JP2023056669A - travel control device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a travel control device capable of detecting a front surface of a palette and making a forklift travel to a target position even when a space on the front surface side of the palette is narrow.SOLUTION: A travel control device 20 includes a camera 21 detecting a front surface 15a of a pallet 15 with respect to a lateral direction of a forklift 1, a laser sensor 22 and a detection processing unit 32, a position and posture calculation unit 33 for calculating the position and posture of the pallet 15 with respect to the forklift 1 based on the front surface 15a of the pallet 15, a route generation unit 34 for generating a traveling route to a target position based on the position and posture of the pallet 15 with respect to the forklift 1, and a travel control unit 35 for controlling a traveling motor 7 so as to make the forklift 1 travel along the traveling route. The route generation unit 34 generates a traveling route such that the forklift 1 turns toward the target position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a travel control device.

For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a technique in which an object positioned in front of a forklift is photographed by an imaging unit, and the forklift is driven toward the object based on the image data of the object for cargo handling. .

JP 2015-58985 A

By the way, when a pallet is held by the forks of a forklift, if the front side of the pallet has a large space, the front of the pallet can be detected by photographing the pallet positioned in front of the forklift as in the conventional technology described above. The forklift can be moved forward to the pallet, which is the target position. However, if the space on the front side of the pallet is narrow, there is a possibility that the front side of the pallet cannot be detected. Also, even if the front of the pallet can be detected, the forklift may not be able to travel to the pallet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a travel control device capable of detecting the front surface of a pallet and allowing a forklift to travel to a target position even if the space on the front side of the pallet is narrow.

One aspect of the present invention is a travel control device that controls the forklift to travel from a state in which the forklift is located on the front side of the pallet to a target position with respect to the pallet, and includes a driving unit that travels the forklift and a front surface of the pallet. a pallet detection unit that detects the pallet, a position/orientation calculation unit that calculates the position and orientation of the pallet relative to the forklift based on the front surface of the pallet detected by the pallet detection unit, and the position of the pallet relative to the forklift that is calculated by the position/orientation calculation unit and based on the posture, a route generation unit that generates a travel route to a target position, and a travel control unit that controls the drive unit to cause the forklift to travel according to the travel route generated by the route generation unit, and detects the pallet. The forklift unit detects the front surface of the pallet in the lateral direction of the forklift in a state where the forklift is positioned relative to the pallet so that the forklift's front-rear direction intersects the pallet's front-rear direction. Generate a travel path that turns toward a position.

In such a travel control device, the front surface of the pallet is first detected, and the position and attitude of the pallet relative to the forklift are calculated based on the front surface of the pallet. Then, based on the position and attitude of the pallet relative to the forklift, a travel route to the target position for the pallet is generated, and the forklift travels along the travel route. Here, the forklift is positioned with respect to the pallet so that the front-rear direction of the forklift intersects the front-rear direction of the pallet, and the front surface of the pallet is detected in the lateral direction of the forklift. Therefore, even if the space on the front side of the pallet is narrow, the front side of the pallet can be detected. Then, a travel route is generated such that the forklift turns toward the target position. Therefore, even if the space on the front side of the pallet is narrow, the forklift can be driven to the target position with respect to the pallet.

The route generator may generate a travel route such that the forklift moves forward toward the target position and turns. With such a configuration, the forklift can be smoothly moved to the target position with respect to the pallet.

The pallet detector is a laser sensor that irradiates the front of the pallet with a laser in the horizontal direction of the forklift and receives the reflected light of the laser to detect the distance to the front of the pallet and acquire point cloud data. , and a camera for capturing image data by imaging the front surface of the pallet in the lateral direction of the forklift. In such a configuration, the front surface of the pallet can be detected with simple processing by using the laser sensor and the camera to detect the front surface of the pallet.

The pallet detection unit recognizes the pallet based on the image data acquired by the camera, extracts the point cloud data corresponding to the recognized pallet from the point cloud data acquired by the laser sensor, and detects the front surface of the pallet. may be detected. With such a configuration, the palette is recognized based on the image data acquired by the camera. Then, point cloud data corresponding to the recognized palette is extracted from the point cloud data acquired by the laser sensor. Image data from a camera has a higher resolution than point cloud data from a laser sensor. As a result, the accuracy of pallet recognition is improved. Therefore, the front surface of the pallet can be detected with high accuracy.

A frame extending in the vertical direction of the forklift is fixed to the vehicle body of the forklift, and the laser sensor and the camera may be attached to the frame so that the mounting height position can be adjusted. In such a configuration, by changing the mounting height positions of the laser sensor and the camera with respect to the frame according to the height position of the pallet, the front surface of the pallet can be detected with higher accuracy.

The pallet detection unit may detect the front surface of the pallet with respect to the right side of the forklift, and the route generation unit may generate a travel route such that the forklift moves backward and then turns toward the target position. With such a configuration, the front surface of the pallet can be detected with higher accuracy by detecting the front surface of the pallet right beside the forklift. In addition, by generating a travel path such that the forklift moves backward and then turns toward the target position, the forklift can travel to the target position with respect to the pallet regardless of the mounting position and orientation of the pallet detection unit.

The pallet detection unit may detect the front surface of the pallet diagonally from the side of the forklift. In such a configuration, the forklift does not need to move backward after the front surface of the pallet is detected by generating a travel path in which the forklift moves forward toward the target position and turns. Therefore, since the travel distance of the forklift truck to the target position is shortened, the work time can be shortened.

The travel control device further includes a stop control section for controlling the driving section so as to stop the forklift traveling in a direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the pallet at a position where the front surface of the pallet can be detected, and the pallet detection section , the front surface of the pallet may be detected with respect to the lateral direction of the forklift while the forklift is stopped. With such a configuration, by detecting the front surface of the pallet while the forklift is stopped, the pallet does not shift relative to the forklift, so the front surface of the pallet can be detected with higher accuracy. can be done.

According to the present invention, even if the space on the front side of the pallet is narrow, the front surface of the pallet can be detected and the forklift can be driven to the target position.

1 is a side view showing a forklift equipped with a travel control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a travel control device according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3A and 3B are a plan view, a front view, and a side view showing a front portion of the traveling device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure of pallet detection processing executed by the detection processing unit shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure of position/orientation calculation processing executed by a position/orientation calculation unit shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the operation of the cruise control device shown in FIG. 2; 1 is a plan view schematically showing the environment around a truck on which pallets are placed; FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically showing a modification of the operation of the cruise control device shown in FIG. 6; FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically showing another modification of the operation of the cruise control device shown in FIG. 6;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a forklift equipped with a travel control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a forklift 1 includes a travel device 2 and a cargo handling device 3 arranged in front of the travel device 2 for handling cargo.

The traveling device 2 includes a vehicle body 4, front wheels 5 as a pair of left and right drive wheels arranged in front of the vehicle body 4, and rear wheels 6 as a pair of left and right steering wheels arranged in the rear part of the vehicle body 4. , a pair of left and right travel motors 7 for independently rotating the front wheels 5, and a cargo handling motor 8 for rotating a hydraulic pump (not shown). The traveling motor 7 is a drive unit that causes the forklift 1 to travel.

The vehicle body 4 has a pair of left and right front pillars 10 and a pair of left and right rear pillars 11 . The rear pillar 11 is arranged behind the front pillar 10 . A head guard 12 is connected to the upper portions of the front pillar 10 and the rear pillar 11 .

The cargo handling device 3 includes a mast 13 erected at the front end of the vehicle body 4, a pair of left and right forks 16 attached to the mast 13 via a lift bracket 14 so as to be able to move up and down and holding a pallet 15, and the forks. 16 and a tilt cylinder 18 for tilting the fork 16 via the mast 13 . The lift cylinder 17 and tilt cylinder 18 are driven by hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic pump (described above).

The pallet 15 is a loading platform on which the cargo M is placed. The pallet 15 is, for example, a flat pallet. The pallet 15 has a square shape in plan view. The pallet 15 is provided with a pair of fork holes 19 into which each fork 16 is inserted. The fork holes 19 extend from the front face 15a of the pallet 15 to the rear face 15b.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the cruise control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. 2, the travel control device 20 of the present embodiment automatically travels the forklift 1 toward the target position with respect to the pallet 15 from the state where the forklift 1 is positioned on the front surface 15a side of the pallet 15 (see FIG. 6). It is a device that controls

The travel control device 20 is mounted on the forklift 1 . The travel control device 20 includes a camera 21, a laser sensor 22, a controller 23, and the travel motor 7 described above.

The camera 21 captures an image of the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 to acquire image data. The camera 21 images the front surface 15 a of the pallet 15 in the lateral direction of the forklift 1 . As the camera 21, for example, a monocular camera or the like is used.

The laser sensor 22 irradiates a laser toward the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 and receives reflected light of the laser to detect the distance to the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 and obtain point cloud data. A point cloud is a collection of laser reflection points. The laser sensor 22 irradiates a laser in the lateral direction of the forklift 1 toward the front surface 15 a of the pallet 15 . As the laser sensor 22, for example, a 2D or 3D LIDAR, a laser range finder, or the like is used.

The camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 are attached to a frame 24 extending in the vertical direction (Z direction) of the forklift 1, as shown in FIGS. The frame 24 is attached to the top of the front pillar 10 via frames 25 and 26 . Frames 24 to 26 are arranged on the left side of forklift 1 . The frame 25 extends outward in the vehicle width direction (Y direction) from the left upper portion of the front pillar 10 . The frame 26 extends forward in the front-rear direction (X direction) from the frame 25 . Frame 24 extends downward from frame 26 . The frames 24-26 are made of aluminum or the like, for example.

The camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 are attached to the frame 24 side by side in the vertical direction. Here, the camera 21 is arranged on the upper side and the laser sensor 22 is arranged on the lower side. However, the arrangement positions of the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 may be upside down.

The camera 21 is attached to the frame 24 via the mounting bracket 27 so that the mounting height position can be adjusted. The laser sensor 22 is attached to the frame 24 via an attachment bracket 28 so that the mounting height position can be adjusted. The mounting brackets 27 and 28 are vertically slidable with respect to the frame 24 . Therefore, the mounting height positions of the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 can be adjusted with respect to the frame 24 . The mounting brackets 27, 28 are fixed to the frame 24, for example, with bolts and nuts (not shown).

The camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 are attached to the frame 24 via attachment brackets 27 and 28 so that the front faces the side of the forklift 1 . Therefore, the camera 21 images the front surface 15 a of the pallet 15 right beside the forklift 1 . The laser sensor 22 irradiates a laser right beside the forklift 1 toward the front surface 15 a of the pallet 15 . The imaging range of the camera 21 and the laser irradiation range of the laser sensor 22 correspond to the detection range S of the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 (see FIG. 6A).

The controller 23 is composed of a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an input/output interface, and the like. The controller 23 has a detected position determination unit 30 , a stop control unit 31 , a detection processing unit 32 , a position/orientation calculation unit 33 , a route generation unit 34 and a travel control unit 35 .

The detection position determination unit 30 determines whether the forklift 1 has reached the detection position based on the image data acquired by the camera 21 while the forklift 1 is traveling in the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction of the pallet 15. judge. The detection position is a position where the front surface 15 a of the pallet 15 can be detected using the camera 21 and laser sensor 22 . Specifically, the detection position is a position where the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 face the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 (see FIG. 6A).

The stop control unit 31 controls the travel motor 7 to stop the travel of the forklift 1 when the detection position determination unit 30 determines that the forklift 1 has reached the detection position.

The detection processing unit 32 cooperates with the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 to constitute a pallet detection unit that detects the front surface 15 a of the pallet 15 in the lateral direction of the forklift 1 . The detection processing unit 32 detects the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 with respect to the lateral direction of the forklift 1 in a state in which the forklift 1 is positioned relative to the pallet 15 so that the forklift 1's longitudinal direction is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the pallet 15. process. The lateral direction of the forklift 1 is a direction intersecting the front-rear direction of the forklift 1 in the horizontal plane.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of pallet detection processing executed by the detection processing unit 32. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, the detection processing unit 32 first acquires point cloud data from the laser sensor 22 (step S101).

Further, the detection processing unit 32 acquires image data from the camera 21 (step S102). Then, the detection processing unit 32 recognizes the palette 15 based on the image data acquired in step S102 (step S103). At this time, the detection processing unit 32 recognizes the palette 15 by image processing technology using deep learning, for example.

Then, the detection processing unit 32 extracts point cloud data corresponding to the pallet 15 recognized in step S103 from among the point cloud data acquired in step S101 (step S104). Thereby, the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 is detected. Subsequently, the detection processing unit 32 filters the point cloud data extracted in step S104 (step S105).

Returning to FIG. 2 , the position/orientation calculation unit 33 calculates the position and orientation of the pallet 15 with respect to the forklift 1 based on the front surface 15 a of the pallet 15 detected by the detection processing unit 32 .

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the procedure of position/orientation calculation processing executed by the position/orientation calculation unit 33 . In FIG. 5, the position/orientation calculation unit 33 first acquires the point cloud data after the filtering processing has been performed by the detection processing unit 32 (step S111).

Subsequently, the position/orientation calculation unit 33 calculates a plane equation of the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 using, for example, a robust estimation method such as RANSAC (Random Sample Consensus) or a least-squares method (step S112).

Subsequently, the position/orientation calculator 33 calculates the position and orientation of the pallet 15 with respect to the forklift 1 by a known method using the plane equation of the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 (step S113). The position of the pallet 15 with respect to the forklift 1 is the three-dimensional position coordinates of the center of the front surface 15 a of the pallet 15 with respect to the forklift 1 . The posture of the pallet 15 with respect to the forklift 1 is the yaw angle, pitch angle and roll angle of the pallet 15 with respect to the forklift 1 .

Returning to FIG. 2 , the route generator 34 generates a travel route to the target position for the pallet 15 based on the position and orientation of the pallet 15 with respect to the forklift 1 calculated by the position/orientation calculator 33 . The target position is the position where the forks 16 of the forklift 1 are inserted into the fork holes 19 of the pallet 15 .

The route generation unit 34 generates a travel route along which the forklift 1 turns toward the target position. Specifically, the route generation unit 34 generates a travel route R such that the forklift 1 moves backward by a predetermined distance and then moves forward toward the target position and turns (see FIG. 6B). The predetermined distance is a distance that allows the forklift 1 to turn. At this time, the travel route R is generated using, for example, a clothoid curve.

The travel control unit 35 controls the travel motor 7 so that the forklift 1 travels along the travel route generated by the route generation unit 34 .

In the above, the pallet 15 is placed on the loading platform 40a of the truck 40, as shown in FIG. The pallet 15 is arranged so that the front surface 15a faces the right side of the track 40. - 特許庁In such a state, when the pallet 15 is held by the forks 16 of the forklift 1, that is, when unloading is performed, the forklift 1 automatically moves backward along the front-rear direction of the truck 40 on the right side of the truck 40. .

Then, as shown in FIG. 6(a), when the forklift 1 reaches the detection position, the forklift 1 temporarily stops. In this state, the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 is imaged by the camera 21 to obtain image data, and the laser sensor 22 irradiates the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 with laser to obtain point cloud data. Then, the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 is detected based on the image data and the point cloud data, and the position and orientation of the pallet 15 with respect to the forklift 1 are calculated. Note that the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 are omitted in FIG. 6 for convenience.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6(b), a travel route R is generated in which the forklift 1 moves backward straight by a predetermined distance, moves forward toward the target position, and turns left. Then, the forklift truck travels from the detection position to the target position along the travel route R, as shown in FIG. 6(c). Specifically, the forklift 1 reaches the target position by moving backward straight by a predetermined distance from the detection position and then moving forward and turning left.

Thereafter, while the forks 16 of the forklift 1 are inserted into the fork holes 19 of the pallet 15 , the forks 16 are lifted by the lift cylinder 17 to hold the pallet 15 on the forks 16 . Then, the forklift 1 transports the pallet 15 to the designated place.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 7( a ), the approach distance of the forklift 1 in the lateral direction of the truck 40 can be lengthened in a place where the space on the right side of the truck 40 is wide. Therefore, even if the direction of the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 is in front of the forklift 1, the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 is detected by the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22, and the forklift 1 is moved forward to approach the pallet 15. Is possible. Note that the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 are also omitted in FIG. 7 for the sake of convenience.

However, as shown in FIG. 7B, when other trucks, walls, shelves, and objects 41 such as luggage are arranged on the right side of the truck 40, the space on the right side of the truck 40 becomes narrow. , the approach distance of the forklift 1 in the lateral direction of the truck 40 cannot be increased. Therefore, when the direction of the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 is in front of the forklift 1, the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 is detected by the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 depending on the distance between the truck 40 and the object 41. I can't. Further, even if the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 can be detected, the forklift 1 cannot be moved forward to the pallet 15, which is the target position.

In order to solve such a problem, in the present embodiment, the forklift 1 is positioned with respect to the pallet 15 so that the forklift 1 intersects the fore-and-aft direction of the pallet 15 , and the pallet is moved in the lateral direction of the forklift 1 . The front face 15a of 15 is detected. Therefore, even if the space on the side of the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 is narrow, the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 can be detected. Then, a travel route R along which the forklift 1 turns toward the target position is generated. Therefore, even if the space on the front face 15a side of the pallet 15 is narrow, the forklift 1 can be moved to the target position with respect to the pallet 15.例文帳に追加As described above, even if the approach distance of the forklift 1 along the longitudinal direction of the pallet 15 is short, the forklift 1 can pick up the cargo.

Further, in the present embodiment, the forklift 1 can smoothly travel to the target position with respect to the pallet 15 by generating the travel route R in which the forklift 1 advances toward the target position and turns.

Further, in this embodiment, by using the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 to detect the front surface 15a of the pallet 15, the detection of the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 can be realized with simple processing.

Also, in this embodiment, the palette 15 is recognized based on the image data acquired by the camera 21 . Then, point cloud data corresponding to the recognized pallet 15 is extracted from the point cloud data acquired by the laser sensor 22 . Image data from the camera 21 has a higher resolution than point cloud data from the laser sensor 22 . Therefore, the recognition accuracy of the pallet 15 is improved. Therefore, the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 can be detected with high accuracy.

In addition, in this embodiment, by changing the mounting height positions of the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 with respect to the frame 24 according to the height position of the pallet 15, the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 can be detected with higher accuracy. can be done.

Further, in this embodiment, by detecting the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 right beside the forklift 1, the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 can be detected with higher accuracy. In addition, by generating the travel route R such that the forklift 1 moves backward and then turns toward the target position, the forklift 1 can be moved to the target position with respect to the pallet 15 regardless of the mounting locations and orientations of the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 . can run up to

In addition, in this embodiment, the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 is prevented from shifting relative to the forklift 1 by detecting the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 while the forklift 1 is stopped. can be detected with even higher accuracy.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 is detected right beside the forklift 1, but the configuration is not particularly limited to that.

8 is a plan view schematically showing a modification of the operation of the cruise control device shown in FIG. 6. FIG. As shown in FIG. 8( a ), the camera 21 captures an image of the front surface 15 a of the pallet 15 diagonally forward from the side of the forklift 1 , and the laser sensor 22 captures the front surface 15 a of the pallet 15 from the side of the forklift 1 . The front surface 15a of the pallet 15 is detected diagonally forward from right beside the forklift 1 by irradiating the laser diagonally forward.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8(b), a travel route R is generated such that the forklift 1 moves forward from the detection position toward the target position and turns. Then, as shown in FIG. 8(c), the forklift 1 travels along the traveling route R to the target position.

In this modification, the forklift 1 moves forward toward the target position as it is and generates a travel route R that turns, so that the forklift 1 needs to be moved backward after the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 is detected. There is no Therefore, since the travel distance of the forklift 1 to the target position is shortened, the work time can be shortened.

In addition, the camera 21 captures an image of the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 obliquely rearward from the side of the forklift 1, and the laser sensor 22 irradiates the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 with a laser beam from the side of the forklift 1 obliquely rearward. The front surface 15a of the pallet 15 may be detected diagonally from the side of the forklift 1 to the rear. In this case, the travel route R may be generated such that the forklift 1 moves backward, moves forward toward the target position, and turns.

In the above-described embodiment, when the forklift 1 is used to unload, the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 is detected, and based on the detection result, the forklift 1 is moved to the target position where the forks 16 are inserted into the fork holes 19 of the pallet 15. is running, but it is not particularly limited to such a form. For example, when the pallet 15 held by the forks 16 is placed at a specified location, that is, when loading is performed, the front surface 15a of the existing pallet 15 is detected, and based on the detection result, a target adjacent to the existing pallet 15 is detected. The forklift 1 may be driven to the position.

9 is a plan view schematically showing another modification of the operation of the cruise control device shown in FIG. 6. FIG. In FIG. 9, the fork 16 of the forklift 1 holds a pallet 15A for storing cargo. An existing pallet 15 is placed on the loading platform 40 a of the truck 40 .

As shown in FIG. 9( a ), the camera 21 and laser sensor 22 detect the front surface 15 a of the pallet 15 right beside the forklift 1 . Then, as shown in FIG. 9(b), a travel route R is generated in which the forklift 1 moves straight backward from the detection position, then moves forward toward the position L adjacent to the left of the existing pallet 15, and turns. be. The position L adjacent to the left of the pallet 15 is the target position for the pallet 15 . Then, as shown in FIG. 9(c), the forklift 1 travels along the traveling route R to the target position.

After that, the fork 16 is lowered by the lift cylinder 17, and the pallet 15A held by the fork 16 is placed on the left side of the existing pallet 15 on the loading platform 40a of the truck 40.

In this modification, the front surface 15a of the existing pallet 15 is detected and the forklift 1 travels to the target position with respect to the pallet 15 even if the space on the front surface 15a side of the existing pallet 15 is narrow. As described above, even if the approach distance of the forklift 1 along the longitudinal direction of the pallet 15 is short, the cargo can be placed by the forklift 1 .

In the above-described embodiment, the forklift 1 is positioned relative to the pallet 15 so that the front-rear direction of the forklift 1 is perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the pallet 15 , and the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 detect the lateral direction of the forklift 1 . Although the front face 15a of the pallet 15 is detected by the pallet 15, it is not limited to such a form. In a state where the forklift 1 is positioned relative to the pallet 15 so that the front-rear direction of the forklift 1 deviates from the posture perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the pallet 15, the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 detect the pallet in the lateral direction of the forklift 1. 15 front surface 15a may be detected. That is, in a state where the forklift 1 is positioned with respect to the pallet 15 so that the front-rear direction of the forklift 1 obliquely intersects the front-rear direction of the pallet 15, the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 detect the lateral direction of the forklift 1. The front surface 15a of the pallet 15 may be detected.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, there is a travel route R on which the forklift 1 moves backward and then moves forward toward the target position and turns, and a travel route R on which the forklift 1 moves forward and turns toward the target position without moving backward. Although the travel route R is generated, it is not particularly limited to such a form. For example, the travel route R may be generated such that the forklift 1 turns toward the target position without moving forward (so-called on-the-spot turning), or the forklift 1 moves backward and then turns toward the target position. Such travel route R may be generated.

In the above embodiment, the forklift 1 moves straight backward to enter the detection position, but the configuration is not particularly limited, and the forklift 1 may move straight forward to enter the detection position.

In the above embodiment, the forklift 1 moves backward and temporarily stops at the detection position, and in that state, the front surface 15a of the pallet 15 is detected by the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22. The front surface 15a of the pallet 15 may be detected by the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 while the forklift 1 is moving backward at a slow or low speed.

Further, in the above embodiment, it is determined whether or not the forklift 1 has reached the detection position based on the image data acquired by the camera 21. Based on the obtained point cloud data, it may be determined whether the forklift 1 has reached the detection position.

In the above embodiment, the forklift 1 automatically travels to the detection position, but the configuration is not particularly limited, and the forklift 1 may be manually operated by the driver to travel to the detection position.

In the above embodiment, the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 are attached to the frame 24 connected to the front pillar 10 via the frames 25 and 26 so that the mounting height position can be adjusted. It is not limited to such a form. The camera 21 and laser sensor 22 may be directly attached to an existing member of the vehicle body 4 such as the front pillar 10 or the like. In this case, since the frames 24 to 26 are not required, there is no need to increase the number of parts.

In the above embodiment, the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction. may

Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 are arranged only on the left side of the forklift 1, but the present invention is not particularly limited to such a form. The camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 may be arranged only on the right side of the forklift 1 or may be arranged on both left and right sides of the forklift 1 . By arranging the cameras 21 and the laser sensors 22 on both the left and right sides of the forklift 1, even if the truck 40 with the pallets 15 placed on the loading platform 40a stops on both the left and right sides of the forklift 1, the front surface 15a of any pallet 15 can be detected. can be detected.

Further, in the above embodiment, both the camera 21 and the laser sensor 22 are used to detect the front face 15a of the pallet 15, but the present invention is not limited to this form. may be used to detect the front face 15a of the pallet 15.

Further, in the above embodiment, the pallet 15 is placed on the bed 40a of the truck 40, but the place where the pallet 15 is placed is not limited to the truck 40. may be

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Forklift 4... Vehicle body 7... Traveling motor (drive part) 15... Pallet 15a... Front surface 16... Fork 21... Camera (pallet detection part) 22... Laser sensor (pallet detection part) 24... Frame 31 Stop control unit 32 Detection processing unit (pallet detection unit) 33 Position/orientation calculation unit 34 Route generation unit 35 Travel control unit R Travel route.

Claims (8)

A travel control device for controlling the forklift to travel to a target position with respect to the pallet from a state in which the forklift is located on the front side of the pallet,
a driving unit for running the forklift;
a pallet detection unit that detects the front surface of the pallet;
a position and orientation calculation unit that calculates the position and orientation of the pallet relative to the forklift based on the front surface of the pallet detected by the pallet detection unit;
a route generation unit that generates a travel route to the target position based on the position and orientation of the pallet relative to the forklift calculated by the position and orientation calculation unit;
a travel control unit that controls the drive unit to cause the forklift to travel along the travel route generated by the route generation unit;
The pallet detection unit detects the front surface of the pallet with respect to the lateral direction of the forklift in a state in which the forklift is positioned with respect to the pallet such that the longitudinal direction of the forklift intersects the longitudinal direction of the pallet. ,
The route generator is a travel control device that generates the travel route such that the forklift turns toward the target position. 2. The travel control device according to claim 1, wherein the route generator generates the travel route such that the forklift moves forward toward the target position and turns. The pallet detection unit irradiates a laser in the lateral direction of the forklift toward the front surface of the pallet and receives the reflected light of the laser to detect the distance to the front surface of the pallet and generate point cloud data. 3. The traveling control device according to claim 1, further comprising a laser sensor for acquiring the information, and a camera for acquiring image data by imaging the front surface of the pallet in the lateral direction of the forklift. The pallet detection unit recognizes the pallet based on the image data acquired by the camera, and extracts point cloud data corresponding to the recognized pallet from the point cloud data acquired by the laser sensor. 4. The traveling control device according to claim 3, wherein the front surface of said pallet is detected by: A frame extending in the vertical direction of the forklift is fixed to the vehicle body of the forklift,
5. A traveling control device according to claim 3, wherein said laser sensor and said camera are attached to said frame so that their mounting height positions are adjustable. The pallet detection unit detects the front surface of the pallet with respect to the right side of the forklift,
The travel control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the route generator generates the travel route such that the forklift travels backward and then turns toward the target position. The travel control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pallet detection unit detects the front surface of the pallet diagonally forward from right beside the forklift. further comprising a stop control unit that controls the drive unit to stop the forklift traveling in a direction that intersects the front-rear direction of the pallet at a position where the front surface of the pallet can be detected;
The traveling control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the pallet detection unit detects the front surface of the pallet in the lateral direction of the forklift while the forklift is stopped.

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