CN115043272B

CN115043272B - Control system and mobile object

Info

Publication number: CN115043272B
Application number: CN202111080768.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 松本良央; 小堀真吾
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Priority date: 2021-03-09
Filing date: 2021-09-15
Publication date: 2024-05-14
Anticipated expiration: 2041-09-15
Also published as: JP7020575B1; JP2022137944A; CN115043272A

Abstract

A control system and a mobile body, which suppress clogging in the middle of a passage. The control system (3) has a communication unit (9), a detection unit (10), and a command unit (12). A communication unit (9) acquires moving object information for each moving object (2) moving in a facility. The approach of the mobile body (2 a) to the passage (R1) is detected from the map information and the mobile body information on the mobile body (2 a), and the passage (R1) is the first intermediate area from the room (R1) to the room (R2). At this time, when it is determined that the width of any intermediate region is smaller than the sum of the widths of the moving body (2 a) and the moving body (2 b) following a path passing through at least any intermediate region among the plurality of intermediate regions plus the margin (alpha), the command unit (12) causes the moving body (2 a) to wait for entry into the passage (r 1). The instruction unit (12) makes the determination based on the map information and the moving object information on the moving object (2 a) and the moving object (2 b).

Description

Control system and mobile object

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a control system and a mobile body.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses an example of a moving body. The moving body has a1 st sensor and a2 nd sensor. The movable body determines whether or not the passage is possible based on the measurement results of the 1 st sensor and the 2 nd sensor. When the movable body is determined to be unable to pass, the movable body moves to a standby position outside the passage.

Patent document 1: international publication No. 2016/009585

However, the mobile body of patent document 1 determines whether or not the mobile body can pass through the sensor 1 and the sensor 2 provided in the mobile body itself based on the measurement results. Therefore, in a passage or the like that reaches the outside of the measurement ranges of the 1 st sensor and the 2 nd sensor, the moving body may not pass through the passage and may be blocked.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is intended to solve such problems. The invention provides a control system and a mobile body for inhibiting blockage in a passage.

The control system of the present invention comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires moving body information including width, route, and position information for a plurality of moving bodies that move along a route passing through at least any one of a plurality of areas in a facility; a detection unit that detects, based on map information including information on an arrangement of the plurality of areas in the facility and a width of each of the plurality of moving bodies when the plurality of moving bodies pass through the plurality of areas, and moving body information acquired by the acquisition unit for a 1 st moving body among the plurality of moving bodies, an approach of the 1 st moving body to a 1 st intermediate area among the plurality of areas, the 1 st intermediate area having a width narrower than that of the 1 st area including a current position of the 1 st moving body and being adjacent to the 1 st area; and a command unit configured to, when the detection unit detects that the 1 st moving body approaches the 1 st intermediate region in a case where a path followed by the 1 st moving body passes through a plurality of intermediate regions including the 1 st intermediate region and a 2 nd intermediate region adjacent to the 2 nd intermediate region, which are part of the plurality of regions, between the 1 st region and a 2 nd region having a width wider than the 1 st intermediate region, and the acquisition unit determines that a value obtained by adding a margin set in advance to a sum of widths of the 1 st moving body and the 2 nd moving body in the plurality of intermediate regions is smaller than a width of any intermediate region among the plurality of intermediate regions, based on the map information and moving body information acquired by the acquisition unit for the 1 st moving body and the 2 nd moving body following a path passing through at least any one intermediate region among the plurality of intermediate regions, wait for the 1 st moving body to enter the 1 st intermediate region.

The control system of the present invention comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires moving body information including path and position information for a plurality of moving bodies that move along paths that pass through at least any one of a plurality of areas in a facility, the plurality of areas including cars of elevators provided in the facility; a detection unit that detects, based on map information including arrangement information of the plurality of areas in the facility and moving object information acquired by the acquisition unit for a1 st moving object of the plurality of moving objects, an approach of the 1 st moving object to a1 st intermediate area of the plurality of areas, the 1 st intermediate area being adjacent to the 1 st area including a current position of the 1 st moving object; and a command unit configured to determine that the 1 st moving body is waiting to enter the 1 st intermediate area when the detection unit detects that the 1 st moving body approaches the 1 st intermediate area, based on the map information and moving body information acquired by the acquisition unit for the 2 nd moving body of the 1 st moving body and the plurality of moving bodies following a path through the car, the moving body information being acquired by the acquisition unit for the 2 nd moving body of the 1 st moving body and the plurality of moving bodies, the path including the 1 st intermediate area and the 2 nd intermediate area adjacent to the 2 nd intermediate area being a part of the plurality of areas, and the plurality of intermediate areas including the 1 st intermediate area and the 2 nd intermediate area being adjacent to the 2 nd intermediate area, and the plurality of intermediate areas including the car.

The control system of the present invention comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires moving body information including path and position information for a plurality of moving bodies that move along paths that pass through at least any one of a plurality of areas in a facility, the plurality of areas including cars of elevators provided in the facility; a detection unit that detects, based on map information including arrangement information of the plurality of areas in the facility and moving object information acquired by the acquisition unit for a1 st moving object of the plurality of moving objects, an approach of the 1 st moving object to a1 st intermediate area of the plurality of areas, the 1 st intermediate area being adjacent to the 1 st area including a current position of the 1 st moving object; and a command unit that, when the path followed by the 1 st moving body passes through a plurality of intermediate areas including the 1 st intermediate area and a2 nd intermediate area adjacent to the 2 nd intermediate area, which are part of the plurality of areas, between the 1 st area and the 2 nd area among the plurality of areas, and the plurality of intermediate areas include the car, the detection unit detects that the 1 st moving body approaches the 1 st intermediate area, and when the map information and the moving body information acquired by the acquisition unit for the 1 st moving body and the 2 nd moving body following the path passing through the car among the plurality of moving bodies determine that the 1 st moving body and the 2 nd moving body cannot be on the same car, the detection unit causes the 1 st moving body to wait for call registration of the elevator.

The moving body according to the present invention is any one of a plurality of moving bodies that move along a path passing through at least any one of a plurality of areas in a facility, and the moving body includes: an acquisition unit that acquires map information including information on the arrangement of the plurality of areas in the facility and the width of the plurality of mobile units when each of the plurality of areas is passed, and acquires mobile unit information including width, route, and position information for other mobile units in the plurality of mobile units; a detection unit that detects, based on the map information and moving object information of the moving object, an approach of the moving object to a 1 st intermediate area among the plurality of areas, the 1 st intermediate area having a width smaller than that of the 1 st area including a current position of the moving object and being adjacent to the 1 st area; and a determination unit configured to wait for entry into the 1 st intermediate area when the detection unit detects that the moving body itself approaches the 1 st intermediate area in a case where a path followed by the moving body itself passes through a plurality of intermediate areas including the 1 st intermediate area and a2 nd intermediate area adjacent to the 2 nd intermediate area, which are part of the plurality of areas, between the 1 st area and a2 nd area having a wider width than the 1 st intermediate area, and the acquisition unit determines that a value obtained by adding a predetermined margin to a sum of widths of the moving body itself and the other moving body in the plurality of intermediate areas is smaller than a width of any of the plurality of intermediate areas based on the map information and moving body information acquired by the acquisition unit for the moving body itself and the other moving body following a path passing through at least any one of the plurality of intermediate areas.

According to the control system or the mobile body of the present invention, clogging in the middle of the passage can be suppressed.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a mobile system according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the arrangement of a plurality of moving bodies according to embodiment 1at a certain point in time.

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing an example of a plurality of areas in which the mobile body of embodiment 1 moves.

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the arrangement of a plurality of moving bodies according to embodiment 1at a certain point in time.

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing an example of a plurality of areas in which the mobile body of embodiment 1 moves.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of areas in which the mobile body of embodiment 1 moves.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of areas in which the mobile body of embodiment 1 moves.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of areas in which the mobile body of embodiment 1 moves.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of areas in which the mobile body of embodiment 1 moves.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control system according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the control system according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 12 is a hardware configuration diagram of a main part of the control system of embodiment 1.

Fig. 13 is a configuration diagram of a mobile system according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 14 is a configuration diagram of a mobile system according to embodiment 3.

Description of the reference numerals

1: A mobile body system; 2. 2a, 2b: a moving body; 3: a control system; 4: an elevator; 5: an automatic door; 6: a safety door; 7: a map storage unit; 8: a moving body storage unit; 9: a communication unit; 10: a detection unit; 11: a priority calculating section; 12: an instruction unit; 13: a map management system; 14: a moving body side storage unit; 15: a mobile body-side communication unit; 16: a moving body side detection unit; 17: a moving body side calculation unit; 18: a determination unit; 100a: a processor; 100b: a memory; 200: dedicated hardware.

Detailed Description

The manner in which the objects of the present invention are implemented will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repetitive description thereof will be appropriately simplified or omitted. The object of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and modifications of any of the components of the embodiments or omission of any of the components of the embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Embodiment 1

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a mobile system 1 according to embodiment 1.

The mobile body system 1 is applied to facilities. The facility is constituted by, for example, a building having a plurality of floors. The facility includes a plurality of zones. Each area is, for example, a room or a passage of a facility. The mobile body system 1 includes a plurality of mobile bodies 2 and a control system 3.

Each moving body 2 is an object that moves in the facility. Each mobile body 2 is, for example, an autonomous mobile body or the like. Examples of autonomous movement include a robot, a moving body, and the like. Each movable body 2 may be, for example, an electric wheelchair. Each moving body 2 moves following a path. For example, the moving body 2, which is an autonomous moving body, moves following a predetermined path. The route is generated, for example, by connecting the departure point of the mobile body 2 to the destination point. The path followed by the mobile body 2 passes through 1 or more areas of the installation.

The control system 3 is a system for controlling equipment, facilities, and the like operating in facilities. The control system 3 controls the movement of the mobile body 2 such as an autonomous mobile body moving in the facility, for example. The devices to be operated in the facility include, for example, an elevator 4, an automatic door 5, a safety door 6, and an air conditioner, a lighting device, and the like, which are not shown. The elevator 4 is a device that transports a user or the like riding on a car between a plurality of floors by running the car, not shown, in the up-down direction. The control system 3 is, for example, 1 or more server devices. Some or all of the functions of the control system 3 may be mounted on 1 or more devices disposed outside the facility, or may be mounted by resources stored or processed on a cloud service, or the like. The control system 3 includes a map storage unit 7, a mobile object storage unit 8, a communication unit 9, a detection unit 10, a priority calculation unit 11, and an instruction unit 12.

The map storage 7 is a part storing information. The map storage section 7 may be divided into a plurality of sections according to information to be stored. Map information of facilities is stored in the map storage unit 7. The map information of the facility includes information on the arrangement of a plurality of areas in the facility and the width of the mobile body 2 when passing through each area. The width of the region is, for example, a width in a direction perpendicular to a direction along the via in the region of the via. The width of the region is, for example, the length of the short side of the rectangle in the rectangular region, or the like.

The mobile body storage unit 8 is a part for storing information. The moving body storage section 8 may be divided into a plurality of sections according to information to be stored. The moving object storage unit 8 stores moving object information about each moving object 2. The moving body information on the moving body 2 includes information such as the size of the moving body 2, the path followed by the moving body 2, the weight of the moving body 2, the operation state of the moving body 2, the position information of the moving body 2, and the speed information of the moving body 2.

The size of the moving body 2 includes information such as the width, depth, or height of the moving body 2.

The path followed by the mobile body 2 includes information such as the departure point and destination point of the mobile body 2, the departure time and arrival scheduled time of the mobile body 2, and a plurality of areas located on the path.

The operating state of the mobile body 2 includes information such as the presence or absence of the load of the mobile body 2, the weight, size, or characteristics thereof, or service information of the mobile body 2. The load of the mobile body 2 includes an article conveyed by the mobile body 2, a person riding on the mobile body 2, or the like. The characteristics of the load include, for example, whether the load is moving, stability such as the possibility of falling of the load, and the degree of care required for handling such as handling of the load. The size and weight of the mobile body 2 may be the size and weight of the load including the mobile body 2.

The service information of the mobile body 2 includes, for example, information of a service provided by the mobile body 2 such as a type of service such as article transportation, movement of a person, emergency transport, response to an emergency, and arrival request time related to a service. The arrival request time related to the service is a time when the mobile body 2 is requested to arrive at the destination in order to execute the service. For example, regarding a service completed by reaching a destination point such as distribution of an article, the arrival request time is a time when the completion of the service is requested, and the like. For example, regarding a service started from the time of arrival at a destination point, such as collection of articles and guidance at the destination point, the arrival request time is a time when the service is requested to be started, and the like.

The positional information of the moving body 2 is measured by, for example, a sensor or the like mounted on the moving body 2. The positional information of the mobile body 2 includes, for example, an identifier that identifies the mobile body 2, a variable that indicates the position of the mobile body 2, and a time point when the mobile body 2 is located at the position. In the case where the mobile body 2 is not specified, the location information may not include the identifier. The variables representing the position are, for example, a horizontal position represented by x-coordinates and y-coordinates, a rectangular coordinate system representing the height by z-coordinates or floors, and the like. Or the variable representing the location may also be a variable representing latitude, longitude, and altitude. The variables representing the position may be vector-radial and deflection-angle coordinate variables in a curve coordinate system such as spherical coordinates and cylindrical coordinates. The information of the time point in the position information includes, for example, information of year, month, day, time, minute, and second. For example, the information of the time point may be a real value or the like and may include information of less than 1 second.

The speed information of the moving body 2 is measured by, for example, a sensor or the like mounted on the moving body 2. Alternatively, the speed information of the moving body 2 may be calculated from the history of the position information of the moving body 2. The speed information of the moving body 2 includes, for example, an identifier that identifies the moving body 2, a variable that indicates the speed of the moving body 2, and a time point when the moving body 2 is at the speed. In the case where the mobile body 2 is not specified, the speed information may not include the identifier. The variable representing the speed is, for example, a vector value representing the speed vector, a numerical value representing the magnitude of the speed, a numerical value representing the direction, a vector value, or the like.

The communication unit 9 is a part that communicates with devices and the like outside the control system 3. The communication unit 9 communicates with each mobile unit 2, for example. The communication unit 9 is connected to a communication network such as the internet or a telephone line network, for example. The communication unit 9 communicates with each mobile unit 2 via the communication network, for example. The communication unit 9 is an example of the acquisition unit. The communication unit 9 acquires moving object information of the moving object 2 from each moving object 2. The communication unit 9 continuously acquires moving object information. In this example, the communication unit 9 periodically acquires mobile information. The communication unit 9 continuously acquires the moving object information, and thereby the moving object information stored in the moving object storage unit 8 is updated or recorded as needed. The communication unit 9 may omit acquisition of information that is not updated or recorded in the mobile body information.

The communication unit 9 may collect information from devices or apparatuses operating in the facility. The information collected by the communication unit 9 includes, for example, information such as the state of the equipment or the device, the operating condition, and the energy consumption. The communication unit 9 may output information to a device or equipment operating in the facility. The information output by the communication unit 9 includes, for example, a control signal for a device or equipment. The control signal includes a signal requesting start or stop, a signal specifying a target value such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, or illuminance, a signal calling a device such as the mobile body 2, and the like.

The detection unit 10 is a portion for detecting the approach of the moving object 2 to the area in the facility. The detection unit 10 detects an approach to the moving object 2 based on the map information stored in the map storage unit 7 and the moving object information of the moving object 2 stored in the moving object storage unit 8.

The priority calculating unit 11 is a unit that calculates traffic priorities for the mobile units 2. The traffic priority of the mobile body 2 is a value indicating the degree to which the mobile body 2 should be prioritized for movement in the facility.

The instruction unit 12 is a part that outputs instructions to devices or the like that operate in facilities. The command unit 12 outputs a command related to the movement of the mobile body 2, such as an autonomous mobile body moving in a facility, to the mobile body 2. The command unit 12 outputs a command to the mobile body 2, for example, through the communication unit 9.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the plurality of moving bodies 2 according to embodiment 1 at a certain point in time.

In fig. 2, as areas of facilities, a room R1, a room R2, and a passage R are shown. The path R is adjacent to the room R1 and the room R2, respectively. That is, room R1 and room R2 are connected by way of path R. The width W _r of the passage R is narrower than the width of each of the rooms R1 and R2. The width of the room R1 is, for example, the length of the short side of the rectangular room R1. Likewise, the width of the room R2 is, for example, the length of the short side of the rectangular room R2. The length of the passage r is the length L _r along the direction of the passage r.

Detection regions are preset in the respective regions. The detection area of the area is an area adjacent to the periphery of the area. In this example, a detection region Ar of the passage r is shown. The detection area Ar is set in both the periphery of the passage R on the room R1 side and the periphery of the passage R on the room R2 side. The information of the detection area is stored in the map information storage unit as part of map information, for example.

Fig. 2 shows, as moving object information at a certain point, the arrangement of the moving object 2a and the moving object 2b based on the information stored in the moving object storage unit 8. In this example, the moving body 2a is an autonomous moving body having a width W _a. The moving body 2b is an autonomous moving body having a width W _b. The moving body 2a and the moving body 2b each follow a predetermined path. Here, when the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b are not intentionally distinguished, they may be simply referred to as the moving body 2. The timing of fig. 2 may be any one of the timing at which the mobile body 2 measures the position information, the timing at which the position information is transmitted from the mobile body 2 as the mobile body information, the timing at which the communication unit 9 receives the position information as the mobile body information from the mobile body 2, and the like.

The path followed by the moving body 2a passes through the room R1, the path R, and the room R2 in this order. At this point, the current position of the mobile body 2a is located in the room R1. The path followed by the moving body 2b passes through the room R2, the path R, and the room R1 in this order. At this point, the current position of the mobile body 2b is located in the room R2. The moving directions of the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b in the passage r are opposite to each other.

The detection unit 10 detects the approach of the moving body 2 to the detection area when the position of the moving body 2 enters the detection area of the area, for example. In this example, the detection unit 10 determines whether or not the mobile body 2a has entered the detection area Ar on the room R1 side of the passage R based on the map information and the position information of the mobile body 2 a. When it is determined that the moving body 2a has entered the detection area Ar, the detection unit 10 detects the approach of the moving body 2a to the passage r.

The moving body 2a in this case is an example of the 1 st moving body. In addition, with respect to the mobile body 2a, the room R1 is an example of the 1 st area. The 1 st area is an area where the mobile body 2 is currently located when the detection unit 10 detects that the mobile body 2 approaches an arbitrary area. In addition, the passage r is an example of the 1 st intermediate area with respect to the moving body 2 a. The 1 st intermediate area is an area adjacent to the destination point side of the 1 st area in the path followed by the moving body 2, and the detection unit 10 detects the approach of the moving body 2 and has a width smaller than the 1 st area. In addition, with respect to the mobile body 2a, the room R2 is an example of the 2 nd area. The 2 nd region is a region which is closer to the destination point than the 1 st region in the path followed by the moving body 2 and has a wider width than the 1 st intermediate region. The 1 or more regions between the 1 st region and the 2 nd region are referred to as intermediate regions. The passage r in the 1 st intermediate area is also an example of the intermediate area with respect to the moving body 2 a.

When the detection unit 10 detects that the moving object 2a approaches the passage r, the instruction unit 12 determines whether the moving object 2a can enter the passage r.

First, the command unit 12 determines whether or not the moving object 2 following the path passing through the path r, which is the intermediate area of the moving object 2a, exists. In this example, since the path followed by the moving object 2b passes through the path r, the command unit 12 determines that the moving object 2 passing through the path r is present. The moving body 2b in this case is an example of the 2 nd moving body.

When there is a moving body 2b following a path passing through the intermediate area of the moving body 2a, the command unit 12 determines whether or not the passage of the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b through the passage r is established at the same time. The command unit 12 determines whether or not the condition represented by the following expression (1) is satisfied, for example, based on the moving object information and the map information of the moving objects 2a and 2 b. Here, the length α represents a margin set in advance.

[ Math 1]

W_a+W_b+α≤W_r…(1)

When the condition of the expression (1) is satisfied, the command unit 12 determines that the passage of the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b through the passage r is simultaneously established. At this time, the command unit 12 brings the movable body 2a into the passage r. Here, the command unit 12 may cause the moving body 2a to enter the passage r by outputting a command to enter the passage r to the moving body 2a, or may cause the moving body 2a to enter the passage r by allowing the moving body 2a to enter the passage r.

On the other hand, if the condition of the expression (1) is not satisfied, the command unit 12 determines whether or not the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b interfere with each other in the passage r until the moving body 2a passes through the passage r as the intermediate region while the moving bodies 2 continue to follow the path. Here, for example, when the movable body 2a and the movable body 2b are disposed in the passage r so as to face each other in proximity, the movable body 2a and the movable body 2b interfere with each other in the passage r. The command unit 12 determines whether the moving object 2b is to enter the passage r or whether the moving object 2b has already entered the passage r until the moving object 2a passes through the passage r. The command unit 12 determines whether or not the condition expressed by the following expression (2) is satisfied, for example. Here, the length L _d represents a distance from the current position of the moving body 2b to the path r along the path of the moving body 2 b. The velocity V _a indicates the magnitude of the velocity of the moving body 2 a. The velocity V _b represents the magnitude of the velocity of the moving body 2 b.

[ Formula 2]

The left side of equation (2) represents the time until the moving object 2a passes through the passage r. The right side of equation (2) represents the time until the moving object 2b enters the passage r. In addition, when the mobile body 2b has entered the passage r, the distance L _r from the mobile body 2b to the passage r is 0, and therefore, the condition of the formula (2) is not satisfied. When the condition of the expression (2) is satisfied, the command unit 12 determines that the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b do not interfere with each other in the passage r. At this time, the command unit 12 brings the movable body 2a into the passage r.

On the other hand, when the condition of the formula (2) is not satisfied, the instruction unit 12 causes the priority calculating unit 11 to calculate the traffic priorities of the mobile units 2a and 2 b. The command unit 12 determines whether the calculated traffic priority of the mobile object 2a is higher than the traffic priority of the mobile object 2 b. The command unit 12 determines whether or not the condition expressed by the following expression (3) is satisfied, for example. Here, the value P _a is the traffic priority of the mobile body 2 a. The value P _b is the traffic priority of the mobile 2 b.

[ Formula 3]

P_a＞P_b…(3)

When the condition of expression (3) is satisfied, the command unit 12 determines that the traffic priority of the mobile body 2a is higher than the traffic priority of the mobile body 2 b. At this time, the command unit 12 brings the movable body 2a into the passage r. On the other hand, when the condition of expression (3) is not satisfied, the command unit 12 causes the movable body 2a to wait for entry into the passage r. In this way, the command unit 12 determines whether the mobile object 2a can enter the passage r. Here, the instruction unit 12 may cause the movable body 2a to stand by outputting an instruction to move to the standby position and standby the movable body 2a, or may cause the movable body 2a to stand by rejecting the movable body 2a from entering the passage r. The standby position of the region such as the passage r is a position set in advance for the region. The information of the standby position is stored in the map information storage unit as part of map information, for example. The command unit 12 causes the moving body 2a to enter the passage r after the moving body 2b passes through the passage r, for example.

The priority calculating unit 11 calculates the traffic priority of the mobile body 2a, for example, as shown in the following expression (4). The priority calculating unit 11 calculates the traffic priority of the mobile object 2b in the same manner as the traffic priority of the mobile object 2 a. Here, the value P _a0 is an initial value of the traffic priority of the mobile body 2 a. The value P _a1 is a non-negative 1 st component of the traffic priority of the mobile 2 a. The value P _a2 is a non-negative 2 nd component of the traffic priority of the mobile 2 a. The value P _a3 is a non-negative 3 rd component of the traffic priority of the mobile 2 a.

[ Math figure 4]

P_a＝P_a0+P_a1+P_a2+P_a3…(4)

The initial value P _a0 is a value set in advance for the mobile unit 2 a. The initial value P _a0 is stored in the moving body storage unit 8 as part of moving body information of the moving body 2a, for example. The priority calculating unit 11 calculates the traffic priority of the mobile object 2a by adding 3 components, i.e., the 1 st component P _a1, the 2 nd component P _a2, and the 3 rd component P _a3, to the initial value P _a0 in this order. The priority calculating unit 11 may calculate the traffic priority by adding 2 or less or 4 or more components to the initial value. The initial value P _a0 or a value obtained by adding 1 or more components to the initial value P _a0 is an example of a provisional value of the traffic priority of the mobile body 2 a. In addition to increasing the traffic priority by adding a positive addition value to the provisional value, the priority calculation unit 11 may multiply the provisional value by a coefficient larger than 1 to increase the traffic priority, or may increase the traffic priority by a power of the provisional value or other operations.

The 1 st component P _a1 is a component of the traffic priority of the moving object 2a concerning whether or not a person gets on the moving object 2 a. The priority calculating unit 11 calculates the 1 st component P _a1, for example, according to the following equation (5). Here, the value U is a predetermined positive value.

[ Formula 5]

Since the 1 st component P _a1 calculated as in the expression (5) is added to the provisional value, the traffic priority of the moving object 2 on which the person rides increases as compared with the provisional value. Therefore, the movement of the moving body 2 on which the person rides is more prioritized.

The 2 nd component P _a2 is a component related to a slow period until the arrival request time of the service provided by the mobile body 2a in the traffic priority of the mobile body 2 a. The priority calculating unit 11 calculates the 2 nd component P _a2, for example, according to the following equation (6). Here, the value E is a preset value. The coefficient a is a predetermined positive value. The time T ₁ is a value of a time set in advance. Time t _D is the arrival request time of the service provided by mobile unit 2 a. Time t _E is a scheduled arrival time at which mobile body 2a arrives at the destination point.

[ Formula 6]

Since the 2 nd component P _a2 calculated as in equation (6) is added to the provisional value, the traffic priority of the mobile station 2 having a small difference between the arrival request time t _D and the arrival scheduled time t _E, that is, a short delay period until the arrival request time t _D, increases from the provisional value. Therefore, the movement of the moving object 2, which has a short slow period until the request time t _D and has a reason for abrupt movement, is prioritized. In addition, when the difference between the arrival request time T _D and the arrival scheduled time T _E is longer than the time T ₁, the slow period of the moving body 2a until the arrival request time T _D is sufficiently long, and therefore, the addition of the slow period until the arrival request time T _D is not performed with respect to the traffic priority of the moving body 2 a.

The 3 rd component P _a3 is a component related to mobility performance in the traffic priority of the mobile body 2 a. The priority calculating unit 11 calculates the 3 rd component P _a3, for example, according to the following equation (7). Here, the coefficient b is a predetermined positive value. The time T ₂ is a value of a time set in advance. The variance σ _a ² is a variance of the movement time when the moving body 2a moves a certain distance. The variance σ _b ² is a variance of the movement time when the moving body 2b moves a certain distance.

[ Formula 7]

Here, the moving time of each moving body 2 may be longer than a time predicted from the distance along the path and the speed of the moving body 2 according to the moving performance of the moving body 2 or the situation such as congestion on the path. For example, depending on the movement performance of the moving body 2, the influence from the ground state of the area to be travelled may vary. The ground state includes a raw material of the ground, a cleanliness of the ground with or without dust or dust, an inclination of the ground, a step, or the like. When the moving performance of the moving body 2 is high, the moving time of the moving body 2 is not easily affected by the ground state. On the other hand, the lower the moving performance of the moving body 2, the stronger the influence of the ground state, and the larger the deviation of the moving time of the moving body 2. Therefore, if the condition of the expression (2) is not satisfied, if there is a difference in the movement performance between the moving bodies 2a and 2b, the traveling of the moving body 2a is prioritized, and the overall movement efficiency may be improved.

When the difference between the time until the moving body 2a passes through the passage r and the time until the moving body 2b enters the passage r is shorter than the time T ₂, the smaller the deviation of the moving time of the moving body 2a with respect to the moving body 2b, that is, the higher the moving performance of the moving body 2a with respect to the moving body 2b, the larger the value of the 3 rd component P _a3 calculated as in the equation (7). Since the 3 rd component P _a3 calculated in this way is added to the provisional value, when the moving body 2a is allowed to pass, the overall moving efficiency can be improved, and the pass priority of the moving body 2a increases as compared with the provisional value. Therefore, the movement of the mobile body 2, which is prioritized to improve the overall movement efficiency, is prioritized due to the high movement performance. In addition, when the difference between the time until the moving body 2a passes through the passage r and the time until the moving body 2b enters the passage r is longer than the time T ₂, even if the traffic of the moving body 2a is prioritized, the possibility of the overall movement efficiency being improved is low, and therefore, the addition based on the movement performance is not performed with respect to the traffic priority of the moving body 2a.

Further, for example, the variance σ _a ² and the variance σ _b ² are calculated from the histories of the position information stored in the moving body storage unit 8 as moving body information of the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b. For example, the priority calculating unit 11 calculates the variance σ _a ² and the variance σ _b ². Alternatively, the variance σ _a ² and the variance σ _b ² may be acquired by the communication unit 9 using the values calculated by the mobile unit 2a and the mobile unit 2b as mobile unit information.

In addition, when the moving body 2 has a cause of abrupt movement, the priority calculating unit 11 may increase the traffic priority of the moving body 2 from the provisional value for the cause. The moving body 2 having a reason for the abrupt movement is, for example, the moving body 2 that performs emergency transport, the moving body 2 that moves in order to cope with an emergency, or the like. The moving object 2 to deal with an emergency is, for example, a moving object 2 which makes a busy trip to an accident site to take an image of the site condition as early as possible, or a moving object 2 which makes a busy trip to a traffic place in a room at the time of occurrence of a disaster to start guiding the refuge as early as possible. The priority calculating unit 11 increases the traffic priority by, for example, adding positive components calculated in the same manner as in the equation (5).

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing an example of a plurality of areas in which the movable body 2 of embodiment 1 moves.

In fig. 3, as areas of facilities, a room R1, a room R2, and a door area rd are shown. The gate region rd is a region passing through the automatic gate 5. The automatic door 5 is provided at the boundary between the room R1 and the room R2. That is, the room R1 and the room R2 are connected through the door region rd. The width W _rd of the door region rd is, for example, the opening width of the automatic door 5. The width W _rd of the door region rd is narrower than the width of each of the rooms R1 and R2. The door region rd is another example of an intermediate region between the room R1 and the room R2. The detection area Ard of the door area rd is set around the room R1 side of the door area rd, and the like.

The path followed by the moving body 2a passes through the room R1, the door region rd, and the room R2 in this order. At this point, the current position of the mobile body 2a is located in the room R1. The path followed by the moving body 2b passes through the room R2, the door region rd, and the room R1 in this order. At this point, the current position of the mobile body 2b is located in the room R2. The moving directions of the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b in the gate region rd become directions opposite to each other.

As for the gate region rd, the control system 3 determines whether or not the mobile object 2a can enter, as in the determination of the passage r in the case of fig. 2. At this time, the command unit 12 may cause the movable body 2a to enter the door region rd by outputting a command for opening operation, a command for maintaining the open state, or the like to the automatic door 5. The command unit 12 may be configured to output a command for closing operation, a command for maintaining a closed state, or the like to the automatic door 5, and to cause the movable body 2a to wait for entering the door region rd.

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the plurality of moving bodies 2 according to embodiment 1 at a certain point in time.

In fig. 4, as areas of facilities, a room R1, a room R2, a passage R1, and a passage R2 are shown. The passage R1 is adjacent to the room R1. The path R2 is adjacent to the room R2. The passage r1 and the passage r2 are adjacent to each other. That is, room R1 and room R2 are connected by way of way R1 and way R2. The width W _r1 of the passage R1 is narrower than the width of each of the room R1 and the room R2. The width W _r2 of the passage R2 is narrower than the width of each of the rooms R1 and R2. The width W _r2 of the via r2 is narrower than the width W _r1 of the via r 1. The length of the passage r1 is a length L _r1 along the direction of the passage r 1. The length of the passage r2 is a length L _r2 along the direction of the passage r2.

In this example, the detection area Ar1 of the passage r1 and the detection area Ar2 of the passage r2 are shown. The detection region Ar1 of the passage R1 is set around the room R1 side of the passage R1, and the like. The detection region Ar2 of the passage r2 is set around the passage r1 side of the passage r2, and the like.

Fig. 4 shows, as moving object information at a certain point, the arrangement of the moving object 2a and the moving object 2b based on the information stored in the moving object storage unit 8. In this example, the moving body 2a is an autonomous moving body having a width W _a. The moving body 2b is an autonomous moving body having a width W _b. The moving body 2a and the moving body 2b each follow a predetermined path.

The path followed by the moving body 2a passes through the room R1, the path R2, and the room R2 in this order. At this point, the current position of the mobile body 2a is located in the room R1. The path followed by the moving body 2b passes through the room R2, the path R1, and the room R1 in this order. At this point, the current position of the mobile body 2b is located in the room R2. The moving directions of the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b in the passage r1 and the passage r2 are opposite to each other.

The detection unit 10 determines whether or not the mobile body 2a has entered the detection area Ar1 on the room R1 side of the passage R1 based on the map information and the position information of the mobile body 2a, as in the case of fig. 2. When it is determined that the moving body 2a has entered the detection area Ar1, the detection unit 10 detects the approach of the moving body 2a to the passage r1.

The moving body 2a in this case is an example of the 1 st moving body. In addition, with respect to the mobile body 2a, the room R1 is an example of the 1 st area. The passage r1 is an example of the 1 st intermediate area with respect to the moving body 2 a. With respect to the mobile body 2a, the room R2 is an example of the 2 nd area. The passage r2 is an example of the 2 nd intermediate region with respect to the moving body 2 a. The 2 nd intermediate area is an area adjacent to the departure point side of the 2 nd area and narrower in width than the 1 st area in the path followed by the moving body 2. The passage r1 in the 1 st intermediate area for the moving body 2a and the passage r2 in the 2 nd intermediate area for the moving body 2a are examples of intermediate areas for the moving body 2a, respectively. Here, the 1 st intermediate area is the first intermediate area with respect to the moving body 2 a. Further, with respect to the moving body 2a, the 2 nd intermediate area is the last intermediate area.

When the detection unit 10 detects that the moving object 2a approaches the passage r1, which is the first intermediate region, the instruction unit 12 determines whether the moving object 2a can enter the passage r1, as in the case of fig. 2.

First, the command unit 12 determines whether or not the moving object 2 following a path passing through at least any intermediate region exists in the intermediate region of the moving object 2a including the paths r1 and r 2. In this example, since the path followed by the moving body 2b passes through the path r1 and the path r2, the command unit 12 determines that the moving body 2 passing through the intermediate area of the moving body 2a exists. The moving body 2b in this case is an example of the 2 nd moving body.

When there is a moving body 2b following a path passing through the intermediate area of the moving body 2a, the instruction unit 12 determines whether or not the passage of the moving body 2a and the passage of the moving body 2b are established simultaneously for each intermediate area. The command unit 12 determines whether or not the condition represented by the formula (1) is satisfied for each intermediate area, based on, for example, the moving object information and the map information of the moving objects 2a and 2 b. When the condition of expression (1) is satisfied for all the intermediate areas, the command unit 12 determines that the passage of the mobile body 2a and the mobile body 2b in the intermediate areas is simultaneously established. At this time, the command unit 12 brings the moving object 2a into the passage r1 which is the first intermediate region.

On the other hand, when the condition of the expression (1) is not satisfied for any intermediate region, the command unit 12 determines whether or not the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b interfere with each other in any intermediate region until the moving body 2a passes through the passage r2 which is the final intermediate region while the moving bodies 2 continue to follow the path movement. The instruction unit 12 determines whether the moving object 2b is to enter an arbitrary intermediate area or whether the moving object 2b has entered an arbitrary intermediate area until the moving object 2a passes through the passage r 2. For example, as the condition similar to the formula (2), the command unit 12 determines whether or not a condition is satisfied that the time until the mobile body 2a passes through the passage r2 which is the last intermediate region is shorter than the time until the mobile body 2b enters the passage r2 which is the nearest intermediate region. When this condition is satisfied, the command unit 12 determines that the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b do not interfere with each other in any intermediate region. At this time, the command unit 12 brings the movable body 2a into the passage r1.

On the other hand, when the condition similar to the expression (2) is not satisfied, the instruction unit 12 causes the priority calculating unit 11 to calculate the traffic priorities of the mobile units 2a and 2 b. The priority calculating unit 11 calculates the traffic priority of each mobile unit 2, for example, as in the case of fig. 2 represented by the formulas (4) to (7) and the like. For example, in the calculation of the 3 rd component P _a3 similar to the expression (7), when the difference between the time until the moving body 2a passes through the passage r2 which is the last intermediate region and the time until the moving body 2b enters the passage r2 which is the nearest intermediate region is shorter than the time T ₂, the priority calculating unit 11 performs addition based on the movement performance with respect to the traffic priority of the moving body 2 a. The command unit 12 determines whether the calculated traffic priority of the mobile object 2a is higher than the traffic priority of the mobile object 2 b. The command unit 12 determines whether or not the condition represented by the expression (3) is satisfied, for example.

When the condition of expression (3) is satisfied, the command unit 12 determines that the traffic priority of the mobile body 2a is higher than the traffic priority of the mobile body 2 b. At this time, the command unit 12 brings the movable body 2a into the passage r1. On the other hand, when the condition of the expression (3) is not satisfied, the command unit 12 causes the movable body 2a to wait for entry into the passage r1. In this way, the command unit 12 determines whether or not the mobile body 2a can enter the passage r1 as the first intermediate region.

Similarly, when the detection unit 10 detects that the moving object 2a approaches the passage R2 from the room R1 side, the instruction unit 12 sets the passage R1 to a new 1 st area, sets the passage R2 to a new 1 st intermediate area, and the like, and determines whether the moving object 2a can enter the passage R2.

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing an example of a plurality of areas in which the movable body 2 of embodiment 1 moves.

In fig. 5, as the areas of the facility, a room R1, a room R2, a passage R1, a passage R2, a gate area rg1, and a gate area rg2 are shown. The gate region rg1 and the gate region rg2 are regions through which the safety door 6 passes. The safety door 6 is provided between the passage r1 and the passage r 2. The width W _rg1 of the gate region rg1 and the width W _rg2 of the gate region rg2 are, for example, gate widths of the safety door 6. The width W _rg1 of the gate region rg1 and the width W _rg2 of the gate region rg2 are narrower than the widths of the room R1 and the room R2, respectively. The passage R1, the gate region rg1, and the passage R2 are another example of an intermediate region between the room R1 and the room R2. Further, the passage R1, the gate region rg2, and the passage R2 are another example of an intermediate region between the room R1 and the room R2. The detection region Arg1 of the gate region rg1 is set around the passage r1 side of the gate region rg1, and the like. The detection region Arg2 of the gate region rg2 is set around the passage r1 side of the gate region rg2, and the like.

The path followed by the moving body 2a passes through the room R1, the passage R1, the gate region rg1, the passage R2, and the room R2 in this order. At this point, the current position of the mobile body 2a is located in the room R1. The path followed by the moving body 2b passes through the room R2, the passage R2, the gate region rg1, the passage R1, and the room R1 in this order. At this point, the current position of the mobile body 2b is located in the room R2. The moving directions of the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b in the passage r1, the gate region rg1, and the passage r2 are opposite to each other.

As for the intermediate region of the mobile body 2a constituted by the passage r1, the gate region rg1, and the passage r2, the control system 3 determines whether or not the mobile body 2a is accessible, as in the determination of the intermediate region in the case of fig. 4. At this time, the command unit 12 can cause the movable body 2a to enter the gate region rg1 or the like by outputting a command to unlock the safety door 6. The command unit 12 may be configured to cause the movable body 2a to wait for entry into the gate area rg1 or the like by outputting a lock command to the safety door 6.

Fig. 6 to 9 are diagrams showing another example of a plurality of areas in which the movable body 2 according to embodiment 1 moves.

Fig. 6 to 9 show, as areas of facilities, a passage r6, a passage r4, a passage r1, a landing h6, a landing h4, a landing h1, and a car area rc. The car region rc is a region inside the car of the elevator 4. That is, when the moving body 2 passes through the car region rc, the moving body 2 rides on the car of the elevator 4. The width of the car region rc is, for example, the width of the entrance of the car, the width of the interior of the car, or the like. The path r6 and the landing h6 are areas of 6 floors of the facility. The path r6 is adjacent to the landing h 6. The moving object 2 having entered the car area rc at 6 floors is mounted on the car from the landing h 6. That is, the landing h6 is adjacent to the car region rc. The path r4 and the landing h4 are areas of 4 floors of the facility. Similarly to the case where the hall h6 is adjacent to the passage r6 and the car region rc, the hall h4 is adjacent to the passage r4 and the car region rc. The path r1 and the landing h1 are areas of 1 floor of the facility. Similarly to the case where the hall h6 is adjacent to the passage r6 and the car region rc, the hall h1 is adjacent to the passage r1 and the car region rc.

In fig. 6, the path followed by the moving body 2a passes through the path r6, the landing h6, the car region rc, the landing h1, and the path r1 in this order. That is, the moving body 2a moves from 6 floors to 1 floor by the elevator 4. At this point, the current position of the moving body 2a is located in the area adjacent to the passage r6. The path followed by the moving body 2b passes through the path r1, the landing h1, the car region rc, the landing h6, and the path r6 in this order. That is, the moving body 2b moves from the 1 th floor to the 6 th floor by the elevator 4. At this point, the current position of the moving body 2b is located in the area adjacent to the passage r1. The moving directions of the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b in the passage r6, the landing h6, the car region rc, the landing h1, and the passage r1 are opposite to each other.

As for the intermediate area of the moving body 2a constituted by the passage r6, the landing h6, the car area rc, the landing h1, and the passage r1, the control system 3 determines whether or not the moving body 2a is allowed to enter, as in the determination of the intermediate area of the moving body 2a in the case of fig. 4. That is, the command unit 12 determines whether or not the passage of the moving object 2a and the moving object 2b is simultaneously established for the two areas of 6 layers and 1 layer. Here, the instruction unit 12 may cause the mobile unit 2a to register a call of the elevator 4 when the mobile unit 2a enters the intermediate area. That is, the instruction unit 12 determines whether or not the mobile body 2a can enter the intermediate area including the car area rc before registering the call with the mobile body 2 a. At this time, the instruction unit 12 may cause the mobile body 2a to register a call by outputting an instruction for call registration to the mobile body 2a, or may cause the mobile body 2a to register a call by permitting registration of a call from the mobile body 2 a. Further, the instruction unit 12 may cause the mobile body 2a to wait for the call of the elevator 4 when the mobile body 2a is caused to stand by. At this time, the instruction unit 12 may cause the mobile body 2a to wait for a call by outputting an instruction to wait for a call to the mobile body 2a, or may cause the mobile body 2a to wait for a call by refusing to register a call from the mobile body 2 a.

As shown in fig. 7, when the mobile body 2a registers a call of the elevator 4 immediately before the car area rc, the mobile body 2a enters the hall h1 without waiting in the car area rc after the mounted car reaches the floor 1. At this time, if the hall h1, the passage r1, or the like interferes with another mobile body 2b, the command unit 12 determines whether or not the mobile body 2a can enter the intermediate area including the 1-floor area as the lower floor before the mobile body 2a is caused to register a call.

As shown in fig. 8, when the call registration of the elevator 4 is performed before the mobile body 2a enters the hall h6, the mobile body 2a moves to the hall h6 to get on the car to be allocated. At this time, if the hall h6, the passage r6, or the like interferes with another mobile body 2b moving at 6 floors as the lower floor, the instruction unit 12 determines whether or not the mobile body 2a can enter the intermediate area including the 1-floor area as the lower floor before registering the mobile body 2a for a call, because the passage may be blocked.

In addition, in a case where the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b can pass through the car region rc without interference by the arrangement of the elevator 4 or the like, the command unit 12 may determine whether or not the moving body 2a can enter with respect to the intermediate region of the 1 th floor on the destination point side with respect to the car region rc.

In fig. 9, the path followed by the moving body 2a passes through the path r6, the landing h6, the car region rc, the landing h1, and the path r1 in this order. That is, the moving body 2a moves from 6 floors to 1 floor by the elevator 4. At this point, the current position of the moving body 2a is located in the area adjacent to the passage r 6. The path followed by the moving body 2b passes through the path r4, the landing h4, the car region rc, the landing h1, and the path r1 in this order. That is, the moving body 2b moves from 4 floors to 1 floor by the elevator 4. At this point, the current position of the moving body 2b is located in the area adjacent to the passage r 4.

The control system 3 determines whether or not the moving body 2a is allowed to enter in the middle area of the moving body 2a constituted by the passage r6, the landing h6, the car area rc, the landing h1, and the passage r1, as in the determination of the middle area of the moving body 2a in the case of fig. 4.

Here, the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b may not be mounted on the car at the same time due to the load weight and the capacity of the car, the number of autonomous moving bodies that can be mounted on the car at the same time, and other restrictions. In this case, for example, the command unit 12 determines whether or not the moving object 2a can enter, assuming that the passage of the moving object 2a and the passage of the moving object 2b cannot be established at the same time for the car region rc. For example, when the simultaneous establishment of the traffic of the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b is determined for the car region rc based on the availability of the same, the command unit 12 may not determine the simultaneous establishment of the traffic based on the width of the car region rc. In this case, the map information may not include information on the width of the car region rc. The command unit 12 may determine whether or not the moving object 2a and the moving object 2b can be multiplied based on moving object information such as weight.

In addition, which of the moving bodies 2a and 2b uses the elevator 4 depends on the operating condition such as allocation of the elevator 4. Therefore, it may be difficult to predict the time until the mobile object 2a passes through the passage r1 as the final intermediate region. In this case, for example, the command unit 12 determines whether or not the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b interfere with each other, on the condition that the same condition as in the expression (2) is not satisfied, and that the time until the moving body 2a passes through the passage r1 as the final intermediate region is shorter than the time until the moving body 2b enters the passage r1 as the nearest intermediate region.

Next, an example of the operation of the management system 3 will be described with reference to fig. 10 and 11.

Fig. 10 and 11 are flowcharts showing an example of the operation of the control system 3 according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 10 shows an example of the operation of the control system 3 related to the acquisition of the moving object information.

In step S11, the communication unit 9 receives specification information from the mobile unit 2. The specification information is information unique to the mobile body 2, such as the size and weight of the mobile body 2 in the mobile body information, which does not change during the operation of the mobile body 2. Then, the control system 3 proceeds to the process of step S12.

In step S12, the communication unit 9 determines whether or not the operation information is received from the mobile unit 2. Here, the operation information is information that varies during the operation of the mobile body 2, such as a route, an operation state, position information, and speed information among the mobile body information. If the determination result is no, the control system 3 proceeds again to the process of step S12. If the determination result is yes, the control system 3 proceeds to the process of step S13.

In step S13, the mobile body storage unit 8 stores the operation information received from the mobile body 2 by the communication unit 9. Then, the control system 3 proceeds to the process of step S14.

In step S14, the communication unit 9 determines whether or not the reception of the operation information from the mobile unit 2 has ended. If the determination result is no, the control system 3 proceeds to the process of step S12. If the determination result is yes, the control system 3 ends the operation related to the acquisition of the mobile object information.

Fig. 11 shows an example of the operation of the control system 3 regarding the determination of whether or not the mobile object 2a can enter the area on the route. The control system 3 performs the processing of fig. 11 for each mobile unit 2, for example.

In step S21, the detection unit 10 determines whether or not the moving object 2a approaches an area having a width smaller than the current area and adjacent to the destination point side of the area. If the determination result is no, the control system 3 proceeds to the process of step S21. During this period, the control system 3 acquires the moving object information by the processing of step S11 to step S14 in fig. 10, and the like. On the other hand, if the determination result is yes, the control system 3 proceeds to the process of step S22.

In step S22, the command unit 12 determines whether or not there are other moving bodies 2b following a path passing through at least one of the intermediate areas for the moving bodies 2 a. If the determination result is yes, the control system 3 proceeds to the process of step S23. If the determination result is no, the control system 3 proceeds to the process of step S27.

In step S23, the command unit 12 determines whether or not the passage of the moving body 2a and the passage of the moving body 2b are simultaneously established for each intermediate area. If the determination result is no, the control system 3 proceeds to the process of step S24. If the determination result is yes, the control system 3 proceeds to the process of step S27.

In step S24, the command unit 12 determines whether or not the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b interfere with each other in any intermediate region until the moving body 2a passes through the last intermediate region. If the determination result is yes, the control system 3 proceeds to the process of step S25. If the determination result is no, the control system 3 proceeds to the process of step S27.

In step S25, the priority calculating unit 11 calculates a traffic priority for each mobile body 2. Then, the control system 3 advances to the process of step S26.

In step S26, the command unit 12 determines whether or not the traffic priority of the mobile object 2a is higher than the traffic priority of the mobile object 2 b. If the determination result is yes, the control system 3 proceeds to the process of step S27. If the determination result is no, the control system 3 proceeds to the process of step S28.

In step S27, the command unit 12 brings the moving object 2a into the intermediate area. Then, the control system 3 advances to the process of step S29.

In step S28, the command unit 12 causes the mobile unit 2a to wait without entering the intermediate area. Then, the control system 3 advances to the process of step S21.

In step S29, the instruction unit 12 determines whether or not the service provided by the mobile body 2a is completed. If the determination result is no, the control system 3 proceeds to the process of step S21. If the determination result is yes, the control system 3 ends the operation related to the determination of whether or not the mobile object 2a is allowed to enter.

The positional information of the mobile body 2 may be measured by an external device of the mobile body 2. The external device includes, for example, a camera or a wireless beacon device installed in a facility. At this time, the communication unit 9 acquires the position information of the mobile body 2 from the external device.

The mobile unit 2 may be an autonomous mobile unit that moves by remote control by an external device such as a mobile unit server. In this case, the control system 3 may communicate with the mobile unit 2 via the mobile unit server.

Further, regarding the mobile body 2a as an autonomous mobile body that determines whether or not to enter the intermediate area by the control system 3, the mobile body 2b that affects the determination may be a person, a mobile device carried by the person, a dolly manipulated by the person, or the like. In addition, for example, in a case where the moving body 2b is a person, a moving device carried by the person, or a dolly manipulated by the person, the path of the moving body 2b may be a predicted path predicted from the history of the positional information or the like.

As described above, the control system 3 according to embodiment 1 includes the communication unit 9, the detection unit 10, and the command unit 12. The communication unit 9 acquires moving object information including width, path, and position information for the plurality of moving objects 2. Each moving body 2 moves following a path passing through at least any one of a plurality of areas in the facility. The detection unit 10 detects the approach of the mobile body 2a to the passage r1 based on the map information and the mobile body information acquired by the communication unit 9 for the mobile body 2 a. The map information includes information on the arrangement of a plurality of areas in the facility and the width of the mobile body 2 when passing through each area. The passage R1 is a 1 st intermediate area which is narrower than the room R1 in width among the areas of the facility and is adjacent to the room R1. Room R1 is the 1 st area containing the current position of mobile body 2 a. Here, the path followed by the moving body 2a sometimes passes through a plurality of intermediate areas between the rooms R1 to R2. Room R2 is the 2 nd area wider than the passage R1. The plurality of intermediate areas are part of a plurality of areas of the facility, including the pathway r1 and the pathway r2. The path R2 is the 2 nd intermediate area adjacent to the room R2. In this case, when the detection unit 10 detects that the moving object 2a approaches the path r1, the instruction unit 12 waits for the moving object 2a to enter the path r1 when it is determined that the width of any intermediate region is smaller than the sum of the widths of the moving objects 2a and 2b plus the margin α. The instruction unit 12 makes this determination on the basis of the map information and the moving object information acquired by the communication unit 9 for the moving object 2a and the moving object 2 b. The moving body 2b follows a path passing through at least any one of the plurality of intermediate areas. Here, the margin α is a preset value.

According to this configuration, the control system 3 determines whether or not entry is possible using information on each of the intermediate areas up to the area having the width wider than the area before entering the area having the narrower width from the area including the current position of the mobile body 2. Since the control system 3 determines whether or not entry is possible based on the map information, it is possible to determine whether or not entry into each intermediate area is possible even when the moving object 2 passes through an area that cannot be observed from the entrance of the intermediate area due to a corner or the like. Therefore, clogging of the mobile body 2 in the middle of the passage is suppressed.

When the detection unit 10 detects that the moving body 2a is approaching the passage r1, the instruction unit 12 determines that the position of the moving body 2b is not included in any intermediate area until the moving body 2a passes through the passage r2, and causes the moving body 2a to enter the passage r1.

According to this configuration, the control system 3 allows the mobile body 2a to enter the intermediate area without the other mobile body 2b interfering with the mobile body 2a in the intermediate area. This improves the movement efficiency of the movable body 2 a.

The control system 3 further includes a priority calculating unit 11. The priority calculating unit 11 calculates traffic priorities for the mobile units 2. When the detection unit 10 detects that the mobile body 2a approaches the passage r1, the instruction unit 12 causes the mobile body 2a to enter the passage r1 when the traffic priority of the mobile body 2a is higher than that of the mobile body 2 b.

Further, the priority calculating unit 11 calculates a provisional value of the traffic priority for each mobile body 2. The priority calculating unit 11 increases the traffic priority of the moving object 2 on which the person rides among the plurality of moving objects 2, as compared with the provisional value.

Further, the priority calculating unit 11 calculates a provisional value of the traffic priority for each mobile body 2. The priority calculating unit 11 increases the traffic priority of the mobile unit 2 at the arrival request time at which the destination point of the arrival route is set, from among the plurality of mobile units 2, in comparison with the provisional value, based on the difference between the arrival scheduled time at which the mobile unit 2 arrives at the destination point of the route and the arrival request time set in the mobile unit 2.

The priority calculating unit 11 calculates a provisional value of the traffic priority for the mobile units 2a and 2 b. The priority calculating unit 11 corrects the provisional value of at least one of the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b based on the movement performance of the moving body 2a and the moving body 2 b.

With this configuration, the control system 3 can cause the traveling object 2 to be prioritized to pass preferentially according to whether or not there is a passenger, an emergency, and the overall traveling efficiency. Therefore, the control system 3 improves the quality of service of the mobile body 2.

The plurality of areas include areas through gates such as the safety gate 6 and doors such as the automatic gate 5 provided in the facility.

The plurality of areas include cars of the elevator 4 installed in the facility.

According to this structure, the control system 3 can control the movement of the mobile body 2 that moves in a wide range in a facility including a plurality of areas. In particular, the movement of the moving body 2 moving along the route inside and outside the safety area in which the entrance and exit are managed by the safety gate 6 or the like, the moving body 2 moving along the route on the plurality of floors, or the like can be controlled.

In addition, sometimes a plurality of intermediate areas contain the car of the elevator 4, and the path followed by the moving body 2b passes through the car of the elevator 4. In this case, when the detection unit 10 detects that the movable body 2a approaches the passage r1, and determines that the movable body 2a and the movable body 2b cannot be mounted on the car of the elevator 4, the instruction unit 12 causes the movable body 2a to wait for entering the passage r1. In this case, the instruction unit 12 causes the mobile unit 2a to wait for call registration of the elevator 4.

According to this configuration, the control system 3 determines whether or not the elevator 4 can be co-located with the other mobile body 2b, that is, whether or not the elevator can be moved into the area of the car, before moving from the area located at the current floor of the mobile body 2a to the area of the other floor. Since the control system 3 determines whether or not access is possible based on the map information, it is possible to determine whether or not access to the area of the car is possible even before approaching the landing of the elevator 4. Therefore, clogging of the mobile body 2 in the middle of the passage is suppressed. In addition, when the travel destination cannot be shared, since the call registration of the mobile unit 2 is not performed, the blocking of the passage and useless call registration are suppressed.

When the detection unit 10 detects that the moving body 2a approaches the passage r1, the instruction unit 12 may cause the moving body 2a to enter the passage r1 when the moving directions of the paths followed by the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b are the same in the plurality of intermediate regions. When the moving direction of the moving body 2a and the moving body 2b is the same direction, the moving bodies may pass through the intermediate area without interfering with each other even if they enter the intermediate area at the same time. In this case, the movable body 2a and the like are not made to stand by uselessly, and therefore, the reduction in the movement efficiency of the movable body 2a is suppressed.

Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the management system 3 will be described with reference to fig. 12.

Fig. 12 is a hardware configuration diagram of a main part of the control system 3 according to embodiment 1.

The functions of the control system 3 can be realized by a processing circuit. The processing circuit has at least 1 processor 100a and at least 1 memory 100b. The processing circuitry may also have at least 1 dedicated hardware 200 in addition to or in place of the processor 100a and the memory 100b.

In the case of a processing circuit having a processor 100a and a memory 100b, the respective functions of the regulation system 3 are realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. At least one of the software and the firmware is referred to as a program. The program is stored in the memory 100b. The processor 100a reads out and executes a program stored in the memory 100b, thereby realizing the functions of the regulation system 3.

The processor 100a is also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit: central processing unit), a processing device, an arithmetic device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a DSP. The memory 100b is constituted by a nonvolatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, or the like, for example.

In the case of processing circuitry having dedicated hardware 200, the processing circuitry is implemented, for example, by a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof.

The functions of the control system 3 can be realized by a processing circuit. Or the functions of the control system 3 can be uniformly implemented by a processing circuit. Regarding the functions of the control system 3, one part may be implemented by the dedicated hardware 200, and the other part may be implemented by software or firmware. Thus, the processing circuitry implements the functions of the policing system 3 through dedicated hardware 200, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 2

In embodiment 2, differences from the example disclosed in embodiment 1 will be described in particular detail. As for the features not described in embodiment 2, any features of the examples disclosed in embodiment 1 can be employed.

Fig. 13 is a configuration diagram of mobile system 1 according to embodiment 2.

The mobile body system 1 has a plurality of mobile bodies 2, a control system 3, and a map management system 13.

The map management system 13 is, for example, 1 or more server devices or the like. Some or all of the functions of the map management system 13 may be mounted on 1 or more devices installed in the facility, or may be mounted by storage or processing resources or the like on 1 or more devices disposed outside the facility or on a cloud service. The map management system 13 is an external system of the policing system 3. The map management system 13 is connected to a communication network such as the internet or a telephone line network. The map management system 13 is equipped with a map storage unit 7.

The communication unit 9 of the control system 3 acquires map information from the map storage unit 7 mounted in the map management system 13. The control system 3 determines whether the mobile object 2 can enter the middle area or the like on the route based on the map information acquired from the map management system 13.

In this way, when map information is managed in an external system, the control system 3 can control the movement of the mobile body 2.

Embodiment 3

In embodiment 3, differences from the examples disclosed in embodiment 1 or embodiment 2 will be described in particular detail. As for the features not described in embodiment 3, any features of the examples disclosed in embodiment 1 or embodiment 2 can be employed.

Fig. 14 is a configuration diagram of mobile system 1 according to embodiment 3.

The mobile body system 1 may be an autonomous distributed system in which the mobile body 2 itself determines whether or not each mobile body 2 can enter the intermediate area. In this example, the mobile body system 1 has a plurality of mobile bodies 2 and a map management system 13.

Each mobile body 2 is, for example, an autonomous mobile body or the like. Each moving body 2 has a moving body side storage unit 14, a moving body side communication unit 15, a moving body side detection unit 16, a moving body side calculation unit 17, and a determination unit 18.

The moving body 2 includes, for example, a processing circuit having a processor and a memory as hardware. The processor is, for example, a CPU, an arithmetic device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or the like. The memory is, for example, a nonvolatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, and EEPROM, or a magnetic disk, a floppy disk, an optical disk, a high-density disk, a mini disk, or a DVD. The memory stores, for example, a program or the like as software or firmware. Further, as for the portion of the mobile body 2 responsible for information processing, the processor executes a program or the like stored in the memory, thereby performing a predetermined process, and as a result of cooperation of hardware and software, each function is realized. The respective functions of the information processing of the mobile body 2 can be realized by a processing circuit. Or a part or all of the functions of the information processing of the mobile body 2 may be realized by a processing circuit in a unified manner. Furthermore, the processing circuitry may be implemented, for example, in a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC or FPGA, or a combination thereof.

The mobile-side storage unit 14 is a portion for storing information. The moving body side storage unit 14 stores moving body information of the moving body 2 itself, moving body information of other moving bodies 2, and the like.

The mobile-side communication unit 15 is a part that communicates with devices or the like outside the mobile body 2. The mobile-side communication unit 15 is connected to a communication network such as the internet or a telephone line network. The individual mobile bodies 2 are connected to each other directly or indirectly, for example, via the communication network. Each mobile unit 2 is connected to the map management system 13 via the communication network, for example. The mobile-side communication unit 15 acquires mobile information of the mobile unit 2 from the other mobile unit 2. The mobile-side communication unit 15 continuously acquires other mobile information. The mobile unit-side communication unit 15 continuously acquires mobile unit information, and thereby the mobile unit information stored in the mobile unit-side storage unit 14 is updated or written as needed. The mobile-side communication unit 15 may omit acquisition of information that is not updated or recorded in the mobile-side information. The mobile-side communication unit 15 acquires map information from the map storage unit 7 mounted in the map management system 13. The mobile-side communication unit 15 is an example of an acquisition unit.

The moving body side detection unit 16 is a portion that detects the approach of the moving body 2 itself to the area in the facility. The moving body side detection unit 16 detects proximity from the map information acquired by the moving body side communication unit 15 and the moving body information of the moving body 2 itself. The moving body side detection unit 16 detects proximity in the same manner as the detection unit 10 in embodiment 1 or embodiment 2.

The moving body side calculation unit 17 is a unit that calculates the traffic priority for the moving body 2 itself. The information of the traffic priority of the mobile unit 2 itself calculated by the mobile unit side calculating unit 17 may be output as part of the mobile unit information through the mobile unit side communication unit 15, for example, so that the other mobile units 2 can use the information. The mobile-side calculation unit 17 calculates the traffic priority in the same manner as the priority calculation unit 11 in embodiment 1 or embodiment 2.

The determination unit 18 is a unit that determines whether or not the mobile body 2 itself can enter the intermediate area. When the moving body side detection unit 16 detects that the moving body 2 itself approaches the first intermediate area adjacent to the area where the moving body 2 itself is currently located, the determination unit 18 determines whether or not the moving body itself can enter the intermediate area. The determination unit 18 determines whether or not the intermediate area can be entered, as in the case of the instruction unit 12 in embodiment 1 or embodiment 2.

When the determination unit 18 of the moving body 2 itself determines that the moving body can enter the intermediate area, each moving body 2 starts to enter the intermediate area. On the other hand, when the determination unit 18 of the mobile unit 2 itself determines that the mobile unit cannot enter the intermediate area, the mobile units 2 wait for entering the intermediate area.

As described above, the moving body 2 according to embodiment 3 is any one of the plurality of moving bodies 2. The mobile unit 2 includes a mobile unit-side communication unit 15, a mobile unit-side detection unit 16, and a determination unit 18. The mobile-side communication unit 15 acquires map information. The mobile-side communication unit 15 acquires mobile-body information for another mobile body 2 among the plurality of mobile bodies 2. The moving body side detection unit 16 detects the approach of the moving body 2 itself to the passage r1 based on the map information and the moving body information of the moving body 2 itself. The path followed by the mobile body 2 itself sometimes passes through a plurality of intermediate areas between the rooms R1 to R2. In this case, when the moving body side detection unit 16 detects that the moving body 2 itself approaches the path r1, the determination unit 18 waits for entry into the path r1, based on the map information and the moving body information acquired by the moving body side communication unit 15 for the moving body 2 itself and the other moving bodies 2, when it is determined that the width of any one of the plurality of intermediate areas is smaller than the value obtained by adding the preset margin α to the sum of the widths of the moving body 2 itself and the other moving bodies 2. The other moving body 2 is a moving body among the plurality of moving bodies 2 that follows a path passing through at least any one of the plurality of intermediate regions.

By such a mobile body 2, an autonomous distributed system is constituted in which the mobile body 2 itself determines whether or not it is possible to enter the intermediate area. In this way, the mobile body 2 determines whether or not it can enter itself by using information of each of the intermediate areas up to the area having a width wider than the area before entering the area having a narrower width from the area including the current position. Since the mobile body 2 determines whether or not entry is possible based on the map information, it is possible to determine whether or not entry into each intermediate area is possible even when an area that cannot be observed from the entrance of the intermediate area due to a corner or the like is passed. Therefore, clogging of the mobile body 2 in the middle of the passage is suppressed.

Claims

1. A policing system, the policing system having:

An acquisition unit that acquires moving body information including width, route, and position information for a plurality of moving bodies that move along a route passing through at least any one of a plurality of areas in a facility;

A detection unit that detects, based on map information of the facility including information on an arrangement of the plurality of areas in the facility and a width of the plurality of moving bodies when each of the plurality of areas passes through, and moving body information acquired by the acquisition unit for a1 st moving body of the plurality of moving bodies, an approach of the 1 st moving body to a1 st intermediate area of the plurality of areas, the width of the 1 st intermediate area being narrower than a1 st area including a current position of the 1 st moving body and being adjacent to the 1 st area; and

And a command unit configured to, when the detection unit detects that the 1 st moving body approaches the 1 st intermediate region in a case where a path followed by the 1 st moving body passes through a plurality of intermediate regions including the 1 st intermediate region and a 2 nd intermediate region adjacent to the 2 nd intermediate region, which are part of the plurality of regions, between the 1 st region and a 2 nd region having a width wider than the 1 st intermediate region, and the acquisition unit determines that a value obtained by adding a predetermined margin to a sum of widths of the 1 st moving body and the 2 nd moving body in the plurality of intermediate regions is smaller than a width of any intermediate region among the plurality of intermediate regions, based on the map information and moving body information acquired by the acquisition unit for the 1 st moving body and the 2 nd moving body following a path passing through at least any one intermediate region among the plurality of intermediate regions, wait for the 1 st moving body to enter the 1 st intermediate region.

2. The regulation system of claim 1, wherein,

When the detection unit detects that the 1 st moving body approaches the 1 st intermediate area, the instruction unit causes the 1 st moving body to enter the 1 st intermediate area when it is determined that the position of the 2 nd moving body is not included in any intermediate area among the plurality of intermediate areas until the 1 st moving body passes through the 2 nd intermediate area.

3. The control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

When the detection unit detects that the 1 st moving body approaches the 1 st intermediate area, the instruction unit causes the 1 st moving body to enter the 1 st intermediate area when the moving directions of paths followed by the 1 st moving body and the 2 nd moving body are the same in the plurality of intermediate areas.

4. The regulation system of claim 1, wherein,

The control system has a priority calculating section that calculates traffic priorities for the plurality of mobile bodies respectively,

When the detection unit detects that the 1 st moving object approaches the 1 st intermediate area, the instruction unit causes the 1 st moving object to enter the 1 st intermediate area when the 1 st moving object has a higher traffic priority than the 2 nd moving object.

5. The regulation system of claim 4, wherein,

The priority calculating unit calculates a provisional value of the traffic priority for each of the plurality of moving bodies, and increases the traffic priority of a moving body on which a person of the plurality of moving bodies rides, as compared with the provisional value.

6. The regulation system of claim 4, wherein,

The priority calculating unit calculates a provisional value of the traffic priority for each of the plurality of mobile units, and increases the traffic priority of the mobile unit as compared with the provisional value based on a difference between a predetermined arrival time of a destination point of a mobile unit arrival route, at which a arrival request time of the destination point of the arrival route is set, and the arrival request time set for the mobile unit.

7. The regulation system of claim 4, wherein,

The priority calculating unit calculates a provisional value of a traffic priority for the 1 st moving object and the 2 nd moving object, and corrects the provisional value of at least one of the 1 st moving object and the 2 nd moving object based on the movement performance of the 1 st moving object and the 2 nd moving object.

8. The control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

The plurality of zones includes zones through gates or doors provided to the facility.

9. The control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

The plurality of zones includes cars of elevators provided at the facility.

10. The regulation system of claim 9, wherein,

When the detection unit detects that the 1 st moving body approaches the 1 st intermediate area in a state where the plurality of intermediate areas include the car and the path followed by the 2 nd moving body passes through the car, and it is determined that the 1 st moving body and the 2 nd moving body cannot be simultaneously on the car, the instruction unit waits for the 1 st moving body to enter the 1 st intermediate area.

11. The regulation system of claim 9, wherein,

When the detection unit detects that the 1 st moving body approaches the 1 st intermediate area in a state where the plurality of intermediate areas include the car and the path followed by the 2 nd moving body passes through the car, and it is determined that the 1 st moving body and the 2 nd moving body cannot be simultaneously on the car, the instruction unit causes the 1 st moving body to wait for call registration of the elevator.

12. A policing system, the policing system having:

An acquisition unit that acquires moving body information including path and position information for a plurality of moving bodies that move along paths that pass through at least any one of a plurality of areas in a facility, the plurality of areas including cars of elevators provided in the facility;

A detection unit that detects, based on map information of the facility including arrangement information of the plurality of areas in the facility and moving object information acquired by the acquisition unit for a 1 st moving object of the plurality of moving objects, an approach of the 1 st moving object to a 1 st intermediate area of the plurality of areas, the 1 st intermediate area being adjacent to the 1 st area including a current position of the 1 st moving object; and

And a command unit configured to determine that the 1 st moving body is waiting to enter the 1 st intermediate area when the detection unit detects that the 1 st moving body approaches the 1 st intermediate area, based on the map information and moving body information acquired by the acquisition unit for the 2 nd moving body of the 1 st moving body and the plurality of moving bodies following a path through the car, the moving body information being acquired by the acquisition unit for the 2 nd moving body of the plurality of moving bodies, the path being a part of the plurality of regions, the plurality of intermediate regions including the 1 st intermediate region and a2 nd intermediate region adjacent to the 2 nd intermediate region, and the plurality of intermediate regions including the car, the path being followed between the 1 st region and the 2 nd region.

13. A policing system, the policing system having:

And a command unit configured to, when a route followed by the 1 st moving body passes through a plurality of intermediate areas including the 1 st intermediate area and a 2 nd intermediate area adjacent to the 2 nd intermediate area, which are part of the plurality of areas, between the 1 st area and the 2 nd area among the plurality of areas, and the plurality of intermediate areas include the car, and the detection unit detects that the 1 st moving body approaches the 1 st intermediate area, determine that the 1 st moving body is waiting for call registration of the elevator based on the map information and moving body information acquired by the acquisition unit for the 2 nd moving body following the route passing through the car among the 1 st moving body and the plurality of moving bodies.

14. A moving body, wherein,

The moving body is any moving body of a plurality of moving bodies which respectively follow a path passing through at least any one area of a plurality of areas in the facility,

The moving body has:

An acquisition unit that acquires map information of the facility including information on the arrangement of the plurality of areas in the facility and the width of the plurality of mobile units when each of the plurality of areas is passed, and acquires mobile unit information including width, route, and position information for other mobile units in the plurality of mobile units;

a detection unit that detects, based on the map information and moving object information of the moving object, an approach of the moving object to a1 st intermediate area among the plurality of areas, the 1 st intermediate area having a width smaller than that of the 1 st area including a current position of the moving object and being adjacent to the 1 st area; and

A determination unit that determines that the object cannot enter the 1 st intermediate area when the detection unit detects that the object itself approaches the 1 st intermediate area in a case where a path followed by the object passes through a plurality of intermediate areas including the 1 st intermediate area and a2 nd intermediate area adjacent to the 2 nd intermediate area, which are part of the plurality of areas, between the 1 st area and a2 nd area having a wider width than the 1 st intermediate area, and the acquisition unit determines that the object cannot enter the 1 st intermediate area based on the map information and object information acquired by the acquisition unit for the object itself and another object of the plurality of objects that follows a path passing through at least one of the plurality of intermediate areas,

When the determination unit determines that the 1 st intermediate area cannot be entered, the determination unit waits for the 1 st intermediate area to be entered.