JP7290091B2 - Automatic guided vehicle control system and control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an automatic guided vehicle control system and control method.

Conventionally, materials have been transported by automatic guided vehicles. Various guidance systems such as magnetic guidance, laser radar guidance, electromagnetic guidance, SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) guidance, and the like are used to run the unmanned guided vehicle.

In magnetic guidance, a magnetic tape or other magnetic material is laid along the travel route in advance, and the automatic guided vehicle is guided by detecting the magnetic material with a magnetic sensor or the like mounted on the automatic guided vehicle.
In laser radar guidance, a reflector is installed in advance on the travel route, and the automatic guided vehicle is guided by detecting the reflector with a laser radar or the like mounted on the automatic guided vehicle.
In electromagnetic induction, a guide wire is laid along the travel route in advance, and the magnetic field generated when an electric current is passed through the guide wire is detected by a magnetic sensor mounted on the automatic guided vehicle. Induced.
In SLAM guidance, a rangefinder such as a laser range finder searches and analyzes the surrounding environment to create a local map. Determine the position on the global map that corresponds to the created local map. As described above, in SLAM guidance, the automatic guided vehicle 1 is controlled to reach the destination while estimating its own position and creating a local map simultaneously based on the measurement result of the distance measuring device.
Regardless of which guidance method is used, the control system of the automatic guided vehicle basically controls the automatic guided vehicle so that the amount of deviation from the travel route, that is, the guidance deviation, approaches zero. .

Since each of the guidance methods described above has advantages and disadvantages, a plurality of guidance methods are combined to compensate for the disadvantages.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-100000 discloses a method for guiding and stopping an automatic guided vehicle, in which guidance of the automatic guided vehicle is performed by magnetic induction, and stop control is performed using an electromagnetic system. In Patent Document 1, an embedded groove is formed in the travel route, a magnetic tape is laid over the entire length in the embedded groove, and electric wires are laid in intersection sections. When the switch is turned on, an oscillating current flows from the oscillator to the wire. The automatic guided vehicle detects the magnetic field generated from the magnetic tape and travels along the magnetic tape. When the switch is turned on, an oscillating current generates a magnetic field, and when the automatic guided vehicle detects this magnetic field, it stops traveling.

JP-A-5-27830

Among the guidance methods described above, magnetic guidance and laser radar guidance use sensors to detect objects, such as magnetic tapes and reflectors, placed on the travel route to estimate the position of the automated guided vehicle. Since the position of the automatic guided vehicle is estimated by the automatic guided vehicle, the estimation accuracy of the self-position is high.
On the other hand, in SLAM guidance, the self-position is estimated by searching and analyzing the surrounding environment without depending on the detection of the object to be detected. may be less accurate.
Therefore, when SLAM guidance is combined with, for example, magnetic induction, if the self-position estimation accuracy in SLAM guidance is low, the automatic guided vehicle moves from a section controlled by SLAM guidance to a section controlled by magnetic guidance. When switching the guidance method, the magnetic tape may be detected at a location different from that estimated by SLAM guidance.

In such a case, although the induced deviation is maintained at a value close to 0 within the SLAM guidance section, it suddenly increases as soon as it enters the magnetic induction section.
In such a case, if you try to quickly position the automatic guided vehicle on the magnetic tape in order to reduce the induced deviation, the sudden operation causes the automatic guided vehicle to deviate from the travel route and collide with the surrounding equipment. there is a possibility. Alternatively, the steering angle becomes large and the upper body of the automatic guided vehicle shakes, and the materials being conveyed may fall and be damaged, or the automatic guided vehicle may topple over. Furthermore, as a result of a large change in the steering angle, as a result of approaching the magnetic tape at a large angle, such as at right angles, the unmanned guided vehicle crosses over the magnetic tape and must make further trajectory corrections to the opposite side. Attempts may result in the AGV meandering.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an unmanned guided vehicle capable of smoothly controlling the running of the unmanned guided vehicle by suppressing abrupt course changes when switching the guidance method from SLAM guidance to another guidance method. It is to provide a vehicle control system and control method.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following means. That is, the present invention detects a travel route divided into a plurality of sections by SLAM guidance and detects an object provided on the travel route for estimating the position of an unmanned guided vehicle by a sensor. A control system for an unmanned guided vehicle, comprising a control unit that controls travel of the unmanned guided vehicle by switching between another guidance method for estimating the position of the vehicle for each section, wherein the control unit includes SLAM A final point of a SLAM guidance section by guidance and a switching preparation start point located before the final point on the travel route are registered, and the object to be detected is registered between the switching preparation start point and the final point. and the control unit includes an other-method guidance calculation unit that calculates the amount of deviation of the current position of the automatic guided vehicle from the travel route in the other guidance method based on the output of the sensor, and the unmanned When the guided vehicle reaches the switching preparation start point, the automatic guided vehicle is adjusted so that the amount of deviation calculated by the other method guidance calculation unit becomes smaller as the automatic guided vehicle approaches the final point. A control system for an unmanned guided vehicle, comprising a travel control unit that controls travel.
According to the above configuration, when the automatic guided vehicle reaches the switching preparation start point, the amount of deviation of the current position of the automatic guided vehicle from the travel route in the other guidance method at that time, that is, the other Calculate the induced deviation in the induced method. Then, when guiding the automatic guided vehicle from the switching preparation start point to the final point of the SLAM guidance section, the detection object provided between the switching preparation start point and the final point is detected at any time, and the guidance deviation in the other guidance method is detected. is calculated, and the travel of the automatic guided vehicle is controlled so that this induced deviation becomes smaller as the final point is approached.
In this way, even within the SLAM guidance section, in the switching preparation section from the switching preparation start point to the final point, the automatic guided vehicle is travel-controlled so as to reduce the guidance deviation in the other guidance method after switching. By doing so, the induction method is switched. That is, when the automatic guided vehicle reaches the final point of the SLAM guidance section, the guided deviation by other guidance methods has already been evaluated, and the automatic guided vehicle is travel-controlled so as to reduce it. Therefore, an increase in the guidance deviation at the final point of the SLAM guidance section is suppressed, and the control of the automatic guided vehicle in the guidance section by other guidance methods is stabilized.
In addition, a switching preparation section for switching the guidance method to another guidance method is provided near the final point of the SLAM guidance section, and the automatic guided vehicle is controlled so as to reduce the guidance deviation with a margin in this switching preparation section. can do. In particular, in the switching preparation section, the automatic guided vehicle is controlled so that the induced deviation decreases as it approaches the final point. , the rapid course change of the automatic guided vehicle is suppressed.
The above effects are synergistic, and it is possible to realize an automatic guided vehicle control system capable of suppressing abrupt course changes and smoothly controlling the traveling of the automatic guided vehicle.

In one aspect of the present invention, the automatic guided vehicle is located between the switching preparation start point and the final point, and the amount of deviation calculated by the other method guidance calculation unit is equal to or greater than a first threshold. In this case, the traveling control unit corrects the steering angle to be smaller than the necessary steering angle required when the automatic guided vehicle goes straight to a temporary target point located a first distance ahead of the current position on the traveling route. The automatic guided vehicle is controlled so as to approach the travel route at the steering angle.
According to the configuration as described above, when the guidance deviation in the other guidance method is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the steering angle is set to the position ahead of the current position of the automatic guided vehicle by the first distance on the travel route. The corrected steering angle can be set to be smaller than the required steering angle required to go straight to the temporary target point. For this reason, even if the first threshold value is set to the steering angle required for the automatic guided vehicle to go straight to the temporary target point located in front of the SLAM guidance section by the first distance, for example, even if the automatic guided vehicle is steered by the steering angle, By setting the upper limit to a value that does not deviate from, meander, or drop material, the automatic guided vehicle can be smoothly controlled.

In another aspect of the invention, said corrected steering angle is an angle obtained by multiplying said required steering angle by a factor greater than 0 and less than 1; go straight to said temporary target point from that position, assuming that it is located deviated from said travel path by a corrected deviation amount obtained by multiplying the quantity by a factor greater than 0 and less than 1; It is one of the steering angles required in the actual situation.
Further, in another aspect of the present invention, a distance measuring device for measuring a distance to an obstacle located around the automatic guided vehicle is provided, and the control unit locally adjusts the distance based on the measurement result of the distance measuring device. creating a map, estimating the position of the automatic guided vehicle by comparing it with a pre-stored global map, calculating the amount of deviation of the position of the automatic guided vehicle from the travel route in SLAM guidance, A SLAM guidance calculation unit is provided for determining whether or not the automatic guided vehicle has reached the switching preparation start point and final point based on the estimated position.
According to the configuration as described above, it is possible to appropriately realize the control system for the automatic guided vehicle described above.

In another aspect of the present invention, the other guidance method includes magnetic guidance, laser radar guidance, or electromagnetic guidance.
According to the configuration as described above, when the guidance method is switched from SLAM guidance to magnetic guidance, laser radar guidance, or electromagnetic guidance, abrupt course changes are suppressed to smoothly control the movement of the unmanned guided vehicle. It is possible to provide a control system for an automatic guided vehicle.

Further, the present invention provides a driving route divided into a plurality of sections by detecting objects provided on the driving route with a sensor for SLAM guidance and position estimation of the automatic guided vehicle. A control method for an unmanned guided vehicle, wherein the automatic guided vehicle is controlled to travel by switching between another guidance method for estimating the position of the vehicle for each section, wherein the other guidance is performed based on the output of the sensor. calculating the amount of deviation of the current position of the automatic guided vehicle from the traveling route in the method, and preparing for switching so that the automatic guided vehicle is positioned before the final point of the SLAM guidance section on the traveling route by SLAM guidance. When the automatic guided vehicle reaches the start point and approaches the final point, the sensor detects the object to be detected provided between the switching preparation start point and the final point. The automatic guided vehicle is controlled so as to reduce the amount of deviation.
According to the above method, when the automatic guided vehicle reaches the switching preparation start point, the amount of deviation of the current position of the automatic guided vehicle from the traveling route in the other guidance method at that time, that is, the other Calculate the induced deviation in the induced method. Then, when guiding the automatic guided vehicle from the switching preparation start point to the final point of the SLAM guidance section, the detection object provided between the switching preparation start point and the final point is detected at any time, and the guidance deviation in the other guidance method is detected. is calculated, and the travel of the automatic guided vehicle is controlled so that this induced deviation becomes smaller as the final point is approached.
In this way, even within the SLAM guidance section, in the switching preparation section from the switching preparation start point to the final point, the automatic guided vehicle is travel-controlled so as to reduce the guidance deviation in the other guidance method after switching. By doing so, the induction method is switched. That is, when the automatic guided vehicle reaches the final point of the SLAM guidance section, the guided deviation by other guidance methods has already been evaluated, and the automatic guided vehicle is travel-controlled so as to reduce it. Therefore, an increase in the guidance deviation at the final point of the SLAM guidance section is suppressed, and the control of the automatic guided vehicle in the guidance section by other guidance methods is stabilized.
In addition, a switching preparation section for switching the guidance method to another guidance method is provided near the final point of the SLAM guidance section, and the automatic guided vehicle is controlled so as to reduce the guidance deviation with a margin in this switching preparation section. can do. In particular, in the switching preparation section, the automatic guided vehicle is controlled so that the induced deviation decreases as it approaches the final point. , the rapid course change of the automatic guided vehicle is suppressed.
It is possible to realize a control method for an automatic guided vehicle that can smoothly control the traveling of the automatic guided vehicle by suppressing abrupt course changes by synergizing the above effects.

According to the present invention, an automatic guided vehicle control system capable of suppressing abrupt course changes and smoothly controlling the movement of the automatic guided vehicle when switching the guidance method from SLAM guidance to another guidance method. and a control method can be provided.

1 is a front view of an automatic guided vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a travel route of an automatic guided vehicle; It is a block diagram of the control system of the automatic guided vehicle in the said embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example of operation data of an automatic guided vehicle; (a) is an enlarged view of the traveling route, particularly the boundary portion between the SLAM guidance section and the magnetic guidance section, and (b) is a graph showing displacement of the guidance deviation on the route corresponding to (a). It is explanatory drawing which shows calculation of the steering angle in the said embodiment. It is a flow chart of a control method of an automatic guided vehicle in the above-mentioned embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of processing particularly related to switching from SLAM guidance to magnetic guidance in the control method for the automatic guided vehicle. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows calculation of a steering angle regarding the modification of the said embodiment.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of an automatic guided vehicle 1 according to the embodiment. The automatic guided vehicle 1 conveys objects to be conveyed within a factory and between factories in this embodiment.
The automatic guided vehicle 1 includes a base 2 , drive wheels 3 , swivel wheels 4 , motors 5 , motor drivers 6 and struts 7 .
The base portion 2 has a flat upper surface so that an object to be transported by the automatic guided vehicle 1 can be placed thereon.
A rod-like support 7 is provided on the base 2 so as to stand vertically from the upper surface. The support 7 has a length such that the upper end of the support 7 protrudes upward from the transported object even when the transported object is placed on the base 2 .

The drive wheels 3 include a right drive wheel 3A and a left drive wheel 3B, and are provided on the left and right sides of the base 2 so as to be rotatable relative to the base 2. As shown in FIG.
A motor 5 for driving the drive wheel 3 is provided for the drive wheel 3 . The motor 5 includes a pair of a right motor 5A and a left motor 5B. The right motor 5A drives the right drive wheel 3A and the left motor 5B drives the left drive wheel 3B.

A motor driver 6 for controlling the motor 5 is provided for the motor 5 . The motor driver 6 includes a right motor driver 6A and a left motor driver 6B. The right motor driver 6A controls the right motor 5A and the left motor driver 6B controls the left motor 5B. Each motor driver 6 feedback-controls each corresponding motor 5 so as to achieve the rotation speed received from the control unit 13 of the control system 10, which will be described later. When each motor driver 6 receives a different rotation speed, the automatic guided vehicle 1 changes its traveling direction to the left or right according to the difference in rotation speed.

The base 2 is provided with one swivel wheel 4 . The swivel wheel 4 is provided so as to be able to support the base 2 at three points together with the two drive wheels 3 . As the right driving wheel 3A and the left driving wheel 3B rotate at different rotational speeds and the unmanned guided vehicle 1 changes its traveling direction, the swivel wheel 4 freely rotates in the horizontal plane and follows it.

In the present embodiment, such an automatic guided vehicle 1 combines SLAM guidance, magnetic guidance, and laser radar guidance, which are automatic guided vehicle guidance techniques, by a control system 10 mounted on the automatic guided vehicle. Running is controlled while switching the method.
In SLAM guidance, the unmanned guided vehicle 1 is travel-controlled so as to reach the destination while estimating its own position and creating a local map at the same time based on the results of measurement by a distance measuring device or the like.
In the magnetic induction, a magnetic tape or other magnet-generating body (object to be detected) is laid in advance along the travel route, and the unmanned transport is detected by a magnetic sensor or the like (sensor) mounted on the unmanned transport vehicle 1. Car 1 is guided.
In laser radar guidance, a reflector (object to be detected) is installed in advance on the travel route, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 is guided by detecting the reflector with a laser radar or the like (sensor) mounted on the automatic guided vehicle 1. be.

Thus, in this embodiment, the guidance method of the automatic guided vehicle 1 includes SLAM guidance, magnetic guidance, and laser radar guidance as described above.
Therefore, the travel route of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is divided into a section where the automatic guided vehicle 1 is controlled by SLAM guidance, a section controlled by magnetic guidance, and a section controlled by laser radar guidance. be.
In particular, the control unit 13 of the control system according to the present embodiment, which will be described later, performs SLAM guidance on a traveling route that is divided into a plurality of sections, and a subject provided on the traveling route for estimating the position of the automatic guided vehicle 1. The traveling of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is controlled by switching between different guidance methods for estimating the position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 by detecting a detected object with a sensor. That is, other guidance methods in this embodiment are magnetic guidance and laser radar guidance.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the travel route R of the automatic guided vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the travel route R is formed by routes R0 to R15 connecting a plurality of points P (P0 to P15), which will be described later. More specifically, in FIG. 2, the unmanned guided vehicle 1 advances from point P0 in the direction of travel F, follows routes R0 to R15 via a plurality of points P1 to P15, and returns to point P0. A charger is provided at the point P0, and the rechargeable battery (not shown) of the automatic guided vehicle 1 stopped here is automatically charged.

In FIG. 2, routes of SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2 where the automatic guided vehicle 1 is controlled by SLAM guidance are R1 to R5 and R7 to R14, and the corresponding routes are indicated by broken lines.
The routes of the magnetic induction sections MR1 and MR2 where the unmanned guided vehicle 1 is controlled by magnetic induction are R0, R6, and R15, and magnetic tapes MT are laid on the corresponding routes, which are indicated by solid lines in the figure. there is
A magnetic tape MT is also provided on the last path R5, R14 of each of the SLAM guide sections SR1, SR2.

For example, on this travel route R, the automatic guided vehicle 1 is travel-controlled by magnetic induction until it reaches the point P1 after moving forward from the point P0. When the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the point P1, the guidance method is changed to SLAM guidance as will be described later, and thereafter, the automatic guided vehicle 1 is controlled by the SLAM guidance until the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the point P6. . When the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the point P6, the guidance method is changed to magnetic induction as will be described later, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 is travel-controlled by magnetic induction until the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the point P7. When the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the point P7, the guidance method is changed to SLAM guidance, and thereafter, the automatic guided vehicle 1 is controlled by the SLAM guidance until the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the point P15. When the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the point P15, the guidance method is changed to magnetic induction, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 is controlled to travel by magnetic induction until the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the point P0.
Thus, at the points P1, P6, P7, and P15, the guidance method is changed as described later.

A plurality of reflectors are installed in a laser radar guidance section of the travel route where the automatic guided vehicle 1 is controlled to travel by laser radar guidance. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, no laser radar guidance section is provided, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 is travel-controlled only by SLAM guidance and magnetic guidance. It goes without saying that a section in which travel control is performed may be provided.

The automatic guided vehicle 1 is provided with a control system 10 for controlling the traveling of the automatic guided vehicle 1 while switching between the above-described plurality of guidance methods. The control system 10 includes a distance measuring device 11 , a magnetic sensor (sensor) 12 and a controller 13 .

A distance measuring device 11 is provided at the upper end of the support 7 . In this embodiment, the distance measuring device 11 irradiates a laser beam oscillated by a laser oscillator, and if there is an obstacle, receives reflected light reflected from the obstacle to measure the distance to the obstacle. It is a laser range finder (hereinafter referred to as LRF) that measures. Especially in this embodiment, the LRF 11 is capable of measuring the distance to obstacles positioned around 360° in the horizontal plane where the LRF 11 is positioned.
In this way, the LRF (distance measuring device) 11 measures the distance to obstacles located around the automatic guided vehicle 1 .

In this embodiment, the LRF 11 is used for running control by SLAM guidance. For traveling control by this SLAM guidance, the LRF 11 acquires the coordinate information of obstacles on a two-dimensional plane with the LRF 11 as the origin, obtained by scanning the entire 360° circumference, to the control unit 13, which will be described later. Send. Here, the coordinate information of the obstacle is, for example, a string of polar coordinates represented by an angle based on the front of the LRF 11 and the distance to the obstacle at that angle.

Since the LRF 11 emits laser light and receives reflected light, it is also used as a laser radar in this embodiment, and is also used for running control by laser radar guidance. For running control by laser radar guidance, the LRF 11 stores in advance the coordinates of the reflector provided on the running route. The LRF 11 detects the reflected light reflected by the reflector, and based on this, the coordinate values of the position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 within the area in which the automatic guided vehicle 1 travels, and the automatic guided vehicle in a predetermined direction. The angle of the vehicle 1, ie the orientation of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is calculated. The LRF 11 transmits the calculated coordinate values and orientation of the automatic guided vehicle 1 to the control unit 13, which will be described later.

The magnetic sensor 12 transmits measurement and detection results of a magnetic material such as a magnetic tape, and magnetic marker detection information indicating whether or not the magnetic marker M has been detected to the control unit 13, which will be described later.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the automatic guided vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. The control unit 13 includes operation data 15 , SLAM guidance control unit 20 and general control unit 30 .
First, the operation data 15 will be explained. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an example of operation data 15 corresponding to the travel route R shown as FIG. The left column of FIG. 4 lists the points P (P0-P15) of FIG. The middle and right columns of FIG. 4 respectively show the coordinate values of the points P (P0 to P15) and the instructions to be executed at the points P (P0 to P15), as will be described later.

In the operation data 15, a guidance method change instruction, which is an instruction to change the guidance method of the automatic guided vehicle 1, is executed at each of a plurality of points P on the predetermined travel route R of the automatic guided vehicle 1. are stored corresponding to
More specifically, among all the points P, the identifier of each of the points P (for example, P1, P6, P7, P15) where the guidance method is changed on the travel route R, for example, the number associated with each On the other hand, a command to change the guidance method to a guidance method to be applied after the route R (for example, R1, R6, R7, R15) located ahead of the point P in the traveling direction F is stored in correspondence. It is

For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, as described above, SLAM guidance is used at point P1, magnetic guidance is used at point P6, SLAM guidance is used at point P7, and magnetic guidance is used at point P15. Be changed. In order to realize this, in FIG. 4, a guidance method change command is provided to change the guidance method to SLAM guidance, magnetic guidance, SLAM guidance, and magnetic guidance corresponding to each of points P1, P6, P7, and P15. is stored.
As will be described later, when the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches any of the points P, if a guidance method change command for this point P is stored in the operation data 15, the guidance method is changed according to the guidance method change command. is changed.

In the operation data 15, the coordinate values on the global map including the travel route R are stored corresponding to the points P in the SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2 that can be the destinations in the SLAM guidance. .
That is, at each point P (for example, P2 to P6, P8 to P15) that can be the destination in SLAM guidance, the coordinate values on the global map are stored in the operation data 15 in association with each point P. ing.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the coordinate values of each point P on the travel route R are represented by an xy coordinate system with the horizontal direction x and the vertical direction y with the origin O at the lower left of the paper surface. Specific coordinate values are shown in the "coordinate value" column in FIG.
A point P that can be a destination in SLAM guidance is a virtual one, and is a via point or an end point when the automatic guided vehicle 1 is controlled by SLAM guidance. There is no such thing as In the SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2, more waypoints P are provided at locations where the travel route R has a complicated shape such as a curve than at locations where the travel route R has a monotonous shape such as a straight line.

Driving routes R5 and R14 between the last points of each of the SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2, that is, the final points P6 and P15, and the preceding points P5 and P14 on the driving route R, are controlled by the unmanned control system 10. These are switching preparation sections R5 and R14, which are preparation sections for switching the transport vehicle 1 from SLAM guidance to magnetic guidance (another guidance method). That is, the points P5 and P14 are registered in the operation data 15 as switching preparation start points P5 and P14 at which the switching preparation sections R5 and R14 start. More specifically, in FIG. 4, switching preparation start points P5 and P14 store instructions for making preparations for changing the guidance method to magnetic guidance. The processing in the switching preparation sections R5 and R14 will be described later in detail.

At points P (for example, P0, P1, P7) that can be destinations in the magnetic induction in the magnetic induction sections MR1 and MR2, magnetic tapes MT are arranged on the actual route for recognizing the point P. A marker M is provided.
In the laser radar guidance section, similarly to the SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2, at a point P that can be the destination in the laser radar guidance, the coordinate values on the global map including the travel route R are stored corresponding to the point P. It is

In the operation data 15, a traveling speed change command, which is a command to change the traveling speed of the automatic guided vehicle 1 and is executed at each of the plurality of points P, is stored corresponding to the points P. FIG.
Further, in the operation data 15, a travel setting change instruction, which is an instruction to change the travel setting of the automatic guided vehicle 1 and is executed at each of the plurality of points P, is stored corresponding to the point P. The driving setting change command includes, for example, a stop command to change the driving state to a stopped state when reaching the point P and stop temporarily, and a purpose of explicitly changing and designating the next destination of the point P. There are land designation orders.

Next, the SLAM guidance control section 20 will be described. The SLAM guidance control unit 20 is a SLAM guidance deviation that is a guidance deviation at the time of SLAM guidance, which is necessary for calculating a command to control the automatic guided vehicle 1 in traveling control by SLAM guidance, that is, the SLAM guidance deviation of the automatic guided vehicle 1 The amount of deviation of the self-position from the travel route R is calculated. The SLAM guidance control unit 20 includes a distance information acquisition unit 21 , a SLAM guidance calculation unit 22 , a SLAM guidance calculation result transmission unit 23 , local map data 24 and global map data 25 .

The distance information acquisition unit 21 receives polar coordinate information of obstacles on a two-dimensional plane with the LRF 11 as the origin from the LRF 11 .

The SLAM guidance calculation unit 22 estimates the position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 based on the measurement result by the LRF 11 received by the distance information acquisition unit 21, and calculates the SLAM guidance deviation, which is the amount of deviation from the travel route R. .
More specifically, the SLAM guidance calculator 22 creates the local map data 24 based on the polar coordinate information of obstacles on a two-dimensional plane. The SLAM guidance calculation unit 22 compares the local map data 24 with the global map data 25 storing a global map including the travel route R, estimates the self-position of the automatic guided vehicle 1, and calculates the coordinates of the automatic guided vehicle 1. Calculate values.
The SLAM guidance calculator 22 calculates the deviation of the estimated self-position from the travel route R, that is, the SLAM guidance deviation.
Furthermore, the SLAM guidance calculation unit 22 compares and collates the coordinate values of the automatic guided vehicle 1 calculated as described above, that is, the self-position estimation result, with the next point P registered in the operation data 15 to be headed. , whether or not the automatic guided vehicle 1 has reached a point P including switching preparation start points P5 and P14 and final points P6 and P15.
The SLAM guidance calculation unit 22 transmits the calculated coordinate values and SLAM guidance deviation of the automatic guided vehicle 1 and the arrival determination result, which is the determination result of whether or not the next point P has been reached, to the SLAM guidance calculation result transmission unit 23. and send.
The SLAM guidance calculation result transmission unit 23 transmits each received information to the general control unit 30 described below.

Next, the overall control section 30 will be described. The overall control unit 30 includes a SLAM guidance calculation result receiving unit 31, a laser radar communication unit 32, a laser radar guidance calculation unit (another method guidance calculation unit) 33, a magnetic communication unit 34, a magnetic guidance calculation unit (another method guidance calculation unit). 35 , a travel control unit 36 , and a motor driver instruction calculation unit 37 .

The SLAM guidance calculation result receiving unit 31 receives the coordinate values of the automatic guided vehicle 1, the SLAM guidance deviation, and the arrival determination result from the SLAM guidance calculation result transmission unit 23 of the SLAM guidance control unit 20, and performs travel control described later. 36.

The laser radar communication unit 32 receives the coordinate values and direction of the automatic guided vehicle 1 calculated based on the coordinates of the reflector from the LRF 11 and transmits them to the laser radar guidance calculation unit 33 .
The laser radar guidance calculation unit 33 receives from the laser radar communication unit 32 the coordinate values and orientation of the automatic guided vehicle 1 calculated based on the coordinates of the reflector. The laser radar guidance calculation unit 33 calculates a laser radar guidance deviation, that is, the amount of deviation of the current position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 from the travel route R in laser radar guidance (another guidance method).
Furthermore, the laser radar guidance calculation unit 33 collates the coordinate values of the automatic guided vehicle 1 calculated as described above with the next point P registered in the operation data 15 to determine whether the automatic guided vehicle 1 is at the point P It is determined whether or not it has reached
The laser radar guidance calculation unit 33 sends the coordinate values and the laser radar guidance deviation of the automatic guided vehicle 1 and the arrival determination result, which is the determination result of whether or not the next point P has been reached, to the travel control unit 36 to be described later. and send.

The magnetic communication unit 34 receives measurement and detection results of a magnetic material such as a magnetic tape and magnetic marker detection information from the magnetic sensor 12 and transmits the information to the magnetic induction calculation unit 35 .
The magnetic induction calculation unit 35 receives the results of measurement and detection of a magnetizable material such as a magnetic tape and the magnetic marker detection information from the magnetic communication unit 34 . The magnetic induction calculation unit 35 calculates the current position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 from the magnetic tape (travel route R) in the magnetic induction deviation, that is, the magnetic induction (other guidance method), based on the detection result of the magnetic material such as the magnetic tape. Calculate the amount of deviation of .
Further, the magnetic guidance calculation unit 35 refers to the magnetic marker detection information received from the magnetic communication unit 34, and determines that the point P has been reached when this indicates that the magnetic marker M has been detected.
The magnetic induction calculation unit 35 uses the magnetic induction deviation, the magnetic marker detection information received from the magnetic communication unit 34, and the arrival determination result as the determination result as to whether or not the next point P has been reached. It transmits to the control unit 36 .

The travel control unit 36 receives information such as SLAM guidance deviation, laser radar guidance deviation, and magnetic guidance deviation from the SLAM guidance calculation result receiving section 31 , the laser radar guidance calculation section 33 , and the magnetic guidance calculation section 35 .

In the present embodiment, when the automatic guided vehicle 1 is traveling on the route R between the points P, the guidance method for controlling the traveling of the automatic guided vehicle 1 and the traveling speed of the automatic guided vehicle 1 are not changed. The automatic guided vehicle 1 is controlled to run while maintaining the system and running speed.
When the unmanned guided vehicle 1 travels along the route R other than the switching preparation sections R5 and R14 in the SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2, the travel control unit 36 reduces the SLAM guidance deviation based on the deviation. A running instruction in SLAM guidance is calculated. Processing in the switching preparation sections R5 and R14 will be described later.
When the unmanned guided vehicle 1 travels along the route R within the magnetic guidance sections MR1 and MR2, the travel control unit 36 calculates a travel instruction in magnetic guidance to reduce the deviation based on the magnetic induction deviation. .
When the unmanned guided vehicle 1 is traveling on the route R in the laser radar guidance section, the travel control unit 36 calculates a travel instruction in the laser radar guidance to reduce the deviation based on the laser radar guidance deviation. .
The travel instruction for each guidance includes the travel speed to be maintained on the route R and the travel direction, ie, the steering angle. The travel control unit 36 transmits the calculated travel instruction to the motor driver instruction calculation unit 37, which will be described later.

During the travel control of the automatic guided vehicle 1 as described above, the traveling control unit 36 receives the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches any one of the points P or not.

The traveling control unit 36 derives and executes a command corresponding to the reached point P based on the operation data 15 when it is determined that the automatic guided vehicle 1 has reached one of the plurality of points P.
For example, if the command is a running speed change command or a running setting changing command, the running control unit 36 changes the running speed or running setting according to these commands.
Also, if the command is a guidance method change command, the guidance method is switched and changed according to the guidance method change command.
For example, the travel control unit 36 reaches a certain point P (for example, P1, P7) during travel by magnetic guidance, and on the operation data 15, corresponding to this point P, SLAM guidance, laser radar guidance, etc. other than magnetic guidance. When a guidance method change command for switching and changing the guidance method to the guidance method is stored, the guidance method is switched according to the guidance method change command. In the case of laser radar guidance, similarly, the vehicle reaches a certain point P while traveling according to this, and is guided to a guidance method other than laser radar guidance, such as SLAM guidance or magnetic guidance, corresponding to this point P on the operation data 15. When a guidance method change command for switching and changing the method is stored, the guidance method is switched according to the guidance method change command.

Basically, the same applies to switching from SLAM guidance to magnetic guidance, laser radar guidance, or other guidance methods. For example, as shown as points P6 and P15 on the operation data 15, a guidance method change command for changing the guidance method to another guidance method is stored at the final points P6 and P15 of each of the SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2. If so, change the guidance method according to the guidance method change order.
However, other guidance methods than SLAM guidance, especially detecting objects such as magnetic tape MT and reflectors provided on the traveling route R for estimating the position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 by sensors In the case of switching to a guidance method that can travel along the travel route R with high accuracy by estimating the position of , and switch to another guidance method. More specifically, in accordance with instructions registered in the operation data 15 as guidance method change preparations in relation to the points P5 and P14 immediately before the final points P6 and P15, the points P5 and P14 immediately before the final points P5 and P14 and the final point In switching preparation sections R5 and R14 between points P6 and P15, preparatory processing for switching from SLAM guidance to another guidance method is executed.

Here, the SLAM guidance section SR1 will be described as an example. FIG. 5(a) is an enlarged view of the traveling route R, particularly the boundary portion between the SLAM guidance section SR1 and the magnetic guidance section MR1, and FIG. 5(b) is a guidance deviation on the route corresponding to FIG. is a graph showing the displacement of The dashed line indicating the SLAM guidance section SR and the solid line indicating the magnetic tape MT are set so as to actually overlap in the switching preparation section R5, but in FIG. there is
While the automatic guided vehicle 1 passes the point P4 in the SLAM guidance section SR1 and travels along the route R4 toward the point P5 in the traveling direction F, the traveling control unit 36 causes the automatic guided vehicle 1 to travel by SLAM guidance. It calculates a driving instruction to control. As already explained, in the SLAM guidance section SR1, the travel control unit 36 calculates, based on the SLAM guidance deviation _ds , a travel instruction in SLAM guidance that reduces the deviation. The SLAM guidance deviation _ds is the amount of deviation from the travel route R in SLAM guidance. Moreover, the SLAM induced deviation _ds , which is the induced deviation in this section R4, is approximately zero.

When the unmanned guided vehicle 1 finishes traveling along the route R4 and reaches the point P5, the travel control unit 36 receives from the SLAM guidance calculation result receiving unit 31 an arrival determination result indicating that the automatic guided vehicle 1 has reached the point P5.
Here, since a command to change the travel speed to 1 is registered in the operation data 15 in association with the point P5, the travel control unit 36 changes the travel speed of the automatic guided vehicle 1 to 1. At the same time, since the operation data 15 stores an instruction to prepare for switching to magnetic induction as a guidance method, the next route R5 is set as a switching preparation section R5, and SLAM guidance is changed to magnetic guidance. Perform preparatory processing for switching.

In the switching preparation section R5, the travel control unit 36 also calculates the travel instruction so as to reduce the induction deviation d. It is the magnetically induced deviation _dm rather than the SLAM induced deviation _ds , even though it is within .
As already explained, the magnetic tape MT is laid in the switching preparation section R5 so as to follow the magnetic induction section MR1 located next to the switching preparation section R5. In the switching preparation section R5, the traveling control unit 36 receives the magnetic induction deviation _dm calculated and transmitted by the magnetic induction calculation unit 35 as a result of detecting the laid magnetic tape MT, and reduces it. A travel instruction for controlling the travel of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is calculated.

If the self-position estimation accuracy by the SLAM guidance calculation unit 22 is high when the automatic guided vehicle 1 is traveling in the section R4, the automatic guided vehicle 1 will be almost accurate when the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the point P5. should be located on the magnetic tape MT at this point. Therefore, the magnetic induction deviation _dm is close to 0 even immediately after the induction deviation d to be calculated is switched to the magnetic induction deviation _dm . Therefore, as indicated by the line L2 in FIG. 5B, the magnetic induction deviation _dm , which is the induction deviation d in this section R5, is approximately zero.
Here, when the automatic guided vehicle 1 is traveling in the section R4, the estimation accuracy of the self-position by the SLAM guidance calculation unit 22 may not be high. That is, the travel control unit 36 performs travel control on the premise that the magnetic induction deviation _dm becomes a value close to 0 when reaching point P5 by SLAM guidance, but SLAM guidance may cause an error. Therefore, the magnetic induction deviation _dm may not be close to zero. In such a case, while the section R4 is running, the control system 10 cannot internally recognize the error that occurred in the SLAM guidance, recognizes that the estimated self-position is correct, and determines the SLAM guidance deviation d _s A travel instruction is calculated so as to control the travel of the automatic guided vehicle 1 so that . Therefore, inside the control system 10, the SLAM-induced deviation _ds has a value substantially close to 0 as indicated by the line L1.

However, since the automatic guided vehicle 1 is actually traveling at a position deviated from the route R4, when the arrival determination result indicates that the automatic guided vehicle 1 has reached the point P5, the automatic guided vehicle 1 It is located away from the point P5. In such a case, the unmanned guided vehicle 1 will be positioned deviated from the magnetic tape MT.
At this time, if the deviation of the automatic guided vehicle 1 from the magnetic tape MT is greater than the upper limit (second threshold) of the distance at which the magnetic sensor 12 can detect the magnetic tape MT, for example, 100 mm, the magnetic induction deviation _dm is calculated. It becomes impossible. That is, since it is not possible to determine in which direction and how far away the automatic guided vehicle 1 the magnetic tape MT is located, the guidance method cannot be switched to magnetic guidance. In this case, even after reaching the point P5, the travel control unit 36 continues to calculate a travel instruction to control the travel of the automatic guided vehicle 1 based on the SLAM induction deviation _ds , and reaches the final point P6. If the magnetic tape MT cannot be detected at the point in time, it is judged to be abnormal and the automatic guided vehicle 1 is stopped.
If the deviation of the unmanned guided vehicle 1 from the magnetic tape MT is equal to or less than the upper limit (second threshold) of the distance at which the magnetic sensor 12 can detect the magnetic tape MT, the magnetic induction deviation _dm can be calculated. In this case, the value used _as the induction deviation d is the magnetic induction deviation _dm . After the deviation d transitions to a value close to 0 as indicated by line L1, it rises sharply at point P5 as indicated by line L3.

When the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the switching preparation start point P5 and the guidance deviation increases at the switching preparation start point P5, the travel control unit 36 reduces the deviation to bring the automatic guided vehicle 1 closer to the magnetic tape MT. , a travel instruction for controlling the travel of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is calculated. Here, if the steering angle of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is greatly changed in order to bring the automatic guided vehicle 1 closer to the magnetic tape MT as soon as possible, the sudden operation causes the automatic guided vehicle 1 to deviate from the travel route R and collide with the surrounding equipment. there's a possibility that. Alternatively, there is a possibility that the upper body of the automatic guided vehicle 1 shakes and the material being conveyed falls and is damaged, or the automatic guided vehicle overturns or meanders.
In order to suppress this, in the switching preparation section R5, the travel control section 36 causes the magnetic guidance calculation section (other method guidance calculation section) 35 to calculate A travel instruction is calculated to control the travel of the unmanned guided vehicle 1 so that the amount of deviation _dm is gradually reduced as indicated by the line L4 in FIG. 5(b).

When the unmanned guided vehicle 1 reaches the switching preparation start point P5 and the induced deviation d increases at the switching preparation starting point P5, the travel control unit 36 first sets the position where the magnetic tape MT is detected as the switching preparation starting point P5. , corrects the self-position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 in SLAM guidance.

Next, the travel control unit 36 calculates the steering angle when directing the automatic guided vehicle 1 toward the magnetic tape MT. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing calculation of the steering angle. In FIG. 6, the automatic guided vehicle 1 is currently traveling at a position shifted by a distance _dm from the magnetic tape MT, and the distance A situation is shown in which the unmanned guided vehicle 1 is to be travel-controlled so as to move toward a provisional target point VP, which is a provisional target point located ahead by (first distance) L.
Distance L is a variable determined by a predetermined function according to the current speed of automatic guided vehicle 1 . This function is set, for example, to calculate the distance L so that the distance L is long when the speed is fast and the distance L is short when the speed is slow.
Here, the first threshold value of the amount of deviation _dm is set to θ (=tan( _dm /L)), which is the steering angle necessary for the automatic guided vehicle 1 to go straight to the temporary target point VP. The upper limit of the value is set so that even if the car 1 is steered, deviation from the travel route, meandering, and falling of materials do not occur. At this time, when the deviation amount _dm is smaller than the first threshold value, the traveling control unit 36 sets the steering angle to θ.
The length of the switching preparation section R5 is set to be a sufficient distance so that the automatic guided vehicle 1 can reach the final point P6 when the deviation amount _dm is close to 0 at the distance L. For example, in this embodiment, the length of the switching preparation section R5 is set to 5000 mm, for example. In this case, assuming that the point C is the switching preparation start point P5, if the distance _dm is smaller than the first threshold value set as, for example, 500 mm, the travel control unit 36 changes the steering angle at the switching preparation start point P5. A travel instruction for controlling the travel of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is calculated as the above θ.

The traveling control unit 36 determines that the automatic guided vehicle 1 is positioned between the switching preparation start point P5 and the final point P6, and that the distance _dm is equal to or greater than the first threshold (and the upper limit of the distance at which the magnetic sensor 12 can detect the magnetic tape MT). is equal to or less than the second threshold), the required steering angle required for the automatic guided vehicle 1 to go straight from the current position to the temporary target point VP, that is, if the automatic guided vehicle 1 is steered at the above θ, the traveling route It is determined that there is a possibility of deviation from, meandering, and falling of materials. In this case, the travel control unit 36 issues a travel instruction so that the unmanned guided vehicle 1 approaches the travel route R, that is, the magnetic tape MT, at a corrected steering angle smaller than the required steering angle θ. Calculate.
Here, the corrected steering angle means that the automatic guided vehicle 1 deviates from the travel route R by the corrected deviation amount _dc obtained by multiplying the deviation amount d by a coefficient f larger than 0 and smaller than 1. It is the necessary steering angle required to go straight from the position to the provisional target point VP, assuming that the vehicle is positioned at a certain point.
The corrected steering angle _θc is represented by, for example, the following formula.

The calculation of the magnetic induction deviation _dm by the magnetic induction calculation unit 35, the comparison between the magnetic induction deviation _dm and the first and second threshold values by the travel control unit 36, and the operation of the automatic guided vehicle 1 based on the comparison result The calculation of the steering angle is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals while the automatic guided vehicle 1 travels from the switching preparation start point P5 to the final point P6.
Therefore, for example, even if the magnetic induction deviation _dm when the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the switching preparation start point P5 is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, the travel control unit 36 controls the unmanned vehicle with the corrected steering angle _θc . The unmanned guided vehicle 1 is steered to gradually approach the magnetic tape MT, and at a certain point the magnetic induction deviation d becomes smaller than the first threshold value. After this time point, the magnetic induction deviation _dm is smaller than the first threshold value, so the travel control unit 36 steers the automatic guided vehicle 1 at the required steering angle θ.
As a result of the above processing, the value of the distance L and the value of the coefficient f can be changed stably by switching the guidance method to magnetic guidance when the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the final point P6. , and the steering of the automatic guided vehicle 1 at a steep angle in the switching preparation section R5 is suppressed.

The travel control unit 36 calculates a travel instruction to control the travel of the automatic guided vehicle 1 as described above, and when the final point P6 is reached, the SLAM guidance calculation result receiving unit 31 notifies that the travel control unit 36 has reached the point P6. Receive judgment results.
After that, the travel control unit 36 switches the guidance method to magnetic guidance, and calculates a travel instruction to control travel in the magnetic induction section MR1.
Although switching from SLAM guidance to magnetic guidance has been described above, the same applies to switching from SLAM guidance to laser radar guidance.

The travel control unit 36 transmits the calculated travel instruction to the motor driver instruction calculation unit 37 .
The motor driver instruction calculation unit 37 receives a travel instruction from the travel control unit 36 .
The motor driver instruction calculation unit 37 calculates the number of rotations of each of the right motor 5A and the left motor 5B so that the automatic guided vehicle 1 travels according to the travel instruction.
The motor driver instruction calculation unit 37 transmits the calculated rotation speeds of the right motor 5A and the left motor 5B to the right motor driver 6A and the left motor driver 6B, respectively.
The right motor driver 6A and the left motor driver 6B each receive the number of revolutions of the right motor 5A and the left motor 5B, respectively, and drive the right motor 5A and the left motor 5B accordingly to drive the right drive wheel 3A and the left drive wheel. Rotate wheel 3B.

Next, a control method for the automatic guided vehicle 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, 7, and 8. FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a control method for the automatic guided vehicle 1. FIG. FIG. 8 is a flow chart of processing particularly related to switching from SLAM induction to magnetic induction in the control method for the automatic guided vehicle 1 .

First, the automatic guided vehicle 1 is provided on the travel route R. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the point where the automatic guided vehicle 1 is installed is the point P0 where the charger is installed. Thereafter, when an operator or the like operates the automatic guided vehicle 1 to start traveling, the control unit 13 of the control system 10 starts control, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 starts traveling (step S1).

When the automatic guided vehicle 1 starts traveling, the guidance deviation d in each guidance method is calculated.
The LRF 11 transmits the polar coordinate information obtained by scanning the entire circumference of 360° to the distance information obtaining section 21 . In the SLAM guidance control unit 20, the distance information acquisition unit 21 receives the polar coordinate information (step S3).
The SLAM guidance calculation unit 22 estimates the position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 based on the measurement result of the LRF 11, calculates the coordinate values of the automatic guided vehicle 1, and calculates the SLAM guidance deviation d, which is the amount of deviation from the travel route R. Compute _s .
Furthermore, the SLAM guidance calculation unit 22 compares and collates the calculated coordinate values of the automatic guided vehicle 1 with the next point P registered in the operation data 15, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 moves to the next point P. Determine whether or not it has reached.
The SLAM guidance calculation unit 22 transmits the coordinate values and the SLAM guidance deviation d _s of the automatic guided vehicle 1 and the arrival determination result, which is the determination result as to whether or not the next point P has been reached, to the SLAM guidance calculation result transmission unit 23 . is transmitted (step S5).

The SLAM guidance calculation result transmission unit 23 transmits each received information to the SLAM guidance calculation result reception unit 31 of the general control unit 30 . The SLAM guidance calculation result receiving unit 31 receives the coordinate values and the SLAM guidance deviation d _s of the automatic guided vehicle 1 and the arrival determination result from the SLAM guidance calculation result transmitting unit 23 and transmits them to the traveling control unit 36 .

In the overall control unit 30, the magnetic communication unit 34 receives the measurement and detection results of the magnetic material such as the magnetic tape and the magnetic marker detection information from the magnetic sensor 12, and transmits them to the magnetic induction calculation unit 35 (step S7).
The magnetic induction calculation unit 35 receives the results of measurement and detection of a magnetizable material such as a magnetic tape and the magnetic marker detection information from the magnetic communication unit 34 . The magnetic induction calculator 35 calculates the magnetic induction deviation _dm based on the detection result of the magnetic material such as the magnetic tape. Further, the magnetic guidance calculation unit 35 refers to the magnetic marker detection information received from the magnetic communication unit 34, and if it indicates that the magnetic marker M has been detected, determines that the next point P has been reached. do. The magnetic guidance calculation unit 35 outputs the magnetic induction deviation _dm , the magnetic marker detection information received from the magnetic communication unit 34, and the arrival determination result, which is the determination result of whether or not the next point P has been reached, to the travel control unit. 36 (step S9).

The LRF 11 detects the reflected light reflected by the reflector, and based on this, calculates the coordinate values and orientation of the unmanned guided vehicle 1 . The laser radar communication unit 32 receives the coordinate values and orientation of the automatic guided vehicle 1 from the LRF 11, and transmits them to the laser radar guidance calculation unit 33 (step S11).
The laser radar guidance calculation unit 33 receives the coordinate values and orientation of the automatic guided vehicle 1 from the laser radar communication unit 32 and calculates a laser radar guidance deviation. Furthermore, the laser radar guidance calculation unit 33 collates the calculated coordinate values of the automatic guided vehicle 1 with the next point P registered in the operation data 15, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the next point P. determine whether or not The laser radar guidance calculation unit 33 transmits the coordinate values and the laser radar guidance deviation of the automatic guided vehicle 1 and the arrival determination result, which is the determination result as to whether or not the next point P has been reached, to the travel control unit 36 . (Step S13).

The travel control unit 36 receives information such as SLAM guidance deviation d _s , laser radar guidance deviation, and magnetic guidance deviation d _m from the SLAM guidance calculation result receiving section 31 , the laser radar guidance calculation section 33 , and the magnetic guidance calculation section 35 . receive.
When the unmanned guided vehicle 1 travels along the route R in the SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2, the travel control unit 36, based on the SLAM guidance deviation _ds , issues a travel instruction in SLAM guidance to reduce the deviation. Calculate.
When the unmanned guided vehicle 1 travels along the route R in the magnetic guidance sections MR1 and MR2, the travel control unit 36, based on the magnetic induction deviation _dm , issues a travel instruction in magnetic induction to reduce the deviation. Calculate.
When the unmanned guided vehicle 1 is traveling on the route R in the laser radar guidance section, the travel control unit 36 calculates a travel instruction in the laser radar guidance to reduce the deviation based on the laser radar guidance deviation. . (Step S15).
The travel control unit 36 transmits the calculated travel instruction to the motor driver instruction calculation unit 37 .

The motor driver instruction calculation unit 37 receives a travel instruction from the travel control unit 36 .
The motor driver instruction calculation unit 37 calculates the number of rotations of each of the right motor 5A and the left motor 5B so that the automatic guided vehicle 1 travels according to the travel instruction, and transmits the rotation speed to the right motor driver 6A and the left motor driver 6B. As a result, the right driving wheel 3A and the left driving wheel 3B are driven at the calculated number of revolutions, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 travels according to the travel instruction (step S17).

During the travel control of the automatic guided vehicle 1, the traveling control section 36 receives information from each of the SLAM guidance calculation result receiving section 31, the laser radar guidance calculation section 33, and the magnetic guidance calculation section 35 at any time. (step S19).
If not reached (No in step S19), the process transitions to each of steps S3, S7, and S11 to calculate the guidance deviation d in each guidance system and the guidance deviation corresponding to the guidance system currently under running control. Selection of d and travel control based on this are repeated.

When it is determined that the automatic guided vehicle 1 has reached any of the points P (Yes in step S19), the travel control unit 36 derives and executes a command corresponding to the point P reached based on the operation data 15. (step S21).
The travel control unit 36 also determines whether or not a guidance method change preparation command is registered at the point P (step S23). If not registered (No in step S23), the process proceeds to steps S3, S7, and S11.
When the guidance method change preparation command is registered at the point P (Yes in step S23), the travel control unit 36 acquires the guidance method to be changed from the operation data 15 (step S27). A guidance method change preparation process corresponding to the guidance method is executed (step S29).

Next, the guidance method change preparation process executed in step S29 will be described. Here, processing when switching the guidance method from SLAM guidance to magnetic guidance will be described, but the same applies when switching to another guidance method such as laser radar guidance.
When the guidance method change preparation process is started (step S31), the travel control unit 36 determines whether or not the magnetic guidance deviation _dm is greater than the second threshold (step S33).
If the magnetic induction deviation _dm is greater than the second threshold (Yes in step S33), the travel control unit 36 continues to operate after reaching the switching preparation start point P5 based on the SLAM induction deviation _ds . A travel instruction for controlling the traveling of the guided vehicle 1 is calculated, and if the magnetic tape MT cannot be detected at the time of reaching the final point P6, it is judged to be abnormal and the unmanned guided vehicle 1 is stopped (step S35).
When the magnetic induction deviation _dm is less than or equal to the second threshold (No in step S33), the travel control unit 36 determines whether or not the magnetic induction deviation _dm is greater than or equal to the first threshold (step S37).

If the magnetic induction deviation _dm is smaller than the first threshold (No in step S37), the travel control unit 36 calculates the required steering angle θ (step S39), and sets the steering angle to the required steering angle θ. A travel instruction for controlling travel is calculated (step S41).
If the magnetic induction deviation _dm is equal to or greater than the first threshold (Yes in step S37), the travel control unit 36 calculates the corrected steering angle _θc (step S43), and the corrected steering angle θ As _c , a travel instruction for controlling the travel of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is calculated (step S45).
The travel control unit 36 transmits the calculated travel instruction to the motor driver instruction calculation unit 37 .

The motor driver instruction calculation unit 37 receives a travel instruction from the travel control unit 36 .
The motor driver instruction calculation unit 37 calculates the rotation speed of each of the right motor 5A and the left motor 5B so that the automatic guided vehicle 1 travels according to the travel instruction, and transmits the rotation speed to the right motor driver 6A and the left motor driver 6B. The right driving wheel 3A and the left driving wheel 3B are driven (step S47).

During the travel control of the automatic guided vehicle 1, the traveling control unit 36 receives the arrival determination result, which is the determination result of whether the automatic guided vehicle 1 has reached the final point P6, from the SLAM guidance calculation result receiving unit 31 at any time. Receive (step S49).
If not reached (No in step S49), the process proceeds to step S33 and continues. When the final point P6 is reached (Yes in step S49), the guidance method is switched to magnetic guidance, and the process proceeds to step S1 (step S51).

Next, effects of the control system 10 and the control method of the automatic guided vehicle 1 will be described.

The control system 10 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 of the present embodiment uses a traveling route R divided into a plurality of sections SR1, SR2, MR1, and MR2 for SLAM guidance and position estimation of the automatic guided vehicle 1. The position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is estimated by detecting the object to be detected MT provided above by sensors 11 and 12, and another guidance method is switched for each section SR1, SR2, MR1, and MR2. The control system 10 for the automatic guided vehicle 1 includes a control unit 13 that controls the travel of the automatic guided vehicle 1. The control unit 13 includes the final points P6 and P15 of the SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2 by SLAM guidance, the final point P6, Switching preparation start points P5 and P14 located before P15 on the travel route R are registered, and a detectable object MT is provided between the switching preparation start points P5 and P14 and the final points P6 and P15. Reference numeral 13 denotes other-method guidance calculation units 33 and 35 for calculating the amount _dm of deviation of the current position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 from the travel route R in another guidance method based on the outputs of the sensors 11 and 12; When the guided vehicle 1 reaches the switching preparation start points P5 and P14, the deviation amount _dm calculated by the other method guidance calculation units 33 and 35 decreases as the automatic guided vehicle 1 approaches the final points P6 and P15. , a travel control unit 36 for controlling the travel of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is provided.
Further, in the control method of the automatic guided vehicle 1 of the present embodiment, the traveling route R divided into a plurality of sections SR1, SR2, MR1, and MR2 is used for SLAM guidance and position estimation of the automatic guided vehicle 1. Detecting the object MT provided on R by sensors 11 and 12 and estimating the position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is switched for each section SR1, SR2, MR1, and MR2, and the automatic guided vehicle is operated. 1, based on the outputs of sensors 11 and 12, the deviation amount _dm of the current position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 from the travel route R in the other guidance method is calculated, and when the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches switching preparation start points P5 and P14 located before the final points P6 and P15 of the SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2 on the traveling route R, the unmanned As the guided vehicle 1 approaches the final points P6 and P15, the deviation calculated by the sensors 11 and 12 detecting the detectable object MT provided between the switching preparation start points P5 and P14 and the final points P6 and P15. The travel of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is controlled so that the amount _dm of is reduced.
According to the above configuration, when the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the switching preparation start points P5 and P14, the deviation of the current position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 from the travel route R in the other guidance method at that time is calculated. The amount d _m of , that is, the induction deviation d _m in the other guidance scheme is calculated. When guiding the automatic guided vehicle 1 from the switching preparation start points P5 and P14 to the final points P6 and P15 of the SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2, the automatic guided vehicle 1 is provided between the switching preparation start points P5 and P14 and the final points P6 and P15. The object to be detected MT is detected at any time, the guidance deviation _dm in other guidance methods is calculated, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 is controlled so that the guidance deviation d becomes smaller as the final points P6 and P15 are approached.
In this way, even within the SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2, in the switching preparation sections R5 and R14 between the switching preparation start points P5 and P14 and the final points P6 and P15, the induction deviation in the other guidance method after switching The guidance method is switched by controlling the travel of the automatic guided vehicle 1 so as to reduce _dm . That is, when the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the final points P6 and P15 of the SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2, the guidance deviation _dm by other guidance methods is already evaluated and the automatic guided vehicle is adjusted to reduce it. 1 is running controlled. Therefore, an increase in the guidance deviation _dm at the final points P6 and P15 of the SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2 is suppressed, and control of the automatic guided vehicle 1 in the guidance sections MR1 and MR2 by other guidance methods is stabilized.
Also, in the vicinity of the final points P6 and P15 of the SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2, switching preparation sections R5 and R14 for switching the guidance system to another guidance system are provided, and guidance is provided with a margin in the switching preparation sections R5 and R14. The automatic guided vehicle 1 can be controlled so as to reduce the deviation _dm . In particular, in the switching preparation sections R5 and R14, the automatic guided vehicle 1 is controlled so that the induced deviation _dm becomes smaller as it approaches the final points P6 and P15. A sudden course change of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is suppressed from the point of arrival at P14 to the final points P6 and P15.
The above effects are synergized, and the control system 10 for the automatic guided vehicle 1 can be realized, which is capable of suppressing abrupt course changes and smoothly controlling the traveling of the automatic guided vehicle 1 .

In particular, in this embodiment, the traveling control unit 36 causes the automatic guided vehicle 1 to travel so that the guided deviation _dm gradually decreases as the automatic guided vehicle 1 approaches the final points P6 and P15. Control. As a result, it is possible to implement the control system 10 for the automatic guided vehicle 1 that can more effectively suppress abrupt course changes and smoothly control the automatic guided vehicle 1 .

Further, the automatic guided vehicle 1 is positioned between the switching preparation start point P5, P14 and the final point P6, P15, and the deviation amount _dm calculated by the other method guidance calculation units 33, 35 is equal to or greater than the first threshold. In the case of , the travel control unit 36 determines the required steering angle θ required when the automatic guided vehicle 1 goes straight from the current position to the provisional target point VP located a first distance L ahead on the travel route R. The travel control is performed so that the automatic guided vehicle 1 approaches the travel route R at the corrected steering angle θ _c that is also small.
According to the configuration described above, when the guidance deviation _dm in the other guidance method is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the steering angle is the first distance L on the travel route R from the current position of the automatic guided vehicle 1. The corrected steering angle _θc can be set to be smaller than the necessary steering angle θ required to go straight to the provisional target point VP positioned ahead of the driver. For this reason, the first threshold is, for example, the steering angle required for the automatic guided vehicle 1 to go straight to the temporary target point VP located ahead of the SLAM guidance sections SR1 and SR2 by the first distance L as in the present embodiment. Even if the automatic guided vehicle 1 is steered by θ (= tan (d _m / L)), the upper limit of the value that does not cause deviation from the traveling route, meandering, and material drop, the automatic guided vehicle 1 can be controlled smoothly.

In addition, the corrected steering angle _θc is obtained by multiplying the amount of deviation _dm by a _coefficient f larger than 0 and smaller than 1. This is the steering angle required to go straight to the temporary target point VP from that position, assuming that the position is deviated from R.
Further, the automatic guided vehicle 1 is provided with a distance measuring device 11 for measuring the distance to obstacles located around the automatic guided vehicle 1, and the control unit 13 creates a local map based on the measurement result of the distance measuring device 11 and stores it in advance. estimating the position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 by comparing with the global map, calculating the amount of deviation _ds of the position of the automatic guided vehicle 1 in SLAM guidance from the traveling route R, and based on the estimated position , SLAM guidance calculation unit 22 for determining whether or not the automatic guided vehicle 1 has reached switching preparation start points P5, P14 and final points P6, P15.
According to the configuration as described above, the control system 10 for the automatic guided vehicle 1 as described above can be appropriately realized.

Other guidance methods include either magnetic guidance or laser radar guidance.
According to the configuration as described above, when the guidance method is switched from SLAM guidance to magnetic guidance or laser radar guidance, it is possible to suppress abrupt course changes and smoothly control the traveling of the automatic guided vehicle 1. A possible control system 10 for the automatic guided vehicle 1 can be provided.

It should be noted that the control system 10 and the control method for the automatic guided vehicle 1 of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments described with reference to the drawings, and various other modifications are conceivable within the technical scope thereof. be done.

For example, in the above embodiment, the cruise control unit 36 calculated the corrected steering angle _θc using the formula shown as Equation 1, but the corrected steering angle _θc may be calculated by other methods. . FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the calculation of the steering angle regarding the modified example of the above embodiment. In the embodiment shown in this figure, the corrected steering angle θ _c is calculated by the following equation by multiplying the required steering angle θ by a coefficient f greater than 0 and less than 1.

Also, a command for changing the value of the coefficient f used in the formulas 1 and 2 may be registered corresponding to each point P on the operation data 15 .
When the coefficient f is a value close to 1, the degree of correction of the steering angle becomes small, so the corrected steering angle _θc becomes a value close to the required steering angle θ. Therefore, it is suitable when the length of the switching preparation section cannot be increased and the automatic guided vehicle 1 needs to be brought close to the magnetic tape MT in a short distance.
On the other hand, when the coefficient f is a value close to 0, the corrected steering angle θ _c becomes a small value because the degree of correction of the steering angle is large. Therefore, it is possible to secure a sufficient length of the switching preparation section, which is suitable for bringing the automatic guided vehicle 1 closer to the magnetic tape MT more safely.

Further, in the above embodiment, the other guidance methods are magnetic guidance and laser radar guidance, but magnetic guidance alone or laser radar guidance alone may be used. Alternatively, other methods other than these, such as electromagnetic induction, may be used, or electromagnetic induction, magnetic induction, or laser radar induction may be included. In any of the above cases, the explanation can be made in the same manner as the explanation mainly using magnetic induction in the above embodiment.

In addition to this, it is possible to select the configurations mentioned in the above embodiments or to change them to other configurations as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 automatic guided vehicle 10 control system 11 LRF (sensor, distance measuring instrument)
12 magnetic sensor (sensor)
13 control unit 15 operation data 22 SLAM guidance calculation unit 33 laser radar guidance calculation unit (other method guidance calculation unit)
35 magnetic induction calculation unit (other method guidance calculation unit)
36 travel control unit MT magnetic tape (object to be detected)
P Points P5, P14 Switching preparation start points P6, P15 Final point VP Temporary target point R Traveling routes R5, R14 Switching preparation section L Distance (first distance)
MR1, MR2 magnetic induction section (section)
SR1, SR2 SLAM induction section (section)
d induced deviation (amount of deviation)
d _m magnetic induction deviation (amount of deviation)
f coefficient θ required steering angle θ _c corrected steering angle

Claims (5)

SLAM guides a traveling route divided into a plurality of sections, and estimates the position of the automatic guided vehicle by detecting an object provided on the traveling route with a sensor for estimating the position of the automatic guided vehicle. A control system for an unmanned guided vehicle, comprising a control unit that controls traveling of the unmanned guided vehicle by switching between other guidance methods for each section,
In the control unit, a final point of a SLAM guidance section by SLAM guidance and a switching preparation start point located before the final point on the travel route are registered, and between the switching preparation start point and the final point is provided with the detectable body,
The control unit
a different-method guidance calculation unit that calculates the amount of deviation of the current position of the automatic guided vehicle from the travel route in the other guidance method based on the output of the sensor;
When the automatic guided vehicle is positioned between the switching preparation start point and the final point, the amount of deviation calculated by the other method guidance calculation unit becomes smaller as the automatic guided vehicle approaches the final point. a travel control unit that controls travel of the automatic guided vehicle;
with
When the automatic guided vehicle is positioned between the switching preparation start point and the final point, and the amount of deviation calculated by the other method guidance calculation unit is equal to or greater than a first threshold,
The travel control unit controls the steering angle at a corrected steering angle that is smaller than the necessary steering angle required for the automatic guided vehicle to go straight to the temporary target point located a first distance ahead on the travel route from the current position. , a control system for an automatic guided vehicle that controls travel so that the automatic guided vehicle approaches the travel route. The corrected steering angle is
an angle obtained by multiplying the required steering angle by a factor greater than 0 and less than 1, or
Assuming that the automatic guided vehicle is positioned offset from the travel path by a corrected deviation amount obtained by multiplying the deviation amount by a factor greater than 0 and less than 1, 2. The automatic guided vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the steering angle is any of the steering angles required to go straight from a position to the temporary target point. Equipped with a distance measuring device that measures the distance to obstacles located around the automatic guided vehicle,
The control unit creates a local map based on the measurement result of the distance measuring device, compares it with a pre-stored global map, estimates the position of the automatic guided vehicle, and determines the position of the automatic guided vehicle in SLAM guidance. SLAM guidance calculation for calculating the amount of deviation of the position from the travel route and determining whether or not the automatic guided vehicle has reached the switching preparation start point and final point based on the estimated position. 3. The automatic guided vehicle control system according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a unit. The automatic guided vehicle control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the other guidance method includes any one of magnetic guidance, laser radar guidance, and electromagnetic guidance. SLAM guides a traveling route divided into a plurality of sections, and estimates the position of the automatic guided vehicle by detecting an object provided on the traveling route with a sensor for estimating the position of the automatic guided vehicle. A control method for an automatic guided vehicle, wherein the automatic guided vehicle is controlled to travel by switching between other guidance methods for each section,
calculating the amount of deviation of the current position of the automatic guided vehicle from the travel route in the other guidance method based on the output of the sensor;
When the automatic guided vehicle is positioned in the switching preparation section located before the final point of the SLAM guidance section by SLAM guidance on the travel route, the switching preparation is performed as the automatic guided vehicle approaches the final point. running control of the automatic guided vehicle so that the amount of deviation calculated by the sensor detecting the object to be detected provided between the start point and the final point of the section is reduced;
When the automatic guided vehicle is located in the switching preparation section and the calculated deviation amount is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the automatic guided vehicle is moved from the current position by the first distance on the travel route. A control method for an unmanned guided vehicle, in which the unmanned guided vehicle is controlled so as to approach the traveling route at a corrected steering angle smaller than a required steering angle required when going straight to a provisional target point located in front.

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