JP2018162122A - Conveyance device, program, and conveyance system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conveyance device that is capable of taking out and conveying a pallet disposed on any shelf from the shelf.SOLUTION: This conveyance device is provided with: a fork that supports a conveyance pallet; one or a plurality of cameras that capture the conveyance pallet stored on a shelf; a detection unit that detects the position and the orientation of the conveyance pallet on the basis of the image captured by one or the plurality of cameras; and a control unit that controls the position and the orientation of the conveyance device and the height of the fork on the basis of the position and the orientation of the conveyance pallet detected by the detection unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport apparatus, a program, and a transport system.

There has been known a conveyance device that supports a pallet carrying a load with a fork and automatically conveys the cargo to a designated place (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
[Prior art documents]
[Patent Literature]
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-053395

  It is desirable to be able to provide a transport apparatus that can transport a pallet placed on any shelf from the shelf.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, a transport device is provided. The transport device may include a fork that supports the transport pallet. The transport device may include one or a plurality of cameras that capture images of the transport pallet stored in the shelf. The transport apparatus may include a detection unit that detects the position and orientation of the transport pallet based on images taken by one or more cameras. The transport device may include a control unit that controls the position and orientation of the transport device and the height of the fork based on the position and orientation of the transport pallet detected by the detection unit.

  The one or more cameras may include a camera that moves up and down with the fork, and the detection unit detects the position and orientation of the transport pallet based on an image taken by the camera that moves up and down with the fork. It's okay. The one or more cameras may include a plurality of cameras arranged at different positions in the height direction, and the detection unit is based on images taken by at least one of the plurality of cameras. The position and orientation of the transfer pallet may be detected. The detection unit may detect the position and orientation of the transport pallet based on a distance to the transport pallet measured by the one or more cameras.

  The transport device moves the transport device in a transport space in which a plurality of shelves are arranged, thereby generating a map data generating unit that generates map data of the transport space, and the map data generating unit generating the map data generating unit. A map data transmission unit that transmits map data. The conveying device is configured to increase the height of the shelf of the shelf from the reference height based on the height of the one or more cameras from the reference height and an image taken by the one or more cameras. And a shelf information transmitting unit for transmitting the height of the shelf measured by the shelf measuring unit. The transport device may include a battery, an electrode disposed on an outer surface of the fork, and a charging unit that charges the battery with electric power supplied through the electrode, and the control unit includes the transport device. The electrode may be positioned relative to an external power supply by controlling the position and orientation of the fork and the height of the fork.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer including the fork and the one or more cameras to function as the transport device.

  According to the 3rd aspect of this invention, a delivery system provided with the said conveying apparatus and the management apparatus which manages the said conveying apparatus is provided. The management apparatus may include a storage unit that stores map data in a conveyance space in which a plurality of shelves are arranged. The management apparatus may include a transport information acquisition unit that acquires a current position of the transport target and a transport destination position of the transport target. The management apparatus may include a path generation unit that generates a movement path of the transport apparatus based on the current position of the transport object, the position of the transport destination, and the map data. The management apparatus may include a route transmission unit that transmits the travel route acquired by the route acquisition unit to the transport device.

  It should be noted that the above summary of the invention does not enumerate all the necessary features of the present invention. In addition, a sub-combination of these feature groups can also be an invention.

An example of conveyance device 100 is shown roughly. An example of conveyance system 300 is shown roughly. An example of the conveyance pallet 60 accommodated in the shelf 30 is shown schematically. An example of the process with respect to the shelf 30 by the conveying apparatus 100 is shown schematically. The other example of a structure of the conveying apparatus 100 is shown schematically. An example of the detection method which detects the direction of the pallet 60 for conveyance is shown roughly. An example of the flow of processing by conveyance system 300 is shown roughly. An example of a functional composition of control unit 104 is shown roughly. An example of functional composition of management device 200 is shown roughly. An example of the hardware constitutions of the computer 1000 which functions as the control unit 104 is shown schematically.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solving means of the invention.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of the transport apparatus 100. The transport apparatus 100 includes a main body 102, wheels 106, a column 108, a fork 110, a camera 120, a LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) sensor 124, and a display 126. The main body 102 includes a control unit 104, a battery 114, and a sensor 116. The sensor 116 may include various sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a temperature sensor, and a humidity sensor. In addition, it is not necessarily essential that the transport apparatus 100 has all these configurations.

  The transport apparatus 100 performs various operations using the power of the battery 114 under the control of the control unit 104. For example, the transport apparatus 100 rotates the wheels 106 by a drive motor (not shown). The wheel 106 is attached to the main body 102 so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction, and the conveying device 100 can be moved in any direction and can be rotated.

  The transport apparatus 100 has a self-position estimation function. The transport apparatus 100 may estimate its own position using any method. For example, the transport apparatus 100 estimates the position using the periphery recognition function by the LIDAR sensor 124 and the acceleration and angular velocity recognition function by the sensor 116. The transport apparatus 100 may estimate its position by, for example, SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping). The transport apparatus 100 may perform line tracing.

  The support column 108 extends in the vertical direction with respect to the main body 102. The fork 110 is attached to the support column 108 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The transport device 100 adjusts the height of the fork 110 by moving the fork 110 up and down by an unillustrated lifting mechanism.

  The transport apparatus 100 may grasp the height of the fork 110 from the reference height. The reference height may be arbitrarily set such as the height of the lower end of the vertical movement range of the fork 110 and the height of the ground on which the transport device 100 moves. The conveying apparatus 100 grasps the height of the fork 110 from the reference height by, for example, the pulse count of the motor included in the lifting mechanism. Further, the conveying device 100 may grasp the height of the fork 110 from the reference height by using a laser distance meter.

  The camera 120 moves up and down together with the fork 110. The camera 120 images the surroundings of the transport device 100. The camera 120 photographs, for example, a transport object, a transport pallet on which the transport object is mounted, a shelf in which the transport pallet is stored, and the like. The camera 120 may be a sensor camera capable of recognizing color and depth. The transport apparatus 100 may detect the position and orientation of the transport pallet with respect to the transport apparatus 100 using the camera 120.

  In addition, the camera 120 images, for example, an obstacle, a person, another transport device 100, and the like. The transport apparatus 100 may perform obstacle avoidance, human avoidance, avoidance of other transport apparatuses 100, and the like using images captured by the camera 120 and information measured by the sensor 116 and the LIDAR sensor 124. .

  The fork 110 has an electrode 112. The electrode 112 is disposed on the outer surface of the fork 110. In FIG. 1, an example is shown in which the electrode 112 is disposed at the tip of the fork 110, but this is not a limitation, and the electrode 112 may be disposed at any position on the outer surface of the fork 110.

  The transport apparatus 100 may position the electrode 112 with respect to the external power supply unit by controlling the position and orientation of the transport apparatus 100 and the height of the fork 110. And the conveying apparatus 100 may charge the battery 114 with the electric power supplied via the electrode 112 from the electric power supply part. By having the electrode 112 on the outer surface of the fork 110, the vertical position of the electrode 112 can be adjusted by raising and lowering the fork 110 without separately providing a mechanism for adjusting the vertical position of the electrode 112.

  The display 126 displays various information. The display 126 displays, for example, the remaining amount of the battery 114, the temperature and humidity measured by the sensor 116, and the like. The display 126 may display the content of the transfer task when the transfer apparatus 100 is executing the transfer task. For example, when the product XX is being conveyed from the shelf A to the shelf C, the display 126 performs a display indicating that. The display 126 may display the contents of the transfer task only by text, or may display by text and image. In FIG. 1, the display 126 is attached to the fork 110 and moves up and down together with the fork 110.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows an example of the transport system 300. The transport system 300 includes at least one transport device 100 and a management device 200. At least one transfer device 100 is disposed in a transfer space including a plurality of shelves 30. The management apparatus 200 is disposed on the network 10 and communicates with the transport apparatus 100 via the network 10. The network 10 includes, for example, a telephone network and the Internet. The transport apparatus 100 is a management apparatus via the network 10 using any wireless communication technology such as mobile communication systems such as 3G, LTE (Long Term Evolution), and 4G, and WiFi (registered trademark) (Wireless Fidelity). Communication with 200 may be performed.

  In FIG. 2, as an example of the transport space, a warehouse 20 that handles so-called small quantities of various types of products is given. In the warehouse 20, a storage box such as cardboard in which at least one product is stored is mounted on the transport pallet and stored in the shelf 30. The storage box is an example of a conveyance object. For example, when shipping a product, the transport system 300 takes out a transport pallet on which the storage box is mounted from the shelf 30 in which the storage box in which the product is stored is stored, and the work shelf 50. Transport to. In the work shelf 50, an operation for taking out the product from the storage box and an operation for packing the taken out product are performed. The work on the work shelf 50 may be performed manually or by a robot. In addition, although the warehouse 20 is mentioned here as an example of conveyance space, not only this but the conveyance space may be arbitrary places, if the several shelf 30 can be arrange | positioned.

  The management device 200 stores map data in the warehouse 20. The map data includes layout information in the warehouse 20. The map data includes the positions of the shelf 30, the warehousing shelf 40, and the work shelf 50. The map data may include information on the structure of the shelf 30, the storage shelf 40 that temporarily stores the stored storage boxes, and the work shelf 50. The structure of the shelf 30, the storage shelf 40, and the work shelf 50 includes a height, a width, a depth, a height of the shelf board, and the like. The map data may include these positions when the goods and the storage box are stored in the warehouse 20. The map data may include the position of the power supply unit 22.

  The map data is generated by the transport device 100, for example. The transport apparatus 100 generates map data by, for example, SLAM. The map data may be generated manually.

  The management device 200 uses the map data in the warehouse 20 to generate a movement route for the transport device 100. For example, when the management device 200 receives a command for transporting the storage box from one of the storage shelves 40 to one of the plurality of shelves 30, the storage device 40 uses the map data from the current position of the transport device 100. And a movement path from the warehousing shelf 40 to the transport destination shelf 30 are generated. In addition, for example, when the management device 200 receives a command to transport a product stored in one of the plurality of shelves 30 to the work shelf 50, the product is stored from the current position of the transport device 100. The movement route to the shelf 30 and the movement route from the shelf 30 to the work shelf 50 are generated. The management apparatus 200 transmits the generated movement route to the transport apparatus 100. The transport apparatus 100 transports the storage box according to the movement route received from the management apparatus 200.

  The management apparatus 200 may collect status information of the transport apparatus 100 periodically. The status information includes information such as the status of the transfer device 100 and the surrounding environment of the transfer device 100. For example, the status information includes the position of the transfer device 100, the remaining amount of the battery 114, the usage status of the motor, the temperature and humidity measured by the sensor 116, and the like. For example, the transport apparatus 100 transmits status information to the management apparatus 200 in response to a request received from the management apparatus 200. Further, the transport apparatus 100 may periodically transmit status information to the management apparatus 200 according to the set timing.

  The management device 200 may control the transport device 100 based on the collected status information. For example, when the management device 200 receives an instruction to transport the storage box, the management device 200 is located near the current position of the storage box among the plurality of transport devices 100 and the remaining amount of the battery 114 transports the storage box. In order to accomplish the above, sufficient transport device 100 is selected. Then, the management apparatus 200 generates a movement path from the current position of the selected transport apparatus 100 to the current position of the storage box, and a movement path from the current position of the storage box to the position of the transport destination of the storage box. And transmitted to the transport apparatus 100.

  Further, for example, when the remaining amount of the battery 114 of any of the plurality of transport apparatuses 100 becomes lower than a predetermined threshold, the management apparatus 200 extends from the current position of the transport apparatus 100 to the power supply unit 22. Is generated and transmitted to the transport apparatus 100. When the transport apparatus 100 is executing a transport task, the management apparatus 200 may transmit a movement path to the transport apparatus 100 after the task is completed.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows an example of the transfer pallet 60 stored in the shelf 30. The transport pallet 60 carries a storage box 70. The transport pallet 60 includes a hole 62 and a mark 64. The hole 62 receives the fork 110. The mark 64 may be for identifying the transport pallet 60. For example, the mark 64 may be a one-dimensional barcode, a two-dimensional barcode or the like in which identification information of the transport pallet 60 is encoded. Note that the transfer pallet 60 may not include the mark 64.

  FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an example of processing performed on the shelf 30 by the transport device 100. The conveyance apparatus 100 may observe the shelf 30 with the camera 120 by moving to the shelf 30 according to the movement path received from the management apparatus 200 and moving the fork 110 up and down.

  When the mark 64 is attached to the conveyance pallet 60, the conveyance device 100 may recognize the conveyance pallet 60 in the captured image by the mark 64. When the mark 64 is not attached to the transport pallet 60, the transport device 100 may recognize the transport pallet 60 by specifying a portion that matches the characteristics of the transport pallet 60 from the captured image. For example, the transport apparatus 100 may recognize the storage box 70 in the captured image by a bar code attached to the storage box 70, and the transport apparatus 100 is limited to a region below the storage box 70 in the captured image. A portion that matches the characteristics of the pallet 60 may be specified.

  When the information received from the management device 200 includes the identification information of the transport pallet 60 on which the storage box 70 is mounted, the transport device 100 specifies the transport pallet 60 that matches the identification information as a transport target. It's okay. When the information received from the management apparatus 200 includes the identification information of the storage box 70, the transport apparatus 100 includes the transport pallet 60 on which the storage box 70 with the barcode that matches the identification information is mounted. May be specified as a conveyance target. In the information received from the management device 200, the transport device 100 includes at least one of information on the position of the storage box 70 or the transport pallet 60 on the shelf 30, that is, information on the height and the position on the shelf plate 32. In such a case, the information may be used to identify the conveyance target, or the range for searching for the conveyance target may be narrowed.

  When the map data received from the management device 200 includes information on the height of the shelf 32 of the shelf 30, the transport device 100 may search for a transport target using the information. In other words, the transport apparatus 100 may search for a transport target limited to the vicinity of the height of the shelf board 32.

  In addition, the conveyance apparatus 100 measures the height of the shelf board 32, when it detects that the shelf board 32 does not exist in the height which the information of the height of the shelf board 32 contained in map data shows. Information on the height of the shelf board 32 as a measurement result may be transmitted to the management apparatus 200. Thereby, after generating map data, when the shelf 30 is replaced | exchanged, map data can be updated appropriately. When the map data does not include information on the height of the shelf board 32, the transport apparatus 100 measures the height of the shelf board 32, and manages the height information of the shelf board 32 that is the measurement result. May be sent to

  FIG. 5 schematically shows another example of the configuration of the transport apparatus 100. FIG. 5 illustrates a case where the transport apparatus 100 includes a plurality of cameras 122 arranged at different positions in the height direction instead of the camera 120 that moves up and down together with the fork 110. Similar to the camera 120, the camera 122 may be a sensor camera capable of recognizing color and depth.

  The transport apparatus 100 stores information on the height of each of the plurality of cameras 122 from the reference plane. The transport apparatus 100 uses the image taken by at least one of the plurality of cameras 122 and the height from the reference plane of the camera 122 to determine the height of the transport pallet 60 and the height of the storage box 70. The height of the shelf board 32 and the like may be measured. The transport apparatus 100 may include both the camera 120 and the plurality of cameras 122.

  FIG. 6 schematically shows an example of a detection method for detecting the position and orientation of the transport pallet 60. The transport apparatus 100 detects the position and orientation of the transport pallet 60 based on the image captured by the camera 120 or the camera 122.

  For example, the transport apparatus 100 recognizes the transport pallet 60 in the captured image, and acquires distances Da and Db from a certain surface perpendicular to the direction of the transport apparatus 100 to both ends of the front surface of the transport pallet 60. . Further, the transport apparatus 100 acquires the width W of the transport pallet 60. The transport apparatus 100 may acquire the width W from the standard of the transport pallet 60 when the transport pallet 60 is marked with the mark 64 and the transport pallet 60 can be identified by the mark 64. Further, the transport apparatus 100 assumes a straight line parallel to the top or bottom surface of the transport pallet 60 on the front surface of the transport pallet 60, specifies the three-dimensional positions of both ends of the straight line, and sets the length of the straight line. The width W may be acquired by calculating. The transport apparatus 100 may calculate the orientation of the transport pallet 60 from the acquired Da, Db, and W.

  The transport apparatus 100 controls the orientation of the transport apparatus 100 so that the orientation of the transport pallet 60 and the orientation of the fork 110 coincide with each other based on the position and orientation of the transport pallet 60 to be transported. Thereby, the fork 110 can be appropriately inserted into the hole 62 of the transport pallet 60.

  As described above, according to the transport apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the transport pallet 60 is supported by appropriately inserting the forks 110 into the transport pallet 60 stored at an arbitrary height. be able to. Thereby, since it is possible to realize loading / unloading of a luggage with respect to an arbitrary shelf without using a dedicated shelf, it is possible to widely use automatic conveyance of the luggage.

  FIG. 7 schematically shows an example of the flow of processing by the transport system 300. Here, a state in which a plurality of transfer devices 100 are newly arranged in the warehouse 20 in which a storage box (hereinafter referred to as a luggage) in which products are stored is not stored will be described as a start state.

  In step 702 (step may be abbreviated as “S”) 702, map data generated by one of the plurality of transfer apparatuses 100 moving in the warehouse 20 is stored in the management apparatus 200. Send to. The map data may include the positions of the plurality of shelves 30 and the heights of the respective shelf boards 32 of the plurality of shelves 30. Note that the map data may be generated by a plurality of transport apparatuses 100. For example, each of the plurality of transfer apparatuses 100 may generate map data of different areas in the warehouse 20 and combine them to generate map data of the entire warehouse 20.

  In S704, the management apparatus 200 transmits the map data to the transport apparatus 100 other than the transport apparatus 100 that generated the map data. In S <b> 706, each of the plurality of transport apparatuses 100 transmits status information to the management apparatus 200. The plurality of transport apparatuses 100 periodically transmit status information to the management apparatus 200.

  In S <b> 708, the communication terminal 400 transmits a package storage instruction to the management apparatus 200. For example, the management device 200 may provide a web-based service for accepting a transport command for entering and leaving a package. The communication terminal 400 may transmit a package transport instruction to the management apparatus 200 via the Web-based service.

  The goods to be received are placed on the receiving shelf 40 in a state in which the bar code encoded with the identification information is attached and mounted on the transfer pallet 60. The package entry command may include package data including identification information of the package to be transported, the current position of the package, and information on the transport destination of the package. The information on the transport destination may be any information as long as the information can identify the transport destination. For example, the transport destination information is the name of the transport destination shelf.

  In S <b> 710, the management apparatus 200 selects a transport apparatus 100 that executes a transport task according to the package entry instruction received in S <b> 708 from the plurality of transport apparatuses 100. The management apparatus 200 generates a movement path from the current position of the selected transport apparatus 100 to the current position of the luggage and a movement path from the current position of the luggage to the position of the transport destination, and path data indicating the movement path; The package data is transmitted to the transport apparatus 100. The transport apparatus 100 moves to the current position of the package according to the received route data, takes out the package that matches the identification information included in the package data, moves to the position of the transport destination, and stores the package in the transport destination.

  In S <b> 712, the transport apparatus 100 transmits a completion report to the management apparatus 200. The completion report may include the storage location of the transport pallet 60. The storage location includes the position of the shelf 30, the name of the shelf 30, the position of the luggage on the shelf 30, and the like. When the mark 64 is attached to the transport pallet 60 that has been transported, the completion report may include identification information of the transport pallet 60 indicated by the mark 64. In step S <b> 714, the management apparatus 200 transmits a completion report to the communication terminal 400. By repeating S708 to S714, a plurality of packages are stored in the warehouse 20, and the information is stored in the management apparatus 200.

  In S716, the communication terminal 400 transmits a parcel delivery instruction to the management apparatus 200. The parcel delivery instruction may include parcel data including identification information of the parcel to be transported and information on the transport destination of the parcel. In S <b> 718, the management apparatus 200 selects a transport apparatus 100 that executes a transport task according to the parcel delivery instruction received in S <b> 716 from the plurality of transport apparatuses 100. The management device 200 identifies the current position of the package to be transported from the stored information, the movement path from the current position of the selected transport device 100 to the current position of the package, and the current destination position of the package from the current position of the package. A travel route to the position is generated, and route data indicating the travel route and package data are transmitted to the transport apparatus 100. The transport apparatus 100 moves to the current position of the package according to the received route data, takes out the package that matches the identification information included in the package data, moves to the position of the transport destination, and stores the package in the transport destination.

  In S720, the transfer device 100 transmits a completion report to the management device 200. The management device 200 updates the accumulated information according to the completion report. In S722, the management device 200 transmits a completion report to the communication terminal 400.

  FIG. 8 schematically shows an example of the functional configuration of the control unit 104. The control unit 104 includes a control unit 130, a camera communication unit 140, a detection unit 142, a sensor communication unit 144, a map data generation unit 150, a map data transmission unit 152, a shelf board measurement unit 154, a shelf information transmission unit 156, and conveyance information. A receiving unit 158 is provided. It is not essential that the control unit 104 has all these configurations.

  The control unit 130 includes a position / orientation recognition unit 132, a drive control unit 134, and a display control unit 136. The control unit 130 controls various operations of the transport apparatus 100.

  The camera communication unit 140 communicates with the camera 120. The camera communication unit 140 receives an image captured by the camera 120 and incidental information such as depth information. The camera communication unit 140 communicates with the camera 122. The camera communication unit 140 receives an image captured by the camera 122 and incidental information such as depth information. The camera communication unit 140 transmits the received image and incidental information to the control unit 130 and the detection unit 142.

  The detection unit 142 detects the position and orientation of the transport pallet 60 based on the image and supplementary information received by the camera communication unit 140 and the height from the reference plane of the camera 120 or the camera 122. The detection unit 142 transmits the detected position and orientation of the transport pallet 60 to the control unit 130.

  The sensor communication unit 144 receives detection information from the LIDAR sensor 124. The sensor communication unit 144 receives detection information from the sensor 116. The sensor communication unit 144 transmits the received information to the control unit 130.

  The position / orientation recognition unit 132 recognizes the position and orientation of the transport apparatus 100 using information received from the camera communication unit 140 and the sensor communication unit 144. The drive control unit 134 drives the wheel 106 and the fork 110. The display control unit 136 displays various information on the display 126. For example, the display control unit 136 displays information received from the sensor communication unit 144 on the display 126.

  The map data generation unit 150 generates map data in the conveyance space where the plurality of shelves 30 are arranged. The map data generation unit 150 is configured so that the position and orientation of the transport device 100 recognized by the position / orientation recognition unit 132 and the camera communication unit 140 are moved while the drive control unit 134 drives the wheels 106 to move the transport device 100. Map data is generated using the received image. The map data transmission unit 152 transmits the map data generated by the map data generation unit 150 to the management apparatus 200.

  The shelf board measurement unit 154 measures the height of the shelf board 32. The shelf board measurement unit 154 measures the height of the shelf board 32 from the reference height based on the height of the camera 120 or the camera 122 from the reference height and the image taken by the camera 120 or the camera 122. It's okay. The map data generation unit 150 may create map data including the height of the shelf board 32 measured by the shelf board measurement unit 154. The shelf information transmission unit 156 transmits the height of the shelf 32 measured by the shelf measurement unit 154 to the management device 200.

  The conveyance information receiving unit 158 receives conveyance information from the management apparatus 200. The conveyance information may include route data and package data. The control unit 130 executes the conveyance task by driving the wheel 106 and the fork 110 according to the conveyance information received by the conveyance information receiving unit 158. When the conveyance task is being executed according to the conveyance information received by the conveyance information receiving unit 158, the display control unit 136 may display the content of the conveyance task being executed on the display 126.

  FIG. 9 schematically illustrates an example of a functional configuration of the management apparatus 200. The management device 200 includes a transfer device communication unit 202, a storage unit 204, a transfer command reception unit 206, and a control unit 210.

  The transfer device communication unit 202 communicates with the transfer device 100. The transport device communication unit 202 receives map data from the transport device 100. The transport device communication unit 202 receives status information from the transport device 100.

  The storage unit 204 stores various data. The storage unit 204 stores the map data received by the transport device communication unit 202. The storage unit 204 stores the status information received by the transfer device communication unit 202.

  The conveyance command receiving unit 206 receives a conveyance command. The conveyance command receiving unit 206 receives a package entry command and a package delivery command from the communication terminal 400 via, for example, a Web service. Further, for example, the transport command receiving unit 206 receives a load movement command for moving a load from one of the plurality of shelves 30 in the warehouse 20 to the other shelf 30.

  The control unit 210 includes a transport device selection unit 212, a route acquisition unit 214, and a transport device management unit 216. In response to the transport command received by the transport command receiving unit 206, the transport device selection unit 212 selects the transport device 100 that executes the transport task in accordance with the transport command.

  The transport apparatus selection unit 212 selects, for example, the transport apparatus 100 that executes the transport task by giving priority to the transport apparatus 100 that is closer to the current position of the package to be transported. For example, the transport device selection unit 212 identifies a transport device 100 having a sufficient remaining battery 114 capacity to complete the transport task among the transport devices 100, and includes the transport target among the identified transport devices 100. The transport device 100 closest to the current position of the package is selected. The transport apparatus selection unit 212 may select the transport apparatus 100 that executes the transport task by giving priority to the transport apparatus 100 having a lower transfer task execution frequency.

  The route acquisition unit 214 acquires the movement route of the transfer device 100 selected by the transfer device selection unit 212 in accordance with the transfer command received by the transfer command reception unit 206. The route acquisition unit 214 generates a movement route of the transport device 100 using, for example, the current position and transport destination position of the package to be transported and map data. The route acquisition unit 214 may identify the shortest route from the current position of the package to be transported to the transport destination and generate a travel route indicating the shortest route. Further, the route acquisition unit 214 may generate a route that is not necessarily the shortest route so that the movement routes of the plurality of transport apparatuses 100 do not intersect at the same time. The route acquisition unit 214 may hold a history of the generated travel route. If the route acquisition unit 214 has previously generated a movement route from the current position of the package to be transferred to the position of the transfer destination, the route acquisition unit 214 may acquire the movement route.

  The transport device management unit 216 manages the transport device 100. The transport apparatus management unit 216 manages the state of the transport apparatus 100 using status information periodically received from the transport apparatus 100, for example. For example, when the remaining amount of the battery 114 included in the status information is lower than a predetermined threshold value, the transport device management unit 216 moves from the current position of the transport device 100 that transmitted the status information to the power supply unit 22. May be generated and transmitted to the transport apparatus 100 to cause the transport apparatus 100 to charge the battery 114.

  FIG. 10 schematically shows an example of a computer 1000 that functions as the control unit 104. The computer 1000 according to this embodiment includes a CPU peripheral unit including a CPU 1010, a RAM 1030, and a graphic controller 1085 that are connected to each other by a host controller 1092; a ROM 1020 that is connected to the host controller 1092 by an input / output controller 1094; An input / output unit having F1040, a hard disk drive 1050, and an input / output chip 1080 is provided.

  The CPU 1010 operates based on programs stored in the ROM 1020 and the RAM 1030 and controls each unit. The graphic controller 1085 acquires image data generated by the CPU 1010 or the like on a frame buffer provided in the RAM 1030 and displays the image data on the display 126. Alternatively, the graphic controller 1085 may include a frame buffer that stores image data generated by the CPU 1010 or the like.

  The communication I / F 1040 communicates with other devices via a network by wire or wireless. The communication I / F 1040 functions as hardware that performs communication. The hard disk drive 1050 stores programs and data used by the CPU 1010.

  The ROM 1020 stores a boot program executed when the computer 1000 is started up, a program depending on the hardware of the computer 1000, and the like. The input / output chip 1080 connects various input / output devices to the input / output controller 1094 via, for example, a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, and the like.

  A program provided to the hard disk drive 1050 via the RAM 1030 is stored in a recording medium such as a USB memory and an IC card and provided by the user. The program is read from the recording medium, installed in the hard disk drive 1050 via the RAM 1030, and executed by the CPU 1010.

  A program installed in the computer 1000 and causing the computer 1000 to function as the control unit 104 may work on the CPU 1010 or the like to cause the computer 1000 to function as each unit of the control unit 104. The information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1000, so that the control unit 130, the camera communication unit 140, and the detection unit are specific means in which the software and the various hardware resources described above cooperate. Unit 142, sensor communication unit 144, map data generation unit 150, map data transmission unit 152, shelf board measurement unit 154, shelf information transmission unit 156, and conveyance information reception unit 158. And the specific control unit 104 according to the intended use is constructed | assembled by implement | achieving the calculation or processing of the information according to the intended use of the computer 1000 in this embodiment by these concrete means.

  In the above description, each unit of the management apparatus 200 may be realized by hardware or may be realized by software. Further, it may be realized by a combination of hardware and software. Further, the computer may function as the management apparatus 200 by executing the program. The program may be installed from a computer-readable medium or a storage device connected to a network to a computer constituting at least a part of the management apparatus 200.

  A program that is installed in a computer and causes the computer to function as the management apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment causes the CPU to function as each unit of the management apparatus 200. Information processing described in these programs functions as a specific means in which software and hardware resources of the management apparatus 200 cooperate by being read by a computer.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. It is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The order of execution of each process such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages in the apparatus, system, program, and method shown in the claims, the description, and the drawings is particularly “before” or “prior to”. It should be noted that it can be realized in any order unless the output of the previous process is used in the subsequent process. Regarding the operation flow in the claims, the description, and the drawings, even if it is described using “first,” “next,” etc. for convenience, it means that it is essential to carry out in this order. It is not a thing.

10 networks, 20 warehouses, 22 power supply units, 30 shelves, 32 shelves, 40 storage shelves, 50 work shelves, 60 transport pallets, 62 holes, 64 marks, 70 storage boxes, 100 transport devices, 102 main body, 104 control Unit, 106 wheel, 108 strut, 110 fork, 112 electrode, 114 battery, 116 sensor, 120 camera, 122 camera, 124 LIDAR sensor, 126 display, 130 control unit, 132 position and orientation recognition unit, 134 drive control unit, 136 display Control unit, 140 Camera communication unit, 142 detection unit, 144 sensor communication unit, 150 map data generation unit, 152 map data transmission unit, 154 shelf board measurement unit, 156 shelf information transmission unit, 158 transport information reception unit, 200 management device 202 conveying device communication unit, 204 storage unit 206 transfer command receiving unit 210 control unit 212 transfer device selection unit 214 route acquisition unit 216 transfer device management unit 300 transfer system 400 communication terminal 1000 computer 1010 CPU 1020 ROM 1030 RAM 1040 communication I / F, 1050 hard disk drive, 1080 input / output chip, 1085 graphic controller, 1092 host controller, 1094 input / output controller

Claims (9)

A conveying device,
A fork that supports the transport pallet;
One or a plurality of cameras for photographing the conveyance pallet stored in a shelf;
A detection unit that detects the position and orientation of the pallet for conveyance based on images taken by the one or more cameras;
A transport device comprising: a control unit that controls the position and orientation of the transport device and the height of the fork based on the position and orientation of the transport pallet detected by the detection unit. The one or more cameras include a camera that moves up and down with the fork,
The said detection part is a conveying apparatus of Claim 1 which detects the position and direction of the said pallet for conveyance based on the image image | photographed with the camera which raises / lowers with the said fork. The one or more cameras include a plurality of cameras arranged at different positions in the height direction,
The transport device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects the position and orientation of the transport pallet based on an image captured by at least one of the plurality of cameras.   The said detection part detects the position and direction of the said pallet for conveyance based on the distance to the said pallet for conveyance measured by the said 1 or several camera. Transport device. A map data generating unit that generates map data of the transport space by moving the transport device in a transport space in which a plurality of shelves are arranged;
The transport apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a map data transmission unit that transmits the map data generated by the map data generation unit. A shelf board that measures the height of the shelf board of the shelf from the reference height based on a height of the one or more cameras from a reference height and an image taken by the one or more cameras. A measuring section;
The shelf information transmission part which transmits the height of the said shelf board measured by the said shelf board measurement part. The conveying apparatus as described in any one of Claim 1 to 5. Battery,
An electrode disposed on the outer surface of the fork;
A charging unit that charges the battery with the power supplied through the electrode, and
The said control part controls the position and direction of the said conveying apparatus, and the height of the said fork, and positions the said electrode with respect to an external electric power supply part, It is any one of Claim 1 to 6 characterized by the above-mentioned. Conveying device.   A program for causing a computer including the fork and the one or more cameras to function as the transfer device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7;
A management device for managing the transfer device,
The management device
A storage unit for storing map data in a conveyance space in which a plurality of shelves are arranged;
A conveyance information acquisition unit for acquiring a current position of the conveyance object and a position of a conveyance destination of the conveyance object;
A route acquisition unit for acquiring a movement route of the transfer device based on the current position of the transfer object, the position of the transfer destination, and the map data;
And a route transmission unit that transmits the travel route acquired by the route acquisition unit to the transport device.

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