JP7372948B2 - Warehouse safety system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a warehouse safety system that manages the transportation of articles within a warehouse.

In recent years, in warehouse operations, not only manned transport vehicles but also unmanned transport vehicles are being used. Therefore, there is a need to be able to work safely without contact between transport vehicles or collision between transport vehicles and workers.

As a technology related to such a safety system in a warehouse, for example, there is a technology as described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses that position information of an object moving in a predetermined area such as inside a building is obtained by an object position detection device, and based on the position information, the position of the object is displayed three-dimensionally on a monitor in real time. A technique is described that enables movement management to be performed three-dimensionally. Additionally, Patent Document 1 describes transmitting warning information or collision avoidance guidance information to transport equipment moving within a warehouse in order to avoid collisions.

In addition, as another technology related to a safety system in a warehouse, there is one described in Patent Document 2, for example. Patent Document 2 discloses a stop determination function that monitors the output signals of a plurality of sensors and, when the output signal of any one of the plurality of sensors changes, determines whether the change is a change that requires stopping the driving operation. A technology is described that provides the following. Further, the technology described in Patent Document 2 has a control function that stops the driving operation when it is necessary to stop the driving operation, records the change in the memory, and continues the driving operation.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-196553 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-211708

However, with the technology described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, if there is a risk that a worker or the like may come into contact with equipment installed in a warehouse such as a transport vehicle, the operation of the equipment is stopped or the equipment is It was also transmitting collision avoidance guidance information. Therefore, the techniques described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 have a problem in that the productivity of work in the warehouse decreases due to the equipment stopping.

Furthermore, the techniques described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 have a problem in that the safety of equipment and workers that cannot receive stop signals and collision avoidance guidance information cannot be ensured.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a warehouse safety system that takes the above-mentioned problems into consideration, suppresses a decrease in productivity, and improves the safety of warehouse operations.

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object of the present invention, the warehouse safety system includes an area safety determination section, an equipment information management section, and a safety protection control section. The area safety determination unit generates area information from area sensors installed in the warehouse. The equipment information management unit manages equipment information that is information about equipment that performs work within the warehouse. The safety protection control unit receives task information indicating information regarding productivity required within the warehouse, equipment information from the equipment information management unit, and area information from the area safety determination unit. Furthermore, the safety protection control unit calculates the risk within the warehouse based on the area information. Based on the calculated risk, task information, and device information, the safety protection control unit controls the operation of the device using multiple direct control methods and multiple indirect control methods with different degrees of productivity decline and risk tolerance. Decide on the method and output control signals to the equipment.

According to the warehouse safety system configured as described above, it is possible to suppress a decrease in productivity and improve the safety of work in the warehouse.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an in-warehouse safety system according to an embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of a warehouse safety system according to an embodiment. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of area information generated by an area safety determination unit of the warehouse safety system according to the embodiment and risk determination performed by a safety protection control unit to be described later. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of equipment information stored in an equipment information storage section of the warehouse safety system according to the embodiment. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the warehouse safety system according to the embodiment. 2 is a control method selection table used when the safety protection control unit of the warehouse safety system according to the embodiment selects a control method. It is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which equipment in the warehouse operates according to the control method output from the warehouse safety system according to the embodiment, and shows an example of the operation of the indirect control method. It is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which equipment in the warehouse operates according to the control method output from the warehouse safety system according to the embodiment, and shows an example of the operation of the direct control method. This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how equipment in the warehouse operates according to the control method output from the warehouse safety system according to the embodiment, and is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the control method that combines the direct control method and the indirect control method. be. This is an explanatory diagram showing an example of how equipment in the warehouse operates according to the control method output from the warehouse safety system according to the embodiment, and is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the control method that combines the direct control method and the indirect control method. be.

A warehouse safety system according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. Note that common members in each figure are given the same reference numerals.

1. Configuration Example of Warehouse Safety System First, the configuration of a warehouse safety system according to an embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "this example") will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a warehouse safety system, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the warehouse safety system.

As shown in FIG. 1, the warehouse safety system 100 includes a server 10, a storage device 20, a network access point 30, and an area sensor 70 that monitors the inside of the warehouse. The area sensor 70 is, for example, a camera installed in a warehouse, and a plurality of area sensors 70 are installed in the warehouse. Then, the area sensor 70 detects the positions of the transport vehicle 40, the worker 80, and the objects to be transported that move within the warehouse, and outputs the detected information to the server 10 via the network access point 30.

Furthermore, a transport vehicle 40, a safety device 50 consisting of a protective wall, and equipment 60 are installed in the warehouse. Examples of the transport vehicle 40 include a forklift (FL), an automatic guided vehicle (AGV), and a transport robot (AMR). Furthermore, examples of the equipment 60 include a picking robot, a conveyor, a sorter, a vertical conveyor, a mobile rack, an automatic warehouse, and the like.

The transport vehicle 40, the safety device 50, and the equipment 60 each have control information receiving units 410, 510, and 610 that receive information from the server 10 via the network access point 30. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the transport vehicle 40 includes a vehicle control section 420 that controls the vehicle based on the control information received by the control information receiving section 410, and a vehicle state management section 430. Vehicle state management section 430 detects the state of transport vehicle 40 and outputs the detected state of the vehicle to equipment information management section 150 provided in server 10, which will be described later.

The safety device 50 includes a safety function activation section 520 that controls the operation of the safety device 50 based on the control information received by the control information receiving section 510. The equipment 60 includes an equipment operation control unit 620 that controls operation and stoppage of the equipment 60 based on the control information received by the control information receiving unit 610.

Next, the server 10 will be explained.
The server 10 includes an infrastructure safety monitoring section 110, an area safety determination section 120, an area safety information management section 130, a safety protection control section 140, and an equipment information management section 150.

The infrastructure safety monitoring unit 110 acquires position information of the transport vehicle 40, the worker 80, etc. detected by the area sensor 70, and outputs it to the area safety determination unit 120. Further, the area safety determination section 120 is connected to the area safety information management section 130. The area safety information management section 130 is connected to an area information storage section 210 provided in the storage device 20. The area safety information management unit 130 stores area information in the area information storage unit 210 and receives area information from the area information storage unit 210. Area safety information management section 130 outputs area information to area safety determination section 120.

Area information includes a pre-created map showing the interior of the warehouse, layout information showing the locations of shelves where objects to be transported are stored, safety devices 50, equipment 60, and locations of transport vehicles 40, workers 80, etc. It is information that is superimposed on information. The area safety determination unit 120 generates the latest area information by superimposing the location information of the transport vehicle 40, worker 80, etc. acquired from the infrastructure safety monitoring unit 110 on the area information acquired from the area safety information management unit 130. do. Area safety determination unit 120 outputs the generated area information to safety protection control unit 140 and area safety information management unit 130. Upon acquiring the latest area information from the area safety determination unit 120, the area safety information management unit 130 updates the area information stored in the area information storage unit 210.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of area information generated by the area safety determination unit 120 and risk determination performed by the safety protection control unit 140, which will be described later.
As shown in FIG. 3, the area safety determination unit 120 calculates the behavior prediction maps 8001 and 8002 of the worker 80 and the movement range 4002 of the transport vehicle 40 from the position information of the worker 80. Note that the first behavior prediction map 8001 is a map whose prediction reliability is higher than that of the second behavior prediction map 8002. The first behavior prediction map 8001 is set to have a narrower prediction range than the second behavior prediction map 8002.

The device information management unit 150 is connected to a device information storage unit 220 provided in the storage device 20 and a vehicle status management unit 430 provided in the transport vehicle 40. The device information management section 150 manages information on various devices that perform work in the warehouse, and updates the device information stored in the device information storage section 220 as needed. Additionally, the device information management section 150 outputs device information to the safety protection control section 140.

The equipment information includes not only information regarding the transport vehicle 40, safety equipment 50, and equipment 60, but also information about the workers 80 who work in the warehouse.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of device information stored in the device information storage section 220.
As shown in FIG. 4, the equipment information includes equipment existing in the warehouse and workers, such as "worker", "manned FL worker", "worker (with equipment)", "manned FL worker", and "manned FL worker". (safety equipment),” “unmanned FL lv1,” and “unmanned FL lv2.” In the device information, the presence or absence of an "information presentation means", the "safety function level", and the presence or absence of an "external control function" of each device are set.

Here, the "information presentation means" is set depending on whether or not each device has a means that can transmit, receive, and visualize information from the outside, such as a monitor or a lamp provided in each device. "○" is set for devices that have the same, and "x" is set for devices that do not have the same. Further, in the case of the worker 80, the judgment is made based on whether or not he/she has a mobile terminal capable of transmitting/receiving information from the server 10.

The "safety function level" is set in advance based on the specifications of a safety sensor (for example, a contact bumper) provided in each device, the measurement range of the safety sensor, the imaging method, and the presence or absence of a wireless emergency stop function. The level is set higher as the device has more various functions. Note that the "safety function level" shown in FIG. 4 is just an example, and may be set in further subdivisions.

The "external control function" is set to "x" if it does not have a wireless emergency stop function. "△" indicates a device that can be stopped in an emergency under external control, and "○" indicates a device that can perform operations other than stopping, such as turning or changing speed, under external control.

Furthermore, the device information is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 4, and may be subdivided by adding another category.

Task information 90 is input to the security control unit 140 from an external device via the server 10 or the network access point 30. Task information is information regarding the content of work performed in the warehouse and information regarding required productivity.

The safety control unit 140 performs risk determination based on the area information output from the area safety determination unit 120 and the device information output from the device information management unit 150. Moreover, the safety protection control unit 140 has a plurality of direct control methods and a plurality of indirect control methods. The safety control unit 140 then determines (selects) a control method based on the risk determination and required productivity. The security control unit 140 then outputs the determined control method to the control information receiving units 410, 510, and 610 of each device via the network access point 30.

2. Operation Example of Warehouse Safety System Next, an operation example of the warehouse safety system 100 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 10.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the warehouse safety system 100. FIG. 6 is a control method selection table used when the safety protection control unit 140 selects a control method. 7 to 10 are explanatory diagrams showing examples in which devices operate according to the control method output from the safety protection control unit 140.

As shown in FIG. 5, the safety control unit 140 of the server 10 determines whether safety signals have been received from various devices in the warehouse (step S31). If the safety control unit 140 determines in step S31 that a safety signal has not been received (NO determination in step S31), the safety control unit 140 performs system stop processing and shuts down all equipment in the warehouse. An emergency stop is made (step S32).

On the other hand, if it is determined that a safety signal has been received (YES determination in step S31), the safety protection control unit 140 acquires area information, device information, and task information, and performs risk determination (step S33).

Here, in step S33, for example, the safety protection control unit 140 calculates the probability that the behavior prediction maps 8001 and 8002 of the worker 80 intersect with the movement range 4002 of the transport vehicle 40 and the collision margin time based on the area information. .

Furthermore, the safety protection control unit 140 calculates a safe controllable range 4001 and a safety controllable outside range 4003 from the movement range 4002 of the transport vehicle 40 based on the device information. The safe controllable range 4001 is a range in which the transport vehicle 40 can be controlled to safely avoid a collision with the worker 80 (object to be protected). The outside safety controllable range 4003 is a range in which a collision with the worker 80 cannot be avoided even if the transport vehicle 40 is controlled. The safe controllable range 4001 is set wider than the safe controllable outside range 4003.

For example, when the behavior prediction map 8001 of the worker 80 overlaps with the safe controllable range 4001, the safety protection control unit 140 calculates a lower risk than when the behavior prediction map 8001 overlaps with the outside of the safety controllable range 4003.

After performing the risk determination, the safety protection control unit 140 determines whether the calculated risk is a controllable risk or not (step S34). In the process of step S34, if it is determined that there is an uncontrollable risk (NO in step S34), a system shutdown process is performed and all equipment in the warehouse is brought to an emergency stop (step S35).

On the other hand, in the process of step S34, if it is determined that the risk is controllable (YES determination in step S34), a control method is selected from a plurality of control methods according to the danger source and the object to be protected, and each device is The control method is transmitted to (step S36).

In the process of step S36, in detail, the safety protection control unit 140 selects a control method from a plurality of direct control methods and a plurality of indirect control methods according to the calculated risk and required productivity. The direct control method is a control method that directly controls a dangerous source that may collide with an object to be protected such as the transport vehicle 40. The indirect control method is a control method that controls equipment that is different from the source of danger.

FIG. 6 is a control method selection table used when the safety protection control unit 140 selects a control method.
As shown in FIG. 6, the control method selection table includes a plurality of direct control methods and a plurality of indirect control methods depending on the degree of productivity decline P and risk tolerance R. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the degree of decrease in productivity P becomes "P1", "P2", "P3", "P4", "P5", "P6", etc. as the decrease in productivity increases. It is set. The risk tolerance R is set such that the higher the number, the higher the risk, such as "R4,""R3,""R2," and "R1."

Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the degree of productivity decline P and the risk tolerance R are set depending on the combination of the direct control method and the indirect control method. For example, when the direct control method is "normal operation" and the indirect control method is "information presentation", the degree of decrease in productivity P is set to "P2" and the risk tolerance R is set to "R3". Further, when the direct control method is "degenerate operation" and the explanation control method is "normal operation", the degree of decrease in productivity P is set to "P3" and the risk tolerance is set to "R3".

Then, the safety protection control unit 140 extracts a control method that satisfies the risk calculated in step S33 and the required productivity from among the plurality of control methods shown in FIG. Next, from among the extracted control methods, the control method with the lowest degree of decrease P in productivity, that is, the most efficient control method is selected. Note that if there is no control method that can tolerate the risk calculated in step S33 among the control methods that satisfy the required productivity, the safety protection control unit 140 sets the required productivity to priority in order to prioritize safety. Decrease and select control method.

Thereby, it is possible to suppress a decrease in productivity while reducing risks within the warehouse. Further, by creating a control method selection table as shown in FIG. 6 in advance, the safety protection control unit 140 can easily perform the process of selecting a control method.

3. Example in which equipment operates according to the control method output from the safety protection control unit Next, an example in which equipment in the warehouse operates according to the control method output from the safety protection control unit 140 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10. do.
In the examples shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the conveyance vehicle 40 moves from the movement start position A01 to the conveyance target object B01, and approaches the worker 80 and the conveyance vehicle 40.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the indirect control method.
The example shown in FIG. 7 shows an example in which the "safety function level" of the transport vehicle 40 is low and does not have an "external control function." As shown in FIG. 7, since the safety protection control unit 140 cannot directly control the transport vehicle 40, it operates the safety device 50 installed between the transport vehicle 40 and the worker 80 using an indirect control method. Thereby, the risk of collision between the worker 80 and the transport vehicle 40 can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to ensure the safety of the workers 80 and transport vehicles 40 who cannot receive information from the server 10, and it is possible to improve the safety of work in the warehouse.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the operation of the direct control method.
The example shown in FIG. 8 shows an example in which the transport vehicle 40 has a high "safety function level" and has an "external control function." As shown in FIG. 8, the safety protection control unit 140 can directly control the transport vehicle 40, and therefore causes the transport vehicle 40 to stop operating or perform a degraded operation using a direct control method. Note that whether to stop the operation of the transport vehicle 40 or cause it to operate in a degraded manner is determined by referring to the control method selection table shown in FIG. 6, and selects a control method with a low degree of decrease P in productivity. Thereby, a collision between the worker 80 and the transport vehicle 40 can be avoided.

FIG. 9 shows an example of the operation of a control method that combines a direct control method and an indirect control method, and shows an example in which a worker 80 has a mobile terminal 81 that can send and receive information from the server 10. .
In the example shown in FIG. 9, the safety protection control unit 140 causes the mobile terminal 81 of the worker 80 to display a guide informing the operator of the approach of the conveyance vehicle 40 and a guide prohibiting approaching the conveyance object B01. do. Alternatively, when the worker 80 is driving the vehicle, the mobile terminal 81 is made to notify the operator to reduce the moving speed of the vehicle.

Further, the safety protection control unit 140 directly controls the conveyance vehicle 40 and restricts the area of the conveyance vehicle 40, for example, prohibits the conveyance vehicle 40 from approaching area B02. Further, if the transport vehicle 40 has a task of transporting an object placed in area B02, the work is assigned so that another transport vehicle or worker 80 carries out the transport of the object in area B02. change. In this way, by combining the direct control method and the indirect control method and outputting the control method, it is possible to avoid a collision between the transport vehicle 40 and the worker 80, and also suppress a decrease in productivity. I can do it.

FIG. 10 shows an example of the operation of a control method that is a combination of a direct control method and an indirect control method, and shows an example in which two conveyance vehicles 40 and 41 and a worker 80 are close to each other. Further, the worker 80 has a mobile terminal 81 that can transmit and receive information from the server 10, as in FIG. Note that the "safety function level" of the first transport vehicle 40 is level 1, and the "safety function level" of the second transport vehicle 41 is level 2. Therefore, the first transport vehicle 40 is calculated to have a higher risk of approaching the worker 80 than the second transport vehicle 41.

Similar to the example shown in FIG. 9, the safety protection control unit 140 sends guidance to the mobile terminal 81 owned by the worker 80 to notify the operator of the approach of the conveyance vehicles 40 and 41 and guidance to prohibit approach to the object to be conveyed B01. to display. Alternatively, when the worker 80 is driving the vehicle, the mobile terminal 81 is made to notify the operator to reduce the moving speed of the vehicle.

Furthermore, the safety protection control unit 140 causes the first transport vehicle 40 with a low "safety function level" to come to an emergency stop. Then, the safety protection control unit 140 changes the task of the first transport vehicle 40 to the second transport vehicle 41 having a higher "safety function level". Therefore, the second conveyance vehicle 41 moves toward the conveyed object B01 instead of the first conveyance vehicle 40. In this way, by combining the direct control method and the indirect control method and outputting the control method, it is possible to avoid collisions between the transport vehicles 40 and 41 and the workers 80, and also suppress a decrease in productivity. can do.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Part or all of the components, functions, processing units, etc. that constitute the server 10 and the storage device 20 may be realized in hardware by, for example, designing an integrated circuit. Further, each of the above-mentioned components, functions, etc. may be realized by software by a processor interpreting and executing a program for realizing each function. Information such as programs, tables, files, etc. that realize each function can be stored in a recording device such as a memory, a hard disk, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10...Server, 20...Storage device, 30...Network access point, 40, 41...Transportation vehicle, 50...Safety device, 60...Equipment equipment, 70...Area sensor, 80...Worker, 81...Mobile terminal, 90...Task Information, 100... Warehouse Safety System, 110... Infrastructure Safety Monitoring Department, 120... Area Safety Judgment Department, 130... Area Safety Information Management Department, 140... Safety Protection Control Department, 150... Equipment Information Management Department, 210... Area Information Storage Section, 220...Equipment information storage section, 410, 510, 610...Control information receiving section, 420...Vehicle control section, 430...Vehicle status management section, 520...Safety function operation section, 620...Equipment operation control section, 4001...Safety controllable range, 4002...movement range, 4003...outside of safe controllable range, 8001...behavior prediction map, 8001...first behavior prediction map, 8002...second behavior prediction map, A01...movement start position, B01...object to be transported , B02…Area

Claims (4)

an area safety determination unit that acquires area information from area sensors installed in the warehouse;
an equipment information management unit that manages equipment information that is information about a plurality of equipment that performs work in the warehouse;
a safety protection control unit into which task information indicating information regarding productivity required in the warehouse, the equipment information from the equipment information management unit, and the area information from the area safety determination unit are input;
The safety protection control section includes:
A plurality of direct control methods that calculate a risk in the warehouse based on the area information, and have different degrees of productivity decline and risk tolerance based on the calculated risk, the task information, and the equipment information. and determining a control method for operating a predetermined device among a plurality of devices working in the warehouse from a plurality of indirect control methods, and outputting a control signal to the device;
The direct control method is a control method in which the safety protection control unit outputs a control signal to a device that is a source of danger and may collide with a protected object among a plurality of devices that work in the warehouse. ,
The indirect control method uses a mobile terminal that a worker has as a device that is different from the device that is a source of danger and that is likely to collide with a protected object among a plurality of devices that work in the warehouse. This is a control method in which a control signal is output from the safety protection control unit to display a guide that informs you of the approach of the equipment that is a source of danger, or a guide that prohibits you from approaching the destination of the equipment that is a source of danger. Inside the warehouse safety system. The safety protection control unit extracts a plurality of control methods that satisfy the calculated risk and required productivity from among the plurality of control methods, and extracts a plurality of control methods that satisfy the calculated risk and required productivity, and extracts a plurality of control methods that have the highest degree of decrease in productivity among the plurality of extracted control methods. The warehouse safety system according to claim 1, wherein a lower control method is determined as the control method for operating the equipment. The warehouse safety system according to claim 1, wherein the safety protection control unit determines a control method that combines the direct control method and the indirect control method as a control method for operating a plurality of devices working in the warehouse. . The equipment includes at least a forklift, an automatic guided vehicle, a transfer robot, a conveyor, a sorter, a vertical transfer machine, a mobile rack, an automated warehouse, a protective wall, and a device held by a worker working in the warehouse and connected to the safety control unit. The warehouse safety system according to claim 1, which is a mobile terminal capable of transmitting and receiving information.

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