JP2024078001A - Elevator control system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To enable general users to easily recognize whether an elevator is being occupied by an autonomous mobile body, and to eliminate inconvenience such as general users having to wait unnecessarily. [Solution] An elevator system capable of robot-linked operation with an autonomous mobile robot 3 mounted inside a car 15 that moves up and down between multiple halls 20, comprising an elevator control device 30 that controls the operating status of the car 15, a robot management server 4 that manages the autonomous mobile robot 3, a boarding time prediction unit 33 that calculates, when a hall call is made by an elevator user HM during robot-linked operation by the elevator control device 30, a waiting time from the time the hall call is made until the robot-linked operation is completed and normal operation by the elevator control device 30 becomes possible, and hall display indicators 215 and hall display counters 216 that are provided at multiple halls 20 and display the elapsed waiting time calculated by the boarding time prediction unit 33. [Selected Figure] Fig. 1

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to elevator control systems and control methods.

In recent years, in buildings with multiple floors, such as large buildings, it has become possible for robots to travel autonomously between multiple floors without human intervention by linking elevators with robots.

However, elevators in buildings are usually used by many general public passengers. For this reason, due to safety considerations, elevators are controlled (exclusive operation) to prevent autonomous robots from riding in elevators occupied by general public.

JP 2012-196731 A International Publication No. WO 2020/179022

However, when the elevator is being exclusively operated by an autonomous robot, general users are restricted from using the elevator, which can cause inconvenience to general users who have to wait there for a long time.

The present invention aims to provide an elevator control system and control method that allows general users to easily recognize whether an elevator is being occupied by an autonomous vehicle and can eliminate the inconvenience of having to wait unnecessarily.

An embodiment of the present invention is an elevator control system capable of exclusive operation with an autonomous vehicle inside a car that ascends and descends between multiple floors, and is characterized by comprising: a control unit that controls the operating status of the car; a vehicle management unit that manages the autonomous vehicle in cooperation with the control unit; a calculation unit that, when a hall call is made by a user during the exclusive operation by the control unit in response to a request from the autonomous vehicle managed by the vehicle management unit, calculates a waiting time from the time the hall call is made until the exclusive operation is completed and normal operation by the control unit becomes possible; and a display unit that is provided on each of the multiple floors and displays the elapsed waiting time calculated by the calculation unit.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a control method for an elevator capable of exclusive operation with an autonomous vehicle inside a car that ascends and descends between a plurality of floors, comprising the steps of: controlling the operating status of the car by a control unit; managing the autonomous vehicle by a vehicle management unit in cooperation with the control unit; when a hall call is made by a user during the exclusive operation by the control unit in response to a request from the autonomous vehicle managed by the vehicle management unit, calculating by a calculation unit a waiting time from the time the hall call is made until the exclusive operation is completed and normal operation by the control unit becomes possible; and displaying by a display unit provided on each of the plurality of floors the elapse of the waiting time calculated by the calculation unit.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an elevator system to which an elevator control system according to an embodiment is applied; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of an elevator hall. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the elevator system. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an operation example. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a display example.

Below, an elevator control system and control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of an elevator system to which an elevator control system according to this embodiment is applied. This elevator system is installed in a building such as a commercial facility, and the elevator system will be described here as an example installed in a building having multiple floors.

The elevator system of this embodiment is mainly composed of an elevator 1 and an autonomous mobile robot (autonomous mobile body) 3. The elevator 1 is a general elevator device that is mainly used by general elevator users HM (see FIG. 5), and for example, when the elevator user HM is not in the elevator, the autonomous mobile robot 3 can be boarded (see FIG. 2). That is, in this elevator system, the cooperation between the elevator 1 and the autonomous mobile robot 3 allows the autonomous use of the autonomous mobile robot 3 (also called exclusive operation or robot-linked operation) outside of the normal operation of the car 15.

In addition, except in emergencies (controlled operation), the elevator 1 is controlled (normal operation) to give priority to general elevator users HM over the autonomous mobile robot 3.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, a building management system 6 equipped with a robot management server (vehicle management unit) 4 that manages an autonomous mobile robot 3 is connected to an elevator communication device 31 of an elevator 1 via an elevator monitoring center 2. The elevator monitoring center 2 remotely manages the elevator 1, and is equipped with, for example, an elevator cloud 5.

That is, the robot management server 4 and the elevator 1 are linked via the elevator cloud 5 of the elevator monitoring center 2, and call information for robot-linked operation with the autonomous robot 3 on board is registered in the elevator control device (control unit) 30.

The elevator control device 30 connected to the elevator communication device 31 is equipped with a registration unit (not shown) for registering call information from general elevator users HM and the autonomous mobile robot 3, as will be described in detail later.

In FIG. 1, the robot management server 4 is for making the autonomous mobile robot 3 perform predetermined tasks, such as cleaning the building, transporting luggage, and guiding general elevator users HM. This robot management server 4 has functions such as confirming the location of the autonomous mobile robot 3, setting the operation mode, and communicating wirelessly with the autonomous mobile robot 3.

The building management system 6 manages the entire building and is installed in a disaster prevention center (not shown) or the like.

The elevator cloud 5 is an interface that connects the elevator 1 and the building management system 6, and enables, for example, LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication between the robot management server 4 and the elevator communication device 31.

The autonomous mobile robot 3 has a robot control unit 300, a location information acquisition unit 301, a call registration request unit 302, a robot wireless communication unit 303, and a movement mechanism unit 304.

The robot control unit 300, for example, controls each unit 301 to 304 of the autonomous mobile robot 3, and also controls the behavior of the autonomous mobile robot 3 according to the settings of the robot management server 4.

The location information acquisition unit 301 is controlled by the robot control unit 300 and constantly acquires location information about the autonomous mobile robot 3 within the building.

When performing robot-linked operation, the call registration request unit 302 requests the robot control unit 300 to register the call information of the autonomous robot 3 in the elevator control device 30. In other words, when the autonomous robot 3 registers the call information in the robot control unit 300, the operation status of the elevator 1 is switched to robot-linked operation.

The robot wireless communication unit 303 is controlled by the robot control unit 300, and transmits call information wirelessly to the elevator control device 30 via the robot management server 4 and the elevator cloud 5 in response to a request for registration of call information from the call registration request unit 302.

The movement mechanism unit 304 is controlled by the robot control unit 300 and moves the position of the autonomous mobile robot 3.

In response to this, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, elevator 1 includes a hoist 13, a car 15, an elevator control device 30, an elevator communication device 31, a boarding time prediction unit (calculation unit) 33, and a memory unit 35.

The car 15 is capable of ascending and descending between the landings (multiple floors) 20 on each floor using the hoist 13.

In the car 15, for example, near the entrance where the car door (not shown) is installed, there is provided a car operation panel 19 for general elevator users HM to perform car call operations such as setting the destination floor (target floor). Although not shown, the car operation panel 19 is provided with a destination floor button, a car door opening/closing button, a floor indicator that shows the landing floor (arrival floor), etc., a speaker that provides voice guidance on the arrival floor, etc., and an emergency call button.

The hoisting machine 13 is placed in the machine room, a rope connected to the car 15 is stretched across it, and it is controlled by the elevator control device 30.

The elevator communication device 31 is controlled by the elevator control device 30 and performs, for example, LTE communication with an elevator cloud 5 provided in an elevator monitoring center 2 that remotely monitors the elevator 1.

The elevator control device 30 controls the operating status of the car 15, and as necessary, causes the car 15 of the elevator 1 to operate normally, in exclusive operation, or in controlled operation.

That is, the hoist 13 is controlled by the elevator control device 30 in response to car call operations on the car operating panel 19 by general elevator users HM. The hoist 13 is also controlled by the elevator control device 30 in response to hall call operations on the hall operating panel 21 provided at the hall 20 of each floor by general elevator users HM. As a result, the car 15 is operated up and down to transport the elevator user HM to the destination floor or to the hall floor where the elevator user HM is waiting (normal operation).

The memory unit 35 is controlled by the elevator control device 30, and stores in advance various control data such as the rated speed and acceleration of the elevator 1, the travel time for each destination floor of the car 15, the opening and closing times of the hall doors 22, and the boarding and disembarking times of the autonomous mobile robot 3. The memory unit 35 also stores, for example, information on hall calls made by elevator users HM and the time when the hall calls were made.

The boarding time prediction unit 33 is controlled by the elevator control device 30, and for example, when an elevator user HM makes a hall call during robot-linked operation, calculates the waiting time from the time the hall call is made until the robot-linked operation is completed and normal operation becomes possible. That is, based on various control data stored in the memory unit 35, it predicts the waiting time from the time the elevator user HM makes a hall call until normal operation when the elevator user HM can board the car 15.

On the other hand, on each floor, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, a landing door 22 is provided for each landing 20. Near each landing door 22, a landing operation panel 21 for general elevator users HM to perform operations such as calling the landing, arrival notification lamps (not shown), etc. are provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, the hall operating panel 21 includes a hall button 211, an operating panel wireless communication unit 212 for transmitting the operation of the hall button 211 by the elevator user HM to the elevator control device 30 and for registering hall call information, and a hall display indicator (display unit) 215.

In addition, the hall 20 is provided with a hall display counter 216 and a robot operation indicator 217 as display units, as well as a floor indicator 218 and a speaker 219.

The landing indicator 215 is a display that counts down the remaining time as the waiting time calculated by the boarding time prediction unit 33 elapses. The landing counter 216 is a countdown type display that displays the remaining time by the number of lights that are lit as the waiting time calculated by the boarding time prediction unit 33 elapses. The robot operation display 217 is a display for displaying the operating status, showing that the elevator 1 is currently operating in conjunction with the robot. The floor display indicator 218 is a floor display that shows the current position of the elevator car 15. The speaker 219 is for announcing various information by voice or buzzer sound, and is configured to, for example, guide the remaining time by voice as the waiting time calculated by the boarding time prediction unit 33 elapses.

In this way, by displaying that the robot is in linked operation using the robot operation display 217, elevator users HM can easily recognize that the autonomous mobile robot 3 is currently using the elevator 1 and that it cannot be used immediately.

In addition, the hall display counter 216 and/or the hall display indicator 215 and speaker 219 inform the user of the waiting time until normal operation resumes, allowing the user HM to check the waiting time until boarding the car 15.

This makes it possible to clarify the waiting time even when waiting for the car 15 to arrive in order to use the elevator 1. It also helps the user decide whether to switch to using the stairs or escalator depending on the waiting time until the elevator 1 becomes available, such as when there are only a few floors to go to or when the user is in a hurry.

This eliminates the inconvenience of regular elevator users HM having to wait unnecessarily.

In particular, if the speaker 219 is set up to announce the waiting time until normal operation resumes, this is useful for elevator users HM who are visually impaired or who are using a smartphone, etc.

Next, the operation of the elevator system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 3. Here, we will explain the case where a hall call is made by a general elevator user HM during robot-linked operation.

For example, suppose that during normal operation of elevator 1 (NO in step ST01, ST02), a request to register call information is made to elevator communication device 31 by call registration request unit 302 of autonomous mobile robot 3 as a request to board the robot (YES in step ST01).

The elevator control device 30 then determines whether or not elevator users HM are in the car 15 based on registered call information, etc. If they are in the car (YES in step ST03), normal operation continues and all elevator users HM are transported to their respective destination floors. The robot boarding request is then put on hold until the transport is completed.

On the other hand, if the user is not currently aboard (NO in step ST03), the elevator control device 30 registers call information in response to a request to board the robot, and the operation status is switched from normal operation to robot-linked operation (step ST04). That is, robot-linked operation is started in response to the registration of call information in response to a request to board the robot from the autonomous traveling robot 3.

As a result, the robot operation display 217 displays that the elevator 1 is currently in robot-linked operation. The car 15 is also moved to the call floor where the autonomous mobile robot 3 is waiting, and the hall door 22 opens, allowing the autonomous mobile robot 3 to board the car 15. The car 15 is then moved to the destination floor in accordance with the registered call information. This robot-linked operation continues until the car 15 lands at the destination floor, the autonomous mobile robot 3 disembarks from the car 15, and the hall door 22 closes. In this way, the robot-linked operation is temporarily released.

In response to this, assume that a hall call is made by elevator user HM at any hall 20 (YES in step ST05). Then, hall call information generated by operating the hall button 211 on the hall operating panel 21 is sent to the elevator control device 30 via the operating panel wireless communication unit 212.

As a result, the elevator control device 30 determines whether the robot interlocking operation is continuing (step ST06). If it is not continuing (NO in step ST06), the process proceeds to step ST10.

If the hall call is still ongoing (YES in step ST06), the elevator control device 30 temporarily stores the hall call information and its time in the memory unit 35 (step ST07, temporary registration of hall call).

Then, the boarding time prediction unit 33 calculates the boarding time when the robot-linked operation is completed and the elevator user HM can use the elevator, and predicts the waiting time (waiting time) until then (step ST08).

That is, the ride time prediction unit 33 first calculates the time from when the robot-linked operation starts to when it is completed.

The start time of the robot linked operation is the time when the request to board the robot is registered, and the completion time of the robot linked operation is the time when the autonomous mobile robot 3 disembarks from the elevator car 15 that has landed at the destination floor and the landing door 22 is completely closed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the boarding time prediction unit 33 calculates the current position of the car 15 at the time when the elevator user HM makes a hall call based on information from the position information acquisition unit 301. Then, based on various control data pre-stored in the memory unit 35, the boarding time prediction unit 33 calculates the time it takes for the car 15 to move from its current position to the destination floor and complete the robot-linked operation.

In addition, based on various control data previously stored in the memory unit 35, the time from when the car 15 moves from the destination floor where the car is currently located to the floor where the hall call was made, when the hall door 22 opens, and when the elevator user HM is able to board is calculated.

The waiting time is finally predicted based on the time from when the robot linked operation starts to when it is completed, the time from the current position of the car 15 to when the robot linked operation is completed, and the time until the elevator user HM is able to board the car 15.

In this way, the predicted waiting time is displayed by the elevator control device 30 on the hall display indicator 215 and hall display counter 216 of the hall 20 where the hall call operation was performed, as shown in FIG. 5, and is also announced by voice through the speaker 219 (step ST09).

Then, the countdown display is repeated until the elevator user HM is able to board the car 15 (steps ST10: YES, ST11), and the elevator user HM waiting at the landing 20 is guided (step ST10: NO).

In addition, as elevator user HM is now able to board car 15, the provisionally registered hall call information is registered in the registration unit (not shown), and normal operation becomes possible (step ST02).

As described above, the elevator system according to this embodiment allows general elevator users HM to easily recognize whether the elevator 1 is being operated in conjunction with the autonomous mobile robot 3, eliminating the inconvenience of having to wait unnecessarily.

In other words, by displaying that the robot is in linked operation on the robot operation display 217, elevator users HM can easily recognize that the autonomous mobile robot 3 is currently using the elevator 1 and that they cannot immediately use it.

In addition, the hall display indicator 215 and/or hall display counter 216 inform the user of the elapsed waiting time, allowing the user HM to easily check the waiting time until boarding the car 15 becomes possible.

This makes it possible to clarify the waiting time even when waiting for the car 15 to arrive in order to use the elevator 1. It also helps the user decide whether to switch to using the stairs or escalator depending on the waiting time until the elevator 1 becomes available.

This will eliminate the inconvenience of regular elevator users HM having to wait unnecessarily.

In particular, if the waiting time until normal operation resumes is announced through speaker 219, more accurate guidance can be provided to elevator users HM who are visually impaired or who are using a smartphone, etc.

Other embodiments In the above embodiment, the case where the waiting time during robot-linked operation is displayed is described, but this is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to display the time when an elevator will resume operation (recovery time) when it is stopped due to other factors, such as during controlled operation or inspection.

In addition, it is not necessary to provide both the platform display indicator 215 and the platform display counter 216, but it is also possible to provide only one of them.

The time displayed for waiting times during robot linked operation may be in 1-second increments, such as 45, 44, 43, or in 5-second increments, such as 45, 40, 35.

Also, since one-second intervals may not be sufficient for announcements, it is preferable to announce them at intervals of five seconds or so.

The display is not limited to numbers or counter displays, but may take the form of a bar graph to show waiting time at a red light, for example.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, they are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, this new embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims.

1... elevator, 3... autonomous mobile robot (autonomous mobile body), 4... robot management server (mobile body management unit), 15... car, 20... landing, 21... landing operation panel, 30... elevator control device (control unit), 33... boarding time prediction unit (calculation unit), 35... memory unit, 215... landing display indicator (display unit), 216... landing display counter (display unit), 217... robot operation indicator, 218... floor display indicator, 219... speaker.

An embodiment of the present invention is an elevator control system capable of exclusive operation with an autonomous vehicle inside a car that moves up and down between multiple floors, comprising: a control unit that controls the operating status of the car; a vehicle management unit that manages the autonomous vehicle in cooperation with the control unit; a calculation unit that, when a hall call is made by a user during the exclusive operation by the control unit in response to a request from the autonomous vehicle managed by the vehicle management unit, calculates a waiting time from the time the hall call is made to the time when the exclusive operation is completed and normal operation by the control unit becomes possible; and a display unit that is provided on each of the multiple floors and displays the elapsed waiting time calculated by the calculation unit , wherein the calculation unit is characterized in that it uses a request from the autonomous vehicle as a trigger for calculating the waiting time .

Another embodiment of the present invention is a control method for an elevator capable of exclusive operation with an autonomous vehicle inside a car that moves up and down between a plurality of floors, comprising the steps of: controlling the operating status of the car by a control unit; managing the autonomous vehicle by a vehicle management unit in cooperation with the control unit; when a hall call is made by a user during the exclusive operation by the control unit in response to a request from the autonomous vehicle managed by the vehicle management unit, calculating by a calculation unit a waiting time from the time the hall call is made to the time when the exclusive operation is completed and normal operation by the control unit becomes possible; and displaying by a display unit provided on each of the plurality of floors the elapse of the waiting time calculated by the calculation unit, wherein the step of calculating the waiting time is triggered by a request from the autonomous vehicle .

Claims (8)

An elevator control system capable of occupying an autonomous vehicle in a car that ascends and descends between a plurality of floors,
A control unit for controlling an operation status of the elevator;
A vehicle management unit that manages the autonomous vehicle in cooperation with the control unit;
a calculation unit that calculates, when a hall call is made by a user during the exclusive operation by the control unit in response to a request from the autonomous vehicle managed by the vehicle management unit, a waiting time from the time the hall call is made until the exclusive operation is completed and normal operation by the control unit becomes possible;
A display unit is provided on each of the plurality of floors, and displays the elapsed waiting time calculated by the calculation unit;
An elevator control system comprising: The elevator control system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit in which various control data for calculating the waiting time, which is referenced by the calculation unit, is stored. The elevator control system according to claim 1, characterized in that the calculation unit uses a request from the autonomous vehicle as a trigger for calculating the waiting time. The elevator control system according to claim 1, characterized in that the display unit has a status display that indicates that the car is being operated in an occupied state by the autonomous vehicle. The elevator control system according to claim 1, characterized in that the display unit has a display indicator that displays the elapsed waiting time calculated by the calculation unit. The elevator control system according to claim 1, characterized in that the display unit has a countdown display that displays the elapsed waiting time calculated by the calculation unit. The elevator control system according to claim 1, further comprising a speaker arranged on each of the plurality of floors for providing audio guidance regarding the lapse of the waiting time calculated by the calculation unit. A method for controlling an elevator capable of occupying an autonomous vehicle in a car that ascends and descends between a plurality of floors, comprising:
A step of controlling an operation status of the elevator by a control unit;
Managing the autonomous vehicle by a vehicle management unit in cooperation with the control unit;
When a hall call is made by a user during the exclusive operation by the control unit in response to a request from the autonomous vehicle managed by the vehicle management unit, a calculation unit calculates a waiting time from the time the hall call is made until the exclusive operation is completed and normal operation by the control unit becomes possible;
a step of displaying the elapsed waiting time calculated by the calculation unit using a display unit provided on each of the plurality of floors;
An elevator control method comprising:

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