causes the robot H to board the elevator car G (boarding command processing). 4 is At an appropriate timing after the robot H has boarded the car G (for example, when the robot H has boarded), the destination floor Fd indicated by the hall call Xh of the robot H is registered as a car call Y (hereinafter referred to as "car call Yh") for the robot H for the car G. Then, when the car G arrives at the destination floor Fy of the robot H in response to the car call Yh, the robot management device 3 causes the robot H to disembark from the car G (disembarkation command processing).

[0034] Specifically, the robot management device 3 includes a storage unit 31 and a control unit 32 (see FIG. 1).

[0035] The storage unit 31 is a part configured with storage devices such as ROM and RAM, and stores information necessary for the control processing performed by the robot management device 3. In this embodiment, the storage unit 31 stores robot management data Dp and assignment request management data Dq as such information.

[0036] Here, the robot management data Dp is a database for managing, for each robot H, multiple pieces of information related to that robot H by linking them together. The allocation request management data Dq is data for managing information on allocation requests for the robot H.

[0037] 2(A) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the robot management data Dp used in this embodiment. In the robot management data Dp, for each robot H, the robot information Ph and deployment floor Fx of that robot H, and the destination of the robot H when it moves between floors are recorded in a mutually associated state. Here, the deployment floor Fx associated with each robot H is the current floor on which the robot H is deployed, and is updated each time the robot H moves between floors. Furthermore, the destination associated with each robot H records the destination floor Fy transmitted by the robot H for moving between floors, and the destination floor Fy is erased when the robot H has finished disembarking at that floor.

[0038] As a result, when the robot management device 3 receives robot information Ph from any robot H together with the destination floor Fy, it becomes possible to identify the deployment floor Fx of that robot H from the robot information Ph. In this embodiment, the deployment floor Fx of that robot H is used as the departure floor Fc (boarding floor Ft) when that robot H moves between floors using an elevator. Furthermore, by referring to the movement destination associated with the robot information Ph of each robot H, if the movement destination has the destination floor Fy recorded, the robot management device 3 can determine that the robot H is moving between floors and can also ascertain which floor that movement destination is. On the other hand, if the movement destination has not the destination floor Fy recorded, it can determine that the robot H is deployed to the deployment floor Fx (working).

[0039] 2(B) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the allocation request management data Dq used in this embodiment. In the allocation request management data Dq, each time an allocation request for a robot H is made to the group management control device 4, the robot information Ph of that robot H and the information transmitted to the group management control device 4 in that allocation request (in this embodiment, the departure floor Fc and the destination floor Fd) are recorded in a mutually associated state. Then, the set of information regarding that allocation request is deleted from the allocation request management data Dq when the robot H has completely disembarked at the destination floor Fd (= destination floor Fy) transmitted in that allocation request.

[0040] The control unit 32 is a part that is responsible for executing the control processes (including allocation request processing, boarding command processing, and disembarking command processing) performed by the robot management device 3. Specifically, the control unit 32 is composed of processing devices such as a CPU and an MPU, and executes a control program installed in the robot management device 3 to realize the execution of its own control processes in software. Note that, before being installed in the robot management device 3, this control program may be stored in a readable state on a portable storage medium (for example, a flash memory, etc.), or may be stored in a downloadable state on another server, etc. Furthermore, the control processes performed by the robot management device 3 are not limited to being realized in software by executing a program, but may also be realized in hardware by a processing circuit built into the robot management device 3.

[0041] <Group management control device> The group management control device 4 is a device that centrally controls a plurality of cars G equipped in the elevator of this embodiment through an elevator control device provided for each car G (see FIG. 1).

[0042] Specifically, each time the group management control device 4 receives an allocation request from a user (first operation unit 1) at a hall or the robot control device 3, it selects a car G to be allocated from among a plurality of cars G in response to the request, and allocates the hall call X to that car G (allocation process; see FIGS. 5 and 6). Then, the group management control device 4 causes the car G to execute a response operation to the hall call X (response process). In this embodiment, when a user and a robot H use the elevator at the same time and they are heading in the same direction from the same floor, the group management control device 4 performs a process in the allocation process to enable the robot H to board the car G efficiently without affecting the transport efficiency of the user as much as possible. The details of this allocation process will be described later.

[0043] Furthermore, every time the group management control device 4 receives a registration request from a user (second operation unit 2) in a car G, it registers a car call Yg for the user in the car G (registration processing). Furthermore, when responding to a hall call Xh for a robot H, the group management control device 4 registers the destination floor Fd indicated by the hall call Xh for the robot H as a car call Yh for the robot H in the car G at an appropriate timing after the robot H has boarded the car G (for example, when the robot H has boarded the car G) (registration processing). Then, the group management control device 4 causes the car G to perform a response operation to those car calls Y (response processing).

[0044] Specifically, the group management control device 4 includes a storage unit 41 and a control unit 42 (see FIG. 1).

[0045] The storage unit 41 is a part configured with storage devices such as ROM and RAM, and stores information necessary for the control processing performed by the group management control device 4. In this embodiment, the storage unit 41 stores device management data Dr, hall call management data Dx, and car call management data Dy as such information.

[0046] The device management data Dr includes device management data Dr1 for the first operation unit 1 and device management data Dr2 for the second operation unit 2. Here, the device management data Dr1 is a database for managing, for each first operation unit 1, multiple pieces of information related to that operation unit by linking them together. The device management data Dr2 is a database for managing, for each second operation unit 2, multiple pieces of information related to that operation unit by linking them together.

[0047] The hall call management data Dx includes hall call management data DxG for users and hall call management data DxH for the robot H. Furthermore, the car call management data Dy includes car call management data DyG for users and car call management data DyH for the robot H. Here, the hall call management data DxG and the car call management data DyG are data for managing, for each car G, information on hall calls Xg and car calls Yg for users. The hall call management data DxH and the car call management data DyH are data for managing, for each car G, information on hall calls Xh and car calls Yh for the robot H.

[0048] 3(A) is a conceptual diagram illustrating device management data Dr1 used in this embodiment for the first operation unit 1. In the device management data Dr1, for each first operation unit 1, device information Pd1 of that operation unit and the installation floor Fs are recorded in a mutually associated state.

[0049] As a result, when the group management control device 4 receives device information Pd1 together with the destination direction Kc from any of the first operation units 1, it becomes possible to identify the installation floor Fs of the first operation unit 1 (the operation unit that specified the destination direction Kc) from the device information Pd1. In this embodiment, the installation floor Fs of the first operation unit 1 is used as the departure floor Fc (boarding floor Ft) of the user who specified the destination direction Kc by operating that operation unit.

[0050] 3(B) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the device management data Dr2 used in this embodiment for the second operation unit 2. In the device management data Dr2, for each second operation unit 2, device information Pd2 of that operation unit and car information Pg of the car G in which that operation unit is installed are recorded in a mutually associated state.

[0051] As a result, when the group management control device 4 receives the device information Pd2 together with the destination floor Fd from the second operation unit 2, it becomes possible to identify the car G in which the second operation unit 2 is installed (the car G for which the destination floor Fd has been specified) from the device information Pd2. Therefore, when the group management control device 4 registers the destination floor Fd received from the second operation unit 2 as a car call Yg, it can identify the car G to which it should be registered.

[0052] FIG. 3(C) is a conceptual diagram illustrating the hall call management data DxG and car call management data DyG for users used in this embodiment.

[0053] In the hall call management data DxG (see the left diagram in FIG. 3(C)), each piece of car information Pg of a car G is associated with an allocation status of a hall call Xg for a user for that car G. Specifically, for each elevator floor and each direction in which the car G can move from that floor, a status indicating whether or not a hall call Xg has been allocated with the pair of floors and directions as the departure floor Fc and destination direction Kc (in other words, whether or not a user has pressed the hall button for that direction at that floor) is associated as the allocation status. The example in FIG. 3(C) shows a case in which the allocation status for each direction from each floor is updated to "ON" when a hall call Xg with the pair of floors and directions as the departure floor Fc and destination direction Kc has been allocated, and is updated to "OFF" when the hall call Xg is deleted.

[0054] Furthermore, in the car call management data DyG (see the right diagram in Figure 3(C)), the car information Pg of each car G is associated with the registration status of a car call Yg for a user of that car G. Specifically, for each elevator floor, a status indicating whether or not a car call Yg with that floor as the destination floor Fd has been registered (in other words, whether or not a user has pressed the destination button for that floor) is associated as the registration status. The example in Figure 3(C) shows a case in which the registration status for each floor is updated to "ON" when a car call Yg with that floor as the destination floor Fd is registered, and is updated to "OFF" when that car call Yg is deleted.

[0055] FIG. 3(D) is a conceptual diagram illustrating hall call management data DxH and car call management data DyH for robot H used in this embodiment.

[0056] In the hall call management data DxH (see the left diagram in Figure 3(D)), the car information Pg of each car G is associated with the allocation status of hall calls Xh for the robot H to that car G. Specifically, each time a hall call Xh is allocated to a robot H, the robot information Ph of that robot H and the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd indicated by the hall call Xh are recorded in a mutually associated state as the allocation status. Then, when the hall call Xh has completed its role (when the destination floor Fd indicated by the hall call Xh is registered as a car call Yh), the information on each hall call Xh is deleted from the hall call management data DxH (deletion of the hall call Xh).

[0057] Furthermore, in the car call management data DyH (see the right diagram in Figure 3(D)), the car information Pg of each car G is associated with the registration status of the car call Yh for the robot H for that car G. Specifically, each time a car call Yh for a robot H is registered, the robot information Ph of that robot H and the destination floor Fd indicated by the car call Yh are recorded in a mutually associated state as the registration status. Then, the information for each car call Yh is deleted from the car call management data DyH (deletion of the car call Yh) when that car call Yh has completed its role (when the car G arrives at the destination floor Fd indicated by the car call Yh, or when the robot H has completed disembarking at the destination floor Fd).

[0058] The control unit 42 is a part that is responsible for executing the control processes (including allocation processes, registration processes, and response processes) performed by the group management control device 4. Specifically, the control unit 42 is composed of processing devices such as a CPU or MPU, and executes a control program installed in the group management control device 4 to realize the execution of its own control processes in software. Note that, before being installed in the group management control device 4, this control program may be stored in a readable state on a portable storage medium (for example, a flash memory, etc.), or may be stored in a downloadable state on another server, etc. Furthermore, the control processes performed by the group management control device 4 are not limited to being realized in software by executing a program, but may also be realized in hardware by a processing circuit built into the group management control device 4.

[0059] [1-2] Control process executed by elevator [1-2-1] Allocation request processing performed by the robot management device 4 is a flowchart showing the allocation request process executed in this embodiment. This allocation request process is started each time the robot management device 3 receives a destination floor Fy and robot information Ph from any robot H. Hereinafter, the robot H that has transmitted this information (the robot H identified by the transmitted robot information Ph) will be referred to as the "target robot Hk." Furthermore, the information received by the robot management device 3 at that time (including the destination floor Fy and robot information Ph) will be collectively referred to as the "received information Pr1."

[0060] When the allocation request process starts, the robot management device 3 uses the robot management data Dp (see FIG. 2(A)) to find robot information Ph recorded therein that matches the robot information Ph in the received information Pr1, and then extracts the deployment floor Fx associated with it (step S101). Furthermore, the robot management device 3 records the destination floor Fy in the received information Pr1 as the movement destination in the robot management data Dp, in association with the found robot information Ph. This records in the robot management data Dp that the target robot Hk is currently moving between floors toward the destination floor Fy. The example in FIG. 2(A) shows a case where a robot H, whose robot information Ph is "H-01," has transmitted the destination floor Fy, "eighth floor," as the movement destination, in order to move between floors from the deployment floor Fx, "second floor."

[0061] Thereafter, the robot management device 3 requests allocation of a hall call Xh for the target robot Hk by setting the deployment floor Fx and destination floor Fy of the target robot Hk as the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd, respectively, and transmitting this information (departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd) to the group management control device 4 (step S102). At this time, the robot management device 3 also transmits robot information Ph of the target robot Hk to the group management control device 4 so that the group management control device 4 can recognize which robot H the transmitted allocation request is for.

[0062] Furthermore, the robot management device 3 records the information (robot information Ph, departure floor Fc, destination floor Fd) sent to the group management control device 4 in the allocation request management data Dq in a mutually associated state as allocation request information for the target robot Hk (see FIG. 2(B)). The example of FIG. 2(B) shows a case in which allocation request information (Ph="H-01", Fc="2nd floor", Fd="8th floor") for the target robot Hk that needs to move from the 2nd floor to the 8th floor has been recorded. After step S102, the robot management device 3 ends the allocation request process.

[0063] [1-2-2] Allocation process performed by the group management control device 5 and 6 are flowcharts showing the allocation process executed in this embodiment. This allocation process is started every time the group management control device 4 receives an allocation request from a user (first operation unit 1) or the robot management device 3.

[0064] Hereinafter, the information received by the group management control device 4 for each allocation request will be collectively referred to as "received information Pr2." Specifically, if the allocation request is a request from a user (first operation unit 1) (a request to allocate a hall call Xg for the user), this received information Pr2 will be a set of information including the destination direction Kc and device information Pd1, and if the allocation request is a request from the robot management device 3 (a request to allocate a hall call Xh for robot H), the received information Pr2 will be a set of information including the departure floor Fc, destination floor Fd, and robot information Ph.

[0065] When the allocation process begins, the group management control device 4 determines whether the received allocation request is from the user (first operation unit 1) or the robot management device 3 by determining whether the device information Pd1 or the robot information Ph is included in the received information Pr2 (step S200).

[0066] If the group management control device 4 determines in step S200 that "device information Pd1" is included, it can determine that the received allocation request is a request from the user (first operation unit 1). In this case, the group management control device 4 executes the following process. Note that, hereinafter, the user who made the request will be referred to as the "target user."

[0067] The group management control device 4 first uses the device management data Dr1 (see FIG. 3(A)) to find device information Pd1 recorded therein that matches the device information Pd1 in the received information Pr2, and then extracts the corresponding installation floor Fs (step S210).The group management control device 4 then sets the installation floor Fs as the departure floor Fc of the target user.

[0068] Next, the group management control device 4 determines whether there is a hall call Xh for a robot H that is assigned to any car G (in other words, a hall call Xh that remains assigned) in order to determine whether there is a robot H that is trying to use the elevator at the same time as the target user (step S211).

[0069] If the group management control device 4 determines "exists (Yes)" in step S211, it then executes the following process to determine whether or not there is a robot H among the robots H attempting to use the elevator that is attempting to head in the same direction from the same floor as the target user. The group management control device 4 determines whether or not there is a hall call Xhk among the hall calls Xh assigned to any of the cars G, where the departure floor Fc of the robot H is the same as the departure floor Fc (= installation floor Fs) of the target user set in step S210, and the destination direction Kh of the robot H (here, the direction from the departure floor Fc of the robot H indicated by the hall call Xh to the destination floor Fd) is the same as the destination direction Kc of the target user (the destination direction Kc in the received information Pr2) (step S212).

[0070] If the group management control device 4 determines "exists (Yes)" in step S212, it selects the allocation destination (first car G1) of the hall call Xg for the target user from among the cars G other than the car G (second car G2) to which the hall call Xhk has been allocated (step S213A). As a result, if the target user and the robot H use the elevator at the same time and they are heading in the same direction from the same floor, it becomes possible to select a car G other than the car G (second car G2) for the robot H to travel as the car G (first car G1) for the target user to travel.

[0071] After step S213A, the group management control device 4 assigns the departure floor Fc and destination direction Kc of the target user as one hall call Xg to the car G (first car G1) selected in step S213A (step S214A).The group management control device 4 then reflects the information of the hall call Xg (departure floor Fc and destination direction Kc) in the part of the hall call management data DxG that corresponds to the first car G1 (see the left diagram in Figure 3(C)).

[0072] Furthermore, the group management control device 4 lights up the hall lantern E corresponding to the assigned car G (first car G1) and its departure direction Kg among the hall lanterns E installed at the departure floor Fc (boarding floor Ft) of the target user (step S215A). This notifies the target user which car G they should board and that they will arrive in, and also notifies other users at the same boarding area that the car G heading in the direction indicated by the lit hall lantern E is scheduled to arrive. After step S215A, the group management control device 4 ends the allocation process.

[0073] On the other hand, if the group management control device 4 determines "does not exist (No)" in step S211 or S212, it selects from all the cars G the destination (first car G1) of the hall call Xg for the target user (step S213B). Thereafter, the group management control device 4 performs the same processing as steps S214A and S215A for the car G (first car G1) selected in step S213B (steps S214B and S215B). After step S215B, the group management control device 4 ends the allocation processing.

[0074] If the group management control device 4 determines in step S200 that "robot information Ph" is included, it can determine that the received allocation request is a request from the robot management device 3. In this case, the group management control device 4 executes process Z1 in FIG. 6. Process Z1 will be described in detail below. In the following, the robot H that is the target of the request (the robot H identified by the robot information Ph in the received information Pr2) will be referred to as the "target robot Hk."

[0075] In process Z1, the group management control device 4 first determines whether there is a user who is planning to use the elevator at the same time as the target robot Hk by determining whether there is a hall call Xg of a user who is assigned to any of the cars G (in other words, a hall call Xg that remains assigned) (step S221).

[0076] If the group management control device 4 determines "Yes" in step S221, it next executes the following process to determine whether or not there is a user who is going from the same floor to the same direction as the target robot Hk among the users who are trying to use the elevator. The group management control device 4 determines whether or not there is a hall call Xg assigned to any car G that has the same floor as the departure floor Fc of the target robot Hk (= deployment floor Fx; departure floor Fc in the received information Pr2). UserThe departure floor Fc of the target robot Hk is set as the departure floor Fc, and it is determined whether there is a hall call Xgk whose destination direction Kc of the user is the same as the destination direction Kh of the target robot Hk (here, the direction from the departure floor Fc of the target robot Hk to the destination floor Fd) (step S222).

[0077] When the group management control device 4 determines that the target robot Hk exists (Yes), it selects the destination (second car G2) of the hall call Xh for the target robot Hk from among the cars G other than the car G (first car G1) to which the hall call Xgk is assigned (step S223A). User and target robot Hk When two or more people use the elevator at the same time and are heading in the same direction from the same floor, it becomes possible to select a car G (second car G2) for the target robot Hk to travel in that is different from the car G (first car G1) for the user to travel in.

[0078] After step S223A, the group management control device 4 assigns the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd of the target robot Hk (the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd in the received information Pr2) to one hall call Xh and allocates the hall call Xh to the car G (second car G2) selected in step S223A (step S224A).The group management control device 4 then records the information of the hall call Xh (the departure floor Fc and destination floor Fd) in the part of the hall call management data DxH corresponding to the second car G2, in a state where it is associated with the robot information Ph in the received information Pr2 (see the left diagram in Figure 3(D)).

[0079] At this time, the group management control device 4 does not light up the hall lanterns E installed at the departure floor Fc (boarding floor Ft) of the target robot Hk, but keeps the hall lanterns E corresponding to the assigned car G (second car G2) and its departure direction Kg in an off state (step S225A). Here, even if the hall lantern E corresponding to the assigned car G is not lighted, the robot H can be made to recognize which car G it should board by communicating with that robot H. After step S225A, the group management control device 4 ends the assignment process.

[0080] On the other hand, if the group management control device 4 determines "does not exist (No)" in step S221 or S222, it selects an allocation destination (second car G2) of the hall call Xh for the target robot Hk from all the cars G (step S223B). Thereafter, the group management control device 4 performs the same processing as steps S224A and S225A on the car G (second car G2) selected in step S223B (steps S224B and S225B). After step S225B, the group management control device 4 ends the allocation processing.

[0081] According to this allocation process, when a user and a robot H use the elevator at the same time and they are heading in the same direction from the same floor (same boarding floor Ft), different cars G can be selected as the car G for the user's transportation (first car G1) and the car G for the robot H's transportation (second car G2).

[0082] Even if different cars G are assigned in this way, if the hall lantern E corresponding to the second car G2 and its departure direction Kg is lit at the boarding floor Ft, when the second car G2 arrives at the boarding floor Ft, some passengers at the boarding hall who are planning to go in the same direction will also try to board the second car G2. If a passenger gets on before the robot H does, it may happen that the robot H will not be able to board.

[0083] Therefore, in the above allocation process, by keeping the hall lantern E corresponding to the second car G2 and its departure direction Kg in an off state, when the second car G2 arrives at the boarding floor Ft, it is possible to prevent users at that hall from knowing the next direction the second car G2 will depart for, thereby acting as a deterrent to users, making them hesitant to board the second car G2. Therefore, by having the robot H board the second car G2 in a situation where such a deterrent is in effect, it is possible to give priority to having the robot H board the second car G2.

[0084] [2] Variation [2-1] First modified example Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a part of the process (process Z2) in the allocation process executed in the first modified example. When the group management control device 4 executes step S215A, the execution results in the selection of different cars G as the first car G1 and the second car G2. The same is true when the group management control device 4 executes step S225A. In these cases, the group management control device 4 may further execute process Z2 in Fig. 7 without terminating the allocation process. Process Z2 will be explained in detail below.

[0085] In process Z2, the group management control device 4 first uses the elevator information Pe (such as the operating status of the car G and the usage status of the elevator) that it has at that time to determine whether the first car G1 or the second car G2 will arrive first at the same boarding floor Ft for the user and the robot H (step S230).

[0086] If the group management control device 4 determines in step S230 that the first car G1 is the "first car G1," it determines whether the next stop floor for the first car G1 has been determined to be the boarding floor Ft (step S231). On the other hand, if the group management control device 4 determines in step S230 that the second car G2 is the "second car G2," it determines whether the next stop floor for the second car G2 has been determined to be the boarding floor Ft (step S232). Then, the group management control device 4 repeatedly executes steps S230 to S232 until it can determine "determined (Yes)" in step S231 or S232.

[0087] If the group management control device 4 determines "Determined (Yes)" in step S232, it can determine that it has been determined that the second car G2 will arrive at the boarding floor Ft before the first car G1. In this case, the group management control device 4 changes the allocation of the user to the first car G1 to the second car G2, which will arrive first (allocation change; step S233). On the other hand, the group management control device 4 cancels the allocation of the robot H to the second car G2 (allocation cancellation).

[0088] Furthermore, the group management control device 4 changes the lighting of the hall lantern E corresponding to the first car G1 and its departure direction Kg to the lighting of the hall lantern E corresponding to the first arriving second car G2 and its departure direction Kg (step S234). After that, the group management control device 4 returns to process Z1 (FIG. 6) and executes the process from step S221 to reassign the canceled robot H.

[0089] On the other hand, if the group management control device 4 determines "Determined (Yes)" in step S231, it can determine that it has been determined that the first car G1 will arrive at the boarding floor Ft before the second car G2. In this case, the group management control device 4 ends the allocation process without changing or canceling the allocation.

[0090] According to the first modified example, when a second car G2 different from the first car G1 is selected for the movement of the robot H, if the second car G2 arrives at the boarding floor Ft before the first car G1, it becomes possible to preferentially have the user board the second car G2 instead of the robot H. This makes it possible to move the user with priority over the robot H.

[0091] [2-2] Second variant In either of the above-described embodiments and the first variant example, when the robot H has completed boarding the second elevator G2 at the boarding floor Ft (= deployment floor Fx) of the robot H, the group management control device 4 may then turn on the hall lantern E corresponding to the second elevator G2 and its departure direction Kg when a hall button specifying the same direction as the direction in which the robot H is heading is pressed before the doors of the second elevator G2 begin to close.

[0092] According to the second modified example, it is possible to encourage users at the platform who are heading in the same direction as the robot H to board the second car G2 together with the robot H. This makes it possible to board users in the space remaining in the second car G2, and as a result, it is possible to improve transportation efficiency.

[0093] [2-3] Third variant In either of the above-described embodiments and the first variant example, when the robot H has completed boarding the second elevator G2 at the boarding floor Ft (= deployment floor Fx), the group management control device 4 may turn on the hall lantern E corresponding to the second elevator G2 and its departure direction Kg until the doors of the second elevator G2 begin to close, even if the hall button specifying the same direction as the direction the robot H is heading is not pressed thereafter.

[0094] According to the third modified example, it is possible to inform users heading to the hall for elevator users of the direction in which the stopped second car G2 (car G with robot H on board) is scheduled to depart. This makes it possible to encourage users heading in the same direction as robot H to board the second car G2 together with robot H. As a result, when a user finds out that the second car G2 is heading in the same direction as the user, the user can quickly board the second car G2 without pressing the hall button. On the other hand, when a user finds out that the second car G2 is heading in a different direction from the user, the user can calmly head to the hall.

[0095] [2-4] Fourth Variation In any of the above-described embodiments to the third modified example, the robot management device 3 may request allocation of a hall call Xh for the robot H, with the deployment floor Fx as the departure floor Fc and the direction from the deployment floor Fx to the destination floor Fy as the destination direction Kh, by transmitting this information (departure floor Fc and destination direction Kh) to the group management control device 4 (allocation request processing). In this case, the robot management device 3 requests registration of a car call Yh with the destination floor Fy of the robot H as the destination floor Fd at an appropriate timing after the robot H has boarded the second car G2 (for example, when the robot H has boarded), by transmitting this information (destination floor Fd) to the group management control device 4 (registration request processing).

[0096] The above-described embodiments and modifications should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined not by the above-described embodiments and modifications, but by the claims. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications that are equivalent to the scope of the claims and fall within the scope thereof.

[0097] From the above-described embodiments and modifications, the subject of the invention is not limited to the group management control device 4, but may also be extracted individually from part or all of the control processes (including control methods corresponding to the control processes) and programs executed by the group management control device 4. Also, part or all of the above-described elevators may also be extracted as the subject of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 1 1st operation section 2 2nd operation section 3. Robot Management Device 4 Group management control device E Hall Lantern G car H Robot X Platform call Y Cage call 31, 41 Storage section 32, 42 Control section DP Robot Management Data Dq Allocation request management data Dr. Device management data Dx Hall call management data Dy Cage call management data Fc Departure Floor Fd Destination floor Fs Installation floor Ft boarding floor Fx deployment floor Fy Destination Floor G1 First car G2 Second car Hk Target Robot Kc, Kh Destination direction Kg Departure direction Pe Elevator Information Pg Basket Information Ph Robot Information Xg, Xgk, Xh, Xhk hall call Yg, Yh cage call Dr1, Dr2 equipment management data DxG, DxH Hall call management data DyG, DyH car call management data Pd1, Pd2 device information Pr1, Pr2 received information

Claims

1. When a platform button is pressed at any floor, a platform call for the user is assigned to a first car with that floor as the departure floor and the direction specified by the platform button as the destination direction, and further, at that departure floor, a hall lantern corresponding to the first car and its departure direction is turned on, When a request for allocation of a hall call for the robot is received, the allocation is made to a second car in accordance with the request, and at the floor where the robot is deployed, the hall lanterns corresponding to the second car and its departure direction are kept in an off state without being turned on; When assigning hall calls to both the user and the robot, if the hall calls are hall calls for the same departure floor and also for the same destination direction from the departure floor, select different cars as the first car and the second car, An elevator control device that, when different cars are selected as the first car and the second car, assigns a hall call for the user to the first car and assigns a hall call for the robot to the second car, and if the second car arrives at the same boarding floor for the user and the robot before the first car, changes the assignment of the user to the first car to the second car, while canceling the assignment of the robot to the second car, and further changes the lighting of a hall lantern corresponding to the first car and its departure direction to the lighting of a hall lantern corresponding to the second car and its departure direction.

2. When a platform button is pressed at any floor, a platform call for the user is assigned to a first car with that floor as the departure floor and the direction specified by the platform button as the destination direction, and further, at that departure floor, a hall lantern corresponding to the first car and its departure direction is turned on, When a request for allocation of a hall call for the robot is received, the allocation is made to a second car in accordance with the request, and at the floor where the robot is deployed, the hall lanterns corresponding to the second car and its departure direction are kept in an off state without being turned on; When assigning hall calls to both the user and the robot, if the hall calls are hall calls for the same departure floor and also for the same destination direction from the departure floor, select different cars as the first car and the second car, When the robot has completed boarding the second car at the floor where the robot is deployed, an elevator control device thereafter lights up the second car and a hall lantern corresponding to its departure direction when a hall button specifying the same direction as the direction in which the robot is heading is pressed before the doors of the second car start to close.

3. When a platform button is pressed at any floor, a platform call for the user is assigned to a first car with that floor as the departure floor and the direction specified by the platform button as the destination direction, and further, at that departure floor, a hall lantern corresponding to the first car and its departure direction is turned on, When a request for allocation of a hall call for the robot is received, the allocation is made to a second car in accordance with the request, and at the floor where the robot is deployed, the hall lanterns corresponding to the second car and its departure direction are kept in an off state without being turned on; When assigning hall calls to both the user and the robot, if the hall calls are hall calls for the same departure floor and also for the same destination direction from the departure floor, select different cars as the first car and the second car, When the robot has completed boarding the second car at the floor where the robot is deployed, the elevator control device lights up the hall lantern corresponding to the second car and its departure direction until the doors of the second car start to close, even if a hall button specifying the same direction as the direction the robot is heading is not pressed thereafter.

4. An elevator control device as described in claim 2 or 3, wherein when different cars are selected as the first car and the second car, if the second car arrives at the same boarding floor for the user and the robot before the first car, the allocation of the user to the first car is changed to the allocation of the second car, while the allocation of the robot to the second car is canceled, and further the lighting of a hall lantern corresponding to the first car and its departure direction is changed to the lighting of a hall lantern corresponding to the second car and its departure direction.

5. When a hall button is pressed at any floor, a hall call for the user is assigned to a first car with the floor as the departure floor and the direction designated by the hall button as the destination direction, and further, at the departure floor, a hall lantern corresponding to the first car and its departure direction is turned on; When a request for allocation of a hall call for the robot is received, the allocation is made to a second car in accordance with the request, and at the floor where the robot is deployed, the hall lanterns corresponding to the second car and its departure direction are kept in an off state without being turned on; When assigning hall calls to both the user and the robot, if the hall calls are hall calls for the same departure floor and also for the same destination direction from the departure floor, select different cars as the first car and the second car, An elevator control method in which, when different cars are selected as the first car and the second car, after allocating a hall call for the user to the first car and allocating a hall call for the robot to the second car, if the second car arrives at the same boarding floor for the user and the robot before the first car, the allocation of the user to the first car is changed to an allocation to the second car, while canceling the allocation of the robot to the second car, and further changing the lighting of a hall lantern corresponding to the first car and its departure direction to the lighting of a hall lantern corresponding to the second car and its departure direction.

6. When a hall button is pressed at any floor, a hall call for the user is assigned to a first car with the floor as the departure floor and the direction designated by the hall button as the destination direction, and further, at the departure floor, a hall lantern corresponding to the first car and its departure direction is turned on; When a request for allocation of a hall call for the robot is received, the allocation is made to a second car in accordance with the request, and at the floor where the robot is deployed, the hall lanterns corresponding to the second car and its departure direction are kept in an off state without being turned on; When assigning hall calls to both the user and the robot, if the hall calls are hall calls for the same departure floor and also for the same destination direction from the departure floor, select different cars as the first car and the second car, An elevator control method in which, when the robot has completed boarding the second car at the floor where the robot is deployed, if a hall button specifying the same direction as the direction the robot is heading is pressed after that before the doors of the second car start to close, the second car and a hall lantern corresponding to its departure direction are turned on.

7. When a hall button is pressed at any floor, a hall call for the user is assigned to a first car with the floor as the departure floor and the direction designated by the hall button as the destination direction, and further, at the departure floor, a hall lantern corresponding to the first car and its departure direction is turned on; When a request for allocation of a hall call for the robot is received, the allocation is made to a second car in accordance with the request, and at the floor where the robot is deployed, the hall lanterns corresponding to the second car and its departure direction are kept in an off state without being turned on; When assigning hall calls to both the user and the robot, if the hall calls are hall calls for the same departure floor and also for the same destination direction from the departure floor, select different cars as the first car and the second car, When the robot has completed boarding the second car at the floor where the robot is deployed, the elevator control method lights up the hall lantern corresponding to the second car and its departure direction until the doors of the second car start to close, even if a hall button specifying the same direction as the direction in which the robot is heading is not pressed thereafter.

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