JP2012063961A - Transportation system and carriage allocation method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To maintain life of battery mounted on a self-propelled carriage in a transportation system.SOLUTION: A transportation system that comprises a self-propelled carriage 101 which is equipped with a battery 115 and transports a package, a charging station and management means comprise: a discharge amount creation part 116 for creating discharge amount information that is information showing a discharge amount of the battery 115; a remaining amount creation part 117 for creating remaining amount information that is information showing a discharge amount accepted by the battery 115, based on the discharge amount information; a necessary amount creation part for creating necessary amount information that is information showing a discharge amount necessary for required work, based on destination information that is information showing a location of destination included in the required work and on present location information that is information showing a location of the carriage 101; and an allocation part for allocating the required work to the carriage 101 when a difference obtained by subtracting the necessary amount information from the remaining amount information exceeds a first threshold.

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport system that loads a load on a cart at a first point, transports the load to a second point, and unloads the baggage at the second point, and particularly includes a cart that is self-propelled with a battery. It relates to the transport system.

  When managing a self-propelled trolley equipped with a battery for carrying luggage unattended, it is necessary to manage the remaining amount of the battery in detail. This is because, for example, when the remaining amount of the battery is insufficient, if the carriage cannot reach the charging station, the battery is replaced or the person is carried to the charging station.

  Therefore, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, the controller issues a maintenance command based on the current value output from the battery being equal to or less than the threshold value, or based on the total time traveled since the previous charging, and receives the command. The dolly is charged by running to the charging station.

JP 2001-84037 A

  However, NiCd batteries, NiMH batteries, LiM batteries, and the like used for self-propelled carriages have a SOC (State of charge) indicating the upper limit of charging with respect to full charge and a discharge amount allowed from the SOC in order to maintain a long life. DOD (Depth Of Discharge) is set. For example, when a so-called deep discharge that discharges further than DOD occurs, there is a high possibility that the life of the battery will be greatly impaired.

  On the other hand, if the cart is managed only by the current value or voltage value output from the battery or the running time of the cart as in the conventional cart, the current value, voltage value, running time and the amount of discharge the battery discharges Is vague, there is a possibility that a deep discharge may actually occur before reaching the charging station, which may greatly impair the life of the battery.

  In addition, if the cart is managed using a marginal threshold so that deep discharge does not occur, the cart will go to the charging station more frequently than necessary, and the work of transporting the cargo that is the original role of the cart is delayed. The energy consumed to go to the charging station is wasted.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, and it aims at provision of the conveyance system which can maintain, without impairing the lifetime of the battery of a trolley | bogie, without delaying conveyance work.

  In order to achieve the above object, a transport system according to the present invention manages a self-propelled carriage carrying a battery and carrying a load, a charging station that accepts the carriage and charges the battery, and the carriage. A discharge amount creation unit that creates discharge amount information that is information indicating an amount of discharge of the battery due to work performed by the carriage, and is permitted for the battery of the carriage. A remaining amount creation unit that creates remaining amount information that is information indicating the amount of discharge to be performed based on the discharge amount information, and destination information that is information indicating a location of a destination included in the work required for the carriage, Based on the current location information that is information indicating the position of the carriage, a required amount creation unit that creates required amount information that is information indicating the amount of discharge required for the requested work, and the remaining amount If the difference from the information obtained by subtracting the required amount information exceeds the first threshold value, characterized in that it comprises a allocation unit for allocating the work required on the carriage.

  As a result, the so-called deep discharge that discharges the battery beyond the allowable discharge amount can be avoided, and the battery can be properly managed and the battery can be properly managed. It is possible to provide a transfer system that can appropriately execute work, does not delay the transfer operation, and does not impair the life of the battery.

  In addition, the allocating unit includes second necessary amount information indicating a discharge amount necessary for the carriage to reach the charging station from the destination from the difference obtained by subtracting the necessary amount information from the remaining amount information. If the reduced difference exceeds a second threshold value, the required work may be assigned to the cart.

  According to this, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of deep discharge before the carriage that has completed the work reaches the charging station, and to prevent the life of the battery from being impaired.

  Furthermore, a plurality of carriages including the carriage, and a deficient carriage identification unit that identifies a carriage whose difference obtained by subtracting the required amount information from the remaining amount information corresponding to each carriage is less than a first threshold as an insufficient carriage, and Charging that counts the number of dolly trucks and gives a charging instruction that is information to be directed to the charging station to at least one of the dolly trucks identified as deficient trolleys when the number of deficient cars as a counting result exceeds the third threshold value And an instruction unit.

  According to this, since the number of deficient trolleys, which are trolleys that cannot allocate work, can be reduced, and trolleys that can be assigned work can be placed on standby, so that the required work can be allocated appropriately. In addition, the battery life can be maintained without deteriorating. Furthermore, since the carriage can be directed to the charging station at a suitable timing, it is possible to suppress the energy consumed by the carriage that moves for charging as the entire transport system.

  In order to achieve the above object, the cart allocation method according to the present invention includes a self-propelled cart that carries a battery and carries a load, a charging station that accepts the cart and charges the battery, and the cart. And a means for allocating a carriage of a transportation system, comprising: managing means for managing the battery, and generating discharge amount information which is information indicating an amount of discharge of the battery due to work performed by the carriage, and the battery of the carriage The remaining amount information, which is information indicating the discharge amount allowed for the vehicle, is created based on the discharge amount information, and the destination information which is information indicating the position of the destination included in the work required for the carriage and the carriage Based on the current location information which is information indicating the position, necessary amount information which is information indicating the amount of discharge necessary for the requested work is created, and the necessary information is generated from the remaining amount information. If the difference obtained by subtracting the information exceeds a first threshold value, and wherein the assigning the work required on the carriage.

  As a result, the so-called deep discharge that discharges the battery beyond the allowable discharge amount can be avoided, and the battery can be properly managed and the battery can be properly managed. It is possible to provide a transfer system that can appropriately execute work, does not delay the transfer operation, and does not impair the life of the battery.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to maintain the transfer system without reducing the transfer efficiency and without impairing the life of the battery provided in the carriage.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a transport system as one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional unit of a carriage included in the transport system together with some mechanism units. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional unit of management means provided in the transport system. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional unit of a charging station included in the transport system.

Next, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a transport system as one embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transport system 100 is a system that automatically transports luggage 200, and includes a carriage 101 (111, 112, 113), a charging station 102, a management means 103, and a loading / unloading station 104 ( 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146). The transport system 100 can operate the carriage 101 in accordance with an instruction from the management unit 103 and transport the luggage 200 from one loading / unloading station 104 to another loading / unloading station 104. Specifically, for example, in the transport system 100, based on an instruction from the management unit 103, the first cart 111 receives the luggage 200 from the fourth loading / unloading station 144, travels on the traveling path 201, and the first loading / unloading station 141. The work of handing over the luggage 200 is automatically performed. In addition, the transport system 100 also charges the carriage 101 toward the charging station 102 when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

Hereinafter, each configuration will be described in detail.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional part of the carriage together with some mechanical parts.

  The cart 101 is a self-propelled vehicle that can transport and deliver the baggage 200 received from one loading / unloading station 104 to another loading / unloading station 104. As shown in FIG. A creation unit 116, a remaining amount creation unit 117, a driving unit 118, and a transmission / reception unit 119 are provided.

  The battery 115 is a supply source capable of supplying electric power to the driving means 118 and the like by discharging, and can be charged by being supplied with electric power from the outside. As the battery 115, there are types such as a NiCd battery, a NiMH battery, and a LiM battery, and SOC (State of charge) and DOD (Depth Of Discharge) are set depending on the type and application. For example, the DOD is determined as a percentage of the rated capacity of the battery 115, and when the battery discharges exceeding the DOD, the life of the battery is impaired.

  Specifically, when the rated capacity (full charge) of the battery 115 is 90 AH, the SOC is 70%, and the DOD is 10%, the battery 115 is charged from the battery 115 until the remaining amount information is 54 AH. Even if the battery is discharged, the life of the battery is not impaired. Therefore, when the remaining amount information is 53 AH or less, the state is called deep discharge.

  The battery 115 may lose its life even if it is charged too much. Depending on the charging method, about 70% of the full charge as the SOC is preferably set as the upper limit of charge. Therefore, it is preferable to repeat charging / discharging between 70% SOC and 10% DOD, that is, 70% to 60% of full charge. Specifically, it may be preferable to repeat charging to 63 AH when the remaining amount information is 54 AH.

  The above numerical value shows an example, and the numerical value varies depending on the type of the battery 115. Further, it should be noted that the above numerical values do not limit the present invention.

  Here, the life of the battery 115 is the number of times of charge / discharge until the expected ability is not obtained even after charging from the first charge / discharge, and that the life is impaired if used according to the standard. The capability cannot be obtained with a smaller number of charge / discharge cycles than would have been performed.

  The driving means 118 is a device for driving the carriage 101, and is, for example, a drive source for causing the carriage 101 to travel. When the carriage 101 includes a transfer device for transferring the load 200, the drive means 118 includes a device for driving the transfer device, and the drive means 118 includes a plurality of drive sources such as a motor. May be provided.

  The discharge amount creation unit 116 is a processing unit that creates discharge amount information that is information indicating the amount of discharge of the battery 115 due to work performed by the carriage 101. In the case of the present embodiment, the discharge amount creation unit 116 includes a current value acquisition unit 161 and a time measurement unit 162, and creates a time integral of a current value discharged from the battery 115 in real time as discharge amount information. It is a processing unit.

  The remaining amount creation unit 117 is a processing unit that acquires the discharge amount information created by the discharge amount creation unit 116 and creates remaining amount information that is information indicating the discharge amount allowed for the battery 115. In the case of the present embodiment, the remaining amount creation unit 117 acquires charge amount information (described later) indicating the charge amount from the charging station 102, and calculates the remaining amount information based on the difference between the charge amount information and the discharge amount information. create.

  The transmission / reception unit 119 is a processing unit that transmits the remaining amount information created by the remaining amount creation unit 117 to the management unit 103. In the case of the present embodiment, the transmission / reception unit 119 transmits the remaining amount information together with the identification information for identifying each cart 101 by wireless communication. The remaining amount information may be transmitted periodically or when the transmission / reception unit 119 receives request information from the management unit 103.

  The transmission / reception unit 119 also transmits current location information indicating the current location of the carriage 101 to the management unit 103.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional unit of management means provided in the transport system.
The management means 103 is an apparatus that manages the transport state of the carriage 101 that transports the luggage 200. In the case of the present embodiment, the management means 103 acquires work information that is information indicating work from a higher-level computer (not shown) and the like, assigns a carriage 101 that performs work based on the work information, A device that transmits information and the like, includes a necessary amount creation unit 131 and an allocation unit 132, and further includes a management unit 103 that includes a deficient carriage specifying unit 133, a charging instruction unit 134, and a transmission / reception unit 135. ing.

  The required amount creation unit 131 determines whether the required work is based on destination information that is information indicating the position of the destination included in the work required for the carriage 101 and current location information that is information that indicates the position of the carriage 101. It is a processing unit that creates necessary amount information that is information indicating a necessary discharge amount. In the case of the present embodiment, the necessary amount creation unit 131 acquires work information via the transmission / reception unit 135, and import information that is destination information from the work information and information indicating a carry-in place where the cart 101 receives the luggage 200. Extract with ground information. Further, the current location information of each carriage 101 is acquired via the transmission / reception unit 135. From the above, the necessary amount creation unit 131 calculates a route from when the cart 101 receives the luggage 200 at the carry-in location from the current location to the cargo 200 at the destination, and calculates the necessary amount information from the length of the route. Create each.

  Note that the necessary amount information may be not only the length of the route but also the information on the weight of the luggage 200 loaded with the carriage 101. In this case, it is assumed that the required amount information is greater than the amount of discharge required per unit route length from the current location to the carry-in location, and the amount of discharge required per unit route length from the carry-in location to the destination after loading the luggage 200 is larger. Created. By doing in this way, required amount information can be produced more correctly and it can avoid that the battery 115 will be in a deep discharge state.

  Further, when the battery 115 is discharged due to the transfer of the luggage 200, the discharge amount may be added to the necessary amount information.

  The assigning unit 132 is a processing unit that assigns the requested work to the carriage 101 when a difference obtained by subtracting the necessary amount information from the remaining amount information exceeds a first threshold value. In the case of the present embodiment, the assigning unit 132 acquires the remaining amount information from the remaining amount creating unit 117 included in each carriage 101. Further, the allocation unit 132 acquires necessary amount information created by the necessary amount creating unit 131. Then, the assigning unit 132 subtracts the necessary amount information from each remaining amount information, and calculates the difference as a result. Subsequently, the assigning unit 132 compares each difference with the first threshold value, and assigns work to the cart 101 corresponding to the difference exceeding the first threshold value. Here, the remaining amount information and the difference obtained therefrom are linked to the identification number transmitted from the carriage 101, and the assigning unit 132 assigns work to the carriage 101 based on the identification information.

  The first threshold value is preferably an arbitrary value of 0 or more. However, if the first threshold value is set large, it is not preferable because it leads to a shortage of carts 101 to which work can be assigned. If there is a shortage of carts 101 to which work can be assigned, it is necessary to assign work after charging the cart 101, or the efficiency of the transport system 100 such as assigning work to the cart 101 at a position where the transport efficiency is very bad. Will be reduced.

  In addition, when there are a plurality of carts 101 that can be allocated, that is, when there are a plurality of carts 101 in which the difference between the remaining amount information and the required amount information exceeds the first threshold, the allocation unit 132 has the largest difference among the corresponding carts 101. A work may be assigned to the cart 101 that is large, that is, the remaining amount information is large. Further, the allocation unit 132 acquires the current location information of the carriage 101 and the carry-in location information included in the work information, calculates the distance on the travel path 201 between the current location information and the carry-in location information, and the cart with the shortest distance. You may assign work to 101.

  Further, the assigning unit 132 acquires destination information included in the work information and charging location information that is information indicating the position of the charging station 102, and discharge necessary for the carriage 101 to reach the charging station 102 from the destination. The second required amount information indicating the amount may be calculated, and the difference that is the result of subtracting the required amount information and the second required amount information from the remaining amount information may be compared with the second threshold value. Note that the second threshold value may be the same as the first threshold value.

  According to this, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of deep discharge until the carriage 101 that has completed the work reaches the charging station 102, and to reliably maintain the life of the battery 115.

  The deficient dolly specifying unit 133 sets deficient dolly for the dolly 101 in which the difference obtained by subtracting the required amount information or the required amount information and the second required amount information from the remaining amount information corresponding to the dolly respectively falls below the second threshold value. It is a processing part specified as In the case of the present embodiment, since the comparison between the difference and the second threshold value is executed by the assigning unit 132, the insufficient cart specifying unit 133 assigns the identification information of the cart 101 whose difference is less than the second threshold value to the assigning unit. The trolley 101 obtained from 132 and corresponding to the identification information is specified as the deficient trolley.

  Note that the deficient cart specifying unit 133 may have a function of calculating a difference based on the remaining amount information, the necessary amount information, and the second necessary amount information.

  The charging instruction unit 134 counts the number of the deficient trolleys acquired from the deficient trolley specifying unit 133, and if the deficient trolley number as the counting result exceeds the third threshold, It is a processing unit that gives a charging instruction that is information to be directed to the charging station 102. In the case of the present embodiment, the charging instruction unit 134 may give a charging instruction to the cart 101 having the smallest remaining amount information among the carts 101 identified as the deficient cart.

  According to this, it is possible to secure a certain number of carts 101 that will be able to allocate work, and it is possible to maintain the efficiency of the transport system 100 in a high state.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional unit of a charging station included in the transport system.
The charging station 102 is a facility that accepts the carriage 101 and charges the battery 115. In the case of the present embodiment, the charging station 102 includes a supply source 121, a charge amount creation unit 122, a transmission / reception unit 125, and a charge control unit 126.

  The supply source 121 is a device that supplies power for charging the battery 115 mounted on the received carriage 101.

  The charge amount creation unit 122 is a processing unit that creates charge amount information that is information indicating the amount of charge in the battery 115 mounted on the carriage 101. In the case of the present embodiment, the charge amount creation unit 122 includes a current value acquisition unit 123 and a time measurement unit 124, and charges the time integral of the current value from the start to the end of charging of the battery 115. It is a processing part created as quantity information.

  The charge control unit 126 acquires the remaining amount information from the received carriage 101 via the transmission / reception unit 125, and when the battery 115 being charged reaches the upper limit as the set DOD, the charge control unit 126 controls the supply source 121 to perform charging. It is a processing part to be terminated.

  The transmission / reception unit 125 is a processing unit that acquires the remaining amount information from the received cart 101 and transmits the charge amount information to the cart. In the case of the present embodiment, the transmission / reception unit 125 transmits / receives information to / from the carriage 101 by wireless communication, but may also transmit / receive information by wire.

  By adopting the transport system 100 having the above-described configuration, the management unit 103 identifies the cart 101 that is extremely unlikely to cause deep discharge for the acquired work, and assigns the job to the cart 101 under suitable conditions. It becomes possible. Therefore, a so-called deep discharge can be avoided even when the battery 115 mounted on the cart 101 that has performed the work falls below the lower limit of the set DOD, and an appropriate state can be obtained without impairing the life of the battery 115. Can be maintained. In addition, since it is not necessary to charge the charging station 102 before performing work, it is possible to avoid a delay in the transportation work.

  Furthermore, since the carriage 101 that can be assigned work can be kept waiting for a certain number or more as long as it does not interfere with the transfer work, the transfer work can be performed efficiently and the energy required for the transfer work can be reduced. It becomes possible to do.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. For example, another embodiment realized by arbitrarily combining the components described in this specification and excluding some of the components may be used as an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the present invention also includes modifications obtained by making various modifications conceivable by those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention, that is, the meanings indicated in the claims. included.

  For example, since the carriage 101, the charging station 102, and the management means 103 are connected by communication, information can be exchanged freely. Therefore, each functional unit described in the present embodiment may be provided in any of the cart 101, the charging station 102, and the management unit 103.

  For example, the carriage 101 may include a discharge amount creation unit 116, a remaining amount creation unit 117, a necessary amount creation unit 131, and an allocation unit 132. In this case, the management means 103 broadcasts the work information to each carriage 101, and when there are a plurality of carriages 101 to which work is assigned according to the judgment of each carriage 101, selects at least one carriage 101 from among them. It becomes.

  As a result, the overall communication amount can be suppressed, and the occurrence of communication delay and the like can be suppressed.

  Further, all information may be acquired by the management unit 103 and only the result of the calculation may be transmitted to the carriage 101. Specifically, the management unit 103 includes a remaining amount creation unit 117, a necessary amount creation unit 131, and an allocation unit 132, and receives the discharge amount information transmitted from each carriage 101 every moment to perform work. Work information is transmitted to the assigned cart 101.

  As a result, each cart 101 does not need to make a determination for allocation, so there is no need to newly provide a central processing unit for the determination, and the load on the battery is reduced by reducing the weight and energy saving of the cart 101. Can be reduced.

  The invention of the present application can be used for an automatic warehouse, a semiconductor factory, and the like in which a self-propelled carriage transports luggage and automatically enters and exits.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Transfer system 101 Car 102 Charging station 103 Management means 104 Entry / exit station 111 First car 115 Battery 116 Discharge amount creation unit 117 Remaining amount creation unit 118 Drive means 119, 125, 135 Transmission / reception unit 121 Supply source 122 Charge amount creation unit 123 161 Current value acquisition unit 124, 162 Timekeeping unit 126 Charging control unit 131 Required amount creation unit 132 Allocation unit 133 Insufficient cart specifying unit 134 Charging instruction unit 200 Baggage 201 Traveling path

Claims (4)

A transport system comprising a self-propelled carriage carrying a battery and carrying luggage, a charging station that accepts the carriage and charges the battery, and a management means for managing the carriage,
A discharge amount creating unit that creates discharge amount information that is information indicating an amount of discharge of the battery by work performed by the carriage;
A remaining amount creating unit that creates remaining amount information that is information indicating a discharge amount allowed for the battery of the cart based on the discharge amount information;
Information indicating the amount of discharge required for the requested work based on the destination information which is information indicating the position of the destination included in the work required for the cart and the current location information which is information indicating the position of the cart. A necessary quantity creating section for creating necessary quantity information,
A transfer system comprising: an allocation unit that allocates the required work to the carriage when a difference obtained by subtracting the necessary amount information from the remaining amount information exceeds a first threshold value. The allocation unit has subtracted second necessary amount information indicating a discharge amount necessary for the carriage to reach the charging station from the destination from the difference obtained by subtracting the necessary amount information from the remaining amount information. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein when the difference exceeds a second threshold, the requested work is assigned to the carriage. A plurality of carriages including the carriage;
A deficient trolley identifying unit that identifies as a deficient trolley a difference that is obtained by subtracting the necessary amount information from the remaining amount information corresponding to each of the trolleys;
A charging instruction that counts the number of dolly trucks, and gives a charging instruction that is information to be directed to the charging station to at least one of the dolly trucks identified as deficient trolleys when the number of deficient cars as a counting result exceeds a third threshold value The conveyance system of Claim 1 or Claim 2 provided with a part. A carriage allocation method for a transportation system comprising a self-propelled carriage carrying a battery and carrying a load, a charging station for receiving the carriage and charging the battery, and management means for managing the carriage. ,
Create discharge amount information which is information indicating the amount of discharge of the battery due to work performed by the carriage,
Based on the discharge amount information, remaining amount information that is information indicating the discharge amount allowed to the battery of the cart,
Information indicating the amount of discharge required for the requested work based on the destination information which is information indicating the position of the destination included in the work required for the cart and the current location information which is information indicating the position of the cart. Create the required information that is
A cart allocating method for allocating the required work to the cart when a difference obtained by subtracting the necessary amount information from the remaining amount information exceeds a first threshold value.

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