JP2022169161A - Support system for robot operation plan decision - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a support system capable of deciding an operation plan with higher possibility.SOLUTION: A support system 13 comprises an analysis part 15, a use history computation part 16, and an applicability evaluation part 17. The analysis part 15 analyzes availability of a cage 2 of an elevator 1 provided in a facility. The use history computation part 16 associates an operation state of the elevator 1 for each past time with availability within the cage 2 analyzed by the analysis part 15 for said time to make a use history of the elevator 1. The applicability evaluation part 17 evaluates the propriety of application of operation plan on the basis of the use history of the elevator 1. The operation plan includes movement information indicating a movement using the elevator 1 by a robot moving in the facility.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to a support system for formulating a robot operation plan.

US Pat. No. 6,200,000 discloses an example of a transportation system that transports a robot by means of an elevator car. The transportation system determines whether there is empty space in the elevator car based on the image of the inside of the car. The transport system sends a boarding permission signal to the robot that is currently moving when there is an empty space in the car for boarding the robot.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020-11805

In the transport system of US Pat. No. 6,200,000, an elevator is used by both the robot and the user. Here, when a new robot is introduced, or when the operation of an already introduced robot is changed, a new robot operation plan may be formulated. At this time, there is a possibility that the robot cannot operate according to the operation plan by interfering with the use of the elevator by the user.

The present disclosure relates to solving such problems. The present disclosure provides a support system capable of formulating an operation plan with higher feasibility.

The robot operation plan formulation support system according to the present disclosure includes an analysis unit that analyzes the availability of elevator cars provided in a facility, and the operation state of the elevator for each past hour. A usage history calculation unit that associates the vacancy situation in the elevator car analyzed by with the usage history of the elevator, and a robot that moves the facility based on the usage history, representing movement using the elevator. an applicability evaluation unit that evaluates applicability of the operation plan including movement information.

With the support system according to the present disclosure, it is possible to formulate a robot operation plan with higher feasibility.

1 is a configuration diagram of an elevator according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the support system according to Embodiment 1; 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the support system according to Embodiment 1; 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the support system according to Embodiment 1; 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the support system according to Embodiment 1; 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the support system according to Embodiment 1; 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the support system according to Embodiment 1; 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of main parts of the support system according to the first embodiment; FIG.

Modes for implementing the subject matter of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each figure, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are appropriately simplified or omitted. It should be noted that the subject of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and modifications of any constituent elements of the embodiments, or modifications of any constituent elements of the embodiments, within the scope of the present disclosure. It can be omitted.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an elevator 1 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG.

Elevator 1 is applied to a facility. A facility is, for example, a building having multiple floors. A hoistway (not shown) for an elevator 1 is provided in the facility. A hoistway is a space that spans multiple floors. A landing (not shown) for the elevator 1 is provided on each floor of the facility. A landing is a place adjacent to a hoistway. The elevator 1 includes a car 2, a hall operating panel 3, and a control device 4.

The car 2 is a device that transports a user of the elevator 1 between a plurality of floors by running up and down on the hoistway. The car 2 includes a car door 5, a car operating panel 6 and a scale 7. The car door 5 is a device that opens and closes so that when the car 2 stops at any floor, a user or the like can get in and out of the inside of the car 2 and the hall. The car operating panel 6 is arranged inside the car 2 . The car operation panel 6 is a part that receives, for example, a car call operation by a user who has boarded the car 2 from the boarding hall of the departure floor. The car operating panel 6 has, for example, buttons for accepting an operation for specifying a destination floor in car calling. A scale 7 is a device for measuring the load weight of the car 2 .

The hall operating panel 3 is arranged at the hall. The hall operation panel 3 is a part that receives, for example, a hall call operation by a user at the hall of the departure floor. The hall operating panel 3 has, for example, buttons for designating the traveling direction of the car 2 from the departure floor to the destination floor in hall call.

The control device 4 is a device that controls the operation of the elevator 1 . Operations of elevator 1 that can be controlled by controller 4 include running of car 2 . The control device 4 includes a first load weight storage section 8 and a first operation history storage section 9 . The first load weight storage unit 8 is a part that stores information on the load weight of the car 2 measured by the scale 7 . In the first load weight storage unit 8, the information on the load weight and the time when the load weight was measured are stored in association with each other. An operation history is stored in the first operation history storage unit 9 . The operation history includes information on multiple operation events. An operation event is an event regarding operation that occurs in the elevator 1 . Driving events include, for example, a no-direction stop or a change in direction of travel. A non-directional stop means that the car 2 stops in a state in which the running direction after stopping is not reserved. A change in running direction represents a change in the running direction of the car 2 . The running direction change includes, for example, a change from ascending to descending, descending to ascending, no direction to ascending, or no direction to descending. The operation history includes information on the time when each operation event occurred. The operation history includes information on the floor where the car 2 was when each operation event occurred. The service history may include information on calls such as car calls and hall calls that were registered when each service event occurred. The operation history may include information such as the open/closed state of the car door 5 when each operation event occurs.

In elevator 1 a monitoring system is applied. A monitoring system is a system that monitors the state of the elevator 1 . The surveillance system includes a surveillance camera 10 and a surveillance server 11 . A surveillance camera 10 is arranged inside the car 2 . The surveillance camera 10 is a device that takes an image of the inside of the car 2 . An image captured by the monitoring camera 10 may be either a moving image or a still image. The monitoring server 11 is arranged, for example, in a facility where the elevator 1 is applied. The monitoring server 11 is, for example, one or more server devices. The monitoring server 11 has a first image storage unit 12 . In the first image storage unit 12, an image of the inside of the car 2 captured by the surveillance camera 10 is stored. In the first image storage unit 12, an image of the interior of the car 2 and the time when the image was taken are stored in association with each other.

Here, in a facility to which the elevator 1 is applied, introduction of a robot that operates in the facility may be considered. Here, a robot is a device that autonomously moves in a facility. The robot uses the elevator 1 to move around the facility. The robot operates based on a preset operation plan. The operation plan contains movement information. The movement information is information representing the movement of the robot using the elevator 1 in the facility. The movement information includes information on the use time, use section, movement time, and the number of times the elevator 1 is used by the robot. The usage time is the time from the usage start time to the usage end time. The use time is, for example, the range of time during which the robot can use the elevator 1 . The utilization section is the section from the boarding floor of the robot to the alighting floor. The movement time is the time required for one movement from the boarding floor to the alighting floor. The number of times of use is, for example, the number of times the robot uses the elevator 1 according to the operation plan. The operation plan is formulated by, for example, a facility manager.

Elevator 1, on the other hand, is used by both robots and users. For this reason, the robot may not be able to operate according to the established operation plan due to interference with the use of the elevator 1 by the user. If the robot cannot operate according to the operation plan, the effect of introducing the robot may not be sufficiently obtained. When the robot cannot operate according to the operation plan, interference with the use of the elevator 1 by the robot may reduce the usage efficiency of the elevator 1 for the user. For this reason, the support system 13 is used so that an operation plan with higher feasibility can be formulated.

The support system 13 is a system that supports the creation of an operation plan for a robot that uses the elevator 1 to move around the facility. The support system 13 is a system including, for example, one or more server devices. Some or all of the functionality of support system 13 may reside on one or more devices located at the facility. Alternatively, some or all of the functionality of support system 13 may be implemented, such as by storage or processing resources on one or more devices located outside the facility or on a cloud service. The support system 13 includes a plurality of storage units, a collection unit 14, an analysis unit 15, a usage history calculation unit 16, an applicability evaluation unit 17, and an impact evaluation unit 18. The plurality of storage units include a specification storage unit 19, an operation plan storage unit 20, a second load weight storage unit 21, a second operation history storage unit 22, a second image storage unit 23, and an availability history storage unit. 24, a usage history storage unit 25, a usage assumption storage unit 26, and an influence storage unit 27.

Each storage unit in the support system 13 is a portion that stores information. Each storage unit in the support system 13 may be implemented by independent hardware, or may be implemented by different storage areas on the same hardware.

Specification information of the robot is stored in the specification storage unit 19 . The robot specification information includes information such as dimensions or weight of the robot. The dimensions of the robot include the area occupied by the robot on the floor, or the width or depth of the robot. The specification information of the robot may include information of the load capacity of the robot when the robot transports a person or a load. The robot specification information may include information on whether or not the robot can ride in the car 2 of the elevator 1 with other robots or with the user of the elevator 1 . At this time, the specification information of the robots that can ride together may include information on the number of other robots that can ride together.

The operation plan storage unit 20 stores the operation plan of the robot. The robot operation plan is input from outside the support system 13 by, for example, a facility manager.

The collection unit 14 is a part that collects information from the elevator 1, the monitoring system, and the like. The collection unit 14 collects information on the load weight from the first load weight storage unit 8 of the control device 4 . The collection unit 14 stores the collected load weight information in the second load weight storage unit 21 . The collection unit 14 collects operation histories from the first operation history storage unit 9 of the control device 4 . The collection unit 14 causes the second operation history storage unit 22 to store the collected operation history. The collection unit 14 collects images of the interior of the car 2 from the first image storage unit 12 of the monitoring server 11 . The collection unit 14 stores the collected images in the second image storage unit 23 .

The analysis unit 15 is a part that analyzes the availability of the car 2 . The vacancy status includes information about the degree of leeway for further boarding of car 2 . The availability is represented by, for example, the area of the floor area of the car 2 that is not occupied by users or the like. At this time, the analysis unit 15 analyzes the empty situation by calculating the occupied area of the car 2 based on the image of the inside of the car 2 stored in the second image storage unit 23 . Alternatively, the empty status may be represented by, for example, the difference between the measured value of the loaded weight of the car 2 and the upper limit value. At this time, the analysis unit 15 analyzes the empty state by calculating the difference between the measured value and the upper limit based on the load weight stored in the second load weight storage unit 21 .

The availability history storage unit 24 stores the availability history. The availability history is information representing past availability for each hour.

Based on the operation history stored in the second operation history storage unit 22, the usage history calculation unit 16 determines the operation state for each hour in the past based on the information collected by the collection unit 14. FIG. Here, the operation state represents a state during an operation event of the elevator 1, and the like. The usage history calculation unit 16 associates the operation status of the elevator 1 for each time in the past with the vacancy status analyzed by the analysis unit 15 for that time, and forms the usage history of the elevator 1 . The usage history calculation unit 16 refers to the availability history stored in the availability history storage unit 24 in the calculation for associating the availability of the usage history. The usage history calculation unit 16 causes the usage history storage unit 25 to store the associated usage history.

The applicability evaluation unit 17 is a part that evaluates applicability of the operation plan stored in the operation plan storage unit 20 based on the usage history stored in the usage history storage unit 25 . The applicability evaluation unit 17 generates a usage assumption representing a situation in which the robot will use the elevator 1 when the robot that follows the operation plan is introduced. The expected usage of the robot represents the assumed usage status of the elevator 1 if the robot had been introduced at the past time represented by the operation history. The applicability evaluation unit 17 causes the usage assumption storage unit 26 to store the generated usage assumption.

The influence evaluation unit 18 is a part that evaluates the influence on the operation efficiency of the elevator 1 when a robot that follows the operation plan is introduced. The impact evaluation unit 18 has a function of evaluating the waiting time history, for example, as follows. The influence evaluation unit 18 determines the section used by each user based on the information of the platform call and the car call in the operation history, for example. For example, when a hall call is registered on any of the floors, the influence evaluation unit 18 determines that there is a user whose departure floor is on that floor. The influence evaluation unit 18 evaluates the difference between the registration time when the hall call was registered and the arrival time when the car 2 arrived at the floor as the waiting time of the user. Further, when a car call is registered for the car 2 stopped at the user's departure floor, the impact evaluation unit 18 determines that the floor specified in the car call is the destination floor of the user. Alternatively, when a car call is not registered for the car 2 that has stopped at the departure floor of the user, the impact evaluation unit 18 determines the floor where the next change in the running direction of the car 2 occurs as the destination floor of the user. You can judge. The impact assessment unit 18 may determine the user's departure floor and destination floor based on the image inside the car 2 or the measured load weight of the scale 7 . The impact evaluation unit 18 determines that the section used by the user is the section from the departure floor to the destination floor. In addition, the impact evaluation unit 18 determines that the section before use by the user is the section from the floor where the car 2 changed its traveling direction immediately before to the departure floor. The section before use by the user is the section in which the car 2 was traveling immediately before the user boarded. The influence evaluation unit 18 evaluates the influence on the waiting time of the elevator 1 as the influence on the operation efficiency by evaluating the history of the waiting time when the robot following the operation plan is introduced. The influence evaluation unit 18 causes the influence storage unit 27 to store the evaluated influence on the operation efficiency.

Next, an example of the operation of the support system 13 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. FIG.
FIGS. 2 to 5 are flowcharts showing examples of operations of the support system 13 according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows an example of processing related to the generation of availability history.
The processing of FIG. 2 is started after the collection unit 14 collects information.

In step S<b>201 , the analysis unit 15 acquires information at the farthest time from the current time, ie, the earliest time, among the information stored in the second load weight storage unit 21 and the second image storage unit 23 . The analysis unit 15 acquires information on the load weight measured at the time from the second load weight storage unit 21, for example. Also, the analysis unit 15 acquires information about the image taken at the time from the second image storage unit 23, for example. The analysis unit 15 analyzes the availability of the car 2 at the time based on the acquired information. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S202.

In step S202, the usage history calculation unit 16 determines whether the availability analyzed by the analysis unit 15 has changed from the availability analyzed by the analysis unit 15 immediately before. In this example, when there is no availability analyzed immediately before, the usage history calculation unit 16 determines that there is no change in the availability. When the vacancy status is represented by a numerical value such as a load weight or an occupied area, the usage history calculation unit 16, when the numerical range including the numerical value changes among a plurality of numerical ranges set in advance, It may be determined that the availability has changed. Alternatively, the usage history calculation unit 16 may determine a change in availability when the availability is stable, such as while the car door 5 is closed. At this time, the usage history calculation unit 16 may suspend the determination of the change in availability when the availability is not stable, such as while the car door 5 is open. When the usage history calculation unit 16 determines that the availability has changed, the processing in the support system 13 proceeds to step S203. On the other hand, when the usage history calculation unit 16 determines that there is no change in availability, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S204.

In step S203, the usage history calculation unit 16 stores the start time and end time of the period in which no change in availability was determined, and the information on the availability of that period as availability history in the availability history storage unit 24. Memorize. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S204.

In step S204, the usage history calculation unit 16 determines whether the analysis unit 15 has analyzed the availability at the time closest to the present among the information stored in the second load weight storage unit 21 and the second image storage unit 23. do. If the determination result is No, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S205. If the determination result is Yes, the support system 13 terminates the process of creating the availability history.

In step S<b>205 , the analysis unit 15 acquires information at the next time out of the information stored in the second load weight storage unit 21 and the second image storage unit 23 . The analysis unit 15 analyzes the availability of the car 2 at the time based on the acquired information. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S202.

FIG. 3 shows an example of processing related to generation of usage history.
The process of FIG. 3 begins after the availability history is generated.

In step S301, the usage history calculation unit 16 reads the operation event at the earliest time among the operation histories stored in the second operation history storage unit 22 as the first event. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S302.

In step S302, the usage history calculator 16 determines the type of the first event. When the first event is the non-directional stop, the support system 13 proceeds to the process of step S303. If the first event is a change in direction of travel, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S307.

In step S303, the usage history calculation unit 16 reads the operation event at the next time of the first event from the operation history stored in the second operation history storage unit 22 as the second event. Since the first event is no-direction stop, the second event is a change in running direction. After reading the second event, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S304.

In step S304, the usage history calculation unit 16 determines the operating state of the period from the first event to the second event. The information on the operation state determined by the usage history calculation unit 16 includes information on the type of operation state, information on the period corresponding to the operation state during the period from the first event to the second event, and the number of cars during the period. 2 location information. Since the first event is a non-directional stop, the usage history determination unit determines that the type of operation state during the period from the first event to the second event is a stopped state in which the car 2 is stopped. The usage history determination unit determines the period corresponding to the operation state as the suspension period. The start time of the suspension period is the occurrence time of the first event. The end time of the stop period is the occurrence time of the second event. The usage history determination unit determines the position of the car 2 during the suspension period as the stop floor, which is the floor on which the car 2 is stopped. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S304.

In step S<b>305 , the usage history calculation unit 16 determines the availability during the suspension period based on the availability history stored in the availability history storage unit 24 . The usage history calculation unit 16 acquires, for example, the availability of the time included in the suspension period based on the availability history. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S306.

In step S<b>306 , the usage history calculation unit 16 associates the determined operation state with the acquired availability status, and stores the usage history in the usage history storage unit 25 . After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S311.

In step S307, the usage history calculation unit 16 reads the operation event at the next time of the first event from the operation history stored in the second operation history storage unit 22 as the second event. Since the first event is a change in running direction, the second event is either a non-directional stop or a change in running direction. After reading the second event, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S308.

In step S308, the usage history calculation unit 16 determines the operating state of the period from the first event to the second event. Since the first event is a change in traveling direction, the usage history determination unit determines that the type of operation state during the period from the first event to the second event is a running state in which car 2 travels. The usage history determining unit sets the period corresponding to the operation state as the driving period. The start time of the running period is the occurrence time of the first event. The end time of the running period is the occurrence time of the second event. The usage history determination unit determines the position of the car 2 during the travel period as a travel section that is a section from the departure floor to the destination floor of the car 2 . The departure floor of the travel section is the floor where car 2 was at the time of the first event. The destination floor of the traveling section is the floor where the car 2 was at the time of the second event. The traveling direction in the traveling section is the direction from the departure floor to the destination floor. After that, the processing in the support system 13 proceeds to step S309.

In step S<b>309 , the usage history calculation unit 16 determines the availability during the travel period based on the availability history stored in the availability history storage unit 24 . The usage history calculation unit 16 acquires, for example, the availability of time included in the travel period based on the availability history. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S310.

In step S<b>310 , the usage history calculation unit 16 associates the determined operation state with the acquired availability status, and stores the usage history in the usage history storage unit 25 . After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S311.

In step S311, the usage history calculation unit 16 sets the second event as a new first event. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S312.

In step S<b>312 , the usage history calculation unit 16 determines whether or not the operation event at the time closest to the current time among the operation histories stored in the second operation history storage unit 22 has been read. If the determination result is No, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S302. If the determination result is Yes, the support system 13 terminates the processing related to usage history generation.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show an example of processing related to evaluating the applicability of an operation plan.
The processes of FIGS. 4A and 4B are started after the usage history is generated.

In step S<b>401 in FIG. 4A , the applicability evaluation unit 17 acquires movement information from the operation plan stored in the operation plan storage unit 20 . The applicability evaluation unit 17 acquires from the usage history storage unit 25 the usage history corresponding to the period including the usage start time of the acquired movement information. The applicability evaluation unit 17 initializes the available number of times to 0 for the acquired movement information. The usable number of times is the number of times the elevator 1 is assumed to be usable when the robot is introduced. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S402.

In step S402, the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines the type of operation state for the acquired usage history. When the operation state is the stopped state, the processing in the support system 13 proceeds to step S403. When the operation state is the running state, the processing in the support system 13 proceeds to step S405.

In step S403, the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines whether the length of the suspension period is equal to or greater than the length of the travel time in the travel information for the acquired usage history. If the determination result is Yes, the processing in the support system 13 proceeds to step S404. If the determination result is No, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S410 in FIG. 4B.

In step S<b>404 , the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines that the robot can use the elevator 1 . The applicability evaluation unit 17 adds 1 to the available number of times for the acquired movement information. The applicability evaluation unit 17 sets, for example, the start time of a period in which the usage time of the acquired movement information and the suspension period of the acquired usage history overlap, as an assumed usage start time when the robot uses the elevator 1. . The applicability evaluation unit 17 sets the time after the elapse of the travel time from the estimated usage start time as the estimated usage end time of the elevator 1 . The applicability evaluation unit 17 determines the period from the assumed start time of use to the assumed end time of use as the assumed use time of the elevator 1 by the robot. The applicability evaluation unit 17 stores the estimated usage section from the boarding floor to the alighting floor of the acquired movement information and the determined estimated usage time in the usage estimation storage unit 26 as usage estimation. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S410 in FIG. 4B.

In step S<b>405 , the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines whether the travel section includes the travel information use section in the acquired usage history. For example, the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines that the travel section includes the use section when the travel section and the utilization section match. If the determination result is Yes, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S406. If the determination result is No, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S410 in FIG. 4B.

In step S406, the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines whether the robot can ride in the car 2 based on the availability of the acquired usage history and the specification information of the robot stored in the specification storage unit 19. . For example, when the empty state is represented by the difference between the measured value of the load weight and the upper limit value, the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines whether the robot is in the car if the difference is greater than the weight of the robot or the sum of the weight and the load capacity. 2 is determined to be boardable. Alternatively, the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines that the robot can ride in the car 2 if the area is larger than the area occupied by the robot when the availability is represented by an area not occupied by users or the like. can be determined. If the determination result is Yes, the processing in the support system 13 proceeds to step S407. If the determination result is No, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S410 in FIG. 4B.

In step S<b>407 , the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines that the robot can use the elevator 1 . The applicability evaluation unit 17 adds 1 to the available number of times for the acquired movement information. For example, the applicability evaluation unit 17 sets the start time of the traveling period of the acquired use history as the assumed start time of use when the robot uses the elevator 1 . The applicability evaluation unit 17 sets the end time of the travel period in the usage history as the assumed end time of usage of the elevator 1 . The applicability evaluation unit 17 determines the period from the assumed start time of use to the assumed end time of use as the assumed use time of the elevator 1 by the robot. The applicability evaluation unit 17 stores the estimated usage section from the boarding floor to the alighting floor of the acquired movement information and the determined estimated usage time in the usage estimation storage unit 26 as usage estimation. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S408 in FIG. 4B.

In step S408 in FIG. 4B, the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines whether the robot can ride in the car 2 of the elevator 1 together with other robots, based on the specification information of the robot stored in the specification storage unit 19. . If the determination result is Yes, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S409. If the determination result is No, the processing in the support system 13 proceeds to step S410.

In step S409, the applicability evaluation unit 17 updates the availability in the acquired usage history. For example, when the availability is represented by the difference between the measured load weight and the upper limit, the applicability evaluation unit 17 updates the availability by subtracting the weight of the robot or the sum of the weight and load capacity from the difference. do. Alternatively, the applicability evaluation unit 17 may update the availability by subtracting the area occupied by the robot from the area that is not occupied by users or the like, for example, when the availability is represented by an area not occupied by users. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S406 in FIG. 4A.

In step S410, the applicability evaluation unit 17 newly acquires the usage history following the acquired usage history. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S411.

In step S411, the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines whether the end time of the period corresponding to the newly acquired usage history is earlier than the usage end time of the movement information. If the determination result is Yes, the processing in the support system 13 proceeds to step S412. If the determination result is No, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S402 in FIG. 4A.

In step S<b>412 , the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines whether the number of possible uses is greater than or equal to the number of uses of the movement information. If the determination result is Yes, the processing in the support system 13 proceeds to step S413. If the determination result is No, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S414.

In step S413, the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines that the operation plan is applicable. After that, the support system 13 ends the processing related to evaluation of the applicability of the operation plan.

In step S414, the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines that the operation plan cannot be applied. After that, the support system 13 ends the processing related to evaluation of the applicability of the operation plan.

5A and 5B show an example of processing related to evaluation of impact on operation efficiency.
The processes of FIGS. 5A and 5B are started after a robot usage assumption of the elevator 1 is generated in evaluating the applicability of the operation plan.

In step S<b>501 in FIG. 5A , the impact evaluation unit 18 acquires the usage assumption at the earliest time among the usage assumptions stored in the usage assumption storage unit 26 . The impact evaluation unit 18 acquires an assumed use section and an assumed use time of the robot for the acquired assumed use. The impact evaluation unit 18 initializes the long wait counter to zero. The long wait counter represents the number of users waiting for the elevator 1 longer than the long wait time. A long waiting time is a preset time, such as one minute. After that, the processing in the support system 13 proceeds to step S502.

In step S<b>502 , the impact evaluation unit 18 determines the section before use by the user who used the elevator 1 during the acquired estimated use time based on the information of the platform call and the car call in the operation history. The impact evaluation unit 18 determines whether at least one of the boarding floor and the alighting floor of the assumed use section of the acquired assumed use is included in the section. If the determination result is Yes, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S503. If the determination result is No, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S507 in FIG. 5B.

In step S<b>503 , the impact evaluation unit 18 determines whether the boarding floor or alighting floor of the assumed use section is included in the section before use by the user. When the impact evaluation unit 18 determines that only the boarding floor is included, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S504. When the impact evaluation unit 18 determines that only the floor to get off is included, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S505. When the influence evaluation unit 18 determines that both the boarding floor and the getting-off floor are included, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S506.

In step S504, the impact evaluation unit 18 adds the boarding time, which is the time required for the robot to board the car 2, to each of the arrival times of the car 2 at the user's departure floor and destination floor. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S507 in FIG. 5B.

In step S505, the impact evaluation unit 18 adds the time required for the robot to get off the car 2 to each of the arrival times of the car 2 at the user's departure floor and destination floor. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S507 in FIG. 5B.

In step S506, the influence evaluation unit 18 adds the boarding time and alighting time of the robot to each of the arrival times of the car 2 at the user's departure floor and destination floor. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S507 in FIG. 5B.

In step S507 of FIG. 5B, the impact evaluation unit 18 determines the section used by the user based on information such as the platform call and car call in the operation history. The impact evaluation unit 18 determines whether at least one of the boarding floor and the alighting floor of the assumed use section of the acquired assumed use is included in the section. If the determination result is Yes, the processing in the support system 13 proceeds to step S508. If the determination result is No, the processing in the support system 13 proceeds to step S512.

In step S<b>508 , the impact evaluation unit 18 determines whether the section used by the user includes the boarding floor or alighting floor of the assumed use section. When the impact evaluation unit 18 determines that only the boarding floor is included, the processing in the support system 13 proceeds to step S509. When the impact evaluation unit 18 determines that only the floor to get off is included, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S510. When the influence evaluation unit 18 determines that both the boarding floor and the getting-off floor are included, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S511.

In step S509, the impact evaluation unit 18 adds the boarding time, which is the time required for the robot to board the car 2, to the arrival time of the car 2 at the destination floor of the user. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S512.

In step S510, the impact evaluation unit 18 adds the time required for the robot to get off the car 2 to the arrival time of the car 2 at the destination floor of the user. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S512.

In step S511, the impact evaluation unit 18 adds the boarding time and alighting time of the robot to the arrival time of the car 2 at the destination floor of the user. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S512.

In step S512, the impact evaluation unit 18 determines whether the waiting time of the user calculated from the difference between the registration time of the hall call and the arrival time at the departure floor is longer than or equal to the long waiting time. If the determination result is Yes, the processing in the support system 13 proceeds to step S513. If the determination result is No, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S514.

In step S513, the influence evaluation unit 18 stores the registration time of the hall call, the arrival time at the departure floor, and the waiting time of the user in the influence storage unit 27 as influences on the operation efficiency. The impact evaluation unit 18 adds 1 to the long wait counter. Note that, if there are a plurality of users who used the elevator 1 during the acquired estimated usage time, the impact evaluation unit 18 repeats the processing from step S502 to step S513 for each user.

In step S<b>514 , the impact evaluation unit 18 determines whether or not the utilization assumption stored in the utilization assumption storage unit 26 at the time closest to the current time has been acquired. If the determination result is No, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S515. If the determination result is Yes, the processing in the support system 13 proceeds to step S516.

In step S<b>515 , the impact evaluation unit 18 acquires usage assumptions at the next time from the usage assumptions stored in the usage assumption storage unit 26 . The impact evaluation unit 18 acquires an assumed use section and an assumed use time of the robot for the acquired assumed use. After that, the process in the support system 13 proceeds to step S502 in FIG. 5A.

In step S516, the impact evaluation unit 18 causes the impact storage unit 27 to store the value of the long wait counter. After that, the support system 13 ends the processing related to the evaluation of the impact on the operation efficiency.

Note that the impact evaluation unit 18 determines whether the user gets on the car 2 based on, for example, the difference between the arrival time at the departure floor and the arrival time at the destination floor, as in the evaluation of the waiting time of the user. You may also assess the impact on time spent At this time, the influence evaluation unit 18 causes the influence storage unit 27 to store the evaluation result.

Also, the operation plan may include a plurality of pieces of movement information. Also, the operation plan may include movement information for multiple robots. At this time, evaluation of the applicability of the operation plan is continuously performed for a plurality of movement information. Assistance system 13 may evaluate the feasibility of each movement information. Further, the support system 13 may determine whether or not the operation plan is applicable based on the feasibility of each piece of movement information.

The facility manager who formulated the operation plan refers to the results stored in the influence storage unit 27 and examines whether the introduction of the robot has an acceptable influence on the operation efficiency of the elevator 1.

As described above, the support system 13 according to Embodiment 1 includes the analysis unit 15 , the usage history calculation unit 16 and the applicability evaluation unit 17 . The analysis unit 15 analyzes the availability of the car 2 of the elevator 1 provided in the facility. The usage history calculation unit 16 associates the operating state of the elevator 1 at each time in the past with the vacancy status in the car 2 analyzed by the analysis unit 15 for that time, and forms the usage history of the elevator 1 . The applicability evaluation unit 17 evaluates applicability of the operation plan based on the usage history of the elevator 1 . The operation plan includes movement information representing movement using the elevator 1 by the robot moving in the facility.

With such a configuration, the applicability evaluation unit 17 can determine applicability of the operation plan based on the actual availability history and the actual operation history. As a result, the support system 13 can formulate an operation plan with higher feasibility.

Further, the operation state corresponding to the time when the car 2 was running among the hourly operation states of the elevator 1 includes information on the departure floor and the destination floor of the car 2 . The movement information of the robot includes information on the usage time of the elevator 1 by the robot, the boarding floor, and the deboarding floor.
In addition, when the traveling section between the departure floor and the destination floor of the operation information of the elevator 1 for the time included in the usage time of the movement information of the robot includes the usage section between the boarding floor and the alighting floor of the movement information. There is In this case, the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines whether or not the robot represented by the movement information can move, based on the availability of the car 2 associated with the operation state in the usage history. judge.

With such a configuration, whether or not the robot can use the elevator 1 is determined according to the availability of the car 2 . The applicability evaluation unit 17 can evaluate that the robot can use the elevator 1 even if the car 2 is not completely empty. As a result, the support system 13 can formulate an operation plan that is easily compatible with realistic usage conditions.

Further, the applicability evaluation unit 17 determines whether or not the robot can move based on the vacancy status of the car 2 and the specification information of the robot.

With such a configuration, it becomes possible to flexibly formulate an operation plan based on individual specification information such as the size or weight of the robot.

The support system 13 also includes an impact assessment unit 18 . If the floor where the robot rides is included in the section where the car 2 was running immediately before the user boarded, the influence evaluation unit 18 adds the boarding time of the robot to the car 2 to the history of the user's waiting time. to add. If the floor where the robot gets off is included in the section in which the car 2 was running immediately before the user got on, the impact evaluation unit 18 adds the time when the robot got off from the car 2 to the history of the user's waiting time. to add. If the floor where the robot rides is included in the section in which the car 2 travels while the user is riding, the influence evaluation unit 18 calculates the boarding time of the robot to the car 2 before the user gets on. Add to the history of the time If the floor where the robot gets off is included in the section in which the car 2 is traveling while the user is on board, the impact evaluation unit 18 determines whether the user gets on the robot during the time the robot gets off from the car 2. Add to the history of the time Thereby, the influence evaluation part 18 evaluates the influence on the operation of the elevator 1 when the operation plan is applied.

With such a configuration, it becomes possible to specifically evaluate the influence of the introduction of the robot on the operation of the elevator 1 . This makes it easier for facility administrators and others to consider whether or not to introduce robots into the facility.

Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the support system 13 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6 is a hardware configuration diagram of main parts of the support system 13 according to the first embodiment.

Each function of support system 13 may be implemented by a processing circuit. The processing circuitry comprises at least one processor 100a and at least one memory 100b. The processing circuitry may include at least one piece of dedicated hardware 200 in conjunction with, or as an alternative to, processor 100a and memory 100b.

When the processing circuitry comprises a processor 100a and a memory 100b, each function of the support system 13 is implemented in software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. At least one of software and firmware is written as a program. The program is stored in memory 100b. The processor 100a realizes each function of the support system 13 by reading and executing the programs stored in the memory 100b.

The processor 100a is also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a processing device, an arithmetic device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a DSP. The memory 100b is composed of, for example, nonvolatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, and EEPROM.

Where the processing circuitry comprises dedicated hardware 200, the processing circuitry may be implemented, for example, in single circuits, multiple circuits, programmed processors, parallel programmed processors, ASICs, FPGAs, or combinations thereof.

Each function of the support system 13 can be implemented by a processing circuit. Alternatively, each function of the support system 13 can be collectively realized by a processing circuit. A part of each function of the support system 13 may be realized by the dedicated hardware 200 and the other part may be realized by software or firmware. Thus, the processing circuitry implements each function of support system 13 in dedicated hardware 200, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

1 Elevator 2 Car 3 Hall operating panel 4 Control device 5 Car door 6 Car operating panel 7 Scale 8 First load weight storage unit 9 First operation history storage unit 10 Surveillance camera 11 Surveillance server 12 first image storage unit 13 support system 14 collection unit 15 analysis unit 16 usage history calculation unit 17 applicability evaluation unit 18 impact evaluation unit 19 specification storage unit 20 operation plan storage unit 21 th 2 load weight storage unit 22 second operation history storage unit 23 second image storage unit 24 availability history storage unit 25 usage history storage unit 26 expected usage storage unit 27 influence storage unit 100a processor 100b memory , 200 dedicated hardware

Claims (6)

an analysis unit that analyzes the availability of elevator cars provided in the facility;
a usage history calculation unit that associates the operating state of the elevator for each past hour with the empty situation in the elevator car analyzed by the analysis unit for that hour to obtain a usage history of the elevator;
an applicability evaluation unit that evaluates, based on the usage history, whether or not an operation plan including movement information representing movement using the elevator by a robot that moves in the facility is applicable;
A support system for formulating a robot operation plan. Among the hourly operation states of the elevator, the operation state corresponding to the time when the car was running includes information on the departure floor and the destination floor of the car,
2. The robot operation plan formulation support system according to claim 1, wherein the movement information of the robot includes information on the usage time of the elevator by the robot, the boarding floor, and the boarding floor. The applicability evaluation unit determines, for the movement information of the robot, that the traveling section between the departure floor and the destination floor of the elevator operation information for the time included in the usage time of the movement information is When the use section between the boarding floor and the alighting floor is included, it is determined whether the robot represented by the movement information can be moved based on the vacancy status in the car associated with the operation state in the use history. 3. A support system for formulating a robot operation plan according to claim 2. 4. The robot operation plan formulation support system according to claim 3, wherein said applicability evaluation unit determines whether or not said robot can be moved based on the space status in said car and specification information of said robot. When the floor where the robot rides is included in the section where the car traveled immediately before the user gets on, the time the robot rides on the car is added to the history of the waiting time of the user, and the When the floor where the robot gets off the car is included in the section where the car was running immediately before the person boarded, adding the time the robot got off the car to the history of the user's waiting time, 5. The robot operation plan formulation support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: an impact evaluation unit that evaluates an impact on operation of the elevator when the operation plan is applied. When the floor in which the robot rides is included in the section in which the car travels while the user is in the car, the history of the ride time of the robot in the car and the time in which the user is in the car and when the floor where the robot gets off is included in the section where the car traveled while the user is riding, the time the robot gets off from the car is added to 5. The robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: an impact evaluation unit that evaluates the impact on the operation of the elevator when the operation plan is applied by adding to the history of the time the robot is in Support system for formulating operation plans.

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