JP2016051221A - Conveyance vehicle system and control method of conveyance vehicle system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveyance system that can suppress a running conveyance vehicle with an elevating stage descended from interfering with other conveyance vehicle.SOLUTION: A conveyance vehicle system comprises: a first conveyance vehicle 101a that runs along a rail 190; and a second conveyance vehicle 101b that runs, preceding the first conveyance vehicle 101a. The first conveyance vehicle 101a comprises: a first speed acquisition unit 12 that acquires a speed of the first conveyance vehicle 101a; a first descending-amount acquisition unit 13 that acquires an amount of descending of a first elevating stage 112a of the first conveyance vehicle 101a; a calculation unit 17 that calculates an interference preventive distance serving as an inter-vehicle distance for preventing interference of either conveyance vehicle on the basis of the speed thereof and the amount of descending; and a control unit 15 that controls a first running vehicle 110a so that the inter-vehicle distance between the first conveyance vehicle 101a and the second conveyance vehicle 101b is equal to or more than the interference preventive distance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport vehicle system that transports a load in the vicinity of a ceiling and transfers the load to a shelf or the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a transport vehicle system is known in which a transport vehicle travels along a rail suspended from a ceiling and transports luggage near the ceiling. A transport vehicle used in this transport vehicle system includes a traveling vehicle that travels along a rail, and a lifting platform that is suspended from the traveling vehicle by a suspension member having flexibility. And when a conveyance vehicle transfers a load to the rack arrange | positioned along a rail, after lowering a raising / lowering stand to the height of the mounting member of the said rack, it transfers a load to the said mounting member. .

  In the transport vehicle, in order to improve work efficiency, the time required for moving the transport vehicle to a predetermined position along the rail and lowering the lifting platform to the position of the predetermined mounting member is shortened. Is required. Therefore, in order to shorten the time, instead of moving the carriage along the rail while raising the elevator to the vicinity of the traveling vehicle, the operation of running the carriage while lowering the elevator is adopted. It is possible to do. However, in this operation, since the lifting platform swings like a pendulum during traveling, there is a problem in transferring the load between the lifting platform and the rack. Therefore, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, an attempt is made to suppress the shaking of the lifting platform with respect to the traveling vehicle by a sliding member provided between the lifting platform and the traveling vehicle.

JP-A-6-24682

  In the invention described in Patent Document 1, a tacking member is used, but it is also conceivable to suppress shaking by vibration control. In this case, the shaking of the lifting platform may not be completely prevented. For example, when the transport vehicle makes an emergency stop, there is a possibility that the lift platform will greatly shake with respect to the traveling vehicle and collide with the lift platform of another transport vehicle.

  In view of the above-described conventional problems, the present invention has an object to provide a transport vehicle system and a control method thereof that can suppress a transport vehicle that travels in a state in which a lift platform is lowered from interfering with another transport vehicle. To do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a transport vehicle system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first traveling vehicle that travels along a rail provided above, a first traveling vehicle that is suspended from the first traveling vehicle. Suspension member, a first transport vehicle including a first lifting platform suspended from the first traveling vehicle by the first suspension member, and a second traveling vehicle that travels along the rail. A second suspension member suspended from the second traveling vehicle, and a second lifting platform suspended from the second traveling vehicle by the second suspension member. And a second transport vehicle that travels ahead of the first transport vehicle, wherein the first transport vehicle is at a speed of the first transport vehicle. From a first speed acquisition unit that acquires a first speed and the first traveling vehicle of the first lifting platform A first descent amount acquisition unit that obtains a first descent amount that is a descent amount; the first elevating platform and the first suspension member; the second elevating platform and the second suspension member; A calculation unit that calculates an interference prevention distance, which is an inter-vehicle distance between the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle, for preventing the interference of the first transport vehicle based on the first speed and the first descending amount; And a controller that controls the first traveling vehicle such that an inter-vehicle distance between the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle is equal to or greater than the interference prevention distance.

  According to this structure, when the 1st conveyance vehicle and the 2nd conveyance vehicle drive | work with each raising / lowering base lowered, the distance between the said 2 conveyance vehicles becomes more than interference prevention distance. To be controlled. Therefore, the possibility that one lifting platform interferes with the other lifting platform or the like can be sufficiently suppressed.

  Further, in the transport vehicle system according to one aspect of the present invention, the first transport vehicle further includes a second speed that is a speed of the second transport vehicle and the second speed of the second lifting platform. A preceding vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires preceding vehicle information that is information related to a second descending amount that is a descending amount from the traveling vehicle, and the calculation unit further includes the interference prevention based on the preceding vehicle information The distance may be calculated.

  According to this configuration, since the interference prevention distance is calculated in consideration of the information on the preceding second transport vehicle, a more accurate interference prevention distance can be obtained. Therefore, the possibility of interference between the two transport vehicles can be more reliably reduced, and securing the inter-vehicle distance more than necessary can be suppressed.

  Further, in the transport vehicle system according to one aspect of the present invention, the calculation unit is configured to perform the first operation when the first transport vehicle stops in an emergency based on the first speed and the first descending amount. A first region, which is a region in which the suspension member and the first lifting platform swing, and the second suspension vehicle is emergency-stopped based on the preceding vehicle information. A second region that is a region where the member and the second lifting platform swing may be calculated, and the interference prevention distance may be calculated based on the first region and the second region.

  According to this configuration, since the interference prevention distance is calculated more accurately, securing an inter-vehicle distance more than necessary can be further suppressed.

  Further, in the transport vehicle system according to one aspect of the present invention, the calculation unit is configured to perform the first operation when the first transport vehicle is in an emergency stop based on the first speed and the first descending amount. A first swing width of the lifting platform with respect to the first traveling vehicle is calculated, and the second transport vehicle is in an emergency stop state based on the preceding vehicle information. A second swing width that is a swing width of the lifting platform with respect to the second traveling vehicle may be acquired, and the interference prevention distance may be calculated based on the first swing width and the second swing width.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to calculate the interference prevention distance using each of the shake widths. Therefore, in the case of an emergency stop, the possibility that the first lifting platform and the second lifting platform interfere with each other can be reduced.

  Moreover, the control method of the conveyance vehicle system which concerns on 1 aspect of this invention WHEREIN: The 1st traveling vehicle which drive | works along the rail provided upwards, The 1st suspension member suspended from the said 1st traveling vehicle And the 1st conveyance vehicle provided with the 1st lifting platform suspended so that raising and lowering was possible to the 1st traveling vehicle by the 1st suspension member, and the 2nd traveling vehicle which travels along the rail A second suspension member suspended from the second traveling vehicle, and a second lifting platform suspended from the second traveling vehicle by the second suspension member so as to be movable up and down, and And a second transporting vehicle that travels ahead of the first transporting vehicle, and a method for controlling a transporting vehicle system, the step of obtaining a first speed that is a speed of the first transporting vehicle. And a first descending amount that is a descending amount of the first lifting platform from the first traveling vehicle. Obtaining the first carriage and the first suspension member; and the first carriage and the second carriage for preventing interference between the second elevator and the second suspension member. A step of calculating an interference prevention distance that is an inter-vehicle distance from the first transport vehicle based on the first speed and the first descending amount; and an inter-vehicle distance between the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle. Includes a step of controlling the first traveling vehicle so as to be equal to or greater than the interference prevention distance.

  According to this method, when the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle are traveling with their respective lifts lowered, the distance between the two transport vehicles is equal to or greater than the interference prevention distance. To be controlled. Therefore, the possibility that one lifting platform interferes with the other lifting platform or the like can be sufficiently suppressed.

  In addition, it is realizable as a program for making a computer perform each process which the control method of the said conveyance vehicle system performs, and it can also implement | achieve as a recording medium on which the program was recorded. The program can be distributed via a transmission medium such as the Internet or a recording medium such as a DVD.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the conveyance vehicle system which can suppress that the conveyance vehicle which drive | works the state which lowered the raising / lowering stand interferes with another conveyance vehicle, and its control method can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of the configuration of the transport vehicle system in the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a schematic configuration of the transport vehicle and the rack according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the lifting platform of the transport vehicle according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the transport vehicle according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an interference prevention distance between the first transport vehicle according to Embodiment 1 and the second transport vehicle that travels ahead of the first transport vehicle. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the transport vehicle according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an interference prevention distance between the first transport vehicle according to the second embodiment and the second transport vehicle that travels ahead of the first transport vehicle.

  Below, the conveyance vehicle system of embodiment of this invention is demonstrated, referring drawings. Each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily illustrated exactly.

  Further, the embodiments described below show a comprehensive or specific example. Numerical values, shapes, materials, constituent elements, arrangement positions and connection forms of constituent elements, and the like shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in the independent claims indicating the highest concept are described as optional constituent elements.

(Embodiment 1)
[1-1. Overall configuration of transport vehicle system]
First, the overall configuration of the transport vehicle system according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an outline of the configuration of the transport vehicle system in the present embodiment.

  FIG. 2 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the transport vehicle and the rack in the present embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, a transport vehicle system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of transport vehicles 101 that travel along rails 190 suspended from above, and a management controller 103 that controls operations of the transport vehicles 101. And. A rack 102 and a station 104 are provided at a position along the rail 190.

  The rail 190 is a structure provided on the upper side, guides the traveling of the transport vehicle 101, and forms a travel route of the transport vehicle 101. In the present embodiment, the rail 190 is arranged in a state of being suspended from the ceiling located above the transport vehicle system 100.

  In FIG. 1, the layout of the rail 190 is represented by a simple shape, but this is an example of the layout of the rail 190. As the layout of the rail 190, a complicated shape can be adopted according to the layout of the factory building and the production equipment. Further, the rail 190 may be configured to include a branch portion and share a part of another route.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the rack 102 is a facility capable of storing a plurality of loads 50 in the direction along the rail 190 and in the vertical direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 2). The rack 102 is provided with a plurality of placement members 121 for placing and storing the luggage 50 side by side in the direction along the traveling direction and in the vertical direction.

  The station 104 is a facility for transferring the transport vehicle 101 and the luggage 50 and is provided at a position along the rail 190. FIG. 1 shows a configuration in which only one station 104 is provided, but a configuration in which a plurality of stations 104 are provided may be used.

  The management controller 103 is a device that performs control by communicating with each of the transport vehicles 101 included in the transport vehicle system 100. In the present embodiment, information is exchanged with each transport vehicle 101 by wireless communication. In addition, the management controller 103 may be configured only by hardware, or may be realized by combining hardware and software. The management controller 103 can be realized by, for example, a microcomputer.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transport vehicle 101 includes a traveling vehicle 110 that travels along the rail 190, a suspension member 111, and a lifting platform 112 that is suspended from the traveling vehicle 110 so as to be movable up and down by the suspension member 111. Prepare.

  The suspension member 111 is a member suspended from the traveling vehicle 110, and hangs the lifting platform 112 from the traveling vehicle 110 by connecting the traveling vehicle 110 and the lifting platform 112. The suspension member 111 is a member that is flexible enough to be wound up, such as a belt or a metal wire. In the case of the present embodiment, the lifting platform 112 is suspended using four suspension members 111.

  The traveling vehicle 110 is a carriage that travels along the rail 190 in a state of hanging from the rail 190. In the case of the present embodiment, the traveling vehicle 110 travels by driving a motor with electric power supplied via a battery mounted thereon or a power supply line wired along the rail 190. Further, the traveling vehicle 110 includes a motor that can wind up the suspension member 111, and lifts and lowers the lifting platform 112 that is suspended by the suspension member 111 by winding up or sending the suspension member 111. be able to.

  The lifting platform 112 is a platform suspended from the traveling vehicle 110 by a suspension member 111 so as to be lifted and lowered. The elevator 112 is transported in a state in which the load 50 that is the object to be transported is placed, and is transferred to and from the rack 102 and the like. For example, when the load 50 is transferred to and from the mounting member 121 below the rack 102, the lifting platform 112 is located below the traveling vehicle 110 like the right transport vehicle 101 shown in FIG. 2. The load 50 is transferred while being lowered to the height of the mounting member 121. In the case of the present embodiment, a transfer device (not shown) is attached to the lift table 112, and the lift table 112 and the mount member are moved by the transfer device moving toward and away from the mount member 121. The luggage 50 can be transferred to and from the machine 121.

  As described above, in the transport vehicle 101, the traveling vehicle 110 travels along the rail 190, and the lifting platform 112 moves up and down with respect to the traveling vehicle 110. As a result, the lifting platform 112 can be positioned on any mounting member 121 of the rack 102 provided along the traveling direction of the transport vehicle 101, and the load 50 can be transferred to any mounting member 121. Can be listed.

[1-2. Outline of operation of transport vehicle]
Next, the operation | movement outline | summary of the raising / lowering stand 112 of the conveyance vehicle 101 of this Embodiment is demonstrated, referring FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the lifting platform 112 of the transport vehicle 101 according to the present embodiment.

  In this embodiment, in order to make the lifting / lowering platform 112 arrive at the mounting member 121 to which the load 50 is transferred in a shorter time, the transport vehicle 101 moves the lifting / lowering platform 112 as a traveling vehicle as necessary. The vehicle travels while being lowered from 110 or while being raised or lowered.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the transport vehicle 101 according to the present embodiment lowers the lifting platform 112 while traveling from the position P1 to the position P4 of the rail 190. In FIG. 3, the positions of the transport vehicle 101 and the lifting platform 112 at the positions P2 and P3 between the position P1 and the position P4 on the rail 190 are indicated by broken lines.

  By operating the lifting platform 112 in this manner, the traveling platform 110 arrives at the position of the desired mounting member 121 in a shorter time than when the traveling vehicle 110 is stopped at the position P4 and then the lifting platform 112 is lowered. Can be made.

  In FIG. 3, an example in which the elevator 112 is lowered in accordance with the traveling of the traveling vehicle 110 so that the elevator 112 has a sinusoidal trajectory is shown. Not limited. For example, the lifting platform 112 may be lowered so that the lifting platform 112 draws a linear trajectory.

  The operation of the lifting platform 112 described above is determined by the transport vehicle 101 based on information on a command position that is a position of a movement destination commanded from the management controller 103. That is, the operation of the lifting platform 112 is determined by the transporting vehicle 101 based on the position of the transport vehicle 101 and the descending amount of the lifting platform 112 when the command position is commanded from the management controller 103, and the command position. Here, the descending amount of the lifting platform 112 is the length by which the lifting platform 112 is lowered from the traveling vehicle 110. For example, when receiving a command in a state where the lifting platform 112 is lowered, the transport vehicle 101 starts traveling while raising the lifting platform 112. In addition, the conveyance vehicle 101 continues driving | running | working in the state, when the descending amount of the lifting platform 112 becomes zero. When the transport vehicle 101 approaches the command position, the transport vehicle 101 decelerates while lowering the lifting platform 112 and stops at the command position. Note that if the command position is in the vicinity of the position where the command is received, the transport vehicle 101 may travel while raising and lowering the lifting platform 112 as appropriate without temporarily setting the lowering amount of the lifting platform 112 to zero.

  In practice, a plurality of transport vehicles 101 travel along the same rail 190. For this reason, each transport vehicle 101 always maintains a sufficient inter-vehicle distance from the other transport vehicles 101 so as not to interfere with the other transport vehicles 101 so that a plurality of transport vehicles 101 do not interfere with each other and cause a failure. Need to travel. Further, as in the present embodiment, when there is a possibility that each transport vehicle 101 travels with the lifting platform 112 lowered, the lifting platform 112 and the suspension member 111 interfere with those of other transport vehicles. In consideration of this, each transport vehicle 101 needs to control traveling. In particular, when the transport vehicle system 100 is brought to an emergency stop due to a failure or the like, all the transport vehicles 101 are suddenly stopped, so that the lifting platform 112 of each transport vehicle 101 is greatly shaken like a pendulum. Even in such a case, each carriage 101 needs to control traveling while maintaining an inter-vehicle distance such that the lifting platform 112 and the suspension member 111 of each carriage 101 do not interfere with those of other carriages 101. . This control will be described in detail later.

[1-3. Functional configuration of transport vehicle]
Next, the functional configuration of the transport vehicle 101 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the transport vehicle 101 according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the transport vehicle 101 functionally includes a travel drive unit 14, a control unit 15, a lift drive unit 16, a calculation unit 17, and a communication unit 18. Furthermore, the transport vehicle 101 includes a first position acquisition unit 11, a first speed acquisition unit 12, a first descent amount acquisition unit 13, a command position acquisition unit 20, a second position acquisition unit 21, and preceding vehicle information acquisition. The unit 30 is provided.

  The travel drive unit 14 is a drive unit that drives a motor for traveling the travel vehicle 110 provided in the travel vehicle 110 based on an instruction from the control unit 15.

  The elevating drive unit 16 is a drive unit that drives a motor for elevating the elevating platform 112 provided in the traveling vehicle 110 based on an instruction from the control unit 15.

  The communication unit 18 is a processing unit that communicates with the management controller 103 and other transport vehicles 101. The communication unit 18 receives, from the management controller 103, a signal indicating a command position that is a target position of the transport vehicle 101 and the lifting platform 112, and a signal indicating information such as the position of the transport vehicle from another transport vehicle 101. Receive. Further, the communication unit 18 outputs a signal indicating information such as the position of the own vehicle to the management controller 103 and the other transport vehicle 101.

  The first position acquisition unit 11 is an information acquisition unit that acquires the position information of the own vehicle (position information along the rail 190), and outputs a signal indicating the acquired position information to the control unit 15 and the communication unit 18. To do. The first position acquisition unit 11 acquires position information along the rail 190 by reading a barcode including position information written on the rail 190. The first position acquisition unit 11 may acquire the position information by any other method.

  The first speed acquisition unit 12 is an information acquisition unit that acquires speed information of the host vehicle, and outputs a signal indicating the acquired speed information to the control unit 15, the calculation unit 17, and the communication unit 18. The first speed acquisition unit 12 can acquire speed information of the transport vehicle 101 from the travel drive unit 14. The first speed acquisition unit 12 may acquire speed information by any other method. For example, the first speed acquisition unit 12 may obtain the speed information from the plurality of position information acquired by the first position acquisition unit 11 and the time when each position information is acquired.

  The first descending amount obtaining unit 13 is an information obtaining unit that obtains a descending amount that is the length by which the lifting platform 112 descends from the traveling vehicle 110, and a control unit 15 and a calculating unit 17 send signals indicating the obtained descending amount. And output to the communication unit 18. The first descending amount acquisition unit 13 can acquire the descending amount from the length of the suspension member 111 sent out from the traveling vehicle 110. The first descending amount acquisition unit 13 may acquire the descending amount by any other method such as the amount of rotation of the take-up drum or the encoder of the servo motor.

  The command position acquisition unit 20 is an information acquisition unit that acquires command positions that are target positions of the transport vehicle 101 and the elevator platform 112 that are commanded from the management controller 103. The information on the command position is included in a signal transmitted from the management controller 103 to the communication unit 18, and the command position acquisition unit 20 acquires the command position from the communication unit 18. In addition, the command position acquisition unit 20 outputs a signal indicating the acquired command position to the control unit 15. The command position commanded from the management controller 103 to the transport vehicle 101 is, for example, a position corresponding to one placement member 121 in the rack 102, a position corresponding to the station 104, or the like.

  The second position acquisition unit 21 is an information acquisition unit that acquires the position information of the other transport vehicle 101 from the signal transmitted from the other transport vehicle 101 to the communication unit 18. The second position acquisition unit 21 outputs a signal indicating the acquired position to the control unit 15.

  The preceding vehicle information acquisition unit 30 is an information acquisition unit that acquires the preceding vehicle information, which is information related to the speed of the other transport vehicle 101 and the descending amount of the lifting platform 112 of the other transport vehicle 101. In the present embodiment, the preceding vehicle information acquisition unit 30 includes a second speed acquisition unit 22 and a second descending amount acquisition unit 23.

  The second speed acquisition unit 22 is an information acquisition unit that acquires speed information of the other transport vehicle 101 from a signal transmitted from the other transport vehicle 101 to the communication unit 18. The second speed acquisition unit 22 outputs a signal indicating the acquired speed to the calculation unit 17.

  The second descent amount acquisition unit 23 is an information acquisition unit that acquires descent amount information of the elevator 112 of the other transport vehicle 101 from the signal transmitted from the other transport vehicle 101 to the communication unit 18. The second descent amount acquisition unit 23 outputs a signal indicating the acquired descent amount to the calculation unit 17.

  In the present embodiment, information such as the position of the other transport vehicle 101 is transmitted from the other transport vehicle 101 by inter-carrier communication, but the information may be transmitted from the management controller 103.

  The calculation unit 17 is a processing unit that calculates an interference prevention distance that is an inter-vehicle distance for preventing the elevators 112 and the suspension members 111 of the own vehicle and other transport vehicles 101 from interfering with each other. Based on the speed of the host vehicle and the amount by which the platform 112 is lowered, the calculation unit 17 receives the stop command when the emergency stop is performed and the swing width of the platform 112 until the vehicle stops. The stop distance, which is the distance traveled by the vehicle, is calculated to calculate the interference prevention distance. Further, the calculation unit 17 acquires the swing width of the lifting platform 112 based on the preceding vehicle information that is information related to the speed of the other preceding transport vehicle 101 and the descending amount of the lifting platform 112 of the other transport vehicle 101. Then, the interference prevention distance may be calculated in consideration of the fluctuation width. The interference prevention distance will be described in detail later.

  The control unit 15 is a processing unit for controlling the travel drive unit 14 and the elevation drive unit 16. The control unit 15 receives the information on the command position transmitted from the management controller 103 from the command position acquisition unit 20 and moves the travel drive unit 14 and the lift drive so as to move the traveling vehicle 110 and the lifting platform 112 to the command position. The unit 16 is controlled. At that time, the first position acquisition unit 11, the first speed acquisition unit 12, and the first lowering amount acquisition unit respectively indicate the current position and speed of the own vehicle and the information about the lowering amount of the lifting platform 112. Receive from 13 In addition, the control unit 15 receives from the calculation unit 17 an interference prevention distance that is an inter-vehicle distance for preventing interference with another transport vehicle 101 preceding the host vehicle. Then, based on these pieces of information, the control unit 15 controls the travel drive unit 14 so that the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding other transport vehicle 101 is equal to or greater than the interference prevention distance. Note that the control unit 15 may be configured only by hardware, or may be realized by combining hardware and software. The control unit 15 can be realized by, for example, a microcomputer.

[1-4. Interference prevention distance]
Next, the interference prevention distance calculated by the calculation unit 17 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an interference prevention distance between the first transport vehicle 101a and the second transport vehicle 101b that travels ahead of the first transport vehicle 101a.

  In FIG. 5, the position (solid line) of each transport vehicle when the first transport vehicle 101 a and the second transport vehicle 101 b receive an emergency stop command from the management controller 103, and the position after each transport vehicle stops. (Dotted line) is shown. As shown in FIG. 5, the first transport vehicle 101a includes a first traveling vehicle 110a, a first suspension member 111a, and a first lifting platform 112a. The second transport vehicle 101b includes a second traveling vehicle 110b, a second suspension member 111b, and a second lifting platform 112b.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the first transport vehicle 101a stops after traveling from the position where the emergency stop command is received by the stop distance Ea corresponding to the speed at the time when the command is received. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the first lifting platform 112a and the first suspension member 111a of the first transport vehicle 101a are brought into an amount of lowering Ra of the first lifting platform 112a due to a sudden stop. It swings like a pendulum with a swing width Sa corresponding to the speed at the time when the stop command is received.

  Similarly to the first transport vehicle 101a, the second transport vehicle 101b also stops after traveling for the stop distance Eb from the position where the emergency stop command is received. In addition, the second lifting platform 112b and the second suspension member 111b of the second transport vehicle 101b have received a descending amount Rb of the second lifting platform 112b and an emergency stop command due to a sudden stop. It swings like a pendulum with a swing width Sb corresponding to the speed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, both transports are performed by maintaining the inter-vehicle distance D so that the distance when the first elevator 112 a and the second elevator 112 b after the emergency stop are closest is greater than zero. Interference between cars can be prevented. Here, if the inter-vehicle distance D is defined as the distance between the centers of both transport vehicles, the interference prevention distance Dp1 that is the inter-vehicle distance that can prevent the interference between the transport vehicles is the first lift platform 112a and the second lift. The length of the base 112b in the traveling direction is Lc, and the margin is Lm.

      Dp1 = Ea−Eb + Sa + Lm + Sb + Lc (Formula 1)

  If the margin Lm is calculated to be larger than zero, it is possible to prevent interference between both transport vehicles. However, in reality, an error may occur in each numerical value on the right side of Equation 1, so that the margin Lm is set to a predetermined value larger than zero so as to allow the error. For example, Lm is set to 500 mm. Based on Equation 1, the calculation unit 17 calculates the interference prevention distance Dp1. And the control part 15 of the 1st conveyance vehicle 101a controls the traveling drive part 14 so that the inter-vehicle distance D with the 2nd conveyance vehicle 101b becomes more than the interference prevention distance Dp1.

  Here, the stop distances Ea and Eb shown in the above equation 1 are obtained from the speeds of the first transport vehicle 101a and the second transport vehicle 101b, respectively. The calculation part 17 of the 1st conveyance vehicle 101a is provided with the table for calculating | requiring the stop distance corresponding to the speed of each conveyance vehicle, and calculates | requires a stop distance using the said table. Note that the calculation unit 17 of the first transport vehicle 101a may obtain the stop distance by another method. For example, the calculation unit 17 may include a function indicating the relationship between the stop distance and the speed.

  Further, the deflection width Sa shown in Expression 1 is obtained from the speed of the first transport vehicle 101a and the amount of lowering of the first lifting platform 112a of the first transport vehicle 101a. The calculation unit 17 of the first transport vehicle 101a includes a table for obtaining the speed Sa of the first transport vehicle 101a and the swing width Sa corresponding to the descending amount of the first lifting platform 112a. To obtain the stop distance. Further, the deflection width Sb shown in Equation 1 can be obtained similarly. Note that the calculation unit 17 of the first transport vehicle 101a may obtain the deflection widths Sa and Sb by other methods. For example, the calculation part 17 may be provided with the function which shows the relationship of the swing width with respect to the speed of each conveyance vehicle, and the amount of descending of each lifting platform.

  In the 1st conveyance vehicle 101a and the 2nd conveyance vehicle 101b which concern on this Embodiment, since the speed and the descending amount of each lifting platform may change every moment, the calculation part 17 respond | corresponds to those changes. The interference prevention distance Dp1 is calculated at a possible cycle. For example, the period is set to about 50 msec. Alternatively, the interference prevention distance Dp1 may be calculated by the calculation unit 17 when the speeds and the descending amounts of the lifting platforms change.

[1-5. Operation of transport vehicle]
Next, the operation of the transport vehicle 101 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the transport vehicle 101 according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 6, the operation of the first transport vehicle 101 a when the first transport vehicle 101 a and the second transport vehicle 101 b preceding the first transport vehicle 101 a are traveling along the rail 190. Indicates.

  As shown in FIG. 6, first, the calculation unit 17 of the first transport vehicle 101a acquires information on the first transport vehicle 101a (own vehicle) (S11). That is, the calculation unit 17 acquires the speed information of the host vehicle and the amount of lowering of the first elevator 112a from the first speed acquisition unit 12 and the first amount of lowering acquisition 13, respectively.

  Next, the calculation part 17 of the 1st conveyance vehicle 101a acquires the preceding vehicle information which is the information of the 2nd conveyance vehicle 101b (S12). In the present embodiment, the calculation unit 17 calculates the speed of the preceding second transport vehicle 101b and the descending amount of the second lifting platform 112b, respectively, as the second speed acquisition unit 22, and the second Obtained from the descending amount obtaining unit 23.

  Next, the calculation part 17 of the 1st conveyance vehicle 101a calculates the interference prevention distance Dp1 shown by the said Formula 1 based on the acquired speed and the amount of descending of both conveyance vehicles (S13).

  Next, the control unit 15 of the first transport vehicle 101a includes a travel drive unit so that the inter-vehicle distance D between the own vehicle and the second transport vehicle 101b is equal to or greater than the interference prevention distance Dp1 calculated by the calculation unit 17. 14 is controlled (S14). Here, the control unit 15 of the first transport vehicle 101a uses the position information of the first transport vehicle 101a and the position information of the second transport vehicle 101b as the first position acquisition unit 11 and the second position acquisition unit, respectively. 21 and the inter-vehicle distance D is calculated. And the control part 15 of the 1st conveyance vehicle 101a adjusts the speed of the 1st traveling vehicle 110a by controlling the traveling drive part 14 so that the said inter-vehicle distance D becomes more than the interference prevention distance Dp1.

  The first transport vehicle 101a maintains the inter-vehicle distance D with the second transport vehicle 101b to be equal to or greater than the interference prevention distance Dp1 by repeating the above steps at a predetermined cycle.

[1-6. Effect etc.]
As described above, the transport vehicle system 100 according to the present embodiment includes the first transport vehicle 101a and the second transport vehicle 101b that travels ahead of the first transport vehicle 101a. Then, the first transport vehicle 101a has an interference prevention distance based on the speed of the own vehicle, the speed of the second transport vehicle 101b, and the descending amounts of the first lift platform 112a and the second lift platform 112b. Is provided. Furthermore, the 1st conveyance vehicle 101a is provided with the control part 15 which controls the 1st traveling vehicle 110a so that the inter-vehicle distance with the 2nd conveyance vehicle 101b becomes more than the said interference prevention distance.

  As a result, in the transport vehicle system 100, when the first transport vehicle 101a and the second transport vehicle 101b travel while lowering the respective lifts, the distance between the two transport vehicles interferes. It is controlled so as to be more than the prevention distance. Therefore, the possibility that one lifting platform interferes with the other lifting platform or the like can be sufficiently suppressed.

  In addition, in the transport vehicle system 100 according to the present embodiment, the calculation unit 17 sets the first lifting platform 112a in the case of an emergency stop based on the speed of the own vehicle and the descending amount of the first lifting platform 112a. The runout width for one traveling vehicle 110a is calculated. Further, the calculation unit 17 sets the second of the second lifting platform 112b in the case of an emergency stop based on the preceding vehicle information that is information related to the speed of the second transport vehicle 101b and the descending amount of the second lifting platform 112b. The runout width for the traveling vehicle 110b is acquired.

  Thereby, in the transport vehicle system 100, the interference prevention distance can be calculated using each of the above-described swing widths. Therefore, when both conveyance vehicles stop at an emergency, possibility that the 1st lifting platform 112a and the 2nd lifting platform 112b will interfere can be reduced.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a transport vehicle system according to Embodiment 2 will be described. The carrier vehicle system according to the present embodiment suppresses an increase in the inter-vehicle distance D more than necessary by calculating the interference prevention distance more accurately than in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the method for calculating the interference prevention distance which is a difference from the first embodiment in the transport vehicle system according to the present embodiment will be mainly described.

[2-1. Interference prevention distance]
A method of calculating the interference prevention distance calculated by the calculation unit 17 of the transport vehicle system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an interference prevention distance between the first transport vehicle 101a and the second transport vehicle 101b that travels ahead of the first transport vehicle 101a.

  In FIG. 7, as in FIG. 5, the position (solid line) of each transport vehicle at the time when the first transport vehicle 101 a and the second transport vehicle 101 b receive an emergency stop command from the management controller 103, and each transport The position (dotted line) after the car stops is shown.

  In the transport vehicle system according to Embodiment 1 described above, the inter-vehicle distance that does not cause overlap in the position in the traveling direction of each elevator platform (ie, the direction along the rail 190) is defined as the interference prevention distance. However, even if there is an overlap in the position in the traveling direction of each elevator, the elevators do not interfere with each other if the positions in the vertical direction are shifted. Moreover, even if each lifting platform does not interfere with each other, one lifting platform may interfere with a suspension member that suspends the other lifting platform. Therefore, in the present embodiment, at the time of an emergency stop, the region where the first suspension member 111a and the first lifting platform 112a swing, and the region where the second suspension member 111b and the second lifting platform 112b swing, An interference prevention distance is employed to prevent interference. For example, the interference prevention distance for preventing the hatched areas in FIG. 7 from interfering with each other is calculated by the calculation unit 17. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the two regions are closest to each other in the horizontal direction when the first lifting platform 112a swings to the right and the second suspension member 111b swings to the left. Therefore, the swing width of the first lifting platform 112a is Sa, and the swing width of the second suspension member 111b at the vertical height of the first lifting platform 112a when the first lifting platform 112a swings to the rightmost side is Sba. Then, the interference prevention distance Dp2 is calculated by the following equation.

      Dp2 = Ea−Eb + Sa + Lm + Sba + Lc (Formula 2)

  Here, Ea and Eb are the stop distances of the first transport vehicle 101a and the second transport vehicle 101b, as in the first embodiment, and Lc is the first lift platform 112a and the second lift. The length in the advancing direction of the base 112b is shown. Similarly to the first embodiment, the margin Lm is also set to a predetermined value larger than zero so as to allow an error of each numerical value on the right side of the equation 2. For example, Lm is set to 500 mm.

  In the example shown in FIG. 7, the interference prevention distance Dp2 is calculated by the above equation 2. However, the equation for obtaining the interference prevention distance Dp2 can be swung to a higher position in the vertical direction. Or it depends on. In any case, the interference prevention distance Dp2 is obtained in the same manner as in the above example from the speed of each transport vehicle and the amount of descent of each lifting platform.

[2-2. Effect etc.]
As described above, the calculation unit 17 of the transport vehicle system 100 according to the present embodiment is the first when an emergency stop is performed based on the speed of the first transport vehicle 101a and the descending amount of the first lifting platform 112a. The region in which the suspension member 111a and the first lifting platform 112a swing is calculated. In addition, the calculation unit 17 is a region where the second suspension member 111b and the second lifting platform 112b swing when an emergency stop is performed based on the speed of the second transport vehicle 101b and the lowering amount of the second lifting platform 112b. Is calculated. Then, the calculation unit 17 calculates the interference prevention distance Dp2 so that these two regions do not interfere with each other.

  Thereby, in each conveyance vehicle of the conveyance vehicle system 100 which concerns on this Embodiment, since an interference prevention distance is calculated more correctly, it can suppress securing an inter-vehicle distance more than necessary.

(Variations, etc.)
The transport vehicle system and the control method thereof according to the present invention have been described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Unless it deviates from the gist of the present invention, various modifications conceived by those skilled in the art, or forms constructed by combining a plurality of constituent elements described above are also included in the scope of the present invention. It is.

  For example, in the first embodiment, in addition to the stop distance Ea of the first transport vehicle 101a and the swing width Sa of the first lift platform 112a, the stop distance Eb of the second transport vehicle 101b and the second lift platform The deflection width Sb of 112b was also calculated by the calculation unit 17. However, the calculation unit 17 may calculate only the stop distance Ea of the first transport vehicle 101a and the swing width Sa of the first lifting platform 112a. In this case, the interference prevention distance Dp3 is calculated by the following equation, for example.

      Dp3 = Ea + Sa + Lc + Lm (Formula 3)

  Here, the margin Lm may be determined in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the margin between the two transport vehicles is estimated by estimating the stop distance of the second transport vehicle 101b and the swing width of the second lifting platform 112b. It may be determined so that interference can be prevented.

  Further, assuming that the stop distances of the first transport vehicle 101a and the second transport vehicle 101b are substantially equal (that is, Ea−Eb≈0), the stop distance of each transport vehicle is not calculated by the calculation unit 17. Also good. In this case, the interference prevention distance may be obtained as Ea−Eb = 0 in the above equation 1. Moreover, you may obtain | require the interference prevention distance Dp4 with the following formula | equation.

      Dp4 = Sa + Lc + Lm (Formula 4)

  Here, the margin Lm may be determined in the same manner as in the first embodiment, or may be determined so as to prevent the interference between both transport vehicles by estimating the swing width of the second lifting platform 112b. Good.

  Even when the interference prevention distance according to each modification described above is used, the possibility of interference between both transport vehicles is reduced as in the case of using the interference prevention distance according to the first embodiment. In addition, since the calculation in the calculation unit 17 is simplified from that of the first embodiment, the processing load on the calculation unit 17 is reduced. On the other hand, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, since the interference prevention distance is calculated in consideration of the information of the preceding second transport vehicle 101b, the interference prevention distance is calculated more accurately than the modified example. Can do.

  Moreover, in each said embodiment, the structure which acquires the speed of the 2nd conveyance vehicle 101b and the descent | fall amount of the 2nd lifting platform 112b as preceding vehicle information in the preceding vehicle information acquisition part 30 is shown. It was. However, the preceding vehicle information is not limited to these, and may be information regarding the speed and the descending amount. For example, the preceding vehicle information may be information including the stop distance Eb at the time of emergency stop calculated based on the speed of the second transport vehicle 101b. Further, the preceding vehicle information is information including a swing width Sb at the time of emergency stop calculated based on the speed and the descending amount, or an area where the second suspension member 111b and the second lifting platform 112b swing. May be.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the first transport vehicle 101a receives a signal indicating the speed and the descending amount of the second lifting platform 112b from the preceding second transport vehicle 101b, and is in an emergency stop state. The runout width of the second lifting platform 112b was calculated. However, in the present invention, the swing width of the elevator platform of the own vehicle at the time of an emergency stop is calculated for each transport vehicle. Therefore, the second lift platform 112b is transferred from the second transport vehicle 101b to the first transport vehicle 101a. And the amount of lowering of the second lifting platform 112b may be transmitted. Thereby, in the 1st conveyance vehicle 101a, the process which calculates the deflection width of the 2nd lifting platform 112b becomes unnecessary.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the inter-vehicle distance between the first transport vehicle 101a and the preceding second transport vehicle 101b is calculated from the position information of each transport vehicle. It may be obtained by means. For example, each conveyance vehicle may be provided with a laser distance measuring device to measure the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding conveyance vehicle.

  The present invention can be used in an automatic warehouse, a factory, or the like that transports luggage near the ceiling and stores the luggage on a shelf.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 1st position acquisition part 12 1st speed acquisition part 13 1st descent | fall amount acquisition part 14 Travel drive part 15 Control part 16 Elevation drive part 17 Calculation part 18 Communication part 20 Command position acquisition part 21 2nd position acquisition Unit 22 second speed acquisition unit 23 second descending amount acquisition unit 30 preceding vehicle information acquisition unit 50 luggage 100 transport vehicle system 101 transport vehicle 101a first transport vehicle 101b second transport vehicle 102 rack 103 management controller 104 station 110 traveling vehicle 110a first traveling vehicle 110b second traveling vehicle 111 suspension member 111a first suspension member 111b second suspension member 112 elevator base 112a first elevator base 112b second elevator base 121 mounting member 190 rail

Claims (5)

A first traveling vehicle that travels along a rail provided above, a first suspension member suspended from the first traveling vehicle, and the first suspension member on the first traveling vehicle by the first suspension member A first transport vehicle including a first lifting platform suspended so as to be liftable;
A second traveling vehicle that travels along the rail, a second suspension member that is suspended from the second traveling vehicle, and a second suspension member that is suspended from the second traveling vehicle by the second suspension member. A second transport vehicle that includes a lowered second lifting platform and travels ahead of the first transport vehicle, the transport vehicle system comprising:
The first transport vehicle is
A first speed acquisition unit that acquires a first speed that is the speed of the first transport vehicle;
A first descent amount acquisition unit that acquires a first descent amount that is a descent amount of the first lifting platform from the first traveling vehicle;
The first carrier and the second carrier for preventing interference between the first elevator and the first suspension member, and the second elevator and the second suspension member; A calculation unit that calculates an interference prevention distance that is an inter-vehicle distance based on the first speed and the first descending amount;
A conveyance vehicle system comprising: a control unit that controls the first traveling vehicle such that an inter-vehicle distance between the first conveyance vehicle and the second conveyance vehicle is equal to or greater than the interference prevention distance. The first transport vehicle further includes:
Obtain preceding vehicle information that is information relating to a second speed that is the speed of the second transport vehicle and a second descending amount that is a descending amount of the second lifting platform from the second traveling vehicle. It has a preceding vehicle information acquisition unit,
The transport vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the calculation unit further calculates the interference prevention distance based on the preceding vehicle information. The calculation unit is an area where the first suspension member and the first lifting platform swing when the first transport vehicle stops in an emergency based on the first speed and the first descending amount. A first region is calculated and a region where the second suspension member and the second lifting platform swing when the second transport vehicle stops in an emergency based on the preceding vehicle information. The transport vehicle system according to claim 2, wherein two regions are calculated, and the interference prevention distance is calculated based on the first region and the second region. Based on the first speed and the first descending amount, the calculation unit calculates a swing width of the first lifting platform relative to the first traveling vehicle when the first transport vehicle is in an emergency stop. Based on the preceding vehicle information, a certain first swing width is calculated, and the second swing platform swing width with respect to the second traveling vehicle when the second transport vehicle is in an emergency stop. The transport vehicle system according to claim 2, wherein a second deflection width is acquired, and the interference prevention distance is calculated based on the first deflection width and the second deflection width. A first traveling vehicle that travels along a rail provided above, a first suspension member suspended from the first traveling vehicle, and the first suspension member on the first traveling vehicle by the first suspension member A first transport vehicle including a first lifting platform suspended so as to be liftable;
A second traveling vehicle that travels along the rail, a second suspension member that is suspended from the second traveling vehicle, and a second suspension member that is suspended from the second traveling vehicle by the second suspension member. A second transport vehicle that includes a lowered second lifting platform and travels ahead of the first transport vehicle, and a control method for a transport vehicle system,
Obtaining a first speed which is a speed of the first transport vehicle;
Obtaining a first descent amount that is a descent amount of the first lifting platform from the first traveling vehicle;
The first carrier and the second carrier for preventing interference between the first elevator and the first suspension member, and the second elevator and the second suspension member; Calculating an interference prevention distance that is an inter-vehicle distance based on the first speed and the first descending amount;
And a step of controlling the first traveling vehicle such that an inter-vehicle distance between the first transport vehicle and the second transport vehicle is equal to or greater than the interference prevention distance.

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