JPS61223529A - Tester for measuring performance of unmanned vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable the measurement of performance of an unmanned vehicle under the same conditions as when it runs over the entire route being stopped, by providing a running floor surface simulation unit having a floor simulation wheel and a simulation guidance platform with a controlled simulation guidance path. CONSTITUTION:A floor surface simulation running wheel 21 is made to run with a running of a vehicle 40 placed on a test platform 2 and the rotation thereof is transmitted to a motor 28 and an encoder 24, the output signal 81 of which 24 undergoes a distance computation and a running speed computation with a CPU section 51 and the results thereof are outputted to a CRT unit 84 or the like to be display on real time, while various marker output signals 64' are applied to the vehicle to match conditions of a running course depending on the results of the distance computation to control the speed of the vehicle 40. When the vehicle starts climbing a hill section, to increase the running resistance, the current flowing through a field coil 75 of the motor 28 is increased. The control of the running course of the vehicle is executed by controlling a motor 8 mounted on the simulation guidance platform 6 with a programmable power source 78.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [TECHNICAL FIELD] The present invention relates to a test device for measuring the performance of an automated guided vehicle for measuring the performance of an automated guided vehicle in a small, limited space.

[Technical Background of the Invention] Recently, with the progress of factory automation, etc., automatic guided vehicles have been in the spotlight.

There are various configurations of these automated guided vehicles depending on their purpose and use, but a popular type is generally a two-wheel drive type guided vehicle with casters attached.
During the development and system testing of such automated guided vehicles, automated guided vehicles equipped with various performance measurement devices are driven along a test track and performance is measured under various conditions.

FIG. 8 shows a test area 94 with a work station 91, ground sensors 92 and a taxiway 93. In the illustrated example, there are seven work stations 91;
In a large system these will be 40-50 stations.

The ground sensor 92 gives commands to the transport platform 40, such as running, stopping, medium speed, low speed, etc.

The guideway 93 determines the traveling route of the transport vehicle 40, and is made of a reflective tape made of a material with high reflectivity in the case of the optical guidance method, or a guide wire pasted on the floor in the case of the electromagnetic induction method. The transport 1140 identifies and travels on the test travel route using the installed sensor.

[Problems with Background Art] However, the above-described running test method has the following drawbacks.

(1) Although a fairly large area is required as a test area, it is difficult for test equipment manufacturers to use the limited space effectively, making it difficult for the manufacturer to simulate the entire route.

(2) Automated guided vehicles are equipped with various measuring instruments to measure their performance and functionality, but there are only a limited number of measuring instruments that operate on batteries, making it impossible to use highly accurate measuring instruments. There is also a problem in placing a measuring device on a vibrating moving object.

(3) It is difficult to measure the vehicle's climbing force, descending force characteristics, etc.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks in the background art. The purpose is to provide a test device for measuring the performance of automated guided vehicles that performs performance measurements.

[Summary of the Invention] The test device for measuring the performance of an automatic guided vehicle of the present invention is a test device for measuring the performance of an automatic guided vehicle that measures the vehicle performance by running the automatic guided vehicle in a simulated manner. one or more traveling floor surface simulating units, a simulated guiding platform for driving a simulated taxiway, and a generator driven by the rotation of the traveling wheels of an automatic guided vehicle mounted on the floor surface simulating wheels; , an encoder that outputs pulses according to the rotation of this generator, an electric motor that moves the simulated taxiway, an encoder that outputs pulses according to the rotation of this electric motor, and signals from these encoders and external signals. The present invention is characterized in that it is comprised of a computer device that calculates signals from the computer and controls the generator and motor, and a condition setting input device and an output display device that are connected to the computer device via an interface.

[Embodiments of the Invention] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

In Fig. 1, two running floor surface simulating units 1 are arranged in parallel on a test stand 2 at an appropriate distance, and each is fixed via a bolt to a long hole 3 for tread adjustment made transparent in the test stand 2. has been done.

On the test stand 2, two caster support stands 4 are arranged on a straight line orthogonal to the straight line connecting the traveling floor surface simulating units 1,
Each is fixed to a caster adjustment slot 5 provided transparently in the test stand 2.

In addition to the aforementioned caster support stand 4, a simulated guide stand 6 is movably attached to the caster adjustment slot 5 on the left end side in FIG.

゛ The simulated guide stand 6 includes a ball screw 7 rotatably attached to the guide frame, an electric motor 8 that rotates the ball screw 7, an encoder 9 that generates an output pulse according to the rotation of the ball screw 7, and an encoder 9 that is screwed to the ball screw. It consists of a square nut 10 that moves in the length direction of the ball screw without rotating itself in response to its rotation, and a simulated guide wire 11 fixed to this square nut.

The simulated guide line 11 is used to determine the traveling direction of the transport vehicle, and in the case of the optical guidance method, a stainless steel or aluminum reflector is used, and in the case of the electromagnetic induction method, the guide wire is used. The control unit 12 has a built-in sequence controller and the like, and controls the automatic test process of the automatic guided vehicle as described later.

Figure 2 shows a transport vehicle 4, which is a test object, placed on the test stand shown in Figure 1.
0 is installed. When mounting the transport vehicle 40, use the tread adjustment slots 3 and the caster adjustment slots 5 to adjust IilwA of the running floor simulation unit 1 and the caster support 4III, and adjust the running of the transport vehicle 40. Wheels 41.42 and casters 43.44
are mounted on the traveling floor surface simulating unit 1 and the caster support base 4, respectively.

The traveling floor surface simulating unit 1 is constructed as illustrated in FIG. 3. In the figure, reference numeral 21 is a floor simulating wheel, which is attached to each unit by 2W (see Figure 2).
. The wheel 21 is fixed to a shaft 22 with a key 23, and the shaft 22 is further connected to a support frame 24 with a bearing 25.
It is fixed and rotatable.

26 is a bearing holding plate that fixes the bearing 25 in the thrust direction.
used for. A coupling 27 directly connects the generator 28 and the shaft 22. Further, an encoder 29 is attached to the end of the generator shaft, and outputs a pulse proportional to the rotation speed.

This generator 28 with encoder 29 is fixed to the instruction frame 24 via a mounting base 30.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4, an outline of the hardware configuration in the control section 12 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

50 indicates a microfum beater device. 51 is an arithmetic processing unit called a central processor unit (CPU), 52 is a memory module, 53 is a keyboard interface module, 54 is a digital input (DI) module, and 55 is a digital output (D
O) module, 56 is an interface (IF) module that allows programmable control of the weighing a91i, 57 is a pulse input (PI) module that has a pulse input arithmetic analog conversion function, and 58 is an interface for connecting a printer or CRT. be. Each of these modules is interconnected with CPL 151 and address/data bus 59.

The following items are connected to the computer device 50 configured in this manner as external output elements.

That is, a keyboard 60 or the like for setting travel data conditions is connected to the keyboard interface 53.

The DI module 54 is connected to a push button 61 for starting the test, a work completion signal 62 for the transport vehicle, and the like.

The DO module 55 outputs a travel command 63 to the transport vehicle, a group of various speed control signals (ground markers, etc.) installed on the ground 64, a group of work station addresses 65, and an operation start command 70 at the arrival station. relays etc. are connected.

The connection signals 63' to 65', 70' of these relays act as input signals to the transport vehicle. others,
This Do section 55 includes an output signal relay 71 for a field changeover switch 71' for changing the direction of the power generation It (28 in Fig. 3) connected to the traveling floor surface simulation unit, and an output for the generator changeover switch 72'. The output signal relay 73 for the direction change switch 73' of the electric motor 8 for controlling the signal 72 and the simulated guide line (FIG. 11) is also connected.

The interface module 56 includes a programmable power supply 74 that controls the current to the field coil 75 of the generator 28, a programmable power supply 77 that supplies current to the armature 75a when the power generation 1128 is switched to the electric motor, and a simulated induction wire. A field coil 79 of the electric motor 8 that controls the armature 11 is connected to a programmable electric current 11178 for supplying current to the armature 79a. 76 indicates a load resistance.

Programmable with interface module 56? m
! [GP-18 (General
Purpose Interface Bus
), etc., and the voltage can be set to any value.

The output signal section 81 of the generator encoder (FIG. 3, 29) of the traveling floor surface simulation unit and the output signal section 82 of the electric motor encoder (FIG. 1, 9) for the simulated guiding wire controller are connected to the PI section 57. Based on these feedback signals, the CPU 51 calculates the travel distance and speed of the transport vehicle in real time.

A printer/CRT interface 58 A printer 83 and a CRT device 84 having a graphic function are connected. These printers 83, CRT1*lI! 84
The basic performance items of the transport vehicle, such as mileage and speed, can be output.

Next, the operation of the test apparatus configured as described above will be explained.

First, as shown in FIG. 2, the transport vehicle 40 is placed on the test stand 2, and then, from the keyboard 60 shown in FIG. 4, the signals of each main marker corresponding to the signals from the ground, corner conditions, and conditions of the uphill and downhill sections. , work instructions at the station, etc. are input.

After this operation, when the test start button 61 is turned on, a start command 63' is given to the conveyance vehicle 40, and the conveyance vehicle starts running in eight rows. At this time, the floor surface simulation running wheels 21 shown in FIG. 3 are rotated by the running wheels of the transport vehicle, and this rotation is transmitted to the electric motor 128 and encoder 24.

The output signal 81 of the encoder 29 is subjected to distance calculation and running speed calculation in the CPU section 51, and the results are displayed on the CRT.
The information is displayed and output to the device 84 or the like in real time.

During this time, various marker output signals 64' are given to the conveyance vehicle according to the distance calculation results in accordance with the traveling route conditions, and the speed of the conveyance vehicle is controlled.

When the transport vehicle approaches the boarding section, the current flowing through the field coil 75 of the electric motor 28 is increased to increase running resistance, thereby increasing the running resistance to the wheels of the transport vehicle. Similarly, when the transport vehicle approaches the unloading section, D055
By activating the output signal relay 72, this contact or changeover switch 72' is activated, changing the electric motor 28 into an electric motor. Further, by controlling the programmable power supply 77 via the interface module 56, the degree of power down can be changed.

The traveling route of the conveyance vehicle is controlled by controlling the electric motor 8 attached to the simulated guide stand 6 shown in FIG. That is, by passing current through the field coil 79 and armature 79a within the motor 8, the motor 8 rotates, and this operation causes the simulated induction 111 to move. It is necessary to move the simulated guide wire 11 left and right from the center when viewed from the front of the transport vehicle, but this can be done by driving the output signal relay 73 of D055 and switching the rotation direction with this contact 73'. Become. This electric 1lI8 1! The encoder 9 is directly connected to the armature 79a, and the output signal 82 is input to the PI module 57 to form a feedback system.

The details of the series of operations described above are shown in Figure 5 (a) and (b).
This is as exemplified in the flowchart shown in .

Next, a case where the guided vehicle corners will be described using FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the transport vehicle 40 travels on the travel path 46. In the same figure, transport vehicle 4
0 has an outer ring 41, an inner ring 42, front casters 43, and rear casters 44, and when the conveyance vehicle 40 moves in the direction of the arrow, it first receives a signal from the entrance cornering sensor 45 and then slows down and moves forward. , since the inner circumferential distance and the outer circumferential distance are different, a speed difference naturally occurs between the outer wheel speed 1 and the inner wheel speed v2'. Next, the exit cornering sensor 45
When the signal is received from ', the transport vehicle moves forward while increasing its speed again.

The running condition recorded at this time on the recording paper 47 is the sixth record.
FIG. That is, the top line (41) represents the running speed of the outer wheel, and the middle line (42) represents the running speed of the inner wheel. The bottom line is a record of the state in which signals are received from the outside, and 45.45' indicates the receiving point from the cornering sensor 45.45' in FIG.

Such cornering characteristics can also be measured using this test device by driving the control electric motor 818 of the guide wire 11 and obtaining a signal from the encoder 9 of the traveling floor surface simulating unit 1.

The chart shown in FIG. 6 can be typed out using a printer 83 provided within the control unit 12 or displayed on a CRT device. In addition, instead of typing out information using a printer, it is possible to output various vehicle performance information (e.g., motor voltage, current, battery voltage, sequence record, rotational speed of each wheel) using a formal recording instrument such as a photo code or pen recorder. .

In this way, in the present invention, since the conveyance vehicle is stopped, measurement can be easily performed using a highly accurate measuring instrument.

Although the above-mentioned embodiments have been described with respect to a two-wheel drive type guided vehicle, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be constructed based on almost the same concept as a four-wheel drive or one-wheel drive type guided vehicle. can.

[Effect of the invention] According to this test device, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) In a small space, various vehicle performances can be measured while continuously giving various variations to the conveyance vehicle.

(2) Since vehicle performance and function measurements can be performed while the vehicle is stopped, highly accurate measuring instruments can be used.

(3) Gradient conditions such as uphill and downhill can also be set.

(4) Since test conditions can be set using the keyboard, significant labor and manpower savings can be expected compared to driving in a real space.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the test device for measuring the performance of an automatic guided vehicle of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a state diagram of the automatic guided vehicle installed on the test device for measuring the performance of an automatic guided vehicle of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the traveling floor surface simulating unit in the device of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the control unit in the control unit in the device of the present invention, FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) are flowcharts explaining the operating state of the device of the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a cornering driving model in the apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating a conventional test method. 1......Traveling floor simulation unit 2...
...Test stand 3...Tread adjustment slot 4...
... Caster support stand 5 ...... Elongated hole for caster adjustment 6 ...
・・・・Simulation guide table 7 ・・・Ball screw 8 ・・・・Electric motor 9 ・・・・Encoder 10 ・・・・・・Square nut 11... Simulated guide line 12... II + control section 21... Floor surface simulation wheel 22... ...Shaft 27...Coupling 28...Generator 29...Encoder 40...Transportation vehicle 41.42... Traveling wheels 43.44... Casters 45.45'... Cornering sensor 46...
...Travel path 47...Recording paper 50...Microcomputer device 52
......Memory module 53...
...Keyboard interface 54...
...Digital input module 55...
...Digital output module 56...
...Inter 7 Eighth Module 57...
...Pulse input module 58...
・Interface 59 for connecting printer etc.
... Address/data bus 74, 77, 78 ... Programmable power supply 75 ... Field coil 79 of generator 28 ... Field coil of motor 8 81... Output signal 8 of encoder 29
2... Output signal 91 of encoder 9...
・・・・・・Work station 92・・・・・・・・・
・Ground sensor 93... Taxiway 94... Test area Applicant Toshiba Corporation Patent attorney Satoshi Suyama - Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Down Fig. 4 Fig. 5 qd) Fig. 5 (b) Fig. 6 Fig. 7 Fig. 45' (r Fig. 8

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) In a test device for measuring the performance of an automatic guided vehicle that measures the vehicle performance by running the automatic guided vehicle in a simulated manner, one or more traveling floor simulating units equipped with floor simulating wheels, A simulated guide table that controls a taxiway; a generator that is driven by the rotation of the running wheels of the automatic guided vehicle mounted on the floor simulated wheels; and an encoder that outputs pulses according to the rotation of the generator. , an electric motor that moves the simulated taxiway, an encoder that outputs pulses according to the rotation of the electric motor, and a computer device that calculates signals from these encoders and external signals to control the generator and the electric motor. A test device for measuring the performance of an automatic guided vehicle, comprising: a condition setting input device and an output display device connected to the computer device via an interface. (2) A programmable power supply is connected to the field coil and armature of the generator that are driven by the rotation of the running wheels of the automatic guided vehicle, and these programmable power supplies are controlled by a computer device and A test device for measuring the performance of an automatic guided vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the test device simulates running resistance applied to an automatic guided vehicle. (3) Two running floor simulating units, two caster support stands, and a simulating guiding stand are movably mounted on the test stand via the tread adjustment slot and caster adjustment slot, respectively. Claim 1 characterized in that
A test device for measuring the performance of an automated guided vehicle according to item 1 or 2.