JP2021031264A - Elevator management device, information processor, elevator management system, and control method for elevator management device - Google Patents

Abstract

To move an appropriate robot to a desired movement destination.SOLUTION: An elevator management device (1) calculates a time taken for each of robots (6) to reach a desired movement destination based on an operating state of an elevator (4), and specifies at least one robot (6) based on the calculated time. Then, the elevator management device (1) outputs movement destination information including information about the elevator (4) that is usable for the specified robot (6) to move the desired movement destination.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an elevator management device, an information processing device, and an elevator management system that support the movement of a robot or a person.

Patent Document 1 discloses a method for easily realizing inter-layer movement of a robot.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-210414

For example, in a building in which an elevator having a destination floor registration function is installed, users are made to register the destination floor in advance, and the optimum unit is assigned to each user based on the registered destination floor. As a result, the time for the user to wait for the arrival of the elevator and the time for the user to arrive at the destination floor can be effectively reduced.

However, even if the elevator has a destination floor registration function, a so-called long wait may occur, which causes the user to wait for a long time depending on the operating condition of the assigned optimum unit. If it is possible to change the unit assigned to the user (assignment change), there is a possibility that the long waiting time of the user can be reduced. In this case, it is necessary to provide a means for notifying the user of the unit after the allocation change.

A destination floor indicator that can notify the user of the unit after the allocation change may be provided at the landing on each floor of the elevator, but this requires a large cost, which poses a big cost problem.

Therefore, in order to notify the user of the unit after the allocation change at no cost, the user is from one of the people (for example, guidance staff, employees, etc.) assigned to various places in the building. It suffices to notify the unit after the allocation change. In this case, it is necessary to select a person who can arrive before the changed unit arrives at the landing on the floor where the user exists as a person who notifies the user of the changed unit.

Further, in recent years, a multifunctional robot having a self-propelled function may be introduced in a building. Many of these robots have functions such as outputting various information as voice and displaying various information on the screen. Therefore, robots deployed in various places in the building may be quickly moved to the landing of the user waiting for the elevator to notify the user of the unit after the allocation change.

For example, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the car is moved to the landing on the departure floor where the robot waits in response to the car call signal from the robot. However, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the time required for the robot to arrive at the designated destination by using the elevator is not taken into consideration.

When a person or robot uses an elevator to move to a designated destination in a building (for example, a landing where a user is waiting for an elevator), the length of time it takes to arrive is that of the elevator. It is affected by the operating conditions. For example, a robot on a floor far from the destination may arrive at the destination earlier than a robot on the floor near the destination.

When an event (fire, etc.) that requires emergency response occurs in a certain place in a building with multiple floors, a person or robot can move from various places in the building to the place where the event occurred (destination). The same is true when it is necessary to move quickly.

One aspect of the present invention is to realize an elevator management device, an information processing device, and an elevator management system capable of moving an appropriate person or robot to a desired destination.

In order to solve the above problems, the elevator management device according to the first aspect of the present invention is an elevator management device for managing the operation of an elevator provided in a building having a plurality of floors, and is carried by a predetermined person. A position information acquisition unit that acquires current position information indicating the current position of each of a plurality of information processing devices capable of moving or autonomously traveling, and a desired movement of the building from each current position of the information processing device. The time to arrive first is calculated based on the operating condition of the elevator, and the specific unit that identifies at least one information processing device based on the time to arrive at the desired destination is specified. The information processing apparatus includes a notification unit that outputs destination information including information about the elevator that can be used to move to a desired destination of the building.

According to the above configuration, the elevator management device calculates the time until each of the information processing devices arrives at the desired destination based on the operating status of the elevator, and at least one piece of information is calculated based on the calculated time. Identify the processing device. Then, the elevator management device outputs the destination information including the information about the elevator that can be used for the information processing device to move to the desired destination.

Thereby, the elevator management device can specify at least one information processing device after accurately estimating the time required for each information processing device to arrive at the desired destination using the elevator. In addition, the elevator management device can smoothly arrive at a desired destination by outputting information about elevators that can be used by the specified information processing device.

In the elevator management device according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the specific unit is described from the current position of each of the information processing devices based on the current position of the car of the elevator and the current driving direction. The waiting time for waiting for an available car to move to a desired destination may be calculated, and the time required to arrive at the desired destination may be calculated using the waiting time.

According to the above configuration, the elevator management device waits for an available car to move from each current position of the information processing device to a desired destination, and each of the information processing devices moves as desired. Calculate the time to arrive first. As a result, the elevator management device can accurately calculate the time required for the information processing device to arrive at the desired destination. Therefore, it is possible to specify an appropriate information processing device to move to a desired destination.

In the elevator management device according to the third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the specific unit identifies the information processing device that can reach the desired destination earliest from the information processing devices. You may.

When an event occurs that requires emergency response at a desired destination, it is desirable that the elevator management device identify an information processing device that can reach the desired destination as soon as possible. According to the above configuration, the elevator management device can identify the information processing device that can reach the desired destination earliest.

In any one of the above aspects 1 to 3, the elevator management device according to the fourth aspect of the present invention identifies the information processing device that can arrive at a destination different from the desired destination earliest. In this case, the information processing apparatus that is already moving to the different destination or has arrived at the different destination may be excluded.

As a result, the elevator management device can steadily perform the role played by the information processing device already moving to a different destination or the information processing device arriving at the destination.

In order to solve the above problems, the information processing device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is an information processing device that is carried and moved by a predetermined person, and is the elevator management according to any one of the above aspects 1 to 4. A communication unit that receives destination information including information about the elevator that can be used to move to a desired destination of the building from the device, a presentation unit that presents information about the elevator to the predetermined person, and a presentation unit. To be equipped.

According to the above configuration, the information processing device receives the movement destination information output from the elevator management device. This destination information includes information about elevators that can be used to travel to the desired destination. Then, the information processing device presents the person carrying the device with information about an elevator that can be used to move to a desired destination.

As a result, the information processing apparatus can make the person carrying the own device use the optimum elevator to move to the desired destination, and can smoothly move to the desired destination. Here, the optimum elevator is, for example, an elevator that a person carrying his / her own device can get on without waiting for a long time.

In order to solve the above problems, the information processing device according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is an information processing device capable of autonomous traveling, and the elevator management device according to any one of the above aspects 1 to 4 can be used as described above. A communication unit that receives moving destination information including information about the elevator that can be used to move to a desired moving destination of a building, a moving mechanism for moving, and the desired moving destination based on the moving destination information. It is provided with a movement mechanism control unit that controls the movement mechanism so as to move to.

According to the above configuration, the information processing device receives the movement destination information output from the elevator management device. This destination information includes information about elevators that the information processing apparatus can use to move to the desired destination. Then, the information processing device moves to a desired destination based on the destination information.

As a result, the information processing apparatus can smoothly move to the desired destination by utilizing the elevator that is most suitable for moving to the desired destination. Here, the optimum elevator is an elevator that can be used by the information processing apparatus without waiting for a long time.

The elevator management system according to the seventh aspect of the present invention includes the elevator management device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the elevator, and the information processing device. According to the above configuration, the same effect as that of the above aspects 1 to 5 is obtained.

In order to solve the above problems, the control method of the elevator management device according to the eighth aspect of the present invention is a control method in the elevator management device that manages the operation of the elevator provided in the building having a plurality of floors. , A position information acquisition step for acquiring current position information indicating the current position of each of a plurality of information processing devices capable of being carried by a predetermined person and moving or autonomously traveling, and a current position of each of the information processing devices. The time from arrival to the desired destination of the building is calculated based on the operating status of the elevator, and at least one of the information processing devices is specified based on the time to arrive at the desired destination of the elevator. Includes a specific step and a notification step that outputs destination information, including information about the elevator that the identified information processing device can use to move to a desired destination in the building. According to the above configuration, the same effect as that of the above aspect 1 is obtained.

Further, the elevator management device and the self-propelled notification device according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer, and in this case, each part (software element) including the computer in the elevator management device and the information processing device. ), A control program that realizes the elevator management device and the information processing device on a computer, and a computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded are also included in the scope of the present invention.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a suitable person or robot can be moved to a desired destination.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the elevator management system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the configuration example of an elevator management apparatus. It is a figure which shows the configuration example of a robot control device. It is a figure which shows the configuration example of a robot. It is a figure which shows the structural example of an elevator control device and an elevator. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of processing performed by an elevator management apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of processing performed by a robot. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the elevator management system which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the configuration example of an elevator management apparatus. It is a figure which shows the configuration example of a mobile information terminal. It is a figure for demonstrating the outline of an elevator management system. It is a figure for demonstrating the outline of an elevator management system.

[Embodiment 1]
(Overview of Elevator Management System 100)
The elevator management system 100 is a system that manages one or more elevators 4 provided in a building 7 having a plurality of floors. The elevator management system 100 is at least one robot 6 based on the time required to reach a desired destination from among a plurality of robots 6 (information processing devices) capable of autonomous traveling deployed in a building 7. To identify. Further, the elevator management system 100 causes the robot 6 to use the optimum elevator if it is necessary to use the elevator 4 in order for the specified robot 6 to move to a desired destination.

(Application example of elevator management system 100)
First, an application example of the elevator management system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. 11 and 12 are diagrams for explaining the outline of the elevator management system 100. Here, it is assumed that a plurality of robots 6 are deployed in the building 7. In the following, when each of the robots 6 is distinguished, it is described as "robot 6a", "robot 6b", and the like.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the deployment status of the robot 6 in the building 7 and the position of the designated destination. The robot 6a is located near the elevator landing on the first floor (1F), and the robot 6b is located far from the elevator landing on the fourth floor (4F).

When the elevator landing on the 6th floor (6F) is designated as the destination, both the robot 6a and the robot 6b need to use the elevator 4. Here, the car 41 of the elevator 4 is currently near the 3rd floor and is in the process of descending to the 1st floor. The elevator management system 100 calculates the time required to arrive at the elevator landing on the 6th floor for each of the robots 6a and 6b based on the operating status of the elevator 4.

The robot 6a can move to the 6th floor by getting in the car 41 arriving at the elevator landing on the 1st floor without waiting for a long time. On the other hand, since the robot 6b must first move to the elevator landing on the 4th floor, the robot 6a cannot ride in the same car 41 as the car 41 on which the robot 6a can ride on the 1st floor. The robot 6b waits until the car 41 arrives at the elevator landing on the 4th floor again, and then gets on the car 41 and moves to the 6th floor. Therefore, the time required for the robot 6a to arrive at the elevator landing on the 6th floor is shorter than that for the robot 6b. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, the elevator management system 100 causes the robot 6a to use the elevator 4 and moves it to the 6th floor.

Even if the robot 6b arrives at the elevator landing on the 4th floor before the car 41 on which the robot 6a can board on the 1st floor arrives at the 4th floor, the robot 4a will arrive at the elevator landing on the 6th floor earlier. Can arrive at. This is because the car 41 can be driven at high speed for a long distance when moving from the first floor to the sixth floor without stopping on the way. In order to get the robot 6b on the 4th floor, it is necessary to move from the 1st floor to the 4th floor, stop on the 4th floor, and then start moving again from the 4th floor to the 6th floor, and the car 41 can be operated at high speed. The distance will be shorter.

(Configuration of elevator management system 100)
Subsequently, the configuration of the elevator management system 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the elevator management system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The elevator management system 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a configuration in which the elevator management device 1 controls the robot 6 via the robot control device 5. The elevator management system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is suitable, for example, when the robot 6 has already been deployed in the building 7 before the introduction of the elevator management system 100.

The elevator management system 100 includes an elevator management device 1, an elevator control device 3, an elevator 4, a robot control device 5, and a robot 6.

The elevator management device 1 manages the operation of the elevator 4 provided in the building 7. The details of the elevator management device 1 will be described later.

The elevator control device 3 controls the operation of the elevator 4. The number of elevators 4 installed in the building 7 may be one or plural. When a plurality of elevators 4 are installed in the building 7, the elevator control device 3 is provided for each elevator 4.

The robot control device 5 controls the movement and operation of a plurality of robots 6 deployed in the building 7. In the communication between the robot control device 5 and each robot 6, the identification information (id) given to each of the robots 6 is used.

The robot control device 5 may be configured to appropriately receive work status information including information indicating the current position of the robot 6 and information on the work currently being performed from each robot 6. Here, the work status information may include information regarding the progress and completion of the work currently being performed by each robot 6. For example, the work status information may be information on whether the robot 6 instructed to move to the designated destination is moving to the destination or has arrived at the destination. As a result, the robot control device 5 can monitor the position and work status of each robot 6 and control each robot 6. The robot control device 5 may transmit work status information and the like to the elevator management device 1.

The robot 6 is a self-propelled device previously deployed in the building 7. The robot 6 may be an automatic transfer device, a self-propelled cleaning device, and other multifunctional robots. Alternatively, the robot 6 may be a dedicated robot deployed in the building 7 in accordance with the introduction of the elevator management system 100. In addition to the self-propelled function, the robot 6 may have a function of notifying a user of the elevator 4 or the like of a message (for example, a voice output function and a screen display function).

(Configuration of elevator management device 1)
The configuration of the elevator management device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the elevator management device 1.

The elevator management device 1 is a computer communicatively connected to the robot control device 5, the elevator control device 3, and the like, and includes a control unit 10, a notification unit 15, an input unit 17, and a storage unit 16.

The control unit 10 is a CPU, and the control unit 10 controls to execute the processing of each function included in the elevator management device 1.

The notification unit 15 is provided with a network interface that can be connected to the in-facility network laid in the building 7. The in-facility network is, for example, a wireless or wired LAN (Local Area Network).

The input unit 17 may accept an input operation by an administrator of the elevator management system 100 or the like. Alternatively, the input unit 17 may receive various information from an external device. For example, the input unit 17 may be configured to receive detection signals detected by various sensors such as a fire alarm and a surveillance camera.

The storage unit 16 is a storage device that stores various computer programs read by the control unit 10, data used in various processes executed by the control unit 10, and the like.

The control unit 10 includes a movement destination designation acquisition unit 11, an operation status acquisition unit 13, a position information acquisition unit 14, and a specific unit 12.

The move destination designation acquisition unit 11 acquires the move destination designation information including the information indicating the position of the move destination designated from the input unit 17. The information indicating the position of the movement destination may be the information input to the input unit 17 by the manager of the building 7 or the like, or the information received by the input unit 17 from an external device (not shown). Good. The information indicating the position of the destination may be, for example, information indicating the position of the elevator landing where the user of the elevator 4 has been waiting for a long time when notifying the unit after the allocation change. Alternatively, the information indicating the position of the moving destination may be information indicating the position specified by an external device such as an alarm system based on the signals acquired from various sensors provided in the building 7. Here, the various sensors may include, for example, a fire alarm, a surveillance camera, and the like.

The operation status acquisition unit 13 acquires the operation status of the elevator 4 from the elevator control device 3. The operating status of the elevator 4 includes information indicating the current position of the car 41 of the elevator 4, information indicating the current driving direction of the car 41, and the like.

The position information acquisition unit 14 acquires position information (current position information) indicating the current position of each robot 6 from the robot control device 5. The position information acquisition unit 14 may acquire a report from the robot control device 5 indicating that each robot 6 has completed getting on and off the car 41 of the elevator 4.

The identification unit 12 identifies at least one robot 6 from among the plurality of robots 6 deployed in the building 7 based on the time required to arrive at the designated moving destination.

More specifically, the specific unit 12 may further include a waiting time calculation unit 121, a work status acquisition unit 122, an arrival time estimation unit 123, and a referent specific unit 124.

The waiting time calculation unit 121 sets the waiting time for each of the robots 6 to wait for the elevator 4 car 41 that can be used to move from the floor at the current position to the designated destination floor in the operating status of the elevator 4. Calculate based on. Further, in the waiting time calculation unit 121, for example, when the waiting time for the robot 6 to wait for the available elevator 4 is longer than a predetermined time (for example, 300 seconds), the waiting time calculation unit 121 can use the robot 6. It may be determined that there is no elevator. The waiting time calculation unit 121 may determine whether or not to use the elevator for each robot 6 based on the current position information of each robot 6 and the information indicating the operating status of the elevator 4.

From the robot control device 5, the work status acquisition unit 122 obtains performance information including the speed at which each robot 6 is self-propelled, and work status information including information on whether or not it is possible to move to a designated movement destination. get. The work status acquisition unit 122 may determine the presence or absence of the robot 6 that can move to the designated movement destination based on the work status information of the robot 6.

The work status acquisition unit 122 receives an arrival report indicating that the robot 6 has arrived at the designated movement destination and a work completion report indicating that the work at the designated movement destination has been completed from the robot control device 5. Etc. may be obtained.

The arrival time estimation unit 123 calculates the time from the current position of each robot 6 to the arrival at the designated moving destination. The time from the current position to the arrival of the robot 6 at the designated destination includes a waiting time for the robot 6 to wait for an elevator 4 that can be used. The arrival time estimation unit 123 uses the waiting time calculated by the waiting time calculation unit 121 in order to calculate the time from the current position of each robot 6 to the arrival at the designated moving destination.

More specifically, the arrival time estimation unit 123 calculates the total time of the following times (i) to (iv).

(I) Waiting time for the robot 6 to wait for the elevator 4 car 41 that can be used (ii) Time for the car 41 to move from the boarding floor of the robot 6 to a predetermined floor (that is, the getting-off floor) (iii) The robot 6 gets on Time to move to the elevator landing on the floor (iv) Time for the robot 6 to move in front of the specified destination after getting off the elevator 4.

If the robot 6 can arrive at the designated destination without using the elevator 4, the arrival time estimation unit 123 calculates only the time for the robot 6 to arrive at the destination from the current position. do it.

The referent identification unit 124 identifies at least one robot 6 as a robot 6 to move to the destination based on the time until arrival at the designated destination calculated by the arrival time estimation unit 123. .. In a certain case, the referent identification unit 124 identifies the robot 6 that can reach the designated destination earliest as the robot 6 that moves to the destination.

The notification unit 15 outputs the movement destination information to, for example, the robot control device 5. The destination information includes information about the elevator 4 that can be used by the robot 6 specified by the specific unit 12 to move to the specified destination.

As a result, the elevator management device 1 can identify at least one robot 6 after accurately estimating the time required for each robot 6 to arrive at a desired destination using the elevator 4. Further, the elevator management device 1 can smoothly make the robot 6 arrive at a desired destination by outputting information about the elevator 4 that can be used by the specified robot 6.

(Configuration of robot control device 5)
Subsequently, the configuration of the robot control device 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the robot control device 5.

The robot control device 5 is a computer communicably connected to the elevator management device 1 and the robot 6, and includes a control unit 50, a communication unit 54, and a storage unit 53. The control unit 50 is a CPU, and the control unit 50 controls to execute the processing of each function included in the robot control device 5.

The communication unit 54 has a function as a network interface that can be connected to the in-facility network laid in the building 7.

The storage unit 53 is a storage device that stores various computer programs read by the control unit 50 and data used in various processes executed by the control unit 50. The storage unit 53 may store, for example, floor information 531 including information on the positions of the landing and passages of the elevator 4 in the building 7. The floor information 531 includes, for example, information on the arrangement of passages, elevator landings, etc. on each floor of the building 7 and the distance between the points.

More specifically, the control unit 50 includes a status management unit 51 and an information acquisition unit 52.

The status management unit 51 acquires status information 532 from each robot 6 via the communication unit 54. The status information 532 may include work status information including position information indicating the current position of each robot 6 and information on whether or not each robot 6 can move to a designated movement destination. Further, the status information 532 may include performance information including information on the self-propelled speed of each robot 6. As shown in FIG. 3, the status management unit 51 may store the status information 532 acquired from the robot 6 in the storage unit 53.

The status management unit 51 may output the status information 532 of each robot 6 to the elevator management device 1 via the communication unit 54.

The information acquisition unit 52 receives the information indicating the robot 6 specified by the specific unit 12 and the movement destination information from the elevator management device 1. Further, the information acquisition unit 52 generates a movement instruction based on the acquired information, and outputs the movement instruction to the robot 6 via the communication unit 54. The movement instruction may include identification information for identifying the robot 6 and route information regarding a route for reaching the designated movement destination. The information acquisition unit 52 may output the floor information 531 together with the movement instruction. Further, the information acquisition unit 52 may output the floor information 531 to the elevator management device 1.

Even if the information acquisition unit 52 acquires an arrival report indicating that the robot 6 has arrived at the designated destination, a work completion report indicating that the work at the designated destination has been completed, and the like. Good. Further, the information acquisition unit 52 may output an arrival report, a work completion report, and the like to the elevator management device 1.

The information acquisition unit 52 gives an elevator a movement release instruction for the robot 6 that has arrived at the designated destination or the robot 6 that has completed the work at the designated destination to return to the original position where it was deployed. It may be acquired from the management device 1. In this case, the information acquisition unit 52 separately outputs a movement instruction for moving the robot 6 to the original position based on the acquired movement release instruction.

(Configuration of robot 6)
Subsequently, the configuration of the robot 6 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the robot 6.

The robot 6 is a multifunctional device having a self-propelled function that is communicatively connected to the robot control device 5. In some cases, the robot 6 may be a robot capable of autonomous traveling or independent walking.

The robot 6 includes a control unit 60, a communication unit 63, a storage unit 64, a timer 65, and a moving mechanism 66. The control unit 60 is a CPU, and the control unit 60 controls to execute the processing of each function included in the robot 6.

The communication unit 63 is a network interface that can be connected to the in-facility network laid in the building 7.

The storage unit 64 is a storage device that stores various computer programs read by the control unit 60, data used in various processes executed by the control unit 60, and the like.

The timer 65 outputs information indicating the time to the control unit 60. When transmitting the position information indicating the position of the robot 6 to the robot control device 5, the control unit 60 transmits the information indicating the time acquired from the timer 65 together with the information indicating the time.

The moving mechanism 66 is a mechanism that drives the robot 6 to move. The moving mechanism 66 may be any mechanism such as wheels, caterpillars, and walking legs.

The control unit 60 includes an instruction acquisition unit 61 and a movement mechanism control unit 62.

The instruction acquisition unit 61 acquires a movement instruction from the robot control device 5. The instruction acquisition unit 61 may acquire the floor information 531 from the robot control device 5.

The movement mechanism control unit 62 controls the movement mechanism 66 in order to move to a designated movement destination based on the movement instruction acquired from the robot control device 5.

(Configuration of Elevator Control Device 3 and Elevator 4)
Subsequently, the configurations of the elevator control device 3 and the elevator 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the elevator control device 3 and the elevator 4.

The elevator 4 includes a car 41 on which a user, a robot 6 and the like are placed, an operation control panel 40, and a door 42 provided at a landing on each floor.

The operation control panel 40 controls the operation of the elevator 4, including raising and lowering the car 41, in response to an instruction from the elevator control device 3.

The elevator control device 3 is, for example, a computer provided for each unit of the elevator 4 and communicatively connected to the elevator 4. For example, the elevator control device 3 controls the operation of the elevator 4.

The elevator control device 3 includes a control unit 30 and a communication unit 34. The control unit 30 is a CPU, and the control unit 30 controls to execute the processing of each function included in the elevator control device 3.

The communication unit 34 is a network interface that can be connected to the in-facility network laid in the building 7.

The control unit 30 includes an instruction acquisition unit 31, an operation status management unit 32, and a door opening / closing control unit 33.

The instruction acquisition unit 31 acquires various instructions for causing the robot 6 to use the elevator 4 from the elevator management device 1 via the communication unit 34. Examples of the instruction acquired by the instruction acquisition unit 31 include a boarding floor designation instruction and a disembarkation floor designation instruction. The boarding floor designation instruction is an instruction to designate the floor (that is, the departure floor) on which the robot 6 is to be boarded in the car 41. On the other hand, the disembarkation floor designation instruction is an instruction to designate the floor on which the robot 6 is disembarked from the car 41.

The operation status management unit 32 acquires information indicating the position and operation direction of the car 41 of the elevator 4 from the operation control panel 40 via the communication unit 34. For example, when the operation status management unit 32 obtains a report (departure floor arrival report) that the car 41 of the elevator 4 to be boarded by the robot 6 has arrived at the departure floor, the operation status management unit 32 transmits the report to the elevator management device 1. May be good. Similarly, when the operation status management unit 32 obtains a report (arrival report on the destination floor) that the car 41 on which the robot 6 is mounted has arrived at the designated destination floor, the operation status management unit 32 reports the report to the elevator management device. It may be transmitted to 1.

The door opening / closing control unit 33 controls the opening / closing of the door 42 of the landing on the designated departure floor in response to an instruction from the elevator management device 1. For example, the door open / close control unit 33 can cause the elevator 4 to hold the door 42 of the elevator 4 on the designated floor in the open state, or to release the holding of the open state. ..

For example, the position information acquisition unit 14 of the elevator management device 1 has acquired a report indicating that each robot 6 has completed boarding and disembarking in the car 41 of the elevator 4. Therefore, the door opening / closing control unit 33 may control the opening / closing state of the door of the elevator 4 used by the robot 6 in response to an instruction from the elevator management device 1. As a result, the robot 6 can be steadily boarded in the car 41 at the elevator landing on the departure floor, or can be steadily disembarked from the car 41 at a predetermined destination floor.

(Processing performed by elevator management device 1)
Next, the processing performed by the elevator management device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow of the elevator management device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

First, the move destination designation acquisition unit 11 acquires, for example, information indicating the position of the move destination (position designated as the desired move destination) input from the input unit 17 (step S11).

Next, the position information acquisition unit 14 acquires the current position information and the work status information of each robot 6 from the robot control device 5 (step S12: position information acquisition step). On the other hand, the operation status acquisition unit 13 acquires the operation status of the elevator 4 from the elevator control device 3 (step S13). The operating status of the elevator 4 includes information indicating the current position of the car 41 of the elevator 4, information indicating the current driving direction of the car 41, and the like. The order in which the processes of steps S12 and S13 are performed may be arbitrary. For example, the process of step S12 may be performed at the same time as the process of step S13, or the process of step S12 may be performed after the process of step S13.

Subsequently, the specifying unit 12 performs processes (steps S15 to S22) for specifying the robot 6 to be moved to the designated moving destination in order for each robot 6. Therefore, the specific unit 12 first determines in order the robots 6 to be processed in steps S15 to S22 in step S14. “R = 1” means that the specific unit 12 is the first robot 6 to be processed in steps S15 to S22.

The specific unit 12 (for example, the work status acquisition unit 122) determines whether or not the robot 6 can move to the designated destination based on the work status information of the robot 6 (step S15). For example, even if the specific unit 12 determines that the robot 6 that has already moved to another destination and the robot 6 that has arrived at the other destination cannot move to the designated destination. Good. As a result, the role played by the robot 6 can be steadily performed at another moving destination.

If the robot 6 is a robot 6 that can move to a designated movement destination (YES in step S15), the identification unit 12 temporarily identifies the robot 6 as a robot 6 that moves to the movement destination (R =). r) (step S16). In FIG. 6, the “robot (R)” is intended to be the robot 6 tentatively specified by the specific unit 12.

On the other hand, if the robot 6 is not a robot 6 that can move to the designated destination (NO in step S15), the specific unit 12 adds 1 to the value of r (step S22) and adds 1 to the value of r (step S22) to process step S15. go back.

Subsequently, the specific unit 12 (for example, the arrival time estimation unit 123) determines whether or not the robot (R) uses the elevator 4 (step S17).

When the robot (R) uses the elevator 4 (YES in step S17), the specific unit 12 (for example, the waiting time calculation unit 121) waits for the elevator 4 car 41 that the robot (R) can use. T1 (R) is calculated (step S18). The specific unit 12 refers to the operating status of the elevator 4 in order to calculate the time T1. Here, the elevator 4 that can be used by the robot (R) may be, for example, an elevator 4 that satisfies the following conditions (1) and (2).

(1) The robot 6 is allowed to ride in the car 41.

(2) The robot 6 can get in the car 41 without waiting for a long time at the elevator landing.

Further, the specific unit 12 (for example, the arrival time estimation unit 123) calculates the time T2 (R) from the departure floor of the robot (R) to the predetermined floor when the car 41 of the elevator 4 moves (step S18). ..

Next, the specific unit 12 calculates the time T3 (R) from the current position of the robot (R) to the arrival at the designated moving destination (step S19). Time T3 (R) is time T1 (R), time T2 (R), time for the robot (R) to move to the elevator landing on the departure floor, and movement before the designated destination after getting off the elevator 4. It can be calculated by adding the time to do so.

When the robot (R) does not use the elevator 4 (NO in step S17), the specific unit 12 (for example, the arrival time estimation unit 123) arrives at the destination specified by the robot (R) from the current position. The time T4 (R) is calculated (step S20). After step S20, the process proceeds to step S21.

Next, the specific unit 12 determines whether or not all the robots 6 have been processed in steps S15 to S22 (step S21). If the robot 6 that has not been processed in steps S15 to S22 still remains (NO in step S21), 1 is added to the value of r (step S22), the process returns to step S15, and the next robot 6 is Perform processing.

When the processes of steps S15 to S22 are completed for all the robots 6 (YES in step S21), the specific unit 12 (for example, the referent specific unit 124) has the calculated time T3 (R) and time T4 (R). At least one robot (R) is specified based on (step S23: specific step). For example, when specifying one robot (R) that arrives at the designated destination earliest, the identification unit 12 uses either the time T3 (R) or the time T4 (R) among the robots (R). The shortest robot (R) may be specified as the robot 6 to move to the moving destination.

Next, the notification unit 15 outputs the movement destination information to the robot control device 5 in order to move the robot 6 specified by the specific unit 12 to the designated movement destination (step S24: notification step). The destination information includes information about the elevator 4 that can be used by the robot 6 to move to the destination.

When the robot 6 specified by the specific unit 12 uses the elevator 4 (YES in step S25), the elevator management device 1 transmits a boarding floor designation instruction and a disembarkation floor designation instruction to the elevator control device 3. (Step S26).

In this way, the elevator management device 1 identifies the optimum robot 6 to be moved to a desired destination from among the plurality of robots 6. Further, the elevator management device 1 can smoothly make the robot 6 arrive at a desired destination by outputting information about the elevator 4 that can be used by the robot 6.

(Processing performed by robot 6)
Subsequently, the processing performed by the robot 6 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the robot 6 according to the first embodiment.

First, the control unit 60 sets the reference time T to 0 (seconds) (step S1). Next, the control unit 60 acquires information indicating the current time from the timer 65. Subsequently, the control unit 60 determines whether or not the acquired current time is T + 1 (seconds) or more (step S2). If one second or more has not passed from the reference time, that is, if the current time is less than T + 1 (seconds) (NO in step S2), the control unit 60 repeats step S2.

When 1 second or more has passed from the reference time, that is, when the current time is T + 1 (seconds) or more (YES in step S2), the control unit 60 informs the robot control device 5 of the current position information and the work status. Information and the like are transmitted (step S3). The work status information includes an identification number (id) assigned to each robot 6, busyFg, and the like. “BusyFg” is a flag indicating the work status of each robot 6. For example, in the robot 6 moving to another moving destination or arriving at another desired moving destination, busyFg = ON. On the other hand, in the robot 6 that can move to the newly designated moving destination, busyFg = OFF.

Finally, the control unit 60 sets the reference time T as the current time (step S4), and repeats the processing after step S2 again.

In this way, the robot 6 transmits the current position information, the work status information, and the like to the robot control device 5 every second. The interval at which the robot 6 transmits the current position information, the work status information, and the like to the robot control device 5 may be set to be shorter than 1 second.

Note that the robot control device 5 may transmit signals requesting current position information, work status information, and the like to each robot 6 at predetermined time intervals (for example, 1 second). In this case, each robot 6 may transmit the current position information, the work status information, and the like to the robot control device 5 in response to the request.

[Modification example]
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described below. For convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals will be added to the members having the same functions as the members described in the above embodiment, and the description will not be repeated.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of an elevator management system 100 including a robot control device 5, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the elevator management system 100, the elevator management device 1 may be configured to directly control a plurality of robots 6 without going through the robot control device 5.

In this case, the control unit 10 of the elevator management device 1 may include, for example, a robot control unit (not shown) having the same function as the control unit 50 shown in FIG.

The elevator management system 100 having a configuration in which the elevator management device 1 controls the robot 6 is suitable, for example, when a dedicated robot 6 is deployed in the building 7 in accordance with the introduction of the elevator management system 100.

[Embodiment 2]
Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. For convenience of explanation, the same reference numerals will be added to the members having the same functions as the members described in the above embodiment, and the description will not be repeated.

The elevator management system 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a configuration in which the robot 6 is moved to a desired destination, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the present invention may be configured to allow a predetermined person to use an optimal elevator to move that person to a desired destination. An elevator management system 100a having such a configuration will be described below.

(Overview of elevator management system 100a)
The elevator management system 100a moves at least one of a predetermined person (hereinafter, may be referred to as a "carryer") carrying a mobile information terminal 8 (information processing device) to a desired destination. It is a system that can be made to work. Here, the "predetermined person" is a person who carries a mobile information terminal 8 registered in the elevator management system 100a. Each mobile information terminal 8 may be associated with the mobile phone. Examples of the "predetermined person" include guidance staff, employees, residents, workers, and security guards in the building 7.

The elevator management system 100a uses at least one mobile information terminal 8 (information processing device) carried by each mobile phone based on the time required to arrive at the designated destination. Identify. Further, the elevator management system 100a is the most suitable elevator for the mobile phone carrying the specified mobile information terminal 8 if the mobile phone needs to use the elevator 4 to move to the designated destination. To use.

(Configuration of elevator management system 100a)
Next, the configuration of the elevator management system 100a will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the elevator management system 100a according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The elevator management system 100a includes an elevator management device 1a, an elevator control device 3, an elevator 4, and a mobile information terminal 8.

The elevator management device 1a manages the operation of the elevator 4 provided in the building 7. Further, the elevator management device 1a outputs the moving destination information including the information about the elevator 4 that can be used for the mobile phone to move to the designated moving destination to the mobile information terminal 8. Further, the elevator management device 1a may appropriately acquire work status information including information indicating the current position of the mobile information terminal 8 and information on the processing currently being performed from each mobile information terminal 8.

Here, the work status information may include information regarding the progress and completion of the processing currently being performed by each mobile information terminal 8. For example, the work status information may be information on whether the mobile phone instructed to move to the designated destination is moving to the destination or has arrived at the destination. As a result, the elevator management device 1a can monitor the position and work status of each mobile information terminal 8 and control each mobile information terminal 8.

The mobile information terminal 8 may be a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like registered in advance in the elevator management system 100a. Alternatively, the mobile information terminal 8 may be a dedicated mobile information terminal 8 lent to a predetermined person in accordance with the introduction of the elevator management system 100a. The mobile information terminal 8 may have a function of notifying a mobile phone of a message (for example, a voice output function and a screen display function).

(Configuration of elevator management device 1a)
The configuration of the elevator management device 1a will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the elevator management device 1a.

The elevator management device 1a is a computer communicatively connected to the elevator control device 3 and the mobile information terminal 8, and includes a control unit 10a, a notification unit 15a, an input unit 17, and a storage unit 16.

The control unit 10a is a CPU, and the control unit 10a controls to execute the processing of each function included in the elevator management device 1a. The control unit 10a includes a movement destination designation acquisition unit 11, an operation status acquisition unit 13, a position information acquisition unit 14a, and a specific unit 12a.

The position information acquisition unit 14a acquires position information (current position information) indicating the current position from each of the mobile information terminals 8. The position information acquisition unit 14a may acquire a report from the mobile information terminal 8 indicating that the elevator 4 has completed boarding and disembarking in the car 41. The mobile phone may be configured to input such information.

The identification unit 12a identifies at least one mobile information terminal 8 from among the plurality of mobile information terminals 8 based on the time required for the mobile phone to arrive at the designated destination. More specifically, the specific unit 12a may further include a waiting time calculation unit 121a, a processing status acquisition unit 125, an arrival time estimation unit 123a, and a referent specific unit 124a.

The waiting time calculation unit 121a sets the waiting time for each of the mobile information terminals 8 to wait for the car 41 of the elevator 4 that can be used by the mobile phone to move from the floor of the current position to the floor of the designated destination. Calculate based on the operating conditions of 4. The waiting time calculation unit 121a may determine the presence or absence of the elevator 4 that can be used by the mobile phone based on the current position information of the mobile information terminal 8 and the information indicating the operating status of the elevator 4. For example, when the waiting time for waiting for the elevator 4 is longer than a predetermined time (for example, 300 seconds), the waiting time calculation unit 121a may determine that there is no elevator available to the mobile phone.

The processing status acquisition unit 125 acquires processing status information including information on whether or not the mobile phone can move to the designated destination from the mobile information terminal 8. For example, when a mobile phone is using a mobile information terminal 8 to perform a specific task with a high priority, the mobile phone may not be able to move to a designated destination. Therefore, the processing status acquisition unit 125 may determine whether or not the mobile phone can move to the designated destination based on the processing status information indicating the status of the processing currently being executed by the mobile information terminal 8. Good.

The processing status acquisition unit 125 acquires, from the mobile information terminal 8, an arrival report indicating that the user has arrived at the designated destination, a work completion report indicating that the work at the specified destination has been completed, and the like. You may. The mobile information terminal 8 may be configured to transmit these reports to the mobile phone.

The arrival time estimation unit 123a calculates the time from the current position of each mobile information terminal 8 to the arrival at the designated destination. The time from the current position to the arrival of the mobile information terminal 8 at the designated destination includes a waiting time for the elevator 4 available to the mobile phone. The arrival time estimation unit 123a uses the waiting time calculated by the waiting time calculation unit 121a in order to calculate the time from the current position of each mobile information terminal 8 to the arrival at the designated moving destination.

More specifically, the arrival time estimation unit 123a calculates the total time of the following times (i) to (iv).

(I) Waiting time for the car 41 of the elevator 4 that can be used by the mobile phone (ii) Time for the car 41 to move from the boarding floor of the mobile phone to a predetermined floor (that is, the getting-off floor) (iii) The mobile phone boarding Time to move to the elevator landing on the floor (iv) Time for the mobile phone to move to the designated destination after getting off the elevator 4.

If the mobile phone can arrive at the designated destination without using the elevator 4, the arrival time estimation unit 123a only has the time for the mobile phone to arrive at the designated destination from the current position. Should be calculated. Here, the arrival time estimation unit 123a may use the walking speed of an average person as the moving speed of the carrier when the elevator is not used.

The referent identification unit 124a sets the carrier of at least one mobile information terminal 8 to the designated destination based on the time until arrival at the designated destination calculated by the arrival time estimation unit 123a. Identify as the person to move to. In a certain case, the referent identification unit 124a identifies the mobile information terminal 8 that can arrive at the designated destination earliest, and specifies it as the mobile information terminal 8 to be moved to the designated destination.

The notification unit 15a outputs the movement destination information to the mobile information terminal 8. The destination information includes information about the elevator 4 that can be used by the carrier of the mobile information terminal 8 specified by the specific unit 12 to move to the designated destination.

As a result, the elevator management device 1a identifies at least one mobile phone after accurately calculating the time required for the mobile phone of each mobile information terminal 8 to arrive at the desired destination using the elevator 4. can do. In addition, the elevator management device 1a can smoothly arrive the mobile phone at a desired destination by outputting information about the elevator 4 that can be used by the specified mobile phone.

(Configuration of mobile information terminal 8)
Subsequently, the configuration of the mobile information terminal 8 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the mobile information terminal 8.

The mobile information terminal 8 is a device that is communicably connected to the elevator management device 1a. The mobile information terminal 8 can be carried and moved one by one by a predetermined person.

The mobile information terminal 8 includes a control unit 80, a communication unit 83, a storage unit 84, a timer 85, and a presentation unit 86. The control unit 80 is a CPU, and the control unit 80 controls to execute the processing of each function included in the mobile information terminal 8.

The communication unit 83 is a network interface that can be connected to the in-facility network laid in the building 7.

The storage unit 84 is a storage device that stores various computer programs read by the control unit 80, data used in various processes executed by the control unit 80, and the like.

The timer 85 outputs information indicating the time to the control unit 80. When transmitting the current position information or the like to the elevator management device 1a, the control unit 80 transmits the information indicating the time acquired from the timer 85 together with the information indicating the time.

The presentation unit 86 is a display device or a speaker included in the mobile information terminal 8. The presentation unit 86 is a member for presenting information necessary for the carrier of the mobile information terminal 8 to move to a designated destination to the predetermined person.

The control unit 80 includes an instruction acquisition unit 81 and a presentation control unit 82.

The instruction acquisition unit 81 acquires a movement instruction from the elevator management device 1a. The movement instruction includes information indicating the mobile information terminal 8 specified by the elevator management device 1a (for example, the specific unit 12a), and movement destination information. The movement instruction may include identification information for identifying the mobile information terminal 8 and route information regarding a route for reaching the designated movement destination. Here, the instruction acquisition unit 81 may read the floor information 841 from the storage unit 84. Alternatively, the instruction acquisition unit 81 may acquire the floor information 531 from the robot control device 5.

The presentation control unit 82 presents information about the elevator 4 that can be used by the mobile phone to move to the designated destination based on the destination information acquired from the elevator management device 1a (for example, the notification unit 15). Control as presented in 86. Further, the presentation control unit 82 presents information on the position of the designated movement destination, the route to the designated movement destination, and the like to the presentation unit 86 based on the movement instruction acquired from the elevator management device 1a. You may control it. For example, the presentation control unit 82 refers to the floor information 841 (or floor information 531), and presents information on the current position of the mobile phone in the building 7 and the direction or route in which the mobile phone should move to the presentation unit 86. It may be controlled so as to.

[Modification example]
The present invention is realized as an elevator management system to which an elevator management device (not shown) capable of processing both the processing performed by the elevator management device 1 shown in FIG. 2 and the processing performed by the elevator management device 1a shown in FIG. 9 is applied. It is also possible.

Further, the elevator management device may have a function of determining whether to move the robot 6 to a designated movement destination or a predetermined person.

In the elevator management system adopting such a configuration, the elevator management device identifies the optimum robot 6 or the carrier from the carriers of the robot 6 and the mobile information terminal 8 and moves the robot 6 or the carrier to a desired destination. Can be done.

[Example of realization by software]
The control blocks (particularly the controls 10 and 10a) of the elevator management devices 1 and 1a may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software. .. The same applies to the control block of the robot 6 (particularly the control unit 60) and the control block of the mobile information terminal 8 (particularly the control 80).

In the latter case, the elevator management devices 1, 1a, the robot 6, and the personal digital assistant 8 include a computer that executes a program instruction, which is software that realizes each function. The computer includes, for example, one or more processors and a computer-readable recording medium that stores the program. Then, in the computer, the processor reads the program from the recording medium and executes it, thereby achieving the object of the present invention. As the processor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used. As the recording medium, a "non-temporary tangible medium", for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) or the like, a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. Further, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the above program may be further provided. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer via an arbitrary transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.) capable of transmitting the program. It should be noted that one aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the above program is embodied by electronic transmission.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1, 1a Elevator management device 4 Elevator 6 Robot (information processing device)
8 Mobile information terminal (information processing device)
12, 12a Specific unit 14 Position information acquisition unit 15, 15a Notification unit 41 Car 62 Mobile mechanism control unit 63 Communication unit 66 Mobile mechanism 83 Communication unit 86 Presentation unit 100, 100a Elevator management system S12 Position information acquisition step S23 Specific step S24 Notification Step

Claims (8)

An elevator management device that manages the operation of elevators installed in buildings with multiple floors.
A position information acquisition unit that acquires current position information indicating the current position of each of a plurality of information processing devices that can be carried by a predetermined person and move or autonomously travel.
The time from each current position of the information processing apparatus to the arrival at the desired destination of the building is calculated based on the operating condition of the elevator, and at least based on the time until the desired destination is reached. A specific unit that identifies one of the information processing devices,
A notification unit that outputs destination information including information about the elevator that can be used by the specified information processing device to move to a desired destination of the building.
Elevator management device. The specific unit waits for a car available to move from each current position of the information processing apparatus to the desired destination based on the current position and current driving direction of the car of the elevator. And calculate the time to arrive at the desired destination by using the waiting time.
The elevator management device according to claim 1. The specific part is
Among the information processing devices, the information processing device that can reach the desired destination earliest is specified.
The elevator management device according to claim 1 or 2. When the specific unit identifies the information processing device that can arrive at a destination different from the desired destination earliest, the specific unit is already moving to the different destination or has arrived at the different destination. Exclude information processing equipment,
The elevator management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. An information processing device that is carried and moved by a predetermined person.
A communication unit that receives moving destination information including information about the elevator that can be used to move to a desired moving destination of the building from the elevator management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
A presentation unit that presents information about the elevator to the predetermined person.
Information processing device. An information processing device capable of autonomous driving
A communication unit that receives moving destination information including information about the elevator that can be used to move to a desired moving destination of the building from the elevator management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
A movement mechanism for moving and
A movement mechanism control unit that controls the movement mechanism so as to move to the desired movement destination based on the movement destination information is provided.
Information processing device. The elevator management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and
With the elevator
With the information processing device
Elevator management system including. It is a control method by an elevator management device that manages the operation of an elevator installed in a building having multiple floors.
A position information acquisition step of acquiring current position information indicating the current position of each of a plurality of information processing devices that can be carried by a predetermined person and moved or autonomously traveled.
The time from each current position of the information processing apparatus to the arrival at the desired destination of the building is calculated based on the operating condition of the elevator, and at least based on the time until the desired destination is reached. A specific step of identifying one of the information processing devices,
Includes a notification step that outputs destination information, including information about the elevator that the identified information processing device can use to move to a desired destination in the building.
Elevator management device control method.

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