JPS6145309A - Detector for operation indicating point of unmanned truck - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain the accurate detection of a pattern and to improve the reliability of an unmanned truck by detecting and discriminating a mark plate set at an operation indicating point by a sensor set to the truck. CONSTITUTION:A guiding line U is provided at the center part of a driving path surface R for drive of an unmanned truck 1. Plural operation indicating points P are put on the surface R, and the necessary operations are indicated by a mark plate M. The truck 1 contains a microcomputer 9 consisting of sensors S1R-S3R which are set opposite to said plate M and detect it, a CPU6, a ROM 7, etc. Thus the sensors S detect and discriminate the plate M though the CPU6 and stores it to a ROM8. This detected mark plate M is compared with a mark plate pattern registered previously to the ROM7. Then an operation indicating signal is delivered according to the result of said comparison. Thus it is possible to perform the driving control of the truck 1 based on the point P.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Object of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) This invention relates to a detection device for a driving instruction point of an automatic guided vehicle.

(Prior Art) Generally, automated guided vehicles are driven unmanned along guide lines laid on the road surface. Each operation instruction point placed on the driving road surface is configured by placing a plate made of a plurality of iron plates, and the automatic guided vehicle detects the plate of the operation instruction point with a mark plate detection sensor consisting of a proximity switch etc. The microcomputer then determines the meaning of the detected operation instruction points and controls the operation.

The above-mentioned automatic guided vehicle uses a pulse detection sensor to detect the rotation speed of the drive motor, etc. that drives the vehicle, and when the mark plate detection sensor detects a plate, the pulse detection sensor detects a plate based on the pulse signal detected by the pulse detection sensor 1. A microcomputer is adapted to determine the niceness and placement of the plates at each navigation point.

In addition, in some types of automated guided vehicles, when moving an unmanned 1m guided vehicle from one station to the next station, the number of pulses proportional to the preset distance between stations and the rotation of the drive motor etc. that drives the travel are used. The number is detected by a pulse detection sensor and compared with the number of pulses that is proportional to the distance actually traveled, and when the set pulse and the detected pulse match, the automatic guided vehicle stops traveling. There is something.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the conventional unmanned vehicle as described above, when the tie V wears out or the tire slips while driving, the actual travel distance and the detected pulse signal do not match. As a result, there are problems in that it becomes impossible to accurately read the size and arrangement of the plate, and it becomes impossible to stop at the correct station.

Structure of the invention, (l m a 'i 'nt 6 ts 6
(7)-゜This invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and the operation instruction point detection device of this invention has at least two rows of keys on the road surface and another row of keys. In an automated guided vehicle that travels along the traveling road surface, a driving instruction point consisting of a combination of multiple rows of plates is installed, and each plate of the driving instruction point is Mark plate detection sensors arranged correspondingly to detect each separately; 1) When the θ mark plate detection sensor detects a plate of each key row, it is determined that this plate is a regular operation instruction point plate. Its gist is that it consists of means and.

(Function) With the above configuration, when the conveyance vehicle reaches the operation instruction point and the mark plate detection sensor provided separately detects the plate of the key row, the discriminating means determines that the plate is the regular operation instruction point 1-. do.

(Embodiment) An embodiment embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

A guide line U is laid in the center of the running road surface R, and the automatic guided vehicle 1 is guided to run unmanned. A plurality of operation instruction points P (only one is shown in Figure m1) are arranged on the traveling road surface R at predetermined intervals. These operation instruction points are composed of six iron plates m1R, mlL, m2R as shown in Figure 3.
, m2L.

The mark plates M are arranged in three rows based on any combination of m3R and m3L, and the mark plates M have the meaning of necessary operation instructions. It is assumed that at least one mark plate M at each operation instruction point is placed in the first and third rows, and these first and third rows are used as key rows.

J: Sea urchin (not shown in FIG. 1) A vehicle body frame 2 of the automatic guided vehicle 1 is provided with a driving wheel 3 and a steering wheel 4.

On the lower surface of the vehicle body frame 2, there are three sets of mark plate detection sensors, one pair on the left and right for each row, corresponding to the plates in each row of the mark plate of the operation instruction point 1-, that is, the first row mark plate detection sensor. Sensor SIR,S
1L, 2nd row mark plate detection sensor S2R, S2
L, and third row mark plate detection sensor S3R, S
3L, plates mlR, mlL, m2R, m2L, arranged on the left and right sides of the operation instruction point;
They are arranged so as to be able to detect m3R and m3L, respectively.

Also, the automatic guided vehicle 1 has an interface 1-51 size.

CPU (central processing unit) 6 and two memories i.e. ROM (read only memory) 7, RA
A microcombination unit 9 consisting of M (reading and writing memory) 8 and the like is mounted. Said R.O.
M7 has a third point corresponding to operation instruction points l-P1 to Pn.
Mark plate patterns as shown in the figure and operation instruction contents corresponding to the mark plate patterns are stored in advance.

1st row - 3rd row mark plate detection Zen 1fS1R
, 5IL1S2R, S2L, S3R, and 33L are outputted to the CPLI 6 via the ink=7[-s5.

The CPU 6 is a first row mark plate detection sensor S1R,
The first column, which is the key column of the mark plate, is detected based on the detection signal output from one of the sensors S'lL and one of the third row mark plate detection sensors S3R and 83L. When it is determined that there is a plate in the first and third rows, it is determined that this plate is a regular operation instruction point plate, and all mark plate detection sensors SIR, S1L, S2R, and S2L.

Based on the detection signals output from S3R and S3L, the presence or absence of a plate in each column of τ is stored in the RAM 8.

Then, the CPU 6 detects all the mark plate detection sensors S1R, S1L, S2R, S2L,
All plates are detected by S3R and S3L, and the first row~
When the ability to determine the presence or absence of a plate in the third column is completed, the data on the presence or absence of a plate in each column stored in the RAM 8 is integrated to form a mark plate pattern, and this integrated mark plate pattern is used as a mark registered in advance in the ROM 7. It is designed to help you determine whether it is a plate pattern or not.

Then, when the data is a registered mark plate pattern, the CPU 6 outputs an operation command signal (for example, a speed command signal) that is based on the meaning of the registered mark plate pattern. .

Further, if this integrated mark plate pattern is not a mark plate pattern registered in the ROM 7, the operation command signal is not output.

Now, the operation of the operation instruction point detection device for an automatic guided vehicle configured as described above will be explained.

When the automatic guided vehicle 1 reaches the operation instruction point while traveling, the CPtJ6 detects one of the first row mark plate detection sensors S1R and SIL and the third row mark plate detection sensor. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, one of the rear sensors S3R and S3L is connected to the plates in the first and third rows, which are the key rows of operation instruction points (in this embodiment, plate m1R and plate m3R). ) is detected, it is determined that there are plates in the first and third rows of mark plates, respectively, based on the detection signals output from the mark plate detection sensors SIR and S3R, and this plate is a regular operation instruction. It is determined that it is a point plate.

Then, as the transport vehicle 1 moves, the CPU 6 detects all the mark plate detection sensors SIR, 81L, S2R, 5.
Based on the detection signals output from 2L1S3R and S3L, the presence or absence of a plate in each column is stored in RAM8.

Then, CPtJ6 detects all the mark plate detection sensors S1R, S1L, S2R, 52L by moving the conveyance vehicle 1.
When all the plates are detected in 1S3R and S3L and the presence or absence of plates in the first to third rows is determined, the R
Data on the presence or absence of plates in each column stored in AM8 are integrated to form a mark plate pattern, and it is determined whether this integrated mark plate pattern is a mark plate pattern registered in advance in ROM7.

Then, when the mark plate pattern is a registered mark plate pattern, the CPU 6 outputs an operation command signal (for example, a speed command signal) based on the meaning of the registered mark plate pattern. Further, if this integrated mark plate pattern is not a mark plate pattern registered in advance in the ROM 7, no operation command signal is output.

In this way, all mark plays 1-@out Hinsa SIR,
By detecting the corresponding plates at 31L, S2R, S2L, S3R, and 531-, the mark plate pattern of the operation instruction point is checked, so travel control can be performed reliably based on the operation instruction point. .

Even if the tires of the conveyance vehicle 1 slip or wear out, unlike conventional methods, the size and arrangement of the plays 1- are not measured with a pulse detection sensor, so the markings of the play 1-patterns at the operation instruction points can be accurately performed. can be detected.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but may be embodied as follows.

(a) In the embodiment described above, the operation instruction points were constructed from three rows of plates, but the mark plate pattern of the operation instruction points may be constructed from two or four or more rows of plates.

(b) In the above embodiment, the first and third columns were used as key columns, but instead, other columns may be used as key columns.

Effects of the Invention As detailed above, the present invention can accurately detect the yak plate pattern of the operation instruction point even if the tires of the transport vehicle slip or wear out, thereby improving reliability. It is an excellent invention in terms of industrial use because it has the effect of improving the invention.

°1 41 Brief explanation of the drawings Figure 1 is a schematic side view of the automatic guided vehicle, Figure 2 is a schematic bottom view, Figure 3 is a plan view showing the types of operation instruction points 1 to 4, The figure is a flowchart of this operation instruction point detection device, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the detection state.

Automatic guided vehicle 1, body frame 2, interface 5,
CPU6, ROM7, RAM8. Microcomputer 9, running road surface R, guide line U, mark plate detection sensors S1R, S1L, S2R.

S2L, S3R, S3L, plates m1R to m3R, m
l L-m3L.

Patent applicant: Hasuda Automatic Loom Works Co., Ltd.
Person Patent Attorney On 1) Hironobu Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 4 Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A driving instruction point is arranged on the running road surface and is composed of a combination of multiple rows of plates consisting of at least two key rows and other rows, and the driving point is arranged on the running road surface, and the driving direction point is arranged on the running road surface. In an automated guided vehicle, a mark plate detection sensor mounted on the guided vehicle and arranged correspondingly so as to separately detect each plate of the operation instruction point, and when the mark plate detection sensor detects a plate of each key row. , a determination means for determining that the plate is a regular operation instruction point plate, and an operation instruction point detection device for an automatic guided vehicle.