JP5874301B2 - Transport vehicle system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport vehicle system including a route provided along a plurality of processing devices and a transport vehicle that travels along the route.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a production factory for a component mounting board or the like, there is a transport vehicle system including a route provided along a plurality of processing devices such as a component mounter and a transport vehicle that travels along the route. In such a transport vehicle system, various contrivances are made for improving the efficiency of transport work of transport objects such as substrates and parts.

  For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique related to a pre-device automatic warehouse installed in the vicinity of a processing device. Specifically, the automatic warehouse in front of the apparatus employs a structure that moves some components during maintenance of the processing apparatus. Thereby, maintenance of a processing apparatus is performed easily.

JP 2010-285279 A

  In the conventional transport vehicle system, when maintenance of the processing device is performed as described above, for example, in order to ensure the safety of the worker who performs the maintenance, the transport vehicle cannot enter a predetermined area including the processing device. Control.

  That is, entry prohibition measures are taken for a part of the route of the transport vehicle in the transport vehicle system.

  In this case, the transport vehicle that is about to enter the entry-prohibited section stops traveling by, for example, software or hardware interlock, and reports to the upper transport controller that it cannot enter (travel stop).

  FIG. 10 is a time chart showing an example of control of a transport vehicle in a conventional transport vehicle system.

  As shown in FIG. 10, in the conventional transport vehicle system, a transport request is transmitted from a MES (Manufacturing Execution System) 510 to an MCS (Material Control System) 520. The transfer request indicates, for example, that a substrate in a certain area is transferred to a processing apparatus in another area.

  The MCS 520 transmits a transport command (for example, a command for receiving a substrate from the apparatus α and transporting it to the apparatus β) corresponding to the transport request to the transport controller 530.

  When the transfer controller 530 receives the transfer instruction, for example, the transfer controller 530 identifies a transfer vehicle 540 that is estimated to have the shortest arrival time at the apparatus α from a plurality of transfer vehicles, and places a substrate on the specified transfer vehicle 540. An instruction is received from the apparatus α and conveyed to the apparatus β.

  In accordance with the instruction, the transport vehicle 540 travels to the device α along the route, receives a substrate from the device α, and travels toward the device β.

  Then, before the transport vehicle 540 arrives at the apparatus β, for example, when maintenance of the apparatus β or a processing apparatus in the vicinity thereof is started, that is, an entry prohibition measure for a part of the route in the vicinity of the apparatus β. Is started, the transport vehicle 540 stops traveling before entering the section.

  Further, the transport vehicle 540 reports to the transport controller 530 that entry is impossible (that is, travel stop). The transfer controller 530 that has received the report indicating the stop of travel reports to the MCS 520 that the transport vehicle 540 has stopped travel. Upon receiving the report, MCS 520 determines an alternative destination.

  Specifically, the MCS 520 determines a processing device (for example, device γ) that can perform the same processing as the device β, instead of the device β that was the initial destination.

  The MCS 520 transmits the changed transport command (device α → device γ) to the transport controller 530, and the transport controller 530 instructs the transport vehicle 540 to go to the device γ.

  In accordance with the instruction, the transport vehicle 540 travels toward the apparatus γ and passes the substrate received from the apparatus α to the apparatus γ. Thereafter, a transfer completion report from the transfer vehicle 540 is transmitted to the MES 510 via the transfer controller 530 and the MCS 520.

  In this way, for example, when an entry prohibition section is provided on the route for the purpose of maintenance of the processing apparatus, the traveling of the transport vehicle that is about to enter the entry prohibition section is stopped, and an alternative destination (substitute Processor) is determined by the host controller.

  That is, the maintenance work is executed without delay, and the transport work to be carried by the transported vehicle whose travel has been stopped is appropriately processed by determining the alternative destination.

  However, the transport vehicle trying to enter the entry-prohibited section must inevitably stop traveling before the entry-prohibited section and wait for the alternative destination to be determined.

  This is one of the factors that reduce the efficiency of the article transport operation in the transport vehicle system.

  For example, in a large-scale production site where hundreds of processing apparatuses are installed, there is a possibility that maintenance may occur at various locations at the same time. In this case, it is expected that a state in which a number of transport vehicles stop traveling before a plurality of entry prohibition sections provided for performing these maintenances is expected. That is, the case where the efficiency of a conveyance work falls remarkably is also considered.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a transport vehicle system that enables efficient transport work even when an entry prohibition section is provided on a route in consideration of the above-described conventional problems.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, a transport vehicle system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a route provided along a plurality of processing devices, a plurality of transport vehicles that travel along the route, and the plurality of transport vehicles. A transport vehicle system comprising a controller for controlling the transport vehicle, wherein the controller receives a transport request that requires one of the transport vehicles to be directed to a destination on the route. Communication section, entry information indicating an entry prohibition section that is a part of the route scheduled to be subjected to entry prohibition measures for a predetermined period, and a start time at which the entry prohibition measures are scheduled to start A storage unit that stores preliminary period information indicating a preliminary period that is a period from the previous predetermined time to the start time, and a transport request received by the communication unit is a preliminary period indicated in the preliminary period information A determination unit that determines whether or not the execution is scheduled and the destination is a specific transfer request included in the entry prohibition section indicated in the section information, and the determination unit determines the transfer request An alternative destination determining unit that determines an alternative destination on the route that is an alternative destination that is a substitute for the destination and is not included in the entry prohibition section. A command sending unit for sending a transport command for directing one of the plurality of transport vehicles to the alternative destination determined by the alternative destination determining unit.

  According to this configuration, the controller that controls the transport vehicle stores section information indicating a scheduled entry prohibition section and preliminary period information indicating a preliminary period that is a predetermined period before the start time of the entry prohibition measure. ing. Therefore, when the controller receives the transport request, the controller determines whether the transport request is scheduled to start at a time close to the start time and the destination is included in the entry prohibition section. Can be determined.

  Simply put, the controller can identify a transport request that may not allow the transport vehicle to reach the destination due to the entry-prohibited section before work according to the transport request is started. .

  Furthermore, the controller can determine an alternative destination to substitute for the destination in the transport request that may not be able to reach such a destination, and can direct the transport vehicle to the determined alternative destination.

  As a result, the generation of useless time such that each of the plurality of transport vehicles stops in front of the entry prohibition section and waits for the determination of the alternative destination is suppressed.

Ni will this Yo, according to the transport vehicle system of the present embodiment, even when the breach section is provided on a path, it is possible to enable efficient transportation task.

  Further, in the transport vehicle system according to an aspect of the present invention, the determination unit is scheduled to start executing the transport request received by the communication unit within the preliminary period, and the destination is the entry Even if it is included in the prohibited section, if the scheduled arrival time of the transport vehicle corresponding to the transport request is before the start time, the transport request is transmitted to the specific transport. Instead of determining as a request, the command sending unit may send a transport command for directing one of the plurality of transport vehicles to the destination.

  According to this configuration, even if a transportation request is scheduled to start during the preliminary period and the destination is a place included in a section where entry is prohibited, the arrival schedule of the transport vehicle at the destination is The conveyance request that is presumed to be before the section is prohibited from entering is executed as it is.

  Therefore, according to the transport vehicle system of this aspect, the determination as to whether or not to execute each of the plurality of transport requests as it is is performed with higher accuracy.

  Further, in the transport vehicle system according to one aspect of the present invention, the determination unit is further scheduled to start executing the transport request received by the communication unit within the preliminary period indicated in the preliminary period information, The destination is included in the entry prohibition section indicated in the section information, indicates a request to carry out an article from the destination, and the scheduled arrival time of the transport vehicle corresponding to the transport request at the destination However, if it is later than the start time, it is determined that the transport request cannot be executed, and the communication unit further reports to the device that has transmitted the transport request that the transport request cannot be executed. You may do that.

  According to this configuration, for example, a certain transport request is a request for carrying out an article from a processing device arranged in a position included in the entry prohibition section, and the arrival of the transport vehicle to the processing device is made. If it is not likely to be in time for the entry prohibition start time, it is determined that the transfer request is not executable.

  In other words, unlike the conventional case, when the transport vehicle reaches the vicinity of the processing device in which the article to be carried is present, it is not determined that the transport request is not executable. It is determined that the transport request cannot be executed before starting traveling.

  That is, according to the transport vehicle system of this aspect, when a transport request that requires the delivery of an article from a destination and a transport request that cannot be performed immediately occurs, it cannot be performed more quickly than in the past. Is determined. Therefore, subsequent processing such as processing other transport requests first can be performed more quickly than in the past.

  Moreover, this invention can also be implement | achieved as a control method of a conveyance vehicle including the characteristic process which the conveyance vehicle system which concerns on one of the said aspects performs. Further, the present invention can be realized as a program for causing a computer to execute each process included in the method for controlling the transport vehicle, and as a recording medium on which the program is recorded. The program can be distributed via a transmission medium such as the Internet or a recording medium such as a DVD.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even if it is a case where an entry prohibition area is provided on a path | route, it can provide providing the conveyance vehicle system which enables an efficient conveyance work.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a hardware configuration of a transport vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the transport vehicle in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a main functional configuration of the MCS in the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the content of a transport request in the embodiment. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of maintenance information in the embodiment. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating another example of a data configuration of maintenance information in the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an entry prohibition section provided on a route in the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of MCS processing according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a time chart illustrating an example of control of the transport vehicle in the transport vehicle system according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the flow of MCS processing according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a time chart showing an example of control of a transport vehicle in a conventional transport vehicle system.

  Hereinafter, a transport vehicle system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily illustrated exactly.

  In the embodiment described below, a preferred specific example of the present invention is shown. The numerical values, shapes, components, arrangement of components and connection forms shown in the embodiments are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention is limited by the claims. Therefore, among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in the independent claims are not necessarily required to achieve the object of the present invention, but are described as elements that constitute a more preferable embodiment. The

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a hardware configuration of a transport vehicle system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transport vehicle system 100 includes an MCS (Material Control System) 120, a transport controller 130, a route 140, and a plurality of transport vehicles 200.

  In the present embodiment, the transport vehicle 200 is an overhead traveling vehicle that travels along a route 140 disposed on the ceiling.

  A transport vehicle system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is provided in a factory that manufactures semiconductor elements, for example, and a path 140 is provided along a plurality of processing apparatuses 300 such as a component mounting machine.

  In addition, various devices arranged in the factory including the transport vehicle system 100 are controlled by the MES 110.

  The MCS 120 is an example of a device that implements a controller according to the present invention. Specifically, the MCS 120 is a device that sends a conveyance command indicating which article is received from where and where to be conveyed to the conveyance controller 130 in response to a conveyance request.

  The transport controller 130 is a device that issues a transport instruction indicating a destination or the like to each of the plurality of transport vehicles 200 in accordance with a transport command from the MCS 120.

  The MES 110, the MCS 120, and the transport controller 130 are realized by a computer system including, for example, a microprocessor, a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk unit, a program for performing the above processing, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, the plurality of processing devices 300 in the factory are divided into units called bays, and each of the plurality of processing devices 300 belongs to one of the bays.

  For example, in FIG. 1, ten processing apparatuses 300 are arranged in each of the first bay to the third bay. In addition, the path 140 includes portions of peripheral circuits (in FIG. 1, a clockwise one-way peripheral circuit) corresponding to each of the first bay to the third bay, and these peripheral circuits are mutually connected by a connection path. It is connected to the.

  Each of the plurality of transport vehicles 200 travels on a route 140 in accordance with an instruction from the transport controller 130 and exchanges articles with each of the plurality of processing devices 300 arranged in each of the plurality of bays. be able to.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the transport vehicle 200 in the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transport vehicle 200 is an overhead traveling vehicle that moves along a rail that forms a path 140, and includes a holding unit 240 that holds an article.

  The path 140 is provided with a plurality of mounting tables 310 on which articles to be transported to the transport vehicle 200 are temporarily placed.

For example, the transport vehicle 200 moves to a certain point on the route 140 in accordance with an instruction from the transport controller 130 and lowers the holding unit 240 to the transfer port where the article to be transported is placed. Further, the article placed on the transfer port is held by the holding unit 240 and raised. Thereafter, the transport vehicle 200 moves to the next transfer port in accordance with an instruction from the transport controller 130 . When the transport vehicle 200 moves to the next transfer port, the transporting vehicle 200 lowers the holding unit 240 and lifts the holding unit 240 after lowering the article held by the holding unit 240.

  Each transfer port is installed corresponding to each of the plurality of processing apparatuses 300.

  When the transport vehicle 200 repeats such an operation, articles such as substrates and parts are transferred between the plurality of processing apparatuses 300. In addition, articles are also transferred between the plurality of mounting tables 310 and between the processing apparatus 300 and the mounting table 310.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a main functional configuration of the MCS 120 in the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the MCS 120 includes a communication unit 121, a storage unit 122, a determination unit 125, an alternative destination determination unit 126, and a command transmission unit 127 as main functional configurations.

  The communication unit 121 receives a transport request that requires one of the transport vehicles 200 to be directed to a destination on the route 140. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 121 receives a transport request from the MES 110.

  The memory | storage part 122 is a memory | storage device which memorize | stores the area information which shows an entry prohibition area, and the reserve period information which shows a reserve period.

  The entry prohibition section is a section of the route 140 and is a section in which entry prohibition measures are scheduled for a predetermined period for reasons such as maintenance. Further, the preliminary period is a period from a predetermined time before the start time when the entry prohibition measure is scheduled to start to the start time.

  In the present embodiment, maintenance information 123 including at least section information and preliminary period information is stored in storage unit 122. A data configuration example of the maintenance information 123 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B.

  The determination unit 125 includes the transport request received by the communication unit 121 that is scheduled to start execution within the preliminary period indicated in the preliminary period information, and is included in the entry-prohibited section in which the destination is indicated in the section information. It is determined whether it is a specific transport request.

  That is, in simple terms, the determination unit 125 sends a transport request that may cause the transport vehicle 200 to be unable to reach the destination because there is an entry-prohibited section before the work according to the transport request is started. Can be identified.

  If the determination unit 125 determines that the transport request is a specific transport request, the alternative destination determination unit 126 is an alternative destination that is a substitute for the destination and is on the route 140 that is not included in the entry prohibition section. Determine alternative destinations.

  For example, when the processing device 300 that is the destination is in a position included in the entry prohibition section, the same processing as that of the processing device 300 can be performed, and another processing device 300 arranged outside the entry prohibition section To be determined as an alternative destination.

  The command sending unit 127 sends a transport command for directing one of the plurality of transport vehicles 200 to the alternative destination determined by the alternative destination determining unit 126.

  In the present embodiment, the command sending unit 127 sends a transport command to the transport controller 130. Upon receiving the transport command, the transport controller 130 causes the transport vehicle 200 that can quickly start the work indicated in the transport command, for example, to the work indicated in the transport command.

  Examples of various types of information processed or held by the MCS 120 having the above functional configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5A, and 5B.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the content of a transport request in the embodiment.

  For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a transfer request indicating that the article A existing in the first bay is transferred to the processing device β in the second bay is transmitted from the MES 110 to the MCS 120.

  When receiving the transport request, the MCS 120 confirms, for example, the location where the article A exists (which processing apparatus 300 exists), the position of the processing apparatus β in the second bay, and the like as basic processes. In addition, after these confirmations, the MCS 120 sends, as a basic process, a conveyance command including, for example, that the article A of the processing apparatus α should be conveyed to the destination processing apparatus β to the conveyance controller 130. .

  Here, as described above, for example, due to the maintenance of one of the processing apparatuses 300, a measure for prohibiting entry may be taken for a part of the route 140. In this case, the transport vehicle 200 cannot reach the processing device included in the section while the entry prohibition measure continues.

  Therefore, the MCS 120 according to the present embodiment acquires and stores information related to maintenance in advance, and determines an alternative destination for a transport request estimated to be involved in the entry prohibition section by referring to the information. . Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the useless stop time of each of the some conveyance vehicle 200 can be suppressed.

  A more specific processing flow of the MCS 120 of this embodiment will be described later with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of the maintenance information 123 according to the embodiment.

  The maintenance information 123 shown in FIG. 5A has “target section”, “start time”, and “preliminary period” as data items.

  The “target section” is a data item indicating a part of the route 140 (that is, the entry prohibition section) where the entry prohibition measure is taken by performing the maintenance work. In the present embodiment, the target section is defined in units of bays, but the target section may be defined by information indicating two points on the route 140, for example. That is, the method of defining the target section is not limited to a specific method.

  “Start time” is a data item indicating the start time of maintenance. That is, it is a data item indicating the time when the entry prohibition measure is started.

  “Preliminary period” is information indicating a period from a predetermined time before the start time to the start time. For example, in the factory, the maximum time required to reach the target section is set as a preliminary period.

  That is, in the example of FIG. 5A, this means that the transport vehicle 200 farthest from the first bay will reach the first bay, which is prohibited from entering from 11:30, in about 7 minutes at the latest. .

  In other words, any transport vehicle 200 is assumed to arrive at the first bay before entry is prohibited, for example, when traveling toward the first bay is started at 11:22. To do.

  The “target section” shown in 5A is an example of a data item indicating section information according to the present invention. The “start time” and “preliminary period” shown in 5A are examples of data items indicating the preliminary period information according to the present invention.

  Further, the data configuration of the maintenance information 123 illustrated in FIG. 5A is an example, and other information such as the end time of each maintenance may be included in the maintenance information 123. Further, the format of each data item may be a format other than that shown in FIG. 5A.

  FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating another example of the data configuration of the maintenance information 123 according to the embodiment.

  The spare period in the maintenance information 123 shown in FIG. 5B is represented by the start time of the spare period and the start time of maintenance. For example, the determination unit 125 can know that the first bay is prohibited from entering at 11:30 by referring to the maintenance information 123. Also, for example, after 11:23, when the transport vehicle 200 is directed to the first bay, it is determined that the transport vehicle 200 may not enter the first bay and may stop before the first bay. can do.

  In addition, regardless of the maintenance location and the start time, for example, “10 minutes” may be stored in the storage unit 122 as a preliminary time for each maintenance. In this case, the period from 10 before the start time of each maintenance to the start time of each maintenance is treated as a preliminary period for each maintenance.

  Note that the maintenance information 123 illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B is input from an operator or other apparatus via the MES 110 or an input device (not shown) connected to the MCS 120, for example. Further, for example, the maintenance information 123 is updated every day before the start of the factory operation in accordance with the content of the maintenance scheduled for the day.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9, the operation of the transport vehicle system 100 in the embodiment will be described focusing on the flow of information processing by the MCS 120.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the entry prohibition section provided in the route 140 according to the embodiment.

  For example, for a maintenance operation such as repair of the processing device 300 belonging to the second bay or repair of the path 140 that forms the peripheral circuit arranged corresponding to the second bay, the section of the peripheral circuit of the path 140 Assuming that no entry is prohibited.

  In this case, for example, before a start of the entry prohibition measure, a certain transport vehicle 200 reaches the processing device β arranged in the second bay of the article A existing in the processing device α arranged in the first bay. Even if the transfer of the process is started, there is a possibility that the processing apparatus β cannot be reached.

  More specifically, the transport vehicle 200 that has received the article A from the processing apparatus α exits the first bay from the exit (Out1-2), and enters the second bay from the entrance (In2-2) of the second bay. Try to enter.

  However, in this case, the transport vehicle 200 is prevented from entering the second bay by software or hardware interlock. That is, the transport vehicle 200 is forced to stop traveling.

  In the transport vehicle system 100 of the present embodiment, specifically, the following processing is executed to prevent such a situation from occurring.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow of the MCS 120 in the embodiment.

  When the communication unit 121 of the MCS 120 receives a transport request from the MES 110, the determination unit 125 determines whether or not the execution start time of the transport request is within the preliminary period (S10).

  For example, it is assumed that the transport request received from the MES 110 can be executed immediately, or the case where it is determined in advance that it should be executed immediately. In this case, it is determined whether or not the time at the time of the determination is included in the spare period of each of the plurality of maintenances indicated in the maintenance information 123 of the storage unit 122.

  For example, if the time at the time of the determination is 13:58, it is determined that the execution start time of the transfer request is within the preliminary period (Yes in S10, see FIG. 5A or FIG. 5B).

  When the determination unit 125 determines that the execution start time of the transfer request is within the preliminary period, the determination unit 125 determines whether the destination indicated in the transfer request is within the maintenance section, that is, the entry prohibition section. (S11).

  For example, when the destination is the processing device β in the second bay as shown in FIG. 4, it is determined that the destination is in the entry prohibition section (Yes in S11).

  If the determination unit 125 determines that the destination is within the entry prohibition section, in the present embodiment, the determination unit 125 determines whether or not the estimated arrival time is before the maintenance start time (S12).

  Specifically, it is determined whether or not the scheduled arrival time of the transport vehicle 200 corresponding to the transport request is before the maintenance start time.

  For this determination, for example, the position of each transport vehicle 200 collected from the transport controller 130 is referred to. As a result, as the transport vehicle 200 corresponding to the transport request, the transport vehicle 200 (for example, the transport vehicle 200 having the shortest time distance to the processing device β) that is supposed to perform the transport operation in response to the transport request is specified. The Further, the estimated arrival time is obtained from information such as the position of the transport vehicle 200.

  As a result of this determination, if it is determined that the estimated arrival time is not before the maintenance start time (No in S12), the alternative destination determination unit 126 substitutes the destination indicated in the transport request. An alternative destination to be determined is determined (S13).

  In the present embodiment, a processing device 300 as a destination is specified, and another processing device 300 is determined as an alternative destination. Note that the destination and the alternative destination may be other than the processing apparatus 300, and may be a place where a conveyance target is placed, such as the above-described placement table 310, for example.

  If the alternative destination is determined by the alternative destination determining unit 126, the command sending unit 127 sends a conveyance command including information indicating the alternative destination to the conveyance controller 130 (S14).

  In addition, when it is determined that the execution start time of the transport request is not within the preliminary period (No in S10), when it is determined that the destination of the transport request is not within the entry prohibition section (No in S11), and when it is scheduled to arrive If it is determined that the time is before the maintenance start time (Yes in S12), the alternative destination is not determined. That is, a transport command according to the transport request is sent from the command sending unit 127 (S14).

  Here, the determination (S12) of whether the estimated arrival time is before the maintenance start time (start time of the entry prohibition measure) may not be executed.

  That is, when a certain transport request is a specific transport request that is scheduled to start execution within the preliminary period and the destination is included in the entry prohibition section, an alternative destination may be determined at any time. . Even in such a case, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of useless time such that the transport vehicle 200 stops before the entry prohibition section and waits for the next command.

  With reference to FIG. 8, a specific example will be described from the generation of the conveyance request to the completion of the execution of the conveyance request, focusing on the above processing flow.

  FIG. 8 is a time chart illustrating an example of control of the transport vehicle in the transport vehicle system 100 according to the embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 8, a transport request is transmitted from the MES 110 to the MCS 120. Here, it is assumed that the transport request has the contents shown in FIG. That is, it is assumed that the destination indicated in the transport request is the processing device β.

  Furthermore, it is assumed that the time when the MCS 120 processes the transport request is 13:58. In this case, for example, referring to the maintenance information 123 shown in FIG. 5A or 5B, the time is a time within a preliminary period for the maintenance of the second bay in which the processing device β is arranged.

  Therefore, the alternative destination determination unit 126 of the MCS 120 determines the processing device γ that is the alternative destination. The processing device γ is the processing device 300 having the same function as the processing device β, and is the processing device 300 arranged in the third bay (see FIG. 6).

  The MCS 120 transmits a conveyance command indicating that the article A of the apparatus α is conveyed to the apparatus γ to the conveyance controller 130.

  When the conveyance controller 130 receives the conveyance command, for example, the conveyance controller 130 identifies the conveyance vehicle 200 that can arrive at the processing apparatus α earliest and can convey the article, and the article A of the apparatus α is loaded on the conveyance vehicle 200. An instruction to convey to the apparatus γ is given.

  The transport vehicle 200 that has received the transport instruction receives the article A after arriving at the processing device α and travels toward the processing device γ. The transport vehicle 200 that has arrived at the processing device γ delivers the article A to the processing device γ. Thereafter, a transfer completion report from the transfer vehicle 200 is transmitted to the MES 110 via the transfer controller 130 and the MCS 120.

  As described above, according to the transport vehicle system 100 of the present embodiment, a predetermined period before the start time of the entry prohibition section set due to an event (maintenance or the like) scheduled in advance. The MCS 120 identifies a transport request that starts executing within (preliminary period).

  In addition, an alternative destination that is an alternative to the destination indicated in the specified transfer request is determined, and a transfer command indicating the alternative destination is sent to the transfer controller 130.

  As a result, the generation of useless time such that each of the plurality of transport vehicles 200 stops in front of the entry prohibition section and waits for the determination of the alternative destination is suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, the processing in the case where the conveyance request is a request indicating conveyance of an article to the destination has been described (see FIG. 4).

  However, the transport vehicle system 100 according to the present embodiment can realize an efficient transport operation in the same manner even when the transport request is to carry out an article from the destination.

  Here, a request involving the movement of the transport vehicle 200 from a certain place to another place is expressed as, for example, a From-To request. In this case, the transport vehicle system 100 according to the present embodiment can perform an appropriate process regardless of whether the place corresponding to “From” or the place corresponding to “To” is treated as the destination. it can.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the processing flow of the MCS 120 in the embodiment.

  When the communication unit 121 of the MCS 120 receives from the MES 110 a transport request indicating the delivery of an article from the destination, the determination unit 125 determines whether or not the execution start time of the transport request is within the preliminary period ( S20).

  For example, if the time at that time is 13:58, it is determined that the execution start time of the transport request is within the preliminary period (Yes in S20, see FIG. 5A or FIG. 5B).

  When the determination unit 125 determines that the execution start time of the transfer request is within the preliminary period, the determination unit 125 determines whether the destination indicated in the transfer request is within the maintenance section, that is, the entry prohibition section. (S21).

  For example, when the conveyance request indicates carrying out of the article from the processing device β in the second bay, it is determined that the destination is in the entry prohibition section (Yes in S21).

  If the determination unit 125 determines that the destination is within the entry prohibition section, the determination unit 125 determines whether the scheduled arrival time is later than the maintenance start time (S22).

  Specifically, it is determined whether or not the scheduled arrival time of the transport vehicle 200 corresponding to the transport request is after the start time of the maintenance.

  Note that the method described in the description of FIG. 7 is used to specify the transport vehicle 200 corresponding to the transport request.

  As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the estimated arrival time is later than the maintenance start time (Yes in S22), the communication unit 121 indicates that the transfer request is not executable. The request is reported to the MES 110 that is the transmission source device.

  When it is reported that the transfer request cannot be executed, the MES 110, for example, holds the transfer request for a predetermined period and then transmits it again to the MCS 120.

  Also, if it is determined that the execution start time of the transport request is not within the preliminary period (No in S20), if it is determined that the destination of the transport request is not in the entry prohibition section (No in S21), and the estimated arrival time When it is determined that the time is not later than the maintenance start time (No in S22), a transport command according to the transport request is sent from the command sending unit 127 (S24).

  Here, in the case of a conventional transport vehicle system, a transport vehicle that is about to execute a request for carrying out an article from a destination is in front of the entry prohibition section when the destination is in a position included in the entry prohibition section. In this case, the controller is notified that the transfer request cannot be executed. As a result, the state where the transport vehicle is stopped before the entry prohibition section continues until the next instruction is issued from the host controller.

  However, in the case of the transport vehicle system 100 according to the present embodiment, a transport request that cannot be executed as a result of the entry prohibited section being set due to a scheduled event (maintenance or the like) It is determined in advance that execution is impossible.

  As a result, it is possible to suppress the generation of useless time such that the transport vehicle 200 that intends to carry out the article stops before the next instruction is in front of the entry-prohibited section.

  The transport vehicle system of the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Unless it deviates from the gist of the present invention, various modifications conceived by those skilled in the art have been made in the present embodiment, or forms constructed by combining a plurality of the above-described constituent elements are within the scope of the present invention. include.

  For example, the format of the transport request received and processed by the MCS 120 may be other than the format shown in FIG. For example, when the MCS 120 can confirm the positions of the plurality of articles, the transport request includes only information on the articles to be transported, and does not need to include information on the area.

  The plurality of transport vehicles 200 included in the transport vehicle system 100 are overhead traveling vehicles.

  However, the conveyance vehicle system 100 may include a plurality of other types of conveyance vehicles instead of the overhead traveling vehicle, and these conveyance vehicles may be targets of movement control.

  For example, the guided vehicle system 100 may include an automated guided vehicle that travels on a floor and transports an article inside a warehouse or a factory as the guided vehicle 200. That is, the route 140 need not be formed by rails, and the route 140 may be formed by a road surface on which the transport vehicle 200 can travel.

  Moreover, although MCS120 was demonstrated as an example of the apparatus which implement | achieves the controller which concerns on this invention, the controller which concerns on this invention may be implement | achieved by another apparatus, for example.

  For example, the conveyance controller 130 may include the determination unit 125 and the like illustrated in FIG. 3 to execute the process executed by the controller according to the present invention.

  Further, the determination unit 125 of the MCS 120 may determine whether or not the transport request is a specific transport request in consideration of the maintenance end time.

For example, after the determination unit 125 determines that the estimated arrival time of the transport vehicle 200 is before the maintenance start time ( Yes in S12 of FIG. 7), the transport vehicle 200 departs from the destination. A comparison between the scheduled time and the end time of the maintenance may be performed.

  That is, it is predicted that the transport vehicle 200 will arrive at the destination before the start of the entry prohibition measure, but when the transport vehicle 200 departs after receiving an article at the destination, for example, the entry prohibition measure May be determined to be a specific transport request. That is, in this case, an alternative destination may be determined.

  By doing so, for example, the determination as to whether or not to execute each of the plurality of transport requests should be performed with higher accuracy.

  Further, in the present embodiment, for example, in the present embodiment, the maximum time required to reach the target section is set as the preliminary period in the factory. However, a value obtained by adding a margin such as the time required for the article transfer operation by the transport vehicle 200 to the maximum time may be set as the preliminary period. That is, the preliminary period may be set longer. In other words, the start time of the preliminary period may be set earlier.

  In this case, for example, the same effect as that obtained when the maintenance end time is taken into account in determining whether or not the transport request is a specific transport request can be obtained.

  That is, for a certain maintenance, when the start time of the preliminary period is set earlier, a transport request for which the estimated arrival time at the maintenance section (entry prohibited section) is predicted to be relatively close to the maintenance start time is eliminated. .

  In short, only a transport request having a margin with respect to the maintenance start time is executed as it is. In this case, the transport vehicle 200 that has arrived at the destination in the maintenance section receives the article before the maintenance start time. The possibility of leaving from the destination after finishing loading is increased.

  As described above, the length of the preliminary period or the start time of the preliminary period is determined in consideration of the time required for the transfer operation of the article by the transport vehicle 200 or the time required for processing in the processing apparatus 300 as the destination. May be. Thereby, for example, it is possible to further improve the efficiency of the transport operation in the transport vehicle system 100.

  In the transport vehicle system of the present invention, efficient transport work is possible even when an entry prohibition section is provided on the route. Therefore, it is useful as a system for transporting various types of articles within a predetermined area using a transport vehicle.

100 Transport Vehicle System 110 MES
120 MCS
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 121 Communication unit 122 Storage unit 123 Maintenance information 125 Judgment unit 126 Alternative destination determination unit 127 Command sending unit 130 Transport controller 140 Route 200 Transport vehicle 240 Holding unit 300 Processing device 310 Mounting table

Claims (3)

A transport vehicle system comprising a route provided along a plurality of processing devices, a plurality of transport vehicles that travel along the route, and a controller that controls the plurality of transport vehicles,
The controller is
A communication unit that receives a transport request that requires one of the plurality of transport vehicles to be directed to a destination on the route; and
Section information indicating an entry prohibition section that is a part of the route scheduled to be subjected to the entry prohibition measure, and a predetermined time before the start time at which the entry prohibition measure is scheduled to start A storage unit that stores preliminary period information indicating a preliminary period that is a period from time to the start time;
Specification that the transport request received by the communication unit is scheduled to start execution within the preliminary period indicated in the preliminary period information, and the destination is included in the entry prohibition section indicated in the section information A determination unit for determining whether the request is a conveyance request;
When the determination unit determines that the transport request is a specific transport request, it determines an alternative destination on the route that is an alternative destination in place of the destination and is not included in the entry prohibition section An alternative destination determination unit to
A transport vehicle system comprising: a command sending unit that sends a transport command for directing one of the plurality of transport vehicles to the alternative destination determined by the alternative destination determination unit. The determination unit, even if the transport request received by the communication unit is scheduled to start execution within the preliminary period, and the destination is included in the entry prohibition section, If the scheduled arrival time of the transport vehicle corresponding to the transport request is before the start time, the transport request is not determined as the specific transport request,
The transport vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the command sending unit sends a transport command for directing one of the plurality of transport vehicles to the destination. The determination unit further includes the transport request received by the communication unit scheduled to start execution within the preliminary period indicated in the preliminary period information, and the destination is included in the entry prohibition section indicated in the section information. The transport request indicates a request to carry out the article from the destination, and the scheduled arrival time of the transport vehicle corresponding to the transport request is the start If it is later than the time, the transfer request is determined not to be executable without determining the specific transfer request .
The transport vehicle system according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit further reports that the transport request cannot be executed to a device that has transmitted the transport request.

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