JPS63182712A - Unmanned traveling system capable of detour operation - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize the accurate detour control of an unmanned vehicle by providing a data communicating function to the unmanned vehicle and driving the vehicle in response to the contents of the obtained data and based on a program which is not related to a guide line. CONSTITUTION:When a subsequent unmanned vehicle 1B approaches a preceding unmanned vehicle 1A, a transmission/reception device 9F of the vehicle 9F receives the data sent from a transmission/reception device 9R of the vehicle 1A. This data includes the carrying direction of a transport subject in case a stop or non-stop state of the vehicle 1A is checked or the vehicle 1A is no pause. The vehicle 1B selects a program so as to detour in the prescribed direction based on the received data. At the same time, the vehicle 1B gets out of the line 7 and starts its travel based on said program. Then, the vehicle 1B moves forward after passing the side of the vehicle 1A. In such a way, a fixed equipment is omitted at the floor side and an accurate detouring operation is secured with unmanned vehicles.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application This invention relates to an unmanned driving system that can perform detour control to avoid collisions between unmanned vehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As is well known in the art, unmanned vehicles have recently come into widespread use for transporting parts and the like within factories.

Generally, a guide wire that generates signals such as electromagnetic waves is laid on the floor, and the signal is detected by a detector installed in the unmanned vehicle while the vehicle runs without straying from the guide wire. Compared to transportation systems using conveyors, transportation systems using unmanned vehicles have fewer obstacles to logistics because there is no equipment fixed on the floor, and the travel route can be easily set by installing guide lines as appropriate. It also has the advantage of being changeable.

By the way, multiple unmanned vehicles are usually arranged in a single transport system, but in that case, in order to ensure freedom of movement or improve transport efficiency, it is necessary to overtake the preceding unmanned vehicle. It is necessary to perform detour control such as the following, and conventionally, this control was performed by equipment installed on the floor. In other words, a detour route is set by detouring a guide line at a predetermined point on the main taxiway, and a detection switch is installed to detect when the unmanned vehicle is stopped and when the unmanned vehicle reaches the entrance of the detour route. Detection switches are installed on the floor to detect this, and by inputting predetermined signals from these switches to a control device such as a computer, information is given to the following unmanned vehicle from the signal device or sent to the guide line. The traffic lights were changed so that following unmanned vehicles were forced to take a detour.

However, with such a detour control device, there is a problem that the equipment configuration becomes large-scale, which increases costs.Also, as more equipment is fixed to the floor, it becomes difficult to change the layout. The cost of making changes is high, and the inherent advantages of unmanned vehicle transportation systems are often negated.

Previously, an unmanned vehicle that solved this inconvenience was developed by the Special Public Corporation in 1973.
-12106.

This is to detour the following unmanned vehicle to another guide line when the preceding unmanned vehicle is stopped, and the detour command detector installed in the unmanned vehicle detects the detected object and guides the unmanned vehicle. The vehicle performs a turning operation regardless of the line, then travels a predetermined distance along an adjacent guide line, then turns in the opposite direction to the previous guide line and returns to the original guide line.

Furthermore, a device that changes the behavior of a following unmanned vehicle in relation to the preceding unmanned vehicle has been proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-7070. The light is reflected by a reflector, the reflected light is detected by a light receiver, and when the amount of light exceeds a certain level, the following unmanned vehicle is stopped.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the former unmanned vehicle described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 53-12106, since it is possible to make the inside of the unmanned vehicle perform a turning operation for detouring, the unmanned vehicle should be fixed to the floor side. This has the advantage of requiring less equipment, but it is necessary to install the object to be detected only when the preceding unmanned vehicle is stopped, and some kind of device is required to operate it, which can be connected to a computer or other device. If it were to be done manually, the problem would be that the equipment would be expensive, and if it was to be done manually, automation would be lost.

Therefore, it may be possible to detect that the preceding unmanned vehicle is stopped using the device described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 56-7070, which eliminates the need to install a detection object. Unmanned vehicles can also be used to determine whether a detour is necessary.

However, in the device using a projector, a receiver, and a reflector described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 56-7070,
If the front and rear unmanned vehicles are on the same straight line, the receiver will detect light even if they are far apart, and the amount of light will reach its maximum just before the front and rear unmanned vehicles collide. Since the signal level varies depending on various factors such as the degree of cloudiness, it is difficult to set the signal level at which the unmanned vehicle should stop or start detouring, making it difficult to control accurately.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an unmanned driving system that does not require floor-side fixed equipment and can perform detour operations accurately.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention detects a guide line and autonomously moves along the guide line, and transmits data toward the rear in the direction of travel. In addition, a data communication device for receiving data signals from the front is installed, and a control m+ device is installed on the unmanned vehicle to cause the vehicle to perform a detour deviating from the guide line according to a preset program based on the received data. It is characterized by:

Further, in the present invention, the data communication device can be a two-way communication device.

Operation In the system of the present invention, the unmanned vehicle usually moves on its own along a guide line. For example, when a following unmanned vehicle approaches a preceding unmanned vehicle, the following unmanned vehicle receives data emitted by the preceding unmanned vehicle. The data transmitted and received here includes whether or not the preceding unmanned vehicle has stopped, and if it has stopped, the direction of transfer of the transported object, and therefore the following unmanned vehicle travels based on the received data. In other words, if the preceding unmanned vehicle is stopped, it selects a program to detour in a predetermined direction based on the obtained data, deviates from the guide line and starts driving according to the program,
Therefore, the following unmanned vehicle passes to the side of the leading unmanned vehicle and moves forward. Furthermore, for example, if two unmanned vehicles approach each other while driving in opposite directions, since both vehicles are equipped with two-way communication devices, each vehicle can receive data from the oncoming vehicle.
As a result, each unmanned vehicle takes a detour in a direction to avoid a collision according to a preset program.

Example Next, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of an unmanned vehicle 1 according to the present invention, and the unmanned vehicle 1 shown here has a pair of running wheels 2.
and one steering wheel 3, the traveling wheels 2 are configured to be driven by a traveling motor 5 via a transmission 4, and the steering wheel 3 is configured to be given a steering angle by a steering motor 6. ing. Further, a pair of left and right pickup coils 8R and 8L are provided at the center of the lower surface of the vehicle body to detect the signal emitted by the guide wire 7. Roughly in the center of both the front and rear ends of the vehicle body, transceivers 9F and 9R for performing bidirectional optical data communication are provided, respectively. Here these transceivers 9F, 9
R is for exchanging predetermined data between adjacent unmanned vehicles 1 in the traveling direction of the unmanned vehicles 1, and the contents of the data include the traveling or stopped state of the unmanned vehicles 1, the traveling direction, and the goods. In the case of a stop for transfer, the direction of the transfer is included.

The unmanned vehicle 1 is equipped with a control device 13 that controls its running, and this control device 13 includes the motors 5 and 6.
and pickup coil 8R.

8 [and transceivers 9F and 9R are connected. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of this control device 13, in which each pickup coil 8R28 [is the induction control circuit 1
4, and the output signal of the guidance control circuit 14 is input to the steering servo driver 15 to drive the steering motor 6, thereby steering the vehicle along the guidance line 7. Further, each transmitter/receiver 9F, 9R is connected to a sensor receiving circuit 16, and the sensor receiving circuit 16 is connected to a program steering drive circuit 17.
It is connected to the. When the program steering drive circuit 17 operates, it outputs an off signal to the guidance control circuit 14 to stop the operation of the guidance control circuit 14, and also outputs a signal to the arithmetic circuit 18.

This arithmetic circuit 18 includes a steering data buffer 719 that outputs driving data regardless of the guide line 7, and a driving data buffer 719 that outputs driving data regardless of the guide line 7. 20 is connected, the data is output to a steering function generating circuit 21 to determine a steering angle according to the traveling distance, and the signal is output to the steering servo driver 15. The steering wheel 3 is equipped with a potentiometer 2 that detects the steering angle and outputs a signal to the arithmetic circuit 18.
2 and an encoder 23 that detects the distance traveled and outputs a signal to the arithmetic circuit 18. Therefore, control m+
The device 13 drives the driving motor 5 and also drives the steering motor 6 based on signals input from each pickup coil 8R, 8L, thereby giving a predetermined steering angle to the steering wheel 3 and guiding the guide line 7. It is configured to control the vehicle to travel along the guide line 7, and when a signal is input from the transceiver 9F, 9R, to perform steering according to a preset program and to control the vehicle to travel away from the guide line 7. There is.

Although not specifically shown, predetermined data such as running/stopping of the unmanned vehicle 1 and the direction of transfer are sent to the transmitter/receiver 9F, 9.
It is configured so that calls are always made from R. In addition, FIG. 1 shows two unmanned vehicles, a leading unmanned vehicle 1 and a following unmanned vehicle 1. Of these, the following unmanned vehicle 1 has the same configuration as the preceding unmanned vehicle 1, so It is omitted in Figure 1.

Next, the effect will be explained.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the process of detouring around the preceding unmanned vehicle 1 in the transfer state, in which the preceding unmanned vehicle (hereinafter referred to as 1A) stops at the transfer station and is transferred from the left side in the direction of travel. In contrast, the following unmanned vehicle (hereinafter referred to as 1B) is traveling along the guide line 7.

Since the preceding unmanned vehicle 1A has stopped and is being transferred from the left side, data indicating its state is being transmitted from the transmitter/receiver 9R on the rear end side (FIG. 3(A)). When the following unmanned vehicle 1B approaches the unmanned vehicle 1A in this state (Fig. 3 (, B)), the transmitter/receiver 9F on the front end side of the following unmanned vehicle 1 receives the signal and activates the program steering drive circuit. A signal is output to 17. As a result, control @ device 13
In this case, instead of the guidance control circuit 14, control is performed in accordance with preset steering data and travel data. In other words, as shown in the flowchart in Figure 4,
When the sensor receives an input, the programmed steering drive circuit is turned on, and a determination is then made as to whether the steering direction is to the right or left. If the result is "right", right program steering is executed to detour to the right, and if the determination result is "1 left", left program steering is executed to detour to the left. Therefore, in the case shown in Fig. 3, since the transfer is being carried out from the left side and the data is being transmitted from the preceding unmanned vehicle 1, the right program steering is executed and the unmanned vehicle 1B is moved from the left side (as shown in Fig. 3).
As shown in C), the vehicle detours to the right, passes by the side of the preceding unmanned vehicle 1A, and then returns to the position along the guide line 7 (Fig. 3 (
D)).

As described above, when the following unmanned vehicle 1B receives the signal emitted by the preceding unmanned vehicle 1, it runs according to a program based on the data, avoiding the preceding unmanned vehicle 1. In that case, the starting point of the detour may be determined based on the result of measuring the distance to the preceding unmanned vehicle 1;
Generally, the place that requires a detour is a fixed place such as a goods transfer station, so a mark plate is installed on the floor in front of such a place so that the following unmanned vehicle 1 can detect it. It is preferable that the detour be made when the vehicle senses the mark plate and receives a signal from the preceding unmanned vehicle 1.

In the above embodiment, a detour was explained when the unmanned vehicles 1 are traveling in the same direction, but the present invention is configured to perform two-way communication, so that two unmanned vehicles 1 approaching each other while traveling in opposite directions It can also be applied to avoid collisions between unmanned vehicles. In other words, if the data received by two unmanned vehicles 1 approaching each other indicates that their respective traveling directions are opposite, each unmanned vehicle 1 is moved in its respective traveling direction as shown in FIG. On the other hand, if the vehicles are turned in the same direction to make a detour, it is possible to perform travel control that avoids collisions.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above explanation, according to the unmanned driving system of the present invention, the unmanned vehicle has a data communication function, and moreover, according to the content of the obtained data, it follows a program not related to the guide line. Since the vehicle travels, accurate detour control of the unmanned vehicle can be performed, and there is no equipment to be installed on the floor, making it easy to change the layout. , it becomes possible to control detour travel even when driving in the opposite direction, and in that case, by setting the data content appropriately, detour operation can be performed when the distance between unmanned vehicles is large. Therefore, it is possible to obtain excellent practical effects such as being able to reduce operation losses of unmanned vehicles.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device, and FIGS.
D) is a schematic diagram showing the detour process, FIG. 4 is a flowchart for controlling the following unmanned vehicle, and FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the detour process when traveling in the opposite direction. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Unmanned vehicle, 2... Traveling wheel, 3... Steering wheel, 5... Traveling motor, 6... Steering motor, 7... Guide wire, 8R, 81.
...Pickup coil, 9F, 9R...Transmitter/receiver, 13...Control device. Applicant Toyota Motor Corporation Meidensha Co., Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) An unmanned vehicle that detects a guide line and moves on its own along the guide line is equipped with a data communication device that transmits data toward the rear in the direction of travel and receives data signals from the front; Further, an unmanned driving system capable of detouring, characterized in that the unmanned vehicle is equipped with a control device that causes the unmanned vehicle to perform detour driving deviating from the guide line according to a preset program based on the received data. (2) The unmanned driving system capable of detour travel according to claim 1, wherein the data communication device is a two-way communication device capable of transmitting and receiving data in the same direction. .