JPH07113611A - Detection of position of movable body and method for controlling loading/unloading onto load-carrying platform and attitude thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a position detection of a movable body by which the detection error due to the contamination of a mark plate or image processing software of an image processing device hardly occurs, by preparing a reflection plate on the side of running direction of a movable body and mounting a plurality of range finders with a specified interval in a running direction thereof. CONSTITUTION:For example, a plurality of range finders, 24a and 24b, are placed in a manner that the side part and side aft part of a trailer load-carrying platform will be detected by a expected stopping error inside the both ends of running-direction sides thereof. Further, a reflection plate 26 having an irregular surface is prepared on the side of trailer carriage in a manner to be opposite to one of the finders 24a and 24b and the change in irregularity of the plate 26 is measured while a trailer 22 is running. Thus, by providing the plate 26 on the aft end of vehicle side face and detecting it just before its entry/stoppage with the finders 24a and 24b, its longitudinal and fore and aft positions can be detected at the same time, and furthermore the loading/unloading of cargo by a crane can be automated by measuring the fore end by the other finder so as to obtain the bearing of the vehicle as well.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for detecting the position of a moving body such as a truck or trailer in the operation of a loading / unloading device such as an automatic overhead crane, and more particularly, to a reflector at the rear end of the side surface of the vehicle. It moves by aiming at this with a distance meter just before the approach stop and detecting the left and right position of the vehicle and the front and rear position at once, and measuring the front end with another distance meter and also obtaining the direction of the vehicle A moving body position detection method for completely automating loading and unloading of loads on the body,
The present invention also relates to a loading / unloading control method for a moving body using the position detection method.

Further, the present invention detects the position of a trailer or the like in the operation of a loading / unloading device such as an automatic overhead crane, and controls the posture so that the position or direction of the hoisting tool becomes the target position or direction, or suspends the hoisting device. The present invention relates to a posture control method for a moving body that controls the posture of a load.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art As a moving body position detecting method for detecting the position of a moving body such as a driver truck such as a trailer,
For example, a moving body position detecting method disclosed by a trailer position detecting device described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 2-44167 has been conventionally known, and the position of a moving body such as a trailer is detected as follows. .

That is, as shown in FIG. 15, the coil yard 1
The industrial television camera 106 provided with a lighting device for illuminating the stop position of 00 and the range finder 110 for measuring the distance to the stop position of the trailer 102 are set as one set.
A set of devices is placed in two places with a predetermined distance, and the trailer 1
On the side plate of the trailer 102 along the traveling direction of 02, the industrial television camera 1 is installed in the same direction as the traveling direction of the trailer 102.
Mark plates 114 were provided at intervals corresponding to 06.

Further, the industrial television camera 106 takes an image of the marking plate 114 attached to the side plate of the trailer 102, and the distance meter 110 measures the distance to the marking plate 114 attached to the side plate of the trailer 102, respectively. The coordinate signal obtained from the image captured by the industrial television camera 106 and the distance signal obtained by each distance meter 110 are combined to obtain two points, and the line connecting these two points is the two-dimensional line of the trailer 102 and / or Alternatively, by calculating in the image processing device 112 as a three-dimensional position,
The position of the trailer as a moving body is detected.

However, such a conventional moving body position detecting method has an extremely large-scale configuration as described with reference to FIG.
There was a problem such as being required.

There is also a problem that a detection error is likely to occur due to stains on the marking plate 114 and image processing software of the image processing apparatus 112.

On the other hand, in an automatic overhead crane, for example, when the rolling coil is loaded on the trailer or when the rolling coil is unloaded, the position of the trailer is detected and the shape of the loaded rolling coil is detected. That is extremely important.

Therefore, by using a CCD camera provided with a fixed point on the bed of the trailer on the automatic ceiling crane, image processing is performed on a specific point in a predetermined field of view.
The method of loading and unloading is used by confirming the traveling direction and transverse position of the crane.

However, in the case of the conventional moving body posture control method using such a CCD camera, in order to reliably detect the fixed point on the target platform, the fixed point on the target is distinguished from other fixed points. As well as coloring and making holes,
There is a problem in that it is necessary to secure the illumination and to perform maintenance such as periodical cleaning in order to prevent erroneous detection and non-detection due to dirt and the like.

Further, in the case of the conventional moving body posture control method using the CCD camera, there is a problem that the equipment is expensive and the twisting of the trailer with respect to the reference direction cannot be detected only by tracking the fixed point.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and does not require an illuminating device or the like and has a simple structure. A first object of the present invention is to provide a method for detecting the position of a moving body in which a detection error caused by processing software is unlikely to occur.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a loading / unloading control method for a moving body using the position detecting method.

Further, in view of the problems of the conventional method for controlling the posture of a moving body using a CCD camera, the present invention is a low-cost movement capable of controlling the traveling and traversing of an automatic overhead crane and the swinging of a lifting device. A third object is to provide a body posture control method.

[0015]

According to the present invention, in a method for detecting a position of a moving body, a reflecting plate is provided on a side surface of the moving body in a traveling direction, and a plurality of rangefinders are provided at predetermined intervals in a traveling direction of the moving body. , At least one of the rangefinders is arranged so as to face the reflecting plate, the traveling distance of the moving body is calculated from the change in the measurement value by the rangefinder, and the reference stop position is calculated from the traveling distance and the rangefinder measurement value The first object is achieved by obtaining the two-dimensional position of the moving body with respect to.

Also, one rangefinder is provided at each of the front end and the rear end of one side surface of the moving body, and the reflecting plate is attached to the front end or the rear end of the moving body. Is.

Further, another distance meter is provided at the front end or the rear end of the other surface of the moving body.

Further, the reflection plate is a rack-shaped reflection plate in which two sets of reflection surfaces having different distances from the range finder are alternately arranged.

Further, according to the present invention, reflecting plates are provided on the side surfaces of the front and rear ends of the moving body in the traveling direction, and a plurality of rangefinders are provided at predetermined intervals in the traveling direction of the moving body.
The distance meter is arranged so as to face the reflector, and the traveling distance of the moving body is calculated from the change in the measurement value by the distance meter,
The two-dimensional position of the moving body with respect to the reference stop position is obtained from the traveling distance and the measurement value of the rangefinder, and loading and unloading of the moving body is controlled based on the obtained position, The second purpose is achieved.

Further, according to the present invention, in the attitude control method for a moving body, a position detecting plate is provided at a fixed position on the side surface of the bed of the trailer, and the unevenness of the predetermined pitch of the position detecting plate is arranged to face the position detecting plate. Continuously measuring with a range finder and calculating the actual stop position with respect to the reference stop position of the trailer from the measured value when the trailer stops, and also the traveling direction and traverse direction of the trailer and the swing amount of the lifting device. Is obtained as a correction amount of the trailer loading / unloading point, and the posture of the trailer or the hanger is controlled using the correction amount, thereby achieving the third object.

Further, one range finder is provided at each of a front end portion and a rear end portion on one side surface of the moving body, and any one of the range finder is arranged to face the position detecting plate. Is.

[0022]

The moving body position detecting method of the present invention operates as follows. That is, first, in an automatic overhead crane,
In order to unload a fixed point P on the bed of the trailer whose stop position is not fixed, the fixed point P (X + ΔX, Y + ΔY) of the actual trailer bed with respect to the reference position (X, Y) preset in the control panel of the automatic overhead crane is set. )give.

A moving body such as a trailer enters at a slow speed because it stops at the reference position, but to some extent (for example, ± 150 m
An error of about m) occurs.

Next, from the both ends of the side surface in the traveling direction of the trailer carrier, two sets or three sets arranged so as to be able to measure the positions of the front side part and the rear side part of the carrier, inside the expected stop error amount. The position of the trailer from the side of the stop position is measured by the range finder to determine the minute distance (ΔX, ΔY).

Further, a reflecting plate having irregularities is provided on the side surface of the trailer trolley so as to face one of the two or three sets of distance meters, and the reflecting plate of the reflecting plate is used when the trailer is running by the distance meter. Measure the change in unevenness.

In this way, loading and unloading of loads by a crane or the like is completely automated. That is,
A reflector is attached to the rear end of the vehicle side, aiming at this with a range finder immediately before the approach stop, while detecting the left and right position and front and rear position of the vehicle at once, and measuring the front end with another range finder, By also calculating the direction, loading and unloading of loads by a crane will be fully automated.

On the other hand, the moving body posture control method of the present invention operates as follows. That is, first, in the automatic overhead crane, the position detection plate is installed at a fixed position on the side surface of the bed of the trailer. This position detection plate has unevenness at a predetermined pitch, and when continuously measuring this unevenness with a distance meter arranged oppositely, the measured value for the trailer running at a slow speed,
It turns out that it changes in the order of 1 concave → 1 convex → 1 concave → 1 convex → ……………….

The number of times of this change is counted until the trailer stops, and the traveling amount R of the trailer is R = R from the counted number N and the pitch interval p (mm) of the unevenness on the position detection plate.
It is calculated as p × (N−1).

If the position of the position detecting plate is set to the front part of the side surface of the bed, the range finder is installed at a position where the rear part of the side surface of the bed is measured.

Then, when the trailer is stopped, the measurement value detected by the range finder arranged at the front part of the side surface of the loading platform, the measurement value detected by the range finder arranged at the rear part of the side surface of the loading platform, and the data of the traveling amount R. The position of the fixed point on the trailer carrier and the amount of swing of the hanging device (or hanging load) are calculated by the calculation based on.

As described above, in the operation of the loading / unloading device such as the automatic overhead crane, the position of the trailer is detected, and the attitude and the suspension of the trailer are controlled so that the position and the direction of the lifting device become the target position and direction. Control the posture of the load.

[0032]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 to 5 are views for explaining the first embodiment of the present invention. In these figures, FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a coil yard where the trailer is stopped, and FIG. 2 is a configuration perspective view showing a state and position where the trailer is stopped,
FIG. 3 is a structural plan view showing a planar position where the trailer is stopped,
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the reflector and the rangefinder, and FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the flow of detection signals sent from the rangefinder or the like.

In these figures, 10 is an automated yard for an overhead crane, 12 is a coil storage space for placing the coil 14, 16 is a coil transport carriage for transporting the coil 14, and 18 is a coil transport carriage 16. Rails, 20 is an automatic overhead crane that automatically moves based on a command from a control panel (not shown), and 22 is a coil 1
4 is a trailer that carries 4.

Further, reference numerals 24a and 24b are arranged on the side of the stop position of the trailer 22 and the like, and a distance meter for irradiating the side surface of the trailer 22 with a laser beam to measure the distance, and 26 is a distance meter on the side surface of the trailer 22. A reflector having regular irregularities provided at a position opposed to 24a; 28a is a trailer stopped at a prescribed stop position;
28b is a trailer stopped at the actual stop position, 30
Is an arithmetic processing unit.

Incidentally, X in FIGS. 1 and 3 indicates the traveling direction of the overhead crane 20, and Y in FIGS. 1 and 3 indicates the lateral movement direction of the overhead crane 20. Further, L in FIG. 3 is a rangefinder 24.
The installation interval of a and 24b is shown.

The operation of this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS.

First, in FIG. 1, the physical distribution in the automated crane yard 10 includes the physical distribution from the coil carrier 16 to the coil storage area 12, the physical distribution from the coil carrier 16 to the trailer 22, and the physical distribution from the coil storage area 12 to the trailer 22. It consists of logistics.

In order to automatically convey the coil 14 in the overhead crane automation yard 10, the width of the coil 14 to be transported and X-in the overhead crane automation yard 10 are used.
A starting point address (ie, a gripping position) on the Y plane,
The end point address (that is, the descending position) is given as information to a control panel (not shown) of the automatic overhead crane 20, and various positioning controls are performed based on the information, so that a desired coil can be predetermined. Transport to a place.

By the way, since the above-mentioned physical distribution, that is, the physical distribution from the coil transfer carriage 16 to the coil storage space 12 has a mutual positional relationship, various information such as the gripping position and the descending position of the coil transfer carriage 16 can be obtained. It can be easily realized based on.

However, in the above physical distribution, that is, the physical distribution from the coil carrier 16 to the trailer 22 and the physical distribution from the coil storage area 12 to the trailer 22, since the stop position of the trailer 22 is not constant, first. , It is necessary to detect the position of the trailer 22. Therefore, the position of the trailer 22 is detected as follows.

That is, in FIG. 3 showing the plane position where the trailer has stopped, fixed points Pa ₁ (X, Y), Pb for placing the coil 14 on the trailers 28a, 28b.
₁ (X + ΔX, Y + ΔY) is a minute distance (ΔX,
Paying attention to the deviation by ΔY), two sets of rangefinders 24
Place a and 24b from the reference stop position. Are installed so that the mutual distance becomes L at the positions separated from each other. In addition, it is desirable that the distance L is set as wide as possible within a measurable range.

The size of the trailer and the position (X, Y) of the fixed point Pa ₁ on the trailer are known, and the reflector 2
6 is installed at the front end of the side surface of the trailer in the traveling direction or at the rear end as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the reflecting plate 26 is provided with irregularities having a pitch of 5 mm, for example, or slits (not shown) are provided, and the rangefinder 24a measures the rangefinder 24a.
The distance to a is 1
_H , and _L at the convex portion.

It should be noted that the values of l _H and l _L tend to be different each time the trailer 22 enters the automated ceiling yard shown in FIG. 1 and the case where the trailer 22 enters slightly obliquely. It is not a fixed value.

Such values of l _H and l _L are measured by the distance meter 24a.
In principle, always measure the amount of change in the measured value (ie,
The value of | l _H- l _L |. However, this value is a value equal to or greater than the threshold value α) to obtain the count value N.

Further, when the trailer 22 is stopped, the traveling distance L _R is calculated based on the count value N and the following equation (1). The value of k in the following formula (1) represents the uneven pitch of the reflection plate 26, and in the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
It is 5 (mm).

_LR = k (N-1) ……………………………… (1)

By the way, if the measured values of the two sets of rangefinders 24a and 24b at the time when the trailer 22 is stopped are l ₁ and l ₂ respectively, as shown in FIG. 3, these l ₁ and l 2
₂ values, the values of the L _R, and the trigonometric function operation based on known each data, the reference fixed point Pa ₁ on the X-Y plane of the ceiling crane automation yard 10, actually the point Pb ₁ a target The correction amount (ΔX ₁ , ΔY ₁ ) can be obtained.

These calculations are performed by the calculation processing section 30 shown in FIG. That is, the range finder 24 that detects the distance from the reflection plate 26 by irradiating the reflection plate 26 with a laser beam or the like.
a detection signal S ₁ of the trailer, a detection signal S ₂ of the range finder 24b that detects the distance to the side surface of the trailer by irradiating the side surface of the trailer with a laser beam, and an on / off signal S of whether the trailer is stopped or not. ₃ is sent to the arithmetic processing unit 30 and the above-described arithmetic operation is performed to correct the actual target point Pb ₁ with respect to the reference fixed point Pa ₁ on the XY plane in the overhead crane automation yard 10. Quantity (ΔX ₁ ,
ΔY ₁ ) is required.

In the same manner, the overhead crane automation yard 1
Second fixed point Pa on the XY plane within 0_TwoAgainst
The second point Pb that is the actual target_TwoCorrection amount (ΔX_Two, Δ
Y_Two), The third fixed point Pa_ThreeThe actual target
Point Pb of 3_ThreeCorrection amount (ΔX _Three, ΔY_Three) 、 ………………
..., i-th fixed point Pa_i, The target point Pb for
_iCorrection amount (ΔX_i, ΔY_i) Can be asked.

As described above, the reflector is attached to the rear end of the side surface of the vehicle, and the distance meter is aimed immediately before the stop of the approach to detect the left and right position and front and rear position of the vehicle at a time, and the front end is detected by another distance meter. By measuring and finding the direction of the vehicle together,
A mobile body position detection method for completely automating loading and unloading of a load on a mobile body is realized.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, and various modifications can be made. For example, a slit may be used instead of the reflection plate 26, or a corrugated plate-shaped reflection plate may be used. You may use. In addition, the trailer operator may be allowed to detect that the trailer 22 is stopped or input the stopped state to the control panel of the automatic overhead crane, or provided on the road surface. You may substitute it with a stopper.

6 to 8 are views for explaining the second embodiment of the present invention. In these figures, FIG. 6 is a configuration perspective view showing a state or position where the trailer is stopped, and FIG.
8 is a configuration plan view showing a plane position where the trailer is stopped, FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the flow of detection signals.

The schematic plan view of the coil yard in the second embodiment is the same as that in FIG. 1, and the view showing the relationship between the reflector and the distance meter in the second embodiment is also the same as that in FIG. Therefore, FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 used in the first embodiment are
The description will be given with duplicated use in the embodiments.

Further, in FIGS. 6 to 8, the same symbols as those in FIGS. 1 to 5 are used with the same meanings, and the duplicated description is omitted here. In addition, the range finder 24c in FIGS.
It is a distance meter arranged at a position separated from the other side surface of the trailer 22 (trailer 28a in FIG. 7) by a distance l ₀ .

Hereinafter, the operation of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 4, 6, 7, and 8.

In this embodiment, the physical distribution in the overhead crane automation yard 10 includes the physical distribution from the coil carrier 16 to the coil storage area 12 in FIG. 1, the physical distribution from the coil carrier 16 to the trailer 22 and the coil storage area 12 to the trailer 22. It consists of logistics.

The overhead crane automation yard 1 shown in FIG.
In order to automatically transfer the coil 14 within 0, the width of the coil 14 to be transferred, the start point address (that is, the gripping position) and the end point address (that is, the descending position) in the XY plane in the overhead crane automation yard 10 are set. The desired coil is conveyed to a predetermined place by giving a control position (not shown) of the automatic overhead crane 20 and performing various positioning controls based on the information.

By the way, the above-mentioned distribution, that is, FIG.
From the coil carrier truck 16 to the coil storage area 12
Since the mutual positional relationship is determined, the coil carrier truck 16
It can be easily realized based on various information such as the grip position and the drop position.

However, the above physical distribution, that is, FIG.
In the physical distribution of the trailer 22 from the coil carrier truck 16 and the physical distribution of the coiler 12 to the trailer 22, it is necessary to detect the position of the trailer 22 first because the stop position of the trailer 22 is not constant. Become. Therefore, the position of the trailer 22 is detected as follows.

That is, in FIG. 7 showing the plane position where the trailer 22 has stopped, fixed points Pa ₁ (X, Y) and Pb ₁ (X + ΔX, Y + Δ for placing the coil on the trailer are shown.
Paying attention to the fact that Y) is deviated from each other by a minute distance (ΔX, ΔY), the installation locations of the two sets of rangefinders 24a and 24b are set to l from the reference stop position. Are installed so that the mutual distance becomes L at the positions separated by. In addition, this interval L
Should be installed as wide as possible within the measurable range.

Further, the range finder 24c, as shown in FIG.
The other side of the trailer (ie, rangefinders 24a, 24
Distance from the side opposite to the side opposite b). It is located at a distance away.

Further, the size of the trailer and the position (X, Y) of the fixed point Pa ₁ on the trailer are known, and the reflector 26
Is installed at the front end of the side surface of the trailer in the traveling direction, or at the rear end thereof as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the reflecting plate 26 is provided with irregularities of 5 mm pitch or slits (not shown), and the distance measured by the distance meter 24a is as shown in FIG. The concave portion has l _H and the convex portion has l _L.

It should be noted that the values of l _H and l _L tend to be different each time the trailer 22 enters the automated ceiling crane 10 shown in FIG. 1 and the case where the trailer 22 enters slightly obliquely. , It is not a fixed value.

Such values of l _H and l _L are measured by the distance meter 24a.
In principle, always measure the amount of change in the measured value (ie,
The value of | l _H- l _L |. However, this value is a value equal to or greater than the threshold value α) to obtain the count value N.

Further, just as in the case of the first embodiment, when the trailer 22 is stopped, the traveling distance L _R is calculated based on the count value N and the following equation (2). The value of k in the following formula (2) represents the uneven pitch of the reflection plate 26, and is 5 (mm) also in this embodiment as shown in FIG.

_LR = k (N−1) ………………………… (2)

By the way, when the trailer 22 is stopped,
The measured values of the three sets of rangefinders 24a, 24b, 24c in
Each l₁, L_Two, L_ThreeIf so, this l₁, L_Two，
l_ThreeEach value of L above_RBased on the value of
Overhead crane automation yard 10
Fixed point Pa on the XY plane in₁(X₁，
Y ₁), The actual target point Pb for₁Correction amount of (Δ
X₁, ΔY₁) Can be asked.

These calculations are performed by the calculation processing section 30 shown in FIG. That is, the reflection plate 26 of FIG. 8 is irradiated with a laser beam or the like, and the detection signal S ₁ of the range finder 24a that detects the distance to the reflection plate 26 and one side surface of the trailer traveling direction are irradiated with the laser beam or the like. , The detection signal S ₂ of the distance meter 24b that detects the distance to the side surface, and the detection signal S ₃ of the distance meter 24c that detects the distance to the side surface by irradiating the other side surface in the trailer traveling direction with a light beam or the like. When, and trailer off signal S ₄ whether being stopped is sent to the arithmetic processing unit 30, is subjected to operations such as described above, the reference fixed point on the X-Y plane of the ceiling crane automation yard 10 Pa ₁ correction amount _(X 1, _{Y 1)} actually points to a target for _{Pb 1 (ΔX 1, ΔY 1} ) is obtained.

Similarly, the overhead yard automation yard 1
Second fixed point Pa on the XY plane within 0_Two(X_Two, Y
_Two), The second target point Pb actually targeted_TwoCorrection of
Amount (ΔX_Two, ΔY_Two), The third fixed point Pa_Three(X_Three, Y_Three)
The third target point Pb actually targeted for_ThreeCorrection amount of (Δ
X_Three, ΔY_Three), ……………, Pa for i-th fixed point_i(Δ
X _i, ΔY_i) For the i-th
Point Pb_iCorrection amount (ΔX_i, ΔY_i) Can be
Wear.

When the width of the trailer is not constant,
However, the detection signal S of the rangefinder 24b _TwoAnd rangefinder 24c
Detection signal S_ThreeCalculate the width of the trailer 22 based on
Can be turned on.

In the second embodiment as described above, a driver vehicle of a known size or the like is detected in the first embodiment, whereas a driver vehicle such as a trailer has a different width. Also, it is possible to easily recognize the center on the driver's vehicle or the target position on the driver's vehicle.

The present invention is based on FIG. 1, FIG. 4, FIG.
Also, various modifications are possible without being limited to the embodiment of FIG. 8, and for example, a slit or a corrugated plate-like reflection plate may be used instead of the reflection plate 26. Further, the trailer operator may be made to detect that the trailer is stopped or input the stopped state to the control panel of the automatic overhead crane, or a stopper provided on the road surface. You may let me act on your behalf.

9 to 14 are configuration explanatory diagrams and the like for explaining the moving body posture control method of the present invention.

In these figures, FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the stop position of the trailer and the arrangement of rangefinders provided on the ground side, FIG. 10 is a view showing the state of the trailer carrier, and FIG. 11 is the coordinates of the trailer stop position. FIG. 12 is a stop position diagram showing the stop position of the trailer on the XY plane to explain the position of the trailer, FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining an image of a crane drive device and a position detector, and FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a concept of posture control of a moving body.

Further, in FIGS. 9 to 14, 34a, 3a
4b is a distance meter, 36 is a position detection plate provided at a fixed position on the side surface of the bed of the trailer 22, and 38 is for preventing rolling of the rolling coil when the rolling coil (not shown) is loaded. Is a fixed base, a reference numeral 40 is an electric motor, and a reference numeral 42 is a pulse oscillator for transmitting a pulse signal.

Furthermore, P is a fixed point at which a rolling coil or the like is placed at the center of the skid 38, Lc is the length of a driver truck such as a trailer, L ₀ is the installation distance between the distance meters 34a and 34b,
L ₁ is the distance between the range finder 34 a and the reference position, Ld is the distance between the range finder 34 a, 34 b and the reference stop position, l _1a , l
_1b is a measurement value measured by the rangefinders 34a and 34b, and A, B, A ′, and B ′ are corner portions of the trailer 22. The size of the trailer 22 and the position of the fixed point P are already known.

In FIG. 9, assuming that the trailer 22 enters from the right side to the left side of the paper as indicated by the thick line arrow, the range finder 34a irradiates a laser beam or the like and the position detection plate 36 provided on the side surface of the trailer 22. The unevenness of is detected.

The installation interval L ₀ , the distance Ld, and the measured value l
_1a and the measured value l _1b based on the reference line segment A
The angle θ of the line segment A′B ′ with respect to B is calculated by the following equation (3).

Θ = tan−1 {(l _1a −l _1b ) / L ₀ } ... (3)

The angle θ thus obtained is the required turning angle or turning amount of the hoisting tool or the hoisting load.

Further, the position detecting plate 36 is provided at a fixed position with respect to the bed of the trailer 22, and the traveling amount l _R of the trailer 22 is calculated by the calculation based on the number of times the unevenness is detected by the distance meter 34a. Desired.

Next, considering the traveling direction of the trailer 22 as X and the vertical direction as Y on the XY plane as shown in FIG. 11, the positional relationship between the position detection plate 36 and the corner B of the bed of the trailer is shown. It is known and the distance between them is 1 as shown in FIG.

The coordinates of the trailer cargo corner B are represented as (L _X + L _C , L _D ), and the position of the trailer cargo corner B'is known data, measured values, and calculations. Calculated based on data. The X coordinate of the bed corner B ′ thus obtained is L _X +
L ₀ + (l · cos θ−l _R ) and the Y coordinate of the bed corner B ′ is l _1a + tan θ (l · cos θ−1
_R ).

Similarly, the trailer cargo carrier corner A
The position of ´ is also required. Further, also in the case of the fixed point P ′ on the platform of the trailer 22, the position is similarly obtained, and the deviation in the X direction or the Y direction from the reference position, that is, the correction amount can be obtained.

The correction amount (ΔX ', Δ
Y ') and the above-mentioned angle correction amount of the hoisting equipment or the suspended load are given to the automatic overhead crane, and traveling control, traverse control, and turning control are performed by the control panel of the automatic overhead crane in accordance with the correction amount.

In other words, the concept of the moving body posture control as shown in FIG. 14, that is, the position detection is performed by the calculation based on the detection signals of the distance meters 34a and 34b and the correction amount (Δ
X, ΔY, θ) is obtained, and traveling control, traverse control, and turning control are performed by the control panel of the automatic overhead crane according to the correction amount. Further, the traveling, traversing, and turning of the automatic overhead crane at this time have an image as shown in FIG.

As described above, in this embodiment, the position of the trailer in the operation of the loading and unloading device such as the automatic overhead crane is detected, and the posture control is performed so that the position and direction of the lifting device become the target position and direction. And control the posture of the suspended load.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but various modifications can be made. For example, a slit or a corrugated plate may be used instead of the position detecting plate 36. good. In addition, the trailer driver may operate to detect that the trailer 22 is stopped or to input the stop state into a control panel or the like, or use a stopper provided on the road surface instead. May be.

[0092]

As described in detail above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the movement of a trailer truck whose size and reference fixed point are already known is used by using a reflector and two sets of rangefinders. The structure is such that the actual target point of the body is obtained by measurement data or calculation.

Therefore, the first object, that is, the illuminating device and the like are not necessary, the structure is simple, and the detection of the position of the moving body in which the detection error due to the dirt on the marking plate or the image processing software of the arithmetic processing unit is unlikely to occur is detected. It has the advantage that the method can be achieved at low cost and that no special maintenance is required.

In addition, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, a moving body (a truck for a trailer, etc.) whose size and reference fixed point are already known by using three sets of rangefinders and one reflecting plate. The target fixed point where the stopping place is not constant when actually stopped is obtained by measurement data or calculation.

Therefore, as in the case of the first embodiment,
In addition to achieving the first object, there is also an advantage that even when the widths of the trucks for trailers are different, the center of the trucks or the target position on the trucks can be easily recognized.

On the other hand, according to the third embodiment of the present invention, in an automatic overhead crane for automatically handling a moving body such as a trailer truck whose stop position is not fixed, two sets provided on the ground side are provided. The actual crane stop position is calculated by calculation based on the data measured by the range finder, the information signal input in advance about the shape and size of the moving body, and the information about the loading / unloading point of the load. There is.

Therefore, there is also an advantage that the correction amount of the loading / unloading point can be obtained as a correction amount within a practical range by a cheaper method than the conventional method.

Further, in addition to the correction amount obtained by the conventional control method for correcting the traveling position and the traverse position, the turning correction amount when a moving body such as a trailer stops slightly obliquely is obtained, By setting the total correction amount as the above correction amount, it is possible to perform the turning correction of the hanging device.

Therefore, there is an advantage that the loading can be surely performed on the loading platform of the automatic overhead crane, and that the loading can be effectively unloaded from the loading platform of the trailer.

In the third embodiment of the present invention, the case of a rolled coil has been described in detail, but in the case of a long steel bar or a long slag, the following problem may occur.

That is, in the case of the lifting tool supported by the wire of the automatic overhead crane, when the slanted load is grasped and rolled up, the suspended load is slanted after the so-called ground cutting where the load is separated from the loading platform. I'll try to go back by just minutes. For this reason, the suspended load shakes, and the risk increases in proportion to the amount of shake.

However, according to the present invention, the position of the moving body can be detected as described above even when loading or unloading a load on such an inclined trailer. By doing so, there is an advantage that the above-described risks can be eliminated at once.

Therefore, according to the present invention, a moving body such as a trailer is detected by a range finder provided on the ground side, the detected signal is arithmetically processed to obtain an actual position with respect to a reference position, and the moving body is By calculating the actual stop position and direction with respect to the fixed point and the reference direction, it is possible to realize a low-cost mobile body attitude control method that can control the traveling and traversing of an automatic overhead crane, and also the turning of a lifting device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of a first embodiment and a second embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic plan view of a coil yard where a trailer is stopped.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of the first embodiment, and is a configuration perspective view showing a state or position where the trailer is stopped.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the first embodiment and is a structural plan view showing a planar position where the trailer has stopped.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the first embodiment and the second embodiment,
Diagram showing the relationship between the reflector and rangefinder

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the first embodiment and is a diagram for explaining a flow of a detection signal transmitted from a distance meter or the like.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of the second embodiment, and is a configuration perspective view showing a state or position where the trailer is stopped.

FIG. 7 is a configuration plan view showing a plane position where the trailer is stopped in the same manner.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the flow of a detection signal sent from a rangefinder or the like.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of the third embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view showing the stop position of the trailer and the arrangement of the rangefinder provided on the ground side.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the state of the trailer carrier as well.

FIG. 11 is a stop position diagram showing the stop position of the trailer on the XY plane for explaining the coordinates of the trailer stop position.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the mounting position of the position detection plate for explaining the relationship between the rangefinder and the position detection plate.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an image of a crane drive device and position detection, similarly.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a concept of posture control of a moving body in the same manner.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a conventional moving body position detection method, which is a device layout diagram in an overhead crane automated yard.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 …… Automatic overhead crane automation yard 12 …… Coil storage area 14 …… Coil 16 …… Coil carrier 18 …… Rail 20 …… Automatic overhead crane 22 …… Trailer 24a-24c …… Distance meter 26 …… Reflector 28a , 28b ... a trailer at a specified or actual stop position 30 ... an arithmetic processing unit 32 ... an open / close switch 34a, 34b ... a distance meter 36 ... a position detection plate 38 ... a skid 40 ... an electric motor 42 ... a pulse oscillator

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A reflecting plate is provided on a side surface of a moving body in a traveling direction, and a plurality of rangefinders are provided at predetermined intervals in a traveling direction of the moving body, and at least one of the rangefinders is opposed to the reflecting plate. The moving distance of the moving body is calculated from the change in the measurement value by the distance meter, and the two-dimensional position of the moving body with respect to the reference stop position is obtained from the running distance and the measurement value of the distance meter. A characteristic method for detecting the position of a moving body. 2. The range finder according to claim 1, wherein the range finder has a front end portion and a rear end portion on one side surface of the moving body.
A method of detecting the position of a moving body, wherein the reflecting plate is provided on a stand and is attached to a front end portion or a rear end portion of the moving body. 3. The method of detecting a position of a moving body according to claim 2, further comprising one distance meter provided at a front end portion or a rear end portion of the other surface of the moving body. 4. The method for detecting the position of a moving body according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting plate is a rack-shaped reflecting plate in which two sets of reflecting surfaces having different distances from the rangefinder are alternately arranged. 5. A reflecting plate is provided on each of side surfaces of a front end portion and a rear end portion of a moving body in a traveling direction, and a plurality of distance meters are provided at predetermined intervals in a traveling direction of the moving body. The two-dimensional position of the moving body with respect to the reference stop position is calculated by calculating the traveling distance of the moving body from the change in the measurement value of the distance measuring device, which is arranged facing the plate. And a loading / unloading control method for a moving body, characterized by controlling loading / unloading on / from the moving body based on the obtained position. 6. A position detecting plate is provided at a fixed position on the side surface of the cargo bed of the trailer, and the unevenness of a predetermined pitch of the position detecting plate is continuously measured by a range finder facing the position detecting plate. From the measured value when the trailer is stopped, the actual stop position with respect to the reference stop position of the trailer is calculated,
In addition, the traveling direction and the transverse direction of the trailer and the turning amount of the lifting device are obtained as a correction amount of the loading / unloading point, and the posture of the trailer or the lifting device is controlled using the correction amount. Attitude control method. 7. The range finder according to claim 6, wherein the range finder has a front end portion and a rear end portion on one side surface of the moving body.
One of those rangefinders is provided as well as
A posture control method for a moving body, which is arranged to face the position detection plate.