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

Abstract

To improve elevator operation efficiency by enabling an autonomous mobile body riding on a departure floor to smoothly move to a target floor in a short time when the autonomous mobile body uses a double deck type elevator.SOLUTION: An elevator control device according to an embodiment includes: an information processing unit by which, when landing call information in which a departure floor and a destination floor designating a target floor are designated is received from the autonomous mobile body and if the departure floor is a floor on which only one of the upper car and the lower car can land and, in addition, the destination floor is a floor on which only the other of the upper car and the lower car can land, first call information in which an intermediate floor between the departure floor and the destination floor is designated as the departure floor and second call information in which the intermediate floor is designated as the departure floor and the target floor is designated as the destination floor are generated based on the landing call information; an allocation unit that allocates the same elevator to the first call information and the second call information; and a transmission unit that transmits the first call information and the second call information to a control panel of an assigned elevator.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] In recent elevator control systems, autonomous mobile bodies such as robots are made to ride in an elevator car to perform various operations and are subjected to autonomous mobile body operation such as moving to a destination floor. Also, conventionally, in elevators, so-called double-deck elevators in which two cars are connected vertically have been known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, an autonomous mobile body that rides in the lower car on a floor where only the lower car lands, such as the lowest floor, cannot get off on a floor where only the upper car lands, such as the highest floor. For this reason, for example, it is necessary to get off on a floor one floor below the highest floor where the lower car lands and generate call information designating the highest floor as the destination floor again, which may result in a long travel time for the autonomous mobile body to reach the destination floor and a decrease in elevator operation efficiency.

[0005] One of the objectives of this embodiment is to provide an elevator control device, elevator control system, and elevator control method that, when an autonomous mobile vehicle uses a double-deck elevator, can move quickly and smoothly to the destination floor after boarding at the departure floor, thereby improving elevator operation efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The elevator control device of the embodiment controls the raising and lowering of an elevator car in which an autonomous mobile body that can move autonomously within the elevator shaft can ride, and in which an upper car and a lower car are connected vertically. When the elevator control device receives landing call information from the autonomous mobile body specifying the departure floor and the destination floor which is the designated floor, it determines at the time of receiving the landing call information whether the departure floor is a floor in which only one of the upper car and the lower car can land, and whether the destination floor is a floor in which only the other of the upper car and the lower car can land. If the departure floor is a floor in which only one of the upper car and the lower car can land, and the destination floor is a floor in which only the other of the upper car and the lower car can land, it determines, based on the landing call information, the intermediate floor between the departure floor and the destination floor. do The first call information, which is the next floor, and the intermediate floor Leave Departure floor and the aforementioned destination floor do A call information processing unit generates a second call information specifying the destination floor; an assignment unit assigns the same elevator unit to the first call information and the second call information; and transmits the first call information and the second call information to the control panel of the assigned elevator. communication It has a section and a part. [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 robot according to an embodiment. [Figure 3]Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server in a robot cloud according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server in the elevator cloud according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of landing call information, first call information, and second call information according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a controller according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control panel according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of the data structure of the robot management DB according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows an example of the movement of the elevator car in the embodiment. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the elevator control process flow during boarding according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0009] (Embodiment) Figure 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of the elevator control system 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the elevator control system 1 of this embodiment mainly comprises control panels 100A and 100B provided for each elevator 2A and 2B, controllers 150A and 150B provided for each elevator 2A and 2B, a control room 160, a server 210 in the elevator cloud 200, a server 310 in the robot cloud 300, and a monitoring center 400.

[0010] In this embodiment, two elevators, 2A and 2B, are installed in a building 3, such as an office building or an apartment building. Each of the elevators 2A and 2B is equipped with an elevator car 50A and 50B within its respective hoistway 20A and 20B. In addition, each hoistway 20A and 20B is equipped with a hoisting machine and a counterweight (not shown). The elevator cars 50A and 50B and the counterweight are supported so as to be able to move up and down on a pair of guide rails (not shown) erected within the hoistway 20A and 20B, and move up and down via ropes.

[0011] Elevator car 50A consists of an upper car 50Aa and a lower car Ab connected vertically. Both the upper car 50Aa and the lower car Ab can accommodate passengers 5A as well as robot 500A, which acts as an autonomous mobile unit. Elevator car 50B consists of an upper car 50Ba and a lower car Bb connected vertically. Both the upper car 50Ba and the lower car Bb can accommodate passengers as well as robot 500B, which acts as an autonomous mobile unit. Thus, elevators 2A and 2B in this embodiment are both so-called double-deck type elevators.

[0012] Each of the upper baskets 50Aa, 50Ba and the lower baskets 50Ab, 50Bb is equipped with a control panel 4A, 4B, cameras 7A, 7B, and load sensors 8A, 8B. The control panels 4A and 4B receive various operations from users and notify the upper elevator cars 50Aa and 50Ba, and the lower elevator cars 50Ab and 50Bb. The control panels 4A and 4B are equipped with push buttons for specifying destination floors and opening and closing the doors of the upper elevator cars 50Aa and 50Ba, and the lower elevator cars 50Ab and 50Bb, as well as non-contact sensors, speakers, LCD displays, etc. (all not shown). The control panels 4A and 4B are also connected to the control panels 100A and 100B by wire or wireless. When users 5A and 5B press the destination floor push button or when detected by the non-contact sensor, a destination floor call is sent to the control panels 100A and 100B.

[0013] The cameras 7A and 7B take pictures inside the upper cars 50Aa and 50Ba and the lower cars 50Ab and 50Bb, and send the captured images to the control panels 100A and 100B. Also, at the landing, when the doors of the upper cars 50Aa and 50Ba and the lower cars 50Ab and 50Bb are open, the cameras 7A and 7B can image the landing and send the captured images to the control panels 100A and 100B.

[0014] The load sensors 8A and 8B are provided on the bottom surfaces of the upper cars 50Aa and 50Ba and the lower cars 50Ab and 50Bb, and detect the weights of the upper cars 50Aa and 50Ba and the lower cars 50Ab and 50Bb. When users 5A and robots 500A and 500B are riding in the upper cars 50Aa and 50Ba and the lower cars 50Ab and 50Bb, the load sensors 8A and 8B detect by adding the weights of the riders 5A and the robots 500A and 500B in addition to the weights of the upper cars 50Aa and 50Ba and the lower cars 50Ab and 50Bb themselves. The load sensors 8A and 8B send the detected weight as a detection signal to the control panels 100A and 100B.

[0015] Inside each of the hoistways 20A and 20B, a control panel 100A or 100B and a controller 150A or 150B are provided. The control panels 100A and 100B are connected to the operation panels 4A and 4B provided on the cars 50A and 50B by wireless or wired connection.

[0016] Each of the control panels 100A and 100B controls the operation of the cars 50A and 50B in the elevators 2A and 2B. Each of the control panels 100A and 100B is connected to each of the controllers 150A and 150B by wired or wireless connection.

[0017] 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. Details of control panels 100A and 100B and controllers 150A and 150B will be described later.

[0018] The building manager is stationed in control room 160 and gives various instructions to control panels 100A and 100B. The manager in control room 160 also receives various instructions from control panels 100A and 100B via email or other means through a PC or terminal device.

[0019] 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 receives various requests 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. Server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 is an example of an elevator control device.

[0020] In this embodiment, when the server 210 receives call information, if the call information was transmitted from the robot 500 and the elevator cars 50A and 50B are double-deck type elevators 2, it generates first call information and second call information from the call information and performs the process of assigning elevator number 2.

[0021] 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 referencing 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, it is possible to access the internal server at the monitoring center 400 as needed to access building and elevator information, and for maintenance personnel to obtain information necessary for elevator management.

[0022] Server 310 in the robot cloud 300 receives call information, various requests, and various data from Server 210 in the elevator cloud 200. Server 310 in the robot cloud 300 is connected via a network to multiple robots 500A, 500B, and 500C in Building 3, and sends various instructions to each of the multiple robots 500A, 500B, and 500C. Details regarding server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 and server 310 in the robot cloud 300 will be described later.

[0023] Furthermore, the number of elevators is not limited to two; there may be one or more elevators within 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 the two elevators 2A, 2B, the two hoistways 20A, 20B, the two elevator cars 50A, 50B, the two control panels 100A, 100B, and the two controllers 150A, 150B, we will refer to them as elevator 2, hoistway 20, elevator car 50, control panel 100, and controller 150.

[0024] Furthermore, if the upper car 50Aa of car 50A and the upper car 50Ba of car 50B are not distinguished, they shall be referred to as upper car 50a. Similarly, if the lower car 50Ab of car 50A and the lower car 50Bb of car 50B are not distinguished, they shall be referred to as lower car 50b. In addition, if the control panels 4A and 4B, cameras 7A and 7B, and load sensors 8A and 8B are not distinguished, they shall be referred to as control panel 4, camera 7, and load sensor 8.

[0025] Next, I will explain Robot 500. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a robot 500 according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the robot 500 mainly comprises a camera 506, various sensors 505, a control unit 501, a communication unit 502, a drive unit 503, and a storage unit 510.

[0026] 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.

[0027] The various sensors 505 include, for example, motion sensors, acceleration sensors, and load sensors, but are not limited to these.

[0028] The memory unit 510 is a storage medium (memory device) such as ROM or RAM. The robot basic program 511 is stored in the memory unit 510, which is a program received from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 and saved in the memory unit 510.

[0029] Robot Basic Program 521 is a program that defines the actions of robot 500 on elevator 2. For example, robot basic program 521 defines tasks such as cleaning and inspection of elevator 2. In addition, robot basic program 521 defines the target floor for disembarking robot 500 for each robot 500.

[0030] 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 transmits boarding call information to the server 310 in the robot cloud 300, specifying the departure floor, the destination floor, and that the type is a robot.

[0031] The drive unit 503 drives the robot 500 to make it move. The control unit 501 consists of a hardware processor (CPU). During normal operation of the elevator 2, the control unit 501 reads and executes the robot basic program 511 from the memory unit 510, thereby performing various operations on the elevator 2.

[0032] The above configuration of the robot 500 is just one example, and it may also be further equipped with an audio output unit such as a speaker and an input unit such as a touch panel.

[0033] Next, we will describe the server 310 within the robot cloud 300. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server 310 within a robot cloud 300 according to the embodiment. Server 310 primarily comprises a control unit 311, a communication unit 312, and a storage unit 320, as is typical for a computer.

[0034] The memory unit 320 is a storage medium (memory device) such as ROM or RAM. The memory unit 320 stores the robot basic program 321 and the robot operation control program 325.

[0035] Robot Basic Program 321 is a program that defines the actions of robot 500 on elevator 2. For example, robot basic program 321 defines tasks such as cleaning and inspection of elevator 2. In addition, robot basic program 321 defines the target floor for disembarking robot 500 for each robot 500.

[0036] The robot operation control program 325 is a program that is transmitted to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 in response to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200, and is stored as robot operation control programs 115 and 225 stored in the storage unit 110 of the control panel 100 and the storage unit 220 of the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200, which will be described later.

[0037] 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.

[0038] In this embodiment, the communication unit 312 receives landing call information from the robot 500 and transmits the received landing call information to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200.

[0039] The control unit 311 consists of a hardware processor (CPU). The control unit 311 controls various processes related to the elevator and the robot 500. In this embodiment, the control unit 311 transmits the robot operation control program 325 stored in the storage unit 320 to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 upon request from the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200. In addition, if the robot operation control program 325 is updated, the control unit 311 transmits an update program for the robot operation control program 325 to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200.

[0040] The control unit 311 transmits the robot basic program 321, stored in the memory unit 320, to the robot 500 upon request from the robot 500. Furthermore, if the robot basic program 321 is updated, the control unit 311 transmits an update program for the robot basic program 321 to the robot 500.

[0041] Next, we will explain the server 210 within the elevator cloud 200. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server 210 within the elevator cloud 200 according to the embodiment. The server 210 mainly comprises a control unit 211, a communication unit 212, and a storage unit 220, as is typical for a computer.

[0042] The memory unit 220 is a memory medium (memory device) such as ROM or RAM. The operation control program 222 and the robot operation control program 225 are stored in the memory unit 220.

[0043] The operation control program 222 and the robot operation control program 225 are update programs for each program stored in the memory unit 110 of the control panel 100. Note that different operation control programs 222 and robot operation control programs 225 may be prepared for each building 3 and elevator 2.

[0044] 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, as well as communication processing between the server 210 and the server 310 in the robot cloud 300.

[0045] In this embodiment, the communication unit 212 receives landing call information generated by the robot 500 from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300. The communication unit 212 also transmits the first call information, the second call information, and the assignment instruction generated from the landing call information by the call information processing unit 2111 (described later) to the controller 150 of the elevator 2 that has been assigned by the assignment unit 2112 (described later).

[0046] Figure 5 shows an example of landing call information, first call information, and second call information according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the boarding call information consists of a type, a departure floor, and a destination floor. The type is the type of entity that issued the boarding call information, and is set to either a user or a robot. The departure floor is the floor from which the user or robot specified by the type boards the elevator car 50. The destination floor is the floor from which the user or robot specified by the type disembarks from the elevator car 50. Here, boarding call information is sometimes referred to as boarding call registration. In the example shown in Figure 5, the robot 500 uses the lowest floor (1st floor) as its starting floor and the destination floor (8th floor) as its target floor, and this is an example of call information.

[0047] Returning to Figure 4, the control unit 211 consists of a hardware processor (CPU). When the operation control program 222 and the robot operation control program 225 are updated, the control unit 211 transmits the updated program to the control panel 100 via the controller 150. When the robot operation control program 225 is updated, the control unit 211 receives the updated robot operation control program 225 from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 and stores it in the storage unit 220.

[0048] As shown in Figure 4, the control unit 211 includes a call information processing unit 2111 and an allocation unit 2112. When the call information processing unit 2111 receives landing call information from the communication unit 212, if the departure floor is a floor where only one of the upper car 50a and the lower car 50b can land, and the destination floor is a floor where only the other of the upper car 50a and the lower car 50b can land, the call information processing unit 2111 generates first call information and second call information based on the landing call information. Here, the call information processing unit 2111 generates first call information and second call information from the landing call information at the time the communication unit 212 receives the landing call information, that is, at the stage when the robot 500 transmits the landing call information.

[0049] Here, the first call information is call information in which the destination floor is an intermediate floor between the departure floor and the destination floor specified in the boarding call information. The second call information is call information in which the above intermediate floor is the departure floor and the destination floor is the target floor which is the destination floor specified in the boarding call information. The structure of the first and second call information is the same as that of the boarding call information, consisting of type, departure floor, and destination floor.

[0050] In this embodiment, "one of the upper car 50a and the lower car 50b" is designated as the lower car 50b, and "the other of the upper car 50a and the lower car 50b" is designated as the upper car 50a. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the departure floor, to which only the lower car 50b can land, is designated as the lowest floor, and the destination floor, to which only the upper car 50a can land, is designated as the highest floor. The intermediate floor is designated as the floor one floor below the highest floor (hereinafter referred to as "highest floor-1 floor").

[0051] Figure 5 shows an example of boarding call information, as well as examples of the first and second call information generated from that boarding call information. In the example shown in Figure 5, the departure floor is the lowest floor (1st floor), and the top floor is the top floor (8th floor). Therefore, the intermediate floor, the top floor minus 1st floor, is the 7th floor. In other words, in the example shown in Figure 5, the call information processing unit 2111 sets the type of the first call information and the second call information to the robot. The call information processing unit 2111 generates the first call information with the departure floor being the lowest floor, the 1st floor, and the destination floor being the 7th floor, which is the floor obtained by subtracting one floor from the top floor, the destination floor (target floor) of the call information (i.e., the top floor - 1 floor), as an intermediate floor. The call information processing unit 2111 generates the second call information with the departure floor being the intermediate floor, which is the top floor - 1 floor, the destination floor (target floor) of the call information (i.e., the 8th floor), the top floor, which is the destination floor (target floor) of the call information.

[0052] The assignment unit 2112 assigns the same elevator unit to the first call information and the second call information generated by the call information processing unit 2111. Therefore, if the robot 500 disembarks at an intermediate floor based on the first call information, it only needs to wait for the elevator car 50 of the same elevator unit 2 in order to move to the destination floor based on the second call information, eliminating the need to move to a different elevator unit 2 at the landing.

[0053] Next, we will explain the controller 150. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the controller 150 according to the embodiment.

[0054] As shown in Figure 6, the controller 150 mainly comprises a control unit 151, a communication unit 152, and a storage unit 155, which are typical components of a computer.

[0055] The control unit 151 consists of a hardware processor (CPU) and controls the operation of the communication unit 152. The memory unit 155 consists of a storage medium (i.e., a memory device) such as ROM or RAM, and temporarily stores the operation control program 112, the robot operation control program 115, and update programs for updating them, which are stored in the control panel 100.

[0056] The communication unit 152 consists of a communication device having a predetermined communication protocol and performs communication processing between the control panel 100 and the controller 40, and communication processing between the controller 150 and the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200. For example, when the communication unit 152 receives an operation signal transmitted from the control panel 100, it transmits the operation signal to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200.

[0057] In this embodiment, the communication unit 152 receives first call information and second call information from the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200, and transmits the received first call information and second call information to the control panel 100.

[0058] Next, I will explain the control panel 100. Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control panel 100 according to the embodiment. The control panel 100 has a typical computer configuration and, as shown in Figure 7, mainly comprises a control unit 120, a communication unit 102, and a storage unit 110.

[0059] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, the control panel 100 is connected by wire or wireless to the fire sensor 103, seismometer 104, load sensor 8, and camera 7. The fire sensor 103 and seismometer 104 are installed, for example, inside the elevator car 50 and in the elevator shafts 20A and 20B. The load sensors 8 (8A, 8B) are installed in the upper car 50a and lower car 50b of the elevator car 50 as described above. The camera 7 is installed near the ceiling of the upper car 50a and lower car 50b so as to be able to capture images inside the upper car 50a and lower car 50b, and the landing when the doors of the upper car 50a and lower car 50b are open.

[0060] The fire sensor 103 detects the occurrence of a fire in elevator 2 and sends a detection signal to the control unit 120. The seismometer 104 detects the occurrence of an earthquake and sends a detection signal to the control unit 120. Here, the detection signal indicating the occurrence of a fire is also called a fire control signal. Similarly, the detection signal indicating the occurrence of an earthquake is also called an earthquake control signal.

[0061] The memory unit 110 is a storage medium (i.e., a memory device) such as ROM or RAM. The memory unit 110 stores the robot management database 111 (hereinafter referred to as "robot management DB 111"), the operation control program 112, and the robot operation control program 115. Furthermore, the memory unit 110 stores the weight of the elevator car 50 itself, as well as the weight of the elevator car 50 with the robot 500 riding in it.

[0062] The robot management DB111 is a database for managing robots 500 that use elevator 2. The robot management DB111 is a database that associates robot IDs, weights, occupancy status, and elevator car information. Here, the robot ID is information used to identify robot 500. The weight is the weight of robot 500 with the specified robot ID. The occupancy status is information indicating whether robot 500 with the specified robot ID is currently occupying elevator car 50. The elevator car information indicates whether the elevator car 500 currently occupying robot 500 with the specified robot ID is the upper car 50a or the lower car 50b.

[0063] Figure 8 shows an example of the data structure of the robot management DB 111 according to the embodiment. In the example in Figure 8, it is shown that robot 500 with robot ID "A001" is riding in the lower basket 50b of the elevator car 50, and that the weight of robot 500 is "xx kg". It is also shown that robot 500 with robot ID "A002" is not riding in the elevator car 50 (for example, at the boarding area), and that its weight is "yy kg".

[0064] At regular intervals or whenever the passenger status changes, the robot 500 notifies the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 of its own status along with its robot ID in the robot management DB 111. The server 310 in the robot cloud 300 then notifies the control panel 100 via the server 210 and controller 150 of the elevator cloud 200 of the robot ID, current passenger status, and current elevator car information, and the control unit 120 registers this information in the corresponding robot ID record in the robot management DB 111.

[0065] Returning to Figure 7, the operation control program 112 is a program that implements the main functions necessary for the operation control of elevator 2. These main functions include, for example, a function to drive and control the hoisting machine, safety functions such as speed control of elevator car 50, a function to control the opening and closing of the doors of elevator car 50, a function to control the lighting of elevator car 50, and a function to register landing calls and destination floor calls (also called car calls) based on call information.

[0066] The robot operation control program 115 is a function that realizes robot operation control, that is, operation control of elevator 2 when the robot 500 is using elevator 2. Robot operation refers to a situation in which the elevator is operated with the robot 500 on board, under either robot-only operation or non-robot-only operation conditions. Robot-only operation is operation performed with only the robot 500 inside the elevator car 50. Non-robot-only operation is operation performed with the robot 500 and a user 5 inside the elevator car 50. The robot operation control program 115 is configured to realize control for both robot-only operation and non-robot-only operation.

[0067] 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. The communication unit 102 also sends and receives various instructions and notifications to and from the administrator's mobile terminal or PC in the control room 160. In this embodiment, the communication unit 102 receives first call information and second call information from the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150.

[0068] The control unit 120 consists of a hardware processor (CPU). As shown in Figure 7, the control unit 120 mainly comprises an operation control unit 121 and a robot operation control unit 122.

[0069] The control unit 120 reads and executes the operation control program 112 and the robot operation control program 115 from the storage unit 110, thereby generating the operation control unit 121 and the robot operation control unit 122 in the main memory.

[0070] The robot operation control unit 122 performs the function of controlling the operation of elevator 2 when the robot 500 uses elevator 2. Specifically, the robot operation control unit 122 performs control of robot-only operation, in which only the robot 500 is in the elevator car 50 and driving the elevator, and control of non-robot-only operation, in which the robot 500 and the user 5 can be in the elevator car 50 together and driving the elevator. The robot operation control unit 122 stores in the memory unit 110 whether robot-only operation or non-robot-only operation was performed.

[0071] Furthermore, within Building 3, there may be a mix of elevators: one specifically for robot operation and another for non-robot operation.

[0072] The operation control unit 121 performs the following main functions necessary for controlling the operation of the elevator 2: for example, a function to drive and control the hoisting machine, a safety function such as controlling the speed of the elevator car 50, a function to control the opening and closing of the doors of the elevator car 50, a function to control the lighting of the elevator car 50, and a function to register landing calls and destination floor calls based on call information.

[0073] In this embodiment, when the communication unit 102 receives first call information and second call information from the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 via the controller 150, the operation control unit 121 first moves the elevator car 50 based on the first call information.

[0074] Specifically, the operation control unit 121 moves the elevator car 50 so that the lower car 50b lands on the departure floor specified by the first call information, opens the door of the lower car 50b, and allows the robot 500 at the landing to board the lower car 50b. Once the robot 500 is on board the lower car 50b, the operation control unit 121 closes the door of the lower car 50b. Hereafter, opening the door will be referred to as "opening the door," and closing the door will be referred to as "closing the door."

[0075] Then, the operation control unit 121 moves the elevator car 50 so that the lower car 50b lands on the intermediate floor designated as the destination floor by the first call information. After the lower car 50b lands on the intermediate floor designated as the destination floor, the operation control unit 121 opens the doors of the lower car 50b, allows the robot 500 to disembark, and then closes the doors.

[0076] Next, the operation control unit 121 moves the elevator car 50 based on the second call information. Specifically, the operation control unit 121 moves the elevator car 50 so that the upper car 50a lands on the intermediate floor, which is the departure floor specified in the second call information, and opens the doors. Once the robot 500 at the landing boards the upper car 50a, the operation control unit 121 closes the doors and moves the elevator car 50 so that the upper car 50a lands on the destination floor (i.e., the target floor) specified in the second call information. After that, the operation control unit 121 opens the doors of the upper car 50a.

[0077] The specific operation will be explained below using Figure 9. Figure 9 shows an example of the movement of the elevator car 50 in the embodiment. In Figure 9, an elevator 2 from the lowest floor (1st floor) to the top floor (8th floor) is used as an example. Furthermore, Figure 9 explains the case where the landing call information shown in Figure 5 is transmitted from the robot 500, and the first call information and second call information shown in Figure 5 are generated by the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 as an example.

[0078] As shown in Figure 9(a), the operation control unit 121 moves the elevator car 50 so that the lower car 50b lands on the 1st floor, which is the departure floor specified by the first call information, opens the doors of the lower car 50b, and allows the robot 500 at the landing to board the lower car 50b.

[0079] Once the robot 500 boards the lower car 50b, the operation control unit 121 closes the doors of the lower car 50b, as shown in Figure 9(b), and moves the upper car 50 so that the lower car 50b lands on the 7th floor, which is the intermediate floor between the top floor and the 1st floor, as specified in the first call information. That is, at this time the upper car 50a has arrived on the top floor, the 8th floor. Then, the operation control unit 121 opens the doors of the lower car 50b, allows the robot 500 to disembark, and then closes the doors. The disembarked robot 500 waits motionless at the disembarking point at the platform.

[0080] Next, as shown in Figure 9(c), the operation control unit 121 lowers the elevator car 50 by one floor and opens the doors so that the upper car 50a lands on the 7th floor, which is the departure floor specified by the second call information. Then, the robot 500 waiting at the landing boards the upper car 50a.

[0081] Once the robot 500 at the boarding area boards the upper car 50a, the operation control unit 121 closes the doors and moves the upper car 50 up one floor so that it lands on the 8th floor, the top floor which is the destination floor specified by the second call information. After that, the operation control unit 121 opens the doors of the upper car 50a. As a result, as shown in Figure 9(d), the robot 500 inside the upper car 50a can disembark at the 8th floor, the top floor which is the destination floor.

[0082] Next, the elevator control process by the elevator control system 1 according to the embodiment configured as described above will be explained. Figure 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the elevator control process according to the embodiment. In Figure 10, the top floor is the 8th floor, and the landing call information, first call information, and second call information shown in Figure 5 are used.

[0083] Assume that elevator 2 is in operation (S101). Also, assume that robot operation is being performed in control panel 100 (S102). Here, either robot-dedicated operation or non-robot-dedicated operation is acceptable.

[0084] At this time, the boarding robot 500 sends boarding call information specifying the departure floor, destination floor (i.e., target floor), and type as "robot" to the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 (S103).

[0085] When the server 310 in the robot cloud 300 receives landing call information from the robot 500, it transmits the received landing call information to the server 210 in the elevator cloud 200 (S104).

[0086] In the elevator cloud 200, when the communication unit 212 receives landing call information from the server 310 in the robot cloud 300, the call information processing unit 2111 performs call information processing to generate first call information and second call information from the landing call information, as described above (S105). Then, the assignment unit 2112 assigns the elevator 2 that moves the car 50 based on the first call information and the elevator 2 that moves the car 50 based on the second call information to the same elevator unit (S106). Next, in the elevator cloud 200, the communication unit 212 transmits the first call information, the second call information, and the assignment instruction to the controller 150 of the elevator 2 assigned by the assignment unit 2112 (S107).

[0087] When the controller 150 receives the first call information, the second call information, and the assignment instruction from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, it transmits the received first call information, the second call information, and the assignment instruction to the control panel 100 (S108).

[0088] When the control panel 100 receives the first call information, the second call information, and an assignment instruction from the controller 150, the operation control unit 121 first sends a movement instruction to the elevator 2 (car 50) based on the first call information (S109). Specifically, the operation control unit 121 drives the car 50. As a result, the elevator car 50 moves to the lowest floor, the 1st floor, which is the departure floor specified in the first call information (S110). As a result, the lower car 50b lands on the 1st floor and the upper car 50a lands on the 2nd floor. Then, the control panel 100 opens the doors of the lower car 50b, and the landing robot 500 boards the lower car 50b (S111). After that, the doors of the lower car 50b close.

[0089] Next, the elevator car 50 moves upward to the 7th floor, which is the top floor minus 1 floor of the destination floor specified in the first call information (S112). At this time, the upper car 50a lands on the 8th floor, which is the top floor. Then, the control panel 100 opens the doors of the lower car 50b, and the robot 500 inside the lower car 50b disembarks (S113). After that, the doors of the lower car 50b are closed. The disembarked robot 500 waits at the disembarking point at the landing.

[0090] Next, the control panel 100 sends a movement instruction to the elevator car 50 based on the second call information (S114), causing the elevator car 50 to descend one floor (S115). That is, the upper car 50a moves to the top floor minus one floor, which is the 7th floor, the departure floor specified in the second call information. Then, the control panel 100 opens the doors of the upper car 50a, and the robot 500, which was waiting at the landing, boards the upper car 50a (S116). After that, the doors of the upper car 50a are closed.

[0091] Next, the control panel 100 sends a movement instruction to the elevator car 50 based on the second call information (S117), causing the elevator car 50 to rise by one floor (S118). That is, the upper car 50a moves to the top floor, i.e., the 8th floor, which is the destination floor specified in the second call information. Then, the control panel 100 opens the doors of the upper car 50a, and the robot 500 inside the upper car 50a disembarks (S119).

[0092] In this embodiment, the robot 500 transmits landing call information, which specifies the departure floor and the destination floor, to the server 310 of the robot cloud 300. The server 310 of the robot cloud 300 receives the landing call information from the robot 500 and transmits the received landing call information to the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200. The elevator cloud 200 server 210, upon receiving landing call information from the robot cloud 300 server 310, includes a call information processing unit 2111 that generates, based on the landing call information, a first call information specifying an intermediate floor between the departure floor and the destination floor as the destination floor, and a second call information specifying an intermediate floor as the departure floor and the target floor as the destination floor, when the departure floor is a floor where only one of the upper car 50a or the lower car 50b can land and the destination floor is a floor where only the other of the upper car 50a or the lower car 50b can land; an assignment unit 2112 that assigns the same elevator unit to the first call information and the second call information; and a communication unit 212 that transmits the first call information and the second call information to the control panel 100 of the assigned elevator 2 via the controller 150. When the control panel 100 receives a first call information and a second call information from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, it moves the elevator car based on the first call information, and then moves the elevator car 50 based on the second call information.

[0093] Specifically, in this embodiment, when the control panel 100 receives first call information and second call information from the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200, it moves one elevator car 50 so that it lands on the departure floor specified in the first call information, and after one elevator car 50 has landed on the departure floor, it moves the other elevator car 50 so that it lands on the intermediate floor designated as the destination floor in the first call information, and after the other elevator car 50 has landed on the intermediate floor designated as the departure floor in the second call information, it moves the other elevator car so that it lands on the target floor designated as the destination floor in the second call information. In this embodiment, the departure floor is the lowest floor, the target floor is the highest floor, and the intermediate floor is the highest floor minus one floor.

[0094] In other words, according to this embodiment, when landing call information is issued, the server 210 of the elevator cloud 200 generates first information and second information from the landing call information. The server 210 then assigns the elevator 2 of the car 50 that moves based on the first call information and the elevator 2 of the car 50 that moves based on the second call information as the same unit. Therefore, according to this embodiment, when a robot 500 uses a double-deck elevator 2, the robot 500 can disembark at an intermediate floor and then wait for the arrival of the same elevator 2 car 50, so it only needs to wait at the landing where it disembarked. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the robot 500 that boarded at the departure floor can move to the destination floor quickly and smoothly, improving elevator operation efficiency.

[0095] (modified version) The above embodiment can be modified in various ways. In the above embodiment, the intermediate floor was defined as the top floor minus one floor, but it is not limited to this. Any floor can be designated as an intermediate floor as long as both the upper car 50a and the lower car 50b can land on that floor.

[0096] In this case, the intermediate floor can also be the destination floor specified by another boarding call.

[0097] In the above embodiment, the lowest floor was defined as the floor to which only the lower car 50b could land. However, if there are other floors to which only the lower car 50b can land, such as in a double-deck type system, the lowest floor is not limited to that floor.

[0098] In the above embodiment, the top floor was defined as the floor to which only the upper car 50a could land. However, if there are other floors to which only the upper car 50a can land, such as in a double-deck type system, the top floor is not the only floor to which it can land.

[0099] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the lowest floor was designated as the 1st floor and the highest floor as the 8th floor, but the lowest floor is not limited to the 1st floor, nor is the highest floor limited to the 8th floor.

[0100] Furthermore, although the above embodiment was explained using the case where the elevator car 50 moves upward as an example, it can also be applied when the elevator car 50 moves downward. In this case, the departure floor can be the top floor and the destination floor can be the bottom floor. In addition, in this case, it is also possible to make the intermediate floor one floor above the bottom floor (bottom floor + 1 floor).

[0101] 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]

[0102] 1…Elevator control system, 2,2A,2B…Elevator, 3…Building, 4,4A,4B…Control panel, 5A…User, 7,7A,7B…Camera, 8,8A,8B…Load sensor, 20,20A,20B…Housing shaft, 50,50A,50B…Elevator car, 50a,50Aa,50Ba…Upper car, 50b,50Ab,50Bb…Lower car, 100,100A,100B…Control panel, 120,151,211,311,501…Control unit, 102,152,212,312,502…Communication unit, 103…Fire sensor, 104…Seismometer, 110,155,220,320 510...Memory unit, 111...Robot management DB, 112,222...Operation control program, 115,225,325...Robot operation control program, 121...Operation control unit, 122...Robot operation control unit, 150,150A,150B...Controller, 160...Control room, 200...Elevator cloud, 210...Server (Elevator control device), 300...Robot cloud, 310...Server, 321,511...Robot basic program, 500,500A,500B,500C...Robot, 503...Drive unit, 2111...Call information processing unit, 2112...Assignment unit.

Claims

1. An elevator control device that controls the raising and lowering of an elevator car, in which an autonomous mobile body capable of moving autonomously within the elevator shaft can ride, and in which an upper car and a lower car are connected vertically, When the autonomous mobile unit receives boarding call information specifying the departure floor and the destination floor, the boarding information processing unit determines at the time of receiving the boarding call information whether the departure floor is a floor where only one of the upper or lower car can land, and whether the destination floor is a floor where only the other of the upper or lower car can land. If the departure floor is a floor where only one of the upper or lower car can land, and the destination floor is a floor where only the other of the upper or lower car can land, the boarding information processing unit generates, based on the boarding call information, a first boarding call information specifying an intermediate floor between the departure floor and the destination floor as the destination floor, and a second boarding call information specifying the intermediate floor as the departure floor and the destination floor as the destination floor. An assignment unit that assigns the same elevator unit to the first call information and the second call information, A communication unit that transmits the first call information and the second call information to the control panel of the assigned elevator, An elevator control device equipped with [a specific feature].

2. The aforementioned departure floor is the lowest floor. The aforementioned target floor is the top floor. The elevator control device according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned intermediate floor is one floor below the aforementioned top floor. The elevator control device according to claim 2.

4. The aforementioned departure floor is the top floor, The aforementioned target floor is the lowest floor. The elevator control device according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned intermediate floor is one floor above the aforementioned lowest floor. The elevator control device according to claim 4.

6. The aforementioned intermediate floor is the destination floor specified by another destination floor call. The elevator control device according to claim 2 or 4.

7. An elevator control system comprising: an elevator control device that controls the raising and lowering of an elevator car in which an autonomously moving mobile body can ride within the elevator shaft and in which an upper car and a lower car are connected vertically; a control panel connected to the elevator control device by a network and controlling the elevator based on instructions from the elevator control device; the autonomous mobile body; and a server for the autonomous mobile body connected to the autonomous mobile body and the elevator control device by a network, The autonomous mobile device transmits to the autonomous mobile device server the boarding call information, which specifies the departure floor and the destination floor, and the destination floor. The server for the autonomous mobile unit receives the landing call information from the autonomous mobile unit and transmits the received landing call information to the elevator control device. The elevator control device is A communication unit that receives the boarding area call information from the autonomous mobile vehicle server, When the aforementioned boarding call information is received, the call information processing unit determines at the time of receiving the boarding call information whether the departure floor is a floor on which only one of the upper car and lower car can land, and whether the destination floor is a floor on which only the other of the upper car and lower car can land, and if the departure floor is a floor on which only one of the upper car and lower car can land, the call information processing unit generates, based on the boarding call information, a first call information specifying an intermediate floor between the departure floor and the destination floor as the destination floor, and a second call information specifying the intermediate floor as the departure floor and the target floor as the destination floor. The system includes an assignment unit that assigns the same elevator unit to the first call information and the second call information, The communication unit further transmits the first call information and the second call information to the control panel of the assigned elevator. When the control panel receives the first call information and the second call information from the elevator control device, it moves the elevator car based on the first call information, and then moves the elevator car based on the second call information. Elevator control system.

8. When the control panel receives the first call information and the second call information from the elevator control device, it moves the elevator car so that one of the cars lands on the departure floor specified by the first call information, and after the one car has landed on the departure floor, it moves the elevator car so that the one car lands on the intermediate floor designated as the destination floor by the first call information, and after the other car has landed on the intermediate floor designated as the departure floor by the second call information, it moves the elevator car so that the other car lands on the target floor designated as the destination floor by the second call information. The elevator control system according to claim 7.

9. The aforementioned departure floor is the lowest floor. The aforementioned target floor is the top floor. The elevator control system according to claim 8.

10. The aforementioned intermediate floor is one floor below the aforementioned top floor. The elevator control system according to claim 9.

11. The aforementioned departure floor is the top floor, The aforementioned target floor is the lowest floor. The elevator control system according to claim 8.

12. The aforementioned intermediate floor is one floor above the aforementioned lowest floor. The elevator control system according to claim 11.

13. The aforementioned intermediate floor is the destination floor specified by another destination floor call. The elevator control system according to claim 9 or 11.

14. An elevator control method performed in an elevator control system comprising: an elevator control device that controls the raising and lowering of an elevator car in which an autonomously moving mobile body can ride within the elevator shaft and in which an upper car and a lower car are connected vertically; a control panel connected to the elevator control device by a network and controlling the elevator based on instructions from the elevator control device; the autonomous mobile body; and a server for the autonomous mobile body connected to the autonomous mobile body and the elevator control device by a network, wherein the system controls the raising and lowering of an elevator car in which an autonomous mobile body can ride autonomously within the elevator shaft; a control panel connected to the elevator control device by a network and controls the elevator based on instructions from the elevator control device; the autonomous mobile body; and a server for the autonomous mobile body connected to the autonomous mobile body and the elevator control device by a network, The autonomous mobile device transmits to the autonomous mobile device server platform call information specifying the departure floor and the destination floor, which is designated as the target floor. The autonomous mobile unit server receives the landing call information from the autonomous mobile unit and transmits the received landing call information to the elevator control device. The elevator control device receives the landing call information from the autonomous mobile device server, When the elevator control device receives the landing call information, it determines at the time of receiving the landing call information whether the departure floor is a floor on which only one of the upper car or lower car can land, and whether the destination floor is a floor on which only the other of the upper car or lower car can land. If the departure floor is a floor on which only one of the upper car or lower car can land, and the destination floor is a floor on which only the other of the upper car or lower car can land, it generates, based on the landing call information, a first call information specifying an intermediate floor between the departure floor and the destination floor as the destination floor, and a second call information specifying the intermediate floor as the departure floor and the target floor as the destination floor. The elevator control device performs the steps of assigning the same elevator unit to the first call information and the second call information, The elevator control device transmits the first call information and the second call information to the control panel of the assigned elevator. When the control panel receives the first call information and the second call information from the elevator control device, it moves the elevator car based on the first call information, and then moves the elevator car based on the second call information. An elevator control method including [a specific feature / method].

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