JP2020030642A - Unmanned conveyance system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a laser guided unmanned carrier and unmanned conveyance system configured such that transmitted and received lasers are not blocked.SOLUTION: An unmanned forklift 10 which is a laser guided unmanned carrier, comprises: a laser scanner 10C that transmits a laser L while rotating it 360° horizontally and receives the laser L reflected by a reflector 50 installed in a warehouse; and an unmanned carrier 10A that travels based on a recognition result of the reflector 50 by the laser scanner 10C. The laser scanner 10C is provided in a liftable manner so that the height of the laser scanner 10C changes.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a laser type automatic guided vehicle that travels while recognizing a reflection plate with a laser scanner and an automatic guided vehicle system.

  BACKGROUND ART As disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a laser type automatic guided vehicle equipped with a laser scanner is known. The laser scanner transmits the laser while rotating it 360 degrees horizontally, and receives the laser reflected by the reflector disposed at a predetermined location in the warehouse, thereby recognizing the reflector. Thus, the laser guided vehicle calculates the distance to the reflector and the angle (azimuth) of the reflector, estimates the current position, and travels on a preset route.

  Further, as disclosed in Patent Document 3, a plurality of shelves for storing luggage are installed in a warehouse. The laser automatic guided vehicle carries out a loading operation for placing luggage on a shelf and a loading operation for removing luggage from a shelf.

JP-A-2000-56828 JP-A-2000-65571 JP 2003-20102 A

  However, when the luggage is stored on the shelf, the laser transmitted from the laser guided vehicle may be blocked by the luggage. In particular, when the shelf is a movable shelf, the shelf may be blocked by the laser moved.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a laser type automatic guided vehicle and an automatic guided vehicle system configured so that transmitted and received lasers are not blocked.

  In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 transmits a laser while rotating it 360 ° horizontally, and receives a laser reflected by a reflector installed in a warehouse, and a laser scanner, An unmanned running body that runs based on the recognition result of the reflection plate by the laser scanner, wherein the laser scanner is provided so as to be able to move up and down so that the height of the laser scanner changes. .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the laser automatic guided vehicle according to the first aspect, further comprising a telescopic device that supports the laser scanner, wherein the telescopic device expands and contracts in a vertical direction. Is raised and lowered.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the laser type automatic guided vehicle according to the first or second aspect, a control device for controlling elevation of the laser scanner is provided, and the control device recognizes by the laser scanner. If the number of the reflectors is less than a predetermined number, raise or lower the laser scanner.If the number of the reflectors recognized by the laser scanner is equal to or more than a predetermined number, maintain the height of the laser scanner. Features.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic guided vehicle system provided with a laser type automatic guided vehicle and a moving shelf, the laser type automatic guided vehicle transmits a laser while rotating it 360 ° horizontally, and transmits the laser to the warehouse. A laser scanner that receives the laser reflected by the reflector installed on the vehicle, and an unmanned vehicle that runs based on the result of recognition of the reflector by the laser scanner, wherein the laser scanner is a laser scanner. It is characterized by being provided so as to be able to ascend and descend so that the height changes.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the unmanned transport system according to the fourth aspect, the vertical dimension of the reflection plate is larger than a range in which the laser scanner can move up and down.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a laser type automatic guided vehicle and an automatic guided vehicle system configured so that transmitted and received lasers are not blocked.

1 is a schematic diagram of an unmanned transport system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of the laser type automatic guided vehicle according to the same embodiment. It is a side view of the laser type automatic guided vehicle concerning the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows transmission and reception of the laser by the laser type automatic guided vehicle concerning the embodiment.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the unmanned transport system 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the unmanned transport system 1 includes an unmanned forklift 10 which is a laser type unmanned transport vehicle, a plurality of reflectors 50 provided in a warehouse S, and a plurality of storages for luggage N (see FIG. 4). Shelf 70.

  The unmanned forklift 10 includes an unmanned traveling body 10A, a cargo handling device 10B, and a laser scanner 10C. The unmanned traveling body 10A travels on a predetermined route in the warehouse S based on the recognition result of the reflection plate 50. The loading / unloading device 10B performs a loading operation for placing the package N on the shelf 70 and a loading operation for removing the package N from the shelf 70. The laser scanner 10C transmits and receives the laser L.

  The reflection plate 50 is fixed to a wall in the warehouse S, and is arranged at a predetermined height so as to reflect the laser beam L from the unmanned forklift 10. From the viewpoint of improving the estimation accuracy of the current position of the unmanned forklift 10, it is preferable that a large number of reflectors 50 are provided.

  The shelf 70 is a movable shelf that extends along the passage extending direction X and is movable in a moving direction Y perpendicular to the passage extending direction X. The shelf 70 is moved by an electric actuator (not shown), and by moving the shelf 70, a passage through which the unmanned forklift 10 can travel beside any shelf 70 can be formed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the unmanned forklift 10 includes a calculation device 11, a traveling device 12, and a control device 13 as components of the unmanned traveling body 10A. The arithmetic unit 11 recognizes three or more reflectors 50 that have reflected the laser L based on the reception result of the laser L received by the laser scanner 10C, and determines the distance from the laser scanner 10C to the reflector 50 and the reflector 50. Is calculated. Specifically, the arithmetic unit 11 calculates the distance from the laser scanner 10C to the reflector 50 based on the time from transmission of the laser L to reception of the laser L, and calculates the distance of the laser L reflected by the reflector 50. The angle of the reflector 50 is calculated based on the moving direction angle. Then, the arithmetic unit 11 estimates the current position of the unmanned forklift 10 based on the calculation result of the distance and the angle to the reflector 50. The traveling device 12 travels in the warehouse S to perform a loading operation and a loading operation. The control device 13 controls the traveling device 12 based on the estimation result of the current position of the unmanned forklift 10 so that the unmanned traveling body 10A travels on a preset route in the warehouse S. Further, the control device 13 controls a later-described lift device 22 so that the cargo handling device 10B performs the loading operation and the unloading operation.

  The unmanned forklift 10 includes a fork 21 and a lift device 22 as components of the cargo handling device 10B. The fork 21 is provided so as to be able to move up and down, and supports the load N. The lift device 22 includes a mast 22A extending vertically (see FIG. 3) and a lift bracket 22B moving along the mast 22A (see FIG. 3). The fork 21 is attached to the lift bracket 22B, and the lift device 22 raises and lowers the fork 21 by moving the lift bracket 22B up and down.

  The laser scanner 10 </ b> C is provided so as to be able to move up and down, transmits the laser L while rotating it horizontally by 360 °, and receives the laser L reflected by the reflection plate 50. The laser scanner 10C outputs, as a reception result of the laser L, a time from transmission of the laser L to reception of the laser L, and a moving direction angle of the laser L reflected by the reflection plate 50. The laser scanner 10C according to the present embodiment is attached to the unmanned traveling body 10A via a telescopic device 10D described later, but may be attached to the cargo handling device 10B.

  In addition, the unmanned forklift 10 includes a telescopic device 10D that supports a laser scanner 10C. The telescopic device 10D includes, for example, a hydraulic cylinder or an electric cylinder, and moves the laser scanner 10C up and down by expanding and contracting in a vertical direction, which is a vertical direction. The extension device 10D is controlled by the control device 13. The raising and lowering of the laser scanner 10C by the telescopic device 10D is an operation independent of the raising and lowering of the fork 21.

  As shown in FIG. 3, since the laser scanner 10C is provided so as to be able to move up and down, the unmanned forklift 10 is in a state where the laser scanner 10C is provided at the lowest position as shown by a solid line (hereinafter referred to as a "first state"). ) And the state where the laser scanner 10C is provided at the highest position as shown by the two-dot chain line (hereinafter referred to as “second state”). The first state and the second state are switched by raising and lowering the laser scanner 10C.

  In the present embodiment, the elevation of the laser scanner 10C is performed based on the number of the reflection plates 50 recognized by the laser scanner 10C. Specifically, if the number of the reflectors 50 recognized by the laser scanner 10C is less than a predetermined number (for example, three), the control device 13 determines that there is an obstacle to the traveling of the unmanned forklift 10, and controls the expansion device 10D. Activate and raise or lower the laser scanner 10C. On the other hand, if the number of the reflecting plates 50 recognized by the laser scanner 10C is equal to or more than a predetermined number (for example, three), the control device 13 determines that there is no obstacle to the traveling of the unmanned forklift 10 and does not operate the telescopic device 10D. Then, the height of the laser scanner 10C is maintained.

FIG. 4A shows a state where the first reflector 50A, which is the reflector 50, is arranged at a relatively low position.
As shown in FIG. 4A, when the unmanned forklift 10 is in the first state, the laser L is not blocked by the shelf 70 having a low overall height, and the laser scanner 10C causes the first reflector 50A to emit the laser L. And the laser L reflected by the first reflector 50A can be received.

FIGS. 4B and 4C show a state where the second reflector 50B, which is the reflector 50, is arranged at a position higher than the first reflector 50A. The vertical dimension of the second reflector 50B is larger than the range in which the laser scanner 10C can move up and down.
As shown in FIG. 4B, when the unmanned forklift 10 is in the second state, the laser L is not blocked by the high shelf 70, and the laser scanner 10C applies the laser L to the second reflector 50B. And the laser L reflected by the second reflector 50B can be received. Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, since the unmanned forklift 10 takes the second state, the laser L is not blocked by the load N placed on the shelf 70 having a low overall height, and the laser scanner 10C The laser L can be transmitted to the second reflector 50B, and the laser L reflected by the second reflector 50B can be received.

In the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the laser scanner 10C is provided so as to be able to move up and down so that the height of the laser scanner 10C changes, the laser L is blocked by the luggage N and the shelf 70 by changing the height of the laser scanner 10C. Can be prevented.

  (2) If the number of the reflectors 50 recognized by the laser scanner 10C is less than the predetermined number, the controller 13 raises or lowers the laser scanner 10C, and the number of the reflectors 50 recognized by the laser scanner 10C is equal to or more than the predetermined number. In this case, the height of the laser scanner 10C is maintained. According to this configuration, the height of the laser scanner 10C can be changed in a situation in which it is considered that there is an obstacle to the traveling of the unmanned forklift 10.

  (3) The vertical dimension of the second reflector 50B (reflector 50) is larger than the range in which the laser scanner 10C can move up and down. Therefore, the same second reflector 50B can be recognized even when the laser scanner 10C is moved up and down. That is, the laser scanner 10C can recognize the same reflector 50 regardless of whether the unmanned forklift 10 is in the first state or the second state.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the above configuration can be appropriately changed. For example, the above embodiment may be modified and implemented as follows, or the following modifications may be appropriately combined.

  The elevation of the laser scanner 10C does not have to be performed based on the number of the reflectors 50 recognized by the laser scanner 10C, and may be appropriately performed at an arbitrary timing. For example, the control device 13 may raise and lower the laser scanner 10C intermittently and periodically.

  The present invention may be applied to a laser type automatic guided vehicle other than the unmanned forklift 10. That is, the present invention can be applied to an automatic guided vehicle provided with a transfer device other than a fork, or an automatic guided vehicle not provided with a transfer device.

1 unmanned transport system 10 unmanned forklift (laser type unmanned transport vehicle)
10A Unmanned traveling object 10C Laser scanner 10D Telescopic device 13 Control device 50 Reflector 70 Shelf

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an unmanned transport system provided with a laser type automatic guided vehicle that travels while recognizing a reflector with a laser scanner.

The present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a non-human transport system laser to be transmitted and received is configured not obstructed.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 is an automatic guided vehicle system including a laser type automatic guided vehicle and a moving shelf, wherein the laser type automatic guided vehicle transmits a laser while rotating horizontally 360 °. A laser scanner that receives the laser reflected by the reflection plate installed in the warehouse, and an unmanned traveling body that runs based on the result of recognition of the reflection plate by the laser scanner, wherein the laser scanner The laser scanner is provided so as to be able to ascend and descend so that the height of the laser scanner changes, and a first state provided at a predetermined position and a second state provided at a position higher than the first state are provided. In the second state, the laser is configured to travel straight and horizontally at a position higher than the total height of the movable shelf, and in the first state, the laser is moved. The laser at a position lower than the overall height is characterized by being configured to linearly horizontally in.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the automatic guided vehicle system according to the first aspect , the laser type automatic guided vehicle includes a telescopic device that supports the laser scanner, and the telescopic device expands and contracts in a vertical direction. By doing so, the laser scanner is moved up and down.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the automatic guided vehicle system according to the first or second aspect, the laser type automatic guided vehicle includes a control device that controls elevation of the laser scanner, and the control device includes: When the number of the reflectors recognized by the laser scanner is less than a predetermined number, the laser scanner is raised or lowered, and when the number of the reflectors recognized by the laser scanner is equal to or more than a predetermined number, the height of the laser scanner is increased. It is characterized by maintaining the quality.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the unmanned transport system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the vertical dimension of the reflection plate is larger than a range in which the laser scanner can move up and down. It is characterized by the following.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a non-human transport system laser to be transmitted and received is configured not obstructed.

Claims (5)

A laser scanner that transmits a laser while rotating it 360 ° horizontally and receives the laser reflected by a reflector installed in a warehouse;
An unmanned traveling body that runs based on the result of recognition of the reflector by the laser scanner,
The laser type automatic guided vehicle, wherein the laser scanner is provided so as to be able to move up and down so that the height of the laser scanner changes. With a telescopic device that supports the laser scanner,
The laser automatic guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the telescopic device vertically moves the laser scanner by expanding and contracting the laser scanner. A control device for controlling the elevation of the laser scanner,
The control device, when the number of the reflectors recognized by the laser scanner is less than a predetermined number, raises or lowers the laser scanner, when the number of the reflectors recognized by the laser scanner is equal to or more than a predetermined number, The laser type automatic guided vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the height of the laser scanner is maintained. In an automatic guided vehicle system including a laser type automatic guided vehicle and a moving shelf,
The laser automatic guided vehicle,
A laser scanner that transmits a laser while rotating it 360 ° horizontally and receives the laser reflected by a reflector installed in a warehouse;
An unmanned traveling body that runs based on the result of recognition of the reflector by the laser scanner,
The unmanned conveyance system, wherein the laser scanner is provided so as to be able to move up and down so that the height of the laser scanner changes. The unmanned transport system according to claim 4, wherein a vertical dimension of the reflection plate is larger than a range in which the laser scanner can move up and down.

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