JPH0424707A - Travel control system for track type self-traveling truck in work zone - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To stop a self-traveling truck at a stop position corresponding to a designated destination address by executing a travel control program for work zone based on the number of times of detection of respective fixed position display parts after a code reader reads a code display part for identifying a work zone. CONSTITUTION:After a code display part 13 for identifying the work zone is read by a code reader 5 of a self-traveling truck 1 arriving at just before the work zone designated by the destination address, the travel control program for work zone is executed by a microcomputer 9 based on the number of times of detection of each fixed position display part 14 by a fixed position detector 6. Thus, while controlling the travel of the self-traveling truck 1, the truck can be stopped at the stop position corresponding to the designated destination address. Therefore, it is not necessary at all to provide many signal lines or communication lines to be connected with a ground side controller in the work zone.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention is directed to a work zone having a plurality of stopping positions where a track-type self-propelled trolley that runs on a fixed traveling route is used for loading and unloading work of transported objects, etc. The present invention relates to a travel control system that automatically stops the vehicle at a predetermined stop position.

(Prior art and its problems) In the above-mentioned transport device using a track-type self-propelled cart, for unloading work of transported objects from the self-propelled cart, etc.
It is necessary to automatically stop at one designated stop position among the multiple stop positions within the work zone. In the conventional travel control system of a self-propelled trolley in such a work zone, a code board is provided to display an absolute address code for every stop position within the work zone, and the code board is stored in the storage means of the self-propelled trolley. The deceleration and stop control of the self-propelled vehicle is performed based on the comparison result between the stopped position code and the absolute address code of each stop position detected by the code reader of the self-propelled vehicle.

In such conventional travel control systems, the number of stopping positions for which absolute address codes must be set is extremely large, especially when multiple work zones are provided as described above, and An extremely wide variety of coat plates are required, including coat plates disposed to give traveling control commands to the self-propelled cart at multiple points. Therefore, not only is the cost of the code plate high, but there are also restrictions on the types of coat plates that can be used for other travel control commands.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the conventional problems as described above, the present invention has the following features:
A self-propelled trolley that runs on a fixed travel route is equipped with a code reader, a fixed position detector, and a microcomputer for travel control, and a work zone identification machine is installed immediately before the work zone set on the travel route. A code display unit is provided, and within the work zone, the same fixed position display unit is provided at each stop position set at appropriate intervals, and a microcomputer of the self-propelled cart includes: A destination address that specifies a destination work zone and a stopping position within the work zone is memorized, and a code reader of a self-propelled trolley that arrives just before the work zone specified by the destination address reads the work zone identification coat. After reading the display sections, the microcomputer executes the work zone travel control program based on the number of times each fixed position display section is detected by the fixed position detector, thereby controlling the traveling of the self-propelled cart. The present invention proposes a traveling control system for a track-type self-propelled trolley in a work zone, which is characterized by controlling and stopping the vehicle at a stop position corresponding to a designated destination address.

(Example) An example of the present invention will be described below based on the attached illustrative drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a self-propelled trolley that is guided by guide rails and supported so that it can run on a fixed track. A detector 6, a control communication section 7, a signal communication section 8, and a control microcomputer 9 are installed. A power supply line 10 is laid along the travel route of the self-propelled trolley l, and a control communication line 1J and a signal communication line 12 are laid in required sections. In addition, coat display sections 13 that are read by the coder 1'' 1,1-der 5 and the position detector 6 are installed at required locations along the travel route.
A fixed position display section 14 is provided which is detected by. 1
5 to 17 are current collectors provided on the self-propelled trolley l.

It should be noted that the power supply line 10, the control communication line 11, and the signal communication line 12 are all of a double line type, or are omitted in the figure and shown as a single line each.

FIG. 2 shows the layout of the trolley travel path 18 in the transport device using the self-propelled trolley I, in which 19 is a loading work zone and 20A to 20C are unloading work zones.

As shown in FIG. 3, each sectioning work zone 20A to 20
C has a plurality of stop positions 20 set at appropriate intervals.
The fixed position display parts 14a to 14d each made of a magnetic plate or the like having the same shape are disposed at each of a to 20d, and the signal communication line 12 and the control communication line 11a are connected continuously over the entire area. It is laid down. Immediately before each of the work zones 20A to 20C, a control communication line 11b, which is separated from the control communication line 11a, is installed, and an unloading work zone identification line consisting of coat plates each having a different coat number is installed. Coat display section 13 (2OA)
~l3 (20C) and the fixed position display section 14a~
A fixed position display section 14e made of the same magnetic plate as 14d is also provided. And on the ground side, the signal communication line 1
Control signals, etc., are transmitted between the control communication lines 11a and llb via the communication unit 23 based on the trolley presence information 21 in the work zone obtained from 2 and the destination address 22 etc. set from the outside. A control device 24 for communication is also installed.

The object to be transported is loaded in the loading work zone 19, and the destination address that specifies one of the unloading work zones 20A to 20C and one of the stop positions 20a to 20d within the unloading work zone is set in the microprocessor. computer
The self-propelled trolley 1, which has been set and stored in the microcomputer 9, is controlled by the microcomputer 9 or the controller 2 based on a traveling control program selected from a plurality of control programs registered in advance in the microcomputer 9. By controlling the traveling motor 2 and the brake 3, the machine automatically travels on the travel route 18 toward a designated unloading work zone among the unloading work zones 20A to 20C.

For example, the third stop position 20 of the wholesale work zone 20B
When c arrives at the self-propelled cart 1 stored in the microcomputer 9 as the destination address, or just before the unloading work zone 20B (within the zone of the control communication line 11b), the fourth
As shown in the flowchart in the figure, the coat display section 13 (20B) for identifying the unloading work zone by the code reader 5
), the wholesaling work zone travel control program is selected from among the plurality of control programs registered in advance in the microcomputer 9, and the wholesaling work zone travel control program or the previous travel control program is selected. will be started instead.

However, when a self-propelled cart 1 is present in the unloading work zone 20B, the signal communication line 12 of the unloading work zone 20B is transmitted from the signal communication unit 8 of the self-propelled cart 1 via the collector 17.
Since the occupancy signal is supplied to the controller 2 on the ground side,
4 determines whether or not the unloading work zone 20B is vacant based on the cart presence information 21 supplied from the signal communication line 12, and if the seat is vacant, sends a travel command from the communication unit 23 to the control communication to line 11b.

As mentioned above, when a traveling command is received from the ground-side control device 24 via the microcomputer 9 of the self-propelled trolley 1 that has arrived just before the unloading work zone 20B or the control communication line 11b, the self-propelled trolley 1 The vehicle enters the unloading work zone 20B. If a travel command is not received, the control moves to a fixed position stop control, and the self-propelled cart 1 is stopped at a fixed position immediately before the unloading work zone 20B where the fixed position display section 14e is detected by the fixed position detector 6. At this point, the vehicle waits until the travel command is received.

The stop position designation part in the destination address stored in the microcomputer 9 of the self-propelled cart 1 is determined by the count value of the fixed position display parts 14a to 14d by the fixed position detector 6 at each stop in the unloading work zone 20B. It represents the positions 20a to 20d, and when the self-propelled trolley l enters the unloading work zone 20B in response to a traveling command as described above, the microcomputer 9 uses the detection signal of the fixed position detector 6. The fixed position display parts 14a to 14d are sequentially counted, and this counted value is the deceleration value obtained by subtracting a certain number, for example, "1" from the counted value "3" corresponding to the part specifying the stop position 20c of the destination address. When the count value coincides with the position equivalent count value "2", deceleration control is performed, and when the count value coincides with the count value "3", stop control is performed. As a result, the self-propelled trolley l is
Among the stop positions 20a to 20d, the front side is automatically stopped at the set and memorized stop position 20c.

The self-propelled cart 1 is at a stopping position 20c in the unloading work zone 20B.
When the self-propelled trolley 1 stops, the microcomputer 9 of the self-propelled trolley 1 outputs an arrival signal to the ground-side control device 24 via the signal communication unit 8, the collector 17, and the signal communication line 12, and then Reset the destination address stored by computer-9 itself. However, the self-propelled trolley 1
When the unloading work of the transported object is performed automatically using the unloading equipment installed on the ground side or the unloading equipment installed on the self-propelled trolley,
Based on the arrival signal output from the self-propelled vehicle 1, the loading device installed on the ground side and the loading/unloading device on the self-propelled vehicle 1 can be automatically controlled by the ground-side control device 24 or the microcomputer 9 on the vehicle. .

When the microcomputer 9 of the self-propelled trolley 1 that has completed the work of unloading the transported object receives the destination address 22 from the ground side control device 24 via the control communication line 11a, the destination address 22 is memorized. Then, the unloading work zone travel control block is switched to the original travel control program or a new travel control program designated by the ground side control device 24. In such a state, when a travel command is received from the microcomputer 9 or the ground-side control device 24 via the control communication line 11a, the unloading complete self-propelled cart 1 travels based on the switched travel control program. The vehicle then travels towards a controlled and stored destination address 22, for example a loading zone 19.

In addition, in the above embodiment, each wholesale work zone 20A to 2OC
If the condition is that only one self-propelled trolley 1 is present in the unloading work zone, or if the total length of the unloading work zone is long and the loss time will be large in terms of tact, the unloading work zone will be
The zone is divided into a plurality of sections whose number is smaller than the number of stop positions set in the zone, and the control communication line 11a and the signal communication line 12 are divided and laid for each section, so that each section has a plurality of sections. 1 self-propelled trolley per each compartment with stopping position 1
It is also possible to control so that the person can be present. or,
A signal communication line I2 for detecting the presence of a trolley in the unloading work zones 20A to 2OC, a control communication line 11a for giving destinations and travel commands to the self-propelled cart l after work is completed, or the unloading work zones 20A to 20C. Control communication line 11 immediately before
b and the fixed position display section 14e are not essential to the control method of the present invention.

(Operations and Effects of the Invention) As described above, the running control system of the track-type self-propelled trolley in the work zone of the present invention is capable of controlling the running of the self-propelled trolley in the unloading work zone etc. where a plurality of stopping positions are set. The microcomputer of the self-propelled trolley stores a destination address that specifies the destination work zone and the stopping position within the work zone, and performs the work specified by the destination address. After reading the code reader or work zone identification code display section of the self-propelled cart that arrived just before the zone, the work zone travel control program is executed based on the number of times each fixed position display section is detected by the fixed position detector. This is executed by the microcomputer, thereby controlling the traveling of the self-propelled trolley and stopping it at the stop position corresponding to the designated destination address. There is no need to control the running of the self-propelled trolley from the ground side at all, and the self-propelled trolley is controlled by a predetermined work zone travel control program and the destination address stored in the microcomputer of the self-propelled trolley. The vehicle then moves to the desired stopping position and stops. Therefore, in order to control the self-propelled trolley to travel to the desired stopping position within the work zone and stop, it is necessary to separate and lay a large number of signal lines and communication lines connected to the ground-side control equipment within the work zone. There is no such thing at all.

Moreover, a coat display section for identifying the work zone is provided only in front of the work zone, and the same fixed position display section is provided at each stop position set at appropriate intervals within the work zone. Compared to the case where absolute address codes must be set at all stop positions, the number of types of code display sections consisting of code boards etc. can be reduced, reducing costs as well as being self-contained. It is possible to increase the number of types of code display sections that can be assigned to control the traveling of the traveling truck.

As described above, according to the control method of the present invention, the equipment on the ground side becomes extremely simple, and changing the stopping position in the work zone and increasing or decreasing the number of machines can be done easily and inexpensively.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the self-propelled cart, Figure 2 is a layout diagram of the truck travel route, Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of the unloading work zone, and Figure 4 is the control of the travel control program in the unloading work zone. It is a flowchart explaining a procedure.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A self-propelled trolley that runs on a fixed travel route is equipped with a code reader, a fixed position detector, and a travel control microcomputer, and a work zone identification code is installed immediately before the work zone set on the travel route. A display section is provided, and within the work zone, the same fixed position display section is provided at each stop position set at appropriate intervals, and a microcomputer of the self-propelled cart is provided with a display section indicating the destination work. A destination address specifying a zone and a stopping position within the work zone is stored, and a code reader of a self-propelled cart that arrives just before the work zone specified by the destination address reads the work zone identification code display section. After reading, a travel control program for the work zone is executed by the microcomputer based on the number of times each fixed position display section is detected by the fixed position detector, thereby controlling the traveling of the self-propelled trolley. A traveling control system for a track-type self-propelled trolley in a work zone, which is characterized by stopping at a stop position corresponding to a designated destination address.