JPS5952310A - Control method of unmanned guide truck - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate easy construction and change of a traveling line, by providing guide paths only at the desired areas on the traveling path of a plant unmanned guide truck to detect the guide paths in those desired sections and to drive the truck in accordance with a stored traveling pattern for other sections respectively. CONSTITUTION:The guide lines (guide paths) 9-1, 9-2... are provided at proper positions of a traveling line of an unmanned guide truck 1 in order to indicate the traveling of the truck. In the areas where guide paths are provided, the induction magnetism is detected by magnetic sensors of the turck 1 and then supplied to a controller 5a. Thus a position servo traveling mode is selected, and left and right driving wheels 2a and 2b are driven to control the position of the truck to its traveling direction. While the controller 5a drives the driving wheels in accordance with a traveling pattern stored in a storage device 3 of the truck as well as a speed servo traveling mode at the areas where no guide path is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a novel control method for unmanned guided vehicles used in factories, warehouses, etc.

As is well known, unmanned guided vehicles that transport cargo in factories, warehouses, etc., travel while detecting magnetic lines of force emitted by guide wires buried or affixed on the road. In addition, there is an optical guidance method as a guidance method different from such electromagnetic induction method, but in this case as well, a guide path made of reflective tape etc. is pasted on the running path and the unmanned guided vehicle is emits light toward this reflective tape and detects the reflected light as it travels.

By the way, with such electromagnetic induction method or optical guidance method, it is necessary to install a guide path along the entire length of the running route, which requires extremely large-scale ground construction, which increases the cost and also requires route changes or changes. There was a problem that addition was not easy.

Therefore, as a method for controlling the running of an unmanned guided vehicle without performing such ground work, a method has been proposed in which a running pattern is stored in the unmanned guided vehicle and the unmanned guided vehicle is driven according to this running pattern. .

For example, FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an unmanned guided vehicle to which such a guidance method is applied.

As shown in this figure, the unmanned guided vehicle 1 includes a memory device W13 that stores the running pattern as the number of revolutions (speed) per unit time of the left and right drive wheels 2as2'b, and each of the left and right drive devices 4a. The left and right drive wheels 2a via s4k
, 2'b, and 26% of each of these drive wheels.
A control device M5 is provided, which inputs the rotational speed of each drive wheel 2b through a pulse pickup (not shown) and controls each drive wheel 2tLs2b to rotate according to the traveling pattern. Therefore, in this unmanned guided vehicle, if the rotation speed of the left drive wheel 2& and the rotation speed of the right drive wheel 2b are made equal to each other according to the straight-ahead running pattern,
Go straight as shown in b), and according to the right turn driving pattern, set the ratio of the rotation speed of the left drive wheel 2a to the rotation speed of the right drive wheel 2b to R (where r is %21 of the left and right drive wheels 2a). (R is the radius of rotation of the right drive wheel 2b), it is possible to make a right turn as shown in FIG. 2 (b).

However, in such a guidance method, the unmanned guided vehicle 1 does not directly detect the position of the traveling path and correct the traveling direction, so when the traveling distance becomes long, each drive wheel 2! L
There is a problem in that running errors such as course errors and stop position errors become so large that they cannot be ignored due to detection errors in the rotational speed of the s2b or slips in these drives@2a%21).

In view of the above points, the present invention is capable of preventing the unmanned guided vehicle from deviating from a predetermined traveling route even when the traveling distance of the unmanned guided vehicle is increased, and also prevents ground construction on the traveling road side. This provides a new control method for unmanned guided vehicles that can be simplified. Guide paths are provided only at necessary points on the driving route (course correction points, stopping points), and unmanned guided vehicles can In sections where no guide path is provided, the left and right drive wheels are driven according to a stored driving pattern, while in sections where a guide path is provided, the vehicle runs or stops while detecting the guide path. I have to.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an unmanned guided vehicle 1 to which the method for controlling an unmanned guided vehicle according to the present invention is applied, and in this figure, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals. It is. In this figure, 5a and 6b are left and right magnetic sensors that respectively detect induced magnetism from the road surface, and the outputs of these magnetic sensors 6a and 6b are supplied to the control device 5&.

These magnetic sensors 6 a s 6 b are connected to guide lines 94.9-2, which will be described later, on the left and right sides of the lower surface of the vehicle body of the unmanned guided vehicle 1.
, . . . are provided at intervals equal to the intervals in the width direction. The control device 5& is configured to operate by automatically selecting one of the speed servo travel mode and position servo travel mode, and when the speed servo travel mode is selected. Sometimes the left and right drive wheels 21L are adjusted based on the running pattern stored in the storage device 3.
% 2 b, and the position servo travel mode is selected. Sometimes, the direction of movement or the direction of movement of this unmanned guided vehicle 1 is adjusted so that the correct output is obtained from either of the magnetic sensors 61L and 6b. In other words, in the speed servo driving mode, this control device F5a controls the rotational speed of the left driving wheel 2& and the right driving wheel 2 based on the driving pattern stored in the memory device flt3.
The direction of movement of this unmanned guided vehicle 1 is corrected by controlling the rotation speed of
The position on the traveling path γ is directly detected based on the output of either L or 6b, and the left drive @2 &
By controlling the rotational speed (or a steering mechanism (not shown)) of the right drive wheel 2'b, the direction of movement of the unmanned guided vehicle 1 and its attitude with respect to the direction of movement can be controlled.

Next, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a running path to which the control method for an unmanned guided vehicle according to the present invention is applied. is provided with transfer equipment Wls-, s-2. Transfer equipment fl18
．． ．． 8-2 is for loading cargo onto the unmanned guided vehicle 1 and unloading the cargo loaded on the unmanned guided vehicle 1, and the driving road surface corresponding to these transfer devices N8-□ and 84 is used. 7-1.74 were induced with lll9-, .7-1.74, respectively. 9-, is installed (buried or affixed), and the corresponding AC power source 10
-8.10-2, it is constantly AC excited.

Next, the operation of this embodiment having the above configuration will be explained.

First, the control data #,
! :Lr The length of the running road surface 7-1, 7-2 6-, e4 and the distance between these running road surfaces 7-17-2 are stored in advance, and the curve pattern of the running road 7 (or If the traveling path 7 is straight, a straight line pattern) is stored.0Here, the unmanned guided vehicle 1 is positioned on the traveling road surface 74, the cargo is loaded and unloaded on the unmanned guided vehicle 1, and then When the unmanned guided vehicle 1 travels in the direction of arrow A, the unmanned guided vehicle 1 first runs on this traveling road surface 74.
The position servo driving mode is selected until the vehicle exits the guide line 9-X, and the position of the guide line 9-1 is detected by either the magnetic sensor s& or 6b, and the unmanned guided vehicle 1 moves on the guide line 9-X according to the detection result. control its direction of movement so that it comes to Next, the unmanned guided vehicle 1 travels a predetermined distance in the direction of arrow A, and this travel distance is a percentage of the control data Otsu 1 stored in the storage device 3.
When this happens, the control device 5m sets the driving mode to the fast servo driving mode, controls the left driving wheel 2a and the right driving wheel 2b based on the driving pattern stored in the memory device W13, and performs unmanned guidance according to this driving pattern. Run car 1. When the vehicle travels the distance in this speed servo travel mode (actually, this travel distance is slightly longer than the distance WJ,r), the control device 5& changes the travel mode to the position servo travel mode again. As a result, the magnetic sensor 6a
, 6b, the position of the guide line 9-2 is detected, and based on the detection result, the unmanned guided vehicle 1 travels while correcting its traveling direction and stops in front of the transfer device 84.

In this way, in this unmanned guided vehicle control method, a guide line 91% 9-2, ... (guide path ), and the direction of movement of the unmanned guided vehicle 1 is corrected in the area where these guides #9-1, 9-2,... Even in this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the unmanned guided vehicle 1 can be stopped parallel to the transfer equipment 91g-n. As a result, cargo can be easily loaded onto the unmanned guided vehicle 1 even in a transfer device that does not have a conveyor or the like.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the configuration of a traveling route to which the control method for an unmanned guided vehicle according to the present invention is applied. In this figure, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 4 are given the same reference numerals. It is. The difference between the traveling path 7 shown in this figure and the traveling path 7 shown in FIG. It's what I did. As a result, the course correction range of the unmanned guided vehicle 1 is expanded, and as shown in the figure, each guide line 9-1, 9-2 of the unmanned guided vehicle 1 can be reliably detected, and the unmanned guided vehicle 1 can be It can be returned to the running position.

Further, in each of the embodiments described above, the guide lines 9-1, 9-2, . Furthermore, as shown in FIG.
It is more effective if it is provided at a branch point branching to S7b, or at a curve where course deviation is likely to occur.

As is clear from the above description, according to the method for controlling an unmanned guided vehicle according to the present invention, guide paths are provided only at necessary locations on the traveling road (course correction locations and stopping locations).
An unmanned guided vehicle drives the left and right drive wheels according to a stored driving pattern in driving sections where a guide path is not provided, while it detects this guide path in sections where a guide path is provided. Since the vehicle is configured to run or stop while moving, ground construction of the running route becomes simple and inexpensive, and changes and additions to the running route can be made extremely easily.

Furthermore, according to this invention, the widthwise interval of the guide paths is made wider at both ends along the running path than at other parts, so even if the course error in the running section where no guide path is used is somewhat large, it is possible to You can make course corrections.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a conventional unmanned guided vehicle. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a conventional method of controlling an unmanned guided vehicle using the unmanned guided vehicle shown in FIG. 11) Figure 4 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of a traveling route to which the same example is applied, Figure 5 is a diagram showing the stopped state of the unmanned guided vehicle in the same example, and Figure 6 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of the driving path to which the same example is applied. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing another configuration example of the traveling route to which the embodiment is applied, and a plan view showing the same side at a branch point of the traveling route. 1... Unmanned guided vehicle, 2 &... Turn left Driving book, 2b...
...Right drive wheel, 3...Storage device, 4a. Left drive installed, 4b...Right drive device, 5&...Tune control device, 6&, 6b...Magnetic sensor. , 7. Curved road,
9-HN 9-2...Guiding line C guide path). (12)

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A guide path is provided at each of the course correction points and stopping points on the travel route, and the unmanned guided vehicle includes a storage means for storing the travel pattern, a detection means for detecting the guide path, and a guide path stored in the storage means. control means for controlling the rotation of the left and right drive wheels according to the stored driving pattern, and the unmanned guided vehicle operates according to the stored driving pattern in each section of the driving path where the guide path is not provided. The unmanned guided vehicle is characterized in that it travels by driving the left and right drive wheels, and travels or stops while detecting the guide path in each section of the travel path where the guide path is provided. control method. (2) The distance between the guide paths in the width direction of the running path is larger than a predetermined distance at both ends of the guide path in the direction along the running path. A method for controlling an unmanned guided vehicle according to item 1.