JP2020111426A - Operation method and operation system of elevator - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve the security of a security setting floor while making it possible to more surely detect a person staying in a car and consider the safety of the person staying therein.SOLUTION: In an elevator operation method, an autonomous travel robot can get on a car of an elevator, which is operated to move up and down between a plurality of floors in a building, together with a user. An elevator control device controls various types of operation including car door opening/closing operation at a security setting floor where the getting off of a user is restricted. The elevator control device determines whether or not a user stays in the car on the basis of whether or not the presence of an object is recognized by an input device of the autonomous travel robot and inhibits the getting off of the autonomous travel robot at the security setting floor and controls the door of the car so as not to be opened/closed when it is determined that the user stays in the car.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an elevator operating method and operating system.

In recent years, the practical application of autonomous mobile robots that perform tasks such as cleaning the interior of buildings, transporting luggage, and providing directions to building users has been promoted. In a building such as a building having a plurality of floors (floors), the use of an elevator of an autonomous mobile robot is indispensable in order to perform the above work.

People are also using the elevator, and when entering and exiting the limited space called the elevator, it is important to consider the safety of the robot on the part of the person.

In addition, when the autonomous mobile robot gets off at the floor where security is set, it is necessary to confirm that no one remains in the car.

In the current elevators, the stay detection is performed to detect whether there are any people staying in the elevator by using a load detection device that detects the load in the car and a camera image for crime prevention.

Japanese Patent No. 5003573 Japanese Patent No. 5556831

However, in the past retention detection, if a child with a light weight does not move in a corner of a car or the like, it may not be detected by a load detection device or a security camera image. In particular, cameraless elevators will become a more serious problem in the future.

The embodiment of the present invention can more reliably detect a person staying in the car, and can consider the safety of the person staying in the car, while operating an elevator that can improve security on the security setting floor. An object is to provide a method and a driving system.

An embodiment of the present invention is an elevator driving method capable of carrying an autonomous traveling body together with a user in a car that moves up and down between a plurality of floors in a building. When the autonomous traveling body is to be alighted on the security setting floor for restricting the dismounting, the elevator control device that performs various controls including the door opening/closing operation of the car, the existence of the object by the object detection device included in the autonomous traveling body. Based on whether or not the user has stayed in the car, it is determined whether the user has stayed in the car, the door opening/closing operation is controlled, and the autonomous operation is performed. The feature is that the traveling body is prohibited from getting off.

Another embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the elevator control device and the autonomous traveling body implement a method of operating the elevator.

1 is a schematic sectional view of an elevator system to which an elevator driving method and a driving system according to a first embodiment are applied. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an autonomous traveling robot that constitutes the elevator system of FIG. 1. The schematic diagram explaining obstacle recognition operation by an autonomous running robot. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a staying detection operation on the security setting floor. The flowchart explaining the operation|movement at the time of alighting of an autonomous mobile robot.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

«First embodiment»
<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration of an elevator system to which an elevator driving method and a driving system according to a first embodiment of the present invention are applied. Here, the case where it is installed in a 4-story building (building) is illustrated.

The elevator system of this embodiment includes an elevator 1 and an autonomous traveling robot (autonomous traveling body) 20. The elevator 1 is a general elevator device that is mainly used by a person (not shown) who is a user of a building, and is capable of boarding an autonomous mobile robot 20. That is, in this elevator system, it is possible to ride with the user of the autonomous mobile robot 20 in the car (car room) 6 of the elevator 1.

In FIG. 1, an elevator 1 has a main rope 5 stretched over a hoisting machine 4 arranged in a machine room 3 above the hoistway 2, and a car 6 at one end of the rope 5 and a car 6 at the other end of the rope 5. The counterweights 7 are suspended in a slanting manner.

The car 6 is moved up and down along the hoistway 2 between the halls 8-1, 8-2, 8-3, 8-4 on the first floor, the second floor, the third floor, and the fourth floor. For example, a load detection device 6a for controlling suspension during normal operation is provided under the floor, for example. The car 6 includes a car door 16, a camera (security camera) 6b for monitoring the car, a pyroelectric sensor 6c for detecting a human presence, a door opening/closing device 15, and an operation panel (not shown) in the car. Equipped with.

On the other hand, each hall 8-1, 8-2, 8-3, 8-4 is provided with a hall door, a hall operation panel, a notification lamp, etc. (all are not shown). The detailed description of is omitted.

In the machine room 3, in addition to the hoisting machine 4, an elevator control device 10 connected to the car 6 via the tail cord 9 is arranged. The elevator control device 10 that controls the door opening/closing device 15 that performs the door opening/closing operation of the car door 16 includes an operation control unit 11, a staying detection unit 12, a staying determination unit 13, and an elevator communication unit 14. There is.

The operation control unit 11 calls the hall 6 in the destination direction in which the user calls the car 6 at each hall 8-1, 8-2, 8-3, 8-4 and calls the car 6 at the destination floor (getting off floor). By controlling the hoisting machine 4 according to information such as a car call for stopping, the car 6 is lifted and stopped between floors. In addition, the operation control unit 11 controls the hoisting machine 4 in response to a notification such as robot call information (described later) from the autonomous mobile robot 20 to lift and stop the car 6 between floors. ..

In addition, a retention determination unit 13 is connected to the operation control unit 11. For example, during the security operation in which the car 6 is stopped on the security setting floor that restricts passengers getting on and off, when the stay determination unit 13 confirms that the person stays in the car, the operation control unit 11 changes the security setting floor to the security setting floor. The hoisting machine 4 is controlled so as to pass. This can prevent unauthorized users from getting off at the security setting floor.

The stagnation detection unit 12 performs stagnation detection for detecting a person staying in the car 6 based on the outputs of the load detection device 6a, the camera 6b, and the pyroelectric sensor 6c, for example. A retention determination unit 13 is connected to the retention detection unit 12.

The stay determination unit 13 detects the number of persons in the car 6 based on, for example, the output of the stay detection unit 12 and the obstacle recognition output from the autonomous mobile robot 20 supplied via the elevator communication unit 14. The presence or absence of retention is determined. In the stagnation determination unit 13, for example, when the stagnation of the person in the car 6 cannot be confirmed from the output of the stagnation detection unit 12, based on the obstacle recognition output from the autonomous mobile robot 20, the inside of the car 6 is detected. Whether or not people are staying in the area is determined.

The door opening/closing device 15 controls opening/closing of the car door 16 in the floor where the car 6 is stopped in accordance with the car call of the user and the robot call information from the autonomous mobile robot 20. However, when the floor where the car 6 has stopped is the security setting floor, the door opening/closing device 15 is controlled based on the result of the determination by the stay determination unit 13. That is, on the security setting floor, the car door 16 can be opened/closed by the door opening/closing device 15 only when the stay determination unit 13 determines that there are no people in the car 6.

The elevator communication unit 14 is for performing wireless communication with the autonomous mobile robot 20, and is connected to, for example, the stay determination unit 13.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the autonomous traveling robot 20 that constitutes the elevator system shown in FIG.

The autonomous mobile robot 20 carries out predetermined tasks such as cleaning the inside of the building, transporting luggage, and guiding the user of the building according to a dedicated program. As shown in FIG. 2, the autonomous mobile robot 20 includes an autonomous mobile robot control unit 21, a drive unit 22, a robot side communication unit 23, a dimension storage unit 24, an input device (object detection device) 25, and an output device 26. Equipped with.

The autonomous mobile robot control unit 21 calculates a route from the current position in the building to the target position in order to perform a predetermined task, and controls the drive unit 22 based on the result of the calculation. The drive unit 22 causes the autonomous mobile robot 20 to autonomously travel to the target position based on the calculation result of the autonomous mobile robot control unit 21.

The robot-side communication unit 23 wirelessly communicates with the elevator-side communication unit 14 and transmits robot call information, obstacle recognition output, and the like to the elevator control device 10.

Here, the robot call information includes, for example, a destination hall call for calling the car 6 to the boarding floor at the current position when the autonomous mobile robot 20 uses the elevator 1, and a call for the car 6 to the target position. It includes a car call for stopping at the exit floor.

In the dimension storage unit 24, for example, a predetermined value regarding the inner dimension of the car 6 that is a reference when the autonomous mobile robot control unit 21 recognizes the existence of an obstacle during the stay detection process is stored in advance.

The input device 25 is for recognizing (detecting) the presence of an obstacle using, for example, image analysis technology, and is used for stay detection for detecting stay of a person in the car 6. ing.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, the autonomous mobile robot 20 moves through the car 6 along a predetermined traveling path 20A while getting off the car at the security setting floor, while the car 6 is driven by the input device 25. Shoot inside. Then, by recognizing the inner wall or the person as an obstacle based on the captured image, the moving distance of the autonomous traveling robot 20 or the change in the distance to the inner wall causes a change in the space in which the car 6 can move. The size is measured as the inner dimension. The measured value is compared with a predetermined value stored in the dimension storage unit 24, and it is determined whether a person stays in the car 6 depending on whether the measured value and the predetermined value match within a specified range. The result is output to the elevator controller 10 as an obstacle recognition output.

The input device 25 may be a device that detects an obstacle by using a distance measurement technique such as ultrasonic waves or microwaves, and can be similarly used for detecting staying of a person.

Further, the staying detection of the person by the input device 25 using the obstacle recognition is executed when the staying detection unit 12 on the elevator 1 side does not detect the staying of the person.

As described above, by utilizing the obstacle recognition ability of the autonomous mobile robot 20, it is possible to detect the retention of a person, which cannot be detected by the retention detection function that the elevator 1 originally has, with high accuracy and more reliably. Becomes That is, only when the measured value of the inner dimension and the predetermined value substantially match, it is determined that there is no stay, and the autonomous mobile robot 20 is allowed to exit the security setting floor. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an unauthorized user from getting off at the security setting floor by mistake, and it is possible to consider the safety of the staying person and ensure high security.

The output device 26 is composed of a speaker and a display device for giving guidance and attention to the user as necessary.

<Operation explanation>
Next, the flow of processing of the elevator system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. Here, the stay detection process in the elevator control device 10 will be described. In FIG. 1, when the first floor hall 8-1 is a general hall, at least one of the second floor hall 8-2, the third floor hall 8-3 and the fourth floor hall 8-4 is It will be set as the security setting floor.

The security operation is, for example, a dedicated operation in which a person who is allowed to enter the security setting floor or the autonomous mobile robot 20 is transported to the floor, so the elevator 1 during the security operation is usually operated by an unauthorized person. Riding (staying) on the car 6 is prohibited.

During the security operation, first, in the elevator control device 10, the load signal output from the load detection device 6a is fetched into the staying detection unit 12 (step S1), and it is determined whether or not the load signal is equal to or more than a predetermined set value, and the result is determined. Notify the stay determination unit 13. If the load signal is equal to or greater than the set value (YES in step S2), the stay determination unit 13 determines that there is stay (step S3), and ends the process. In this case, the autonomous traveling robot 20 is prohibited from getting off at the security setting floor, and the car door 16 is not opened or closed.

If the load signal is not greater than or equal to the set value (NO in step S2), the output of the pyroelectric sensor 6c is then taken into the retention detector 12 (step S4), it is determined whether there is a change, and the result is retained. Notify the determination unit 13. If there is a change in the output of the pyroelectric sensor 6c (YES in step S5), the stay determination unit 13 determines that there is stay (step S3), and ends the process. In this case, similarly, the autonomous traveling robot 20 is prohibited from dismounting on the security setting floor, and the car door 16 is not opened or closed.

If the load signal is not equal to or greater than the set value and the output of the pyroelectric sensor 6c has not changed (NO in step S5), then the obstacle recognition process by the autonomous mobile robot 20 is executed (step S10).

As the obstacle recognition processing here, as described above, the autonomous traveling robot control unit 21 uses the image analysis technology of the input device 25 to detect an obstacle in the car 6 (step S11). Then, based on the result of the detection, the size of the movable space in the car 6 is calculated, and the inner dimension is measured (step S12). In this way, the obtained measured value of the inner dimension is compared with the predetermined value stored in the dimension storage unit 24, and the result (obstacle recognition output) of whether or not it matches is output from the robot side communication unit 23 to the elevator controller 10. It is sent to the stay determination unit 13 via the elevator communication unit 14.

If the measured value and the predetermined value do not match (NO in step S8), the stay determination unit 13 determines that there is stay (step S3), and ends the process. In this case, the autonomous traveling robot 20 is prohibited from getting off at the security setting floor, and the car door 16 is not opened or closed.

If the measured value and the predetermined value match (YES in step S8), it is determined that there is no retention (step S9), and the process ends. In this case, the autonomous traveling robot 20 is allowed to exit the security setting floor, and the car door 16 is opened and closed.

It should be noted that the camera image from the camera 6b provided in the car 6 may be used in the stay detection process in the elevator control device 10.

As described above, even when the stay detection function provided in the elevator 1 up to now cannot detect the stay, by utilizing the obstacle recognition ability of the autonomous mobile robot 20, the weight of a person who is not moving at the corner of the car 6 or the like can be detected. Even a light child can be reliably detected. Therefore, even if the user does not normally switch from the normal driving to the security driving while getting on the vehicle, it is possible to prevent accidental children getting off at the security setting floor. It becomes possible to consider safety.

Next, the flow of processing of the elevator system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. Here, the operation during security driving will be described.

For example, it is assumed that the autonomous mobile robot 20 gets on the unmanned car 6 of the elevator 1 to move to the security setting floor. Then, when the destination floor is determined to be the security setting floor from the robot call information notified from the autonomous mobile robot 20, the elevator control device 10 switches the operation state of the elevator 1 from the normal operation used by the user to the security operation.

In this state, the elevator control device 10 confirms that there is notification of car call information other than the destination floor of the autonomous mobile robot 20 (step S21). If it is determined that there is car call information (YES in step S22), the process ends.

Here, since the car call information is generally notified by the user setting the destination floor, the elevator control device 10 determines that the user is on board and operates the elevator 1. The condition is returned to normal driving with the passenger.

If it is determined that there is no car call information (NO in step S22), the elevator controller 10 executes the staying detection process shown in FIG. 4 (step S23). When it is determined that there is staying as a result of the staying detection process (YES in step S24), the elevator control device 10 controls the car 6 to pass through the security setting floor and/or the riding on the security setting floor. Control is performed so that the car door 16 is not opened or closed.

On the other hand, as a result of the stay detection process, if it is determined that there is no stay (NO in step S24), the elevator control device 10 determines that the robot can be dismounted (step S25). Then, the robot call information is regenerated, the car 6 is stopped at the security setting floor of the destination floor, and the car door 16 is controlled to be opened and closed by the door opening/closing device 15.

By doing so, it is possible to surely dismount the autonomous mobile robot 20 on the security setting floor, and it is possible to more reliably prevent an unauthorized user from dismounting on the security setting floor at the time of dismounting. It will be possible.

According to this embodiment, the user staying in the car 6 can be detected more reliably, the safety of the user staying can be considered, and the security on the security setting floor can be improved. Can be achieved. That is, when controlling the opening and closing of the car door 16 on the security setting floor, the obstacle detection capability of the autonomous mobile robot 20 is used to complement the detection of a person staying. As a result, even when the stay detection function originally provided in the elevator 1 cannot detect the stay of a person, the stay of a person can be detected more reliably. Therefore, it is possible to surely dismount the autonomous mobile robot 20 on the security setting floor, and at the time of dismounting, it is possible to ensure security and safety by having a child or the like dismount on the security setting floor. ..

In particular, the application of the staying detection technique by the autonomous mobile robot 20 is very useful in an elevator in which cameraless technology is progressing. That is, in the case of a cameraless elevator, the load detection device 6a and the pyroelectric sensor 6c detect staying, which is particularly useful.

Further, the invention is not limited to the security operation of the elevator 1, and can be applied to, for example, a case of patrol in which the autonomous traveling robot 20 is patrolled to detect staying in the car 6.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and the scope of equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Elevator, 6... Car, 6a... Load detection device, 6b... Camera, 6c... Pyroelectric sensor, 15... Door opening/closing device, 16... Car door, 10... Elevator control device, 12... Stay detection part, 13 ...Stagnation determination unit, 14... Elevator side communication unit, 20... Autonomous traveling robot, 21... Autonomous traveling robot control unit, 23... Robot side communication unit, 24... Dimension storage unit, 25... Input device.

Claims (6)

A method of operating an elevator, in which an autonomous traveling body can be mounted together with a user in a car that moves up and down between a plurality of floors in a building,
In the security setting floor that restricts the user's disembarkation, when dismounting the autonomous traveling body,
An elevator control device that performs various controls including the door opening/closing operation of the car,
Based on whether or not the presence of an object is recognized by the object detection device provided in the autonomous traveling body, it is determined whether or not the user stays in the car,
A method of operating an elevator, characterized in that, when it is determined that the user stays in the car, the door opening/closing operation is controlled to prohibit the autonomous traveling body from getting off. The object detection device recognizes the existence of an object when a measurement value obtained by measuring a dimension of a space when the autonomous traveling body moves in the car does not match a predetermined value. The method of operating the elevator according to 1. Based on the recognition of the object by the object detection device, the determination of the presence or absence of retention in the car,
The elevator operating method according to claim 1 or 2, which is performed when the stay detection unit of the elevator control device does not detect the stay in the car of the user. The elevator driving method according to claim 3, wherein the staying detection unit detects staying in the car of the user based on an output of a load detection device provided in the car. When the autonomous vehicle gets off at the security setting floor,
There is no notification of car call information to other floors,
The stay detection unit of the elevator control device does not detect stay in the car of the user,
And,
When the presence of an object is not recognized by the object detection device,
5. The elevator operating method according to claim 1, wherein the elevator control device controls the door opening/closing operation to enable the autonomous traveling body to exit. An elevator operating system, wherein the elevator control device and the autonomous traveling body implement the elevator operating method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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