Elevator control device, elevator control system, and disembarking control method

Abstract

To maintain the comfort of elevator use even when users and autonomous mobile devices are riding together in the elevator. [Solution] The elevator control device of the embodiment is an elevator control device that controls an elevator having a car that moves up and down, and includes: a detection unit that, when the car carrying an autonomous mobile body and a user arrives at a predetermined floor, detects whether the user intends to alight at that floor and the position of the user based on the user's actions inside the car; a movement path determination unit that, when it is determined that the user intends to alight, determines whether it is possible to secure a movement path from the user's position to the entrance of the car based on a reference value; and an evacuation instruction unit that, if it is not possible to secure the movement path, gives an evacuation instruction to the autonomous mobile body to move in a direction in which the movement path can be secured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an elevator control device, an elevator control system, and a car descending control method.

Background Art

[0002] In recent elevator control systems, for the purpose of allowing an autonomous mobile body such as a robot to board an elevator car and perform various operations, autonomous mobile body operations such as moving to a destination floor (target floor) are carried out. In such an autonomous mobile body operation, it is conceivable that a user (that is, a person) rides in the car together with the autonomous mobile body. In the prior art, when an autonomous mobile body and a user (person) ride together, a technique for indicating an operation of the autonomous mobile body boarding and alighting to the user is disclosed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, etc.).

[0003] When an autonomous mobile body and a user are riding together, it is necessary to secure a path for alighting, that is, a traffic line, so that the autonomous mobile body does not interfere with the alighting of the user who has indicated an intention to alight. For example, in the technique of Patent Document 2, when an autonomous mobile body boards an elevator car, depending on whether there is a user who will alight first, a means for changing the boarding position of the autonomous mobile body and a means for prompting the boarding users to move are disclosed as a method that does not interfere with alighting.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, with such conventional technologies, the presence of autonomous moving vehicles can restrict users' disembarking, potentially compromising the comfort of using the elevator. Furthermore, an increase in the number of passengers in the elevator car may force users to move to positions where disembarking is difficult, further diminishing the comfort of using the elevator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The elevator control device of the embodiment is an elevator control device for controlling an elevator having a car that moves up and down, and includes: a detection unit that, when the car carrying an autonomous mobile body and a user arrives at a predetermined floor, detects whether the user intends to alight at that floor and the user's position based on the user's actions inside the car; a movement path determination unit that, when it is determined that the user intends to alight, determines whether it is possible to secure a movement path from the user's position to the entrance of the car based on a reference value; and an evacuation instruction unit that, if it is not possible to secure the movement path, instructs the autonomous mobile body to move in a direction in which the movement path can be secured. Furthermore, even when the aforementioned movement path can be secured, the evacuation instruction unit will instruct the autonomous mobile unit to evacuate to the position that maximizes the available space for evacuation. . [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of an elevator control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control panel according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of a method for detecting users who intend to alight, according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of multiple users 5 and a robot 500 riding in a car according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of the layout data generated in the case of the example in Figure 4. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of the state inside the elevator car when there is no disembarking path in this embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of a state in which the robot has moved to a evacuating position in the embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows another example of the state inside the elevator car when there is no disembarking route in the embodiment. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows yet another example of the state inside the elevator car when there is no disembarking path in the embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows an example of a case in which the robot is moved to a safe location when a path for movement can be secured. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows an example of movement patterns in the embodiment for a user who is standing upright. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows an example of movement patterns in an embodiment where the user is a person using a wheelchair. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of movement and evacuation when multiple users intend to disembark, in an embodiment. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a comparison between the first and second time periods. [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of how the layout of the elevator car and the presence or absence of passenger flow change over time in an embodiment. [Figure 16] Figure 16 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server in the elevator cloud according to the embodiment. [Figure 17] Figure 17 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server in a robot cloud according to an embodiment. [Figure 18] Figure 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a robot according to an embodiment. [Figure 19] Figure 19 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the procedure for elevator control processing according to the embodiment. [Figure 20] Figure 20 is a flowchart showing an example of the disembarkation procedure according to the embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the evacuation process according to the embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] [Embodiment] (Configuration of Elevator Control System 1) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an elevator control system 1 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the elevator control system 1 of the present embodiment mainly includes control panels 100A and 100B provided for each of a plurality of elevators 2A and 2B, controllers 150A and 150B provided for each of the plurality of elevators 2A and 2B, a server 210 in the hoistway 200, a server 310 in the robot cloud 300, a monitoring center 400, and an elevator company 700.

[0010] In the present embodiment, a plurality of elevators 2A and 2B are installed in a building 3 (an example of a building) such as an apartment building. In the example of FIG. 1, two elevators 2A and 2B are illustrated, but it may be configured to have only one elevator or three or more elevators.

[0011] Each of the elevators 2A and 2B includes carriages 50A and 50B in each hoistway 20A and 20B. In addition, each hoistway 20A and 20B includes a hoisting machine and a counterweight not shown. The carriages 50A and 50B and the counterweights are each supported so as to be movable up and down along a pair of guide rails not shown erected in the hoistways 20A and 20B, and move up and down via ropes.

[0012] In addition to the user 5A, robots 500A, 500B, and 500C as autonomous mobile bodies can also board the carriages 50A and 50B.

[0013] The elevator cars 50A and 50B are equipped with control panels 4A and 4B, cameras 7A and 7B, load sensors 8A and 8B, microphones 12A and 12B, and lighting devices 13A and 13B. The cameras 7A and 7B, microphones 12A and 12B, and lighting devices 13A and 13B are installed on the ceiling of the elevator cars 50A and 50B. There are multiple microphones 12A and 12B, installed in multiple locations on the ceiling, for example, in the four corners.

[0014] The control panels 4A and 4B receive various operations from users inside the elevator cars 50A and 50B, and also provide various notifications to the elevator car 50. The control panels 4A and 4B are connected to the control panels 100A and 100B by wire or wireless. The control panels 4A and 4B are equipped with multiple push buttons and multiple non-contact sensors (not shown). When users 5A and 5B press any of the push buttons or bring their fingers close to any of the non-contact sensors for detection, a destination floor call, with the floor corresponding to the push button or non-contact sensor as the destination floor, is transmitted from the control panels 4A and 4B to the control panels 100A and 100B.

[0015] Here, a destination floor call is a request (operation data) made by a user inside elevator car 50 to direct the elevator car 50 to the desired destination floor. The destination floor call specifies the destination floor to which the elevator car 50 is to travel.

[0016] In this embodiment, a destination floor request for the robot is transmitted from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the control panel 100 via the controller 150. The destination floor request for the robot specifies the robot ID of the robot 500 that wishes to use the elevator 2, the departure floor, and the destination floor (also referred to as the target floor). This operation data is used to move the elevator car 50 to the specified departure floor and then proceed from that departure floor to the specified destination floor. Here, the departure floor is the floor from which the elevator car 50 is boarded. The destination floor request for the robot is an example of a movement request. The destination floor request for the robot may also be referred to as a movement request.

[0017] Furthermore, the control panels 4A and 4B are equipped with push buttons and non-contact sensors (not shown) for opening or closing the doors of the elevator cars 50A and 50B. When users 5A and 5B press the push buttons or bring their fingers close to the non-contact sensors for detection, the control panels 100A and 100B open or close the doors. Here, opening the doors is referred to as "door opening," and closing the doors is referred to as "door closing."

[0018] The lighting devices 13A and 13B inside elevator cars 50A and 50B are controlled by control panels 100A and 100B to illuminate the interior of elevator cars 50A and 50B by turning on the lights or increasing their brightness.

[0019] Cameras 7A and 7B inside elevator cars 50A and 50B photograph the interior of elevator cars 50A and 50B and send the captured images to control panels 100A and 100B. Also, when the doors of elevator cars 50A and 50B are open at landing 25, cameras 7A and 7B are able to photograph the landing and send the captured images to control panels 100A and 100B.

[0020] Load sensors 8A and 8B are installed on the bottom of the elevator cars 50A and 50B and detect the weight of the elevator car 50. If a user 5A or robots 500A and 500B are inside the elevator car 50A and 50B, load sensors 8A and 8B detect the weight of the elevator car 50 itself, plus the weight of the user 5A and the robots 500A and 500B. Load sensors 8A and 8B send the detected weight as a detection signal to the control panels 100A and 100B.

[0021] In addition, motion sensors (not shown) may be installed inside the elevator cars 50A and 50B. In this case, the motion sensors can be installed on the ceiling of the elevator cars 50A and 50B and configured to detect the presence of users (people) inside the elevator cars 50A and 50B and send a detection signal to the control panels 100A and 100B.

[0022] Platform 25 is located on each floor. Platform 25 is where users and robots 500 wait for the arrival of elevator cars 50A and 50B of elevators 2A and 2B. As shown in Figure 1, a camera 9 is installed at boarding area 25. The camera 9 is installed on the wall next to the door (not shown) that serves as the entrance and exit for the elevator car 50, and captures images of the boarding area 25, including users waiting there.

[0023] In addition, lighting devices (not shown) can be installed on the ceiling of each landing 25 to illuminate the landing 25. A control panel (not shown) is also provided at the landing 25. Users can call for a landing from this control panel. Camera 9, lighting equipment, and control panel are connected to control panels 100A and 100B by wire or wireless connection.

[0024] Here, a boarding call is a request (operation data) made by a user of boarding platform 25 to have a train car 50 traveling in either an up or down direction arrive at boarding platform 25. The boarding call specifies the destination direction and the floor from which the boarding call was made (i.e., the departure floor).

[0025] Inside each of the elevator shafts 20A and 20B, control panels 100A and 100B and controllers 150A and 150B are installed. Control panels 100A and 100B are connected wirelessly or via wire to the operation panels 4A and 4B installed in the elevator cars 50A and 50B.

[0026] Control panels 100A and 100B control the operation of elevator cars 50A and 50B within elevators 2A and 2B, respectively. Control panels 100A and 100B are connected to controllers 150A and 150B, respectively, by wired or wireless connection. Details of control panels 100A and 100B will be described later.

[0027] Controllers 150A and 150B are connected via a network to server 210 in the elevator cloud 200. Controllers 150A and 150B are intermediary devices equipped with interface and hub functions to control communication between control panels 100A and 100B and server 210, and to mediate various signals exchanged between control panels 100A and 100B and server 210. Controllers 150A and 150B are configured as computers equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc.

[0028] Control room 160 is where the building manager and other personnel from Building 3 are stationed. The building manager and other personnel in control room 160 give various instructions to control panels 100A and 100B. In addition, the manager of control room 160 receives various instructions from control panels 100A and 100B via email or other means through a PC or terminal device.

[0029] Server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 issues various control instructions to control panels 100A and 100B via controllers 150A and 150B for elevator cars 50A and 50B of elevators 2A and 2B, and also receives various instructions and data from control panels 100A and 100B via controllers 150A and 150B. Server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 is connected via the network to the monitoring center 400 (internal server) and server 310 in the robot cloud 300.

[0030] The monitoring center 400 houses an internal server (not shown). This internal server is located within an affiliated company of elevator 11 and collects information necessary for the maintenance and remote monitoring of elevator 2 from elevators 2A and 2B. This allows maintenance personnel to address any malfunctions in elevators 2A and 2B by referring to the maintenance information collected on the internal server at the monitoring center 400. Furthermore, when functions and services are executed via the elevator cloud 200, the internal server at the monitoring center 400 can be accessed as needed to access building and elevator information, or to obtain information necessary for elevator management by maintenance personnel.

[0031] The server 310 of the robot cloud 300 receives various instructions and data from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200. The server 310 of the robot cloud 300 is connected via a network to multiple robots 500A, 500B, and 500C within building 3, and sends various instructions to each of the multiple robots 500A, 500B, and 500C. Details regarding the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 and the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 will be described later.

[0032] Elevator Company 700 is a company that provides elevator 2, and within Elevator Company 700, there is a server 710.

[0033] Server 710 stores the signal exchanges between Server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, Server 310 of the robot cloud 300, Server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 and Server 310 of the robot cloud 300, Server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 and the control panel 100, and Server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 and the security system 161 and monitoring center 400 of the control room 160 that manages Building 3. In other words, it behaves like a mirror server for Server 210 of the elevator cloud 200. Server 710 also has the function of storing error notifications between each of these devices.

[0034] The number of elevators is not limited, and there are three or more elevators in Building 3. Therefore, the number of hoistways 20A, 20B, elevator cars 50A, 50B, control panels 100A, 100B, and controllers 150A, 150B will also vary depending on the number of elevators 2A, 2B. In this case, if we do not distinguish between multiple elevators 2A, 2B, multiple hoistways 20A, 20B, multiple elevator cars 50A, 50B, multiple control panels 100A, 100B, and multiple controllers 150A, 150B, we will refer to them as elevator 2, hoistway 20, elevator car 50, control panel 100, and controller 150. When not distinguishing between control panels 4A, 4B, cameras 7A, 7B, load sensors 8A, 8B, microphones 12A, 12B, and lighting devices 13A, 13B, they shall be referred to as control panel 4, camera 7, load sensor 8, microphone 12, and lighting device 13.

[0035] (Configuration of control panel 100) Next, we will describe the details of the control panel 100. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control panel 100 according to an embodiment. The control panel 100 is an example of an elevator control device.

[0036] The control panel 100 has a typical computer configuration and mainly comprises a control unit 120, a communication unit 102, and a storage unit 110, as shown in Figure 2.

[0037] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the control panel 100 is connected by wire or wireless to the load sensor 8, the camera 7 inside the elevator car 50, the camera 9 at the landing 25, and the microphone 12 inside the elevator car 50.

[0038] The storage unit 110 is a storage medium (i.e., a memory device) such as ROM or RAM. The storage unit 110 stores a management database 111 (hereinafter referred to as "management DB 111") and layout data 112.

[0039] The management DB 111 is a database containing various data necessary for using elevator 2. For example, the management DB 111 registers the robot IDs of robots 500 that can ride elevator 2 controlled by the control panel 100. Here, the robot ID is information used to identify robot 500.

[0040] Layout data 112 is data illustrating the arrangement of users 5 and robots 500 inside the elevator car 50. This layout data 112 is generated by detecting the positions of users 5 and robots 500 inside the elevator car 50 using a detection unit 123, which will be described later. Details of layout data 112 will be described later.

[0041] The communication unit 102 consists of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol and performs communication processing between the control panel 100 and the controller 150. Specifically, the communication unit 102 sends and receives various data with other control panels 100 and the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150. The communication unit 102 also sends and receives various instructions and notifications with the administrator's mobile terminal or PC in the control room 160.

[0042] In this embodiment, the communication unit 102 receives destination floor calls and landing calls from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150. The communication unit 102 also receives a movement request from the robot 500 via the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 and the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, specifying the departure floor from which to board the elevator car 50 and the destination floor, which is the floor to be traveled to by the elevator car 50 (i.e., a destination floor call for the robot).

[0043] The control unit 120 consists of a hardware processor (CPU). As shown in Figure 2, the control unit 120 mainly comprises a normal operation control unit 121, a robot-linked operation control unit 122, a detection unit 123, a movement path determination unit 124, an evacuation instruction unit 126, a prediction unit 127, and a door control unit 125.

[0044] The normal operation control unit 121 controls normal operation. Normal operation refers to operation in which only people are riding in the elevator car 50, without any robots. The normal operation control unit 121 performs group management control of the elevator cars 50.

[0045] Here, group control refers to a control system that assigns the elevator car 50 closest to the departure floor, such as the floor from which the elevator car 50 was called. In this embodiment, the normal operation control unit 121 performs group control by coordinating with the control panel 100 of another elevator 2, for example, by querying the control panel 100 of another elevator 2 for the departure floor, the current position and status of the elevator car 50, and receiving the response.

[0046] The robot-linked operation control unit 122 controls the robot-linked operation. Robot-linked operation refers to operation in which robot 500 rides in elevator car 50. Robot-linked operation includes robot-only operation, in which no human is allowed to ride in elevator car 50, and non-robot-only operation, in which human is allowed to ride in elevator car 50. Robot-linked operation is sometimes referred to as robot operation. In this embodiment, it is assumed that non-robot-only operation is being performed.

[0047] In this embodiment, when the communication unit 101 receives a destination call, the robot-linked operation control unit 122 moves the elevator car 50 to the destination floor specified by the destination floor call. Also, when the robot-linked operation control unit 122 receives a landing call or a destination floor call for the robot (i.e., a movement request), it moves the elevator car 50 to the departure floor specified by the landing call or the destination floor call for the robot.

[0048] When the elevator car 50, in which the robot 500 and the user are riding together, arrives at a predetermined floor, in other words, each time it arrives at a floor, the detection unit 123 detects whether the user 5 intends to disembark at that floor and the location of the user 5, based on the user 5's actions inside the elevator car 50.

[0049] Specifically, the detection unit 123 acquires images from a camera 7 installed inside the elevator car 50, analyzes the images to acquire the user's movements, and detects the user's intention to disembark and their position from the user's movements.

[0050] Figure 3 shows an example of a method for detecting users who intend to alight, according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, when the elevator car 50 arrives at any floor, a user 5B who intends to disembark will start moving towards the exit 51 if the elevator car 50 is empty, but will also start moving to disembark by weaving through any gaps even if it is crowded. In this embodiment, the detection unit 123 considers this movement as an intention to disembark and detects it. Specifically, the detection unit 123 analyzes the image captured by the camera 7 and, if the robot 500 detects movement exceeding a predetermined threshold value from a user 5 located behind the exit 51, it determines that the user 5B intends to disembark and records their position.

[0051] Furthermore, the detection unit 123 acquires the audio input to the multiple microphones 12 installed inside the elevator car 50, analyzes the input audio, and detects whether the user 5 who made the sound said, for example, "I'm getting off." Based on this, it determines that the user 5 intends to get off, and identifies the user's location based on the volume of the audio detected by the multiple microphones 12.

[0052] In the example shown in Figure 3, user 5B says something like "Excuse me, I'm getting off," so microphone 12 detects this voice, and the detection unit 123 recognizes the user's intention to get off by performing voice analysis. The detection unit 123 also recognizes the position of user 5B inside the elevator car 50 based on the location of the detected microphone 12 or the location of the microphone 12 that picked up the loudest voice.

[0053] Furthermore, the detection unit 123 detects the user 5's intention to disembark and the user 5's position when the communication unit 102 receives the user 5's intention to disembark and the user 5's position from the robot 500 via the robot cloud 300's server 310 and the elevator cloud 200's server 210. In this case, the user 5 who intends to disembark will input their intention to disembark by touching the robot 500's touch-type input display panel 507, which will be described later.

[0054] Furthermore, the detection unit 123 recognizes the position of the user 5 who has indicated their intention to disembark, as well as the positions of all users 5 and the robot 500, from the captured image, generates layout data 112 for the elevator car 50, and stores the generated layout data 112 in the storage unit 110. Here, the layout data 112 is data that shows how the user 5 who has indicated their intention to disembark, the other users 5, and the robot 500 are positioned inside the elevator car 50, and how much space and gaps there are.

[0055] Figure 4 shows an example of multiple passengers 5 and a robot 500 riding in a car 50 according to the embodiment. Figure 5 shows an example of the layout data 112 generated in the case of the example in Figure 4.

[0056] As shown in Figure 5, the layout data 112 represents the area inside the elevator car 50 by dividing it into squares at regular intervals, and each square indicates whether it is an area occupied by a user 5 or a robot 500, or an empty space.

[0057] Here, the numbers in the squares in Figure 5 have the following meanings: "0" indicates an empty space, "1" indicates user 5 (standing) indicating their intention to disembark, "2" indicates other users 5, and "3" indicates robot 500. The layout data 112 is used by the passenger flow determination unit 124, described later, to determine whether or not there is a disembarking route for passenger 5 who has indicated their intention to disembark.

[0058] When the detection unit 123 determines that user 5 intends to disembark, the movement path determination unit 124 determines, based on predetermined criteria, whether or not a movement path can be secured from user 5's position to the entrance / exit of the elevator car 50. More specifically, the movement path determination unit 124 determines from the layout data 112 whether or not a movement path can be secured (i.e., whether or not a movement path exists) based on the criterion that a space of a certain width is connected from the person who has indicated their intention to disembark to the entrance / exit.

[0059] If the movement path determination unit 124 determines that a movement path cannot be secured, the evacuation instruction unit 126 determines an evacuation action plan. Here, an evacuation action means that the evacuation instruction unit 126 identifies candidate evacuation spaces for the robot 500, and the robot 500 moves to one of those spaces. There are two main types of candidate evacuation spaces. The first candidate is the empty space inside the elevator car 50, and the second candidate is the waiting area at the boarding area 25.

[0060] In the case of the first option, namely the empty space inside the elevator car 50, the evacuation instruction unit 126 presents an evacuation operation plan by comprehensively listing the squares in the layout data 112 shown in Figure 5 that the robot 500 can move to.

[0061] In the case of the second option, namely the waiting area at boarding platform 25, coordinates are set in advance on each floor, and the evacuation instruction unit 126 always lists a candidate evacuation destination in case it is not possible to evacuate inside the elevator car 50, and always determines that there is space available. If the waiting area at boarding platform 25 is selected as the evacuation space, the evacuation action includes boarding the elevator car 50 again.

[0062] The evacuation instruction unit 126 selects one evacuation action plan based on the candidate evacuation spaces. The conditions for selection are that the evacuation action allows for the creation of a disembarking path and minimizes the travel distance of the robot 500, and that the chosen evacuation destination is the designated evacuation action plan.

[0063] The evacuation instruction unit 126 then issues an evacuation instruction to the robot 500 via the communication unit 102, instructing it to evacuate in a direction that ensures a clear path for movement.

[0064] The disembarking route is determined in this way, but in order to determine whether there is a disembarking route after the robot 500 has moved away, the relocation instruction unit 126 generates assumed layout data for all of the relocation destination candidates presented, and stores it in the storage unit 110. The movement path determination unit 124 then re-evaluates each of the stored assumed layout data to determine whether there is a disembarking route after relocation.

[0065] Figure 6 shows an example of the state inside the elevator car 50 when there is no disembarking path in the embodiment. In this example in Figure 6, the gap between the user 5 and the robot 500 does not meet a predetermined standard value, so the movement path determination unit 124 determines that it is not possible to secure a movement path.

[0066] Figure 7 shows an example of a state in which the robot 500 has moved to a safe location in an embodiment. For example, the safe location instruction unit 126 uses the layout data 112 shown in Figure 5 to designate the space to the right of the elevator car 50 as a safe location, and instructs the robot 500 to move to the space to the right of the elevator car 50, as shown in Figure 7, thereby making it possible to secure a disembarking path for users 5 who intend to disembark.

[0067] Figure 8 shows another example of the state inside the elevator car 50 when there is no disembarking path in the embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, when the robot 500 is surrounded by users 5, the movement path determination unit 124 determines that it is not possible to secure a disembarking path for users 5 who intend to disembark.

[0068] Figure 9 shows yet another example of the state inside the elevator car 50 when there is no disembarking path in the embodiment. In the example of Figure 9, the path determination unit 124 determines that the reference value cannot be secured and that a path cannot be secured even if the robot 500 moves to a safe place inside the elevator car 50. In this case, the evacuation instruction unit 126 uses the second candidate landing 25 as an evacuation space and instructs the robot 500 to disembark from the elevator car 50, wait for the user 5 who intends to disembark to disembark, and then have the robot 500 re-board the elevator car 50 to return. At this time, the robot 500 may be configured to output a warning message from the speaker 522 that it will disembark.

[0069] The evacuation instruction unit 126 determines that evacuation is unnecessary if the movement path determination unit 124 determines that a movement path can be secured. However, even if a movement path can be secured, it can still instruct the robot 500 to evacuate to the position with the maximum possible evacuation space.

[0070] Figure 10 shows an example of how the robot 500 is moved to a safe location in an embodiment where a clear path can be secured. In the example shown in Figure 10, as shown in the left diagram, a path for user 5 to disembark can be secured. However, by having the evacuation instruction unit 126 instruct robot 500 to move to the space on the right, user 5 can disembark with more ample space. In this case as well, as shown in Figure 10, robot 500 can be configured to output a warning message from speaker 522 indicating that it should move to the side.

[0071] As described above, in this embodiment, the movement path determination unit 124 determines the presence or absence of a disembarking movement path based on the criterion that a space of a certain width extends from the person who has indicated their intention to disembark to the entrance / exit. However, the width and ideal shape of this space differ depending on the individual user's attributes. For this reason, in this embodiment, the criteria for determining the presence or absence of a movement path are changed according to the attributes of the person who has indicated their intention to disembark.

[0072] In other words, the movement path determination unit 124 determines the attributes of user 5 based on the detection of the intention to disembark by the detection unit 123 and reflects this in the layout data 112. Then, if the attribute of user 5 is that of a person standing upright, the movement path determination unit 124 uses the thickness of a person standing upright as the reference value.

[0073] Figure 11 shows an example of movement path in an embodiment where user 5 is a person standing upright. As shown in Figure 11, when the attribute is determined to be a person standing upright, it is considered that user 5B, who intends to disembark, can disembark by weaving through the gap between user 5 and the robot 500. For this reason, as shown in Figure 11, the movement path determination unit 124 determines that the required width W is the thickness dimension of the person's body obtained from the layout data 112, and further determines that a movement path can be secured as long as it connects to the entrance / exit 51, even if it is winding.

[0074] On the other hand, if the user 5 is a person using a wheelchair, the movement path determination unit 124 determines whether or not it is possible to secure a movement path, using the width of the wheelchair as a predetermined standard value. Figure 12 shows an example of movement in an embodiment where user 5 is a person in a wheelchair. As shown in Figure 12, when the attribute is determined to be user 5B such as a wheelchair user, it is virtually impossible to get out by weaving through gaps or by going through a winding movement path, and it is assumed that the user will get out by going straight to the entrance 51 in the same direction as the user. For this reason, as shown in Figure 12, the movement path determination unit 124 sets the required width W to the width dimension of the wheelchair obtained from the layout data 112, and further considers that there is a movement path only if that required width W is connected in a straight line from the current position to the entrance 51.

[0075] By using these movement path criteria in the movement path determination unit 124's judgment, it becomes possible to determine whether or not there is an appropriate movement path that matches the attributes of the user 5.

[0076] If only one user 5 indicates an intention to alight, the alighting route can be generated using the method described above. However, there are cases where the detection unit 123 detects multiple users 5 who have indicated an intention to alight.

[0077] In this embodiment, if the detection unit 123 detects multiple users 5 who intend to disembark and their locations, and the movement path determination unit 124 determines that it is not possible to secure movement paths for all of the multiple users 5 who intend to disembark, the evacuation instruction unit 126 issues one or more evacuation instructions to the robot 500 so that the users 5 closest to the entrance / exit can disembark in order.

[0078] In this case, the evacuation instruction unit 126 instructs the robot 500 to perform an evacuation operation so that disembarking routes can be generated starting with the users 5 closest to the entrance / exit 51. Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of movement and evacuation when multiple users 5 intend to disembark, in an embodiment.

[0079] In Figure 13(a), the detection unit 123 detects that users 5A and 5B intend to disembark. In this case, as shown in Figure 13(b), first, in order to secure a disembarking path for user 5A, who is closer to the entrance 51, the evacuation instruction unit 126 instructs the robot 500 to move to the space on the right. Then, once user 5A has disembarked, as shown in Figure 13(c), in order to secure a disembarking path for user 5B, the evacuation instruction unit 126 instructs the robot 500 to move to the space on the left from the center. This ensures a disembarking path for user 5B.

[0080] Returning to Figure 2, if the prediction unit 127 determines, based on the evacuation instruction unit 126, that multiple evacuations of the robot 500 are necessary to allow users 5 who intend to disembark to disembark in order from those closest to the entrance / exit 51, the prediction unit 127 predicts the first time required for the multiple evacuation operations of the robot 500 (referred to as the "first evacuation operation") based on the distance from the robot 500's current position to the evacuation position and the robot 500's movement speed. The prediction unit 127 further predicts the second time required for the robot 500 to disembark from the elevator car 50 and then re-board the elevator car 50 to return (referred to as the "second evacuation operation") based on the robot 500's current position, the distance to the boarding area outside the entrance / exit 51 of the elevator car 50, and the robot 500's movement speed.

[0081] The evacuation instruction unit 126 then compares the first time with the second time, and if the first time is shorter than the second time, it instructs the robot 500 to perform the first evacuation operation via the communication unit 102. On the other hand, if the second time is shorter than the first time, the evacuation instruction unit 126 instructs the robot 500 to perform the second evacuation operation via the communication unit 102.

[0082] Figure 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a comparison between the first and second time periods. In the example in Figure 14, when ensuring the movement paths of both user 5A and user 5B who intend to disembark are secured, the first time is shown when the robot 500 makes multiple evacuation movements within the elevator car 50, and the second time is shown when the robot 500 disembarks, moves to the boarding area 25, and then re-boards the elevator car 50. In the example in Figure 14, the first time is 16 seconds and the second time is 20 seconds. Since the first time is shorter, the evacuation instruction unit 126 instructs the robot 500 to make multiple evacuation movements within the elevator car 50.

[0083] The robot 500's retreat operation cannot be determined with a single decision. If the passenger 5 moves inside the elevator car 50, the layout of the elevator car 50, that is, the position of the passenger 5, the position of the robot 500, and the presence or absence of movement paths will change over time.

[0084] Therefore, in this embodiment, the movement path determination unit 124 makes a determination at regular time intervals as to whether or not such a movement path can be secured. The regular time interval can be set arbitrarily. For example, it is possible to use a few seconds as the regular time interval. The movement path determination unit 124 makes a determination at regular intervals as to whether or not a movement path can be secured, and if there is a change in the evacuation operation, the evacuation instruction unit 126 instructs the robot 500 to cancel the previous evacuation operation or to perform a new evacuation operation.

[0085] Figure 15 is a diagram showing an example of how the layout of the elevator car 50 and the presence or absence of traffic flow change over time in an embodiment. As shown in Figure 15(b), the layout inside the elevator car 50 changes when user 5B moves towards the wall side from the state shown in Figure 15(a). Therefore, the movement path determination unit 124 can determine whether or not movement paths can be secured at regular intervals after the change from the state shown in Figure 15(a) to the state shown in Figure 15(b).

[0086] Returning to Figure 2, the door control unit 125 controls the opening and closing of the doors of the elevator car 50. In this embodiment, the door control unit 125 opens the doors of the elevator car 50 when the elevator car 50 arrives at the departure floor. The door control unit 125 closes the doors of the elevator car 50 when it receives a boarding completion notification from the robot 500. The door control unit 125 opens the doors of the elevator car 50 when the elevator car 50 arrives at the destination floor.

[0087] (Configuration of server 210 within elevator cloud 200) Next, we will describe the details of server 210 within the elevator cloud 200. Figure 16 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server 210 in an elevator cloud 200 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 16, the server 210 mainly comprises a control unit 211, a communication unit 212, and a storage unit 220, as is typical for a computer.

[0088] The memory unit 220 is, for example, a storage medium (memory device) such as ROM or RAM. Various programs are stored in the memory unit 220.

[0089] The communication unit 212 consists of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol and performs communication processing between the server 210 and the controller 150 of the control panel 100, and communication processing between the server 210 and the server 310 in the robot cloud 300.

[0090] In this embodiment, the communication unit 212 receives a destination floor call (movement request) for the robot from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300. The communication unit 212 also transmits the destination floor call, the destination floor call (movement request) for the robot, and the landing call including the destination floor, generated by the control unit 211 (described later), to the control panel 100.

[0091] The control unit 211 consists of a hardware processor (CPU). The control unit 211 controls various processes related to the server 210.

[0092] (Configuration of Server 310 within Robot Cloud 300) Next, we will describe the details of server 310 within robot cloud 300. Figure 17 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server 310 within a robot cloud 300 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 17, the server 310 mainly comprises a control unit 311, a communication unit 312, and a storage unit 320, as is typical for a computer.

[0093] The memory unit 320 is a storage medium (memory device) such as ROM or RAM. Various programs are stored in the memory unit 320.

[0094] The communication unit 312 consists of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol and performs communication processing between the server 310 and the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200, as well as communication processing between the server 310 and the robot 500.

[0095] In this embodiment, the communication unit 312 receives a movement request (destination floor call) from the robot 500 along with the robot ID, and transmits the received movement request from the robot 500 to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200.

[0096] The control unit 311 consists of a hardware processor (CPU). The control unit 311 controls various processes related to the server 310 and the robot 500.

[0097] (Configuration of Robot 500) Next, we will explain the details of Robot 500. Figure 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a robot 500 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 18, the robot 500 mainly comprises a camera 506, a touch-type input display panel 507, a speaker 522, an acceleration sensor 521, various sensors 505, a control unit 501, an input / output control unit 508, a communication unit 502, a driving control unit 509, a drive unit 503, and a storage unit 510.

[0098] The camera 506 captures images of the area around the robot 500 and transmits the captured images to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300. The robot 500 may also be configured to transmit the captured images to the control panel 100.

[0099] The touch-sensitive input display panel 507 is a device that displays various screens and allows input via touch operation.

[0100] The acceleration sensor 521 detects the acceleration of the elevator car 50 in the vertical direction, that is, the vertical direction in Figure 1, or in other words, the Z-axis direction.

[0101] The various sensors 505 include, for example, motion sensors, acceleration sensors, and load sensors, but are not limited to these.

[0102] The memory unit 510 is, for example, a storage medium (memory device) such as ROM or RAM. Various programs are stored in the memory unit 510.

[0103] The communication unit 502 consists of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol and performs communication processing between the robot 500 and the server 310 in the robot cloud 300. In this embodiment, the communication unit 502 receives evacuation instructions from the control panel 100 via the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 and the server 310 of the robot cloud 300.

[0104] In this embodiment, the communication unit 502 transmits the disembarking intention and the user 5's current location, received by the input / output control unit 508 (described later) via a touch operation on the touch-type input display panel 507, to the control panel 100 via the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 and the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200.

[0105] The control unit 501 consists of a hardware processor (CPU). When the elevator 2 is in operation, the control unit 501 reads and executes various programs from the memory unit 510, thereby performing various operations on the elevator 2.

[0106] The input / output control unit 508 displays various screens on the touch-type input display panel 507 and accepts touch input from users 5, etc., via the display screen. In this embodiment, the input / output control unit 508 displays confirmation of the intention to alight and confirmation of the location on the touch-type input display panel 507, and accepts input of the intention to alight and the current location from touch operations of users 5.

[0107] Furthermore, the input / output control unit 508 outputs various sounds to the speaker 522. In this embodiment, when the vehicle is to move to a safer position, the input / output control unit 508 outputs a warning message to that effect from the speaker 522.

[0108] The drive unit 503 is a motor or the like that drives the robot 500 to make it move. The travel control unit 509 controls the drive unit 503 to control the movement of the robot 500. In this embodiment, the travel control unit 509 controls the drive unit 503 to place the robot 500 into the elevator car 50, which has its doors opened at the departure floor.

[0109] Furthermore, when the communication unit 502 receives a retraction instruction from the control panel 100, the driving control unit 509 controls the drive unit 503 in accordance with the retraction instruction to move the robot 500 to a retraction location.

[0110] The above configuration of robot 500 is merely an example, and the configuration is not limited to that. For example, robot 500 may also be configured to include lighting devices or the like.

[0111] (Elevator control processing) Next, the elevator control process performed by the elevator control system 1 of this embodiment, configured as described above, will be explained. Figure 19 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the procedure for elevator control processing according to the embodiment. First, the communication unit 502 of the robot 500 sends a request to move to another floor (i.e., a destination floor call for the robot) to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S17a). This request to move to another floor is then sent from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 (S17b), and further sent from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the control panel 100 via the controller 150 (S17c).

[0112] In the control panel 100, when the communication unit 102 receives a movement request, the robot-linked operation control unit 122 moves the elevator car 50 to the departure floor specified in the movement request, and when the elevator car 50 arrives at the departure floor, the door control unit 125 opens the doors (S21). Next, the communication unit 102 sends a boarding preparation completion notification to the elevator cloud 200 server 210 indicating that preparation for boarding the elevator car 50 is complete (S22a). This boarding preparation completion notification is sent from the elevator cloud 200 server 210 to the robot cloud 300 server 310 (S22b), and further sent from the robot cloud 300 server 310 to the robot 500 waiting at the landing 25 (S22c).

[0113] Upon receiving the boarding preparation completion notification, the robot 500 begins boarding the open elevator car 50 via the driving control unit 509 (S25). Once the robot 500 has completed boarding the elevator car 50 (S26), the communication unit 502 sends a boarding completion notification to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S27a). This boarding completion notification is then sent from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 (S27b), and further sent from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the control panel 100 (S27c).

[0114] In the control panel 100, when the communication unit 102 receives a boarding completion notification, the door control unit 125 closes the doors of the elevator car 50 (S28). Once all doors are closed, the robot-linked operation control unit 122 moves the elevator car 50 to the destination floor (S29). Here, it is assumed that in addition to the robot 500, one or more passengers 5 are also riding in the elevator car 50.

[0115] When elevator car 50 arrives at an intermediate floor (S30), the control panel 100 executes the disembarkation process (S31). Details of the disembarkation process will be described later. The process from S29 to S31 is repeated each time elevator car 50 arrives at an intermediate floor until it reaches its destination floor.

[0116] During the disembarkation process, when an evacuation instruction is issued, the communication unit 102 transmits the evacuation instruction to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 (S32a). This evacuation instruction is then transmitted from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 (S32b), and from the server 310 of the robot cloud 300 to the robot 500 (S32c).

[0117] In robot 500, when the communication unit 502 receives a retreat instruction, the driving control unit 509 controls the drive unit 503 to move robot 500 to a retreat position in accordance with the retreat instruction (S33).

[0118] (Disembarking procedures) Next, we will explain the disembarkation process for S31. Figure 20 is a flowchart showing an example of the disembarkation procedure according to the embodiment. When elevator car 50 arrives at a floor, the door control unit 125 of the control panel 100 opens the doors of elevator car 50 (S101).

[0119] Next, the detection unit 123 determines from the captured image, etc., whether or not it has detected an intention to disembark from the user 5 behind the robot 500 (S102). If no intention to disembark is detected from the user 5 behind the robot 500 (S102: No), there is no need to move the robot 500, so the process returns to the caller.

[0120] On the other hand, if a user 5 behind the robot 500 indicates an intention to disembark (S102: Yes), the detection unit 123 detects the number N of users 5 indicating their intention to disembark from the captured image, etc. (S103). The control panel 100 then executes a retreat process (S104). Details of the retreat process will be described later.

[0121] Once the evacuation process is complete, the communication unit 102 sends an evacuation instruction to the robot 500 via the elevator cloud 200 server and the robot cloud 300 server 310 (S105). The control panel 100 then waits for a certain period of time (for example, a few seconds) (S106) to determine whether the door has been opened or not (S107). If the door has not been opened (S107: No), the process proceeds to S104. The processes from S104 to S106 are then repeatedly executed. This ensures that the evacuation process is performed at regular intervals.

[0122] On the other hand, if the door is opened in S107 (S107:Yes), the process returns to the caller.

[0123] (Evacuation procedures) Next, we will explain the details of the S104 backup process. Figure 21 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure for the backup process according to the embodiment. In Figure 21, the following variables are defined.

[0124] T: Number of passengers intending to disembark n: Variable used to count users (counter) Evacuation plan n: A plan to ensure the movement of user 5, the nth closest user to entrance 51. Tn: Predicted time for evacuation plan n T: Cumulative total of Tn (first period) T': Estimated time for one instance of temporarily disembarking and re-boarding (second time)

[0125] The detection unit 123 generates layout data 112 from the captured image and stores it in the storage unit 110 (S201). Then, the detection unit 123 initializes the counter n to 1 and the first time T to 0 (S202).

[0126] Next, the movement path determination unit 124 determines whether the counter n is less than or equal to the number of users 5 who intend to disembark (S203). If the counter n is less than or equal to the number of users 5 who intend to disembark (S203: Yes), the movement path determination unit 124 selects the user 5 that is the nth closest to the entrance / exit 51 (S207). Then, the movement path determination unit 124 determines, based on the above-mentioned criteria value, whether or not a movement path can be secured for the user 5 to disembark, that is, whether or not a movement path exists (S208).

[0127] If there is a movement path (S208: Yes), the evacuation instruction unit 126 determines that the robot 500 does not need to perform the evacuation action n for the user 5 to disembark (S209). Then, the movement path determination unit 124 increments the counter n by 1 (S210), and the process returns to S203. The process from S203 is then repeatedly executed.

[0128] In S208, if there is no available path (S208: No), the evacuation instruction unit 126 lists candidate evacuation spaces (S211). Next, the evacuation instruction unit 126 determines an evacuation operation plan from among the candidates (S212). Then, the prediction unit 127 calculates the predicted operation time Tn for evacuation movement (S213). The prediction unit 127 adds the calculated predicted operation time Tn to the cumulative time T, which is the first time (S214).

[0129] Next, the evacuation instruction unit 126 generates assumed layout data after evacuation (S215). Then, the movement path determination unit 124 increments counter n by 1 (S210), and the process returns to S203. The process from S203 is then repeatedly executed.

[0130] In S203, if the counter n is greater than the number N of users 5 who intend to disembark (S203: No), the evacuation instruction unit 126 compares the first time T required for the first evacuation operation, which involves continuous evacuation movement, with the second time T' required for the second evacuation operation, in which the robot 500 disembarks from the elevator car 50 and then re-boards. The evacuation instruction unit 126 then determines whether the first time T is greater than the second time T' (S204). Here, the first time T is calculated by the prediction unit 127 by accumulating the times in S213 and S214. The second time T' is predicted in advance by the prediction unit 127.

[0131] If the first time T is greater than the second time T' (S204: Yes), the evacuation instruction unit 126 will perform the evacuation operation as one temporary disembarkation (S206). In other words, the evacuation instruction unit 126 will adopt the second evacuation operation.

[0132] On the other hand, in S204, if the first time T is less than or equal to the second time T' (S204: No), the retraction instruction unit 126 performs the retraction operation as a continuous execution of retraction operation options 1 to n (S205). That is, the retraction instruction unit 126 adopts the first retraction operation. Then, the process returns to the caller.

[0133] In the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, when the elevator car 50 carrying the robot 500 and the user 5 arrives at a predetermined floor, the control panel 100 detects whether the user 5 intends to disembark at that floor and the user 5's position based on the user 5's movements inside the elevator car 50. If it is determined that the user 5 intends to disembark, the control panel 100 determines, based on a reference value, whether it is possible to secure a path from the user 5's position to the entrance / exit 51 of the elevator car 50. If it is not possible to secure a path, the control panel 100 instructs the robot 500 to move to a position where a path can be secured.

[0134] Therefore, according to this embodiment, when user 5 and robot 500 are riding together in the elevator car 50 of elevator 2, if user 5 indicates their intention to disembark, the robot 500 can be moved to a safe distance, thereby ensuring a clear path for user 5 to disembark. Accordingly, according to this embodiment, even when user 5 and robot 500 are riding together in elevator 2, the comfort of using elevator 2 can be maintained.

[0135] In the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, even when a path can be secured, the control panel 100 instructs the robot 500 to move to a position that maximizes the amount of space available for retreat.

[0136] Therefore, according to this embodiment, even when a clear path can be secured, moving the robot 500 out of the way allows users 5 who intend to disembark to disembark more smoothly, and even when users 5 and the robot 500 are riding in the elevator 2 together, the comfort of using the elevator 2 can be improved.

[0137] In the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, the control panel 100 analyzes the actions of the user 5 from images captured by a camera 7 installed inside the elevator car 50 to detect the user's intention to disembark and their position.

[0138] Therefore, according to this embodiment, since the user 5's intention to disembark and the user 5's position are detected based on the captured image, the user 5's intention to disembark and the user 5's position can be detected more accurately. Accordingly, according to this embodiment, even when the user 5 and the robot 500 are riding in the elevator 2 together, the comfort of using the elevator 2 can be improved.

[0139] In the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, the control panel 100 detects the user 5's intention to disembark and the user 5's position based on the sound input to the microphone 12 installed inside the elevator car 50.

[0140] Therefore, according to this embodiment, since the user 5's intention to disembark and the user 5's position are detected based on the input voice, the user 5's intention to disembark and the user 5's position can be detected more accurately. Accordingly, according to this embodiment, even when the user 5 and the robot 500 are riding in the elevator 2 together, the comfort of using the elevator 2 can be improved.

[0141] In the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, the control panel 100 detects the user 5's intention to disembark and the user 5's position by receiving an input from the robot 500 indicating that the robot 500 has received an input from the robot 500 indicating that the user 5 intends to disembark.

[0142] Therefore, according to this embodiment, the user 5's intention to disembark and the user 5's position are detected based on the robot 500's input of the user's intention to disembark, making it possible to detect the user 5's intention to disembark and the user 5's position using a simpler method. Accordingly, according to this embodiment, even when the user 5 and the robot 500 are riding in the elevator 2 together, the comfort of using the elevator 2 can be improved.

[0143] In the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, the control panel 100 determines the attributes of the user 5 based on the detection of the user's intention to disembark. If the user 5 is a person standing upright, the thickness of the person standing upright is used as the reference value to determine whether or not it is possible to secure a path for movement. If the user 5 is a person in a wheelchair, the width of the wheelchair is used as the reference value.

[0144] Therefore, according to this embodiment, different reference values ​​are used depending on the attributes of user 5 to determine whether or not the same path can be secured. This makes it possible to determine whether or not the path can be secured more accurately depending on the attributes of user 5, i.e., the riding situation. Accordingly, according to this embodiment, even when user 5 and robot 500 are riding together in elevator 2, the comfort of using elevator 2 can be improved.

[0145] In the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, if the control panel 100 detects multiple users who intend to disembark and their locations, and determines that it is not possible to secure a path for all of the users who intend to disembark, it issues one or more instructions to the robot 500 to move away so that the users 5 closest to the entrance 51 can disembark in order from among the multiple users 5 who intend to disembark.

[0146] Therefore, according to this embodiment, even if it is not possible to secure a path for all of the multiple users who wish to disembark, the robot 500 can be moved to the side in order of proximity to the entrance 51 to secure a path. Accordingly, according to this embodiment, even when the user 5 and the robot 500 are riding in the elevator 2 together, the comfort of using the elevator 2 can be improved.

[0147] In the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, if it is necessary for the robot 500 to move out multiple times in order for users 5 closest to the entrance / exit 51 to disembark from among multiple users who intend to disembark, the control panel 100 predicts a first time required for a first move-out operation in which the robot 500 moves out multiple times, based on the distance from the robot 500's current position to the move-out position and the movement speed of the autonomous mobile body. It also predicts a second time required for a second move-out operation in which the robot 500 disembarks from the elevator car 50 and returns to its current position, based on the robot 500's current position, the distance to the landing 25 outside the entrance / exit 51 of the elevator car 50 and the movement speed of the robot 500. If the first time is shorter than the second time, the control panel 100 instructs the robot 500 to perform the first move-out operation, and if the second time is shorter than the first time, the control panel 100 instructs the robot 500 to perform the second move-out operation.

[0148] In other words, in this embodiment, when it is necessary for the robot 500 to move out multiple times to secure the movement paths of multiple users 5, the first time required for the robot 500 to move out continuously within the elevator car 50 (first move-out operation) is compared with the second time required for the robot 500 to disembark from the elevator car 50, move out, and re-board (second move-out operation), and the shorter move-out operation is performed. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to secure the movement paths of multiple users 5 who wish to disembark in a shorter time and allow them to disembark. Accordingly, according to this embodiment, even when users 5 and the robot 500 are riding in the elevator 2 together, the comfort of using the elevator 2 can be improved.

[0149] In the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment, the control panel 100 determines at regular time intervals whether or not it is possible to secure a pedestrian path.

[0150] As time passes, the layout of the elevator car 50, that is, the positions of the user 5 and the robot 500, changes, and the presence or absence of movement paths also changes as time progresses. However, according to this embodiment, by determining whether or not it is possible to secure a movement path at regular time intervals, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not it is possible to secure a movement path even if the layout of the elevator car 50 changes as time progresses. Therefore, according to this embodiment, even when the user 5 and the robot 500 are riding in the elevator 2 together, the comfort of using the elevator 2 can be improved.

[0151] [Example 1] Various modifications are possible to the above embodiment. In the above embodiment, the intention to disembark was detected based on the magnitude of the user 5's initial movement, using images captured by the camera 7 inside the elevator car 50 as a basis. However, the detection of the intention to disembark is not limited to this. For example, the detection unit 123 may be configured to detect the user 5's initial movement by providing pressure-sensitive rubber on the floor of the elevator car 50. In this case, the floor surface is divided into multiple sections, and pressure-sensitive rubber is placed in each section. The detection unit 123 can then be configured to detect the voltage output from each pressure-sensitive rubber, and to detect that the user 5 at the location of a particular pressure-sensitive rubber has started to move when the voltage from that pressure-sensitive rubber drops and the voltage from the adjacent pressure-sensitive rubber rises.

[0152] [Example of change 2] In the above embodiment, a car 50 and elevator 2 with an entrance / exit 51 on one side were used as an example, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the above embodiment can also be applied to a car 50 and elevator 2 with entrance / exit on two sides. However, when determining whether the user 5 is behind the entrance / exit from the robot 500, or when determining whether there is a movement path, the movement path determination unit 124 should be configured to perform the determination only on the side where the door is open.

[0153] [Example of change 3] In the above embodiment, the control panel 100 and the robot 500 communicated with each other via the server of the elevator cloud 200 and the server 310 of the robot cloud 300, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the control panel 100 and the robot 500 can be configured to communicate directly with each other without going through the server of the elevator cloud 200 and the server 310 of the robot cloud 300.

[0154] The control programs executed by the control panel 100, servers 210, 310, and robot 500 according to the above embodiments and modified examples are provided pre-loaded into ROM or the like.

[0155] Each control program executed by the control panel 100, servers 210, 310, and robot 500 according to the above embodiments and modifications may be configured to be provided as a file in an installable or executable format, recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, or DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

[0156] Furthermore, the control programs executed by the control panel 100, servers 210, 310, and robot 500 according to the above embodiments and modifications may be configured to be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network.

[0157] Furthermore, the control programs executed by the control panel 100, servers 210, 310, and robot 500 according to the above embodiments and modified examples may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0158] Each control program executed by the control panel 100, servers 210, 310, and robot 500 according to the above embodiment and modified examples has a modular configuration that includes each of the functional units described above. In actual hardware, the CPU reads the control program from the ROM and executes it, thereby loading each of the functional units into the main memory, and generating each of the functional units in the main memory.

[0159] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0160] 1…Elevator control system, 2,2A,2B…Elevator, 3…Building, 4,4A,4B…Control panel, 5A…User, 7,7A,7B,9,506…Camera, 8,8A,8B…Load sensor, 12,12A,12B…Microphone, 13…Lighting device, 20,20A,20B…Housing shaft, 25…Landing, 50,50A,50B…Elevator car, 100,100A,100B…Control panel (elevator control device), 120,211,311,501…Control unit, 102,212,312,502…Communication unit, 110,220,320,510…Storage unit 111...Management DB, 121...Normal operation control unit, 122...Robot-linked operation control unit, 123...Detection unit, 124...Movement path determination unit, 125...Door control unit, 126...Evacuation instruction unit, 127...Prediction unit, 150, 150A, 150B...Controller, 160...Control room, 200...Elevator cloud, 210...Server, 300...Robot cloud, 310...Server, 500...Robot (autonomous mobile unit), 503...Drive unit, 507...Touch-type input display panel, 508...Input / output control unit, 509...Travel control unit, 521...Accelerometer, 522...Speaker.

Claims

1. An elevator control device for controlling an elevator having a car that moves up and down, When the elevator car carrying the autonomous mobile vehicle and the passenger arrives at a predetermined floor, a detection unit detects whether the passenger intends to disembark at that floor and the passenger's position based on the passenger's actions inside the elevator car. When it is determined that the user intends to disembark, a movement path determination unit determines, based on a standard value, whether or not it is possible to secure a movement path from the user's position to the entrance / exit of the elevator car. If the aforementioned movement path cannot be secured, the system includes a retreat instruction unit that instructs the autonomous mobile body to retreat in a direction that allows the aforementioned movement path to be secured, Even when the aforementioned movement path can be secured, the aforementioned evacuation instruction unit instructs the autonomous mobile body to evacuate to the position that maximizes the available space for evacuation. Elevator control device.

2. The detection unit analyzes the user's movements from images captured by an imaging device installed inside the elevator car to detect the user's intention to disembark and their position. The elevator control device according to claim 1.

3. The detection unit detects the intention to disembark and the user's location by receiving from the autonomous mobile vehicle that an input of the intention to disembark has been received. The elevator control device according to claim 1.

4. The aforementioned movement path determination unit determines whether or not the aforementioned movement path can be secured at regular time intervals. The elevator control device according to claim 1.

5. An elevator control device for controlling an elevator having a car that moves up and down, When the elevator car carrying the autonomous mobile vehicle and the passenger arrives at a predetermined floor, a detection unit detects whether the passenger intends to disembark at that floor and the passenger's position based on the passenger's actions inside the elevator car. When it is determined that the user intends to disembark, a movement path determination unit determines, based on a standard value, whether or not it is possible to secure a movement path from the user's position to the entrance / exit of the elevator car. If the aforementioned movement path cannot be secured, the system includes a retreat instruction unit that instructs the autonomous mobile body to retreat in a direction that allows the aforementioned movement path to be secured, The detection unit detects the intention to disembark and the location of the user based on the voice input to the voice input device installed inside the elevator car. Elevator control device.

6. An elevator control device for controlling an elevator having a car that moves up and down, When the elevator car carrying the autonomous mobile vehicle and the passenger arrives at a predetermined floor, a detection unit detects whether the passenger intends to disembark at that floor and the passenger's position based on the passenger's actions inside the elevator car. When it is determined that the user intends to disembark, a movement path determination unit determines, based on a standard value, whether or not it is possible to secure a movement path from the user's position to the entrance / exit of the elevator car. If the aforementioned movement path cannot be secured, the system includes a retreat instruction unit that instructs the autonomous mobile body to retreat in a direction that allows the aforementioned movement path to be secured, The movement path determination unit determines the user's attributes based on the detection of the intention to disembark by the detection unit, and determines whether the movement path can be secured, using the thickness of the upright person as the reference value if the user is standing upright, or the width of the wheelchair as the reference value if the user is in a wheelchair. Elevator control device.

7. An elevator control device for controlling an elevator having a car that moves up and down, When the elevator car carrying the autonomous mobile vehicle and the passenger arrives at a predetermined floor, a detection unit detects whether the passenger intends to disembark at that floor and the passenger's position based on the passenger's actions inside the elevator car. When it is determined that the user intends to disembark, a movement path determination unit determines, based on a standard value, whether or not it is possible to secure a movement path from the user's position to the entrance / exit of the elevator car. If the aforementioned movement path cannot be secured, the system includes a retreat instruction unit that instructs the autonomous mobile body to retreat in a direction that allows the aforementioned movement path to be secured, If the detection unit detects multiple users who intend to disembark and their locations, and the movement path determination unit determines that it is not possible to secure the movement paths for all of the multiple users who intend to disembark, the evacuation instruction unit will issue one or more evacuation instructions to the autonomous mobile vehicle so that the users who intend to disembark can disembark in order, starting with those closest to the entrance / exit. Elevator control device.

8. If multiple maneuvers of the autonomous mobile vehicle are necessary to allow multiple users who intend to alight to disembark in order, starting with those closest to the entrance, the system further includes a prediction unit that predicts the first time required for a first maneuver to perform multiple maneuvers of the autonomous mobile vehicle based on the distance from the current position of the autonomous mobile vehicle to the maneuver position and the speed of the autonomous mobile vehicle, and predicts the second time required for a second maneuver to perform a second maneuver to disembark from the elevator car and then re-board the elevator car and return, based on the current position of the autonomous mobile vehicle, the distance to the boarding area outside the entrance of the elevator car, and the speed of the autonomous mobile vehicle. The retraction instruction unit instructs the autonomous mobile unit to perform the first retraction operation if the first time is shorter than the second time, and instructs the autonomous mobile unit to perform the second retraction operation if the second time is shorter than the first time. The elevator control device according to claim 7.

9. An elevator control system comprising: an elevator control device for controlling an elevator having a car that moves up and down; and an autonomous mobile unit connected to the elevator control device via a network, which autonomously travels and can board the car, The elevator control device is When the elevator car carrying the autonomous mobile vehicle and the passenger arrives at a predetermined floor, a detection unit detects whether the passenger intends to disembark at that floor and the passenger's position based on the passenger's actions inside the elevator car. When it is determined that the user intends to disembark, a movement path determination unit determines, based on a standard value, whether or not it is possible to secure a movement path from the user's position to the entrance / exit of the elevator car. If the aforementioned movement path cannot be secured, the system includes a retreat instruction unit that instructs the autonomous mobile body to retreat in a direction that allows the aforementioned movement path to be secured, The autonomous mobile body, A communication unit that receives the aforementioned evacuation instruction, The system includes a drive control unit that drives in accordance with the evacuation instruction when the communication unit receives the evacuation instruction, Even when the aforementioned movement path can be secured, the aforementioned evacuation instruction unit instructs the autonomous mobile body to evacuate to the position that maximizes the available space for evacuation. Elevator control system.

10. The detection unit analyzes the user's movements from images captured by an imaging device installed inside the elevator car to detect the user's intention to disembark and their position. The elevator control system according to claim 9.

11. The autonomous mobile body, The vehicle further comprises an input unit that receives input from the user regarding the intention to alight, When the communication unit receives input from the user indicating their intention to disembark, it transmits the intention to disembark to the elevator control device. The detection unit detects the intention to disembark and the location of the user by receiving the intention to disembark from the autonomous mobile vehicle. The elevator control system according to claim 9.

12. The aforementioned movement path determination unit determines whether or not the aforementioned movement path can be secured at regular time intervals. The elevator control system according to claim 9.

13. An elevator control system comprising: an elevator control device for controlling an elevator having a car that moves up and down; and an autonomous mobile body connected to a network with the elevator control device, which autonomously travels and can board the car, The elevator control device is When the elevator car carrying the autonomous mobile vehicle and the passenger arrives at a predetermined floor, a detection unit detects whether the passenger intends to disembark at that floor and the passenger's position based on the passenger's actions inside the elevator car. When it is determined that the user intends to disembark, a movement path determination unit determines, based on a standard value, whether or not it is possible to secure a movement path from the user's position to the entrance / exit of the elevator car. If the aforementioned movement path cannot be secured, the system includes a retreat instruction unit that instructs the autonomous mobile body to retreat in a direction that allows the aforementioned movement path to be secured, The autonomous mobile body, A communication unit that receives the aforementioned evacuation instruction, The system includes a drive control unit that drives in accordance with the evacuation instruction when the communication unit receives the evacuation instruction, The detection unit detects the intention to disembark and the location of the user based on the voice input to the voice input device installed inside the elevator car. Elevator control system.

14. An elevator control system comprising: an elevator control device for controlling an elevator having a car that moves up and down; and an autonomous mobile body connected to the elevator control device and a network, which autonomously travels and can board the car, The elevator control device is When the elevator car carrying the autonomous mobile vehicle and the passenger arrives at a predetermined floor, a detection unit detects whether the passenger intends to disembark at that floor and the passenger's position based on the passenger's actions inside the elevator car. When it is determined that the user intends to disembark, a movement path determination unit determines, based on a standard value, whether or not it is possible to secure a movement path from the user's position to the entrance / exit of the elevator car. If the aforementioned movement path cannot be secured, the system includes a retreat instruction unit that instructs the autonomous mobile body to retreat in a direction that allows the aforementioned movement path to be secured, The autonomous mobile body, A communication unit that receives the aforementioned evacuation instruction, The system includes a drive control unit that drives in accordance with the evacuation instruction when the communication unit receives the evacuation instruction, The movement path determination unit determines the user's attributes based on the detection of the intention to disembark by the detection unit, and if the user is standing upright, it uses the thickness of the upright person as the reference value, and if the user is in a wheelchair, it uses the width of the wheelchair as the reference value to determine whether the movement path can be secured. Elevator control system.

15. An elevator control system comprising: an elevator control device for controlling an elevator having a car that moves up and down; and an autonomous mobile body connected to the elevator control device and a network, which autonomously travels and can board the car, The elevator control device is When the elevator car carrying the autonomous mobile vehicle and the passenger arrives at a predetermined floor, a detection unit detects whether the passenger intends to disembark at that floor and the passenger's position based on the passenger's actions inside the elevator car. When it is determined that the user intends to disembark, a movement path determination unit determines, based on a standard value, whether or not it is possible to secure a movement path from the user's position to the entrance / exit of the elevator car. If the aforementioned movement path cannot be secured, the system includes a retreat instruction unit that instructs the autonomous mobile body to retreat in a direction that allows the aforementioned movement path to be secured, The autonomous mobile body, A communication unit that receives the aforementioned evacuation instruction, The system includes a drive control unit that drives in accordance with the evacuation instruction when the communication unit receives the evacuation instruction, If the detection unit detects multiple users who intend to disembark and their locations, and the movement path determination unit determines that it is not possible to secure the movement paths for all of the multiple users who intend to disembark, the evacuation instruction unit will issue one or more evacuation instructions to the autonomous mobile vehicle so that the users who intend to disembark can disembark in order, starting with those closest to the entrance / exit. Elevator control system.

16. The elevator control device is If multiple maneuvers of the autonomous mobile vehicle are necessary to allow multiple users who intend to alight to disembark in order, starting with those closest to the entrance, the system further includes a prediction unit that predicts the first time required for a first maneuver to perform multiple maneuvers of the autonomous mobile vehicle based on the distance from the current position of the autonomous mobile vehicle to the maneuver position and the speed of the autonomous mobile vehicle, and predicts the second time required for a second maneuver to perform a second maneuver to disembark from the elevator car and then re-board the elevator car and return, based on the current position of the autonomous mobile vehicle, the distance to the boarding area outside the entrance of the elevator car, and the speed of the autonomous mobile vehicle. The retraction instruction unit instructs the autonomous mobile unit to perform the first retraction operation if the first time is shorter than the second time, and instructs the autonomous mobile unit to perform the second retraction operation if the second time is shorter than the first time. The elevator control system according to claim 15.

17. A method for controlling disembarking is performed in an elevator control system comprising: an elevator control device for controlling an elevator having a car that moves up and down; and an autonomous mobile body connected to the elevator control device via a network, which autonomously travels and can board the car. The elevator control device, when the elevator car carrying the autonomous mobile vehicle and the passenger arrives at a predetermined floor, includes the steps of detecting whether the passenger intends to alight at that floor and the passenger's position based on the passenger's actions inside the elevator car, The elevator control device, when it determines that the user intends to disembark, determines, based on a standard value, whether or not it is possible to secure a path from the user's position to the entrance / exit of the elevator car. The elevator control device, when it is possible to secure the movement path, secures the movement path, and when it is not possible to secure the movement path, issues an evacuation instruction step to the autonomous mobile body to move in a direction in which the movement path can be secured. The autonomous mobile unit receives the evacuation instruction, The step of driving in accordance with the evacuation instruction when the evacuation instruction is received, Even when the aforementioned movement path can be secured, the aforementioned evacuation instruction step instructs the autonomous mobile unit to evacuate to a position that maximizes the available space for evacuation. A method for controlling passenger disembarkation.

Images