KR102786908B1 - Robot linked elevator system in which robot boarding parameters are set - Google Patents

Abstract

A robot-linked elevator system is disclosed, wherein robot boarding parameters are set, including a robot that moves autonomously within a building; and a plurality of elevators installed within the building and configured to provide service to the robot, and wherein when setting the occupancy rates for each elevator of the plurality of elevators, the occupancy rates for the robot and the human are set differently.

Description

{Robot linked elevator system in which robot boarding parameters are set}

The present invention relates to a robot-linked elevator system that operates in conjunction with a robot moving between floors in a building, and more specifically, to a robot-linked elevator system that specifically proposes a method for setting robot boarding-related parameters of an elevator that is set to allow robot use, so as to minimize inconvenience to general passengers due to robot use of the elevator and enable efficient operation.

Various buildings constructed for residential, business, or commercial purposes are equipped with elevators to facilitate the smooth movement between floors of passengers entering and exiting the building. Typically, an elevator is composed of an elevator car that moves along a vertical shaft formed inside the building, a mechanical part including a motor and a traction machine that generate power to raise and lower the elevator car, and a control part that performs control related to the operation of the elevator.

Recently, as the use of robot services within buildings has become more active, the need to use elevators to move robots between floors within buildings has increased. For example, many service robots that move within buildings and perform tasks such as transporting items, cleaning, and guiding customers have been developed and put into practical use.

At this time, when work needs to be performed on multiple floors, the robot within the building needs to move between floors. Currently, the elevator is considered the most desirable means for moving the robot between floors, and various linkage control technologies between the robot and the elevator system are being developed to effectively move the robot to the destination floor.

Recently, with the rapid growth of the robot market, many service areas are being replaced by robots. In particular, unmanned operation using robots is rapidly progressing in buildings that operate customer service businesses such as hotels and residences. In order to expand the unmanned service function using robots, vertical movement (movement between floors) within the building must be possible, and accordingly, the linkage between robots and the elevator system within the building has emerged as an essential requirement.

A robot-linked elevator system can operate multiple elevators installed in a building by dividing them into a robot-only mode, a general passenger-only mode, and a shared mode that allows simultaneous use by robots and general passengers, depending on the operation purpose or operation characteristics of each elevator. Elevators set to a robot-only mode can provide call services only to robots, elevators set to a general passenger-only mode can provide call services only to general passengers (humans), and elevators set to a shared mode can provide call services to both robots and general passengers.

However, such robots using elevators may cause inconvenience to general passengers (humans). This is because the robots take longer to get on and off than general passengers due to safety reasons or technical limitations. For example, a general passenger who is waiting for elevator service on the platform and has the same departure floor as a robot may experience a delay in boarding due to the robot, and a general passenger who is riding the same elevator and has the same destination floor as a robot may experience a delay in getting off due to the robot.

In addition, since it takes a long time for the robot to get on and off, the elevator operation may be delayed, which may lengthen the waiting time of general passengers waiting for the elevator on other floors. For the same reason, the arrival time on the destination floor of general passengers who are riding the same elevator but have a different destination from the robot may be delayed.

In particular, when multiple robots board an elevator where the use of robots is enabled, safety accidents such as collisions between robots and general passengers or between robots on the platform or inside the elevator may occur, and the problem of service delay may become more serious as the boarding and disembarking times of robots are relatively late compared to general passengers, increasing the waiting time on the platform and the boarding time of general passengers. As a result, the efficiency of handling elevator traffic within the building may decrease, which may further increase the inconvenience felt by general passengers.

In order to prevent the above problems, the present invention proposes a specific method for setting robot boarding-related parameters (fullness rate, maximum number of robots that can service, etc.) of an elevator in which robot use is enabled, thereby providing more convenient and comfortable service to not only general passengers but also customers using robot services provided within a building, and ultimately improving the overall operating efficiency of an elevator system that is operated in conjunction with robots.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

According to one aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, a robot-linked elevator system can be provided, which comprises a robot that moves autonomously within a building; and a plurality of elevators installed within the building and configured to provide service to the robot, wherein when setting the occupancy rate for each elevator of the plurality of elevators, the occupancy rate for the robot and the occupancy rate for a human are set differently, and in which robot boarding parameters are set.

The rate for the above robot may be set lower than the rate for the above human.

Among the plurality of elevators, the robot occupancy rate is applied to an elevator set to a robot-only mode that can only service calls from robots, the human occupancy rate is applied to an elevator set to a general passenger-only mode that can only service calls from humans, and the robot occupancy rate and the human occupancy rate can be applied simultaneously to an elevator set to a shared passenger mode that can service calls from both robots and humans.

In the case of an elevator set to the above-mentioned ride-sharing mode, for calls by the robot, the allocation target may be based on the full occupancy rate for the robot, and for calls by the human, the allocation target may be based on the full occupancy rate for the human.

When the above-described plurality of elevators exceed the fullness rate set for each unit, they are switched to a full state and, at the same time, allocation suppression or allocation exclusion is applied to newly occurring calls. The allocation suppression may mean imposing an allocation suppression penalty on the unit to lower the priority when performing an allocation algorithm for a new call, and the allocation exclusion may mean completely excluding the unit from allocation for new calls.

The above fullness rate includes a load fullness rate based on the load of an object riding in an elevator car and a space fullness rate based on the space occupancy rate of an object riding in the elevator car, and the load fullness rate and the space fullness rate may be applied selectively or together to each unit of the plurality of elevators.

For elevators set to the above robot-only mode and the above ride-sharing mode, the maximum number of robots that can service each elevator can be set.

The maximum number of serviceable robots in an elevator set to the robot-only mode may be set to be greater than the maximum number of serviceable robots in an elevator set to the shared mode.

The invention further includes a group management unit that performs a function of selecting and allocating an optimal elevator among the plurality of elevators for an elevator call occurring within the building, wherein the group management unit collects and analyzes in real time information on specifications of the elevator including the rated capacity and the internal area of the elevator, the fullness rate set for each elevator among the plurality of elevators, the call request information registered for each elevator among the plurality of elevators, and the number of objects currently on board or scheduled to board each elevator among the plurality of elevators, thereby deriving information on the boarding capacity meaning the additional load that can be loaded into each elevator among the plurality of elevators, the boarding space meaning the additional space area that can be occupied, and the number of service robots indicating the number of robots being serviced by the corresponding elevator.

The above-mentioned military management unit, when a call by a robot occurs within the building, selects an elevator unit whose boarding capacity and boarding space match the specifications of the robot requesting the call, and forms a group of candidates that can be allocated primarily, and selects an elevator unit whose number of service robots does not exceed the maximum number of serviceable robots from among the primary candidates, and reconfigures it into a group of candidates that can be allocated, and performs an allocation algorithm on the reconfigured group of candidates to select an optimal elevator.

If the number of robots currently in service of any of the above multiple elevators is greater than or equal to the maximum number of robots that can be serviced set for that elevator, that elevator can be excluded from allocation for new robot calls.

When the same call floor or the same destination floor is input as a call for two or more robots, the number of robots assigned to the same elevator car can be limited to a specified number or less and distributed to multiple cars.

The present invention specifically proposes a method for setting parameters related to robot boarding of an elevator, such as setting different occupancy rates for robots and occupancy rates for general passengers in an elevator system that is operated by dividing into a robot-only mode, a general passenger-only mode, and a shared ride mode, and limiting the maximum number of robots that can be serviced by an elevator unit in which robot use is enabled.

According to the present invention as described above, service delays due to collisions between robots and general passengers or between robots are minimized, thereby providing more convenient and comfortable services to not only general passengers but also customers using robot services in buildings, and ultimately, significantly improving the overall operating efficiency of an elevator system controlled in conjunction with a robot.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention.

The purpose and technical configuration of the present invention and the detailed operation and effect thereof will be more clearly understood by the detailed description based on the drawings attached to the specification of the present invention.

The terminology used herein is only used to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. For example, terms such as "consisting of" or "comprising" used herein should not be construed as necessarily including all of the various components or various steps described in the invention, but should be construed as not including some of the components or some of the steps, or may further include additional components or steps. In addition, the singular expression used herein includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by describing preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings. The embodiments described below are provided so that those skilled in the art can easily understand the technical idea of the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention thereby, and it is obvious that the embodiments of the present invention can have various applications to those skilled in the art.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, the robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention may be configured to include a robot system unit (10) that controls and manages the operation of a robot (Robot) that moves autonomously within a building; and an elevator system unit (20) that controls and manages the operation of an elevator (Elevator) installed within a building and communicates with the robot.

The robot system unit (10) and the elevator system unit (20) operate independently of each other and can communicate with each other to use the elevator when the robot needs to move between floors within the building.

The robot system unit (10) can control all robots that move autonomously within the building, and can communicate with each robot for this purpose. In addition, the robot system unit (10) can receive robot service requests occurring within the building, and designate a specific robot to provide the corresponding service in response to the received request. Here, the 'robot service' can mean a service performed by a robot, and a service provided by the robot directly visiting a customer.

In the present invention, the robot may collectively refer to all autonomous mobile devices that can move autonomously within a building without human intervention. For example, the robot may be a service robot that carries and delivers items such as parcels within a building, or performs specific tasks such as cleaning or customer guidance, and may provide necessary services to customers within the building under the control of the robot system unit (10).

Robots can recognize spaces within buildings and move autonomously using simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) techniques based on information collected using Lidar, proximity sensors, ultrasonic sensors, or cameras.

In addition, the robot can store information about the internal/external structure of the building and the location of the elevator within the building through its own database, and can use an internal algorithm to obtain the optimal distance and movement path from the current location to the elevator, calculated in real time using a self-localization technique.

The robot can remotely request an elevator call. When a customer's request for robot service is received within the building, the robot system unit (10) designates a specific robot to provide the service among a number of robots operating within the building, and the designated robot can transmit a 'boarding request' signal to the elevator system unit (20) to call an elevator to move to the service floor if the floor on which it is currently located is different from the floor on which the service is requested.

The information included in the above 'boarding request' includes information on the departure floor where the robot is currently located and the final destination floor to which it is ultimately intended to move, and may further include information on the travel time required for the robot to arrive at the platform, the weight and volume of the robot, the purpose of using the elevator, etc. The travel time required for the robot to arrive at the platform can be calculated based on the robot's current location.

When a remote call from a robot is received, the group management unit (21) of the elevator system unit (20) described later determines and allocates the optimal elevator unit to provide boarding service to the robot.

The elevator system unit (20) may be configured to include a group management unit (21) that performs group management of multiple elevators installed in a building; and a control unit (22) that performs control related to the operation of the elevators.

The group management unit (21) performs group control to operate multiple elevators installed in a building more efficiently. It basically performs the function of determining and allocating the optimal elevator number for calls entered through call buttons installed on each floor of the building or destination floor input buttons installed in the elevator car, calls entered remotely through other systems or terminals such as the destination selection system (DSS), and remote calls by robots.

For reference, a call that instructs an elevator assigned (allocated) to move to the floor where the passenger or robot is waiting in response to a call requested by a passenger or robot on the platform to go to the destination floor (destination floor) is called a hall call, and a call that instructs an elevator that arrives through a hall call to move to the destination floor where the passenger or robot wants to go is called a car call.

In addition, the group management unit (21) can determine and allocate the most efficient elevator unit through correlation analysis of the traffic volume within the building, multiple available elevator units, and the location information of the robot in response to the call request of the robot. More specifically, the group management unit (21) can detect status information on the occupancy rate or remaining capacity of multiple elevator units operating within the building, extract available elevator units that the robot can board based on information such as the weight and volume of the robot included in the boarding request information received from the robot, and allocate the optimal elevator unit by considering the locations of the extracted available elevator units and the location of the robot. Here, when considering the location of the robot, not only the floor location of the call floor (departure floor) at which the robot requested boarding, but also information on the time required for the robot to move from its current location to the platform can be considered.

The military management department (21) can provide assigned elevator number and corresponding platform information to the robot and robot system department (10) that requested the call service.

The control unit (22) controls the overall operation and behavior of the elevator, and can perform control to move the elevator unit assigned by the military management unit (21) to the floor where the call was entered.

The control unit (22) may include a driving control unit that controls the driving operation of the elevator car, a door control unit that controls the opening and closing of an elevator door that stops at a specific floor for boarding and disembarking passengers and robots, etc.

The driving control unit can control the operation of raising and lowering an elevator car within a hoistway formed vertically inside a building, and can perform driving control of a winding machine motor and brake, etc., to start or stop the operation of the elevator car by a specific command signal.

The door control unit controls the overall opening and closing operation of the elevator doors, including the hall door installed on the platform side and the car door installed on the elevator car side, and can control the operation of the door motor for this purpose.

Meanwhile, the robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention can operate an elevator installed in a building by dividing the operation modes into 'robot-only mode', 'general passenger-only mode', and 'robot/general passenger shared mode' (hereinafter referred to as 'shared mode').

Robot-only mode is a mode in which only robots can board the elevator, and an elevator set to robot-only mode can only perform call services targeting robots.

The general passenger-only mode is a mode set to perform call services only for general passengers. At this time, it goes without saying that items, objects, or animals carried by general passengers may be loaded into the elevator.

The shared ride mode is a mode that allows robots and general passengers (humans) to ride together in an elevator. In the case of an elevator set to the shared ride mode, call services can be performed for both general passengers and robots.

The operation mode of each elevator installed in a building can be set for each unit, and the operation mode of each unit can be set automatically or manually as needed. For example, the operation mode of each elevator unit is set to reflect the traffic characteristics in the building, and when the operation mode needs to be switched through traffic monitoring, the operation mode of a specific unit can be switched automatically by the system's own judgment or manually by the manager.

In addition, the operation mode of the elevator can be planned in advance according to a time schedule, reflecting the characteristics of traffic volume by time zone within the building.

Meanwhile, for elevators that are operated in a robot-only mode, a general passenger-only mode, and a shared ride mode as described above, it is desirable to apply the operating characteristics differently because the users of each operating mode are different.

However, up to now, consistent standards have been applied regardless of the elevator operation mode, and therefore, different operating characteristics according to the operation mode are not reflected at all in the control and operation of the elevator, which causes problems in elevator operation in various situations and becomes a factor hindering efficient elevator operation.

In particular, when multiple robots board an elevator where robot use is enabled, safety accidents such as collisions between robots and general passengers or between robots on the platform or inside the elevator may occur, and the boarding and disembarkation times of robots are relatively late compared to general passengers, which may increase general passengers' waiting time on the platform and elevator boarding time, causing inconvenience to general passengers, and may lead to a decrease in the efficiency of handling elevator traffic within the building and delays in service.

In order to prevent such problems, the present invention proposes a specific method for setting parameters related to robot boarding of an elevator so that different characteristics of robots and general passengers (humans) can be well reflected in the operation of the elevator according to the operation mode when operating a plurality of elevators installed in a building by setting the operation mode for each elevator to one of the robot-only mode, the general passenger-only mode, and the shared ride mode, as follows, thereby minimizing inconvenience to general passengers due to robot use of the elevator as much as possible and enabling efficient operation of the elevator.

1. Set the ten thousand won rate

First, the robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention The full occupancy rate for robots and for general passengers (humans) can be set differently. This is because the space occupied by a robot is generally larger than that occupied by an individual general passenger, and the weight of a robot is heavier than that of a general passenger. This means that by setting the full occupancy detection standard for robots lower than that for general passengers, there will be a difference in securing the space that passengers can occupy and the space that robots can occupy.

The present invention can set the occupancy rate for robots lower than that for general passengers by considering the weight, volume, radius of action, safety distance, etc. of the robot. Here, the occupancy rate can be based on the load or space occupancy rate, which will be discussed in more detail later. The occupancy rate standard for robots and the occupancy rate standard for general passengers are values that can be changed according to the specifications of the robot or the specifications information of each elevator unit.

That is, the present invention can apply a 'robot fullness rate' or a 'general passenger fullness rate' to each elevator installed in a building depending on the mode in which it is being operated. Below, we will examine the criteria for applying fullness rates according to the operation mode of the elevator.

First, elevators set to robot-only mode can be operated with the 'robot occupancy rate' applied since the users are limited to robots. Elevator units set to robot-only mode are allocated for robot calls based on the robot occupancy rate. For example, if the robot occupancy rate is applied as 60%, elevator units with a load or space occupancy rate exceeding 60% due to robots on board can be suppressed or excluded from allocation for new robot calls. In addition, since the unit is operating in robot-only mode, it is naturally excluded from allocation for general passenger calls.

For reference, the 'allocation suppression' mentioned above does not mean 100% exclusion of newly occurring calls, but rather lowering the priority by imposing an allocation suppression penalty on the corresponding slot when performing the allocation algorithm for new calls, thereby preventing allocation as much as possible.

Elevator units set to general passenger-only mode can be operated by applying the 'general passenger occupancy rate' since the users are limited to general passengers (humans). Elevator units set to general passenger-only mode are allocated for general passenger calls based on the general passenger occupancy rate. For example, if the general passenger occupancy rate is applied as 80%, elevator units with a load or space occupancy rate exceeding 80% due to general passengers on board can be suppressed or excluded from allocation for new general passenger calls. In addition, since the unit is operating in general passenger-only mode, it is naturally excluded from allocation for robot calls.

Finally, elevators set to the shared mode can serve both robots and general passengers (humans), so the 'robot occupancy rate' and the 'general passenger occupancy rate' can be applied and operated together. Elevator units set to the shared mode can be allocated based on the robot occupancy rate for robot calls, and can be allocated based on the general passenger occupancy rate for general passenger calls.

In addition, in the present invention, the 'fullness rate' of the elevator may include the concept of a 'load fullness rate' based on the load (weight) and a 'space fullness rate' based on the space area occupied. The load fullness rate is a value for limiting the total load of objects boarding an elevator car so that it does not exceed a certain level, and the space fullness rate is a value for limiting the total space area occupied by objects boarding an elevator car so that it does not exceed a certain level.

Information about the load of objects riding in an elevator can be detected by a load cell installed in the elevator car, and information about the space area occupied by objects riding in the elevator can be detected by a vision device such as a camera or CCTV installed inside the elevator car.

For example, assuming that the 'load fullness rate' of an elevator is set to 60%, if the boarding load (sum of the weight of boarding objects) measured in real time by the load cell is detected to exceed 60% of the rated capacity (maximum design load), the elevator will be switched to a full state, and new boarding will be restricted and allocation of newly occurring calls can be suppressed or excluded until the boarding load of the elevator becomes 60% or less again.

Similarly, assuming that the 'space occupancy rate' of an elevator car is set to 60%, if the space occupancy area (the area occupied by boarding objects) detected by the vision device exceeds 60% of the total interior area of the car, the car may be switched to a full state, new boarding may be restricted until the interior space occupancy rate of the car becomes 60% or lower again, and allocations for newly occurring calls may be suppressed or excluded.

The above-mentioned 'load occupancy rate' and 'space occupancy rate' can be applied selectively either by one or both. In the case where both are applied together, even if either the load occupancy rate or the space occupancy rate is exceeded, the relevant unit will be converted to occupancy status.

Below, we will examine a more specific example of the 'full capacity rate setting' of the robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention.

First, let's assume an elevator system environment that performs group management, including five elevators installed in a building. At this time, let's assume that among elevators 1 to 5, elevators 2 and 4 are set to a shared mode that can service both robot calls and general passenger calls. In addition, the robot occupancy rate is set to 60%, and the general passenger occupancy rate is set to 80%.

If the total load inside the car due to the boarding objects (including both robots and general passengers) of elevator No. 2 is detected as 70% during the operation of the elevator, the corresponding elevator still has 10% of the fullness rate for general passengers, but the fullness rate for robots has been exceeded. In this case, the military management department (21) can allow allocation of calls for general passengers to elevator No. 2, but can exclude allocation of calls for robots. Since elevator No. 2 can still service calls for general passengers, the fullness bypass is not applied. In addition, for newly occurring robot calls, the elevator with the highest service efficiency among elevators 1, 3, 4, and 5, excluding elevator No. 2, is selected and allocated.

In other words, if the elevator is 10,000 won based on the robot 10,000 won rate but not 10,000 won based on the general passenger 10,000 won rate, the elevator is no longer assigned to robot calls, but the 10,000 won bypass is not applied.

Meanwhile, if the total load (boarding load) in the car of Unit 4 is detected as 81%, the unit has exceeded both the fullness rate for robots and the fullness rate for general passengers, so the hold call (platform call) assigned to the driving direction of Unit 4 is bypassed. In this situation, when a new call occurs, the most efficient car that can service the call is selected and allocated among the remaining cars except for car 4, with the car not exceeding the full capacity for the subject (robot or general passenger) who entered the call. In addition, the hold call that car 4 bypasses can be reassigned to another car depending on the option.

In other words, if the general passenger occupancy rate is 10,000 (in this case, of course, it is also 10,000 based on the robot occupancy rate), the occupancy bypass is applied to the relevant elevator unit. When the occupancy bypass is applied, allocation suppression or exclusion for the relevant elevator unit can be performed at the same time.

As described above, the main technical point of the present invention is to alleviate full capacity bypass for general passengers and prevent service efficiency degradation by differentially applying full capacity detection criteria for robots and general passengers.

2. Limit the number of robots available for service

In addition, the present invention is characterized by limiting the number of robots that can service one elevator, thereby maximally suppressing collisions between robots and general passengers using the elevator or between robots, and preventing a decrease in the efficiency of handling elevator traffic within a building and service delays.

Specifically, the present invention can set the maximum number of robots that can be serviced per elevator by considering the traffic pattern detected manually or automatically. This maximum value can be set by requesting the robot system unit (10) to the group management unit (21) or can be set by the group management unit (21) itself. In this case, the maximum number of robots that can be serviced can be set differently for each mode depending on the operation mode of the elevator described above.

In addition, the robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention presents 'robot-only mode' and 'passenger mode' as operation modes in which the use of robots is enabled. In this case, the number of robots limited in the robot-only mode can be set to be larger than the number of robots limited in the passenger mode. In other words, a larger number of robots can be accommodated (boarded) in an elevator set to the robot-only mode than in the passenger mode.

In the above-described state, with the maximum number of robots that can service each elevator in a building set, the group management unit (21) collects and analyzes information in real time about the specifications of the elevator, such as the rated capacity and the internal area, the load occupancy rate and/or the space occupancy rate for general passengers according to the traffic pattern detected manually or automatically, the load occupancy rate and/or the space occupancy rate for robots according to the traffic pattern detected manually or automatically, the holl call/car call information registered in each elevator unit, the number of robots and/or general passengers riding in each elevator unit, the number of robots and/or general passengers scheduled to ride along the driving direction of each elevator unit, and the specifications information (volume, weight, etc.) of the robots riding or scheduled to ride in each elevator unit, so as to calculate the 'boarding capacity', 'boarding space', and 'number of service robots' for each floor on the driving route of the corresponding elevator unit.

Here, the 'boarding capacity' refers to the additional load that can be loaded inside the elevator car, and the 'boarding space' refers to the area of the additional space that can be occupied inside the elevator car. In addition, the 'number of service robots' refers to the number of robots that the elevator car is providing hollcall/carcall service, and can be calculated by including not only the robots that are on board the elevator car, but also the number of robots waiting on the platform.

In addition, the meaning of 'by traffic pattern' above means that even in the same operating mode, the occupancy rate of an elevator can be set differently depending on the traffic pattern. For example, the characteristic of different traffic patterns within a building depending on time zone can be reflected in the occupancy rate setting of the elevator.

As a more specific example, there is a difference in the passenger traffic volume using the elevator depending on the time zone such as commuting hours, commuting hours, and lunch hours, and there is also a difference in the traffic volume depending on the direction of travel such as a large amount of upward traffic during commuting hours and a large amount of downward traffic during commuting hours. The present invention grasps and retains information on the traffic volume pattern according to such time zones and driving directions in advance, and not only sets different occupancy rates for robots and general passengers as described above, but also sets different occupancy rates depending on the traffic pattern, thereby enabling flexible operation of multiple elevators installed in a building.

As described above, the military management unit (21) of the present invention can calculate and monitor in real time the 'boarding capacity', 'boarding space' and 'number of service robots' for each floor on the driving path of each elevator unit operating in the building based on the various pieces of information described above.

In this state, when a call request from a robot occurs, the group management unit (21) can select an elevator that is set to robot-only mode or ride-sharing mode and can service the departure and destination floors of the robot, and has a boarding capacity and boarding space that both meet the specifications of the robot requesting the call, and configure it as a candidate group that can be allocated primarily. In other words, considering the specifications of the robot, a candidate group of elevators that can accommodate the boarding of the robot requesting the call is extracted from among multiple elevators installed in the building.

In addition, the military management department (21) can reconstruct the group of elevator candidates that can be allocated by selecting a group of elevator candidates that is initially derived, in which the number of expected service robots on the floor immediately preceding the departure floor along the direction of travel to the destination floor that the robot that has currently requested a call wants to go does not exceed the maximum number of serviceable robots set for each unit. Here, unlike general passengers, since the robot call is made remotely only through the system, there is no concern that an unexpected call will occur in the middle, and therefore, it is possible to predict the number of robots in service on the floor immediately preceding the departure floor of the robot that has requested a call.

And the military management department (21) finally determines the most efficient elevator among the candidates for assignable elevators reconstructed above through the execution of its own established allocation algorithm and assigns it to the robot that requested the call.

The military management department (21) calculates the number of robots that can be boarded on each floor and direction on the driving route based on the current status information, and can exclude the corresponding space from being allocated to new robot calls on floors where the number of robots that can be boarded is '0'.

As described above, the robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention sets the maximum number of robots that can service each of a plurality of elevators installed in a building, determines the boarding capacity, boarding space, and number of service robots of each elevator operating in the building, and performs elevator allocation for robot calls by referring to this information, thereby providing a robot-linked elevator service effectively while flexibly responding to traffic patterns within the building within a range where general passengers do not feel inconvenienced.

In addition, the present invention first extracts a group of elevator candidates that meet the specifications of the robots, and then performs an allocation algorithm on a unit in which the number of robots in service does not exceed the maximum number of robots that can be serviced set for each unit, thereby having the advantage of being able to provide elevator service without a hitch even for various robots with different specifications.

Meanwhile, if the total number of robots currently in service in a robot cabin (i.e., an elevator cabin set to robot-only mode and shared mode) that is set to be available to robots exceeds a preset threshold, the elevator cabin can be excluded from allocation for newly occurring robot calls. Here, the meaning of "currently in service" includes all cases where a hold call/car call is serviced by a robot call, and should be interpreted to mean not only cases where a robot is on board the elevator cabin but also cases where the robot is waiting for the assigned elevator cabin on the platform.

In addition, when the elevator in question completes car call service for one or more floors by robot call or when a hall call service request for one or more floors is canceled, it can be set so that allocation for a newly input robot call is possible.

That is, it is possible to detect how many robots are currently being serviced in one elevator car, and if the number of robots receiving hold call/car call service is detected to be greater than a preset number, the elevator car can no longer be assigned to new robot calls.

In addition, when the same call floor and/or destination floor are input as calls for two or more robots, the number of robots assigned to the same elevator car can be limited to a predetermined number or less and distributed to multiple cars. At this time, the robot occupancy rate of each car among multiple elevators that can be assigned to the robot call can be considered and the allocation can be performed by giving priority in order of the car with the lowest occupancy rate.

The robot-linked elevator system according to the present invention described above may include at least one processor implemented to execute computer-readable commands. In addition, the present invention may be implemented as computer-readable codes on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording devices that store data that can be read by a computer system, such as ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage devices.

The present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, such modifications or variations should fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

10: Robot System Department
20: Elevator System Section
21: Military Management Department
22: Control Unit

Claims (12)

Robots that move autonomously within buildings; and
A plurality of elevators are installed within the building and include elevators configured to service the robot,
When setting the full occupancy rate for each elevator of the above multiple elevators, the full occupancy rate for robots and humans is set differently.
In the case of an elevator set to a shared ride mode among the above plurality of elevators, for a call from a robot, the allocation is determined by applying the full capacity rate for the robot, and for a call from a human, the allocation is determined by applying the full capacity rate for the human.
A robot-linked elevator system in which robot boarding parameters are set.
In claim 1,
Characterized in that the rate of return for the robot is set lower than the rate of return for the human.
A robot-linked elevator system in which robot boarding parameters are set.
In claim 1,
Among the above multiple elevators, the full occupancy rate for the robot is applied to the elevators set to robot-only mode.
It is characterized in that the full occupancy rate for humans is applied to the elevators set to the general passenger-only mode among the above plurality of elevators.
A robot-linked elevator system in which robot boarding parameters are set.
delete In claim 1,
When the above multiple elevators exceed the fullness rate set for each elevator, they are converted to a full state and, at the same time, allocation is suppressed or excluded for new calls.
A robot-linked elevator system in which robot boarding parameters are set.
In claim 3,
The above occupancy rate includes a load occupancy rate based on the load of objects riding in the elevator car and a space occupancy rate based on the space occupancy rate of objects riding in the elevator car.
Characterized in that the load occupancy rate and the space occupancy rate are applied selectively or together for each of the plurality of elevators.
A robot-linked elevator system in which robot boarding parameters are set.
Robots that move autonomously within buildings; and
A plurality of elevators are installed within the building and include elevators configured to service the robot,
Among the above multiple elevators, the elevator set to robot-only mode and the elevator set to shared mode are characterized in that the maximum number of robots that can be serviced is set for each elevator.
A robot-linked elevator system in which robot boarding parameters are set.
In claim 7,
Characterized in that the maximum number of serviceable robots in the elevator unit set to the robot-only mode is set to be greater than the maximum number of serviceable robots in the elevator unit set to the shared mode.
A robot-linked elevator system in which robot boarding parameters are set.
In claim 7,
Further comprising a group management unit that allocates the optimal elevator among the plurality of elevators for an elevator call;
The above military management department,
Specification information of the elevator, including the rated capacity and internal area of the elevator;
Full occupancy rate set for each of the above multiple elevators;
Call request information registered for each unit of the above multiple elevators; and
By collecting and analyzing in real time at least one of the information on the number of objects currently on board or scheduled to board each of the above multiple elevators,
For each of the plurality of elevators, at least one of the 'additional load that can be loaded', 'additional occupied space area', and 'the number of robots that the corresponding elevator is servicing' is derived.
A robot-linked elevator system in which robot boarding parameters are set.
In claim 9,
The above military management department, when a call is made by a robot within the above building,
The first group of candidates is formed by selecting elevators that match the specifications of the robot requesting the call, including the 'additional load that can be loaded' and the 'additional occupied space area'.
Among the first group of candidates mentioned above, a second group of candidates is formed by selecting a robot whose expected 'number of robots being serviced by the robot' on the floor immediately before the departure floor considering the direction of travel to the destination floor of the robot requesting the call does not exceed the maximum number of robots that can be serviced.
It is characterized by selecting the optimal opportunity by performing an allocation algorithm on the above second candidate group.
A robot-linked elevator system in which robot boarding parameters are set.
In claim 7,
If the number of robots currently in service of any of the above multiple elevators is greater than or equal to the maximum number of robots that can be serviced set for the elevator, the elevator is characterized in that the allocation is excluded from new robot calls.
A robot-linked elevator system in which robot boarding parameters are set.
In claim 11,
In case the same call floor or the same destination floor is input as a call for two or more robots, the number of robots assigned to the same elevator car is limited to a predetermined number or less and distributed to multiple cars.
A robot-linked elevator system in which robot boarding parameters are set.

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