JPH07179293A - Driving control method for plural cranes - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a driving control method of plural cranes capable of driving plural cranes in order of priority within an overlapped operating ranges simultaneously as possible while preventing interference. CONSTITUTION:An operating control host computer analyzes FROM-TO which each of cranes CL is to move in accordance with a demandmotion signal generated in a plural number of the cranes CL and judges whether combination of each FROM-TO matches previously considered interference patterns 1-6 or not. In the case when it is judged not to interfere, a plural number of the cranes CL are simultaneously driven, and in the case when it is judged to match the interference patterns 1-6, a priority degree value of each of a plural number of the cranes CL is computed, and the crane CL of a higher priority degree value is driven in priority.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for controlling a plurality of cranes driven on a fixed rail and having overlapping movable areas. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for increasing the operating efficiency of a plurality of cranes by a predetermined algorithm. The present invention relates to a drive control method for a crane.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An automated crane used in an FA factory has, for example, its own weight of 50 to 70 tons and five objects to be conveyed.
It has a capacity of ~ 25 tons and has a large inertial force during traveling, so if an emergency stop is applied, the crane will take 15 to 2 to stop.
Drive about 0m. Therefore, in order to avoid interference between cranes, the crane is often used alone for each predetermined area. However, a single crane may not be able to quickly complete the transportation request of the physical distribution system, and there has been a strong demand for simultaneous use of multiple cranes in the same area.

Conventionally, when a plurality of cranes are used at the same time, the interference area is fixed to a limited range of mutual movable areas, and when one crane enters the interference area, another crane is Control is performed to prohibit entry into the interference area. According to this method, it is not possible to simultaneously operate a plurality of cranes within the interference region, but it is not necessary to perform a retreat operation, so it is possible to make the drive control method for a plurality of cranes extremely simple. Furthermore, JP-A-6
In the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-185604, there is provided an interference prevention device for avoiding a collision by attaching a detector or the like for detecting that the two cranes have entered the interference zone when the ends of the movement paths of the two cranes overlap each other. Proposed.

On the other hand, if the interference zone of a plurality of cranes is limited to a narrow range as in the prior art, when one crane cannot complete the required operation, the other crane does not have the required operation. There is a situation where they are resting and the transport efficiency is extremely poor. In order to prevent this, it is conceivable to overlap a larger area of the movable area to form an interference area. At this time, if the conventional control method is adopted, when one crane is operating, the other crane is in a retracted state, so that there is almost no time for simultaneous operation of the cranes, and transport efficiency is poor.

A specific example in the case of the conventional control method will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 and 26. This is a system in which two overhead cranes CL1 and CL2 convey the coil C between a position YD where the coil C, which is an object to be conveyed, is stored, and a press machine PR that uses the coil C.
The crane No. 1 CL1 receives the operation command for returning the coil C in the press machine PR1 to the position YD2, and while moving, determines the operation command for supplying the coil C in the position YD1 to the press machine PR2 to the press machine PR2. Consider the case. At this time, Crane No. 2 C
When L2 is moved, it interferes with the first crane CL1 of the crane, so it is necessary to put the second crane CL2 of the crane in a waiting state.

The conventional method will be described step by step. First, the first crane CL1 grips the coil of the press machine PR1 (step 1). Crane No. 1 C
L1 moves to position YD2 and returns the gripped coil to position YD2. During this time, the second crane CL2 remains in the waiting state (step 2).
After the returning operation is completed, the first crane CL1 retracts to the left end of the yard Y to avoid interference with the second crane CL2 (step 3). After confirming that the crane No. 1 CL1 has retracted, the crane No. 2 CL2 starts a series of supply operations because interference is avoided. That is, the coil C is moved to the position YD1 to grip the coil C (step 4), then moved to the press machine PR2, and the gripped coil C is supplied to the press machine PR2 (step 5).

[0007]

However, the conventional method for driving a plurality of cranes has the following problems. (1) When one of multiple cranes is working, other cranes that may interfere with each other are put in a waiting state until the crane completes a series of operations such as gripping, feeding, and moving. It took a long time, and it took a long time to complete the transportation required by the manufacturing process.
That is, for example, even if the movement of one crane is started at the same time as the final movement of the other crane and there is no possibility of interference, the movement of the other crane will be completed until the operation of the other crane is completely finished. Since the crane was waiting, there was an unnecessary waiting time. Also, once one crane starts work, even if another crane receives a high priority request during the work,
Since the other crane is on standby until the work of one crane is completed, it may not be possible to quickly respond to the demands of the manufacturing process.

(2) When attempting to carry out a work with a high priority by using a plurality of cranes at the same time, there are the following problems. That is, first, when one crane is executing a request with the lowest priority and another crane receives a request one after another, the one crane is kept waiting for a long time. Then, the time for which the plurality of cranes work at the same time becomes short, and the overall transport efficiency becomes poor. Secondly, if there is an obstacle such as a circuit breaker during the movement of the crane, the preceding crane may stop before the obstacle, which may cause interference. If there is an obstacle in the movement signal of the crane, the succeeding crane is kept waiting until the preceding crane crosses the obstacle. Such a standby state deteriorates the overall transport efficiency.

Thirdly, a main area is usually provided for each of the plurality of cranes. If they are working in their main area, there is no chance of interference, so
This is because the work of each crane can be promptly performed. Then, when the crane is in the area in which other cranes are in charge, there is a high possibility that interference will occur. Fourth, the work content of each crane may differ. That is, there is a crane having a highly important press machine or a crane having a large amount of work in the main area. If the crane was working the same as other cranes,
It may not be possible to respond promptly to highly important requests.

Fifthly, there are cases where there is a priority among the types of requested operations (supply, return, warehousing, warehousing). For example, uninterrupted operation of the press machine is required so as not to compromise the efficiency of the manufacturing process. Sixth, it is necessary to preferentially operate a specific crane automatically when a request order different from the normal process occurs. Seventh, when a change occurs in the manufacturing process, it is necessary to change only the priority without changing the algorithm itself for controlling a plurality of cranes.

(3) Even if a plurality of cranes are normally moved at the same time without interference, if there is an obstacle such as a circuit breaker in the middle of the movement of the crane, the preceding crane will obstruct the obstacle. Since it stops before, interference may occur. To prevent this, if there is an obstacle in the traveling signal of the preceding crane, it is necessary to make the succeeding crane wait until the preceding crane crosses the obstacle.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of a plurality of cranes capable of driving a plurality of cranes at the same time in an overlapping operation range and in order of high priority while preventing interference. It is an object to provide a drive control method.

[0013]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem (1), a drive control method for a plurality of cranes according to the present invention moves on a fixed rail, and a plurality of cranes in which respective moving areas overlap. It is a drive control method of a plurality of cranes for driving a vehicle, and has the following features. Considering the case of moving multiple cranes at the same time, it is possible to classify all combinations of movements that can occur in individual cranes into several movement patterns. In the drive control method for a plurality of cranes, first, when a required operation signal is generated for each crane, a movement signal for each crane is determined from the required operation signal. Then, (1) in the case of a pattern in which there is no possibility of interference between cranes even if a plurality of cranes are driven simultaneously according to their respective movement signals, a plurality of cranes are simultaneously driven according to their respective movement signals, (2) In the case of a pattern in which the cranes may interfere with each other when the plurality of cranes are simultaneously driven according to their movement signals, 1 or 2 required for the crane to perform the required operation for each of the plurality of cranes The priority driving values above are calculated by summing the numerical values obtained by multiplying the predetermined weighting factors, and comparing the priority values of the respective cranes,
The crane with the highest priority value is moved preferentially.

Here, in order to solve the first problem described in the problem (2), the number of times each crane is determined to be in the non-priority state and placed in the standby state is adopted as the priority drive factor. . In addition, in order to solve the second problem of (2),
As a priority driving factor, whether or not the crane passes through a breaker provided for a passage set in the movable area of the crane and blocking the passage when the crane passes is adopted. Further, in order to solve the third problem (2), the determination as to whether or not the crane is currently in the main area is adopted as a priority drive factor. Further, in order to solve the fourth problem of (2), priority designation of a specific crane is adopted as a priority drive factor. Also, (2)
In order to solve the fifth issue of
The type of request content of the request operation signal is adopted. Also,
In order to solve the sixth problem of (2), priority designation of a specific request is adopted as a priority drive factor. Also,
In order to solve the seventh problem of (2), the weighting factor is variable.

Further, in order to solve the problem (3), even if a plurality of cranes are simultaneously driven in accordance with the movement signal, and even if the pattern is such that there is no possibility of interference between the cranes, the movement signal is When the preceding crane is moving in the same direction and the preceding crane is given a movement signal to pass through an obstacle that requires the crane to stop moving or slow down, the preceding crane passes the obstacle. Until then, the movement of trailing cranes is prohibited.

In order to solve the problem (1), the multi-crane control device (1) detects the presence or absence of a priority drive factor necessary for operating the multiple cranes based on the generated required operation signal. And (2) calculating a priority degree value obtained by summing the numerical values obtained by multiplying each of the priority driving factors by a predetermined weighting factor for each priority driving factor, (3) priority calculated for each crane A plurality of cranes are drive-controlled by sequentially performing a process of comparing the degree values and transmitting a crane movement signal preferentially to a crane control device that controls the crane having the highest degree of priority value.

[0017]

The operation of the drive control method for a plurality of cranes according to the present invention will be described. Request operation signals for cranes are input and registered at any time from a plurality of schedule registration terminals to the multiple crane control device. On the other hand, the multi-crane control device stores the positions of all the objects to be transferred in the yard and the status of the objects to be transferred, including those that change depending on the work of the crane. Then, the multiple crane control device drives the multiple cranes to process the registered required operation signal.

At this time, an operation signal may be simultaneously generated in a plurality of cranes. If a plurality of cranes are operated as they are by these operation signals, interference is likely to occur. In order to avoid interference between cranes, the drive control method for a plurality of cranes of the present invention drives a plurality of cranes by the following method. That is, the characteristic part of this method is that the multi-crane control device analyzes the movement signals of each crane according to the required operation signal generated in the plurality of cranes, and the combination of each movement signal causes the interference that was previously considered. If it is determined that it matches the pattern, and if it is determined that there is no interference, multiple cranes are driven simultaneously, and if it is determined that it matches the interference pattern, the priority value of each of the multiple cranes is calculated and the priority level is calculated. It means that the crane with high value is driven preferentially. Here, the multiple crane control device drives each crane by transmitting a crane movement signal to the crane control device.

The following items are important as examples of priority driving factors used in the method of calculating the priority value. (1) Priority by number of waits ... Gives a high score to a crane CL that has many waits. It is possible to increase the chances of moving the two cranes CL at the same time because the specific crane CL does not keep waiting. (2) Priority depending on the current position of the crane CL: A high score is given to return each crane to the area in charge as soon as possible. This is because interference is less likely to occur when a plurality of cranes are placed in their respective main areas.

(3) Priority of the crane CL itself ... When the work contents of the cranes are different and there is a priority among the work contents, the crane CL to be given priority
Give a high score to. It is possible to drive a crane that has a highly important press machine in the main area in charge or a crane that has a large amount of work in advance. (4) Priority depending on the type of required operation: When there is a priority among the types of required operations (supply, return, warehousing, and warehousing), the crane receiving the requested operation with a high priority is given a high score. give. (5) Priority designation for a request ... When a request is registered from a schedule registration terminal, a worker is allowed to give priority to a crane, and a high score is given to a crane that has undergone a required operation with the priority designation. It is necessary when a request order different from the normal process occurs.

A weight is determined for the score of each item of the priority drive factor. The value obtained by summing the numerical values obtained by multiplying each item and each weight is the priority degree value. Then, the crane having a high priority value is preferentially driven. This weight is
It can be changed by the operator from the schedule registration terminal. This is to respond quickly to the needs of the site. On the other hand, if there is an obstacle such as a circuit breaker while the crane is moving, even if it is considered that interference will not occur even if it is driven simultaneously, the preceding crane may stop before the obstacle. Yes, interference may occur. To prevent this, when there is an obstacle in the movement signal of the preceding crane, the succeeding crane is made to wait until the preceding crane crosses the obstacle.

[0022]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A drive control method for a plurality of cranes, which is an embodiment of the present invention, will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of the coil yard in which the drive control method for a plurality of cranes is implemented will be described. FIG. 19 shows a plan view of the coil yard, and FIG. 20 shows a perspective view of a part of the coil yard seen through. The coil yard is divided into two buildings, a first yard Y1 and a second yard Y2. Between the first yard Y1 and the second yard Y2, there is a coil unloading area N where the truck TR moves in and out to unload and load the coil C. Behind the coil unloading area N, a crane C
When L moves between the first yard Y1 and the second yard Y2, a circuit breaker S for unmanned just below the crane CL
H is provided. Five press machines PR are installed on each of the side surfaces of the first yard Y1 and the second yard Y2, and the press machines PR are provided with coil cars for receiving and delivering the crane CL and the coils C. .

A pair of fixed rails (not shown) are arranged parallel to the rows of the press machine PR over the entire area of the first yard Y1 and the second yard Y2. And
The two overhead cranes CL1 and CL2 are movably installed on a fixed rail. Crane No. 1 CL1
The operation area of the crane 2 is indicated by the arrow WE1 in FIG.
The operation area of the unit CL2 is indicated by an arrow WE2. Therefore,
An interference area where the movable areas of the first crane CL1 and the second crane CL2 overlap with each other is indicated by an arrow KE. The area of the operation area of the crane CL that is outside the interference area is the maintenance zone of each crane CL.

The construction of the crane CL will be described with reference to FIG.
A crane gutter 11 is attached so as to be movable on rails fixed to the ceiling. A crane club 12 is attached so as to be movable in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the crane gutter 11 on a guide installed on the crane gutter 11. A crane tong 13 is suspended from the crane club 12 via a wire 14. The crane tongue 13 includes a pair of tongue claws 13a. By inserting the tongue claw 13a into the hollow hole Ca of the coil C,
The crane tongs 13 hold the coil C. The maximum weight of the coil C used in this embodiment is about 25 tons, and the own weight of the crane CL is about 60 tons. Therefore,
When the crane CL makes an emergency stop while moving at high speed, the crane CL must move about 15 m before it can stop.

Next, the control device for the crane CL will be described with reference to FIG. The control devices are classified into a control device group for controlling the automatic crane body and a control device group for managing the operation of the entire system, as indicated by the dotted lines in the figure. Control of the main body of the crane CL is performed by the on-board control panel 21 placed on the crane CL and each crane ground control panel 23 installed on the ground. The on-board control panel 21 and the crane ground control panel 23 are
Each optical communication device 22 communicates with the optical information 28. The crane ground control panel 23 is connected via a sequencer 24 by a sequencer link 27 to an operation management host computer 25 and a schedule registration terminal 26, which are multiple crane control devices that control the system of the automatic crane.

Next, the main control functions of the above control devices will be described. The on-board control panel 21 (1) causes the crane garter 11 to travel along the fixed rail. In addition, the crane club 12 and the crane gutter 11
To traverse along. Further, the crane tongs 13 are hoisted and hoisted. At this time, each drive motor is subjected to step-by-step acceleration / deceleration control by an inverter control system so that a sudden impact is not given to the crane CL holding the coil C. (2) Rotate the crane tongs 13 with respect to the crane club 12. Also, the tongue claw 13a is opened and closed. (3) Crane C with encoder pulse counting method
The position coordinate of L is detected. (4) The weight of the coil C gripped by the load cell method is measured. Also, the size data of the coil C is measured.

The crane ground control panel 23 receives (1) movement, gripping, and installation commands from the operation management host computer 25, and travels, traverses, hoists and hoists by optical communication with the onboard control panel 21. I do. Further, the crane tongs 13 are swung, and the tongs 13a are provided.
Open and close control. (2) Transfer the data measured by the onboard control panel 21 to the operation management host computer 25. When the crane CL is abnormal, the details of the abnormality are reported to the operation management host computer 25.

The operation management host computer 25 (1) accepts an input from the schedule registration terminal 26 and creates a requested schedule. (2) Analyzing request schedules for warehousing, warehousing, supply, return, movement, etc., and creating operation signals of the crane CL for movement, gripping, installation, unloading, etc. (3) When it is necessary to simultaneously operate a plurality of cranes CL, an optimal operation pattern including interference prevention control of the plurality of cranes CL is created. (4) Manage material information such as the coil C. (5) Manage the arrangement information of the coil C in the yard Y. (6) Manage the operation history and abnormality history of the crane CL.

Table 1 summarizes the communication contents between the operation management host computer 25 and the crane ground control panel 23 described above.

[Table 1] That is, from the operation management host computer 25 to the crane ground control panel 23, start coordinates and end coordinates are transmitted as movement commands, start coordinates and coil size are transmitted as gripping commands, and start coordinates are transmitted as installation commands. On the other hand, the coil size and the coil weight are transmitted as measurement commands from the crane ground control panel 23 to the operation management host computer 25.

In the system having the above-described equipment, the basic operation of the crane CL for loading, unloading, supplying and returning the coil C will be described. Table 2 shows a list of basic actions.

[Table 2] The basic operation of the crane CL can be decomposed into a going operation and a returning operation, as shown in Table 2. First, the coil unloading area N
From the truck TR stopped at
The operation of storing the goods in the No. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The flow of operation of the crane CL at this time is a going operation <movement-
Wireless unloading> and return operation <movement-installation>. That is, the crane CL waiting in the WT of the second yard Y2 moves to the coil unloading area N. Next, the operator wirelessly controls the crane CL to grasp the coil C while checking the state of the coil C loaded on the bed of the truck TR, and unloads from the truck TR. Next, while holding the coil C, position Y of the first yard Y1
Move to D1. Then, the coil C is installed at the position YD1.

Secondly, the operation of unloading the coil C from the first yard Y1 to the truck TR stopped at the coil unloading area N will be described with reference to FIG. The flow of the operation of the crane CL at this time is composed of <moving-grasping> which is a going operation and <moving-wireless unloading> which is a returning operation. That is, the crane CL waiting at the WT of the first yard Y1
A movement signal is given to and moves to position YD1. Next, the crane CL grips the coil C. next,
The crane CL moves to the coil unloading area N while holding the coil C. Next, the operator wirelessly controls the crane CL and unloads the coil C from the truck TR while confirming the state of the bed of the truck TR.

Thirdly, the coil C in the position YD2
The operation of supplying the pressure to the press machine PR1 will be described with reference to FIG. The flow of the operation of the crane CL at this time includes <movement-grasping> which is a going operation and <movement-installation> which is a returning operation. That is, a movement signal is given to the crane CL waiting at the WT of the first yard Y1, and the crane CL moves to the position YD2. Next, Crane C
L holds the coil C. Next, the crane CL moves to the press machine PR1 while holding the coil C.
Next, the crane CL attaches the coil C to the press machine PR1.
Set up.

Fourth, the work of returning the coil C in the press machine PR1 to the position YD2 will be described with reference to FIG. The flow of the operation of the crane CL at this time includes <movement-grasping> which is a going operation and <movement-installation> which is a returning operation. That is, a movement signal is given to the crane CL waiting in the WT of the first yard Y1, and the crane CL moves to the press machine PR1. Next, the crane CL grips the coil C. Next, the crane CL moves to the position YD2 while holding the coil C.
Next, the crane CL installs the coil C in the position YD2.

Here, when there is no possibility that the two cranes CL interfere with each other, a method of operating the two cranes CL at the same time can be considered. On the other hand, as a method of operating multiple cranes at the same time, it is possible to perform batch type scheduling that classifies required operations and schedules combinations that do not cause interference even if multiple required operations are performed simultaneously. However, there is a problem that the waiting time of the crane becomes long as a whole, and that the required operation that requires an emergency cannot be performed promptly. Therefore, instead of predictive batch scheduling,
Online and real-time scheduling is required.

Further, in the present embodiment, at the stage where each request is registered in the schedule, "where the crane moves to grip the coil C and then to move the coil to install the coil" is not known. Because the arrangement situation of the coil C changes every time the two cranes CL meet the requirements,
This is because it is possible to determine which coil C should be gripped only when an arbitrary request is extracted from the schedule. Also, next, it is possible to determine where to install the coil C only after gripping the coil C and measuring the size and weight of the coil C. Therefore, two cranes CL
In order to operate F efficiently, it is necessary to always perform real-time control.

Next, the drive control method for the two cranes, which is the main part of the present invention, will be described in detail. Analysis of the movements of the two cranes CL reveals that they can be classified into four patterns A to D. FIG. 11 shows pattern A. Pattern A is a case in which the own crane CL1 receives a movement request toward the other crane CL2 and the other crane CL2 is in a standby state and stopped. Pattern A may further include (1) when the other crane CL2 does not exist in the moving range of the own crane CL1, and (2) when the other crane CL2 exists in the moving range of the own crane CL1. In the case of pattern A, interference does not occur in (1) and interference occurs in (2). Pattern B is shown in FIG.
2, the own crane CL1 is the other crane C
In response to a request to move in the opposite direction to L2, the opponent crane C
This is the case where L2 is in standby and stopped. In the case of pattern B, no interference occurs.

In pattern C, as shown in FIG. 13, the own crane CL1 receives a request to move toward the other crane CL2, and the other crane CL2 also receives the other crane CL2.
This is the case when moving toward 1 or when a movement request is received. Pattern C is further (1) when the moving ranges of both cranes CL do not interfere at all, (2) when a part of the moving range of both cranes CL interferes, (3) the moving ranges of both cranes CL interfere, And when the other crane CL2 is in the movement range of the own crane CL1, (4) Both cranes CL
May interfere with each other, and the other crane CL may be in the movement range of both cranes CL. In the case of pattern C, the interference does not occur in (1), and the interference occurs in (2), (3) and (4). In the case of pattern C, the same is true when the own crane CL1 and the partner crane CL2 are exchanged.

Pattern D is, as shown in FIG. 14, when the own crane CL1 receives a movement request toward the other crane CL2 and the other crane CL2 is moving in the opposite direction to the other crane CL1 or has received a movement request. Is. Pattern C is further (1) When both cranes do not interfere with each other, (2) The other crane CL2 is in the movement range of the own crane CL1, but is a range that does not fall within the movement range of the own crane CL1 in the movement range of the other crane CL2. If there is (3) the opponent crane CL2 is in the movement range of the own crane CL1, the entire movement range of the opponent crane CL2 may be within the movement range of the own crane CL1. In the case of pattern D, interference does not occur in (1), and interference occurs in (2) and (3). In the case of pattern D, the same is true when the own crane CL1 and the partner crane CL2 are exchanged.

If only the patterns in which the two cranes CL interfere with each other are extracted from the patterns A to D, they can be classified into six patterns as shown in FIG. Here, pattern 1 corresponds to pattern A (2), pattern 2 corresponds to pattern D (2), and pattern 3 corresponds to pattern C.
The pattern 4 corresponds to the pattern C (4), the pattern 5 corresponds to the pattern C (3), and the pattern 6 corresponds to the pattern D (3). Pattern 2,
In the cases of 3 and 4, it is obviously necessary to preferentially move one of the cranes CL.

In the case of patterns 2 and 6, it is desired to move the crane No. 1 CL1 and the crane No. 2 CL2 at the same time. However, when there is a breaker SH in the interference area as in this embodiment. It becomes a problem. A case where there is a problem in pattern 2 will be described with reference to FIG. For simplicity, the crane 1 located on the first yard Y1 together
It is assumed that the move request is issued to the No. CL1 machine and the No. 2 CL2 crane at the same time. The speed of the crane CL is almost the same including the acceleration / deceleration state. The second crane CL2, which was located at the position WT2 of the first yard Y1, receives the command to move to the position YD2 in order to grip the coil C at the position YD2 of the second yard Y2, and starts moving. At the same time, the first crane CL1 at the WT1 position of the first yard Y1 receives a command to move to the position YD1 in order to grip the coil C at the position YD1 of the second yard Y2 and starts moving. .

However, in the case of this embodiment, the first yard Y1
It is necessary to pass the breaker SH in order to move from the second yard Y2 to the second yard Y2. The breaker SH is always open so that a person or the like can pass through it, and when the crane CL passes above it, it is closed so that no person is directly below the crane CL. Here, in consideration of the case where a person is passing through the breaker SH, etc., from when the request for passing the crane CL is received until the breaker SH is completely closed,
It takes a certain amount of time. When the crane No. 2 CL2 moves to the breaker SH before the breaker SH closes, the crane No. CL2 is controlled to stand by before the breaker SH. Therefore, for example, the crane No. 1 CL1 following the waiting crane No. 2 CL2 may collide with the other. In addition, there is a risk that, when the circuit breaker SH opens and the second crane CL2 starts slowly, the second crane CL1 runs behind and hits the first crane CL1 traveling at high speed.

In order to avoid the danger, even in the case of pattern 2, if the preceding crane CL needs to pass through the barrier SH, which is an obstacle, first, only the preceding crane CL is moved, After the crane CL has crossed the obstacle, it is necessary to control the subsequent crane CL to start moving. That is, in the case of the example of FIG.
First, only crane No. 2 CL2 is in the second yard Y2
To position YD2. Crane No. 2 C
L2 is temporarily stopped before the circuit breaker SH until the circuit breaker SH is completely closed. At this time, the first crane CL
Since No. 1 is stopped, the first crane CL1 does not collide with the second crane CL2. As soon as crane No. 2 CL2 crosses the breaker SH, crane No. 1 CL1 starts moving.

In the case of patterns 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, depending on the crane CL to be preferentially moved, it is necessary to retract the other crane CL before moving the priority crane CL. In some cases. At this time, as in the conventional method, the other crane CL is always moved to the extreme end, and after waiting for confirmation of the movement, the priority crane CL is
It is inefficient to start moving. Therefore, in this embodiment, the other crane CL is devised to shorten the retracted distance. That is, as shown in FIG.
Evacuation points WP indicated by stars are set at regular intervals to shorten the evacuation distance of the other crane CL. For example, the crane No. 1 CL1 in WT1 receives a command to move to the position YD1, and the crane No. 2 C
If L2 is in WT2, first crane No. 2 C
It is necessary to save L2. At this time, the evacuation point WP1 closest to the position YD1 is selected from the position YD1 which is the movement destination of the crane No. 1 machine CL1 by a predetermined value L or more, and the crane No. 2 machine CL2 is evacuated to the evacuation point WP1. Then, the first crane CL
1 is moved to position YD1. As a result, the time required to retract the second crane CL2 can be shortened.

Next, the control method for driving the two cranes CL based on the above-described movement pattern will be specifically described. Figure 1 shows the basic algorithm of the drive control method for two cranes. This algorithm is executed by the operation management host computer 25. First, the operation management host computer 25 receives registration of supply, return, warehousing and warehousing from the schedule registration terminal 26 (S1). At this time, the information on the required coils to be supplied, returned, stored, or delivered is input at the same time. In this embodiment,
Regarding supply, the required type of coil C and the number of the press machine PR are input from the schedule registration terminal 26 of the press machine PR. Regarding the return, the number of the press machine PR is input. Further, regarding the warehousing, the bar code data attached to the coil C is input from the schedule registration terminal 26 of the coil unloading site N. In addition, regarding the delivery, the position YD of the coil C
Is entered.

Next, the operation schedule of each of the two cranes CL is determined (S2). This step
(1) When a new request is generated from the state where there is no request schedule, (2) When the going operation or the returning operation of one of the cranes is completed, (3) The operation determination process is necessary after passing through the breaker SH. It is executed when the crossing completion signal of the circuit breaker SH is input at a certain time. In this step, there may be some cranes CL that have not completed all the requests at the present time, so it is first determined from the schedule which crane CL to allocate the new request to. If there is a crane CL that can be allocated, make a new request for that crane C.
If there is no crane CL that can be registered and assigned to L, it can be processed without processing.

The schedule is allocated as follows so that the loads on both cranes CL are equalized. (1) The supply or return request from the press machine PR on the first yard Y1 side is allocated to the first crane CL1. (2) The supply or return request from the press machine PR on the second yard Y2 side is allocated to the second crane CL2. (3) The request for leaving the coil C on the first yard Y1 side is assigned to the first crane CL1. (4) The request for leaving the coil C on the second yard Y2 side is allocated to the second crane CL2. (5) The storage request is assigned to the second crane CL2. The request for warehousing is assigned to the second crane CL2,
This is because the request frequency of the press machine PR in the first yard Y1 is higher than the request frequency of the press machine PR in the second yard Y2 in the present embodiment.

Next, a basic operation pattern for each of the first crane CL1 and the second crane CL2 is created based on the registered request. That is, the basic operation is determined for the requests for supply, return, warehousing, and warehousing as described with reference to FIGS. 20 to 23 (S3). This step consists of Crane 1 CL1 and Crane 2 CL2
And proceed asynchronously. For example, the first crane C
When a return request is made to L1, <movement-grasping>-<movement-installation> which is a basic operation of returning is created (S3).
a). When the supply and supply to the second crane CL2 are made, <movement-grasping>-<movement-installation> which is a basic operation of the supply is created (S3b).

The basic operation pattern usually includes two movements. Here, the interference becomes a problem when the moving operation is performed, and first, the start point and the end point of moving the crane CL based on the first half movement command <FRO.
M-TO> is determined. That is, the address and coil information of the source and destination are set. Table 3 shows the case of supply.

[Table 3] In the case of the supply operation, the coordinates of the current position of the crane CL, the coil C to be gripped and the installed coordinates of the coil C, the coordinates to start gripping, and the size of the coil C to be gripped are set. . In the case of the return operation of supply, the coordinates of the current position of the crane CL, the coordinates of the target press machine PR, and the coordinates at which the coil C is installed are set.

Table 4 shows the case of return.

[Table 4] In the case of a return operation, the coordinates of the current position of the crane CL, the coordinates of the target press machine PR, the coordinates at which gripping is started, and the width of the coil C to be gripped are set.
The width information of the coil C is information required when the crane tongs 13 hold the coil C. In case of return operation for returning, the coordinates of the current position of the crane CL, the coil C gripped
Determine the location to install based on and set the coordinates of that location.

Table 5 shows the case of warehousing.

[Table 5] In the case of the warehousing operation, the coordinates of the current position of the crane CL and the coordinates of the coil unloading area N are set. Next, when the wireless operation switching instruction is input from the schedule registration terminal 26 installed in the coil unloading area N, the control of the crane CL is switched from the automatic mode to the wireless mode. This allows the operator to wirelessly control the crane CL, and the operator can use the coil C mounted on the truck TR.
The crane CL. After that, the unloading completion instruction is input from the schedule registration terminal 26. By this input, the control of the crane CL is switched from the wireless mode to the automatic mode. Crane CL for return operation of warehousing
On the basis of the coordinates of the current position of C and the coil C grasped, the place to install is determined and the coordinates of the installation place are set.

Table 6 shows the case of delivery.

[Table 6] In the case of the outgoing / outgoing operation, the coordinates of the current position of the crane CL, the coordinates where the coil C for which the outgoing request is issued are placed, and the size of the coil C to be gripped are set. In the case of the returning operation of the warehousing, the coordinates of the current position of the crane CL and the coordinates of the coil unloading place N are set. Next, coil unloading area N
When the wireless operation switching instruction is input from the schedule registration terminal 26 installed in, the control of the crane CL is switched from the automatic mode to the wireless mode. This allows the operator to wirelessly control the crane CL, and the operator mounts the coil C gripped by the crane CL on the truck TR. After that, the unloading completion instruction is input from the schedule registration terminal 26. By this input, the control of the crane CL is switched from the wireless mode to the automatic mode.

Next, the first crane CL1 and the second crane 2
The interference control is performed based on the <FROM-TO> information of the machine CL2 (S5). Details of the interference control will be described later in detail. Next, a command is issued to the first crane CL1 and the second crane CL2 based on the interference control (S6). Details of the command issuing method will be described later in detail. According to this command, the crane ground control panel 23 causes the crane No. 1 CL1 and the crane No. 2 CL2 via the onboard control panel 21.
Are moved, and work such as gripping the coil C is performed.
The onboard control panel 21 measures the weight and size data of the coil C and transmits the data to the operation management host computer 25 via the crane ground control panel 23. The onboard control panel 21 also transmits a signal indicating that the work such as movement and gripping has been completed to the operation management host computer 25 via the crane ground control panel 23.

Next, based on the second half movement command of each basic operation pattern, <FROM-TO>, which is the starting point and the ending point for moving the crane CL, is determined. <FROM-TO>
Has already been described above, and a description thereof will be omitted here. Next, the crane No. 1 CL1 and the crane No. 2 CL2
The interference control is performed based on the FROM-TO> information (S
8). Details of the interference control will be described later in detail.

Next, a command is issued to the first crane CL1 and the second crane CL2 based on the interference control (S9). Details of the command issuing method will be described later in detail. In accordance with this command, the crane ground control panel 23 moves the crane No. 1 CL1 and the crane No. 2 CL2 via the onboard control panel 21, and causes the coils C and the like to be installed. At this time, the onboard control panel 21 measures the weight and size data of the coil C and transmits the data to the operation management host computer 25 via the crane ground control panel 23.
The onboard control panel 21 also transmits a signal indicating that the work such as movement and installation has been completed to the operation management host computer 25 via the crane ground control panel 23. Next, the operation management host computer 25 updates the yard map that stores the coil C arrangement in the yard and the coil size / weight of the coil C (S10).

Next, the interference control which is the main part of the present invention will be described. The interference control performed in S5 and S8 has the same contents. When the interferences shown in the six interference patterns in FIG. 15 occur, the saving operation and the waiting operation are created according to the following detailed algorithm, and finally the permission to issue the next operation instruction is given. When no interference occurs, both cranes CL are given permission to issue operation instructions. FIG. 2 shows an interference control algorithm in the case of pattern 1. That is, in FIG. 15, the situation is impossible when the first crane CL1 is moving and the next operation of the second crane CL2 is determined. That is, the crane No. 2 CL2 is in the movement range of the crane No. 1 CL1 and interferes with the crane No. 2 CL2 when the crane No. 1 CL1 moves. This is because such an operation is never permitted.

Therefore, the pattern 1 is generated only when the crane No. 1 CL1 is about to operate (S11). In this case, it is necessary to retract the second crane CL2 before moving the first crane CL1. Therefore, it is determined whether or not the retracting movement of the second crane CL2 passes through the breaker SH (S12). In the case of YES, the operation determination processing program is set to be kicked again after the second crane CL2 has passed through the breaker SH (S13). Next, the evacuation point of the second crane CL2 is determined (S14). Here, the second crane C
As described with reference to FIG. 17, the evacuation point of L2 is the evacuation point WP1 closest to the position YD1 that is closest to the position YD1 from the position YD1 to which the first crane CL1 is moved. Decide as points. And the second crane CL2
A movement instruction to the evacuation point WP1 is issued to (S15). If S12 is NO, the evacuation point of the second crane CL2 is determined in the same manner as above (S1
6), the crane No. 1 CL1 and the crane No. 2 CL2 are simultaneously permitted to issue the next movement instruction (S1).
7).

The movement of the crane CL at S15 is L1.
Shown in 1. That is, when the second crane CL2 passes through the breaker SH when retracting, the second crane C
Only L2 is moved first. The movement of the crane CL at S17 is shown by L12. That is, when the crane No. 2 CL2 does not pass through the breaker SH when retracting, the crane No. 1 CL1 and the crane No. 2 CL2 are moved at the same time. According to the flowchart of FIG. 2, when the other crane CL needs to be retracted when moving the one crane CL, the operation pattern is divided depending on whether or not the other crane CL passes through the breaker SH. Therefore, both cranes CL can be driven simultaneously only when interference does not occur, and the operating efficiency of the crane CL can be increased.

FIG. 3 shows an interference control algorithm in the case of pattern 2. That is, in FIG. 15, the crane 1
When the No. CL1 machine is moving and the next operation of the No. 2 crane CL2 is determined, this is an impossible situation. That is, the crane No. 2 CL2 is in the movement range of the crane No. 1 CL1 and interferes with the crane No. 2 CL2 when the crane No. 1 CL1 moves. This is because such an operation is never permitted. Therefore,
The pattern 2 occurs only when the crane No. 1 CL1 is about to operate (S21). in this case,
The second crane CL2 is moving or is in a state of receiving a movement command. Next, the second crane CL2
Whether the movement of the vehicle passes through the circuit breaker SH (S2
2). In the case of YES, the crane No. 2 CL2 is the breaker S
The operation determination processing program is set to be kicked again after passing H (S23). Then, the movement instruction is issued to the second crane CL2 (S24). Also,
When S22 is NO, the crane No. 1 CL1 and the crane No. 2 CL2 are simultaneously permitted to issue the next movement instruction (S25).

The movement of the crane CL at S24 is L2.
Shown in 1. That is, when the second crane CL2 moves through the breaker SH when it moves, the second crane C
Only L2 is moved first. The movement of the crane CL at S22 is indicated by L22. That is, when the crane No. 2 CL2 does not pass through the breaker SH when moving, the crane No. 1 CL1 and the crane No. 2 CL2 are moved at the same time. According to the flowchart of FIG. 3, when both cranes CL are moved in the same direction, the operation patterns are divided depending on whether or not the preceding crane CL passes through the breaker SH, so when interference does not occur, Both cranes CL can be driven simultaneously, and crane C
The operating efficiency of L can be increased.

FIG. 4 shows an interference control algorithm in the case of pattern 3. That is, in FIG. 15, it is determined whether or not the own crane CL for which the next operation should be determined is on standby and the other crane CL is moving. In the case of YES, the own crane CL is in a waiting operation and issuance is not permitted, and the number of waiting times is incremented (S32). When S31 is NO, priority determination processing is performed and the crane CL to be moved with priority is determined (S33). The priority determination process will be described in detail later. Next, the non-priority crane CL is put into a waiting operation and issuance is not permitted, and the waiting count is incremented (S34). Next, priority crane CL
Only the next move instruction is permitted (S35).

The movement of the crane CL when the own crane CL is the first crane CL1 at S32 is indicated by L31. That is, the first crane CL1 of the crane is set to the waiting operation,
Move the second crane CL2. The movement of the crane CL when the own crane CL is the second crane CL2 at S32 is indicated by L32. That is, the crane No. 2 CL2 is set to the waiting operation, and the crane No. 1 CL1 is moved. The movement of the crane CL when the priority crane CL at S35 is the second crane CL2 is indicated by L33.
That is, the crane No. 1 CL1 is set to the waiting operation, and the crane No. 2 CL2 is moved. Crane C when the priority crane CL at S35 is the first crane CL1
The movement of L is shown at L34. That is, Crane No. 2 C
L2 is set as a waiting operation and the first crane CL1 is moved. According to the flowchart of FIG. 4, when the two cranes CL are moved in the respective directions, one of the cranes CL is
The operation pattern is divided depending on whether or not the vehicle is moving, and when it is not, the priority determination process is performed, so that the crane CL having a high priority value can be driven preferentially, so that the efficiency of the entire system can be improved. it can.

Here, regarding the priority determination processing, the determination elements of the priority determination and the priority determination determination method employed in this embodiment will be described in order. The following five items are taken as the judgment factors. (1) Priority by number of waits ... Gives a high score to a crane CL that has many waits. As a result, the specific crane CL does not continue to wait, and it is possible to increase the opportunity to move the two cranes CL at the same time. (2) Priority according to the current position of the crane CL ... When the first crane CL1 is in the second yard Y2,
Or, if the second crane CL2 is in the first yard Y1, give a high score to return to the main area as soon as possible. This is because, in this embodiment, the yard is divided into two, so that it is less likely that interference will occur if both cranes CL are divided into the respective yards.

(3) Priority of the crane CL itself ... Work content of the first crane CL1 and second crane CL2 of the crane
When the work content of No. 1 is different and there is a priority among the work contents, a high score is given to the crane CL to be prioritized. For example, in this embodiment, the first yard Y1
The press machine PR installed in the factory manufactures important parts and is of high importance. Moreover, since the press machine PR in the first yard Y1 has a high frequency of replacement of the coil C, the number of times of operation of the first crane CL1 is greater than the number of times of operation of the second crane CL2. Therefore, the first crane CL1 is given a higher score than the second crane CL2.

(4) Priority depending on the type of requested operation ...
There is a priority among the types of requested operations (supply, return, warehousing, and warehousing). In the present embodiment, when the warehousing is 100, the supply is 70, the return is 40, and the unloading is 10 points.
The reason is that the warehousing work involves wireless unloading by the worker as a work, and one truck TR usually has four coils C.
It will take some time to work. Therefore, in order to shorten the time that the worker stays at the coil unloading area N,
This is because it is necessary to increase the priority of warehousing. Compared with this, the coil C is used up, the frequency of warehousing work is low, and even when warehousing, only one coil C is warehousing, and it does not take much work time. On the other hand, if the operation of the press machine PR is considered first, the priority of supply needs to be higher than the priority of return.

(5) Priority designation for a request ... At the time of request registration from the schedule registration terminal 26, a worker is allowed to give priority designation, and a high score is given to the crane CL that has received a request operation with the priority designation. give. It is necessary when a request order different from the normal process occurs. This is because, for example, when the operator of the press machine PR forgets to input the required operation signal and there is a risk that the coil C will break, a supply operation is urgently needed.

With respect to the above five items, the weight Wm is determined for each item Pmn. The value obtained by summing the numerical values obtained by multiplying the item Pmn and each weight Wm is the priority degree value.

[Table 7] That is, as shown in Table 7, the priority value of the crane CL is P1n * W1 + P2n * W2 + P3n * W3 + P4n * W4 +
It becomes P5n * W5. This priority value is the first crane C
The crane CL with the higher total score calculated for L1 and crane No. 2 CL2 is the priority crane.

This weight Wm is determined by the schedule registration terminal 2
6 allows the operator to change. This is to respond quickly to the needs of the site. However, even in the driving method of this embodiment, a plurality of outputs change by changing the weight Wm. Therefore, when the operator changes only one factor and changes the weight Wm, other outputs are changed. There is a risk that the output will deteriorate significantly and the efficiency of the entire system will deteriorate. In this embodiment, in order to avoid this, the schedule registration terminal 26
Press machine PR when the weight Wm is changed by
Supply waiting time, entry time, exit time, time when two cranes CL were driven at the same time, crane C
The waiting time of L, the evacuation time of the crane CL, etc. are calculated based on the standard work schedule set at the time of design and printed out. Further, the evaluation value is calculated and printed out for one day before changing the weight Wm and one day after changing the weight Wm. From these printouts, it is possible to grasp the influence of the change of the weight Wm on the system, and it is possible to evaluate the entire system.

FIG. 5 shows an interference control algorithm in the case of pattern 4. That is, in FIG. 15, the crane 1
This is an impossible situation when the unit CL1 is moving and determines the next operation of the crane No. 2 CL2, or when the crane No. 2 CL2 is moving and determines the next operation of the crane No. 1 CL1. That is, both cranes CL are in the movement range of the other crane CL, and interference occurs when either crane CL moves. This is because such an operation is never permitted. Therefore,
The pattern 4 occurs only when both cranes CL are about to operate (S41).

If S41 is NO, priority determination processing is performed to determine the crane CL to be moved with priority (S4).
2). The priority determination process is the same as before. Next, the evacuation point of the non-priority crane CL is determined (S43). Next, when the non-priority crane CL is retracted, it is determined whether or not the breaker SH is passed (S44). Yes
In the case of, the non-priority crane CL is set so that the operation determination processing program is kicked again after passing through the breaker SH (S45). Then, only the non-priority crane CL is permitted to issue a movement instruction to the evacuation point (S2).
4). When S44 is NO, the issuance of the movement instruction to the evacuation point to the non-priority crane CL is permitted, and at the same time, the issuance of the next movement instruction to the priority crane CL is permitted.

The movement of the crane CL when the priority crane CL is the second crane CL2 at S46 is indicated by L41. That is, the crane No. 2 CL2 is set to the standby operation, and the crane No. 1 CL1 is moved to the retreat point. Then, after the first crane CL1 has passed the breaker SH, the second crane CL2 is caused to perform the next operation. S
When 46, the priority crane CL is the first crane CL1
The movement of the crane CL in the case of is shown by L42. That is, the crane No. 1 CL1 is set to the waiting operation, and the crane 2
Move Unit CL2 to the evacuation point. Then, after the second crane CL2 has passed the breaker SH, the first crane CL1 is caused to perform the next operation.

The movement of the crane CL when the priority crane CL is the second crane CL2 at S47 is indicated by L43. That is, the first crane CL1 is moved to the evacuation point, and at the same time, the second crane CL2 is moved. L44 shows the movement of the crane CL when the priority crane CL at S47 is the first crane CL1.
That is, the second crane CL2 is moved to the evacuation point, and at the same time, the first crane CL1 is moved.
According to the flowchart of FIG. 5, when moving both cranes CL in the respective directions, priority determination processing is performed,
Moreover, since the operation pattern is changed depending on whether or not the non-priority crane CL passes through the breaker SH, the crane CL having a high priority value can be preferentially driven, and if there is no possibility of interference, two Since the cranes CL are simultaneously driven, the efficiency of the entire system can be improved.

FIG. 6 shows an interference control algorithm in the case of pattern 5. That is, in FIG. 15, the crane 1
When the next operation of the crane No. 2 CL2 is determined while the No. machine CL1 is moving, this is an impossible situation (S51). That is, the crane 2 is within the moving range of the first crane CL1.
There is a machine No. CL2, and the crane No. 1 CL1 moves to interfere with the crane No. 2 CL2. This is because such an operation is never permitted. Therefore,
The pattern 5 is generated only when the first crane CL1 is operating, and the second crane CL2 is operating.
Is moving or is stopped (S52).

If S52 is YES, the first crane C
L1 is a waiting operation and issuance is not permitted, and the waiting count is incremented (S53). When S52 is NO, priority determination processing is performed and the crane CL to be moved with priority is determined (S54). The priority determination process is the same as before.
Next, it is determined whether or not the priority crane CL is the second crane CL2 (S55). In the case of YES, the crane No. 1 CL1 is set to the waiting operation and the movement instruction issuance is not permitted,
The waiting count is incremented (S56). Next, only the second crane CL2 is allowed to issue the next movement instruction (S5).
7). When S55 is NO, the evacuation point for evacuating the second crane CL2 is determined (S58). Then, it is determined whether the retracting movement of the second crane CL2 passes through the breaker SH (S59). If yes,
After the second crane CL2 has passed the breaker SH, the operation determination processing program is set to be kicked again (S60). Then, the issuance of the movement instruction to the evacuation point is permitted only for the second crane CL2 (S6).
1). When S59 is NO, the issuance of the movement instruction to the evacuation point to the second crane CL2 is permitted, and at the same time, the next movement instruction is issued to the first crane CL1 of the crane.

The movement of the crane CL at S57 is L5.
Shown in 1. That is, the crane No. 1 CL1 is set to the waiting operation, and the crane No. 2 CL2 is moved. The movement of the crane CL at S61 is shown by L52. That is, the crane No. 1 CL1 is set to the standby operation, and the crane No. 2 C is used.
Move L2 to the evacuation point. Then, after the second crane CL2 has passed the breaker SH, the first crane CL1 is caused to perform the next operation. The movement of the crane CL at S62 is indicated by L53. That is, the second crane CL2 is moved to the evacuation point, and at the same time, the first crane CL1 is moved.

According to the flowchart of FIG. 6, when the two cranes CL are moved in the directions of each other, the crane 2
The pattern is divided according to whether the No. CL2 machine is moving, the priority determination process is performed when the No. 2 crane CL2 is stopped, and the operation pattern is changed depending on whether the No. 2 crane CL is the No. 2 crane CL2. Crane 2
Since the operation pattern is changed depending on whether or not the machine CL2 passes through the breaker SH when it is retracted, it is possible to preferentially drive the crane CL with a high priority value, and if there is no possibility of interference, use two The crane CL can be driven simultaneously.

FIG. 7 shows an interference control algorithm in the case of pattern 6. That is, in FIG. 15, the crane 1
When the next operation of the crane No. 2 CL2 is moving while the No. CL1 is moving, it is an impossible situation (S71). That is, the crane 2 is within the moving range of the first crane CL1.
There is a machine No. CL2, and the crane No. 1 CL1 moves to interfere with the crane No. 2 CL2. This is because such an operation is never permitted. Therefore,
The pattern 6 is generated only when the first crane CL1 is operating, and the second crane CL2 is operated.
Is moving or stopped (S72).

If S72 is YES, the first crane C
L1 is a waiting operation and issuance is not permitted, and the waiting count is incremented (S73). When S72 is NO, priority determination processing is performed and the crane CL to be moved with priority is determined (S74). The priority determination process is the same as before.
Next, it is determined whether or not the priority crane CL is the second crane CL2 (S75). In the case of YES, the crane No. 1 CL1 is set to the waiting operation and the movement instruction issuance is not permitted,
The number of waits is incremented (S76). Next, only the second crane CL2 is permitted to issue the next movement instruction (S7).
7). When S75 is NO, the evacuation point for evacuating the second crane CL2 is determined (S78). Then, it is determined whether or not the retracting movement of the second crane CL2 passes through the breaker SH (S79). If yes,
After the second crane CL2 has passed the breaker SH, the operation determination processing program is set to be kicked again (S80). Then, only the second crane CL2 is allowed to issue the instruction to move to the evacuation point (S8).
1). In the case of NO in S79, the issuance of the movement instruction to the evacuation point to the second crane CL2 is permitted, and at the same time, the next movement instruction is issued to the first crane CL1 of the crane.

The movement of the crane CL at S77 is L6.
Shown in 1. That is, the crane No. 1 CL1 is set to the waiting operation, and the crane No. 2 CL2 is moved. The movement of the crane CL at S81 is shown by L62. That is, the crane No. 1 CL1 is set to the standby operation, and the crane No. 2 C is used.
Move L2 to the evacuation point. Then, after the second crane CL2 has passed the breaker SH, the first crane CL1 is caused to perform the next operation. The movement of the crane CL at S82 is indicated by L63. That is, the second crane CL2 is moved to the evacuation point, and at the same time, the first crane CL1 is moved.

According to the flowchart of FIG. 7, when both cranes CL are moved in the same direction, the patterns are divided according to whether or not the second crane CL2 is moving, and the priority judgment is made when the second crane CL2 is stopped. Processing,
In addition, the operation pattern is changed depending on whether the priority crane CL is the second crane CL2 or not, and further, the operation pattern is changed depending on whether or not the breaker SH is passed during the evacuation movement of the second crane CL2. The crane CL having a high value can be driven preferentially, and two cranes CL can be driven simultaneously if there is no possibility of interference.

Next, the method of command issuing processing executed in S6 and S9 of FIG. 1 will be described. An operation command is issued to each crane ground control panel 23 from the go operation or the return operation permitted by the interference control (S5, S8). Here, when issuing the instruction of the inbound / outbound operation or the outbound return operation, wireless unloading is required.
The process shown in FIG. 8 is performed, and otherwise the process shown in FIG. 9 is performed. The inbound / outbound operation or the outbound return operation will be described.
First, a movement command is created based on permission of interference control and is issued to the crane ground control panel 23 of each crane CL (S91). Next, the process waits until a wireless operation switching instruction is input from the schedule registration terminal 26 in the coil unloading area N (S92).

When the wireless operation switching instruction is input, an unloading command is created and issued to the crane ground control panel 23 (S93). Thereby, the control of the crane CL is switched from the automatic operation mode to the wireless mode which is the manual operation, and the operator wirelessly drives the crane CL,
The coil C is loaded onto the truck TR or the coil C is unloaded from the truck TR. After the wireless loading or unloading work is completed, the worker inputs an unloading completion signal from the schedule registration terminal 26.
When the operation management host computer 25 receives the unloading completion signal from the schedule registration terminal 26 in the coil unloading area N (S94, YES), the crane ground control panel 23
An unloading completion confirmation signal is output to, and the crane CL drive is switched from the wireless mode to the automatic mode (S9
5). This ends the command processing.

Next, the issuance of operation commands other than the entering and exiting operations and the returning operation will be described. Based on permission of interference control, move + grip command or move +
An installation command is created and issued to the crane ground control panel 23 (S101). This ends the command processing.

A case where the drive control method for a plurality of cranes described above is applied to FIG. 26 described in the prior art will be described with reference to FIG. Two overhead cranes CL
1 and CL2, a press machine PR that uses the coil C, which is a position YD for storing the coil C that is an object to be transported.
It is a system which conveys the coil C between and. Crane No. 1 CL1 is moving while receiving an operation command to return the coil in the press machine PR1 to the position YD2,
Consider a case where the operation command for supplying the coil at position YD1 to the second crane CL2 to the press machine PR2 is determined. Here, a case where the priority degree value of the second crane CL2 is higher than the priority degree value of the first crane CL1 will be described.

First, the first crane CL1 of the crane grips the coil of the press machine PR1 (step 1). At this time, the second crane CL2 is in a waiting state. Next, since the priority value of the second crane CL2 is greater than the priority value of the first crane CL1, the first crane CL1 is retracted and the second crane CL2 is moved to the coil C position (step 2). ).
Crane No. 1 CL1 is in a waiting state at the evacuation point, and Crane No. 2 CL2 grips the coil C after moving to the coil C position (step 2 '). Crane No. 2 CL2 moves to the coil installation location. at the same time,
The first crane CL1 also moves to the coil installation location (step 3). As described above, according to the drive control method for a plurality of cranes of the present embodiment, since two cranes are moved at the same time as much as possible, the two-step operation can be shortened as compared with the conventional method described in FIG. The time required to perform the same operation can be significantly reduced.

As described in detail above, according to the drive control method for a plurality of cranes of the present embodiment, the plurality of cranes control device causes
Analyze <FROM-TO> that each crane should move, determine whether the combination of each <FROM-TO> matches the interference pattern that was considered in advance, and if it is determined that there is no interference, Drive two cranes at the same time,
If it is determined that the two cranes match each other, the priority values of the two cranes are calculated and the crane having the higher priority value is driven preferentially.
Since it is possible to take a lot of time to drive L at the same time,
The efficiency of the system can be increased.

Since the priority depending on the number of waiting times is adopted as an element of the priority degree value, the specific crane CL
Does not continue to wait, and it is possible to increase the opportunities to move the two cranes CL at the same time. Further, since the priority depending on the current position of the crane CL is adopted as an element of the priority level value, the first crane CL1 is the first yard Y1 and the second crane CL2 is the second yard Y.
Since the time divided into two can be lengthened, the occurrence of interference can be reduced.

Further, since the priority of the crane CL itself is adopted as an element of the priority level value, the crane No. 1 CL1 which requires a larger amount of work as compared with the crane No. 2 CL2 can be driven first. More time can be taken to drive the crane CL at the same time. Further, since the priority depending on the type of the required operation (supply, return, warehousing, warehousing) is adopted as an element of the priority degree value, it is possible to drive the crane CL according to the importance of the required operation. .
For example, since the warehousing is given the highest priority, it is possible to shorten the time that the worker stays at the coil unloading place. On the other hand, since the priority of supply is higher than the priority of return, the operating efficiency of the press machine can be increased. Also, as an element of the priority level value, the priority designation by the worker is adopted at the time of request registration from the schedule registration terminal.
When a request order different from the normal process occurs, the operator can prioritize any request in response to the request order.

Further, the weight is determined for the score of each item of the priority driving factors, and the weight can be changed by the operator from the schedule registration terminal, so that the needs of the field can be quickly met. be able to. Here, when the weight Wm is changed by the schedule registration terminal 26, the supply waiting time of the press machine PR, the entry time, the exit time, the time when two cranes CL are being driven at the same time, and the waiting of the crane CL The time, the evacuation time of the crane CL, etc. are calculated based on the standard work schedule set at the time of design, printed out, and one day before changing the weight Wm and one day after changing the weight Wm. Since the above evaluation values are calculated and printed out, it is possible to grasp the influence of the change of the weight Wm on the system. Therefore, when the operator changes the weight Wm by focusing on only one factor. In addition, it is possible to prevent the other output from being greatly deteriorated and the efficiency of the entire system from being deteriorated.

Even in the case where it is considered that the interference does not occur even if the cranes are driven simultaneously, <F of the preceding crane CL is
When the breaker SH is present in ROM-TO>, the succeeding crane CL is on standby until the preceding crane CL crosses the breaker SH.
Even if the vehicle is stopped by the breaker SH, the collision of the succeeding crane CL can be avoided.

The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various applications are possible. Although two cranes CL have been described in the present embodiment, the basic pattern of interference is the same when driving three or more cranes CL, and the algorithm of this embodiment can be applied. Further, in the present embodiment, the case of the overhead crane has been described, but the same applies to the case of a large ground traveling type crane used in an automated warehouse or the like. In this embodiment, all five items are used as elements of the priority value, but one or a combination of two or more of them may be used depending on the target system. Also, other elements may be adopted depending on the special circumstances of the target system.

[0091]

As is apparent from the above description, the drive control method for a plurality of cranes according to the present invention classifies combinations for simultaneously moving a plurality of cranes into several movement patterns and requests the cranes. When an operation signal is generated, the movement signal for each crane is determined from the required operation signal, and even if (1) multiple cranes are driven simultaneously according to each movement signal, interference between the cranes may occur. When there is no pattern, when multiple cranes are driven simultaneously according to each movement signal, and (2) when multiple cranes are driven simultaneously according to each movement signal, there is a possibility that interference between cranes may occur. Is one or more priority drive factors required for the crane to perform the required operation for each of the multiple cranes. Therefore, the priority value is calculated by summing the numerical values obtained by multiplying the weighting coefficient determined for each crane, and the priority values of the cranes are compared, and the crane with the maximum priority value is moved preferentially. It is possible to drive a plurality of cranes at the same time, improve the efficiency of material transportation to the manufacturing process, and quickly respond to requests from the manufacturing process.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an overall drive control method for a plurality of cranes.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling an interference pattern 1.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling an interference pattern 2.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling an interference pattern 3.

5 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling an interference pattern 4. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling an interference pattern 5.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling the interference pattern 6.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a process of issuing commands for a warehousing going operation and a warehousing returning operation.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing command issuing processing in other cases.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a multi-crane control device.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a basic operation pattern A of two cranes.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a basic operation pattern B of two cranes.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a basic operation pattern C of two cranes.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a basic operation pattern D of two cranes.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an interference pattern.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram when a preceding crane passes through a circuit breaker.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a retreat point of the crane.

FIG. 18 is a transparent perspective view showing the structure of a yard.

FIG. 19 is a layout diagram showing the entire yard.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the crane at the time of storage.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the crane at the time of leaving the warehouse.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the crane when supplying a coil.

FIG. 23 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the crane when the coil is returned.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory diagram showing the effect of the drive control method for a plurality of cranes.

FIG. 25 is a first explanatory diagram showing a conventional drive control method for a plurality of cranes.

FIG. 26 is a second explanatory diagram showing a conventional drive control method for a plurality of cranes.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 Crane Garter 12 Crane Club 13 Crane Tong 23 Crane Ground Control Panel 25 Operation Management Host Computer 26 Schedule Registration Terminal C Coil CL1 Crane No. 1 CL2 Crane No. 2 N Coil Unloader SH Circuit Breaker Y1 First Yard Y2 Second Yard

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. In a drive control method for a plurality of cranes, which moves on a fixed rail and drives a plurality of cranes in which respective movable areas overlap, a movement pattern that may occur when moving a plurality of cranes at the same time is described. When the required operation signal is generated for each crane, the movement signal is determined from the required operation signal. (1) Even if multiple cranes are driven simultaneously according to the movement signal, interference between cranes will occur. If the pattern is not possible, drive multiple cranes simultaneously according to the movement signal,
(2) In the case of a pattern in which the cranes may interfere with each other when the plurality of cranes are simultaneously driven in accordance with the movement signal, it is necessary for the crane to perform the required operation for each of the plurality of cranes 1 or Two
For each of the above priority driving factors, calculate the priority level value that is the sum of the numerical values obtained by multiplying the predetermined weighting factors, compare the priority level values of each crane, and select the crane that has the maximum priority level value. A drive control method for a plurality of cranes, wherein the drive control is performed with priority. 2. The drive control method for a plurality of cranes according to claim 1, wherein the priority drive factor includes the number of times each crane is determined to be in a non-priority state and placed in a standby state. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the priority drive factor is provided for a passage set in a movable area of the crane, and a breaker for blocking the passage when the crane passes through the crane. A method for controlling the drive of a plurality of cranes, characterized in that it includes the presence or absence of passage by 4. The drive control method for a plurality of cranes according to claim 1, wherein the priority drive factor includes a determination as to whether or not the crane is currently in a main service area. 5. The drive control method for a plurality of cranes according to claim 1, wherein the priority drive factor includes priority designation of a specific crane. 6. The drive control method for a plurality of cranes according to claim 1, wherein the priority drive factor includes a type of request content of the request operation signal. 7. The drive control method for a plurality of cranes according to claim 1, wherein the priority drive factor includes priority designation of a specific request. 8. The drive control method for a plurality of cranes according to claim 1, wherein the weighting factor is variable. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of cranes are simultaneously driven according to a movement signal,
Even in the case of a pattern in which there is no possibility of interference between cranes, the movement signal has the content of moving a plurality of cranes in the same direction, and the preceding crane requests the crane to stop moving or slow down. A drive control method for a plurality of cranes, wherein movement of a trailing crane is prohibited until a preceding crane passes through the obstacle when a movement signal for passing through the obstacle is given. 10. A drive control method for a plurality of cranes that moves on a fixed rail and drives a plurality of cranes, each movable area of which is overlapped, wherein a plurality of crane control devices for controlling the plurality of cranes comprises:
(1) a step of detecting the presence or absence of a priority drive factor necessary for operating a plurality of cranes based on the generated required operation signal; (2) a weighting coefficient determined in advance for each of the priority drive factors. A step of calculating a priority level value obtained by adding up the numerical values multiplied by the priority drive factors, (3) comparing the priority level values calculated for each crane, and providing a crane control device for controlling the crane having the maximum priority level value. On the other hand, a drive control method for a plurality of cranes, characterized by performing a step of preferentially transmitting a crane movement signal.