JP7783006B2 - Coordination device between elevator and self-propelled robot - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a system for linking an elevator and a self-propelled robot.

Technology has been developed to allow service robots to be placed in elevators through system integration (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Service robots can board elevators by themselves using autonomous driving technology.

Elevators generally have a user interface, such as destination floor buttons, that passengers can operate. They also have an HMI (human-machine interface) that notifies passengers of the current floor and other information.

Robots generally have a user interface, such as a touch panel, for operation. Some robots are also equipped with an eHMI (external human-machine interface), such as a body display and speaker, for communication with people around them.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-113917

As this collaboration between elevators and robots progresses, situations will arise in which people and robots share elevators. When a robot gets on or off an elevator that is already occupied by people, it will be effective for the robot to communicate its status to people around it by displaying or audibly displaying its status in order to warn people, share seats, and share the space.

However, a robot on its own is usually only able to grasp the robot's own motion control status, such as forward and backward movement. To display information and play audio on the robot's eHMI while taking into account the elevator's status (ascending and descending status, passing and stopping floors, door open/close status, etc.), information must be exchanged between the robot's control system and the elevator's control system. Furthermore, the floor at which the robot gets off is determined by destination and route information, but this information may not be stored inside the robot but may be held by a remote route control system.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a coordination device between an elevator and a self-propelled robot that allows the self-propelled robot to smoothly get on and off the elevator in an environment where people and self-propelled robots coexist.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device of the present invention is a coordination device that coordinates an elevator equipped with a car in which passengers get on and off, and a self-propelled robot that autonomously travels on the floor and can get on and off the car. The coordination device is characterized by transmitting boarding and alighting instructions for the car to the self-propelled robot to initiate boarding and alighting operations, and outputting information regarding the boarding and alighting operations from the self-propelled robot to notify those around it.

Another elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, the coordination device has a setting means for setting the departure floor and destination floor of the self-propelled robot, and the self-propelled robot has a control unit that controls the robot to enter the car after moving to the front of the elevator at the departure floor set by the setting means, and to exit the car at the destination floor set by the setting means.

Furthermore, another elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, it further includes a path setting unit that sets the movement path of the self-propelled robot.

The elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device of the present invention coordinates an elevator equipped with a car in which passengers board and disembark, with a self-propelled robot that can board and disembark from the car by autonomously traveling on the floor. The coordination device sends boarding and disembarking instructions to the self-propelled robot to initiate boarding and disembarking operations, and also outputs information related to the boarding and disembarking operations from the self-propelled robot to notify those around it. This effectively enables self-propelled robots to smoothly board and disembark from the elevator in an environment where people and self-propelled robots coexist.

Furthermore, according to another elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device of the present invention, the coordination device has a setting means for setting the departure floor and destination floor of the self-propelled robot, and the self-propelled robot has a control unit that controls the self-propelled robot to board the car after moving to the front of the elevator at the departure floor set by the setting means and to disembark from the car at the destination floor set by the setting means, thereby achieving the effect of enabling smooth boarding and disembarking of the self-propelled robot at the departure floor and destination floor set in advance.

Furthermore, another elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device according to the present invention further includes a path setting unit that sets the movement path of the self-propelled robot, thereby enabling more precise control of the self-propelled robot depending on the operating status of the elevator.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a cooperative device between an elevator and a self-propelled robot according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an operation flow diagram of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the getting-on and getting-off operation of the self-propelled robot according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the transition of display and audio along the travel path of the self-propelled robot in this embodiment.

Below, an embodiment of the elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, a coordination device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention coordinates the operation of an elevator 12 installed in a building and a self-propelled robot 14 that moves in conjunction with the elevator 12 along the building's corridors to deliver luggage and other items. This coordination device 10 includes a communication unit 16, a route setting unit 18, and a control unit 20. The communication unit 16 transmits and receives coordination information between the elevator 12 and the self-propelled robot 14 via a network N. The network N may be either a public line network or a dedicated line network.

The route setting unit 18 is a setting means for setting the movement route of the self-propelled robot 14. This route is composed of information such as the loading point, the departure floor of the self-propelled robot 14 relative to the elevator 12, the movement route up to that point, the destination floor, and the movement route from there to the unloading point. The route setting unit 18 sets these by referencing information entered by the user or information such as the corridors within the building, the loading point, the unloading point, and the elevator positions that has been registered in advance in a database (not shown).

The control unit 20 is a control means for controlling the operation of the elevator 12 and the self-propelled robot 14. This control unit 20 generates information for controlling the operation of the elevator 12 and the self-propelled robot 14 based on the route set by the route setting unit 18, and transmits the generated information to the elevator 12 and the self-propelled robot 14 via the communication unit 16. The control unit 20 also transmits instructions to the self-propelled robot 14 to get on and off the elevator 12, causing it to start getting on and off, and causes the self-propelled robot 14 to output operation information (information related to getting on and off operations). This allows the operation information of the self-propelled robot 14 to be notified to nearby people and passengers.

The elevator 12 has a communication unit 22, a control unit 24, an HMI unit 26, and a car unit 28. The communication unit 22 is communicatively connected to the communication unit 16 of the linked device 10 via the network N. The car unit 28 has a car through which passengers get on and off, a door on the front of the car, a door opening/closing function for opening and closing the door, and a lifting function for moving the car up and down within the hoistway. The control unit 24 controls the operation of the elevator 12, including the HMI unit 26 and the car unit 28.

The HMI unit 26 is a human-machine interface that outputs information to the user and allows the user to input instructions to the elevator 12. It is composed of a display unit with a display and touch panel, and buttons. The HMI unit 26 is installed on a wall inside the car or on a wall in the corridor outside the car. The HMI unit 26 outputs and displays information on the display unit's display in response to control signals input from the control unit 24. On the other hand, when a user inputs instructions to the HMI unit 26 via the display unit's touch panel or buttons, the HMI unit 26 outputs a control signal in response to this input to the control unit 24. When a user in front of the elevator 12 calls the car, the user operates the touch panel or buttons on the corridor wall to move the car up or down to the departure floor and then open the doors. When a user in the car wants to move to the desired floor, the user operates the touch panel or buttons on the wall inside the car to move the car up or down to the destination floor and then open the doors.

In addition to or instead of the display and touch panel, the HMI unit 26 may be provided with a speaker for outputting audio and a microphone for inputting audio. In this case, information about the elevator 12 is output to the user by audio output from the speaker in addition to or instead of displaying on the display, and instructions to the elevator 12 can be given by inputting the user's voice into the microphone in addition to or instead of inputting on the touch panel.

The self-propelled robot 14 is a luggage delivery robot that can autonomously travel on floor surfaces and get on and off elevators 12. The self-propelled robot 14 has a communication unit 30, a control unit 32, an eHMI unit 34, and an autonomous driving unit 36. The communication unit 30 is communicatively connected to the communication unit 16 of the linked device 10 via network N. The autonomous driving unit 36 detects obstacles and causes the self-propelled robot 14 to travel autonomously, and has a self-position estimation function that estimates its own position within a building, a target position estimation function that estimates the target position to which the self should next move, a target path generation function that generates a path from the self-position to the target position, and a driving mechanism, braking mechanism, and steering mechanism that allow the self to travel.

The control unit 32 controls the operation of the self-propelled robot 14, including the eHMI unit 34 and autonomous driving unit 36. The control unit 32 controls the autonomous driving unit 36 so that the self-propelled robot 14 moves along the route set by the route setting unit 18 of the linked device 10. For example, the control unit 32 controls the self-propelled robot 14 to move in front of the elevator 12 at the set departure floor, and then controls the self-propelled robot 14 to get into the car. The control unit 32 also controls the self-propelled robot 14 to get out of the car at the set destination floor. The control unit 32 also causes the eHMI unit 34 to output operation information based on command information from the control unit 20 of the linked device 10.

The eHMI unit 34 is a human-machine interface that transmits operational information about the self-propelled robot 14 to nearby people and passengers, and is composed of a display and a speaker. The display of the eHMI unit 34 is provided on the side or top of the self-propelled robot 14 so that it is visible to nearby people and passengers. The speaker is provided on the side or top of the self-propelled robot 14 so that it can be heard by nearby people and passengers.

The eHMI unit 34 outputs and displays the current operation information of the self-propelled robot 14 on the display in response to a control signal input from the control unit 32. It also outputs the current operation information of the self-propelled robot 14 as audio from the speaker in response to a control signal input from the control unit 32. By displaying the current operation information on the display, nearby people and passengers can be visually notified of the current operating status of the self-propelled robot 14. It also outputs the current operation information as audio from the speaker, so that nearby people and passengers can be audibly notified of the current operating status of the self-propelled robot 14. Note that the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration including either a display or a speaker may also be used. The eHMI unit 34 may also include a display unit with a display and touch panel, or buttons, that output information to the user and allow the user to input instructions to the self-propelled robot 14.

The operation and function of the above configuration will now be described.
2 , the coordination device 10 first appropriately references the operation status of the self-propelled robot 14 and the elevator 12. Then, based on the route previously set by the route setting unit 18, it determines the next elevator 12 to use on the route (step S1). Furthermore, it determines the elevator 12 to be used, the boarding car floor (departure floor), the descending car floor (destination floor), and the timing of the operation of the elevator 12 and the operation of the self-propelled robot 14 (step S2), and notifies this information to the self-propelled robot 14 and the elevator 12, respectively.

Based on the information notified by the linkage device 10, the elevator 12 controls the car to call the designated car floor (step E1), opens the door when it arrives at the car floor (step E2), and sends a notification to the linkage device 10 that it has arrived at the car floor.

Meanwhile, the self-propelled robot 14 moves in front of the elevator 12 based on the information notified by the linkage device 10 (step R1). The control unit 32 determines whether there is a waiting time based on the notified timing of the elevator 12's operation (step R2). If there is a waiting time (Yes in step R2), the display and speaker of the eHMI unit 34 start displaying and playing audio indicating elevator waiting (current operation information) (step R3), and then proceeds to step R4. On the other hand, if there is no waiting time (No in step R2), the process proceeds to step R4.

Upon receiving notification from the elevator 12 that it has arrived at the car floor, the linkage device 10 performs car entry start control (step S3) and sends a car entry start instruction to the self-propelled robot 14. Furthermore, until receiving a car entry completion notification from the self-propelled robot 14, the linkage device 10 sends an instruction to the elevator 12 to extend the time the doors remain open.

When the self-propelled robot 14 receives a car boarding start command from the linkage device 10, it starts displaying and playing audio indicating boarding cautions (current operation information) (step R4) and performs car boarding operations (step R5). Once the car boarding operations are complete, it sends a car boarding completion notification to the linkage device 10 and ends the display and audio indicating boarding cautions (step R6). It then starts displaying the destination floor as the descending car (step R7).

Upon receiving a car completion notification from the self-propelled robot 14, the linkage device 10 performs car completion control (step S4) and sends a car completion notification to the elevator 12. Furthermore, if an instruction to extend the door open time has been sent, the linkage device 10 sends an instruction to cancel this.

Upon receiving a notification from the linkage device 10 that the car has been loaded, the elevator 12 sets the destination floor (descending car floor) (step E3) and closes the door (step E4). The elevator then raises and lowers the car (step E5), opens the door when it arrives at the destination floor (step E6), and sends a notification to the linkage device 10 that the car has arrived at the destination floor.

Upon receiving notification from the elevator 12 that it has arrived at the destination floor, the linkage device 10 performs car-descending start control (step S5) and sends a car-descending start command to the self-propelled robot 14. Furthermore, until receiving a car-descending completion command from the self-propelled robot 14, the linkage device 10 sends a command to the elevator 12 to extend the time the doors remain open.

When the self-propelled robot 14 receives a car-drop start command from the linkage device 10, it starts displaying and playing audio indicating a car-drop caution (current operation information) (step R8) and performs the car-drop operation (step R9). Once the car-drop operation is complete, it sends a car-drop completion notification to the linkage device 10 and ends the display and audio indicating a car-drop caution (step R10). It then moves to the next destination and starts displaying a message indicating that delivery is in progress (step R11).

Upon receiving a notification of completion of the car-down operation from the self-propelled robot 14, the linkage device 10 performs car-down end control (step S6) and sends a car-down completion notification to the elevator 12. Furthermore, if an instruction to extend the door-open time has been sent, the linkage device 10 sends an instruction to cancel this.

Upon receiving a notification from the linked device 10 that the elevator has finished descending, the elevator 12 closes the door (step E7).

In this way, in this embodiment, when the self-propelled robot 14 gets on or off the elevator 12, the self-propelled robot 14 displays information and plays audio that takes into account the elevator 12's status and destination floor. This allows the self-propelled robot 14 to get on and off the elevator 12 smoothly in an environment where people and self-propelled robots 14 coexist.

(Examples of getting on and off)
Next, a specific example of the self-propelled robot 14 getting on and off the elevator 12 will be described.
As shown in Figure 3 (1), first, the self-propelled robot 14 autonomously travels to the elevator 12 at the set departure floor and waits there. While waiting, the eHMI unit 34 notifies those around it by displaying on the display and by voice from the speaker that it is in an operating state waiting for the elevator 12 to arrive.

As shown in Figure 3 (2), when the elevator 12 arrives and the doors open, the self-propelled robot 14 autonomously travels to board the elevator 12 car and heads to the destination floor for delivery. When the self-propelled robot 14 starts boarding the car, it displays a message such as "We are boarding the elevator. Please be careful" on the display of the eHMI unit 34 to inform those around it, and also communicates this aloud from the speaker.

As shown in Figure 3 (3), while the self-propelled robot 14 is in the elevator car 12, the display of the eHMI unit 34 of the self-propelled robot 14 is linked to the display of the HMI unit 36 of the elevator 12, and the floor at which the robot will get off (destination floor) is displayed and communicated to those around it.

As shown in Figure 3 (4), after arriving at the destination floor and the elevator 12 doors opening, the self-propelled robot 14 gets off the elevator 12 while warning those around it with voice commands.

As shown in Figure 3 (5), the elevator 12 closes the doors once it confirms that the self-propelled robot 14 has disembarked.

As shown in Figure 3 (6), the self-propelled robot 14 moves toward a predetermined location (unloading point or loading point), and the display of the eHMI unit 34 of the self-propelled robot 14 during operation displays the operation content (e.g., "Delivery in progress").

(Example of display and audio output)
Next, an example of what is displayed on the display of the eHMI unit 34 and an example of what is output from the speaker when the self-propelled robot 14 delivers a package to the 10th floor and then the 5th floor of a building will be described.

Figure 4 shows examples of displays and audio output during a movement route. The line in the figure indicates the movement route of the self-propelled robot 14, which transitions from the bottom left to the right. The text below the line indicates the operation content on the route. The text above the line indicates the content displayed on the display of the eHMI unit 34 during that section. Additionally, the "♪" in the figure indicates that audio equivalent to the content displayed on the display will be output from the speaker.

As shown in this diagram, the self-propelled robot 14 starts moving from the first floor parking lot and simultaneously displays and sounds "Start moving" to alert the driver. It then moves to the loading area while displaying "Moving". When it arrives at the loading area, it displays and outputs "Loading". The loading lid on the self-propelled robot 14 opens and loads the cargo. After completion, it transmits information to the control unit 20 of the linkage device 10 that the loading operation is complete. The loading lid is then closed, and the "Loading" display and audio end. Next, as it starts moving, it simultaneously displays and outputs "Start moving" to alert the driver. The audio then ends, the display switches to "Transporting", and the robot autonomously drives and passes through automatic doors, etc.

When it arrives in front of the elevator 12, it stops and waits, displaying and outputting a message saying "Waiting for the ELV." When the elevator 12 car arrives, it displays and outputs a message saying "Boarding the ELV," and the person gets into the elevator 12 car. After getting in, it stops the message and switches to a message saying "Getting off on the 10th floor," and it waits. When it arrives at the 10th floor, it displays and outputs a message saying "Getting off the ELV," and the person gets out of the elevator 12 car.

Then, the voice message ends, the display switches to "In transit", the robot autonomously drives and moves to the delivery destination. When it arrives at the delivery destination, the message "Unloading" and a voice message are output. The loading lid on the self-propelled robot 14 opens and the load is unloaded. Once complete, information that the unloading operation has been completed is sent to the control unit 20 of the linked device 10. After unloading is confirmed, the loading lid is closed, and the message "Unloading" and the voice message end. Next, the robot starts driving, and at the same time, the message "Start driving" and a voice message are output to alert the user. The voice message then ends, the display switches to "In transit", and the robot autonomously drives.

When it arrives in front of the elevator 12, it stops and waits, outputting a display and voice message saying "Waiting for ELV." When the elevator 12 car arrives, it gets into the elevator 12 car while outputting a display and voice message saying "Boarding the ELV." After getting in, it stops the voice message, switches to a display saying "Getting off on the 5th floor," and waits. When it arrives at the 5th floor, it gets out of the elevator 12 car while outputting a display and voice message saying "Getting off the ELV." It then performs the same control to return to the parking lot on the first floor. This allows smooth elevator boarding and alighting in situations where both people and robots are present. In the above embodiment, when the elevator is temporarily stopped, it may be possible to output a voice message saying "Temporarily stopped" and a voice message saying "Please go ahead."

As described above, the elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device of the present invention is a coordination device that coordinates an elevator equipped with a car in which passengers get on and off, with a self-propelled robot that can get on and off the car by autonomously traveling on the floor. The coordination device sends boarding and alighting instructions to the self-propelled robot to initiate the boarding and alighting operation, and also causes the self-propelled robot to output information regarding the boarding and alighting operation to notify those around it. This allows the self-propelled robot to smoothly board and alight from the elevator in an environment where people and self-propelled robots coexist.

Furthermore, according to another elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device of the present invention, the coordination device has a setting means for setting the departure floor and destination floor of the self-propelled robot, and the self-propelled robot has a control unit that controls the self-propelled robot to board the car after moving to the front of the elevator at the departure floor set by the setting means and to disembark from the car at the destination floor set by the setting means, thereby enabling smooth boarding and disembarking of the self-propelled robot at the departure floor and destination floor set in advance.

Furthermore, another elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device according to the present invention not only includes a control unit that controls the operation of the elevator and the operation of the self-propelled robot, but also includes a path setting unit that sets the movement path of the self-propelled robot. This enables more precise control of the self-propelled robot depending on the operating status of the elevator.

For example, instead of the nearest elevator, which requires a long wait, the self-propelled robot can be made to use another available elevator. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent more than a certain number of self-propelled robots (e.g., multiple robots) from waiting in a particular elevator hall or in front of a particular elevator, and to set the number and combination of robots riding in an elevator car to a predetermined number. As a result, not only can the self-propelled robot be operated efficiently, but problems caused by self-propelled robots sharing an elevator with people can be reduced by having the self-propelled robot avoid using crowded elevators and having the self-propelled robot follow certain rules for waiting for or riding in an elevator.
In addition to setting a route that specifically indicates the travel route of the self-propelled robot, route setting also includes setting a route to board an elevator in a specific elevator hall out of multiple elevator halls, and further including indicating a route to travel in one of multiple elevators.

As described above, the elevator and self-propelled robot coordination device of the present invention is useful in buildings where self-propelled robots use elevators to transport luggage, and is particularly suitable for enabling self-propelled robots to smoothly get on and off elevators in environments where people and self-propelled robots coexist.

10: Coordination device between elevator and self-propelled robot 12: Elevator 14: Self-propelled robot 16, 22, 30: Communication unit 18: Path setting unit (setting means)
20, 24, 32 Control unit (control means)
26 HMI section 28 Cage section (cage)
34 eHMI unit 36 Autonomous driving unit N Network

Claims (2)

A linking device that links an elevator having a car in which passengers get on and off, and a self-propelled robot that autonomously travels on a floor surface and can get on and off the car, by referring to the operation status of each of the elevator and the self-propelled robot,
the coordination device includes a path setting unit that sets a movement path for the self-propelled robot, a control unit that controls the operation of the elevator and the operation of the self-propelled robot, and a communication unit that transmits and receives coordination information between the elevator and the self-propelled robot,
the control unit determines the elevator to be used on the route based on the route set in advance by the route setting unit, generates operation control information for the elevator and the self-propelled robot by calculating the timing of the elevator operation and the self-propelled robot operation, transmits the generated operation control information to the elevator and the self-propelled robot via the communication unit, transmits boarding and alighting instructions for the elevator car to the self-propelled robot to start the boarding and alighting operations, displays information regarding the boarding and alighting operations on a display of a human-machine interface provided on the self-propelled robot, and outputs the information as audio from a speaker of the human-machine interface to alert those in the vicinity, and while the self-propelled robot is in the elevator car, the display on the display of the human-machine interface of the self-propelled robot is linked to the display of the human-machine interface provided on the elevator . the coordination device has a setting means for setting a departure floor and a destination floor of the self-propelled robot,
2. The elevator and self-propelled robot cooperation device according to claim 1, wherein the self-propelled robot has a control unit that controls the robot to get into the car after moving to the front of the elevator at the departure floor set by the setting means, and controls the robot to get off the car at the destination floor set by the setting means.