Elevator control device

Abstract

This elevator control device controls an elevator provided with a car in which a human and a robot can ride, the elevator control device comprising: a storage unit that stores a rated weight of the car; and a control unit that sets a set maximum weight which is set during operation of the elevator as a maximum value for the weight of a load in the car. The control unit, in a case where the set maximum weight has been set to the rated weight, and upon determining that the robot is waiting for a ride in the car, sets as the set maximum weight a limited maximum weight, which is a weight no greater than a value obtained by subtracting the weight of the robot from the rated weight.

Description

elevator control device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to elevator controls.

[0002] Conventionally, elevator control devices capable of simultaneously transporting passengers and robots are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the configuration of Patent Document 1, if an instruction to change to robot-only operation mode is received from the elevator monitoring center while the elevator car is moving to the destination floor of a passenger in user-only operation mode, the car continues moving to the destination floor of the passenger. Then, calling new passengers is disabled, and after the car has moved to the destination floor of the passenger inside the car, the user-only operation mode is switched to robot-only operation mode.

[0003] JP 2009-51617 A

[0004] An elevator control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an elevator control device that controls an elevator having a car that can accommodate people and robots, and includes a memory unit that stores the rated weight of the car, and a control unit that sets a set maximum weight that is set while the elevator is operating as the maximum weight that can be loaded into the car.When the set maximum weight is set to the rated weight, the control unit determines that the robot is waiting to board the car, and sets the set maximum weight to a limited maximum weight that is less than or equal to the rated weight minus the weight of the robot.

[0005] Schematic diagram of an elevator control system according to the first embodiment. Flowchart showing the operation of an elevator control system according to the first embodiment. Flowchart showing the operation of an elevator control system according to the second embodiment. Flowchart showing the operation of an elevator control system according to the third and fourth embodiments. Flowchart showing the operation of an elevator control system according to the third embodiment. Flowchart showing the operation of an elevator control system according to the fourth embodiment. Flowchart showing the operation of an elevator control system according to the fifth and sixth embodiments. Flowchart showing the operation of an elevator control system according to the fifth embodiment. Flowchart showing the operation of an elevator control system according to the sixth embodiment.

[0006] In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the elevator is controlled in a mode in which only the user or the robot can use the elevator, so if a user and a robot use the same car, there is a risk that the user or the robot will have to wait a long time before they can use the elevator.

[0007] The present disclosure is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an elevator control device that can prevent people and robots from having to wait long.

[0008] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

[0009] <Configuration of Elevator Control System> First, the configuration of the elevator control system will be described. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an elevator control system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] The elevator control system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes an elevator 2, a robot 3, and an elevator control device 4.

[0011] The elevator 2 transports the user U (person) and the robot 3 to floors based on instructions from the user U and the robot 3. The elevator 2 includes a car 22 that moves up and down within an elevator tower 21. The car 22 moves to each floor by being driven by an elevator device (not shown). The car 22 is provided with a car antenna 23, a car operating unit 24, a car lighting unit 25, a car alarm unit 26, a boarding / alighting detection unit 27, a load weight detection unit 28, and a car door (not shown).

[0012] The car antenna 23 is connected to the elevator control device 4 via the network N1. The car antenna 23 enables transmission and reception of various signals between the elevator control device 4 and the robot 3 in the car 22 via wireless communication.

[0013] The car operating unit 24 is operated by the user U. The car operating unit 24 includes, for example, an opening / closing operating unit for opening and closing the car door, and an in-car destination indicating unit for indicating the destination.

[0014] The basket lighting unit 25 illuminates the inside of the basket 22.

[0015] The car alarm unit 26 notifies the user U in the car 22 of information related to the operation of the car 22 based on the control of the elevator control device 4. The car alarm unit 26 includes at least one of a display unit, a light-emitting unit, and a sound output unit. Examples of information notified by the car alarm unit 26 include a warning that the load weight of the car 22 (the total weight of the user U and the robot 3) exceeds a set maximum weight, and the current position and movement status of the car 22. The set maximum weight is a weight that is set while the elevator 2 is operating as the maximum weight that can be loaded into the car 22. In other words, the value of the set maximum weight is changed depending on the situation while the elevator 2 is operating.

[0016] The boarding / dismounting detection unit 27 detects whether the user U and the robot 3 are getting on or off the basket 22. Examples of the boarding / dismounting detection unit 27 include an infrared sensor, a monitoring camera, and a weight sensor.

[0017] The load weight detection unit 28 detects the load weight of the basket 22. The load weight detection unit 28 can be exemplified by a well-known weight sensor.

[0018] Signals regarding the destination floor indicated by operation of the destination indication unit inside the car (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "user destination floor"), boarding and alighting from the car 22 detected by the boarding and alighting detection unit 27, and the load weight of the car 22 detected by the load weight detection unit 28 are transmitted to the elevator control device 4.

[0019] The elevator hall 5 on each floor is provided with a hall antenna 51, a hall operation unit 52, a hall notification unit 53, and a hall door (not shown).

[0020] The hall antenna 51 is connected to the elevator control device 4 via the network N2. The hall antenna 51 enables transmission and reception of various signals via wireless communication between the elevator control device 4 and the robot 3 waiting in the elevator hall 5 where the hall antenna 51 is provided.

[0021] The hall operation unit 52 is operated by the user U. The hall operation unit 52 includes, for example, an opening / closing operation unit for opening and closing the hall door, and a car call instruction unit for calling the car 22.

[0022] The hall notification unit 53 notifies users U in the elevator hall 5 of information related to the operation of the car 22 based on the control of the elevator control device 4. The hall notification unit 53 includes at least one of a display unit, a light-emitting unit, and a sound output unit. Examples of information notified by the hall notification unit 53 include a warning that the load weight of the car 22 exceeds the set maximum weight, and the current position and movement status of the car 22.

[0023] A signal relating to the floor where the car call instruction unit is operated (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the “user call floor”) is transmitted to the elevator control device 4.

[0024] The robot 3 is an autonomously moving robot. Examples of the robot 3 include a robot that transports people or luggage, a vacuum cleaner, a robot for various sensing purposes, and a robot that communicates with people. The robot 3 includes a robot antenna 31, a robot notification unit 32, and a robot control unit 33.

[0025] The robot antenna 31 is configured so that the robot 3 can transmit and receive various signals via wireless communication between the car antenna 23 in the car 22 and the hall antenna 51 in the elevator hall 5 .

[0026] The robot notification unit 32 notifies information about the robot 3 to a user U around the robot 3. The robot notification unit 32 includes at least one of a display unit, a light-emitting unit, and a sound output unit. Examples of information notified by the robot notification unit 32 include the destination of the robot 3, and the movement status such as turning right or left, moving forward, or moving backward. The robot notification unit 32 may be provided in one or more locations on the front, rear, side, or top surface of the robot 3.

[0027] The robot control unit 33 controls the robot 3. The robot control unit 33 controls the robot 3 so that the robot 3 moves along a predetermined path and performs predetermined actions. The robot control unit 33 transmits to the elevator control device 4 a robot call floor signal for calling the car 22 to a floor where the robot 3 is waiting (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "robot call floor"), and a robot destination floor signal for specifying a floor where the robot 3 will disembark from the car 22 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "robot destination floor"). The robot control unit 33 transmits to the elevator control device 4 a robot weight signal relating to the weight of the robot 3 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "robot weight"). Note that, when the robot 3 is a robot that transports people or luggage, the robot weight is preferably the total weight of the weight of the robot 3 itself and the weight of the people or luggage being transported.

[0028] When the robot control unit 33 receives from the elevator control device 4 a boarding permission signal permitting the robot 3 to board the car 22, the robot control unit 33 controls the robot 3 to board the car 22. When the robot control unit 33 receives from the elevator control device 4 a disembarkation permission signal permitting the robot 3 to disembark from the car 22, the robot control unit 33 controls the robot 3 to disembark from the car 22.

[0029] The elevator control device 4 includes a memory unit 41 , a signal detection unit 42 , and a control unit 43 .

[0030] The storage unit 41 is composed of a memory, a hard disk, or the like. The storage unit 41 stores various information necessary for controlling the elevator 2 and the robot 3. The storage unit 41 stores, for example, the customer destination floor, the customer call floor, the set maximum weight of the car 22, the rated weight of the car 22, the robot call floor and robot destination floor of the robot 3, and the robot weight. The rated weight is a weight that is preset by the manufacturer of the elevator 2 as the maximum weight that can be loaded onto the car 22.

[0031] When the signal detection unit 42 detects signals from the car operation unit 24 and the hall operation unit 52, it stores information about the user destination floor and user call floor corresponding to each signal in the memory unit 41. When the signal detection unit 42 detects a robot call floor signal, a robot destination floor signal, and a robot weight signal from the robot 3, it stores information about the robot call floor, robot destination floor, and robot weight corresponding to each signal in the memory unit 41. Note that the signal detection unit 42 may also store information about the floor on which the robot 3 is waiting (robot call floor) in the memory unit 41 when a standby detection unit (not shown) detects that the robot 3 is waiting in front of the hall door of a specified floor.

[0032] The control unit 43 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and realizes its functions by the CPU executing a program. The control unit 43 includes a set maximum weight setting unit 44 and an operation control unit 45.

[0033] The set maximum weight setting unit 44 sets the set maximum weight of the basket 22 to the rated weight or the maximum limit weight. When setting the set maximum weight to the rated weight, the set maximum weight setting unit 44 sets the rated weight stored in the memory unit 41 as the set maximum weight. When setting the set maximum weight to the maximum limit weight, the set maximum weight setting unit 44 calculates the value obtained by subtracting the robot weight from the rated weight as the maximum limit weight. The set maximum weight setting unit 44 sets the calculated maximum limit weight as the set maximum weight. The set maximum weight setting unit 44 stores the set maximum weight in the memory unit 41.

[0034] The operation control unit 45 moves the car 22 to the user destination floor, user call floor, robot call floor, or robot destination floor, and opens the car door and hall door when the car 22 stops at these floors. When the car 22 stops at the robot call floor, the operation control unit 45 transmits a boarding permission signal to the robot 3 waiting at the robot call floor, allowing the robot 3 to board. When the car 22 stops at the robot destination floor, the operation control unit 45 transmits a disembarkation permission signal to the robot 3 inside the car 22, allowing the robot 3 to disembark. The operation control unit 45 acquires the detection result of the boarding / disembarking detection unit 27, and when it determines that the user U and robot 3 have finished boarding and disembarking, closes the car door and hall door, and moves the car 22 to the user destination floor, user call floor, robot call floor, or robot destination floor. At the robot call floor or the robot destination floor, it is desirable that the operation control unit 45 not close the car door and hall door until it is determined that the robot 3 has finished boarding and disembarking, even if the user U operates the car operation unit 24 to close the car door.

[0035] The operation control unit 45 acquires the detection result of the load weight detection unit 28 while the user U and the robot 3 are getting on and off, and determines whether the load weight of the basket 22 exceeds the set maximum weight. When the operation control unit 45 determines that the load weight of the basket 22 exceeds the set maximum weight, the operation control unit 45 controls at least one of the basket alarm unit 26 and the hall alarm unit 53 to perform boarding / descent control, which issues a warning. By issuing such a warning, it is possible to prevent the user U from getting too far into the basket 22. As described above, the set maximum weight may be set to the rated weight or the limited maximum weight. Hereinafter, boarding / descent control when the set maximum weight is set to the rated weight may be referred to as "standard boarding / descent control (first boarding / descent control)," and boarding / descent control when the set maximum weight is set to the limited maximum weight may be referred to as "limited boarding / descent control (second boarding / descent control)."

[0036] The operation control unit 45 may cause at least one of the car alarm unit 26 and the hall alarm unit 53 to notify the user U that limited boarding and alighting control is being performed using characters, symbols, light, sound, light, or the like. When notifying the user U that limited boarding and alighting control is being performed, the user U may be notified that limited boarding and alighting control is being performed, or the number of people who can ride in the car 22 may be estimated and notified of the estimated number of people. Examples of the number of people to be notified include the number of new passengers or the number of passengers who can ride including the currently riding user U. An example of a method for estimating the number of new passengers is to subtract the weight of the currently riding user U from the maximum weight limit and divide the result by the weight of an average person. An example of a method for estimating the number of passengers who can ride including the currently riding user U is to divide the maximum weight limit by the weight of an average person. Furthermore, the operation control unit 45 may cause at least one of the car alarm unit 26 and the hall alarm unit 53 to notify the user U that standard boarding and alighting control is being performed.

[0037] The operation control unit 45 may cause the car lighting unit 25 to notify that limited entry / exit control is being performed. During limited entry / exit control, the operation control unit 45 may illuminate an area on the floor of the car 22 that corresponds to the footprint of the robot 3 (the floor area occupied by the robot 3) and another area (an area in which the user U can board) with light of at least one of different intensities and colors. In this case, the robot 3 may transmit a robot size signal related to its own footprint to the elevator control device 4.

[0038] <Operation of Elevator Control System> First, the operation of the elevator control system will be described. Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the elevator control system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0039] The operation control unit 45 determines whether the robot 3 is waiting at a robot call floor (a predetermined floor) while standard boarding / alighting control is being performed (step S1). If the signal detection unit 42 does not detect a robot call floor signal, the operation control unit 45 determines that the robot 3 is not waiting at the robot call floor (step S1: NO), and performs the process of step S1 again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0040] When the robot 3 itself arrives at a predetermined floor, it transmits a robot call floor signal and a robot weight signal to the elevator control device 4. The robot 3 may transmit the robot destination floor signal at the same time as the robot call floor signal, or may transmit the signal after the robot 3 has boarded the car 22. When the signal detection unit 42 detects the robot call floor signal, the operation control unit 45 determines that the robot 3 is waiting at the robot call floor (step S1: YES). In this case, the set maximum weight setting unit 44 changes the set maximum weight from the rated weight to the set limit weight (step S2). When the set maximum weight is changed from the rated weight to the set limit weight, the operation control unit 45 ends the standard boarding / alighting control and starts the limited boarding / alighting control (step S3).

[0041] Effect of the First Embodiment When the elevator control device 4 determines that the robot 3 is waiting at the robot call floor while performing standard boarding / descending control, it terminates standard boarding / descending control and initiates limited boarding / descending control. This configuration allows users U to use the elevator 2 even while the limited boarding / descending control is being performed, as long as the load weight of the car 22 does not exceed the maximum weight limit. Furthermore, by performing limited boarding / descending control until the car 22 stops at the robot call floor, the number of users U exceeding the maximum weight limit is restricted from boarding the car 22. Therefore, the estimated load weight of the car 22 (the total weight of the users U and the robot 3 riding in the car 22) assuming that the robot 3 boards the car 22 stopped at the robot call floor can be kept below the rated weight. Therefore, after the limited boarding / descending control is terminated and standard boarding / descending control is initiated, the robot 3 can board the car 22 stopped at the robot call floor. This prevents users U and the robot 3 from waiting too long.

[0042] The timing for starting the standard entry / exit control after the end of the restricted entry / exit control may be any time before the robot 3 gets into the car 22. For example, the elevator control device 4 may estimate the time required for the car 22 to reach the robot call floor depending on the number of user call floors and user destination floors at the time when it is determined that the robot 3 is waiting at the robot call floor, and may change the restricted entry / exit control to the standard entry / exit control after the estimated time has elapsed.

[0043] [Second embodiment] <Operation of elevator control system> Next, a second embodiment will be described. The elevator control systems of the second embodiment and the third to sixth embodiments described below differ from the elevator control systems of the other embodiments in the operation of the elevator control device 4. Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the elevator control system according to the second embodiment. Note that the explanation of the same operations as those in the first embodiment will be simplified or omitted.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 3 , the elevator control device 4 of the second embodiment performs the processes of steps S1 to S14, which will be described in detail below, in addition to the processes of steps S1 to S3 already described. The elevator control device 4 performs the processes of steps S1 to S3. After the limited entry / exit control is started, the operation control unit 45 determines whether the next floor the car 22 will arrive at is a robot call floor (step S11). If the operation control unit 45 determines that the next floor the car 22 will arrive at is not a robot call floor (step S11: NO), it performs the process of step S11 again. For example, the operation control unit 45 performs the process of step S11 every time the car stops at and passes through each floor.

[0045] When the operation control unit 45 determines that the next floor that the car 22 will reach is a robot call floor (step S11: YES), the set maximum weight setting unit 44 changes the set maximum weight from the maximum limit weight to the rated weight (step S12) before the robot 3 waiting at the robot call floor gets into the car 22. When the set maximum weight is changed from the maximum limit weight to the rated weight, the operation control unit 45 ends the limited boarding / disembarking control and starts the standard boarding / disembarking control (step S13).

[0046] When the car 22 stops at the robot call floor, the operation control unit 45 opens the car door and hall door and sends a boarding permission signal to the robot 3. Because the estimated load weight at the time the car 22 stops at the robot call floor is equal to or less than the rated weight and standard boarding / alighting control is being performed, the robot 3 can board the car 22. The operation control unit 45 confirms that the robot 3 has boarded (step S14), closes the car door and hall door, and moves the car 22 to the customer destination floor, customer call floor, and robot destination floor. Here, confirmation that the robot 3 has boarded may be performed by the boarding / alighting detection unit 27, or by receiving a boarding completion signal from the robot 3.

[0047] The robot 3 may transmit the robot destination floor signal to the elevator control device 4 at the same time as the robot call floor signal, or may transmit the signal after the robot 3 has boarded the car 22. The processes of steps S12 and S13 may be performed before the robot 3 boards the car 22, or may be performed after the car 22 has stopped at the robot call floor.

[0048] Effect of the Second Embodiment When the elevator control device 4 determines that the next floor that the car 22 will reach is a robot call floor, the elevator control device 4 terminates the restricted boarding / alighting control and starts the standard boarding / alighting control. In this way, regardless of whether the user U gets on or off before reaching the robot call floor, the elevator control device 4 does not start the standard boarding / alighting control until it determines that the next floor that the car 22 will reach is a robot call floor, thereby making it possible to reliably load the robot 3 into the car 22.

[0049] [Third embodiment] <Operation of elevator control system> Next, a third embodiment will be described. Figures 4 and 5 are flowcharts showing the operation of the elevator control system according to the third embodiment. Note that the explanation of the same operations as those in the first and second embodiments will be simplified or omitted.

[0050] 4 and 5, the elevator control device 4 of the third embodiment performs the processes of steps S21 to S25, which will be described in detail below, in addition to the processes of steps S1 to S3 already described. The operation control unit 45 of the elevator control device 4 performs the process of step S1, and if it determines that the robot 3 is waiting at a predetermined floor (step S1: YES), it determines whether or not it is possible to load the robot 3 into the car 22 (step S21 (first determination process)). If the estimated load weight of the car 22, assuming that the robot 3 had loaded into the car 22 at the time it was determined that the robot 3 was waiting at the robot call floor, is equal to or less than the rated weight, the operation control unit 45 determines that it is possible to load the robot 3 into the car 22.

[0051] If it is determined that the robot 3 can be boarded (step S21: YES), the elevator control device 4 performs the processes from step S2 onwards, terminates the standard boarding / alighting control, and starts the restricted boarding / alighting control. If it is determined that the robot 3 cannot be boarded (step S21: NO), as shown in Figure 5, the operation control unit 45 determines whether the next floor that the car 22 will arrive at is a robot call floor (step S22).

[0052] If the operation control unit 45 determines that the next floor the car 22 will reach is a robot call floor (step S22: YES), it causes the car 22 to pass through the robot call floor (step S23). In this case, standard boarding and alighting control is continued. If the operation control unit 45 determines that the next floor the car 22 will reach is not a robot call floor (step S22: NO), it determines whether or not to stop the car 22 at the next floor to be reached (step S24). If the operation control unit 45 determines that the next floor to be reached is not a user call floor or a user destination floor (step S24: NO), it performs the processing of step S22.

[0053] The operation control unit 45 stops the car 22 at the next floor to be reached. That is, if it determines that the next floor to be reached is at least one of the user call floor and the user destination floor (step S24: YES), it stops the car 22 at the next floor to be reached. After confirming that the user U has boarded or disembarked, the operation control unit 45 determines whether the user U's boarding or disembarking has made it possible for the robot 3 to board the car 22 (step S25 (second determination process)). The boarding or disembarking of the user U may be confirmed by the boarding or disembarking detection unit 27. For a simpler process, the confirmation may be made by closing the car door and the hall door, which essentially indicates that the user U has boarded or disembarked. The second determination process may also be performed by detecting in real time the detection information from the load weight detection unit 28 and recognizing that the load weight of the car 22 has fallen below the maximum weight limit while the user U is boarding or disembarking. This process is preferably performed based on the selection of a mode that prioritizes the boarding of the robot 3 over the boarding of the user U. If it is determined that the robot 3 can be boarded (step S25: YES), the elevator control device 4 performs the processes from step S2 onwards, terminates the standard boarding / alighting control, and starts the restricted boarding / alighting control, as shown in Fig. 4. Note that the elevator control device 4 may perform the processes of steps S11 to S14 in the second embodiment after the process of step S3. If it is determined that the robot 3 cannot be boarded (step S25: NO), the operation control unit 45 performs the process of step S22.

[0054] <Effects of the Third Embodiment> When the elevator control device 4 determines that the robot 3 is waiting at the robot call floor, it determines whether the robot 3 can be loaded into the car 22 that is in an occupied state at the time of the determination, and if it determines that the robot 3 can be loaded, it ends the standard loading / unloading control and starts the restricted loading / unloading control. Therefore, the robot 3 can be loaded reliably into the car 22 regardless of whether the user U gets on or off until the car 22 reaches the robot call floor.

[0055] Even if the elevator control device 4 initially determines that the robot 3 cannot be loaded, if it subsequently determines that the robot 3 can be loaded as a result of the user U getting on and off, the elevator control device 4 ends the standard loading / unloading control and starts the restricted loading / unloading control. Therefore, when the robot 3 can be loaded as a result of the user U getting on and off, the robot 3 can be reliably loaded into the car 22.

[0056] If the elevator control device 4 determines that the next floor the car 22 will reach is a robot call floor while the state in which the robot 3 cannot be boarded is maintained, the elevator control device 4 causes the car 22 to pass through the robot call floor. This allows the user U riding in the car 22 to be transported to the user's destination floor more quickly.

[0057] [Fourth embodiment] <Operation of elevator control system> Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. Figures 4 and 6 are flowcharts showing the operation of an elevator control system according to the fourth embodiment. Note that explanations of operations that are the same as those in the first to third embodiments will be simplified or omitted.

[0058] 4 and 6, the elevator control device 4 of the fourth embodiment performs the processes of steps S1 to S3 and S21 to S25 already described, as well as steps S31 to S32, which will be described in detail below. The elevator control device 4 performs the processes of steps S1 to S3, S21, S22, S24, and S25 shown in FIGS.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 6 , when the operation control unit 45 determines that the next floor the car 22 will arrive at is the robot call floor (step S22: YES), it determines whether a user U is waiting at the robot call floor (step S31). Specifically, the operation control unit 45 determines whether the robot call floor is the same as the user call floor. Note that the operation control unit 45 may determine whether a user U is waiting at the robot call floor based on the detection results of a sensor (not shown) that detects a user U at the robot call floor. When the operation control unit 45 determines that a user U is not waiting at the robot call floor (step S31: NO), it causes the car 22 to pass through the robot call floor (step S23). In this case, standard boarding and alighting control continues.

[0060] If the operation control unit 45 determines that the user U is waiting at the robot call floor (step S31: YES), it stops the car 22 at the robot call floor (step S32). Here, for example, when the car 22 stops at the robot call floor, the operation control unit 45 opens the car door and the hall door and notifies at least one of the car alarm unit 26 and the hall alarm unit 53 that the robot 3 is not permitted to board, that the user U may board, or both. The operation control unit 45 may also notify the robot alarm unit 32 that the robot 3 is not permitted to board, that the user U may board, or both. When the operation control unit 45 confirms that the user U has finished boarding or alighting, it closes the car door and the hall door and moves the car 22 to the user destination floor or the user call floor. In this case, standard boarding and alighting control continues.

[0061] <Effects of the Fourth Embodiment> When the elevator control device 4 determines that a user U is waiting at a robot call floor while the state in which the robot 3 cannot be loaded into the car 22 remains, it stops the car 22 at the robot call floor. This allows the user U waiting at the robot call floor to load into the car 22, thereby preventing the user U from waiting for a long time. In particular, by not allowing the robot 3 to load, it is possible to give priority to the user U waiting at the robot call floor.

[0062] [Fifth embodiment] <Operation of elevator control system> Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. Figures 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing the operation of the elevator control system according to the fifth embodiment. Note that the explanation of the same operations as those in the first to fourth embodiments will be simplified or omitted.

[0063] 7 and 8, the elevator control device 4 of the fifth embodiment performs the processes of steps S1 to S3, S11 to S14, S21 to S25, and S31 to S32 already described, as well as steps S41 to S42, which will be described in detail below. The elevator control device 4 performs the processes of steps S1 to S3, S11 to S14, S21 to S25, and S31 to S32 shown in FIGS.

[0064] After performing the process of step S32, the operation control unit 45 confirms whether the user U has boarded or disembarked, and determines whether the robot 3 can be placed in the car 22 due to the user U's boarding or disembarking at the robot call floor (step S41 (third determination process)). The confirmation of the user U's boarding or disembarking may be performed by the boarding / disembarking detection unit 27, or may be performed when the user U closes the car door using the car operation unit 24, essentially indicating that the user U has boarded or disembarked. The third determination process may also be performed by detecting in real time the detection information from the load weight detection unit 28, recognizing that the load weight of the car 22 has fallen below the maximum weight limit while the user U is boarding or disembarking. Such processing is preferably performed based on the selection of a mode that prioritizes the boarding of the robot 3 over the boarding of the user U. However, if the robot call floor is the same as the user call floor, the selection of a mode that prioritizes the boarding of the user U over the boarding of the robot 3 is preferably performed. The operation control unit 45 determines that the robot 3 can be allowed to board the basket 22 if the estimated load weight of the basket 22 (= total weight of passengers in the basket 22 + weight of the robot 3) assuming that the robot 3 has boarded the basket 22 after the user U has finished boarding or disembarking is less than the rated weight.

[0065] If the operation control unit 45 determines that the robot 3 can be boarded (step S41: YES), it transmits a boarding permission signal to the robot 3 to permit the robot 3 to board (step S42). Thereafter, the elevator control device 4 performs the processes from step S14 shown in FIG. 7 onwards, allows the robot 3 to board, and continues standard boarding / alighting control. If the operation control unit 45 determines that the robot 3 cannot be boarded (step S41: NO), it closes the car doors and hall doors without allowing the robot 3 to board, and moves the car 22 to the customer destination floor and customer call floor. In this case, standard boarding / alighting control continues.

[0066] <Effects of the Fifth Embodiment> After temporarily prohibiting the robot 3 from boarding at a robot call floor, if the elevator control device 4 determines that the robot 3 can be placed in the car 22 due to a user U getting on or off at the robot call floor, the elevator control device 4 allows the robot 3 to board. This makes it possible to prevent the waiting time of the robot 3 from becoming long.

[0067] [Sixth embodiment] <Operation of elevator control system> Next, a sixth embodiment will be described. Figures 7 and 9 are flowcharts showing the operation of an elevator control system according to the sixth embodiment. Note that explanations of operations that are the same as those in the first to fifth embodiments will be simplified or omitted.

[0068] As shown in Figures 7 and 9, the elevator control system of the sixth embodiment performs the processing of steps S1 to S3, S11 to S14, S21 to S25, S31 to S32, and S41 to S42 already described, as well as the processing of step S51, which will be described in detail below.

[0069] The elevator control device 4 performs steps S1 to S3, S11 to S14, S21 to S25, S31 to S32, and S41 to S42 shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 . The operation control unit 45 determines that the robot 3 is not yet ready to board the car 22 (step S41: NO), and after starting the movement of the car 22 toward the customer destination floor or customer call floor, determines whether the car 22 has reached a turn-back floor (step S51). A turn-back floor is a floor where the car 22 changes its ascending / descending direction. If the operation control unit 45 determines that the car 22 has reached a turn-back floor (step S51: YES), the elevator control device 4 performs steps S2 and subsequent steps shown in FIG. 7 , terminates standard boarding / descending control, and initiates limited boarding / descending control. Note that the switch to limited boarding / descending control in step S2, which is performed after step S51, is preferably performed before the car doors and hall doors are opened. In particular, when the ascending / descending direction of the car 22 switches from a lower floor to an upper floor, it is desirable to switch to the limited entry / departure control before the car door and hall door are opened. This prevents passengers from boarding the car 22 until the robot 3 reaches a weight that it cannot support again. However, for example, when the ascending / descending direction of the car 22 switches from an upper floor to a lower floor, the car door and hall door may be closed after the passengers have ascended or descended, before switching to the limited entry / departure control. This is because the number of passengers on the turnaround floor is likely to differ between the upper and lower floors. If the operation control unit 45 determines that the car 22 has not reached the turnaround floor (step S51: NO), for example, when the car 22 stops at the next passenger destination floor or passenger call floor, the operation control unit 45 performs the processing of step S51.

[0070] Effect of the Sixth Embodiment The elevator control device 4 resumes the movement of the car 22 to the user destination floor and the user call floor without having the robot 3 board the car 22 at the robot call floor, and then, when the car 22 reaches the turnaround floor, changes the set maximum weight from the rated weight to the set limit weight and starts limited boarding / alighting control. This makes it possible to reliably board the robot 3 in the car 22 that has turned around.

[0071] [Modifications of the Embodiments] It goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the above embodiments and the modifications described below can be combined in any way as long as they function properly.

[0072] For example, in the first to sixth embodiments, a configuration has been exemplified in which the robot 3 transmits the robot call floor signal, robot destination floor signal, and robot weight signal to the elevator control device 4 (instructions on the robot call floor, robot destination floor, and robot weight to the elevator control device 4), but this may also be performed by a robot management system that manages the robot 3.

[0073] In the first to sixth embodiments, a configuration in which the robot 3 transmits a robot weight signal has been exemplified, but a database showing the relationship between the identifier of the robot 3 and the robot weight may be stored in the memory unit 41 of the elevator control device 4 or in a server accessible by the set maximum weight setting unit 44, and the robot 3 or the robot management device may be provided with a function to transmit a signal indicating the identifier of the robot 3, so that the set maximum weight setting unit 44 can identify the robot weight based on the identifier based on the received signal and the database.

[0074] In the first to sixth embodiments, the configuration has been exemplified in which the set maximum weight setting unit 44 calculates the maximum limit weight based on the robot weight of the robot 3 that transmitted the robot call floor signal, but regardless of the robot weight of the robot 3 that transmitted the robot call floor signal, the set maximum weight setting unit 44 may calculate the maximum limit weight as a value obtained by subtracting the robot weight of the heaviest robot 3 among the robots 3 that may use the elevator control system 1 from the rated weight. In other words, the set maximum weight setting unit 44 may calculate the maximum limit weight as a value equal to or less than the value obtained by subtracting the robot weight of the robot 3 that transmitted the robot call floor signal from the rated weight.

[0075] In the third to sixth embodiments, if the period during which the load weight of the car 22 exceeds the set maximum weight (maximum weight limit) is longer than a predetermined period despite a warning that the load weight of the car 22 has exceeded the set maximum weight (maximum weight limit) during the limited entry / exit control started in the process of step S3, the elevator control device 4 may terminate the limited entry / exit control, start the standard entry / exit control, and perform the process of step S11. With this configuration, it is possible to transport many users U with priority.

[0076] According to the elevator control device of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent people and robots from having to wait long.

[0077] The present disclosure is applicable to elevator control devices.

[0078] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Elevator control system 2 Elevator 3 Robot 4 Elevator control device 5 Elevator hall 21 Elevator tower 22 Cage 23 Cage antenna 24 Cage operation unit 25 Cage lighting unit 26 Cage alarm unit 27 Boarding / alighting detection unit 28 Load weight detection unit 31 Robot antenna 32 Robot alarm unit 33 Robot control unit 41 Memory unit 42 Signal detection unit 43 Control unit 44 Set maximum weight setting unit 45 Operation control unit 51 Hall antenna 52 Hall operation unit 53 Hall alarm unit N1, N2 Network U User

Claims

1. An elevator control device for controlling an elevator having a car in which a person and a robot can ride, A memory unit that stores the rated weight of the cage; a control unit that sets a set maximum weight that is set during operation of the elevator as a maximum value of the weight to be loaded on the car, When the control unit determines that the robot is waiting to be loaded into the basket when the set maximum weight is set to the rated weight, the control unit sets, as the set maximum weight, a limit maximum weight that is equal to or less than a value obtained by subtracting the weight of the robot from the rated weight. Elevator control device.

2. The control unit is When the floor where the car will next stop is a floor where the robot is waiting, the rated weight is set as the set maximum weight before the robot gets into the car.

2. The elevator control device according to claim 1.

3. The control unit is performing a first determination process for determining whether or not the robot is able to ride in the car at the time when it is determined that the robot is waiting to ride in the car; When it is determined in the first determination process that the robot can be ridden, the limited maximum weight is set as the set maximum weight.

3. The elevator control device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The control unit is performing a second determination process for determining whether or not the robot can ride in the cage at a floor at which the elevator stops before arriving at a floor where the robot is waiting, after determining in the first determination process that the robot cannot ride in the cage; When it is determined in the second determination process that the robot can be ridden, the limited maximum weight is set as the set maximum weight.

4. The elevator control device according to claim 3.

5. The control unit is when it is not determined in the second determination process that the robot can board the elevator before the car reaches the floor where the robot is waiting, controlling the elevator so that the car passes through the floor where the robot is waiting.

5. The elevator control device according to claim 4.

6. The control unit is even if it is not determined in the second determination process that the robot can board the elevator before the car reaches the floor where the robot is waiting, if a person is waiting at the floor where the robot is waiting, the elevator is controlled so that the car stops at the floor where the robot is waiting.

6. The elevator control device according to claim 5.

7. The control unit is performing a third determination process for determining whether or not the robot can ride in the cage at the floor where the robot is waiting; permitting the robot to get into the basket when it is determined in the third determination process that the robot is allowed to get into the basket; 7. The elevator control device according to claim 6.

8. The control unit is When the elevator direction of the elevator is changed after the elevator passes a floor where the robot is waiting without the robot being in the elevator, the maximum weight limit is set as the maximum weight setting. An elevator control device according to any one of claims 5 to 7.

9. A method for moving a robot to a specific floor by using an elevator having a car in which a person and a robot can ride and controlled by an elevator control device, comprising: The robot, transmitting a robot weight signal which is a signal indicating a total weight of the robot including a weight of the robot and a weight of a person or baggage being carried by the robot; a step of waiting until receiving a ride permission signal that is transmitted when it is determined that the robot can be put into the basket based on the robot weight signal; Execute How to move a robot to a specific floor.

10. When the robot is waiting to board the cage, the robot receives the boarding permission signal when the elevator control device sets a maximum weight limit that is equal to or less than the rated weight minus the weight of the robot as a set maximum weight that is set during operation of the elevator as the maximum weight that can be loaded into the cage. A method for moving a robot according to claim 9 to a specific floor.

11. The robot receives the boarding permission signal when the rated weight is set as the set maximum weight by the elevator control device before the robot boards the car if the floor where the car next stops is a floor where the robot is waiting. A method for moving a robot according to claim 10 to a specific floor.

12. The robot receives the boarding permission signal when the elevator control device determines in a first determination process that determines whether the robot can board the car at the time when it has determined that the robot is waiting to board the car, and the maximum weight limit is set as the set maximum weight. A method for moving a robot according to claim 10 to a specific floor.

13. A method for moving a robot as described in claim 12 to a specific floor, wherein the elevator control device receives the boarding permission signal when, after it has determined in the first determination process that the robot cannot board, it determines in a second determination process that the robot can board the basket at a floor where the elevator control device stops before reaching the floor where the robot is waiting, and the maximum weight limit is set as the set maximum weight.

14. If the elevator control device does not determine in the second determination process that the robot can board the elevator before the cage reaches the floor where the robot is waiting, and if the elevator is controlled so that the cage passes through the floor where the robot is waiting, the boarding permission signal is not transmitted to the robot. A method for moving a robot according to claim 13 to a specific floor.

15. The robot receives the boarding permission signal when the elevator control device controls the elevator to stop the car at the floor where the robot is waiting if a person is waiting at the floor where the robot is waiting, even if the second judgment process does not judge that the robot can board before the car reaches the floor where the robot is waiting. A method for moving a robot according to claim 14 to a specific floor.

16. The robot receives the boarding permission signal when the elevator control device determines in a third determination process for determining whether the robot can board the car at the floor where the robot is waiting that the robot can board the car and the robot is permitted to board the car. A method for moving a robot according to claim 15 to a specific floor.

17. The robot receives the boarding permission signal when the elevator control device changes the direction of ascent and descent of the cage without the robot riding in the cage, after the cage passes a floor where the robot is waiting, and the restricted maximum weight is set as the set maximum weight. A method for moving a robot according to claim 14 to a specific floor.

18. A robot, an elevator control device for controlling an elevator having a car in which a person and the robot can ride, the robot transmits to the elevator control device a robot weight signal which is a signal indicating a total weight of the robot including a weight of the robot and a weight of a person or baggage being transported by the robot; When a set maximum weight, which is set during operation of the elevator as the maximum weight to be loaded on the cage, is set to a rated weight, the elevator control device, when determining that the robot is waiting to enter the cage, sets a limited maximum weight, which is equal to or less than a value obtained by subtracting the weight of the robot from the rated weight, as the set maximum weight. system.

19. A method for moving a robot to a specific floor by using an elevator having a car in which a person and a robot can ride and controlled by an elevator control device, comprising: The robot, transmitting a robot weight signal to the elevator control device, the robot weight signal being a signal indicating a total weight of the robot including a weight of the robot and a weight of a person or baggage being transported by the robot; a step of, when the elevator control device determines that the robot is waiting to enter the car while a set maximum weight set during operation of the elevator as a maximum weight to be loaded on the car is set to a rated weight, setting a limited maximum weight as the set maximum weight, which is equal to or less than a value obtained by subtracting the weight of the robot from the rated weight; A method for moving a robot that executes the above to a specific floor.