Method for calling elevator in multi-story building by delivery robot

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an autonomous driving robot having an elevator calling function for use in a multi-story building is disclosed. The robot may be configured to calculate, on the basis of a direction-changing section and a straight section on a movement route from a current location of the robot to an elevator boarding area on a floor where the robot is located, a robot movement time required for the robot to arrive at the boarding area, and to, on the basis of the robot movement time, call an elevator and simultaneously move to the boarding area.

Description

How a delivery robot calls an elevator inside a multi-story building

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for calling an elevator within a multi-story building, and more specifically, to a technology for an autonomous delivery robot to efficiently call an elevator within a multi-story building.

[0002] Recently, the use of autonomous robots has been increasing in various service sectors, including logistics, delivery, guidance, and security. These autonomous robots are designed to move stably and perform tasks even in complex indoor environments. In particular, moving between floors is essential for robots to perform missions in multi-story buildings, and it is common practice to use elevators for this purpose.

[0003] The elevator is a key facility responsible for vertical movement within a building and is generally controlled by a hoisting machine located in the elevator machine room on the top floor. The hoisting machine raises and lowers the elevator car using wire ropes, and the operation of the elevator is controlled by a control panel inside the machine room. The control panel receives floor call signals, determines the elevator's travel path, and performs the function of stopping the elevator at the precise location on each floor.

[0004] The elevator control panel is a critical facility within a building and operates as a closed system to prevent accidents caused by unauthorized external access or manipulation. Consequently, it is practically difficult for autonomous robots to communicate directly with the elevator control system to use the elevator.

[0005] Korean Patent No. 10-2484732 discloses a control system and control method for inter-floor movement of an autonomous driving robot.

[0006] Due to the closed system of elevator control panels, a method is required for autonomous robots to call and board elevators without communicating with the control panel for inter-floor movement within multi-story buildings.

[0007] The present disclosure aims to propose a method for efficiently and reliably calling an elevator without communicating with an elevator control panel and without modifying the existing elevator system.

[0008] Meanwhile, the technical problem that the present disclosure aims to solve is not limited to the technical problem mentioned above, and various technical problems may be included within the scope obvious to a person skilled in the art from the contents described below.

[0009] An autonomous driving robot equipped with an elevator calling function within a multi-story building according to one embodiment of the present disclosure for realizing the aforementioned objectives is disclosed. The robot comprises: a communication unit that communicates with a button operation module included in each elevator car of the multi-story building, an elevator internal sensor module, and an elevator calling module included in each elevator boarding area of ​​each floor of the multi-story building; at least one processor; and a memory. The button operation module controls the internal buttons of each elevator, and the elevator calling module controls the elevator calling buttons of each elevator boarding area of ​​each floor. The at least one processor calculates the robot travel time required to arrive at the boarding area based on a direction change section and a straight section on the travel path from the robot's current position to the elevator boarding area of ​​the robot's material floor, and is configured to call an elevator based on the robot travel time and move to the boarding area simultaneously.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the processor may be configured to calculate the robot travel time based on the distance of a straight section on the movement path from the robot's current position to the elevator boarding area of ​​the robot's material layer, the number of direction change sections, the average movement speed of the robot, and the average direction change time of the robot.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the processor may be configured to calculate the elevator travel time required for each of the plurality of elevators in the multi-story building to arrive at the robot material floor, determine a target elevator based on the elevator travel time, and call the target elevator if the travel time of the target elevator is greater than or equal to the robot travel time and within a threshold time.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the processor may be configured to obtain floor button activation information of the corresponding elevator from the button operation module included in each of the plurality of elevators, obtain current floor information of the corresponding elevator from the elevator internal sensor module included in each of the plurality of elevators, and calculate the elevator travel time of each of the plurality of elevators based on the current floor information and the floor button activation information.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the processor may be configured to calculate the internal congestion level of an elevator based on floor button activation information for each of the plurality of elevators, and to determine the elevator with the minimum elevator travel time among the elevators where the congestion level is below a threshold as the target elevator.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the processor may be configured to determine a target elevator for each boarding area among a plurality of elevators capable of reaching each of the plurality of boarding areas, wherein the congestion level is below a threshold and the elevator travel time to each of the boarding areas is minimized, and to call an elevator based on the robot travel time to each of the boarding areas and the elevator travel time of the target elevator for each of the boarding areas.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the processor may be configured to call the target elevator for each boarding station that has the minimum elevator travel time among the target elevators for each boarding station, wherein the elevator travel time of the target elevator for each boarding station is greater than or equal to the robot travel time for the corresponding boarding station and is within the threshold time, and simultaneously move to the boarding station corresponding to the target elevator for each boarding station with the minimum elevator travel time.

[0016]

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure for realizing the aforementioned objectives, a method for calling an elevator in a multi-story building performed by an autonomous robot is disclosed. The method includes: an operation of calculating the robot travel time required to arrive at the elevator boarding area based on a direction change section and a straight section on the travel path from the robot's current position to the elevator boarding area on the robot's material floor; and an operation of calling an elevator based on the robot travel time while moving to the elevator boarding area simultaneously.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the operation of calculating the robot movement time may include the operation of calculating the robot movement time based on the distance of a straight section on the movement path from the current position of the robot to the elevator boarding area of ​​the material floor of the robot, the number of direction change sections, the average movement speed of the robot, and the average direction change time of the robot.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the operation of calling an elevator based on the robot travel time may include: the operation of calculating the elevator travel time required for each of the plurality of elevators in the multi-story building to arrive at the robot material floor; the operation of determining a target elevator based on the elevator travel time; and the operation of calling the target elevator when the travel time of the target elevator is greater than or equal to the robot travel time and within a threshold time.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the operation of calculating the elevator travel time may include: the operation of obtaining floor button activation information of the corresponding elevator from a button operation module included in each of the plurality of elevator cars; the operation of obtaining current floor information of the corresponding elevator from a sensor module included in each of the elevators; and the operation of calculating the elevator travel time of each of the plurality of elevators based on the current floor information and the floor button activation information.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the operation of determining the target elevator may include: an operation of calculating the internal congestion level of the elevator based on floor button activation information for each of the plurality of elevators; and an operation of determining the elevator with the minimum elevator travel time among the elevators where the congestion level is less than a threshold as the target elevator.

[0022] According to one embodiment, when there are multiple elevator boarding areas in the robot material layer, the operation of calling an elevator based on the robot travel time may include: determining a target elevator for each boarding area among multiple elevators capable of reaching each of the multiple boarding areas, wherein the congestion level is below a threshold and the elevator travel time to each of the boarding areas is the minimum; and calling an elevator based on the robot travel time for each of the boarding areas and the elevator travel time of the target elevator for each boarding area.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the operation of calling an elevator based on the robot travel time for each boarding station and the elevator travel time of the target elevator for each boarding station may include, for each boarding station, calling the target elevator for each boarding station with the minimum elevator travel time among the target elevators for each boarding station whose elevator travel time is greater than or equal to the robot travel time for the corresponding boarding station and is within the threshold time, and simultaneously moving to the boarding station corresponding to the target elevator for each boarding station with the minimum elevator travel time.

[0024]

[0025] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure for realizing the aforementioned objectives, an elevator calling system for an autonomous robot in a multi-story building is disclosed. The system comprises: a button operation module included in each elevator car of the multi-story building and controlling each elevator internal button; an elevator internal sensor module included in each elevator of the multi-story building; an elevator calling module that controls an elevator call button included in an elevator boarding area of ​​each floor of the multi-story building; and an autonomous robot having a function to call an elevator by communicating with the button operation module, the elevator internal sensor module, and the elevator calling module. The robot may be configured to calculate the robot travel time required to arrive at the boarding area based on a direction change section and a straight section on the travel path from the current location to the elevator boarding area of ​​the robot's material floor, and to call an elevator and move to the boarding area simultaneously based on the robot travel time.

[0026] According to the present disclosure, by proposing a system for calling an elevator without communication with an elevator control panel within a multi-story building, the usability of autonomous robots in multi-story buildings can be increased and the scope of robot services can be expanded.

[0027] According to the present disclosure, an autonomous robot can efficiently perform delivery by comparing the time it takes for the autonomous robot to travel to the boarding area with the time it takes for the elevator to arrive at the boarding area.

[0028] Meanwhile, the effects of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and various effects may be included within the scope obvious to a person skilled in the art from the contents described below.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an autonomous driving robot that performs delivery within a multi-story building according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a plurality of modules for an autonomous driving robot to efficiently call an elevator in a multi-story building according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 3 is a drawing illustrating an elevator system in a typical multi-story building.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining an elevator call system of an autonomous driving robot according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for calling an elevator in a multi-story building by an autonomous driving robot according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for calling an elevator based on robot travel time according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for calling an elevator based on robot travel time when there are multiple elevator boarding areas in a robot material layer according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Various embodiments are now described with reference to the drawings. In this specification, various descriptions are provided to provide an understanding of the present disclosure. However, it is evident that these embodiments can be practiced without such specific descriptions.

[0037] As used herein, terms such as “component,” “module,” “system,” etc. refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, software, combinations of software and hardware, or executions of software. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to, a procedure executed on a processor, a processor, an object, an execution thread, a program, and / or a computer. For example, both an application executed on a computing device and the computing device itself may be a component. One or more components may reside within a processor and / or an execution thread. A component may be localized within a single computer. A component may be distributed among two or more computers. Additionally, these components may be executed from various computer-readable media having various data structures stored therein. Components may communicate through local and / or remote processes, for example, according to signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from a component interacting with another component in a local system or distributed system, and / or data transmitted through signals to other systems and networks such as the Internet).

[0038] Furthermore, the term "or" is intended to mean an implicit "or" rather than an exclusive "or." That is, unless otherwise specified or evident from the context, "X uses A or B" is intended to mean one of the natural implicit substitutions. In other words, if X uses A; if X uses B; or if X uses both A and B, "X uses A or B" may apply to any of these cases. Additionally, the term "and / or" as used herein should be understood to refer to and include all possible combinations of one or more of the enumerated related items.

[0039] Additionally, the terms “comprising” and / or “comprising” should be understood to mean that such features and / or components are present. However, the terms “comprising” and / or “comprising” should be understood not to exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, components and / or groups thereof. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified or clearly evident from the context to indicate a singular form, the singular in this specification and claims should generally be interpreted to mean “one or more.”

[0040] And, the term "at least one of A or B" should be interpreted to mean "a case including only A," "a case including only B," or "a combination of A and B."

[0041] Those skilled in the art should recognize that the various exemplary logical blocks, configurations, modules, circuits, means, logics, and algorithmic steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly exemplify the interchangeability of hardware and software, various exemplary components, blocks, configurations, means, logics, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled technicians may implement the described functionality in various ways for each specific application. However, such decisions regarding implementation should not be construed as going beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0042] The description of the presented embodiments is provided to enable those skilled in the art to use or practice the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments presented herein. The present invention should be interpreted in the broadest possible scope consistent with the principles and novel features presented herein.

[0043] In the present disclosure, network functions, artificial neural networks, and neural networks may be used interchangeably.

[0044]

[0045] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an autonomous driving robot (100) that performs delivery within a multi-story building according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0046] The configuration of the autonomous driving robot (100) equipped with an elevator calling function within a multi-story building illustrated in FIG. 1 is merely a simplified example, and according to the embodiment, the autonomous driving robot (100) may be a computing device of various forms. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the robot (100) may include other configurations for performing the computing environment of the robot (100), and only some of the disclosed configurations may constitute the robot (100).

[0047] The robot (100) may include a processor (110), memory (130), and a communication unit (150).

[0048] The processor (110) may be composed of one or more cores and may include a processor for data analysis and deep learning, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a general purpose graphics processing unit (GPGPU), and a tensor processing unit (TPU) of a robot (100) equipped with an elevator calling function in a multi-story building. The processor (110) may read a computer program stored in memory (130) and perform data processing for machine learning according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor (110) may perform calculations for learning a neural network. The processor (110) may perform calculations for learning a neural network, such as processing input data for learning in deep learning (DL), extracting features from input data, calculating errors, and updating the weights of the neural network using backpropagation. At least one of the CPU, GPGPU, and TPU of the processor (110) may process the learning of a network function. For example, a CPU and a GPGPU can work together to process the learning of a network function and data classification using the network function. Additionally, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, processors of a plurality of computing devices can be used together to process the learning of a network function and data classification using the network function. Furthermore, a computer program executed in a target plastic classification device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may be a CPU, GPGPU, or TPU executable program.

[0049] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory (130) can store any form of information generated or determined by the processor (110) and any form of information received by the communication unit (150).

[0050] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory (130) may include at least one type of storage medium among a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk. The target plastic sorting device (100) may operate in conjunction with web storage that performs the storage function of the memory (130) on the internet. The description of the memory described above is merely an example and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0051] A communication unit (150) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can use various wired communication systems such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), xDSL (x Digital Subscriber Line), RADSL (Rate Adaptive DSL), MDSL (Multi Rate DSL), VDSL (Very High Speed ​​DSL), UADSL (Universal Asymmetric DSL), HDSL (High Bit Rate DSL), and a local area network (LAN).

[0052] In addition, the communication unit (150) presented in this specification may use various wireless communication systems such as CDMA (Code Division Multi Access), TDMA (Time Division Multi Access), FDMA (Frequency Division Multi Access), OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multi Access), SC-FDMA (Single Carrier-FDMA), and other systems.

[0053] In the present disclosure, the communication unit (150) can be configured regardless of the mode of communication, such as wired and wireless, and can be configured as various communication networks such as a Local Area Network (LAN), a Personal Area Network (PAN), and a Wide Area Network (WAN). In addition, the network may be a known World Wide Web (WWW), and may utilize wireless transmission technology used for short-range communication, such as Infrared Data Association (IrDA) or Bluetooth.

[0054] The technologies described in this specification can be used not only in the networks mentioned above but also in other networks.

[0055]

[0056] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a plurality of modules for an autonomous driving robot (100) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure to efficiently call an elevator in a multi-story building.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the autonomous driving robot (100) may be composed of a movement path determination module (210) that determines a movement path to perform a mission (e.g., delivery) within a multi-story building, a robot movement time calculation module (220) that calculates the robot movement time required to arrive at the elevator boarding area of ​​the robot material floor from the robot's current location to perform the mission, a target elevator determination module (230) that determines a target elevator among a plurality of elevators within the multi-story building, and an elevator call determination module (240) that determines whether to call the target elevator by comparing the robot movement time and the target elevator's movement time.

[0058] However, for the convenience of explanation, the various modules within the autonomous driving robot (100) are described in the form of modules, and depending on the embodiment, the autonomous driving robot (100) may be configured as a separate device. In particular, the autonomous driving robot (100) may have limitations on the size of the on-device model that can be mounted within the device, and to overcome this, the autonomous driving robot (100) may be configured to receive only the results of the execution of various modules through an external server. For example, in FIG. 2, the target elevator determination module (230) and the elevator call determination module (240) are shown as internal modules of the autonomous driving robot (100), but are not limited thereto. The target elevator determination and the elevator call determination may be performed on an external server separate from the autonomous driving robot (100), and the autonomous driving robot (100) may receive the results through communication with the corresponding external server via the communication unit (150).

[0059] In addition, the multiple modules for the autonomous driving robot (100) to call an elevator in the multi-story building described herein are not limited to the modules shown in FIG. 2. For example, as described above with reference to FIG. 1, the autonomous driving robot (100) may also include a control module that performs the function of a processor (110) for control, a communication module that performs the function of a communication unit (150), and a UI module for displaying that the boarding and alighting process is in progress during the movement process for performing a mission.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the movement path determination module (210) can determine the movement path required for the robot (100) to perform a mission. For example, when the robot (100) performs a delivery mission, the movement path determination module (210) can set the robot material layer as the starting layer, the delivery destination layer as the destination layer, and set the movement path from the robot's current position to the elevator boarding area of ​​the starting layer, the movement path from the elevator boarding area of ​​the destination layer to the delivery destination of the destination layer, etc. In setting the movement path by the movement path determination module (210), the A* algorithm (A star algorithm), Dijkstra algorithm, RRT (Rapidly-exploring Random Tree) algorithm, reinforcement learning-based Q Learning or Deep Q-Network (DQN)-based algorithm, etc., may be utilized, and techniques such as SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) may be utilized.

[0061] According to one embodiment, the robot travel time calculation module (220) can calculate the robot travel time required to arrive at the departure floor elevator boarding area based on the direction change sections and straight sections on the travel path from the robot's current position to the departure floor elevator boarding area in the set travel path. Specifically, the robot travel time calculation module (220) can calculate the robot travel time by utilizing the distance of the straight section on the travel path from the robot's current position to the departure floor boarding area, the number of direction change sections, the robot's average travel speed, and the robot's average direction change time. For example, the robot travel time can be calculated based on the following <Equation 1>.

[0062]

[0063] Here, is the robot travel time required for the robot (100) to move from its current location to the departure floor boarding area, and is the total travel distance from the robot's current position to the boarding area on the departure floor, and is the robot's average movement speed in the straight section, and is the number of direction change sections on the movement path from the current location to the departure level boarding area, and is the robot's average turning time, and is the congestion level on a straight path between 0 and 1, and is a speed reduction coefficient based on congestion levels between 0 and 1. Congestion level It can be calculated based on the robot's surrounding environment detected by a robot sensor module (not shown) mounted on the robot. For example, the robot may be equipped with a sensor such as LiDAR or a camera, and the robot (100) can calculate the degree of congestion on a straight path by measuring the number of people, the number of objects, the ratio of occupied area, etc., within a specific area on the path. Reduction factor This may vary depending on the type or size of the robot and the type of mission. For example, if the robot is large and the path width is relatively narrow, or if the ambient lighting is dim, the speed reduction due to congestion on the straight path is greater, so The value can be set high.

[0064] According to one embodiment, the target elevator determination module (230) can calculate the elevator travel time required for each of the multiple elevators in a multi-story building to arrive at the floor of the robot (100) and determine the target elevator based thereon. When the robot material floor is determined as the movement path determination module (210) sets the movement path, the target elevator determination module (230) can calculate the elevator travel time of each of the multiple elevators from the floor button activation information of each of the multiple elevators and the current floor information of each of the multiple elevators.

[0065] The floor button activation information of the elevator can be obtained from a button operation module included in each of the multiple elevators and received through the communication unit (150), and the elevator current floor information can be obtained from an elevator internal sensor module included in each of the multiple elevators and received through the communication unit (150). The button operation module may be installed on the rear of the button operation unit, which includes an open button, a close button, and each floor button inside the elevator car, but is not limited thereto. The button operation module will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 4. The elevator internal sensor module is included inside the elevator car and can obtain atmospheric pressure information, temperature information, internal image information, etc. of each elevator, and the current floor information of each elevator can be obtained based on the atmospheric pressure information obtained by the elevator internal sensor module. For example, the atmospheric pressure may differ for each floor of a multi-story building, and this information may exist in the form of a predetermined table, and the current floor information determined according to the atmospheric pressure table for each floor and the atmospheric pressure information obtained by the elevator internal sensor module can be transmitted to the autonomous driving robot (100) through the communication unit (150).

[0066] According to one embodiment, the target elevator determination module (230) can calculate the elevator travel time to the departure floor of each of the plurality of elevators based on the current floor information and floor button activation information of each of the plurality of elevators. For example, the elevator travel time can be calculated based on the following <Equation 2>.

[0067]

[0068] Here is the elevator travel time, is the average time it takes for an elevator door to open and close once, is elevator floor button activation information, ε is the average time taken for people to board and alight while the elevator stops at each floor, excluding opening and closing times, and n is The length of, that is, the number of floors the elevator must stop at, Is The i-th floor where the elevator must stop, Is The floor one floor below the floor where the elevator is supposed to stop, is the average time it takes for an elevator to travel one floor.

[0069] For example, if the robot is currently on the 6th floor, the elevator is currently on the 1st floor, and the buttons for the 3rd and 5th floors are active is 1, is represented as [3, 5], where n is 2. In this case, the time required for the elevator doors to open and close is because the doors open and close 3 times on floors 3, 5, and 6. The time required to stop at the floors is 2 because it stops at the 3rd and 5th floors. , the inter-floor travel times are 1~3, 3~5, 5~6 total and the total elevator travel time is am.

[0070] According to one embodiment, the target elevator determination module (230) calculates the elevator internal congestion level for each of the plurality of elevators based on floor button activation information, and can determine the elevator with the minimum elevator travel time among the elevators where the elevator internal congestion level is below a threshold as the target elevator. The elevator internal congestion level can be determined in various ways depending on the embodiment, for example, based on floor button activation information. For example, the number of currently activated buttons of the elevator, i.e. It can be determined that the larger the size n, the higher the level of congestion inside the elevator. According to another embodiment, a camera is included in the elevator interior sensor module included in each elevator, and the level of congestion inside the elevator can be calculated based on the number of objects (or people) inside the elevator, the ratio of the object occupancy area, etc.

[0071] According to one embodiment, the elevator call determination module (240) may call the target elevator if the target elevator's travel time is greater than or equal to the robot's travel time and within a threshold time. If the target elevator's travel time is too short and less than the robot's travel time, the robot cannot board the target elevator even if it moves to the boarding area on the departure floor, so calling the elevator is meaningless and the elevator may not be called. If the elevator's travel time is greater than or equal to the robot's travel time but longer than the threshold time, the elevator may not be called because it may take an excessively long time to perform the mission.

[0072] Below, based on the details described above, we will examine the operation flow of the present invention with reference to FIGS. 3 to FIGS. 8.

[0073] FIG. 3 is a drawing for explaining an elevator system (300) in a typical multi-story building.

[0074] Referring to FIG. 3, the elevator system (300) generally consists of an elevator car (320), a hoist (312), a control panel (315), and an elevator boarding area (370). The elevator car (320) is a space for transporting passengers or cargo, and is equipped with a button control unit (330) so that passengers can select a destination floor or call the elevator. The button control unit (330) consists of a floor selection button, a control panel, a door opening / closing button, a manual operation door panel, etc., and includes a light source, a floor selection button, a printed circuit board, etc. inside. The light source provides button lighting, and passengers can select a desired floor through the floor selection button. The printed circuit board serves to transmit signals between the floor selection button and the control panel (315).

[0075] The hoisting machine (312) provides the power to raise and lower the elevator car (320). The hoisting machine consists of an electric motor, a reduction gear, a brake, a rope, etc. The electric motor generates rotational force using electric power, and the reduction gear controls the speed of the elevator car (320) by adjusting this rotational speed. The brake serves to stop the elevator car (320) or to make an emergency stop in case of an emergency, and the rope connects the hoisting machine (312) and the elevator car (320) to move the car up and down.

[0076] The control panel (315) acts as the brain that controls the entire elevator system (300). The control panel (315) receives an elevator call signal, determines the movement path of the elevator car (320), stops the elevator car (320) at the boarding area (370) on each floor, monitors the operating status of the elevator, and activates safety devices in the event of an abnormality. Generally, the control panel is installed together with the hoisting machine (312) in the elevator machine room (310) located on the top floor or in the basement of the building.

[0077] The space where passengers board and alight from the elevator on each floor is the elevator boarding area (370). A call button section (380) is installed in the elevator boarding area (370), and is composed of an upward call button and a downward call button, allowing the elevator to be called in the desired direction.

[0078] Recently, the use of autonomous robots has been increasing in various service fields such as logistics, delivery, guidance, and security. Since movement between floors is essential for robots to perform tasks in multi-story buildings, it is common to use elevators for this purpose. However, when an autonomous robot (100) attempts to use an elevator, direct communication with the elevator machine room (310), particularly the control panel (315), is restricted for security and safety reasons. This is because the elevator control system is operated as a closed system to prevent accidents that may occur due to unauthorized access or manipulation from the outside.

[0079] Therefore, in order for the autonomous robot to freely perform tasks within a multi-story building, a new method is required to call and board an elevator without communication with the control panel (315).

[0080] FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining an elevator call system (400) of an autonomous driving robot according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0081] With reference to FIG. 3, the aforementioned general elevator system (300) is operated by a person directly pressing a button, but the autonomous robot must use the elevator on its own without human intervention. To resolve this difference, a new system (400) is proposed that can call the elevator without communicating directly with the elevator control panel.

[0082] Referring to FIG. 4, the core of the elevator call system (400) of the autonomous robot (100) is an elevator call module (420) and a button operation module (410) through which the autonomous robot (100) communicates. The elevator call module (420) may be installed behind or around the call button section (480) installed in the elevator boarding area (470), and the autonomous robot (100) communicates with the elevator call module (420) through the communication section (150) to call the elevator. The robot transmits a signal to the elevator call module (420) using various wireless communication technologies such as WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, LTE / 5G, and this signal is then transmitted to the call button section (480) to call the elevator. During this process, the robot (100) can specify the direction of movement of the elevator (up or down) and determine whether to board the elevator by receiving information such as whether the elevator has arrived and the button operation status in real time from the call button section (480).

[0083] An elevator call module (420) may exist at each elevator boarding station. For example, if there are multiple boarding stations on a single floor, each elevator call module may exist for each of the multiple boarding stations, even if they are on the same floor. The elevator call module may be mounted on the back of the elevator call button section (480) of the boarding station, but is not limited thereto, and depending on the embodiment, only one elevator call module may exist per floor.

[0084] The button operation module (410) may be installed on the rear or around the button operation unit (430) inside the elevator car (320), and the autonomous robot (100) communicates with the button operation module (410) through the communication unit (150) to enable the robot to select a destination floor once it has finished boarding the elevator. Similar to the elevator call module (420), various wireless communication technologies may be used, and the button operation module (410) operates by transmitting a signal sent by the robot to the button operation unit (430) to press the destination floor button. Additionally, the button operation module (410) may receive information inside the elevator car, such as the floor the elevator is currently located on and the direction of movement, and transmit this information to the robot.

[0085] A button operation module (410) may exist for each elevator car (e.g., the elevator car (320) described above with reference to FIG. 3). For example, if there are multiple elevator cars in a multi-story building, a button operation module may exist for each of the multiple cars. The button operation module may be mounted on the rear of the elevator button operation unit (430) inside each elevator car, but is not limited thereto and may be mounted on the top or bottom of the elevator car surface depending on the embodiment.

[0086] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the elevator call module (420) is absent, it is also possible to call the elevator by using the button operation module (410) to transmit a signal sent by the robot to the button operation unit (430) and pressing the button for the call floor (the floor where the autonomous driving robot is currently located).

[0087] For example, the button operation module (410) may include a plurality of button operation communication modules (N-floor button operation communication modules) corresponding to each floor selection button on the rear of the elevator button operation unit (430). The signal receiving unit can receive a signal input to the elevator button operation unit (430) by receiving a signal from each floor selection button. Accordingly, the button operation module (410) can obtain command information through the elevator button operation unit.

[0088] This can be applied likewise to elevator call modules.

[0089] Additionally, the button operation module (410) or elevator call module (420) may also transmit an appropriate call command to the elevator button operation unit (430) or call button unit (480) inside the car using the included signal button operation communication module.

[0090] For example, if you want to call an elevator, the processor of the button operation module can transmit a signal to input the corresponding floor of the elevator button operation unit (430) through the button operation communication module for the floor to be called.

[0091] In the above manner, the autonomous driving robot (100) may be able to control the elevator without the intervention of the elevator machine room (310) by transmitting and receiving call or control commands for the elevator car through the processor of the button operation module (410) or the elevator call module (420).

[0092] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method of transmitting and receiving a call or control command for an elevator car through a processor of a button operation module (410) or an elevator call module (420) can be implemented in various ways, for example, a method of directly transmitting and receiving signals with a button operation unit (430) via a wired connection, a method utilizing wireless communication such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or Zigbee, a signal transmission method using an infrared sensor, a mechanical button operation method using a robot arm or actuator, an optical recognition method using a camera and image processing, an acoustic-based method using ultrasonic or acoustic signals, or a method of transmitting and receiving commands using IoT and cloud networks, and these various methods can be appropriately selected according to the purpose of the system, security requirements, and installation environment.

[0093] The autonomous driving robot (100) can efficiently call an elevator by using at least one of these two modules (410, 420). When calling an elevator, the direction of movement of the elevator is determined based on the current location and destination floor information, and the elevator can be called through the elevator call module (420).

[0094] Alternatively, the elevator can be called to the call floor via the button operation module (410).

[0095] After boarding the elevator, you can press the destination floor button through the button operation module (410) and plan your travel route while continuously checking the elevator's operating status.

[0096] In other words, according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is also possible to perform an embodiment of the elevator call module (420) through a button operation module (410).

[0097] Specifically, when calling an elevator, the autonomous driving robot can call the elevator's button control unit (430) to the floor (call floor) where the autonomous driving robot is currently located through the button control module (410) based on the current location and destination floor information.

[0098] Afterward, the autonomous driving robot can input destination floor information by controlling the elevator's button control unit (430) through the button control module (410) after boarding the elevator.

[0099] As described above, by integrating the role of the elevator call module (420) into the button operation module (410), an economical and simpler system can be implemented.

[0100] According to the proposed autonomous driving robot (100) elevator call system (400), the robot does not need to communicate directly with the elevator control panel (e.g., the control panel (315) described above with reference to FIG. 3), so security, legal regulation, and safety issues can be resolved.

[0101] Furthermore, it is designed to be compatible with various types of elevator systems, allowing robots to use elevators in diverse environments. In addition, it enables efficient elevator usage by monitoring real-time status information to minimize waiting times and deciding whether to board based on internal congestion levels.

[0102] That is, the proposed elevator call control system (400) for an autonomous driving robot enables the autonomous driving robot to use the elevator without changing the existing elevator system, and supports the robot to use the elevator safely and efficiently. This can greatly contribute to increasing the usability of autonomous driving robots in multi-story buildings and expanding the scope of robot services.

[0103]

[0104] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for calling an elevator in a multi-story building by an autonomous driving robot according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0105] The method of calling an elevator in a multi-story building illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7 can be performed by an autonomous driving robot (100) equipped with an elevator calling function in a multi-story building as described above. Therefore, even if the details are omitted below, the details previously described regarding the autonomous driving robot (100) can be applied equally to the description of the elevator calling method described below.

[0106] Referring to FIG. 5, the elevator calling method may include an operation (510) of calculating the robot travel time required to arrive at the boarding area based on the direction change section and the straight section on the travel path from the robot's current position to the elevator boarding area of ​​the robot material layer, and an operation (540) of calling the elevator and moving to the boarding area at the same time based on the robot travel time.

[0107] Step 510 is a step of calculating the robot travel time required for the robot to move from its current location to the elevator boarding area of ​​the robot material floor according to the travel path determination. According to one embodiment, Step 510 may be performed by the travel path determination module (210) and the robot travel time calculation module (220) described above with reference to FIG. 2. The detailed description described above with reference to FIG. 2 may be omitted for brevity.

[0108] According to one embodiment, when an autonomous driving robot performs a delivery mission within a multi-story building, the movement path determination module (210) can set a path from the robot's current location to the elevator boarding area of ​​the robot material floor, and a path from the elevator boarding area of ​​the delivery target floor to the final delivery destination. The robot movement time calculation module (220) can calculate the robot movement time to the boarding area based on the number of direction change sections, the distance of the straight section, the average movement speed of the robot, and the average direction change time of the robot in the path from the current location to the elevator boarding area of ​​the robot material floor. According to one embodiment, the robot movement time in operation 510 can be calculated based on <Equation 1> as described above with reference to FIG. 2.

[0109] Step 540 is a step of calling an elevator based on the robot's travel time and moving to the boarding area simultaneously. According to one embodiment, Step 540 can be performed by the target elevator determination module (230) and the elevator call determination module (240) described above with reference to FIG. 2. For example, when the target elevator determination module (230) determines the target elevator by calculating the elevator travel time required for each elevator to arrive at the robot material floor, the elevator call determination module (240) can determine whether the elevator call condition is satisfied based on the robot travel time calculated in Step 510 and the elevator travel time of the target elevator. If the elevator call condition is satisfied, the robot (100) can call the target elevator and move to the boarding area of ​​the robot material floor simultaneously, and begin performing the mission.

[0110] In the description above, steps 510 and 540 may be further subdivided into additional steps or combined into fewer steps, depending on the embodiment of the present invention. Additionally, some steps may be omitted as necessary, and the order of the steps may be changed.

[0111]

[0112] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for calling an elevator based on robot travel time according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0113] Referring to FIG. 6, a method for calling an elevator based on robot travel time may include an operation (610) of calculating the elevator travel time required for each of the multiple elevators in a multi-story building to arrive at the robot material floor, an operation (640) of determining a target elevator based on the elevator travel time, and an operation (670) of calling a target elevator when the travel time of the target elevator is greater than or equal to the robot travel time and within a threshold time.

[0114] Step 610 is a step of calculating the elevator travel time for each of the multiple elevators in the building, and Step 640 is a step of determining the target elevator based on the elevator travel time. According to one embodiment, Step 610 and Step 640 may be performed by the target elevator determination module (230) described above with reference to FIG. 2. The detailed description described above with reference to FIG. 2 may be omitted for brevity.

[0115] According to one embodiment, in step 610, the autonomous driving robot (100) obtains floor button activation information for each elevator from the button operation module (410) described above with reference to FIG. 4, obtains current floor information for each elevator from the sensor module included in each elevator, and can calculate the elevator travel time for each of the plurality of elevator buttons based on the current floor information and the floor button activation information. Specifically, as described above with reference to FIG. 2, the travel time for each elevator can be calculated based on <Equation 2>.

[0116] When the elevator travel time of each elevator is calculated in step 610, the target elevator determination module (230) can determine the target elevator in step 640 by considering the elevator internal congestion based on the elevator travel time. For example, as described above with reference to FIG. 2, the target elevator determination module (230) can calculate the elevator internal congestion and determine the elevator with the minimum elevator travel time among elevators where the elevator internal congestion is below a threshold as the target elevator.

[0117] Step 670 is a step of calling an elevator by determining whether the elevator call conditions are satisfied. According to one embodiment, Step 670 may be performed by the elevator call determination module (240) described above with reference to FIG. 2. For example, the elevator call determination module (240) may determine whether the elevator call conditions are satisfied based on the elevator travel time of the target elevator and the robot travel time. According to one embodiment, the target elevator call determination module (240) may call the target elevator if the elevator travel time of the target elevator is greater than or equal to the robot travel time and is within a threshold time. The autonomous driving robot (100) may move to the boarding area of ​​the robot material floor simultaneously with the target elevator call and begin performing the mission.

[0118] In the description above, steps 610, 640, and 670 may be further subdivided into additional steps or combined into fewer steps, depending on an embodiment of the present invention. Additionally, some steps may be omitted as necessary, and the order of the steps may be changed.

[0119]

[0120] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for calling an elevator based on robot travel time when there are multiple elevator boarding areas in a robot material layer according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0121] When the robot movement time calculation module (220) calculates the robot movement time based on the path set by the robot movement path determination module (210) in step 510, it leads to step 540 of determining the target elevator and calling the target elevator.

[0122] However, if there are multiple elevator boarding areas in the robot material layer, the process may proceed differently from the aforementioned process. For example, in step 510, the robot movement path may be set differently for each boarding area, and the robot movement time may also be calculated differently. For example, the robot movement time calculation module (220) can calculate the time required to move to each of the multiple boarding areas in the robot material layer based on the aforementioned <Equation 1> with reference to FIG. 2. In addition, since a target elevator may be determined for each boarding area, the process of calling the target elevator may differ from the process described above with reference to FIG. 6.

[0123] Referring to FIG. 7, a method for calling an elevator based on robot travel time when there are multiple elevator boarding areas in a robot material layer may include: an operation (710) of determining a target elevator for each boarding area among multiple elevators capable of reaching each of the multiple boarding areas, wherein the elevator internal congestion level is less than the armature value and the elevator travel time to each boarding area is the minimum; and an operation (740) of calling an elevator based on the robot travel time for each boarding area and the elevator travel time of the elevator for each boarding area. Step 710 may be performed by the target elevator determination module (230) described above with reference to FIG. 2, and step 740 may be performed by the elevator call determination module (240) described above with reference to FIG. 2.

[0124] According to one embodiment, in step 710, the target elevator determination module (230) can determine a target elevator for each boarding station. Since there are multiple elevators that can be reached at one boarding station, the target elevator determination module (240) can determine a target elevator for each boarding station where the elevator internal congestion level is below a threshold and the elevator travel time for each boarding station is minimized, as described above with reference to FIG. 2.

[0125] Specifically, when there are multiple elevator boarding areas in the robot material layer, the target elevator determination module (230) can determine the target elevator for each boarding area based on the following <Equation 3>.

[0126]

[0127] Here If there are N boarding stations in the robot material layer, each boarding station This is the target elevator for each boarding station determined for. is among the M elevators that can reach the i-th boarding station This is the elevator travel time of the th elevator. is elevator interior congestion, is the threshold for the elevator interior congestion level. As previously described with reference to Fig. 2, the elevator interior congestion level is the number of currently active buttons in the elevator, i.e. It can be determined that the larger the size n, the higher the level of congestion inside the elevator. Alternatively, a camera may be included in the elevator interior sensor module included in each elevator, and the level of congestion inside the elevator may be calculated based on the number of objects (or people) inside the elevator, the ratio of the area occupied by objects, etc.

[0128] According to one embodiment, in step 740, the elevator call determination module (240) may call an elevator based on the robot travel time for each boarding station and the elevator travel time of the target elevator for each boarding station. For example, the elevator call determination module (240) may determine whether the elevator call condition is satisfied based on the elevator travel time of the target elevator for each boarding station and the robot travel time to each boarding station.

[0129] According to one embodiment, the target elevator call determination module (240) can call the target elevator for each boarding station that has the minimum elevator travel time among the target elevators for each boarding station whose elevator travel time is greater than or equal to the robot travel time to the boarding station and is within a threshold time.

[0130] Specifically, when there are multiple elevator boarding areas in the robot material layer, the elevator call determination module (240) can determine the final target elevator and boarding area among the target elevators for each boarding area based on the following <Equation 4>.

[0131]

[0132] Here, N is the total number of elevator boarding areas in the robot material layer, and the elevator boarding area number k is It has the value of. is the target elevator per boarding station corresponding to the k-th boarding station This is the elevator travel time required to reach the k-th boarding station. is the robot travel time required for the robot to move to the k-th boarding station. is the threshold value of the elevator travel time, which is the minimum elevator travel time required for the autonomous driving robot (100) to perform a task within a multi-story building as described above with reference to FIG. 2.

[0133] That is, when a target elevator for each boarding station is determined in step 710, in step 740, for each boarding station, a final target elevator with the minimum elevator travel time among the target elevators for each boarding station, wherein the travel time of the target elevator for each boarding station is greater than or equal to the robot travel time for that boarding station and is within a threshold time, and the corresponding boarding station are determined. The autonomous driving robot (100) can call the target elevator and simultaneously move to the boarding station corresponding to the target elevator and begin performing the mission.

[0134] In the description above, steps 710 and 740 may be further subdivided into additional steps or combined into fewer steps, depending on the embodiment of the present invention. Additionally, some steps may be omitted as necessary, and the order between steps may be changed.

[0135] Those skilled in the art will understand that the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, processors, means, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented by electronic hardware, various forms of programs or design code (referred to herein as software for convenience), or a combination of all of these.

[0136] The present invention described above can be implemented as computer-readable code on a medium on which a program is recorded. A machine-readable recording medium includes all types of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of machine-readable media include HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Disk), SSD (Silicon Disk Drive), ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, etc.

[0137] In one embodiment, the recording medium may be a memory. In one embodiment, the recording medium may be implemented in a distributed form in a networked computer system, etc. Software may be stored and executed in a distributed manner in a computer system, etc. The recording medium may be a non-transitory recording medium. A non-transitory recording medium may refer to a tangible medium that exists regardless of whether data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily.

Claims

1. In an autonomous driving robot equipped with an elevator calling function within a multi-story building, A communication unit that communicates with a button operation module and an elevator internal sensor module included in the elevator car of the above-mentioned multi-story building; At least one processor; and Includes memory, The above button operation module controls the internal buttons of the elevator, and The above-mentioned at least one processor is, Calculate the robot travel time required to arrive at the elevator boarding area based on the direction change sections and straight sections on the movement path from the robot's current position to the elevator boarding area of ​​the robot's material layer, and Configured to call an elevator and move to the boarding area simultaneously based on the above robot travel time, Autonomous driving robot.

2. In Paragraph 1, The above processor is, Configured to calculate the robot travel time based on the distance of the straight section and the number of direction change sections on the movement path from the robot's current position to the elevator boarding area of ​​the robot's material layer, the average movement speed of the robot, and the average direction change time of the robot. Autonomous driving robot.

3. In Paragraph 1, The above processor is, Calculate the elevator travel time required for each of the multiple elevators in the above-mentioned multi-story building to arrive at the robot material floor, and Determine the target elevator based on the above elevator travel time, and A configuration for calling the target elevator when the travel time of the target elevator is greater than or equal to the robot travel time and within a threshold time. Autonomous driving robot.

4. In Paragraph 3, The above processor is, Acquire floor button activation information of the corresponding elevator from the button operation module included in each of the plurality of elevators, and Obtaining current floor information of the elevator from an elevator internal sensor module included in each of the plurality of elevators, and Configured to calculate the elevator travel time of each of the plurality of elevators based on the above current floor information and the above floor button activation information, Autonomous driving robot.

5. In Paragraph 4, The above processor is, Calculate the internal congestion level of the elevator based on the floor button activation information for the above elevator, and Configured to determine the elevator with the minimum travel time among the elevators with a congestion level below a threshold as the target elevator. Autonomous driving robot.

6. In Paragraph 5, The above processor is, In the case where there are multiple elevator boarding areas in the above robot material layer, Among the plurality of elevators capable of reaching each of the plurality of boarding stations, a target elevator for each boarding station is determined such that the congestion level is below a threshold and the elevator travel time to each of the boarding stations is minimized. Configured to call an elevator based on the robot travel time for each of the above boarding stations and the elevator travel time of the target elevator for each of the above boarding stations, Autonomous driving robot.

7. In Paragraph 6, The above processor is, Among the target elevators for each of the above boarding stations, the elevator travel time of the target elevator for each boarding station is greater than or equal to the robot travel time for the corresponding boarding station and is within the threshold time, Configured to call the target elevator for each boarding station with the minimum elevator travel time, and simultaneously move to the boarding station corresponding to the target elevator for each boarding station with the minimum elevator travel time. Autonomous driving robot.

8. A method for calling an elevator in a multi-story building, performed by an autonomous robot, wherein An operation to calculate the robot travel time required to arrive at the elevator boarding area based on the direction change section and the straight section on the movement path from the current position of the robot to the elevator boarding area of ​​the material layer of the robot; and The operation of calling the elevator and moving to the boarding area simultaneously based on the above robot travel time. including, How to call an elevator.

9. In Paragraph 8, The operation of calculating the robot movement time above is, An operation to calculate the robot's travel time based on the distance of the straight section and the number of direction change sections on the movement path from the robot's current position to the elevator boarding area of ​​the robot's material layer, the average movement speed of the robot, and the average direction change time of the robot. including, How to call an elevator.

10. In Paragraph 8, The operation of calling an elevator based on the above robot travel time is, An operation to calculate the elevator travel time required for a plurality of elevators within the above-mentioned multi-story building to arrive at the robot material floor; The operation of determining a target elevator based on the above elevator travel time; and An operation to call the target elevator when the travel time of the target elevator is greater than or equal to the robot travel time and within the threshold time. including, How to call an elevator.

11. In Paragraph 10, The operation of calculating the above elevator travel time is, An operation to obtain floor button activation information of the corresponding elevator from a button operation module included in the above elevator car; The operation of obtaining current floor information of the elevator from a sensor module included in the elevator; and Operation of calculating the elevator travel time of each of the plurality of elevators based on the current floor information and the floor button activation information. including, How to call an elevator.

12. In Paragraph 11, The operation of determining the above target elevator is, The operation of calculating the elevator internal congestion level for each of the plurality of elevators based on the floor button activation information; and The operation of determining the elevator with the minimum travel time among the elevators with a congestion level below the threshold as the target elevator. including, How to call an elevator.

13. In Paragraph 12, In the case where there are multiple elevator boarding areas in the above robot material layer, The operation of calling an elevator based on the above robot travel time is, The operation of determining a target elevator for each boarding station among a plurality of elevators capable of reaching each of the plurality of boarding stations, wherein the congestion level is below a threshold and the elevator travel time to each of the boarding stations is minimized; and An operation to call an elevator based on the robot travel time for each of the above boarding stations and the elevator travel time of the target elevator for each of the above boarding stations. including, How to call an elevator.

14. In Paragraph 13, The operation of calling an elevator based on the robot travel time for each of the above boarding stations and the elevator travel time of the target elevator for each of the above boarding stations is, Among the target elevators for each of the above boarding stations, the elevator travel time of the target elevator for each boarding station is greater than or equal to the robot travel time for the corresponding boarding station and is within the threshold time, The operation of calling the target elevator for each boarding station with the minimum elevator travel time, and simultaneously moving to the boarding station corresponding to the target elevator for each boarding station with the minimum elevator travel time. including, How to call an elevator.

15. In an elevator call system for an autonomous driving robot in a multi-story building, Included in each elevator car of the above-mentioned multi-story building, A button operation module that controls elevator call buttons included in the elevator boarding areas of each floor of the above-mentioned multi-story building and controls each of the internal buttons of the elevator; Elevator internal sensor modules included in each elevator of the above-mentioned multi-story building; An autonomous driving robot equipped with the function of calling an elevator by communicating with the elevator internal sensor module and the elevator call module. Includes, The robot is configured to calculate the robot travel time required to arrive at the elevator boarding area based on the direction change sections and straight sections on the travel path from the current location to the elevator boarding area of ​​the robot's material layer, and to call an elevator and move to the boarding area simultaneously based on the robot travel time. Elevator call system for autonomous robots in a multi-story building.

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