JP2020187457A - In-hospital transportation system and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an in-hospital transportation system that can be easily introduced into existing hospitals where unspecified number of persons come and go.SOLUTION: An in-hospital transportation system 100 comprises: a traveling wagon 1; a cart 2 transported by the traveling wagon 1, which stores a transportation target article; and a superordinate controller 3 which commands the traveling wagon 1 to transport the cart by transmitting a transportation command to the traveling wagon 1. The traveling wagon 1 includes: a travel unit; a storage unit which stores environmental map data; an environmental information obtaining unit which obtains local map data; a self-position estimation unit which estimates a self-position of the traveling wagon 1 based on the environmental map data and the local map data; and a travel control unit which makes the traveling wagon 1 autonomously travel in a hospital without a track by controlling the travel unit based on a travel command for traveling from the self-position to a target position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an in-hospital transport system for transporting goods in a hospital where an unspecified number of people come and go, and a method for controlling a traveling carriage used in the in-hospital transport system.

Goods such as drugs, specimens and linen are frequently transported in hospitals. Conventionally, such transportation of articles has been performed by manually transporting a cart containing the articles. Since the amount of goods transported in the hospital is large, it takes a lot of time and labor to manually transport the goods. A system for automating the transportation of articles in a hospital is known for the purpose of solving this problem and improving the efficiency of transportation of articles in a hospital (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-297062

In the conventional system that automates the transportation of goods in the hospital, the goods are transported by the self-propelled trolley equipped with the tray containing the goods, but the self-propelled trolley of this system is used by an unspecified number of people. Drive on rails installed indoors where there is no traffic. Therefore, the conventional system cannot be easily introduced into an existing hospital because it is necessary to carry out a large-scale construction for installing the system in the hospital.

An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily introduce an in-hospital transport system for transporting goods in a hospital to an existing hospital where an unspecified number of people come and go.

Hereinafter, a plurality of aspects will be described as means for solving the problem. These aspects can be arbitrarily combined as needed.
The in-hospital transport system according to the first aspect of the present invention is a system for transporting goods in a hospital where an unspecified number of people come and go. The in-hospital transport system includes a traveling carriage, a cart, and a host controller. The trolley runs in the hospital. The cart stores the goods to be transported and is transported in the hospital by being held by the traveling trolley. The host controller sends a transport command to the traveling carriage to instruct the traveling carriage to transport the cart.
Further, the traveling carriage has a traveling unit, a storage unit, an environmental information acquisition unit, a self-position estimation unit, and a traveling control unit. The storage unit stores environmental map data representing the inside of the hospital. The environmental information acquisition unit acquires local map data representing an object existing around the traveling trolley. The self-position estimation unit estimates the self-position of the traveling trolley based on the environmental map data and the local map data. The travel control unit controls the travel unit based on the travel command for traveling from the self-position estimated by the self-position estimation unit to the target position determined based on the transport command, so that the traveling carriage can be hospitalized without a track. Autonomously drive inside.

In the above-mentioned in-hospital transport system, a cart for transporting goods in the hospital is transported in the hospital by being held by a traveling carriage. In addition, the traveling carriage travels in the hospital without a track by estimating the self-position by the self-position estimation unit and traveling based on the traveling command for traveling from the self-position to the target position indicated in the transport command. Can run autonomously.
In this way, the traveling trolley that transports the cart can autonomously travel in the hospital where an unspecified number of people come and go without a track, so the in-hospital transport system requires large-scale installation work such as laying rails when introducing it to the hospital. It can be easily introduced into an existing hospital without doing so.

In addition, since the traveling trolley can travel in the hospital without a track, it is not necessary to perform installation work such as laying a magnetic tape on the floor of the hospital. As a result, the traveling trolley can autonomously travel and transport the goods to a clean facility in the hospital where magnetic tape or the like cannot be laid.

In the hospital transport system, there may be a plurality of traveling carriages and carts. In this case, the transport command may include a command to transport a specific cart among the plurality of carts to a specific traveling carriage among the plurality of traveling carriages. As a result, a large amount of goods can be efficiently transported in the hospital.

The number of carts may be larger than the number of traveling carts. As a result, a large amount of goods can be efficiently transported in the hospital.

The in-hospital transport system may further include an elevator, a wireless communication device, and a control panel. The elevator moves the trolley to a different floor in the hospital. The wireless communication device is a device for wireless communication between the elevator and the host controller and the traveling carriage. The control panel controls the elevator. In this case, the host controller may send a command to the control panel to call the elevator and open / close the elevator door.
As a result, the traveling trolley can be autonomously traveled to different floors in the hospital, and articles can be autonomously transported to different floors in the hospital.

The in-hospital transport system may further include a status indicator and a control panel. The status indicator light will be installed in the hospital where the staff is located. The control panel controls the status indicator. In this case, the host controller transmits a command for turning on the status indicator lamp to the control panel at the timing when the cart being transported by the traveling carriage is transported to a specific place.
As a result, it is possible to notify the staff in the hospital that the desired cart (specific cart) has been transported to the desired place (specific place) by the traveling carriage.

The in-hospital transport system may further include an automatic door, a fire door, and a control panel. Automatic doors and fire doors will be installed at predetermined locations within the hospital. In this case, the host controller transmits a command for opening and closing the automatic door or the fire door to the control panel at the timing when the traveling carriage passes through the automatic door or the fire door.
As a result, even if automatic doors and fire doors exist in the hospital, the traveling trolley can autonomously pass through them.

The in-hospital transport system may further include a cart pool. The cart pool keeps unused carts on standby. As a result, it is possible to select and use a specific cart from the cart pool as needed while collecting unused carts in a predetermined place.

The in-hospital transport system may have a station. The station is the place where the trolley performs the task of holding the cart. As a result, the work for holding the cart on the traveling carriage can be efficiently executed.

The in-hospital transport system may further include terminals. The terminal sends a transport request to the host controller requesting that the cart be transported from the loading location to a specific location in the hospital. The loading place is a place for storing goods in the cart. In this case, the host controller travels to the loading location based on the transport request received from the terminal, holds the cart containing the goods at the loading location, and then transports the cart to a specific location. Generates a transport command to command the traveling carriage and transmits it to the traveling carriage.
Thereby, a transport request requesting that the article is transported from the loading location to a specific location can be set by using the terminal. In addition, the traveling trolley can autonomously execute a series of operations for transporting the cart containing the goods from the loading location to a specific location by receiving the transport command generated based on the transport request from the host controller. ..

In the in-hospital transport system, the article stored in the cart may be a drug, and the loading place may be a drug department that manages the drug. As a result, the drug can be autonomously transported in the hospital.

The terminal may include a first terminal and a second terminal. The first terminal outputs an order for the drug. The second terminal transmits a transport request requesting that the cart containing the drug indicated in the prescription created based on the order be transported from the pharmacy department to a specific location to the host controller.
As a result, the first terminal for ordering the drug and the second terminal for storing the drug selected according to the prescription created based on the order in the cart and requesting that the drug be transported from the pharmacy department to a specific place. And can be separated.

The pharmacy unit may have an auto ampoule dispenser. An auto ampoule dispenser is a device that picks drugs to be stored in a cart based on a prescription. As a result, the drug to be stored in the cart can be efficiently selected.

In the in-hospital transport system, the article stored in the cart may be any of drugs, specimens, sterilizing equipment, medical materials, and linen. As a result, the above-mentioned articles used in the hospital can be autonomously transported. As a result, goods can be efficiently transported in the hospital.

Carts may exist for each type of goods to be stored. As a result, the article can be transported using an appropriate cart according to the type of the article, and the expandability and the degree of freedom of the in-hospital transport system can be increased.

The control method according to another viewpoint of the present invention is a control method of a traveling carriage traveling in a hospital where an unspecified number of people come and go in an in-hospital transport system. In addition, the above-mentioned in-hospital transport system further includes a cart, a host controller, and a terminal. The cart stores the goods to be transported and is transported in the hospital by being held by the traveling trolley. The host controller sends a transport command to the traveling carriage to instruct the traveling carriage to transport the cart. The terminal sends a transport request to the host controller. The control method of the traveling carriage includes the following steps.
◎ The step in which the terminal sends a transport request to the host controller requesting that the cart be transported from the loading location where the goods are stored in the cart to a specific location in the hospital.
◎ The host controller travels to the loading location based on the transport request received from the terminal, holds the cart containing the goods at the loading location, and then travels to transport the cart to a specific location. A step to generate a transport command to command a dolly.
◎ Step to send a transport command to the traveling carriage.
◎ A step in which a traveling trolley autonomously travels in a hospital without a track to a loading location based on a transport command.
◎ A step in which a traveling trolley holds a cart containing goods at a loading location based on a transport command.
◎ A step in which a traveling trolley transports a cart that autonomously holds the hospital to a specific location without a track based on a transport command.

In the in-hospital transport system in which the traveling carriage is controlled as described above, the cart for transporting articles in the hospital is transported in the hospital by being held by the traveling carriage. In addition, the traveling trolley that transports the cart can autonomously travel without a track in the hospital where an unspecified number of people come and go. Therefore, the above-mentioned in-hospital transport system can be easily introduced into an existing hospital without performing large-scale installation work such as laying rails when introducing the system into a hospital.

In addition, since the traveling trolley can travel in the hospital without a track, it is not necessary to perform installation work such as laying a magnetic tape on the floor of the hospital. As a result, the traveling trolley can travel to a clean facility in the hospital where magnetic tape or the like cannot be laid to transport the article.

The above-mentioned in-hospital transport system for transporting goods in a hospital does not require a large-scale installation work when it is introduced into a hospital, so that it can be easily introduced into an existing hospital. In addition, since installation work such as laying magnetic tape is not required, goods can be transported to a clean facility in the hospital.

The figure which shows an example of the hospital where the in-hospital transport system is introduced. The figure which shows the structure of the in-hospital transport system. The figure which shows an example of the arrangement of access points in an in-hospital transport system, and the control configuration of an elevator. The figure which shows the structure of the traveling carriage. The figure which shows the structure of the control part of the traveling carriage. The figure which shows the traveling carriage in the state where the lift is raised. Front view of the cart. Rear view of the cart. The figure which shows the structure of the sensor attached to a cart. The figure which shows the state which the traveling carriage holds a cart. A flowchart showing the schematic operation of the in-hospital transport system. The flowchart which shows the warehousing operation in the example of transporting a drug from a drug part to a packing place. The flowchart which shows the transport operation on the upper controller side in the example of transporting a drug from a drug section to a packing place. The flowchart which shows the transport operation on the traveling carriage side in the example of transporting a drug from a drug section to a packing place. A flowchart showing post-transportation processing on the upper controller side. A flowchart showing post-transportation processing on the traveling carriage side. The flowchart which shows the post-transportation processing in a packing place. The figure which shows the structure of the system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

1. 1. First Embodiment (1) Outline of a hospital in which an in-hospital transport system is introduced The in-hospital transport system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described below. First, an example of the hospital H in which the in-hospital transport system 100 is introduced will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a hospital in which an in-hospital transportation system is introduced.
Hospital H, to which the in-hospital transport system 100 is introduced, is a large-scale hospital in which, for example, many hospital staff (doctors, nurses, etc.) and patients exist, and an unspecified number of these people come and go. Hospital H shown in FIG. 1 is a building having FL10 on the 1st floor and FL10 on the 10th floor. The FL1 on the first floor is provided with a reception desk for hospital H, a window for making payments, a management place for various goods used in hospital H (loading place described later), and the like. On the other hand, FL2 on the 2nd floor and FL3 on the 3rd floor are outpatient wards, and there are outpatients and hospital staff. Further, FL4 on the 4th floor and FL10 on the 10th floor are inpatient wards, and inpatients and hospital staff are present.

In addition, each of the 4th floor FL4 to 10th floor FL10, which is an inpatient ward, is provided with a hospital staff station SR (for example, a staff station). The cart 2 for transporting articles to the 4th floor FL4 to the 10th floor FL10, or the cart 2 after taking out the articles, is arranged in or near the packing station SR. In addition, if necessary, the cart 2 may be arranged in the vicinity of the hospital room. In addition, there may be a plurality of packing stations SR on one floor.

Further, as will be described later, in the in-hospital transport system 100 of the present embodiment, the traveling carriage 1 can autonomously travel without a track. Therefore, a track (for example, a rail, a magnetic tape, etc.) for guiding the traveling carriage 1 is not provided on the route (transporting route of goods) of the traveling carriage 1 on the 1st floor FL1 to the 10th floor FL10. That is, the in-hospital transport system 100 of the present embodiment can be introduced into the existing hospital H without performing large-scale installation work or the like.

Further, the hospital H is provided with an elevator EL capable of mounting the traveling carriage 1 of the in-hospital transport system 100 or the traveling carriage 1 holding the cart 2 (described later). As will be described later, in the in-hospital transport system 100 of the present embodiment, since the traveling carriage 1 can autonomously travel without a track, this elevator EL can be an existing elevator used by patients and hospital staff. That is, the in-hospital transport system 100 does not particularly require a special elevator for the traveling carriage 1. The elevator EL is a wireless communication device EL2 (FIG. 3) for wireless communication between the elevator control unit EL1 (FIG. 3) that controls the elevator EL, the traveling carriage 1 in the elevator EL, and the elevator control unit EL1 and the host controller 3. 3) and.
Although the details will be described later, the in-hospital transport system 100 of the present embodiment can execute control for coordinating the opening / closing and raising / lowering of the elevator EL door with the running of the traveling carriage 1.

Further, the hospital H is provided with a fire door FW (FIG. 2) at a predetermined position of the hospital H as a fire prevention facility, and an automatic door D (FIG. 2) is provided at a predetermined position of the hospital H for the purpose of partitioning. The in-hospital transport system 100 of the present embodiment can execute control for coordinating the opening and closing of the fire door FW and the automatic door D with the running of the traveling carriage 1.

(2) In-hospital transport system (2-1) Outline of the in-hospital transport system The in-hospital transport system 100 introduced in the hospital H will be described below. First, the in-hospital transport system 100 will be schematically described. The in-hospital transport system 100 according to the present embodiment is the hospital H of the traveling trolley 1 holding the traveling trolley 1 alone or the cart 2 for storing the articles used in the hospital H in the hospital H as shown in FIG. By controlling the traveling on the 1st floor FL1 to the 10th floor FL10, the transportation of goods in the hospital H is managed and controlled.
Articles transported by the in-hospital transport system 100 include, for example, drugs to be administered to patients, sterilization equipment used for treating patients such as surgery, disposable medical materials such as masks and gauze, and blood of patients to be examined. There are specimens such as urine, pathological specimens, blood transfusions, medical equipment, and linen such as futons.

In the in-hospital transport system 100, each of the above articles is transported by, for example, the following transport route. Drugs (for example, injections, prescription drugs, preparations, etc.) are transported between the pharmacy department of Hospital H and the ward (FL2 to FL3 on the 2nd floor). Sterilized equipment (for example, equipment used for surgery, used equipment, etc.) is transported between the central material part (middle material) for sterilizing the equipment, the ward, and the operating room. Medical materials are transported between the in-hospital logistics management center (SPD center) and the ward and operating room. Specimens such as blood and urine are transported between the ward and the specimen inspection department. The pathological specimen is transported between the operating room and the specimen examination department. Blood transfusions are transported between the transfusion department and the ward and operating room. Medical equipment is transported between the ME department and the ward. Linen is transported between the laundry department and the ward and operating room.

Of the above transport routes, the place where the goods are stored in the cart 2 is called a "loading place". In the above example, the loading location is, for example, the pharmacy department (for drugs), the central materials department (for sterilization equipment), the in-hospital distribution control center (for medical materials), the ward or the operating room (for specimens). , Blood transfusion department (in the case of blood transfusion), ME department (in the case of medical equipment), washing department (in the case of linen).
In addition, when returning the above items to their original location (for example, returning drugs, transporting used sterilization equipment, transporting used medical materials, returning blood transfusions, returning medical equipment, returning used linen For transportation, etc.), the loading location is, for example, a ward or operating room.

In the hospital H as shown in FIG. 1, the above-mentioned articles may be urgently required to be transported or may be transported regularly. However, the hospital transport system 100 according to the present embodiment is mainly used regularly. Used for transporting a target or a relatively large number of articles. Regular or relatively large number of articles may be, for example, transported to or from the ward of the above articles. That is, the in-hospital transport system 100 is mainly used for transporting articles that are not urgent but need to be transported regularly, heavy or heavy articles, and many articles.

In addition, emergency or small amount of articles such as transportation to the operating room are transported by, for example, another system (for example, a pneumatic tube system) provided in the hospital H. That is, the in-hospital transport system 100 of the present embodiment can be operated in cooperation with other transport systems of the hospital H to improve the efficiency of transporting the articles of the hospital H.

(2-2) Configuration of In-Hospital Transport System Next, a specific configuration of the in-hospital transport system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an in-hospital transport system. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of access points in the in-hospital transport system and the control configuration of the elevator.
The in-hospital transport system 100 that manages / controls the transport of goods in the hospital H includes a traveling carriage 1, a cart 2, a host controller 3, a control panel 4, and an access point 5. The traveling carriage 1 autonomously travels in the hospital H without a track. The cart 2 stores the goods to be transported and is held by the traveling carriage 1 to be transported in the hospital H.

In the hospital transport system 100 according to the present embodiment, there are a plurality of traveling carriages 1 and carts 2, and the number of carts 2 is larger than the number of traveling carriages 1. For example, the in-hospital transport system 100 has three traveling carriages 1 and about 360 carts 2. As a result, a large amount of articles can be efficiently transported in the hospital H. The number of traveling carriages 1 and carts 2 of the in-hospital transport system 100 can be appropriately changed according to the scale of hospital H, the type and / or amount of goods to be transported.

The host controller 3 is a computer system composed of a CPU, a storage device (for example, RAM, ROM, SSD, hard disk, etc.), a network interface, various input / output interfaces, and the like. The host controller 3 manages / controls the transportation of articles in the hospital transportation system 100 by controlling each element of the hospital transportation system 100.

Specifically, the host controller 3 transmits a transport command relating to the transport of goods to a specific traveling carriage 1, so that a plurality of carts 2 are used for the specific traveling carriage 1 among the plurality of traveling carriages 1. Of these, a specific cart 2 is instructed to be transported. The traveling carriage 1 that has received the transport command from the host controller 3 autonomously travels in the hospital H to the target loading location according to the received transport command, and holds (lifts up) the specific cart 2 indicated by the transport command. Then, while holding the cart 2, the vehicle autonomously travels to a specific place (destination point) in the hospital H indicated in the transport command.
Further, the host controller 3 stores the environmental map data M1 representing the inside of the hospital H, and monitors the position of the plurality of traveling carriages 1 in the environmental map data M1 (that is, in the hospital H).

The above-mentioned function of the upper controller 3 is realized by executing a program stored in the storage device of the computer system constituting the upper controller 3.

The control panel 4 is connected to the host controller 3 via a network NW (for example, LAN), and controls elements other than the traveling carriage 1 of the hospital transport system 100 according to a command received from the host controller 3.

Specifically, the control panel 4 is connected to the automatic door D and the fire door FW. When the control panel 4 receives a command from the host controller 3 to open / close the corresponding automatic door D or fire door FW at the timing when the traveling vehicle 1 passes through the automatic door D or the fire door FW, the control panel 4 receives the command to open / close the corresponding automatic door D or the fire door FW. Open the door FW. After the traveling trolley 1 passes through the automatic door D or the fire door FW, when safety is ensured, the control panel 4 closes the released automatic door D or the fire door FW.

In this way, when the control panel 4 opens and closes the corresponding automatic door D or fire door FW at the timing when the traveling vehicle 1 passes through the automatic door D or the fire door FW, the automatic door D and the fire door FW are inside the hospital H. The traveling carriage 1 can autonomously pass through them even if they are present.

Further, the control panel 4 is connected to the elevator control unit EL1 of the elevator EL. When the control panel 4 calls the elevator EL cage on the floor where the traveling carriage 1 is located from the upper controller 3 and receives a command to open / close the elevator EL door on the floor, the control panel 4 sends the elevator EL 1 to the elevator control unit EL1. Move the cage to the floor indicated in the above command and order to open the elevator EL door on that floor.
After that, the traveling carriage 1 existing in the vicinity of the elevator EL is instructed to travel toward the inside of the elevator EL cage via the wireless communication device EL2.

After that, the control panel 4 moves the elevator EL on which the traveling carriage 1 is mounted to the floor indicated by the command based on the command from the host controller 3, and opens the door after reaching the designated floor. Command the control unit EL1. After opening the door, the traveling carriage 1 is instructed to travel toward the floor reached from the inside of the elevator EL cage via the wireless communication device EL2.

In this way, the elevator EL basket is called up to the floor where the traveling carriage 1 exists, the traveling carriage 1 is placed in the elevator EL cage, and then the elevator EL cage on which the traveling carriage 1 is placed is placed on the designated floor. By moving the traveling carriage 1, the traveling carriage 1 can autonomously travel to different floors in the hospital H. That is, the traveling carriage 1 (holding the cart 2 containing the articles) can autonomously transport the articles to different floors in the hospital H.

The control panel 4 is further connected to the status indicator lamp 6. The status indicator lamp 6 is a lamp provided in a place where staff is present (for example, a loading place, a staff packing place SR, etc.) in the hospital H, and can be lit in a plurality of colors, for example. When the control panel 4 receives a command for lighting the status indicator lamp 6 at the timing when the cart 2 being transported by the traveling carriage 1 is transported to a specific location, the control panel 4 lights the status indicator lamp 6 in a specific color. Take control.

In this way, by lighting the status indicator light 6 in a specific color and notifying that the specific cart 2 has been transported to the specific place which is the destination point, the traveling carriage 1 can display the desired cart 2 ( It is possible to visually notify the staff in the hospital H that the specific cart) has been transported to the desired location (specific location).

The control panel 4 sets the status indicator 6 at the timing when it detects that an abnormality has occurred in the in-hospital transport system 100, or at the timing when it detects that a person or the like has approached the traveling carriage 1 and / or the cart 2. You may turn it on. In this case, the control panel 4 may be lit in a different color according to an event (abnormality occurrence, a person approaching the traveling carriage 1 and / or the cart 2, etc.) generated in the hospital transport system 100.

The access point 5 is a device provided on the floors FL1 to FL10 on which the traveling carriage 1 in the hospital H can travel, and relays wireless communication between the traveling carriage 1 traveling on each floor FL1 to FL10 and the upper controller 3. The access point 5 is, for example, a wireless router.
As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of access points 5 are provided at predetermined intervals along the traveling route (transportation route of articles) of the traveling carriages 1 of FL1 to FL10 on each floor. As a result, the traveling carriage 1 can always wirelessly communicate with any of the access points 5 while traveling on each floor FL1 to FL10. That is, the traveling carriage 1 can always wirelessly communicate with the host controller 3 while traveling via any of the access points 5.

If a wireless router or the like is already installed on each floor FL1 to FL10 in the hospital H, the wireless router may be used as the access point 5 of the hospital transport system 100. Further, the existing wireless router may have both the function as the access point 5 and other functions. For example, in a wireless router, by making it possible to use a plurality of domains, it is possible to realize combined functions.

The in-hospital transport system 100 has a charging unit 7. The charging unit 7 charges the battery of the traveling carriage 1. For example, when instructed by the host controller 3, the traveling carriage 1 moves to a place where the charging unit 7 is provided (for example, a predetermined place on each floor in the hospital H) to charge the battery. ..

Specifically, the charging unit 7 has a charging station 7a and a charger 7b. The charging station 7a supplies electric power for charging the battery of the traveling carriage 1. Specifically, the charging station 7a has, for example, a coil capable of non-contact power transmission, a socket for outputting power, and the like.
Further, the charging station 7a has a landmark having a characteristic shape or a material having a characteristic reflection intensity. The traveling carriage 1 can detect the shape of the landmark or the reflected light by LRF, and can measure the distance between the traveling carriage 1 and the charging station 7a based on the detected shape of the landmark. That is, by providing the landmark, the traveling carriage 1 can autonomously approach (dock) the charging station 7a.

The charger 7b is a power source that supplies electric power to the charging station 7a. The charger 7b is connected to the upper controller 3 via the control panel 4, and supplies electric power to the charging station 7a to which the traveling carriage 1 is docked via the control panel 4 according to a command from the upper controller 3.

The in-hospital transport system 100 has a station ST. The station ST is a place where the traveling carriage 1 executes the work of holding (lifting up) or releasing the cart 2. In the hospital transport system 100, a plurality of station STs exist (for example, they exist on each floor on which the traveling carriage 1 can travel), and each station ST is assigned an identification number. Further, the station ST includes a transmission station for the traveling carriage 1 to hold the cart 2 and a receiving station for releasing the holding of the cart 2 by the traveling carriage 1. Further, the station ST may include a waiting place for the traveling carriage 1.

The in-hospital transport system 100 has a cart pool CP. The cart pool CP is a place for waiting for an unused cart 2. The cart pool CP is provided, for example, at a loading location that is a starting point for transporting goods. As a result, it is possible to select and use a specific cart 2 from the cart pool CP as needed while collecting unused carts 2 at a predetermined location.

(2-3) Configuration of Traveling Cart (2-3-1) Configuration of Traveling Cart Next, the configuration of traveling carriage 1 included in the in-hospital transport system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. To do. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a traveling carriage. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a control unit of a traveling carriage. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a traveling carriage in a state where the lift is raised.
In the in-hospital transport system 100, the traveling carriage 1 autonomously travels in the hospital H in a state of holding the cart 2 containing the articles or independently in accordance with the transport command received from the host controller 3. The traveling carriage 1 has a main body B, a traveling unit 11, an object detection sensor 13, a lift 15, and a control unit 17 (FIG. 5).

The main body B is a housing that constitutes the main body of the traveling carriage 1. The traveling unit 11 is attached to the lower part of the main body B and runs the main body B (traveling carriage 1). The traveling unit 11 is a differential two-wheel type traveling unit, and specifically includes a pair of main wheels 11a and a pair of driven wheels 11b.
Each of the pair of main wheels 11a is provided on the left and right sides of the main body B, and rotates according to the rotation of the output rotation shaft of the motor 11c (FIG. 5). Further, the output rotation shaft of the motor 11c is provided with an encoder 11d (FIG. 5) for measuring the amount of rotation of the output rotation shaft. Each of the pair of driven wheels 11b is provided in front of and behind the main body B, and is driven and rotated as the main body B travels due to the rotation of the main wheels 11a.

The object detection sensor 13 is a sensor that acquires information regarding the position of an object existing around the traveling carriage 1. The objects detected by the object detection sensor 13 include walls, pillars, installation objects, and people who come and go in the hospital H, which are present in the transport path of the traveling carriage 1.
In the traveling carriage 1 of the present embodiment, the object detection sensor 13 has a front object detection sensor 13a and a rear object detection sensor 13b. The forward object detection sensor 13a is provided in front of the main body B, and acquires information regarding the position of an object existing in front of the traveling carriage 1 in the traveling direction. The rear object detection sensor 13b is provided behind the main body B and acquires information on the position of an object existing behind the traveling carriage 1 in the traveling direction.

In the present embodiment, the front object detection sensor 13a and the rear object detection sensor 13b are sensors based on, for example, the time until the laser beam radiated to the object is reflected by the object and received by the sensor. It is a distance measuring sensor that measures the distance between an object and an object. Examples of the range finder include a laser range finder (LRF) and a TOF sensor. In the present embodiment, the front object detection sensor 13a and the rear object detection sensor 13b can measure the distance of an object within a semicircle having a central angle of 270 °.
The front object detection sensor 13a and the rear object detection sensor 13b, which are the above-mentioned ranging sensors, determine the distance from the sensor to the object and the direction (angle) in which the object exists as seen from the sensor as the object detection result. , Is output to the control unit 17.

The lift 15 is a flat member provided on the upper part of the main body B and can be raised and lowered in the height direction as shown in FIG. 6 by a drive mechanism such as a motor (not shown). As will be described later, the lift 15 holds the cart 2 by ascending in the height direction. On the other hand, the lift 15 holding the cart 2 can release the holding of the cart 2 by descending in the height direction.

The control unit 17 is composed of a CPU, a storage device (for example, RAM, ROM, SSD, hard disk, etc.), a network interface, various input / output interfaces, etc. provided inside the main body B, and is a computer that controls the traveling carriage 1. It is a system. A part or all of the control unit 17 may be composed of a SoC (System on Chip). The specific control configuration of the control unit 17 will be described in detail later.

The traveling carriage 1 may further have an ultrasonic sensor 19. The ultrasonic sensor 19 is attached to the front and rear or the side surface of the main body B, and detects the approach of an object to the traveling carriage 1. By providing the ultrasonic sensor 19 on the main body B, contact between the traveling carriage 1 and an object can be more reliably avoided.

(2-3-2) Configuration of Control Unit The specific configuration of the control unit 17 that controls the traveling carriage 1 will be described below with reference to FIG. The control unit 17 includes a travel control unit 171, a first communication unit 173, a second communication unit 175, a lift control unit 177, and a battery 179. The travel control unit 171 controls the travel control of the travel carriage 1 in the hospital H. The specific control configuration of the traveling control unit 171 will be described in detail later.

The first communication unit 173 performs wireless communication with the host controller 3 via the access point 5 and wireless communication with the elevator control unit EL1 via the wireless communication device EL2. The first communication unit 173 is, for example, a circuit for performing wireless network communication.

The second communication unit 175 communicates with the cart 2. Specifically, the second communication unit 175 receives the detection result of the object by the abnormality detection sensor 24 (described later) provided in the cart 2 held by the lift 15. Further, the second communication unit 175 may send and receive other information about the cart 2 (for example, receiving the identification information of the cart 2 and transmitting the information about the destination of the cart 2) with the cart 2, if necessary. .. The second communication unit 175 is a circuit capable of wireless communication such as infrared communication (communication according to the IrDA standard), short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and wireless network communication. In addition, the second communication unit 175 may be a circuit for wired communication with the cart communication unit 26 at a terminal in contact with the communication electrode of the cart communication unit 26 (described later).

The lift control unit 177 controls the raising and lowering of the lift 15. The battery 179 is a secondary battery that supplies electric power to the traveling carriage 1. The battery 179 is also connected to a power receiving unit 179a and a power feeding unit 179b. The power receiving unit 179a is provided in the main body B, and when the traveling carriage 1 approaches the charging station 7a, the charging power of the battery 179 is input from the charging station 7a, and the battery 179 is charged using the charging power. The power receiving unit 179a is, for example, a coil or socket for non-contact power transmission.
The power feeding unit 179b is provided on the lift 15 and supplies electric power to the cart 2 held by the lift 15. This electric power is used to drive various sensors and the like provided on the cart 2. The power supply unit 179b is, for example, a coil for non-contact power transmission, a socket, and a metal terminal for power supply.

(2-3-3) Configuration of Travel Control Unit The specific configuration of the travel control unit 171 that controls the travel of the traveling carriage 1 will be described below with reference to FIG. In addition, a part or all of the functions of each function block of the traveling control unit 171 described below may be realized by a computer program that can be executed by the computer system constituting the control unit 17, or may be realized by hardware. It may be realized. When the function of the functional block is realized by a computer program, the computer program is stored in a storage device of a computer system constituting the control unit 17.
The travel control unit 171 includes a storage unit 171a, an environmental information acquisition unit 171b, a self-position estimation unit 171c, and a travel control unit 171d.

The storage unit 171a is a part of a storage area of a storage device of a computer system constituting the control unit 17, and stores settings and the like necessary for controlling the traveling carriage 1. Specifically, the storage unit 171a stores the environmental map data M1, the local map data M2, and the transport schedule SC.
The environmental map data M1 is map information representing the inside of the hospital H. The environmental map data M1 may be map information representing the entire hospital H (FL1 to FL10 on all floors), or one of the entire hospitals H in the hospital H where the corresponding traveling trolley 1 can travel. It may be map information of the area (some floors) of the department. Further, the environmental map data M1 may be created by using the local map data M2 obtained when actually traveling the transport route on the traveling vehicle 1 and teaching it, or CAD such as a design drawing in the hospital H. It may be created by converting the data.

The local map data M2 is map information representing an object within a predetermined range centered on the current position of the traveling carriage 1. The local map data M2 is created based on the data input by the environmental information acquisition unit 171b from the object detection sensor 13 (front object detection sensor 13a, rear object detection sensor 13b).

The transport schedule SC is data relating to transport from the transport start point to the transport end point of the traveling carriage 1. In the present embodiment, the transport schedule SC is data representing a transport route as a set of a plurality of target points set at predetermined intervals from a transport start point to a transport end point. In this case, the transport schedule SC may be a route planned by the host controller 3 or may be taught in advance and stored in the host controller 3. In addition, the transport schedule SC may be data relating to the transport start point and the transport end point. In this case, the transportation route planning may be executed by the traveling carriage 1.

The transfer schedule SC may be transmitted from the host controller 3 together with the transfer command, or may be instructed at the time of planning the transfer route and stored in the storage unit 171a in advance.

The environmental information acquisition unit 171b acquires the local map data M2. Specifically, the environmental information acquisition unit 171b exists behind the traveling trolley 1 acquired by the rear object detection sensor 13b and the information regarding the object existing in front of the traveling trolley 1 acquired by the front object detection sensor 13a. Local map data M2 is generated by performing coordinate conversion as necessary using the information about the object to be used.

The self-position estimation unit 171c travels based on the environmental map data M1 stored in the storage unit 171a and the local map data M2 acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 171b while the traveling carriage 1 is autonomously traveling. Estimate the self-position of the dolly 1. Specifically, the self-position estimation unit 171c arranges the local map data M2 at a plurality of candidate positions set near the position estimated based on the rotation amount of the main wheel 11a on the environment map data M1. , Evaluate the degree of agreement between the environmental map data M1 and the local map data M2 placed on the environmental map data M1 at each candidate position, and estimate the candidate position with the highest degree of agreement among the plurality of candidate positions as the self-position. To do.

If, for example, the degree of coincidence between the environmental map data M1 and the local map data M2 cannot be appropriately evaluated due to reasons such as the environmental map data M1 and / or the local map data M2 being monotonous, the self-position estimation unit The 171c may estimate its own position based on the amount of rotation of the main wheel 11a obtained by the encoder 11d (self-position estimation by dead reckoning).

The travel control unit 171d calculates a travel command for traveling from the self-position estimated by the self-position estimation unit 171c to the next target point (target position) of the transport schedule SC. The travel control unit 171d controls the motor 11c based on the calculated travel command. The travel control unit 171d controls the motor 11c by feeding back the amount of rotation of the main wheel 11a measured by the encoder 11d.

The travel control unit 171d has an object having a short distance from the traveling vehicle 1 in the local map data M2 acquired at the current position (in the local map data M2, an object is located near the center of the local map data M2). If there is an image of), control is performed to decelerate, stop, or avoid the traveling vehicle 1.

Since the traveling control unit 171 that controls the traveling of the traveling carriage 1 has the above configuration, the traveling carriage 1 can autonomously travel in the hospital H where an unspecified number of people come and go without a track.

(2-4) Configuration of Cart Next, the configuration of the cart 2 used for storing and transporting the articles in the hospital H in the hospital transport system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 9. FIG. 7A is a front view of the cart. FIG. 7B is a rear view of the cart. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a sensor attached to the cart. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a state in which the traveling carriage holds the cart.
The cart 2 has a cart body 21, wheels 22, and a gripping member 23. The cart main body 21 is a housing that constitutes the main body of the cart 2, and has a storage space inside the housing that can store articles. A plurality of trays TR are stored in the storage space of the cart main body 21, and the articles are stored in the cart 2 in a state of being stored in the tray TR. With this configuration, the cart 2 can store a large amount of articles in the storage space.

Further, a shutter with a key 211 is provided in the opening for taking in and out the tray TR (article) on the front surface of the cart main body 21. The keyed shutter 211 closes the opening of the cart body 21 after storing the article in the tray TR. The shutter with key 211 can be locked with the opening of the cart body 21 covered. As a result, it is possible to prevent the tray TR from being carried to the outside from the cart body 21 and to prevent the tray TR and / or the article from falling during the transportation of the article.

Further, indicator lights 213 are provided on the upper left and right of the cart main body 21. The indicator light 213 functions as, for example, a direction indicator for notifying the moving direction of the cart 2. In addition, a destination display unit 215 is provided at the center of the upper part of the cart body 21. The destination display unit 215 displays the destination of the cart 2. The destination display unit 215 may be a character display device such as electronic paper, or may be a member for inserting a plate on which the destination is described.

The wheels 22 are fixed to the four corners of the bottom of the cart body 21 via the mounting member 22a. With this configuration, the cart 2 can be moved by being towed or pushed by, for example, a hospital staff member. Further, the cart 2 having the above configuration has a space SP in which the traveling carriage 1 can enter between the wheels 22 and the bottom of the cart main body 21.
The gripping members 23 are provided at the four upper corners of the cart body 21, and are members that are gripped when a hospital staff or the like pulls or pushes the cart 2 to move it. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, since the gripping member 23 is attached not only to the front surface of the cart body 21 but also to the back surface, the cart 2 can be towed or pushed from both the front surface and the back surface. There is. Although the cart 2 does not have a drive source (motor) for traveling, this configuration allows the cart 2 to be easily moved by a staff member or the like.

Further, the cart 2 is provided with various sensors and switches (abnormality detection sensor 24) for detecting the approach and contact of an object with the cart 2. Specifically, the cart 2 of the present embodiment includes a cart object detection sensor 24a, a tape switch 24b (FIGS. 8 and 9), a contact detection switch 24c (FIG. 8), and a light as abnormality detection sensors 24. A curtain 24d (FIG. 8) is provided.
The cart object detection sensor 24a is a sensor provided at two corners connected by diagonal lines at the bottom of the cart body 21 and detects an object approaching the cart 2 (cart body 21). The cart object detection sensor 24a is a distance measuring sensor (for example, an LRF or TOF sensor) like the object detection sensor 13 provided on the traveling carriage 1.

The tape switch 24b and the contact detection switch 24c detect the contact of an object with the cart body 21. The tape switch 24b is, for example, a tape-shaped electric switch attached to the front, rear, left, and right sides of the cart body 21. The tape switch 24b detects the contact of an object by changing the switch state (on state / off state) when the object touches it.
The contact detection switch 24c is, for example, a pressure sensor provided on the side surface of the cart body 21. The contact detection switch 24c detects a pressure change caused by an object pushing and bending the cart body 21. In order to improve the detection sensitivity of an object to the cart body 21 by the contact detection switch 24c, it is preferable that the side surface of the cart body 21 has a structure that is easily bent by the contact of the object to cause a pressure change.

The contact detection switch 24c may be provided on three side surfaces (left and right side surfaces, back surface) other than the front surface of the cart main body 21, or may be provided on four side surfaces (front and rear left and right side surfaces) of the cart main body 21. ..

The light curtain 24d detects the approach and contact of an object with the keyed shutter 211 and the opening provided on the front surface of the cart body 21. The light curtain 24d is provided on the front surface of the cart body 21, and outputs light (for example, infrared light) so as to cover the opening (shutter 211 with a key) on the front surface of the cart body 21, and is the light blocked by an object? It is an optical sensor that detects whether or not it is present.

The cart 2 is provided with a stop button 25 in addition to the abnormality detection sensor 24 described above. As shown in FIG. 7B, the stop button 25 is provided on, for example, the upper back surface of the cart main body 21, and is pressed when, for example, stopping the traveling of the traveling carriage 1 holding the cart 2.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the cart 2 has a cart communication unit 26. The cart communication unit 26 is provided at the bottom of the cart main body 21 and executes data transmission / reception with the second communication unit 175 when the cart 2 is held by the lift 15 of the traveling carriage 1. Specifically, the cart communication unit 26 transmits, for example, the detection result of the object by the abnormality detection sensor 24 to the second communication unit 175 of the traveling carriage 1.
The cart communication unit 26 is a circuit capable of wireless communication such as infrared communication (communication according to the IrDA standard), short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), and wireless network communication. In addition, the cart communication unit 26 may be a circuit that communicates by wire with the second communication unit 175 at a terminal that contacts the communication electrode of the second communication unit 175.

By providing the cart 2 with the above-mentioned abnormality detection sensor 24 and the stop button 25 to detect the approach and contact of an object with the cart 2 and transmitting the detection result to the traveling carriage 1, the traveling carriage 1 can be, for example, , Control to decelerate or stop when an object approaches or comes into contact with the cart 2 can be executed. That is, by providing the anomaly detection sensor 24 and the stop button 25 on the cart 2, the safety of the traveling carriage 1 holding the cart 2 being transported while traveling in the hospital H where an unspecified number of people come and go is improved. Can be secured.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the cart 2 has a cart power receiving unit 27. The cart power receiving unit 27 is provided at the bottom of the cart main body 21, and when the cart 2 is held by the lift 15 of the traveling carriage 1, power is input from the feeding unit 179b of the traveling carriage 1 and the electric power is abnormally detected. It is output to the sensor 24 and the cart communication unit 26. The cart power receiving unit 27 is, for example, a coil for non-contact power transmission, a socket, and a metal terminal for receiving power.

As described above, the cart 2 having the above configuration is held by the traveling carriage 1 and transported in the hospital H. Specifically, the cart 2 is held by the traveling carriage 1 as shown in FIG. 9, and is transported in the hospital H. The holding of the cart 2 in the traveling carriage 1 is realized by the traveling carriage 1 entering the space SP under the cart main body 21 and the traveling carriage 1 in the space SP raising the lift 15 to raise the cart 2. To. At this time, the wheels 22 of the cart 2 are separated from the traveling surface.

In the in-hospital transport system 100, a dedicated cart 2 exists for each article transported in the hospital H, and the cart 2 described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 9 above is used when transporting the drug. This is an example of a cart that can be used.
The cart 2 is of a different type depending on whether the goods to be transported are "clean", which must not be contaminated, or whether they are already contaminated and "dirty". For example, the cart 2 for transporting sterilizing equipment is made of a material to which bacteria and the like do not easily adhere, and is not used for transporting other articles. Further, the sterilization equipment before use and the sterilization equipment after use are transported using different carts 2.

Further, for example, the cart 2 is a "clean" article by using a dedicated tray TR (for example, a tray for drugs, a tray for medical materials, a tray for blood transfusion, a tray for samples) for each article to be transported. It can also be used separately for transporting (eg, drugs, pre-use medical materials, blood transfusions, etc.) and for transporting "dirty" articles (eg, post-use medical materials, specimens, etc.).

The types of the cart 2 described above can be visually identified, for example, by making the design (shape, pattern, color, etc.) of the cart 2 different for each type. In this way, by using a dedicated cart 2 for each article to be transported, it is possible to transport the article using an appropriate cart 2 according to the type of the article, and the expandability and the degree of freedom of the in-hospital transport system 100 can be increased. ..

(3) Operation of the in-hospital transport system (3-1) Approximate operation The operation of the in-hospital transport system 100 of the present embodiment will be described below. First, the schematic operation of the in-hospital transport system 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the schematic operation of the in-hospital transport system. The general operation of the in-hospital transport system 100 is basically the same regardless of what kind of article is transported to which place. It is the specific processing content of each step in the flowchart of FIG. 10 that differs depending on the article to be transported, the loading location, the transport end point, and the like.
First, in step S1, the goods issue process is executed. Specifically, the staff stores the article to be transported in the cart 2 dedicated to the article at the loading location of the article to be transported. After that, the cart 2 storing the articles is moved to a place (station ST) where the traveling carriage 1 holds the cart 2, and a transfer request for the cart 2 is transmitted to the host controller 3 using the terminal.

After executing the shipping process, the transport process is executed in step S2. Specifically, the host controller 3 that has received the transport request generates a transport command based on the transport request and transmits it to an appropriate traveling carriage 1. For example, the transport command is transmitted to the traveling carriage 1 which is located closest to the loading location (station ST) where the transport request is made and does not hold the cart 2.
The transport command transmitted by the host controller 3 includes information on the transport route (transport schedule SC or information on the transport start point and transport end point), an identification number of a specific cart 2 to be held, and the like.

The traveling carriage 1 that has received the transport command autonomously travels to the transport start point indicated by the transport command, and lifts up and holds the specific cart 2 indicated by the transport command at the loading location by the lift 15. After that, the traveling carriage 1 holding the specific cart 2 autonomously travels to the transport end point indicated by the transport command, and lowers the lift 15 at the transport end point to release the holding of the cart 2.

After transporting the specific cart 2 to the transport end point, post-transport processing is executed in step S3. Specifically, for the specific cart 2 placed at the transport end point, the staff at the transport end point executes the work of taking out the article from the specific cart 2. After that, the cart 2 from which the article was taken out is returned.
On the other hand, with respect to the traveling carriage 1 that has completed the execution of the transport command, if the remaining amount of the battery 179 of the traveling carriage 1 is low, the host controller 3 instructs the traveling carriage 1 to charge the battery 179. .. The traveling carriage 1 that has received the command autonomously travels to the charging station 7a and autonomously approaches (docking) the charging station 7a.

In addition, when the remaining amount of the battery 179 of the traveling carriage 1 is sufficient, the host controller 3 instructs the traveling carriage 1 to travel to the waiting place of the traveling carriage 1 and wait at the waiting place.

The above steps S1 to S3 are repeatedly executed every time the article is transported while the hospital transport system 100 is in operation. Further, when a plurality of types of articles are transported at the same time, the above steps S1 to S3 are simultaneously executed by the in-hospital transport system 100.

(3-2) Detailed operation of the in-hospital transport system (3-2-1) Configuration of the drug unit Next, a specific operation of the in-hospital transport system 100 of the present embodiment will be described. Here, as a specific operation example of the in-hospital transport system 100, a pharmacy department existing in FL1 on the first floor of hospital H and managing drugs is taken as an example of a loading place, and the pharmacy department exists in FL5 on the fifth floor of hospital H. The case of transporting the drug to the station SR of the staff of the inpatient ward will be described. The transportation of the drug from this pharmacy department to the station SR of the hospital ward of the hospital H is regularly executed, for example, four times a day (morning, noon, evening, and night).
First, the structure of the pharmacy department will be briefly described. The pharmacy unit of this embodiment has an auto ampoule dispenser AD. The auto ampoule dispenser AD is a device for picking a drug to be stored in the cart 2 based on a prescription created based on the order of the drug output from the first terminal T1. The first terminal T1 is, for example, a terminal used by a doctor when creating an electronic medical record or the like.

The pharmacy department further has a second terminal T2. The second terminal T2 is a terminal for transmitting a transport request requesting transport of the cart 2 containing the drug indicated in the prescription from the pharmacy department to the target hospital ward to the host controller 3. The second terminal T2 may be, for example, a tablet terminal owned by a pharmacist (or a staff member in charge of auditing), or a terminal installed at a station ST that makes a cart 2 containing a drug stand by for transportation. (Personal computer) may be used.
Further, the second terminal T2 may communicate wirelessly with the host controller 3 or may communicate by wire. Further, the above-mentioned function of the second terminal T2 is realized by a program (application software) stored in the second terminal T2.

(3-2-2) Delivery operation in the example of transporting the drug Next, in the in-hospital transport system 100, the operation example of transporting the drug from the above-mentioned drug department to the packing station SR existing on the 5th floor FL5 of the hospital H in detail. explain. As described above, in the in-hospital transport system 100, according to the flowchart of FIG. 10, (i) delivery processing (step S1), (ii) transport processing (step S2), (iii) post-transport processing (step S3). , Is executed as a series of operations. Therefore, the following description also describes specific operations for each of the steps (i) to (iii) (steps S1 to S3).
First, with reference to FIG. 11, a delivery operation in an example of transporting a drug from the pharmacy department to the packing station SR on the 5th floor FL5 of the hospital H will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a warehousing operation in an example of transporting a drug from the drug section to the packing station.

The drug delivery operation is started when the doctor places an order for the drug using the first terminal T1 (step S11). When an order is output using the first terminal T1, an electronic medical record and a prescription corresponding to the order are generated. The prescription output from the first terminal T1 is transmitted to the auto ampoule dispenser AD.

Upon receiving the prescription, the auto ampoule dispenser AD picks the drug indicated on the received prescription in step S12. The picked drug is dispensed into a tray TR dedicated to the patient who uses the drug. The auto ampoule dispenser AD outputs a bar code indicating information on the dispensed drug together with the dispensing of the drug. The information regarding the dispensed drug is, for example, medical information such as information regarding the tray TR to which the drug has been dispensed (for example, information regarding the patient), information on the type of the dispensed drug, and the like.

After that, the staff (pharmacist) of the pharmacy department brings the cart 2 for transporting the medicine from the cart pool CP to a predetermined place in step S13, and delivers the tray TR to which the medicine is discharged to the cart 2 at the place. Store. The cart pool CP of the cart 2 for transporting the drug is provided, for example, inside or near the drug section. Further, a plurality of trays TR having the same transport destination are stored in the cart 2.
After storing the tray TR in which the drug has been discharged in the drug transport cart 2, the staff (auditor) of the drug department audits the drug stored in the cart 2 in step S14. After the audit, the opening of the cart 2 is closed by the keyed shutter 211, and the keyed shutter 211 is locked.

After locking the shutter with key 211, a transport request is made to the host controller 3 in step S15. Specifically, first, the cart 2 storing the drug tray TR is moved to the station ST where the traveling carriage 1 executes the work of holding the cart 2. After that, using the second terminal T2, the identification number of the cart 2 to be transported, the transport destination (transport end point) of the cart 2 (drug), and the position of the cart 2 in the station ST (identification number of the station ST). And enter.

The above information may be manually input using the second terminal T2, or may be input by reading the bar code attached to the cart 2. For example, when the tray TR is stored in the cart 2 in step S13, the identification number of the cart 2 can be read from the barcode attached to the cart 2. Further, the identification information of the tray TR can be read from the bar code attached to the tray TR, and the destination of the drug determined based on the read identification information of the tray TR can be the destination of the cart 2.

Next, using the second terminal T2, the host controller 3 uses the identification number of the cart 2 to be transported, the transport destination of the cart 2, and the position (identification number) of the cart 2 in the station ST as a transport request. Send to. In addition, information indicating that the transfer start point is the drug unit is also included in the transfer request and transmitted to the host controller 3.
The information indicating that the transport start point is the pharmacy department is, for example, identification information of the second terminal T2 (for example, IP address, MAC address, etc.), identification information of the staff of the pharmacy department, and the like. In addition, based on the existence of each type of article to be transported by the cart 2, the identification information of the cart 2 can be used as information indicating that the transport start point is the drug unit.

By executing the above-mentioned delivery process, the medicine ordered by the doctor is surely stored in the cart 2 using the first terminal T1, and the cart 2 is stored in a specific place (in the present embodiment, the fifth floor LF5). It is possible to request the host controller 3 to carry it to the packing station SR).

(3-2-3) Transport operation in the example of transporting the drug (I) Transport operation on the upper controller side Next, the transport operation in the example of transporting the drug from the drug department to the packing station SR on the 5th floor FL5 of the hospital H will be described. To do. The transport operation is realized by the upper controller 3 and the traveling carriage 1 individually executing the operation for transporting while the upper controller 3 and the traveling carriage 1 communicate with each other to send and receive necessary information. Therefore, in the following, the operation on the upper controller 3 side and the operation on the traveling carriage 1 side in the transport operation will be described individually. First, the transfer operation on the upper controller 3 side will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a transport operation on the upper controller side in an example of transporting the drug from the drug section to the packing station.
The transport operation on the host controller 3 side is started by receiving a transport request from the second terminal T2 of the drug unit. When the transport request is received (“Yes” in step S21), the host controller 3 generates a transport command based on the received transport request in step S22.

Specifically, the host controller 3 is based on the information indicating that the transfer start point included in the transfer request is the drug unit and the transfer destination of the cart 2 (the packing station SR existing on the 5th floor FL5). A transport schedule SC representing a transport route from to to the packing station SR on the 5th floor FL5 is generated. For example, the upper controller 3 may execute a route plan from the pharmacy department to the packing station SR on the 5th floor FL5 to generate a transport schedule SC, or may generate a transport schedule SC from the pharmacy department stored in advance on the 5th floor FL5. The transport schedule SC to the stuffing station may be selected.

In addition, when planning a route on the traveling carriage 1 side, the host controller 3 keeps the information indicating that the transport start point received from the second terminal T2 is the pharmaceutical unit and the transport destination of the cart 2 as it is. It can be a transport command.

The host controller 3 further includes the identification number of the cart 2 to be transported included in the transport request and the position of the cart 2 in the station ST (identification number of the station ST) in the transport command. As a result, as will be described later, the traveling carriage 1 that has received the transport command can determine which cart 2 placed in the station ST should be transported.

By executing the above step S22, the host controller 3 travels to the loading location (pharmaceutical unit) based on the transport request received from the second terminal T2, and delivers the article (drug) at the loading location. It is possible to generate a transport command for holding the stored cart 2 and then instructing the traveling carriage 1 to transport the cart 2 to a specific place (the packing station SR on the 5th floor FL5).

After generating the transport command, the host controller 3 specifies the traveling carriage 1 to which the transport command should be transmitted in step S23, and transmits the transport command to the specified traveling carriage 1. Examples of the traveling carriage 1 to which the transport command should be transmitted include a traveling carriage 1 waiting at the waiting place (station ST) and a traveling carriage 1 running near the pharmacy unit and not holding the cart 2. You can choose.

For example, when the appropriate traveling carriage 1 to which the transport command should be transmitted cannot be found, the host controller 3 queues the generated transport command in the storage device. When a suitable traveling trolley 1 cannot be found, for example, when all traveling trolleys 1 hold the cart 2, all traveling trolleys 1 are charging, and communication with the traveling trolley 1 is not possible. There is.
After that, at the timing when an appropriate traveling carriage 1 is found, the host controller 3 transmits a queuing transfer command to the traveling carriage 1.

In addition, when a predetermined number or more of transport commands are queued, the host controller 3 may queue the transport requests received from the second terminal T2 in step S21. After that, when the number of queued transfer commands becomes less than a predetermined number, the host controller 3 may execute the above steps S22 and S23 to generate a transfer command and transmit it to the traveling carriage 1. ..

The traveling carriage 1 that has received the transport command from the host controller 3 starts an operation for autonomously transporting the cart 2 based on the transport command. At this time, the host controller 3 may monitor the position of the cart 2 that outputs the transport command in the hospital H. The host controller 3 may monitor the position of the traveling carriage 1 in the hospital H by receiving the self-position estimated by the traveling carriage 1 at a predetermined cycle, for example.

When it is detected that the traveling carriage 1 has reached the front of the elevator EL on the first floor by traveling based on the transport command (“Yes” in step S24), the host controller 3 moves to the control panel 4 in step S25. On the other hand, a command for controlling the elevator EL is output.
It should be noted that the arrival of the traveling carriage 1 in front of the elevator EL receives, for example, the position information of the traveling carriage 1 being monitored at the hospital H, or the boarding / alighting request to the elevator EL transmitted from the traveling carriage 1. It can be detected by.

The host controller 3 transmits the following elevator EL control commands to the control panel 4. First, when it is detected that the traveling carriage 1 has reached the front of the elevator EL entrance / exit of the first floor FL1, the host controller 3 transmits a command to the control panel 4 to call the elevator EL cage to the first floor. .. Upon receiving this command, the control panel 4 commands the elevator control unit EL1 to move the elevator EL cage to the first floor.
When the elevator EL cage reaches FL1 on the first floor, the host controller 3 transmits a command to open the elevator EL door to the control panel 4. Upon receiving this command, the control panel 4 commands the elevator control unit EL1 to open the door of the elevator EL.

When the elevator EL door opens and the traveling carriage 1 moves into the elevator EL cage, the host controller 3 closes the elevator EL door to the control panel 4 and moves the elevator EL cage to the target floor. Send a command to make (move to FL5 on the 5th floor). Upon receiving this command, the control panel 4 commands the elevator control unit EL1 to close the elevator EL door and move the elevator EL cage to the 5th floor FL5.

When the elevator EL cage reaches the target floor (5th floor FL5), the upper controller 3 transmits a command to open the elevator EL door to the control panel 4. Upon receiving this command, the control panel 4 commands the elevator control unit EL1 to open the door of the elevator EL. After that, the traveling carriage 1 moves from the inside of the elevator EL cage to FL5 on the 5th floor.

Further, while the traveling trolley 1 is autonomously traveling toward the transport end point (the packing station SR on the 5th floor FL5), the upper controller 3 is in step S26, and the traveling trolley 1 is the automatic door D or the fire door FW in the hospital H. Detects whether or not it has reached the vicinity and is about to pass through them.
The fact that the traveling trolley 1 has reached the vicinity of the automatic door D or the fire door FW indicates, for example, the position information of the traveling trolley 1 being monitored at the hospital H, or the automatic door D or the fire door FW transmitted from the traveling trolley 1. It can be detected by receiving the opening / closing request.

When it is detected that the traveling vehicle 1 has reached the vicinity of the automatic door D or the fire door FW (“Yes” in step S26), the upper controller 3 has the corresponding automatic door D with respect to the control panel 4 in step S27. Alternatively, a command to open / close the fire door FW is transmitted.
Specifically, first, the host controller 3 commands the control panel 4 to open the corresponding automatic door D or fire door FW. After that, when it is detected that the traveling carriage 1 has passed through the open automatic door D or the fire door FW, the host controller 3 tells the control panel 4 the automatic door D or the fire door FW through which the traveling carriage 1 has passed. Command to close.

When the host controller 3 detects that a person or an obstacle exists near the automatic door D or the fire door FW, for example, an error occurs and the opening and closing of the automatic door D or the fire door FW is stopped. May be good. Further, for example, the automatic door D provided in the place where an unspecified number of people come and go in the hospital H is always open, while the fire door FW provided in the place where an unspecified number of people come and go is urgent. It may be closed except for the time.

Further, while the traveling trolley 1 is autonomously traveling toward the transport end point (5th floor FL5 packing station SR), the upper controller 3 sets the traveling trolley 1 to the transport end point (5th floor FL5 packing station SR) in step S28. Upon reaching it, it is detected whether or not the traveling carriage 1 has released the holding of the cart 2.
The arrival of the traveling carriage 1 at the transport end point can be detected, for example, by receiving the position information of the traveling carriage 1 being monitored at the hospital H. Further, the fact that the traveling carriage 1 has released the holding of the cart 2 can be detected, for example, by receiving a notification from the traveling carriage 1 that the transportation of the cart 2 is completed.

When it is detected that the traveling carriage 1 has reached the transport end point and the holding of the cart 2 has been released (“Yes” in step S28), the upper controller 3 has step S29 and the transport end point (the packing station SR on the 5th floor FL5). ) Notify the staff that the transportation has been completed.
Specifically, the host controller 3 sets the status indicator lamp 6 provided at the transfer end point (the packing station SR on the 5th floor FL5) to the control panel 4 in a specific color (color for notifying the completion of transfer). Command to light up. As a result, it is possible to visually notify the staff of the packing station SR that the specific cart 2 has been transported to the packing station SR on the 5th floor FL5 by the traveling carriage 1.

In addition, the host controller 3 may notify the staff by calling the extension of the packing station SR that the specific cart 2 has been transported to the packing station SR on the 5th floor FL5 by the traveling carriage 1.

If the traveling carriage 1 has not reached the transfer end point (“No” in step S28), the transfer operation in the upper controller 3 returns to step S24, and the upper controller 3 controls the elevator EL as necessary. The command and the open / close command of the automatic door D or the fire door FW are transmitted. Further, after the above steps S21 to S29 are executed and the transfer for one transfer request is completed, the host controller 3 executes the above steps S21 to S29 every time the transfer request is received.

By executing the above steps S21 to S29, the host controller 3 moves the cart 2 containing the drug to be transported from the drug unit to the target transfer end point based on the transfer request received from the second terminal T2 of the drug unit. It is possible to generate a transport command for transport to (the station SR of the inpatient ward in the hospital H) and send it to the traveling carriage 1.

At the same time, the host controller 3 can autonomously move the traveling carriage 1 to a different floor by transmitting a command for controlling the elevator EL as needed while the traveling carriage 1 is autonomously traveling. Further, the host controller 3 autonomously transmits an opening / closing command for the automatic door D or the fire door FW while the traveling carriage 1 is autonomously traveling, so that the traveling carriage 1 autonomously transmits the automatic door D and the fire door FW. Can pass through.

(II) Transport operation on the traveling carriage side Next, the transport operation on the traveling carriage 1 side will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a transport operation on the traveling carriage side in an example of transporting the drug from the drug section to the packing station.
The transport operation on the traveling carriage 1 side is started by receiving a transport command from the host controller 3. When the transport command is received from the host controller 3 (“Yes” in step S31), the traveling carriage 1 autonomously travels to the station ST of the pharmaceutical unit, that is, the transport start point in step S32.

Specifically, the traveling trolley 1 repeatedly executes the following operations from the current position of the traveling trolley 1 (for example, the standby place of the traveling trolley 1) until it reaches the station ST of the pharmacy department. Autonomously drive to the station ST. As for the route from the current position of the traveling carriage 1 to the station ST of the pharmaceutical department, the traveling route (traveling schedule) is planned as a set of a plurality of target points that the traveling carriage 1 should pass through, as in the transport schedule SC. To. This route planning may be executed by the traveling carriage 1 or may be executed by the host controller 3.

First, the environmental information acquisition unit 171b of the traveling carriage 1 acquires the local map data M2 at the current position. After that, the self-position estimation unit 171c estimates the self-position of the traveling carriage 1 by using the rotation amount of the main wheel 11a, the local map data M2, and the environment map data M1. Further, the travel control unit 171d calculates a travel command for reaching the target point on the route from the estimated self-position to the station ST of the drug unit, and outputs the travel command to the motor 11c.
When the object detection sensor 13 of the traveling carriage 1 detects a person or an obstacle during autonomous traveling in step S32, the traveling control unit 171d reduces or stops the rotation speed of the main wheel 11a to travel. Decelerate or stop the dolly 1. Whether to decelerate or stop the traveling carriage 1 can be determined based on, for example, the type of the detected object, the distance to the object, and the like.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the station ST of the drug unit, the traveling carriage 1 holds the cart 2 in step S33. Specifically, in step S33, the following operations are executed.
First, the control unit 17 of the traveling carriage 1 specifies the position of the station ST on which the cart 2 to be transported is placed. For example, the control unit 17 compares the identification number of the station ST with the identification number of the station ST included in the transport command, or reads the bar code attached to the cart 2 and obtains the identification number of the cart 2. By comparing with the identification number of the cart 2 included in the transport command, the position of the station ST where the cart 2 to be transported is placed is specified.

Next, the control unit 17 of the traveling carriage 1 moves the traveling carriage 1 to a position where the cart 2 can be held in the space SP below the cart 2 existing at the specified station ST position. The control unit 17 can communicate with the cart communication unit 26 of the cart 2 by using, for example, the second communication unit 175, whether or not the traveling carriage 1 has reached a position where the cart 2 can be held in the space SP. It can be judged by whether or not it is.

When the traveling carriage 1 reaches a position where the cart 2 can be held, the lift control unit 177 raises the lift 15 to lift up the cart 2. By lifting up the cart 2 with the lift 15 in this way, the traveling carriage 1 can hold the cart 2.

After the traveling carriage 1 holds the cart 2, the traveling carriage 1 moves from the station ST of the pharmacy department, which is the transportation start point, to a specific place (5) in the hospital H, which is the transportation end point, according to the transportation schedule SC in step S34. Autonomously drive to the packing station SR) on the floor FL5.
Specifically, the traveling carriage 1 autonomously travels to the packing station SR on the 5th floor FL by repeatedly executing the following operations. First, the environmental information acquisition unit 171b of the traveling carriage 1 acquires the local map data M2 at the current position. After that, the self-position estimation unit 171c estimates the self-position of the traveling carriage 1 using the rotation amount of the main wheel 11a, the local map data M2, and the environment map data M1. Further, the travel control unit 171d calculates a travel command for reaching the next target point of the transfer schedule SC from the estimated self-position, and outputs the travel command to the motor 11c.

When the object detection sensor 13 and / or the cart object detection sensor 24a of the traveling carriage 1 detects a person or an obstacle during autonomous traveling in step S34, the traveling control unit 171d reduces the rotation speed of the main wheel 11a. The traveling carriage 1 is decelerated or stopped by causing or stopping it. Further, when the contact of a person or an object with the cart 2 is detected by the tape switch 24b, the contact detection switch 24c, or the light curtain 24d of the cart 2, the traveling control unit 171d stops the traveling carriage 1.

When the traveling trolley 1 starts autonomous traveling from the station ST of the pharmacy department and reaches in front of the entrance / exit of the elevator EL on the first floor (“Yes” in step S35), the traveling trolley 1 is in step S36 and is on the fifth floor FL5. The elevator EL starts getting on and off the cage in order to reach. Specifically, the following operations are executed.
When the elevator EL cage called by the host controller 3 reaches the first floor and the door opens, the traveling carriage 1 autonomously travels toward the inside of the elevator EL cage. The traveling carriage 1 starts autonomously traveling in the cage of the elevator EL at the timing when a command is given from the upper controller 3.

While autonomously traveling in the cage of the elevator EL, the traveling carriage 1 communicates with the elevator control unit EL1 and / or the host controller 3 by the first communication unit 173 via the wireless communication device EL2 of the elevator EL. When it is detected that the traveling carriage 1 has moved into the elevator EL cage by the above communication, the elevator EL cage closes the door and starts moving to the target floor (5th floor FL5).

When the elevator EL cage reaches the target floor and the door is opened, the traveling carriage 1 autonomously travels from the inside of the elevator EL cage toward the packing station SR on the 5th floor FL. The traveling carriage 1 starts autonomous traveling to the packing station SR on the 5th floor FL at the timing when a command is given from the host controller 3 via the first communication unit 173 and the wireless communication device EL2.

Further, when the traveling trolley 1 reaches the vicinity of the automatic door D or the fire door FW in the hospital H while autonomously traveling toward the transportation end point (the packing station SR on the 5th floor FL5), it responds by the command of the upper controller 3. The automatic door D or the fire door FW opens. As a result, the traveling carriage 1 can continue autonomous traveling and pass through the automatic door D and the fire door FW without waiting in the vicinity of the automatic door D and the fire door FW.

When the traveling trolley 1 reaches the transport end point (5th floor FL5 packing station SR) by autonomous driving (“Yes” in step S37), the traveling trolley 1 is in step S38, in the corridor in the packing station SR or in the vicinity of the packing station SR, etc. At the station ST provided in, the holding of the cart 2 is released. Specifically, when the traveling carriage 1 reaches the station ST of the packing station SR, the lift control unit 177 lowers the lift 15 and grounds the wheels 22 of the cart 2. That is, the cart 2 can be moved manually by a staff member or the like. After executing the above step S38, the transport operation on the traveling carriage 1 side is completed.

If the traveling carriage 1 has not reached the transport ending point (“No” in step S37), the transport operation in the traveling carriage 1 returns to step S35, and the traveling carriage 1 is at the transport end point (the packing station of FL5 on the 5th floor). Continue autonomous driving to SR).

By executing the above steps S31 to S38, the traveling carriage 1 autonomously moves the cart 2 containing the drug to be transported from the drug unit to the target transfer end point based on the transfer command received from the host controller 3. Can be transported to. Further, by executing the above steps S31 to S38, the traveling carriage 1 can reach the target transport end point in the hospital H where an unspecified number of people come and go without requiring a specific track. Can be safely transported.

(3-2-4) Post-Transfer Process (I) Post-Transfer Process on the Upper Controller Side Next, the post-transport process executed after the article is transported will be described. The post-transportation processing is realized by executing individual processing at the upper controller 3, the traveling carriage 1, and the transportation end point (packing station SR). Therefore, in the following, the post-transportation processing on the upper controller 3 side, the post-transportation processing on the traveling carriage 1 side, and the post-transportation processing on the packing station SR side will be described separately. First, post-transportation processing on the upper controller 3 side will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing post-transportation processing on the upper controller side.

After the traveling carriage 1 reaches the transport end point and releases the holding of the cart 2 at that point, the host controller 3 needs to charge the battery 179 of the traveling carriage 1 that has completed the transport of the cart 2 in step S41. Judge whether or not. Specifically, the host controller 3 acquires information on the remaining amount of the battery 179 from the traveling carriage 1, and if the remaining amount is equal to or less than a predetermined value, determines that the battery 179 needs to be charged.

When it is determined that the battery 179 needs to be charged (“Yes” in step S41), the host controller 3 charges the battery 179 to the traveling carriage 1 that has completed the transportation of the cart 2 in step S42. Command. Upon receiving this command, the traveling carriage 1 starts an operation for executing charging of the battery 179. The operation of the traveling carriage 1 side will be described later.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the battery 179 does not need to be charged (“No” in step S41), the host controller 3 uses the traveling carriage 1 with respect to the traveling carriage 1 that has completed the transportation of the cart 2 in step S43. Command to drive towards the waiting area. When the in-hospital transport system 100 has a plurality of standby locations, the host controller 3 commands the traveling carriage 1 to move to a specific standby location. The host controller 3 selects, for example, a waiting place that is close to the transport start point (pharmaceutical unit) and has a vacancy as a specific waiting place.

By executing the above steps S41 to S43, the host controller 3 commands the traveling carriage 1 to charge the battery 179 based on the remaining amount of the battery 179 of the traveling carriage 1 after transporting the cart 2. Alternatively, it is possible to decide whether to instruct to move to the waiting place and appropriately execute the post-transport processing.

(II) Post-transportation processing on the traveling carriage side Next, the post-transportation processing on the traveling carriage 1 side will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing post-transportation processing on the traveling carriage side.
When the traveling carriage 1 receives a charging command from the host controller 3 (“Yes” in step S51) after reaching the transport end point and releasing the holding of the cart 2 at that point, the traveling carriage 1 moves to step S52. , Start autonomous traveling from the transfer end point to the charging station 7a. The travel route from the transport end point to the charging station 7a may be route-planned by the host controller 3 and transmitted together with the charging command, may be route-planned by the traveling carriage 1, or may be traveled as taught in advance. It may be stored in the storage unit 171a of the trolley 1.

After reaching the charging station 7a, the traveling carriage 1 starts charging the battery 179 in step S53. Specifically, when the vehicle reaches the vicinity of the charging station 7a, the traveling carriage 1 autonomously approaches (docking) the charging station 7a. After that, the higher controller 3 issues a command to supply charging power to the charger 7b via the control panel 4, so that charging of the battery 179 is started. Further, the supply command may be output directly from the traveling carriage 1 docked to the charging station 7a to the charger 7b.

On the other hand, when instructed to move to the standby place by the upper controller (“No” in step S51), the traveling carriage 1 starts autonomous traveling to the standby place instructed by the upper controller 3 in step S54. The travel route from the transport end point to the designated standby location may be route-planned by the host controller 3 and transmitted together with the above command, or may be route-planned by the traveling carriage 1, or may be taught in advance. It may be stored in the storage unit 171a of the traveling carriage 1.
When a transport command is received from the host controller 3 during autonomous travel to the standby location, the traveling carriage 1 starts an operation based on the received transport command without heading to the standby location.

By executing the above steps S51 to S54, the traveling carriage 1 can start the operation of charging the battery 179 or move to the instructed standby place according to the command from the host controller 3.

(III) Post-transportation processing on the packing station side Next, post-transportation processing at the packing station SR (transportation end point) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing post-transportation processing at the packing station.
When it is detected that the status indicator lamp 6 provided in the packing station SR on the 5th floor FL5 is lit or the cart 2 containing the medicine is transported by the extension call of the packing station SR, the staff of the packing station SR In step S61, the keyed shutter 211 of the cart 2 is unlocked, and the drug is taken out from the cart 2. The staff then administers the removed drug to the patient in step S62.

After removing the drug from the cart 2 and administering the drug, the staff of the packing station SR requests the return of the cart 2 after removing the drug in step S63. Specifically, the staff uses the packing station terminal T3 provided in the packing station SR to load the cart 2 after taking out the drug to the upper controller 3 from the packing station SR (transportation start point) to the drug unit (transportation end). Send a transport request to transport to the point).
By transmitting the transfer request, the host controller 3 executes the same processing as steps S21 to S29 described with reference to FIG. 12, and the traveling carriage 1 executes steps S31 to S38 described with reference to FIG. Then, the cart 2 after taking out the medicine is transported from the packing station SR to the medicine department (station ST).

2. 2. Second Embodiment The in-hospital transport system 100 according to the first embodiment described above can be incorporated into another system used in the hospital H. For example, as in the system 200 according to the second embodiment, the hospital transportation system 100 can be incorporated into a hospital information system (Hospital Information System, HIS). Hereinafter, the configuration of the system 200 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a configuration of the system according to the second embodiment.
The system 200 includes the in-hospital transport system 100 described in the first embodiment, the hospital information system 20, and the intermediate computer 30. The hospital information system 20 is composed of a CPU, a storage device (for example, RAM, ROM, SSD, hard disk, etc.), a network interface, various input / output interfaces, and various information used in the hospital H (for example, an electronic chart). Etc.) is a server computer that manages it.

The intermediate computer 30 is a computer system (Material Handling System, MHS) composed of a CPU, a storage device (for example, RAM, ROM, SSD, hard disk, etc.), a network interface, various input / output interfaces, and the like, and is a hospital transport system 100. It is arranged between the host computer 3 and the hospital information system 20.
The intermediate computer 30 manages the transmission and reception of information between the hospital information system 20 and the hospital transportation system 100. Specifically, the intermediate computer 30 exchanges information between the hospital information system 20 and the in-hospital transport system 100, that is, information handled by the hospital information system 20 that can be used by the in-hospital transport system 100. And vice versa.

In the system 200 having the above configuration, the hospital information system 20 and the in-hospital transport system 100 cooperate with each other via the intermediate computer 30, so that the transport of goods in the hospital transport system 100 can be more fully automated.

3. 3. Common Matters of the Embodiment The above-mentioned first embodiment and the second embodiment have the following configurations and functions in common.
The in-hospital transport system (for example, the in-hospital transport system 100) is a system for transporting articles in a hospital (for example, hospital H) where an unspecified number of people come and go. The in-hospital transport system includes a traveling carriage (for example, traveling carriage 1), a cart (for example, cart 2), and a higher-level controller (for example, higher-level controller 3). The trolley runs in the hospital. The cart stores the goods to be transported and is transported in the hospital by being held by the traveling trolley. The host controller sends a transport command to the traveling carriage to instruct the traveling carriage to transport the cart.

Further, the traveling trolley includes a traveling unit (for example, traveling unit 11), a storage unit (for example, storage unit 171a), an environmental information acquisition unit (for example, environmental information acquisition unit 171b), and a self-position estimation unit (for example, for example). It has a self-position estimation unit 171c) and a travel control unit (for example, a travel control unit 171d). The storage unit stores environmental map data (for example, environmental map data M1) representing the inside of the hospital. The environmental information acquisition unit acquires local map data (for example, local map data M2) representing an object existing around the traveling trolley. The self-position estimation unit estimates the self-position of the traveling trolley based on the environmental map data and the local map data. The travel control unit controls the travel unit based on the travel command for traveling from the self-position estimated by the self-position estimation unit to the target position determined based on the transport command, so that the traveling carriage can be hospitalized without a track. Autonomously drive inside.

In the above-mentioned in-hospital transport system, a cart for transporting goods in the hospital is transported in the hospital by being held by a traveling carriage. In addition, the traveling carriage travels in the hospital without a track by estimating the self-position by the self-position estimation unit and traveling based on the traveling command for traveling from the self-position to the target position indicated in the transport command. Can run autonomously.
In this way, the traveling trolley that transports the cart can autonomously travel in the hospital where an unspecified number of people come and go without a track, so the in-hospital transport system requires large-scale installation work such as laying rails when introducing it to the hospital. It can be easily introduced into an existing hospital without doing so.

In addition, since the traveling trolley can travel in the hospital without a track, it is not necessary to perform installation work such as laying a magnetic tape on the floor of the hospital. As a result, the traveling trolley can travel to a clean facility in the hospital where magnetic tape or the like cannot be laid to transport the article.

4. Other Embodiments Although the plurality of embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. In particular, the plurality of embodiments and modifications described herein can be arbitrarily combined as needed.
For example, the order of processing of each step in the flowchart described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 16 and / or the processing content of each step can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the invention.

(A) In the above-mentioned in-hospital transport system 100, the cart 2 is supplied with electric power from the battery 179 of the traveling carriage 1, but the present invention is not limited to this. The cart 2 may be independently equipped with a small battery that supplies electric power to the abnormality detection sensor 24 and the like.

(B) The cart 2 may have a bracket or the like on which a mobile terminal such as the second terminal T2 can be installed.

(C) For example, the drug unit is wide, and the place where the drug (tray TR) is stored in the cart 2 (that is, the installation position of the auto ampoule dispenser AD) and the place where the drug stored in the cart 2 is audited are separated. If so, the traveling trolley 1 may transport the cart 2 containing the drug from the drug storage location to the auditing location.

(D) When the traveling carriage 1 holds the cart 2, the traveling carriage 1 has not only the information obtained by the object detection sensor 13 of the traveling carriage 1 but also the information obtained by the cart object detection sensor 24a of the cart 2. May be used to perform self-position estimation of the traveling carriage 1. In this case, the self-position estimation is performed using the environment map data M1 in the case of self-position estimation using the information obtained by the object detection sensor 13 of the traveling vehicle 1 and the information obtained by the cart object detection sensor 24a of the cart 2. The environmental map data M1 in the case of the above may be generated individually.

Alternatively, the self-position is estimated using the environmental map data M1 in the case of self-position estimation using the information obtained by the object detection sensor 13 of the traveling vehicle 1 and the information obtained by the cart object detection sensor 24a of the cart 2. The environment map data M1 in the case may be shared. In this case, it is generated by the information acquired by any of the object detection sensors based on the deviation between the mounting position of the object detection sensor 13 of the traveling carriage 1 and the mounting position of the cart object detection sensor 24a of the cart 2. The local map data M2 may be corrected.

As described above, by enabling the self-position estimation to be executed using the information obtained by the cart object detection sensor 24a, for example, when the cart 2 is held by the traveling carriage 1, the wheels 22 (attachment) of the cart 2 are attached. When the "view" of the object detection sensor 13 of the traveling vehicle 1 is obstructed by the member 22a) and the object detection sensor 13 cannot obtain appropriate local map data M2 and / or environmental map data M1, the cart object is detected. Appropriate map data can be generated using the information of the sensor 24a. As a result, the accuracy of self-position estimation can be improved.

(E) The traveling carriage 1 and the cart 2 may have a configuration other than the configuration in which the cart 2 is lifted up to the traveling carriage 1. For example, the cart 2 may be held by the traveling carriage 1 by towing the cart 2 by the traveling carriage 1.

The present invention can be widely applied to an in-hospital transport system for transporting goods in a hospital where an unspecified number of people come and go.

100 In-hospital transport system 1 Traveling vehicle B Main body 11 Traveling unit 11a Main wheel 11b Driven wheel 11c Motor 11d Encoder 13 Object detection sensor 13a Front object detection sensor 13b Rear object detection sensor 15 Lift 17 Control unit 171 Travel control unit 171a Storage unit M1 Environment Map data M2 Local map data SC Transport schedule 171b Environmental information acquisition unit 171c Self-position estimation unit 171d Travel control unit 173 1st communication unit 175 2nd communication unit 177 Lift control unit 179 Battery 179a Power receiving unit 179b Power supply unit 19 Ultrasonic sensor 2 Cart 21 Cart body 211 Keyed shutter 213 Indicator light 215 Destination display 22 Wheels 22a Mounting member 23 Gripping member 24 Abnormality detection sensor 24a Cart object detection sensor 24b Tape switch 24c Contact detection switch 24d Light curtain 25 Stop button 26 Cart communication unit 27 Cart power receiving unit TR tray SP space 3 Upper controller 4 Control panel 5 Access point 6 Status indicator 7 Charging unit 7a Charging station 7b Charger D Automatic door FW Fire protection door NW network ST station CP Cart pool AD Auto ample dispenser T1 1st terminal T2 2nd terminal T3 stuffing station terminal H Hospital FL1 1st floor FL2 2nd floor FL3 3rd floor FL4 4th floor FL5 5th floor FL6 6th floor FL7 7th floor FL8 8th floor FL9 9th floor FL10 10th floor SR stuffing station EL Elevator EL1 Elevator control unit EL2 Equipment 200 System 20 Hospital Information System 30 Intermediate Computer

Claims (15)

It is an in-hospital transportation system that transports goods in a hospital where an unspecified number of people come and go.
A traveling trolley running in the hospital and
A cart that stores the article to be transported and is held by the traveling carriage to be transported in the hospital.
By transmitting a transport command to the traveling carriage, a host controller that commands the traveling carriage to transport the cart, and
With
The traveling trolley
With the running part
A storage unit that stores environmental map data representing the inside of the hospital,
An environmental information acquisition unit that acquires local map data representing objects existing around the traveling trolley, and
A self-position estimation unit that estimates the self-position of the traveling carriage based on the environmental map data and the local map data, and a self-position estimation unit.
By controlling the traveling unit based on the traveling command for traveling from the self-position estimated by the self-position estimation unit to the target position determined based on the transport command, the traveling carriage can be driven to the hospital without a track. A driving control unit that autonomously travels inside,
In-hospital transport system. There are a plurality of the traveling carriage and the cart,
The in-hospital transport system according to claim 1, wherein the transport command includes a command for transporting a specific cart among a plurality of the carts to a specific traveling carriage among the plurality of the traveling carriages. The in-hospital transport system according to claim 2, wherein the number of carts is larger than the number of traveling carriages. An elevator that moves the trolley to a different floor in the hospital,
A wireless communication device for wireless communication between the elevator, the host controller, and the traveling carriage.
A control panel for controlling the elevator is further provided.
The host controller sends a command to the control panel to call the elevator and open / close the door of the elevator.
The in-hospital transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The status indicator light installed in the place where the staff in the hospital is located,
A control panel for controlling the status indicator light is further provided.
The host controller transmits a command for turning on the status indicator light to the control panel at the timing when the cart being transported by the traveling carriage is transported to a specific place.
The in-hospital transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. An automatic door provided at a predetermined position in the hospital and
A fire door provided at a predetermined position in the hospital and
A control panel that controls the automatic door and the fire door,
With more
The upper controller transmits a command for opening and closing the automatic door or the fire door to the control panel at a timing when the traveling vehicle passes through the automatic door or the fire door. The in-hospital transport system described in any of. The in-hospital transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a cart pool for waiting for the unused cart. The in-hospital transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the traveling carriage has a station for performing an operation of holding the cart. The cart further includes a terminal for transmitting a transport request requesting the cart to be transported from a loading location for storing the article to a specific location in the hospital to the host controller.
Based on the transport request received from the terminal, the host controller travels to the loading location, holds the cart storing the article at the loading location, and then moves the cart to the specific loading location. The in-hospital transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the transport command for instructing the traveling carriage to be transported to a place is generated and transmitted to the traveling carriage. The in-hospital transport system according to claim 9, wherein the article stored in the cart is a drug, and the loading place is a drug unit that manages the drug. The terminal
A first terminal that outputs an order for the drug and
With a second terminal that transmits the transport request requesting that the cart containing the drug shown in the prescription created based on the order be transported from the drug unit to the specific location to the host controller. ,
10. The in-hospital transport system according to claim 10. The in-hospital transport system according to claim 11, further comprising an autoampoule dispenser for picking the drug to be stored in the cart based on the prescription. The in-hospital transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the article stored in the cart is any of a drug, a sample, a sterilizing device, a medical material, and linen. The in-hospital transport system according to claim 13, wherein the cart exists for each type of the article to be stored. A traveling trolley that travels in a hospital where an unspecified number of people come and go, a cart that stores articles to be transported and is held by the traveling trolley to be transported in the hospital, and a traveling trolley that issues a transport command. It is a control method of the traveling carriage in a hospital transport system including a host controller for instructing the traveling carriage to transport the cart and a terminal for transmitting a transport request to the traveling carriage. hand,
A step in which the terminal transmits the transport request requesting the cart to be transported from the loading location for storing the article in the cart to a specific location in the hospital to the host controller.
Based on the transport request received from the terminal, the host controller travels to the loading location, holds the cart storing the article at the loading location, and then holds the cart to the specific loading location. A step of generating the transport command for instructing the traveling carriage to transport to a place, and
The step of transmitting the transport command to the traveling carriage and
A step in which the traveling trolley autonomously travels in the hospital to the loading location without a track based on the transport command.
A step in which the traveling trolley holds the cart in which the article is stored at the loading place based on the transport command.
A step in which the traveling trolley transports the cart that autonomously holds the inside of the hospital to the specific place without a track based on the transport command.
Control method including.

Images