JP7301409B2 - Transport system and transport control method - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a transport system and a transport control method.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the use of self-driving unmanned guided vehicles has been put into practical use for transporting packages in facilities such as factories and warehouses. In particular, a technology has been proposed in which an unmanned guided vehicle travels to a predetermined target position along a predetermined rail track laid in a facility. Further, in Patent Document 1, while avoiding a collision with a forward automatic guided vehicle or the like traveling along a track, in order not to damage the cargo being transported, an obstacle in front is detected. A technology is disclosed in which a distance to an obstacle is detected by an obstacle detection device and deceleration is performed according to the distance. Further, in Patent Document 2, at a point where a guide line made up of guide tape diverges, the position of a guided vehicle is offset in the lateral direction based on information on the direction of travel, thereby smoothly controlling travel at the divergence point. Techniques are disclosed.

JP-A-11-305837 WO2010/150580A1

According to the technique described in Patent Document 1, when there is an obstacle on the track along which the transport vehicle is scheduled to travel, the transport vehicle can avoid colliding with the obstacle. However, it is not possible to flexibly change the movement target position of the transport vehicle in some cases, and the work efficiency cannot be improved. Alternatively, in the prior art such as Patent Document 2, there is a problem that the transport vehicle advances to an unintended branch destination at a branch point, or cannot travel in a part where the guidance line is interrupted.

Therefore, the present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to provide a transport system and a transport control method that can improve work efficiency by performing operation determination according to the situation of the site. Another object of the present invention is to provide a transport system and a transport control method capable of improving the accuracy of travel control at a branch point of a guidance line.

According to the present disclosure, there is provided a transport system having a transport vehicle that travels along a guide line laid on a travel path, wherein the transport vehicle includes a guide line detection unit that detects the guide line; an object position detection unit that detects information about the positions of surrounding objects, and a stop position determination unit that determines the stop position of the transport vehicle according to the detection result of the object position detection unit. provided.

Further, according to the present disclosure, there is provided a transport system including a guide line including a plurality of cords laid on a traveling road surface, and a transport vehicle traveling along the guide line, wherein the guide line includes the transport It has a main line, which is the guide line on which the vehicle is traveling, and a branch line, which is the guide line, which is laid at a predetermined distance or more from the main line or branched from the main line, and the transport vehicle detects the guide line. a guide line detection unit; and a travel control unit that executes guide line follow-up control to keep the guide line positioned within a detection range of the guide line detection unit while the guided vehicle travels. When the trigger information is acquired from the code, the control unit stops the guidance line follow-up control, executes predetermined travel control, and performs the guidance while the predetermined travel control is being executed. A transport system is provided in which, when a line detection unit detects the guide line of the branch line, the predetermined travel control is stopped and the guide line follow-up control is executed.

Further, according to the present disclosure, there is provided a transportation control method for a guided vehicle that travels along a guide line laid on a travel path, comprising: a guide line detection step of detecting the guide line; and a stop position determination step of determining a stop position of the transport vehicle according to the information related to the position of the object detected in the object position detection step. is provided.

Further, according to the present disclosure, there is provided a transportation control method for a guided vehicle traveling along a guide line provided with a plurality of cords laid on a traveling road surface, wherein the guided line is the guide line on which the guided vehicle travels. a guide line detection step for detecting the guide line, which has a main line that is a guide line and a branch line that is the guide line laid at a predetermined interval or more from the main line or branched from the main line; a travel control step of executing guide line follow-up control for causing the guided vehicle to travel while maintaining the state in which the guide line is positioned within the detection range; when the guide line follow-up control is stopped and predetermined travel control is executed, and the guide line detection unit detects the guide line of the branch line while the predetermined travel control is being performed; provides a transport control method that stops the predetermined travel control and executes the guide line follow-up control.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a transport system and a transport control method that can improve work efficiency by performing operation determination according to the situation of the site, or to provide a transport control method at a branch point of a guidance line. It is possible to provide a transport system and a transport control method capable of improving
.

It is a figure which shows the example of the operation area of the conveyance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a guided travel area 110 according to the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a guided travel area 130 according to the same embodiment. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the hardware structural example of the conveyance vehicle which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a top view which shows the hardware structural example of the conveyance vehicle which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a bottom view which shows the hardware structural example of the conveyance vehicle which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a hardware configuration at the time of the conveyance vehicle which concerns on the same embodiment, and a towing trolley|bogie being couple|bonded. It is a figure which shows another example of hardware constitutions at the time of the conveyance vehicle which concerns on the same embodiment, and a towing trolley|bogie being couple|bonded. It is a figure which shows the whole conveyance system block diagram which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the functional block diagram of the conveyance vehicle which concerns on the same embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a series of operation scenarios by the transport vehicle according to the same embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the transport vehicle according to the same embodiment at a branch point of the guide line; FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing an example of a control flow at a branch point of a guidance line of the guided vehicle according to the same embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of operation of the transport vehicle according to the same embodiment when a magnetic tape type guide line is used; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation example of the guided vehicle according to the same embodiment when using a guide line composed of a two-dimensional code; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an operation when the guided vehicle is running on the main line before the branch at the branch point of the guide line formed by the two-dimensional code; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation example when the guided vehicle detects a branch line after branching at a branch point of a guide line formed by a two-dimensional code; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a guiding travel area 110 of the transport system according to the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation example when the transportation system according to the second embodiment determines a stop destination; FIG. 11 is a flow chart diagram showing an example of a control flow when the transport system according to the second embodiment determines a stop destination. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an operation example when the transportation system according to the third embodiment determines a stop destination; FIG. 12 is a flow chart diagram showing an example of a control flow when the transport system according to the third embodiment determines a stop destination. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the guiding travel area 110 of the transport system;

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, constituent elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, thereby omitting redundant description.

[Example 1]
In distribution warehouses, manufacturing factories, and the like, it is necessary to stop conveyed items such as carts and pallets in a predetermined position and orientation in a predetermined manner in order to coordinate with on-site operations. For example, by stopping the trolley at a position linked to the belt conveyor or by placing it next to the worker's work position, the worker can pick up the load without moving. are required to carry In order to cooperate with the belt conveyor as described above, or to bring it sideways to the work position of the worker, a highly accurate transfer operation is required.

With conventional autonomous driving systems (systems that detect obstacles using sensors that detect obstacles using laser beams, etc., and move autonomously while avoiding obstacles), it is difficult to achieve highly accurate transportation work, and the There is a problem that it takes time and effort to introduce a system for stopping in a predetermined position and orientation. In addition, in the guidance method (a method of driving along the guidance line laid on the road surface), it is necessary to lay the guidance line on the road surface. It may be necessary to modify field operations so as not to damage the installed guidance lines. In addition, there is a problem that it is not easy to change the travel route after laying the guide line of the type in which the magnetic guide wire is embedded in the road surface.

For this reason, areas that require high-precision transportation work, such as stopping by a predetermined method or linking with other equipment such as belt conveyors, are defined as guided travel areas, where guided vehicles can travel. The other area is defined as an autonomous driving area, and even if there is no guidance line, based on the map data acquired in advance, it will head toward the destination specified by the autonomous driving method. It is desirable to run the carrier.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an operation area of a transportation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It shows an example of an operation area of a transport system that makes it possible to improve the accuracy of transport control and facilitate introduction of the transport system. In FIG. 1, areas 110 and 130 are defined as guided driving areas, and area 120 is defined as an autonomous driving area.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the guided travel area 110 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, a guidance line 111 is laid in the guidance travel area 110, and a guided travel mode is started in which a guided vehicle that has entered the guided travel area 110 in the autonomous travel mode detects the guide line and switches to the guidance travel mode. Area 112 and work areas 114A, 114B, 114C are defined. A track composed of the guide line 111 is arranged to connect the guide travel mode start area 112 to the work areas 114A, 114B, and 114C. In addition, the track has a branch point 113, and post-branch guide lines 111A, 111B, and 111C that lead to work areas 114A, 114B, and 114C, respectively, after branching. The work areas 114A, 114B, and 114C are, for example, three stopping positions for linking a belt conveyor and a truck or the like, or three stopping positions for workers to pick up packages placed on the truck. After completing the work in the work areas 114A, 114B, and 114C, the transport vehicle moves along the guide line 111 to the autonomous driving mode start area 115, and changes the driving mode from the guided driving mode in the autonomous driving mode start area 115. Switch to the autonomous driving mode and advance through the guided driving area 110 . As an operation after the work is completed in the work areas 114A, 114B, and 114C, in addition to the embodiment in which the autonomous driving mode is switched from the autonomous driving mode start area 115 as described above, the autonomous driving mode is started in the work areas 114A, 114B, and 114C. , or move along the guidance line to the guidance driving mode start area 112, switch from the guidance driving mode start area 112 to the autonomous driving mode, and switch to the guidance driving area. 110 may be advanced.

A guided vehicle traveling in the autonomous traveling area 120 in the autonomous traveling mode enters the guided traveling area 110 shown in the upper side of FIG. 2 from the autonomous traveling area 120 shown in the lower side of FIG. That is, the vehicle travels from the bottom to the top of FIG. 2 and enters the guidance travel mode start area 112 . Here, the guide line 111 laid in the guidance travel mode start area 112 is angled at a predetermined angle or more (for example, 20 degrees or more) with respect to the direction in which the transport vehicle enters the guidance travel mode start area 112. are laid out. The reason why the guide line 111 is laid at a predetermined angle in this way is that the guide line in the guide travel mode start area 112 can be used even when the entrance position of the transport vehicle in the horizontal direction in FIG. 2 varies. This is for detecting and making it possible to switch to the guidance travel mode more reliably.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the guided travel area 130 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, a guidance line 131 is laid in the guidance travel area 130, and a guided travel mode in which a guided vehicle that has entered the guided travel area 130 in the autonomous travel mode detects the guide line 131 and switches to the guidance travel mode. A start area 132 and a work area 133 are defined. The trajectory composed of the guidance line 131 passes through a plurality of branch points into a guidance driving mode start area 132, a work area 133, and an autonomous driving mode start area 134 for switching from the guidance driving mode to the autonomous driving mode. are arranged to connect In the work area 133, a plurality of guide lines are arranged via branch points so that a plurality of transport vehicles can stop. Similar to the work areas 114A, 114B, 114C of the guided travel area 110, the work area 133 includes, for example, multiple stopping positions for coordinating belt conveyors and trolleys, etc., or workers picking up packages placed on the trolleys. There are multiple parking positions for

The guided vehicle 10 traveling in the autonomous traveling area 120 in the autonomous traveling mode enters the guided traveling area 130 shown on the right side of FIG. 3 from the autonomous traveling area 120 shown on the left side of FIG. That is, the transport vehicle 10 travels from left to right in FIG. 3 and enters the guided travel mode start area 132 . Here, the guide line 131 laid in the guidance travel mode start area 132 is set at an angle of a predetermined angle or more (for example, 20 degrees or more) with respect to the traveling direction when the guided vehicle 10 enters the guidance travel mode start area 132. It is laid down. The reason why the guide line 131 is laid at a predetermined angle in this manner is that the guide line in the guide travel mode start area 132 can be used even when the entrance position of the guided vehicle in the vertical direction in FIG. 3 varies. This is for detecting and making it possible to switch to the guidance travel mode more reliably. The transport vehicle that has detected the guide line in the guide travel mode start area 132 travels along the guide line 131 and stops in the work area 133 . After completing the work in the work area 133, the transport vehicle moves along the guide line 131 to the autonomous driving mode start area 134, switches to the autonomous driving mode from the autonomous driving mode start area 134, and advances into the guided driving area 130. . As the operation after the work is completed in the work area 133, in addition to the embodiment in which the autonomous driving mode is switched from the autonomous driving mode start area 134 to the autonomous driving mode as described above, the autonomous driving mode is switched from the work area 133 to the guided driving area 130. Alternatively, the vehicle may move along the guide line to the guided travel mode start area 132, switch from the guided travel mode start area 132 to the autonomous travel mode, and then enter the guided travel area 130. good.

As the guide lines 111 and 131 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, various guide lines conventionally used as described later can be applied. Specifically, for example, an electromagnetic induction method in which a pickup coil on the transport vehicle detects the magnetic field generated by passing a weak alternating current through a metal wire installed as an induction line, and a magnetic tape laid on the floor as an induction line. It is possible to apply a magnetic induction method that reads with a magnetic sensor on the transport vehicle side, an image recognition method that performs image processing by photographing a two-dimensional code laid on the floor as a guidance line with a camera on the transport vehicle side, and the like.

Next, the hardware configuration of the carrier and the carriage to be towed will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a hardware configuration example of the carrier according to the present embodiment. An arrow 15 in FIG. 4 indicates the traveling direction of the carrier. As shown in FIG. 4, the transport vehicle includes a connecting portion 11 for switching between a connected state and a non-connected state with the carriage, an object position detection portion 12 for detecting the position of an object around the transport vehicle, driving wheels 13, and non-driving wheels 14. It has

FIG. 5 is a top view showing an example of the hardware configuration of the carrier according to this embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing an example of the hardware configuration of the carrier according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, a connecting section 11 and an object position detecting section 12 are mounted on the top side of the carrier. The connecting part 11 is composed of, for example, an actuator. When connecting with the truck, the actuator is extended upward and connected with a connection receiving part (not shown) on the side of the truck. It is configured so that the connection between the part and the connection receiving part on the side of the truck can be released. In addition, the connecting portions 11 are arranged at four positions surrounding the driving wheels 13 of the carrier on a plane, and can be connected to the carriage at four positions.

The object position detection unit 12 is a device that detects the distance from the object position detection unit to the object. An example of the object position detection unit 12 is a laser distance sensor (LiDAR (Light detection and ranging)) that measures the distance and direction to an object by measuring the time it takes for a laser beam to hit the object and bounce back. ), millimeter-wave radar that detects the distance to an object based on the millimeter-wave transmission signal and the received signal that is reflected back from the object, or a camera that captures the object and analyzes the captured image to detect the distance to the object. A camera-type distance sensor that measures the distance between the two can be applied. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the object position detection unit 12 is arranged on the front side of the upper surface of the transport vehicle in the traveling direction, but instead of this, it may be arranged on the front side surface in the traveling direction. In addition, they may be arranged not only on the front but also on the rear side in the traveling direction or on both the left and right sides.

The object position detection unit 12 may detect an object in 360 degrees around the transport vehicle, but is configured to detect an object at least forward in the traveling direction 15 of the transport vehicle.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing a hardware configuration example of the carrier according to the present embodiment. Drive wheels 13 are provided on the bottom surface of the transport vehicle on the left and right sides with respect to the traveling direction 15 of the transport vehicle. The drive wheels 13 are wheels connected to the rotating shaft of the motor and driven. The right drive wheel and the left drive wheel are individually controlled, and the rotation speed and rotation direction of each drive wheel are individually controlled. As a result, it is possible to make the transport vehicle curve and travel, or to rotate the transport vehicle on the spot to change its direction. The non-driving wheels 14 are wheels that are not driven and are passively rotated when the transport vehicle is moved by the driving wheels 13 . The non-drive wheels 14, for example, have forks that secure the wheels and axles, and the forks consist of swivel casters that are pivotally connected to the bottom member of the vehicle. Therefore, the wheel rotation direction of the non-driven wheels 14 passively changes according to the traveling direction and rotation of the transport vehicle. Although FIG. 6 illustrates the hardware configuration of a transport vehicle having two driving wheels and four non-driving wheels at the four corners, the present invention is not limited to this hardware configuration, and includes two driving wheels and non-driving wheels. It is also possible to employ a four-wheel configuration with two drive wheels, and it is also possible to employ a configuration in which the front wheels can be steered in the four-wheel configuration.

A guide line detection unit 16 for detecting the guide line is provided on the bottom surface of the transport vehicle. The guide line detection unit 16 is desirably provided in front of the drive wheel 13 in the traveling direction of the transport vehicle. As a result, it becomes easier to follow the guide line when traveling in a position where the guide line is curved, and when the transport vehicle and the trolley to be towed advance, information is received from the guide line as soon as possible. Processing such as stopping can be executed. A sensor corresponding to the type of guidance system as described above is used for the guidance line detection unit. As the induction method, a pickup coil is used as a sensor of the induction line detection unit when the electromagnetic induction method is used, a magnetic sensor is used when the magnetic induction method is used, and a camera is used when the image recognition method is used.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the hardware configuration when the transport vehicle and the tow truck according to the present embodiment are combined. It shows an example of connecting with a truck in a state. At this time, a mortar-shaped connection receiving portion is arranged on the bottom surface of the truck at a position corresponding to the conical connection portion 11, and the connection portion 11 can be connected to the truck by extending the connection portion 11 upward, and the connection portion 11 is contracted. By doing so, the connection with the truck can be released.

FIG. 8 shows another example of the hardware configuration when the transport vehicle and the towing vehicle according to this embodiment are combined. The example shown in FIG. 8 shows an example in which the transport vehicle is positioned beside the carriage 2000 and is connected to the carriage. The carriage has a connection receiving portion 2010 that connects with at least a part of the connection portion 11 of the transport vehicle. can be released. FIGS. 7 and 8 show an example of connecting and disconnecting the carriage with the carriage by vertically expanding and contracting the connecting portion 11 composed of an actuator or the like on the upper surface of the carriage. The connection method is not limited to this, and other connection methods may be used. Moreover, the object to be transferred that is connected to the transport vehicle is not limited to a trolley, and may be, for example, a pallet or cabinet that does not have wheels. When transporting a pallet or a cabinet, the transport vehicle gets under the pallet or the cabinet and is connected with the pallet or the cabinet in a lifted state.

Next, an overall configuration diagram of the transport system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 shows an example of the overall configuration of the transport system. The transport system 1000 includes a plurality of transport vehicles (10a, 10b), a cart 2000 as an object to be transported, a controller 3000 capable of displaying the status of the transport vehicles or inputting commands to the transport vehicles, and information necessary for operating the transport vehicles. Operation management device 4000 to be managed, input/output device 5000 for displaying information of the operation management device and inputting information to the operation management device, multiple transport vehicles (10a, 10b), controller 3000, and operation management device 4000 can be communicated. It has a communication network 6000 to which it connects.

Also, the transport system 1000 can be connected to an external system 7000 via a communication network 6000. FIG. When the transport system 1000 is introduced into a manufacturing factory to transport parts required for manufacturing from a storage to a manufacturing line, the transport system 1000 functions as an external system 7000 and performs system-to-system cooperation with a manufacturing management system. In this case, if information about the progress of the manufacturing work is obtained from the manufacturing management system, it is possible to dynamically adjust the transportation amount and the transportation route of the carrier according to the progress of the manufacturing work.

As another example, the transport system 1000 is introduced into a physical distribution system, and when a load is transported into a warehouse by a truck or the like, the load is transported from the entrance to the storage, and when the load is shipped from the warehouse, it is stored. When transporting a package shipped from the warehouse to the outlet, the transport system 1000 performs inter-system cooperation with a physical distribution management system as an external system 7000 . In this case, by obtaining information on carrying-in and information on shipping from the physical distribution management system, it is possible to change the transportation amount and the transportation route by the transport vehicle.

In a facility where a transport system is introduced, multiple transport vehicles (10a, 10b) are generally in operation, so each transport vehicle is connected to other transport vehicles and other components via the communication network 6000 so as to be communicable. be. For example, the transport vehicle transmits various detection information detected by its own detection unit and other control information to the controller 3000, the operation management device 4000, and other transport vehicles. In addition, the carrier 10 is communicably connected to the carrier 2000 by short-range communication means, and is configured to be able to receive information regarding the connection state, carrier identification information, and the like from the carrier.

The controller 3000 has a function of displaying the status information of the specified transport vehicle and a function of inputting a command to the specified transport vehicle. For example, the status information of the transport vehicle displayed on the controller includes information on the amount of charge of the battery mounted on the transport vehicle and serving as the power supply for the transport vehicle, and identification information of the trolley connected to the transport vehicle. Commands to be input to the transport vehicle include, for example, command information regarding the destination of the transport vehicle, operation commands to connect and disconnect the transport vehicle, commands to start running the transport vehicle, and commands to stop the transport vehicle.

The operation management device 4000 has a state information recording unit 4010 that records state information of a plurality of guided vehicles operating in the facility area, and an operation scenario management unit 4020 that manages operation scenarios of the plurality of guided vehicles. The state information of the guided vehicles recorded by the state information recording unit 4010 includes, for example, information on the amount of charge in the batteries of the plurality of guided vehicles in operation, identification information of the carts connected to the plurality of guided vehicles, and information on the number of the guided vehicles. Positional information, operation modes (guided travel mode or autonomous travel mode) of a plurality of transport vehicles, and other various detection information detected by the detector 230 of the transport vehicles. The action scenario managed by the action scenario management unit 4020 includes, for example, information on the destination of each of the plurality of guided vehicles, the content of the plurality of actions to be executed until reaching the destination, the order of actions of the plurality of actions, and the switching conditions of the plurality of actions. contains.

The input/output device 5000 displays information recorded in the state information recording unit 4010 of the operation management device 4000, and adds a new operation scenario by inputting an operation scenario managed by the operation scenario management unit 4020. , can be updated. The information input to the input/output device 5000 is, for example, that the destination of an arbitrary guided vehicle is the work area A of the guided travel area 110, or the operation to enter the guided travel area 110 and reach the work area A. It includes contents, operation switching conditions, and the like.

Next, the functions of the carrier will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a functional configuration diagram of the transport vehicle according to this embodiment. The transport vehicle 10 includes a communication unit 210 that communicates with the carriage 2000 and the communication network 6000 outside the transport vehicle, a recording unit 220, a detection unit 230 equipped with various sensors described later, a connection unit 11 for connecting with the carriage, wheels , an input unit 240, a display unit 250, a control unit 260 for controlling the operation of the wheel driving unit 280, and the like.

The recording unit 220 has a function of recording information externally received by the communication unit 210, detection information detected by the detection unit 230, and control information output by the control unit.

The detection unit 230 includes an object position detection unit 12, a guide line detection unit 232, a travel distance detection unit 233, a collision detection unit 234, an attitude detection unit 235, and a charge amount detection unit 236. As described above, the object position detection unit 12 is a laser distance sensor (LiDAR (Light detection and ranging)) that measures the distance and direction to an object by measuring the time it takes for the laser beam to hit the object and bounce back. ), millimeter-wave radar that detects the distance to an object based on the millimeter-wave transmission signal and the received signal that is reflected back from the object, or an object that captures an object with a camera and analyzes the captured image. It consists of a camera-type distance sensor that measures the distance to

As for the guidance line detection unit 16, a sensor corresponding to the type of guidance system is used as described above. As the induction method, a pickup coil is used as a sensor of the induction line detection unit when the electromagnetic induction method is used, a magnetic sensor is used when the magnetic induction method is used, and a camera is used when the image recognition method is used. The guide line detection unit detects the guide line and outputs a detection signal when positioned directly above the guide line. In addition, in the case of an image recognition method that uses a camera to read a guidance line using a two-dimensional code or barcode, in addition to the guidance line detection signal, position information is generated based on the information of the detected code. By performing the above image information, it is possible to generate relative angle information between the guide line and the transport vehicle.

The traveling distance detection unit 233 detects the number of revolutions of the non-driven wheels 14 or the driven wheels 13, and based on the detection information of the number of revolutions and the information of the diameter (or circumference length) of the non-driven wheels or the driven wheels. to measure the mileage of As an alternative, a millimeter-wave sensor that irradiates the floor surface with millimeter waves and detects the reflected waves is used to detect the traveling speed of the transport vehicle, and a means of estimating the traveling distance is applied by integrating the traveling speed. It is also possible to

The collision detection unit 234 has a function of detecting that the carrier has collided with an obstacle or a person. Specifically, acceleration can be detected by a gyro sensor or the like, and it can be determined that a collision has occurred when a sudden change in acceleration is detected. As an alternative means, it is also possible to provide a physical switch together with a bumper in front of the transport vehicle in the direction of travel, and apply means for determining that a collision has occurred when the physical switch is pressed. When the collision detection unit 234 detects a collision, the guided vehicle is stopped, and at least one of the collision occurrence information and the collision occurrence position is recorded in the recording unit, and the information is sent to the operation management device 4000 and the pilot machine. Notify 3000 of the information. The posture detection unit 235 detects the direction (posture) of the own vehicle based on the magnetic compass, information on the number of revolutions of the left and right driving wheels, or steering information on the wheels.

The charge amount detection unit 236 detects the charge amount of the battery that is the power source of the transport vehicle. When the charge amount detected by the charge amount detection unit 236 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, it is determined that charging is necessary, and the detection information of the charge amount decrease is recorded in the recording unit, and the information is sent to the operation management device 4000. and notifies the pilot 3000 of the information. Furthermore, when it is detected that the charging amount is equal to or less than a predetermined value, in addition to the above processing, the charging may be performed by automatically moving to the charging spot. The predetermined value for the charging amount detection unit 236 to determine that charging is required is based on at least one of the distance to the destination set for the transport vehicle and the weight of the transported object connected to the transport vehicle. It may be a preset value.

The input unit 240 is composed of a physical switch, a touch panel, or the like mounted on the transport vehicle, and the user can directly input an operation command or the like to the transport vehicle. The display unit 250 is composed of a liquid crystal panel or the like mounted on the transport vehicle, and displays state information of the transport vehicle (various detection information by the detection unit 230, operation scenarios currently being executed, etc.).

The control unit 260 includes an operation determination unit 261, a mode switching unit 262, a connection control unit 263, a display control unit 264, a stop position determination unit 265, a travel control unit 266, and a vehicle position estimation unit 267. ing. The motion determination unit 261 determines the motion of the transport vehicle based on the motion scenario of the own transport vehicle acquired from the motion scenario management unit 4020 . An example of an operation scenario will be described later with reference to FIG.

The mode switching unit 262 switches the traveling mode of the guided vehicle between the guided traveling mode and the autonomous traveling mode based on the conditions predetermined in the operation scenario or the command input by the input unit 240 . The connection control unit 263 controls the operation of the connection unit 11 based on the conditions predetermined in the operation scenario or the command input by the input unit 240, and connects/disconnects the conveyed object such as the trolley. Control. The display control unit 264 controls the input unit 240 and the display unit 250 described above.

The stop position determination unit 265 determines the stop position of the own aircraft based on the position information of the object detected by the object position detection unit 12 when the own aircraft arrives at the position set in advance as the position for determining the stop position. Executes the process of determining In this embodiment, the stop position determination will be described in the case where the guide line branches into a plurality of locations and a plurality of destination work areas 114 can be set. In this case, map information including position information of each of work areas 114A, 114B, and 114C is stored in storage unit 220, and the position of the detected object corresponds to any of work areas 114A, 114B, and 114C in the map information. A work area in which an object is detected is not determined as a target stop position, and any one of work areas in which an object is not detected is determined as a target stop position. Here, the object position detection unit 12 can detect the distance and direction to the object with reference to the transport vehicle, and the guidance line detection unit acquires information on the position and direction of the transport vehicle. Based on the information, it can be determined which of the work areas 114A, 114B, and 114C in the map information the position of the detected object matches.

The travel control unit 266 controls travel of the transport vehicle based on at least one of determination information from the operation determination unit 261, the mode switching unit 262, and the stop position determination unit 265. FIG. Specifically, the right wheel drive section 281 and the left wheel drive section 282 of the wheel drive section 280 are individually controlled. The right wheel drive unit 281 and the left wheel drive unit 282 are composed of, for example, motors, and by individually controlling the rotation speed and rotation direction of each drive wheel, the transport vehicle can be made to curve with an arbitrary trajectory radius and travel. It is possible to rotate the car and change its direction. The vehicle position estimation unit 267 is based on the travel distance detected by the travel distance detection unit 233, information on the direction of the vehicle detected by the attitude detection unit 235, and the map information of the entire area recorded in the recording unit 220. to estimate the position of the own vehicle in the entire driving area. Alternatively, it is also possible to estimate the position of the vehicle in the entire driving area based on the information on the distance and direction to the object measured by the object position detection unit 12 and the map information of the entire area recorded in the recording unit 220. is. Alternatively, when the vehicle is traveling on a guidance line composed of a two-dimensional code, it is also possible to estimate the position of the vehicle in the entire driving area based on the identification information of the two-dimensional code and the map information. be.

Next, an example of an operation scenario when the transportation system is introduced into the facility will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a series of operation scenarios by the transport vehicle according to the present embodiment. A working scenario is shown. Information on the operation scenario is received from the operation management device 4000 and recorded in the recording unit 220 .

A series of operations by the transport system is composed of a plurality of operation scenarios as shown in FIG. The operation scenario is input by the user through the input/output device 5000 and saved in the storage device within the operation management device 4000 . Completion conditions for each operation are defined in advance for each operation scenario, and when the completion condition is satisfied based on information detected by the detection unit of the transport vehicle, etc., the next operation scenario is executed. The content of the operation of Scenario 1 is to stop the vehicle in the work area 133, and the completion condition is completion of the work performed in the work area. The work performed in the work area includes, for example, a worker's transfer of a load on a carriage and a transfer of a carriage connected to a transport vehicle. The operation content of Scenario 2 to be executed next is to travel along the guidance line 131, and the completion condition is that the movement to the autonomous travel mode start area 134 has been completed. Means for detecting that movement to the autonomous running mode start area 134 has been completed may be means for receiving position information by a proximity communication device installed in the autonomous running mode start area 134, or a means for receiving location information by a proximity communication device installed in the autonomous running mode start area 134. Detection may be performed by forming a guidance line with a dimensional code and reading the two-dimensional code.

The operation content of Scenario 3 is to travel in the autonomous travel mode and move to the guidance travel mode start area 112 . Based on the map information of the entire area where the transport vehicle travels (including the guided travel area and the autonomous travel area) recorded in the recording unit 220 and the own vehicle position information estimated by the own vehicle position estimation unit, When the object position detection unit detects an object, the vehicle travels to the guided travel mode start area 112 through a route that avoids the object. The completion condition is to detect guide line 111 .

The content of the operation of Scenario 4 is to run along the guidance line 111, and the completion condition is that the movement to the branch point, which is the destination determination point, has been completed. The operation content of Scenario 5 is to determine the stop destination and travel to the stop destination, and the completion condition is completion of movement to the stop destination. The content of the operation of Scenario 6 is to continue stopping at the work area 114, which is the stopping destination, and the completion condition is that the work by the worker has been completed. Completion of the work can be detected by, for example, the operator pressing a work completion button provided also on the controller 3000 or the input unit 240 . The content of the operation of Scenario 7 is to travel along the guidance line, and the completion condition is that the vehicle has completed moving to the autonomous travel mode start area 115 . The content of the operation of Scenario 8 is to travel in the autonomous driving mode and move to the guidance driving mode start area 132 . The travel control in the autonomous travel mode is the same as in Scenario 3 described above. The completion condition is to detect guide line 131 . The operation content of Scenario 9 is to travel along the guidance line 131, and the completion condition is to complete movement to the work area 133. When the operation of Scenario 9 is completed, return to Scenario 1.

Next, FIG. 12 shows an example of the operation of the guided vehicle 10 determining the stop destination at the branch point of the guide line. With reference to FIG. 12, determination of a stop destination will be described in particular when there are candidate positions for the stop destination at branch destinations. A transport vehicle traveling along a guidance line 111 in a guidance travel area 110 executes a process of determining a stop destination when arriving at a stop destination determination point (a branch point in this embodiment). The detection of arrival at the destination determination point may be realized by providing a mark beside the guidance line that serves as a trigger for the stop destination determination process. Alternatively, if a guidance line is configured with a plurality of two-dimensional codes having unique identification information and the two-dimensional code corresponding to the stop destination determination position is detected, it is determined that the vehicle has arrived at the stop destination determination point. good.

When the transport vehicle arrives at the stop destination determination point, the object position detection unit detects the positions of objects around the transport vehicle. Here, the position information of each work area 114A, 114B, and 114C, which are the candidate positions of the stop destination, has already been read by the recording unit 220, and by comparing the position of the detected object with the position of each work area, , determine the work area where the object exists and the work area where the object does not exist, respectively. In the example shown in FIG. 12, a worker is in the center work area 114B, and another truck is parked in the right work area 114C. Therefore, the transport vehicle 10 determines that there are objects in the work areas 114B and 114C, and determines the left work area 114A, in which no object is detected, as the stop destination. Once the stop destination is determined, the vehicle is advanced toward the stop destination (work area 114A) at a branch, and the vehicle is stopped when the stop destination is reached.

Next, with reference to FIG. 13, the control flow from when the guided vehicle 10 enters the guided travel area 110 to when it stops at the stop destination will be described. In step 1201, when the guided vehicle traveling in the autonomous traveling area 120 enters the guidance traveling area 110, first, it continues to advance in the autonomous traveling mode (S1201). Next, in step 1202, it is determined whether or not the guide line 111 is detected, and if the guide line 111 is not detected, the process returns to S1201 to continue traveling in the autonomous travel mode (S1202). In other words, the vehicle continues to travel in the autonomous travel mode until the guide line 111 is detected. When the guide line is detected, the process transitions to step 1203 (S1203). At S1203, the vehicle travels along the guidance line 111. Here, when the guided vehicle traveling in the autonomous traveling area 120 enters the guided traveling area 110, the mode is switched from the autonomous traveling mode to the guided traveling mode, and in S1201 the guidance line is detected as the operation of the guided traveling mode. It is also possible to run straight up to

Next, in step 1204, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has arrived at the destination determination point. The destination determination point can be set at any location. However, as shown in FIG. It is desirable to define a point before the point as the destination determination point. As described above, the detection of arrival at the destination determination point may be realized by providing a mark that serves as a trigger for the stop destination determination process on the side of the guidance line and detecting the mark. It may be realized by detecting that the vehicle has traveled a predetermined distance along a guidance line from a predetermined point by detecting the traveling distance. Alternatively, when the guidance line is composed of a plurality of two-dimensional codes having unique identification information, it may be realized by detecting the two-dimensional code that triggers the stop destination determination process. Alternatively, the guide line may be branched to detect a plurality of two-dimensional codes simultaneously.

Next, in step 1205 (S1205), the object position detection unit determines whether or not there is an object at the position of the destination candidate. The object position detector includes a laser distance sensor (LiDAR (light detection and ranging), etc.), a millimeter wave radar that detects the distance to an object based on the millimeter wave transmission signal and the received signal that is reflected back from the object, Alternatively, the distance to the object can be detected using either a camera-type distance sensor that measures the distance to the object by photographing the object with a camera and analyzing the photographed image.

Next, in step 1206, it is determined whether there is an object in the first destination candidate position (for example, work area 114C) (S1206). If there is an object, the process proceeds to step 1207 (S1207), and if there is no object, the process proceeds to step 1210 (S1210) in which the vehicle advances to the first destination candidate position and stops. Next, in step 1207, it is determined whether there is an object in the second destination candidate position (for example, work area 114B) (S1207). If there is an object, the process proceeds to step 1208 (S1208), and if there is no object, the process proceeds to step 1211 (S1211) in which the vehicle advances to the second target candidate position and stops. Similarly, in step 1208, it is determined whether there is an object at the third destination candidate position (for example, the work area 114A) (S1208). If there is an object, the process proceeds to step 1209 (S1209), and if there is no object, the process proceeds to step 1212 (S1212) in which the vehicle advances to the third destination candidate position and stops. In addition, the display unit 250 of the transport vehicle displays information on the work area, which is the destination position determined as the stop destination before reaching the stop area in steps 1210 (S1210), step 1211 (S1211), and step 1212 (S1212). It may be transmitted to the pilot machine 3000 and the operation management device 4000 and output by each device as voice or display.

In the above example, the control flow is for the case where there are three work areas 114A to 114C as candidate positions for the stop destination. If there are five candidate positions for , the number of control steps is also five according to the number. Next, in step 1209, when it is determined that there is an object at the positions of all the stop destination candidates, the operation management device 4000 is notified and waits there for a predetermined time (S1209). After waiting for a predetermined time, the process returns to step 1205 (S1205) to re-determine whether or not there is an object.

In the above example, the order of priority of stop destinations (first candidate to third candidate) is set in the order of work areas 114C, 114B, and 114A, but the priority can be set arbitrarily. is.

Next, a specific example of the branch point 113 formed by the guide line 111 and a specific example of proceeding to the desired route based on the above-described stop destination determination at the branch point 113 will be described below with reference to FIGS. do. FIG. 14 shows an example in which a magnetic tape is laid on the floor surface as a guide line. The route of the guided vehicle formed by the guide line 111 is divided into three routes starting from the branch point 113, and the routes after each branch constitute the routes to the work areas 114A, 114B, and 114C. .

A plurality of magnetic sensors 17 are arranged in the left-right direction of the guided vehicle traveling along the guide line 111 to form the guide line detection unit 16 . In the example shown in FIG. 14, seven magnetic sensors 17 are arranged in the horizontal direction. The two magnetic sensors 17B on the right side indicate sensors that do not detect the magnetic tape. When traveling on the guide tape other than the branch, the travel control unit causes the magnetic tape to be detected by the magnetic sensor arranged in the center of the guide line detection unit 16 according to the detection result of the magnetic sensor. In addition, the rotational speeds of the right wheel drive section 281 and the left wheel drive section 282 are controlled. For example, when the magnetic sensor that detects the magnetic tape is shifted to the right of the center of the guide line detection unit 16, the rotation speed of the right drive wheel is made relatively higher than that of the left drive wheel. When the magnetic sensor that detects the tape is shifted to the left of the center of the guide line detection unit 16, the rotation speed of the left drive wheel is made relatively higher than that of the right drive wheel so that the transport vehicle can move to the guide line. Control so that it can run stably on the top.

Further, on the floor surface, a guide mark 116 for giving an instruction of control information to the transport vehicle is laid on the side of the guide line and in front of the branch point. The guided vehicle further has a mark detection unit 18 for detecting the guide mark 116 , and the mark detection unit 18 receives trigger information for stopping destination determination from the guide mark 116 .

As a result of determining the stop destination, if the work area 114A in the upper left of FIG. By stopping the detection of the sensor 17B, lowering the detection sensitivity, or lowering the weighting that is taken into consideration in control, the guided vehicle can be moved to the left path.

15 to 17 show an example in which a plurality of two-dimensional cords are laid on the floor along the direction of the route as guide lines. It is also possible to use a bar code in place of the two-dimensional code. The route of the guided vehicle formed by the guide line 111 is divided into three routes starting from the branch point 113, and the routes after each branch constitute the routes to the work areas 114A, 114B, and 114C. .

As shown in FIG. 15, the two-dimensional code 1000 has a plurality of dots printed on a two-dimensional plane, and each two-dimensional code that constitutes the guidance line is a unique code. The guide line detection unit 16 of the guided vehicle running on the guide line 111 is equipped with a camera, and runs while recognizing the two-dimensional code with the camera. Further, the guidance line detection unit 16 acquires code information having at least one of identification information and position information specific to each two-dimensional code from the detected two-dimensional code, and information on the relative angle between the two-dimensional code and the guided vehicle. to get Although an example using a two-dimensional code will be described in this embodiment, a bar code may be used instead of the two-dimensional code, or both the two-dimensional code and the bar code may be used.

Based on the above identification information, position information and relative angle information of the two-dimensional code, the travel control unit adjusts the left and right drive wheels so that the two-dimensional code is within the shooting range of the camera and the two-dimensional code can be continuously detected. The travel of the carrier is controlled by controlling the rotational speed of each.

When the guide line 1010 is detected by the guide line detection unit, the transport vehicle is temporarily stopped using the identification information or position information of the guide line 1010 as a trigger for determining the stop destination, and the processing for determining the stop destination is executed. . Here, unlike the guide line using the magnetic markers shown in FIG. 14, the guide lines shown in FIGS. be. As shown in FIG. 16, the shortest distance D1 between the main guide line before branching and the branch line after branching is, for example, about 7 to 15 cm. Further, the guide line detection unit 16 of the guided vehicle traveling on the guide line 111 is configured such that the distance D2 from the center to the end of the imaging range on the floor in the left-right direction of the vehicle body is shorter than the distance D1. , for example, about 6 cm. As described above, since the distance D2 is shorter than the distance D1, the guide line detection unit 16 of the guided vehicle can detect the two-dimensional code of the main line without detecting the two-dimensional code of the branch line of the guide line. can be done. If the two-dimensional codes of the main line and the branch line are detected at the same time, there is a problem that it is not possible to determine which two-dimensional code should be used for control.

After completion of the determination of the stop destination, the control unit of the transport vehicle performs branch control for moving to the determined stop destination. For example, when the work area 114A is determined as the stop destination as a result of the stop destination determination, the own vehicle is rotated in a predetermined rotation direction recorded in advance in the recording unit 220 in association with the work area 114A. In other words, in order to proceed to the left branch line connected to the work area 114A, the right driving wheel is rotated in the advancing direction, the left driving wheel is rotated in the backward direction, and the transport vehicle is rotated counterclockwise. As shown in FIG. 17, when the photographing range of the guide line detection unit 16 is moved by the rotation operation and the two-dimensional code 1020 of the branch line is detected, the rotation operation is stopped and the robot travels forward along the guide line of the branch line. Let Here, the condition for stopping the rotating operation preset in the recording unit 220 may be detection of a specific two-dimensional code 1020, but is not limited to this, and any two-dimensional It may be detecting a code or detecting any two-dimensional code. In addition, the above-described scenario of the branching operation (predetermined direction of rotation, conditions for stopping the rotating operation, and operation after stopping the rotating operation) is recorded in advance in the recording unit 220 corresponding to the determined stop destination. When the user sets a scenario via the input/output device 5000 or the like, it is possible to set information about the predetermined rotation direction.

Here, since the distance D3 between the center of rotation of the transport vehicle shown in FIG. It is possible to reliably detect the two-dimensional code of the branch line after branching by rotating the transport vehicle. The distance D3 is, for example, approximately 15 to 20 cm. Further, as shown in FIG. 17, it is preferable that the rotational movement of the transport vehicle is performed in a state where the center of rotation of the transport vehicle coincides with the position where the extension line of the branch line and the main line intersect. This is because when the guided vehicle detects the guide line of the branch line after branching, the relative angle between the guide line and the guided vehicle is almost zero and the guided line and the guided vehicle become parallel, so the travel control after branching is stabilized. On the other hand, the rotational movement of the transport vehicle may be performed while the center of rotation of the transport vehicle coincides with the position where the distance between the main line and the branch line is the shortest. In this case, since the imaging range of the guide line detection unit 16 moves to a position where the two-dimensional code of the branch line can be detected more easily, the branch line can be detected more reliably.

[Second embodiment]
In the above-described embodiment, the route to the stop destination diverges from the branch point. , 114B, 114C) are defined, the operation of the carrier will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, portions different from those of the above-described first embodiment will be described, and portions not mentioned are the same as those of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 18, work areas 114A, 114B, and 114C serving as stop destinations are defined on the same route of the transport vehicle, and are defined as work areas 114A, 114B, and 114C in order from the far side in the direction of travel. there is When the transport vehicle acquires information that triggers stop destination determination, the object position detection unit 12 determines whether or not there is an object in each work area ahead of the route. FIG. 19 shows an example in which the carriage preceding the work area 114A on the far side of the route is stopped. In this situation, the transport vehicle 10 determines by the object position detection unit 12 that there is an object in the work area 114A and that there are no objects in the front work areas 114B and 114C. Therefore, the work area 114B, which has no object and is the farthest work area in the traveling direction, is determined as the stop destination.

FIG. 20 shows a control flow for making the above determination. Since S2001 to S2005 in FIG. 20 are the same as S1201 to S1205 in FIG. 13, description thereof is omitted. In step 2005 (S2005), the object position detection unit 12 determines whether or not there is an object at the candidate destination position. If not, the work area 114A is determined as the stop destination, and the process proceeds to step 2010 (S2010) where the vehicle travels to the work area 114A and stops. If there is an object, the process proceeds to step 2007 (S2007) for determination. Next, it is determined whether there is an object such as a trolley in the work area 114B (S2007). ). If there is an object, the process proceeds to step 2008 (S2008). Next, similarly, in step 2008 (S2008), it is determined whether or not there is an object such as a trolley in the work area 114C. to stop the vehicle at step 2012 (S2012). In addition, in steps 2010 (S2010), step 2011 (S2011), and step 2012 (S2012), before the vehicle arrives at the stop area, information on the work area of the stop destination is displayed on the display unit 250 of the transport vehicle, the controller 3000, and the operation management device. You can output to 4000.

In the above example, the control flow is for the case where there are three candidate positions for the stop destination, ie, the work areas 114A to 114C. If there are five candidate positions for , the number of control steps is also five according to the number. Next, in step 2009, when it is determined that there is an object at the positions of all stop destination candidates, the operation management device 4000 is notified, and the system waits there for a predetermined time (S2009). After waiting for a predetermined period of time, the process returns to S2005 to re-determine whether or not there is an object.

[Third Embodiment]
In the above-described second embodiment, the stop destination is determined based on the detected position of the preceding truck or the like. 21 to 24, the operation of the transport vehicle when determining the ground will be described. In this embodiment, portions different from the above-described second embodiment will be described, and portions not mentioned are the same as in the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 21, work areas 114A, 114B, and 114C serving as stop destinations are defined on the same route of the transport vehicle, and are defined as work areas 114A, 114B, and 114C in order from the far side in the traveling direction. there is When the transport vehicle acquires information that triggers stop destination determination, the object position detection unit 12 determines whether or not there is an object in each work area ahead of the route. FIG. 21 shows an example in which the worker is at a position corresponding to the work area 114C on the front side of the course. In this situation, the transport vehicle 10 determines by the object position detection unit 12 that there is a worker at a position corresponding to the work area on the side of the work area 114C and that there is no object in the work area 114C. In the stop destination determination, the work area 114C is determined as the stop destination, and the carrier is driven to the work area 114C and stopped.

In each of the above-described embodiments, an example of determining the stop destination based on whether or not there is an object in the work area on the route of the guided vehicle has been described. When a worker picks and sorts transported goods, by changing the stop position according to the worker's work place, it is possible to coordinate the worker and the transport vehicle, which improves work efficiency. can.

It is desirable to detect a worker by processing information acquired by a laser distance sensor or camera and recognizing the worker. You can

FIG. 22 shows the control flow of the third embodiment described above. Since S2201 to S2205 in FIG. 20 are the same as S1201 to S1205 in FIG. 13, description thereof is omitted. In step 2205 (S2205), the object position detection unit 12 determines whether or not there is a worker on the side corresponding to the candidate destination position. Then (S2206), if there is a worker, the work area 114A is determined as the stopping destination, and the vehicle advances to the work area 114A and stops at step 2210 (S2210). If there is no operator, the process proceeds to step 2207 (S2207). Next, in step 2207 (S2207), it is determined whether or not there is a worker at the corresponding position in the work area 114B. It changes to step 2211 (S2211) which stops. If there is no operator, the process proceeds to step 2208 (S2208). Similarly, in step 2208 (S2208), it is determined whether or not there is a worker at the corresponding position in the work area 114C. Then, the vehicle is stopped at step 2212 (S2212). If there is no operator, the process proceeds to step 2209 (S2209). In addition, in steps 2210 (S2210), step 2211 (S2211), and step 2212 (S2212), before the vehicle arrives at the stop area, information on the work area of the stop destination is displayed on the display unit 250 of the transport vehicle, the controller 3000, and the operation management device. You can output to 4000.

In steps S2206, S2207, and S2208, an example of determining the stop destination on the condition that a worker is present was shown. The absence of any object in the work area may be used as a selection condition for the stop destination. In the above example, the control flow is for the case where there are three candidate positions for the stop destination, ie, the work areas 114A to 114C. If there are five candidate positions for , the number of control steps is also five according to the number.

Although FIG. 21 shows an example in which a plurality of work areas are defined on the traveling route of the guided vehicle, a wide range of work areas into which a plurality of guided vehicles can enter are defined as shown in FIG. It is also possible to stop the carrier at any position within the area. In such a case, by changing the stop position of the transport vehicle according to the position of the worker, it is possible to make the worker and the transport vehicle cooperate with each other, thereby improving work efficiency.

When the transport vehicle acquires information that triggers stop destination determination, the object position detection unit 12 determines whether or not there is an object in each work area ahead of the route. FIG. 23 shows an example in which the worker is at a position corresponding to the work area 114 on the front side of the course. In this situation, the transport vehicle 10 uses the object position detection unit 12 to determine that a worker is present at a position corresponding to the work area on the side of the work area 114 . In addition, according to the stop destination determination, the track on the side of the worker position is determined as the stop destination according to the worker position, and the transport vehicle is driven to the stop destination within the work area 114 and stopped.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that those who have ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present disclosure can conceive of various modifications or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. is naturally within the technical scope of the present disclosure.

The devices described herein may be implemented as a single device, or may be implemented by a plurality of devices (eg, cloud servers) partially or wholly connected via a network, or the like. For example, the control unit 260 and the recording unit 220 of the transport vehicle may be realized by different servers connected to each other via a network. Further, in the transport system described in this specification, an example was described in which the pilot 3000, the operation management device 4000, and the input/output device 5000 were each configured by separate hardware connected via a network. 3000 , operation control device 4000 , and input/output device 5000 may be partially or entirely implemented in carrier 10 .

The sequence of operations performed by the apparatus described herein may be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. It is possible to prepare a computer program for realizing each function of the control unit 260 according to the present embodiment and to implement it in a PC or the like. A computer-readable recording medium storing such a computer program can also be provided. The recording medium is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a flash memory, or the like. Also, the above computer program may be distributed, for example, via a network without using a recording medium.

Also, the processes described with reference to flowcharts in this specification do not necessarily have to be executed in the illustrated order. Some processing steps may be performed in parallel. Also, additional processing steps may be employed, and some processing steps may be omitted.

Also, the effects described herein are merely illustrative or exemplary, and are not limiting. In other words, the technology according to the present disclosure can produce other effects that are obvious to those skilled in the art from the description of this specification in addition to or instead of the above effects.

Note that the following configuration also belongs to the technical scope of the present disclosure.
(Item 1) A transport system having a transport vehicle that travels along a guide line laid on a travel path, wherein the transport vehicle includes a guide line detection unit that detects the guide line, and a guide line detector that detects the guide line. an object position detection unit that detects information about the position of an object; and a stop position determination unit that determines a stop position of the transport vehicle according to a detection result of the object position detection unit.
(Item 2) The transport vehicle further includes a storage unit that stores information about one or more candidate stop positions that are candidates for the stop position, and the object position detection unit detects the stop candidates stored in the storage unit. The transportation according to item 1, wherein whether or not there is an object at the candidate stop position or the position of the object within the area of the candidate stop position is determined based on the information about the position and the information about the detected object position. system.
(Item 3) The vehicle stop position determination unit determines whether or not there is an object at the vehicle stop candidate position determined by the object position detection unit, or based on the position of the object within the area of the vehicle stop candidate position. The transport system according to item 2, wherein the transport system determines:
(Item 4) The vehicle stop position determination unit determines the position of the vehicle stop candidate position other than the position where the object is determined to exist, based on the position of the object in the area of the vehicle stop candidate position determined by the object position detection unit. 4. The transport system according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein a stop position is selected from an area.
(Item 5) Based on the position of the object in the area of the candidate stop position determined by the object position detection unit, the vehicle stop position determination unit determines a position close to the position where the object is determined to be the vehicle stop position. 4. The transport system according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the transport system is selected as
(Item 6) When trigger information serving as a trigger for stopping position determination is received from the outside of the transport vehicle, or when the position information of the transport vehicle acquired by the transport vehicle becomes a predetermined position, the object position detection unit 6. The transport system according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein positions of objects around the transport vehicle are detected.
(Item 7) Any one of items 1 to 6, wherein the transport vehicle outputs information regarding the stop position determined by the stop position determination unit to a display unit or notifies an external device of the transport vehicle. A transport system as described.
(Item 8) Items 1 to 8, wherein when the object position detection unit detects a worker, the vehicle stop position determination unit determines a position on the guide line that is close to the detected position of the worker as the vehicle stop position. 8. The transport system according to any one of 7.
(Item 9) The candidate stop position is defined at a branch destination where the guide line branches into a plurality of branches, and the stop position determination unit determines the stop position before the guided vehicle passes through the branch of the guide line. 9. The transport system according to any one of items 1 to 8, which executes the determination process of .
(Item 10) Mode switching between a guided travel mode in which the vehicle travels along the guide line and an autonomous travel mode in which the user travels autonomously in an area where the guide line is not laid using the detection result of the object position detection unit. 10. The transport system of any one of items 1-9, comprising a portion.
(Item 11) The guidance line includes at least one of a plurality of barcodes and a plurality of two-dimensional codes, and the guidance line detection unit detects the Items 1 to 1, wherein the code information included in the bar code or the two-dimensional code is acquired, and the stop position determination unit determines the stop position when the guide line detection unit acquires the predetermined code information. 11. The transport system according to any one of 10.
(Item 12) A transport system having a guide line provided with a plurality of cords laid on a traveling road surface and a transport vehicle traveling along the guide line, wherein the guide line is the guide line along which the transport vehicle travels. and a branch line that is the guide line that is laid apart from the main line by a predetermined distance or more or branched from the main line, and the transport vehicle includes a guide line detection unit that detects the guide line. and a travel control unit that executes guide line follow-up control for causing the transport vehicle to travel while maintaining the state in which the guide line is positioned within the detection range of the guide line detection unit, the travel control unit comprising: When the trigger information is acquired from the code, the guide line follow-up control is stopped, predetermined travel control is executed, and when the predetermined travel control is being executed, the guide line detection unit A transport system that stops the predetermined travel control and executes the guide line follow-up control when the guide line of the branch line is detected.

(Item 13) A transportation control method for a guided vehicle that travels along a guide line laid on a travel path, comprising: a guide line detection step of detecting the guide line; and information about positions of objects around the guided vehicle. and a stop position determination step of determining the stop position of the transport vehicle according to information on the position of the object detected in the object position detection step.
(Item 14) The guided vehicle further includes a storage unit that stores information about one or more candidate stop positions that are candidates for the stop position, and the information about the candidate stop positions stored in the storage unit and the object a vehicle stop candidate position object determination step of determining whether or not an object exists at the vehicle stop candidate position or the position of the object within the area of the vehicle stop candidate position based on the position information of the object detected in the position detection step; 14. A transport control method according to item 13, further comprising:
(Item 15) In the stop position determination step, whether or not there is an object at the stop candidate position determined by the stop candidate position object determination step, or based on the position of the object in the area of the stop candidate position, 15. The transport control method according to item 13 or 14, wherein the stop position is determined.
(Item 16) In the stop position determination step, based on the position of the object in the area of the stop candidate position determined in the stop candidate position object determination step, the vehicle stop candidate other than the position where it is determined that there is an object. 16. The transport control method according to any one of items 13 to 15, wherein a stop position is selected from an area of positions.
(Item 17) Based on the position of the object in the area of the vehicle stop candidate position determined by the object position detection unit, the vehicle stop position determination unit determines a position close to the position where the object is determined to be the vehicle stop position. 16. The transport control method according to any one of items 13 to 15, wherein the transport control method is selected as
(Item 18) Execute an object position detection step when trigger information serving as a trigger for stopping position determination is received from the outside of the transport vehicle, or when the position information of the transport vehicle acquired by the transport vehicle is a predetermined position. 18. The transport control method according to any one of items 13 to 17, wherein the position of an object around the transport vehicle is detected by using the position of the transport vehicle.
(Item 19) Any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the transport vehicle outputs information about the stop position determined by the stop position determination step to an information display unit or notifies an external device of the transport vehicle. or the transport control method according to one.
(Item 20) Items 13 to 19, wherein when a worker is detected by the object position detection step, a position on the guide line close to the detected position of the worker is determined as the stop position in the stop position determination step. The transport control method according to any one of.
(Item 21) The stop candidate position is defined at a branch destination where the guide line branches into a plurality of branches. 21. The transport control method according to any one of items 13 to 20, wherein determination processing of a position determination step is executed.
(Item 22) Mode switching between a guided driving mode in which the vehicle travels along the guidance line and an autonomous driving mode in which the vehicle travels autonomously in an area where the guidance line is not laid using the detection result of the object position detection unit. 22. The transport control method according to any one of items 13 to 21, comprising steps.
(Item 23) The guide line includes at least one of a plurality of bar codes and a plurality of two-dimensional codes, and in the guide line detection step, the bar code is extracted from image information captured by a camera that captures the guide line. Items 13 to 13, wherein the code information included in the code or the two-dimensional code is acquired, and in the stop position determination step, the stop position is determined when the predetermined code information is acquired in the guide line detection step. 23. The transport control method according to any one of 22.
(Item 24) A transportation control method for a guided vehicle traveling along a guide line provided with a plurality of cords laid on a traveling road surface, wherein the guided line is the guide line on which the guided vehicle travels. a guide line detection step of detecting the guide line having a main line and a branch line that is the guide line laid at a predetermined distance or more from the main line or branched from the main line; a travel control step of executing guide line follow-up control for causing the guided vehicle to travel while maintaining the position of the guide line; When the follow-up control is stopped and predetermined travel control is executed, and the guide line detection unit detects the guide line of the branch line while the predetermined travel control is being performed, the predetermined travel control is performed. A transport control method, comprising stopping travel control and executing the guide line follow-up control.

10 guided vehicle 11 connection part 12 object position detection part 13 driving wheel 14 non-driving wheel 16 guidance line detection part 17 magnetic sensor 18 mark detection part 110, 130 guidance travel area 111, 131 guidance line , 112, 132 Guidance driving mode start area 113 Branch point 114, 133 Work area 115, 134 Autonomous driving mode start area 116 Magnetic marker 120 Autonomous driving area 210 Communication unit 220 Recording unit 230 Detecting unit 240 Input unit 250 Display unit 240 Control unit 280 Wheel drive unit 2000 Bogie 2010 Connection receiving unit 3000 Manipulator 4000 Operation control device 5000 Input/output device 6000 Communication network 7000 External system

Claims (10)

A transport system having a transport vehicle that travels along a guide line laid on a travel path,
The transport vehicle is
a guidance line detection unit that detects the guidance line;
an object position detection unit that detects information about the position of an object around the transport vehicle;
a stop position determination unit that determines the stop position of the transport vehicle according to the detection result of the object position detection unit;
Candidate stop positions are set on a plurality of guidance lines, respectively, and
The stop position determination unit determines an area in which an object exists and an area in which the object does not exist among the plurality of candidate stop positions based on the detection result of the object position detection unit, and determines the stop position in the area where the object does not exist. Select the candidate position as the stop position ,
The stop position determination unit further determines the presence or absence of a worker and the position of the worker in the work area corresponding to each of the candidate stop positions,
The stop position determination unit selects information on the presence or absence of the object, information on the presence or absence of the worker, information on the position of the worker, and the priority among a plurality of candidate stop positions for which priority is set. A transport system that selects a stop location based on ranking information . wherein the stop position determination unit selects a stop position from among the plurality of stop position candidates for which the priority order is set , and where there is no object and workers are present in the work area. Item 1. The transport system according to Item 1. The conveyance according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a mode switching unit that switches between a guided travel mode in which the vehicle travels along the guide line and an autonomous travel mode in which the vehicle autonomously travels in an area where the guide line is not laid. system. The candidate stop position is defined at a branch destination where the guide line branches into a plurality of branches,
3. The transport system according to claim 1, wherein said stop position determination unit executes stop position determination processing before said transport vehicle passes through a branch of said guide line. 2. The conveying system according to claim 1, wherein the stop position determination unit determines the stop position of the transport vehicle at a branch point where one guide line branches into three or more guide lines. 6. The position of an object around the transport vehicle is detected by the object position detecting unit when trigger information serving as a trigger for determining the stop position is received from outside the transport vehicle. 10. A transport system according to paragraph 1. 6. The object position detection unit detects the position of an object around the transport vehicle when the position information of the machine acquired by the transport vehicle indicates a predetermined position. The transport system according to . 8. The method of claim 1, wherein when the object position detection unit detects a worker, the vehicle stop position determination unit determines a position on the guide line that is close to the detected position of the worker as the vehicle stop position. A transport system according to any one of the preceding claims. the guide line includes at least one of a plurality of barcodes and a plurality of two-dimensional codes;
The guide line detection unit acquires code information included in the barcode or the two-dimensional code from a camera that captures the guide line and captured image information,
The transport system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the stop position determination section determines the stop position when the guide line detection section acquires the predetermined code information. A transport control method for a transport vehicle that travels along a guide line laid on a travel path,
a guiding line detection step of detecting the guiding line;
an object position detection step of detecting information about the position of an object around the transport vehicle;
a stop position determination step for determining a stop position of the transport vehicle according to the detection result of the object position detection step ;
Candidate stop positions are set on a plurality of guidance lines, respectively, and
The stopping position determining step determines an area in which an object exists and an area in which an object does not exist among the plurality of candidate stopping positions based on the detection result of the object position detecting step, and determines the area in which the object does not exist. Select the candidate position as the stop position ,
The stop position determination step further determines the presence or absence of a worker and the position of the worker in the work area corresponding to each of the candidate stop positions,
The stop position determination step includes information on the presence or absence of the object, information on the presence or absence of the worker, information on the position of the worker, and information on the position of the worker, among a plurality of candidate stop positions for which priority is set. A transport control method for selecting a stop position based on order information .

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