JP7006889B2 - Traveling system for moving vehicles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a traveling system of a mobile vehicle that autonomously travels an unmanned mobile vehicle in, for example, a factory or a warehouse.

The technology called autonomous navigation of mobile objects has been put into practical use in aircraft and ships for a long time, and in recent years it has also been realized in automobiles and drones. For such a moving body, it is necessary to grasp the surrounding situation by using various sensors in combination according to the moving environment, and for that purpose, an appropriate sensor must be used. The prices and performance of various sensors are becoming lower and higher, and GPS, gyro sensors, cameras, etc. are widely used. In particular, a distance measuring sensor using a laser can measure the distance to a surrounding object with high accuracy, and can detect the object as three-dimensional data within a range of 360 degrees.

On the other hand, movement in an environment where access to private land or non-related persons is restricted, such as trolleys, golf carts, and amusement park vehicles used in factories and warehouses with a loading weight of about 1 ton. In the operation of the body, white lines, magnetic tapes (see Patent Document 1), points, rails, etc. are laid along the running path, and the running along the line composed of these (line trace) is performed from a predetermined place. It has also been put into practical use to move it to a predetermined location. In particular, when a white line is laid along a traveling path and autonomously traveled along the white line, the white line must be laid easily and at low cost.

Even in autonomous traveling in such a closed region, in recent years, by measuring the entire circumference using a laser ranging sensor, movement by autonomous traveling has been realized even without white lines or rails. In this case, using the detection signal of the laser ranging sensor, so-called SLAM technology (Simultaneously Localization and Mapping: self-position estimation and map creation are performed at the same time), the surrounding map created in advance by the laser ranging sensor and the time of autonomous driving At the same time as recognizing the self-position of the moving object by collating the measurement data of, the route to the target point is calculated from the surrounding map created in advance, and the moving object autonomously travels to the target point.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-12144

However, in autonomous driving using the white line laid on the above-mentioned running path, it is necessary to re-lay the white line when changing the running path, so it is troublesome and it is difficult to change the running path frequently. be. Further, since the white line laid along the running path becomes dirty or peels off, maintenance of the white line is required over the entire running path.

The method of detecting surrounding objects using a laser ranging sensor can detect surrounding objects with high accuracy, but the laser ranging sensor itself generally costs hundreds of thousands to millions of yen, so the initial investment Is significantly increased. In addition, it is necessary to collate with the surrounding map created in advance, and in order to use it in factories and warehouses where the surrounding environment changes frequently, it is necessary to update the surrounding map frequently, which is troublesome in terms of operation. Is. It is possible to supplement with other sensors such as GPS and self-position estimation by wireless strength, but in general, GPS cannot be expected to be used indoors such as factories and warehouses. In the self-position estimation based on the radio strength, the equipment cost is high because a plurality of radio transmitters are installed in advance. In addition, the method of autonomously traveling while compensating for the lack of the surrounding map using a gyro sensor or camera is also premised on collation with the surrounding map, so the surrounding map can be complemented only in a very narrow range. Use will be limited.

In view of the above points, the first object of the present invention is to provide a traveling vehicle traveling system in which a mobile vehicle can autonomously travel at low cost with a simple configuration, and if necessary or optionally, via a network. A second object is to provide a traveling system for a moving vehicle that can arbitrarily change the traveling path of the moving vehicle.

In order to achieve the above first object, the traveling system of the mobile vehicle according to the present invention is
A mobile vehicle including a main body, a traveling unit for traveling on the ground, a drive control unit for driving and controlling the traveling unit, and a marker detection unit, and a plurality of predetermined locations along the traveling path on which the moving vehicle should travel. With markers ,
The marker detection unit is based on an image pickup unit that images the lower part of the main body, an image processing unit that performs image processing on the image pickup screen captured by the image pickup means to detect a marker, and a marker detected by the image processing unit. It includes a marker control unit that outputs the driving information set in advance to the marker to the drive control unit.
The markers are formed in a horizontally long strip shape and arranged in the transverse direction of the traveling path, and the strip-shaped markers are provided with a plurality of marks in a horizontal row.
Each mark provided in a horizontal row is set with travel information that the moving vehicle should travel and placement position information with different symbols for detecting the lateral deviation of the moving vehicle in the traveling direction.
The marker control unit generates corrected driving information for correcting lateral deviation and angular deviation of the moving vehicle based on the traveling information and the arrangement position information of the marker, and outputs the corrected driving information to the drive control unit. By driving and controlling the traveling unit based on the corrected traveling information from the marker control unit, the moving vehicle is configured to autonomously travel along the traveling path designated by the marker.

According to the above configuration, the marker detection unit of the moving vehicle detects the marker arranged along the travel path, outputs the travel information set to the marker detected by the control unit to the drive control unit, and the drive control unit outputs the travel information. By driving and controlling the traveling unit based on this traveling information, the moving vehicle autonomously travels along the traveling path designated by the marker. Since the markers may be arranged at predetermined intervals in the area where the moving vehicle travels, it is not necessary to provide a white line or the like over the entire length of the travel path as in the conventional case. When changing the travel path, it is sufficient to newly install, replace or eliminate the marker only in the changed part, and further, since one or more markers are set in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction so as to cross the travel path, the moving vehicle. It is possible to detect one of the marks even if the vehicle travels slightly to the left or right with respect to the travel path.

In order to achieve the second object, the traveling system of a mobile vehicle according to the present invention includes a network connected to the mobile vehicle and an external driving control unit of the moving vehicle connected to the network, and is provided with external driving control. The unit is configured so that the traveling path of the moving vehicle can be arbitrarily changed by changing the traveling information in the marker via the network as needed. When the external operation control unit is provided, the travel path of the moving vehicle can be arbitrarily changed by changing the travel information in the marker as needed or optionally via the network. When changing the running path, the external operation control unit may change the running path only for the changed part, or a marker may be newly installed, replaced or eliminated. If the marker itself is soiled, damaged or peeled off, only the marker needs to be replaced.

The band-shaped marker preferably has a plurality of marks arranged in two rows on the front side and the rear side with respect to the traveling direction. Among the plurality of marks arranged in the two columns, the same running information and arrangement position information may be set for the marks on the front side and the rear side of each row.
The marker detection unit preferably recognizes the marker detected by the image processing unit, calculates the XY position and angle of the moving vehicle with respect to the marker, and outputs these to the marker control unit. Here, the X position is a lateral position in the traveling path, the Y position is a position in the traveling direction in the traveling path, and the angle is a deviation from the traveling direction.
When one or more marks are arranged side by side on the marker laterally and / or vertically along the travel path, for example, when a moving vehicle passes over the marker, for example. When the marks in the first row cannot be detected, the marks in the next row arranged in the traveling direction as the moving vehicle travels can be detected.
The image processing unit preferably detects the direction in which the marks constituting the marker are arranged, and the marker control unit detects the deviation between the traveling direction and the actual traveling direction based on the traveling information based on the direction in which the marks are arranged. And generate modified driving information.
Preferably, among the marks constituting the marker, the marker control unit detects the lateral deviation in the traveling path of the moving vehicle from the placement position information based on the mark located near the center of the image pickup screen by the marker detection unit. And generate modified driving information. Each mark constituting the marker is set with running information of any one of straight ahead, U-turn, left turn, right turn, stop, arc-shaped left turn, arc-shaped right turn, or a combination of one or more of these. There is. Each mark constituting the marker is set with several stages of traveling speed with respect to the traveling information of straight running.
The image processing unit detects the direction in which each mark is lined up, and the marker control unit detects the deviation of the actual driving direction based on this direction and corrects the driving information, so that the moving vehicle can be accurately moved to the driving path. Move and run along. Placement position information is set for each mark constituting the marker, and based on the mark located near the center of the image pickup screen by the marker detection unit, the marker control unit obtains the placement position information in the lateral direction on the travel path of the moving vehicle. By detecting the deviation and correcting the traveling information, the moving vehicle moves and travels accurately along the traveling path. If the travel information of straight forward, U-turn, left turn, right turn and stop is set for each mark, the moving vehicle will go straight, U-turn, left turn, right turn, stop, arc-shaped left turn, Autonomous driving is possible by either one of the arc-shaped right turns or a combination of one or more of them.
The moving vehicle preferably further includes a wheel rotation sensor of the traveling unit and an inertial measurement unit provided in the main body, and the drive control unit calculates the moving distance from the detection signal of the wheel rotation sensor and of the inertial measurement unit. The deviation of the angle in the traveling direction of the moving vehicle is detected from the detection signal, the moving distance and the angle are corrected, and the traveling unit is driven and controlled based on the corrected moving distance and the angle. Therefore, even when the wheel of the traveling portion slips and slips, the deviation of the moving distance and the angle by the wheel rotation sensor is corrected, and the correct moving distance and the angle in the traveling direction can be obtained.
In addition, the mobile vehicle is preferably equipped with an obstacle sensor. More preferably, it is provided with an emergency stop operation unit that outputs an emergency stop signal at the time of operation, and when the emergency stop operation unit is operated, the marker control unit autonomously travels by the marker based on the emergency stop signal from the emergency stop operation unit. Is interrupted to generate emergency stop travel information and send it to the drive control unit, and the drive control unit drives and controls the travel unit to make an emergency stop based on the emergency stop travel information from the marker control unit.
Further, if the emergency stop operation unit that outputs an emergency stop signal at the time of operation is provided, the moving vehicle interrupts the autonomous traveling by the marker based on the emergency stop signal and makes an emergency stop. Therefore, when the moving vehicle deviates from the traveling path or is about to collide with an obstacle, the operator operates the emergency stop operation unit to prevent a collision accident.
Preferably, each mark constituting the marker is further accompanied with travel information for switching the follow-up mode, and the main body detects the identification light from the beacon to be followed in front and the beacon position information consisting of the direction and distance of the beacon. When the image processing unit detects the traveling information of the tracking mode switching that follows the beacon attached to each mark, the marker control unit interrupts the autonomous traveling by the marker and the drive control unit is provided. The control of is taken over by the beacon detection unit, the beacon detection unit generates modified travel information for traveling toward the beacon based on the beacon position information and sends it to the drive control unit, and the drive control unit detects the beacon. By driving and controlling the traveling unit based on the corrected traveling information from the unit, the moving vehicle travels following the movement of the beacon. The beacon is preferably a portable beacon, and when the beacon detection unit detects the identification light from the portable beacon, the marker control unit interrupts the autonomous traveling by the marker, and the beacon detection unit moves the moving vehicle by a predetermined distance. Just go straight and stop. When the main body is provided with a beacon detection unit and the marker is associated with the driving information of the follow-up mode switching to the beacon to be followed ahead, the autonomous driving by the marker is interrupted and the moving vehicle follows the movement of the beacon. And run.

The main body portion is preferably configured as a main body portion of a transport carriage provided with a flat mounting table. The mobile vehicle may be composed of a transport carriage and a towed carriage towed by the transport carriage, and may be provided with a connecting mechanism for connecting or disconnecting the transport carriage and the towed carriage. Preferably, as a connecting mechanism, the towed carriage is provided with a pin protruding downward at the lower part of the main body of the towed carriage and a pair provided on both left and right sides for holding the transport carriage under the lower side of the towed carriage. The carriage is provided with a traction member that inserts a pin when connecting the trolley to be towed, and a spring-like spring that prevents the pin from coming off when the pin is inserted into the hole of the traction member. It is equipped with a restraint member, a link mechanism connected to the traction member, and a solenoid that drives the link mechanism. By pulling it down below the pin, the towed trolley is separated from the transport trolley. Preferably, the marker is set with travel information in advance so that the transport carriage automatically connects to or disconnects from the towed carriage.
If the mobile vehicle is configured as a transport trolley with a flat mounting platform and a towed trolley , and further equipped with a connecting mechanism for towing the towed trolley, the towed trolley is towed and transported. The weight of the product to be used can be increased.

According to the present invention, an extremely excellent mobile vehicle traveling system capable of autonomously traveling a mobile vehicle at low cost with a simple configuration and arbitrarily changing the traveling path of the mobile vehicle via a network as needed. Can be provided. Further, according to the traveling system of the mobile vehicle of the present invention, for example, an autonomous traveling system using a laser ranging (SLAM) system that detects a slope as a wall or a line tracing type autonomous system that cannot be used on a stepped or uneven road surface. Since the vehicle autonomously travels between the markers arranged in dots or lines on the traveling system with respect to the traveling system, the traveling vehicle can continue autonomously traveling regardless of the road surface on the way. The system can be provided.

FIG. 3 is a schematic partial plan view showing an embodiment of a traveling system of a transport carriage as a mobile vehicle according to the present invention. In the transport trolley shown in FIG. 1, (A) is a schematic perspective view, (B) is a plan view, (C) is a side view, and (D) is an enlarged plan view of an operation unit. It is a bottom view which shows the transport trolley of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the transport carriage of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the marker in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the camera of the marker detection part in the transport carriage of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the traveling state of the transport carriage by the marker which shows straight-ahead, (A) is the deviation in the width direction, and (B) is the deviation in the traveling direction and deviation in the width direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the traveling state of the transport carriage by the marker which shows a left turn, (A) is the deviation in the width direction, and (B) is the deviation in the traveling direction and deviation in the width direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the traveling state of the transport carriage by the marker which shows the stop, (A) is the deviation in the width direction, and (B) is the deviation in the traveling direction and deviation in the width direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the traveling state of the transport carriage by the marker which shows the entry prohibition, (A) is the deviation in the width direction, and (B) is the deviation in the traveling direction and deviation in the width direction. The traveling state of the transport trolley by the marker representing a U-turn is shown, (A) is an explanatory diagram in the case where there is a deviation in a width direction, and (B) is an explanatory diagram in the case where there is a deviation in a traveling direction and a deviation in the width direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the traveling state of the transport carriage by the marker which shows the follow-up mode switching, (A) is the deviation in the width direction, and (B) is the deviation in the traveling direction and deviation in the width direction. It shows the state of the stop by the portable beacon, (A) is an explanatory diagram in the case where there is a deviation in a width direction, and (B) is an explanatory diagram in the case where there is a deviation in a traveling direction and a deviation in a width direction. It is a flowchart which shows the operation of autonomous driving by a marker control part of a marker detection part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of autonomous driving by a marker. It is a schematic partial plan view which shows the 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic partial plan view which shows the 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic side view which shows the connection between a transport carriage and a towed carriage. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing a traveling state of a transport carriage by a marker representing an arc-shaped left turn. It is a schematic side view which shows the connection between the transport carriage and the towed carriage in the traveling system of the moving vehicle which concerns on the modification 1 of the 3rd Embodiment. It is a bottom view of the transport trolley of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of a transport carriage. In the traveling system of the mobile vehicle according to the second modification of the third embodiment, the positional relationship when the transport carriage and the towed carriage are connected is shown, (a) is a schematic plan view, and (b) is a schematic side view. Is. The connection relationship between the transport carriage and the towed carriage is shown, (a) is a schematic plan view, and (b) is a schematic side view. FIG. 24A shows a cross-sectional view of the traction member and the restraint member of the transport carriage along the line AA of FIG. 24A, where (a) is the state before connection 1, (b) is the state before connection 2, and (c). Is the state at the time of connection, and (d) is the state at the time of disconnection.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.
(First Embodiment)
1 to 4 show a traveling system of a transport trolley according to a first embodiment as a mobile vehicle according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the traveling system 1 of the transporting carriage is composed of a transporting carriage 10 and a marker 40 (described later) arranged in a traveling area 2 of the transporting carriage 10.

The transport carriage 10 includes a main body portion 11, a traveling unit 12 provided under the main body unit 11, a drive control unit 13, a beacon detection unit 20, a marker detection unit 30, and a CPU unit 36. The CPU unit 36 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) equipped with a computer chip, various sensors connected to the CPU, that is, interface circuits such as a distance sensor 23 and a marker detection unit 30 described later, and a network 80 described later. It consists of a communication unit including a transmitter / receiver connected to, an external memory, and the like. As the CPU 36, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), an ECU (Engine Control Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like can be used. The main switch 37 of the transport carriage 10 may be turned on or off by the CPU unit 36.

The main body portion 11 is provided with a handle 11b whose outer shape is formed into a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape, whose upper surface is formed as a flat mounting table 11a, and which extends upward from its rear end. As shown in FIGS. 2B and 3, the traveling portion 12 is a pair of wheels arranged on both sides of the lower surface of the main body portion 11 in front of the traveling portion 12 (direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2B). It is composed of a motor 16 provided with a speed reduction mechanism 16a for driving each wheel 15, and a pair of casters 17 arranged on both sides behind the motor 16. Each wheel 15 is rotationally driven by each drive motor 16 being driven and controlled by a drive control unit 13 described later, and the transport carriage 10 is rotated forward, backward, or left and right to travel in a predetermined direction. The traveling unit 12 is not limited to the wheels 15, and may be configured by other driving means such as, for example, an endless track. Each wheel 15 is provided with a wheel rotation sensor 15a that detects the number of rotations thereof.

The drive control unit 13 is arranged in the main body unit 11. The power supply to the drive control unit 13 and each motor 16 is performed from the power supply 13a arranged near the center of the lower surface of the main body unit 11. As the power source 13a, a battery or a rechargeable secondary battery, for example, a lithium secondary battery can be used. The drive control unit 13 drives and controls each drive motor 16 of the travel unit 12 based on the travel information described later from the beacon detection unit 20 or the marker detection unit 30 provided in the main body unit 11, and thereby the wheels 15. Are driven independently to drive forward, backward, turn left and right, etc. Apart from the distance sensor 23, the drive control unit 13 may stop the traveling unit 12 when an obstacle is detected based on information from an obstacle sensor (not shown). The obstacle sensor is provided for the purpose of stopping the transport trolley 10 with respect to the obstacle before the collision, and it is sufficient that the surrounding of the transport trolley 10 and the traveling direction can be monitored. As the obstacle sensor, for example, a laser radar, a millimeter wave radar, or the like can be used. A laser radar is a sensor that detects a laser image and measures a distance by a TOF (Time Of Flight) method. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional sensors can be used. As a sensor, an inertial measurement unit 18 using a biaxial or triaxial acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor for measuring the acceleration and the angular acceleration of the carrier 10 is provided. This inertial measurement unit 18 is also called an IMU. Further, the drive control unit 13 calculates the moving distance of the transport carriage 10 based on the detection signals input from the two wheel rotation sensors 15a that detect the rotation speed of each wheel 15, and also from the inertial measurement unit 18. With reference to the input detection signal 18a, the deviation in the traveling direction of the transport carriage 10, that is, the deviation in the angle is detected. As a result, the drive control unit 13 can correct the movement distance due to the slip of the wheels 15 and the deviation of the angle, calculate the corrected movement distance, and correct the angle in the traveling direction of the transport carriage 10. The drive control unit 13 performs drive control of the travel unit 12 by the travel information 50a and 25b, which will be described later, based on the corrected travel distance. The drive control unit 13 may be operated by an operation unit 19 attached to the upper part of the handle 11b. As shown in FIG. 2D, the operation unit 19 includes a so-called shift lever 19a, a joystick 19b, an emergency stop switch 19c as an emergency stop operation unit, and a main switch 37 described later. The shift lever 19a has four modes, for example, P (parking), N (neutral), D (drive), and Fo (following). The joystick 19b can be tilted in any direction to perform various input operations. The emergency stop switch 19c outputs an emergency stop signal 19d to the CPU unit 36 at the time of operation. The operation unit 19 may be further provided with a speed switching dial 19e. The shift lever 19a and the speed switching dial 19e may further include indicator lights 19f and 19g indicating the position and speed of the mode. When the emergency stop signal 19d is input, the CPU unit 36 interrupts the autonomous travel by the travel information 50a based on the emergency stop signal 19d, generates the emergency stop travel information 50b, and causes the drive control unit 13 to generate the emergency stop signal 50b. Send out.

The beacon detection unit 20 is known by itself, and as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, for example, the infrared cameras 21 and 22 provided in the front portion of the main body unit 11 as a pair of image pickup means, and the distance sensor 23. , Beacon calculation unit 24, beacon processing unit 25, beacon storage unit 25a, and the like. Each operation of the beacon calculation unit 24, the beacon processing unit 25, and the beacon storage unit 25a is executed by a program stored in the CPU unit 36. Further, as the beacon storage unit 25a, a storage device inside the CPU unit 36 or a storage device provided outside the CPU unit 36 can be used. Each of the infrared cameras 21 and 22 is laterally separated from each other in the main body 11 in order to capture the identification light from the beacon B to be tracked in front of the main body 11, and each moves forward, for example, on both the left and right sides of the front end. It is placed toward the front at. That is, the infrared cameras 21 and 22 are arranged so that their optical axes are substantially parallel to each other, for example, tilted upward and extend forward. The inclination angle of each optical axis is set to, for example, an inclination angle of about 10 to 30 degrees so that the optical axis passes through a position of about 50 cm in height at 1 meter in front. Each infrared camera 21 and 22 is a known infrared stereo camera, and is composed of an optical system such as an image pickup element and a lens. When an infrared stereo camera is used as each infrared camera 21 or 22, it is possible to measure the distance and angle to the beacon B. By detecting the infrared rays incident on the image sensor, the influence of ambient light such as sunlight can be reduced, and the identification light from the beacon B can be reliably detected even in a dark place such as at night. be. As the image pickup device that detects infrared light, an optical filter that transmits only infrared rays may be arranged on the incident side of a normal image pickup device. Each infrared camera 21 and 22 captures the beacon B to be tracked at predetermined time intervals, and sends the captured image pickup signal to the beacon calculation unit 24.

The distance sensor 23 may be provided at substantially the center of the front end of the main body 11 and also at the left and right ends of the front end, and is arranged toward the front and is placed on an obstacle in front of the traveling path 2a (FIG. 1). On the other hand, ultrasonic waves and infrared rays are emitted to detect the reflected waves, and the distance to the obstacle is auxiliaryly measured. That is, the distance sensor 23 does not track the beacon B, but exclusively detects the distance to the obstacle in front of the traveling path 2a.

The beacon calculation unit 24 calculates the position information 24a of the beacon B by so-called stereo vision, that is, the direction and the distance by performing image processing on the image pickup screen of the beacon B from each infrared camera 21 and 22, and the beacon processing unit 25. Send to. The beacon calculation unit 24 corrects distortion of the image pickup screen of the beacon B by the optical system of each infrared camera 21 and 22, and also attaches the infrared cameras 21 and 22 to the main body 11, that is, the optical axis of each. Correct the deviation from the parallel between them, and correct the center position on the imaging screen. The beacon calculation unit 24 calculates the distance to the beacon more accurately by referring to the distance to the beacon measured by the distance sensor 23. When the position information 24a of the beacon B cannot be calculated by the image processing of the image pickup screen from the infrared cameras 21 and 22, the beacon calculation unit 24 does not create the position information 24a of the beacon B and does not send it to the beacon processing unit 25. The beacon processing unit 25 maps the position information 24a of the beacon B calculated by the beacon calculation unit 24 with respect to the area to be traveled by the transport vehicle 10, registers it in the beacon storage unit 25a, and sends it to the CPU unit 36. At the same time, based on the position information 24a of the beacon B, the traveling information 25b consisting of the speed and direction (steering angle) for making the transport vehicle 10 follow the beacon B from the direction and distance with respect to the beacon B to be tracked at that time. To generate. The beacon processing unit 25 calculates changes in the relative speed and distance between the beacon B and the carrier 10 by comparing the position information 24a of the beacon B with the position information 24a of the immediately preceding beacon B, and the beacon B The speed included in the travel information 25b is determined so that the distance to the vehicle is within a predetermined range. The traveling information 25b is control information for controlling the rotational speed of the drive motors 16 that drive the left and right wheels 15, and by controlling the left and right drive motors 16 at different rotational speeds, steering is performed according to the speed difference. Realize the horn. The beacon processing unit 25 sequentially maps the position information 24a of the beacon B sent from the beacon calculation unit 24 at predetermined time intervals and registers it in the beacon storage unit 25a, and sequentially from the beacon storage unit 25a to the beacon B. The position information 24a is read out, and the traveling information 25b is generated based on the direction and distance with respect to the beacon B at that time, and is transmitted to the drive control unit 13. When the beacon B position information 24a is not sent from the beacon calculation unit 24, the beacon processing unit 25 generates travel information 25b based on the beacon position information 24a by mapping already registered in the beacon storage unit 25a. Is sent to the drive control unit 13. As a result, even if the beacon B to be tracked travels on a bent path or turns left or right, tracking is reliably performed based on the mapped position information 24a of the beacon B.

The traveling system 1 of the transport carriage according to the present embodiment includes a marker 40 arranged in the traveling area 2 and a marker detection unit 30 for detecting the marker 40. The marker 40 has at least one mark, which is composed of a plurality of marks laterally and / or longitudinally along the track 2a so as to cross the track 2a. When a plurality of marks are attached to the marker 40, it is preferable that the marker is formed in a single band shape.
A plurality of marks may be continuously attached to the markers 40 in a line in the vertical direction along the traveling path 2a, and one or more markers may be arranged. In this case, a plurality of markers 40 may be arranged along the traveling path 2a at predetermined intervals in the traveling direction, or one marker 40 may be continuously arranged.
The marker 40 is preferably formed in a band shape, and a plurality of marks arranged in the horizontal direction and / or the vertical direction are attached to the band-shaped marker. The marks may be the same mark or different marks. For example, when the band-shaped marker 40 is arranged so as to cross the traveling path 2a, a plurality of the same marks or different marks may be arranged in a row in the horizontal direction on this band-shaped marker. As shown in FIG. 5, two or more rows may be arranged on one marker 40, and a plurality of the same mark or different marks may be arranged in each row.
A plurality of markers 40 may be juxtaposed in the vertical direction along the traveling path 2a. The plurality of marks attached to the band-shaped marker 40 may be composed of the same mark or different marks as described above. For example, two markers 40 may be juxtaposed at the center of the traveling path 2a in the traveling direction, or may be juxtaposed at intervals on the left and right sides of the passage. Further, if the central marker 40 in the lateral direction is used as the first marker, the second and third markers 40 may be further arranged on both sides thereof. In these cases as well, the same mark may be attached to each marker or different marks may be attached.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the marker of FIG. The marker 40 is configured in a band shape across the traveling direction, and one band-shaped marker is marked by arranging nine markers in two rows at the top and bottom in the figure. That is, the marker 40 is composed of nine marks 41 in the first row on the front side and nine marks 42 in the second row on the rear side with respect to the traveling direction (indicated by the arrow) of the transport carriage 10. The marks 41 in the first column are 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, 41e, 41f, 41g, 41h, 41i in this order from the left, and the marks 41a to 41i are called rows a to i. Similarly, the marks 42 in the second row are 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d, 42e, 42f, 42g, 42h, 42i in order from the left. The marks 42a to 41i are also referred to as lines a to i. In the line direction of the marker 40, for example, numbers and letters may be different as the symbols meaning the marks 41 in order. When a plurality of marks 41 having different symbols are arranged in the column direction (horizontal direction), the symbols from the left side to the right side in the horizontal direction have the arrangement position information 51 described later. When the marker 40 is detected, the transport trolley 10 detects a lateral deviation due to the arrangement position information 51 of the mark 41. Further, when arranging a plurality of markers 40 from the front to the rear in the traveling direction, if the same numbers and the same characters are arranged, the data acquisition of the placement position information 51 of the markers 40 fails or an error occurs when the speed in the traveling direction increases. Can be eliminated.
When the marker 40 is arranged in the vertical direction along the traveling path 2a, the marker 40 may be provided in the lateral direction so as to cross the traveling path 2a in order to detect the deviation in the lateral direction. Further, when the markers 40 are arranged in the center and left and right along the traveling path 2a, the arrangement position information 51 in the lateral direction may be set in the marks constituting the markers 40 arranged on the left and right.

The marks 41a to 41i in the first row and the marks 42a to 42i in the second row are set with travel information 50 of the transport trolley 10 after passing the marker 40 of the transport trolley 10 in advance. The travel information 50 is, for example, straight-ahead, U-turn, left-turn, right-turn, stop, or follow-up mode switching, and in the case of straight-ahead, several steps, for example, low-speed, medium-speed, and high-speed travel speeds are set. There is. For example, one marker 40 consisting of the 18 marks 41a to 41i and 42a to 42i shown in FIG. 5 is all associated with the same travel information 50. In the illustration, the ArUco markers are used for the individual marks 41a to 41i and 42a to 42i, each having a size of about 2 cm in length and width, and being arranged at intervals of about 8 cm from each other. The sizes and intervals of the individual marks 41a to 41i and 42a to 42i are determined from the installation position of the camera 31 for detecting the marker 40 and the angle of view of the lens mounted on the camera 31, which will be described later. The individual marks 41a to 41i and 42a to 42i are not limited to ArUco markers, and barcodes, QR codes (registered trademarks) and the like may be used. The single marker 40 has a width that completely crosses the traveling path 2a of the transport carriage 10. Each of the marks 41a to 41i and 42a to 42i constituting the marker 40 is sequentially set in the left-right direction from the left end to the right end, and the arrangement position information 51 of the first row or the second row is set. For example, the mark 41c is set with the arrangement position information 51, which is the third in the first column. The travel information 50 and the arrangement position information 51 of the marks 41a to 41i and 42a to 42i are set in advance by the CPU unit 36, which will be described later, and are stored in the marker storage unit 34 in the CPU unit 36. In FIG. 5, the marker 40 is configured as a single sheet as a whole, and for example, an adhesive may be applied to the back surface and the marker 40 can be attached to a floor surface or the like. As a result, the entire marker 40 can be easily installed in the correct arrangement without adjusting the spacing between the marks and the like. As shown in FIG. 5, by providing a notation 43 "RIGHT" indicating the content of the traveling information 50 in a part of the sheet of the marker 40, the handling of the marker 40 becomes easier. The illustrated "RIGHT" indicates a right turn.

As shown in FIG. 4, the marker detection unit 30 includes a camera 31 as an image pickup means and an image processing unit 32, and a signal from the image processing unit 32 is output to the marker control unit 33 in the CPU unit 36. It is stored in the marker storage unit 34 as needed. Each operation of the marker control unit 33 and the marker storage unit 34a is executed by the program stored in the CPU unit 36. As the marker storage unit 34a, the storage device in the CPU unit 36 or the external storage device of the CPU unit 36 can be used in the same manner as the beacon storage unit 25a. As shown in FIGS. 2C and 3, the camera 31 is arranged downward at a position that is not easily affected by sunlight, and in the case of the figure, on the lower surface of the main body 11 of the transport carriage 10 so as to face downward. At the same time, it is provided with a light emitting unit 31a that illuminates the inside of the angle of view. The wavelength of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 31a may be visible light or infrared light. As the camera 31 and the light emitting unit 31a, for example, an infrared camera and an infrared light emitting unit are preferably used so as not to be easily affected by ambient light. As shown in FIG. 6, the camera 31 is attached at a height H (for example, about 12 cm) perpendicular to the traveling surface, and has an angle of view in the width W (for example, about 15 cm) on the traveling surface. The light emitting unit 31a is composed of, for example, a light emitting diode or the like, and is arranged on both sides of the camera 31 in the figure so as to illuminate the range of this angle of view. The arrangement of the markers 40 is determined from the installation position of the camera 31 and the viewing angle of the lens of the camera 31, that is, the angle of view. No matter where the trolley 10 passes on the marker 40, two or more markers can be seen.

The image processing unit 32 receives an image pickup signal 31b from the camera 31, processes the image pickup screen by the image pickup signal 31b, and detects the marker 40 shown in the image pickup screen and the arrangement direction 32a of the marker 40. The image processing unit 32 identifies the marks 41a to 41i in the first row closest to the center among the markers 40 in the image pickup screen, and also identifies the marks 42a to 42i in the second row closest to the center. .. When the specified lateral positions of the marks 41a to 41i in the first row and the marks 42a to 42i in the second row are the same, the image processing unit 32 first finds the marks 41a to 41i in the first row. If one of the marks 41a to 41i in the row or the marks 42a to 42i in the second row cannot be specified due to an image pickup screen defect, the marks 41a to 41i in the first row or the marks 42a to 42a in the second row can be specified. Based on the 42i, the marks 41a to 41i or 42a to 42i are output as the detection mark information 32b to the marker control unit 33 together with the arrangement direction 32a. When the image processing unit 32 cannot specify any of the marks 41a to 41i in the first row and the marks 42a to 42i in the second row, it generates an error signal 32c and outputs it to the marker control unit 33.

The marker control unit 33 has travel information 50 and placement position information previously set for the marks 41a to 41i or 42a to 42i specified by the image processing unit 32 based on the detection mark information 32b from the image processing unit 32. 51 is read from the marker storage unit 34. The marker control unit 33 detects the lateral deviation in the traveling direction and the traveling path 2a at that time and the deviation in the traveling direction from the inertial measurement unit 18, that is, the deviation in the angle, from the arrangement direction 32a and the arrangement position information 51. Correct the deviation in the correct traveling direction and lateral direction. The detection and correction of the angle deviation are performed by the gyro sensor in the inertial measurement unit 18. The marker detection unit 30 calculates the XY position and angle of the carrier 10 with respect to the marker 40 based on the recognition of the marker 40, and outputs the calculation to the marker control unit 33. Here, the X position indicates the lateral direction in the traveling path 2a, and the Y position indicates the traveling direction. In the detection of the marker 40, correction is possible if even one mark 41a can be detected, and by finding two or more consecutive markers 40 or the same marker 40, the marker 40 described later indicates straight-ahead, stop, right. Recognize driving information such as turning left. By setting the number of the marks 41a to two or more, it is possible to avoid erroneous detection of dirt on the floor on which the transport carriage 10 travels. As described above, the marker 40 does not necessarily have to preferentially use the central marker 41 among the marks 41 shown in FIG.

The marker control unit 33 acquires the lateral deviation of the traveling direction of the transport carriage 10 and the current angle from the marker 40, sets the deviation in the traveling direction to 0, and corrects the traveling direction so as to eliminate the deviation in the angle. By correcting the lateral position and the current angle by the travel path 2a so as to return the lateral deviation in the travel path 2a to the center, the read travel information 50 is corrected, and the corrected travel information 50a is generated to generate the drive control unit. Output to 13. The drive control unit 13 drives and controls the travel unit 12 based on the modified travel information 50a. Therefore, the transport carriage 10 moves and travels as specified by the marker 40 according to the modified travel information 50a. When the error signal 32c is input from the image processing unit 32, the marker control unit 33 determines that the marker 40 has failed to read, generates an emergency stop signal 33a, and outputs the emergency stop signal 33a to the drive control unit 13 of the transport carriage 10. do. The drive control unit 13 drives and controls the traveling unit 12 based on the emergency stop signal 33a to stop the driving of the motor 16.

The marker control unit 33 receives wheel rotation speed information 15b and a detection signal 18a from the inertial measurement unit 18 from the wheel rotation speed sensor 15a provided on each wheel 15 of the transport trolley 10, and these wheel rotation speed information The movement distance of the transport vehicle 10 is calculated based on 15b, the slip of the wheel 15 is detected based on the detection signal 18a of the inertial measurement unit 18, the movement distance is corrected, and the travel information is based on the corrected movement distance. 50 is corrected, and the corrected running information 50a is output to the drive control unit 13.

Further, when the marker control unit 33 receives the position information 24a of the beacon B from the beacon processing unit 25 of the beacon detection unit 20 during the control of the autonomous travel by the marker, the marker control unit 33 interrupts the autonomous travel by the marker and drives the drive control unit. The control for 13 is taken over by the beacon processing unit 25 of the beacon detection unit 20, and the travel information 25b such that the beacon processing unit 25 goes straight along the travel path 2a for a predetermined distance (for example, 3 m) and stops is provided. It is created and sent to the drive control unit 13.

Here, the operation of the transport carriage 10 by the various markers 40, that is, the markers 40-1 to 40-10 will be described. Markers 40-1, 2 and 3 go straight at low speed, medium speed and high speed, respectively, marker 40-4 turns 90 degrees to the left, marker 40-5 turns 90 degrees to the right, marker 40-6 stops, marker 40- 7 is associated with no entry, markers 40-8 are associated with counterclockwise U-turns, markers 40-9 are associated with clockwise U-turns, and markers 40-10 are associated with follow-up mode switching.
First, in the case of going straight, as shown in FIG. 7, when the transport trolley 10 traveling ahead passes the marker 40 (markers 40-1, 40-2 or 40-3), the image processing unit 32 of the marker detection unit 30 Detects the arrangement direction 32a of the markers 40 and the detection mark information 32b from the image pickup screen of the marker 40. The marker control unit 33 reads the travel information 50 set in the marker 40 from the marker storage unit 34 based on the detection mark information 32b, and corrects the travel information 50a with respect to the deviation in the traveling direction and the deviation in the width direction with respect to the traveling path 2a. Is output to the drive control unit 13. The transport carriage 10 corrects the deviation in the traveling direction and the width direction while driving slowly between the marker 40 and 2 m, and after the correction is completed, accelerates to the speed set in the traveling information 50 and goes straight. If there is only a deviation in the width direction with respect to the travel path 2a, the deviation in the width direction is corrected as shown in FIG. 7 (A), and if there is a deviation in the travel direction and a deviation in the width direction with respect to the travel path 2a. , Both the deviation in the traveling direction and the deviation in the width direction are corrected as shown in FIG. 7 (B).

Subsequently, in the case of turning 90 degrees to the left, as shown in FIG. 8, when the transport trolley 10 traveling forward passes through the marker 40 (marker 40-4), the image processing unit 32 of the marker detection unit 30 moves to the marker 40. The arrangement direction 32a of the markers 40 and the detection mark information 32b are detected from the image pickup screen of. The control unit 33 reads the travel information 50 set in the marker 40 from the detection mark information 32b, and outputs the travel information 50a corrected for the deviation of the travel direction with respect to the travel path 2a to the drive control unit 13. As a result, the transport carriage 10 stops once at a position 1 m from the marker 40 and then turns to the left. With respect to the turning angle, the deviation in the traveling direction is added to 90 degrees to correct the deviation in the traveling direction, and after the correction is completed, the vehicle travels straight at the speed set in the immediately preceding traveling information 50. In this case, the deviation in the width direction is not corrected. As shown in FIG. 8A, when there is only a deviation in the width direction with respect to the traveling path 2a, the vehicle turns left as it is, and when there is a deviation in the traveling direction and a deviation in the width direction with respect to the traveling path 2a, FIG. As shown in 8 (B), the deviation in the traveling direction is corrected. For example, when the deviation in the traveling direction is 10 degrees, the vehicle turns left by 100 degrees (90 degrees + 10 degrees). In the case of turning 90 degrees to the right, the operation is reversed with respect to the case of turning 90 degrees to the left described above, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the case of a stop, when the transport trolley 10 traveling forward passes through the marker 40 (marker 40-6) as shown in FIG. 9, the image processing unit 32 of the marker detection unit 30 displays the marker 40 from the image pickup screen of the marker 40. The arrangement direction 32a and the detection mark information 32b are detected. The marker control unit 33 reads the travel information 50 set in the marker 40 from the detection mark information 32b, and outputs the travel information 50a corrected with respect to the deviation in the direction with respect to the travel path 2a to the drive control unit 13. As a result, the transport carriage 10 stops at a position 1 m from the marker 40. The deviation in the traveling direction is corrected during deceleration to the stop position, but the deviation in the width direction is not corrected. If there is only a deviation in the width direction with respect to the travel path 2a, the vehicle stops as it is as shown in FIG. 9 (A), and if there is a deviation in the travel direction and a deviation in the width direction with respect to the travel path 2a, FIG. 9 (B). ), The deviation in the traveling direction is corrected. When the traveling of the transport carriage 10 is terminated as it is, an appropriate operation such as setting the shift lever 19a to N (neutral) or operating the brake is performed. When resuming autonomous driving, an operation necessary for starting autonomous driving, for example, tilting the joystick 19b forward and keeping it for 3 seconds or longer. In this case, the vehicle goes straight at the speed set in the immediately preceding travel information 50.

In the case of prohibition of entry, as shown in FIG. 10, when the transport trolley 10 traveling ahead passes the marker 40 (marker 40-7), the image processing unit 32 of the marker detection unit 30 moves the marker from the image pickup screen of the marker 40. The arrangement direction 32a of 40 and the detection mark information 32b are detected. The marker control unit 33 finishes the autonomous running by the marker, reads the running information 50 set in the marker 40 from the detection mark information 32b, and does not correct the deviation in the direction and the deviation in the width direction with respect to the traveling path 2a. To stop immediately. No corrections will be made regarding deviations in the traveling direction and deviations in the width direction. If there is only a deviation in the width direction with respect to the travel path 2a, the vehicle stops as it is as shown in FIG. 10 (A), and if there is a deviation in the travel direction and a deviation in the width direction with respect to the travel path 2a, FIG. 10 (B). ), Stop as it is. In order to restart the autonomous driving, the shift lever 19a is manually set to neutral, the transport carriage 10 itself is manually moved to the correct position, and then the normal operation to start the autonomous driving is performed.

In the case of a U-turn, as shown in FIG. 11, when the transport trolley 10 traveling forward passes through the marker 40 (markers 40-8, 9), the image processing unit 32 of the marker detection unit 30 displays the image pickup screen of the marker 40. The arrangement direction 32a of the markers 40 and the detection mark information 32b are detected from the above. The marker control unit 33 reads the travel information 50 set in the marker 40 from the detection mark information 32b, and outputs the travel information 50a corrected for the deviation in the traveling direction and the deviation in the width direction with respect to the traveling path 2a to the drive control unit 13. do. As a result, the transport carriage 10 temporarily stops at the position a 1 m from the marker 40, and then turns left or right on the spot. Regarding the turning angle, the deviation in the traveling direction is added to 180 degrees to correct the deviation in the traveling direction, and after the correction is completed, the deviation in the width direction is corrected while traveling to the position b of 2 m, and then the traveling information immediately before. Go straight at the speed set to 50. When there is only a deviation in the width direction with respect to the travel path 2a, as shown in FIG. 11A, the width direction is corrected after making a U-turn, and the deviation in the travel direction and the deviation in the width direction with respect to the travel path 2a are corrected. In some cases, after making a U-turn as shown in FIG. 11B, the deviation in the traveling direction and the deviation in the width direction are corrected. In the case of a U-turn, it makes a turn on the spot, so it operates in the same way in both a left turn and a right turn.

Finally, in the case of the follow-up mode switching, as shown in FIG. 12, when the transport trolley 10 traveling forward passes through the marker 40 (marker 40-10), the image processing unit 32 of the marker detection unit 30 performs the marker. The arrangement direction 32a of the markers 40 and the detection mark information 32b are detected from the image pickup screen of the 40. The marker control unit 33 reads the travel information 50 set in the marker 40 from the detection mark information 32b, interrupts the autonomous travel by the marker 40, and controls the drive control unit 13 by the beacon processing unit 25 of the beacon detection unit 20. Take over to. After that, the transport trolley 10 follows the beacon B detected by the beacon detection unit 20. The beacon B may be worn by the operator. When there is only a deviation in the width direction with respect to the travel path 2a, as shown in FIG. 12A, the deviation in the width direction is not corrected and follows the beacon B as it is, and the deviation in the travel direction with respect to the travel path 2a and When there is a deviation in the width direction, as shown in FIG. 12B, neither the deviation in the traveling direction nor the deviation in the width direction is corrected, and the beacon B is followed as it is. By switching to such a follow-up mode, the transport trolley 10 is guided by the beacon B to a position deviated from the travel path 2a in the middle of the travel path 2a, and the luggage or the like mounted on the mounting platform 11a of the transport trolley 10. Can be loaded and unloaded.

As shown in FIG. 13, when the beacon detection unit 20 detects the identification light from the beacon B (portable beacon) during autonomous traveling by the marker of the transport vehicle 10, the beacon processing unit 25 of the beacon detection unit 20 The position information 24a of the beacon B is transmitted to the marker control unit 33 of the marker detection unit 30. The marker control unit 33 of the marker detection unit 30 interrupts the autonomous travel by the marker 40, and creates travel information 50 that travels straight along the travel path 2a to the vicinity of the beacon B and stops by a predetermined distance (for example, 3 m). And sends it to the drive control unit 13. In response to this, the drive control unit 13 drives and controls the traveling unit 12, so that the transport carriage 10 travels straight along the traveling path 2a to the vicinity of the beacon B and stops. At this time, the deviation in the traveling direction and the deviation in the width direction are not corrected, and even if there is no deviation in the traveling direction as shown in FIG. 13 (A), the deviation in the traveling direction is as shown in FIG. 13 (B). Even if there is, the transport trolley 10 goes straight on as it is. When the traveling of the transport vehicle 10 is resumed, the marker control unit 33 does not autonomously travel while the beacon detection unit 20 detects the identification light from the beacon B, and the beacon processing unit 25 of the beacon detection unit 20 does not perform autonomous travel. However, when the identification light from the beacon B is no longer detected, the carrier vehicle 10 is located on the travel path 2a, so that the marker detection unit 30 restarts the autonomous travel by the marker. can do.

When the emergency stop switch 19c provided on the transport carriage 10 is operated, the emergency stop signal 19d is input to the marker control unit 33 of the marker detection unit 30. The marker control unit 33 interrupts the autonomous travel by the travel information 50a based on the emergency stop signal 19d, generates the emergency stop travel information 50, and sends it to the drive control unit 13. In response to this, the drive control unit 13 immediately drives and controls the travel unit 12 based on the travel information 50 of the emergency stop, and makes the travel of the transport carriage 10 an emergency stop.

The marker control unit 33 of the marker detection unit 30 controls the drive control unit 13 based on the travel information 50a of the marker. The marker control unit 33 operates as follows according to the flowchart of the autonomous traveling mode shown in FIG. In the autonomous travel mode, first, in step ST1, after the start of autonomous travel, the marker detection unit 30 searches for the first marker and detects the marker 40. The marker detection unit 30 may perform "straight ahead", "left turn", "right turn", "stop", "U-turn", "U-turn", depending on the type of travel information 50 associated with the marker 40 detected in step ST1. "No entry" and "following mode switching" are discriminated.

In the case of "forward", the marker control unit 33 creates the traveling information 50a for straight travel as shown in FIG. 7 in step ST2, and corrects the deviation in the traveling direction and the deviation in the width direction in step ST3. After that, the traveling unit 12 is driven and controlled by the drive control unit 13 in step ST4 to advance the transport carriage 10, and the process returns to step ST1. In the case of "left turn" and "right turn", the marker control unit 33 creates running information 50a for left turn or right turn as shown in FIG. 8 in step ST5 and step ST6, respectively. After turning left or right, the drive control unit 13 drives and controls the traveling unit 12 in step ST4 to advance the transport carriage 10 and return to step ST1. In the case of "stop", the marker control unit 33 creates the stop travel information 50a in step ST7 as shown in FIG. 9, and corrects the deviation in the traveling direction and the deviation in the width direction in step ST8. In step ST9, the operator waits for the operation of restarting autonomous driving, and in step ST4, the driving unit 12 is driven and controlled by the drive control unit 13, and the transport carriage 10 is advanced to return to step ST1. In the case of "U-turn", as shown in FIG. 11 in step ST10, the marker control unit 33 creates U-turn travel information 50a, makes a U-turn, and then shifts in the travel direction in step ST11. And, the deviation in the width direction is corrected, and the traveling unit 12 is driven and controlled by the drive control unit 13 in step ST4 to advance the transport carriage 10 and return to step ST1. In the case of "no entry", the marker control unit 33 immediately stops the marker control unit 33 without correcting the deviation in the traveling direction or the deviation in the width direction as shown in FIG. 10 in step ST12. In this case, the marker control unit 33 ends the autonomous traveling by the marker in step 13 and waits for the operation of the operator. During that time, the marker control unit 33 stops the autonomous traveling and sets the neutral mode as shown in step ST14. In the case of "following mode switching", the marker control unit 33 interrupts the autonomous running by the marker as shown in FIG. 12 in step ST15, and switches to the following mode in step ST16.

A specific usage example of the traveling system 1 of the transport carriage will be described with reference to FIG. In a traveling area such as a warehouse where the transport trolley 10 should travel, a traveling path 2a is set as shown by a dotted line, and appropriate locations 61 to 72 are used to guide the transport trolley 10 along the traveling path 2a. Markers 40 are installed in each. Markers 40 at positions 61 and 69 are set to stop travel information, markers 40 at positions 62, 63, 65, 71 and 72 are set to travel straight ahead, and markers 40 at positions 64, 66, 68 and 70 are set. The travel information for a left turn (turning 90 degrees to the left) is set, and the marker 40 at position 67 is set to travel information for a right turn (turning 90 degrees to the right).

In such a traveling area, when the transport trolley 10 stopped at the position 61 starts autonomous traveling by the marker, it goes straight at the positions 62 and 63, turns left at the position 64, goes straight at the position 65, and goes straight at the position 66. Turn left, turn right at position 67, then turn left at position 68, and stop at position 69. At each position (61 to 69) of the traveling path of the transporting carriage 10 shown by the dotted line in FIG. 15, the deviation in the traveling direction and the deviation in the width direction in the case of going straight are corrected, so that the transporting carriage 10 is surely Autonomously travels along the travel path 2a. Each marker 40 is installed on the floor surface of the traveling area by adhesive or the like, and when the traveling path 2a is changed, the existing marker 40 can be easily peeled off and an appropriate marker 40 is newly added at a predetermined position. By installing it in, the travel path 2a can be easily changed.

(Second embodiment)
Next, the traveling system 5 of the mobile vehicle according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The traveling system 5 of this mobile vehicle is different from the traveling system 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that the network 80 connected to the transport trolley 10 and the external operation of the transport trolley 10 connected to the network 80. The point is that the control unit 90 is further provided. The transport trolley 10 has the same configuration as the traveling system 1 of the mobile vehicle according to the first embodiment, except that the CPU unit 36 includes a communication unit including a transceiver connected to the network 80.

The network 80 is a network having an arbitrary configuration, and may be a dedicated line network or a public line network such as 3G, LTE, and the Internet. The network 80 is not limited to wireless and may be wired. The wired network 80 may be LAN (Ethernet (registered trademark)), RS232C, CAN (Controlled Area Network) which is an in-vehicle network, or the like. The network 80 using wireless may be a so-called wireless LAN. As a wireless LAN, WiFi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) can be applied. The network 80 may be configured by an electronic component such as a transistor or a relay capable of transmitting an electric signal as a communication function and an input / output function included in the communication unit of the CPU unit 36, a transmission cable, or the like. The transport carriage 10 and the external operation control unit 90 are connected to each other by the network 80. Various signals can be transmitted and received to and from each other as needed.

The external operation control unit 90 is composed of, for example, a tablet and a program stored in the tablet, but a control device such as a PLC (programmable logic controller), a sequencer, or a remote controller may be used. In the present specification, a tablet in which a program for controlling the transport trolley 10 is stored is used.

According to the second embodiment, the external operation control unit 90 may control the transport carriage 10 via the network 80, if necessary. For example, the traveling path 2a of the transport carriage 10 may be arbitrarily changed by a tablet serving as an external operation control unit 90. The travel information in the marker 40 may be changed by the external operation control unit 90. The external operation control unit 90 can arbitrarily change the travel path 2a of the moving vehicle 10 by changing the travel information on the marker 40 via the network 80 as needed, as described below.

(Modification example 1 of marker)
As a modification of the above-mentioned marker 40, a method of using a marker 40 that changes the traveling information of the marker 40 once installed, that is, a variable marker 40 will be described. When a plurality of transport trolleys 10 are operated on different travel paths 2a in one warehouse, after installing a plurality of A marker 40, B marker 40, and C marker 40 within the travel range of the travel path 2a. The meaning of the marker 40 in the first transport trolley 10 and the second transport trolley 10 can be changed. For example, when at least three or more markers A, B, C, ... Are installed within the moving range, the markers 40 in the first transport trolley 10 and the second transport trolley 10 are installed. The meaning can be changed as follows. The following is an example of the meaning when the marker 40 has three.
1st transport trolley 10: Marker A goes straight, marker B turns left, marker C stops.
2nd transport trolley 10: Marker A goes straight, marker B turns right, marker C turns left.

The marker control unit 33 and the marker storage unit 34 of the first transport trolley 10 are required to control the transport trolley 10 according to the definitions of the marker A (straight ahead), the marker B (turn left), and the marker C (stop). It is stored in the marker storage unit 34 according to the above. Similarly, the marker control unit 33 and the marker storage unit 34 of the second transport trolley 10 are controlled by the transport trolley 10 according to the definitions of the marker A (straight ahead), the marker B (right turn), and the marker C (left turn). It is stored in the marker storage unit 34 as needed. Here, the control of the marker control unit 33 and the marker storage unit 34 of each transport trolley 10 may be set for each transport trolley 10. The marker control unit 33 and the marker storage unit 34 of each transport carriage 10 may be controlled by an external operation control unit 90 such as a tablet connected to the network 80. As a result, it becomes possible to operate a plurality of transport carts 10 on different travel paths 2a in one warehouse.

(Modification example 2 of marker)
N ways, that is, traveling patterns 1, 2, 3 ... N are stored in advance in the same transport trolley 10 as traveling patterns by a plurality of markers, and this time, traveling pattern 1, according to the usage schedule of the transport trolley 10. Next time, if the traveling pattern 2 is controlled, the same transport carriage 10 can be traveled with different N-passage traveling patterns. As a method of designating a travel pattern, a marker 40 indicating a route is set on the travel path 2a, or the installed marker 40 is modified by modifying the definition of the marker 40 on a tablet in the same manner as in the above-mentioned marker modification 1. , May be implemented by changing the meaning. The tablet serving as the external operation control unit 90 may be mutually communicated with the transport trolley 10 by a wireless LAN or the like.

(Modification example 3 of marker)
A marker D may be provided as a marker 40 for designating the travel path 2a on the marker 40 installed on the travel path 2a. The marker D is a marker indicating a change from the traveling pattern 1 to the traveling pattern 2, and is stored in the marker storage unit 34. When the transport carriage 10 detects the marker D on the travel path 2a, the marker control unit 33 switches from the travel pattern 1 to the travel pattern 2.

(Modification example 4 of marker)
For example, a plurality of transport carriages 10 may be controlled in real time from an external operation control unit 90 connected to the network 80. The external operation control unit 90 can be installed in a command room adjacent to the warehouse or a command room provided in a remote place.

(Modification example 5 of marker)
The marker 40 may be used for controlling other devices other than the control of the transport carriage 10. For example, the marker S installed in front of the shutter of the warehouse may be given a meaning to open the shutter. The marker control unit 33 that has detected the marker S may be connected to the network 80 via a network connection means connected to the CPU unit 36, and may send a “shutter open” signal to the shutter control unit.

(Marker variant 6)
When the transport trolley 10 is towing another transport trolley, the transport trolley to be towed may be separated according to the instruction of the marker 40. The travel path 2a may be changed. For example, when the transport trolley 10 is towing another transport trolley and the marker D designating the travel path 2a is detected, the travel pattern 1 is switched to the travel pattern 2 in the same manner as in the marker modification 3. You may be broken.

Further, according to the traveling system 1 and 5 of the mobile vehicle of the present invention, for example, an autonomous traveling system using a laser ranging (SLAM) system that detects a slope as a wall or a line trace that cannot be used on a stepped or uneven road surface. With respect to the autonomous driving system of the system, since the marker 40 and the marker 40 arranged in dots or lines on the traveling road are autonomously driven, autonomous driving can be continued regardless of the road surface on the way. ..

(Third embodiment)
Next, the traveling system 100 of the mobile vehicle according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18. In the third embodiment, the mobile vehicle is composed of a towed carriage 120 and a transport carriage 110 that pulls the towed carriage. These vehicles are configured to be connected and disconnected from each other by a connecting mechanism. The coupling mechanism on the transport carriage 110 side, which is a mobile vehicle, includes a coupler 132 provided at the rear end of the transport carriage 110, a coupler 134 provided at the front end of the towed carriage 120, and a coupling member 130 for connecting these. The transport trolley 110 leads the vehicle and pulls the towed trolley 120 to move. The towed trolley 120 may be a basket trolley (roll box pallet), a six-wheel trolley (slim cart), or a trolley capable of transporting pallets. When the coupler 132 is movably attached to the coupling member 130, the coupling mechanism on the transport carriage 110 side is fixedly attached to the coupler 134 on the towed carriage 120 side. On the contrary, when the coupler 132 on the transport carriage 110 side is fixedly attached, the other coupler 134 may be movably attached. The load capacity of the towed carriage 120 can be 100 kg to 300 kg. If each motor 16 is appropriately selected, the load capacity of the towed carriage 120 can be further increased to, for example, 600 kg.

(Modification example 7 of marker)
Like the mobile vehicle 10, the mobile vehicle 110 can use a marker 40 indicating straight-ahead, U-turn, left-turn, right-turn and stop, and intrusion prohibition, but further draws an arc (R) as shown in FIG. A marker 40 that autonomously travels on the track can also be used in combination. To distinguish the autonomous running of an arc-shaped orbit from a right-angled left turn and a right-angled turn, they are called an arc-shaped left turn and an arc-shaped right turn, respectively. As a modification 7 of the marker, the marker 40 indicating turning will be described.
As shown in FIG. 19, when the transport trolley 110 that pulls the towed trolley 120 makes an arc-shaped left turn, when the transport trolley 110 passes through the marker 40 (marker 40-12), the image processing unit of the marker detection unit 30 32 detects the arrangement direction 32a of the markers 40 and the detection mark information 32b from the image pickup screen of the marker 40. The marker 40-12 corrects the position of the transport carriage 110 so that it becomes the center position of the track 2a when going straight for the first time, for example, when going straight for 2 m, and then the turning radius R and the turning angle are set. For example, it can be freely set to go straight for 2 m and turn 60 ° with a radius of 3 m (see the locus of A in FIG. 19), go straight for 2 m and turn 90 ° with a radius of 5 m (see the locus of B in FIG. 19).

The marker control unit 33 reads the traveling information 50 regarding the straight-ahead distance, the turning radius R, and the turning angle set in the marker 40 from the detection mark information 32b, and corrects the traveling information regarding the deviation of the traveling direction with respect to the traveling path 2a. 50a is output to the drive control unit 13. As a result, the transport carriage 110 goes straight from the marker 40-12 to a predetermined position, stops once, and then turns in a trajectory that draws an arc to the left. That is, the moving vehicle 110 first goes straight in the same manner as the straight-ahead markers (markers 40-1 to 3 in FIG. 7), and then turns left in an arc shape according to the turning radius R and the turning angle indicated by the markers 40-12. do. In this case, the deviation in the width direction is corrected when going straight. As a result, the transport carriage 110 can smoothly turn when the towed carriage 120 is towed and makes a left turn in an arc shape. In the case of an arc-shaped right turn, the operation is reversed in terms of left and right as in the case of the arc-shaped left turn described above, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

(Modification example 8 of marker)
The marker 40 may combine two or more functions of stopping at a predetermined distance or going straight to a predetermined distance and turning when traveling in a specific direction. That is, in addition to any of the above-mentioned straight-ahead, U-turn, left-turn, right-turn, stop, arc-shaped left-turn, and arc-shaped right-turn, the marker 40 is further combined with one or more of these. Driving information may be set. For example, it can be set to stop at 5 m ahead, turn right in an arc shape at 3 m ahead, or turn right in an arc shape.

(Modification 1 of the third embodiment)
The traveling system 100A of the mobile vehicle according to the first modification of the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 to 22. The transport carriage 110A includes a coupler 142 that can be automatically attached and detached as a coupling mechanism for the towed carriage 120A. The coupler 142 of the transport carriage 110A includes an automatic coupling member 144 having a mechanism that can move in the vertical direction. The automatic coupling member 144 is driven by a solenoid or a motor arranged in the coupler 142 to move the pin portion 144a of the automatic coupling member 144 in the vertical direction. The towed carriage 120A includes a coupler 142 of the transport carriage 110A and a detachable coupler 154 on the towed carriage side. The coupler 154 on the towed carriage side includes an insertion hole into which the pin portion 144a of the automatic coupling member 144 is inserted.

(Automatic connection between the transport trolley 110A and the towed trolley 120A)
The automatic connection between the transport carriage 110A and the towed carriage 120A will be described. For example, in the traveling path 2a of the warehouse, a marker 40 called a marker D is installed at a position where the transport carriage 110A and the towed carriage 120A should be automatically connected. The marker D is defined as a location where the transport carriage 110A and the towed carriage 120A are automatically connected, and is stored in the marker storage unit 34. The automatic connection between the transport carriage 110A and the towed carriage 120A is associated with the travel information 50. The marker control unit 33 that has detected the marker D stops the CPU unit 36 at the marker D and controls the CPU unit 36 to automatically connect to the marker D by the automatic connection member 144. In response to this, the CPU unit 36 controls the solenoid so that the pin portion 144a of the automatic coupling member 144 moves upward, and the pin portion 144a inserts the pin portion 144a into the hole of the coupler 154 on the towed carriage side. .. The external operation control unit 90 connected to the network 80 may send a signal of "connecting to the towed vehicle 120A" to the CPU unit 36 of the transport vehicle 110A. When the PLC is used as the external operation control unit 90, the PLC can be controlled so that the towed carriage 120A and the towed carriage 120A are automatically connected. The network 80 connecting the PLC and the CPU unit 36 may be configured by using a switch or a communication unit connected to the CPU unit 36.

(Automatic desorption between the transport trolley 110A and the towed trolley 120A)
For example, in the traveling path 2a of the warehouse, when the connection between the transport carriage 110A and the towed carriage 120A is released, a marker E is installed as a marker 40 at a position where the transport carriage 110A is separated from the towed carriage 120A. The marker E is defined as a position where the transport carriage 110A is separated from the towed carriage 120A, and is stored in the marker storage unit 34. The detachment of the transport carriage 110A from the towed carriage 120A is associated with the travel information 50. The marker control unit 33 that has detected the marker E controls the CPU unit 36 to stop at the marker E and then automatically disconnect the marker E by the automatic connecting member 144. In response to this, the CPU unit 36 controls the solenoid to move the pin portion 144a of the automatic coupling member 144 downward, and automatically disconnects the pin portion 144a from the coupler 154 on the towed carriage side. Similar to the automatic connection between the transport carriage 110A and the towed carriage 120A, the external operation control unit 90 connected to the network 80 sends a signal of "disengage from the towed carriage 120A" to the CPU unit 36 of the transport carriage 110A. Then, the towed carriage 120A may be detached.

When connecting the towed carriage 120A to the transport carriage 110A, the marker 40 is given a meaning of retreat, and even if the transport carriage 110A is retracted to align the coupler 142 with the coupler 154 on the towed carriage side. good. This alignment can be performed by the CPU unit 36. Further, the alignment may be performed by the operator by operating the handle of the transport carriage 110A. Alternatively, the position may be aligned by using a switch connected to the external operation control unit 90 using PLC or a communication function. In this way, if the travel information is set in advance for the marker D or the marker E so as to automatically connect or disconnect, the transport carriage 110A is stopped at the marker D or the marker E by the CPU unit 36, and then is stopped. The solenoid is controlled to automatically connect or disconnect by the automatic connection member 144.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the transport carriage 110A is further provided with a distance measuring sensor 153. In the distance measuring sensor 153, the distance sensor 23 mainly detects an obstacle in front of the vehicle, whereas the distance sensor 153 has a longer distance including the left and right diagonal directions when towing the towed vehicle 120A, which is wider than the transport vehicle 110A. Detects obstacles in range. The distance may be set to about 5 m, for example, about 5 to 10 m. As the distance measuring sensor 153, a distance measuring sensor called a two-dimensional laser range finder (2DLRF), a distance measuring sensor that measures the distance by image recognition by a camera such as a stereo camera, or the like is suitable. When towing a wide towed trolley 120A, obstacles in front of the traveling direction can be detected in advance, so that the transport trolley 110A can be stopped before a collision with an obstacle or avoided from colliding with an obstacle. do. Since 2DLRF can measure distances on the order of mm, by locally measuring distances with obstacles around the transport carriage 110A with high accuracy and high density, the stopping operation for obstacles can be accelerated and obstacles can be measured. Perform object avoidance actions quickly. Since the towed carriage 120A loaded with a heavy object takes an extra braking time until it detects an obstacle and stops, the safety of the stop operation becomes higher.

(Modification 2 of the third embodiment)
In the traveling system 100B of the third embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), as a connecting mechanism in which the transport carriage 110B pulls the towed carriage 120B, the operation unit 119 is on the transport carriage 110B side. A tow member 170 for connecting to the pin 160 of the towed carriage 120B, which will be described later, a restraint member 172, a link mechanism 174 connected to the tow member 172, a solenoid 176 for driving the link mechanism 174, and the like. Is provided, but the handle 111b is not provided. The tow member 170 is provided with a hole 170 into which a pin 160 is inserted when connecting the towed carriage 120B. The restraint member 172 is a spring-loaded member that prevents the pin 160 from coming off when the pin 160 is inserted into the hole 172a of the traction member 170. In this embodiment, the transport trolley 110B is configured to pull and guide the towed trolley 120B in such a manner that it sneaks under the towed trolley 120B. The operation unit 119 is arranged substantially below the loading surface of the main body 111 so as not to hinder the transport vehicle 110B from slipping into the lower side of the towed vehicle 120B. As a connecting mechanism on the towed trolley 120B side, a pin 160 protruding downward at the lower part of the main body 122 and a pair of guides 162 provided on both left and right sides for holding the transport trolley 110B by slipping into the lower side of the towed trolley 120A. It is equipped with. The distance Wg of the guides 162 is formed to be substantially the same as or slightly wider than the width of the transport carriage 110B, and is set to a width that allows the towed carriage 120B to slip in and hold it.

(Automatic connection between the transport trolley 110B and the towed trolley 120B)
As shown in FIGS. 24A and 24B, a pin protruding downward in addition to the pair of guides 162 described above on the lower side of the main body 111 as a connecting mechanism on the towed carriage 120B side. It is equipped with 160. The transport carriage 110B slips into the lower side of the towed carriage 120B and goes straight along the guide 162 so that the pin 160 of the towed carriage 120B is inserted into the hole 170a of the tow member 170 of the transport carriage 110B and is connected to each other. To specifically explain the operation of the connection by the connection mechanism, first, as shown in FIG. 25 (a), when the transport carriage 110B advances in the direction of the arrow, the pin 160 of the towed carriage 120B is attached to the restraining member of the transport carriage 110B. 172 is in close proximity. Further, as shown in FIG. 25 (b), the pin 160 of the towed carriage 120B pushes down the restraining member 172 elastically held in a predetermined position by the spring 164 against the spring force, and the pin 160 pushes down. It enters the hole 170a of the towing member 170 of the transport carriage 110B. When the pin 160 advances to the end of the hole 170a, as shown in FIG. 25 (c), the restraining member 172 separates from the pin 160 of the towed carriage 120B and returns to a predetermined position by the spring 154 again. As a result, the tow member 170 is horizontally hooked on the pin 160, and the pin 160 is inserted into the hole 170a of the tow member, so that the towed carriage 120B is connected to the transport carriage 110B.

(Automatic desorption between the transport trolley 110B and the towed trolley 120B)
When the connection by the connection mechanism shown in FIG. 25 (c) is released, as shown in FIG. 25 (d), the solenoid 176 arranged at the lower part of the main body of the transport carriage 110B is driven to suck the link mechanism 174. By doing so, the traction member 170 is pulled down from the pin 160 in the downward direction (arrow C). As a result, the horizontal connection of the pin 160 of the towed carriage 120B is released from the hole 170a of the towing member 170 of the transport carriage 110B. In this state, when the transport carriage 110B advances in the traveling direction, it separates from the towed carriage 120B. The solenoid 176 is stopped after a time sufficiently separated from the pin 160, so that the traction member 170 of the transport carriage 110B returns to a predetermined position by the force of the spring 164. Since the transport trolley 110B sneaks into the lower side of the towed trolley 120B and connects the towed trolley 120B, the towed trolley 120B can move in the same manner as the operation of the mobile vehicle 100A alone, and the towed trolley is connected to the rear of the transport trolley. In that case, the towed bogie can be rotated on the spot. Further, since the transport carriage 110B and the towed carriage 120B move in a laminated state, the overall length is shortened and the work efficiency is improved.

The present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In the above-described embodiment, the ArUco marker is used as the individual mark of the marker 40, but various other marks such as QR code (registered trademark) may also be used. The marker 40 includes marks arranged side by side in two rows × 9, but may be arranged in one row or three or more rows, or two to eight or ten or more marks may be arranged in the horizontal direction. When the speed of the transport carriages 10, 110, 110A, 110B in the traveling direction increases, whether or not the marker 40 can be detected depends on the shutter speed of the camera 31 and the processing speed of the CPU unit 36. Therefore, if the number of rows of the markers 40 in the traveling direction is increased and the markers 40 are installed, the traveling information can be surely acquired from the markers 40 even when the speeds of the transport carriages 10, 110, 110A, and 110B increase. The marker control unit 33 and the beacon processing unit 25 of the beacon detection unit 20 may be shared without providing the marker detection unit 30 separately from the beacon detection unit 20. The emergency stop switch 19 as an emergency stop operation unit may be provided in an external operation unit for making various settings without being provided in the main body portion 11 of the transport carriage 10, and may be fixedly arranged in the traveling area of the transport carriage 10. You may. The number of emergency stop switches 19 is not limited to one, and may be plural, and may be included in the operation of the joystick 19b. The peripheral sensor for emergency stop is not limited to a distance sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor, and may be detected by a bumper sensor 38a provided on the bumper 38. The emergency stop operation unit may be configured such that the operator stops the transport trolleys 10 and 110 by remote operation by using a beacon worn by the operator or another remote control device by infrared rays or wireless communication.

As a safety function of the traveling system 1,5,100,110A, 110B of a moving vehicle, if the marker 40 cannot be found even after traveling 10 m, for example, the moving vehicle 10,110,110A, 110B is automatically recognized as being off course. You may stop at. The transport carriages 10, 110, 100A, and 100B may be provided with a speaker. The speaker can generate an alarm sound or a sound effect around the transport trolley before the marker 40 goes straight, turns left, turns right, or makes an emergency stop. In the above-described embodiment, the transport trolleys 10, 110, 100A, and 100B have been described as examples of the mobile vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to any mobile vehicle other than the transport trolley. it is obvious.

1,5,100,100A,100B ... Traveling system for moving vehicles,
2 ... Driving area, 2a ... Driving road,
10, 110, 110A, 110B ... Transport trolley (moving vehicle),
11,111 ... Main body, 11a ... Stand, 11b, 111b ... Handle,
12 ... Traveling unit, 13 ... Drive control unit, 13a ... Power supply,
15 ... Wheels, 15a ... Wheel rotation sensor, 15b ... Wheel rotation speed information,
16 ... motor, 16a ... deceleration mechanism, 17 ... casters,
18 ... Inertial measurement unit (IMU), 18a ... Detection signal, 19,119 ... Operation unit, 19a ... Shift lever, 19b ... Joystick, 19c ... Emergency stop switch, 19d ... Emergency stop signal, 19e ... Speed switching dial, 19f, 19g ... indicator light,
20 ... Beacon detector, 21 and 22 ... Infrared camera, 23 ... Distance sensor,
24 ... Beacon calculation unit, 24a ... Beacon B position information,
25 ... Beacon processing unit, 25a ... Beacon storage unit, 25b ... Driving information,
30 ... Marker detection unit, 31 ... Camera (imaging means), 31a ... Light emitting unit, 31b ... Imaging signal, 32 ... Image processing unit, 32a ... Arrangement direction, 32b ... Detection mark information,
32c ... Error signal, 33 ... Marker control unit, 33a ... Emergency stop signal,
34 ... Marker storage unit, 36 ... CPU unit, 37 ... Main switch, 38 ... Bumper,
38a ... bumper sensor, 40 ... marker,
41, 41a-41i ... Marks in the first row, 42, 42a-42i ... Marks in the second row,
50 ... Driving information, 50a ... Corrected driving information, 51 ... Placement position information,
61-72 ... location, 80 ... network, 90 ... external operation control unit,
120, 120A, 120B ... Towed carriage, 130 ... Connecting member,
132, 142 ... Connecting mechanism on the mobile vehicle side,
134,154 ... Connecting mechanism on the towed bogie side,
144 ... Automatic connection member, 144a ... Pin part, 153 ... Distance measuring sensor,
160 ... Pin, 162 ... Guide, 164 ... Spring,
170 ... traction member, 170a ... traction member hole,
172 ... Restraint member, 174 ... Link mechanism, 176 ... Solenoid.

Claims (18)

A main body unit, a traveling unit for traveling on the ground, a drive control unit for driving and controlling the traveling unit, and a drive control unit.
A moving vehicle, including a marker detector,
Markers placed at a plurality of predetermined locations along the travel path on which the moving vehicle should travel, and
To prepare
The marker detection unit has an image pickup unit for imaging the lower part of the main body portion, an image processing unit that performs image processing on the image pickup screen imaged by the image pickup means, and detects the marker, and the image processing unit. It includes a marker control unit that outputs travel information preset to the marker to the drive control unit based on the detected marker.
The marker is formed in a horizontally long band shape and arranged in the transverse direction of the traveling path, and the band-shaped marker is provided with a plurality of marks in a horizontal row.
Each mark provided in the horizontal row is set with travel information to be traveled by the moving vehicle and placement position information with different symbols for detecting lateral deviation in the traveling direction of the moving vehicle. Being done
The marker control unit generates modified travel information for correcting lateral deviation and angular deviation of the moving vehicle based on the travel information and the arrangement position information of the marker, and outputs the corrected travel information to the drive control unit. death,
The drive control unit drives and controls the travel unit based on the modified travel information from the marker control unit so that the moving vehicle autonomously travels along the travel path designated by the marker. The running system of the moving vehicle. The network connected to the mobile vehicle and
The mobile vehicle is provided with an external operation control unit connected to the network.
The traveling of the moving vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the external driving control unit can arbitrarily change the traveling path of the moving vehicle by changing the traveling information in the marker as necessary via the network. system. The traveling system for a mobile vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of marks are arranged in two rows on the front side and the rear side of the band-shaped marker, respectively, with respect to the traveling direction. The traveling of the mobile vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the same traveling information and the arrangement position information are set for the marks on the front side and the rear side of each row among the plurality of marks arranged in the two columns. system. The marker detection unit calculates the XY position and angle of the moving vehicle with respect to the marker by recognizing the marker detected by the image processing unit, and outputs these to the marker control unit according to claim 1. The traveling system of the described mobile vehicle.
Here, the X position is a lateral position in the traveling path, the Y position is a position in the traveling direction in the traveling path, and the angle is a deviation from the traveling direction. The image processing unit detects the direction in which the marks constituting the marker are lined up.
The moving vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the marker control unit detects a deviation between the traveling direction and the actual traveling direction due to the traveling information based on the direction in which the marks are arranged, and generates the corrected traveling information. Driving system. Among the marks constituting the marker, the marker control unit deviates laterally from the placement position information on the travel path of the moving vehicle based on the mark located near the center of the image pickup screen by the marker detection unit. The traveling system for a moving vehicle according to claim 1, which detects and generates the modified traveling information. Each mark constituting the marker is set with running information of any one of straight ahead, U-turn, left turn, right turn, stop, arc-shaped left turn, arc-shaped right turn, or a combination of one or more of these. The traveling system of the mobile vehicle according to claim 1. The traveling system for a moving vehicle according to claim 8, wherein each mark constituting the marker is set to traveling speeds in several stages with respect to the traveling information of the straight running. The moving vehicle further includes a wheel rotation sensor of the traveling portion and an inertial measurement unit provided in the main body portion.
The drive control unit calculates the moving distance from the detection signal of the wheel rotation sensor, detects the deviation of the angle in the traveling direction of the moving vehicle from the detection signal of the inertial measurement unit, and determines the moving distance and the angle . The traveling system for a moving vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the traveling unit is driven and controlled based on the corrected travel distance and angle . The traveling system for a mobile vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the mobile vehicle further comprises an obstacle sensor. Furthermore, it is equipped with an emergency stop operation unit that outputs an emergency stop signal during operation.
When the emergency stop operation unit is operated, the marker control unit interrupts autonomous driving by the marker based on an emergency stop signal from the emergency stop operation unit, generates travel information for an emergency stop, and drives the drive. Send to the control unit,
The traveling system for a mobile vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the drive control unit drives and controls the traveling unit to make an emergency stop based on the traveling information of the emergency stop from the marker control unit. Travel information for switching the follow-up mode is further attached to each mark constituting the marker.
The main body unit includes a beacon detection unit that detects identification light from a beacon to be followed in front and generates beacon position information consisting of the direction and distance of the beacon.
When the image processing unit detects the travel information of the follow-up mode switching following the beacon attached to each mark, the marker control unit interrupts the autonomous travel by the marker and controls the drive control unit. Is taken over by the beacon detection unit, and the beacon detection unit generates the modified travel information for traveling toward the beacon based on the beacon position information and sends it to the drive control unit.
The first aspect of claim 1, wherein the drive control unit drives and controls the travel unit based on the modified travel information from the beacon detection unit, so that the moving vehicle travels following the movement of the beacon. Traveling system for mobile vehicles. The beacon is a portable beacon.
When the beacon detection unit detects the identification light from the portable beacon, the marker control unit interrupts autonomous traveling by the marker, and the beacon detection unit advances the moving vehicle straight by a predetermined distance and stops it. , The traveling system of the mobile vehicle according to claim 13. The traveling system for a mobile vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the main body portion is configured as a main body portion of a transport carriage provided with a flat mounting table. The first aspect of claim 1, wherein the moving vehicle is configured as a towed carriage and a transport carriage that pulls the towed carriage, and the transport carriage and the towed carriage can be connected to and disconnected from each other by a connecting mechanism. Traveling system for mobile vehicles. As the connecting mechanism, the towed carriage has a pin protruding downward at the lower part of the main body of the towed carriage and a pair provided on both left and right sides for holding the transport carriage under the lower side of the towed carriage. With a guide,
A towing member into which the pin is inserted when the towed carriage is connected to the transport carriage , and a spring-loaded restraining member that prevents the pin from coming off when the pin is inserted into the hole of the towing member. A link mechanism connected to the traction member and a solenoid for driving the link mechanism are provided.
When the coupling by the coupling mechanism is released, the link mechanism is sucked by driving the solenoid and the towed member is pulled down below the pin to separate the towed carriage from the transport carriage . Item 16. The traveling system of the moving vehicle according to Item 16. The traveling system for a mobile vehicle according to claim 16 or 17, wherein travel information is set in advance on the marker so that the transport carriage automatically connects to or disconnects from the towed carriage.

Images