JPH11122145A - Communication system for superimposing signal on feeder of mobile body - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the reliability of communication by ensuring strength of a signal superimposed on a current flowing through a feeder even when the length of a guide rail is extended. SOLUTION: Feeders 6, 7 connecting to power supplies 4, 5 are wired to a guide rail 2. A stationary station 20 superimposes a signal on a current flowing through the feeder 6, 7 by using a communication antenna 17 to make communication with a carrying body 3 running on the guide rail 2. A repeater 19 is provided on a track along the guide rail 2. In the repeater 19, a signal received by a reception antenna 28 is amplified by an amplifier 30 by taking synchronization and the amplified signal is superimposed on a current flowing through the feeder 7 by using a transmission antenna 29. The reception antenna 28 is used in common for a pickup coil and the power for signal amplification required by the amplifier 30 uses an electromotive force induced in the reception antenna 28.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a power supply line superimposing communication system for a mobile unit which performs communication by superimposing a signal on a current flowing through a power supply line wired on a guide rail to supply power to the mobile unit. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, there has been known a transporting body (moving body) that travels on guide rails that are erected or laid between stations in a factory or a warehouse, and that transports loads. As a power supply method for a moving body of this type, there is known a power supply system in which a high-frequency current is supplied to a power supply line wired on a guide rail, and power is supplied to the mobile body by electromagnetic induction via a pickup coil placed close to the power supply line. (For example, JP-A-5-344603 and JP-A-6-153305).

Conventionally, communication between a fixed station (master station) that issues an operation command to a mobile unit and a mobile unit (slave station) is carried out by wiring a trolley wire on a guide rail and a trolley wire. I was For this reason, since it is necessary to wire both the power supply line and the trolley wire, the wiring work is troublesome, and there is a problem that the trolley wire is easily worn by contact with the current collecting brush.

Accordingly, the present applicant has proposed using a power supply line for communication. That is, as shown in FIG. 14A, a power supply line 82 wired on the guide rail 81 is connected to a power supply 83 serving as a high-frequency current supply source.
A communication antenna 86 for performing communication with the mobile object 84 is connected to a fixed station 85 located at a position outside the traveling range of the mobile object 84. It is mounted so that a signal can be superimposed on the high-frequency current flowing through it. The mobile unit 84 is provided with a communication antenna (not shown) for receiving a signal superimposed on a high-frequency current flowing through the power supply line 82, and communication between the fixed station 85 and the mobile unit 84 uses a power supply line. This is performed by transmitting and receiving a signal superimposed on the current flowing through the signal.

[0005]

By the way, the moving body 84
When the length of the guide rail 81 is increased in order to secure a long moving path of the
Need to be longer. However, when the power supply line 82 is long, attenuation of a signal superimposed on a high-frequency current becomes a problem. If the strength of the signal becomes weaker due to the attenuation, the moving body 84 may receive the signal erroneously, and in some cases, the moving body 84 may malfunction or stop abnormally. Therefore, increasing the length of the power supply line 82 is inconvenient in terms of communication, and it is difficult to adopt this communication method only when the guide rail 81 is relatively short.

If the guide rail 81 is to be lengthened considerably, attenuation of electric power also becomes a problem. in this case,
As shown in FIG. 14B, two feeder lines 82a, 82a,
82b, and a power supply 83 for each of the power supply lines 82a and 82b.
Is provided so that power of a certain intensity or more can be obtained. However, by providing a plurality of power supply lines 82a and 82b, the guide rail 81 can be made longer,
In order to allow signals to be superimposed on the feed lines 82a and 82b, a communication device 87 such as an antenna 86 and a modem for communication had to be provided for each feed line 82a and 82b. For this reason, it is necessary to increase the number of devices required for communication in proportion to the number of wirings of the power supply line, so that there is a problem that the device for communication is complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and a first object of the present invention is to reduce the intensity of a signal superimposed on a current flowing through a power supply line to a certain level even when a guide rail is lengthened. It is an object of the present invention to provide a power supply line superimposed communication system for a mobile body, which can secure the above and improve communication reliability. A second object is to simplify the work such as wiring necessary for communication to achieve the first object. A third object is to simplify the configuration by sharing communication devices as much as possible between the power supply lines even if the number of wires of the power supply lines having different power supplies is plural in order to lengthen the guide rail. .

[0008]

In order to achieve the first object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, communication with a moving body running on a guide rail is performed by a power supply line wired along the guide rail. In the communication system of the power supply line superimposition of the mobile body by superimposing a signal on the current for power supply flowing in the relay, a repeater is provided on the track of the guide rail, the repeater is provided with a current flowing through the power supply line A receiving antenna for receiving the superimposed signal, amplifying means for amplifying a signal received by the receiving antenna, and a transmitting antenna for superimposing a signal amplified by the amplifying means on a current flowing through the feeder line Is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve a second object, in the first aspect of the present invention, the repeater has a pickup coil for extracting power from the power supply line. There is provided a power receiving means for supplying the electromotive force induced by the pickup coil to the amplifying means as power for signal amplification.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the receiving antenna also serves as the pickup coil. In order to achieve the third object, according to the invention described in claim 4, in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3, the repeater switches a power supply wired to the guide rail differently. The receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna are provided so as to be able to transmit a signal received from one feeder line to the other feeder line.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the repeater is a power supply line extending from one power source and wired to the guide rail. The receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna are provided in the middle of a wiring path, and are attached to a common power supply line.

(Operation) Therefore, according to the first aspect of the invention, the communication in the moving body moving on the guide rail is
This is performed by superimposing a signal on a power supply current flowing through a power supply line wired on the guide rail. In the repeater provided on the track of the guide rail, a signal superimposed on the current flowing through the feeder line is received by the receiving antenna. The signal received by the receiving antenna is amplified by the amplifying means, and the amplified signal is again superimposed on the current flowing through the feed line by the transmitting antenna. Therefore, even if the guide rail is long, the signal superimposed on the current flowing through the power supply line is transmitted with an intensity higher than a certain level.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the repeater, the electromotive force induced in the pickup coil based on the current flowing through the power supply line is supplied from the power receiving means to the amplifying means as power for signal amplification. . For this reason, since the power supply wiring is not required for the repeater, the repeater can be made cordless.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the receiving antenna also functions as the pickup coil, the electromotive force induced by the receiving antenna is supplied as power to the amplifying means.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in a repeater provided adjacent to a plurality of power supply lines having different power supplies wired to the guide rail, reception is performed from one of the power supply lines by a reception antenna. The transmitted signal is transmitted to the other power supply line by the transmitting antenna. Therefore, a signal is amplified and transmitted from one power supply line to another power supply line between different power supply lines.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in the repeater provided on the guide rail in the middle of the wiring path of the power supply line extending from one power supply and wired, the signal is received from the power supply line by the receiving antenna. The transmitted signal is transmitted to the receiving power supply line by the transmitting antenna. Therefore, even if the length of the wiring per one feed line becomes longer due to the longer guide rail, the intensity of the signal superimposed on the current flowing through the feed line is maintained at a certain level or more.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(First Embodiment) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a transport system 1 as a feeder line superimposing communication system. The transport system 1
The carrier 3 as a moving body runs on a single guide rail 2 installed on the ceiling in a monorail manner while being suspended. A plurality of carriers 3 are arranged on the guide rails 2 and travel between stations in factories and warehouses to carry the load. In the present embodiment, the track length of the guide rail 2 is relatively long.

On the ground near both ends of the guide rail 2, two high-frequency power supplies (hereinafter simply referred to as power supplies) 4 as power supplies are provided.
5 are installed. Feeding lines 6 and 7 connected to the power sources 4 and 5 are connected to the guide rails 2 from both ends of the guide rails 2.
, And the loop-shaped tips are close to each other near the center of the guide rail 2. The two power supply lines 6 and 7 are wired in each area where the guide rail 2 is substantially bisected in the longitudinal direction. Two parallel feeders 6 and 7 laid in a loop on the guide rail 2 are maintained at a constant interval in the vertical direction. The power supplies 4 and 5 supply a high-frequency current (for example, several tens of kHz) to the power supply lines 6 and 7.

The carrier 3 is configured as shown in FIG. That is, the transport body 3 includes a pair of front and rear drive wheels 8 and driven wheels (not shown), and a plurality of sets of guide wheels 9, and travels in a suspended state on the guide rail 2 via the wheels 8, 9, and the like. Deployed as possible. A pair of front and rear steering units 10 is provided on the transport body 3 above the main body 3a so as to be rotatable in a horizontal plane with respect to the main body 3a. The wheels 8, 9 and the like are supported on the pair of steering portions 10, respectively, so that the steering is performed along the curvature of the guide rail 2 even at the curve. The driving wheels 8 are driven to rotate by a traveling motor 11 provided on the steering unit 10.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a large number of support members 12 are fixed to the rear surface (the right side surface in FIG. 4) of the guide rail 2 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction. Each support member 12
Has two arms 12a projecting horizontally. The power supply lines 6 and 7 are supported by two substantially looped caps 12b locked to the distal ends of the two arms 12a of the support member 12 in a state in which two loops are internally fitted. ,
The distance between the two loops in the vertical direction is kept constant.

A power receiving device (pickup coil) 13 is attached to each steering unit 10 in a non-contact state facing the power supply lines 6 and 7. The pair of power receiving devices 13 are electrically connected in series. The power receiving device 13 has a section E substantially.
The ferrite core 14 includes a ferrite core 14 and a power receiving coil 15 wound around a protrusion 14 a of the ferrite core 14. The ferrite core 14 connects the power receiving coil 15 to the power supply lines 6 and 7.
The support member 1 attached to the steering unit 10 so as to be inserted between the two parallel members
6 supported.

As shown in FIG. 5, a supporting portion 16a extends from the supporting member 16, and a communication antenna 17 is attached to a tip of the supporting portion 16a. Communication antenna 17
Are arranged so as to be inserted between two parallel feeding wires 6 and 7. The communication antenna 17 is connected to a modem 18 attached to the back of the support member 16. The modem 18 is connected to a motherboard (not shown) in the main body 3a.

As shown in FIG. 5, a repeater 19 is fixed to the upper surface of the guide rail 2 near the center in the longitudinal direction. Two power supply lines 6 and 7 wired in parallel are power sources 4 and 5
The end opposite to the connection end to the relay is connected to the repeater 19, respectively. As shown in FIG. 5, the feeder lines 6 and 7 are inserted between the two parallelly wired power receiving coils 15 and the communication antennas 17 in the vicinity of both, and each carrier 3 It extends toward the repeater 19 along a wiring path that allows the feeder lines 6 and 7 to move back and forth. For this reason,
Each carrier 3 can travel along the entire area of the guide rail 2 in the longitudinal direction. The configuration of the repeater 19 will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 1, the fixed station 20 for controlling the operation of the carrier 3 includes a communication antenna 21 for transmitting a command signal for operation control to the carrier 3. The communication antenna 21 is attached to a portion of the power supply line 6 that is extended from the guide rail 2. The fixed station 20 includes a microcomputer (hereinafter simply referred to as a computer) 22, and a communication antenna 21 is connected to the computer 2 via a modem 23.
2 are connected. In the present embodiment, the communication antenna 21 is, for example, a coil-shaped antenna, and is wound around the power supply line 6. The computer 22 is configured to input work request data input by an operator to an input device (not shown) in each station. Computer 2
1 determines a carrier 3 that can satisfy a request based on work request data at an early stage from a current traveling position and a work situation of each carrier 3, and transmits a work instruction signal to the carrier 3 via a communication antenna 21. Transmission is performed by superimposing on the high-frequency current flowing through the power supply line 6. The modem 23 has a function of converting a signal from the computer 22 into an alternating current having a predetermined frequency f and sending the alternating current to the communication antenna 21.

A modem 18 to which a communication antenna 17 provided on the carrier 3 is connected is connected to a CPU 24 on a motherboard (not shown) built in the main body 3a. The CPU 24 controls the driving of the carrier 3. The modem 18 has a function of extracting only the frequency f of the signal component from the high-frequency current induced by the communication antenna 17 and digitizing the same. Further, the carrier 3 includes a power supply circuit 25 connected to the power receiving coil 15. Power supply circuit 25
Rectifies the alternating current induced in the power receiving coil 15 and supplies a necessary driving voltage to the traveling motor 11 and the CPU 24 and the like.

Next, the repeater 19 will be described. FIG. 2 shows the repeater 10 with the cover 29a removed. As shown in the figure, the four ends of the power supply lines 6 and 7 are connected to the repeater 1.
Terminal block 25 fixed on base plate 19b constituting
Are connected to each other by four screws 26. When the power supply lines 6 and 7 are connected to one side (the right side in the figure) of the terminal block 25, both ends are connected by four screws 27 on the other side (the left side in the figure) of the terminal block 25. Two power supply lines 6, 7 having the same power supply 4, 5 are connected in a loop through the wires 6a, 7a and are conductive. The repeater 19 has a receiving antenna 28 attached to the wiring 6a and a transmitting antenna 29 attached to the wiring 7a.
And an amplifying device 30 to which both antennas 28 and 29 are connected.

FIG. 3 shows an electric circuit of the repeater 19. The receiving antenna 28 is connected to an input terminal of the AC / DC conversion circuit 31. An output terminal of the AC / DC conversion circuit 31 is connected to a chopper circuit 32. A smoothing capacitor 33 is connected between the AC / DC conversion circuit 31 and the chopper circuit 32. The output terminal of the chopper circuit 32 is connected to the amplifier circuit 34. Chopper circuit 32
Outputs a DC voltage of, for example, 5 V and supplies power to the amplifier circuit 34.

The receiving antenna 28 is connected to the input terminal of the filter circuit 35. The filter circuit 35 is a circuit for passing only the frequency of a signal from the high-frequency voltage induced in the receiving antenna 28. Filter circuit 35
Is composed of, for example, a high-pass filter or a band-pass filter. The output terminal of the filter circuit 35 is connected to the input terminal of the amplifier circuit 34. The amplification circuit 34 is a circuit that uses the input voltage from the chopper circuit 32 as a power supply and amplifies the input signal in a synchronized state. The output terminal of the amplifier circuit 34 is connected to the transmitting antenna 29. Therefore, the signal amplified by the amplifier circuit 34 is superimposed on the current flowing from the transmission antenna 29 to the wiring 7 a, that is, the current flowing through the power supply line 7. In this embodiment, the receiving antenna 2
Reference numeral 8 also serves as a pickup coil for receiving power required for signal amplification in the amplifier circuit 34 from the feeder lines 6 and 7. The receiving antenna 28, AC /
The DC conversion circuit 31, the chopper circuit 32, and the smoothing capacitor 33 constitute a power receiving unit. Amplifying means is constituted by the amplifier circuit 34 and the filter circuit 35.

Next, the operation of the transport system 1 will be described. The communication between the fixed station 20 and each carrier 3 is performed by the feeder lines 6, 7
This is performed by superimposing a signal for communication on a high-frequency current flowing through the device. A signal (high-frequency current) having a frequency f (for example, several hundred kHz) is output from the computer 22 to the communication antenna 21 via the modem 23. And
A signal flowing through the communication antenna 21 is superimposed on a high-frequency current of several tens of kHz for power supply flowing through the power supply line 6. On the basis of the high-frequency current flowing through the feeder line 6, in the repeater 19, an electromotive voltage of several tens kHz in which a signal is superimposed on the receiving antenna 28 attached to the wiring 6a by an electromagnetic induction action is induced. This electromotive voltage is input to each input terminal of the AC / DC conversion circuit 31 and the filter circuit 35.

The electromotive voltage input to the AC / DC conversion circuit 31 is DC-converted, and then input to the chopper circuit 32.
The chopper circuit 32 outputs the DC voltage of, for example, 5 V to the amplifier circuit 34. On the other hand, in the filter circuit 35, the frequency f (for example, several hundred
Only the signal component of z) passes through and is output to the amplifier circuit 34.

The amplifier circuit 34 is driven by the input voltage from the chopper circuit 32, amplifies the signal input from the filter circuit 35 with synchronization, and outputs the amplified signal to the transmitting antenna 29. When the high-frequency current after the amplification of the signal frequency flows through the transmitting antenna 29, the signal after the amplification of the signal frequency is superimposed on the high-frequency current flowing through the wiring 7a, that is, the power supply line 7, by the electromagnetic induction effect. Thus, the signal is amplified and transmitted from the power supply line 6 to the power supply line 7 by the repeater 19. Even if the guide rail 2 is long and the maximum signal transmission length is long,
This signal is transmitted with a signal strength equal to or higher than a certain level to each of the transporting bodies 3 traveling on the guide rail 2 through the power supply lines 6 and 7.

The carrier 3 receives the signal by the CPU 24 via the modem 19 by the communication antenna 17.
At this time, the signal is received by the communication antenna 17 irrespective of whether the carrier 3 is located on the power supply line 6 side or the power supply line 7 side. Therefore, the end of the guide rail 2 where the signal transmission distance from the fixed station 20 is the longest (left end in FIG. 1)
Even when the carrier 3 is located in the vicinity, since the signal is received by the communication antenna 17 with a signal strength of a certain level or more, the reliability of communication is improved.

Even if a plurality of power supply lines 6 and 7 having different power sources 4 and 5 are wired on the guide rail 2, signals are transmitted between the power supply lines 6 and 7 by the repeater 19. In addition, it is not necessary to provide a communication antenna for transmitting a signal from the fixed station 20 or a communication device such as a modem for each of the power supply lines 6 and 7.

As described in detail above, according to this embodiment,
The following effects can be obtained. (1) A repeater 19 is provided at a position where the power supply lines 6 and 7 extending from the two power sources 4 and 5 are close to each other on the guide rail 2, and the repeater 19 connects the power supply line 6 to the other power supply line 7. Since the signal is transmitted and amplified, even if the guide rail is long and the longest transmission distance of the signal is long, the signal can be transmitted at a certain level or more, and the power supply lines 6 and 7 can be transmitted.
There is no need to provide a communication device every time. Therefore, the reliability of communication can be improved. Further, even if the guide rail 2 is lengthened, it is possible to adopt a communication in which a signal is superimposed on a current flowing through the power supply line. That is, in the transport system 1 that employs communication in which a signal is superimposed on a current flowing through a power supply line, the guide rail 2 can be lengthened with a configuration in which a simple communication device such as a repeater is added.
For this reason, the superimposition communication system can be adopted even in factories and warehouses that require a long moving path for the carrier 3.

(2) Since the power supplied to the amplifier circuit 34 for signal amplification is received from the feeder line 6 by the electromagnetic induction using the receiving antenna 28, the repeater 19 is connected to the power supply wiring. Not cordless. For this reason, even if the repeater 19 is installed, a power supply for signal amplification and wiring for supplying power from the power supply to the repeater can be eliminated. Therefore, even when the repeater 19 is installed, the wiring work for the power supply can be eliminated, and the installation work of the repeater 19 can be simplified.

(3) Since the receiving antenna 28 also serves as a pickup coil for receiving power, the number of components in the repeater 19 can be reduced. (4) Since the repeater 19 is unitized with the terminal block 25, the antennas 28 and 29 can be connected simply by connecting the feeders 6 and 7 to the terminal block 25 of the repeater 19.
Can be mounted so that the signals flowing through the feed lines 6 and 7 can be amplified. That is, the antennas 28 and 29 are connected to the feed lines 6 and 7
It is only necessary to connect the power supply lines 6 and 7 to the terminal block 25 of the repeater 19 without performing a troublesome work of attaching the power supply lines to the terminal block 25.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment is an example in which one feeder line 6 is wired on the guide rail 2. It should be noted that the transport body 3 constituting the transport system 1
Is the same as that described in the first embodiment with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. In particular, a configuration on a communication system such as a repeater different from the first embodiment will be described in detail.

The guide rail 2 is provided with one power supply line 6 connected to both ends of a high-frequency power supply (hereinafter simply referred to as a power supply) 4. The power supply line 6 is wired in a loop while being supported by a large number of support members 12, and two parallel lines thereof are held at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. A repeater 40 is provided near the center of the guide rail 2 at a position that does not interfere with the carrier 3.

Communication antenna 2 connected to fixed station 20
1 is wound and attached on the way from the power supply 4 of the power supply line 6 to the guide rail 2. Computer 2
Numeral 2 performs communication for superimposing a signal on a high-frequency current for power supply flowing through the power supply line 6 through the communication antenna 21 via the modem 23. Each of the carriers 3 movably provided on the guide rail 2 in a suspended state includes the power receiving coil 15, the communication antenna 17, the modem 18, and the CPU 2 described in the first embodiment.
4 and a power supply circuit 25.

As shown in FIG. 7, a reception antenna 42 and a transmission antenna 43 are connected to the ends of two signal lines (BNC lines) 41 extending from the repeater 40. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8, both antennas 42 and 43
The cap 12b is attached to the tip of the arm portion 12a of the support member 12 in a plane perpendicular to the outer peripheral surface of the substantially annular cap 12b attached to support the power supply line 6 so as to be flush or inward. . That is, in the present embodiment, the power supply line 6
Are connected to the repeater 40 without being retracted, and the antennas 42 and 43 constituting the repeater 40 are connected to the feeder 6 wired along the track of the guide rail 2 by the power receiving device (pickup coil) 13. Is installed so as not to interfere with

The antennas 42 and 43 are connected to the amplifier 30 in the repeater 40, respectively. The circuit configuration of the amplifying device 30 is as shown in FIG. 3 shown in the first embodiment. That is, the receiving antenna 42 also serves as a power receiving pickup coil for obtaining power to be supplied to the amplifier circuit 34 for signal amplification.

According to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Since the repeater 40 is provided in the middle of one feeder line 6 wired on the guide rail 2 to amplify the signal, the signal is amplified even if the guide rail 2 is long and the longest transmission distance of the signal is long. Can be transmitted with a signal strength above a certain level. Therefore, even if the guide rail 2 is long and the power supply line is long, the reliability of communication can be improved. For this reason,
The transport system 1 that performs communication by superimposing a signal on the current flowing through the power supply line can be employed in a factory or a warehouse that requires a long moving path for the transport body 3.

(2) Since the antennas 42 and 43 extending from the repeater 40 are attached to the power supply line 6 wired along the guide rail 2 so as not to interfere with the power receiving device 13,
May be wired straight along the guide rail 2, and the installation of the repeater 40 does not require a special wiring route. Therefore, when the repeater 40 is provided, the feeder 6
The connection work for connecting in the middle can be eliminated.

In addition, as described in (2) in the first embodiment,
Since the power used in the amplifier circuit 34 for signal amplification is received from the power supply line 6 by electromagnetic induction, the effect that the repeater 40 can be cordless without power supply wiring is also obtained (3). Since the receiving antenna 42 also serves as the power receiving pickup coil, the effect of reducing the number of components in the repeater 40 can be similarly obtained.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but may be implemented as follows, for example, without departing from the spirit of the invention. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a configuration in which the receiving antenna 28 and the power receiving pickup coil 45 are separately provided may be adopted. As shown in FIG. 9, the repeater 19 is provided with a receiving antenna 28, a transmitting antenna 29, and a pickup coil 45 for receiving power. The pickup coil 45 is wound around a square annular core 46. Each of the antennas 28 and 29 and the pickup coil 45 are connected to an amplifier 47.

As shown in FIG. 10, the circuit configuration of the repeater 19 in FIG. 9 is such that the pickup coil 45 is connected to the input terminal of the AC / DC conversion circuit 31, and the receiving antenna 28 is connected to the input terminal of the filter circuit 35. It is connected. Therefore, the electromotive voltage induced by the pickup coil 45 becomes AC
After the DC conversion by the / DC conversion circuit 31, the smoothing capacitor 33 and the chopper circuit 32, the chopper circuit 3
It is output to the amplifier circuit 34 as a DC voltage of 2 to 5 V, for example. Then, in the amplifier circuit 34, the receiving antenna 2
8 is applied to the filter circuit 35 at only the signal frequency, and the input signal is input to the chopper circuit 3.
2 and are amplified in synchronization with each other based on the input voltage (drive voltage). The amplified signal output from the amplifier circuit 34 flows through the transmitting antenna 29, and is superimposed on the current flowing through the wiring 7a, ie, the power supply line 7, by the electromagnetic induction. Of course, with the circuit configuration of FIG.
In this case, the pickup coil 45 is attached to the power supply line 6 so as not to interfere with the power receiving device 13 so as to be flush with the outer peripheral surface of the cap 12b. According to these configurations, the repeater 19 (40)
Except that the effect of reducing the number of parts in
The same effects as those of the first and second embodiments can be obtained.

A power supply line connected to one power supply may be wired to the guide rail 2 as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. In this example, as shown in FIG. 12, a transport system in which a traveling wheel 3a of a transport body 3 rolls on the upper surface of a guide rail 2 laid on the ground. Feeding wires 6b and 6c are wired on side surfaces of the guide rail 2 while being supported by support members 12 provided at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction. The power supply lines 6b and 6c are drawn into the back surface (the side opposite to the power supply line) of the guide rail 2 through the insertion hole of the support member 50 attached to the guide rail 2. In each power supply line, one power supply line 6b is connected to the terminal block 51, and the other power supply line 6c is connected to the repeater 52. Terminal block 51
And the repeater 52 are connected via an auxiliary wiring 53.

As shown in FIG. 12, the repeater 52 is provided with two terminal blocks 54 and 55, one of the terminal blocks 54 is connected to the power supply line 6c, and the other terminal block 55 is connected to the auxiliary wiring 53.
Are connected, and the power supply line 6c and the auxiliary wiring 53 are connected to both terminal blocks 5
Conduction is made via two wirings 56 and 57 connecting between the wirings 4 and 55. The receiving antenna 28 and the transmitting antenna 29 are attached to the wiring 57, and both antennas 28 and 29 are connected to the amplifying device 30. The circuit configuration of the amplifying device 30 is the same as that of FIG. FIG. 12 shows a state where the covers of the terminal block 51 and the repeater 52 are removed.
The terminal block 51 and the repeater 52 attached to the side surface of the guide rail 2 do not interfere with the carrier 3.

According to this configuration, the terminal block 51 and the repeater 5
2 is assembled at a predetermined position on the side surface (rear surface) of the guide rail 2, and each of the two power supply lines 6 b and 6 c is
The wire is routed to the back side of the guide rail 2 through the insertion hole 0 and connected to the terminal block 51 and the repeater 52, respectively. And
The terminal block 51 and the repeater 52 are connected by the auxiliary wiring 53. The repeater 52 has a wiring 56 between the two terminal blocks 54 and 55 in advance.
The transmission antenna 28 and the reception antenna 29 are attached to one of the wirings 57, and the two antennas 28 and 29 are unitized while being connected to the amplification device 30. Therefore, each antenna 2
The installation work of 8, 29 is unnecessary, and the installation work of the repeater 52 can be facilitated. Of course, the number of repeaters 52 provided on the power supply line wired to the guide rail 2 is not limited to one, and a plurality of repeaters may be provided on the guide rail 2 at predetermined intervals.

Each antenna constituting the repeater is not limited to a coil. For example, the antenna of the repeater in each of the above embodiments may be a capacitively coupled antenna 61 as shown in FIG. The antenna 61 is a wiring 6a
(7a, 57), a copper bar 63 interposed in the middle of an electric wire 62 through which a power supply current flows, such as the power supply line 6 (7);
3 and a thin metal plate (for example, copper foil) 65 joined to the copper bar 63 in an insulated state with the insulating film 64 interposed therebetween. Are formed by capacitive coupling. One signal line (BNC line) 66 is connected to the surface of the thin metal plate 64. Of course, the antenna only needs to be able to receive and transmit signals to and from the feeder line, and may have a configuration other than the coil type or the capacitive coupling type.

A termination process may be performed to attenuate the signal before amplification so that it is not transmitted to the end of the repeater. As a termination process, a configuration in which a power supply line is connected to a ferrite core or the like can be given. Further, in the configuration shown in FIG. 9, the core 46 around which the power receiving pickup coil 45 is wound may be made of ferrite, and the core 46 may be used as a termination resistor for termination processing.
If the termination processing is performed, the signal before amplification is completely attenuated, so that it is possible to prevent a possibility that the signal content may be erroneously received due to picking up a signal (noise) which has not been completely attenuated before amplification together with the amplified signal. be able to. Therefore, the reliability of communication can be further improved.

The power supply of the repeater may be prepared separately.
That is, the power supply of the repeater is not limited to the method of receiving power from the power supply line, but may be a configuration in which a battery is built in the repeater or a wiring is extended from the repeater and connected to the power supply device.

The number of power supply lines provided to the guide rails for different power supplies is not limited to two. In a guide rail in which three or more power supply lines having different power sources are wired, a repeater may be provided at a position adjacent to each power supply line. Of course, the repeater may be provided both at a position adjacent to each power supply line and at an intermediate position on the power supply line. In the case where the guide rail takes a track branching into a plurality, a relay may be provided at a branch point of the guide rail. According to these configurations, in the transport system employing the feeder line superimposed communication system, the trajectory of the guide rail can be lengthened according to needs with a simple configuration while ensuring the reliability of communication.

In each of the above embodiments, communication is performed between the mobile unit and the fixed station. However, a transport system in which communication for superimposing a signal on a power supply current flowing through a power supply line is used for communication between mobile units. The present invention can also be embodied. In addition, the present invention can be applied to a transport system that performs bidirectional communication between a fixed station and a mobile body by superimposing a signal on a power supply current flowing through a power supply line. In this case, in the example in which a plurality of power supply lines having different power supplies are wired on the guide rail as in the first embodiment, an adjacent portion between the first power supply line and the second power supply line having different power supplies is provided. A first repeater for amplifying and transmitting a signal from the first power supply line to the second power supply line; and a second repeater for amplifying and transmitting the signal from the second power supply line to the first power supply line.
And the frequency of the signal used for each may be set differently.

The moving object to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the overhead traveling type. For example, the present invention may be applied to an automatic warehouse system including a stacker crane as a moving body that travels on a guide rail laid on the ground as a ground traveling type. Further, the present invention is not limited to a transport body for transporting a load. In other words, power is obtained in a non-contact manner from the power supply line wired to the guide rail by electromagnetic induction, and a signal for communication is superimposed on a power supply current flowing through the power supply line, thereby enabling communication with a mobile unit (slave station). The present invention can be widely applied to a feeder line superimposed communication system for performing communication between fixed stations (master stations) or between mobile stations.

The invention which has been grasped from the above embodiment and is not described in the claims will be described below together with its effects. (A) In the invention according to any one of claims 2 to 4, the repeater electrically connects a terminal block for connecting the power supply line and each power supply line connected to the terminal block. A wiring to be connected, the receiving antenna attached to the wiring, a transmitting antenna attached to the wiring, the amplifying means to which the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna are connected, and supply to the amplifying means. And a power receiving unit provided with the pickup coil so as to receive power from the current flowing through the wiring.
According to this configuration, since the repeater is unitized, the installation work can be completed simply by connecting the power supply line to the terminal block of the repeater, and the electric work at the site where the repeater is installed can be simplified. Can be completed. That is, the troublesome work of attaching various antennas to the power supply line can be eliminated. In addition, since the repeater is cordless, which does not require power supply wiring, troublesome wiring work is unnecessary, and the work of mounting the repeater can be simplified.

(B) In the invention as set forth in any one of claims 1, 2 and 4, the repeater transmits the signal passing through the feeder line of the receiving source of the receiving antenna to the transmitting apparatus. Termination processing means is provided for forcibly attenuating the signal so that the signal is not transmitted to the transmission line of the transmission destination of the trust antenna. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the signal before amplification by the amplification unit from becoming noise of the signal after amplification. Therefore, communication reliability can be further improved.

(C) In the invention as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 4, the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna are attached to the power supply line on a wiring path through which the moving object receives power. The antenna is mounted so as to be flush with or inside the outer peripheral surface of the support member supporting the feeder line in a plane orthogonal to the feeder line. According to this configuration, even if the antenna is attached to the power supply line on a wiring path through which the mobile body can receive power, the antenna and the mobile body do not interfere with each other. In addition, it is not necessary to change the wiring of the power supply line in order to avoid interference between the antenna and the moving body.

[0060]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the signal superimposed on the current flowing through the feeder line is amplified by the repeater, so that even if the guide rail is lengthened. In addition, the signal superimposed on the current flowing through the power supply line can be transmitted at an intensity equal to or higher than a certain level, and communication reliability can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since power is supplied to the amplifying means from the power receiving means having the pickup coil for taking out power from the power supply line, the repeater can be made cordless which does not require power supply wiring. can do.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the receiving antenna also serves as the pickup coil, the configuration of the repeater can be simplified. According to the invention as set forth in claim 4, a repeater is provided at a position adjacent to a plurality of power supply lines having different power supplies wired to the guide rail, and a signal received by the receiving antenna from one of the power supply lines is transmitted. Since the trusted antenna transmits to the other feed line, a signal can be transmitted between different feed lines when the signal is amplified in the repeater.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a repeater is provided in the middle of a wiring path of a power supply line extending from one power supply,
Since the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna are mounted on a common feeder line, the strength of the signal superimposed on the current flowing through the feeder line can be maintained even if the length of the guide rail is increased and the wiring length per feeder line is increased. Can be secured over a certain level, and the reliability of communication can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a transport system according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state where a cover of the repeater is removed.

FIG. 3 is an electric circuit diagram of the repeater.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a carrier.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a power receiving device and a repeater.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a transport system according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a repeater installed on a guide rail.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway front view showing the repeater.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a state in which a cover of another repeater is removed.

FIG. 10 is an electric circuit diagram of the repeater.

FIG. 11 is a partial plan view showing a wiring structure of another example of the feeder line different from FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a partial side view of the same.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing another example of the antenna structure.

FIG. 14 is a schematic side view of a transfer system according to the related art.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 .... a transport system as a feeder line superimposed communication system, 2.
... Guide rails, 3 ... Carriers as moving bodies, 4,5 ... High frequency power supplies as power supplies, 6,6b, 6c, 7 ... Power supply lines,
6a, 7a... Wires constituting the feeder, 19, 40, 52
... Repeater, 20 ... Fixed station, 28, 42 ... Reception antenna, 29,43 ... Transmission antenna, 31 ... AC / DC conversion circuit constituting power receiving means, 32 ... Chopper circuit constituting power receiving means, 33 ... Smoothing capacitor constituting the power receiving means, 34 ... Amplifying circuit constituting the amplifying means, 35 ... Filter circuit constituting the amplifying means, 45 ... Pickup coil, 53 ... Auxiliary wiring constituting the feeding line, 56, 57 ... Feeding line , 61 ... an antenna as a receiving antenna and a transmitting antenna, 62 ... an electric wire forming a feeder line.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A power supply line superimposing communication system for a mobile unit, which performs communication with a mobile unit running on a guide rail by superimposing a signal on a power supply current flowing through a power supply line wired along the guide rail. A repeater is provided on the track of the guide rail, the repeater has a receiving antenna for receiving a signal superimposed on a current flowing through the power supply line, and a signal received by the receiving antenna. A power supply line superimposing communication system for a mobile body, comprising: an amplifying means for amplifying; and a transmission antenna for superimposing a signal amplified by the amplifying means on a current flowing through the power supply line. 2. The power receiving means having a pickup coil for extracting power from the power supply line, and supplying the electromotive force induced by the pickup coil to the amplifying means as power for signal amplification. 2. The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving antenna also serves as the pickup coil. 4. The repeater is provided at a position adjacent to a plurality of power supply lines having different power supplies wired to the guide rail,
The power supply line according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reception antenna and the transmission antenna are provided to transmit a signal received from one power supply line to the other power supply line. Superposition communication system. 5. The repeater is provided in the guide rail in the middle of a wiring path of a feed line extending from one power supply and wired, and the receiving antenna and the transmitting antenna are attached to a common feed line. The feeder line superimposed communication system for a mobile body according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein