JP7833390B2 - Elevator system and elevator control method - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an elevator system and an elevator control method.

Modern elevators are required not only to transport passengers but also to transport autonomous mobile devices such as robots. To transport robots, the robot sends control data to the elevator's control unit indicating the floor where it is located (landing) and the destination floor it intends to move to, thereby requesting the elevator to move the robot.
Based on this control data, the elevator control unit directs the elevator car toward the floor where the robot is located, and after the robot boards, it executes controls to transport it to the destination floor.

Here, when the robot boards the elevator car, it sends a request to the elevator's control system to keep the doors open, ensuring that the doors remain open until the robot's autonomous boarding process is complete. This prevents the robot from being caught in the doors while boarding. This action is similar to how passengers inside the elevator car hold down the door open button to prevent being caught in the doors when getting on or off. The elevator's control system automatically performs the same action when a robot boards or alights.

Patent Document 1 describes a technology that controls elevator doors based on the robot's state information, and extends the door's open state beyond normal limits during robot entry and exit to ensure sufficient time for the robot to enter the elevator.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-19590

As explained in the background technology section, when a robot enters an elevator, it sends a request to the elevator control unit to continue keeping the doors open. Upon receiving this request, the elevator control unit sends a command to the elevator car to open the doors. The elevator car, upon receiving the command to open the doors, then performs the action of continuing to keep the doors open as instructed.

Here, if the elevator car stops at the same floor as the robot, the robot can board the car appropriately. However, if the robot sends a request to continue opening its doors before stopping at the robot's boarding floor, a problem may arise where an elevator car that has stopped at another floor continues to open its doors based on the request.

Figure 9 shows an example of this state.
For example, suppose elevator car 1 is stopped on the 3rd floor and robot 2 sends a request 2a to continue opening the doors. In this case, the elevator control device that receives the request 2a will keep the doors of elevator car 1, which is stopped on the 3rd floor, open, resulting in a situation where robot 2 is never able to board the elevator on the 1st floor where it is waiting.
Therefore, it is preferable for robot 2 to send the door-opening continuation request 2a after elevator car 1 has arrived at the boarding floor. However, since robots operating within a building have various specifications, the timing of sending the door-opening continuation request 2a is not always appropriate. If even one robot sends the door-opening continuation request too early, a malfunction like the one shown in Figure 9 will occur, and the elevator will remain unable to operate.

The object of this invention is to provide an elevator system and elevator control method that can appropriately operate the elevator when a mobile object, such as a robot, is boarding or alighting.

To solve the above problems, for example, the configuration described in the claims may be adopted.
The present invention includes several means for solving the above problems, but to give one example, in an elevator system capable of transporting a mobile body, the system includes a mobile body command management unit that receives a boarding request including boarding floor information and destination floor information from a mobile body or a server that controls the mobile body, and a car control unit that moves the elevator car to the boarding floor specified in the boarding floor information included in the boarding request received by the mobile body command management unit, and when the mobile body command management unit receives a door open request from the mobile body or the server, the car control unit determines that the elevator car is on the floor specified in either the boarding floor information or the destination floor information included in the boarding request, and opens the doors of the elevator car.

According to the present invention, when a door opening request is received, the elevator car doors are opened only when the car is on the boarding floor or destination floor. Therefore, the elevator car doors do not remain open on floors other than the boarding floor or destination floor, and appropriate elevator operation control can be performed.
Other issues, configurations, and effects not mentioned above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments.

This is a configuration diagram of an elevator system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an elevator control device in an elevator system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart shows an example of the processing from robot interlocking processing to robot boarding in an elevator system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart shows an example of the process from robot boarding completion to disembarking start in an elevator system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart shows an example of the process from the completion of robot disembarkation to the release of robot linkage in an elevator system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart shows an example (first example) of floor restriction processing for receiving door opening commands in an elevator system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This flowchart shows an example (second example) of floor restriction processing for receiving door opening commands in an elevator system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows a schematic representation of the process from elevator call to robot disembarkation in an elevator system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This diagram illustrates the situation when using a conventional elevator where the door floors are consecutive on different floors.

Hereinafter, an elevator system and elevator control method according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "this example") will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[Overall System Configuration]
The configuration of the elevator system in this example will be explained using Figure 1.
The elevator system in this example comprises an elevator control device 10 and an elevator server 20. It also includes a robot 30 capable of riding in the elevator and a robot server 40 that controls the operation of the robot 30.

The elevator control device 10 is a device that controls the operation of the elevator car 18. The elevator control device 10 comprises an elevator state management unit 11, a robot command management unit 12, a call registration unit 13, a car control unit 14, and a door opening/closing control unit 15.
The elevator status management unit 11 manages the elevator status while communicating with the robot command management unit 12. For example, it determines which floor the elevator car 18 is stopped on and whether or not a robot is inside the elevator car 18. The floor the elevator car 18 is stopped on can be determined, for example, from the output of an encoder installed on the hoisting machine or from the output of a sensor installed in the hoistway. The determination of whether or not a robot is inside the elevator car 18 is made from video footage taken by a camera 18a that monitors the inside of the elevator car, a weight sensor 18b installed in the elevator car 18, a door sensor 18c, etc.

For example, the elevator state management unit 11 determines the position of the robot inside the elevator car 18 from the video captured by the camera 18a. Alternatively, it detects when the robot has entered the elevator car 18 or when the robot has disembarked from the elevator car 18 by combining the detection of a robot passing through the door by the door sensor 18c and the detection of a load equivalent to the robot's weight by the weight sensor 18b.
The elevator status management unit 11 also controls the elevator's operating mode. In addition to the normal operating mode, there is an interlocking operating mode that is set when a robot is on board.
Furthermore, the elevator status management unit 11 also detects and manages the open/closed state of the elevator car 18 doors.

The robot command management unit 12 receives commands from the robot server 40 that control the operation of the robot 30 and performs robot command management processing (mobile unit command management processing) to manage what commands are received from the robot. Commands that the robot command management unit 12 receives from the robot server 40 include, for example, boarding requests and door opening requests. When the robot server 40 transmits these boarding requests and door opening requests to the elevator control device 10, an identification code is added to identify the robot 30 to be boarded, so that the elevator control device 10 can determine that the instructions are for the same robot 30.
The elevator car control unit 14 sends commands to the elevator car movement mechanism unit 16 to move (raise and lower) the elevator car 18. The elevator car movement mechanism unit 16 consists of a hoisting machine and the like.
The door opening/closing control unit 15 sends a command to the door opening/closing mechanism unit 17 inside the elevator car 18 to open and close the car door installed in the elevator car 18. The door opening/closing mechanism unit 17 consists of a door motor and the like. When the car door is opened and closed, the landing doors also open and close in conjunction. In the following explanation, the landing doors will not be described in detail, but when the car door is opened and closed, the landing doors also open and close in conjunction.

The elevator control device 10 communicates with the elevator server 20. The elevator server 20 includes an elevator status management unit 21 and a robot command management unit 22.
The elevator status management unit 21 of the elevator server 20 communicates with the elevator status management unit 11 of the elevator control device 10 to manage whether the elevator status is appropriate or not.
The robot server 40 includes an elevator status acquisition unit 41, a robot command transmission unit 42, a robot control unit 43, and a robot management unit 44.

The elevator status acquisition unit 41 acquires the status of the elevator that the robot 30 is scheduled to board or is currently boarding, based on information from the elevator status management unit 21 of the elevator server 20.
The robot command transmission unit 42 transmits boarding requests and door opening requests necessary for boarding the robot 30 into the elevator to the robot command management unit 22 of the elevator server 20.
The robot control unit 43 sends drive commands, such as movement commands, to the robot 30's drive control unit 31.
The robot management unit 44 manages the operation of the robot 30. When the robot management unit 44 determines that the robot 30 under its management needs to board the elevator car, it causes the robot command transmission unit 42 to send a boarding request and the robot control unit 43 to send a drive command.

In Figure 1, only one elevator control device 10 and one elevator server 20 are shown. However, for example, the elevator server 20 may communicate with multiple elevator control devices 10 to comprehensively manage the operation of multiple elevators. Furthermore, the elevator server 20 may be installed in a location separate from the building where the elevators are installed. In this case, for example, the elevator server 20 located on the cloud may communicate with elevator control devices 10 in multiple buildings to comprehensively manage the operation of multiple elevators. Alternatively, the elevator control device 10 may communicate with the elevator server 20 on the cloud via a gateway device installed in the building.
Furthermore, the robot server 40 controls the operation of all or some of the robots 30 in the building. This robot server 40 may also be installed in a location separate from the building where the robots 30 operate. In addition, in a building where various types of robots such as cleaning, serving, and security robots are mixed, a robot operation management server may be provided to centrally manage the operation of various types of robots, and the robot operation management server and the elevator server 20 may communicate with each other.

[Example of elevator control system hardware configuration]
Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the computer that constitutes the elevator control device 10 in this example.
The elevator control device 10 shown in Figure 1 is composed of, for example, a computer, which is an information processing device.
In other words, the computer acting as the elevator control device 10 includes a processor, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10a, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 10b, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 10c, and a non-volatile storage 10d.
Non-volatile storage 10d can be, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or semiconductor memory.
The computer also includes a network interface 10e for sending and receiving data with other devices, an input unit 10f for receiving various types of information, and an output unit 10g for outputting processing results.

The CPU 10a executes programs stored in the ROM 10b or non-volatile storage 10d on the RAM 10c, thereby configuring the various processing units such as the elevator state management unit 11 and the robot command management unit 12 shown in Figure 1.
In addition to storing the program for performing control processing as the elevator control device 10, the non-volatile storage 10d also stores information such as the control status of the elevator and commands for the robot 30.

The network interface 10e has a communication function with the elevator server 20 and the like.
The input unit 10f receives signals from the elevator car's control panel, as well as signals from a rotary encoder, weight sensor 18b, door sensor 18c, etc., which detect the elevator car's position. The input unit 10f also receives video footage captured by a camera 18a installed in the elevator car.
The output unit 10g outputs drive commands to the car movement mechanism 16, the door opening/closing mechanism 17, and the like.

Note that while Figure 2 shows the elevator control device 10 configured as a computer, the elevator server 20 and robot server 40 shown in Figure 1 would also have the configuration shown in Figure 2 if they were also configured as computers.

[Process flow when a robot uses an elevator]
Next, the process flow when a robot uses the elevator in this example elevator system will be explained in order, referring to the flowcharts in Figures 3 to 7. Note that Figures 3, 4, and 5 show a single process separated into parts, with "A" in Figure 3 leading to "A" in Figure 4, and "B" in Figure 4 leading to "B" in Figure 5.

Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the process from robot interlocking processing to robot boarding. The process in this flowchart in Figure 3 is executed by the elevator control device 10.
The elevator control device 10 receives commands from the robot server 40 and controls the use of the robot. Although the transmission and reception of commands between the elevator control device 10 and the robot server 40 are carried out via the elevator server 20, the elevator server 20 only relays the commands, so its description will be omitted. However, the elevator server 20 may be configured to determine whether or not to transmit a command to the elevator control device 10. For example, the elevator server 20 may be configured not to transmit landing calls or destination floor calls to floors other than those pre-set in the elevator server 20.
Furthermore, while commands related to the robot 30 are basically output from the robot server 40, the commands output by the robot 30 may be transmitted to the elevator control device 10 via the robot server 40 and the elevator server 20.
Furthermore, when the elevator control device 10 receives a command concerning the robot 30, it determines that it is the same robot 30 based on the identification code attached to the command and then processes the command accordingly.

First, when the robot 30 uses the elevator to move to another floor, the elevator control device 10 receives an elevator interlock request (ON) from the robot server 40 for a specific elevator (elevator car 18) (step S11). The elevator control device 10 then determines whether the elevator for which the elevator interlock request was issued is in a state where it can operate in conjunction with the robot (step S12). Here, situations where interlocking operation is not possible include, for example, when the elevator car is transporting passengers or when it is already operating in conjunction with another robot.

If, in step S12, it is determined that interlocking operation is not possible (No. in step S12), the elevator control device 10 repeats the determination in step S12 and waits until it becomes possible to operate the elevators in interlocking mode.
Then, in step S12, if it is determined that linked operation is possible (Yes in step S12), the elevator control device 10 switches the operating mode of the elevator car for which linked operation has been instructed to be operated to robot linked operation mode (step S13). In principle, while robot linked operation is set, the elevator will only transport robots and will not transport passengers. However, depending on the type of robot, such as a passenger guidance robot, or if there is enough space for passengers to enter and exit the elevator car even with a robot on board, passenger transport and robot transport may be mixed.

When the system switches to linked operation mode in step S13, the elevator control device 10 waits for a boarding request to be sent from the robot server 40. Upon receiving a boarding request, it acquires the landing call included in the boarding request (step S14). That is, the boarding request includes either only the boarding floor information for the elevator, or both the boarding floor information and the destination floor information. The elevator control device 10 treats the boarding floor information as the landing call for the corresponding floor.
When a landing call is received in step S14, the elevator control device 10 registers the corresponding landing call and moves the elevator car 18 to the boarding floor (step S15).

Subsequently, the elevator control device 10 detects that the elevator car has arrived at the boarding floor (calling floor) (step S16). Upon arrival at this boarding floor, the elevator control device 10 instructs the elevator car 18 to open the car doors and confirms that the elevator car has completed opening the doors (step S17).

Next, the elevator control device 10 determines whether or not it has received a door open request from the robot server 40 (step S18).
This door-opening request is output continuously or continuously from the robot server 40 when the robot 30 boards the elevator, until the robot 30 has completed boarding. When the elevator control device 10 receives a door-opening request from the robot server 40, it determines whether the request is valid or invalid. The elevator control device 10 then processes the request only if the request is valid.
If the door open request is invalid, the elevator control device 10 processes it as if it had not received a door open request. Details of the process for determining whether the door open request is valid or invalid will be described later in Figures 6 and 7.

If a door open request is not received in step S18 (No. in step S18), the elevator control device 10 determines whether the door time, which is the time since the completion of door opening was received, has elapsed for a specified time (for example, 10 seconds) (step S19). The door time here is the door time set during robot interlocking processing, and is set to be longer than, for example, the door time during normal operation.
If step S19 determines that the door time has not elapsed (No. in step S19), the elevator control device 10 returns to the determination in step S18.

If a door open request is received in step S18 (Yes in step S18), the elevator control device 10 continues to keep the car door open (step S20). Then, the robot 30 begins to board the elevator car 18 (step S21).
Furthermore, when it is determined in step S19 that the door time has elapsed (Yes in step S19), the elevator control device 10 instructs the door opening/closing control unit 15 to start closing the car door (step S22), and terminates the process for robot boarding.
If a door opening request is not received in step S18, or if the door time has elapsed in step S19, it is assumed that, for example, the robot 30 cancels boarding the elevator after sending a boarding request.

Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the process from the completion of boarding the robot to the start of disembarking.
First, after the robot 30 begins boarding in step S21 (Figure 3), the elevator control device 10 confirms that the robot 30 has completed boarding the elevator car 18 (step S23). Here, for example, the elevator control device 10 determines that the robot 30 has completed boarding from the video feed from the camera 18a installed in the elevator car 8. Alternatively, the elevator control device 10 determines that the robot 30 has completed boarding by combining the outputs of the weight sensor 18b and the door sensor 18c installed in the elevator car 18.

Next, the elevator control device 10 determines whether or not it has received a door open request from the robot 30 or the robot server 40 (step S24). If a door open request is received in step S24 (No. in step S24), the elevator control device 10 continues to keep the car door open via the door opening/closing control unit 15 (step S25), and returns to the determination in step S24.

Then, if no door opening request is received in step S24 (Yes in step S24), the door opening/closing control unit 15 of the elevator control device 10 starts closing the car door (step S26).
Subsequently, the elevator control device 10 obtains the destination floor from the destination floor information included in the boarding request (step S27). Then, the elevator control device 10 registers the destination floor as the destination floor obtained in step S27 (step S28). As a result, the elevator car begins to travel (ascend or descend) to the destination floor, and the elevator control device 10 detects that the elevator car 18 has arrived at the destination floor (step S29).

When elevator car 18 arrives at the destination floor, the door opening/closing control unit 15 starts opening the car doors, and then the door opening/closing control unit 15 detects the completion of the car door opening (step S30).
Next, the elevator control device 10 determines whether or not it has received a door open request from the robot 30 or the robot server 40 (step S31). This door open request is continuously output from the robot 30 or the robot server 40 when the robot 30 is disembarking from the elevator, until the robot 30 has finished disembarking. During processing in step S31, the elevator control device 10 also determines whether the door open request is valid or invalid, and only processes the door open request if it is valid. If the door open request is invalid, the elevator control device 10 processes it as if it had not received a door open request.

If no door open request is received in step S31 (No. in step S31), the elevator control device 10 determines whether the door time, which is the time since the completion of door opening was received, has elapsed for a specified period (for example, 10 seconds) (step S32). The door time here is the same as the door time determined in step S19.
If the elevator control device 10 determines in step S32 that the door time has not elapsed (No. in step S32), it returns to the determination in step S30.

If a door open request is received in step S30 (Yes in step S30), the elevator control device 10 continues to keep the car door open (step S23). Then, the robot 30, having confirmed that the car door is open, begins to disembark from the elevator car 18 (step S34).
Furthermore, when it is determined in step S32 that the door time has elapsed (Yes in step S32), the elevator control device 10 instructs the door opening/closing control unit 15 to start closing the car door (step S35), and terminates the process for robot boarding. Note that if a door opening request is not received in step S31 and the door time has elapsed in step S32, it is conceivable that, for example, the destination floor of the boarded robot 30 has been changed and the robot does not disembark at the initially instructed destination floor. In such a case, it is necessary to instruct the destination floor again.

Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the process from the completion of robot disembarkation to the release of robot linkage.
First, after the robot 30 begins to disembark in step S34 (Figure 4), the elevator control device 10 confirms that the robot 30 has completed disembarking from the elevator car (step S36).
Here, for example, the elevator control device 10 determines that the robot 30 has finished disembarking from the elevator car 18 based on the video feed from the camera 18a installed in the elevator car 18. Alternatively, the elevator control device 10 determines that the robot 30 has finished disembarking by combining the outputs of the weight sensor 18b and the door sensor 18c installed in the elevator car 18. In other words, the elevator control device 10 can determine that disembarking is complete when the weight sensor 18b detects a load change equal to the weight of the robot 30 and an object has passed through the door sensor 18c.

Next, the elevator control device 10 determines whether or not it has received a door open request from the robot 30 or the robot server 40 (step S37). If a door open request is received in step S37 (No. in step S37), the elevator control device 10 instructs the door opening/closing control unit 15 to continue opening the car door (step S38), and returns to the determination in step S37.

Then, if a door open request has not been received in step S37 (Yes in step S37), the door open/close control unit 15 of the elevator control device 10 starts closing the car door (step S39).
Subsequently, the elevator control device 10 receives an elevator interlock request off from the robot server 40 (step S40). Upon receiving the elevator interlock request off, the elevator control device 10 cancels the robot interlock operation mode and switches to the normal operation mode (step S41).
The process described above enables the elevator to transport robot 30.

Next, we will explain the details of the process for determining whether a door-opening request is valid when it is received from the robot server 40 while the elevator control device 10 is executing the robot-linked operation mode. Here, we will explain the first example shown in the flowchart of Figure 6 and the second example shown in the flowchart of Figure 7 as the processes for determining whether a door-opening request is valid.

First, with reference to Figure 6, we will explain the first example of activating the door open command.
First, the robot command management unit 12 of the elevator control device 10 determines whether or not the robot-linked operation mode is set (step S51). If the robot-linked operation mode is not set in step S51 (No. in step S51), the elevator control device 10 repeats the determination in step S51 and waits until the robot-linked operation mode is set.

Next, the robot command management unit 12 of the elevator control device 10 determines whether the door open command from the robot server 40 at the landing call floor (boarding floor) is invalid (step S52). In the initial state, door open commands are invalid at all floors, that is, the door open command at the boarding floor is set to be invalid, so the elevator control device 10 determines that the door open command is invalid (Yes in step S52).
The robot command management unit 12 then determines whether or not a landing call has been registered (step S53). This registration of a landing call is the process performed in step S15 of the flowchart in Figure 3.

If it is determined in step S53 that a landing call has been registered (Yes in step S53), the robot command management unit 12, upon receiving a door open command from the robot server 40 or robot 30 at the landing call floor, determines that the door open command is valid (step S54). In other words, when the elevator car 18 is stopped at the landing call floor, the elevator control device 10 enables the door open command from the robot server 40 or robot 30. The process then proceeds to the determination in step S55.
Furthermore, if the door-opening command from the robot server 40 at the boarding floor is not invalid in step S52 (No. in step S52), and if no landing call has been registered in step S53, the system proceeds to the decision in step S55 without activating a new door-opening command.

In step S55, the robot command management unit 12 determines whether the door open command from the robot server 40 at the destination call floor (disembarkation floor) is invalid. In the initial state, the door open command at the disembarkation floor is set to invalid, so the elevator control device 10 determines that it is invalid (Yes in step S55).
The robot command management unit 12 then determines whether or not a destination floor call registration has been performed (step S56). This destination floor call registration is the same process as the one performed in step S28 of the flowchart in Figure 4.

If the robot command management unit 12 determines in step S56 that a destination floor call has been registered (Yes in step S56), when it receives a door open command from the robot server 40 or robot 30 at the disembarking floor where the destination floor call was registered, it determines that the door open command is valid (step S57). In other words, when the elevator car 18 is stopped at the disembarking floor, the elevator control device 10 enables the door open command from the robot server 40 or robot 30. If the door open command is enabled through these processes, the robot command management unit 12 sends the door open command to the car control unit 14 and the door opening/closing control unit 15.
The door open command is activated after these steps.

Next, with reference to Figure 7, a second example of activating the door open command will be explained.
The flowchart in Figure 7 is the same as the flowchart in Figure 6, but with the processing of step S53a executed after step S53 and step S56a executed after step S56. The other processes are the same as in the flowchart in Figure 6, so only the differences from Figure 6 will be explained below.

In other words, if the robot command management unit 12 of the elevator control device 10 determines in step S53 that a landing call has been registered (Yes in step S53), the elevator control device 10 further determines whether or not the car doors have finished opening at the landing call floor (boarding floor) (step S53a).
In step S53a, when the robot command management unit 12 determines that the opening of the elevator car door is complete (Yes in step S53a), it moves to step S54 and, upon receiving a door open command from the robot server 40 or robot 30 at the landing call floor, determines that the door open command is valid.

As a result, when the elevator has stopped at the landing call floor and the elevator car doors have opened completely, the robot command management unit 12 enables the door opening command from the robot server 40 or the robot 30. After that, the process proceeds to the decision in step S55.
Then, if the robot command management unit 12 determines that the opening of the cage door has not been completed in step S53a (No. in step S53a), it will not activate step S54.

Furthermore, if the robot command management unit 12 determines in step S56 that the destination call floor has been registered (Yes in step S56), the robot command management unit 12 determines whether or not the car door has opened at the destination call floor (disembarkation floor) (step S56a).
In step S56a, when it is determined that the opening of the elevator car door is complete (Yes in step S56a), the robot command management unit 12 moves to step S57 and, upon receiving a door open command from the robot server 40 or robot 30 at the destination calling floor, determines that the door open command is valid.

As a result, when the elevator stops at the destination floor and the elevator car doors have opened completely, the robot command management unit 12 enables the door open command from the robot server 40 or the robot 30. If enabled by these processes, the robot command management unit 12 sends the door open command to the elevator car control unit 14 and the door opening/closing control unit 15.
If the cage door has not been opened in step S56a (No. in step S56a), the robot command management unit 12 will not activate the door opening command in step S57.

[Outline and effects of the process from elevator call to robot disembarkation]
Figure 8 shows an overview of the process by which the robot 30, as described above, uses the elevator.
First, in step S101, assume that the elevator car 18 has stopped on the third floor.
Here, a robot 30 is located on the first floor, and a robot server 40 controlling the robot 30 sends a boarding request 30a to the elevator control device 10, which includes either only the boarding floor information or both the boarding floor information and the destination floor information. Upon receiving this boarding request 30a, the elevator control device 10 registers a landing call on the first floor, and in response, the elevator car 18 begins to travel toward the first floor.

Next, in step S102, when the elevator car 18 arrives on the first floor and the car doors are open, the robot server 40 controlling the robot 30 transmits a floor continuation request 30b. The robot server 40 may transmit this floor continuation request 30b before the elevator car 18 arrives on the first floor; however, the elevator control device 10 does not activate the door open command until the elevator car arrives on the first floor (in the first example in Figure 6), or until the elevator car arrives on the first floor and the doors open (in the second example in Figure 7).

Next, in step S103, the robot 30 completes boarding the elevator car 18, and the destination floor is registered 30c (in this case, the 3rd floor).
Furthermore, in step S104, when the elevator car 18 arrives at the third floor, which is the destination floor, and the car doors are open, the robot server 40 that controls the robot 30 transmits a floor continuation request 30d. This floor continuation request 30d may be transmitted before the elevator car 18 arrives at the third floor, but the elevator control device 10 does not activate the door open command until the elevator car 18 arrives at the third floor (in the first example in Figure 6), or until the elevator car 18 arrives at the third floor and the doors open (in the second example in Figure 7).

[Effects of this embodiment]
As explained above, in this example, by ensuring that the door-to-floor continuation request is activated at the appropriate time, the elevator car 18 will only continue to open its doors based on the door-open request when it is on the boarding floor or destination floor. Therefore, the elevator car will not continue to open its doors on floors other than the boarding floor or destination floor, making it possible to perform appropriate operation control of the elevator.
Specifically, as explained in the background technology section with reference to Figure 9, the open state of the elevator car door is not maintained by a floor continuation request on a floor other than the boarding floor where the robot 30 is waiting to board. Therefore, even if the timing of the output of floor continuation requests from the robot 30 or robot server 40 is not appropriate, it is possible to prevent the robot from being unable to board the elevator.

Furthermore, in this example, as shown in step S23 of the flowchart in Figure 4, the car control unit 14 does not initiate the closing operation of the elevator car doors until it determines that the robot 30 has completed boarding, that is, that the robot 30 is inside the elevator car. This allows the elevator system in this example to effectively prevent the robot 30 from being caught in the car doors, even if the door opening request is not properly received during boarding.

Furthermore, even when disembarking, as shown in step S36 of the flowchart in Figure 5, the car control unit 14 continues to keep the car doors open until it determines that the robot 30 has finished disembarking, that is, that the robot 30 is no longer inside the car. This ensures that, in this example elevator system, even if a door-opening request is not properly received during disembarking, the doors will not close until the robot 30 has finished disembarking, effectively preventing the robot 30 from being caught in the car doors.

Furthermore, in this example, when the robot command management unit 12 receives a door-opening request, it determines whether it has received a boarding request from the robot 30 that issued the door-opening request. If it has received a boarding request, the mobile command management unit 12 sends the received door-opening request to the cage control unit 14. In other words, by only accepting door-opening requests from the same robot 30, it effectively prevents control disruptions by not responding to door-opening requests from other robots in the building.

Furthermore, in this example elevator system, the elevator control device 10 is equipped with a robot command management unit 12 to receive and manage commands from the robot server 40 and the robot 30. This allows the elevator control device 10 to process commands from the robot and safely control its operation independently.

Furthermore, in this example's elevator system, a separate elevator server 20 is provided in addition to the elevator control device 10. Boarding requests and door opening requests from the robot are received by the mobile command management unit 12 of the elevator control device 10 via the elevator server 20. This allows the elevator server 20 to determine whether the boarding and door opening requests from the robot are appropriate, enabling more precise control of the elevator's operation.

[Variations]
The embodiments described above are explained in detail for the purpose of clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Furthermore, the configurations and processes described in the above embodiments can be modified or altered in various ways.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the robot 30 performs actions such as autonomous movement based on control from the robot server 40. Alternatively, the robot 30 may perform actions such as autonomous movement directly, and the elevator control device 10 may receive commands from the robot 30.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the elevator control device 10 is equipped with a robot command management unit 12, and the elevator control device 10 performs processing based on robot commands. Alternatively, the robot command management unit 22 within the elevator server 20 may perform processing based on robot commands, and the elevator control device 10 may omit the robot command management unit 12 and control the elevator car 18 and car doors based on instructions from the elevator server 20 when the robot is in use.

Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment described a case in which an autonomously mobile robot 30 uses an elevator, the present invention can also be applied to cases in which various mobile bodies other than robots use elevators.
When the robot 30 is a mobile unit, the robot command management units 12 and 22 shown in Figure 1 function as mobile unit command management units, respectively.

Furthermore, in the configuration shown in Figure 1, the elevator control device 10 is equipped with a robot command management unit 12 and the like to perform processing in cooperation with the robot. However, the program implemented in the control device of an existing elevator system may be modified to perform similar processing.
In this case, the program can be stored in the non-volatile storage or memory within the computer as shown in Figure 2, or it can be stored on an external memory, IC card, SD card, optical disc, or other recording medium and transferred from there.
Furthermore, part or all of the elevator control device 10 may be implemented using dedicated hardware such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

Furthermore, in the configuration diagram shown in Figure 1, only control lines and information lines deemed necessary for explanation are shown, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown in the actual product. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. Also, in the flowcharts shown in Figures 3 to 7, the processing order may be changed or multiple processes executed simultaneously, as long as the processing result is the same.

2…Robot, 10…Elevator control device, 10a…CPU, 10b…ROM, 10c…RAM, 10d…Non-volatile storage, 10e…Network interface, 10f…Input unit, 10g…Output unit, 11…Elevator status management unit, 12…Robot command management unit, 13…Call registration unit, 14…Car control unit, 15…Door opening/closing control unit, 16…Movement mechanism unit, 17…Door opening/closing mechanism unit, 18…Elevator car, 18a…Camera, 18b…Weight sensor, 18c…Door sensor, 20…Elevator server, 21…Elevator status management unit, 22…Robot command management unit, 30…Robot (mobile unit), 31…Drive control unit, 40…Robot server, 41…Elevator status acquisition unit, 42…Robot command transmission unit, 43…Robot control unit, 44…Robot management unit

Claims (7)

In an elevator system capable of transporting moving objects,
A mobile unit command and management unit receives a boarding request from the mobile unit or the server controlling the mobile unit, which includes boarding floor information and destination floor information.
The mobile command and control unit includes a car control unit that moves the elevator car to the boarding floor specified in the boarding floor information included in the boarding request received by the mobile command and control unit,
An elevator system in which, when the mobile command management unit receives a door open request from the mobile unit or the server, the car control unit determines that the elevator car is at the floor specified by either the boarding floor information or the destination floor information included in the boarding request, and opens the doors of the elevator car. Furthermore, the system includes an elevator state management unit that determines whether the moving object is inside the elevator car.
The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein when the elevator state management unit determines that the elevator car is at the boarding floor specified by the boarding floor information, the car control unit continues to keep the doors of the elevator car open until it determines that the moving object is inside the elevator car. Furthermore, the system includes an elevator state management unit that determines whether the moving object is inside the elevator car.
The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein when the elevator state management unit determines that the elevator car is at the destination floor specified by the boarding floor information, the car control unit continues to keep the doors of the elevator car open until it determines that there is no moving object inside the elevator car. The elevator system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein when the mobile command management unit receives a door open request, the elevator state management unit determines whether it has received a boarding request from the mobile unit or the server that output the door open request, and if it has received a boarding request, the mobile command management unit sends the received door open request to the car control unit. The elevator system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile command management unit is provided within the elevator control device. The elevator control device is equipped with an elevator server separate from the aforementioned elevator control device,
The elevator system according to claim 5, wherein boarding requests and door opening requests from the mobile body or the server are received by the mobile body command management unit of the elevator control device via the elevator server. This is an elevator control method that controls the transport of a moving object in an elevator.
A mobile unit command management process receives a boarding request from the mobile unit or the server controlling the mobile unit, which includes boarding floor information and destination floor information.
The car control process moves the elevator car to the boarding floor specified in the boarding floor information included in the boarding request received in the aforementioned mobile command management process,
An elevator control method comprising: a door opening control process that, when the mobile command management process receives a door opening request from the mobile unit or the server, determines that the elevator car is on a floor specified by either the boarding floor information or the destination floor information included in the boarding request, and opens the doors of the elevator car.